06.Feb.12, 04:11 PM
Talian looked at Erisi with warm gratitude, though he decided not to go on about it. He figured being kind wasn't Erisi's normal mode of operation, and the other man might not appreciate being reminded of what he was going out of his way to do. So Talian appreciated it silently and moved back to the topic at hand.
"That's the thing though," he said softly. "I like sex. I just...have trouble with people," he said. He spoke with an odd hollowness, as it purposefully detaching himself from the subject rather than thinking too hard about it. He was prone to think too hard about things. If he did that now, he'd wind up thinking too much about Fiora and his home, and that would depress him more. His medical mind knew that, and was quite willing to treat the subject like the corpse of a long dead patient rather than suffer through more disappointment.
He shifted his position awkwardly and cast his eyes down. "I don't know, Erisi. The person who encouraged me before was B'jin...the rider who brought me here." He didn't bother to explain the bond he'd formed with the greenrider. Erisi wouldn't understand, and it would just cause needless stress. Talian knew B'jin was just looking out for him, in an odd way. What a strange place this Weyr was, to produce an atmosphere where such advice was necessary!
"B'jin didn't pressure me, though. He...pretty much warned me the same way the weyrling master did," he said as an afterthought. It was a subtle defense of B'jin. Talian valued the few people he'd come close to, and didn't want to risk alienating any of them. Nothing was obligating Erisi to like B'jin, of course, but Talian liked both of them in different ways.
The conversation progressed and something new stuck out to Talian. Don't change, Erisi had said. Talian dwelled on it for a moment. "Thank you, Erisi. You'd be surprised how rarely I hear that advice."
He smiled widely for the first time as he turned that train of thought over in his mind. Here he was with three people he could call friends. Three times more than he had at home. Not too shabby.
"That's the thing though," he said softly. "I like sex. I just...have trouble with people," he said. He spoke with an odd hollowness, as it purposefully detaching himself from the subject rather than thinking too hard about it. He was prone to think too hard about things. If he did that now, he'd wind up thinking too much about Fiora and his home, and that would depress him more. His medical mind knew that, and was quite willing to treat the subject like the corpse of a long dead patient rather than suffer through more disappointment.
He shifted his position awkwardly and cast his eyes down. "I don't know, Erisi. The person who encouraged me before was B'jin...the rider who brought me here." He didn't bother to explain the bond he'd formed with the greenrider. Erisi wouldn't understand, and it would just cause needless stress. Talian knew B'jin was just looking out for him, in an odd way. What a strange place this Weyr was, to produce an atmosphere where such advice was necessary!
"B'jin didn't pressure me, though. He...pretty much warned me the same way the weyrling master did," he said as an afterthought. It was a subtle defense of B'jin. Talian valued the few people he'd come close to, and didn't want to risk alienating any of them. Nothing was obligating Erisi to like B'jin, of course, but Talian liked both of them in different ways.
The conversation progressed and something new stuck out to Talian. Don't change, Erisi had said. Talian dwelled on it for a moment. "Thank you, Erisi. You'd be surprised how rarely I hear that advice."
He smiled widely for the first time as he turned that train of thought over in his mind. Here he was with three people he could call friends. Three times more than he had at home. Not too shabby.