I'm Okay

The world burns for a moment, screeching back into place and time.

A single blink, then back to darkness, then to light once more, the cycle repeating until shapes come into form.

"…ris?"

Even the sound hurts. Sound shouldn't hurt, should it? That doesn't seem right. Whoever was making that noise needs to be quiet. They had to know they were too loud. Maybe someone just needs to tell them?

"…you are! Oh, thank goodness! We we're all worried sick, and-"

The noise wasn't stopping. And now there's something…fuzzy? Brushing along their face, itching, burning.

"I-If I had known you two were training, I would have dropped everything! Running the kingdom certainly takes up much of my time, b-but…"

A clammy hand slinks out from underneath the bedsheet, waving away the offending sights and sounds. In a flash, the human's arm slumps back down atop the blanket, energy spent. That will have to do. Words would likely be better when communicating, 'Please stop everything in the world right now,' but a bit of flailing would have to suffice.

"…u-um, Kris?"

The pale blue Lightner opens their eyes, blurry shapes blending and bleeding together, until a white fuzzy face comes into view.

"…hi…sei…" The words barely slip from their lips.

A look of worry softens, forming into a relieved smile as the Darkner prince rises from the bedside, brushing his hands down along his robe. He sighs, linking them back together behind him, "W-Well, I erm…I'm glad you're okay Kris."

Lifting their head up for a moment, they fall back into the soft pillow, exhausted from the first movement.

"Ralsei? Where…?"

The mage clears his throat, "You're safe. I-I believe there was a bit of an…accident, during you and Susie's training this afternoon…?"

Kris squeezes their eyes shut, blurriness finally clearing, "…uh…y-yeah."

"I…" Ralsei shakes his head sullenly, "If you had simply told me you two were training, I could have been there to ensure everything went okay. I know Susie has started to learn the basics of healing, but training so intensely has…risks."

The human rises once more, barely able to make it a few inches up the headboard, "…she okay?"

The prince blinks, frozen for a moment before stuttering back to life, "W-Well, yes! She's quite alright! Just…erm, tired?" A whisper of a smile pulls at his lips before immediately falling away, "B-But Kris! Come now, you were the one that was injured today! I know you two are quite apt with your abilities and techniques, but…" Ralsei sighs at the thought once more, "Susie said she wanted to practice her axe's magical capabilities? That you were helping her when-"

Kris stretches painfully, finally sitting up in the bed. The blanket clumps and twists along their arm as they attempt to shove the cover away, only for a fresh agony to bloom in their shoulder. The pain freezes them in place, a cold sweat streaking down their back. The deafening wave of suffering begins to slowly calm; their once blue face having turned a searing crimson in the moment.

"P-Please be careful! I mended the wound itself, but your shoulder will still be inflamed and sore for quite some time. There shouldn't be any true danger, but your body is likely reacting to the shock of it all and-"

"I-I'm okay…" They mutter, pressing a hand to their shoulder tenderly, "…she's okay?"

Ralsei's lips hang open for a moment, lost in worry, soon falling back into a soft smile, "…yes. She's…well, actually-"

He steps away, emerald robe flowing around him. Squinting through the floating colors lingering in their vision, Kris watches closely, spying a quietly snoring dragon in the corner of the room, her arms linked tightly around her knees as she rests upon the floor.

"She…she hasn't left." Ralsei clears his throat, "…I think she wore herself out after carrying you here."

"…wha…" A wave of dizziness slams into Kris as they shake the feeling away, desperate to be present and awake.

"I was still in the castle with Queen, discussing…erm, 'possible acid pool functionality within the kingdom'…" Fuzzy hands squeeze the edges of his robe, "We were in the middle of a conversation when Susie burst through the main doors with you in her arms. She was…panicked, to say the least."

Kris' eyes scan the dragoness, still curled into the corner, the wall seemingly having become her pillow by this point. Stringy bits of mane stick to her face, pulling across her maw and twisting along her leather jacket. Her axe was tossed to the side, soaked bits of her shirt and jacket sticking to her scales with a crimson hue. Beneath the streak of crimson were paler, sickly-looking scales, her cheeks and face especially muted.

"…looks tired."

Ralsei's eyes bounce from the bedridden human, to the quietly slumbering dragoness.

"I…would imagine both of you are." He bites his lip, "Kris…you didn't look okay."

A knot forms in the human's chest.

"Susie didn't either. She was…yelling. Screaming. I…haven't seen her like that before. She must have carried you from the training field all the way to the castle. She said she…"

Kris sighs, slumping back down on their side, eyes still glued to the rise and fall of the girl's form, "…didn't block it fast enough. I said I would. She was worried, but I was…" They swallow sharply, "Wanted to help her practice. Guess one got through. Think I remember it hitting me before hitting the ground."

A soft hiccup erupts from the girl as she nuzzles closer to her knees, her breaths quietly shuddering. Kris' eyes narrow, watching her from afar, tracing the streaks of glimmering scales under her eyes. The light catches, the sight causing them to wince.

They pull their gaze away. The streaks were still fresh, the dampness under her eyes yet to dry.

"She's been here for hours."

Kris takes a deep breath, holding it for long enough for their chest to hurt, the air flowing from their lips.

"I've been checking on you every once in a while, but…" Ralsei's fingers loop underneath his glasses, squeezing his eyes, "She wanted to be here.

"…I'm okay." Kris mutters, burying deeper into their blanket.

The prince nods solemnly, "That's…I'm glad to hear that. But, she told me…w-well, she said that, if you were to wake while she was asleep, that-" Ralsei's lips twist into a pained smile, "She said she's sorry."

The knot tightens.

He presses a finger up along his glasses, straightening them, "…I healed what I could, but there will still be lingering aches and pains I would imagine. I know you will need to return home soon, but perhaps it would be best to remain here for just a bit longer?"

Kris nods silently.

"Good. Well, I am going to inform Queen and the others that you're awake. Despite her…eccentricities, she was noticeably concerned upon Susie's arrival." Ralsei grimaces, "I would imagine she may have told Lancer as well, so I should make sure they both know you've awakened."

As silently as possible, Ralsei makes his way back to the door, the entryway creaking open as he slips past the threshold. He turns back for a moment, glancing from Susie to Kris, a concerned look twisting in his fuzzy features.

"You're not…angry, are you?"

Kris' eyes go wide, "W-What?! No, no! It was my idea, and she didn't do it on purpose!" A wave of agony sweeps along their shoulder, barely noticed in their exasperation, "She didn't…she doesn't think that, does she?"

Ralsei smiles from behind the door, "…quite the opposite. She…well. You should perhaps speak with her when you two have a moment. Just…just the two of you." His fingers tap along the doorframe, "Some of the things she said, what she was…yelling…"

Kris rises from the bed, fighting down the sickening pain, twisting and turning to find the prince's expression.

"…she doesn't want to lose you Kris."

"Wha-"

"I'll return soon. Until then, please get some rest, okay?"

With a click, the door closes back to silence, only the dragoness' rumbling snores echoing into the room.

Kris' eyes dance along the bed's cover, pink and blue stripes blending together in their hazy vision. With one last huff, they fall back into the pillow's embrace, eye twitching from the wave of pain blooming in their shoulder.

Another sharp snort breaks the quiet, Kris' gaze turning back towards the bundled dragoness, her amber eyes burning through the darkness across the room.

They stare at her, words failing them, "…hey."

Susie freezes, staring back.

"I'm okay." Kris mutters.

She tries to smile. For a moment, she does. Fangs form into a simple grin, her eyes filled with the usual energy, one normally followed by a snide comment or mocking jab.

But it drops away. All that's left is shaking, her lips quivering as she tries, and fails, to calm her breathing.

The blanket is tossed to the side as Kris swings their legs over the edge, stifling the agonizing wave of pain in their shoulder. Fumbling for a moment, they meander across the room, slumping against the wall and down to her level. Susie draws her arms and legs close to her chest, the shaking worsening.

They fall into her, leaning their head on her shoulder.

"…I'm okay."

Kris closes their eyes, the shaking beneath them dying away, a weight soon resting back against them.