Flying for Two (Aidara, Sairque)

[Sairque]

The disgruntled woman bit down on her tongue to keep from shooing the healer off, finally remembering the compulsion Aidara felt to do so. Still, she felt babied and the austere planes of her face tightened in annoyance for the three seconds before immediate relief from the healing kicked in. The Endal fairly melted back into her chair, letting out a breath that could have been considered a sigh hadn’t it still been constricted by further, as of yet, untouched damage. Sai missed the smug look, though appreciation to stoke the ego boost was written clearly all over her face, while she flexed and extended various muscles and limbs. And she pretended to miss the accompanying instructions, clearly, when on the heels of them, or perhaps because the healer gave her the idea to test them out, the mostly un-gimpy nimble woman deliberately stood, rotated her torso around experimentally, and took three leaping steps toward the stone wall of their bed chamber. Kicking up, and then off the smooth surface, the Endal rotated neatly backwards, tucked into a ball, through the air. However disgruntled at the irresponsible and reckless behavior Aidara would be, it was probably mollifying when her juvenile twin didn’t quite get the landing and her momentum upon touching the ground again sent her tumbling backward with a joyful whoop. Rolling back in a tight somersault neatly kept all limbs from smacking into anything, and she flowed bonelessly back to her feet. The disapproval wasn’t enough to ruin the simple joy of having the use of her body back and Sairque plopped back onto the bed where Addy’d sat her to receive the news. With childlike joy, she watched the painless wiggling of her toes. They froze. Sai stared at them for long moments. Sira was pregnant? Addy didn’t have a penis. Kelvics could impregnate themselves? One eye narrowed more than the other in a lopsided expression of complete and disgruntled thought, Sai stared at the uncomfortable Sira. In another second the expression cleared to incredulity. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner!” she demanded of the worried women, leaping to her feet and forgetting the state she’d showed up in and then the ensuing antics. The astonished woman’s eyes darted from one mother to the other. “When is it due? How long have you known? Can I name it? Is it a boy or a girl?” Each question was fired off with the wonder and possibilities that each new idea conjured up. Excitement manifesting in a boundless state of energy, the little woman took a few steps to the left, and then to the right, and when that didn’t satisfy her she finally noticed the legs she’d been walking over and jerked the healer to her feet for the most exuberant hug she’d ever given the woman. Those newly healed muscles popped from the force of the squeeze, Sai lifting the healer off her feet. Apparently the idea of excluding Sira struck abruptly because the normally methodical woman simply dropped the healer to whirl on the Kelvic and leap...well, into her arms which mostly meant atop her because she was sitting down. “You’re gonna have a baby!” she shouted, taking the woman’s shoulders and shaking her a bit, too thrilled to stifle the physical excitement that demanded release. “You’re going to have baby,” this one came out a little quieter with a bit of sobriety, as though she were testing out the different ways the news could be spread. Next came mildly hysterical anxiety, the thunderstruck Endal sitting up. “You’re going to have a baby. Babies have to be fed, and clothed. ...and taught how to hunt. Or make things,” the overwhelmed Sairque informed them, though she was clearly talking to herself at this point. Naturally, with the communal effort to raise children, it wasn’t just the couple’s responsibility. “She’s going to get beat up, we have to teach her how to fight. And work hard. And be smart. If she’s not smart she’s screwed. It’s doomed. The baby is doomed if we don’t teach it everything. Hunting, yes, that’s first. And then glassblowing in case it’s crappy at hunting.” Hands flying to her mussed hair, wide eyes were turned on the mothers. “We shouldn’t have a baby, you can’t have a baby, there’s no way to teach it everything it needs and then it will be a Drudge and we’ll be failures. What if it’s empathic too and we suck it into our little bond thing?” she asked in horror, hand fluttering to indicate herself and Addy. “Then we’ll always be aware of it and never able to forget our-“ the frantic hysteria jerked to a silent halt. Eyes that had previously been wide in horror lifted from the spot of the floor she’d been staring sightlessly at, mouth closed, and throat swallowed. Straightening, fingertips met and folded together in her lap, a sudden calm attentiveness taking hold of their sister. “When is it due?” they were asked with all the decorum that should have been exhibited from the start, and intact in a way that should never follow such a hysterical outburst.

[Aidara]

"Why didn't you tell me sooner!" "We did tell you right away but..." Completely thrown off guard by her sisters reaction, Addy had hardly enough time to choke out her half sentence before she was cut off by Sai's exuberance. "When is it due? How long have you known? Can I name it? Is it a boy or a girl?" There was simply no stopping her now. Though the twins were completely and utterly different people, they were still twins. Addy could boss the hell out of anyone, scaring them into submission; She called it pulling on her 'Sai Pants'. It stood to reason that Sai could to just the opposite and completely let loose and "Go Addy" on them. This is exactly what was happening now. Because the healer had experienced this type of excitment herself, she knew how hard it would be to calm Sai down. The Flightleader would have to just let it all out and hit the lul herself. Meanwhile, Sira and Addy would have to fit a word or two in when they could. "Sira hasn't told me. Like four and a half minutes. No. It's too early to tell." Answering her sister's questions in the order that they were fired, Addy couldn't help but allow the smile that tugged at her lips blossom across her face. How silly had she been, thinking that Sai would be upset with them? Her twin wanted her to be happy, just as Addy wanted Sai to be happy. The feeling of dread had completely vanished and she was sure that Sira also felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Laughing out loud when Sai bounced in place, Addy picked herself up off the floor.... only to be thrown back down again as her sister flung herself atop the healer. The force of their bodies hitting the rug covered stone floor shoved the air from Addy's lungs. Gasping and laughing and smiling all at once soon put a stitch in her side; clamping her hand down over the pain, Addy coughed as Sai leapt from her to give Sira the same treatment. "Be careful! Don't squish the baby!" Just like Addy expected, it was only a matter of moments between when Sai was yelling happily and flinging herself about and when she was wide-eyed with realized panic. "Sai. Sai! It will be okay. Three Endal Salaries and an extravagant aerie of our own? This child will be the most spoiled Yasi on the face of the mountain." Climbing to her feet once again, now that she was sure Sai wasn't going to pin her again, Addy slipped onto the bed next to her two favorite women. She slipped an arm around both, though she pulled Sai closed to her side as she was the one in need of comforting. "This child is going to know love and responsible parents. She...or he... Is not going to know our life, Sai." Though they had grown up in the a loving community, Addy at least had felt the sore loss of any real parental figures. Aware that Sai was hiding some kind of secret about their parents, the healer still knew that their childhood had run it's course through the Flightleaders mind during her rapid decent from joy to worry. "Though no one will know who he is, the babies father is strong, attractive and intelligent. We both know Sira is also strong, attractive and intelligent. I don't think there is going to be a problem in the genetic's department.... If the baby is weak, we will make them strong. If they are slow, we will help them to learn. Those who allow their children to become a Drudge are just weak." Aidara was not one to judge an individual only on their caste, like the majority of her people did, but she still believed that one earned their caste in one way or another. "We..." a hand moved to encompass the three women curled together on the bed, "are not weak." There was a bit of silence after that, as the three women visibly composed themselves. Sai had come down from her high, and Sira seemed less pale. Sai was the first to break the silence, though Addy had to laugh at her tone; it was like she was conducting a business deal. "When is it due?" Curious about this herself, Addy turned to Sira with an arched brow. OOCJust because Addy answered all of Sai's questions and fears doesn't mean that Sira can't as well, just so you know. Didn't want you to think I just screwed you out of a good bit of talking

[Sira]

It seemed that the weight of the entire world had been set on Sira's shoulders, and suddenly that weight was lifted when Sira saw Sairque's reaction. She had been fearful when she had told Aidara, but in truth she had never doubted the healers support. But she and Sai had been through so many ups and downs together she thought finally the world might come crashing down. Instead she saw a side of the flight leader she had never seen before. It was like... like looking at Aidara's twin! She had seen Addy in her bossy mode, but this was the first time she had ever truly seen Sai let loose with excitement. So shocked was Sira that she couldn't even answer any of Sai's question, only staring with her mouth wide open as the woman bounced around in excitement. Sira was just beginning to regain her composure when the flight leader practically tackled her on the bed and finally Sira's voice rang out in laughter as she returned the hug whole heartedly. The laughter was short lived however as Sai's emotions took a turn from ecstatic distressed and the woman started listing off all the things that had to be done and seemed to be overcome with panic. But again the flight leader surprised them both and suddenly she was quiet, calm and collected. "When is it due?" Sira's eyes widened as she thought about the question and stammered a response. "Wha.. oh, um. I don't.. Well, you see.. thing is. I uh.. let's see.. it was. When did I sleep with Ayren?" Sira glanced over at Addy helplessly as if she would know. "Um.. early spring? How long do babies take anyway?" Sira had no idea how to answer the question, she had pretty much slept through all of health class.. in every sense of the word. OOCThe actual due date is Winter 24.

[Sairque]

How long did babies take? Face scrunching in thought, Sai glanced between the two women, racking her brain for an answer. “I don’t know, like a year? So in spring the thing’ll pop out? That’s forever. Can we make it go faster?” Shoulders sagging beneath Aidara’s arm, clearly the elongated time frame took much of the excitement out of the news for Sai. “Are you going to give birth to a human? Or a Wind Eagle? Or a Kelvic? If it’s a Kelvic will it come out as a little animal?” Sai asked, leaning over Addy to eye Sira seriously. “Have you ever helped someone give birth? Where will you do it? It’s not going to just randomly pop out, will it? Like mid flight?” This set of questions was for Aidara. Untangling from the cuddlefest on the bed, Sai perused Addy’s clothing supply, finally settling on a well-worn pair of white bryda and a simple blue vinati. Slipping into them, Sai patted at the braids atop her head, trying to decide if they were suitable for public. “Are you guys hungry? Of course you are, let’s go get something to eat. If it’s a little animal, what will you guys feed it?”

[Aidara]

"Nine months, for a human at least." It was Addy's turn to stare at Sira. "I'm taking a wild stab that because the child is growing like a human child, even if it is Kelvic...it'll be nine months. You would have..erm...laid the egg by now if that were the case." Unable to keep from laughing, Addy clapped a hand over her mouth at the mental image of Sira squatting over a nest laying an egg. Leaving some of the questions for Sira herself, such as if the baby was going to be a Kelvic or not, Addy started to wonder why she hadn't thought of all these questions herself. A blush crept to her cheeks, and opened her mouth a few times before finally deciding to not ruin the moment and ask whether Sira had been disappointed by her reaction. Addy had been caught up in the emotions of the moment, of being a parent, while Sai was able to focus on the important questions. "No, it's not just going to fall out." Again, Addy burst into laughter at the question and the answer. She was just really happy right now. "There are going to be plenty of signs that the baby is coming. We wont let it fall off the side of the side of the mountain. I haven't delivered too many babies, but I think we will be okay." She gave an encouraging smile, and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet by her sister. Grabbing Sira's hand as she rose, it was like a chain of women that emerged from the aerie and into the hallways. "I don't know what we'll feed it....I feel so unprepared now." Drooping a bit, Addy trudged along behind the other two women as they entered the kitchens and gathered their food. "I can't stop eating, and Sira....eats...a lot. This baby is going to be a PIG!" Her face fell and she pinned both the women with a look of utter despair. "How...are we going to do this?" Her calm-but-still-energetic-and-excited demeanor was starting to fail her, the panic that Sai felt starting to creep in.

[Sira]

Sira was dumbstruck.  She didn't know anything!  Nine months?  Was that right?  It had to be, but she didn't know for sure.  And what about it being a kelvic?  Was she going to give birth to a human?  Eagle? Some other animal?  Sira didn't know what she had been born as.. but her mother might know.  But Sira didn't talk to her mother anymore, should she even tell her?  Suddenly long suppressed emotions started to surface, things Sira had thought had been cured when she fell in love with Addy, but now they were all being brought to light.  She was different, and this pregnancy more than anything before proved it. "I don't know," she whispered.  "I don't know, I don't know I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW!" Sira shouted and jumped to her feet, throwing up her hands in exasperation.  "I don't know any more than you do!"  Her eyes started to sting as tears formed and ran down her cheeks.  "I always thought of myself as an Inarta, or a Wind Eagle.  I NEVER considered myself as a kelvic.  I don't want to be a kelvic!  I don't know anything about kelvics!" Sira didn't know what to do, so she did the only thing that seemed to come to mind.  Shoving past Sairque she went out the door, crossed the common room, and stormed out into the hall slamming the door shut behind her with a shout saying, "Just leave me alone!"  She marched down the hall barely able to control her sniffling.  She noticed all the stares turned her way and shouted angrily, "What are you looking at!?  Just leave me alone!"  It wasn't until she shoved past a dek dressed in dirty linens and a katinu that she realized she was naked.  Stopping and turning on her heels she pointed at the dek, "Katinu!"  The dek started to stammer in protest but Sira gave him an icy glare and the dek quickly stripped off the cloak and handed it to the emotional kelvic. Sira didn't have a plan, she didn't know what she was doing.  It wasn't until she reached the nursery that she realized where she was and that, subconsciously she had sought out her mother.  "Excuse me, have you seen Alicia," she asked a passing chiet, who shook her head in response.  Next she asked a group of yasi, but they didn't know the name either.  "Please, Alicia is my mother, I need to find her," but nobody knew where she was and it seemed like some of the chiet were even avoiding her.  After a while Sira spotted a familiar face, an old man who she remembered as a friend of her mother though she could not place his name. "Excuse me Sir!  Have you seen Alicia?  Have you seen my mother?" The man turned and his eyes widened in shock as the Endal approached.  "S.. Sira.  You.. What was that?" Sita frowned.  She knew he had heard her, but she repeated her question again anyway.  "Have you seen my mother Alicia?  I need to talk to her." "I um.. well.. Um.." "What!?  What is it?  Where is she?" The man, clearly distressed, took a deep breath and calmed himself before responding.  "Sira.. your.. your mother is dead.  She died two seasons ago.. h.. heart failure." Sira froze, unable to move.  Had she heard it right?  Yes, she was sure she had.  But could it be true?  Why hadn't anybody told her?  But then again she spoke to her brothers even less so than her mother, they might not have cared enough to tell.  Sira felt her knees begin to quiver and she thought surely she might fall, but then something changed.  No.  No, she couldn't be dead.  Her gaze turned hard as Sira's anger rose and she lunged forward, grabbing the chiet by the collar of his shirt.  "What did you say?" "She.. she's dead, Sira, I'm sor-" "No!  She's not dead!" Sira shook the man furiously and the spotted the glint of an eating knife poking out of his belt.  She reached for it and yanked it out, pressing it against his throat and drawing a thin line of blood.  "She's not dead!  You are a LIAR!!  You're hiding her from me!  Where is she?  WHERE IS MY MOTHER!?!?" OOCOkay.. So obviously you guys are supposed to come after Sira, otherwise she'll probably kill the chiet.  But her mother is dead, as of two seasons ago, and perhaps one of you even knew about it if you want to add another level of drama.  Sai you might know because you are a flight leader and both Sira's brother's are endal.  Maybe they told you and you deemed it best not to burden Sira with the knowledge.  Addy you might also have known if they brought the woman to you in the infirmary and you discovered who she was.  It's up to you guys, you don't have to know about it.  It might be fun though.

[Sairque]

Eyes wide as saucers regarded the hysterical Kelvic over a lifted shoulder where she was shrugging on one of Addy’s vinati. Emotions phased out as the problem came to the surface. Those old identity issues. Sira’s hand met her chest in a side swipe as the Eagle cleared her path through the door, the Flightleader gave ground easily, stumbling back a pace with the last vestiges of angry pain fueled aggression. Cool yellow eyes gauged Addy’s reaction to this, and should she try to pursue immediately overpoweringly strong arms prevented her from throwing herself at her beloved in an attempt to make it all better. “Let’s see where she goes,” Sairque persuaded, the cogs clearly turning in her mind and those mental barriers snapping into place as they always did when she was trying to keep things from Addy. “This isn’t a new problem for her, and she’s got to deal with it sometime. Let’s let her try by herself first, is that okay?” Rubbing a significantly smaller hand over the red print over her heart, the meticulous young woman waited until Sira had evacuated the aerie to follow. “Have you guys ever talked about how isolated she felt and how hard she worked to ‘be one of us’”? As they crept down the hall at a nice quiet jog-ish pace, following the general shouting and then the disgruntled mayhem, Sai found everything regarding the family coming to mind with surprising clarity. How nice, she must really care about Sira. When it was clear that she was heading away from every single place her brothers could be found, apprehension sparked. Surely she would head to them…they were older than her, they would have witnessed at least something of the pregnancy and afterwards. Bouncing through bustling people, Sai almost walked past the nursery but Addy’s fixation on it led her through the archway. After all, there was no better locator than that built-in compass that came with some bonds. Oh…so that’s why she’d come here. Her mother…of course the woman would have answers! The Flightleader’s heart skipped a beat. How Sai could know that her mother was dead but not Sira…Sai hadn’t cared, she’d just filed the information away as an interestingly irrelevant tidbit. What dark twist…someone was laughing, some mischievous God that delighted in the squirming of humans. When the younger son had told her that he’d be disposing of his mother’s body instead of hunting, he’d mentioned sending someone to tell the daughter, Sira. But Sai hadn’t cared enough to. Petch. Guilt crept in through the confusion, eroding some of the confidence with which she approached the situation but not enough to keep her from leaping into the fray at the first glint of blade. Probably not the best tactic; the woman, solid as stone and holding no force back, rammed her shoulder into the Eagle’s rib cage. Should Sira hear the conspicuous patter of her running feet on the rock floor, she’d probably have enough time prepare for it. Or should she look outside the furious pain and denial enough to sense her bondmate’s presence… there were a plethora of reasons Sira had to glance up and over. The most likely probably being Aidara attempting to talk her Eagle into dropping the unfortunate cheit. Well, not all plans were the best.

[Aidara]

The sudden outburst stilled Addy into inaction. Never once had Addy really considered how Sira felt, being something different than the rest of them. Never once, except maybe that first time they met when Sai had pulled Sira aside to try and figure her out, had Addy even thought of Sira as something other than completely Inartan and Endal. The fact that she was a Wind Eagle had registered, but never really mattered to the healer. Love was blind, they say, and their whirlwind romance, lifting them both to places they never thought they'd achieve, happened so quickly that neither of the women had ever really gotten the chance to delve into the others most deepest fears and worries. Sai's offhanded remark asking if they ever discussed this only made the shame burn her cheeks bright red while she disinclined to respond. "Let's see where she goes..." Sai's gentle suggestion was answered with a simple nod, and Addy let her sister lead. Not being as emotionally invested, the Flightleader was able to think clearly and rationally, make decisions that were actually good one rather than the stupid ones Addy would have made; such as running immediately after Sira and trying to get her to come back so they could talk about everything that they hadn't yet right now, which would clearly not be the ideal reaction. But while guilt threatened to choke her, Addy paced along behind Sai. Belatedly, she realized that wallowing would do nothing to help, not right now. She could wallow on her own time. Extending her awareness out towards her sister, Addy pulled some of the inquisitive calm that her sister possessed into herself, letting it wash over like a blast of cold water. It quickly sobered the healer, allowing her to think straight. Sira needed her now, needed her to be the strong one in her moment of weakness. Focusing, Addy was quickly able to pinpoint where Sira had gone. Deciding not to prod the Sira with mental speech, the twins instead searched the hard way... well, as hard as finding someone through a mental connection that worked like a map could be. And it worked like a charm, since it was only a matter of moments until they heard Sira's voice. It was the tone of it that made Addy break into a run, as well as the explosive surge of guilt that slammed into the healers mind, originating from Sai's side of the bond. Something had happened. Tearing away from her sister, Addy bolted towards Sira's voice the loud footfalls of her sprint clapping loudly against the stone walls. When she rounded the corner Addy slammed on the breaks, sliding as the stone floor provided less friction than she needed to actually stop on a time. The windmilling crash into a nearby table caused anyone who wasn't already stilled by the explosion that was Sira, turned now to look at the wreckage of the healer on the floor. Sira...Sira! Love, put the knife down. Picking herself up from the floor, Addy knew that it would only cause bruised prides if she tried to talk her love down in front of all these people. So instead, she used their connection as rider and eagle. Sira... Addy started with her name again, making it as soft and loving as possible. She could see the anger, hurt and confusion in the other womans eyes, and knew how dangerous such uncontrolled emotions, especially those three combined, could be. Sira... Please, put the dagger down. He didn't do anything..." Addy stopped. She hadn't heard what exactly had caused this outburst, though she was sure her sister had. But there was no time to turn around and ask Sai, so Addy just had to go with it. ...And if he did, we can hurt him after we figure out what is going on...Sira, please. He's bleeding. He can't talk if you open his windpipe... And she took one step forward and then another, slowly approaching where Sira had pinned the poor chiet to the wall. Since slow was the key, Addy was hesitant in her movements as she wrapped an arm around Sira's waist, trying to pull the Kelvic back against her own smaller frame, to relieve the pressure on the Cheit's neck; Addy didnt dare touch the arm that held the dagger. Sira had to let go of that herself. "Sira..." Addy finally said out loud, though it was a whisper in her ear. "...Tell me."

[Sira]

When two people try two completely different tactics at the exact time it usually ends up with neither working as planned. This is exactly what happened with the three women and the poor chiet who was caught between them. Aidara reached Sira first and her words might have even worked to calm Sira. She might have removed the knife from the man's throat, might have calmed down and talked, and everything might have been sorted out easily. But Addy didn't know about Sai's own plan. Sairque herself knew tackling Sira was a bad idea, not the best route to go, but she couldn't have known just how bad it was. Addy moved up behind Sira and wrapped her arms around her just as Sai crashed into Sira from the side. The result was for all three women to become entangled and go crashing to the ground. ...the other result... was that as Sira was knocked to the side, and because Addy was behind her preventing her from falling backwards quickly enough, the knife was shoved from left to right across the chiet's throat as Sira fell down. His blood spattered on Sai's back as she fell in front of him, shielding Sira from the spray. Now that might have been the end of it if Sira had been anyone other than Sira. But Sira wasn't just anyone.. Sira was Sira, and more importantly Sira was a kelvic. Kelvic's were instinctual creatures and no matter how much Sira didn't want to be one she was still a kelvic. And what was a kelvic's first instinct when suddenly tackled by surprise out of nowhere? To shift. And shift Sira did... Addy, who was previously wrapped around Sira trying to calm her was suddenly slammed into the ground and pinned beneath the wing of a flailing eagle. Sai, who was on top, had only one place to go and that was up. She likely smashed into the ceiling, might have been knocked out, and was diner sprawled on the eagle's belly or lying on the floor nearby. And what of the poor chiet? Sai and Addy had bruises and maybe a broken bone, but the chiet had a slit throat and was suddenly smashed up against the wall hitting the back of his head against the stone, immediately knocking him unconscious. And what of Sira? She flailed about on her back in a space that was far too tight for a wind eagle to try to stand for a chime before settling down and realizing she needed to change back. The ensuing shift back to human form was likely a great relief to Addy, who was stuck under the eagle, but lucky for her even giant birds weren't that heavy, and soon Sira was lying beside her breathing heavily, maybe with a Sai on top of her. Everything was fine once more... except that Addy was probably bruised, Sai definitely was, and of course there was a chiet knocked out and nearly dead crumpled against the wall. Oh, and the katinu Sira had been wearing? Destroyed. Sira was still for a moment as everything replayed itself in her head. Her mother was dead. She had attacked a chiet, drawn blood. He hadn't done anything wrong, but in her anger she did it anyway. Then... she heard a voice. And then she was tackled. And.. Sai and Addy were there! Suddenly it all made sense and Sira sat up, eyes wide. "Addy, Sai, are you okay!? I am so sorry!" Sira looked over them both frantically, but both were still breathing and alive and relatively healthy. "The chiet!" Sira spun around to where she knew the man was and her face fell. There was blood all over the front of his shirt and the back of his head, which was slumped down on his chest, and he lay crumpled on the ground in a seriously uncomfortable looking position. Was he even alive? "Addy," Sira whispered, knowing the man needed her help. "Oh goddess... what did I do?" Sira had never killed one of her own before, much less attacked them in such a manner. She'd lost it... and hurt that which she was meant to protect. True, endal were cruel to the lower castes all the time, but rarely did it ever go so far as this. Sira slumped and more tears filled her eyes. It was all too much for her to handle. Too many emotions in one day, and Sira completely broke down right there in front of everybody.

[Sairque]

Sai groaned, rolling off of the sharply jutting arm that had somehow gotten pinned underneath her. A searing pain indicated that it was her own arm. It lay limply to the side while the other dropped a hand onto her head, rubbing at a growing knot. The painful part must have been smashing into the roughly shaped ceiling. Or maybe it was coming back down. Either way, she had no clue because after the vague sensation of ascending at an alarming rate the pain hadn’t really stopped. Bringing the Addy box to the forefront of her mind assured her the healer had made it through without terrible trauma. Surroundings faded in and out, the sight of Sira whirling through her field of vision left her momentarily dizzy. The flight leader had landed right next to the Kelvic and soon sat up as well. Bleary vision and the calls of distress, some groans that she didn’t realize were her own, soon sharpened into the aftermath of a Wind Eagle appearing and disappearing. So much for not abusing her body so soon after the healing that morning. Getting a solid grasp on the situation took a few moments. Sira had shifted, sent the sisters flying, shifted back, and the knife had, at some point in that mess, slipped through the Chiet’s throat. What a clusterpetch. Her own actions had attributed to this situation, and a brief sense of remorse flittered through her mind before it was harshly squelched with the guilt of earlier. Tears streamed down the Kelvic’s face and a man lay looking pretty dead. Sharing a glance with Addy, she knew the healer had to do whatever she could for him and nodded to indicate she could take Sira out to wait in the hall; having the man bleeding there in front of her probably wouldn’t be the best. Whatever the verdict from the healer, who, hands down, was the more expert of the two on Sira, Sai pushed stiffly to her feet and through a gawking pair of the man’s coworkers to grab a Dek and order him to bring whoever manned the infirmary with supplies for a sliced throat. Another glance to make sure Addy knew appropriate supplies were on the way, though Sai wasn’t sure he’d make it long enough for them to arrive…the gesture was more for the other two women. Crouching in front of Sira, Sai did her best to draw up every compassionate and loving cell in her body and showed them to the distraught woman. Hopefully that would do the trick, because the flightleader had no clue what to say. She was much better at ignoring people’s feelings while dealing with them; in fact, she had no clue how to take both her own feelings and Sira’s into account and turn them into something articulate. “I’m sorry, Sira. That was my fault. Let’s get you cleaned up and let Addy work, how’s that sound?” she gently asked with a gesture toward the door. How could she have been so stupid? Tackling someone holding a knife to a person’s throat, especially without giving the Addy a shot at diffusing the situation. Option two, if this didn’t work, was turning the tough-love that Sira had once shown her around on her; she would have to point out that Sira was not only an Endal but a Wind Eagle and should be ashamed of indulging herself in this manner.