Xanadu Weyr - DragonHealer's Annex
An entrance way which would allow admittance to even the greatest of Queen Dragons leads into a chamber which would house half-a-dozen of the same size. To one side is a shallow pool which constantly clears itself of grime and is used is washing wounds. Nearby is a shelf with a generous supply of clean bandages and clean sheets upon stone shelves. The other side of the chamber is taken up by an alcove with multiple banks of computers to house medical records and help to diagnose illness and injury in the Dragons who come for aid. Within this alcove is a small medical laboratory where medicines and herbs can be prepared and experiments can take place. The far wall houses two dozen Dragon couches, each separated above by a rail which supports a thick curtain allowing the patients an option of privacy as they rest and recover.
Start toward the hatching arena, and there's a choice. Option one is to just keep going, and there's the hatching sands. Option two brings you to the candidate barracks, currently empty. Option three.. oh, that's the dragonhealer's annex, which is a fancy way of saying the infirmary… but for dragons. There's the same scent of redwort in the air. The cots are bigger, couches for the dragons to recline… but they've got the same flimsy-looking curtains that pretend to be walls, just… bigger. The place seems fairly quiet today. There's a brown in one of the alcoves, shifting restlessly as his rider sits in a chair beside him. There's dragonhealers going about their business. There's Soriana, vaguely studying a chart on the wall. Luraoth's not here, but there's another gold who's supposed to be arriving soon… along with her rider. Though really, this lesson's probably more about Kairoikyriath than Innes.
For the most part, Innes does her best to avoid this particular part of the weyr. Any place that involves healing is on her list of places-to-avoid, because sick and injured people (or dragons!) are depressing. And uncomfortable to be around. But today, thanks to Kairoikyriath's shiny hide, she can't avoid it. The young gold and her rider come wandering through the entryway, the latter reluctant while the former is already in the midst of a nosy inspection about everything that's happening in here today. "Hey, Soriana," Innes finally greets when she's close enough to barely raise her voice. You're not supposed to shout around the infirm, right?
Also uncomfortable! Sickness and injury are like that. Soriana looks up and waves to Innes, giving Kairoikyriath a glance along the way before looking back to the other goldrider. "Hey." She's not shouting either. Probably because Innes is already close enough. "I figured we'd start with something easy today. Timoreth has an ingrown claw." Soriana gestures vaguely to the brown on that couch. "Just needs a trim, but…" she smiles crookedly. "He's a whiner. So it'll be good practice for Kairoikyriath." Soriana takes another look at the young gold to see where her investigations have taken her, then looks back to Innes. "Shall we?" She takes her first step across the room, and that's when everything explodes.
First, the mental cry of a dragon, focus blurred enough to be received by others beyond those for whom's it meant. Anger and desire, wordless emotions that turn abruptly to fear. « Move! » is the single word carried on that tide of feeling.
Above, there's a thud. The metal roof of the hatching arena rings like a giant bell, a knell that echoes through the confined quarters here.
Then, there's a dull thump just outside, as a brown dragon, entangled with a blue, falls to the ground.
Ingrown claw? Ick. Innes' nose wrinkles up at the thought of claws growing in ways they shouldn't, conjuring up a mental image that's undoubtedly far worse than what's actually occurring. "That sounds… easy enough." Her tone doesn't quite carry the confidence she'd intended, however. Kairoikyriath has wandered her way over toward some of the supplies, and leans her large head in to inspect them. Innes preemptively cringes, just waiting for something to be sent crashing to the ground with a simple movement of the gold's head… but the impact she hears doesn't come from within the annex. "What was that?" she demands with a worried glance to Soriana. Well, Kairoikyriath can tell her what it is, at least on a basic level. So the more important question is, "What do we need to do?"
Purrrrrrrrrfect! Depression, discomfort despair! Agony and gloooooom. Ruin usually hangs about in the infirmary soaking up the human side of the aura shed by sick and injured, but today the infirmary is too sunny-bright and all awash in joy with some spawn birthed by a happy couple. It's nauseating and choking with the fluffy-rainbows he's witnessed, the sadistic bronze firelizard has skulk-flown into the annex to see what might be worthy of his attention here. Whiner brown! This beats joy-tears from parental humanoids and so he finds a niche somewhere out of sight to bask in the angst of Timoreth's manicure. The thud-clang draws a thin screech from him but not of fear or irritation, no. It's more like… anticipatory joy.
Timoreth's ingrown claw is horrible, the brown will have you know. It hurts! About a ten on his own personal scale, which means - on a more general scale - a two. Soriana, heedless of the poor creature's pain, nods to Innes about the ease of the operation. Today should be easy! …is her thought as she begins to cross the infirmary. "…what the…" is her thought at the bang-crash-thud. Her eyes unfocus, checking with Luraoth - who's already on her way - and… oh right. Innes's question checks the first of Soriana's strides out the door, letting another dragonhealer pass her. "Right, Timoreth's waiting. This is crisis response training." New lesson plan! "Thing one. Stay out of the way. Thing two. Stop the dragons from hurting themselves more. Now come on!" She makes an arm-gesture as she heads out toward where the crash was. Apparently staying out of the way includes getting closer? The tangled dragons seem stunned at first, and their riders… are nowhere to be seen.
Why can't easy things just… stay easy? Innes directs a glare in the general direction of the infirmary, as though the place is somehow responsible for the fact that general training has now become crisis response training. Healing annexes just invite people (and dragons) to get hurt, really. They should be abolished. "Stay out of the way?" Well, she can do that. She's more than happy to just stay here in the infirmary and avoid the whole thing… except that doesn't seem to be in the cards. There's a rather bewildered expression on her face as she trots after Soriana (wasn't she supposed to stay out of the way?), and a nosy Kairoikyriath follows. Innes is careful to stay a few paces behind Soriana, eyeing the results of the collision as the dragons come into view. It could be worse? "So is Kai just supposed to help keep them calm if they start panicking?"
That's why Ruin's hanging out with you, Timoreth! Though… with that spectacular-sounding landing outside, Run is intrigued. It's a toss-up. Stay here with the certain enjoyment-factor of ten (because his enjoyment scale is factored by perceived misery rather than general scales) or go see if there's the possibility of fireworks and stars with the pain-factor multiplied by two and the height from which they plummeted. Curiosity wins and the bronze drops from his perch, drops like a stone to graze hide of Timoreth in an almost fond (were he capable of it) 'seeya later'. Oh, he'll be back, never fear! For now though, he skims the floor, darting with skill out of the way of running feet to see what's out there…
It can always be worse. (And is seldom actually easy.) For instance, the blue could struggle back to alertness and start flailing while half-pinned by the brown. …oh wait, that's not a could happen, it's an is-happening. The dragonhealers that have started closing step back, because being in the way of a wingsnap would not do good things for anyone involved. "That's… sorta," Soriana tells Innes. "It's… shardit, Cayceth!" That's directed to the blue. Obviously. If it were directed to the brown, it would have been 'shardit, Zinieth!', because that particular weyrling brown is the one who's still too dazed to move. Which… isn't the greatest of signs, but it could be worse. "She can block the pain. Tell them not to feel it." Which, for humans, doesn't work in the slightest… but these are dragons! Mind over matter is completely effective, at least if… the mind in question knows what it's doing. Soriana glances up to the sky, where Luraoth is… still coming. She's shared the message with the other golds, but pain-blocking and flying at the same time is just asking for another accident. So… Kairoikyriath! How about learning this pain-blocking thing. Like… right now. Hop to it.
Well, this is all going marvelously. Innes takes an involuntary step back as the blue begins to flail, even though she's nowhere near the danger zone. The weyrling? Not so much a natural healer. But maybe Kairoikyriath will have more luck. "Just… tell them?" Soriana receives a skeptical look before Innes turns her gaze toward Kairoikyriath. Right. Well… do that. It sounds easy enough, but if this lesson is anything to go by, that probably means it isn't. « Stop moving! Don't feel the pain. Let them help. » Them, of course, being the dragonhealers. Kairoikyriath's tone isn't the most soothing, but perhaps her usual dizzying method of communication will be disorienting enough to induce compliance? Or something.
Somewhere, likely back in the office or archives Thea gets the message through Seryth and heads that way at a run. She has no way of knowing how bad the collision/landing was and while she could wait for the dragonhealers to assess and request help, there's no sense prolonging the response. Seryth is also on her way there, dropping from her perch on the startones to glide to a heavy landing. Her presence isn't always needed, the younger queens get the practice on many things but she does her time in here. There are sometimes days when all available queens are called in. She remains back, but joins her mind with Kairoikyriath's - no words, her effort to augment the tiny queens while she sends a soothing, cool moisture to where the nerve endings are screaming, then gradually adds the weight of ice to flailing limbs, a heaviness they will feel.
…well, no, it's not actually that simple. Soriana's wince admits that fact. It's a matter of gentle warmth and distraction while applying mental pressure in just the right places! …or at least, it is for Luraoth. See, this is why Soriana wanted to have Kairoikyriath figure things out with Timoreth, who'd be very loud about explaining how much it hurt and not actually injured enough to start flailing and doing harm to himself and others. "…more or less," Soriana says. Luraoth? Any time now would be good. Not that she doesn't believe in Kairoikyriath's potential, because she does, it's just that sometimes practiced skill is better than potential. Soriana's looking to the skies, but the golden bulk she sees is that of Seryth, not Luraoth. Also experienced. Also good. Cayceth's mind is fluttery with pain, flashes of color and light. « Away! » he protests. « I have to get out of the way! » The blue struggles, trying to resist the instructions, but between Kairoikyriath's demands and Seryth's icy grasp, he gradually goes still. The dragonhealers take advantage of their chance and come forward to start assessing the damage as Zinieth wakes with a bellow that trails into a gasp. Luraoth's visible now, and… so are the riders of these dragons, Suka flushed as she pelts across the clearing with T'bor not far behind. They're coming from… the feeding grounds, it looks like.
Oops. Seryth's arrival is likely very well-timed, because that potential of Kairoikyrith's that Soriana apparently believes in is still very… potential-y. The young gold tries to pick up on Seryth's more effective methods, but doesn't come naturally. Cayceth should just do what she wants him to do, because that's what's good for him. Coaxing? Not as much in her wheelhouse. Still, she's trying (and as far as anyone else needs to know, she's succeeding). Innes, meanwhile, grimaces as she watches the scene unfold. If she had her way, she'd take a step back and allow Thea and Soriana to handle this whole thing, but… this is part of her lessons. Which leaves the young goldrider standing there awkwardly, the dismay in her expression only growing when the missing riders appear. "Should we go… using soothing tones of voice on them or something?" Same basic principle?
Ruin's claws grind gratingly on stone as he leans forward on his perch to watch. He's nearly drooling at the writhing. Now THAT's pain! But what's this? Oooh! Kairoikyriath's tone draw his attention. Dizzying? Disorienting? He likes it! Approval! Though as Seryth appears the bronze…sinks to his belly and sulks. Damn, Seryth! This was just getting good! Seryth eases off a little as the blue stills, to the point where Kairoikyriath may feel her own effort to hold them, to test her own ability. When Luraoth arrives, Seryth will merge with her as well, warming her rains to help tense muscles relax - at least as much as they are able while in pain. The Weyrwoman is on her way but slows to keep pace with the arriving riders, murmuring something reassuring, hopefully calming. She peels off from them - they're likely going to their lifemates - and directs her steps to where Soriana and Innes are. "Never a dull moment around here," is her breathless greeting.
It's like a seed that can grow into a mighty ironwood. It just… hasn't. But, some combination of Kairoikyriath's seed of potential and Seryth's soothing rain has managed to calm the situation and the pair of dragons, which means the dragonhealers can descend and try to make sense of this mess. Soriana's heading closer with the rest - which is not actually required of goldriders, it's just that she's also a dragonhealer, and so she wants to be involved! …one of the other dragonhealers turns to Soriana and gives her a look, accompanied by a gesture to her belly. …yeah, so she's also pregnant, but seriously, why should that stop her? It's with a disgruntled expression that Soriana steps back to Innes again, following her gaze to the two - no wait, three! There's a Thea as well, making an attempt at reassurance like Innes suggests. "Yeah," Soriana agrees to the goldrider-in-training. "Calm them, calm the dragon." And the other way around. For the moment, the two are indeed making for their dragons and getting underfoot of the dragonhealers… but at least they can also help keep their dragons calm as the healers work to untangle limbs and check for damage. So can Luraoth, arriving and taking up a third point, a triangle of queens surrounding the injured. What's bruised, what's broken? Dull? Nooo. Definitely not. Especially not with how Cayceth landed against one of the lightning rod assemblies. Soriana keeps her eyes on the dragons as she nods to Thea, even if she maintains a distance.
It does appear to occur to Kairoikyriath that maybe blunt force isn't the best method… no matter how firmly she believes that both blue and brown should just obey the dragon who obviously knows what she's doing. Maybe there's some slight room for improvement. Though she is still forceful in her approach, she relies now on imagery; places which she believes to be calming, perhaps reassuring. Places that aren't… being part of a tangled dragon heap. But anywhere is probably better than there. Innes snaps off a quick salute as Thea approaches, and the Weyrwoman's greeting is met with a tight, forced smile. "You'd think at some point we'd all run out of exciting moments and live dull, collision-less lives," she remarks as she watches the dragonhealers work. Mostly, she's just trying to figure out exactly what it is that they're doing. "But the supply doesn't seem to end."
Thea is not a dragonhealer. It's not that she hasn't taken the required goldrider classes in it for the understanding, but she is not well-versed despite the knowledge and is not practiced in it at all. She knows enough to explain the basics of procedures to distraught riders or reassure the odd crafter or holder that the dragonhealers have things in hand. But in this place, she bows to a greater authority. That'd be to whoever the top-ranking dragonhealer is commanding the triage. She is theirs to command when she is here (much like when she's in the infirmary to witness some sort of human catastrophe). She… doesn't usually do much but refrain from idle chit chat and support Seryth's efforts, which is what she's doing now as she catches her breath, though she does nod back to Soriana and Innes, a preoccupied smile to go with it, though she does manage a dry reply, "It seems there's an endless supply," of life's mayhem-producing moments. Up on that ledge, Ruin huffs a disgusted sigh and launches with an explosion of displeasure. Inside the Annex there's Timoreth with the throbbing claw. He'll go milk that, maybe even cozying up to convince the brown that he'll lose a toe while waiting for treatment, chirring false concern about the color and wondering in lizardly fashion if… is that gangrene? *gasp*
There are moments, as the dragonhealers get blue and brown untangled, when the movements make dulled pains sharpen and require more effort from the queens… but the dragonhealers do know what they're doing, and Soriana watches with a somewhat-more-expert gaze than the others. She winces as she sees a piece of metal jabbed in at Cayceth's wing, but… "Least it missed the main sail," she mutters. It should heal! After extraction and treatment. Life: it's full of excitement. "…and here we are because of it. Trouble doesn't always need a goldrider, but… it tends to." There's a bit of a furrow of her brow. She means because the goldriders come to solve the problems, right? Just like the infirmary is where the injured come to heal, not… get hurt.
It's probably wise to clarify the distinction between goldriders causing the trouble and helping to solve it, but with any luck Innes should make that logical jump on her own. Hopefully. "Are the golds always enough?" Her gaze is only semi-focused upon the entangled pair, because she's not too keen on the sight now that injuries are being revealed. It may not be life-threatening, but it still doesn't look pretty. "Obviously not if it's a fatal injury, but if it's just something, terrible that they'll be able to survive… are they," a vague gesture to the queens, "enough to calm them or do they just stop being effective at some point?" And is there any way that she could just… not do this part?
One would hope, one would fervently hope that goldriders come to solve problems rather than instigate them. Or so Thea would say if she could be coherent and cognizant of what causes those furrows Soriana's brow. That'd be the Weyrwoman deliberately omitting Esiae from the equation of trouble and goldriders merging. But hey, she tries to pretend (or is that hope?) that the particular junior in question will someday straighten out and fly right. The visible injury has Thea eying it gravely, but it might be the concern of internal injuries that claims her thoughts as her eyes flick to the riders of the fallen dragons before they half-close to deepen her mindlink with Seryth. The gold hums quietly, her touch tingles along nerves, seeking harmony with the other two queens while Thea leaves the questions Innes asks to others who know the answers to them. She's here but quietly supportive. Ruin? Also present. But more like the Grim Reaper. Somone please kill him and out him out of everyone's misery?
Yeah, Soriana's not naming names (even in her head), but given certain goldriders… maybe there's a good reason not to specify which it is. Sometimes. In some cases. "If a dragon's in too much pain, it'll between." So… by definition, any injury that's too much for the queens to stop is a fatal one? Soriana makes a face. "The golds can deal with most things. The worse it is, the more of their effort it'll take. For the really bad stuff… they do shifts in pairs." Luraoth croons reassuringly from across the dragons, who apparently each get a gold and a half for this. "The numbweed will help too." Once they get to that stage, which Soriana will be sure to note. She may or may not share what she notes, but she is a dragonhealer… with all the staring at icky bleeding things that entails. The brown curls his tail, exhaling a puff of breath as a healer adjusts one of his limbs, and Suka turns to glare at T'bor. "-your fault."
Cheery day, isn't it? "So if the queens can't help with the pain, it's fatal." Innes is looking rather sour about this information. That's quite a bit of responsibility on Kairoikyriath (and by extension, her), and while others may have that faith in their potential, Innes isn't quite so confident. Not that anyone needs to know that she's doubtful. Kairoikyriath, to her credit, is trying very hard to match the tone of her fellow queens, even though it goes against her instincts. Just ignore that bit of metal, it's nothing. Relax. "Will Kai be doing shifts in pairs for a while to get used to it?" Please? As Suka's accusation hits her ears, Innes casts a glance in Soriana's direction before ever-so-casually moving in the direction of the two riders. Just in case.
"Yeah." Soriana doesn't even smother that with assurances that the queens usually can hold back the pain, or that the bond of a rider is often enough to make a dragon hold on until a queen can get there. Those things are true, mind, but she doesn't think to say them just now. Soriana glances to Kairoikyriath, and while she definitely believes in the gold's potential, uh… "Pairs… yeah. She'll be scheduled with one of the more experienced golds." Luraoth may possibly have noted a few rough spots with how Kairoikyriath's doing this… not that she's mentioned it, at least not to anyone but her own rider. Soriana glances to Innes, and her tone's trying for reassuring as she says, "Sometimes shifts are quiet. A lot of times, actually." They can be boring instead of disastrous! Suka's heated words draw her attention too, and Soriana frowns as she too has that thought to move closer. T'bor is staring back at Suka with too-wide eyes (probably because he's a bit shocky in echo of Cayceth). "What? What I… I didn't…"
Innes does know a good number of these things, but hearing them in lessons or just around the weyr is… vastly different than actually seeing them put into practice. Evidently, at the first sign of an actual crisis she's forgetting everything she learned. So! Good thing they did this now, rather than on an actual shift where Kairoikyriath's struggles might be more of a hindrance. "Good. That's good," she mumbles to herself, moderately reassured by this information. They won't be left to simply sink or swim (and possibly kill someone in the process)! It's a miracle. "I sort of assumed they would be." A shrug. "If they were always like this, we'd have no one able to actually fly in the wings." Which… would be bad. While the argument between the two riders doesn't seem too fierce at the moment, Innes makes a point of quietly clearing her throat. Just in case the pair hadn't noticed that hey, there are a couple of goldriders hanging around.
"Even once you're more experienced… everyone calls in for backup sometimes." Some more than others, admittedly. "S'why Seryth and Luraoth are both staying to help." Though Kairoikyriath would totally have this without them, otherwise. She'd be… uh… not admitting to having any of those problems finding the right sort of tones to actually be effective. Which is like having it, only not. Soriana half-smiles at Innes's assumptions, and nods. "Yeah. Usually it's minor stuff. Scrapes. Splinters." Of wood, not… nastier things. "Stuff where the riders could keep them calm even without us, but it's still good practice." Timoreth the whiner and his ilk! Just wait until Kairoikyriath meets a hypochondriac dragon. Suka stomps her foot, glaring at T'bor… but oh, then she notices the riders, and she huffs, tossing her head and stomping off to Zinieth's head to pet him soothingly and glare at T'bor from there.
But calling for backup would mean admitting that they can't do it on their own! Which admittedly, in this kind of scenario, Innes might actually be capable of doing. Kairoikyriath? Well… according to Kairoikyriath, she had it right from the very beginning. And she definitely hasn't modified her technique because of Luraoth and Seryth… because she doesn't need to! Everyone believes that, right? "We can handle that with a minimal amount of eye rolling." Because dragons getting splinters? Kind of amusing. Perhaps they should keep backup on retainer just for those hypochondriacs. Innes takes a half-step in Suka's direction, the impulse to watch out for a fellow weyrling warring with the desire to leave well enough alone. "Everything's going to be okay?" she offers to T'bor, with a sort of hopeful shrug. So supportive!
Or at least… admitting they don't want to do it on their own. Maybe that will help salve wounded prides along with the wounded dragons. "The faster you deal with the splinters, the more time you'll have to look at dragon genealogy." Because, hey, those are stored in the Annex too! Luraoth's continuing to show by example all the things that Kairoikyriath doesn't actually need demonstrated, and Soriana… is watching. The dragons, mostly, but their humans get glances as well. Suka straightens her shoulders as Innes looks that way, because she most certainly doesn't need help. She and Zhinieth will be fine as soon. Also, it's totally Cayceth's fault, and never mind that he was just innocently flying along when Zinieth decided this was her airspace now. T'bor blinks at Innes, swallows, and nods. "Y-yeah… it… we will…" he says, and edges away toward Cayceth.
That does seem to be a far better plan. Some dragons (no names necessary!) might have an easier time admitting to appreciating company than to needing it. Because those same certain dragons (no names necessary!) don't need any help from anyone. They ony allow it. Which is exactly what's happening with Kairoikyriath and Luraoth right now. "At least that'll give me something to do during shifts." Maybe the infirmary won't be utterly terrible. The sour expression on Innes' face when she thinks about it still speaks to her doubts, but at least there's a glimmer of hope. She arches a brow at Suka's reaction, but brushes it off with a shrug. Oh well. Saves her the trouble of going over there, see how that works? When it comes to T'bor, she just sort of… stares. "Well. That's the spirit." If you can call any part of that reponse spirited. "You go… do your thing."
Dealing with the riders is another important part of being on infirmary duty. Emotions are almost always running high! …or sometimes, low. Suka and T'bor demonstrate both ends of the spectrum. They're both focusing in on their dragons now, paying attention to bondmates as the healers work to get them taken care of and Luraoth works to… help… Kairoikyriath. Because the younger gold is… allowing… that completely unnecessary assistance. "You can bring a book, too," Soriana says of the shifts. "Or paperwork." Instead of leaving it back in the office where it belongs. "If things stay quiet, you can do pretty much whatever you want." And if they don't, well… crisis response can always become the flavor of the hour. At least this one is subsiding - though Cayceth won't be flying for a few sevens, and Zinieth will be favoring one of his limbs for a while. It could have been worse. (Like poor Timoreth, whom Ruin's been enjoying immensely. Cowardly and gullible. It's wonderful!)
Well, the riders are all taken care of! Granted, Innes did virtually nothing, but she's looking pretty self-satisfied in spite of that. After all, no one is dead. Dragons will heal. Kairoikyriath… didn't completely fail? (And by extension, neither did Innes.) And the young gold is even allowing Luraoth to not-quite-help her. One might call this lesson a resounding success… aside from the unplanned collision and the subsequent injuries. "I'm sure I'll be eager to bring my paperwork everywhere," she says dryly. Just in case Soriana isn't yet aware of how Innes feels about that topic. Chances are, she'll forget any form of entertainment, and paperwork will look good by the time they're free. Still, now that the immediate crisis has passed and it turns out that maybe they can handle this infirmary duty, Innes is feeling a litle better about the whole thing. Enough that, when it seems that riders and dragonhealers have everything well in hand, she asks, "Didn't we have a dragon with a claw problem to deal with?" Quick, make an exit before anything else goes wrong! Maybe Kairoikyriath can berate Timoreth into good health, and today can be considered a real success story.
Bah! Soon everyone will be happy again and Ruin will have to skulk off elsewhere. Damn these sunshiney days!