So...Any Ideas? [V'ler]

T'lian didn't get out much anymore. Combined with the busywork he gave himself and the general assumption that everyone else was too busy for him, he just didn't. He stayed in his office and worked dutifully on his self-appointed projects, at least until he needed to take an extended klah break or spend a little time with Khaduceth. Good thing the dragon was self-sufficient!

The young brownrider wasn't exactly a hermit, though. He still sent friendly letters to his friends (or, his single friend and his father) almost every day. Fellis was too frightened of B'jin, so the adorable little blue was routinely dispatched to communicate all sorts of excitable new breakthroughs to V'ler, while the steadier and less-easily-spooked Tansy was in charge of letters to B'jin.

Those were excitable letters indeed. B'jin still didn't know about T'lian's quest for the mythical numbweed allergy cure, at least not in detail! T'lian had told him his intentions, but there had been no updates. He honestly expected his dear father to have forgotten all about it by now. V'ler, however, recieved frequent updates on the 'special project', though those updates were non-specific.  T'lian had promised not to tell anyone about B'jin's condition, but nothing was stopping him from being honest about the products purpose: the world's finest painkiller!

So far, all attempts were failures. That didn't matter to T'lian, though. He just kept on trying.

Today, things were a little different. Weary of work, he'd quit early only to realize that he had nothing else to do. There were no chores, Khaduceth and the fire lizards didn't need tending, so...what now? He could have gone and drank some klah or had a long bath, but it occurred to him as he stepped out of his office that he hadn't seen V'ler in forever.

Filled with amiable enthusiasm, the healer knocked on the door of the bluerider's hut. A fire lizard perched on each shoulder and Khaduceth was curled close by, content to nap during his bonded's little social call. For some reason, T'lian was jittering with excitement and almost nervous. It wasn't like V'ler was some long-lost mythological being, though it had been a few weeks since Tal had happened upon him in person.

When the door opened, Tal couldn't contain himself; he dove forward to hug his friend. "Hi, Val..."

V’ler’s greeting was cut off as T’lian flung himself at him, the bluerider doing his best to catch him and not let either of them stumble in the process. “Hey,” he replied only when certain they really were okay and T’lian wasn’t going to bounce around him next. Sometimes the Healer was hard to figure out and V’ler decided some time ago it was due to the klah and sleep ratio of the day.

The hug was returned, letting the moment be enjoyed without firelizards squawking, ‘brats running around, or a green rising. Life was rather noisy of late and V’ler wasn’t a big fan of that. He liked his silence so he could create or simply relax without a headache threatening to form. “What brings you by?” The question was asked as he slipped out of the hug and waved T’lian inside. It was best to keep a door closed before some of that noise tried to make its way within.

His hut was still on the modest end with only his desk and chair in the corner and a couch for guests to sit on when he had any but it was all V’ler really needed. When he wanted to be social, he went outside. His home was like his little spot in the forest; a place to escape and do his own thing. That wasn’t to say he hated being interrupted. If that were the case, he’d never answer the door.

Vex looked up from where he slept curled up on the desk with Quill and let out a low rumble of anger at having his nap disturbed but he was quickly silenced by his fellow blue with a nudge of the nose. Both firelizards went back to sleep, knowing T’lian was always welcomed and no harm would come from the visit. They were tired from all their activities earlier that day and napping trumped playing. V’ler would summon them if they were truly needed but they were both content to ignore everyone and continue sleeping as they pretended to guard V’ler’s writing tools.

It was so nice to see Val again! T'lian was glowing as he bounced over to the nearest available seat and plopped himself down. Tansy crooned and relocated to his lap upon arrival, but quickly made room for Fellis as well. The tiny blue settled in beside her, nestled between T'lain's stomach and Tansy's protective wing. It was a good place to be, both warm and safe.

T'lian grinned and ran his fingers over both of them. "I missed you," he replied simply, feeling his face heat up just a little bit, like it had so often in the old days. "And I actually have a question, not what I think about it."  Every time he found himself busy and wishing he could go see his friends, he always had a million things to ask of them. This was the first time in a while that it actually came to his mind while he was close by!

His smile, however, soon sank in response to the unspoken question. "Val, did you leave her egg for me?" he asked, eyeing the adorable little queen as she started to groom her little blue brother. Fellis squeaked, but didn't dare protest. How cute!

Their adorableness aside, Tal still wished he knew where she came from. "She came with a letter saying she was from a friend, and well...you're one of the only friends I have, so I sort of assumed she was from you...but I've been thinking about it lately..." He looked over to Val, trying to mask his hopefulness, for he knew what answer to expect. He just didn't want to think about it.

Why would Talian think he had secretly given him the gold egg? He had two blue firelizards so it wasn’t like V’ler had a clutch lying around to give away eggs from. Although, he still had people offering him their hidden bottles of booze and firelizard eggs in exchange for his musical services. Some wanted him to write poems they could recite to their lovers while the vast majority of those that had approached him wanted him to write another sappy song for B’jin to sing to R’nd at a public gathering. Since he already had plans to give B’jin more songs about his love life, it had been very tempting to accept the bribes but Veeth wouldn’t allow it. Love was not meant to be purchased or used to deceive people with.

V’ler, like he often oddly did, flopped down on the floor instead of the other portion of the couch. He sometimes did in fact use his couch for sitting on instead of merely decoration but usually he allowed his rare guest the seat and took the floor. It was more spacious. “Sorry, Tal. She didn’t come from me.” Even if he did happen across a gold flitter egg, V’ler wasn’t sure he’d give it to Talian. His friend loved Fellis and Khaduceth but that didn’t mean he’d want more firelizards. They could be needy and took up some free time with the care required of them but it was good to see Talian seemed comfortable with all of his little friends and cared so much for them. “I don’t have any ideas who would gift her to you either.” V’ler didn’t really know who Talian was close enough with to warrant such a gift and given in such a way.

That sparked an idea.

“Maybe you have a secret admirer.” V’ler grinned at his friend and waited for the reaction his words would cause. Of course Talian would have people admiring him from afar. He was good-looking, smart, and sometimes extremely kind. It really wasn’t that surprising others would have an interest in the Healer or want to leave him gifts without signing their names. The fear of rejection was strong in most everyone, including himself if V’ler wanted to search deep enough within, which would explain why Tansy was left for Talian as she was.

"It seemed like an odd thing for you to do," he admitted, flushing again as he reached down to lightly caress Tansy's neck.  She was so sweet and caring, a perfect addition to Tal's odd little family. The question or her origin only occasionally flickered through his mind, but he really was becoming quite curious. Now that Val answered the way the healer expected, however, he wasn't so sure if he needed to know anymore.

He may not have needed to, but shards, he just couldn't help wanting to. He frowned a little and offered a delicate shrug in reply. "I just don't know who else could have. Certainly not B'jin, and I don't really have any regular friends aside from you." Val really was the only one with any staying power. Tal found it amusing that as his temperament evened out and he became mentally healthier and well-adjusted, people seemed to stick around him less. People really were odd sometimes.

Even so, he smiled. "A secret admirer? If I do, they're a fool," he said with a touch of self-depreciating but light-hearted humor. He'd always poked fun at himself, once to preempt the attacks of others, but lately because he found that style of humor suited him. He almost smirked, but it was cut short when he looked up to Val and saw that damn grin. Ugh! It was so cute.

T'lian laughed coyly. "I really do doubt it, Val," he said. "If I do, I hope they say something. I guess I know something about being awkward...I get how it goes," he said, pausing for a moment to roll his head back in defeat. "You know, I had the biggest, stupidest crush on you for the longest ti-..."

Holy shit, did he just say that out loud? He paused stoically, waiting for the world to end...and fantastically, it didn't.

It didn't.

The healer kept his eyes closed tightly for a few more moments before inhaling deeply and sitting up. It didn't! The world was still spinning, even though he'd opened his fat mouth! Looking back at his friend, all he could do was produce another nervous laugh and turn a slight bit redder. "But yeah...I get that feeling.  I really doubt that's what's going on, though..." he said. He didn't linger on his little confession for too long, but he thought it worth at least acknowledging with a smile. It was weird, how good it felt to just spit it out already, though some part of his mind was freaking out with a million potential complications. His habit of overthinking could have turned the freduian slip into a catastrophe, but that particular part of his brain was too focused on gold firelizard conspiracy theories to worry about crushes.

T'lian sighed. "...You're the best friend I've ever had, Val. I guess I preferred to think that you might have been the one to leave her for me, rather than thinking it was J'ver..." Tal's veins constricted a bit at the mention of the man's name. A hint of fear flickered in his eyes, but it was brief and controlled. "But it's not healthy to try to fool myself like that. I suspected it and I think you just confirmed it...if it wasn't you, it had to be him."

"Whoever left the egg really scared Fellis when they did it. You're damn near the only person he isn't afraid of, too..." he explained. "And she looks an awful lot like J'ver's queen. The note that came with her...was awfully embellished in it's wording, too. I'm pretty sure it's his idea of a cruel joke, or maybe some sort of weird convoluted threat."

He stroked the fire lizard. "...I love her, though." He couldn't exactly blame the pretty girl for who her parents were, now could he? He grimaced a little. "The world is a messed up place sometimes," he said, his tone flat and dry. He stroked her some more before looking up to shyly meet his friend's gaze, watching with  not-quite-anxious interest to see how the man was taking everything he'd just been told.

While V’ler had a sharp tongue and enjoyed speaking his mind on how he saw things, he was more often than not, silently observing so as to find the perfect spot for maximum impact. He let T’lian confess to a crush that actually had surprised the bluerider to hear about despite their physical relationship and his own small crush on the Healer. Nothing was said about it since it was clear T’lian was working his way through not only his feelings but where Tansy came from. It wouldn’t do to ruin the thought process although V’ler suspected if he didn’t give the egg, then the options were limited and none were all that good.

T’lian’s final conclusion that it was J’ver as the mystery gift giver left V’ler confused and a subtle frown appeared. He knew what the bastard had done to his friend but would giving a gold egg really count as a cruel joke or a new form of torture? Given it was J’ver that was currently suspected, it actually did seem possible. The man was twisted and seemed to know the best way to get to everyone without even seeming to try. If V’ler had one good thing to say about the slimy greenrider, it was that he was almost jealous of the way J’ver could be overlooked and gather so much information on everyone and everything.

“Good. Love her and not let anything else matter. Who cares where the egg came from? For all I know, his gold could be the sister to Quill and Vex but it’s not something that ties us together or changes anything about them.” It was rare when T’lian saw the positive in something instead of dwelling on the negative and V’ler wanted to encourage it to continue. Tansy was a sweet little thing and didn’t deserve to be hated or harmed because J’ver had played a part in the bonding. “The only thing that might bug you if you let it is the colouring but even that isn’t all that important. Veeth says his dragon is super sweet and she gets judged because of J’ver. It’s not fair and the green as well as Tansy have their own minds and aren’t J’ver.”

Still, even with his pep talk, V’ler had already decided he’d try keeping an eye on J’ver. It wouldn’t do to have the greenrider plotting something and harming T’lian or using Tansy to his advantage. V’ler wasn’t sure what he’d be able to do if he did notice something wrong since J’ver was mated to the Weyrleader but he wasn’t about to leave T’lian alone to deal with J’ver either if it came down to it.

Another idea came to him. “Go up to him at a meal and thank him for Tansy. It’ll show he has no power over you and it’ll even tarnish his reputation a bit by having people within earshot hear about his kindness in giving a Weyrling a gold firelizard.”

Tal wrapped both hands around Tansy, cradling her gently as he lifted her. The little queen looked at him with warmth, in spite of her confusion. The healer leaned forward and lightly kissed her on the nose, prompting her to begin purring softly in his arms. "If we were supposed to judge people based on their parents, I'd be screwed," he said with a nice dose of brazen informality, followed by a dismissive snort. Tansy chirped, as if in agreement. Only Fellis seemed disturbed, but T'lian assumed it came from lack of petting before anything else. The little blue pawed at him, wondering why Tansy got a kiss and he didn't. Tal responded by shushing him, and as soon as the little dear complied, the healer shifted Tansy onto his shoulder and picked Fellis up instead. Share the love!

T'lian looked back to  Val, smiling softly at the harper's idea. "I might do that," he muttered warily, eyes flashing with both interest and fear. Tal didn't like to think he was still afraid of J'ver, but he knew himself well enough to know that a real conflict might bring it out of him. J'ver's attack had filled the already-troubled young man with fear and a sense of helplessness, but in it's wake, he'd also come to realize that he was tough enough to slog through whatever he needed to. He'd made it, and while he would stand proud over that fact every day, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to shake the boat, so to speak.

It was a great idea, though. He hated wasting good ideas, let alone great ones. He laughed grimly. "I'm sure it would upset him. It would feel good, Val, but I hate to think what might happen if he decides it merits retaliation, you know? I'm not sure if starting a feud with a dragonrider is a good idea right now."

Pause. "...Well, a real dragonrider." He was a dragonrider, wasn't he? He was a baby, though. He was still a weyrling, and damned determined to get out of being a ranked fighter once he graduated. He would be a brownrider at least, in contrast to J'ver's green, but no among of color-privilege would save Tal from S'kef. He grimaced a little.

"Though I suppose something so simple as a 'thank you' is hard to interpret negatively," he reasoned, still thinking aloud as he approached every angle.  He was in danger of over-thinking it, as he so often did. When Fellis chirped for attention again, he let it go for now and reached down to pet the creature. "...I just might do that, though. I wonder if he thinks I've figured it out or not? I have to wonder what the point was."

There were several possibilities, but Tal imagined it was a threat, first and foremost. Nice to know he was dangerous, he supposed? He couldn't imagine why anyone would think it, aside from perhaps the people who admired his refusal to cooperate. Tal had to admit that it felt good sometimes, even if his refusal was much quieter and more subtle these days.

He smiled at Val again. "Either way, I think think little girl won out," he said, making a light joke at J'ver's expense. He held one arm out, watching in amusement as Tansy mirrored his action by standing on his shoulder and fanning her wings. "Good girl."

The healer relaxed, sinking back into his seat. Now that the unpleasantness was dealt with, he couldn't help but slide into old habits. He didn't like small talk, at least not with most people, but damn he'd missed his friend. "How are you, Val? I know it's only been a few weeks, but I feel like I never see you."

Knowing J’ver, the man would spin the encounter to his favour in some way but V’ler didn’t think it would prompt retaliation. He’d still make sure he kept an eye and ear out for anything that suggested the contrary though. “She is adorable; and clever,” V’ler commented as Tansy mimicked T’lian’s movements. He knew how much T’lian could over think things and didn’t want to encourage it by commenting further on his brilliant idea, so firelizards were a nice distraction.

Talking about himself served as decent enough distraction as well, he supposed, though V’ler had never been much of one to discuss himself at length. “I’ve been well. Veeth keeps me busy quite regularly,” too much so, in fact. There had been an attempt earlier on at a bargain to lessen the amount of flights they entered and V’ler suspected for a while it worked but lately, he swore he had seen every green in the sky by now. It was exhausting but not all together unpleasant since it was giving him his own unique and vaguely enoyable work out that kept him fit enough without having to actually jog or any of that nonsense.

“Otherwise, I’ve been working on lyrics to a couple of songs floating around my head. B’jin and R’nd are rather inspiring.” That relationship was so weird but it did help get V’ler’s creativity going so he didn’t care how many circles those two went around in. Of course it did put a dent in a friendship with B’jin for a little while but the greenrider forgave and forgot easily enough that V’ler had never been worried over his stunt he had pulled.

A little secretive grin was given to T’lian as V’ler looked up from his hands to his friend, “but don’t tell them that. It takes away the surprise when I dupe B’jin into singing the songs in public.”

"I bet," T'lian said, eyes widening and cheeks heating up only slightly at the mention of Veeth's appetite. It was an indirect reference, but it didn't take much for T'lian to put two and two together. Veeth's reputation was no secret, and Tal couldn't imagine his own dragon sporting such a habit, even for a moment. "I'm thankful to say that Khaduceth doesn't seem to be interested in females," Tal replied. He couldn't say he envied Val and the awkward position his dragon kept him in. "At least not so far. I'm hoping it stays that way."

Tal glanced outside, eyeing Khaduceth as the dragon remained curled outside. The brown had taken a passive liking to Veeth, keeping the blue company even if he wasn't nearly as talkative or enthusiastic. Khaduceth liked both Veeth and V'ler, however. They were gentle and kind, and they made his bonded happy. That was all he needed to put up with even the most ridiculous antics.

Back inside, Tal just smiled. "...B'jin is impossible," he commented. "I've tried asking him about his relationship, but he doesn't even seem to realize he's in one," he said with mild amusement. He shook his head. "B'jin will be B'jin. It's pretty sweet, though...I've always thought he seemed awfully lonely." At least once he'd gotten to know him. The first B'jin Tal met seemed to chipper and happy. The real B'jin, who Tal hadn't first glimpsed for some time, turned out to be much more complicated and tragic.

The healer smiled, then glanced back to Val. He was still blushing just a tiny bit; while he'd spoken casually of his little crush, he certainly wouldn't have minded being a greenrider on the 'wrong' end of one of Veeth's flights! "Your secret is safe with me, Val. You know I won't say a word to B'jin..and I'm not sure he would notice even if I did," he commented, not insulting the greenrider, but just making a routine observation. B'jin was a master of not hearing what he didn't want to hear.