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Lately the weather had been cold, and by "lately" Veikel understood it to be the last few months. The season had changed and brought with it appropriate temperatures, which in turn brought along a far share of illnesses. Even the people who lived in the warmth of Western weren't immune to the sniffles, Veikel mused, and so he'd spent his last few days, or sevendays really, prepping up on medicines to fight off whatever ailed folks.

Also it was too cold to try and tend his gardens and so he'd resigned himself to staying indoors and pretending not to be despondent over the lack of sunshine.
Keeping busy was an excellent way to pass the time, not to mention a weird hobby of his, and so the journeyman healer decided to spend the day organizing the shelves full of herbs.

Again.

"Something I can do for you?" Veikel hadn't expected anyone to come into the catalog area, not this early in the day anyway. It was an honest surprise to see that the person involved was someone outside of the healers and it took the young man a moment or two to place her name and face. One of the goldriders....Kyrman? Krist?? Ah, he'd remember it eventually but for now he needed to see what was needed.

The jars he'd been re-labeling were set aside, as were the ink and quill he'd been holding in an alternating dance between hand and mouth. The woman didn't look injured or distressed so she likely didn't need any medicines or healing, but Veikel had long learned that not all injuries are visible. With Threadfall the way it was he couldn't assume so carelessly. "If you need to speak with the Masterhealer I'm afraid she'd out for the moment."

Veikel, if he'd caught on to the eyebrow quirk or tone of her voice, showed no sign of it as a warm smile pressed to his face. "Certainly, no problem." He was more than glad to do something that didn't involve too much work and it just so happened that he'd organized all the books the other day. He probably was too obsessive in how often he kept things to his own system, which was hardly a reason for surprise when the other healers chewed him out over where things got placed.

It wasn't really his fault they couldn't read his mind or understand his process. Maybe if they'd asked him or just didn't touch stuff there wouldn't be so many issues.

"Do you need just the one book, or are you here for a few others?" A few strides had him from where he sat to the bookshelf where the object in question resided. Veikel let his finger run over the spines as he scrolled through, pausing to tap against what it was he'd been looking for. "If you're brushing up poisoning I can imagine there's more you'd like to review?"

Why did he really feel like he should know her? Veikel wasn't supposed to be bad with faces, but lately it seemed like he just wasn't paying enough attention.

In truth Veikel had....but hadn't heard the dragon. He hadn't quite thought she was talking to him and for a moment or two had even thought the voice was coming from the woman in front of him. It was his fault the golden child outside was drooping, even if he couldn't see and wasn't aware. Maybe there was a shiver on his spine though that let him know something was wrong. It was at the mention of a name that the dots clicked.

"Ahhhh. It's good you're doing this then if you feel your're not very good at it. Or is your dragon being modest?" That had to have been a dragon talking, right? He was starting to remember who she was and also starting to feel like maybe, just maybe, he was going to be getting chewed out by either his mother or Tristram later for his activities.

Shards.

"I should probably do some review myself on all these topics. I mostly specialize in herbs and salves but it's all hands on deck when things happen, right?" The book was removed and handed out towards the young woman, the smile still resting on his face. "Even someone like me can be useful."

"I think it's good that everything's not easy. Humans and dragons can really shine when they overcome hard obstacles, or at least it's what I want to believe. No one can be perfect at stuff, it's why we're meant to learn." Veikel tapped another book and pulled it out, flipping it open a few pages. "And I agree that basic first aid is more of a necessity than a luxury. What the candidates learn and what the weyrlings learn is a good start but it wouldn't hurt to add to it."

Literally having all hands on deck couldn't hurt if there was a particularly bad Threadfall, but it could also end with a lot of people being underfoot. If minors things could be handled with just a glance while someone else did it, just how much more could he and the other healers proper do? That could also cause more problems though if someone thought they could do something beyond their knowledge, and Veikel felt his eyebrows crease as way, way too many thoughts rushed in mind.

Maybe he should make booklets to give out to the kids who wanted to learn more? This lady here was a goldrider who wanted to do review, so maybe preparing some easy to read pamphlets would help out the other goldriders? He wouldn't be able to do it while on duty, but maybe if he skipped over some meals and only slept a little it could be done. Such a thing would help out so many people and make work easier for his mom and the others, right?

He probably was muttering beneath his breath, all the while looking over page after page. "Okay yes, I do think that would work. It's a wonderful idea."

Veikel had not mentioned anything out loud.

What....exactly was she going on about? This time it was one of Veikel's eyebrows that raised up as he listened to her little speech, though both quickly came down as his brow creased in thought. "Ah." The dots connected far swifter this time and he raised both of his hands up, though one still held a book. "No no, it was my tone that caused the misunderstanding so please, let me apologize." The healer lowered down his arms and then bowed a bit. "In no way was I attempting to speak as though I were looking down on you and your dragon, and I sincerely apologize if my words or actions have lead you to believe so." The end of his apology concluded with him raising his head back up, though he didn't have a smile like usual. It was important that she understood his intentions, and a smile could be taken as insulting if that was how he ended the statement.

"I will openly admit I'm not familiar with what specific training a goldrider and her dragon go through, as it's not my area of expertise and I have never been asked to assist or instruct a pair." It was better to confess to one's shortcomings than to pretend knowledge, at least that's what Veikel always believed. "What I had been thinking was trying to help candidates and weyrlings expand further than what most people seem to think is enough. If you're expected to know everything and be depended on for so much, why not have the others around help in that regard? We're all more than capable."

There would be so much less trouble and suffering if everyone were able to do more, or so he'd always thought. He...he could give more too, work harder. His work as of late wasn't up to the standards he'd wanted after all, and the excuses he might have given over worrying over his sister and her dragon were nothing more than that - excuses. Veikel could easily improve if he cut out on other things. Hadn't he just been thinking on this? Whatever.

Hopefully his words had gotten across the woman and her dragon, and showed that he'd meant no ill-will in anything. If they hadn't he would apologize as many times as needed, if only because Veikel wasn't a fan of misunderstandings. "Anyway, you mentioned you might need more books? Which ones in particular? I've....moved a few things around and should probably put them back where they were before the others say something."