Catching His Breath

Writers: Len, Paula
Date Posted: 4th December 2010

Characters: Jessmyr, G'wen
Description: Jessmyr has trouble with the stairs and hides, and Galwen helps
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 12, day 4 of Turn 5

Jessmyr leaned against the wall and tried to catch his breath, without
attracting anyone's attention. You wouldn't think that _stairs_ would
take a such toll of him. But he had tried to hurry and now he paid for
it. His lips were blue and his heart pounded painfully in his chest.

"You okay?" Galwen was walking down the hallway when he saw
the boy turning blue. That wasn't good. He mentally tried to
calculate how far away the infirmery was.

Jessmyr had to clear his throat first before answering. "I'm fine."

"You sure? You don't look okay." Galwen leaned over to peer up at the boy's face, concerned.

"It's nothing, it passes," Jessmyr forced his body to more upright
position. He had turns of of experience to hiding his weakness.

Galwen didn't say anything more but stood by the boy, reluctant to
leave his side. Despite his words, he still didn't look at all okay.
For the humndreth time Galwen wished he had a firelizard, then he could
send a message to Telemon to get here quick. Mentally he screamed for
his da's flit, knowing she wouldn't come.

Jessmyr felt his heart calm down and colour returned to his face. He gave the other boy a smile when life returned to his eyes.

Galwen exhalled sharply when the boy smiled. At least he
now looked like he wasn't about to die at his feet. Just to be sure, he
asked, "is there anyone I can get for you?"

"No, there's nothing anyone can do," Jessmy said, sadness in his voice.
It was hard to accept but at least he finally knew what was wrong in
him.

He sounded as forelorn as Galwen knew he sometimes sounded like as well.
"You have family or anyone I can walk you to?"

"Just my cousin," Jessmyr shrugged.

"Would you like me to go get him? I've a friend who has a
weyr just down the hallway, would you be more comfortable sitting there
for a bit?"

"No use to bothering him," Jessmyr replied and picked up the hides he was delivering from Headwoman's office to Harper records.

Still hesitaing as to what to do, Galwen fumbled a bit
before bending down to help the boy pick up all the hides. The errand
he was running could wait.

"Thank's. What's your name by the way? I'm Jessmyr."

"Oh, sorry, I should have told you already. I'm Galwen." He stood up
with his arms full of the hides. "Are you a Candidate too?" He hadn't
seen him in class but then again, with the eggs on the sands, new faces
were showing up daily, all the product of searches.

"No, I'm not a candidate," Jessmyr replied with a bitter tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Galwen said. Of course he wouldn't be a
Candidate; if going up a flight of steps left him like this than he
wouldn't be allowed to Stand. Galwen chided himself for his
thoughtlessness.

Jessmyr didn't say anything. There was nothing he could say that didn't sound bitter or defensive.

Feeling foolish, Galwen didn't say anymore either. He nodded his head to Jessmyr to show him the way to where the hides went.

Jessmyr got the last of them. "Umh, can you show me which way is the
harper archieves?" he asked bit sheepisly. He still hadn't learned to
find all the places in the Weyr.

"Oh! Sure." Stepping down the hallway he glanced back to
make sure the boy was following and that his colour stayed good. "So
you're new here, did you say? Where are you from?" Being that he had
never set foot outside the Weyr's grounds, Galwen was more than curious
about the rest of Pern.

"Pretty new, yes," Jessmyr replied. "From a runner station near Opal Cove," he continued.

"Really? What's that like?" Galwen smiled, imagining what a place called Opal Cove would look like.

"It's sea shore. The land is much about same than around here.
It's got port and ships," Jessmyr tried to describe something he had
always taken granted.

Galwen nodded, encouraging the boy to explain in more detail. He'd never seen one of the ocean going ships. "And?"

"And what?" Jessmyr asked. He was runner, they tended to stick to their
own people only. "It's a hold like any other hold." He shrugged.

"And...uh...nothing, sorry. I've just never seen the
ocean..or anywhere but here really. I was just curious, sorry." He
sighed, suddenly feeling very timid.

"I can't tell you much about the sea. We lived more inlands," Jessmyr sounded apologetic. "Opal Cove is large area."

Galwen nodded, still feeling shy. He led the boy down the hall to the record's room. Opening the door, he said, "just in here, I don't think they mind where." He put his share of the hides onto an open space on one of the tables.

Just letting them to lay around didn't suit to Jessmyr's nature. "Thank's for the help, Galwen. I'll find someone to receive these," he said.

Galwen nodded, a bit hesitant about leaving Jessmyr alone. He also had to grin a bit at his words. He was so overworked as it was that he wasn't about to go beyond what he had to do. And that meant looking for someone to take things like records and such. Of course, he overworked himself, not that the Headwoman did it or anyone else. Something else occured to him. "Do you know how to get back to where you need to be next?"

"Yes, I do," Jessmyr said with confident voice. He was runner, once he had been somewhere, he knew his way back.

"Okay then." He should go, the dishes in the kitchens weren't getting any cleaner with him up here. "I'll see you around?"

"Sure, why not," Jessmyr flashed a quick grin. It would be nice to make some friends on his own, instead of just hanging around with his cousin's. They weren't the kind of people he would usually choose to hang with.

Last updated on the January 22nd 2011

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Catching His Breath