Scuffle Shuffle
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Steel, Yvonne
Date Posted: 31st March 2026
Characters: R'zen, Donnise
Description: R'zen and Donnise meet in the infirmary
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 2, day 1 of Turn 13
"Ouch!" Donnise winced at the pull of the thread through her foot, but she managed to keep from kicking the healer in the face. "Can I have more numbweed?"
"Not until I'm done. Just two more stitches," he said.
Donnise grit her teeth and reached back into the bloody bucket that had appeared the moment she'd arrived in the Infirmary, much to Zheverith's delight. He'd promptly told her that she smelled like meat, too. She plucked a small cube from the pile and held it out to Zheverith. "Chew."
He opened his mouth wide enough that she could see down his gullet. His teeth were streaked with red. }:Chew!:{
Noise at the entrance caught her attention as a tall, lean young man was led into the Infirmary, followed by a blue dragonet that she recognized from the Sands.
Zheverith hissed. }:Ibranth!:{ It was _his_ stupid fat tail that had gotten in Donnise's way and caused her to be in the Infirmary in the first place!
“What happened to you?” Donnise asked.
Ibranth hissed right back, wings mantling at the sight of Zheverith. }:Zheverith!!!:{ he declared. }:We meet again!!! That food will be mine!!:{
R'zen had to take a stumbling step forward and grabbed for his blue's head, tugged Ibranth back to look at him. “_No_.” He said. Ibranth’s tail lashed, but he obeyed with a reluctant grumble. }:I should get more food too.:{
Only then did he glance at Donnise. “... Ibranth.” He said, a little awkwardly. So _what_ if he was a little scratched up? He wasn't going to tell that _girl_ that he was hurt.
“Hey, me too!” Donnise grinned. “Zheverith stepped on me"”
}:Because of HIM!:{ Zheverith narrowed his eyes at Ibranth.
“--so I get another Hatching scar. Maybe we’ll have matching scars! Scar twins!” Donnise said with a laugh.
“Hold still!” the healer told her. “For the last time…”
Ibranth narrowed his eyes right back at Zheverith. }:_You_ were in the way!:{ he told the other blue, eyes whirling in annoyance.
“... Scars would be pretty cool.” R'zen allowed, a little stiffly, and let his gaze flicker around the room, taking in his surroundings.
Ibranth squirmed, but R'zen didn’t let go. “No.” He repeated, and stroked blue hide. “I'll get you a better bucket.” His gaze finally settled on the Healer. “... What happened to _you_?”
The healer turned a baleful gaze on Donnise, who had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Ah, I… accidentally kneed him in the face,” she said after a moment. Then, “Ow!”
“I told you to hold still,” the healer snapped.
Zheverith turned back to Donnise and opened his mouth. }:I’m still hungry!:{
R'zen couldn't help it-- he snorted. “Shouldn't you be using numbweed?” He half suggested to the Healer. To Donnise, he added, “Hey, the sooner this guy's done, the sooner you're done.”
Ibranth hissed, squirmed against R'zen's hold. }:I want that bucket!:{
}:Its MY bucket!:{ Zheverith lunged for the bucket in Donnise’s hand and jostled the Healer. Donnise yelped as the healer swore and turned a baleful gaze on the dragonet, who sheepishly crawled down from Donnise’s lap. }:I’m so HUNGRY…:{
“I KNOW!” Donnise turned the bucket over and dumped the contents onto the floor.
“No! That" Faranth save me, why did you think that’s a good idea?!” the healer snapped as Zheverith started gulping down the meat as fast as he could.
It was Donnise’s turn to wilt a bit. “If he’s not bugging me then you can finish sooner and I can get more numbweed? I" Zheverith, slow down!”
The little blue dragon’s eyes bulged with distress as his rider lunged toward him, wrapped her hands around his middle, and hauled him upright. He coughed once as a chunk of meat fell from his open mouth onto the floor.
}:_Mine_ now!!!:{ Ibranth squealed, and could be restrained no longer. He wrenched free of R'zen's hold and hurled himself toward the oh so enticing pile of meat _right_ in reach.
The floor was unexpectedly smooth, and the fact that Ibranth’s lunge had been at speed _plus_ the slickness of a floor with food all over it, added up to one disastrous result.
Ibranth’s charge carried him too far forward, and sent the hefty blue hatchling skidding straight into the healer. The dragonet and healer went over in a tangle of limbs.
Donnise grabbed for Ibranth’s tail but missed as Zheverith wrapped himself around her legs.
“ENOUGH!” The healer’s roar echoed through the room. He pushed Ibranth off himself and climbed to his feet. “Control your dragons, weyrlings!”
Donnise winced and sat.
Ibranth flailed a moment when he found himself unexpectedly on his back, squealed indignantly and righted himself-- now smeared with the remnants of the meat he'd been _trying_ to eat. }:How dare!:{
R'zen bristled. “It's not my fault Ibranth wants to eat!” He objected. “Don't shove my dragon! He would have got off you!”
The healer brushed meat chunks from his now viscera-smeared pants and glared at R’zen. “I said _control your dragon_ weyrling. This is _my_ Infirmary and if you are endangering my patients or myself, you will leave. And I don’t care if you’re bleeding.” He nodded at R’zan’s bloodied sleeve.
Donnise wrapped her arms around Zheverith. She knew enough about dragons to know that how entwined they were. “Call Ibranth to you,” she told R’zan. “It’s _his_ hunger. Not yours.”
“Apologize for _shoving_ my dragon.” R'zen muttered, still glowering, but he knelt, opened his arms. “C'mere, Ibranth.”
}:He shoved me!:{ Ibranth squealed, stamped a foot and stared at the Healer.
“... I know. I know. Dumb rules.” R'zen huffed. “C'mere. You're all dirty now.”
Ibranth snorted again, but turned and went-- though not before he snapped up one last bite of floor meat.
The Healer nearly rubbed a bloodied hand over his face but winced and stopped himself before he’d done more than touch the bridge of his nose. “All right. You both will sit still, control your dragons, and stop talking. Lieaz!”
Moments later a Journeyman with close-cropped brown hair popped their head through the curtains. They took one look at the bloodied floor and inhaled sharply.
“It’s not what you think,” the healer said tiredly. “Just dragonet nonsense. I need you to take these two,” he said, jerking a thumb at R’zen and Ibranth, “somewhere else. And take a look at his arm for me.”
The other healer tore their eyes away from the massacre on the floor and nodded at R’zen. “Come on.”
R'zen glowered at the first Healer again, but got back to his feet reluctantly. He stroked Ibranth’s head again, then followed Lieaz out, dragonet in tow. “It's not my fault she threw meat everywhere. Ibranth’s all dirty now,” he told Lieaz, who nodded indulgently.
The healer sighed and turned back to Donnise, who was still holding Zheverith. When he looked at her foot, he winced. “You’ve already popped a stitch.”
Donnise bared her teeth in a grin. “Well. Can’t get any bloodier, can it? Think I’ll get a scar?”
He sighed and went to wash his hands again. Weyrlings really were the _worst_.
Last updated on the April 1st 2026