Radiance: Part One

L9: They

Sett the 3rd, 5694 CE/September 9th, 2686 CE- T'sari Time [T.T.] 0300 Hrs

Lyda came-to in steps. At first, she noticed the cool air around her body, and the feeling of soft bedding underneath of her. She noticed the shallow sounds of beeps and whispers, and she could feel an intravenous drip in her arm. She felt heavy, with whatever medicines they were giving her- likely to make sure she didn't die from malnutrition- so much so that opening her eyes was a bit of a chore. When she could finally muster the strength, it felt like her lids weighed a metric ton each, and the light in the room was painful. It felt like she'd been sitting in the sun for too long, and her skin had been exposed to burn, but she recognized the feeling of new nanos, and a rapidly cycled-out old set. She must have been forced to sweat them out, for however long she'd been unconscious. It made perfect sense.

The last thing she could remember was falling to the ground, her body finally succumbing to her own abuse, as Vyrik walked away. He'd likely be furious, or at least annoyed. Then again, were the scenario reversed, she would only have been worried. She hoped that was the case, but hope had always been in such short supply.

"Ah, you're awake." A cool, even voice spoke. She turned her head to see a very tall, androgynous T'sari, dressed in a clinical uniform with olive green skin, black hair, and bright pink eyes, walk through the threshold into her room. "It's nice to finally meet you- I don't know if you recall our earlier meeting, but I'm Healer Vance. How are you feeling?"

As she moved to sit up, they rushed to her side and helped her, moving the bed into a position fit for it with a wave of their hand.

"Ah-heavy." She responded, blinking slowly as her eyes adjusted.

"That's not abnormal," Healer Vance nodded. "Your body's been through a lot. It's been almost two days."

"Two days?" her eyes widened in shock. The gravity of the situation struck. She'd done a number on herself.

"Yes. Two days. The first was your body's doing, but we knew that the abrupt flush of nanos would be painful, so we induced sleep for an additional day. It's not normal procedure, but nothing is, with any of you. We will have to learn and adapt together." they shrugged. "The prince was here, a couple of hours ago, as he has been most of the time, but I've sent him off to fetch some lunch. Shall I have him return, after?"

Lyda nodded. "Yeah, I'd like to see him...I need to apologize..." She dropped her gaze to the floor.

Her attachment to the prince had felt sort of distant, thus far. She enjoyed his company, beyond the Glow. She liked how cocky he was, as well as the juxtaposition of how he tried to rein it in when he'd spoken to her. It was nice to know that he'd found her interesting even without the Glow, but it had been hard to focus on anything between them while she captained the ship. Now she'd have plenty of time to figure everything out, one at a time. She'd never been afforded such a luxury in her life. Everything had always been rushed. It was a constantly ticking clock, that had finally stopped. It wouldn't necessarily be smooth-sailing, from then on out, but the waves would certainly be much easier to manage.

"It would be best to get up, and walk around." Healer Vance stole her from her thoughts. "But I'd imagine you know that. Are you fatigued at all?"

She took note of her body. She wasn't tired at all, in fact. The idea of getting up and looking around the massive, crystalline structure only excited her. "No, not at all. I don't want to stay in this bed any longer, if I don't have to."

"Wonderful." Vance nodded, smiling. They had stoic features, and their smile was calming. "I'll call for another healer to come with you- They can take you out to the gardens, for some fresh air."