Nothing Wrong With You {Myst/Liandra}

[Seven]

Amaeli

The blonde was decidedly less than pleased with the report she had read from the parents of a young girl that they were simply... leaving. They had some nerve to say the least. But from what she had read, it sounded like the girl would be better off here. Her parents were convinced she was horridly deformed or that something was incredibly wrong with her. Amaeli would be the judge of that. What qualified these people to make such claims of the young girl.

Amaeli stood and sighed, moving about to tidy her area. She wondered if the girl would like runners. She would be looking after Liandra and she was no mind healer. By no means. But a little girl. She was sure she oculd handle that. She wasn't unused to children or taking care of them.

Actually, the thought of having the little girl running around here was almost a relief. She despised the dragonriders or all sought dragons. Dragons were important, yes, but she simply did not like them. They were all, to her experience, believing themselves better than the common person. High, mighty, idiotic. Always getting hurt. Vying for leadership - at least amongst those who road kings and some who didn't as well. They all wanted something. She had yet to meet one willing to really give. It didn't help that she was afraid of dragons - truly and wholeheartedly. She had some bad experience, some frightening memories.

Actually, her beloved Taero had something to do with it as well. The runner was also afraid of dragons and anything that scared him was not welcome as far as she was concerned. Yes, Amaeli was a bit strange. She would be the first to acknowledge that, but that didn't mean she was crazy or deformed or weird. Well... maybe weird. But weird wasn't bad.

Liandra would be here soon. Amaeli wanted to make sure she was ready. Se was trying to make the room as comfortable as possible.

[Mystery]

x x

Lia was absolutely dragging her feet to the infirmary to see her new hearler. Drael zipped and chirped about her head, trying to encourage her, but the girl would not be cheered. Her head hung just enough that her hair hid her face and she scooted her feet as slowly as possible along the ground. She was tired, tired of being told there was something wrong with her, she just couldn't... She couldn't help it. Her voice didn't work right and she wished it didn't work at all.

Drael was the first one into the room, chirping merrily at this new healer person and look little Lia she was nice! Or she looked nice, Drael rather thought she looked nice and she was cleaning and she was being rather chirpy he thought. So nice and lovely and just look at her... No that was the floor Lia, that wasn't the new healer person. The white cheeped apologetically at the healer before flying back to where Liandra was peeking around the doorway, her hands flying in quick sign motions to Drael. She'd taught him the signs in place of words, tired of taking forever to tell him something. This time it was: Stop, come here. With a light hearted chirp, the white landed on her outstretched arm.

Lia, however, didn't look up for several moments, keeping her gaze fixed on the floor resentfully before she finally looked up... And that look on any six year old could have successfully broken hearts. It was a tired look. It was a hurt look. It was the look of a little girl waiting to be told what was wrong with her this time. Her parents had already said she was broken and wrong and didn't do anything right. She was going to tell her to speak up too, she just knew it and Lia was tired of adults. So she set her jaw in a stubborn tilt, blue eyes fixed on Amaeli's as her hands moved slowly, over exaggerating the signs she's taught Drael.

I don't speak.

Did she get that? Good. Now Lia was going to stand there, silently resentful, with her cheeks a bright pink from shame with every second that went by.

[Seven]

Amaeli

Amaeli looked up at the sound of the firelizard chirping. Oh... firelizards. The dragons much better cousin. She smiled. "Hello little one. Have you come all on your own or did you bring someone with you?" she asked, watching the whtie for a moment, still working quietly. She had a stuffed firelizard set on a chair nearby which was covered in one of Amaeli's best blankets and a pillow that Amaeli had done in a rich purple - it had cost her a lot of marks to get made, but she had had it made the moment she had heard the girl was coming. These things were for her.

Amaeli's eyes were drawn to where the firelizard went and she smiled at the little girl, though she felt her heart break a little at the look she gave her. "Hi. My name is Amaeli. You must be Liandra. It is good to see you. How about you just come sit over here." She smiled at her. "I'm going to be taking care of you while you're here. You will be staying with me, okay?" She didn't ask her to speak, instead she went back to her work. "I will show you the room where we will be staying."

She turnd back and looked at the girl. "You don't have to talk, Lia... but can you teach me the signs you used? I understand, 'I don't speak'. Can you show me 'I'm hungry'? Or 'I don't know'?" she asked the girl. She wanted to get them off to a good start. "you know, you are a very pretty young lady. you'll grow up to be a very beautiful woman." She was talking to fill the space....and to try to build some sort of confidence in Lia who had been through so much. She turned back to her. "Do you know how to read or write?" she asked, kneeling down again beside the girl. Her smiel was genuine and her blue eyes sparked. "If you don't speak, it might help you. If you want to learn, I will teach you. Jsut let me know. Okay?"

She wanted to try to get Lia to understand that she wasn't going to tell her what was wrong with her. A speech impediment didn't mean somethign was wrong with you. The girl had come up with her own language using sign! She had seen her use it to command her flitter, for Faranth's sake! She was smart and intelligent and whole in body. But her mind and spirit were what was broken... Amaeli would find out everything else she needed to know over time. As she got to know the girl.

[Mystery]

x x

Any other child might have softened to the warm welcome Liandra received, but not Lia. Rather than soften, she frowned more, though Drael seemed absolutely ecstatic that someone was talking to him, loudly chirping and sending her rapid images of Liandra multiple times. He wasn't alone, nope! See this was his person, his person was a little person and she was with him and she was always with him, that was how things worked, did she see?

Liandra, however, was less than pleased. When Drael returned to his perch on her arm, she gave Amaeli a tired, irritated frown at the sweet greeting. She wasn't sure what she thought of this woman yet and thus had no desire to be friendly from the outset. She just wanted to go home. Home was familliar and she loved it so much.. Even if her parents would rather she stay out of the way. At the request for her to sit, she shared a glance with Drael, the white shrugged his wings easily, clambering up to her shoulder to perch as she walked warily over to the chair. Pausing for a moment, she scrambled up onto the seat on her own, folding her hands on her lap demurely even as her gaze remained hard and distant from Amaeli.

Surprise was the next emotion on the small girl's face, looking down at her hands and then back up at Amaeli and then to Drael with a questioning look. She'd had him with her so long, it only made sense to the six turn old to look to him for advice. He provided it too, with rapid images, soft crooning and thoughtful tilts of his head. Liandra's hands moved swiftly in response, small commands and questions so that it almost seemed as though they were having a deep conversation before Liandra stuck her tongue out at the white. Evidently, the white had won the argument.
I'm hungry. She signed slowly, shooting Drael a glare when the white chirped merrily in reply.
I don't know. was the next sign, and Liandra's hands dropped into her lap afterwards.

Pretty? What did that matter? A faint blush stole over the girl's cheeks at the compliment, bowing her head so that she didn't show her features. Drael seemed pleased with the idea though, chirping happily at the woman even as Liandra practically squirmed. Oh and there was a question that she couldn't answer with her hands. Could she read or write. A little. She wanted to explain, but her hands rose, paused and fell, her cheeks burned. She didn't want to answer this. She didn't. Lifting one hand, she waved it in a side to side motion, shrugging her shoulders as she did so.

A little.