Falling

Writers: Elaine
Date Posted: 29th May 2006

Characters: Rialine
Description: Rialine's sulking becomes dangerous
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 11, day 2 of Turn 3

Rialine's needle was possed over her patchwork. The needle was just hovering as her eyes were beginning to glaze over. Again. She woke up with a start, dropping the needle... again.

**Its too early** she thought setting aside her stitching. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep after her father had been called away early in the morning. After tossing for a while she decided to just get up and on with her day. She shuffled quietly to the kitchen, checking on the slow cooking stew she had started earlier. She took a spoon, dipping it in to try some broth. **Mmmm, missing something...** she thought. She looked into the pot and sighed. "Completely forgot the carrots," she muttered, moving slowly around the kitchen to find a clean cutting surface, then the knife. When she reached into her roots bin, she realized why. **Emptyyyyyy** she thought, biting her lip. That's right, she had used the last of the onions and tubers but there was nothing else left.

She had to go up to the hall kitchens.

She couldn't go to the hall.

Rialine returned to her sewing and fell deep into thought again. Although Rialine hadn't avoided the hall entirely she had been skulking about. When she first heard, about... them she was furious, crushed, just dulled. She had half an impulse to go and shout at that.. that Miryene, taking a third husband, carrying someone else's child. She actually went under the pretense showing off her quilt, but she couldn't. She couldn't scream at the pregnant women. And Rialine couldn't face Jio. Thinking of him mad her feel foolish and mad. He had never sent her away. She just thought there was, something more there.

It had been over a month ago, and Rialine had cheered up considerably, even if she made it a point to avoid the happy couple.
But today her father was helping deliver the child. It felt as if a nearly healed wound had been ripped open.

So she was hiding. It would be buzzing everywhere she was certain, so it was better to stay away. She just hoped that Papa wouldn't notice the thinness of the meat. Humming to herself she resumed her stitching, hoping she wouldn't snooze off again. It was almost done. There were only a few side projects but this had mostly consumed her free time since she arrived at their new home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rialine tied the final knot, using her teeth to cut off the thread. She smiled down at the quilt putting aside her sewing kit before fluffing blanket. She got up admiring her work, rolling the thick quilt around herself. She danced around the cot as if it were a new gather dress.
Recalling a particularly energetic tune she began to twirl faster, even jumping about, as much as was possible in the limited space of their cot.
One moment she was jumping, the next, falling, as the ground shifted beneath her.

She let out a single shrill yelp, and then there was darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It wasn't long before she came to, but Rialine simply couldn't think straight. Her head was spinning. **Or is it the room, or the floor?** It seemed as if the cot had rearranged itself, but Rialine wasn't sure.
Everything seemed hazy, and there was something heavy around her. Movement seemed, impossible. The floor not so uncomfortable considering her head felt horrible already. She lay back, closing her eyes, hopping that would help with the pain in her head.

"She's here Kamor!" She heard someone say. Then someone was shaking her.
"Hello, are you ok? Rialine, its Rialine right? Are you awake? Hello?"

She groaned trying to open her eyes. Her lids half opened, but her head still hurt so much. Mouth opened, "who-hooooo?"

"She's awake," the voice which was slowly materializing into one of the hall journeymen, "A little whoozy, lets get her out, to the infirmary."

"The rooom?" she said trying to point about.

"The earth shook, everything's going to be ok," The journeymen said as another came to Rialine's side. "Can you get up?"

She began to shake her head but the room began to spin again. "Iiii don' think soo," she moaned. "Paaaa?" She said, her eyes lids finally flying open.

"Talrian's fine, he sent us out here. Stay still Rialine, we're taking you to him now."

She squirmed a bit, looking up at her finders. "No, let me-"

"I said _don't_move_ it'll just be a moment."

She sighed and lay dead still, now afraid to move as people moved around here.

"We're going to lift you, just lay still Rialine."

She did as she was told, looking only upwards as she felt herself being lifted and put down again.

"Ok Rialine, you're on a stretcher now. We're taking you to your father.
Everything's going to be fine."

She looked up, her eyes big, trying to smile. "Thank you," she said.

"Its ok, we've got you now," he said as the two picked up Rialine on the stretcher. They exchanged worried glances, not wanting to tell her the extent of what happened. "Everything's going to be fine."

Last updated on the May 29th 2006

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Falling