Before The Sun Comes Up

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 2nd April 2007

Characters: Iyoen, Abrei
Description: Iyoen suffers through snarly morning-Abrei with infinite patience
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 3, day 2 of Turn 4

Abrei

"Good morning," Iyoen smiled as the master healer stumbled into the greenhouse. "There's klah over on the table there if you want some."

Abrei gave him a look that said she wouldn't mind breaking the klah pot over his head and then made a noise that might have been a greeting.
Even once she was seated with a mug of klah cradled in her hands, she didn't seem particularly interested in talking. "I take it this is a little early for you?" he chuckled as he began lifting pots of herbs onto the work bench.

"Is the sun even up yet?" she muttered grumpily before taking another sip. "I hope not." He placed a ball of twine and some clippers on the table.
"We have a lot of herbs to get through and its best to do it before it gets too warm."

Abrei glared at him again over the rim of her mug. "Why are you so energetic and cheerful in the morning?"

"Oh, I love the morning." He began measuring out lengths of twine and cutting them. "Everything's so quiet and smells so fresh. The whole world is waking up and it's the start of a new day. Why are you so sour in the morning?"

She took another sip of klah. "Maybe because I almost never got enough sleep the night before."

"You have trouble sleeping, do you?"

Abrei hesitated, and then nodded. "Sometimes. Doesn't everyone?"

"I have often heard it said," he nodded. She watched him over the ridge of her mug, finding something soothing in his carefully deliberate motions. "What about you?"

"Sleeping problems?" he asked, looking up at her as he re-wound the remaining twine. "No, not really."

"Oh. That must be nice." Another reason to be surly with him in the mornings, then.

"It is what it is," he shrugged. "I put in a full days work and I get a full night's sleep."

That made Abrei's back stiffen. "Putting in a full day's work was never my problem," she replied shortly. "Not until I was relieved of my duties, in any case."

"Is it just too early in the morning or are you always this quick to take offense, Abrei? There was no words of accusation in what I said. I was merely stating a fact, not trying to diagnose anything."

"It's--" Abrei stopped and sighed. "I'm always this quick to take offense. I'm terrible with people."

"You seem fine with people in the afternoon," Iyoen replied with a teasing smile, trying to ease the tension between them.

"You haven't asked enough people, then," she replied, wrinkling her nose at him. "Trust me. You'll find plenty who disagree."

"I don't go by anyone's opinion by my own," he shrugged. "I don't need anyone to tell me what I should think about someone. So far, I see no reason to believe you are not capable of getting along just fine with people."

"Thank you," Abrei replied, feeling vaguely flattered. People rarely accused her of being good at getting along with people. "Maybe your plants are the cause, though. Do you think the stress relief is starting to work on me yet?"

"I don't know. How do you feel? Do you think its working?"

She finished her klah and set the mug aside. "I don't know, but I think I'm ready to face the day without snarling at you any more. I suppose it's progress."

"Or it could be the klah. That's my personal stock. A friend of mine grows that." He smiled and shifted over a couple steps. "All right then. Let's teach you how to properly dry herbs."

Last updated on the April 3rd 2007

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Before The Sun Comes Up