Indulge in brooding [Fel]

[Sari]

She should have stayed.

The thought rang through Viiox's mind like a dagger. Sure, she was a weyrling, not capable of doing much. Sure, she had to keep Crimioth safe. It didn't make sense to stay. But Viiox rarely thought things through, so why, why now, had she fled instead of staying to help her fellow weyrlings escape? It was foolish to feel so guilty about it, when it had been the wise decision, but Viiox's split-second decisions were rarely wise, and she was left feeling more like a coward than a sage.

Sitting in the infirmary with nothing but her thoughts, Viiox gazed towards the napping dragon beside her. Crimioth would have words if she caught Viiox thinking like this, and Viiox wasn't exactly good at keeping her thoughts from Crimioth. It may not have been even remotely Viiox's fault. She may have done everything she needed to. But it felt like it was her fault. Somehow. Someway.

She stared down at her hands. She had blood on them, almost. Guilt plagued her. She should have done something. Could have done something. Her shoulder would recover, but would everyone else be okay? She frowned, staring at them, before noticing a shuffling sound. Viiox quickly looked up towards her visitor and didn't bother to hide the surprise on her face. She quickly forced a grin onto her face. "Did you come to visit me? Guess I'm not as annoying as you thought, huh?" she teased, hoping she hadn't been caught brooding.

[Fel]

"I never said you were annoying," Kaladin pointed out, taking a step closer. "I just said that you were excessively enthusiastic, and about as convincing an actor as a wherry that's had an aneurysm."

This was his fault, in part. He'd put his faith in the wall. He'd insisted that it would keep them safe, that if people didn't go wandering they'd all be fine. That was all he needed to do: to build the wall. And now people had been hurt, Viiox among them, and he hadn't done anything to stop it.

He held up a bowl of cut fruit, trying to banish those thoughts.

"Infirmary food is always awful. I thought you might want something more... edible."

[Sari]

Viiox hummed softly, before grinning at Kaladin. "So...you want to see me do an impression of a wherry having an aneurysm?" she teased. She'd make sure to do that someday. Not today, though. Her arm hurt too much to flail around like a wherry. She wouldn't be able to do it justice.

As he held out the bowl of fruit, she smiled. A soft, more genuine smile than her usual grin. She took the bowl from him, taking care to use the arm without the injured shoulder. "Thanks, Kaladin. This is...really sweet." Was he thinking about her? It was a small gesture, but it was very considerate, at least in her eyes.

She always joked about Kaladin being her friend, ever since their first meeting, but she was starting to feel genuinely attached to him. Viiox was glad she'd met him...not that she was ready to say as much. It was such a small, simple thing, but it meant a lot to her. For all her loud, friendly personality, she didn't know many people--she might be a bit too boisterous and full of bravado for most, no matter how much that was an act.

[Fel]

"It's fruit, it's supposed to be sweet," Kaladin told her despite being well aware of what she'd actually meant. He didn't do 'sweet'. Certainly not for near-hyperactive greenriders, even ones that were kind of cute despite the scar. Or maybe because of it. "And... no, I would rather not see that impression. Do you even know what someone having an aneurysm looks like?"

Not that he'd actually seen one before. He knew what it was in theory, and he'd read descriptions: intense pain in the head, possibly erratic behavior, and a very rapid collapse before death. The death part was inevitable. People just didn't survive those; something to do with the brain, though nobody quite knew exactly how.

"How is Crimioth?"

[Sari]

Viiox was glad to shift the attention to Kaladin. "Oh, no, you're not getting off without acknowledging it. You're sweet. You like to act grumpy, like you don't care, but..." She trailed off. She cared about him, but, how could she express that? She quickly shifted back to his question.

"I do, actually. I may not look it, but I am an apprentice healer. Dragonhealer, though, so my knowledge of human healing is a bit...spottier." She shrugged, wincing as the movement brought her some pain. She'd have to be more careful with this injury, if she didn't want permanent damage. "Crimioth is fine, though. Thank Faranth." She didn't mention her regrets. Didn't mention that she wondered if she should have stayed to help. Didn't mention any of that.

Crimioth was safe, and she would hold onto that. Crimioth, for her part, continued to doze, not quite stirring, even as Kaladin spoke about her. She was exhausted--being a hatchling was hard enough work. The green had to stay by Viiox's side, couldn't leave her rider for a moment.

[Fel]

"What ever gave you the impression that I don't care? I may not care about the same things that some people do, and not all of my opinions are necessarily popular, but I certainly care. I'm grumpy because I do care, not because I don't." Kaladin shifted his weight uncomfortably. Some conversations were never going to be anything but awkward to have. He knew people didn't like the way he thought.

"Anyway, I'm glad she's all right. I don't really know much about dragons since... well. It's not like I was raised as a Weyr, and I wasn't a Candidate for all that long. The thought of dragonhealing was always an interesting one, but never one I could seriously entertain." He was getting way off track now. "And you'll heal fine as well... right?"

[Sari]

Viiox grinned at him. "I know. I know you care." Maybe not necessarily about everyone or everything, like he said, but..."You're sweeter than most people give you credit for, you know. Kinder than you give yourself credit for. Got a good heart, Kaladin!" Was this a bit awkward? Maybe. She should let him change the topic, for sure. "I should be okay. At worst, I'll have some weakness in the arm, hardly the worst injury, and something that should recover with time. I've seen it, of course--it's healing pretty well. No sign of potential infection."

"And...when I get out of here..." She paused, not sure that she wanted to say it, but since when did Viiox back down from anything? She wasn't afraid. "I'm still waiting for you to ask me on a date. Maybe a picnic?" She winked at him, not really expecting him to take her up on the offer. After all...she was very much herself, and for all her bravado and apparent confidence, she doubted her abilities and worth at every turn.

She'd never even been on a real date. Not once. She wasn't entirely sure what they entailed, but she imagined it would be fun, with the right company. And Kaladin certainly felt like the right company.

[Fel]

"I'd hope I have a good heart. I wouldn't want to die prematurely of a bad one, after all." If Kaladin was good at anything, it was trying to deflect compliments. Especially when he was pretty sure they were misplaced, as it definitely was in this case.

Her next comment, however, left him just speechless and staring at her. A date. With him. Why would she ever want that?! Not that he was opposed. At all. In fact, the very idea left him with a certain fuzzy feeling that he immediately tried and failed to squash down. But... with him? Why? He was fairly certain that her eyesight was fine, and she was definitely of sound mind. So why?

"Waiting because you're worried I might, or worried that I might not?" Because the former was definitely a possibility that had just occurred to him. "Because if you're so inclined, I'm sure I could invite you up to a nice spot on the cliffs for lunch."

[Sari]

Viiox noticed the way he stared, speechless, for a moment. Oh, too much? Well, she could easily play it off as a joke. She was, after all, the type to joke around like that--and it was so unlike her to have romantic intentions. She prepared herself to brush it off, but at his words, her chest tightened. "Huh? Really?" She sounded surprised, but the shock on her face quickly turned into a grin. In a word, she was thrilled. She knew she wasn't the best romantic partner--loud and a little obnoxious--but she was glad that Kaladin seemed to at least be willing to give her a shot.

"Hah! I accept! No take backs. You're taking me on a date, and you are not getting out of it," she teased. That said, if he wanted to take it back, she'd let him. Thankfully, Kaladin wasn't the kind to joke around, or she'd assume he was just messing with her. After all, her looks were fine, but that personality...she had no delusions about how off-putting she could be. "It's a date, then," she said, a little more softly.

[Fel]

"What if I were to suddenly get ill? Or eaten by a wher? Hopefully you'd let me off the hook in that case." Kaladin tried to force a smile, but he was fairly certain that he was only making matters worse. He really didn't know what he was doing here. How did dates even work? What was he supposed to do about... any of this?

"Not that I plan on either getting ill or getting turned into a wher's dinner. I'm... looking forward to being able to do this. When we have the chance."

[Sari]

Viiox noted Kaladin's awkwardness, and snorted, before she could stop herself. It was kind of cute. She didn't really know what she was doing, either, of course, but still. "Well, you'll just have to make sure you stay safe and healthy until then. If you get sick, well, suck it up. And if you get eaten by a wher...well, I guess the wher will just have to be a third party to the event." Was she making sense? Probably not. She didn't especially care.

He was looking forward to it, and that was...really something. Her excitement woke up her dragon, with Crimioth raising her head sleepily. As she gleaned the reason from Viiox's mind, she spoke to Kaladin. You're important to Viiox, so I'd really hate to do anything about it, but...don't you dare hurt my rider's feelings. Half-playful, half-serious, Crimioth watched Kaladin carefully.

Viiox spluttered a moment, looking at Kaladin almost apologetically. "She's not threatening you, I swear."

Not yet, I'm not.

"ANYWAYS! I can't wait," Viiox added, quick to shift from Crimioth's unwanted interference.