Screw That [J'ver]

"I spoke to the healers again," S'kef said as he walked along the beach, idly kicking one rock and watching as it bounced off into the water. "They said D'ren will likely be released from the infirmary in another month or so, as long as Tsuen doesn't continue her overzealous protection and insistence that he stays locked away." The man snorted derisively. Tsuen was insane; her restrictive 'care' for the bronzerider had come closer to killing him than the poisoning had, and that was just disgusting. 

"I can't wait to be rid of her," he said, looking to his companion and smiling. He knew he was hardly the only man in Katila to talk like that. "And I expect I'm far from alone. It's funny, isn't it? D'ren stupidly tries to shield her from bad publicity and he winds up the popular one."

D'ren was popular, wasn't he? The Weyr seemed to think that S'kef had big shoes to fill, but so far he found his own work so much more pleasing. He was more efficient and more logical than D'ren, with no weak bleeding heart to distract him from the important task at hand. Given time, the weyr would learn that he was the better of the two. If D'ren had been smart, he'd have pawned all of his failings off on that she-beast and reaped the rewards.

S'kef sighed, folding his hands in front of him and looking lazily across the water. It was a warm afternoon on a clear day. Across the lake, he could see Tyrrisath's gold-tinged hide laying on the far bank, soaking up the late afternoon sun. S'kef expected Rilaleeyth was behind him, but if she was, he couldn't see her over the larger dragon. It had been a long time since S'kef had managed to escape his duties before sundown, and longer still since he'd coaxed J'ver on an outside expedition with him. S'kef wasn't a long, romantic-walks-on-the beach kind of guy, but anything could be occasionally appealing when done tastefully.

Besides, Tsuen had demanded a meeting with S'kef to discuss some sort of business earlier. S'kef had made a point of blowing her off; he had no interest in discussing the topic at hand, which he'd already made his final decision over, and he didn't appreciate her notion that she had a right to command him. No one had any right to command him. He ruled by right of succession with legitimacy bestowed by D'ren's chosen second, and she was nothing but a woman. He was certain he'd get an earful for it, but that was a small price to pay to put her in her place.

"Tsuen will probably be mad at me for this," he remarked, winking almost playfully at J'ver. "I sort of hope so. I'm sure it will make tomorrow much less monotonous."

“The people will be thrilled with that news. You should consider throwing together a special dinner in the Hall or even a relaxed gathering in the Square to show support for his recovering health,” J’ver didn’t care one way or the other for the man’s recovery given their history and how the bronzerider had done his best to knock them back down into the mud but he did know about good public relations and how such a gesture would increase the opinion the population had for S’kef. It wouldn’t erase all of their suspicions and negative comments but it would help ease some of the tension around the Weyr to show there was good blood between D’ren and S’kef. It would hopefully avoid an abundance of drama when the D’ren supporters tried to restore the frail man to power.

“My biggest concern with being rid of Tsuen is the options on gold aren’t that stellar. One nearly killed herself by being unable to keep a cut clean on her arm and lacks in fashion sense to boot. The other, from what the whispers say, still believes she’s married to the man left behind long ago in the North. The latter will be a fun challenge, I will grant you that. The former will be a headache.” J’ver shook his head as he thought over the young goldriders and the trouble they would be. Tsuen was a large pain in the rear as well and was the reason they were still South and now walking on eggshells in order to keep her from completely losing her hold on sanity. Was it just something gold dragons looked for in women? The crazier the better? Everyone would be infinitely better off if Rilaleeyth was a gold; or if Vixen was more than a simple flitter. No, pet. I adore you as you are. J’ver quickly soothed when the gentle green stirred and distress was felt. They had been together for most of his life but still any sign of unhappiness was taken to heart and Rilaleeyth was always quick to blame herself. I simply meant that the Weyr would be better controlled if S’kef and I were the actual figureheads. In truth, Tsuen didn’t have much power but D’ren had humoured her too much and the crazy woman believed she could boss everyone around, including the Weyrleader. That would change soon enough, J’ver knew. S’kef was a master at breaking people in and getting them to submit.

“Anyway,” J’ver began after watching Rilaleeyth flutter her wings out from behind the giant rock that was Tyrrisath and pull them back to her again to curl up content once more, “no one left back at the Weyr deserve so much attention given to them, even in thought, especially while we’re away for a bit.” It wasn’t that he was being a sappy romantic that hoped for his lover’s attention solely on him while at a lake during sunset. It was more the fact that J’ver believed attention should always be on him when someone was around him. He was far more interesting in every way than any woman despite her dragon or mental issues.

Vixen, however, also believed she was worthy of all the attention and took off from his shoulder, chittering loudly at both men. J’ver barely paid her much attention, already used to his precious little girl chiding S’kef when he didn’t offer up enough praise and affection that befit her rank. Today though seemed to be a simple warning to behave while she went off to explore and frolic. J’ver chuckled softly and on a whim took a step off in the direction Vixen had zipped off to. “Walk with me?” He wasn’t worried over Vixen getting lost or even dirty since she was a prim and proper lady that liked to be clean and presentable but J’ver didn’t feel like standing on the beach all evening watching the fading sun light reflect off the lake’s surface. At least Vixen could be an aesthetically pleasing distraction as they spoke. She was such a beautiful shade of gold!

S'kef never had an easy time getting his mind off of work, and that was doubly true now that he was Weyrleader. Politics often made their way into his everyday conversations with J'ver, even though he'd never considered greenriders much worth discussing such issues with. J'ver was a special greenrider, and before becoming his lover he'd been his plotting partner. If any greenrider on Pern deserved inclusion, it was J'ver. That didn't mean he'd get automatic acceptance, of course.

S'kef nodded quietly at J'ver's suggestion. He wasn't entirely thrilled at the notion of such fanfare, but he had to admit there were some merits to the idea. It might smooth things over between himself and D'ren, but he also didn't want to risk weakening his own position. He didn't want to look too eager to support the old bastard. He grunted once, keeping the thought to himself, and continued along.

"Jada would be the hardest to control out of the three," he said, moving on to the next topic. "She seems to have gotten the wrong idea from Tsuen. She thinks the Weyrwoman reigns over the Weyr in full. I would sorely hate to banish that fool thought from her brain..." His astringent tone revealed that he would not hate it at all.

"Of course, that means Tsuen is probably Weyrwoman for our purposes. Krypth flies so often, and Jada would be a huge pain in the ass." He didn't need to spell it out to make his point. He frowned, deep in thought as he looked out across the shimmering water. It was a very complex situation, but there had to be a way to make it work.

His attention snapped suddenly to Vixen, who had scolded him for something or other and taken off. That little bitch was just as contrary as any other woman and just as vain as J'ver. S'kef wasn't sure if she was perfect or a nightmare. S'kef smirked just a little, pleased by J'ver's affection for his little pet and amused at the parallels between them, before grasping J'ver's hand. "Why not," he said, far from sappy himself, but finding the idea rather suitable and relaxing. It had been a long week, and there were many more to come.

"Vixen sure is excitable," he said, tracing her flashing hide with his eyes as she bounced along.

While the walk was pleasant enough and the company naturally perfect, J’ver didn’t take much romantically from it nor did he think of it as any sort of weakness. Two men walking along, hand in hand, as they talked politics seemed anything but weak to the greenrider. It showed a united front if nothing else so if someone tried to start something with either of them, they were in for dealing with the other. Some people had the oddest way of viewing things. Of course, if he saw another pair holding hands it would be another story. They were united at the moment but as soon as they were apart, they would be vulnerable and the other could be used as a weakness. No one was foolish enough to try such a tactic on the Weyrleader and his dangerous shadow though. In fact, J’ver suspected only a very small handful could even come up with such a thought and he had befriended them just enough to keep track of their loyalties.

“Something must have caught her attention,” J’ver wasn’t worried. His ladies were both fairly clever and knew to stay away from threats such as felines, wherries, and even tunnelsnakes in Vixen’s case. Self-preservation was built in to most creatures and humans though he had encountered some people where that was questionable. He’d have to check in on his favourite Healer again soon sometime. J’ver frowned a little when Vixen darted over behind a clumping of rocks along the edge of the beach where it trickled out and blended into the start of the forest line. She had clearly found something and while he couldn’t see or hear her, he was still convinced it wasn’t anything to worry over. More than likely she found someone else’s flitter trying to spy and she was scolding the filthy thing. Vixen was so dutiful!

Meandering over with a bit more curiosity with his hand still linked with S’kef’s, J’ver heard his little girl chirp several times before darting over to chitter rapidly at both men. It was hard to tell if she was excited, worried, or disgusted given all the emotions and images she tossed at J’ver. “She definitely found something.” Following along, as Vixen wouldn’t let them do anything else, J’ver crouched down where Vixen had landed and started clawing. A moment later his own helping hands revealed a nest of eggs that were becoming an all too common site around Katila. “She’s too young to think about rising but she doesn’t seem too happy about the actual mother’s attempt at the job.” He gave Vixen a reassuring pat to the head. He wasn’t into saving every flitter they came across but he was into keeping his own calm and happy.

S'kef loved that J'ver loved his little pet. The brownrider had suspected his greenrider might be hesitant to accept it at first, but judging by the man's adorable soft spot for his sweet green dragon,  Tyrrisath had suggested that J'ver would actually like a little pet to dote on. How appropriate that it had been a little queen!

Of course, S'kef was pretty flitter-neutral himself, and still hadn't gotten used to being constantly berated by one, queen or no. He tolerated Vixen, though, because J'ver loved her and at least most of the time she was a proper lady. He humored both Vixen and J'ver as the greenrider followed the little queen's scolding directions. "What on Pern could have her so riled?" S'kef asked impatiently, almost disgusted.

He followed just the same, for that was the only way to stop the noise. J'ver had done well training her as well, so when she went off like this, S'kef found it safe to assume it was something interesting at least. He followed and then took a step in front of J'ver, looking down with mild surprise at the newly uncovered nest.

"I guess you're right," S'kef said, kneeling down and dusting a bit of sand off the eggs. There weren't many, and most of them looked dead. "A green's nest, I imagine. The eggs have been abandoned." There wasn't any pity there. It was just nature, and shards! He hardly cared for green dragons or their riders, much less the eggs of green fire lizards! Still, Vixen's obvious distaste and distress was noticeable. He snorted. "Think she's going to let us leave them?" he asked with an edge of cruel humor.

J’ver tried to coax Vixen to him but the gold was having done of that. Usually she was well-behaved and would come to him when he held out a hand to her but she was too distressed over the abandoned eggs to want comfort or love right then. J’ver frowned at her as she landed across from S’kef on the other side of the nest and stared him down. It was clear to the greenrider what she was expecting but he wasn’t sure if S’kef would pick up on it or agree to it. Everyone knew S’kef’s opinion on greenriders and their dragons so if what he suspected was true, why care for a green flitter’s neglected nest?

Still, it didn’t look like there was much choice in the matter as Vixen side strafed away from J’ver when he tried once more to pick her up and calm her. Vixen had a mission in mind now. The eggs weren’t hers but the ones that remained were already important to her and none of them would be allowed to leave until the matter was tended to. Breaking her stare down, Vixen nosed one of the surviving eggs in S’kef’s direction and then looked up at him, imploring him to take it. J’ver did rest of the work. “She wants you to help her. Even if we do manage to leave them, Vixen will never forgive us and I suspect you’ll have an eternal headache from her berating.” He didn’t want to admit to not knowing if he wanted to help the clutch or not either but thankfully Vixen had targeted S’kef to be the one to care over the things. He suspected it was because his golden girl didn’t want to share him further than she had to. Vixen deferred to Rilaleeyth and they got along wonderfully but another firelizard bonded to him might not be encouraged.

“If nothing else you can find someone to pawn the eggs off on when we return.” J’ver eyed Vixen and wondered if she would let that happen. S’kef didn’t need to know it was unlikely until he had the clutch home and tended to.

S'kef was hesitant, to say the least. He wrinkled his nose at the tiny beast, clearly disapproving of her tone, though what could one expect from a plucky little queen bonded to his J'ver? Shrieking harpies, all of them! The brownrider cast a disgusted look at J'ver before letting his eyes dark back to Vixen, whom he was wholly unimpressed by.

"You're a brave little cunt," he grumbled, holding one finger out to prod at the hissing beauty as she offered the egg to him. Okay, maybe it was less 'offered' and more 'demanded'. Clearly he was required to take it. He frowned and stood up, ready to walk away and damn himself to an eternity of small, annoying screeches ringing in his ears, before a familiar voice butted its way into the man's mind.

Look at J'ver

Why? He's fine

Tyrrisath's annoyance gave S'kef a moment of pause. I believe he secretly wishes for you to take it.

You suddenly care?

Not about the egg. Look at him.

S'kef spared a glance at J'ver, who had appeared amazing indifferent on the matter, though he had encouraged S'kef to take the egg out of consideration for the man's sanity. Still, the brownrider frowned. Could it be that his J'ver wished he would take it, but just wouldn't ask?

"Tyrrisath..." S'kef grumbled softly, then knelt back to the sand and picked the egg up. It was tiny and fragile, but the shell was hard enough to hold and S'kef thought he could feel the slightest tremor of motion inside. He examined it for a moment before looking at Vixen and shushing her gently. Then, he pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and lightly wrapped the egg in it. "Very well then. We'll see what we can do about finding this thing a home. You're welcome," he muttered, though he seemed to be handling the egg with an unnatural sense of delicacy and care. Tyrrisath was highly amused.

J’ver was also highly amused and secretly congratulated Vixen for a job well done. Not many could boss around S’kef or manipulate him so beautifully but his sweet gold had done both like a professional. It made for a proud greenrider and J’ver finally managed to pick up his baby girl, placing her on his shoulder as he stood. “It looks like a couple more have a chance at survival but I’ll make a deal with you both. Since S’kef agreed to help one, I’ll let someone know where these ones are and they can deal with it.” J’ver had no interest in carting around eggs, especially if there stood a chance they were already beyond help. Carrying around dead flitters still in their shells? How utterly morbid that would be!

Vixen seemed soothed enough at the idea and stirred up no further trouble and returned to her usual fussing and chittering softly as she nuzzled J’ver’s neck. He gave her another pat to the head and sent her an image of the two dragons, asking her to go check on them. Vixen hesitated a moment, eyeing S’kef thoughtfully before vanishing and reappearing above Tyrrisath’s head. She chirped in greeting and curled up on the brown’s paw without invitation. Napping in the sun sounded lovely!

“She’s worried you’ll put it back,” J’ver explained when he caught sight of the glaring firelizard before Vixen finally left. “But I know you keep your word and will bring the egg home.” He wasn’t sure if S’kef would keep it himself given the way he had worded his defeat in the matter but J’ver suspected Vixen wouldn’t allow that egg to leave their hut until it was a hatched and healthy flit. He wondered what kind of mothering skills were developing in his little girl and if he should worry. Time would tell soon enough, J’ver imagined and boldly stepped into S’kef’s space to wrap his arms around the brownrider’s neck.

“Would you like a prize for being so kind, master?”

Talk about a long way down! Bossed around by a fire lizard! S'kef wrinkled his nose dispassionately as J'ver's arms wound around him, but who was he kidding? How could anyone resist such an adorable gesture? "Fuck you," he mumbled as he put his arms around J'ver's waist, looking down at the other man and eventually conjuring a smile. Perhaps it was not entirely manufactured.

"I won't put it back. I'll take it home and figure something out," he promised the greenrider before giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "And we'll send someone else to come and check on the rest, all right? Will that satisfy both you and your little girl?" He'd have been disgusted with himself if he were watching from a distance, but a little bit of compromise was all right if it meant ensuring his sweet greenrider's happiness. "And yes...I do believe you owe me a little reward for taking such good care of you...don't you?"

Taking care of an abandoned flitter seemed like a small price to pay for his pet's continued adoration, but of course, the brownrider had no intentions of keeping it.

Nearby, Tyrrisath watched with amusement as  Vixen invited herself to lay upon him. He rumbled a soft, half-indifferent greeting before reaching out to S'kef with his amusement. Then, careful not to disturb her, the brown dragon rested his head on the sand and let out a slow, content sigh. A nap in the sun sounded lovely indeed, and the humans appeared somewhat occupied, though Tyrrisath imagined they would be shuttling the egg to safety soon enough.