And The World Falls Apart... (R'gar)

[Marnark]

Talk to her. He could do that, he supposed. For a little while anyway. It gave him something to latch onto, something to distract him. Especially since she was snuggling into him so comfortably. Having her so near, so soft, it was horribly distracting and interesting all at the same time. But he would mind his manners.

He was somewhat surprised to hear that she knew he was Northern. He was pretty sure he hadn't told her that ... but if she'd asked anyone at all they would have told her so. He didn't look southern ... and maybe he didn't sound it either. Maybe it was his accent that told her? Either way ... he was glad she knew. It was one less thing to spring on her. It was rather interesting that she was willing to talk to him at all, knowing that he was foreign. Much less lean on him in this way.

Or maybe that way was perfectly innocent in everything but his mind.

"I do." He answered, carefully locking his thoughts onto the topic presented. "I have a rather large family. Most of them are smiths of one sort or another. Iron smiths, glass smiths, woodsmiths ... for generations, my family has done that. They make things. I suppose it is sort of bred into us, and I gather that's where I got my build from. C'mar is part of my family, he came with me on the boat. He's actually my nephew, despite only being a turn younger. I'm the youngest of seven, and my oldest brother is his father." He supplied. "My mother died a long time ago, but Father is still kicking. Last I saw him anyway. It's been a long time since I left." R'gar paused a moment. "My family is big, long winded, and complicated. Everyone is huge, really. Even my sisters and nieces are stout."

"I am the odd one out. I am the only one that took on a craft that differed from the physically abusive smithing crafts. No one else even thought of going and doing something like Healing. But I guess ... not saying they're not smart. Because they are all smart as whips. Inventive. But I wanted to know more. So I went to the Hall, and I started learning everything they could hand me. I guess I ate it up too fast, for I got bored with it. When the journey here showed up, I was interested. So here I am ... it's not at all what I expected, but I can't say I haven't learned a lot."

"Keeping C'mar out of trouble has been a bigger challenge than anything else though. On the way over here, a storm blew up. The idiot leaped overboard to retrieve a bucket. I could have skinned him alive after we managed to get him back on board."

Dredging up memories of the past, of the North ... it was easy, but not. It was like a world removed. A life long gone, a whole other place in time. It was hard to remember being anywhere but here. With Apollath ... and with Prontin tickling at the edges of his awareness. And now ... square in the middle of his reality. Torturing him with her presence. So near, but so untouchable. "Anything else you want to know?"

[Lady Smara]

Curiosity woke her from her gentle drifting and Prontin finally turned her eyes upwards again, her hands still resting lightly on his chest. “Who is C’mar?” she asked curiously. In truth it had been the slightest hint of accent that had been the biggest clue that he was from the north, it being similar to J’zen’s, the Northern Harper. She knew several of them within the current class had been from the north and his comment of learning from other healers at the hall had confirmed her suspicions. There were no halls in the south.

Moving a light hand from his chest to his arm, she found the muscle there that she remembered and a soft smile played on her lips. Unaware that her expression betrayed her approval and pleasure at the way he felt beneath her fingertips, she took hold of that arm and gently tugged him back to the bed she had bumped into. She was tired, and her legs were growing weary of standing. Finding it without bumping into it this time, she sat slowly on it gently tugging him down toward her.

“Sit with me, R’gar…” she said, unaware that her voice was taking on a little more husky of a quality as she grew a little more tired. “Why did you come to the South? What where you looking for?”

[Marnark]

"C'mar?" R'gar asked. "He's my nephew. Almost as tall as me, probably thicker. Definitely stronger. He rides a blue dragon by the name of Lokinth. I swear that beast is just as mischievous as he is." He answered, watching as she seemed to wake up from her pseudo nap on his chest. Only ... to apparently fondle his arm. It was a strange feeling, and beyond that it stirred him. Goodness, but why couldn't he have one clean decent thought with her around?

But then she was pulling him around. Here they went with the blind leading the ... uh ... yeah. Sit? She wanted to sit? Well ... okay. "Hold on." He cautuioned, taking her by her arm in a quick grab to keep her from falling flat on her ass when she missed the bed. "Over here." It was a very very slight adjustment, she would have made it safely otherwise. Once she was safely seated, he easily tucked one leg up underneath him and sat down next to her. Though he was careful to not get too close. Not only was he not really sure how she might take that, as well as being a bit more than highly aware of her proximity.

"Why? We were sent to see if we could find the Riders. The Weyr. Thread is falling, Prontin ... I don't know how much you know about that. But it's falling in the North, too. And there are no riders or dragons there. I can only imagine the damage it has done already. We were sent to see if the dragons of old still existed, and if so to try and get them to go north. Obviously, we succeeded in the first, but failed in the second."

He wasn't as closely attuned to sound the way she was. But even with that in mind, he did not fail to notice the way her voice changed. Part of his awareness immediately twisted it to mean things that played into his own frustrations, but the other part attributed it solely to her exhaustion ... and that he had thought the other way solely because he was so hyper aware.

Faranth have mercy, he needed to stop staring at her. It was a good thing she couldn't see him doing so. If she could have, and his not being able to help himself ... he might well have earned himself a resounding slap ten times over already. But at least he wasn't touching. But oh did he want to!

[Lady Smara]

Listening to him as he spoke, Prontin brought her own legs up and onto the bed, curling them both to one side so she was leaning more toward him, but she was fully upon the bed. Lifting the arm she had used to guide him there, she moved only enough to be able to lean into his side and rest his arm around her – she had liked that hug and even if this was a half hug, she liked this too. Letting out a soft yawn, she put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes even though he continued to talk.

“Thread…” she said, thoughtfully. “I have heard the teaching ballads and I often hear riders talk. I did not realize it was back. But… If it is falling in the north… What will become of your home?” Her voice still held that sleepy, husky sound to it as she took in another deep breath, her body relaxing. Thread had always been something so many people feared, but for Prontin she couldn’t help but be more curious than fearful. Certainly the stories had all been dreadful, but her world was so limited, it was hard to imagine thread making its way into the stone caves that were her world – after all, that was why they built with stone.

Her deep breath slowed slightly, picking up a steady tempo as she listened to him speak. She could still hear his heart racing, but his words and his deep baritone resounded comfortably through her body, almost soothingly. While she had to admit, his words did not have that silky smooth texture that the blue rider J’zen had, it did have a reassuring quality. The depth and sincerity of it was what she loved. He was always so ready to answer questions, any question she might have.

I would be sad if you left to go back home, R’gar. She had meant to say the words out loud, but so close to sleep herself, she had merely projected them instead. Ah, he was so warm… … … …

[Marnark]

R'gar watched silently as she balled up and leaned on him. Goodness, but she looked and sounded sleepy. He rested an arm around her as she seemed to want, though he was of the opinion she needed to lie down and cover up instead. Get in some good rest.

"My home? There's probably nothing left if it at all. Even if my folks survived, they'd be out of work. The forest would be gone, the buildings would be gone, there certainly wouldn't be any coal for the forges even if anyone had the wherewithal to bother mining any ore." He answered, pretty sure she wasn't even going to hear a word he said. She was fading fast.

Soon even her breathing told of her being asleep. R'gar wondered what he was going to do now, with her propped on him as she was. She was going to have an awful crick once she woke up, if she managed to stay upright at all. Which he highly doubted she would. R'gar could already tell she was a relaxed sleeper, not a tense one. He waited a little while, listening to the rain fall as she descended into sleep a little further. Once she was good and gone, and not liable to wake up easily, R'gar gently shifted her. Laying her out upon the bed properly so she wouldn't get any awkward cramps, he draped some of the furs over her sleeping form to help keep her warm. Retreating to a chair across the weyr, he sat there and watched her sleep thoughtfully.

What in all the world was he going to do? But he just sat there and watched as Prontin and Apollath both slept through the grumblings of the storm.