Two Peas in a Pod [Erisi]

Valerian loved to do nothing at all when given the chance; it was just too bad he wasn’t given that chance too often. He had fooled his masters too well at the Harper Hall into believing he enjoyed all of the classes he took and taught which cut into a lot of his valuable free time just like living at a Hold where he was to make sure the brats there knew what they should as well. But here at Katila, things were slightly different, for now. He had heard there would be classes leading up the Hatching he was supposedly plucked away from his life for but that had yet to happen and all he had to really do was try to kill something, not someone as tempting as that desire was at times, to help with their food supplies.

So was it any surprise that his evening was wide open and he could be found  napping under a tree just far enough away from the weyr proper to avoid being pestered but not far enough away to earn a lecture for wandering off? His poorly assigned chore had been accomplished once more, this time with far less injuries than his first attempt and Valerian felt it was the perfect time to sneak off and enjoy the sounds of nature and not kids screaming or candidates trying to talk to him out of their own selfish reasons like needing a friend to cope with the trauma of being kidnapped.

Erisi needed a break. He probably would have run away if it was even remotely feasible, but since he was stuck on the Southern Continent... escape was unlikely. He had little to no survival skills to boot, so actually living through his escape attempt was unlikely. The best he could do was leave the Weyr and escape into the forest for a few hours. He doubted anyone cared enough about him to actually look for him. His chores had been done to the best of his abilities... which he was also lacking. Then again, washing dishes took no particular talent, just a whole lot of patience that surprisingly yet again Erisi did not possess. It was a common theme, apparently. Erisi was good at one thing, and that was music. He did not have the energy and motivation to invest his learning in anything else.

Sadly, dragonriders did not take that as a plausible excuse for not doing chores.

Erisi was dressed down for once, because sitting on the ground was bound to be dirty, and he didn't want to ruin his good clothes. Earthly tones, admittedly, were not his color. Harper blue was, but that color was hard to come by, and Erisi lamented every day that he had to go without it. First, he was kidnapped, and then he had to discover that he had none of his things with him. It was two blows, one right after another, and it gave Erisi an even greater excuse to be unhappy. Really, he did not think he needed an excuse.

He was perfectly justified in his hate of dragonriders.

Grumbling to himself, he took a seat at the trunk of a tree, leaning his back against the hard bark. The area was delightfully quiet, and the perfect break from Weyr life. Closing his eyes, he could very well pass out for a few good hours. He would have, too, if he hadn't thought he heard something. Sitting up, he rubbed irritably at his eyes, turning to carefully peek around the corner of the tree.

What the...?

"How long have you been there?"

Why did it sound like someone was talking to him when Valerian was fairly certain no one had followed him and most would leave a man alone when they saw him napping under a tree? Was he taking a cue from Allendris and suffering from heat stroke which was making him delusional? He’d find a way later on to twist that around into a way to blame on the glass-smith and then tease him further since it was somewhat enjoyable to pass the time with that man in such a way but first he should exert some energy and make sure he was alone even if going crazy as the only other alternative. He could live with that if it involved a way out of chores and gave him every opportunity to do what he wanted when he wanted.

As eyelids fluttered open and his vision cleared of the near-sleep haze, all the while hoping he didn’t find an owner to that annoyed voice, Valerian gave an irritable sigh when he was proven to be sane but now in the company of someone. “Longer than you, obviously.” Well, probably anyway, since Valerian had to confess to not checking every side of the tree before flopping down on the ground, uncaring about the debris that would collect on his clothing. Seriously, who would think to do such a thing?

“Go find another tree, this one’s already been claimed.” Valerian shifted slightly to get comfortable once more, a clear sign that he was dismissing the man he hadn’t seen before, though that wasn’t hard given how little he interacted with the inhabitants of the Weyr.

Well, someone was certainly up on their high-runner today. Erisi rolled his eyes, and with a heaving sigh turned back to his side of the tree and reclined against the rough bark. Yeah, if it wasn't obvious by the pointed sigh that Erisi had no intention of leaving, it certainly was obvious when he just flat out didn't move. His position against the tree was comfortable. The ground underneath his legs wasn't wet, the branches above his head stretched elegantly out to protect him from sunlight. This tree was perfect, and there was no reason that Erisi should settle for less. The man at the other side of the tree could very well move if he was so bothered by it.

A few more moments of silence passed by, and Erisi closed his eyes to start relaxing again. He almost forgot about the man leaning against the other side of the tree... but then realized that he should probably make a stand. He may not have been first to the tree, but he considered himself to be vastly more important than whomever was his current company. "You know, you can't claim ownership of a tree. What did you buy it with, who from? Some paperwork would be nice to validate your ownership of this one tree. And, for curiosity's sake, why would you want to own a sharding tree." Every note was dripping with caustic sarcasm. While his words definitely could be taken as an insult, that wasn't entirely Erisi's intention. He was joking more than insulting, but it was not unusual for those two things to be closely tied together for him.

"Ah, if it wasn't clear already. You can find another tree. I, however, am not inclined to budge an inch." He was sure that the other guy had gotten the unspoken message, but you never knew with people in this Weyr. They were not the brightest bunch. "And since I doubt that this tree is really yours, you can't do much to convince me to move." It was quite the dilemma, Erisi imagined. He didn't particularly mind sharing the tree, so long as the other guy wasn't a loudmouth. But, he'd prefer complete possession of the tree himself, since he was too lazy to move.

Did this guy speak just to hear his own nerve-grating voice? Apparently the virtues of silence and knowing when to hold your peace until the right moment for maximum impact was lost on some. Though, Valerian supposed, the bigger issue was, why didn’t the man take the hint and just go find his own tree? He didn’t seem too pleased with someone beating him to the choice location and it wasn’t like they were lacking in sturdy trunks to lean against given they were in a forest. But then, maybe the loudmouth didn’t care about them having a mutual interest in one prime shaded spot, since he really didn’t either. Well, he wouldn’t if the man would shut up!

Valerian was close to commenting on that key point but something inside snapped and he had to one-up the smart-aleck rapid-fire questions and complaints. He had no idea why he wanted to follow through with such a notion when he was usually better than stooping to such a level but Valerian found himself grabbing a leaf from a small plant he didn’t have to reach too far for and quickly carved a ‘V’ into it. Satisfied with that step of his petty plan, the marked leaf was then impaled on the edge of a piece of bark that was closer to his side of the tree than the peace-intruder’s.

“There you go. The tree is now clearly marked as mine,” Valerian’s tone wasn’t so much annoyed or even bored, the latter of which was his usual state, but it was borderline amused. Despite all of the complaining they both did, neither of them felt compelled to move. Were they both too lazy to trek through the woods and once more find a spot that was deemed worthy of their presence or were they both okay with simply putting up with someone else that seemed to enjoy the same pastime?

“Or, at least this half of the tree is marked as mine. I don’t feel like moving and you seem too lazy to do more than run your mouth until even you grow tired of hearing it and fall asleep so I’ll call a truce and let you stay where you are so long as you don’t invade my territory.” It seemed like a fair deal to him and required the least amount of effort, something Valerian was all for that evening.

"Hmmm?" Erisi had to guess what Valerian did to desecrate the tree and claim it as his own. Curiosity was the only thing that inspired Erisi to move, and with another melodramatic sigh he looked around the tree to pinpoint Valerian's claim of ownership. There was a second that passed in which Erisi had no idea whether to be amused or annoyed. A small chuckle was almost a helpless response in seeing the v-marked leaf. It was easy to just reach out and... ah, pluck the tiny leaf off of the bark. "And look, now it is marked by no one." He tossed the leaf to the side carelessly and returned to leaning back against what was 'his' side of the tree.

A thin finger pointed itself into the air, as if to make a point. "If I was truly lazy, I would not be making the effort to 'run my mouth'. I'd just shut up and let you deal with it." He felt like he needed to verbalize some sort of defense for his actions. He was not the sort of person that was going to let Valerian try and walk all over him. Besides, he clearly thought himself the better individual (he always did in comparison to everyone he met), and was not going to allow his status as 'better' be challenged.

"I am still under the impression that the tree belongs to no one, but..." he helplessly shrugged his shoulders, though the gesture was likely unseen with both of their backs to opposite sides of the tree. The shrug, however, likely could be heard in his voice. "I suppose I see the virtue in the idea, since neither of us are willing to move." He truly didn't have an issue with sharing his resting spot, though he'd prefer his company to be a little less of an ass (though, could he really complain when he was probably more of one?).

Valerian clucked his tongue in annoyance, amazed by the audacity of this stranger that couldn’t seem to take a hint and continued talking and being a general thorn in his side when all that was sought after was some quiet. It seemed, however, that the best course of action with this man was to simply stop talking and he might follow suit. Every time a word was said there had to be a rebuttal and a need to have the final say. As much as he enjoyed pointing out flaws or giving a snide comment that either left him with a quietly stunned audience or being snapped at, though he didn’t listen to too many people when they told him to mind his tongue, Valerian could see the benefit in this one time being the first to fall silent.

At least the issue of their mutual napping spot had been settled. Once again laziness won the day and Valerian pitied all those poor fools who felt the need to work themselves to exhaustion over the smallest of routines. They would have likely handled the situation of the tree with incessant arguing or a physical fight until one of them had to leave for healing. Figuring the matter well and truly dropped and the silence would remain, Valerian gave another wriggle against the trunk to make sure he was in the best possible position for some serious napping and relaxing, and dared to let his eyes slide shut.

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ooc: You know I won't mind if Erisi starts pestering him again XD and one day I might be able to write again and you'll get decent tags from me!

Silence reigned, at least for a little bit.

Erisi was talkative, give him a break. There were few things he enjoyed hearing more than the sound of his own voice. Besides, it was mildly awkward sitting so close to someone and not... even knowing their name, or anything about them. He assumed the other man was a candidate - who else had some semblance of free time and spent it in a forest? Erisi could even approve of Valerian's method of getting away from the chaos in the Weyr, since Erisi had resorted to the same exact method. It was hard not to approve of someone who reminded Erisi of himself. He doubted the man liked him similarly, or cared enough to like him with how Erisi had been behaving as a thorn in his side.

He couldn't help it, really. It was an innate part of being for Erisi.

"So, do you mind telling me who you are? This peaceful silence is more awkward because I don't have a sharding clue what even your name is." Of course, he wasn't offering to introduce himself. He'd let the other man have that honor before returning the favor. Besides, he had been the one to bring the subject up, that meant he didn't have to do anything more until Valerian stepped forward and put some effort in. "So, name, craft, age, blah blah blah."

Somehow Valerian knew the silence wouldn't last forever but the length in which it went on for surprised him. He had given it maybe two minutes before the irritated voice sounded again. As it happened, he had been close to finding that sort of slumber where he wasn't exactly asleep but still resting well enough to have it count as a source of renewed energy. He supposed he should just give up and accept that talking was as natural as breathing for some people and since he had at least one hobby in common with this guy, he could indulge the man and have a conversation for a bit. Their bickering over ownership of the tree had been sort of amusing and it wasn't like he had found many in the Weyr so far that could carry on like that with him.

"I didn't realize I had become so important in your life in such a short amount of time to warrant such interest," just because he had decided to talk didn't mean he had to be docile and play the polite and lonely Candidate that seemed to be common amongst the barracks. That was another reason why he spent time in a forest rather than on his own bed. Far too many people felt they could just waltz into a place like they owned it and expect entertainment. Okay, so he was a harper and that type of attitude was pretty commonplace when that was what you were employed for but that didn't mean he had to comply now that he was living in some weird limbo of harper and potential dragonrider.

"Since I don't want to disappoint someone so interested in... I'm Valerian, Journeyman Harper, and I have twenty-five turns to my name." He didn't bother to ask Erisi for his name and what not since that would show they were of an equal curiosity. Which he was but Erisi didn't need to know that just yet.

"I figure that the more you talk, the more time I get to determine whether you're one of those Candidates that love this place or not." Erisi shot back at Valerian with an unseen roll of his eyes. He was actually beginning to believe that Valerian was one of those few rare Candidates that he could stand. Anyone else would have gotten a more snappy response from him. Erisi hated criticism, and responded harshly to it. It was nearly a miracle that he was putting up with the attitude Valerian was giving him. "You're really not that important - I just am going to assume that you're better than most of the other people here."

He did know what people said about assuming. So he better be correct, or he'd have to make someone else feel like an ass instead of himself.

Ah, the fact that Valerian was a harper likely explained why Erisi hadn't taken poorly to him. He wondered if there was some innate ability in his mind to discern harpers from the rest of the crowd. Well, harpers did tend to stand out naturally. Half of them probably enjoyed doing so. Now that he had coaxed Valerian's name and profession from him, he supposed it was time to return the favor. "Erisi, junior journeyman Harper." It was sufficient to say that for his age, 'younger than Valerian' would do. His title spoke those words for him. He wasn't age-sensitive, not by far, he just didn't like the sound of another Harper at a higher rank than him.

He really liked being the best sometimes.

“You’d be assuming correctly,” Valerian didn’t sport an ego like most of the dragonriders seemed to but he did have a good sense of self-worth and when compared to the candidates and non-riders around the Weyr, he was infinitely better than most. He still wasn’t quite sure when it came to Erisi but he was starting to think they could be on a common level of outstanding and opinionated personalities and while he was settling into life here, he still believed Katila was lacking in the voice of reason that pointed out when something was a horrible idea or didn’t make sense or when people were acting plain stupid.

“And since we’re making assumptions, I’m going with you’re in the same boat as me and a few others I’ve deemed worthy enough to associate with and say you were brought here with very little choice.” Might as well get that conversation over with though Valerian suspected given the tone and wording Erisi had already used that his fellow harper was indeed Stolen and not very happy about it at all.

Well, he certainly couldn't fault Valerian for having a decent opinion of himself. Erisi thought he, himself, was great. There was no reason other people shouldn't feel the same way about themselves. Really, people with poor self-esteem usually grated on Erisi's nerves more than people who had too much self-esteem. Valerian seemed to have discovered a perfect medium between those two extremes, which put Erisi at ease. Looking at this little encounter, Erisi was pleased to realize that he had never truly gotten irritated or upset with the person whom he had hardly even seen. He had just glimpsed at the other Candidate before, which was enough to assure him that Valerian wasn't a walking tragedy of having a wherry's ass as a face.

"Mmm, more like 'no choice at all'. But that was a close enough assumption to be correct. Honestly, does anyone come down here willingly? I'd find it surprising, because who honestly would come to this desolate hole willingly? Ah, it sounds delightfully fun to play at being a dragonrider, abandoning the family and the craft I was trained in! It's the best idea I've ever heard!" The sarcasm was dripping heavily on an otherwise light voice. If Valerian happened to glance around the tree to Erisi, he would have seen the young man wiggling his fingers in the air dramatically. The gesture was probably heard in his voice, and was probably just as easy to imagine Erisi doing it as it was to look around and actually witness it.

Valerian couldn’t say if given a choice to come South to live in a Weyr thus leaving behind everything and everyone he knew if he would take it. Before the plague he would have been happy to be Searched and then hope to Impress but there were still functional Northern Weyrs then and it would be easy enough to visit family or friends when the urge to do so struck. Now, however, they could never have contact with anyone from their lives before being Stolen and his family and Harper Hold would presume him dead. That wasn’t something that sat well with the young harper even with it being turns since he last saw a member of his family and having a lack of friends amongst the craft or holds he was assigned to. It was clear Erisi hated how he got to Katila and wouldn’t choose to come if he had been allowed and Valerian understood the reasons for feeling that way. If he had a different temperament he likely would be raging along with his fellow harper.

As it was, Valerian was more or less resigned to the twist of fate and said as much, “It sucks, a lot, but we’re stuck here now since it’s clear nothing we do or say will see us going North again. I’ve decided to just see it as a new adventure, take advantage of being a Harper that will have first dibs on writing new ballads about their struggles that may one day be known in the North when they return in full force, and ignore the dragonriders as much as possible because their arrogance is a complete turn off.” Some of the men he had seen in the dining hall had such a way to them that they managed to make Valerian curl his lips in disgust and on a few occasions actually want to punch someone. He never followed through on that desire but it was sometimes fun to fantasize about doing so.

"I don't tend to give them the pleasure of going along nicely with their plans. If they went through the trouble to steal me away from my home, then I feel inclined to go through the trouble of making sure they regret their poorly thought out decision." Erisi spoke in a crisp tone, as if that matter for him had long ago been settled. It was the only way he really could get back at Katila Weyr for what it had done to him. He was going to be the Candidate they wished they hadn't Searched. He'd cooperate just as much of what was absolutely required of him, and then be difficult the rest of the way. Erisi really was behaving just well enough to keep himself off of Candidates Isle. His first trip there had been an unhealthy and long one - he had been doubting they'd ever let him off, and finally had gotten desperate enough that he pretended to be more settled with the idea of a new life. He was positive that at least the Weyrleader knew the level of his discontent, so he was being slightly more careful now with his behavior. It probably wouldn't take much to get him back on that sharding island.

"I am pretty sure any dragonrider who saw my finely crafted ballads would want to wring my neck, which only makes it all the more tempting to do it. Let's co-write a beautiful, mournful song about how dragonriders ruined our lives." The suggestion was given in a playful tone, which would indicate that he probably wasn't serious. But, if Valerian actually wanted to take him up on that offer, he definitely wasn't going to say no. He hadn't written a thing since coming to Katila Weyr. His muse for it had dwindled in favor for the pure emotion of anger that was now his more common emotion. Erisi genuinely enjoyed singing and playing music, but he wasn't doing much of that anymore. Maybe his muse would come back if he got happier, but that seemed unlikely.

Valerian was often seen as holding a neutral or bored expression but he did know how to laugh and show other types of emotion, especially if it was associated with teasing another. At the thought of writing the ballad Erisi suggested, he cracked a smile and chuckled softly. Even with the suggestion given in a playful manner, Valerian thought it would be a good way to pass the time. He seemed to be accepting the ruination of his life a tad better than his fellow harper but it would undoubtedly do them both well to vent a bit in lyrics, even if they only ended up burning the parchment before a dragonrider saw it. The other Candidates would appreciate it as well if they were kind enough to share what was bound to be an epic creation with two like-minded incredible men at the task.

Getting to his feet, Valerian slapped off the various forest debris clinging to his pants and made the bold move of walking around the tree to take in his new acquaintance. He was reasonably attractive despite the scowl that he suspected was in place constantly since arriving at Katila, but good looks was a nice bonus. He didn’t have a rule where only the beautiful people could be his friends, though he suspected some of the riders did with the little groups that formed at meals, but it wasn’t a bad thing either if that was how it ended up. He’d claim they were muses for his writing. “Sounds like fun. We could do a good foot-stomping, sing-along-while-you-drink tune as well that can be more about mocking of the dragonriders.”

Valerian laughed, and Erisi decided that it was definitely a good sign. This sort of companionship was easy. Neither of them held great expectations in the other, or perhaps it was that they already recognized that they were both equally a cut above the rest. Whatever it was, Erisi had come to the conclusion that he could easily be friends with Valerian. He heard rustling from the other side of the tree, and was mildly surprised to see the other Harper rounding the bark of the tree to his own side. "You're on my side of the tree," he teased with the briefest flashes of a smile. At least now he could get a better look at the other Harper's face. Attractiveness had to be a common trait amongst Harpers - there were a few that were eyesores, but in general they were appealing enough. It occurred to him that if he felt so inclined, he would have liked to have been pursued by Valerian, or vice versa.

For now, he was quite happy with the simple companionship that was being provided. Valerian could turn out to be a good friend, so perhaps it was better to avoid eying the man. "As long as the tune is good and the words are true, about dragonriders, then I'm in for it." Erisi's idea of truth was horribly slanted, though. He did not see any positive in dragonriders. He was the type of person to write multiple ballads about the dragonriders of Katila Weyr, and each one would be nastier than the other. It could also be expected for Erisi to sing one of those tunes when he was drunk, or feeling particularly vindictive.

"Let's get started, hm?" he suggested with a playful rise of his brow. And so, they got started.