[Prp] Shards! What’s going on? (Viri, Maddy, D’io)

[Thaliawen]

Viri didn’t understand. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way. He had a ridiculous need to be around Maddy—But Maddy was busy. Maddy had whatever healer apprentices did on regular days going on. Viri was usually understanding and respectful of those days. He’d found he couldn’t be on this one.

Why? Maddy hadn’t done anything wrong. Their relationship had become comfortable, but neither of them neglected the other. And besides, it wasn’t as if they could do anything with Maddy’s dragon so young...

Viri knew something was wrong. He was irritable, he needed—shards, he wasn’t sure—and Oxi was brighter than she’d ever been.  

[Melomar]

"Viri, she's probably going to rise." Maddy said, and not for the first time. "She's old enough. The Weyrlingmaster said so." It wasn't that M'deck had no empathy for Viri's current problem. In fact it was probably because of it that Maddy sighed and felt a little frustrated for Viri's fretting. He was worried too. He was worried that Viri would act in the moment and do something rash. He was worried that she might get hurt, or he might get hurt, or who knew what. So, he was trying to stay level-headed for both of them. Maybe he looked that way on the outside but inside he was a mess.

It didn't help that his brother M'nick and his green were going through what he suspected was the same thing. Only in Menny's case he had gotten rather... weepy.  

[Thaliawen]

Rise? Viri’s eyes were wide just thinking about it. It seemed he’d tuned his boyfriend out the last time it had been brought up. Oxi was old enough? But she was just a baby! She couldn’t! He took a deep breath and sat at the nearest chair.

“I don’t want her to rise.” He muttered. Not if it came with emotions like these! When would Maddy be done with what he was working on?  

[Melomar]

Maddy was writing notes on dragon physiology in relation to field trauma. Since his Impression he had been forced to come to some decisions about his future. Most pressing was how Healing would continue in his life, or if he would have to give it up. When he had decided he could ride and heal, the next natural subject that had come to him was if he would study dragons. The answer was... yes. But perhaps not as a Dragon Healer. He specialized in field trauma so it stood to reason that he might need to know a bit about dragons.

He was not done. Nowhere near done. There was just so much to learn! But studying and a proddy boyfriend are not compatible. He swallowed another sigh, even though this one was not out of frustration but as a bit of a relief, when he put his pen down. He turned his seat around to face Viri. "I'm done."

Viri had said something, but he had not heard what. "What did you say?"  

[Thaliawen]

Just like that? Viri felt as if a weight had come off him. He stood from his chair, bent and wrapped his arms around Maddy. He didn’t seem to want to let go.

Hm? What had he said?

“I don’t want her to rise.” Not yet.  

[Melomar]

M'deck returned the hug and then held him like that, which Viri seemed to be doing to him. The question of waiting was intriguing. He had heard of dragons waiting, but he had never thought it was literal. For example, if a rider was "too young," then the dragon might be delayed. He had assumed it was physiological, but now he had to wonder. "Maybe..." He frowned. The last thing he wanted was to give him false hope. But. "Is it possible to have her wait? You're already proddy, I don't know if she can wait, now."  

[Thaliawen]

Viri shook his head. He didn’t think it was possible this late in the game. Not when he was feeling like this! “She’s already glowing,” he said.

It wasn’t right of him, anyway, to stop something because he was afraid. He pulled back from his hold on Maddy and hesitated. “What do I do?” He asked.  

[Melomar]

Briefly, M'deck's eyes widened. "Already? Then, I don't think you have much time. Maybe a few days." He watched Viri pull away and looked up at him. "Go about your daily routine, if you can. Then when she rises, do what you were taught to do." Maddy had an idea of what to do but he had not learned actual lessons on the subject of Flying yet. His Heimalth was too young to Rise.  

[Thaliawen]

Viri winced. Not much time. A few days?! He began to pace nervously, wringing his hands. How was he supposed to go about life as usual when he had that looming overhead? “Right,” he said. He’d lock himself away in his weyr.

But if Oximath was old enough... “How’s Menny?” He asked.  

[Melomar]

M'deck watched him pace about the room. And the play of emotion across his face as he made some decisions. He was not taking any of this well. But there wasn't much more Maddy could do about the situation than he had already done: support, advice.

Menny? "My brother is going through something similar." He was weepy. Tears came easily to him, a grown man. Granted he had the emotional way about him so this was not a surprising reaction.  

[Thaliawen]

Viri stopped in his pacing. He took a calming breath and looked to Maddy. “I hope he’s taking it better than I am,” he said. ‘Similar situation’ didn’t sound promising, though.

At least when Maddy’s Green was old enough, everything was guaranteed to go well. “Do you think Menny’s scared?” They could find something to comfort him. But what? Viri didn’t know him as well as he knew Maddy.  

[Melomar]

Perhaps Viri should not see how Menny was faring. But then, perhaps having someone else to worry about was helping. Viri had already stopped pacing. "M'nick is handling things... differently from you. I would think he's a little scared because he's going through something like this. But I don't know how much fear he feels." To be honest, he had sort of left Menny to Silvie and his own devices when he went to look out for Viri. So he really did not know. "Maybe we should look in on him to see how he's doing."  

[Thaliawen]

There was a part of him, a cynical part, that wondered whether they should check on Menny after all. He wanted to spend time with Maddy, and since Maddy had freed himself from study early...

But if Menny was having difficulties... “Let’s go check on him,” he said, offering Maddy his hand. “We can check on Silvie, too.”  

[Melomar]

Maddy felt a pang of guilt for leaving Silvie with his brother to pursue his studies. Then, when he had finished, he had procrastinated checking on them to spend a little more time with Viri. If Menny wasn't taking things well, then Maddy should have taken Silvie for the evening. Or better yet consoled him. But for all he knew she could have been a nice distraction, too. When Viri offered his hand M'deck took it and followed him toward M'nick's weyr. This was the only way to find out, other than to ask the dragons. But as easily as he could have bespoken Verath, he wanted to see for himself.  

[Thaliawen]

Viri followed Maddy towards his brother’s weyr. Being with Maddy seemed to be the trick, really. He didn’t feel so at war with the world.

Silvie was trying her best to be a good distraction, at least. She’d climbed onto M’nick’s lap and leaned against him, though her eyes were wide open. She was too young to understand what was going on, but she knew Daddy-Menny was having a rough day. At least he wasn’t tantruming like some of the older kids in the creche... Sometimes, Silvie tantrumed too. But only sometimes.