Best Foot Forward

Writers: Halyonix, Sia
Date Posted: 4th December 2025

Characters: K'leriac, Laithan
Description: Laithan begins his work modifying K'leriac's prosthetic
Location: Healer Hall
Date: month 10, day 19 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Jisalle

Notes:
~*~

A bronze firelizard carrying a roll of papers appeared over K’leriac’s head. The outermost paper was a note from Laithan stating, “Pick which ones you think will work best and meet me at the Hall tomorrow to get started.” The rest of the papers were a dozen sketches of ideas for new prosthetics, some for daily wear, but some were specifically designed for one thing: securely riding a dragon.

K'leriac sent back the couple that were designed for securely riding a dragon, adding his own frustrated notes. He wasn't the healer, he didn't know which ones would work best over the others. He'd manage the pain and discomfort from a bad fit if it meant he didn't have to worry about falling off Obrianth. Still, he was precariously perched and off to the healer hall the first thing in the morning.

“Good, you’re here,” Laithan said as a greeting as he met K’leriac in the open courtyard. He didn’t wait for permission or response but instead moved to haul himself up Obrianth’s back. “We’re going to make a few stops today. Do you know how to get to Tanner Hall? The leatherworkers?”

K'leriac made a face. He was forty turns old. He knew what a tanner was. "Come aboard." He said. "Where else?"

“Maybe Smith Hall if the tanners can’t do the job properly. We’ll see,” Laithan replied. “I’m trying to keep it lightweight. Don’t need a lot of metals weighing you down.”

"Well, brace yourself." K'leriac said. "We come out of /between/ high enough in the air, but we don't start that way."

And, on cue, Obrianth shifted onto his hindquarters and unceremoniously threw himself into the air, disappearing /between/ after just a couple wingbeats.

A few stops -- and a few arguments -- later, they had the parts Laithan needed. Back at Healer Hall, the Masterhealer was now strapping together two separate pieces on one of the big work tables. “Look, you need better equipment,” he said to K’leriac bluntly.

"No shit." K'leriac answered. "What can I fix?"

“First,” Laithan said with a nod towards the stump of K’leriac’s leg, “you need to be taking better care of that.” His chin jutted towards another table where a tin of salve was. “Give that a good lather on your leg. Do that three times a day. I’ll get you more next sevenday.” He’d have Jisalle work out a whole shipment for the Weyr.

K'leriac grunted and shifted his weight on the stool, bracing himself with one hand on the table as he reached for the tin. The smell hit him as he opened the tin-- sharp, herbal, antiseptic. He dipped two fingers in and started to rub it in around the scarred edge of the amputation, the skin mottled and blistered from both the old wound and the constant friction of the socket.

"It's not that I don't," he muttered, massaging the salve in with firm, practiced movements. "It's that I don't have that many options to just 'stop'. I have a family and a dragon to care for."

“Yeah, well, like I tell my patients: make time for your health or it’ll make time for you,” Laithan replied without empathy. “Get some of those weyrbrats to help with the dragon. Don’t you have a herd of them just waiting around in between Hatchings?”

"Yes, the weyrbrats are especially helpful with his exercise and the mating flights." K'leriac deadpanned. "I'm not being obstinate. There are things that can be helped and things that can't."

Laithan waved his hand dismissively. “Fine. You figure out that. I’ll handle this.” He gave one of the contraptions a sharp tug, then inspected it critically. He made a low humming sound, like he was deciding if he should toss the whole thing out of the window, but instead, he handed it to K’leriac. “Try that on. You still have your knee so that’ll help with some of the balancing. What you need is something that won’t aggravate that stump while you navigate stairs and whatever else.”

Unlike the peg legs that harpers swore all seacrafters wore, this device looked like a foot with a stick attached to a leather cup. The foot was wooden and could hold a boot. The stick was metal, strong enough to support a man’s weight, but it was the cup that was the most intricate part. It was a soft, padded leather so that it didn’t chafe, with straps that wrapped around the leg right above the knee joint and one right at the amputation spot that buckled it into initial place. As K’leriac tried it on, Laithan went back to work on the one, comparing it to the dragonriding straps over and over with incoherent mutters.

K’leriac pulled the contraption closer, turning it in his hands before wrestling it into place. The leather cup was softer than he expected but the moment the upper strap tightened just above his knee, his body gave an involuntary flinch. He exhaled, jaw tight, and buckled the lower strap over the tender scar tissue.

The fit wasn’t comfortable-- he hadn’t expected comfort-- but it wasn’t the same, burning pain of being rubbed raw, though the current agitation still ached, and that alone felt like a small victory. He pushed down experimentally. The wooden foot held; the metal shank didn’t wobble. The weight distribution was strange, but not wrong. “Feels… different,” he muttered, tightening the knee strap one more notch. “Better than the last one.”

“Of course it’s better,” Laithan answered without looking away from his work. “That other one you had looked like a drunk apprentice drafted it.” He held up the other piece to inspect it from different angles. “This one might take some modifications of those dragon straps though,” he admitted with a sour expression. He looked at K’leriac. “Let’s give that one a test walk so I can go take a look at your straps.”

"I'll tell Quennas that." K'leriac deadpanned. The Journeyman wouldn't be above trying to get Obrianth to take him right to this new Healer Hall, regardless of whether K'leriac was present. He took a step, then another, then awkwardly turned back to Laithan. "Well, we'll see how far I can get. At least I can sit with Obrianth while you mess around with the straps."

“Don’t aggravate that leg,” Laithan warned him. Then, letting K’leriac test his newest prosthetic, Laithan muttered to himself, “Stupid Weyrfolk. I can’t believe they’re using that crap design still.” Healer Hall had so much more work to do.

"Well, you know dragonriders. Not much of a point if we can't fight Threadfall with it." K'leriac deadpanned.

Last updated on the December 20th 2025

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