Marissa

Sweet, quiet Marissa was never one to get underfoot whenever the lair got rowdy. She would always hang towards the sides of the room, up on a balcony if she could, though that wasn't always an option. So, when a foreigner wandered through the forests near the Beacon of the Radiant Eye and asked for permission to stay when the weather turned for the worse, few expected Marissa to agree to share her space, though no one thought she'd say no.

Marissa was fully intending to keep to herself despite the foreign dragon in her room, but it quickly became apparent that she wasn't going to get her way. The dragon, a boldly coloured Imperial, set his things on the opposite side of the room and turned to look at her. "Girl, you don't know what you want from your life, do you." Marissa leaned back, startled and a little offended that he would be so blunt with a stranger. "You think you can live life without bothering others, without participating, and you're right... but if you were given another option, would you be willing to take the risk?" Marissa looked at those calculating green eyes, a surge of anger taking her by surprise. Who was this dragon, and why was he challenging her when she was simply trying to be nice and give him a place to sleep until the storm passed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marissa finally said, looking away. This was her space, but maybe if she went to one of the leaders she could find another place to sleep... The dragon shifting brought her head back around, and he smiled at her, lifting his head in a challenge.

"Don't you? Haven't you dreamt of being a part of this, of being someone that everyone turns to when they need help?" Marissa felt her eyes widen a bit, who was this dragon and what did he know? "You don't have to be a fighter, to be the smartest or the fastest... but there is something you can do for them that few are willing or able to do. And, if you are willing, I will teach you. If you're brave enough, that is, to try."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Tiberion had been in their lair for several weeks, and already he had taught Marissa a staggering amount of things, most of them geared towards tending to the inevitable injuries that every lair accumulated, but other things too, like how to stay calm in the middle of a large group of panicked dragons, how to take command of a situation, and even how to train and treat the many familiars that littered the lair. He had warned her that it would take decades to learn everything he knew, and that he couldn't stay with her long enough to share it, but they both did what they could to make the most of what time they had.

Marissa had to admit that she felt good, even when she was covered in blood and worse, her mane matted to her spine. She still sat at the edge of social gatherings, but she no longer felt she had to keep silent, to stay out of the way. She could be down there with them, but it merely made more sense for her to stay up here so she was in position to get to where she was needed. She'd noted that the lair leaders were watching her with pride, and that gave her a small glow of warmth that she'd never expected to feel.

Tiberion was at the edge of the woods, and Marissa knew that the dreaded hour had come. Despite his rough and crass behaviour, he had grown on her, and she could honestly say that she was sad to see him go. "None of that, now," he groused as she approached. "You're well enough trained to know what you need to keep working on, and you know where to look for more things to learn. So long as you keep working on things, you'll be a fine healer in time, and the best around here before you know it." His smile was genuine, and she couldn't help but bask in the warmth of it.

"Thank you, Tiberion," she responded in kind, glad that he'd come. "I hope your road from here is a good one." She stood to leave, knowing that he wouldn't be happy to see her linger to watch him disappear, only to be stopped by him clearing his throat. She turned back to him as he held out a box. Her eyes flicked between the garish wrapping and his face, wondering what was going on. Tiberion wasn't a gift giving dragon, for all that he was willing to teach.

"Something for you, since you've earned it." He handed the heavy box over before he lifted his packs and started down the road. "You'd better use it well, you have expectations now." She watched him vanish into the dense trees before she placed the box down, opening it slowly. Inside was a row of potions and ingredients for more, but that didn't account for how heavy the box was, so she lifted them out. Under that was a layer of cloth, which made her frown. What was this? A few minutes later, she realized that he had given her a whole ensemble made out of creamy linen. She sat and stared at it for a long moment. Where had this come from? Why would he give her something like this? And then it dawned on her. He was expecting other lairs to come looking for her services. And other dragons would want their healer to look like they knew what they were doing. She shook her head, slowly figuring out how to wear the outfits until she came across the tome buried in the very middle of the box. In it, in Tiberion's tight hand, was years worth of lessons, priceless knowledge set down just for her to learn from. Despite herself, tears welled up in Marissa's eyes. This was too much! But he was long gone, and Marissa shook herself free of her melancholy. There were things to do now, and new things to learn.

And she had expectations now.