Healer Hall – Courtyard
This lovely square is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Hall and simply relax. Benches can be found at regular intervals, nestled beneath leafy shade trees. Statues of distinguished Healers have been placed there along the walkways, each carving, performing his or her notable medical duty. At the center is a large fountain, its bubbling tinkle, adding the soothing sound of water to this sanctuary.
Phylicia has been at the Healer Hall for about two weeks at this point in time, and the young woman has fallen into the easy habits of Hall life, even if she doesn't get to go out hiking nearly as often as she did at Xanadu. The day is starting to fade into the evening hours, and classes have officially ended for the day, leaving apprentices to their chores and studies. The summer's evening is nice enough here where Phy is sprawled out on her back on one of the benches in the courtyard, staring up at the sky idly. It doesn't look like she's about to fall asleep any time soon, but she's definitely relaxed, out in the last rays of the day.
Evening in summer is a pleasant time indeed - a fine time to relax outside and if it weren't for the winter clothes Thea is wearing as she ambles though the entrance from the river road, she'd be enjoying it too. As it is, she's perspiring even though she's already shrugged out of her fur-lined coat, stuffed that in Seryth's harness and left it behind. One hand fumbles to undo the top buttons of her smock-type blouse, the other arm is curled about a rolled up object braced on one hip. Her eyes sweep the courtyard and come to rest upon that figure lying prone over on the bench and it is there that her steps take her. "Heya Phy," quietly said lest she startle her friend.
Startle Phylicia is what Thea manages to do anyways, as the girl squeaks and her body jolts in surprise as she's pulled back into the present. "Thea?" For a moment she sounds confused, as her head turns to look at her surroundings. Nope. Still at the Hall. "Thea! What're you doing here?" She cries after another moment, with a grin. She sits up quickly - but carefully incase Thea was leaning over her- from her prone position.
Well dang! Thea fails, although there's a half-grin for that squeak of Phy's. She's a step or two away, so not leaning over or in danger of being beaned by Phy as she sits up. "Came to see you," she answers with a laugh, shifting that rolled up something to slide it down to stand on end on the ground. She's not -quite- panting with carrying it, but… well. Let's just say it's a good thing D'had isn't here to see her lugging it and reprimand her for doing so. "Was at Ierne earlier clothes shopping since nothing fits anymore," she informs Phy with a wave of her hand towards her midsection.
Straddling the bench in her sitting position, Phylicia swings one leg over and stands up almost in the same motion to cross those few steps and wrap Thea up in a hug with a grin. "Because Fort and the Healer Hall is /so/ close to Ierne." She teases, knowing that no distance is any further for Thea than any other distance. But being reminded of the pregnancy jars a memory and she separates from Thea to cross her arms over her chest. "And why did I have to learn about your pregnancy through Tenebrous, huh?" She asks. She's not scolding. It's more like rough-love, and she's poking the Junior. "I thought you'd tell me these things!"
Thea braces that waist-high roll against one hip - her belly serves to keep the thing from sliding off to one side - her arms lift to return Phy's hug with enthusiasm. "You know the saying, 'get while the gettin' is good’? Well, I didn't want to get snagged back to work and these days…" She just lets that trail off. As for her pregnancy, she just turns a peculiar shade of pink as she tosses her friend an apologetic look coupled with a rueful grin, dancing away from that poke. "I'd have gotten around to it, honest! And I didn't tell -him- either. -He- told -me-!" Her lashes sweep down as her glance rests on her rounded tummy. "And that was before you could really see anything there." Pale green eyes lift back to her and in them there is some chagrin, "I think… he wanted to know if it could be his or something."
Phylicia just grins, wrapping her arms around the Junior for a moment again. "Well, congradulations a few months late, Thea." She says happily. It seems that the young lady is in a fairly good mood all around, even with being here at the Hall. "I'm sure you would've told me eventually." She pauses for a moment. "After it's born." She needles her friend again. She gives a curious look to that bundle Thea keeps shifting around, and then moves to usher Thea towards the bench to sit. "I think… it might have been more that he was making sure it wasn't his. Last time I talked with him-" About this subject at least. "-he still didn't remember a lot of it. Just … remnants." She waves a hand suddenly, as if to dismiss it. "Anyways, what's with that package? It looks like more than clothing." Yes, she's being nosy today!
Thea's radiant smile lends her translucent skin already aided by both the pregnancy and the lack of sun during Xanadu's winter, a luminescent glow. "Thanks!" And then there are those last three words, "Heyyyy!" But she's grinning, "We both had a lot of stuff going on." An understatement, that. She allows her friend to guide her to the bench, sinks down upon it cautiously and tilts her head to listen as Phy speaks of her mentor. She's nodding, "That's… sort of what I meant. With amnesia… it's got to be odd for him." She flickers an uneasy glance at the other girl, "I told him there was no way. We were… never, ah, like that." A hasty throat-clearing has her diverted to that roll, which she had simply dragged with her the few steps to the bench. She shifts it over towards Phy. "It's for you," she says simply.
When the roll is opened, unrolled onto the stones of the courtyard it is revealed to be a rug, about 3 feet by 5 feet, obviously handmade with the silken wool from Cold Stone Hold's camilids, the tufts carefully placed one by one into a design of muted earthtones - taupe, moss green and a smoky purple prominent among them that form a picture - each object carefully clipped along the edges to give them some definition. It is a glade somewhere in Xanadu's deep forests, shadowed trees in the background, the foreground illumined by Rukbat slanting through the trunks to give the tender grasses herbs and flowers growing there early morning's caress. There's even some silvered threads added here and there to give the illusion of sparkling dew. In the center of the scene is a large stone while not too far away… is that? It could well be. A patch of Adonis.
"He's coping. And figuring out just who he is now." Phylicia says simply before letting the subject of her former-mentor drop. For now until several people decide otherwise, the foresting healer is just a good friend and companion. "Well, I can forgive you I guess." She says with a grin, in reference to having not been told. "Do you know when you're due?" Phylicia asks as she slides onto the bench next to Thea, half sitting on one of her legs as she perches on the bench sideways. But the topic of the roll has Phy a little confused. "For me? What for?" She's standing as Thea unrolls the package, and for a few moments the girl's expression is still confused as she takes in the details of the scene woven into the rug with care. As the scene sinks into her awareness a bright grin eclipses her previous one, and she all but lunges to her knees on the stone bench and hugs Thea once more, squeezing enthusiastically. "It's gorgeous, Thea!" And there's a cheery giggle, as even the adonis is recognized. "I don't know /how/ or /why/ you did this, but it's perfect!"
Thea nods, relief on her face for Tenebrous, silent on other matters of the heart and friendship with him both current as well as former. Dryly, "Thanks." For being forgiven. "It's due in just about two months." She flashes a laughing look at her friend, "You should have seen the reaction I got from D'had." She giggles like the young girl she really still is, "I thought he was going to pass out." She busies herself then tugging at the ties that keep the rug rolled. What is it for? She hesitates, "Well…" She starts to say something, then changes it. "Consider it an early turnday present?" She gives the thing a twitch, unrolling it before them on the courtyard stones and just sits back to watch Phylicia's reaction with a growing grin of her own. It's the lunge and hug that set her laughing and she returns it. "I'm glad you like it."
Phylicia's smile turns somewhat wicked as she looks at Thea. "I can only imagine how much help he'll be when you go into labor then." She teases her friend about her mate, her eyes flowing back to the rug. "Maybe I'll ask Fraille for a favor…" She half-mumbles, a finger tapping her lip before the fingers on her spare hand twitch. "Is it really as soft as it looks?" The girl is almost hesitant to touch it, since some rugs purely are decorative she doesn't want to ruin the gorgeous gift. Of which Thea gets a lookas she hesitates. So in all reality it probably wasn't a turnday present. "I do like it! But you shouldn't've. It's too pretty." … Like that one makes a whole lot of sense.
Thea's rich peal of laughter rings out and echoes across the courtyard. "He does tend to, um… react strongly when he thinks I'm hurt or in danger." As if it just only occurs to her as she says it, a tiny frown of realization forms on her brow; something just thought of. The mention of Fraille’s name brings her back to the present, "Ack! Nooo, please don’t ask her to come deliver it!" Eyes wide in mock-horror as she feigns terror. Clearly she knows that wasn't what her friend meant. "sure you can touch it. It's made to be walked on." She snickers as she says that, leaning to give Phy a slight nudge. "These rugs are only one of the things I grew up leaning to make. It's nothing." After a pause she asks wistfully, "You doing okay, really Phy?" She murmurs, "I talked to M'nol a few days ago. He mentioned you two are not together anymore." All the while she's watching her friend's face carefully.
Phylicia answers Thea's peal of laughter with a wider grin, sliding off the bench to kneel on the courtyard ground near the edge of the rug and reaches out to splay a hand across the border first, rubbing it to feel the texture. "Mmm! It is soft." She notes absently before looking up at Thea. "Oh-ho! I hadn't thought of that one." A finger goes back to tapping her lips for a moment. "I wonder if she would…" But the gleam in Phylicia's eye is purely wicked and not at all serious. But that line of thought is broken as Thea brings up the topic of M'nol. Phy actually heaves a small sigh. "And he's moping about, isn't he?" No, there's no denial that they're not together anymore. In actuality she looks minorly annoyed at her assumption. "I told him to take care of himself." Instead of tracing the details of the rug with a finger, she shifts to sit on her bottom, hugging her knees to her chest so she can rest her chin on her kness. "I really am fine, Thea."
Thea's face takes on a grimace of pain (faked) and she dramatically clutches her abdomen, "Noooo, the thought is enough to send me into early labor!" She's snickering about Master Fraille. Being that it's summer, with her luck the old bag is hearing all this through the open window of her office or something. Her levity fades slowly as she merely nods at Phylicia, "Yeah, he is. I told him that you both are young and that he's lucky you still want to be his friend." She shrugs, "He'll move on eventually if he realizes that booze isn't helping. He needs to keep busy and do stuff with his friends." She tilts her head, studying her friend for a moment longer, then smiles. "You seem… much better than when I last saw you." A hand flutters in a vague sort of way, "Inside, I mean, not just the physical."
"He's lucky I don't tell Fraille I have business to attend to at Xanadu this moment and go clobber him for drinking!" Phylicia half-growls into her lap as her forehead replaces her chin resting against her knees. The girl has no such worries about the Craftmaster overhearing. She lets out another sigh, raising her eyes to meet Thea's, their brown depths serious and moderately worried. "If you see him before I do, please remind him I told him to take care of himself? What's he's doing doesn't qualify." The girl's faint look of annoyance and worry is replaced by one more of calm. "I think I am, Thea. It hurt to leave M'nol like that, but it would've been creul to stay with him longer and lead him on…"
Thea handflips, "His wingleader will knock some sense into him if it begins to interfere with his performance." She nods at the last though, concerned for her friend, "I promise I will tell him, but somehow I think he's got to work this out for himself. He's young- you're both young yet." Her teeth clamp down on her lower lip, eyes unfocus looking into the middle distance at Phylicia's next words. "I… think you did the right thing, Phy." She blinks, refocusing her green eyes on her friend, a smile slowly warming them as they crinkle with her next thought, "I hope it works out for you."
Phylicia has momentarily lapsed into a period of quiet as she listens to Thea, another - slower - smile starting to spread. "I'd hoped it was the better thing to do." She pauses for a moment, and a sort of short laugh bubbles up. "Did you know that M'nol offered to… he offered to /share/ me." There's a small hesitation as she looks perplexed. "How do you share someone?" But it appears Phy's train of thought is all over the place now. "Things will work out either way, Thea." She offers with a stronger, slightly more serene smile.
Thea shifts on that stone bench. She's growing a bit uncomfortable and so rises to stretch and rub at her lower back. Phylicia's words draw a blink and an incredulous stare. "Share…you?" She shakes her head in disbelief- not that she doubts M'nol said it. Ice green eyes drift to the courtyard walls, "I cannot imagine anyone who truly loved another person would be willing to share his Love with another." She shudders, adding lowly, "D'had can barely stomach when Seryth rises-" she bites that off unfinished, her gaze returning to her friend, "That is desperation talking, not love, what M'nol said to you." Then firmly, "You did the right thing, Phy." A glance is quirked towards the darkening sky. "I ought to be heading home." She opens her arms, offering another hug, "They'll work out and maybe you'll be home before you know it." Half-questioning at that last there.
Phylicia pops up off the ground, wrapping her arms around Thea one more time for a last hug. She doesn't even touch base this time on the subject of relationships, instead letting it drop knowing she did the best thing she probably could. "Oh, I might actually be doing some Weyr-wandering." She supplies readily with a smile as she pulls away. "But the first Weyr I'll request to go to /is/ Xanadu." Her arms give a squeeze and she lets the junior go with a grin. "I can't just focus on the plants in one area after all, can I?" Withdrawing a few steps from Thea she kneels down to start carefully rolling the rug back up and wiggles her fingers in a farewell. "I'll see you around, Thea!"
"Take care, Phy. We'll keep in touch better, shall we?" Apprentices. Botonists. Plants and Mentors. Ethereal things, those. Thea knows this. And she knows there are golden wings to take her visiting wherever her friend should wander. And with that last hug, a mock pout and a laughing 'not fair' to the Weyr-wandering, Thea turns to head off to where Seryth waits and home.