Injury and Recovery (Tratara - Pre-Bonding Pg 1)

Injury and Recovery

Note: Most of this story was modified from an online roleplay. It is in present tense, and I have tried to smooth it out as best I can. If anything is confusing, please PM NightBengal on the Nexus Forums.

It's the middle of a fine afternoon, and Briana pops back into existence after enduring one of the "tests" that Dragonhome kaisers occasionally beset upon their hosts. This one was a particularly fine walk in the park for a fire-based dragon: A nice trip into an icy cave, filled with ice-breathing monsters, where half of Briana's abilities wouldn't work properly without assistance -- assistance that she is loathe to accept on most occasions. Briana's kaiser, Vukon, recognizing the triggers that pushed in her, sends her back to one of her favorite wooded areas where she likes to think. Bri finds a small clearing to land in, back-winging to slow her before she hits the ground lightly. Phew...

"I hope this is it, for awhile," she says to Vukon, meaning it. She's not sorry she tested... welll... not exactly... but she needs a break. He doesn't grace her with a response and she morphs her wings back into her body. She can climb trees - a little boring... or there's a ridge near here. That settles it, and she starts hiking so she doesn't have to start thinking. Caves freak her out, cold freaks her out, and caves and cold and being attacked really freaks her out, so she needs to work off her old fears and feelings. Considering all that's happened in the last year or so, she's not doing too badly with it.

Whilst Bri is drowning her thoughts in the nearest cliff, though, there's a certain biped-cat mentor of hers that's patiently -- very patiently, actually -- waiting for her to come around to her latest lesson. Ingol Kiatra, a felpurr psionic, knows fully well she's been doing better lately, far less traumatic than in past times, and he'd hate to see her start skipping lessons again now that things are going well, the way she skipped when things were going horridly. So, at the very minute her lesson would normally have come to a close, so that she juuuust barely can't come back and say she was there at all during it... she gets a very, very light... :: ~pook~ ::

... except that mental prod doesn't seem like that came from Ingol.

Bri isn't expecting that, and has no reference for who is contacting her, so puts her hand just a few inches further to the right than planned. As she climbs, the weight crumbles that and she scrambles, but is panicking too much to recover. She feels a heavy, stabbing scrape down her arm, a rock knocks her chin upward as she slides, and then she tucks and tumbles for the rest. She takes a few deep bruises on the rest of the way down as her sides and head bounce off the mountain side, landing her face-down in a ball in the dirt. The pain and fear of something possibly coming at her after the creepiness of earlier have her shaking and crying and having a panic attack as she lands, looking around for the threat. Maybe her fears have materialized...

There's an excited and half-panicked twitter at the back of her head as she goes through all that, and as soon as the dust settles there's a little voice popping back into her head, in almost more of a state than she is. Tratara, Ingol's nine-year-old daughter, apparently wasn't expecting Bri to be anywhere 'dangerous'.

:: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! D- Daddy just wanted... wanted me to say something about ... 'you better at least make it for tea'... but you don't have to! Really, it was just a joke! Ar-- are you all right?? Bri?? ::

Bri is stunned for a moment, realizing that first, it's a little girl, and second that it's a little girl she *knows*... and then, as she wipes the dirt over her tears to make mud-smears over her cheek...

:: T-Tra? Yeah - yeah, I'll be okay. :: She doesn't even know that yet, but tries to give the girl some reassurance, even as she attempts to check herself over, still in panic/shock. How does she check herself out again..? Shiiiiste. She rolls over to her back, finding even more areas of pain as she does so. Maybe she should just pass out...

Pain and nausea aside, she remembers to wriggle her fingers and toes and finds that right arm pretty busted up. She probably hit her head, too, considering how awful she feels. Just a little rest... she can heal it off... but she knows not to sleep...? Right? Or should she? She's confused.

Tra does an actual bit of skillful peeking and poking after that shaky comment and pops out of Bri's mind to have a conversation with Daddy. He's taken her and teleported to where Bri is in a heartbeat, ready to check things out and get her back to wherever she needs in a hurry.

Ingol bends down as best his cat-body will let him, which probably means it looks funny but is pretty well balanced, and gives Bri a once-over. :: She said, and I quote... 'She says she's all right, but she's lying to me to make me feel better.' Told you she picked up a few things from working in the medics' ward... :: The mindspeech comes naturally, as his cat-tongue hardly makes spoken language easy; his words are typically raspy with pauses while he tries to get the words to come out as he wants. His mind-voice has no such hindrance, though, and as nobody else needs to hear, that's what he's sticking with.

Tra is already trying to 'make up' for startling Bri, though, putting gentle, tiny hands on her here and there and trying to assess where she should start. She's got a healing gift, she can at least do something, right?

Bri is a mental mess, muddling up her recent traumatic disappearance and her current test and the fall, but recognizes Ingol and that something horrible happened. It must have been horrible, with how panicky she feels and how badly she's hurt, but she's only getting bits and pieces of three different events. "Ingol. S-something happened..."

Physically, she did whack her head hard enough for a minor fracture, and has some nasty bruises and broken fingers out of the deal. She's torn a tendon in her left ankle, has lots of abrasions and a chin-bruise. She seems to be getting worse mentally rather than better, but it's probably some swelling that her kaiser is helping to slow down considerably - hence the lesser injuries sticking around. That and all out panic and never having the chance to properly freak out just after the disappearance event. Bonus is, she's no longer really afraid, it's after-panic.

Tra's eyes get wider and wider as she goes over Bri, but first thing's first: She grabs the fingers, both thankfully still attached, and puts them in place, healing and setting them. They'll be hurt, but at least they should survive... and she makes sure of that before she moves on to Bri's head. She doesn't care what's wrong, she pushes the rest of her healing ability into that, doing an okay job, and fairly collapsing right next to Bri as she finishes up, scraping a bare foot on the rocks on her way down. Eesh...

Ingol monitors both Bri and Tra carefully, and he chides Tra a little for over-exerting, but isn't about to say anything about her helping. Once Tra is done, then he responds to Bri. :: In all honesty... it looks like the mental message my dear daughter sent startled you out of your mind and you fell from halfway up the rock face. ::

Bri's kaiser swipes some of her energy, taking that healing further and closing the bone. She's still a bit out of touch, getting images that don't belong with a mountain fall, but sees the obvious logic of the situation. "... I- " She would shake her head, but her kaiser doesn't let her. XD "Yeah, I guess so. I was- " Images in her mind flick from cave monsters to remembrance to recap of shock. "I was- a ways up there," she settles on, sighing softly as her kaiser also chides her into trying not to move at all. It'll take her a couple of minutes to set things straight again, but she's slowly getting there. There was no cave up there, so the cave images can't fit... right?

But wait... "Someone's with you." Not Risa, the hands were too small. "Tra?" she guesses.

Ingol still monitors, but he lets her piece things together as best she can... always best, rather than meddling and potentially putting some memory back in the wrong place. He merely nods at her last assertion, and, as Tra's little hand is reaching to hold Bri's, he says no more. The little girl is pale, almost panting, but she's positively beaming that she was able to help, a little smile playing at her as she at least rises to where she can see Bri properly. Up pops a little golden head that's probably way too close to Bri's right now. Her voice is quiet, but not from any over-exertion; she's just always been soft-spoken.

"... yeah... I did what I could... but I think it helped..."

Bri can't really focus on Tra, but feels the hand and gives it a little squeeze. That's right... her test... okay, it reminded her of that other experience she'll avoid for now, and then she came climbing. Tra spooked her, and there was some contact, but she can't remember what exactly was said. Her kaiser gives her some smart remark about her head and goes onto the fingers for a little tweak, impressed with Tra's healing. He'll work on the ribs and ankle at the same time, getting both up to painful, yet functional levels. The rest will wait, for fear of taxing them both any further.

"I think it helped too," Bri says, managing a smile through the pain. She's managed to rein the emotions in, but she could use a release for that sometime. Perhaps later in the day.

Tra smiles a little more, then suddenly tears up and throws an arm around Bri in a hug, somewhat careful, but she's emotional now, too. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Bri! I just ... daddy was ... we wanted to tease a little about you missing your lesson and figure out what was going on. I didn't mean to make you fall. Reallyreallyreally..."

Ingol puts a paw on Tra's side, comforting, but still staying out of it for now. If there was one person Tra had to spook like that -- whether at his encouragement or not, dummy, should've checked where she was first -- it's a whole lot better that it's someone who can heal like no other. He's just glad there's nothing apparently damaged in her brain, or he'd be kicking himself into next week.

"Tra, I'm sorry... you're fine, sweetie." Bri drapes her arm sort of around Tra, anyway, wincing at the movement. Yeah yeah, Vukon, that's gong to hurt for awhile... thanks bunches. "I was already distracted, and kind of on edge. I'm sorry I over-reacted." Actually, her over-reactions are getting milder, and she's glad for that! She's probably still got a bit to heal in the head, but she'll work through that okay.

Tra fairly snuggles into Bri for a moment, but a light pat from her dad seems to reassure her a little. "... 'm still sorry..." She turns slightly to look at Bri, though that's not very effective in her position.

"... should we take you back to the medics'? Or somewhere...?" She wants to make sure things are going to be all right, after all.

Bri's horror at going back to the medics' is fairly obvious - after her stint being there so often, she'd rather not go unless she's unconscious. She sits, gasping at the pain. Vukon, I thought you'd HEALED that! Augggh! Her hand sneaks to protect that rib or hold it in submission, but the pain passes as she's finally up and settled. "I don't think I really want the gossip... home and rest will probably take care of the rest of it."

Tra sits right up and shakes her head. "Uh-uh. Head injury. You gotta stay where I can watch you. Still got your room at the castle? I won't tell the others."

Ingol about laughs. This girl is almost too much! Even if she's right.

Bri grins over to her. Sure, let her tell her ancient phoenix-dragon kaiser-spirit that he isn't able to watch her all on his own. Still... since Riya had planned for a long day of work, she's free... "Fine, I'll rest there. For a little while." She has a home to take care of and all, now.

Tra actually doesn't know much about that -- she just knows Bri's strong and can heal pretty easily. Head injuries are nothing to be messed with though; Thayer and Ryan both told her so, yup they did, uh-huh. "Great! Just 'til your head's better. I'll bring tea. You're gonna like it!" Hard to tell if that's a promise or an order, but hey, she's smiling.

Bri keeps the smile, though she's starting to get a headache. Her kaiser promises that's part of healing instead of something going wrong, but it's no less irritating, to her. "Sounds like a plan," she says, trying to figure out how she's going to get up the rest of the way. Right hand and left ankle are pretty much gone, the ribs are going to make the left hand/right foot combination really hurt, but there's little else she can do.

So she tries to get up. On her own, yeah, but not from being stubborn - just not thinking. It sets in quickly, too: She realizes she's going to have a hard time staying up with the pain and lack of a second foot to stabilize. Remind her not to fall off a mountain next time, eh?

Tra, being the little critter she is, jumps in to try to support Bri, with Ingol shaking his head -- maybe at both of them -- and coming in to help should his daughter's, ah, help not be enough."Bri -- oof--"

She doesn't get much further than that, as Ingol conveniently takes that opportunity to teleport back to the castle. He's got his own little discrete place to land, actually under the ground near one of the back staircases; Bri might want to remember it, actually. Just outside that teleport shield they installed a while back.

For all Ingol's good intention, though, the unannounced teleport does nothing to help Bri's head, and she's getting a little faint. "I need a- crutch, or stick, or..." and she probably know there's not much here. What an odd place...

"Here... just lean on me for a while."

Ingol gives his daughter a little grin, but pulls out his staff, handing it to Bri. "Perhaps ... this will do the trick? It is not very far to the stairs."

"Thanks," she says. "The ankle just isn't doing it." It's odd to hobble along on Ingol's staff, but she'll have to deal with it, for now. She suddenly remembers that hey, they're at the castle, with all its guards and servants, and... ugh.

"I probably don't need to be seen hobbling around," she says. She's heard from some people in Toravia, and the amount of gossip that gets over there is stellar... and it's usually pretty mangled by then, too.

"That is why I ... brought you here. I can ... deter anyone who comes our way." He'd wink, but, well, kitties don't do that much.

Tra grins up at Bri. If anyone can do it, her daddy can! "It's not far. I come down here all the time."

Ingol glances over at her. You do? Tra blinks, then shrinks a little. Um... oops...

Bri catches that connotation and laughs. Yeah, she used to be like that, too... So she doesn't laugh for long, but she was amused. Until it hurt. "I... don't think that's a secret anymore, Tra."

Tra flushes, which is rather notable as she's kind of pale, and shrinks back further. "... yeah... thanks..." Ho boy, her favorite little hiding spot... Ingol, though, sends Tra a smirk. They'll talk later... it's not exactly dangerous down here, just kind of desolate.

Be that as it may, he heads on up the stairs once they get there, casually giving a mental tap to anyone in the vicinity. No, you don't need to patrol here right now. No, the sheets are clean in that room; Bob told me.

They're on Bri's floor and to her room before too long. Bri keeps a wary watch out for anyone looking her direction, but tries to move quickly to her room and open the door. She leans against the door post, pretty wiped. She hands Ingol's staff back to him. "Thanks, you two ... we'll catch up later."

Tra grins. "I'll bring that tea later. Informal!"

Ingol shakes his head, but he takes the staff back. "You are ... welcome. I will drop back by ... sometime." ... and he thus lets her be.

"All right," Bri promises, though she'd really rather just go home. But to bed she goes, cutting her boot off that swollen ankle. Duh, that was stupid... oh well, she can get new ones. Not that she really wants to... all she wants to do is crawl to the bed and sleep... which she does, somehow. Pain and all.

Next Page: Recovery and Intrigue