#tealmedic

SOME TEALBLOOD:  "Not TerrIbly Long A NIght Or So." The Tealblood starts sending a  message to Seolfr.

TEYLIR:  Shit.  [Dry swallow.]  Can I have some water? Please?

SOME TEALBLOOD:  "Of Course. Slowly Though. Can't Have You DrownIng. The CaptaIn Was  Very Clear." He gulps and pours a little water for Teylir. "I LIke  BreathIng."

TEYLIR:  [She tries to sit up and yelps.]

SOME TEALBLOOD:  "You Have Several Damaged ThoracIc Struts Please Don't Move"

TEYLIR:  Roger.  [She can hardly take a breath. There are tears in her eyes.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr arrives shortly afterwards. On seeing the state of Teylir he  starts casting dirty, rather vicious looks towards the mediculler.

TEYLIR:  [What happened? Right, that... purple. Relax your muscles. Relax.]  That... ffff... fucking subjugglator... god_dammit._  [She is not yet aware of Seolfr.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr is next to Teylir very quickly, cursing a little that he didn't  save the clown's horns.  "That one won't be a problem any more love."

TEYLIR:  Hello :)  [That is one pale attempt at a smile.]  What- ah!- what's up, bu-buttercup?

SEOLFR:  "You're awake, I'm so pleased!"

TEYLIR:  Yeah, awake.

TEYLIR:  [>Teylir: Attempt to sound at least a little light-hearted.]  [>Teylir: Fail abysmally.]  I suppose I'm out of a job.

SEOLFR:  "You're welcome on the ship Teylir, you know that right?" Seolfr takes  one of Teylir's hands in his and slides something metallic on.

TEYLIR:  [Something breaks a little and suddenly not crying becomes her chief  concern. She's... she's been on this ship for ages and he couldn't  possibly NOT feel inconvenienced why is he being so nice even now that  he has PROOF she isn't... _wasn't_ good at her job? She didn't even  tell him she was going to die there, didn't conceive she wouldn't die  there, what kind of person does that to someone they're supposed to  love?]  [Hello, what's this cold thing? Whatever she was about to say is  interrupted by her curiosity.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr squeezes her hand and removes them to grab her for a kiss.  Without huge seadweller hangs covering it, the object around her wrist  is very clearly a bracelet, made of braided silver. It comes together  in a little <3 shape.

TEYLIR:  [Teylir kisses back on automatic and then she. Stares at her wrist.]  [Oh.]  [...This is taking a little while to register. In the meantime, alarm  probably wasn't the reaction Seolfr was hoping for.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr is also very quiet attempting to process the fact that his  matesprit does not seem to be totally thrilled with this turn of  events. And blushing quite hard.

TEYLIR:  [Teylir's face slow-mo crumples into overwhelmed crying. She babbles a  mostly-incoherent mixture of apologies, comments on the bracelet, and  thank-yous. She is so miserable right now and has _no idea what's  going on_.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr for his part is babbling a mixture of 'no it's fines' and sweet  red nothings to Teylir, trying to assure her that she's not trouble.

SOME TEALBLOOD:  The Mediculler decides that this has gotten too intimate for their  taste and quietly leaves the medbay.

TEYLIR:  [Teylir is shutting down. Everything hurts and now it feels like a  hurricane in her head.]

SEOLFR:  "Teylir. Teylir talk to me please, what's wrong?"

TEYLIR:  I don't know :(  [Why can't she look at him?]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr tries to pet Teylirs head. "It will be alright dearest."

TEYLIR:  [Sniffle. She tries to wipe away her tears, though without much  success.] Yeah. I'm fine, really. 'm lucky to be alive.

SEOLFR:  "If you start that 'I'm too much trouble' business again I shall have  to stop." He pauses the head pets for a moment.

TEYLIR:  ...  How bad are... they? My- the horns.

TEYLIR:  [She is opting not to say anything about her troublesome quality,  then.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr's face drops a little. "They're a bit of a ruin Teylir. I  wanted you awake to know what you wanted done with them."

TEYLIR:  [For a few horrible seconds it looks like she's about to go into  another crying jag before the first one's even over, but her eyes  close and her expression smooths, mostly.]  File them to below the lowest crack and cap them. Leaving them in  splinters won't do and I'd rather not have the structural weakness as  they grow back in.

SEOLFR:  "Do you want to be awake when it's done dearest? It will be painful,  from what I hear." Seolfr makes to stroke her cheek and dry some tears  with the corner of a sleeve.

TEYLIR:  [She turns away. The display of tenderness makes her feel... not good,  and as much as rejecting him makes her stomach feel like filthy socks,  she can't bring herself to let him continue.]  I don't care.

SEOLFR:  Seolfr grabs Teylir by the shoulders.

TEYLIR:  [Startled...!]

SEOLFR:  "Who are you and what have you done with Teylir Roeshk?" Seolfr is  biting his lip.

TEYLIR:  [Her entire self seems to sag. There's her confirmation; she's  worthless now. She opens her eyes, finally, and makes eye contact.]   Do whatever you have to do, however you have to do it. I don't care.

SEOLFR:  Seolfr sinks to the floor. "Teylir please, this isn't like you."

TEYLIR:  I'm sorry.  [Shit, gotta do the thing. She blinks a few times and the smile she  gives him looks... almost exactly like it usually does.]  I just need to rest up, and then I'll be perfectly alright. Sterling,  even :)  [She should do something with her hand, put it on his cheek maybe.  Yeah, she's gonna do that.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr looks reassurred for a moment, and then confused.

TEYLIR:  Really, all I need is rest.  [She doesn't know what to do with her hand now. Fuck. Miscalculation.  Her thumb brushes his cheek. This is the best she can do, but each  action happens one after the other like she's following a checklist.]

SEOLFR:  Seolfr pulls the hand from his cheek. "I'll leave instructions with  the mediculler, Roeshk." He stands. "Pity you."