Hehe...almost for got to add a disclaimer...
Clears throat and adopts an announcer voiceI hearby announce that I, littlereddragkyn, do not own anything of Valdemar with teh exception of my original characters and the basic plot idea. Clears throat and drops announcer-voice
Anyway, hope you like it!
When Kori woke up, she was momentarily disoriented. Someone was asleep against her back and the light was coming in from the wrong angle for her room. Then she remembered. Jason yelling at her…the Healers intruding into her private thoughts…the comfort Brooke gave her during the night…Kori comforting Brooke…
Kori felt oddly relieved. She slowly sat up, trying not to disturb Brooke and walked to the large, open window and looked out. It had rained last night, possibly fueled by the many tears that Brooke and Kori had shed. The grass glistened in the mid-morning sun and the sky was as cloudless as it ever got in spring. The sky was a light periwinkle blue, reminding Kori of summer days at home when she was just a little girl who didn't have a care in the world. When she had never know death or tragedy or what real pain felt like. When failure was still as abstract as why grown-ups fought over dumb stuff that she had already figured out.
When life was simple and care-free.
Kori jumped a little when someone softly knocked on the door and slowly opened it. It was Healer Ashia, the one who had invaded the most into her thoughts. Kori nodded in acknowledgement of her entrance as she stepped through the doorway.
"Good morning Kori. Did you sleep well?" Ashia asked in her ever-mild voice.
"As well as one could expect, I thank you," the small Herald replied. "When will I be able to leave, please?"
"As soon as you've had your breakfast and someone's looked you over." Ashia paused for a moment, "Kori? Next time, don't bottle it up, okay? It hurts you and I can help to work it out." She half smiled, wanting to say more, but afraid to in our strain relationship. She was my mother's sister. "I promised your mother that I would look out for you, and I can't if you don't let me." She held up a hand to still Kori's objections, "yes, I know you are a full-grown adult with a life and career, however dangerous, of your own. All I ask is that you don't let things get so bad in the future. If you had…" she trailed off, not wanting to anger Kori.
"I understand. I'm ready for breakfast and the check-up whenever they are ready to provide the means," Kori told Ashia, her voice warming a bit at her attempt to placate her mother's wishes and herself. Ashia just nodded and walked out of the room.
A half-hidden movement coming from the direction of the bed caught my eye. "Morning, Brooke. I appreciate your…comfort and help last night. And I'm sorry you had to listen to that particular encounter." Kori apologized as she walked over to the bed and sat down.
"No problem. I have my own set of troubles whenever I visit my family. I don't think Gamma approves of Jason still and it's been close to two years... Ah, well…only time will tell. So, what's up with you?" She asked, her usual bright self.
"Nothing much. After I'm done here, if the Healers give the okay, I'm going to request an assignment. One that'll take me away from Haven for a while—no offense to you, but I think I need to escape this place to fully heal. It has too many memories…" Kori smiled sadly at Brooke. "Food's here." Just after she announced it, a trainee came in with a tray of food for two people. It was nutritious globs of what appeared to be jellified fat. It was also exceedingly foul to taste and smell. Neither Brooke not Kori ate very much.
"Change in plan: after I'm done here, I'm gonna see if Thetas has any of breakfast left. Then I'm going to see about an assignment." Kori laughed, the first time in a long time, it was well-known that Thetas constantly made extra food for 'those poor littles who get up just a little too late', in translation, he was talking about the full Heralds who enjoyed late nights and even later mornings.
"I think I'd have to agree with you on that score!" Brooke replied enthusiastically.
Shortly after the breakfast dishes had been cleared away, along with a few 'tsks' and reproving eyes, Healer Galen entered to make sure that Kori was 'in working order' as he put it.
The process only took a few moments to complete, and he apologized to the Herald for invading her thoughts the previous day, but he had had no way around it so… Kori forgave him and he said that she had a 'clean bill of health' though a few weeks away from Haven might not be that bad of an idea…
Kori took him at his word. After eating the aforementioned breakfast, she hurried over to Laird, who was in charge of keeping track of which Heralds went out when and whose turn it was next and a lot more technical stuff that Kori chose not to comprehend.
"Well, it's nice to see you up and at'em, Kori. Here for an assignment? Great, I have just the thing for you…"he trailed off as he briefly searched through a stack of papers. "Aha! Just the ticket: Lord Ensley needs a document sent to his estate near," he adjusted his glasses to read the paper better, "Forest Reach, feel up to it?"
"Sure, haven't got any other plans." Kori replied:What do you think, Cole, ready for a cross-country outing?:
:Ready! I've been eating too much. This trip should trim me down…:
:Health nut! I'm sure all the girls still like you, even if you are chunky around the middle: Kori teased her Companion, the first time in what seemed like forever to her worried Companion.
:Chunky! I'm getting chunky! God's forefend! We need to leave! I need to loose that 'chunk'! Come on slow poke!: Cole teased back.
:Slow poke! I could beat you in a race ten times over, fur ball. Wait—make that fifteen times over with all the chunk you're carrying around!:
That conversation only lasted a few seconds, and Kori didn't miss any of the instructions Laird was giving.
LikeI said before, hope you like it!
Kyn!