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1. [DL-J] Okay, Now For What REALLY Happened!
From: John Pepper <trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 19:53:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Pepper <trissana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] Okay, Now For What REALLY Happened!
Jerram
Haven, Midday, Day 2
/snip from Kris' post "Is The Winner Really The One Who Wins?"/
His own dragonlust was beginning to fade, followed by intense
disappointment. He'd managed to get everyone out of the inn .. and
amazingly had not been slugged by any of the disgruntled sailors.
Though a couple it seemed had wanted to. Griffin, from the Marquesa had
seen
events unfold and had enough knowledge of the Warren to see what was
going on and to step in and help out.
But now Jerram was there and the dragonlust had not faded from him. It
had in fact grown and he was intent on letting it mature. Kay was just
as intent to prevent this from happening. No one was getting near Tara
... not now .. not till this was over and she was safe. Perhaps there
was jealousy as well, but he buried that thought behind his concern for
her
condition.
*Back off!* he signed briskly and held up his fists. He was definitely
going to fight for her.
/end snip/
Jerram saw Kalewyn blocking his way, but caught up in the draconic
mating lust he would NOT be stopped. With a deep growl that almost
sounded like it might have come from his dragon, he surged forward. He
put out a hand to sweep the bothersome rider out of his way - and the
next thing he knew, he was seeing stars as a very hard fist encountered
his jaw. The next thing he knew, he was sitting on his rear on the
hard wooden floor. He shook his head and the red mist cleared from his
eyes. He saw a rather contrite-looking Kalewyn standing over him
holding his in both hands. Jerram's vision cleared enough after a
moment that he could read what was written there.
*Do we need to do this again?* the words asked.
Jerram shook his head, slowly standing up. "No, we don't," he said,
shaking himself all over to try and rid himself of the intense feelings
that were still coming from Seydor. He squeezed his eyes shut for a
moment, and tried - with only moderate success - to block out his
dragon's ecstasy. Seyd's exuberance was all the greater because he'd
known Varaenna since she'd hatched, and had always been attracted to
her, but she had never really returned his attentions and this was the
first time he'd ever won one of her mating flights. He felt the
barriers start to crumble and he clenched his fists as they threatened
to take him over again.
Suddenly, a glassful of ice water hit him in the face, snapping him
out of it once again. He saw Kalewyn standing there holding the empty
glass in one hand, and the slate in the other. *Sorry about that,* the
slate said.
"How the hell do you write that quickly?" Jerram wanted to know,
using a hand to mop some of the water from his face.
Kalewyn showed him, and then held it up for Jerram to see.
*Practice,* it said. *If you knew sign language as well as Tara, this
would go much faster.*
"I'll make it a point to learn," said Jerram. He took a deep breath
and let it out again, then looked over at Tara lying on the bed. She
was tossing restlessly in her sleep - that was one thing that,
unfortunately, neither he nor Kalewyn could protect her from, the
mating lust of her own queen. But at least Kalewyn had prevented
things from getting to the point where she'd have been put through
something she might not have recovered from.
"Excuse me," said a soft, polite voice from just behind him. Jerram
knew the language - Kataani - and understood it passably. He whirled
and saw a Kataani soldier standing there, and in a heartbeat, the point
of Jerram's knife was at the soldier's throat. The Kataani's eyes
narrowed, but he did not flinch back from the knife-point.
Kalewyn put a hand around Jerram's wrist, pointing at the insignia on
the soldier's collar. Jerram only belatedly saw that he was from their
medical corps, and then remembered vaguely that young Ansel and Eliase
had gone the night before to get medical assistance from the undersea
army. "Sorry," Jerram said in Kataani, slowly lowering the knife and
re-sheathing it. "I seem to be saying that a lot lately."
"That is all right," said the healer. "War is not an easy thing to
get over...and technically, our peoples are not at peace yet. But, I
was asked to come and look at your leader here. My name is Karashi. I
have talked to the woman's...mate, is it?...here, but we have been
having problems communicating. He does not speak our language as you
do."
Jerram shook his head, looking back and forth from Karashi to
Kalewyn. "No, he doesn't," Jerram agreed, deciding there was no point
in getting into the subject of Kay's inability to speak or hear. "I am
a long-time friend of both of them, though," he continued. "Can you
tell me...what is her condition?"
"She will live," the healer said. "You see, her wound was magical as
well as physical in nature. Counselor Oga was a great sorcerer, at
least the equal if the Emperor, and if the stories I heard are true, he
had the Scepter of Ythfaru."
Jerram nodded silently, confirming what was no longer a secret...and
he felt yet a renewed pang when his mind replayed once again the reason
*why* it was no longer a secret...out over the sea, racing away from
the warren, trying to catch up with Gus and Loki before they could
sacrifice themselves...and then the terrible detonation that almost
knocked him and Seyd from the sky, and the knowledge that Gus had been
at the very center of it...
"...rider, are you all right?" Karashi was asking, from the volume of
his voice probably not for the first time."
Jerram sighed. "Yes, sorry," he said. "Oh, and my name is Jerram.
Please, go on."
Karashi nodded. "Very well, Jerram. As I was saying, when I began to
examine her at your medical center, I despaired of any hope for her. I
have at least some small facility with magic, but nothing that could
begin to counter what was destroying her. Your own healers, of course,
were not at all equipped to treat magic, and it was to my eternal shame
that I did not see the all-important clue in that. Fortunately, her
mate here, did."
"What clue?" Jerram asked.
"That since your healers could not heal magical wounds of this sort,
it followed that for some reason there had been no magical wounds for
them to heal. Kalewyn here was the one who realized that our people's
magic - even magic as powerful as Oga's - is inoperative for some
reason when one moves away from the sea. We must be far away, for I
have not even been able to use my own limited talents to assess her
condition. But by every other measure available to me, her sickness is
broken and as soon as your mounts are available again, we should be
able to return her to the medical facilities at your warren."
"That will be...awhile," Jerram said, again having to fight back
Seydor's lust feelings. He turned away so he couldn't see Tara. This
promised to be a long wait, and he motioned Kalewyn over. "Say, do you
know how to play poker?" he asked the Kataani healer, whose face looked
rather blank at the unfamiliar term. "Well, I know Kalewyn here does,
so I'm sure between the two of us, we can teach you..."
(Tag Kris, I'm sure that between them Kay and Karashi can keep Jerram
occupied while the dragons are out fooling around!)
* * * * *
Afternoon
/snip from Barb's post, "Fig's Aftermath"/
She didn't know how long she and Griffin waited, watching the front
doors
of the Inn, but it was growing dark when the door opened and Jerram
cautiously exited, took a quick look around, though he didn't or
wouldn't meet Figs blazing eyes, before motioning for someone inside to
exit.
First came someone Fig didn't recognize, but thought it must be the
healer. Next came her mother looking very pale and not quite steady on
her feet. She was being supported by Kay, her father, who led her over
to
where Varaenna and Seydor were coming into land.
Kay looked up and saw a strange dragon, his steps slowed as he alertly
looked around until his eyes landed on Fig, whom he did not know. She
saw his body tense when he noticed her weapons and quickly signed that
everything was okay.
/end snip/
Jerram saw the poisonous look that Fig was giving him, and wondered
what was wrong. She was a dragonrider, after all, and as far as he
could tell, her dragon Kasha was old enough to have had at least a
couple of mating flights herself. Then, he saw Fig tear her gaze away
from him and look at Kalewyn. To his amazement, she began to wriggle
her fingers in the sign language he'd seen both Kalewyn and Tara use.
He knew that he *really* must learn how to do communicate in that
language!
/snip/
**Wisp sent me here to keep his niece safe** she signed, using the same
hand movements he was familiar with. **I am Kasha's rider. My name is
Fig.. I am the daughter of Lord Darden... Weaponsmaster Jerram knows of
me. I arrived earlier with a note from my.. father...**
/end snip/
Well, there was no time now to worry about such things. He and the
others had to get Tara back to the med center. Now that the magical
effects of her wound were neutralized - assuming the Kataani healer was
right - they could go the rest of the way toward curing her. He looked
up at Seydor, who glanced back down at him with an almost insufferable
smugness in his eyes.
<Ah, this has been a really WONDERFUL day!> the dragon said, grinning
down at his rider.
*Yeah, for you maybe,* Jerram grumbled. *All it did for me was get
me in trouble, if I'm reading Fig's expression correctly. You couldn't
have just let Sabbith win, could you?*
<Welll...> the dragon said defensively. <Sabbith got her last time.
I've been waiting a whole lot longer! And what does it really matter,
tomorrow she'll be back with Sabbith again and I'll be over on my
lonely ledge...> He sighed happily. <However, since we have to return
to the warren right after Varaenna and I completed our...um,
business...she said that we could spend the evening resting up at her
apartment. Ooh, if you knew how long I've wanted the chance to cuddle
with her...!>
*Okay, okay, I get the picture,* Jerram said, shutting off Seyd's
thoughts. *In the meantime, though, we have more important work to do
before you and Varaenna can play. We need to get Tara back.*
/snip/
She turned to look at Jerram, keeping her anger hidden for now, to
confirm her statement and saw Kay did the same. When the Weaponsmaster
nodded
and quickly signed that he'd explain later when they had gotten Tara
home
safely... Kay looked back at Fig before continuing on to Sabbith.
Jerram moved to help Kay lift Tara up into the rider's saddle before
Kay
settled in behind her to hold her steady.
/end snip/
Now that they had several dragons to go around, Jerram was able to
take Karashi the healer on the saddle behind him so that Kalewyn and
Sabbith could concentrate on making sure Tara was safe. Karashi
described the trip over, being clutched in Sabbith's foreclaws, with a
shiver. Jerram smiled at the Kataani's discomfiture. "I think we can
do better for you this time," he said, as he checked the healer's
riding straps. Just then, everything shook as Varaenna - who wouldn't
be carrying her rider and so wasn't even wearing a saddle - moved over
and brushed against Seyd, causing the blue to lurch a bit from the
unexpected push. Jerram heard what sounded for all the world like a
snicker coming from the queen, and Seyd answered by playfully bumping
his nose against hers.
*Would you PLEASE tell her she can do her fooling around when we get
back?* he demanded of Seydor, then turned to the healer. Karashi had
gone a pale shade of green. "Sorry, just a case of post-mating-flight
friskies," he assured him. We'll be back soon, and I don't think
you'll have to take any more dragon-rides."
Karashi could only pray to Ythfaru that it could be so.
* * * * *
Evening
The Med Center
Tara had been floating in a place where there had been nothing but
pain and darkness, for...how long? It seemed like forever. And always
in front of her, had been the leering face of Oga. He had taunted her
and tormented her, and his cold eyes seemed to pierce right through
her. It went on like that...and on...and on...
And then suddenly it broke. Oga's gaze left her, and his face seemed
to become wispy, nebulous...and with a final, piercing scream, the
visage of the evil Kataani sorcerer shattered into a million pieces, as
though she had been seeing him only through a mirror that was now
broken.
And then, for awhile, had been nothing but cool relief as she felt
herself drifting back upward to the surface of what she knew was her
own consciousness. But then more heat, but of a different kind - from
her own dragon, from Varaenna. Despite her weakened condition, the
Warrenlady had felt every wave of lust that had emanated from the
soaring queen as she dodged her suitors, taunting them. And then the
explosion as one of the dragons caught her...Sabbith, it must have been
Sabbith...but no, the feel was different, and Kay would have been
there...where was Kay? And then she had sensed his presence close by.
In her mind's eye, she had seen him hovering over her almost like a
guardian angel. An obscure corner of her mind told her to suggest that
Kay add an angel or two to his great masterpiece on the ceiling of the
hatching cavern...a couple of angels, perhaps using himself as a
model...and maybe even herself, came the mischievous thought before all
went black again.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a window, and
she knew that it was almost completely dark outside. She tried to
rise, but there was a harsh, jabbing pain in her midsection and she
fell backward, gasping.
And then Kay was there - no image this time, but in the flesh - and
he put his arms on her shoulders in an unmistakable sign that she was
not to get up and move. She took the meaning and nodded silently.
Satisfied, Kay drew back and took her hand, signing with his free one.
*I was worried,* he told her. *I didn't know what I would do without
you.*
In her mind, she could almost hear a voice - what she imagined Kay's
voice might have been like if he'd been able to speak - such was the
emotion that she read in his face and in the rapid, darting hand-signs
he made. He was so distraught that he actually made a couple of
mistakes, something which she'd never seen him do before. Whereas he
had meant to tell her that he'd sat by her side all night, he ended up
saying he'd "sat by her bottom all night," and she couldn't help but
laugh.
Her laugh only lasted a single second, and then her wound reminded
her of the old saying 'It only hurts when I laugh.' Kay looked at her
with concern, then in his mind replayed his hand-gestures and realized
what he'd said. He looked accusingly at his hand, and then back down
at Tara. *I didn't mean to say that,* he told her, his face reddening
a bit.
"I know," she said, reaching up a hand to brush his face with her
fingers. "But I'm glad you did...its little things like that which let
me know I'm really here, and not just dreaming you." Then she
remembered...the mating flight... "I had the strangest dream," she
said. "There was a mating flight..."
*No dream,* Kay told her, and - being more careful this time -
described the flight to her. Tara's eyes widened when he got to the
end.
"Jerram?" she asked, amazed. "But he...I...I don't remember doing
anything like that...* She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry, I
didn't' mean to..." she mouthed silently, wondering how Kay must have
felt as he stood there and had to watch her and Jerram...
Kay gently reached for her face and caressed her cheek waiting until
she turned guilty eyes upon him. *Actually ..* he started hesitantly,
*You
have nothing to be sorry for ..*
She sighed, "I know .. I mean .. I've been a rider for a long time. I
know this is just a part .." Her words were rushed, and Kay had to
watch closely to catch them, "After all, I didn't even know you the
first
time .. Well when Sabbith won .. during that horrible hurricane .."
Kay put a hand to her lips, *Wait .. there is something you need to
know. Something I am only a tiny bit ashamed of ..*
She frowned and waiting for his revelation. In all honesty Kay wasn't
sorry at all that he'd prevented Jerram from reaching Tara. However, he
did feel somewhat badly about having punch him. He supposed he might
have over reacted a little bit. After all, Varaenna would never have
put Tara in danger. And he needed to fess up about what he'd done.
*I hit him.*
Tara's eyes widened. "You hit him?"
Kay nodded, looking rather guilty. *You were in no condition, and
Jerram wasn't quite himself. Actually, he *was* himself, as you would
expect during a mating flight. I tried to reason with him, but he
wouldn't look at me, so...yes, I hit him. I hope you are not angry.*
Tara gave Kay a stern look, despite her weak condition. "I think
that I need to keep a close eye on you," she said, her mouth forming
into a bit of a smile. In fact, I think that I should begin watching
you right now. Come closer, where I can see you." She managed to move
over a bit on the bed - since she was the warrenlady, they'd given her
a large bed - and patted the empty space next to her.
Kay smiled too, though he managed to make himself look sheepish. *Do
you think you will need to watch me all night?* he asked, sitting down
on the bed beside her.
"It's very possible," she whispered. "I'm afraid that right now
I...can't do much more than watch. But for tonight, I think that will
be enough. Here, you can even have this extra pillow they gave me!"
She put a hand on his shoulder to draw him down beside her.
They were both startled by the sound of someone clearing his throat.
Tara saw a shadowy figure standing in the shadows, and gasped when she
saw the Kataani uniform. It took Kay a moment to convey to her that
this was a healer, not a combat soldier.
"I am Karashi, an Imperial Army healer," he told her in his own
language. "Can you understand me?"
"I can," she told him in his own tongue. "Healer Karashi, my mate and
I were..."
"Were about to do something potentially dangerous to your health,"
the healer said. "And, I must inform you, that I will need to monitor
you over the next day - until tomorrow night at this time - to make
sure that all vestiges of the magic that afflicted you are gone."
Tara alternately listened to the healer and watched Kay's fingers
work their sign language as they told her what had happened. The
Warrenlady signed. "So the bastard is finally dead," she said with
relief. "Healer, you may stay and watch, but so is my mate. Only
he'll be closer!" With what little strength she had, she pulled Kay
close to her on the bed.
(Tag Kris)
NRPG: Many thanks to Kris for helping out with Kay in the med center!
Submitted by:
John
Tara & Varaenna
Jasra Warren
Summary:
Day 2
Midday: Kalewyn prevents Jerram from consummating his part of the
mating flight with the injured Tara. The two of them, and the Kataani
healer, wait with Tara until the dragons return.
Afternoon: Jerram, Kalewyn and Fig take Tara and the healer Karashi
back to Jasra.
Evening: Tara wakes in the med center, where Kalewyn and Karashi
bring her up to date. Karashi tells her that he must keep her under
observation until the following night to ensure that all vestiges of
Oga's magic are gone.
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