Xanadu Weyr - Cyrus's Madhouse
You find yourself in the room of Journeyman Cyrus. The room is simple and sparsely decorated. He clearly is a man of few possessions. As the door opens you spot a simple twin bed in the right hand corner of the room with simple sheets and a quilt on top of it. On the opposing wall is a shelf filled with medical text books. Next to the shelf is a simple wardrobe . If one were to look inside you would find a remarkably small selection of clothing. Whoever lives here clearly doesn't have much need for anything beyond a few different sets of clothing a whole lot of medical uniforms. Beside the wardrobe is a set of drawers for clothing and the odd trinket. There is no art adoring the walls and it looks like the place of a person who could pack up and be gone tomorrow.
Presently if one were to look around you would find the bookshelf askew and most of the books litter the floor. There are several large dents on the inside of the door, which look to be either from feet or objects thrown at it. The wardrobe is turned on its side and the mattress from the bed is sitting on the floor.
c-rus has been sitting in his room since returning to it. Someone stopped by to tell him he had been suspended for a week without pay. Which is honestly what he wanted. So he thanked the person and sent them on their way. At the present moment he is sitting on his mattress on the floor the picture of an individual whose spirit is crushed. In a very real way his world has come to an end. Kera had given him something that he had never really known: friendship. And now he feels like its gone, and in a real way it is. Moncerath betrayed him. He had reached out his hand and touched a dragon and that dragon responded by doing this. Kera had said that she understood. And that woman…Kiena, the thoughts he has about her taking advantage of his best friend are too much to bear. He has come to the conclusion that he loves Kera. Not in the romantic way, but loves her none the less. He has no answers. He holds on to some slim hope that Moncerath maybe didn't shunt her emotions to Kera…just like he had begged, but he isn't hopeful. Hope is too painful.
The morning started out just like yesterday. Rising early, tending to Moncerath's oiling, her morning run. Followed by breakfast, then reporting for shift in the infirmary. More patients have been seen in the last couple of days then normal. Extreme cases of grief being carefully sedated so that already existing healthy issues are aggravated. Particularly heart conditions. Then what was to be a quick lunch, which she never got to eat by the way, when Moncerath made her own plans for the day. When Kera was next spotted, she was stalking out of the infirmary, glaring at a clipboard grasped in her hand as if it offends her very much. Ears full of wild rumors from onduty apprentices and one of the Journeyman. Her path leads right to the crafters' cavern, not missing the startled look from a few as she knocks rather briskly on Cyrus's door. Glancing around the hallway as she waits for the door to be answered. The room isn't 'that' big, how long does it take to answer the door. Knocking once more "Journeyman Cyrus? Are you in there?"On her second knock the door simply opens. He hadn't really closed it properly and given the amount of things he has thrown its entirely possible that he might have damaged it in some ways. Not that he really cares. When the door opens he glances over and spots Kera standing there. This is the moment he was both hoping for and dreading. Hoping for a miracle, but not really believing in them anymore, "Come in…sorry about the mess." he says. The floor is littered with most of the books that were on the shelf and some clothes from the wardrobe he knocked over.
Kera looks back towards the door when it opens, frowning at the man on the otherside. Invited in, she scans the thrashed room, looking for somewhere to step. Picking her way in a couple of steps, she shakes her head after taking in the whole room. "Maybe you'ld like to start by making sense of the outlandish rumors flying around the infirmary staff." Glancing to the walls and back of the door. "And I bet there is an interesting story behind all this." She snaps her fingers as if remembering something "Or we could start with this….this…amusing read…" Though by her tone, she's anything but amused by being 'indefinately suspended' from the infirmary. "The journeyman on duty today assures me that this had to be a simple mistake." She gestures with the duty shift clipboard.
"I would have thought all of it would be very obvious." he states slowly, "And they aren't rumors…they are true. I knocked someone out in the bar. You should have heard what they were saying about /you/." he responds slowly building, "I did that." he motions to the clip board. He can barely look at her. For the brief moments that he manages the look shifts between pain, worry (for her) and disgust, "All this could have been avoided if you had come to me. We would have found a way out together…just like always. Solving anything…but now its too late." he says with a sigh. Its clear he had been crying, but he's reached the spot that is simply just beyond tears.
Kera just stares at Cyrus when he admits to the rumors. Probably a little speechless as it seems it's 'her' fault he was fighting. Shaking her head "Me? I really don't give a shell what people say about me. And you let some drunk dockworker in a dingy tavern goad you into fighting? What has gotten into you? You're supposed to heal people, not be the reason they need to be healed!" His mention of running away again gets a sigh as she leans against the doorframe "Cyrus, we've already gone over this. Nothing good would have come of me taking Moncerath off somewhere away from the Weyr. She was gonna rise, no matter where she was. Dragons would have chased her, no matter where she was. Nothing would have been solved by running away with you. We're friends. But we're not the kind of close friends that run off together and hide away all cozy like. And you know that." Sighing she offers a bit of sympathy though and gestures toward Cyrus's hand "How's the hand." He did knock a guy out afterall, that's gotta sting a knuckle or two.
Cyrus is new to the whole friendship thing. And to hear her say that they aren't that good of friends is another crushing blow atop many. His hand isn't that hurt. He's certainly had worse. He hasn't given it a second thought, "Its fine." he affirms quickly before moving on with more important things, "I'm not talking about running away. I'm talking about when you knew what was happening you could have come found me and I could have kept you away from /her/…" he says spitting out the word like its a curse, "…Moncerath would have been fine. She would have gotten her flight. And you would have been safe. Everybody would have won. I've done a bit of research since our last chat. Sometimes people whose dragons rise hide with their weyrmates and don't go out…and so…you could have come and found me." As for the man he would do it again, "I won't let anyone say anything like that about someone I love." he says. Not the way he wanted to express himself on that, but he isn't thinking all that clearly.
Kera 's glance scans the man's hands briefly, but doesn't make an issue of it. Various emotions flicker across her face, Cyrus doesn't seem to be making complete sense. "Her..? Wha.." Confusion overrides her features, head canting at her friend, certain he doesn't understand exactly what he suggested. "But Cyru.." She blinks, mouth hanging open like a fish, suddenly gone speechless as Cyrus rushes on and drops the big "L' bomb. You can hear her teeth click together when her mouth snaps shut. Dropping her gaze to the clipboard, she drags a thumbnail across the ragged edge, giving both a moment to collect their thoughts. Breath in, breath out. Finally peeking up from her intense study of the offending duty schedule "Cyrus, you've never asked me to a dance, or a picnic, or anything that…weyrmates tend to do together." She gives a moments pause to make sure she spoke plainly and he follows "You're my friend. But, you can't blame me for not…for what I have no knowledge of.." She shrugs and trails off, not really sure how to continue after Cyrus's announcement.
Cyrus wasn't asking her to be weyrmates, or be married, or be in a romantic relationship. Not at all. He was just saying that he loves her. Which is still a really big deal for him. He has told his mother that obviously, but not really anyone else. Being new to the whole friendship thing really has its downsides, "But I do love you. And I could have kept you safe." he says plaintively. Missing most of what she just said. He's a nervous wreck after all, and you can hardly blame him, "You knew you could come to me with anything. I would have been there for you. Why didn't you come?"
Kera sorta loosely hugs the clipboard in front of her, mainly for lack of anything to do with her hands. Cyrus's words do nothing to clear things up for Kera, in fact, they give her a few more hoops to try looping together. Focusing on him again, she gestures at the space around them "Safe Cyrus? Look at this room. And the man you attacked. That's a little bit out of control." Pausing, she gathers her thoughts and pushes ahead "Why didn't I come find you? Cyrus, I had just sat down to lunch…" She snorts and cuts a bit of annoyed look around the trashed room "I /heard/ how good the stew was today, not that I was able to find out myself, thank you for asking." is huffed out before she goes on to finish her prior thought. "…then there was Moncerath…" she waves off the rest with a wave. Scrubbing a hand across her face, then dragging nails through her hair she turns her attention back to Cyrus again. Watching him quietly, she seems to be staring through the man for a few seconds, then her eyes seem to see him once more. "Do you want to have sex with me Cyrus?" She waits, to see if her words get through, hopefully, they latch onto something in his noggin.
Cyrus is not a violent person, and Kera knows this, but you put someone in a situation like that there is going to be a response, "Yes absolutely safe. You know that I would never hurt you." And that much is true. He couldn't hurt her, it would hurt him to do so. When she mentions that dragons name his face scrunches up, "Moncerath promised me…did she even try?" he says in response. Yes he reserves a special loathing for that dragon. He had touched her and spoken to her like a person and this is her response. When Kera asks her last question he blinks, "No. What are you talking about? Kera that doesn't mean that I don't love you." Why must she equate the two things. This is exactly what he feared.
Kera nods slowly to herself as Cyrus acknowledges no attraction to her. So why does he still seem to not understand "Flights involve dragons mating, and their riders too. Yes, it was mentioned in our lessons that it wasn't unheard of for mated riders to…stack the deck, so to speak. Think this through Cyrus." She gathers her thoughts, using her hands to gesture as needed "Let's say that we had done things your way. You, and me, alone somewhere, safe as you say. Moncerath rises…then what…" She gives him a meaningful look, waiting for the dots to connect. "I care about you. I care about all my friends. But think through what you are saying. What do you think would have happened, the two of us alone, when Mon took to the sky?"
Cyrus would have found a way. There are always ways to make it through a situation, "Kera we would have found a way to cope. No matter what you acted like. I've been dealing with unruly patients for years. You couldn't have said or done anything I hadn't heard a billion times." he has had some patients say and do all sorts of things while under his care, "Are you saying you wanted to be with Kiena?" he asks. It's a question that he is hoping with all his might is answered with a no, "But you didn't answer my question. I have to know. Did Moncerath even try?" In the end it probably doesn't matter…she betrayed him all the same in a way that no one has ever done so before. He let himself believe in her, even if only for a moment. He gets himself to his feet and walks to be close to Kera, needing to be. Part of him wants to hug and comfort her. As hurt as Cyrus is he also is sick and worried about her.
Kera looks uncertainly to Cyrus "How? How would you have dealt with my Cyrus?" Her mind fills in a couple of things, which she voices "Strap me down if I became too unruly? Sedate me to keep me safe?" She hadn't thought Cyrus would do such, but right now, she isn't really sure of anything. Blinking in surprise at his question, it doesn't take but a few seconds to move along towards anger "You think I wanted to be with Kiena?!" She practically growls out before throwing her hands up in frustration. "Of coarse not! I've no interest in women like that at all!" So much for a friend knowing her well. "I was hoping Cullenth would catch her. I would have rather found myself with Ja'ken when things began to clear up. But stacking the deck doesn't work." She holds up a finger, making a very serious point "You're my friend Cyrus. But don't say something you can't come back from." And any type of perceived attack to her dragonmate, might put the lil' bandaid dudess on the offensive. She takes a moment to take a couple of calming breathes, a couple of lazy shoulders or neck stretches to ease some tension. "You say you want me safe." She thumps her chest smartly, then her stomach and other places along her shoulders, legs and all over, not once wincing, whimpering or in any way showing discomfort. "I'm safe. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me. Nothing to keep me from completely my duty shift." When Cyrus steps closer, she works up a little smirk "There is nothing wrong with me other than my friend is being a complete and total stubborn woolhead." Holding up a knuckle to his forehead, she taps the air in front of his head, but not touching tries to scold him of remembering his duties and showing she is still the stubborn workworkwork apprentice she has always been. "Snap out of this depression. The Weyrwoman is…." She won't bring herself to say it "…missing, the Weyr is in mourning. You're needed now more than ever and look at this place.." A gesture around the room "Pull yourself together Cyrus. We've patients to see to." Yes, she heard about his suspension, but something has to get his head back on straight.
Cyrus didn't get the answers to all of his questions, but he knows they are both raw and hurting right now. He did get the answer to the one question that really mattered to him. Did she want to be with Kiena, and the answer was no. In his mind this makes her a victim and his heart breaks just a bit. He opens his arms but doesn't move towards her, "Come here." he says softly. It seems neither of are going to get all the answers they want. There will be time for all of that. He finds himself feeling the slightest bit of relief. The first that he has felt in longer than he would care to mention. The world is still broken. And he still wants to find a way to save her from flights, but at least he finds himself stepping back from the edge just a bit, "I will go back to work. If you promise me we will work it all out." He might not believe her dragon but he still does believe in her. He wasn't sure he would…and things aren't by any means good or 'right' between them, "…and that we will be ok and everything will get fixed." He needs something to believe in, just one thing to believe.
Kera doesn't quite glare up to the Journeyman as she tries to scold him into getting his act together. When he seems to come back to himself and get back with the program she takes the offered hug as a win. Stepping up, she does give a hug, smirking when he wants her to promise to work things out. Still not exactly sure what needs to be worked out, she chuckles none the less and gives a little jab to her friend's side. "I'll promise we'll work through all this…" she gestures around the thrashed room "..what brought your decorating whims on at least. If you promise to stop blaming Moncerath. She hasn't done anything wrong. And I don't want you hurting her feelings anymore than I would want someone to hurt your feelings." She steps back and looks him in the eye, holding a hand out "Deal?"
Cyrus does feel a little bit better about the whole thing. He can't say he feels good, but at least there is hope now. He is pleased to hear her say its going to be ok. He just needed to hear the words. There is so much that isn't ok in the world right now, but if she is with him they can do anything, he knows it, "Kera you know you matter more to me than anything else in the world right?" he asks. She deserves to know that. The problem with being a persons /only/ friend is that you bear a great weight and he isn't exaggerating when he says it. He puts out his hand, "I will do my best. I was able to talk to her civilly before. I will try again." Kera has to know that she is asking a great deal of him. Probably more than she realizes. But if you can't ask a great deal of your friends then who can you ask it from. At least she didn't ask him to be nice to Kiena. The weyrsecond will be getting a visit from the healer in short order. He still has a week on his suspension.
Kera smiles, nodding agreeably when things begin to look a bit brighter. Canting her head a little, she tips her head, performing a adequate, of not perfect, curtsey as if she were wearing a big fancy dress. Not in a mocking way at all, but in a cheery lighten the mood in the room type of way "I'm glad to be held in such regard. And if you need someone to work through issues with, you can always talk to me." Standing again, she chuckles, obviously feeling lighter than she did when she came to the crafters' cavern. Clapping her hands together smartly, so that the sounds echoes across the room "Excellent! Now, you can start taking care of this little mixup." She brandishes the clipboard, with the very offensive indefinite suspension order for her. She tries putting it into his hands before turning to head off to her next task. "Great! And ya might wanna get this room put back to right somehow, before the Headwoman or miss Kisa see it."
Cyrus has a whole laundry list of issues yet. The work has only just begun, but at least it is starting. Kera seems to understand where he is coming from a bit more. That he simply cannot handle flights, and that they are going to work to make everyone happy. Moncerath, Kera, and himself. He is aware that it will be work, but he is willing because despite what has happened he still has a friend. He can't quite bring himself to smile as she curtseys, but his face does brighten a little bit, "I was going to do that eventually anyway." he says about the room. As for the clipboard he does erase it, but that's all he can do…he is still suspended, "I'm glad you are ok….at least physically." he says. He is sure that there are emotional things for her to work through, "And you know that I can handle anything…at any time. No matter what."