Linora mmms and stretches, long and languid, before finally opening her eyes. She stares blankly at the ceiling for a moment, then snaps her head to look at the cot next to her to see if Cress is still there.
Cress is sitting up in his cot, his knees drawn up and his forehead resting on them. His arms are curled around his legs and he might be awake, though he might just as well be asleep.
Linora's smile at spotting her friend is relieved as well as happy. She pushes the covers back and sits herself up... a bit too quickly maybe? Her hands go to the sides of her head as the room seems to spin around her, and she has to close her eyes for a moment until the sensation subsides. Then an audible growl from her stomach clues her in to why she's so dizzy. Starving! She gets to her feet long enough to seat herself next to Cress on his cot, and lightly touches his shoulder.
Cress' head comes up with a jolt, thinking that it's the healer come to throw him out. Turning to the person who'd woken him, he smiles when he she's that it's Lin. And that she apparently got out of bed on her own. "Lin? Should you be out of bed?" he asks, his voice still a little hoarse. "Are you feeling allright?"
Linora nods, her eyes searching his. He's not getting sick now, too, is he? "I'm okay," she whispers. "I'm /really/ hungry."
Cress sits up more straight and reaches his arms in the air to strecht sore back muscles.. Hungry, well not really. He /had/ sneaked out to eat, while she was asleep. Still he couldn't let her go alone, "I'll come with ya," he says and lets his legs out of the cot. He shivers as his feet touches the cold floor. "Lemme just find my boots." Which reminds him that he needed sandals instead of those heavy boots.
Kyrae walks in from the Main Hallway.
Kyrae walks in and waves to Linora and Cress. "Hello, Lin, I'm Kyrae."
Linora blinks, turning confused eyes to the stranger in the doorway. "Um... hi..." One hand absently beginning to smooth down her hair. Now her eyes turn to Cress, questioning.
Kyrae
She is short for her age, only 4' and 11. She has shoulder-length, medium brown hair, and muddy brown eyes. She's slightly tanned and thin. Her face looks young, and her eyes show her natural energy. Her child-like nature shows in her movements and speech, which should conflict, but instead seems to blend with the maturity and class in her manner.
She's wearing a long, black dress, tapered at the waist to show a hint of her figure with a V-neck line which shows the dragon necklace that is dangling from her neck. The dress has small bell sleeves that dangle at the edge of her fingers and are trimmed with harper blue ribbon. She is wearing lightly tanned wher-hide boots that strap at the ankle. There is a simple black ribbon holding her hair back at the nape of her neck.
Kyrae is 15 Turns and 8 months old.
Kyrae smiles wide and also turns to Cress to see how he plans to explain.
Cress looks up as he's pulling on his boots. Then he looks from Kyrae to Lin, "oh, hi... " he says having forgotten her name. "Lin, this is... err," he searches for a name, but is unable to come up with one. "She was in the dining hall the other day when you fell asleep." So maybe that wasn't the best thing to say, but Cress wasn't know to be good with words.
Linora blinks again. "Fell asleep?" She has to think for a moment, then a little flush comes to her cheeks. "Oh... yeah."
Cress shrugs, "well, you were kinda sick, Lin," he says, eyes still darting from one to the other. "She was asking about the StarCraft..."
Kyrae laughes and says, "Maybe I'd better explain. I'll start over....I'm Kyrae. I wandered into the Dining Hall yesterday and encountered an interesting looking pair...One was sleeping with her head on the table, looking quite uncomfortable, and the other was just kinda sitting there. So I stopped to chat. You were introduced to me, but it didn't quite work the other way around...." She smiles and says, "Don't worry, no reason to be embaressed!"
Kyrae laughes and say, "I talk way too much, but Cress was having a problem explaining....anyway, I thought I'd drop by and introduce myself properly, and say I hope you feel better."
Linora manages a small smile. "Oh. Um... Hi, Kyrae." Another look at Cress, her mind on another day in the dining hall. For a moment she looks confused, almost worried, then her smile returns. "Thank you." Another rumble; her hands immediately dart to her stomach in a futile effort to quiet it.
Kyrae smiles at Lin and says, "Well, I'd prefer not to sleep in here while I'm not sick, so I'm gonna get to bed before I fall asleep where I stand! So, goodnight, I hope you feel better. Bye, Cress."
Kyrae heads towards the door after one last wave.
Cress' face turn slightly red as the girl jumps in with an explanaition and he looks at Lin and hearing that rumble in her stomach. He pulls on his other boot, and sits up again. "Sounds like you're hungry, Lin. Feel well enough to go get something eat?" He hopes he doesn't have to carry her back again, as his muscles are kind of sore, for some reason.
Linora nods, sure she'd said she was... but that visitor had confused her. Maybe she hadn't after all. "I think I'm okay," she says. "But I really gotta eat something."
Cress nods, "okay," he says and stands up, still trying to relax his muscles. Rolling his shoulders, and turning his neck from one side to the other. "Let's got then," he says and moves to the door, forgetting to take her hand, as he usually does.
Linora doesn't get up right away, just following him with her eyes as he turns his back on her. But it looks like he's not stopping, so she quickly gets to her feet, finding she has to stop a moment to steady herself before joining him.
Cress moves slowly to the Main Hallway.
Main Hallway
The Main Hall is lined with 'Portraits' of the past and current Holders and a large tapestry entitled The Watchdragon (look tapestry). The Hall itself is painted in a pleasant forest green, the primary color of the Hold, with a Dark Blue strip running about three feet off the ground along the sides of the Hall. A couple of sofas are situated here next to the doors for the Steward's Office and the Holder's Office, so that one can rest comfortable while waiting.
Cress is here.
"Lin? I thought you were right behind me," Cress says, surprised that she hadn't come out sooner.
"I wasn't." Lin's voice is very quiet, and not just because her throat is sore, although it is.
Cress puts his arm around her and gives her a squeeze. "I'm sorry," he says and kisses her on the forehead. Doesn't feel that hot anymore. Then he offers her his hand for the rest of the trip to the dining hall.
Linora takes his hand with a grateful squeeze. Didn't he know how much she needed him? At least he was sorry. She smiles up at him and leads him to the dining hall. See, she's feeling /much/ better.
Dining Hall
Coming from the other rooms, the Dining Hall seems a little dimmer, Which it is. Positioned throughout the room are about a dozen tables suited for up to eight people each. It is far more than the Hall needs, but it is always nice to be safe than sorry. A table is set up off to the side. On it is a collection of cooled juices and fruits which are kept fresh from the nearby Orchards. With the constant state of furor created by recent events there few drudges not busy elsewhere, So please serve and clean up after yourself. A fire burns merrily along the west wall, and overstuffed, cushioned couches and chairs have been placed in front of it.
Cress is led in by Linora.
Cress takes Linora to a chair and gets her to sit, then he goes to the sideboard, calling over his shoulder. "What would you like?" Hopefully something more filling than bread, he thinks and pours a mug of redfruit juice for her, and klah for himself.
Cress glances at the chalkboard to see what the menu is for today.
Linora sits obediently, watching Cress as he walks to the sideboard. "I dunno... what's over there?" She drops her chin on her hands and waits.
Cress looks over the sideboard and then decides, on her behalf, to get some of those delicious vegetable rolls, and garlic bread, thinking that she wasn't up for tunafish at the moment. Putting everything on a tray, he brings it back to the table, "here ya go. Vegetable rolls. And juice. And bread," he says as he serves it to her. Then he sits next to her with his mug of klah.
Linora digs right in, eating hungrily. Several rolls have completely disappeared before she notices that Cress doesn't seem to be eating. She swallows hard and looks at him. "Not hungry?" This is different, and she fixes her eyes on his with a wide grin.
Cress looks at her over the rim of his mug, "no, really," he simply says, shrugging his shoulders. Of course, he /did/ have a little breakfast, and even if that had been a while ago, he just isn't all that hungry now. "I'll get something later..."
Now Lin's a little confused... but still too hungry to give it a lot of her attention, so she resumes eating. Never knew vegetable rolls could taste so good! When was the last time she ate, anyway?
Cress chuckles a little, but it turns into a caugh, which he attemps to stifle unsuccessfully. When he finishes he takes a long sip of klah, but wetness can still be seen in his eyes.
Linora stops eating, washing the last bite down with a large sip from her mug, and turns to look at Cress. Really look. And thinks he's looked better. "Are you all right?" she whispers. He was so nice, staying with her the whole time she was so sick... surely he hasn't caught it as well? Nobody'd /said/ she was contagious...?
Cress waves his hand at her, and tries to smile, "I'm okay," he says, the words coming out as a croak. It hurts to talk right after a caughing fit. He takes another sip of klah, and attempts a deep breath, but launches into another caugh. Maybe he /had/ cought a cold, from betweening from the heat to the cold?
Food forgotten, Linora slips out of her chair to stand behind Cress, one arm loosely around his neck, the other hand smoothing his hair back and drawing his head to rest against her. "You /are/ getting sick," she whispers. "I'm so sorry." It must be her fault.
Cress looks up at her, his head back so he gets the image of her upside down. "Sorry? For what?" he says hoarsly. "And I'm not /that/ sick." Just a cold is all. He'd survived that before. Many times. And without time in bed, so of course he wasn't sick.
Linora smiles and leans forward to kiss him on the forehead. "Coz ya spent alla that time with me," she whispers. "An' I'm glad you did... but I'm sorry if I made you get sick and stuff." Well, that should explain everything. And she really /is/ sorry. She moves around his chair to stand facing him, half leaning against the table, one hand still on his shoulder.
Cress frowns at her then shakes his head. "It's not your fault, Lin, really! It prolly just because we between'ed like that. Up north, from the cold down, here ya know?" he says, eyeing her to make sure she understands that it's /not/ her fault. "Besides, it's just a cold. Nothing like you had..."
Linora isn't so sure, but she doesn't really have enough energy to argue. "I oughtta prolly go back to the dorms and stuff," she says softly, letting her hand fall from his shoulder and not really meeting his eye. "If you're okay..." A questioning glance.
Cress nods, "I'm okay. Really," he says, finishing his klah, and then gives her a smile. "I'll walk with ya, but are you sure you're well enough to sleep in the dorms?"
Linora considers that for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, it'll be kinda nice ta sleep in my own cot again." Even if it does mean Cress can't stay with her. But now that she's feeling better, maybe she's even feeling a little guilty about all the time she's spent with him. Surely /one/ of them should have been studying... or something... She chews her lip.
Cress get out of his chair and gives her a hug, before taking her hand. "Yeah, I guess I know what you mean." After all, he'd spent almost as much time as her in the infirmary.
Too brief... Linora sighs audibly as Cress stops hugging her to take her hand, trying not to feel too sad about it, since there's really no helping it. And the last thing she wants is to get Cress in trouble.
The Vault
Cress moves slowly in from the Main Hall Balcony.
Linora is led in by Cress.
Cress sighs and look with longing eyes at the door to the MAQ. He really /has/ missed his cot, and right now he'd really like to be in it, too. He turns to Linora and smiles at her, then squeezes her hand and heads for that door. "Bye, Lin. See ya later," he says, as he turns in front of the door, hesitating to leave her.
Linora gives Cress a tired halfsmile and waves. "See ya." And she will. Sure. Right now she oughtta sleep, though.
Cress moves slowly to the Male Apprentice Quarters.