It's the end of the world
Who: Miniyal and B'ren
When: 19:42 on day 5, month 3, turn 1 of the 7th Pass.
Where: Living cavern, HRW
What: The world ends as Miniyal is. . .nice? to B'ren.
01/31/06
It is 19:42 on day 5, month 3, turn 1 of the 7th Pass.
Most of the dinner crowd has cleared out. There's still people here and there, but the crowd has dispersed. Which is why Miniyal waited until now to come in and eat. She's found a spot by herself where she can watch the room, picking at her food and keeping her head down for the most part. With all the space available it makes sense no one's seated by her. It's not like she's a brilliant conversationalist normally.
B'ren strides slowly into the Living Cavern, looking haggard and worn. Moving towards the food table he glances up to see Miniyal. He winces faintly. Please, he just can't handle a battle of wits today. Please, just leave him alone.
Miniyal would never engage in a battle of wits with B'ren. There'd be no contest. She just wants to eat her meal in peace and get away from most of the people lingering themselves. She ignores the loud group by the fire and pretends she is alone. She ignores people even more when she tries to stand up and trips over bench and dress and winds up bumping her knee under the table and dropping her plate.
B'ren sighs softly and sees Miniyal drop her plate. Quietly he moves over towards her, bending to pick up the plate and the spilled food, cleaning the mess. "Want another plate?" he asks softly, his voice even and quiet, without its usual spark.
Miniyal's head snaps around at the sound of that voice and she starts to say something, most likely what she thinks would be a snappy sort of comment and then stops. She's not cruel, after all. Shaking her head she mumbles, "No, I was done. Thank you." Reaching for the plate picked up she says, "I can take care of it. Thank you."
B'ren rises with the plate in his hand, holding it out to her, eyes distant, "Sure, okay," he says absently. "How are you?" He doesn't seem to care much, in fact he seems to be on auto-pilot.
Miniyal takes the plate and sets it on the table. Frowning she just shrugs. "What? Fine. Fine." Looking around she says, "Anyway. I'm going to go. . .sit. Or whatever."
B'ren shrugs a shoulder and looks past her right ear, "Yeah, okay, have fun sitting. I like sitting. I wish I could sleep though." He sighs and sits heavily in a seat, glazed gaze flickering to focus on Miniyal. He straightens, mask coming across his face, "Oh, it's you."
Picking up her plate, Miniyal takes it away and gets a fresh cup of whatever it is she pours at random from the table. Selecting a pastry overlooked by the earlier crowd she hesitates, staring at the exit with longing and then looking back at B'ren. For a minute it looks like fleeing is going to win, but with some effort she heads back to the table she'd departed, sitting down again. "Sorry you can't sleep," she offers hesitantly.
B'ren sighs, crossing his arms on the table and resting his forehead on them. "I wish Miyamurath would stop keening," he mutters. "I adore her, but she's not too bright. Every time she finds the mind of a mourning dragon she remembers about the Thread deaths and she thinks it's just happened. It's like reliving that Fall every four hours. She wakes up, keens, and then drops into sleep."
Miniyal doesn't say anything, not seeming to know what to say. So, she sits there stiffly, picking apart her pastry and slurping from her cup. "Umm. Oh. Well. . .sorry?" she offers finally, not quite knowing what else to say, but people do say sorry in cases like that and so she does. "It must be, umm, hard?"
B'ren nods, "Yes, very hard. I wish she'd cut it out but she's so sensitive any dragon's sadness or thoughts of Hirth sends her into a spiral of despair. She liked that bronze." He sighs heavily.
Miniyal continues with the silence because, well, it seems to be working. They haven't fought yet, after all. So, she sits, nodding her head and picking at her pastry. "Well, oh. Umm. That's. . .bad." Ahh, social butterfly! Biting her lip she goes quiet again.
B'ren looks up to gaze at Miniyal with hazy eyes, "What do you think I should do?" he whispers, begging for advice.
Head snapping up again from contemplating her pastry, Miniyal stares at B'ren. And blinks. And just sort of opens and closes her mouth like a fish dying. Charming. "What? I mean. . .why are you asking me?" is all she manages to get out, not very helpful, but certainly incredulous sounding.
B'ren whispers, "I'm desperate," he says softly, "What should I do? Should I take her away for a while? Perhaps that's it. A vacation. But I'm too tired to between. Oh Miniyal, please help me."
Miniyal continues to just stare, completely unable to form a coherent sentence. Taking a drink and nearly choking on it once she's done coughing she says, "Ummm." Still helpful! Taking a deep breath she offers, "Ummm. Well, maybe you could do something happy? Or, well, tell her? I don't know how it works. I just live here."
B'ren nods glumly, "Yeah. Talk to her. She doesn't remember what I tell her. Do something happy? That might help...she loves swimming. Perhaps we'll go swimming."
Miniyal scratches her head and digs a thumb into her pastry. "Could you. . .I don't know. Make her tired enough to sleep so you can sleep? Sometimes that works with babies. I had to work in the nursery once and it was what they said they did." Kids, dragons, it's all the same.
B'ren brightens as much as he can brighten while being exhausted, "That's a fine idea. I'll fly her in circles around the bowl until she can sleep for at least eight hours."
Miniyal notices the slight brightening and says, "Well, yea. It's not so hard to think of those things." She stops and then mumbles, feeling vaguely charitable even to a terrible map maker. "I guess being so tired would make it hard."
B'ren nods, "I can't even remember my own name right now," he admits. He smiles as kindly as his exhaustion will allow at the woman, "Thank you for your help," he says, even trying to reach out and grasp her hand, and give it a squeeze.
Surely the world is ending. The oceans will rise, fire will fall from the sky, rocks will crumble. Well, perhaps not, but it's a milestone for poor Miniyal that she managed to have a conversation and almost not be insulting at all! Blinking down at the hand that squeezes her she clears her throat. "Well, yes. I mean. . .it's not impossible for me to have good ideas. And, I am sorry you are so tired."
B'ren smiles slightly, "Me too. I could ignore her and go back to sleep but I just can't. I love her, you know? And when someone you love is up in the middle of the night, you're up too."
Miniyal shrugs her shoulders and licks icing from her thumb before wiping her hand on her dress. "I guess. If you say so," she says before tearing at her pastry more. She lapses into silence then, perhaps afraid to say much more at this point.
B'ren tilts his head, "Have you ever been in love?"
Miniyal rolls her eyes and laughs briefly. "In love? No, never. I love my parents, but they take care of each other. Thankfully." Another shrug, she's perfecting the gesture tonight. "Personally, I think it's probably overrated."
B'ren shakes his head with a distant gaze, "I adore Miyamurath. It's a special kind of love. But to love another person...I long for that some nights. I mean I have lots of flings, but to get to know one woman deeply, you know? Rather than just her name? I think that...that would be wonderful."
"Well, maybe after you've been here you'll meet someone," Miniyal offers as a consolation. "You've not been here too long after all." And, no shrug! Gasp! he crowd goes wild. "I mean, people find people all the time. I bet there's someone out there even for you." Ahh, that's better.
B'ren chuckles quietly, "Even for me. Well, that is a comforting thought," he says, with a smile.
Miniyal pokes at her pastry more, once again licking her fingers clean and then wiping them on the skirt of her dress. "Well, I mean. . .there has to be I guess. I'm sure there's some really stupid blind girl who can't draw just waiting for you." There is, maybe, possibly, a slight hint of awkward teasing in her voice. But it's the sort someone not accustomed to doing such would have.
B'ren smiles a bit and nods, "Yes, that has to be it. Some dumb girl with a visual impairment. Oh, and don't forget dumb so she can't yell for help." He smirks and rises, "Thank you for your help, Miniyal. Truly."
Miniyal nods her head once, a flicker of a smile offered to B'ren. "Oh, yea. Definitely," she agrees from her seat. "So, umm, yea. Good luck with the sleeping thing. You need it. Your dumb enough when not tired." She is, by the way, seated at a table by herself, since B'ren just stood. But he's not fled her table yet. There's not a lot of people at the moment, but the loudest people are by the fire, Miniyal's corner quiet enough.
B'ren bows from the waist and lifts Miniyal's hand gently from the table. Bringing it to his lips, he kisses it gently before setting it down again. "Take care, Miniyal, and thank you again," he says softly, before turning and striding slowly out.
Miniyal stares after B'ren and then peers at her hand. Shaking her head she almost looks like she'll wipe it off on her dress, but instead she just sighs and begins to consume the pastry she murdered during her conversation.
When: 19:42 on day 5, month 3, turn 1 of the 7th Pass.
Where: Living cavern, HRW
What: The world ends as Miniyal is. . .nice? to B'ren.
01/31/06
It is 19:42 on day 5, month 3, turn 1 of the 7th Pass.
Most of the dinner crowd has cleared out. There's still people here and there, but the crowd has dispersed. Which is why Miniyal waited until now to come in and eat. She's found a spot by herself where she can watch the room, picking at her food and keeping her head down for the most part. With all the space available it makes sense no one's seated by her. It's not like she's a brilliant conversationalist normally.
B'ren strides slowly into the Living Cavern, looking haggard and worn. Moving towards the food table he glances up to see Miniyal. He winces faintly. Please, he just can't handle a battle of wits today. Please, just leave him alone.
Miniyal would never engage in a battle of wits with B'ren. There'd be no contest. She just wants to eat her meal in peace and get away from most of the people lingering themselves. She ignores the loud group by the fire and pretends she is alone. She ignores people even more when she tries to stand up and trips over bench and dress and winds up bumping her knee under the table and dropping her plate.
B'ren sighs softly and sees Miniyal drop her plate. Quietly he moves over towards her, bending to pick up the plate and the spilled food, cleaning the mess. "Want another plate?" he asks softly, his voice even and quiet, without its usual spark.
Miniyal's head snaps around at the sound of that voice and she starts to say something, most likely what she thinks would be a snappy sort of comment and then stops. She's not cruel, after all. Shaking her head she mumbles, "No, I was done. Thank you." Reaching for the plate picked up she says, "I can take care of it. Thank you."
B'ren rises with the plate in his hand, holding it out to her, eyes distant, "Sure, okay," he says absently. "How are you?" He doesn't seem to care much, in fact he seems to be on auto-pilot.
Miniyal takes the plate and sets it on the table. Frowning she just shrugs. "What? Fine. Fine." Looking around she says, "Anyway. I'm going to go. . .sit. Or whatever."
B'ren shrugs a shoulder and looks past her right ear, "Yeah, okay, have fun sitting. I like sitting. I wish I could sleep though." He sighs and sits heavily in a seat, glazed gaze flickering to focus on Miniyal. He straightens, mask coming across his face, "Oh, it's you."
Picking up her plate, Miniyal takes it away and gets a fresh cup of whatever it is she pours at random from the table. Selecting a pastry overlooked by the earlier crowd she hesitates, staring at the exit with longing and then looking back at B'ren. For a minute it looks like fleeing is going to win, but with some effort she heads back to the table she'd departed, sitting down again. "Sorry you can't sleep," she offers hesitantly.
B'ren sighs, crossing his arms on the table and resting his forehead on them. "I wish Miyamurath would stop keening," he mutters. "I adore her, but she's not too bright. Every time she finds the mind of a mourning dragon she remembers about the Thread deaths and she thinks it's just happened. It's like reliving that Fall every four hours. She wakes up, keens, and then drops into sleep."
Miniyal doesn't say anything, not seeming to know what to say. So, she sits there stiffly, picking apart her pastry and slurping from her cup. "Umm. Oh. Well. . .sorry?" she offers finally, not quite knowing what else to say, but people do say sorry in cases like that and so she does. "It must be, umm, hard?"
B'ren nods, "Yes, very hard. I wish she'd cut it out but she's so sensitive any dragon's sadness or thoughts of Hirth sends her into a spiral of despair. She liked that bronze." He sighs heavily.
Miniyal continues with the silence because, well, it seems to be working. They haven't fought yet, after all. So, she sits, nodding her head and picking at her pastry. "Well, oh. Umm. That's. . .bad." Ahh, social butterfly! Biting her lip she goes quiet again.
B'ren looks up to gaze at Miniyal with hazy eyes, "What do you think I should do?" he whispers, begging for advice.
Head snapping up again from contemplating her pastry, Miniyal stares at B'ren. And blinks. And just sort of opens and closes her mouth like a fish dying. Charming. "What? I mean. . .why are you asking me?" is all she manages to get out, not very helpful, but certainly incredulous sounding.
B'ren whispers, "I'm desperate," he says softly, "What should I do? Should I take her away for a while? Perhaps that's it. A vacation. But I'm too tired to between. Oh Miniyal, please help me."
Miniyal continues to just stare, completely unable to form a coherent sentence. Taking a drink and nearly choking on it once she's done coughing she says, "Ummm." Still helpful! Taking a deep breath she offers, "Ummm. Well, maybe you could do something happy? Or, well, tell her? I don't know how it works. I just live here."
B'ren nods glumly, "Yeah. Talk to her. She doesn't remember what I tell her. Do something happy? That might help...she loves swimming. Perhaps we'll go swimming."
Miniyal scratches her head and digs a thumb into her pastry. "Could you. . .I don't know. Make her tired enough to sleep so you can sleep? Sometimes that works with babies. I had to work in the nursery once and it was what they said they did." Kids, dragons, it's all the same.
B'ren brightens as much as he can brighten while being exhausted, "That's a fine idea. I'll fly her in circles around the bowl until she can sleep for at least eight hours."
Miniyal notices the slight brightening and says, "Well, yea. It's not so hard to think of those things." She stops and then mumbles, feeling vaguely charitable even to a terrible map maker. "I guess being so tired would make it hard."
B'ren nods, "I can't even remember my own name right now," he admits. He smiles as kindly as his exhaustion will allow at the woman, "Thank you for your help," he says, even trying to reach out and grasp her hand, and give it a squeeze.
Surely the world is ending. The oceans will rise, fire will fall from the sky, rocks will crumble. Well, perhaps not, but it's a milestone for poor Miniyal that she managed to have a conversation and almost not be insulting at all! Blinking down at the hand that squeezes her she clears her throat. "Well, yes. I mean. . .it's not impossible for me to have good ideas. And, I am sorry you are so tired."
B'ren smiles slightly, "Me too. I could ignore her and go back to sleep but I just can't. I love her, you know? And when someone you love is up in the middle of the night, you're up too."
Miniyal shrugs her shoulders and licks icing from her thumb before wiping her hand on her dress. "I guess. If you say so," she says before tearing at her pastry more. She lapses into silence then, perhaps afraid to say much more at this point.
B'ren tilts his head, "Have you ever been in love?"
Miniyal rolls her eyes and laughs briefly. "In love? No, never. I love my parents, but they take care of each other. Thankfully." Another shrug, she's perfecting the gesture tonight. "Personally, I think it's probably overrated."
B'ren shakes his head with a distant gaze, "I adore Miyamurath. It's a special kind of love. But to love another person...I long for that some nights. I mean I have lots of flings, but to get to know one woman deeply, you know? Rather than just her name? I think that...that would be wonderful."
"Well, maybe after you've been here you'll meet someone," Miniyal offers as a consolation. "You've not been here too long after all." And, no shrug! Gasp! he crowd goes wild. "I mean, people find people all the time. I bet there's someone out there even for you." Ahh, that's better.
B'ren chuckles quietly, "Even for me. Well, that is a comforting thought," he says, with a smile.
Miniyal pokes at her pastry more, once again licking her fingers clean and then wiping them on the skirt of her dress. "Well, I mean. . .there has to be I guess. I'm sure there's some really stupid blind girl who can't draw just waiting for you." There is, maybe, possibly, a slight hint of awkward teasing in her voice. But it's the sort someone not accustomed to doing such would have.
B'ren smiles a bit and nods, "Yes, that has to be it. Some dumb girl with a visual impairment. Oh, and don't forget dumb so she can't yell for help." He smirks and rises, "Thank you for your help, Miniyal. Truly."
Miniyal nods her head once, a flicker of a smile offered to B'ren. "Oh, yea. Definitely," she agrees from her seat. "So, umm, yea. Good luck with the sleeping thing. You need it. Your dumb enough when not tired." She is, by the way, seated at a table by herself, since B'ren just stood. But he's not fled her table yet. There's not a lot of people at the moment, but the loudest people are by the fire, Miniyal's corner quiet enough.
B'ren bows from the waist and lifts Miniyal's hand gently from the table. Bringing it to his lips, he kisses it gently before setting it down again. "Take care, Miniyal, and thank you again," he says softly, before turning and striding slowly out.
Miniyal stares after B'ren and then peers at her hand. Shaking her head she almost looks like she'll wipe it off on her dress, but instead she just sighs and begins to consume the pastry she murdered during her conversation.