Morning Aches (TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of s/h, substance abuse)

Breklynn swam into consciousness to the sound of splashing water and blinding sunlight: not a great combination when coming off of black out drunk. She groaned and pushed herself upright on one elbow, opening her eyes just a slit to see what all the fuss was about.

One of those giant dragons was flopping around in the water, causing all of the noise. The sun was to blame for the light, bloodied thing. She reached down and grabbed the cask of wine she'd seen nursing since yesterday; enough left for at least an hour, she reckoned, taking a large sip. From the angle of the sun it was close to midday... she was surprised she'd slept this long so close to the lake.

She sat upright after the moment of nausea had passed and blinked blearily at the scene in front of her. Her eyes had yet to focus, so the details were lost on her, and she planned on keeping her vision around there for the rest of the day. She took another drink while she absently brushed sand out of her hair and off her clothes. As one of the less useful members of the group, she didn't have many possessions, including clothing. This outfit had at least another two days of wear before she'd have to switch.

The river actually looked very appetizing, she thought, lurching to her feet. It took a moment for her to find her balance, and once she had she rewarded herself with another swig. Her progress was slow but she eventually made it to riverside, where she leaned down and splashed her face with the cold water. It was refreshing, and she felt cleaner. It also shocked a little bit of the alcohol out of her system, something she remedied right away. She took several drinks using her hands as a cup, not wanting to water down her alcohol.

Slowly she realized that she was being watched, and she turned to look at the rider of the loud dragon. She must look a state... hair askew, clothing stained and stinking with alcohol, eyes bloodshot and pained. Her uncovered arms and legs were covered in criss crosses of scars. Still she didn't look down, and even raised her head a bit defiantly. "Yah?" she said, pushing up to her feet. "Got something to say?"

((Tag to which ever one of you wants to deal with her hahaha)

Gaveth turned his head to regard whoever it was bothering them during a most enjoyable bath.

"If I had something to say, I would have said it," Sidran said, somewhat amused. "Can I help you with something?"

Breklynn growled in response, turning away and nursing her wine. The morning nausea was going away thanks to the early morning fix. But the bloody dragon kept making so much noise.

"You're incredibly loud," she said to Gaveth, giving him a slightly tipsy toast. It was both annoyed and admiring that he was capable of such volume in such a normally quiet task. She moved a bit so that the dragon was blocking more of the sun.

"Good at blocking the sun, too," she mumbled, burying her face in her arms and ready to let the alcohol lull her back to sleep.

Gaveth cocked his head slightly, parsing the meaning of the grumbles as his large eyes wheeled slowly. His wings spread to their full, dramatic length, blocking out the sun entirely.

It was not, perhaps, quite as frightening as it was when the cobalt was airborne and hunting, but he wasn't trying to be scary (Gaveth rarely tried to be 'scary'. He just naturally radiated ferocity. That did not entirely apply when he was splashing about in the water happily with his rider, but Sidran never pointed that out).

Good at blocking the sun, he said to his rider, amused and dismissive both. The sun highlighted the deep steel undertones of his hide, the membranes of his wings revealing the sheen that kept his hide firmly in the deepest, darkest blue rather than an unleavened black.

Sidran snorted softly at the path of his thoughts, though her interest snagged that he had replied with some humor rather than a snarl. "I assure you it is the least of his talents," she said, to the girl on the shore though she didn't turn to face her. She'd let the conversation end or continue, as the canyon woman chose.

"Thank you," she said, a sleepy smile crossing her face. "You're okay, big guy." Perhaps it was the fuzziness, or perhaps she was just hung over and already drunk again, but the dragon's size and appearance didn't frighten her. She felt an innate sense of safety... it was a pleasurable feeling. She generally was uneasy, to the point of panicking; however this dragon numbed that feeling more than any amount of drink or drugs did.

When Sidran addressed her she turned slightly to look at the other woman, propping herself up on her elbows. "Like fighting Thread, right?" she asked. It was a true question: aside from that she knew next to nothing about the great beasts that had joined them recently. She hadn't even joined the group the first night. She'd been passed out in someone's quarters at the time.

"Fighting, flying, and hunting," Sidran said easily, while Gaveth made a whuffing sound that wasn't quite a grumble. His ego had clearly been soothed by his rider's sensible observations. "He puts these wings to even better use than blocking the sun." She smiled brilliantly for a moment, her eyes on her partner.

Breklynn looked over at the pair, feeling a pang in her heart at the look between the two. "Fighting and flying," she said in a soft voice. "An' I guess he's always there for you, huh?" she asked, eyes a little sad.

Sidran heard something in that tone that made her consider her reply a moment before answering. "Depends on what you mean. We don't always agree, and he'd rather let me twist for a bit then follow along blindly. But when it's important - when it matters? Yes. He's my partner. Dragons are pretty incomparable that way."

She didn't ask if the younger woman was interested. The girl would continue the conversation or not, and she'd know soon enough from that.

"It must be nice," Breklynn said, a little too quickly and dismissively. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sun, telling herself the only reason her eyes were running was the brightness of it in them.

A partner though. She'd given up on the idea of that ever happening when she was a child. She was by herself, and she was better off that way.

"And he never hurts you?" The words were out of her mouth before she even knew they were forming in her mind. Thoroughly embarrassed now she sat up and brushed sand off her arms, face a bright red that had nothing to do with the drink she was enjoying. She took another long pull off it, hoping the woman hadn't heard her asinine question.

Sidran understood. Not the whole of it, but enough. While visibly busying herself examining underneath Gaveth's wing (his hide, of course, was flawless, but all the same), she returned as though carelessly, "He would destroy anyone who tried. Messily. With great enthusiasm."

Casual, though deeply true.

Those words caught her attention, and her head jerked in the pair's direction. Her eyes were still streaming, a combination of the light and the grains of sand in her eyes and maybe even some tears. No one had ever wanted to protect her, not as far back as she could remember. That's why she had retreated like she had.

"It must be nice," she said again, less dismissively this time. Her voice was sad, wistful, knowing that nothing that amazing would ever want someone as broken as her. She would never be that woman there, and even hoping for it, even for a moment, was a ridiculous thought.

"It is," she said simply. Sidran glanced over her shoulder briefly, taking in the girl's posture, and made a gamble. "Yllaveth's and his eggs will need candidates before long."

"I saw the eggs," she said, thinking back to the day they'd been laid. She'd been among the many interested in catching a glimpse of the new eggs. Afterwards was a blur, as were most of her days, but that moment was clear.

Breklynn was quiet for a long time, wondering if the words were just an observation or, unbelievably, an invitation. As much as she wanted to reach out at those words, she was afraid of being knocked back yet again. Like she had her entire life.

But maybe it was time to stop being afraid.

"Could I be a candidate?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. "Could I start over again?"

"It's not a guarantee - I waited a long time for Gaveth. But you can, yes." The slightest of pauses, but it had to be said. "As entirely your own self, fully present in your head. The dragon needs to hear you." There was no underselling how vulnerable that would make someone, so Sidran didn't bother. "Worth it?"

A faint question there, though she didn't turn fully to see how the girl reacted. Gaveth may have been paying attention, but his head was half underwater, so who could tell?

Breklynn didn't respond for a long time; she just stared out at the water. Her thoughts were racing, the foremost being that she might actually be useful. She had proven herself unworthy of the canyon dwellers. But perhaps she was worth something to these new riders.

She stood up slowly, her joints aching from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. After looking at the wine skin for a moment she let it slip from her fingers. It was almost empty, but she felt something stir inside her when she watched the liquid seep from it.

"It sounds like it's worth it," she said, facing Sidran fully. She had the pallor demeanor of an addict, the posture of someone who had given up, but there was a fire in her eyes that had never been there before.

Sidran met the younger woman's eyes for a moment, nodded, and thought she'd be very interested to see what happened with this canyon girl from the side of the river. She couldn't have said why she had any expectations at all, but there it was.