Questions? Interested in OOC chat? Click here to come join us on Discord!

Inaudible Like Angels

A place to put drabbles, one-shots, theme challenges, letters to other characters, and other assorted in-character bits.
User avatar
thefaeriesfyre
Peacekeeper
 
Posts: 1319
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:02 pm
    Wed Feb 13, 2019 10:34 pm
  • Link

Inaudible Like Angels

Link to thread on old site - previous works
Link to AO3 page - where stories will eventually end up




Table of Contents

Princess Quarrel - After being deposed from the Council, Shiro and Lalauth decide what to do next.
Last edited by thefaeriesfyre on Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
thefaeriesfyre
Peacekeeper
 
Posts: 1319
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:02 pm
    Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:06 pm
  • Link

Princess Quarrel
Spring 2770, just after the Princesses debacle

Shiro has just been thrown off the Council, along with the rest of the bronze riders, and he and Lalauth are discussing the merits of moving back to Fort.


trauma response, death, long-term injury

"Lalauth, you're yelling again." It wasn't that Shiro didn't want to yell too, but it would hardly do to have the whole Weyr hear their discussion. Argument, really, in the way they hadn't argued since partway through weyrlinghood.

I am not yelling, I am using the Royal Fort Voice, as is proper when making proclamations.

Ever since she was a hatchling, Lalauth had referred to this somewhat enhanced scream as the Royal Fort Voice. The name did not change when they transferred over to High Reaches, a fact Shiro was agitated enough to point out.

"We aren't even at Fort anymore, Lalauth!"

And whose fault is that?

That stung. Shiro wasn't an idiot, contrary to recent belief. He knew the gossip about him said that he'd gone to Fort to Impress his bronze and then brought her (some of the rumors got her pronouns right, most of it didn't bother) back to High Reaches. That he'd been so determined to ride a metallic dragon that he changed weyrs to make it happen.

Never mind that Shiro was scarred to the Red Star and back from Golre's bronze riders and their insistence that he would join their ranks. Never mind that his primary response to being deposed from the Council was relief that he wouldn't be forced to work with the much more traditional bronze rider who'd been elected his junior. Never mind that the biggest argument he and Lalauth had ever had was about her color.

"You know why we came back here."

He came back shaking and so scared he'd been too nauseated to eat for days, but they'd come back. He came back to support his twin, who he'd proceeded to fail again and again. There had been such a small period of time, in the scheme of things, where things looked like they might work out. That was before Shiro's Fall plans got Cresceth killed and Sven maimed.

And look where that got us!

Shiro slumped, hardly noticing how his back hit the wall as he slid down it. Look where that got them, indeed. The alliance between Fort and High Reaches that had allowed him to transfer both ways, shattered. Confidence in the elected Council in ruins. The wings, decimated from the inexperience of two bronze riders. His twin, dragonless, from a formation he'd approved. And now this, fighting with his own dragon.

His eyes went unfocused as he stared at his knees, his hands, the floor. Anything but the situation in front of him. Could he stand to stay at a weyr that stole eggs? Would Fort even let him transfer back, after he'd been on the Council this happened under? Certainly Telgar had no such compunctions, given that Junior Flightleader Z'kon returned home rather than deal with this fallout.

For that matter, did he want to go to a Weyr that held life so cheaply that first it let a queen tear through her bronzes and then killed her once she gave them a clutch? How was that any different from the captive queens once held by High Reaches and Benden? Shiro's stomach churned at the idea of letting Lalauth chase a gold again after Nornth's massacre.

He wasn't able-bodied enough to justify going to Semaca. His right arm and hand weren't quite useless, but it would be hard to help with the weyr's upkeep. The lack of dexterity would be the hard part, since he had worked diligently to build the strength in that arm as much as he could. It was enough to get him and Lalauth through Thread, but he doubted he could build anything with efficacy. Certainly a drawback if he were to contribute anything to a weyr without tithing holds.

As he considered and discarded potential courses of action, Shiro found his thoughts returning to a few key points.

One, High Reaches was home. It was a home filled with ghosts and pain and trauma, but it was his.

Two, there was a very slim chance that Sven would also transfer. He had stayed at High Reaches through the rebuilding, braver than Shiro had ever been. Maybe his loyalty was more complete than Shiro's. Even without his dragon, Sven's home was High Reaches, too.

Three, Shiro had abandoned his duties and his family enough times. Running to Fort as soon as Golre and her bronzes were dead when High Reaches needed to be rebuilt. Cringing back to High Reaches when Fort had welcomed him, let him regain enough confidence to take to the Sands again. Sven needed him. He couldn't abandon him now.

And me? Do I not merit consideration in your plan? It was the quietest tone the bronze had adopted since their disagreement began.

Shiro wiped his face, only a little surprised to find himself wiping away tears. It was such an awful situation all around, from the mother who'd found her eggs stolen to the shattered reputation of High Reaches. They had lost valuable allies in this, and Shiro had no answers for any of it. If the Council had been involved, he wouldn't have agreed to it. Would have argued against it. The Reaches were in trouble, that much was true, but this only hurt them further.

"What do you want to do?"

Lalauth's answer came slowly. I want to fix this. I want answers. I want to know who is determined to tear our home apart.

A slow nod. Shiro climbed to his feet and went to his dragon. He leaned his forehead against her neck. It was hard to find their footing when it felt like they were being swept in the tide of scandal.

"Then we stay."
User avatar
thefaeriesfyre
Peacekeeper
 
Posts: 1319
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:02 pm
    Mon Oct 04, 2021 11:01 pm
  • Link

Who Heals the Healer?

Early Fall 2772, just after Thread
It is after midnight, and Veena had a rough day
tw alcohol abuse, poorly considered coping mechanism




Veena poured another measure of alcohol into the glass she was using. This wasn't any of the Northern wines that she had known her whole life, but one of the experimental alcohols from Semaca. She'd paid a pretty mark for the bottle, but some nights? Called for something a little stronger than the wine she had with dinner.

You know you're gonna regret this tomorrow.

Felisanth couldn't actually blame his rider. Most of the Fall had been routine - scores, bruises, the occasional broken rib. Wingtip injuries were the healer's least favorite to treat, because wingtip scores were bad flying. Not everyone could be as talented as Felisanth, of course, but he did judge those a little more harshly. Bigger scores were likely a series of unfortunate events, and broken bones were almost entirely accidental. That was part and parcel of being a dragon healer.

No, the thing that had pushed his rider to drink more than she knew she should to avoid a hangover was a human injury. Being a healer had its risky moments, and dealing with dragonkin was riskier than most on account of the size difference. Veena had certainly had her share of injuries sustained while doing her job, with the scars to prove it. Kazuma tended to fuss when she spent long nights in the infirmary with her patients, but it was her job. They both knew that.

Dragon injuries she understood.

She had spent most of her life dealing with and learning about the various injuries and illnesses of dragonkin. There was almost always something to be done when it was a dragon or a wher in front of her. That's what she was good at, that's what she liked to do.

Clearly.

But human injuries? Those were not nearly as familiar. Sure, she worked in the same infirmary as the rest of the Healer's Wing. She dealt with the medicines, the bandages, the physical things within the infirmary, but she had little to do with the human patients of the infirmary.

And she hated to see her colleagues - her wingmates - injured. The Healer's Wing had suffered a significant injury when one of their patients injured Pia.

Everything that could be done had been done. The human healers had done their best, she and the other dragon healers had done their best. Now, she just had to live with the consequences.

Veena emptied her glass in one swallow.
User avatar
thefaeriesfyre
Peacekeeper
 
Posts: 1319
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:02 pm
    Mon Jan 31, 2022 6:08 pm
  • Link

Assorted Modern AU Headcanons

in no particular order

A'lin of Bronze Tasikheth - Molly loves getting her hair done. She and a couple friend set aside the entire day, and will spend weeks planning their next styles. She likes box braids in particular.

D'lena of Brown Jaklath - D'lena Facetimes people from her weyrling class every week. She has a Tiktok channel where she either bakes in silence for an ASMR feel or talks about various topics while mending.

Ferorate of Gold Ferorask - Ferro wears pronoun pins, and definitely has a Pride Flag cape. They like to go to Pride.

T'lash of Brown Toyototh - T'lash ends up collecting cute bags. She has a whole shelf in her closet dedicated to her bags, and she cycles through pretty much all of them.

M'love of Blue Skyloth - Once the scoring healed from the Particularly Terrible Fall, and she found out that she truly could not hear out of her left ear, she got a tattoo of the 'volume off' symbol. She prefers to use PSL when she can, because even her good ear doesn't catch everything. When in public, she wears hoodies with the hood up or a hat. She has a large collection of hats.

Sola of Blue Kalenoth - Sola believes whole heartedly in brunch cocktails.

Ghys of Green Ghysk - Ghys likes to watch Oddly Satisfying videos before bed. She watches about ten minutes every night, because she is a sensible adult who goes to bed at a sensible time.
phpBB Appliance - Powered by TurnKey Linux