FSH: Reeds

Posted on Thu Oct 1st, 2026 @ 12:28pm by Sr Journeyman Rena & Sr Journeyman Bensen

Mission: 3531 AL

It was not often that Rena fell asleep after a late evening feed but she had fed the bottle to Osena and then put her back asleep before returning to the living area. She was tired from the physical work of the day and being up a few times in the night.

She had thought to stay awake until Bensen came back and they could have a bath together as she was trying to get back to where they had been before she had given birth. But by the time he returned she was asleep on the sofa mid folding clothes.

Bensen hadn't meant to stay out so late. He had gotten caught up in a couple of meetings and then some hidework. Everything took a little bit longer with the wraps still covering his hands. Sharding runner.

He yawned a bit as he walked into the room, but stopped when he spotted his wife. A smile touched his lips as he knelt in front of her. “Hey Ren,” he whispered, not wanting to leave her on the couch.

Rena woke from her strange dream and blinked slowly as she looked at the man trying to wake up a little more and forget the dream. “Hello.” She smiled sleepily as she snuggled back into the sofa a little more. “I was having a strange dream.” She admitted.

He gave her a smile. She still looked half asleep. “A strange dream?” He asked curiously, chuckling as she snuggled back down into the couch.

“Yeah. Osena and Brenna were missing.” She sighed blinking a few times before she staggered up to her feet to check on the girls. She knew Cadence would have gone ballistic if anyone had come in or anything had happened but she still just wanted to check. She opened the door to Brenna’s room and the girl was sound asleep with a glow turned over in the usual basket.

Bensen blinked in surprise. “That is not a good dream at all,” he agreed. He couldn't imagine their little girls being gone. “Are you okay now?”“

“Why it was weird. I could hear them but not see them.” She sighed relaxed as she moved to close the door and moved to their bedroom and saw Osena sound asleep in her crib with Cadence curled on Rena’s pillow. “I think so.” She nodded as she returned to where he was kneeling and offered her hands to pull him up.

Bensen couldn't imagine having a dream like that. It had to have been awful. He smiled a bit though when she returned, clearly satisfied the girls were alright. He slowly accepted her help up, hoping the bandages were still covering everything.

“You okay?” She wondered looking at his hands as she let his hands go and set about unwrapping them to put more numbweed. They looked much worse than earlier in the day in all honesty.

“I am. Think I overdid it a bit though,” he admitted. He should have stopped but he was too stubborn at times. Now the raw spots were actually bleeding.

“Mmmhmm.” She agreed with him as she stood up from the couch disappearing into the bathing chamber before returning with clean hands and healer supplies. “It is a good job, it's a rest day tomorrow.” She murmured hoping he was going to use it to rest.

Rena disappeared before Bensen could even think about objecting. He raised a brow when she returned with all the healer supplies. Bensen blew out a breath. “True. Could definitely use that.”

“Here I was all ready to seduce you and you just need to go to bed.” She teased grinning as she wiped his hands over. “I am not going to put much numbweed on but I put suggest some other tea options to get some sleep.” She admitted picking up a spong stick to apply the numb weed along the burns.

Bensen lifted a dark brown, his eyes dancing. “I like the sound of that,” he smiled. “Think sleep can wait a while longer.” He hissed a bit as the sponge touched his hands. “Sharding runner. Something is definitely off with him.”

“Well your hands can’t wait. But I do think he is just missing Oseben.” She said gently as she ignored the urge to look up at him as she focused on the man’s hands. It should have felt strange mentioning her deceased husband just after flirting with him but she was trying to live in the now.

Bensen sighed in frustration. “I know. It's just frustrating.” He slowly nodded. “You might be right.” Not that there was anything he could do about that. Hopefully the runner settled down.

“Worth talking to beast crafters and see if there is something to help his anxiety? If he was a human he’d be taking something until he feels better.” She wondered thoughtful of wanting to help one of the last links to Oseben. She glanced up seeing his frustration. “Sorry.”

He considered that, wincing a bit as she worked at his hands. “That's not a bad idea. I'll mark that down to talk with them and see what we can do.” It certainly couldn't hurt. “It's okay. Thank you for the suggestion.”

“I thought you were sighing for another reason.” She admitted smiling as she finished up with the numbweed. It was not perfect but she was a harper not a healer but she did have basic training. “How does that feel?”

“Maybe a bit of a combination,” he agreed. “Hands and runner.” It was a little bit of everything. “Being here is helping though and thank you for fixing my hands.”

“Want me to wrap it or want it to breathe?” She wondered softly wishing she could help him more than offering what comfort she could.

“I'm thinking let them breathe for now. Before I actually go to bed I'll wrap them.” It was really a pain to not be able to use his hands much.

Rena smiled and started to put away the healer supplies. “Would you like a wine with one of Bre’s reeds?” She teased holding up the reed that they used to make sure the girl did not spill drinks as she couldn’t lift them up.

Bensen started to laugh when she held up the reed. “I might need that,” he grinned. At least they could still poke fun at each other. “Although wine would be great “

“I’ll just have to be a good wife and wait on you hand and foot.” She said, pouring him a mug of red wine and indeed put the reed in it before sitting next to him. She did not want any wine as she was going to be up on the night and the man couldn’t lift their baby with his hands right then and there.

“I can still do some things” he promised. It might just take him longer. He started laughing as she put the reed in his cup. “Yeah now I feel like a little boy again,” he smiled. Hopefully it wouldn't take his hands long to heal.