Struggling

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 24th February 2009

Characters: Zelle, K'hetah
Description: Zelle wants to know more about K'hetah's concerns about Ylisahn.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 13 of Turn 5

Zelle cast a single glance back at the headwoman but no more. She kept a smile upon her face and an easy gait until they were out of sight and out of earshot. The smile faded and her expression became more somber as she looked up to K'hetah, his arm still around her. "What was that all about?" To be honest, the whole episode concerned her. Something had seemed rather off with the headwoman though Zelle couldn't have placed exactly what.

"I don't think our Headwoman is very well," K'hetah explained vaguely, "and I'm going to do my best to make sure she takes the problem seriously."

He suspected Ylisahn knew exactly what the problem was but he wasn't sure she was doing anything about it - or even had any idea what she could do.

"I have to say, the way she was reacting was rather...frightening." Ylisahn didn't act like that. She just didn't. Yet the woman had seemed strange, tense, and something was definitely not quite right. "What do you think the problem is?"

"I think ..." K'hetah eyed Zelle and mentally debated whether to explain things to her - or not. If he had been acting as a healer then he would have been discrete as a matter of course, but although it was his background Turns as a healer that made him suspect what was wrong with Ylisahn that wasn't his role any more. And Zelle was a dragonrider; she probably knew enough people with similar problems though she might not recognise the complaint in somebody outside the dragonriding role. "I think she's developed a bad reaction to stress."

"Oh?" That was not a good thing. The Headwoman's job was quite stressful, though Zelle had no immediate experience with it. She cast a glance back down the hallway, but she could not see through walls and Ylisahn had not come after them. "What...do you think should be done?"

"I think people around her need to know that she's struggling. It seems to be very -" he held his hands with their palms facing toward each other, not very far apart, "- narrow. Not affecting much that she does, from the few things I've seen." He shrugged. "I'm not always around, though, am I? Her weyrmate might have a better idea. Or her children."

"Are you going to talk to them?" Zelle wondered if she should. Then again, K'hetah was the one with the healer background and it seemed like more weight would be put upon his words.

"After I talk to Ylisahn." He smiled at the greenrider. "Unless you know them and could talk to them for me?"

"I've met them. I don't really _know_ them that well." Zelle reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. "But if you want me to speak to them for you, I will."

"No. Thanks, but I'll do it." He shrugged again, thinking that Ylisahn might not welcome his interference at all; most dragonriders in a similar situation wouldn't but Ylisahn was a sensible woman. Perhaps it was just that she was a woman and so less likely to take offence at the suggestion that she wasn't coping. "She talks to you sometimes, doesn't she?" he asked, having seen the pair of them chatting on more than one occasion. For a woman as busy at the Headwoman was seeing her sitting and chatting when she wasn't also wolfing down a meal was more significant than it would be with another person.

"On occasion, when she has a moment to spare. Which isn't often." Zelle liked the woman and hated the thought that something was wrong. If she could help, she would, but she honestly wasn't sure what good she could do.

"No. And that probably isn't helping. Don't worry about it, Zelle. I'll see if I can help and if I can't -" Well, he could always convince her to go to the Weyr's healers. It wasn't as if she was wingrider he could report and have grounded. "Well, I just hope I can."

The problem was, Zelle _was_ going to worry about it. She liked Ylisahn though she wasn't really able to spend that much time with the headwoman. It concerned her that something might be wrong. Perhaps she would speak to the headwoman, do a bit of gentle probing, or at least offer some encouragement. It couldn't hurt. "Well let me know if there is something I _can_ do."

"Of course." He relied on Zelle to be his willing accomplice in whatever had was undertaking; he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Zelle opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, then shut it. She pondered K'hetah for a moment, let out a sigh, then asked, "Dinner?"

"Can you hear my stomach rumbling?" He glanced down at his mid-section and laughed. "Very definitely dinner."

Last updated on the February 25th 2009

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Struggling