Clean Up (Open)

[Velcro]

Romethia was on cleanup duty, again. Though she always volunteered for it, it was never any better. This time it was a bad one, worse than her, she though. There was blood on the cot, the straps had been coated in the prisoner's blood while he struggled to get free. The whole bed reeked of sweat and body odor. This one would take a while, for sure. Ro sighed, and set down the basket of cleaning supplies she had been carrying.

First, she striped off the sheet covering the cot, and the blood on the cot with it, thankfully. It wasn't enough to soak through, with made her job all the easier. She bundled the sheet up to be washed, and set it besides the basket. Then she grabbed a rag and some redwort solution and sat down to clean the restraints, humming to herself a silly old harper tune from her childhood. One about a lady goldrider who saved everyone from a plague... And began daydreaming about the coming hatching....

[nemix]

There was always something nice, about clean linen. It smelled pleasant, felt soft, at least over in this part of the prison. The inmate cells tended to have whatever material that could be spared stretched over the beds but here in detox, they seemed to be a little more welcoming. It was curious to Tiael, half the people here were so far out of their minds they'd never notice the sheets. Then again, she had. Not everyone who came in had to come off of Dust, she hadn't, so her memories of detox had been those of boredom and alluringly soft sheets. Perhaps she could manage to 'lose' a set today and smuggle them back to her cell? She had a few to clean, a few sets to pick up, surely they wouldn't miss one set.....

"Just my luck." She cursed under her breath as she saw the room she was going to be helping with was already open. That could only mean one thing, someone else was already in there. No time alone for her or the precious sheets then. Biting her lip, she hid her annoyance as she entered the doorway, face carefully neutral as she worked out who was already working. There was another young woman, humming, apparently lost in thought. It took her a moment, then Tiael pulled out a few details from her memory about her. Kept herself out of trouble, quiet, liked to be useful. Flicking her gaze up and down the woman's frame Tiael imagined she could find several uses for her, well, once her mind had worked past the overalls. Not, the time for that though alas.

Sighing, she placed the sheets carefully in a pile near the door. It was going to be another monotonous day, something her brain seemed to be rebelling against a lot more lately. It seemed to be picking up on anything and everything and just, running away to places that weren't, here. Perhaps it was knowing that the clutch was on the sands, that her future might be changing soon. Perhaps she was simply fighting to keep some shred of her former mindset. Either way, it was making chores seem, well, tedious. Still, she had someone to talk to. That should be a good thing, right? Riiight, or it'd be horribly awkward....

"Clean sheets, though I'm a bit early I see." She said quickly, pushing her features into an expression of helpfulness and warming her tone of voice. She glanced to the cleaning supply box, pulling out a spare rag and heading over to the redwort solution. "Shall I give you a hand?" She asked carefully, unsure whether she was about to get a face full for disturbing the woman. You could never tell, but she'd had very little to do with this inmate in particular. Some could be very, picky, about how they interacted with others. Even the quieter ones. Sometimes, they were more worrying than those who punched and yelled and kicked. Hopefully she could help, the faster the room was done, the faster she could move on. Who knew, maybe she'd get another chance at some soft sheets.

[Velcro]

Romethia hadn't heard the other woman come in, but she noticed her presence soon enough. She blushed a bit at having been caught humming some silly old ballad. She still smiled at the other girl when she turned to look at her, not seeing any reason not to. Clean sheets? Yeah, not much early though, she thought.

"Oh, that's fine." She answered to the first part, smiling reassuringly. "It would be quicker if you want to help, too." She dipped her rag in the solution to get more of the blood off. This one must have really been a bleeder, she thought randomly. "My name is Romethia, Ro for short. What's yours?" She continued to work while talking, figuring the faster she got this one cleaned, the sooner she could move on to the next set of restraints. She was glad for the company though, and if she remembered right, this girl was also a candidate for the clutch as well. That didn't mean that Ro had a clue who she was though.

[nemix]

Tiael heard the humming stop, finding it hard to believe that there was actually someone in this place that liked music. Well, more specifically, an inmate that still felt cheerful enough to hum. Most were so sullen she got bored just watching their faces. Here was someone, who seemed to at least be making the best of things. Curious. As the woman looked up, she blushed and smiled, causing Tiael to raise an eyebrow. Maybe the clutch was lifting some spirits, or maybe this one was actually able to keep herself happy despite her surroundings.

Rag in hand, she smiled and approached the other woman confidently. Apparently an offer of help wasn't going to get her the short end of a temper, always a good thing. Dipping the rag into the redwort solution, she glanced up as she introduced herself. Manners and curious, either the woman was very good at what she did, or she was actually trying to be friendly. Well, it wouldn't hurt either way to find out now would it? How best to approach it though?

"Tiael." She said simply, ringing out the rag and flicking her eyes up to meet the girls gaze. Her expression was slightly hesitant as if trying to decide something, then she smiled broadly. "I don't have a helpful nickname though, no one's seen fit to give me one." She said with a chuckle and moved over to settled by the restraints at the foot of the bed. Better than having to yell across it, and it was easier to reach the solution too.

The blood was fairly well caked on, making Tiael wonder how long this room had been left for. Scrubbing at it though, it was apparent that with a little elbow grease it wasn't an impossible task. Just boring, and eye watering. The combination of smells from the room, the blood and the redwort was fairly unpleasant. Still, everything would smell of redwort soon so that wouldn't be too bad.

It was as they sat, that Tiael remembered why she was finding the girl more and more familiar. "You were at the Touching the other day." She commented as the penny dropped, turning to look at Romethia. So, another potential rider. Another person who had more going for them than the rest of the prisoners. Even better. "Sorry, I'd been trying to work out where I've seen you recently. Besides the usual places." She explained, tones still warm, politely curious though her mind and ears were keeping a sharp eye on the responses she gave. Tiael was still a little off balance at finding someone who seemed happy, but she could work with it. "So, Ro...what did you make of it? The Touching I mean." She asked rather bluntly, head tilted to one side slightly.

[Velcro]

Romethia nodded at her name. Pretty name though, she thought. She had the caked on blood scrubbed off now, which meant that the rest would come off easier now. She still scrubbed as Tiael started to talk about the clutch. She smiled at her, briefly. "Yes, I saw you there too," Ro mentioned now.

Ro thought for a minute at all the swirling thoughts that had been in her head since then. "Well, it was a bit overwhelming for me, honestly. I only touched three of the eggs. I very much liked two of them, but when I touched the gold egg, it... it just really made me worry on some level. It seemed like touching them was putting too much stress on them, so I didn't touch anymore. I would feel bad if something was wrong with them because we were all so eager to touch them and something went wrong, you know, especially that little gold egg." She told Tiael, still feeling that something was amiss with the queen egg in her heart. Romethia hoped there wasn't, but... it did seem pretty unlikely. Shaking her head, Romethia added on, "I'm just being paranoid. What did you think of it?" She smiled at Tiael, not minding the girl's company in the least.

[nemix]

Tiael listened, thinking back over the touching. It had been an eye opening experience, but for different reasons than the woman with her apparently. The gold egg she remembered she hadn't touched and her brow knitted together slightly. Stress on the eggs? She'd not met anything like that, but then again it sounded as if they'd gone for completely different eggs. "I didn't touch that one." She said slowly, musing over the implication that a touching could damage dragons. She'd not heard of that, but then she'd not really thought about it before either. "I think if we'd been harming them, we'd have been removed." Tiael said in a matter of fact tone.

She began to scrub at the restraint in her hands again, dipping the rag into the redwort and bringing it back up to the leather in her hand again, where she paused. Romethia was, unusual to talk to. If they hadn't been cleaning blood off of a restraint, in bright red jumpsuits, this kind of conversation could surely be happening in a normal Weyr. Why weren't more of the inmates so, animated? There was always the possibility that Romethia could indeed be paranoid, crazily so, however she seemed far too lucid for that. Curious.

In the spirit of conversation, and not seeming totally odd, Tiael scrubbed slowly at the restraint again and pulled her mind back to the conversation. "I found it interesting. I've not been around dragons that much, let alone eggs. I didn't realise they were so, forceful with their personalities sometimes." She pursed her lips for a moment, then shrugged. "I enjoyed it though, it was fairly relaxed, almost like we were normal Candidates." She said, a half smile lifting the corner of her lips.

She debated asking about Romethia's past, but it wasn't always a safe place to start. Instead, she decided to opt for a different tact. "It was also nice to do something a bit out of the ordinary, I'm enjoying the break in routine things brings. It's been....well, it's been a while." Another dip of the rag into the redwort and then some more scrubbing before she spoke again. "Do you think we'll Impress? Any of us I mean, the prisoners....I know most people think we wont but what do you think?"

[Velcro]

Romethia listened to Tiael speak of the hatching. She had never thought of it like that, if they had been harming the eggs surely the queen would have done something to stop them? It was just that desperate cheeriness from the queen egg that made her freak out, she decided. Ro didn't think she would enjoy that dragon, but would anyone in their right minds complain about impressing any color of dragon? She wouldn't, eventually, it could be her ticket back to a somewhat normal life, so she could get over what happened to her, since it wasn't even bad by most people's standards.

Shaking her head ruefully, Ro replied to Tiael. "I haven't been around dragons much before either. Unless you could them flying overhead in the last 2 Turns?" She attempted a joke, but knew it wasn't really funny at all. "You know, I think some of us prisoners have a chance. Some of us are only in here by a chance gone wrong in our lives, so why would all of us be unfit to impress?" She concluded logically, for she didn't see that anything was terribly wrong with herself, or even the other girl helping her. Ro dipped her rag again, finally getting most of the blood off. Now it was just the final whip down before she moved onto the next.

After finishing the cuff with a flourish of her cloth, Ro moved over to the next one, sitting on the bed to clean this one so she could still reach the redwort solution. Then she asked, "What do you think? Will at least one of us impress?" From her position now, Ro could watch Tiael's face and body language, which she was curious about. Tiael didn't seem vapid like some of the over dosers in here, or even unruly like the dealers. Ro wandered what area of dealing with Dust that she fell into? Ro would call herself a victim, if she could. She didn't count herself as making a single decision until she had got her and detoxed, she felt. Maybe Tiael was something similar to herself?

[nemix]

Tiael's eyebrow rose as Romethia made a joke, her rag pausing as she looked over at the girl with a serious expression. "Are we allowed to make jokes?" She asked, watching her for a moment before her face split into a grin and chuckled softly. "Sad that something like seems so out of place huh?" She commented with a light sigh before shifting down a section of the restraint and scrubbing away more blood. What made her smile stick, was that Romethia seemed to share her view. She thought that some, not just one, maybe two, but some, of the prisoners would Impress.

Tiael looked up quickly as Romethis moved, watching her for a moment until she'd settled on the bed. It was a bad habit, but you got used to watching people, used to tensing if someone did something you weren't expecting. It was a survival skill. Carefully, Tiael edged the redwort bowl a little closer to her and then scrubbed a bit more, considering her question. "I couldn't agree more, honestly. There's probably a handful that may not Impress, but surely if we were so bad for the eggs, their parents wouldn't let us anywhere near them? Not everyone in here chose to be here, or chose their lives. Sometimes, people didn't have a choice. Or people made a mistake or two. Just a couple, but it's enough to put them in here without a mention of being released." Tiael's voice had become a little hard, her scrubbing a little more jerky until she sighed and seemed to deflate.

"Sorry. It just, doesn't seem fair sometimes." She said quietly, washing the rag off completely and then wiping down the leather restraint with a careful eye. "So, yes, I think most of us will Impress. I see no reason why we wont." Tiael said firmly, pushing a smile to her lips as she looked back up to Romethia.

There was another restraint to do, the bed to make and the floor to scrub, but that'd be the room done unless she'd missed something. Finally pleased with the restraint in her hands, and they'd be checked closely when Tiael and Romethis got done, they always were, Tiael sat back and let the restraint fall limp against the side of the bed. It was puzzling but Romethia seemed to create a small bubble of normality, of what she remembered people being like before she'd been stuffed away in here. She seemed impervious to the dull routine, the depressing circumstances and at times harsh treatment from the guards. She was either extremely strong, or completely insane. At this point, either was a possibility but it was still nice to find someone so, normal.

"I hate cleaning these rooms." Tiael commented after a moment, keen to keep the conversation from dying. It wasn't a battle of wits, she wasn't even trying to get something out of the conversation, it was simply helping to pass the time. It was also refreshing to just, chat. True, they weren't discussing anything of major significance but it was still a break for the norm and Tiael's mind welcomed it. "They're always so depressing. Even when I was in here, I just sat around just waiting to be let out it, was almost stifling. Do you find the same thing in here? That you get a feeling of despair I mean."

[Velcro]

Romethia nodded at Tiael's response to her bad joke. Then she returned her smile, and said, "Nobody told me we couldn't make jokes." Then she sighed when she said it was so out of place, and couldn't help a self-pitying remark, "I feel so out of place here too, does that make me a joke?" She shook her head quickly, indicating that Tiael need not answer her question to herself.

But she smiled as she heard that Tiael thought much the same about the prisoners that were being allowed to stand. It was good to know that not everyone was as hopeless as they acted sometimes, herself included. It was the usual, everyone had their own ups and downs, but being locked away was generally just a downer. A glimmer of hope shown in Ro's eyes though, a small fire that reflected who she was, or who she could be still, before she was addicted to Dust. "I hope we impress, I really do. Even if we can never leave here, impressing can be our ticket to not being a prisoner and a guard instead, at the very least."

Tiael's next comment caught Romethia off guard though, her own thoughts still somewhere else on dragon's wings. Surprised, she squeaked out, "Despair?" Like it was the furthest things from her mind in this place. Truthfully, it was, too. Romethia had a kind of 'zen' feeling for the detox area, if the Pernese knew what it was. Taking a minute to gather her thoughts, she answered, "Despair is not the word I would use... When I first came here, I was so drugged up that I almost started seizing in the Warden's office. I nearly died in these rooms, several times." Ro looked down at the cuff in her hand, remembering the bruises on her wrists and ankles from similar restraints. "But," she began again in a soft voice, "in the end, after over a week in here, for the first time in Turns I was sober. It was... amazing... to be able to think and feel like a real human again... not some drugged up, numb to the world pile of human feces that I felt like I was before."

Romethia smiled, truly happy to be sober, not all numb and terrified like she had felt for Turns while on Dust. Honestly, if it took being incarcerated to be sober, Romethia was one of the very few who didn't mind it at all. She thought back to Tiael's statement of just being depressed in here, meaning Tiael didn't go through withdrawals. She asked, "You weren't on Dust? Then why are you here?"

[nemix]

Tiael listened, puzzled at the self depreciating remark from Romethia. She hadn't expected it at all, but it gave her a bit of an insight into the girl. Despite her happy face, well, façade really, there was a lot that troubled the other woman. It was interesting, and Tiael wondered whether that sadness had strengthened her or turned her into a fragile person, only just clinging to her sanity. The happiness a last ditch attempt to pretend everything was ok. She didn't utter a word, noting how uncomfortable Romethia had become, she merely stayed quiet and watched her thoughtfully.

At Tiael's conviction, Romethia seemed to become even more animated. She smiled more, seemed to hold that enthusiasm Tiael did for being a rider. It meant being more than a prisoner. True in her book, it was one step on the ladder to her normal life, but at least Romethia was looking to get at least one rung higher; most weren't. "Why just a guard? Is it wrong for us to aim even higher?" She asked, keen to prod the issue a little. "I mean, I know the logistics and the practical side of it all. We're here, but should that be it forever?..." Trailing off, she chuckled and shook her head. "Maybe I'm just dreaming too big." She said quietly, then shrugged and looked back at Romethia with a grin. "But if we don't dream, what else are we going to do?" It was a silly, frivolous comment but at least Tiael could get a better judge at just how driven Romethia was. She wanted more, but how much more? Well she supposed she'd see soon.

What she hadn't expected, was the almost frightened reaction to Tiael's declaration about this place. Didn't everyone feel depressed coming in here? Well, apparently not. Foot, meet mouth Tiael mentally scolded herself. Thankfully though, Romethia didn't clam up, instead she took the time to explain to Tiael what this place meant for her. While the other woman talked, Tiael slowly stood up and moved round to sit on the floor the other side of the bed. It would be cramped, possibly awkward to join her on the mattress it just made the redwort hard to get to here.

The perspective Romethia offered, had never really occurred to Tiael. Then again she'd never listened to a Dust user, never seen a reason to. Most of them were still dead to the world, or so eager to get their grubby little mitts on the mind melting stuff that there was little point in trying to talk sense with them. Romethia was an education lesson for Tiael who had overlooked the group entirely. Short-sighted perhaps, but she hadn't seen the point in wasting her time and energy with users or 'ex-users' before. "I guess it's different if you needed the detox." She conceded thoughtfully. "I hadn't really thought it'd be like that, but I can see why you wouldn't hate this place so much."

She gestured to the redwort bowl with her hand, hoping Romethia would move it closer as the awkward question came up. Why was she here? Ahhh that was a fun question. She couldn't, and wouldn't want, to claim she'd ever used Dust. Nor would she attempt to pass herself off as a dealer. It was tricky though, her past. I'm a liar, a thief, a manipulator and I don't respect boundaries or social standards? Yeahhh that'd be great. Not. Shifting a little on the floor, she stared at the strap in her hands and applied the damp rag to the blood. How to put a better spin on things? "I'm here for surviving." Tiael said quietly, her gaze glued to the strap as she lapsed into silence. Eventually she looked up at Romethia, dropping the rag on the bed and leaning her elbow on the mattress. She propped her head on her hand, giving the other woman a long, calculating look before she continued; her tone somewhere between matter-of-fact and something that could almost be called discomfort. "I grew up a trader, with no family. It's not an easy life. When even that falls apart, you learn to survive in other ways. Charity was not exactly forthcoming and I would probably have been too proud to take it anyway. So, I survived, by myself. Unfortunately that usually means you anger people along the way because not everyone has been in your position, and not everyone appreciates just how hard it can be to even get hold of food, when marks are equally harder to come by." She paused, taking a deep breath and debating whether to continue. Eventually, she rolled her eyes and mentally chided herself. With a sigh, she shook her head. "Sorry. It's just, not something I'm used to talking about. I know it all sounds simple, or petty, but its enough to get you thrown in here. Well, that and I suppose love." She shrugged. "Bit hard to know if it was love, really. Being that I was forcibly removed from the bed before I was even awake. Still, she was kind and seemed to care...who knows. Either way, Lord Holders can really hold a grudge, lets put it that way." Tiael's eyes watched Romethia closely, wondering quite how the woman would deal with the vague description she'd given. There was enough truth in that she wasn't technically lying, it just sounded a lot better than: I stole a bunch of stuff, ran away from the caravan before I got gutted, worked my way across the continent swindling people and stealing food and then wound up in bed with an engaged woman. Still, not everyone would be on her side she knew, the question was, where would Romethia fall? She didn't seem to hide her expressions much so Tiael was interested in what she could glean from her.

[Velcro]

Romethia smiled as Tiael listened, and then responded. It was nice to have a normal conversation with someone who had all their facilities intact and didn't look down on her without even knowing why she was here. Tiael's comment about dreams made Ro smile. Ah, dreams were precious things that could keep you alive at the darkest of times in one's life. "Without dreams, what is there for us to strive for?" Ro asked rhetorically. With a smile, she added on, "I think I am the one who doesn't dream big enough in this case, because you're right. If we impress dragons, the world wouldn't be able to keep us in one spot if we didn't wish to be there."

She watched as Tiael processed what Ro told her about the detox area, it was much more than depressing for her, it was... her place now. She had worked hard to be allowed to move about freely, to earn the trust of the healers here, because she wanted to help others coming down off Dust. Not that any of them appreciated her help in the long run, since most actually wanted to be on Dust.

She listened carefully, moving the bowl of redwort solution closer to the new position that they both were in. She really wasn't a user, it seemed. Warden Weyr just seemed to be the place they sent all of Pern's outcasts. She did pick up on the words 'she' and 'Lord Holder' putting two and two together quickly enough to blush lightly. Romethia had never, well, done anything in that area of things. She'd had Dust forced on her at an early age where she was just beginning to see boys as something more than just obnoxious friends. And, she thanked her lucky stars everyday, that her dealer/doser had more respect (of sorts) for his best Dust maker than to try to make her sell her body. Even though Romethia was never sure why, since it had seemed pretty common a story since she came here. Maybe it was that she was his maker, and he had never needed money that badly?

Pulling her thoughts back to Tiael, even though Romethia was a little naive by her very nature, she could guess that surviving and whatever else she said meant that she had probably stolen things to get by. It didn't bother Romethia much, since it was probably not nearly as bad as what she had done in society's eyes. With a smile, and still a bit pink in the face, Romethia told her, "We do what we have to in order to survive. We all do." Ro wouldn't hold anything against her, but she was more than a bit curious about her adventures with another woman, in her naivety she found it interesting. She couldn't help but ask, while blushing darkly, "Did you really sleep with a Lady Holder?"

[nemix]

Tiael was encouraged by the fact that Romethia could see the logic in her argument, even if she was perhaps a little apprehensive about aiming too high. Well, new ideas and Romethia didn't seem to shy away from those so that was good. She also seemed determined, another plus. She had also hit right on the point that had made Tiael so interested in being a Candidate in the first place. True, they'd be kept under strict control but imagine if you worked up trust? Then you'd have a dragon that could take you literally anywhere. Now was not the time to get carried away though, there was still a lot to be gleaned from the conversation. Plus if she was too enthusiastic it might raise a few eyebrows to say the least.

She was glad then, that the conversation moved on. It would be all too easy to fall into the trap of over-talking about just how badly she wanted out of this place. It was a thought that plagued her daily, but one she was careful to keep in check. It just made you a bigger target all round.

As the conversation turned to why they were both there Tiael really was intrigued to find out how Romethia would react. It was never a conversation she tended to initiate. It could make people jumpy, clam up or get downright angry. If someone asked though, it was pointless to skirt around it, it just brought more suspicion. Still, with each person she talked to, their reactions varied greatly. Most she'd only told vague bits to, but Romethia seemed a lot more on the ball and engaged in actually living rather than just floating on through. Thus she was interested in just what she'd make of things. Perhaps a little silly on her part, but lies would get found out and it would all too easily bite her in the face. If Romethia talked to Tiael, maybe she talked to others. She didn't seem the type to gossip, but facts that didn't add up were dangerous to have floating around. This way at least, she'd been honest, in a way.

Almost predictably, Romethia listened and not much changed. She didn't look horrified, she didn't look scared, she even blushed quite a bit. Her first comment hinted that Romethia hadn't missed her point, no matter how vaguely she'd worded it. It was almost a relief that she didn't seem phased by it, then again Romethia seemed not to be the type that judged; if she did it was quietly in the back of her mind and that didn't bother Tiael one bit. People could think how they wanted, it was how they acted that could be irksome. Still, she did smile slightly and nod. "That we do, if we didn't, most of us would be dead and I for one think that would be a big shame."

The next question caused Tiael to raise an eyebrow, a mischievous smile creeping to her lips. "Well you are quite a good listener I see." She said, then chuckled and picked at the rag with her fingertips a moment. Her gaze strayed down to the cloth till she picked it up again, dipping it into the redwort solution, ringing off the excess and thoughtfully applying some more work to the restraint. "She wasn't a Lady Holder at the time, well, she was engaged. I suppose she would be a Lady Holder by now.." Tiael grew thoughtful, her gaze unfocused and the rag had paused. That had been something to think about. In all her time she hadn't really wondered about what must have happened after she'd been dragged off. She was probably married by now, churning out children or whatever else if was that a Lady was supposed to do. Shame. "Probably best if we don't discuss 'who' exactly then, I doubt you would say anything but sometimes walls can have ears." She flicked her gaze to the door as she mentally shook herself and then looked up at Romethia who was blushing even more than Rukbat it seemed. Quite where the question came from she wasn't sure. Curiosity? Wondering about herself? Did it really matter? She wanted to know about it, wouldn't have asked if she didn't so Tiael did her best to be tactful. "To answer your question though yes, I did. She was engaged to be married, I was visiting her father's Hold and they'd held a gather. Gathers come with dancing, and drinking and with those come conversation. Now before you say anything, no, it wasn't some crazed drunken misjudgement. She was, well, she was miserable. Quite utterly, and completely miserable with the whole arrangement. I couldn't blame her, the man seemed a bit of an animal to be frank. Still, not my usual social circle so who am I to say really? Perhaps that's why she talked to me... I wasn't part of her normal social crowd. Either way, I found her crying up by the main buildings and so we sat and chatted, I listened while she explained things, we drank a little more and..." Tiael waved her hand vaguely, then chuckled. "I doubt you want me to draw pictures. So, the next morning, I wake up to an entire company of the Lord's men, hauling me out and claiming I'd obviously forced myself on his daughter, clearly I was mad and whatever else he could throw at me. Accused me of being a Dust user, and then attempted to lock me up in his Hold. It didn't last too long, but it did mean I didn't get to talk to her again."

The rag paused once more, dropped into the redwort solution as she looked up at Romethia again. "I will say this though, I'd do it again. For all the trouble it brought me, I don't regret it, nor would I need drink to be convinced to do it again. I also don't feel ashamed. She was beautiful, I enjoyed her company and I didn't and still don't, see why she couldn't be free to make her own choices." Once more she shrugged, lightening her tone a little. "I am guessing that you've never been with a woman then....though I do have to admit that I'm a little surprised you asked about it, most people don't really want to know, if they're not from a Weyr." Curious, Tiael's brow knitted together. "Have you ever been in love?" The question was a little abrupt, but Tiael wondered quite what the woman's take on the matter was. Had Tiael ever really loved anyone? Probably not, people were useful, still, some stuck in her head as people she remembered fondly. Maybe they'd simply stayed as that because she never stuck around anywhere long term. Either way, she was curious to hear bout Romethia's experiences.

[Velcro]

Romethia felt honored when her educated guess seemed to be true. It was so very relaxing for her to talk to someone on her same level that she allowed herself to be curious about the other woman. Everyone here had much more interesting stories than Ro did. She sat, fascinated as Tiael explained the circumstance of her capture and punishment to be sent here. Lord Holders were some of the people that Ro tried to avoid, as interest from that high up would have made her dearly uncomfortable. Ro temporarily forgot to work on the restraint in her hands, just enjoying listening. She couldn't contain a sad comment from her imagination of the story Tiael told her, "That's so sad, you never got to talk to her again!" It upset Ro a bit that love had never even been given a chance for the young woman. Ro didn't know a thing about love, other than what her parents shared with her and each other, but it still made her sympathetic.

Then Ro quieted and listened to Tiael's next part of her story, shaking her head negatively at the question there, and the one after it. Romethia blushed again, and told Tiael shyly, "I've never even kissed another person, and all I know of love is what my parents showed me when I was young. I... I just... Nothing ever happened when I was on Dust, either, unlike so many. I was a Dust maker, so it wasn't like I had to sell myself or anything, and the Journeyman Healer I was with kept me too well drugged to even think about things." Romethia tried to explain how her life was basically devoid of all human contact outside of a handshake or something equally casual. Even here in the prison, Ro tried to segregate herself in the detox area with the company of the other healers. It was perhaps the lack of contact that made her curious about it, since she was such a late bloomer because of the drug.

[nemix]

Tiael was surprised at Romethia's outburst. She had thought maybe she'd shrink back, embarrassed or uncomfortable. Instead she was more concerned about the outcome? Interesting. It seemed as if she wore her emotions for all to see. Her reactions, her feelings, everything just seemed to tumble out with Romethia. She was encouraging and seemed concerned for those about her. So very the opposite of Tiael who was far more about self preservation. Yet, they could sit, and talk, and neither was judging the other and it didn't seem awkward. It was a whole new kind of conversation at times. Still, Tiael didn't allow herself to become too comfortable, she still paid close attention to the other woman. "It is a bit, she was nice." Shrugging, Tiael forced herself to look untroubled. "I couldn't call it anything like love for certain, but it certainly cut everything a bit, short."

It was something she had allowed herself to puzzle over too much, after all the past was gone and you couldn't change it now. Besides, if she'd gotten tied down she would have gotten bored in the end most likely. She couldn't really see herself settling into the quiet life, even though it was all supposed to change when you met 'the right one' or something. Tiael was severely sceptical of the whole thing. People were useful, but it rarely went beyond that. Tiael needed Tiael and that was it to get by. Well, possibly a dragon now too but she didn't make it a habit to lean on others for anything like emotional support. Just things she needed at the time.

Tiael wasn't surprised when Romethia shook her head, though she was a little dumbfounded had never even kissed someone else. That was something she'd done a lot of. Usually while trying to reach a goal, or get someone to help her, people were so, malleable when they were kissed among other things in return. Honestly, Tiael had never really thought much about it, it helped her get what and where she needed so that was fine.

"I'm glad, you weren't taken advantage of." Tiael said once Romethia had explained that even her time on Dust had passed without that kind of abuse. She frowned for a moment, before setting to work on the restraint again. "You'll have to work on that kiss thing though, you don't know what you're missing." Tiael said with a grin. All right she didn't put much emotion into things but she could still tell when something felt good. Scrubbing the leather with an almost business like air again, she mused thoughtfully. "First though, you need to work out what kind of people you like. You don't want to go kissing just anyone as I'm sure you know. First things first I suppose, would it be a guy or a girl? .... or does that not matter?" She asked, curious. The woman hadn't been in love before, hadn't kissed anyone before but surely she'd know which she tended to prefer. Tiael didn't tend to fit herself into a box or apply labels, but most liked to so it would be interesting to find where Romethia fell.

[Velcro]

Romethia nodded to Tiael's statement in response to her own about her ill luck with the Lord Holder. She was glad that Tiael didn't seem to obsess over it, like some people could have done. It made up Romethia's mind that Tiael was pretty normal, as far as that went in the prison. Romethia even thought she could be generally good company, which was a little rare. Romethia preferred to stay in or around the detox area when she wasn't in her barracks. Most of the people here were former users, and Romethia couldn't deal with their problems and them trying to get Dust in here. If she ever found it, she would destroy it, surely.

Ro was still a bit red in the face from before, and couldn't help but darken again as Tiael commented on her subject. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable, it was more that she was embarrassed and had begun to be a little more than curious about people since she had sobered up. Now that she was actually able to think about things at a normal speed, Romethia liked to do so.

She had to blush again at the comment about not knowing what she was missing, her all confused about it. It would just have to happen in it's own time though. As for the question though... That was something Ro had thought about somewhat. "I'm not sure it would really matter... I think both genders have equally attractive features, but in different ways." Romethia paused, blushing a bit more. It was easy to see that she wasn't quite the master of her emotions, on any sort of level. Maybe, Ro thought, she would level out some more as time went on. It was like she was catching up on a lot of her teenage formative years.