Only a Flesh Wound

[Judah Lesan]

The time had come for war to begin again. Too many people were feeling the itch to do battle again as the events of the galaxy had finally been forgotten, mostly, and people began to settle into their routines once again. For Graad this meant credits would begin to flow again. Since the rapture had taken place, most of the galaxy had spent their time trying to find out what happened to those who had been lost, but as best minds could only produce theories, people looked to their leaders once more to make things stable again. For a man who makes a living off war, Graad was happy to see disputes arise once more in the galaxy.

Most of the work which came was not the result of all out war, but rumors were circulating it would be coming to the galaxy again, and soon. Graad found himself with a group of other Mando’ade form the one world he had never really set foot on, at least not to memory. Mandalore was where his family from generations past had come from, but Graad had never ventured to see the world. The way these verde described it though, he knew he would have to see the cities and sights of this world.

He lay in the mud, the one warrior unaccounted for. His job was to remain still, wait for the enemy to pass over him, and when all were gathered together quickly rise and take them out from behind. The trap was a simple one, and usually the simple traps were the ones most people fell for. Whatever got the job done. If only the intel on how well armed this army they were fighting had been accurate, or the fact they had a force user fighting with them. The blaster bolt which had been fired at them was quickly redirected to Graad’s buy’ce, knocking it off.

Falling to the ground quickly, his head hit a rock, fortunately not anywhere critical, but left a nice gash on the side of his forehead. The verd quickly quit moving and played dead to avoid getting run through with the crimson blade that dispatched some of the other verde he was with. As the battle was drawing to a close, it was clear victory was not the goal, but rather survival. Fortunately someone had managed to call for backup and a medical shuttle to collect the wounded.

Graad’s vision was beginning to fail as he was starting to blackout. Eyes drew to a close, but he remembered hearing the sounds of heavy blaster fire from the corvettes which flew overhead. He also saw the medical shuttle landing just before losing his site completely. When he woke, if he woke, it would be on the medical frigate the Mando’ade had sent to retrieve their wounded.

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Briika had missed the rush of swooping down onto the battlefield, arriving on one of the MAAT's that had been converted by MandalMedical to a dedicated medevac shuttle for the Mandalorian Medical Corps, which was part of the faction's said navy. Now again the baar'ur was back in the thick of things; Bree's self-imposed mourning period over with, well mostly. How could she just be done with her riduurok with [member="Kable Detta"] like that, though it had not been just that. He had been absent for a long time without word. No one knew of his status, not even his own vod'ika, [member="Nolan Detta"].

Her cyare riduur, as so many other vode, had disappeared without a trace during the event that the galaxy referred to as the rapture. No matter what, Briika would always love the dark-haired Detta brother that had captured her heart and soul… Though in order for the blonde Mando'ad to move on, she had to let go; bringing closure to all the pain and deepest sorrow that threatened to drown her whole each and everyday. Bree needed to not only do it for herself, but for their surviving ad, Mesh'la. Her Kad'ika's name of course would always be said with great affection along with their infant son's, and her older brother's when reciting the daily remembrances for those that had marched on, or who simply were gone.

"Thirty seconds to touchdown… LZ is still bit hot. Watch yourselves, vode," the medevac pilot keyed over the comm as he banked hard to port, then brought them down fast.

"Go, go, go!"

The medical team bailed quickly. Briika jumped down off the MAAT's deck in her full silver besker'gam and a medkit along with her "Kath Hound" shotgun at the ready. She was a verd first, baar'ur second on the battlefield. Immediately calls with locations came in for medical aid.

Briika went to the patient nearest her. The rugged looking man was unconscious with a nice jagged lac to his forehead, but didn't seem to have any life threatening injuries upon exam though for suffering a concussion. "Di'kut ver'verd must of not had his buy'ce secured," she mused to herself shaking her head as the wound was dressed. There was mud and tiny granite particles in it that would have to be cleaned out before putting synthflesh on it, but that would be done back on the medical frigate in orbit.

---

The blue-eyed baar'ur walked into the medbay's observation unit where the injured ver'verd she'd tended to in the field was said to be regaining consciousness; her long golden blonde tresses plaited back. Bree offered a soft smile as the man slowly fluttered open his dark chocolate eyes. Yeah, he'd live.

"Welcome back, ner vod… You took a pretty good hit to that hard head of yours. Can you tell me your name?"

[member="Graad Hokan"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Eyelids fluttered open, and Graad's vision was blurry for a bit. He heard the voice of a female, and felt the pain of a pounding headache. The question took a while to get from his ears to his brain, but he nodded slowly as he tried to sit up. Nope, that wasn't gonna happen. He was still too disoriented.

"Graad... name is Graad."

Vision started to come back into focus, and what melded from the blur was a very pretty blonde woman. The insignia on her uniform indicated Madalorian something or other, so he knew better than to tell he what he thought about that. If she was giving him his care, he'd want to survive the treatment with as little pain as possible.

"Where am I? Last I remember some Sith did this mumbo jumbo thing and knocked my buy'ce off... And why does my head hurt?"

His orientation was coming back to him bit by bit. As soon as he felt he had all his faculties together again, he'd make another attempt at sitting up more. Graad was a proud Mando'ad and hated to be on his back for too long. It was the farmer in him too. It was fine to be idle for short periods, but there was always work to be done.

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

"You are on the Mandalorian Navy's medical frigate headed back to Manda'yaim."

Briika put her small hand upon the merc's rather thickly muscled chest to stay his efforts as he tried to sit up on the medical bed.

"Here let me help you… " Bree said, then pushed a button on the bed's control panel to raise the head of the bed. "You're going to have to take it easy for the next twenty-four hours. It seems you cracked your skull on a rock during play time with the Sith. I grabbed your fallen buy'ce from the battlefield for you. Might try to wear it more securely next time... You have a concussion and will have to be monitored to make sure there are no further complications. Can I get you anything other than something for that headache of yours?" the blonde baar'ur asked, then added while arming a hypospray to deliver the pain killer.

"I'm Briika by the way. You are a ver'verd, elek? Where do you hail from?"

[member="Graad Hokan"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Of course there was a button to raise the bed. Graad just relaxed. There was no sense in fighting the orders of the one giving his fractured skull the mend. He blinked at the news they were going to Manda'yaim. There was an attempt to shake his head as he didn't live there. He wanted to go there, so didn't object. As long as he was home for harvest he would be okay to stay away.

"Briika..." he tried the name... a good name, shield. Her buire had named her well. "Concord Dawn, I have a modest homestead where I live as a vhett. Being a ver'verd is what keeps the credits coming. I keep the home for sentimental reasons I guess. What if you? Are you from Manda'yaim?"

It was all he would volunteer. The verd was not one to divulge his personal story just because of a pretty face, and a gentle touch. Graad had never married, so the ways of a woman, especially of the Mando'ade, were not something that made the hardened man weak at the knees. Mercenaries always saw their careers end with death, and he would not rob any alliit of what he had been robbed when he was only fourteen.

"I am hungry. Anything with meat, if the medication doesn't make me vomit."

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Briika delivered the hypospray to the side of the merc's rather solid neck, then made a note of it in Graad's datachart that was housed on the end of the bed.

"Ah… I should have guessed you were from Concord Dawn because of your accent," Bree expressed, then poured some water into a cup from a pitcher on his bedside table for him, adding a straw.

"And elek… Born and raised in the north country, though I live in Keldabe now as I serve as a baar'ur with the Mandalorian Medical Corps. Hence why we have met here this day. I hope to never see you again under these circumstances. It's a bad habit to get into," she winked, pulling out an emesis basin from a cabinet in the room and handing it to the Concordian, then made to leave, stopping in the doorway.

"Keep the water down and I'll see that you get some Gi dumpling soup later. We should be in Mandalore space by morning. Get some rest. I wish you well, [member="Graad Hokan"]," the blonde smiled again easily, then was gone.

 

[Judah Lesan]

"I'm not the one with the accent, vod," he said attempting a grin.

North country to the city, so the pretty blonde was a country girl. That was nice, he might be able actually carry a conversation with her about more than just killing people. Being from the north country, she likely knew what it meant to work land. In fact, he could have sworn there was evidence on her hands of a hard working woman. Her bedside manner was nice as well, and her smile warm. For a very that didn't go weak at the knees over women, Briika was certainly one that might be able to get bragging rights in that area if her personality was the same when she wasn't around patients.

He smiled at the comment of soup, and stomach rumbled. Fortunately he had kept the water down, and Briika kept good on her word about the soup. Graad had two bowl fulls by the time he finally drifted off to sleep. He knew with a concussion sleep wasn't exactly safe, but Graad needed it. The nurses and medical team would be keeping their eye on him, so he let sleep take him.

When he woke, the ship was landing on Mada'yaim. Graad tried getting out, but he had been stopped at the door by the attending nurse. Apparently he couldn't leave without his release orders. He rolled his eyes at the red tape even on a ship. The merc felt fine and just wanted to see the city.

"Briika, go find Briika, she was the one who was giving me my care yesterday."

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Briika was just heading out of the quarters she usually stayed in while serving on the medical frigate with her gear slung over her armored shoulder when the baar'ur received a page from the nursing staff. The blonde Mando'ad took the turbolift to the deck where the Observation Unit was located as it seemed a certain patient was chomping at the bit to be discharged. [member="Graad Hokan"] seemingly wasn't a patient man, but who could blame the Concordian. The ver'verd didn't appear to be the lounging around type, more an action seeker. Well Keldabe would be full of life so the vhett would have lots of things to choose from to occupy the vod's time while visiting Manda'yaim for the first time.

"Su cuy'gar, Graad," Bree greeted with a smile as she set down her gear and grabbed his patient data chart; buy'ce clipped to the utility belt slung low on her shapely hips despite being in beskar'gam. After perusing over it, blue eyes lifted to meet his brown. "Seems you were a good boy for the night shift. Your assessment this morning was unremarkable except for the continued complaint of a mild headache. That is to be expected, though at any time it worsens, or experience blurred vision, dizziness, nausea with it you need to seek medical attention immediately. Otherwise just take it easy for the next couple of days and no alcohol. You should be rechecked in three days at the clinic to make sure everything is a-okay before taking off, or sooner need be," she nodded, then signed off on the discharge orders. Course knowing the nature of Mando'ade, the vod would mostly go against medical advice.

"Well you are free to leave the ship and mosey on into our lovely capital city… I can give you a lift into downtown Keldabe, if you'd like. No use paying for a taxi ride from the spaceport when I'm going that way."

 

[Judah Lesan]

"Wow," he said quickly catching his tongue as Briika walked into the room.

Thank Manda'lor for beskar'gam, because it showed off a woman's figure. Naturally the culture defined beauty in other ways, but Mando'ade males still knew a pretty woman when they saw one. It likely didn't matter what he thought anyway. With Briika's age, she was likely sealed up in a riduurok anyway. While Graad had never taken the riduurok himself, he still new when a woman was pretty. He couldn't stay quiet for long other wise it would be obvious, if it wasn't already, his opinion of her features.

"Nice blasters... If you can shoot them as well as you treat a patient then I better remeber to stay on your good side."

Graad grinned. A night's rest had made him feel a bit more his normal self, and besides the mild headache, he was very much himself.

"A model patient in fact," he added to her comment. "Can't get back to work if don't follow the doctors orders, and force knows I need the credits. Last season had a pretty bad drought and lost half my crops. A man can't live when he only gets paid at harvest and only gets fifty percent of what he planted. Two months until harvest, until then I have to earn my living some other way, and I've been a gun for hire a while now."

Somewhere in there he nodded about the ride and followed Briika to her speeder, as soon as he had his gear with him. The Mando'ad had his Beskar'gam back on, and his buy'ce clipped to his belt. It was nice of her to be so kind to him. It was rare anyone was kind like this. Maybe that's why he seemed to come out of shell a bit. Kindness always had a way of disarming people.

"Any chance you can take me by to collect my pay on our way? I really have no credits on my person, and kinda need some if I'm gonna find a room for the next couple of days."

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Men?!

Briika only had one blaster on her person… and an excellent markswoman she was too; better than both her buir and vode growing up hunting in the northern country. Any one messing with her wouldn't want to find out either.

---

"Oh I can totally understand about the ups and downs of living off the land. Been there, done that… " Bree replied, popping the trunk lid on her speeder, then placing her gear in the opened space and motioning for [member="Graad Hokan"] to do the same.

"Sure… The Oyu'baat would be the place to pick it up. That's where all the ver'verde and beroyae do their business. I'm sure they will have it at the bar for you," she nodded, then slipped into the driver's seat and placed her now unclipped buy'ce on the seat between them before gunning the engine.

"If you're looking for a place to stay, there are modest rooms above the tapcafe for rent by the day or week… or there is Miss Dee's at the edge of town where the single and not so single vode like to go. It's market day here too, so Chortav Meshurkaane will be full of venders selling their wares if are in need of anything."

 

[Judah Lesan]

"Miss Dee's as in...? Yeah no thanks. I'm not about to pay for that, even if I were desperate..."

That was probably not something to say, but it was true, and since Graad was used to being alone, he said what he thought of nothing at all, typically. That was the problem with most people actually. They were too busy trying to appease everyone that they never had opinions or convictions. Graad had both, and he wasn't ashamed to express them either. Like this one. If man couldn't earn his way to woman's bed, then he didn't belong there, and since she mentioned men who weren't single went there, if a man had a woman, he shouldn't be going to others for his kicks. Did it happen, sure, but not with Graad.

"I think I'll be fine with one of the rooms above the tapcafe."

Graad was quiet for a bit, never one for small talk. It wasn't that he wasn't nocemor friendly, he jus as quiet. His natural disposition was not an expressive one, except when in battle. He might as well try now. Looking over to the driver he smiled.

"I couldn't persuade you to give me the newcomers tour could I? Promise I'll be out of your hair if you want, unless your Riduur is expecting you home?"

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Well that was a good answer… At least [member="Graad Hokan"] had his morals and convictions, and stood on them. Bree didn't now why, but she filed that little bit of information in the back of her mind. They drove the rest of the way in silence. The ver'verd seemed to prefer it that way so Briika didn't push him to talk while she navigated the busy roadways that lead into the heart of Keldabe.

The capital city of Mandalore was located just north of the planet's equator, and was situated at the top of a flat hill made of granite at a bend in the Kelita River. The river bend nearly encircled the city entirely forming something of a natural moat around Keldabe that only widened as time went with a number of bridges constructed to pass over the Kelita allowing travelers to enter the city on foot or by land speeder. There was also a durable stone balustrade erected as a barrier between the city's outer edge and the sheer drop from the hill top into the fast-moving Kelita River below.

Keldabe was a densely packed city with its numerous buildings made from various materials that didn't make sense next to one another erected in close quarters. The city's layout defined conventional standards of town planning and was considered by some to be cramped and disorganized, which the north country girl did find to be fact.

"No... I am not expected," the blonde baar'ur replied truthfully with a tinge of sadness for her cyare had been taken by the rapture, nor was her vod'ika or the ade to greet her as they were all visiting the ba'buire up in Enerci through the end of the week. Briika was all by herself, which could be a good thing or bad. She was tired and the quiet time would allow her to rest, or not. Insomnia had been her enemy as of late resulting in her loneliness becoming more apparent.

"How about I give you a tour after we get you settled at the Oyu'baat. With the market in full swing, there will be lots to see and experience. Course you shouldn't push yourself so shortly after the concussion you received in battle, though you seem to be an jag so that point is mute," she quipped, then slowed the speeder down, turned onto a side street that took her to an alleyway where the speeder was parked behind the tapcafe, which was the oldest cantina on Manda'yaim.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Wow the city made no sense at all. Then again, Graad was used to navigating the countryside of Springs. The river was nice, fast, and he knew why the city had grown to be so large. He wondered if there were farms near by, close enough to the city to still be within the area to conduct business. He had been considering a move for some time now... the more he thought about it, the more pain keeping his families farmstead was causing. Graad was beginning to realize the farmstead was the one thing thing that timed him to his grief.

The guilty survivor also picked up the tone of grief in Briika's voice when she indicated she was not expected. This means one of two things, she had riduur that was not worth going home to, or never around, or she was widowed. Graad wouldn't have noticed it had he not known the feeling though. Briika did a good job hiding it and quickly came back with a humorous quip. He shouldn't really be going so fast paced? Well it was better than sleeping right now. He would be alone when he fell asleep, and the Mando'ad knew better than to just be so idle about the recovery from his concussion.

"An jag, that's me... though the tour is because if I hit a bed now, I'll sleep, and I know I shouldn't be sleeping randomly either."

They pulled up to the tapcafe, and there seemed to be a decent amount of patrons in the place. This was the place to get a drink it seemed, and paid. Graad recognized his contact, and made a deal with him on the pay, and extra fifteen percent was thrown in because of the bad intel on the force user. Then Graad made arrangements for the room. The room was simple, and was all Graad needed. He tossed his gear onto the bed in the center of the room, and smiled at the blonde.

"Let's see this market, and I promise that if you tell me I need to come back here and rest then I will, but at least let me enjoy being around people for a while. I'm alone more than not, so the market sounds like the place to be."

Yes he could admit that he was a lonely person, because he had heard it in [member="Briika Detta"]'s voice. A lonely soul recognized another when they were near, and Graad had picked up on it. This didn't automatically make one the answer for the other, but certainly they could both have a temporary reprieve from the loneliness they felt.

"SO... since alcohol of any kind is out of the question, where to first?"

 

[Briika Munin]

The blonde stood just outside the open door to [member="Graad Hokan"]'s room as the merc put his belongings inside the basic accommodations. A faint smile came to her lips as a fond memory came to mind of Bree and her vod'ika sharing a studio one floor up after he'd joined the young baar'ur in the big city all those years ago. It almost seemed like a lifetime ago, but on the timeline of things it was yesterday. Today she still shared a yaim with him, but now they had ade of their own to share with. Well when they were all together.

"No you shouldn't, though if you need to rest or don't feel well do tell me. Being tough doesn't equate to being smart sometimes," Bree nodded with a soft knowing chuckle, then turned to walk back down the stairs to the main level of the tapcafe.

Briika lead them out onto Chortav Maeshurkaane where the market was held keeping her buy'ce clipped to her utility belt. There were venders lined up on either side of the main street with a path down the middle to walk as was along the sidewalk. She pointed out the sellers that sold decent goods at fair prices and those that were the opposite, then they came to a small hole in the wall cafe.

"If you are wanting just plain ol' good grub, Mirta's is the place to come, plus the caf is strong and always fresh, and if a goran is what you need, I know one that is very skilled," she smiled, always plugging her vod'ika.

The mouth watering aromas coming from the restaurant as the door swung open for another patron made Briika's stomach growl. "Smell that….Now that's what I mean. You by chance hungry? I could sure could use a bite to eat and some caffeine to fuel my engine. Growing up on my buire's homestead in Enerci, I got used to having a hearty breakfast to get me through a hard days work on the farm so morning meal is my favorite. How about you?"

 

[Judah Lesan]

"Don't worry Briika, I'm not a complete di'kit. I may have a hard head and a thick skull, but unfortunately I'm pretty good at surviving..."

Yes, he had used the word unfortunately on purpose. The verd still felt guilty his parents had died while he had proven immune to the plague which had ran across Concord Dawn. Just one mention of it, and Briika would likely know. By her appearance, she was old enough to have been alive then, though he also guessed she was younger than him by a few years. In fact his guess would have been the age difference was about what most Mando'ade riduuroke looked like. After all, they married young, or not at all. Graad was considered an old man among his people, and likely no longer considered a fine catch. Such was life, but he was not going to subject a family to the pain of loss he experienced.

The market was enjoyable. Graad stopped at a couple of the booths and looked at some of their supplies, then opted he would come back later after thinking about it. He was never one to make a spontaneous purchase. Some would consider him boring because of his methodical mind, but he was a strategic thinker, and so methodical was his norm. His eyes closed as the smells of breakfast came through the small cafe. Hole in the wall places were the best, so Graad nodded.

"A hearty breakfast to start the day, and a large dinner to replenish what was used during the day... you are a country girl," he smiled.

He liked that about Briika. It seemed as though they had an understanding of each other pretty quick, and Graad noted that Briika had the makings of a good friend. Graad needed a friend. Perhaps this goran she knew was as nice as her. Graad was also a little scared of Briika in a sense, because she also had the makings to be someone Graad could actually consider to be a good riduur. Funny how even at his age, he still thought about it on occasion. Yet, he was still as stoic as ever.

"Come on, let's eat our fill, and my treat for your kindness. I think I would have lived without your care, but you saved me a good week of a rotten recovery at least."

Graad was certainly not in a hurry to get rid of the company. Though he did ignore her question about his growing up on the farmstead. Those were memories he didn't want to bring up. She'd notice, but would she ask. Thus far the two seemed to ignore the obvious questions... why did they both seem hurt?

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Briika didn't know why she was being so friendly to the complete stranger… Well [member="Graad Hokan"] wasn't a complete one, but her duty to care for the injured mercenary had well passed and yet here she was being hospitable to the Concordian; giving him a tour of Mandalore's capital city and being entertainment to a proper degree. Was it the fear of being alone since her aliit wasn't there? Bree should have just dropped him off at the Oyu'baat and went on her way, but no now they were having a meal together and he was buying to pay Bree back for her kindness towards him! Gods, what was she getting herself into?!

The blonde baar'ur sat down in a booth, unclipping her buy'ce and setting it down not he bench seat next to her on the inside, then she flashed Graad a soft smile as she gazed over at him across from her while picking up the menu.

"You really can't go wrong with any of their skillet meals… Just depends on how hot you want it. The biscuits and gravy are good too, if you're looking to have it stick to your ribs all day," she offered with a slight smirking tug at the edge of her mouth.

When the waitress came by, Briika ordered a number three skillet, which was the middle range as far as spiciness went, and a cup of caf with cream.

"So when you're not being a ver'verd or vhett, what do you like to do for fun, to relax, Graad… Got any hobbies?"

 

[Judah Lesan]

Graad was a hard worker on the farm, and usually ate a large breakfast, a small lunch, and a large dinner. He looked at the menu and saw what came in a skillet meal, and smiled. It was full of protein, and the buscuits and gravy would stick to his ribs. He'd be sure to order both, and he did, his skillet meal at a four for heat. He liked it when his food kicked back. Graad retuned the smile and handed the menu to the server. They needed caf, so he asked for that too.

It was on to hobbies. If Graad hadn't known differently, he would think this was a date. Food, conversation, questions about hobbies, all first date things that one would expect. That's not what this was, was it? If it were, it was welcome, he guessed. Briika was kind, attractive, but he wasn't looking for anything serious.

"I like to fish the river by my farmstead. Some nights I'll sleep under the stars, or go hiking through the hills. My life is pretty simple, and my interests as simple as my life. I tend to stay busy though. It helps me to forget."

Graad grinned. She understood. Though they still ignored the obvious.

"What about you? You an outdoors girl, or has the big city afforded different hobbies?"

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Briika sipped on her caf as she listened thoughtfully to [member="Graad Hokan"] talk more about himself. They both seemed to have a fair amount of things in common, not the she was looking to pair up again. Just, it was nice to have some other male company that wasn't her vod'ika or buir. Bree used to do things with her riduur's vod too, but he'd become distant, off doing his own thing; dark in nature from what she'd last heard. Sigh… The rapture had changed so many lives.

"No I'm still very much a north country girl. I like to fly fish. Haven't done that in a while, though hunting is what I'm really good at. I'm quite a good tracker and shot, if I do say so myself," the blonde Mando'ad grinned all assured-like. "I also like to cook and yes, sew. It helps to keep my fingers nimble for stitching up verd, and also keeps my mind from wandering late at night when i can't sleep."

The waitress timed her arrival just right and placed their food before them.

"Haili cetare!" Briika smiled, then picked up her fork unabashed and dug into her skillet meal, though she still had a ladylike way about it.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Graad dug into his food. He started with the skillet and saved the biscuits and gravy for last. He knew he'd be doing a lot today, because when Briika finally did drop him off, there was work to do. No rest for weary or concussed. Her hobbies were similar to his, though sewing was a necessity not something he liked. Yeah, he'd learned, but because he was single and gone a lot. He'd even learned to stich himself when he he had to. There were some scars on his body that were pretty sick looking because of it.

The vhett paused halfway through the meal, which had been a bit quiet with the comment about not sleeping at night. Graad decided to finally break the silence on it. They kept dancing around it, so might as well get it out in the open.

"I don't sleep well either. It was the plague outbreak eighteen years ago. My buire marched on, and I survived. Been on my own since. I guess you can't lose anyone else if you don't let them in. Though it's loneliest at night for whatever reason."

Briika didn't have to share her story, but at least she knew Graad could sympathize, and he understood. Maybe they both just needed to be understood. The problem, that usually led to attachement, and if Briika was like him, she wasn't looking for love, or another riduur. Graad just breathed in deeply, and let out the breath in a long sigh.

"In fact I'm thinking of quitting the farm altogether, and giving the yaim to someone else to raise a new aliit there."

[member="Briika Detta"]

 

[Briika Munin]

Briika again listened thoughtfully as [member="Graad Hokan"] spoke though this time with her mouth full. The blonde nodded in understanding as he went on about his personal life; losing his buire to that awful plague. Gods, they both knew loss well. The only difference was hers was much fresher, perhaps more raw, but everyone dealt with death differently and at their own pace.

Putting down her fork, Briika took a sip of caf to wash down the food, then wiped off her mouth. The baar'ur's hands came back to the cup and held it with both as she prepared to share her own story.

"I know only too well… My riduur went missing with the rapture and is presumed dead, though one always hopes when there is no body to prove it otherwise. I also lost my infant son, whom never got to meet his buir or likewise. Our daughter, Mesh'la, who's six now, is the bright star in my life. We live with ner vod'ika here now, who is a single parent of two as his riduur has been gone for a while. He is the goran I told you about. Anyways, I have leased my homestead that is out in Bralsin to a young couple just starting out in their riduurok. I do wish them the best," Briika said, trying to affect a genuine smile though it was hard.

"So if you do give up your farmstead on Concord Dawn, what will you do otherwise?" she asked, taking a long sip of her caf and finishing it off.