Alyx didn't even seem to register that he had moved, staring at the note, her eyes flicked back and forth, reading it, and rereading it. Shock, a distant part of her mind whispered, this is shock. Realizing that she took a deep breath, tried once to talk, but her throat had closed, and she couldn't get a sound out. It was from her old friend, Micel. Her eyes started to blur, and tears slipped out, as she wordlessly held the note out to Cremsden. It read...

'Dear Alyx,

I am so sorry, your grandfather was so sick.

 You know how he's been this last year.

 I think he didn't want to fight any more.

I am glad Ardy came when he did,

Argen left some things for you, 

but they are too big for Ardy to carry.

Let me know when you can whether you

want to come for them, or have us send them.

Send Ardy for me if you need anything.

Micel

On Sat, Aug 18, 2018 at 11:46 AM, Laura Walker <shewhoguards@...> wrote:

Alyx couldn't help a chuckle at Cremsden's delivery. And in a way she did agree with him, some of the riders she knew really didn't think much of other kinds of pain. She'd seen riders with broken bones in their hands, who hadn't come in when it happened cause 'eh it's just a little pain' Then of course, things had to at times be rebroken and set straight, which lead to more pain, and more recovery time. And sometimes even some loss of feeling.

"Yea I've seen some of that too Cremsden. But I've also seen crafters do some of the same kinds of things, so I think it's just a people thing. They don't want to admit to needing a healer. Heck I've done it when I was younger, and I ought to know better!" Alyx was willing to admit her failings in that way at least.  

Then there was a little poof of air behind her, and her bronze flit Ardy was there. As she turned to greet the flit, her face went from happy and enjoying the conversation, to worried. Ardy was quite upset, and it took her a moment to get him to land on her arm. There was a message tied to his collar. Once he landed, and she removed the message, the flit, who wasn't normally too affectionate while they were in the infirmary, pressed himself up against the girl's side. Alyx didn't stop him either. She rolled open the note, reading it, the color drained from her face. This couldn't be right, it couldn't...

Cremsden read her face even if he didn't know the reason for it. He looked at her for a long minute and then, without a word, got up to shut the study-room door, placing the sign on the outside that said it was in use right now. Then to the klah pot and he quietly poured himself another mug and Alyx one with several spoons of sweetener, placing it next to her hand before he sat back down.

--

Blackadder: I mean, what about the people that do all the work?
Baldrick: The servants.
Blackadder: No, me; *I'm* the people who do all the work.

--

Have fun with any of my characters. Alyx, Lerian (candidates), Vayka (Healer), J'hen, D'vik, Teyra, Cotai (Riders), Rotasta (AWLM)