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Harper's Tale 2 - Wednesday, June 19, 2002, 6:22 PM
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Hold Infirmary and Healer Hall
With a faint smell of redwort, the room is astonishingly clean, even for an infirmary. Recently made tapestries cover the outer wall of the cavern, protecting the patients from the weather outside. Shelves line two of the walls, with healing supplies neatly placed on the labeled slots. Cabinets are above them, where herbs and medicines are stored, a few with locks that only masters have access to. Cots line the remaining wall, with sheets that can be pulled around the bed for privacy or surgery. Glows are fastened everywhere, giving this room an intense brightness.
You see Master Maladi, Melanie, Infirmary Cabinet, and Sign - List of Cabinet Contents here.
You notice 4 people asleep here.
Kurt, Jathen, Aerrin, and Sudanna are here.
Obvious exits:
Healer Passage

Aerrin shakes her head, bending closer to Kurt in an effort at some privacy in the crowded infirmary. "I left him with the nannies.. I had so much work to do, I didn't.. shards, Kurt, what /happened/?" she questions softly before eyes flash upward toward Jathen, and she straightens. "Jathen. I'll have a word with you in a moment, please." If her tone is anything to judge by, it's not to thank him as pleasantly as Kurt has.

Layla blinks in from ::between::!

Kurt starts to chide the couple nearby "You two really need to stop being so uptight." he says, starting to continue, but at Aerrin's words his eyes widen with panic and he tries to sit bolt upright, letting out a cringe and a held back cry. He claws at the blankets to throw them aside. "No, no no, we have to go get him!" obviously he's still a little freaked out himself.

Sudanna hadn't said a word, past concern for her missing husband. And how dare that harper dare call /her/ uptight when he is so obviously over that edge hinself? "I'll be here as well, Aerrin. I hope that's acceptable to you?" At Kurt's outburst she sighs.

My, what an intriguing scene for Morallen to walk in on. His sister would no doubt be in her element. The lanky senior apprentice, however, seems far more inclined to steer his tray full of freshly measured, filled and labeled herb jars over to the cabinets without incident, settling on a quiet countertop to put them all away and casting an intensely curious gaze over at the gaggle of senior Healers.

Jathen just stays quiet, not saying a word and sighs along with his wife. He looks over at her in a silent plea for sympathy and then rolls his eyes. Why, oh why him! There's no way he's going to talk with Aerrin. No way, no how...

"No, that's not acceptable.. I want to speak to Jathen," Aerrin begins before Kurt's sudden fit grabs her attention, and her hide is dropped as she raises a soothing hand to his forehead. "It's all right.. he's safe, I saw him not an hour ago..." She reaches for the blankets, pulling them snugly back up around Kurt. "I'll go get him, all right. Get some rest."

Kurt frowns, nodding. "Go get him...don't leave him by himself. Please..." he says, clinging to her hand. But he won't tell anyone /why/. "Maybe you two should stay at your parents..."

Sudanna says, "Dear?" Obviously speaking to Jathen. "Do you need anything? I know you don't care to leave a patient when they are so obviously in need of your care." Jathen is a mindhealer after all, and that is what appears to be needed at the moment. "Does anyone want anything?"

Kurt frowns. "You know what? If this is how you two are going to act, then go about your business. Faranth forbid that you be held back by something so trivial as your duties as a healer. I'm sick of all this. You guys want to fight, fight. I'm going back to our room."

Jathen goes home.

"No you're /not/," Aerrin replies swiftly, one hand pressing firmly, but lightly, against his chest. "I'll get Kurrin. /Rest/."

Morallen is just going to keep quietly working until called upon. Best way to avoid getting chased out. Fresh willowsalic behind the old jar, numbweed pots all in a row... He steps back and dusts his hands, surveying the neat array with a touch of anal-retentiveness generally kept hidden, before looking for some other useless chore to do while eavesdropping.

Sudanna says, "I'm here Aerrin, Kurt isn't going to go anywhere." She may be small, but she wrangles 3 children and Jathen on a daily basis, Kurt won't give her any trouble. "I'll wait 'til you get back."

Aerrin stands, sweeping her hide into her hands. Her eyes catch Morallen - when did /he/ come in? - and linger there for a moment. "Morallen?" she questions, already heading for the door. "Don't let Kurt leave, hmm?" And that's an order, apprentice. She smiles faintly, giving Sudanna a slight, barely perceptable nod before she strides out the door in search of Kurrin.

Kedei has connected.
Kedei goes home.

Aerrin has disconnected.

Kurt sighs. "I'm fine. I'm not that badly hurt. Can't I just go up to my room? I have work to do, and I'd like to see my son."

Sudanna says, "I believe Aerrin said she was bringing him here, Kurt. I suggest you wait for them here." A pause and she turns to Morallen as well. "Since Master Aerrin gave you a direct order, I suggest you follow it and keep the master harper here. I am returning to see to my husband. I hope you heal quickly Kurt.""

Sudanna walks to the Healer Passage.

Morallen uncoils himself from the counter to give Aerrin a blink and an "Aye, ma'am," before crossing the infirmary to settle himself in a sprawling sitting position on the cot opposite Kurt. "Well, much as I might sympathize sir," he allows laconically. "I /did/ get a direct order from two of my superiors. So if you try to leave, I'll have to stop you. Can I get you anything?"

Kurt snorts "Master Aerrin is my wife. I can counter her orders." oh /yeah /right//. "No. I don't want anything...why did I have to be brought /here/ and not Grinstead or Smith? I'm not quite sure where I went wrong with those two. The man tries to strangle me and suddenly /I'm/ the bad guy. Does that make sense to you?" he shifts his shoulders, wincing a bit as the deep bruise on his back starts to ache. "How would you stop me, anyway? Throw fellis at me?"

"Not to me you can't, sir," counters Morallen with a serene calm he shares with his sister. "In fact, if two ranking Healers say you're to stay in the Infirmary, not even your MasterHarper Oriana can get you out." he reveals, knowledgeable about rules and loopholes after his turns spent in Fort Hold's subtly political atmosphere. "But if you tried to leave... well, pardon my pointing out the fact, Master Harper, but you're small enough that I figure I could pick you up and carry you back."

Kurt huffs "You do and I'll just get up and walk out again." even theoretically.

Morallen gives a casual smirk of a grin, resting his elbows on his knees and regarding the little Harper with a frank hazel gaze. "Then I'll just have to repeat to procedure. One of us is still getting over the effects of a sound beating. And it isn't me."

Kurt frowns. "With an attitude like that we can change that real fast." he threatens. "Help me up. I'm escaping." he wriggles a little, trying to convince his body to sit /up/.

"No." replies Morallen. "I'm not going to help you up, or aid your escape in any way. I'm under orders, and I'm following them. 23 is too old to start fresh in another Craft, thanks." That ultimatum delivered, he stands and leans against the wall by the head of Kurt's cot. "And you need rest, not escape."

Kurt sighs. "That's a matter of perspective." he mutters. "Can I at least have a cup of tea?" he strategically requests tea, knowing that preparing it requires moving to the other side of the room. Bwaha.

Morallen eyes Kurt suspiciously for a long moment, and then slowly begins to move off, keeping an eye on the Harper and keeping up the conversation. "Tea. I can do that... I'll fix you a nice, soothing chamomile blend. Say," he poses, fishing around for something to ask. "You look like you're a fairly common sight in an Infirmary... ever had any experience with physical therapy? My specialty, you see..." He trails off, knowing that a reply means speaking, and that speaking means he can see whether the voice is getting farther away or not.

Kurt replies with a simple "no." before struggling to sit up. He realises that he's only wearing the standard gown other than his bandages, and tries to hold it shut in the back, leaning one hand on the bed for support as he tests his weight on the leg with the bad bruise. He lets out a quiet squeak, starting to inch along the bed, very very slowly.

Morallen has set the tea to steeping, and turns around just in time to see a Kurt out of bed. Oh bad, bad thing. Morallen may /look/ like a beach bum, but he takes his Craft quite seriously. He pads over towards Kurt and stands squarely in his path, glancing down at the Harper from a 10 inch height advantage, and crossing his arms. "Just what do you think you're doing, sir?" is inquired.

Kurt finds himself looking at someone's chest. He then lifts his head to look up...and up...and up at the apprentice. "Just...practicing?" he ventures. "I thought I dropped something..."

"Lie down." orders Morallen, not moving, in a tone just a little better than one might use on a misbehaving pet. "If you've dropped something, you call /me/, your friendly senior-apprentice-slash-drudge to go and pick it up for you." He inclines his head and perks an eyebrow. "Don't tell me I have to tuck you in."

Kurt gulps and backs toward the bed. "Right..."

"There, now was that so hard?" inquires Morallen with a return of the affable smirk, now that the Harper is being reasonable. He lopes easily across the floor to retrieve the steeped tea, and extends it Kurt-wards. "There. Good chamomile tea, in a blend with some other soothing herbs. One of your wife's mixes, I think," he offers.

Kurt nods, reaching for the tea once he arranges himself in the bed. "Yes." he mumbles, taking the drink and sipping from it carefully. "Aerrin makes good tea. Even for tea."

Morallen nods, and folds himself back onto the cot next door again. That particular blend containing a mild sedative, he's going to hang about and be social until Kurt's drowsy enough to be sufficiently immobilized. "Never had occasion to try any of her work myself," he allows. "But I've yet to see an unhappy patient about it." No... they get unhappy about other things. "So... what happened to you, anyways? I had the shift off when you came in, and all I've heard are the damndest rumours."

Kurt looks up at Morallen, shrugging just slightly. "I don't want to talk about it..." he states quietly. "I'm sure enough rumors are flying."

Jueann walks in from the Healer Passage.

Jueann is shown in by a healer apprentice. Quietly she thanks the young man as she moves into the infirmary, not waking anyone if they are asleep.

Morallen gives a little nod and a shrug. Ah well, he'll just have to go make a few contacts within the Harper apprentices. "Certainly, sir," he accedes, before footsteps catch his attention and the senior apprentice turns with a "Visiting hours are... Oh. Master Jueann of Harper? You are welcome here, but be advised that Master Kurt is under orders to rest."

Kurt is sipping from a mug of tea, a bit disgruntled to be stuck here. He looks up and feels his heart stick in his throat as Jueann enters. "Oh shards.." he mumbles inaudibly to himself. He's done for now.

Jueann raises an eyebrow, as she nods to Morallen. "Well, I should hope I'm welcome to come here." Turning to Kurt, "And just when were you going to tell me about the spot of trouble you gotten yourself into this time?"

Morallen fixes Kurt with a little smile, and then turns to walk over and busy himself with organizing the herb cabinets again, letting the two Harpers have some privacy. It's really only an illusion, the air of leaving the little Master to his fate.

Kurt tries to look as innocent as possible. "Trouble?" he asks as if oblivious to anything that's happened. "How are you, Master Jueann?"

Jueann glares at Kurt, "Don't "How are you Master" me, young man. I watched you come through the ranks. Care to tell me just what in the Dawn Sisters is going on? Why did you think you could beat Bitrans at their own game?"

Kurt blinks, gulping.  Jueann must be miffed at him to call him 'young man'. "Umm...well...they started it." he declares. "They started it by cheating an old man out of his money. So I merely won his money back with enough left over to buy drinks for everyone. They deserved it!"

How interesting. The faint clink of one herb jar against the other is all the sound that can be heard from Morallen's corner of the infirmary, the senior apprentice eavesdropping like mad.

Landon blinks in from ::between::!

Jueann frowns, "I see, and you took it upon yourself to play guard, harper and Lord Holder and teach them a lesson?"

Kurt averts his eyes. "Well no...I was just...beating them at their own game. An old man was cheated, I won his money back. Everyone was happy. How was I supposed to know they'd be smart enough to figure it out three days later?"

Jueann sighs, "They are Bitrans. Some of them don't like being played for a wherry. Did you think? No, you didn't. Shards Kurt! You're a master. You're not some green-eyed apprentice fresh to the Hall. If wasn't for Liesana, you and Kedei could've been killed."

Kurt frowns, not wanting to look at her. "I didn't tell Kedei to follow me! And besides...wouldn't you have done the same thing?"

Jueann sighs shaking her head, "I don't play with people I don't know. if I saw they were cheating someone, I would've called in the guard or Andron. And if someone came after me, I wouldn't fight, I would run for my life or faint."

Kurt shrugs "That's the difference between you and me, I guess. I wanted to do something about it. I wasn't going to sit by and let them cheat an old man. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble. I didn't mean it."

Jueann says, "Kurt! What am I going to do with you?" she shakes her head again. "Honestly, I think we should rename you Trouble. it seems to follow you everywhere." Finding a seat by his bed, "Well, there's only one thing I can do about you."

Kurt would sit upright if he could, but instead turns his head to look at Jueann with wide eyes, all the worst phrases she could use running through his head at once. "D-d-do with me?" he asks, not relaxing one bit. "What do you mean?"

Morallen glances up from his folding of towels as Kurt begins to look distressed. His mouth opens to form a Healerish protest about upsetting his patient, but then snaps shut as he deigns to wait and see a little longer.

Jueann glares at Kurt, "You get to dictate the whole sorry affair in all its gory details to an harper apprentice. Word by word, not leaving out anything. Then after I read this report, be prepared for questions on items you missed."

Kurt groans miserably. "But Master Jueann..." he complains, his voice carrying the slightest bit of a whine to it. "It's over. I don't want to discuss it."

Jueann glares at Kurt, "it's not over with. Do you know the amount of paperwork you caused me? I think it's only fair that I spread it out to those involved. don't you?"

Kurt shakes his head. "No. How do you figure I caused you paperwork?"

Jueann roll her eyes, "I have to report to Oriana on the details. If they are still out there, then we need to know how they operate, who's all involved, why are they doing this, is there anyone else being cheated, Liesana killed one of them. Will they be coming back to wreck havoc on Ista? On the harper craft? Do I need to go on?'

Kurt shrugs "I don't know how they operate!" then he gasps. "Liesana /killed/ one? Oh Faranth..." he starts to get out of bed again, albeit slowly. "I'm going back to the hall. I don't think that they're going to be back any time soon but still..."

"Lie down." orders Morallen in a sharp tenor. "Master Jueann, I realize you have business to conduct, but you're upsetting my patient. If he can't calm down, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave..." Urk.

Jueann glares at Kurt, "Well, until you do, I'm going to send in an apprentice and you are going to dictate your report, and when I'm satisfied with it, you should be healed enough to resume your duties." Turning to the healer, the normally quiet, shy, confused harper master, looks up, "And no help from the peanut gallery."

Kurt looks at Morallen, then up at Jueann, sighing. "Yes Master Jueann..." he lays back down, gritting his teeth as the movement involves moving his shoulder, causing the huge knot between his shoulderblades to send shooting pains through him. "I don't know that there's much to tell..."

Morallen snorts at Jueann, secure in the knowledge that, with two direct orders to keep an eye on Kurt, he's in the right. But Kurt's calmed down, and is lying down again, so the senior apprentice decides not to test his nebulous authority after all.

Jueann stands and smiles at the healer, "I'll look forward to seeing that report. And Kurt..."

Kurt looks slightly defeated, looking up at Jueann "Yes...?"

There's a disappointed sadness in the craftmaster's eyes as she looks down at her favorite former mentee, "Remember no good deed goes unpunished. I'm glad you are still alive to write that report. And you would have been missed if anything had happened to you. If only by me."

Kurt nods, looking down as he plays with his gold braid. "Thanks...but you do realize that I didn't intend for this to happen? I was only doing the right thing..."

Jueann sighs, "Kurt, Kurt, what am I going to do with you?" She stands, "I know. You take care of yourself.  Look for that apprentice in a few days."

Kurt bites his lower lip. Nope, the Harper Master isn't going to cry. "Yes Master Jueann..."

If Kurt cries, so will this craftmaster. With a sigh, she heads out with a nod to the healer apprentice.

Judithe blinks in from ::between::!
Jueann walks to the Healer Passage.

Morallen nods back to Jueann gravely, and then returns to his post by Kurt's bedside, an inventory scroll to occupy him while he permits the Harper Master mental, if not physical privacy.

Kurt sighs, letting his head rest back on the pillow as he turns to look away from the healer. He sniffles, looking up at the corner of the infirmary, wondering if they get spinners in here. He feels oddly sad that he disappointed Jueann, not to mention his other friends.

"You know," allows Morallen, although he doesn't look over at Kurt. "I remember one time when doing what I felt was right landed me in a sharding load of trouble." Morallen is only three turns younger than the Harper Master, after all. He doesn't elaborate, though, just letting the comment hang in the air as a touch of empathy.

Kurt nods and clamps his eyes shut to hold back the tears that insist on forming. "I have a tendency to find trouble more often than I'd like. Could I have some numbweed please?" note he didn't ask him to apply it, he just wants it. This Harper hates people seeing his back, not that he even has a chance of reaching it.

"Perhaps you ought to tell it you're no longer at your residence," quips Morallen with a bit of black humour as he stands to fetch some of the salve. "Your back again?" he queries as he returns, having read Kurt's medical record for this latest incident.

Kurt nods. "Faranth knows I've tried." he says, nodding. "Yeah...my back..."

Morallen dips his hand into redwort oil before uncapping the numbweed pot. "Right then. Turn over and I'll apply it to you, then." he notes calmly, already apprised in Healer-ish handwriting that 'Patient seems to be sensitive about exposing back.' He makes no move until he's heard either a yea or a nay from the Harper, though. Healing can be rather personally invasive, at times, and Morallen always prefers to spare patients what dignity he can.

Kurt opts to reach an arm out for assistance in sitting up and leaning forward. "Right. Are you sure I can't go up to my room and have someone come up /there/?" he holds his long hair to the side, keeping his eyes closed as if preventing Morallen from seeing. Like that would ever work, but he can try.

"When your wife says that you can, then I can let you," intones Morallen in a calmly pedantic tone, scooping up a good handful of numbweed and moving around to apply it. "Shards..." he whistles softly, spotting the scars and slightly taken aback. "Trouble /does/ follow you, doesn't it." Swiftly he works, and soon the offending contusion is slathered with a thick layer of the nubweed salve. Rallen moves back around and washes his hands off at a small basin off to one side, commenting "I'll need you to stay either sitting or lying on your stomach until the numbweed has had a chance to properly absorb."

Kurt nods, sitting up even though it causes his belly to ache from where the man had firmly planted his boot. He's lucky to have escaped internal bleeding. "It does..." he says, clamping his eyes shut tighter in embarassment. "How long will that take?"

Morallen dries his hands on a towel, and hands it off to one of the newer apprentices before returning to sit on the edge of the cot he's preempted. "Mm, not long. About two or three minutes or so. So, Kurrin's your litte guy, eh?" If one is a Healer apprentice and one has met Aerrin, odds are good that the little Kurtling has also been met.

Kurt nods, smirking "Yeah...he's almost two turns old...unbelievable. They certainly grow up quickly. I was terrified that something would happen to him or Aerrin."

Morallen gives a nod. "Aye, I hear you on that," he agrees. "No experience with fatherhood m'self, of course, but my youngest sisters are 7 now... seems like only yesterday they were trying to eat my nose." With the mild remnisce, the Healer's polished Fortian tones slip a little into the warmer sounds of a Bendenite, his old home. "I don't think you need to worry too much about Master Aerrin and your son," he assures. "For one thing, you're to be convalescing, so no worrying allowed. For another, men like the ones that came after you are cowards, really. One strike, and then run off like a slapped canine."

Kurt nods, laying back on the bed, tired from sitting up and figuring the required few minutes have passed. Drowsy from the tea, he tries to keep his eyes open. "I know...but I can't help but worry. If they're such cowards...they'd have no trouble going after a woman and a toddler..." but his worries can wait, for now he's drifted off to sleep.

Morallen watches the Harper subside into sleep with a return of his grin, although the smirking quality is in abeyance. The tall healer leans over to settle the covers over his patient, before strolling over and passing the torch on to the next apprentice on Infirmary duty, and ambling off and out to the main Hall and some food.