Did you like it? [Talian]

B'jin scrubbed a hand over his face, and flicked his wet hair out of his eyes. He'd need to get it trimmed soon, as if he could find someone to do it. Everyone wanted something for something these days, and apparently singing just didn't cover it any more. Irritating, but understandable he supposed, as he swept around his bedroom like a whirlwind of motion. Katila didn't have the use of Marks, like Northern Pern did, and for the new comers it was weird, having to actually use a trading system that hadn't been used with any serious intent for decades. Well, it was the main form of bartering in Katila, and he supposed that the new comers would just have to cope - the rest of them had!

Flicking his head, and causing the wet strands of hair to fly, B'jin shrugged his shoulders as he left the now clean bedroom and began to work on the kitchen and dining table. They were a mess of plates and food, with attempts at cleaning being particularly obvious, but just as obviously, such attempts were probably made by his five turn old daughter while her slightly older brother watched in amusement. B'jin felt they were growing up far too fast - eight and five! And yet, as he surveyed the mess the children had made of his kitchenette, B'jin concluded that they still had a long way to go. Sighing, the man began to clean up the mess.

Larri, where are you lot? As he went about his task, B'jin let his mind wander to the dragon that had become his soul mate, and rejoiced in the light and casual contact as their consciousnesses touched. The dragon was preoccupied, but that was to be expected, when she was baby sitting. He couldn't get her to do that when he wanted some time off, of course, but the dragon was more than happy to steal the children on a whim.

Out over the Eastern Hunting Ranges, she responded, letting her rider see the view she had from the sky. B'jin twitched slightly at the height the dragon was coasting at.

"Please tell me you have straps on," B'jin groaned, speaking aloud.

Of course! Not that Andi was very impressed, amusement and tolerance coloured her tone. Indamor is getting good at putting them on. He only had one query. Pride wrought through her tone here, and he could tell by the way her mind shifted that she was including the children in her half of the conversation.

You have a visitor, Larrikith added, picking up on what B'jin hadn't realised he'd heard. Frowning, the greenrider pulled his mind away from Larrikith and the children she had taken for an early morning flight, and turned to look at his door. Still frowning, he made his way across the hut and to the door. Reaching it, he pulled it open carefully and only enough to allow a sliver of his body to fulfil the gap.

"Talian!?" Shock etched across the dragonrider's face - he had not expected the young healer to seek him out, and he blinked twice.

"Hello."

Tal's voice was meek, his thin face angled towards the ground and his eyes sunken in shame. He hated to bother B'jin at his home, for everyone he spoke to warned him that the greenrider was notoriously protective of his space. Talian wasn't sure what right he had to invade, especially since he still viewed B'jin as an overlord of sorts. B'jin's protective and kindly display in the dining hall had done much to soften Talian's attitude towards him, but the young man continued to think of himself as a prisoner. His hierarchical upbringing encouraged this attitude which he projected unwillingly onto B'jin. The greenrider something of a jailer, but also becoming something closer to a father.

Talian slowly looked up, his timid eyes wide with shame. "I'm sorry to bother you," he said. He didn't bother explaining that he needed to talk and had no one else to talk to. That much should have been obvious. B'jin was no longer his enemy, and aside from meeting some of his fellow stolens in passing, Talian had no true friends. Were he not so negative, he'd have realized that would soon change.

Talian fidgeted a bit as he stood, waiting to be allowed inside or sent away. He was wearing his headband, for he'd spent the morning patching up someone with a torn arm. Some blood stained the left sleeve of his loose-fitting shirt. He'd had a hard time locating clothes that fit at Katila. He was smaller than average, and he couldn't be bothered to eat most of the time.

"It's no bother," B'jin said slowly, still staring at Talian like he had grown an additional head. The greenrider looked highly  uncomfortable as he obviously debated with what action to take at this point. The child obviously wanted to speak with him, and had even gone out of his way to not only hunt him down, but also to find out exactly which Hut was his own. In addition to the distance that required the healer to travel to get from the Hall he resided in to the hut in question, B'jin could hardly dismiss that Talian must have some particularly important reason to seek him out. B'jin hesitated a moment longer, however, as he searched Talian's face seriously, his expression almost comical in it's out-of-characterness. Finally, he stepped back slowly, and allowed the gap between the door and it's frame to widen, just barely enough for Talian's slim frame to slip through.

"Come in." The words were an invitation, but also came out with the obvious lack of having been spoken very often and were wrapped in quiet hesitation. B'jin could probably count on one hand the number of people he had allowed in his hut (Nemall, the two children, and now, Talian.) and he was obviously uncomfortable with the change in the roster. Nemall wasn't allowed in any more, so he supposed he could make room on the list for Talian instead. The man's shoulders were slightly stiff as he closed the door quietly behind Talian when the boy had entered, and he took his gaze from the healer to look around his hut, and just about died of shame at it's current lack of cleanliness.

"I had the children over last night," he said meekly, to explain the continued state of breakfast disaster in the kitchen and on the dining table, and the fact that the majority of the living area was looking more like a massive tent of furs and pillows than a lounging area. There were toys spewed across the entirety of the small hut, as well as several items of clothing far too small for B'jin, and more than a few indications that B'jin had been as much a constructor of the hut as his children -- surely it wasn't possible for a child to get a blanket to hook over a nail so high in the wall.

B'jin's face was crimson as he huddled against his door, wondering what the young healer would possibly make of such a terrible introduction to the hidden life of B'jin. The artwork hanging around the main room was delicate and obviously well loved and cared for, while the couch (which was mostly hidden under blankets and pillows from the bedroom) was well used and abused, with scratches and that comfortable look from being well sat upon.

"They've gone flying," he added softly, voice following the same meek tone as before as he explained that the aforementioned children were not about to leap out and attack Talian, as well as letting the young man know the dragon was not in her own room.

Talian slipped into the hut upon receiving B'jin's nervous invitation, but neck and arms bristled just the same. Everything about B'jin was wrong. The body language, the voice, the face...something was wrong, and in typical form, Talian blamed only himself. B'jin must have really liked his privacy!

The healer moved into the hut and looked around, his eyes gradually widening with unrestrained wonderment - and possibly amusement - as he surveyed the damage. B'jin wasn't kidding when he said he loved his children. He loved them enough to let them completely destroy the place. Talian wasn't sure where he stood on that. As a young boy. Talerian would have beat him black and blue for making such a mess. His sisters, on the other hand, would have gotten away with it due to their father's sheer apathy towards them and their mother's lack of a spine.

Children. What weird things. Fortunately, they were nowhere near, and neither was the Great Green Monster!

Talian exhaled nervously. "I...I really am sorry to have bothered you so," he said hastily. He spun around and smiled at B'jin, but it was a nervous,. twitchy smile that may have been cute in the proper context. He was trying so very hard to please the greenrider! "Er, I won't stay long. I just had a little...incident..." his voice dipped into a low rasp at the word 'incident'. "...and I..am not sure what to do."

He closed his eyes in shame.

"It's no bother," B'jin repeated, this time his voice firmer and warmer as he shook himself visibly and leaned up off the doorway. He studied Talian with quiet intensity for a moment, watching as the young healer stuttered through his explaination. "Nonesense," B'jin injected, frowning comically. "I don't usually have visitors." He stated, just in case Talian hadn't some how already come to that conclusion himself. "You are more than welcome. I was surprised." He shurgged good naturedly, and stepped forward, almost ignoring the way that his young ward mumbled on about being unsure what to do about some - apparently - horrendously uncomfortable situation.

B'jin had heared, and he was puzzled, but he was choosing to take actions in logical steps - for yes, he could be logical and usually was! - and instead stepped up to Talian and took the younger man by the shoulders, spinning him gently to face the disaster of a kitchen and pushing him along until he got the hint and walked on his own in that direction. Once he was sure Talian wasn't going to stop or go in a different direction, B'jin stepped around him and quickly ahead, whisping through the kitchenette with quick, sharp movements as he cleaned it up and then spun around to bow Talian into a chair with a comical smile on his face.

"Sit." He declaired, waving at the seat, and turning to the pot hovering over the open fire place. He swung it out, and peered into it, lips thinning into a line as he took note of the remains. Leaning backwards he went to the cupboard to get ingredients to mix up Klah, noting as he did so the carefully hidden indications he had missed that lead him to the train of thougth he vocalised for Talian's benefit; it was rude to bespeak one's dragon when in the presence of a non-rider.

"Larrikith. If either of those children come home still on a Klah-high I am going to tie them to your tail." He paused for a moment, the sighed. "She laughed at me. No respect." Shaking his head, B'jin set the pot to boiling and took at seat in a chair slightly to the side of the one he'd indicated Talian to claim.

"What's the incident?"

Talian squeaked softly as B'jin took hold of him. The young man was still unused to being touched by anyone, but if someone was going to touch him, it may as well be B'jin. He knew his attachment to the man was bordering on masochistic. B'jin was the one who took him from his home and told him he could never return. B'jin was also perhaps the first older person ever to show anything beyond a professional or academic interest in Talian, though. The healer knew it, and while he remained cowed and skittish around the man, he was slowly coming to adore him.

"Well," he coughed, looking nervously around the kitchen and fidgeting with his hands in his lap. He watched as B'jin began fiddling with familiar ingredients.  Talian couldn't deny a bit of pleasure at the sight, for he'd gone without klah all day...a feat, for him. "Thank you," he said preemptively, a nervous but sincere smile creeping onto his thin lips.

But what to say next?

He looked down and closed his eyes tightly, as if afraid he might see Erisi if he opened them. "B'jin," he said cautiously, not sure what to do. "...What do you th-...well..." he said, cutting himself off sharply. How was he supposed to propose this? He didn't want B'jin to know about Fiora. He didn't want anyone to know about Fiora, really. That was an important part of his concern, though. It would have been bad enough to kiss another girl when Fiora's scent still lingered on his clothes, but Erisi...?

He swallowed hard. "...Have you ever had thoughts about other men?"

He wanted to die of shame the moment the words escaped his lips.

"Ahh," B'jin sighed, leaning back thoughtfully as he took in the shamefull appearance of Talian and the way the young man was fidgetting. This was, obviously, going to be a very delicate topic and B'jin would - once more - need to carefully watch what he said and how he said it. He didn't mind Talian's finicy personality, he found it endearing truth be told,  but he was also eager for the time when their relationship would be steady enough that he wouldn't have to worry about offending the young man when he said something. It wasn't that B'jin didn't think before he spoke, so much that making sure he did so could  become tiresome fast. None the less, a small smile touched his lips slightly as he waited, making sure Talian had finished speaking. When he was sure, he stood up fluidly and collected a mug of Klah for the young healer, and a half-mug for himself.

"Decidedly," B'jin answered as he handed Talian his mug and took his relaxed seat once more, long legs stretched out before him. The greenrider was relaxed, and his expression was slightly amused. "I was, however, involved with a lovely young woman when I was your age." His fingers wrapped around his mug and he held it under his nose, letting the steam whisper around his features. "We had a son, Bendliam. Larrikith, however, Impressed to me while I was recording a Hatching at Telgar Weyr as part of my Journey a Turn after his birth. As a result, I saw very little of her and my boy after that." His face was an expression of bitter-sweetness and he felt Larrikith poke around to see what was going on, before she withdrew quietly.

"I don't think I've mentioned him." B'jin added, before putting his mug down, not having taken a single sip. "Have you heard of Nemall?" He asked, his tone altering slightly as he spoke the other man's name, expression unreadable. Their breakup had been rather gossip-worthy during it's time, but B'jin was unsure if it had become worthy of repeating to any of the younger members of their Weyr. "We were weyrmates for..." B'jin frowned thoughtfully. "Almost twenty Turns." He waved a hand sharply, obviously aggravated, "he came South with Larrikith and I," his voice hitched slightly, but he threw off the memory of M'ram's face before she vanished between forever, in exchange for an irritable grimace. "He is not a rider," he added, perhaps unnecessarily, "which apparently caused jealousy issues between himself and my dragon I was unaware of until recently. Which, as a result, had him thrown rather bodily out of my home." B'jin scowled at the memory, and tapped his fingers on the side of his mug.

He shifted irritably, almost suddnely, and seemed to forget the subject of his ex in exchange for a charming grin and bright eyes as he looked mischievously at Talian. "Several of this rounds Candidates are prime examples of particularly delightful eye candy." His expression continued to mutate into one of delighted teasing, though it was gentle and his tone was playful and calming. "Who has managed to confuse you so?" While it was quite obvious B'jin was going to enjoy their conversation, even if Talian didn't, he was also careful to make sure the young man knew he was playing, and not picking on him.

Talian was wholly shocked. B'jin accepted the question with ease, not even batting an eyelash at what Talian assumed would be a controversial subject. He was still green to Weyr life. It still shocked him that he'd even been approached in such a way, or that anyone at all would take anything he did as some sort of sexual advance. Even worse, another man! He was again surprised to find that B'jin hadn't only thought about such things, but had been in a long committed relationship with a man.


He started to reply, but he fell silent as B'jin continued. Talian nodded politely through the story, his face occasionally twisting into a sympathetic grimace. Talian remembered how he first felt about B'jin. He'd been practically repulsed and even offended that the greenrider expected anything resembling sympathy from one of his victims. Now, he found himself pitying B'jin.

One part about the story in particular bothered him. "So you had to choose between them?" he inquired in a shallow voice, not bothering to elaborate any further. It wasn't a judgmental question, just a sad one. Choosing between a lover and a dragon...how horrible. From what he understood, a dragonbond was all-consuming. The notion of Impressing one and having to choose it over a beloved human companion made his stomach churn. He knew he didn't understand relationships well, but he did know what it was like to be lovestruck.

He found himself wanting a dragon even less.

He snapped out of his nervous torpor when B'jin asked his final question. "Oh! Er..I'm not sure what you mean," he asked. "I'm...not looking." His voice was weighed down by self-pity. How could be be looking, when Fiora was still out there? "It was...well, one of them approached me." He didn't want to admit that he was making friends. That would somehow make it better to be at Katila, and he wasn't ready to concede that yet. "It...caught me off guard. And I was, well..." He inhaled sharply and composed himself before continuing. "...a little drunk."

B'jin laughed, but the sound was sour, and held no humour within it. His eyes were dark as he leaned forward seriously and pursed his lips, waiting until he caught Talian's eyes with his own. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, shaking his head as he did so, but never once letting go of Talian's eyes.

"With a dragon, Tal, there is no choice. You do not choose to Imperss them, they choose to Impress you. All you can hope, is that you'll be ready." From B'jin's bitter tone and irritable expression as he sat back in his chair with a huff, it was obvious he had not been given even that much. Even Talian, and his fellow Stolen, were given far more training and assistance than B'jin had recieved. He had only attented the Hatching in order to fulfil part of his Journey requirements! He had hardly been the only one shocked beyond belief when the little green had screamed his name in outrage when he wouldn't acknowledge her more gentle prods. B'jin took a deep breath and then shrugged slightly.

"Nemall had no reason to be jealous of Larri," B'jin grumbled, shaking his head. "He was literally jealous of the dragon herself. I don't understand it, and he refused to elaborate. Larri is no better; she keeps secrets like a... harper," he added lamely, resisting the urge to drop his head onto the tables. Shaking himself visibly, B'jin once more threw it off like a winter coat and latched on to awkwardness that Talian was giving off, his good natured and teasing smirk back in place.

The greenrider burst into cheerful laughter as Talian denied looking, and his smirk widened, "Really? There are at least three of them I would not say no to..." His smirk now was completely made of mischief, his comment obviously designed to make his young friend uncomfortable and his brown eyes sparkled delightfully.  "Ooh! Who?" Without missing a beat, B'jin leaned forward and stared at Talian with high curiosity, expression far too interested to satisfy simple curiosity.

The young healer tried to hide his response, but it was impossible. Pitiful at hiding emotion and unable to tear his eyes away from B'jin's, his expression went from concern to pure horror as B'jin explained the reality of the situation. Talian was becoming more and more determined not to Impress a dragonet by the second. His expression soured, the corners of his mouth weighed down by sudden misgivings. It wasn't anything B'jin had done, just a cold reminder of the situation. He had less control over his own life than he ever had before.

He laced his fingers together and squeezed trying to keep them occupied rather than drumming nervously on the table. In a freaky way, he was glad to be a little bit crazy. He was more aware of his own condition than he ared to admit, but if being depressed meant he got to keep his life as his own (or as much as the Weyr would allow), then so be it. The idea of marrying minds with some other creature and changing forever was too much for him to bear.

He realized suddenly how disguted he looked. He squashed the expression out of sheer embarrassment, which only intensified as B'jin shifted to his cheerful mode. If B'jin wanted to make Talian uncomfortable, he was succeeding. "Oh!That was, er, worded poorly. I didn't actually do anything with him." A pause. "Well, not much...and well...his name is Erisi."

B'jin laughed cheerfully as Talian tried to recover himself, the older man choosing to let the previous subject and all the negative emotions it brought about die and fade away in favour of teasing Talian about a subject he found far more interesting and much more amusing. Talking about Nemall left a sour taste in his mouth that he would rather not bring back. Besides, there were times for serious talks, and times for hilarity. Hilarity was now.

"I'm sure it was," B'jin teased, amused, and actually took a sip of his Klah as he smirked around the lip of his mug, eyes sparkling cheerfully. Putting the mug down, B'jin rested his elbows on the table, and layered his hands, his chin resting on top of them and his smirk wide, before Erisi's name was spoken. That caused B'jin to start, and in so doing, his elbows slipped off the table, and his chin as a result clacked solidly against the edge of the table as he tried to capture himself and failed miserably. Shoving himself into a sitting position once more, B'jin rubbed his jaw while his eyes watered from the shock of the sudden sharp pain and he tasted the metallic tang of blood. He'd bitten his lip.

"Erisi?!" he yelped, eyes wide as he stared at Talian, looking far less amused now and much more shell shocked. "Erisi?!" The man repeated, voice totally lost and confused. Really?! Erisi?! B'jin gave himself a solid shake, and ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth, too shocked to say anything further as he checked to make sure none of his teeth were at risk of falling out. He was rather fond of his teeth.

Any misgivings or unhappiness drained out of the young man in favor of sheer embarrassment. He practically sulked as he sat there, thinking back on that awkward moment in his room. Talian wasn't even sure why he liked Erisi, who was rude to him from the start and was obviously a rude, cantankerous person in general. He squeezed his hands tighter.

"Yes! That did sound, er...worse than I meant it," he mumbled. "We were having some wine together, and my knots were laying on my bed so I pulled them under the covers." Shards, this story sounded crazy. "And he thought I was fiddling with the sheets to taunt him, so he um...well, he kissed me."

He left the depth and nature of said kiss to the imagination, though judging by his expression of disbelieving indecision and confusion, it wouldn't be hard to figure out. "I didn't mean for it to go anywhere. I couldn't even, I mean..."  You're screwing up! "I didn't even know people did that! Well, I knew, but I'd never really seen it outside of rumors and such..."

Talian's eyes widened at B'jin's exclamation. He wasn't expecting B'jin to know who Erisi was. He surely wasn't expecting this kind of reaction, either! He shrank back and cringed as B'jin pitched forward, cracking his lower jaw on the table. "Oh! Are you okay?!" Talian asked, leaping to his feet and dashing around the table. He extended one thin hand to place it under B'jin's jaw, into on checking it over to make sure the man wasn't hurt. Instinct.

"Is..there something wrong with that?" he asked awkwardly, back on the topic of Erisi.

B'jin frowned, letting Talian examine his jaw as the older man mulled over what it was that Talian had shared with him. Scrunching his nose up, B'jin lifted one hand and gingerly felt his jawline, before opening and closing his mouth, testing the joint and twitching when it clicked once. "Yeah," he muttered, pushing his bottom lip out and touching it gingery where it was puffing up. "I'll be fine." His eye brows were still drawn in a frown and he looked at Talian in obvious confusion, though his head was starting to pound and he leaned back, slumping in his chair with a groan.

"I guess not," B'jin murmured, fingering his chin gingerly with an irritable pout. The pain had quickly dropped and faded to being tolerable, but B'jin was mostly irritable at the stupidity of hurting himself in such a manner. He was usually a lot more careful than that. "I've heard about him, from I'shan." He said quietly, frowning at Talian now and poking at his mug of Klah absently.

Raising his eyebrows, B'jin picked up some of Talian's previous comments. "I doubt it was just playing with your sheets that had him make a move on you, Tal." B'jin said reasonably, a small smile tugging at his lips, though he didn't let it go to the full expression, not keen on bursting his fat lip. "From what I understand, he is a confident young man and doesn't take well to being made a fool. He wouldn't have made a move unless he was sure" B'jin paused, frown deepening and lips flattening. "What happened after he kissed you?"

Satisfied that his friend was all right, Talian moved meekly back to his chair. "You could keep that cool, if you can. A rag damp with cold water," he instructed with habitual rigidness. He was somewhat encouraged by the little hints of a smile B'jin was offering him, but that didn't make the conversation any more pleasant. The healer found himself tempted to prolong the discussion of B'jin hurt lip, purely to keep the topic of Erisi at bay.

When it become obvious that it wasn't, Talian gave in. I'shan? Obviously another dragonrider, Talian assumed a friend of B'jin's and perhaps a searchrider. They did appear to gossip about their prisoners quite often. He frowned again. "I see. Well...Erisi is worth talking about, that much is certain." Erisi left a trail of drama wherever he went. It was downright terrifying.

Talian sighed and rested his forehead in his hands. "I was drunk," he admitted grudgingly, though he'd already mentioned that fact once. It merited repeating. "And I don't know. He insisted I'd been flirting with him all evening." He didn't bother to explain how he thought he was just making a friend. He wasn't willing to talk about making friends with B'jin, at least not yet. The pessimistic healer couldn't imagine things actually going well for an extended period of time.

"And well, after he kissed me..." he said. Unable to think of an eloquent way to say it, he just spit it out. "Well, I kissed him back. And it...wasn't so terrible. But he wanted more, and I...got cold feet?"

Was that the polite way to say 'freaked out'?

B'jin waved off Talian's concern with an amused, tolerant smile. "It's fine Tal, I just surprised myself, that's all." The throb in his chin had faded already, and if it didn't completely vanish soon, he wasn't allergic to fellis juice. That, of course, couldn't be taken until the children were returned to their mothers, lest they wreak havoc upon himself, his dragon and his home while he was unconscious. He'd survive, until then, of course. He had for the past forty seven turns and it was just a small ache. The headache was really what was going to be a bother. Why do you have a sore head? Larrikith asked quietly, her tone suspicious. If it was alcohol induced, she was going to be particularly loud and obnoxious. However, if it were justified (which hangovers never where, whatever B'jin proclaimed) she would play nice.

"It's nothing, love. I'll be fine. Just, keep your voice down, please." B'jin fingered his right temple as he spoke aloud, partially for Talian's sake, and partly because it was easier than trying to dictate thoughts with a pounding headache. He felt Larrikith withdraw without further comment, and gave a soft sigh as he returned his attention fully to Talian.

"Obviously," B'jin smirked, getting comfortable, though his voice was notably lower in volume as he settled himself and peered at Talian with amusement. B'jin had heard his share of stories about the young man in question. Highly entertaining sotires - the boy was a born Weyrbrat, whether he admitted it or not. "Ahh," B'jin breathed, though the expression was wrapped in amusement. He could hardly imagine Talian drinking heavily, which meant he was most likely a lightweight. That, of course, was highly amusing and slightly disturbing. His expression flickered into wary amusement as Talian continued. "I don't doubt him," B'jin said cautiously, though his expression was slightly worried. "You are over flowing with mixed signals."

B'jin snorted, and clapped a hand lightly over his mouth at Talian's admittance, reading between the lines as the young man apparently died of shame by admitting as much. "Ah Tal," B'jin giggled. "You could have ended it a lot worse than that," B'jin was still giggling softly to himself. "You didn't shove the poor man off the bed, did you?" B'jin's chastised and amused face indicated that was exactly what he had done himself, though his little spurts of giggles continued.

Talian noticed B'jin's discomfort and offered a sympathetic nod. He figured B'jin was in for a bit of a headache after that bump. "I didn't mean to startle you," he said, frown tugging at his lips. He'd become more fond of B'jin than he'd originally thought possible.  He remembered sitting miserably in the dining hall wishing the greenrider would disappear off the face of the planet. Talian didn't think he would ever get over the sting of losing his home and girlfriend to this man, but B'jin was making such a delightfully visible effort to make it up to him. That meant something.

He appreciated how calm B'jin was being about the topic. The greenrider was obviously amused, but he showed a level of respect for Talian's sensibilities that showed through. B'jin could have mocked him viciously or made some sort of spectacle out of it. Instead, the greenrider showed his amusement without being overhearing. Talian appreciated it. It made him feel comfortable, like the subject at hand was actually okay to talk about. He gave B'jin a warm smile, the kind that rarely crossed his face.

"I suppose I did. I didn't mean to lead him on...I'd honestly never even thought about something like that before," he said. His grip relaxed and the blood started to flow through his hands again. He blushed a little as B'jin chuckled at the last bit of the story. "And no...I just...explained it to him. I think he was disappointed, but he didn't get angry." Odd, considering Erisi's reputation. He rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "It was just so strange..and now that I actually look, I see people doing that sort of thing all over the place." He wanted badly to mention his girlfriend at home, but that didn't feel right. B'jin would just remind him of how he could never see her again and they'd both feel bad. A distinct wave of sadness did wash over his face a she thought about her, though.

"Thank you for talking to me about it. I just don't know what to think..."

Once more, B'jin waved a hand casually, tossing Talian's concern aside with a small smile. Instead, tilted his head thoughtfully. Talian had long become someone B'jin felt strongly for, and B'jin was more than happy to take a stand for the young man, should he require it. Not being a particularly confrontational man, B'jin was quite glad Talian wasn't one for wrapping himself up in trouble, though the greenrider was also pretty sure he'd be fending off more young men who were getting the wrong idea if Talian hadn't learned his lesson from Erisi. Though, even as he listened to Talian's description about what happened, B'jin found a slight smile twitching on his lips and he nodded thoughtfully.

"Sounds like you made a friend, at any rate." B'jin said lightly, voice still thoughtful as he pondered the relationship between his young ward and that which I'shan had stolen. Ironic, that they would both regret their dragon's choices, though, honestly while B'jin would put Talian back in his old life if he could, he would be loath to do so. The boy was as good as his own, and he'd hate to lose him. That said, he was quite happy with how Erisi was sounding from Talian's lips. If he were lucky, he wouldn't have to deck people himself (something B'jin was particularly loath to consider) and instead just dig the other young candidate out of trouble. That, at least, was something he could do with much more ease.

"Weyrs are pretty lax about such things, Tal." B'jin said, laughter in his tone though not actually on his lips. "Just... go with the flow," B'jin offered, smiling. "Sometimes, it is easier not to think too much about something. And you are more than welcome, my boy. Despite my greeting, you are always welcome in my hut." Smiling warmly, B'jin raised a brow slightly. "Would you like some breakfast? You don't look like you've eaten."

Talian was superbly art home in that moment. It was a rare thing. He liked the feeling of having his own space, a place were he could crawl away from everyone and enjoy his own company for a while.  He liked having somewhere he could be comfortable and relaxed, away from the judging eyes of others. Katila had disallowed that so far. He barely had time to get to where he slept decently in the Healing Hall before he was removed to the candidates' quarters, which to him felt decidedly prison-like. It was loathsome. Therefore, he always felt like an outsider at Katila. Alone with B'jin in that messy little hut, he actually felt somewhat safe.

"I suppose I did," he replied. Yes, he had made a friend. Now he had two friends! Three, if B'jin didn't count as something else entirely. The young healer discarded his worries for the time being and sighed. He still wasn't comfortable with the idea of having sex with another man, but the curiosity was there, and he was no longer ashamed of it. He managed to smile in return. It came easier than most days. "Actually...I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. That would be amazing..." he said.

He could hardly believe his good fortune.