Xanadu Weyr - Journeyman Tenebrous' Room
Something that might once have been a utility closet has since been expanded upon to provide someone a small, spartan place to rest their head at night. The walls of the room are a spartan gray and a single glowglobe hangs from the ceiling, shedding soft light into the area. Around twelve feet on a side, there's not much room for much more than a spartan double-bed and a camp chair. A closet barely big enough for a winter coat rests off to one side.
Dawn's sun has only just begun warming Pern's southern continent, such warmth that it is in the winter season. There's no warning, no knock, no loud noise. The door to Tenebrous' room opens with a lurch and the healer falls, literally, through the opening, landing gracelessly. He manages to crawl forward a little before kicking the door closed with a meager motion…and then he promptly curls up into a ball and begins retching. Thankfully, there are no results, but it's the kind of dry heaving that suggests he's been at it for awhile now…
Phylicia isn't prone to screaming as she wakes up thankfully, even with the circumstances in which someone enters the room. Her eyes fly open wide as she hears someone crumpling to the ground and then bolts upright, clutching the blankets around her as the door gets kicked home. But the sounds of dry retching don't prompt any movement beyond a faint rustling of blankets as she moves her feet off of the bed. "Ten?" She asks softly, warily awake but fairly well rested.
The next retch actually gets a little fluid with it, and Tenebrous coughs hard, racking coughs before it finally settles into gasping breaths. "Sorry…" he coughs again. "…to wake you…" Slowly, the spasms subside and his body relaxes. His hood slides back, revealing a too-pale face, blood-shot eyes and lips flecked with red from too much bile. "Didn't…know where else…" Then he starts coughing again.
Phylicia makes a little face as the sound of liquid being produced, but that's all that it gets from her as she slides off the bed, taking the blankets with her and kneels on the ground next to Tenebrous. "It /is/ your room, silly." Comes the pert reply as a bare arm escapes from the blanket to gently rub up and down his back. "Are you alright?" Well. Stupid question. He's retching for starters, so she's apparently expecting some sort of explanation.
Tenebrous manages to rasp out a barely heard, "Not…really, no." He just rocks for a moment, taking light breaths before he finally gets the nausia under control and then breaths, "It's been…a very…very bad night." An unsteady hand reaches for the satchel that he so quickly dropped onto the floor. "I…" Then he retches again, curling up on the floor once more. "I need a bath," he breaths…
Phylicia's hand never stops rubbing his back as she listens, though it does pause for a moment as he seems to get himself under control. A slight frown creases her brow as she looks down at him, sitting on her heels now. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asks softly, almost hesitantly before she sighs as he curls back up on the floor. "Can you manage a bath?" She's more concerned this time, which does nothing to lessen the frown on her face.
Tenebrous shudders once the shaking subsides and slowly places a hand on the near wall, attempting to sit himself up. "I woke up covered in my own vomit at least twice last night, Phylicia, and as if that wasn't bad enough…" His lips press into a thin, hard line. "That's bad enough," he finishes. "I think I have to manage a bath…I haven't felt this disgusting since…ever."
Phylicia is there with her hands, ready to support him if he needs it but grimacing at the fact that twice he's woken up with vomit over himself. As he gets into a sitting position - with or without her help - she slips away to put the blanket back on the bed which reveals her to be in a sleeveless, knee-lenth nightie of a heavier weight for winter. She picks up the satchel with her day's clothing change in it, and slings it over her back, and then pads over barefoot to hold a hand out either for his satchel, or him. It's been long enough where minus one or two patches of peeling skin, her hands look much better. "I don't blame you." She says, letting a small smile tweak her lips. "/I'd/ want a bath too."
"At the very least," Tenebrous breaths, shaking his head carefully. He looks down at his own hands and then up at Phy, smiling wearily. "You probably don't want me touching you right now," he mumbles. "I'm touching myself and I can't stand it…" He nods to the satchel. "I've only been to the hot springs a few times that I can remember…are they open this time of day?"
Phylicia picks up his satchel as he first declines her help, adding it to the weight on her shoulders before she holds out both hands this time. The glare that she bores into the front of him today is not mad, but instead faintly annoyed. "So it means I get this and myself washed too." It doesn't sound like she's exactly willing to take 'no' for an answer, even as her lips quirk back to a small smile. "I don't think they ever really close." Some people like to soak and get clean at absurd hours thanks to night-watch duties and the sort. "Now c'mon, Ten."
Tenebrous eyes the younger woman heavily for a moment before reaching for her hands. Slowly, he hauls himself up, wobbling on his knees before finding his feet. "Your laundry, I suppose," he murmurs. He wobbles over to a small closet in the wall, pulling out a deep, cloth robe. This gets thrown over his shoulder and he murmurs, "Lead on…though, please go slow."
Phylicia braces herself as tries not to give way as he takes her up on her offer. She may talk big, but she's still a fairly tiny thing. She's more or less walking at his side, keeping a sideways view of him. "If you feel like you're going to fall or anything, just lean on me, kay?" She says as she slides her feet into her shoes, starting off at an easy walk out of the room, holding the door open until he's clear of it.
Xanadu Weyr - Hot Springs
The warmth that flows from this cavern is almost overwhelming for some, the steam rising from the shimmering pools as thick as the morning fog that rolls in off the ocean. Numerous pools are scattered here and there with ribboned walls that are natural in their construction. The water has a somewhat green cast to it, but it is merely a reflection from the ethereal light which is the glow down here that was so noticeable from the Lower Cavern Tunnel. People can often be found down here washing themselves or just relaxing.
Situated along the walls are various racks covered in fresh towels ready for those who step out of the warm waters. A set of shelves have been installed towards the back wall, allowing people a place to put their belongings while they rest in the pools, and despite the white color that these have been painted, they are cast with that eerie green glow. Then, it's obvious. The ceiling of this cavern is covered in the fluorescent phosphorous matter that glows are made off. The mossy substance almost glitters and appears quite lovely.
In the early morning, the springs are all but deserted, and it doesn't take Tenebrous long to pick one out, a waterhole a fair distance from the entrance, with a fair view of the others. He all but collapses onto one of teh waiting benches, his coat sluffing off of his shoulders, and in an almost zombie-like fashion, he begins removing his clothing.
Phylicia follows in a few steps after him, setting down his satchel close to his coat as it falls off his shoulders, though not near enough incase his coat needs to be washed too. For a little while she's unsure of where to look, a faint blush tinting her cheeks until she realizes he'd probably have no qualms if she completely disrobed as well. "Pern to Ten." She says gently as he seems to be moving stiffly. "Anyone home?" And she finally sets her satchel down on the other side of the bench, slipping off her shoes before she pads over to the towel rack, grabbing three.
Tenebrous blinks once, his movements slowing, and glances up. "What…? I thought you were supposed to remove your clothes before you went into these things." He blinks somewhat owlishly and mumbles, "Clothes on, I don't care…" His shirt and boots already off, he wobbles to his feet and starts towards the water with a tottering step. Pants and all.
Phylicia almost giggles as he starts moving towards the springs with his pants still on, but instead she scuttles over carefully in her bare feet, putting herself between him and the water as well as lending a shoulder if he wants it. "No, no." Her tone is laughing though. Maybe one of the first chuckles she's had of late. "Finish taking your clothes off." She says, letting a small giggle escape her lips. "Unless you'd like to wash your pants that way. You just looked like you were more likely to fall asleep than get in the water." Surprisingly, she doesn't take the opportunity to look at his chest and torso. Yet. "Really, do you want to talk?" The laughter in her voice has died and given way to concern.
"Not…really," comes Tenebrous' muted reply. He doesn't even miss a beat before his hands begin undoing his pants. "I want to die, Phylicia. Not…permanently, but right now, dead would probably be better than alive." The pants and underwear are shucked a moment later and he coughs once, turning to the pool. "But if you know of a way to cut my head off and take my stomach for a walk for a few hours…that'd work too…" Then he just sort of topples into the water.
Phylicia keeps her eyes on his upper half for sure, almost jumping in with all of her clothing on as he just sort of topples in. But she controls the impulse to, instead quickly shucking the night gown and setting two of the towels within easy grabbing distance before following him in a more controlled fashion into the water. "Didn't you tell me we bleed to know we're alive?" She asks as she makes sure he's not drowning. "I think this gets to count as bleeding." She says as she submerges herself to her shoulders. But as the stomach and the head come into play she blinks. Has it taken her this long to put it together? "Did you .. get /drunk/?" There's a mild sort of shock to her voice.
Tenebrous surfaces slowly, his eyes closed. "Warm…is good," he breaths, his throat sounding substantially less raw. Then those eyes open and find Phy's face. "Completely unintentionally," he says, his voice a little dead. "I had…no idea what was in the mug until it was too late." Then his eyes close again and he sags against the side of the pool. "She just…put me to sleep and left…"
"She?" Phylicia asks without thinking first, though there's only one other 'she' that Phy has known him to keep company with. "Oh." Comes after a few moments of silence. Well, it's a good thing she has no intention of prying any deeper than the cause of his unwellness, unless he feels like talking which he said he didn't. Her eyes quickly scan the edge of the pool they're in for the soapsand and grunts lightly as some dimglow pushed it far enough away from the edge, where she has to hoist herself partially out of the water, and lean over to capture the bucket. Hooking fingertips in it, she drags it closer and moves to put the bucket within easier reach for Ten. Taking up a small handfull for herself, she starts rubbing it over one outstretched arm, sudding up. "I don't know if you just want to soak first, but there's the soapsand." See? She can behave, though if he moves, her eyes are trying to assess how his back is looking.
Like a Rorschak test. That's how his back looks. It takes him a few moments to move, but in time, he's gliding through the water and reaching an arm out for the soapsand. An impressive glob of it is rubbed onto each arm, and then he begins scrubbing vigorously at his face, covering it as much as possible. "Yea," he mumbles between scrubs. "She." Then he's sliding under the water and staying there, bubbles rising amidst the foam that washes from his skin.
Phylicia takes her time sudding up her arm before moving to her neck. So by the time she has her neck and upper chest sudded, Tenebrous is sliding under the water. At first she does nothing until enough time lapses where she would have popped back up gasping. Her hands stop working and she looks at the water for a few more moments. The suds make it hard for her to tell if there are any air bubbles rising from his area. So instead, she propels herself the few feet she had put between them, completely forgetting their states of undress as she takes in a deep breath and submerges herself, eyes opening after passing the surface to see, wrapping her hands around one of his biceps and tugging him upwards to gasp as she breaks the surface, turning a pissed off glare at him as she keeps dragging, her hands clutched to whiteness. But she's also checking to make sure he's still breathing, watching for the fall and rise of his chest, or listening for the faint noises of breathing. The blood has pretty much drained from her face.
Tenebrous opens one eye, sand and soap running down the other side of his face and simply stares for a moment. He even has the decency to not look down before spitting a little water out of the side of his mouth and murmuring, "When I said 'make a pass at me or change my bandage', I was kidding." Then his eyes do look down, but only to that hand on his arm. Tenebrous isn't ripped, but he's most definitely defined, and Phy's fingers are kind of digging in. "What little ego I have demands that I not tell you that you're digging into my arm, but…" His free hand crosses his body, fingers wrapping around her forearm with deliberation. "…You're hurting my arm," he says, his voice level.
Phylicia is not as calm as she appears to be. As he pokes fun at her, her fingers tighten a little more around his arm as only her cheeks regain their color of a rosy pink. She looks a big tongue tied as she tries to put holes in him with the heat of her eyes. "Sorry." She chokes out as her finger spring free from his arm, leaving marks where the blood flow has to reach again. And with her hands free, she unsuccessfully pushes hair out of her face. With a momentary snarl of frustration she takes a step back and sinks down before bending over backwards to dip her hair in the water to slick it back before straightening again, wiping excess water off of her face. "What in Faranth's name makes you think I was making a pass at you?" The rosy color of her cheeks deepen without her consent.
The water's not exactly murky, and for a moment, Tenebrous allows himself a momentary glance at Phylicia's motion before looking back down to his arm with a bit of a raised eyebrow. "Attractive," he murmurs, though what he's talking about is up for debate. Then he murmurs, "Well, you were close enough to me that I could tell you haven't shaved your legs in a day or two, and we are in a pool of water." His tone is droll as he reaches for the sand again. His other hand swims under the water to his hip and makes a quick jerking motion. A little of the blood drains from his face, but he exhales shortly thereafter. "That's…a lot less painful in the water," he breaths. A moment later, his hand raises, a soaked bandage in it, and he starts towards the edge of the pool. He steps up high enough to fully raise his leg out of the water, and begins to rub sand around his wounded thigh.
Phylicia could really learn to dislike it when people tease her, because her face is very quickly becoming red, and it's not due to the heat of the pool. She doesn't hear whatever it was he murmured at first, and her glare deepens with her blush. "Well excuse me for not bringing a blade in with me today." She says, sounding a bit testy. Her face is nearly beet red as he rises enough to get his leg out of water, which means… but she turns quickly, presenting him her back as she sinks up to her chin in the water. "Although you should be glad I didn't because I'd be using it on /you/ after that." And she most likely doesn't mean to try and help him shave. And curse it, the bucket of sand is over by him!
Tenebrous laughs quietly. "You're a gem, Phylicia, you really are…" He does offer a groan when he sinks back into the water, a nervous laugh following. "Empty egg, I don't think I've scrubbed like this in…" He starts counting fingers and then gives up. "I might need a little help keeping my balance for the other leg, if you don't mind," he murmurs. "Still just a bit weak on the right."
Phylicia isn't quite sure how to interpret him calling her a gem so she continues looking else where until she feels the waves and groan which means he's likely back underwater. But she doesn't turn around right away, instead taking in a deep breath and completely submerging herself for half a minute before she pops back up gasping. "Better." She gasps. Because now she can at least partially blame her blush on holding her breath that long as she turns around, wading towards him. "You mean you don't take advantage of the springs whenever you come by?" She asks, waiting for him to direct where he'd like her for support so she can best decide how to save her personal dignity.
Tenebrous shakes his head slowly, turning his back to her again. "There's usually too many people here," he offers quietly. "Harder to keep my eye on the way out when all of the curtains are drawn, and people look at you a little strangely when you run around in here without a cover of some kind." One hand scoops a bit of sand and starts scrubbing a shoulder. "When you get a moment, I wouldn't mind a bit of help. If you'd just…sort of steady my back." Then he steps up in the water and lifts his left leg, wobbling as he does so.
"I like coming during the quiet hours." Phylica says as she stands up behind him, her hands lightly resting just at the bottom of his ribcage on either side. The water sloshes a little as she gets slightly better footing incase she does have to support any of his weight. "Would you .. like me to scrub your back while I'm standing here?" And the girl is going to bite her own tongue, but not having to contort yourself to scrub your back is sometimes a blessing. "Well if you look like you do now, I think the people are staring at your bruises, not you." She teases him. What else can she do as she shivers lightly. Hey, the water's warm and the air isn't so much.
Tenebrous moves as quickly as he can, only seriously wobbling once. "As…interesting as that offer is, I think I'll pass. You've done quiet enough…and I'll be honest, I'm so hungry that I'm seriously considering solid food, despite the consequences. "But I tell you what." With that, he lets his left leg fall, and topples himself backwards, purposefully opting to land on Phylicia with a tired grin on his face. Sploosh!
Phylicia's hands tighten as he wobbles, but only enough to help him not fall over. "Well at least you're thinking of eati-eeee!" Her sentence gets cut off as he puts more weight on her than she ever expected to support, so of course they both go toppling backwards, but instead of trying to puncture holes in his ribs with her fingers, she's hugging him instead out of an instinct to cling as her shoulders hunch, bracing for the impact which happens gloriously like a belly-flop. It doesn't take her long however to let go and rise sputtering to the surface, her hair hanging back in her face as she makes attempts to get it out, before she does the same maneuver as before, but forgetting to sink further into the water first. She's panting as she drags her head back up, trying not to laugh as she stares at him - who has hopefully risen by now. "What was /that/ for?" Comes her indignant half-chuckle.
Tenebrous has the good sense to spread his arms out, and most of his head never actually submerges. The hug is an interesting sensation, but it's the view afterwards that has him shaking his head for a moment and laughing quietly. "I could only get away with it once," he offers with a shrug and a grin. "Something new that I'm trying out. I'm glad it worked." Then he coughs and makes a 'lower' gesture with his hand, his eyes riveted to her nose.
Phylicia looks confused for a moment as he makes the 'lower' gesture, before she realizes how far out of the water she is and she quickly drops, submerging to her chin as arms fly to cover her chest while she turns one shade shy of beet red. "Something new?" She still can't decide if she wants to be laughing or ticked off. "Getting gropes from young ladies?" Though at least he didn't try to grope her. And thankfully topless men aren't too out of the norm for anyone, so she doesn't have to stick her gaze fully upon his nose. "That was an evil trick." But her tone has definitely given way to laughter and not to pissy-ness.
Tenebrous smirks. "Most people flail rather than cling when you flop on them," he murmurs. "I can't help your reaction. Not so much the groping though, honest." He's his turn to sort of rub his foot on the bottom of the pool. "I wouldn't…do that to you, Phy." He smiles awkwardly, holding the soapsand bucket out to her. "I don't have much practice having …fun. Still learning about how it works." As an afterthought, he offers, "Not that it wasn't pleasant. You have very soft hands, all things considered." A compliment, honest.
Phylicia's blushing slowly fades as she stops crouching so low in the water, the tops of her shoulders just above the water's surface. "I tease." She says, in a way of an apology, a grin on her face. She takes the bucket from him and sets it within easy reaching distance before she starts to scrub at her other arm, relaxing again. That in itself speaks that she knows he didn't do it for the groping, or Ten'd have a hand print on his face. "As a tip, something like that would work a little better if we both had, oh … bathing suits on?" Or at least something that resembled clothing? She rinses her arm off before looking at her hands. "Huh. Really?"
Tenebrous turns a little to watch Phy work on her other arm, his head tilting. "I do not understand. The physics and the timing don't have anything to do with…" Then it catches up to him, and he ahhhs quietly. "I see." He even has the decency to flush a little, though it…could be the water. "I don't tend to think about things like that sometimes," he murmurs.
Phylicia almost grunts, but it sounds a little more like an 'mmm.' "I know, it's 'just a body'." She says with a grin as she turns her back, and rises out of the water enough to scrub at her legs and torso before sinking back down into the water to rinse off. "Lots of people like to keep their bodies to themselves, though." Which is why during physicals that need it, things tend to get a little awkward. Especially if apprentices watch discreetly from the background. She waves a hand though, before she starts to sud up her hair, scrubbing carefully. "With bathing suits, that would be fun. Especially outside." She pauses. "On a warmer day."
Tenebrous smiles. "Careful what you ask for. In the summertime, Stormhaven is…incredible." He glances at Phylicia again as she rinses off and then prudently looks away. A few steps brings him over to another edge of the pool and he pillows his head on his forearms. "If you're still pursuing this part of your studies, I think you'll enjoy it a great deal," he says, voice careful and even.
Phylicia doesn't lean forward to rest on her forearms, but instead lets her head fall backwards to rest on the ledge. "I can only imagine." She murmurs, thinking of the place's beauty even in the winter. "But whatever you do, you're not throwing me down that waterfall." Through the waterfall maybe, from the cave entrance. Down it, shards no. "I really don't see why I wouldn't be studying with you still." She says, after thinking about it for a few moments. "Besides for the fact it was stressful… I coped." She may have more of a head for emergencies than she thought she did, and saying she coped is like saying Ten has minor issues.
Tenebrous turns suddenly. "Speaking of coping…" He starts over to her in the water. "I've been so busy over the last two days, I haven't stopped in to check on you." he frowns. "You were obviously in my room…" He gives her a look. "How are things between you and M'nol, if it's not too tender a topic?"
Phylicia's traces of a smile leave her face as she keeps staring at the ceiling. "Confusing." She says at first, trying to sort it out in her head and not for the first time. "I still enjoy his company. I still like him." One hand rises from the water, moving to play with a pendant that she isn't wearing yet. "But I can't bring myself to sleep next to him. Or leave on a little get-away he wants to take me on." Her lips pucker, but at least she isn't sobbing over it all right now. "And I just … can't say why."
Tenebrous snorts once. "Here's why. You're not going." He shrugs a little, starting over to her side of the pond. "That's the short end of it. We've both had time off, but it's time to get back to work. You gave yourself to the forest, and my teachings…and right now…" He shrugs. "Those don't include taking a jaunt with a young man who couldn't keep his wits about him." A pause. "How's that?" He smiles.
Phylicia breaths a small sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing from a tensed position as she turns her head on the ledge to look at him. "That's good." She says, gratitude coloring her voice to a slightly husky level. She inhales and sits up, taking her head off of the ledge. "For some reason the Masters around the infirmary weren't saying no, and I couldn't just say no." Well, she could've. But then she would've felt like a horrible girlfriend. Not like she's being a good one now. "Anyways. My hands're more or less done healing." Her eyes almost slide down to his leg, but at about stomach level she stops and raises her eyes back upwards. Right. No pants. "And your leg and back?"
Tenebrous nods once. "The masters…" He shrugs. "They're not me. And you're not their apprentice. You're mine." Then, a little quieter. "And you're my friend. So you stay with me for awhile. M'nol, the masters, they can all eat it. If they didn't want this, they shouldn't have signed off on it." He lifts his injured leg up. "It's…healing. The back is sore, but it'll be done before too much longer, I think." He smirks. "I hope. Putting shirts on is still painful. I could stand that not happening."
Phylicia averts her eyes for a moment as he lifts his leg, lifting her hands in front of her eyes. "Ten!" Lifting a leg could possibly mean glimpses of things she doesn't want to see. But there's a smile on her face. "Well, I'm not going to move my stuff out of his weyr." Yet. But if things don't get better. If she doesn't get over whatever lump this is. She might as well. "I'm sure we could find a.. a.. light dosage of numbweed to put on your back. Just to dull the pain?" She then looks at her hands and grins. "I'm all wrinkly. We should probably get out."
Tenebrous smiles. "I tell you what. Once the snows melt a little more and we make our way back out to Stormhaven, I'll let you do it then. Shouldn't be more than a day or two. I've even got extra blankets. And a cot, just for you." With the bath being more or less over, he gestures to the side. "Did…you want to get out first, or should I?"
Phylicia slides over to where she put the towels before she got in, squeezing them to make sure they didn't get soaked. "Hoping that you didn't soak them when you dumped the both of us…" She half-mumbles before grinning. "Good, they're dry." She picks up the topmost one, and lobs the folded towel at his head. "Catch!" While he's distracted catching the towel, she's hopping out of the pool and wrapping the towel around herself, securing one end of the large towel in a tight wrap. She heads to the bench for the third towel she grabbed, rubbing her hair briskly with it.
Tenebrous flicks a hand up automatically, and indeed, it does the job it's supposed to do, keeping his eyes on the towel and off of the water sluicing away from Phy's body. "Thank you," he calls simply…but rather than getting out of the water in a hurry, he just starts drying his head off, arms and towel above his head, and calmly pacing to the steps. Lower and lower does the water go until, at the very last minute, the towel finally drops, and he wraps it around his waist. It's a sloppy job, and he's clearly not used to doing it, but…what can you do? "Breakfast," he says firmly. "Definitely…breakfast."
Phylicia manages to get her hair to the stage of 'not dripping wet' and picks up her satchel, headed for one of the few curtained areas for the truely modest to change. She waves a hand at him to continue on. "You get dressed and get something to eat. I'll be out soon." Meaning she has to tame her hair before it dries in unique-laying chunks, and actually get dressed. Shaving is given a thought, but that could easily be done tomorrow morning without anyone watching.