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Harper's Tale 2 - Friday, August 02, 2002, 6:18 PM

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Alain-the-Wistful has settled himself unusually close to the hold--in the gardens, as a matter of fact. A quill and bottle of ink occupy the bench before him, as well as a hide scroll of which he has placed stones at each corner to keep it from rolling itself up. One hand scratches idly at the back of his neck as he peers down at the hide, making the odd notation here or scratching out something and replacing it with something else--muttering slightly under his breath now and again.

Wyn slips in with her usual quiet tread, a slight rustling of supple leather and disturbed grass. She spots the pensive Healer by his bench, and a faint smile flickers across her features. Padding closer, she stows her riding gloves in a pocket, and places a hand on Alain's shoulder. "Hello, stranger."

Alain does jump just a little bit, but more from being startled out of his reverie than fear. He blinks up, first at the hand on his shoulder, then the faint smile, and drops his quill, shifting quickly to his feet and hopping over the bench to Wyn's side. "Hey, you! I thought you'd left me for good." he grins, wrapping both arms around her ubruptly and pulling her close, face buried in her hair for a moment as he takes a deep breath. "Good to see you." he murmurs, still holding her close.

Wyn slips her arms up to encircle Alain's neck, letting herself be held for a moment as she murmurs the dry little comment of "For good...? Oh no, you'd never be rid of me that easily." into his ear, before shifting sideways to slide around him and settle on his recently vacated bench. Wyn, after all, still has much to learn about things like hugs. "So... any closer to that Journeyman's knot...?" she queries. "I would very much like to be able to kidnap you for, oh, a full sevenday at least, without anyone getting suspicious."

Alain chuckles, "Well, that's simple enough. Just get sick." Always practical. He flings one leg over the bench, straddling it and sitting as close to Wyn as would seem possible. One hand props on the bench behind her and the other rests lightly on her near leg as he leans toward her to nod at the hide on her other side. "That's the vestiges of it...or the foundation if you will--of course, I'll have to re-write it again and again...but at least time isn't an issue--you know, dealing with what I'm dealing with." During his explaination, his eyes travel up to Wyn's again, and he studies her face, reaching up after a moment to move a lock of her hair, before resting his hand back on her leg.

Wyn, deciding that the odds of someone coming along and spotting her with her shell not in place are low, and that Alain is familiar enough to be trusted, permits herself to lean into Alain and rest her head lightly against his shoulder with a little sigh. "Mmhmm...? You'll have to tell me what you actually decided on for a topic, you know. We rather had other things to interest us last visit I paid you."

"Death." Alain murmurs, wrapping his arms around Wyn's waist and resting his chin on top of her head. "You know...causes, prevention...all the stuff that a good healer should be used to dealing with--but be able to prevent." My, but that's not a broad topic. "So, what are you studying?" he asks, tone belying his somewhat cheeky attitude. "Hopefully nothing I'd have to beat up and tell to go away."

"Sounds positively intriguing..." comments Wyn against Alain's collarbone, tone a soft one although her eyes are interested and bright. "Really, you'll have to let me read a copy of your treatise when you're done..." She trails off to consider an answer to Alain's query, grey eyes twinkling, although unseen by him. "Oh... well I do have to admit I've been doing some serious studying of anatomy lately," she drawls, pausing a beat before elaborating. "Dragon anatomy, that is. I've started my dragonhealer training now."

Alain's eyebrows raise at her admission, then he chuckles softly as she expounds on her studies. "Sounds fascinating--nothing at all to do with what I'm doing of course--dragons don't die--or if they do we don't find them, that's for sure." he adds, mussing. "And I'll be sure to let you read anything I write--little hearts drawn around your name and all." he adds with a faux sigh of repressed desire, and then a soft chuckle. "Say," he abruptly sits back, peering down at Wyn's face, "Where'd that big blue hill of yours go?"

Wyn retreats a little from her volubility at Alain's light comment on dragon deaths. "Oh, they die..." she says quietly. "And it's... horrible... when they do." She cuddles in a little closer to Alain, before dropping behind her facade enough to poke unpleasant memories back in their little drawer in her mind, and return to a light tone. "I'll be awaiting your missives on bated breath," she quips, before smiling a little and reaching up to tap him on the nose. "The big blue hill is named Vorkoroth, and he's waiting on the gather meadow. Too many flowerbeds in here for him to step on."

Alain wrinkles his nose as it's poked and nods, "I know, I know...there are so many of them I can't always remember their names...and maybe I'm a little jealous 'cause he stole my one true love." he adds melodramatically, pouting a bit and pattering his chest with one hand, like the fluttering of his heart. "You know--" he says, abruptly serious as he slips his hand around her shoulders, "--you really are the one girl I would have always loved...if I had just liked girls." Impish grin at that? To say the least.

Wyn smiles a little, almost a grin. It would be, if Wyn were anyone but Wyn. "Oh, I'm sure you two can work out an arrangement to share me," she muses with a twinkle in her eyes beforemoving back just enough that she can look Alain in the face, her hands on his shoulders. "Then I have to say I'm glad you prefer boys. It would be terribly unfair to you to fall madly in love with me, after all."

Alain chuckles at that and nods. Really, Wyn is the only person he ever smiles around--well, really smiles anyway. "At least you feel that way--most people seem to wish it was the other way around--boys and girls. I really don't see how so many first-turn-apprentice girls can be infatuated with one person. It's...unbalancing." He sighs and leans back on his hands, looking honestly befuddled and forlorn--and even a bit sad if one were to stare long enough at his face as to actually delve into the strange emotions...really, Alain does have the strangest mixes sometimes.

Wyn shrugs slightly, the gesture somewhat dismissive of herself. Wyn, after all, for all her Mindhealer training, doesn't care to analyse herself to others much. She shifts one hand from Alain's shoulders to cup his chin. "I'm a realist, as I've always been. Perhaps some day I might be able to love a person a little bit like I love Vorkoroth, but I'd have to change very much from me to do that. But most people aren't realists, I'm afraid, and young girls even less. I know I wasn't at fifteen." she sums up, before leaning moving forwards and resting her head lightly against Alain's.

Alain emits a very soft sigh and moves one hand to rub Wyn's arm in a comforting sort of way, closing his eyes and touching his forehead to Wyn's a moment, before placing a light kiss on her's. "I wouldn't change you, Wyn. Not for a thousand dragons and not for the end of Thread." He says so softly, peering seriously into her eyes as he does. "If you were like everyone else I really would think that life was hopeless...but...knowing you makes me--well--gives me hope that there could be someone, somewhere, just wierd enough to love me." He chuckles at that--obviously meaning it as some sort of a self-derisive joke, and shaking his head a little at it...but don't think for one second that he isn't serious--somehow."

"That's good," replies Wyn, attempting a flippant reply in her soft alto. "I wouldn't change me either." All this introspection, and her shell nowhere in sight. Rather disconcerting, although she's not made a move to draw back. Yet. Used to Alain's style of humour, her hand moves to cover one of his. "I don't think you'll need 'wierd', to love you, Alain." she counters simply. "If I was capable of loving you, it would be very easy for me to fall for you. As it is, I'm... fortunate to have you for a friend." A friend she's a little more friendly than with most... But still.

Alain blinks in a bit of surprise, his own troubles momentarily set aside as he seriously replies, "Wyn, you are capable of love, believe it or not. Even if you don't think so, or if you think you've forgotten or--" He shakes his head, trying to keep himself on track, "I mean...you are capable of it, I'm sure. 'Cause I've seen it in your face before. I mean it, too--and I know you don't believe me but...I'm sure some day--" his face adopts a little rueful grin, "--unfortunately you'll get stuck with it, too."

Wyn gives a little laugh. "Don't look so serious, Alain," she urges. "I know I'm capable of loving people. I love my family and my friends, I couldn't live without Vorkoroth. I'm not so deluded as to think I can't feel my own heart... But I made a choice turns ago that I wouldn't play the romance sort. And so far I haven't been moved to shift from it. Besides..." and here her expression turns just slightly wicked. "Flings are far more fun."

Alain eyes Wyn blankly as she talks, and then softly murmurs, "Yeah, well, I just wouldn't want you to miss it on my account." He chuckles as soon as the words are out, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly with his free hand, "I mean--not to sound like I think every woman in the world is in love with me...but my experiences lately haven't been giving me much hope for the female side of the race." He grimaces, "That's not what I meant either--I mean...I meant...I'm..." he trails off, looking perplexed.

Wyn eyes Alain for a long moment, finally laughing again as he breaks up into mild stammering. With a shake of her head, she lifts her face to his and kisses him, quickly but thoroughly. "You're cute when you're confused," she murmurs to him. "But don't worry about me. I can take care of myself, and I keep hanging around you because I want to, not because I'm swooning for you."

"Same thing." Alain mutters under his breath, but doesn't really bring it to her notice. "Thank you--I'll take that as a compliment...all of that. But you're my friend, so I do worry about you--" he breaks off, falling silent and staring thoughtfully at the ground for a long moment, before looking very annoyed and sniffing, "I don't remember what I was saying." he admits flatly, and shrugs, releasing his hold on Wyn and settling back a little, looking somewhat uncomfortable--and more uncomfortable, his expression slightly suspicious, with every moment.

Wyn shakes her head slightly, and lets Alain withdraw, drawing her legs up onto the bench and shedding her wherhide jacket, before wrapping her arms around her calves, resting her chin on her knees, and simply watching him with a serene grey gaze. "What's the matter?" she finally poses.

Alain blinks up at Wyn, looking almost as though he's surprised she's still there. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong. What do you mean?" he asks a bit too abruptly, though with some sincerity--almost in the same manner as a child caught with it's hand on the bubblie tray. "Uh...were...were you looking for me or something? Earlier I mean?"

Wyn shakes her head again in a mild and fond exasperation. "One of us has practice at keeping their emotions from their face. It isn't you. What's troubling you...? As a friend, not a former mindhealer." she qualifies, lifting her head but not uncurling herself. While waiting for a reply, she answers Alain's query with a nod and a "Yes, I rather was. I missed you and Ista and wanted to visit."

Alain shakes his head, holding up his hands defensively, "Nothing, really! Nothing's bothering me. I was just thinking is all." And everyone knows that thinking is a dangerous pastime, Lefou. Ahem. "So you came here just to see me? You must have had some reason?" he asks, suddenly sounding very healer-ish and raising one eyebrow, almost in the same voice as he would ask one when they had their last check-up.

"Well if you don't want to tell me, all you have to do is say so," notes Wyn, sounding as reasonable as ever. "I have no illusions of being able to charm you into speaking when you don't want to." That's Vorkoroth's gift. She continues to hug her calves, ignoring the Healer-ish tone as one she's heard and used many a time before. "I just gave you my reason, my dear Alain. I wanted to visit, and I had an afternoon off from drills and class. I wanted to see how you were, because that's apparently what friends do. Do you wish me to leave?"

Alain looks abashed at that and quickly shakes his head, "No! I don't want you to leave." he hastily assures her. "It's just...I'm..." pregnant? Insane? Turning into a watch-wher? Becoming a hermit? Hungry? Ahem. "Er..." He's er... Okay. "Wyn..." he tries to start over, and apparently fails at that. He sits sullenly silent for a moment, and ubruptly leans forward and presses his lips lightly to hers.

Just as well he doesn't want her leaving, because Wyn doesn't intend to go. "Er, an interesting state of being that," she comments, with a flicker of an eyebrow in her serene expression, an attempt at easing him out with humour from her seat. The kiss, though abrupt, is hardly unexpected by now, so she returns it and takes his hand in her smaller one. "Just say it," she encourages. "You know me, you know it's nearly impossible to shock, offend or otherwise upset me." Vulcan, remember.

Alain shakes his head, "I wasn't going to say anything." he insists, blinking down at his hands suddenly in hers. "Faranth, Wyn, I've got to get out of here. I think it's killing me. I mean--I love the teaching and I love what I do and everything, but...here..." he waves a hand around the garden. "It's like being stuck in a hole and the only way out of it is to claw my way out and my hands are numb--I know, I know, that doesn't make any sense, but I just can't stay here."

"On the contrary.

"On the contrary." murmurs Wyn, her free hand tracing lightly over the hand of Alain's that she's trapped. "It makes perfect sense... to me. I could have taken Healer training at Benden. But I needed to leave, before I ended up drowning in the atmosphere of the place." Her thumb traces the webbing between his fingers as she continues to speak, looking absently at the middle distance. "So why don't you transfer to another area?"

Alain nods at Wyn's explaination of it. "Yeah, something like that--I mean, my reasoning is a little different, I think...but...transfer?" He rolls the idea over in his mind for a bit. "I'd thought of it--but my training isn't really finished with Master Aerrin, yet...and since there's really no precedence for what I'm doing, I have to have as many Masters around as possible to complete it..." He trails off, shaking his head. "And...wouldn't it just be running? I mean, I've thought of that over and over--if I would just be running away, again...just from a different kind of bully."

Wyn shrugs, and continues to play with Alain's hand. "It was merely a suggestion," she notes, before turning her attention from the middle distance to his face, lifting an eyebrow and canting her head slightly. "But running...? It depends whether the bully in this case is one that can be dealt with. Or if you perhaps simply need a change of scenery. A vacation, if you will. You're Aerrin's apprentice. She's a herbalist. I'm sure you can find an excuse to take a delivery of this potion or that to some place unfamiliar for a sevenday or so..." She trails off to offer a little smile. "Or, I could kidnap you again."

Alain chuckles softly at her last suggestion, "Kidnapping sounds like an oddly attractive alternative." he admits, closing his fingers to capture Wyn's hand. "I don't know if this bully can be fought--I mean...how much can you fight yourself. But then...if that's the case I suppose it's not so possible to run from yourself, either. But...can..." he shakes his head frustratedly. "I think I need food." he admits, reaching around Wyn for his hide and quill, though he keeps his grip on her hand. "Wanna come with me?"

"Food sounds like a start on the problem..." muses Wyn, eyeing the capture of her hand with a mild speculation. She leans over and brushes a gentle kiss across Alain's lips as he collects his writing materials, and squeezes the hand holding hers. "I'll most definitely come along... and if food doesn't take your mind of matters, I may be forced to give you another backrub..."

The corner of Alain's mouth twitches and he shakes himself a little, "Just promise you won't kiss me like that any more unless you are planning on giving me a backrub." he replies, looking mildly amused as he shifts to his feet, dragging on Wyn's hand to get her to stand. "And we'll call it even, okay?" Or we'll call it something to do later.

Wyn laughs quietly as she's hauled to her feet. "Should I kiss you another way then?" she queries, expression far more innocent than any expression Wyn has a right to be wearing. "But you have my word that I'll kidnap you to my weyr for a full body rub if I continue to tease you." she promises, before taking control of the tugging, and leading them towards the path back to the Hold.

Alain hesitates a bit, dragging behind, "A full-body-rub? Faranth, for that I'd even let Vorkoroth talk to me again." And the expression on his face screams that he really really hopes he got her lifemate's name right.