...May Break My Bones [B'jin & Talian]

R’nd laughed at B’jin’s declaration that he was there to help. It was a statement of truth and even if he wanted to chide the older man for getting down on the floor and constantly moving around, straining the stitching when he should be laying in bed for a while longer, it would be coupled with or ignored entirely in favour of offering the helping hand. “I am yours to use, not only for today but for however long you need me.” His laughter continued at B’jin’s own helping hand with pointing out the obvious for cooking and R’nd untangled one hand to lift the pot and set it over the fire, before finding B’jin’s hand once more.

“And I’m not forgetful,” R’nd quickly pointed out, slightly annoyed but most amused at the teasing he was now undergoing by the rapidly mood-swinging greenrider, “I’m being pleasantly distracted. So you,” his little comeback was cut off when B’jin guided their mouths together for another kiss. Given how closed off the man seemed for the last several turns, R’nd wouldn’t have guessed B’jin to enjoy kissing or hugging as much as he did. Was it because he kept to himself outside of flights that the desire for contact was so strong or did he take pleasure in the acts because of who the partner was? With R’nd’s ego as large as it was thanks to a healthy dose of confidence and believing in himself, he went with the latter theory.

“Only have yourself to blame if you starve,” he finally managed to say on the breath that was taken as the kiss ended. If it wasn’t for the lashed back, R’nd was fairly certain he would have pinned the greenrider to the floor for continued make-out time. Since that was an idea to hang onto for a later date, the bluerider instead stole a quick kiss, a smile appearing brightly afterward. “Shall we get you seated at the table, food set before you, and the sponge bath prepared before my mind wanders and I end up serving you the sponge and coating you in ….whatever it is I’m cooking?” And that was another thought for another time.

Never bored but often frustrated. He really wasn’t either right then but even when R’nd’s antics or obliviousness frustrated him, Ayyonth still loved his human and didn’t dwell on that emotion for long. Like the way R’nd and B’jin played off of each other, his rider’s occasional ability to miss the obvious was adorable.

Do you think they’ll actually follow through with R’nd’s suggestion before they’re all over each other again? Knowing what R’nd was like, Ayyonth was going with another interruption before the bath. At the rate they were going, B’jin would either pass out from the pain or sheer exhaustion from the late hour because they spent all afternoon fooling around.

"You won't let me starve," B'jin replied with a teasing smirk as he twisted the simple statement to cover a broader range of subjects than simply food. His confidence in the words he spoke caused it to come out slightly more smug than he had anticipated, however, and surprise flittered over his face. He blinked it away with a playful pout as R'nd spoke, before laughing softly, the sound wicked.

"Probably wise," B'jin replied softly, his voice sobering as he carefully unwrapped his arms from around R'nd and realised exactly how bad an idea sitting on the floor had been. "Shards," he muttered, eyes shifting rapidly as he thought. A moment later, his hands returned to R'nd's shoulders, "Um, hold still for a moment, 'kay?" His voice was tight, anticipating the pain standing would cause, even as he drew his legs up and sat cross legged for a few breaths. Holding R'nd's shoulder's gently, B'jin stood up fluidly from his cross-legged position, using his friend to center his balance as a wave of dizziness flowed over him. Raising a hand carefully, he balanced his swaying weight against the wall instead of the bluerider, eyes closed as he breathed through his nose. "Not clever."

His eyes opened slowly, blinking away the black and silver fuzzies left over from his spell of dizziness. The corners of his eyes and mouth were tight as his action, combined with the lack of distraction, brought pain to the forefront. The man's face contorted into a scowl as he glared at the ground and focused on pushing away the pain once more. His tolerance was better than this! He took a deep breath in, holding it for a moment before it was sighed out and his face relaxed, the tension in his shoulders rolling away as he did so. The pain was still there, and insistent, but he'd pushed it aside and locked it away where he could mostly ignore it, for a little longer.

If you do more damage, you are not going to make Talian very happy. Larrikith put in snidely, startled by the flash of pain she'd felt when B'jin lost control for a moment. I hope so, her words were a sigh to Ayyonth, and her concern was evident in them. He chooses the most bizarre things to be prideful over.

"Put the fellis in the food." B'jin muttered, frowning unhappily. He wasn't even sure that fellis could be mixed with food. But, "I don't know how much I'll get down." The admittance came reluctantly as he carefully made his way to the dining table, but his stomach was rolling uncomfortably after making the motion to stand and spewing with his back so tender did not seem like a wise course of action at all. He frowned down at the chair he stopped beside, unsure if he wanted to risk having to get up from it, too.

R’nd wanted to jump to his feet and help B’jin stand or move to the chair but he stayed on the floor as asked. If the roles were reversed, well he’d be whining like a baby and longing to be pampered, but he wouldn’t want help in everything that had to be done. It was a blow to the pride to have someone help you stand or walk you a few feet across the room and B’jin needed to show them both that he was still doing okay and hadn’t pushed himself to the brink just yet. R’nd felt a little guilty, though, knowing now he should have put a stop to their flirting and distracting kisses sooner. He would make it up to his friend though!

The spoon was grabbed again and the mixed creation was stirred in an automatic motion as grey eyes tracked B’jin’s progress. When he reached the chair and seemed to inspect it, R’nd came up with an idea, “turn the chair around and straddle it. You can lean forward onto it to relieve some of the strain while you eat and I can clean your back up at the same time.” He was still worried about going anywhere near the stitching and lash marks but it had to be done to appease B’jin’s determination to keep his bedding clean and at least with this arrangement everything would be completed around the same time and he could get B’jin into bed to rest.

Leaving the food on the fire for the time being, R’nd went to work finding another pot and then filled it with water. When he returned to fire, he gave the concoction a taste and found it oddly delicious and warm enough to serve. With that pot pulled free, the one of normal water was set in its place to heat just enough to avoid giving B’jin a cool sponge bath. Since he didn’t recall seeing Talian leave with his bag, R’nd set the pot of food down on the counter, signalled he’d be right back, and zipped off to the bedroom where he rummaged through the medical bag for the fellis he remembered Talian saying he had stored there. If the healer had his items stored in a specific way within the bag, R’nd would apologise later for making a mess of it to find the jar he wanted.

Once back in the kitchen, grey eyes traveled between the jar and the pot and then shrugged. He knew fellis was mixed with drinks so why not give it a literal whirl and add it to food? Unsure of how much was enough and going by B’jin’s desire to have a lot, R’nd poured a good amount in and stirred it until he was satisfied it was evenly spread out. With a growing confidence of knowing his way around the kitchen after having searched through it a couple of times already, a smaller bowl was quickly found and then filled with a portion he wanted B’jin to eat but didn’t expect it all to be finished. Pain and exhaustion could do a number on the ability to eat.

“Eat what you can, okay? I’ll be back in a second to tend to your desire of having my hands, I mean a sponge, run over your body.” The slip up was done purposely to bring out the Searchrider’s smile once again as R’nd tried his best to make sure B’jin’s needs were met and he was distracted from the pain until the fellis could kick in. With a wicked little grin, R’nd turned to collect the needed items.

He’s so adorable when focused on a task. Ayyonth mused aloud for Larrikith, pride also laced in his words. R’nd was a good leader when his confidence was high, which was most of the time, but sometimes doubt or fear gripped him for varying reasons and he hesitated. It was good to see him starting to feel comfortable around B’jin and to stop fretting over making a wrong move that would upset the greenrider or cause further pain. He was taking control of the situation now but done with concern in mind and not a need to dominate which Ayyonth loved about his lifemate. R’nd was good at getting the results he wanted because he paid attention to the people he was dealing with, treating them all as the most important thing to him in that moment.

The bluerider's idea was used without comment as B'jin used both hands and a foot to twist the chair around so the back of it was facing the table. He was still less than fond of the idea of sitting once more, but R'nd's suggestion made sense and so the greenrider did so, manipulating his body with caution as he sat, arms folding over the backrest and his chin dropping on them as he waited. While the posture was intended to come off as exceedingly bored, and probably succeeded, B'jin was watching R'nd's every move with avid eyes. Fellis was desired, badly.

"You should probably have some," B'jin said softly, looking back up from where he'd been staring blankly at the tabletop as R'nd trotted back through his house with the fellis. "You didn't sleep last night." He didn't know that as a guaranteed fact, of course, but he was more sure of it than not. B'jin was pretty sure he got more rest the night before than either Talian or R'nd did, judging by their faces before the lashing started.

"Hmm." B'jin murmured, watching as the bowl was set down with dull interest before R'nd's ending statement was processed and the greenrider snorted in amusement, turning to watch R'nd move off again. "I'm sure you did," B'jin teased, attention returning to the food in his bowl, and he freed one arm to lift the spoon, poking at it experimentally before tasting some. The potent, bitter taste of the fellis over powering the otherwise pleasant taste of whatever they'd managed to concoct.

Picking at the food pedantically, B'jin put tiny bite sized portions on his spoon before eating with apparent boredom. With his eyes glazed as he stared at the far wall without seeing it, B'jin focused on not feeling the pain in his back and waited for R'nd to return with all his knickknacks. But damn the fellis tasted nasty.

They have their moments, Larrikith agreed with amusement, her dig at B'jin rather than Ayyonth's own as she stopped trying to see what was going on through B'jin's eyes (he was blankly staring at a wall, which was incredibly disinteresting.) and instead stared at her own walls. Well, that was certainly an upgrade. At least she had the pretty blue to cuddle up to. Do you think he'll take B'jin's suggestion? She asked, almost randomly after a lengthy silence.

R’nd had just picked up the bowl of water after finding a suitable cloth and spun around, startled by B’jin’s suggestion and observation. Some of the water splashed over the edge onto his hand but it wasn’t that hot and served as a good way to make sure he wouldn’t burn the greenrider. “Ayyonth,” R’nd growled aloud, suspecting his dragon as the reason B’jin knew he hadn’t slept. Your faith in me is always astounding. I have yet to tell anyone that you haven’t slept properly since after B’jin left your hut on your day of painting and bathing or how disappointed you were that you couldn’t get the Weyrleader to change his mind. The way Ayyonth replied was suspicious and R’nd couldn’t help but wonder if he was the only one included in that declaration.

Hoping he was just paranoid or that it was only Larrikith that heard and she’d keep it to herself, R’nd returned to B’jin’s side, setting the bowl on the table. “I may be missing a few hours of sleep but it’s nothing to worry about.” A hand reached out and the tips of his fingers lightly and slowly danced down B’jin’s arm from shoulder to elbow as R’nd contemplated his next words. There wasn’t a reason to be worried but still things could change and he’d seen multiple times already in the short time since Talian left how quick mood swings struck the greenrider. “But I’ll have some fellis with you only if you’re sure you don’t want me to leave just yet. I’d hate to pass out on the walk home. Yes, walk. Ayyonth is far too content where he is to bother bringing me anywhere else.” His dragon did love picking the side against him.

Right then, there was a bath to give. Leaving that awkward confession and hope he could stay between them, R’nd dipped the cloth in the water, wringing it out a moment later, and went to stand behind B’jin. “I’ll be careful and I don’t think I’ll go near the stitching, but please be still for a moment. I’ll be quick,” the warm cloth was placed at B’jin’s neck and with slow and precise movements, R’nd worked it over the bare skin with a gentle touch to wipe away the grime of the day. Too bad he couldn’t remove the memories as well. Once everywhere on the back he dared to reach was finished, R’nd soaked and rinsed out the rag and began working on the arm B’jin wasn’t using to eat with.

I believe it’d be unfair of me to answer that question since R’nd did it first. I don’t think I’ll ask if B’jin will ask him to stay since it’s pretty obvious he wants him there. While their humans were still entertaining, Ayyonth was finding it rather annoying that they were still so cautious about what they said around each other. It was why he shared with Larrikith R’nd’s reasons for stressing and not sleeping. If she shared the knowledge or not was up to her but the cerulean blue dragon’s part was done. R’nd owed him for all the assists he was getting that night.

While B'jin was deeply amused by R'nd's response to his quiet remark, it was a surprised eyebrow the younger man received when he growled at his dragon, confirming the greenrider's musing, and B'jin shook his head slightly. "Ayyonth didn't say anything. He didn't have to." The man gave R'nd an amused look. "You have bags under your pretty grey eyes." His tone was warm and teasing, as it ever was when a dig was made at R'nd's appearance, a slight smile touching his lips for a moment.

"Says he doing the worrying," B'jin replied smartly, raising his eyebrow again at R'nd. It was oddly endearing, to be worried over, more so to realise it was genuine. That was a thought to ponder later, however, as the hairs along B'jin's arms stood up on end at his friend's light touch, and he lifted brown eyes to meet R'nd's grey. "I'm sorry," B'jin said softly, confusion and worry darkening his gaze. "I didn't mean to make you feel unwelcome." 

You're going to need to spell it out a little more clearly than that, love. Larrikith inserted gently. She then proceeded to cut B'jin off before he'd even managed to form a retort. But nothing. He wants to stay, but he won't invite himself. Humans! Larrikith wasn't sure whether she was more amused or exasperated by the dancing the two men were doing around one another. Ayyonth's little speech had been taken in with interest, the little dragon only designing to share what she felt needed to be at that moment; it was enough.

"Stay," B'jin near whispered, the word causing a feeling of deja vu to ripple down his spine as he slowly lifted his eyes once more to meet R'nd's. He probably shouldn't remember quite so clearly when the bluerider had said that same word to him, or the way his dragon had backed it up. But he did, and he wasn't about to apologise for it, though he was keen to keep it to himself. B'jin was particularly possessive of his past, rarely sharing those things that affected him most strongly, while he would babble for hours about the most random of things. In so doing, he often gave the appearance of being loose tongued and easy to know when in fact he was far from it.

Putting his spoon down carefully, and turning his face away from R'nd with downcast eyes, B'jin folded his left arm across the chair and rested his chin on it, eyebrows bunching together uncomfortably as R'nd gentle touch registered as anything but, the warm cloth hot on his tender skin. B'jin's tight expression slowly relaxed, followed by his shoulders, as the fellis began to kick in and the greenrider found himself fighting valiantly to stay awake, almost scowling as he watched R'nd run the cloth gently over his skin.

He's going to think you're scowling at his work, Larrikith pointed out primly, her amusement thick in her tones as she brushed against B'jin's mind, and included Ayyonth in her commentary as she teased her rider. "M'nt," B'jin slurred, his scowl deepening. "M'wake." If you say so, dear. It's a good thing R'nd is strong, because I fear he's going to be carrying your lazy arse again. "Crry me?" B'jin asked, confused as he blinked up at R'nd. How do you think you got home? Larrikith asked, highly amused and still bespeaking both B'jin and her fellow dragon. A chirp followed vocally as B'jin groaned softly and buried his face in the crook of his left arm. How terribly embarrassing. Carried!

Obvious but to the oblivious. Larrikith quipped, her tone exasperated. Fancy having to coach a smart man like B'jin through inviting someone he liked to stay with him! It was more than a little sad, as far as Larrikith was concerned. Though, that said, it was better, she supposed, to see the man flounder around unsure with someone like R'nd, who was just as worried about spooking B'jin or afraid of facing his own thoughts and feelings, to watching her rider be herded along by someone like him, the horrible beast that had been a part of her bonded's life for most of hers. As exasperated as the little dragon was, she was at least content that the human in the room with her lifemate was far more interested in healing the harper, than adding to his injuries. Lifting her head, Larrikith gave her blue companion a loving nuzzle, crooning softly under her breath as she did so.

R’nd was never one to deny he loved the attention of others and even thrived on knowing people noticed him or wanted him but it was strange, yet nice, to have someone notice how tired he was and then show concern for it. It certainly didn’t hurt any with B’jin throwing in a compliment that implied he liked his eyes, which in fact helped ease the light sting from the teasing about his appearance being less than perfect. So it was with good humour that R’nd replied, “if given the choice, I’ll take the bags under my eyes. Getting a black eye hurt far too much. Though I’m going to do my best to avoid both in the future.”

At B’jin’s apology, R’nd started to just shrug it off like it didn’t affect him but it did and it was far too rude to not acknowledge it unless he wanted to come off as a jerk or offended. Still, he continued giving the sponge bath before attempting an answer, “You haven’t. I just,” he just what? R’nd wasn’t sure how to explain why he felt like he was about to get the boot out the door at any moment. It was a bit of an odd insecurity for a man that usually initiated the termination of a relationship but he had it all the same. “I guess I’ve just been waiting for you to say I didn’t have to stick around since you woke up. I’m sure I’ve outlived my usefulness by now. I mean, you did taste my cooking and that can be a good deal-break—what?”

Stay. That one simple little word froze R’nd in place, cloth left hovering just above dampened skin as grey eyes locked onto B’jin, searching for a hint that the man knew what he had just said and what it meant to R’nd. It was nice to hear that he wasn’t being told to leave but it brought up memories he had spent far too long indulging in after Larrikith’s flight, grinning like an idiot when anyone even mentioned the greenrider’s name, and even getting into a fight with Kerrin over it. That had been the best flight he had been a participant of and the post-flight time spent together had surprised R’nd with every word said and action taken. With a small hint of a smile, R’nd whispered, “okay.” It was an echo of the reply B’jin had given him when asked to stay which seemed appropriate given his vivid memories and the simple fact that it suited the moment perfectly as well. “And I’m sure Ayyonth and Larrikith agree as well.” He was probably showing too much of himself by showing his enthusiasm of that day together but he couldn’t help it and R’nd’s smile widened a bit more.

As R’nd started prepping the cloth to do the other arm, B’jin’s slurred words caught his attention and a light chuckle escaped. It seemed the fellis was starting to kick in already, which was a good thing because the searchrider really did need his rest to help him get through the pain. The cloth was temporarily left in the bowl of water in favour of grabbing the discarded spoon. “Seems I should keep my end of the deal and have some of the laced meal now.” One bite was taken and R’nd grimaced at the taste of the fellis overpowering everything else. “Perhaps I listened to your order of adding a lot of fellis a bit too well.” Even with that said, another bite was taken before B’jin’s slurred question about being carried came and the spoon was left in his mouth with an eyebrow quirking in curiosity.

Was he being asked to carry B’jin to bed? He couldn’t quite see the man doing that but it seemed he was fading quickly as well so maybe it was the best option? Larrikith just told him how he returned home and he’s a bit shocked it seems. It may be best to skip the remainder of the bath and get you both into bed. While it was getting a bit frustrating to be left out on some of the conversations, R’nd knew Ayyonth was right and set the spoon back down, pushing the bowl away from his friend. “I noticed earlier your bed is rather comfortable, much more than this table is sure to be. I suspect at least one of us will be able to compare soon if we don’t get a move on.” Confident B’jin would agree, R’nd moved into a position where he could be used in any way to help the greenrider to his feet and support him on the walk to the bedroom. Unless B’jin did want to be carried, then he’d do that just as easily.

He hadn't realised, wouldn't have imagined, that one word would have such a strong effect on R'nd. That it did was thrilling in a way B'jin wouldn't have expected as heat flowed through his stomach at the simple word R'nd whispered back. With brown eyes brightening behind the  effect of fellis as the younger rider made a quip about the dragon's a smile flickered over B'jin's lips. Too far gone on fellis to analyse either his own or R'nd's response, B'jin watched the bluerider eat some of the food while Larrikith groaned comically to Ayyonth; they finally managed to reach a point where vision was granted, and her rider was too drunk on the effect of the painkiller he'd been fed to see anything but fuzzy outlines.

"'itle," B'jin slurred in response, amusement once more flickering over his features. He clung to it, using it to fight a losing battle against the desire to fall asleep right there at the table as he picked his head up off his arm and stared at R'nd as his friend stared down at him in amusement. B'jin blinked again, his face relaxed and expression warm at R'nd's words. "'ery," he assured drunkenly as he allowed R'nd to assist him in standing. The greenrider swayed dangerously as he stood, brown eyes darkening with a hazy fear as he clung to R'nd to help steady himself.

"sry," B'jin whispered, forcing himself to loosen his grip as a self conscious flush rose up his cheeks. Easy love, Larrikith whispered into his foggy mind, brushing away memories B'jin didn't need to dwell on. Relax. There you go, see? He's not going to let you fall. He swayed slightly, but Larrikith's gentle words and the steady form of R'nd beside him reassured the greenrider who tightened his grip once more, enough to forewarn of impending movement, before staggering towards his bedroom door, R'nd at his side.

The trip from table to bedside had never felt longer to the greenrider as he staggered along with each step, stubbornly insistent that he need not be carried and growing more confident in his using R'nd as a counter balance with every step taken and no illeffect coming as a result. The man's sigh of relief at reaching the edge of his bed was almost comical as he breathed out gustily, shoulders sagging and his determined grip on R'nd being released.

Turning slightly, B'jin stared up at the taller rider with lazy brown eyes, nearly asleep on his feet. Raising his left hand, B'jin gently brushed his fingers along the man's jawline. His eyebrows furrowed into a frown as B'jin fought against the medicine coursing through his system to find a way to articulate his thanks to R'nd, without phrasing it badly, or wrong. As the seconds ticked by and his training failed him, B'jin let his fingers drop, and a dejected little sigh whispered past his lips.

Oh, B'jin, Larrikith whispered softly to Ayyonth, her tone clearly worried but holding unmistakable amusement as she peered at the two humans with swirling eyes, colours vibrant and slightly anxious. Larrikith was a possessive dragon, and disliked just anyone bespeaking B'jin. As a result, she was uniquely respectful when it came to bespeaking the riders of other dragons. There were very few she bespoke, usually preferring to speak to the other dragon and let them pass along what they felt needed to be said. Her next words were gentle as she spoke to Ayyonth, secure in her belief he would pass them along should he feel his rider need to hear them. He wants to thank R'nd, but he doesn't know how.

She paused, continuing to watch the two men quietly for a moment. Turning her head to look at Ayyonth, she channeled him some of B'jin's emotions to the younger dragon, her eyes swirling faster as she did so. Perhaps this will help? She was unsure, but would leave it to the blue to pass on what should be shared, if he felt so inclined, as she syphoned out a mixture of gratitude, affection, relief, the frustration B'jin felt at being unable to articulate what he wanted to say in his current state, his fear that he'd say something wrong and spook his friend, and his fierce loyalty to a good friend. She didn't know what R'nd would be comfortable receiving and was pretty sure B'jin would freak if he had the functioning brain capacity to realise she was sharing his emotions. But she was worried his actions would be misinterpreted. The younger man was good for her rider, and she was determined they at least spend enough time together, to wean her rider away from his belief that to be loved, he had to be someone's punching bag. Her wings rustled in agitation before she brushed the thought away, determined not to let B'jin's mind wander down past paths. The creature he had been Weyrmated to wasn't worth the time to remember.

In a way, R’nd almost preferred the idea of carrying his friend once again. He continuously worried he would pull a stitch or rub against the injured back with every step they took together, moving from one room to the other but he wouldn’t take away B’jin’s independence. Being carried before was a necessity thanks to the man’s unconscious state. If they were fooling around and they had a sudden desire to find a bed, then there would possibly also be a greenrider being swept off his feet and spirited from kitchen to bedroom. Given the physical and mental beating B’jin had taken that day, R’nd didn’t mind playing the role of support beam as B’jin proved he could take on anything, including fellis. So R’nd dealt with his wandering hands, this time done awkwardly for comfort rather than skilled in pleasure, and worked with his friend in slow easy steps, grip loose enough to show he was there if needed but tight to make sure he wouldn’t be a split second too slow in keeping the man from dropping to the ground.

He stilled, in action and word when fingers brushed his jaw line and B’jin looked like he wanted to say something but it was locked away in a foggy mind. R’nd could understand that feeling as the fellis slowly worked through his system, already beginning to relax his limbs despite only having two bites of the food. He really had laced the meal with too much of the drug. While he couldn’t say for certain what B’jin had wanted to say, the dejected sigh as fingers fell away was pretty telling. Since it had already been made clear he wasn’t going to be kicked out, at least not that day, R’nd had a feeling saying anything in gratitude was causing the greenrider the issues, and not just because of the fellis. He had been whipped, order given by a friend and respected leader, so it was only natural to not want to open up to someone over anything just yet. There was also a feeling like there was something else going on in B’jin’s mind but the bluerider still didn’t have the courage or the belief that he had a right to ask anything about the past. He was likely just over-thinking everything anyway.

It was when the idea hit to reassure B’jin everything was fine and they should get him into bed that Ayyonth spoke up, nearly startling R’nd as his mind was starting to relax along with his body. You are observant as ever. B’jin did want to thank you but he couldn’t find the right words to express the gratitude without scaring you off. R’nd was touched by how much B’jin worried over him and how Ayyonth seemed to keep looking out for him as well. It was true, though. Depending on who said it and why, being asked to stay could send him running and being told how happy someone was because he had not only stayed but because he meant something could send him running before or after calling and end to their time together. So far, the greenrider had continued to surprise R’nd and kept him intrigued. There simply didn’t seem to be a way to spook him in their friendship.

Or so R’nd thought before Ayyonth passed along the emotions Larrikith had shared. He was amazed by the multitude of emotions he invoked in his friend right then and how strongly Ayyonth let them hit him without censoring or filtering anything. He would have stumbled back if not for still holding onto B’jin and since the smaller man was already too wobbly on his feet, one of them had to play the solid rock that wouldn’t crumble under any pressure. Oh but how nice an idea it was to turn for the door and run away from the feelings he was now drowning in. The gratitude, relief, and frustration he could understand and the loyalty to a friend was admirable but it was the affection and fear of sending him running off that scared the bluerider that was known for being elusive and unobtainable for anything serious. No, that wasn’t true; the fact that he liked the way those feelings felt and the ones they stirred alive within him freaked R’nd out until Ayyonth brushed back that fear and desire to shut down. You are so much better than that, R’nd. We’ve discussed this before; hiding doesn’t solve any problems. Just accept everything is in alignment right now and that you’re happy when B’jin is in your arms and don’t question anything else.

The expression of confusion R’nd wore was probably comical to the greenrider not in on the conversation but R’nd, for once, wasn’t concerned about his appearance as he thought on his dragon’s words. He hated when Ayyonth gave sound advice like that almost as much as he hated when the blue was picking on him. Tell Larrikith, he was going to have his gratitude passed along to the petite green but R’nd changed his mind decided now was the perfect time to tell her what he had been thinking since arriving at the hut, she is free to talk to me if she so wishes and to open to my mind for a moment if nothing else. R’nd waited several heartbeats for the message to be passed along and he shuffled B’jin that much closer to the bed, mind debating the best way to get them settled in. When he was sure enough time had passed for Larrikith to be picking up on his louder thoughts sent her way, R’nd turned his gaze to their dragons looking far too cozy together, thank you, Larrikith. Sometimes sharing the caring is needed. He smiled, putting his own twist on the innocent saying of ‘sharing is caring’ that blueriders had corrupted long ago when together, drunk, and discussing recent lays.

“All right, love,” if the use of a term of endearment was shocking to anyone, R’nd didn’t notice. He sometimes said them with lovers without serious romantic connotations attached to them but as his mind blurred, so did the lines and boundaries he normally had in place to keep from crossing into uncharted and dangerous areas, “let’s get into bed. I’ll worry about shoes and pants later, okay? And like I said, I’m yours to use however you want.” If it took him being crawled all over to get B’jin into bed or used as a body pillow so the man could sleep comfortably without added pain, then R’nd was game for it. With a gentle touch, R’nd brushed away B’jin’s bangs from his eyes and smiled softly. The longer hair really wasn’t a bad look on the older man at all.

Dealing with these two takes far more energy than it should. Ayyonth’s voice was soft but still calm and only for Larrikith now that he was certain R’nd wasn’t going to undo everything the dragons had worked to achieve since the green’s flight. Their humans were learning to live life in new ways and to stop hiding all aspects of themselves because they felt some sides were less desirable than others because of each other. At least, that’s how Ayyonth viewed things though he could only truly speak for R’nd. But he did see the difference in B’jin as well, and if R’nd stopped living in denial, he would possibly see all the improved changes as well.

But they will be okay now. Will you be okay? As R’nd worried over B’jin’s back, Ayyonth worried over his green companion and how she was dealing with her bonded’s pain and whatever else seemed to keep rattling her. Larrikith was sassy and strong! Seeing her so weak and depressed was hard on the blue that liked her spunk and sarcasm and could even say he cared for her.

B'jin probably would have been highly amused by the expression on R'nd's face, if he had been in a position to see it. After his hand had fallen away, the greenrider had swayed forward, closing the small distance between them to lean into the solid security of his friend's body, forehead resting against R'nd's shoulder. If his brains weren't fogged up by fellis, however, B'jin would likely have died of horror at the realisation that Larrikith had shared his array of emotions with the flighty man and his dragon. Oblivious was something B'jin was good at being, however, and drugged up to the eyeballs with fellis wasn't about to correct that flaw in his character.

The little dragon was visibly surprised by the inviting permission that was passed along to her, the colour in her eyes brightening for a moment as she glanced seriously at Ayyonth. She held his with her own swirling eyes before shifting her gaze to look at the two men. You're welcome, Larrikith murmured softly against the edge of R'nd's mind. It wasn't hard for the search sensitive dragon to make the connection and her voice was clear and consice as she bespoke him. Her timidity arose from the unfamiliar feeling of bespeaking someone that was bonded to another. While she had done so before over the turns of her lifetime, it was an odd sensation and she felt distinctly like an interloper. The non-bonded were... cleaner, for lack of another term.

B'jin mumbled incoherently as R'nd shifted them closer to the bed, his voice filtered slowly into the greenrider's foggy brain. The term of endearment was lost in the sea of medication, and even if he did manage to take it in, it would have been unlikely to be recalled at a later date. Larrikith's mind was clear, however, and amusement swirled through her eyes before vanishing. Using a hand on R'nd's hip, B'jin carefully pushed himself into a more upright position, eyes half closed and distinctly lacking focus. "Mm," B'jin hummed, rubbing his face with the hand not being used as a spacer between their bodies.

The immediate desire was to simply topple forward onto his bed and lose himself in the sweet swirling darkness of unconsciousness. That, of course, would be a bad idea (though his medicated brain was unable to remember why that would be bad) and it was encouragement from Larrikith to settle with a little more dignity that had B'jin pause for a moment. In the end, however, B'jin was about as good at listening to his dragon as she was at listening to him. Releasing his grip on R'nd, B'jin shuffled close enough to have his legs pressing against the side of his bed, knees buckling shortly after and he toppled forward slowly. He used his arms to very carefully capture himself, minimising the resulting bounce just barely.

Dragging a hand out from under himself B'jin twisted his head on his pillow so he wasn't at risk of suffocating himself and pat the bed lazily in invitation. "C'mfy," his face was scrunched up as he frowned up at R'nd, obviously not intending to give in to unconscious until R'nd joined him. It was a battle B'jin was not intended to win, however, with his eyes closing as his fingers fisted into the sheet. His feet were still sticking out off the edge of his bed, but unconsciousness had never been a fan of comfort before, and apparently had no intention of starting now.

Oh, thank Faranth. Larrikith groaned, speaking to both and neither of the blue pair. Her voice was filled with relief as B'jin was finally claimed by unconsciousness and the green dragon sighed, her body relaxing against Ayyonth as the stress of the day flowed off her like steam boiling water.

Indeed, she murmured in amused response. B'jin had always required far more energy to deal with than many others. But Larrikith supposed it was only fair, because she was no piece of cake herself. Ayyonth's question took her by surprise though, and it flashed through her eyes before she could help herself.

I? The single word held a soft tone of amusement and confusion, swirling together as she tilted her head. We have been through worse. This tomorrow is brighter than those tomorrows. Her gaze, mellow now with both contentment and memories, returned to the two men sprawled on the bed. Turning back to Ayyonth after a companionable silence, her expression was distinctly sassy, the emotion further conveyed in her snarky, teasing words. If you can penetrate his thick head, you are welcome to speak to my idiot man. Licking the blue's cheek affectionately, Larrikith wriggled to get more comfortable and curled up around Ayyonth, her head resting across his forpaws and eyes closing lazily, content.

As Larrikith gave her groaned thanks, R’nd heaved a sigh of relief. He was still concerned for his friend but they had managed to get B’jin into without him screaming in further pain or passing out before a pillow was under his head. It didn’t look to be the most comfortable of positions and that was the only reason why R’nd didn’t immediately crawl in beside the man that had mustered up enough energy to issue an invitation to do just that. He was larger than B’jin and didn’t think he had eaten as much of the fellis-coated food so while his motor skills were starting to slow, R’nd was confident he could settle B’jin into bed a bit better before an overwhelming urge to sleep hit him as well.

Carefully he moved the greenrider’s other hand out from under him so it wouldn’t suffer from pins and needles or cramping later on and then focused on shoes. R’nd removed B’jin’s pair first and then his own, as promised though the ‘later’ he had mentioned initially wasn’t going to be so soon, before slowly settling B’jin’s legs more comfortably on the bed. Once that task was completed, R’nd realized that perhaps his lack of sleep was working to speed up the drowsiness of fellis as the room spun briefly when he straightened up too quickly. The removal of pants, often a rather important and favourite task of the bluerider’s when a bed and lover were involved, would have to wait until later. Besides, it wouldn’t do to startle any well-wishers or Talian returning to check on things and find both men naked in bed together.

Continuing with his slow and cautious movements, R’nd finally crawled into bed beside B’jin, bringing a sheet along with him to drape over their lower halves. He wasn’t sure how sensitive the greenrider’s back would be and if the thin material would irritate it at all so for now it was left just within reach in case it was. He settled in on his side facing B’jin and as close as he dared to as the idea of moving suddenly in sleep or upon waking and hitting the tender back didn’t sit well with R’nd. He made sure B’jin wasn’t going to be sucking in his pillow while he slept and then placed a hand atop the one that had beckoned him to bed. “What is it about you,” he murmured softly, knowing full well that B’jin wouldn’t hear him and uncharacteristically forgetting Ayyonth’s enjoyment in embarrassing him with sharing secrets, “that makes me want to stay? That makes me want to help keep S’kef’s attentions off of you, even at the risk of my own lashing?” Shaking his head and knowing no answer would be found until after he woke, R’nd allowed himself to be pulled into sleep from emotional exhaustion and the fellis.

It makes me sad to know that you have situations in which to rank this one against. Ayyonth couldn’t imagine what horrible things the green pair had been through during their life together and even when he picked through R’nd’s mind, he was hard pressed to find anything that came close to being lashed. His lifemate had been lucky thus far and Ayyonth hoped it would continue that way. For all of his teasing, he loved R’nd dearly and didn’t want to see him in the pain B’jin had been dealing with that afternoon or anything worse as Larrikith had implied.

If B’jin has an interest in talking with me, then I will do my best to penetrate his thick skull. R’nd and I won’t mind you talking to him anytime you want either. This wasn’t a onetime deal. With the little green finally relaxing and turning him into a good place to nap while their humans rested, Ayyonth rumbled his pleasure at the men finally taking larger steps with each other, though it remained to be seen how much was remembered once the fellis released them. He was also quite content with Larrikith being so friendly and at ease with him and gave her a nuzzle and a lick of his own to her cheek before resting his head atop her petite form. While he intended on having his nap, he would sleep lightly, keeping his mind focused on R’nd and ears open for any distress B’jin might be in. Larrikith may have given him permission to try to talk to the older rider but Ayyonth had no intentions of barging into his mind at every available opportunity. It would be rude to do so and abusing the honour bestowed upon him.

Yours is very sweet, when he forgets himself, Larrikith said quietly to Ayyonth, watching R'nd with honest approval as he settled her rider and then himself on the bed. His words were taken in with an emotional smirk, and while Larrikith didn't really plan to share them with B'jin, she was rather proud of the fact that the bluerider was willing to take that big a step as to acknowledge that he was feeling something - even if he didn't know what or was unwilling to look at it too deeply. Wrapping B'jin in the feelings of warmth and affection she fostered for her human, Larrikith returned her attention to her draconic companion.

Ayyonth's words caused her to carefully untangle herself from B'jin emotionally and monitor what she shared with him cautiously. She didn't want to feed any potential nightmares by sending him negative emotions. He has walls, she said softly. Larrikith kept things from B'jin, of course, but the man's ability to block her out of corners of his mind was something that Larrikith had failed to understand in the beginning of their bonding, but grew used to. He was insanely protective of what he kept locked away and after seeing the vivid memory before B'jin woke up to be stitched, Larrikith supposed she could understand it. All the same, she wasn't entirely sure it was her that B'jin was attempting to protect by locking things away in the far recesses of his mind, and it was that which worried her. He needed to share those things with someone, though she honestly couldn't think of anyone he could share with that wouldn't react with strength. She supposed that, in the end, was why he had kept his memories to himself.

I think R'nd might be able to get past them, eventrally. She paused, and considered. If he is willing to invest the time, and doesn't give up even when B'jin deflects. Which he will. B'jin could be very talkative and would share his past without hesitation if he thought it would make someone smile or if he found it entertaining. He would tell embarrassing stories about himself, or make up wild things that contained barely a fraction of the truth; the embellished life of a Harper. But digging into the depths of his life was difficult. Hardly impossible, she supposed, but it would require a lot of time and dedication from the bluerider and despite what progress she and Ayyonth had watched them make between her flight and the moment the two men collapsed on B'jin's bed just moment before, she wasn't sure the younger man was or would be prepared to go to those lengths any time soon. But soon may not be what was needed; a friend was a very good place to start, and R'nd seemed the dedicated type, even if he weren't willing to dedicate.

What does R'nd know of B'jin's relationship with him. The emphasised word was said with a sour, disgusted tone that Larrikith used to imply Nemall. She knew the pair would know something about the harper couple; B'jin and Nemall had been together since before the plague, and only separated the turn after Ayyonth himself had cracked shell (something that made Larrikith feel distinctly old) with a particularly vocal screaming match, though that had in truth mostly been Larrikith herself shrieking at Nemall, who yelled back at her while she stood protectively over B'jin. The greenrider had been horrified - staring in wide eyed shock between dragon and lover as they threw twenty turns of hate at each other as vocally as they could - right up until Nemall insulted Larrikith and the children in a way that had B'jin's depth of love for his dragon and offspring bellowing for Nemall to get out with more spine than he'd ever shown the abusive man before.

Larrikith shook her head slightly, and carefully chased the memories away. She didn't have a good memory, and even for a dragon Larrikith's long-term recall was shocking. But Nemall had been a part of B'jin's life almost as long as she had, and some things stained even the terrible mind of a green dragon. Thank you, Larrikith said softly, changing subjects almost randomly as she recalled Ayyonth's gentle permission and she responded with a quiet thrill of delight. Warning him is no fun. His reaction to random voices is far too much fun. Larrikith teased, completely oblivious to the fact that B'jin probably disliked random voices in his head because it had taken him so long to train Larrikith to stay out of the forbidden corner of his mind. She sobered, and rubbed the side of her nose on a forpaw, fighting an itch for a moment. He would be honoured, Larrikith assured the blue, a smile in her voice, and left it at that for now. Ayyonth would handle whether or not he spoke with B'jin as he saw fit. She had given him permission; she wasn't going to babysit how he went about following up.

---

[sup]xD dragon development tiemz. Hahaha. This thread shall go on forever /sniggers[/sup]

He is. I am glad he is starting to show that side a bit more, even when he is not entirely coherent. It’s a start. Although there is nothing wrong with his usual side of the fun-loving flirt. Ayyonth nodded slowly as he considered his words. R’nd was a good man and it showed when he slipped up in moments like this and when he wanted to protect those he had let get close to him like Kerrin, I’shan, and now B’jin. It was a bit odd to the blue that had his own two sides of charismatic and playful joker but everyone knew his sides so Ayyonth couldn’t figure out why R’nd had held back on how deep his concern for people went. As he matured and R’nd opened his mind more to the chatty dragon that liked to tell Kerrin secrets, Ayyonth understood a bit better. Everyone loved the carefree guy that loved to laugh and enjoyed life but kindness could be seen as a weakness and showing too much of himself could open him up to being hated.

Ayyonth shifted with wings twitching just the slightest bit as he thought about how much was okay to share. R’nd did keep parts of himself hidden away but the blue never had qualms with sharing some things that would embarrass his rider and Larrikith was opening up about B’jin, so it was fair, right? Anyway, it was helping R’nd in the end and his precious but dense human hadn’t been taking any successful steps of progress with B’jin without his assistance – though he supposed that day in the Gathering Square was more R’nd’s doing than not – so helping the little green understand how R’nd worked was simply par for the course. R’nd’s life seems charmed next to what B’jin has been through but he still has a few minor walls, like the one keeping his sweet side hidden. He cannot stand when people dislike him. The healer today drove R’nd insane with his cold attitude and not knowing why he was receiving it.

He paused for a moment, reaching into R’nd’s mind, trying to find the right words to describe the way his rider felt and how his mind worked. The man seemed to operate on his own logic which didn’t always make sense to the outside world. He fears being rejected. Of being alone. He would let Larrikith sort through that tidbit of information on her own, knowing the green was smart enough to reach the right conclusion without guidance. But while R’nd bed-hopped and kept people from getting too close to him so he could continue enjoying the freedom to explore, the deeper meaning behind it was to keep himself safe from forming attachments that would leave him in cold and alone in the dark. The way his bonded lived was of his own choosing but Ayyonth was grateful for R’nd slowly opening to B’jin now.

R’nd is very patient and cautious when it comes to B’jin and always wants to help friends. He is also already curious about some things he has noticed in their time together but he does not want to push B’jin. Again, Ayyonth dug a little deeper in R’nd’s memories, sorting through them to find what was known about B’jin and his past weyrmate, most of it happening before the blue hatched or soon after. It wasn’t much but it again explained why he had never truly made himself known to the greenrider outside being a young and friendly Candidate that would then become a friendly bluerider that flirted with everyone but B’jin. R’nd only knows a little about that time. He has a policy to not flirt with those that are weyrmated and then I kept him on his toes in our weyrling days. He did not see the fight but he heard snippets about it yet still kept from making a move. Our flight together was only the fourth attempt. There were several reasons behind that ranging from Ayyonth’s young age next to Larrikith and most of her suitors, to Larrikith’s reputation that she didn’t do repeat flights, to R’nd worrying B’jin wouldn’t know him or would be upset they ended up in bed together. His human could be such a pain at times.

When R’nd stirred thanks to the memories Ayyonth had been digging through and bringing back to the forefront of his mind, the blue dragon eased his lifemate back into a comfortable slumber, removing the worry that had kept the man awake for so long. He gave a draconic version of a soft laugh and sigh once R’nd was fully unconscious once more, Even now his mind has wandered back to the belief that he is to blame for being the final reason B’jin earned the lashings. It is hard for him to let go of guilt when he believes he was the cause for a friend’s pain. B’jin will have his own puzzle to work through it seems.

R'nd's hurts are no less painfull, they are simply measured to a different scale. Larrikith said simply, turning to look at Ayyonth with a serious expression, her eyes swirling slowly but the colour intense. Everyone had their own measurement of personal pains, and just because R'nd had not been through the situations that B'jin had, did not mean that those that he had suffered through were any less to the man involved. A process of thought she had picked up from B'jin, Larrikith hadn't really understood it when she'd first heard it. Quizzing the man on what he meant by it had gotten her a vast explanation. Everyone had their own ups and downs. Just because his seemed more dramatic than someone else's, didn't mean theirs were irrelevant or meant nothing.

The little green dragon gave a shake of her head, and her emotions betrayed what could only be an eyeroll. Talian is a little snot, but B'jin loves him and he is harmless. He doesn't like anyone really. The dragon wasn't really sure what to make of the little healer. His dislike of her was irritating, but not particularly terrible and she tended to find it amusing. Larrikith wasn't sure why he hated her, just that he did, and hadn't felt strongly enough about the subject to dig around in B'jin's mind in order to find out what was going on. It wasn't really important to the little dragon, so she wasn't worried about it. She was glad she had Searched him, however; he was proving to be most useful to have around whether he wanted to be or not.

Larrikith gave a soft rumble of amusement as Ayyonth explained R'nd's reservations about pressuring B'jin. Unsure how to respond to that particular piece of information, however, Larrikith waited quietly as her companion took up speaking once more, her head tilting as he explained how little R'nd knew of B'jin's past. Her head twisted with amusement to stare at Ayyonth after his comment about their flight. Really? she purred, her voice soft and calculating. She was unsure if she should be impressed or insulted by the blue's admittance to only chasing her four times. Hrm, she murmured, chewing on everything she'd been told with a thoughtful air, though she was apparently unable to let go of whatever emotions had swirled through her about Ayyonth only chasing her four times. Four! Only four!?

The blue's sigh caused her to shake herself, and return to the now and then, nose bumping gently against Ayyonth's jaw. A thoughtful pause spanned at the end of his next few sentences, and Larrikith's features took on an expression of draconic thoughtfulness. That is a puzzle B'jin may never solve, Larrikith warned gently. The greenrider was not used to being handled gently, and while Larrikith was not unaware that her own relationship with the man was abusive in it's own way, she had never analysed it. She was cynical, sarcastic and tended to be heavy handed in the insults she lashed onto B'jin; she had found he expected to be treated so, and had not questioned it until his relationship with Nemall. That, in the beginning, had simply been fulled by jealousy -- how dare someone else step into her spot! It had taken a turn for the friendship between the two men to advance, and Larrikith knew she had never approved of the things that occurred between the two humans, even if she couldn't remember it. That the nonrider actively encouraged B'jin's belief that he deserved every violent action taken against him, had done nothing to appease the dragon. Larrikith gave an irritable twitch and shook the memories away, her mind brushing soothingly against B'jin's and bringing forward more heartwarming past events when he mumbled unhappily in his sleep.

R'nd's expression of affection is - the dragon paused thoughtfully, seeking a way to phrase what she wanted to say diplomatically. New to him. Unwilling to come right out and share with the younger dragon the finer details of B'jin's past relationships, Larrikith decided with certainty that he was smart enough to connect his own dots and that she was likely confirming nothing R'nd hadn't already pieced together on his own. The random thrills of delight she felt in her rider when he did something 'bold' with the younger man both made the green dragon sad and hopeful. It was his masochistic streak that bothered her; his need to push R'nd's buttons until the younger man lashed out at him. Larrikith wasn't sure what he hoped to achieve by doing that - proof R'nd cared, for that was how B'jin measured affection shown to him, or that all male-bonded riders were the same, no matter how sweet they appeared. In any case, the little green was decidedly anxious about such a time occurring, though she was out of her depth, unsure how to bring up her concern without insulting the young blue and his rider.

Greens were a gossiping bunch, both humans and dragons alike, and it was for that reason that Larrikith had encouraged B'jin to remain with R'nd after her flight with Ayyonth. The information B'jin retained on the various riders was interesting and detailed, from whom to avoid to whom to seek out. While the man was not really the type to actively invite encounters outside of a flight, and had even encouraged the rumours that resulted in his being left alone for the most part, Larrikith was. The bluerider her own was now sleeping beside had a good reputation amongst the greenriders that had flown him, and those that had sought him out on their own terms. 'Don't get attached' was the only warning he came with, which was a lot better than 'he gets attached' from the little green's stand point. B'jin was standoffish and reserved; Larrikith didn't see him falling into the trap of getting more attached to R'nd that the bluerider was comfortable with, though she wasn't going to bother lying to herself: it appeared such a situation would be extremely beneficial to them both if they did.

Larrikith hesitated for a moment, before speaking delicately, B'jin likes to press buttons... She paused for a moment, emotions swirling through her eyes. What will R'nd do, when he presses the wrong one? Her words were spoken with deliberate care, for she had no desire to insult the dragon she was curled up with or indicate her opinion one way or the other on the matter. It was a cautious curiosity, fuelled by the desire to protect her rider. Only she was allowed to tell B'jin what a wherry brained fool he was - and she had no plans to ever let him engage himself again in someone that would mess him up physically. She'd thought Nemall had been a one off, a case of his own, but seeing the memory of S'kef - something she had been completely blocked from - the green dragon was fearful it was less of a one time deal, and more a case of terrible belief on her bonded's part. A belief she was slowly realising she had probably encouraged with her own relationship with him. Larrikith couldn't change who she was, or how she and her human interacted - the guilt she felt about it would be forgotten within days at any rate - but she could change what type of humans he had contact with.

Ayyonth shifted just enough so he could lean down and look Larrikith in the eye. Her question was a bit strange in his mind and how carefully she had worded it and approached the subject actually worried him. They both enjoyed a good prank, especially on their riders, and Ayyonth wanted to see her face, to make eye contact, just in case it wasn’t anything serious and doing so would send the petite green into laughter and a confession of it meaning nothing. When that didn’t happen, Ayyonth gave her nose a nuzzle with his own and returned back to his initial resting place to think on the question. How would R’nd react? Would it be the same or different to when Kerrin was mad at him and they had their fights? Still, the biggest question was why B’jin would want to when the two men so clearly got along well.

It depends on the button, Ayyonth started slowly, cautiously. He didn’t want to upset Larrikith and while he did believe B’jin was used to more aggression in his lovers from what had already been shared, he wasn’t certain that was entirely correct or why B’jin would push R’nd into getting physical because of a past relationship. He’s very hard to anger unless a friend is being threatened but… his black eye? He didn’t retaliate when he was struck. Of course he knew he had sort of earned it but he did nothing more than clean up the mess, thank everyone for a nice night, and leave. Ayyonth felt it was best to explain immediately that his bonded wasn’t a violent sort, though of course he did have his playful fighting with Kerrin. Then again, Kerrin did seem fairly serious that day at the lake with trying to drown R’nd which did set off R’nd’s anger but he’d still kept it in control enough to not physically harm his friend outside of the counter-drowning attempt. It was probably best not to mention that.

Truthfully, he would likely want to run away instead of dealing with any confrontations. He has amazing self-confidence until it comes to upsetting someone close to him. He’ll blame himself and remove himself of the equation. Even with digging through all of R’nd’s memories extending back to his childhood, Ayyonth was having a hard time finding anything to share. His bonded was so laidback and tried to keep emotions separate from everything he did that when a button was pushed, it just sort of reflected off of him. He supposed there was one more warning he could give Larrikith. However, he’s excellent with saying the right flirtatious words and I don’t doubt he would be good at throwing sharp words. If he’s emotionally hurting enough, he may toss something back to make it an even playing field again as an act of self-defence.  The more Ayyonth shared, the more he started to think he was painting R’nd poorly and huffed with annoyance at himself.

I seem to lack his skills with wordplay. R’nd’s not a horrible person and if B’jin wanted to provoke him for some odd reason, he’ll have a hard time doing it or be disappointed when R’nd accepts the accusations and leaves.

Larrikith stared back at the blue when he peered down at her, head tilting slightly to better meet his gaze. Her expression was serious, and the emotions swirling in her faceted gaze as much so. Her emotions bubbled gently when Ayyonth bumped his nose against her own and she watched placidly as he settle back into his previous position. Lounging back against him with a wriggle, Larrikith closed her eyes as he spoke, taking in his words seriously, the emotion dancing around her like steam off a boiling pot of water.

Larrikith opened one eye lazily and peered up at Ayyonth with an implied frown, the colours swirling at unhappy speeds. He deserve it? She questioned, voice quiet and oddly grave. She seemed to be placing a particularly heavy amount of weight on the answer Ayyonth would give her. Larrikith knew there were very few times - if any! - that B'jin had deserved the fists he had been gifted with, even if her rider's mind was filled to the brim with all the reasoning he did. She just knew he didn't, even if she couldn't find the proof to fuel such a belief, and refused to acknowledge any such indications that B'jin might be right. She simply couldn't fathom a situation in which he would  deserve such actions. That Ayyonth could, for his human... Larrikith wasn't sure how to process that. Did that mean R'nd had, honestly, deserved it, or were they just as messed up as she and B'jin?

The blue's next comment had Larrikith groan, though the sound was laced with her amusement. The colours in her eyes swirled into brighter, happier tones and her emotions took on a more uplifting feeling, echoing her humour. That will make life interesting, she quipped, voice teasing. Though the subject in question was less light hearted, she stayed with the playful tones and teasing look, refusing to let the memories that usually entailed B'jin's guilt take hold; she didn't want to risk him having nightmares - he was such a pain to dig out of them. B'jin will take the blame, for anything, and everything. She paused, sobering as her voice took on a muted, almost depressed tone. He wasn't always so.

Her head tilted once more, and Larrikith hummed thoughtfully, considering Ayyonth's words before replying with the same bland gravity that her earlier speech had been issued in. B'jin has an acidic tongue, though he rarely uses it. Her rider had a long fuse, and it could take decades for it to reach the point of exploding. The most recent had been his fight with Nemall; before that, Larrikith wasn't even sure B'jin could remember when or what. She knew he had before - maybe as many as three times in the time she herself had been alive. The little dragon had the uncomfortable feeling they were not pretty times, but also that B'jin rarely was approachable in the times following them. Her rider was highly erratic in his emotions, and was generally a 'forgive and forget' type; he didn't hold grudges. But there were some things he was just incapable of letting go.

I will rein him in. Larrikith decided, her voice firm even as she nodded her head once, and peered up at Ayyonth with one eye. The colours were dancing through them slowly but her decision had obviously been made. B'jin will rarely ask twice. She paused, and a sudden smirk spiraled through her eyes, and over her emotions. However, since R'nd initiated their relationship, I am given a loop hole to work with. Her wings fluffed out slightly before settling down, the green quite obviously proud of herself and this realisation. I will keep an eye on him, however. He has developed patterns I would like to see disrupted. Thinking before he speaks will be a good starting place.

He thinks he did. I don’t. He was foolish but he shouldn’t have been hit because of something he said. Ayyonth wanted to explain in full but R’nd was adamant about no one knowing and N’gelt’s name was one of the rare secrets he guarded tightly in his mind. Ayyonth could still get in as R’nd had explained once that he trusted and loved the blue more than he thought he was ever capable of showing anyone so he wouldn’t keep him in the dark about anything, knowing the dragon would keep what was behind that door for themselves until R’nd decided to share with someone.

With the little bit of information that Larrikith was willing to share pieced together with what he found in R’nd’s mind, Ayyonth was becoming extremely worried about B’jin. It wasn’t so much a fear of what the greenrider would do to R’nd but what B’jin could do to himself and allowed to fall upon him. He returned to the memory of the day in the Gathering Square, getting momentarily sidetracked by R’nd’s horror at the children climbing over his blue who seemed to enjoy it. It had been fun! It was strange but it was fun to knock the brats down and watch them roll and sprawl on the ground. But that wasn’t relevant to his current train of thought; the Weyrleader arriving was. B’jin had barely acknowledged the punishment of being whipped and the way the man had taken the lashings earlier had the blue wondering exactly what he had been put through in the past. He certainly didn’t enjoy pain and he knew R’nd hated it as well so to accept it without a protest seemed wrong. Maybe the greenrider was broken? Humans did seem rather fragile after all.

Will R’nd be able to help B’jin? Ayyonth’s normally low-pitched voice that came off as cheerful and pleasant dropped to a whisper, the pleasantries replaced with his worry. He liked B’jin but not just because of R’nd’s feelings bleeding into him. The older man was funny and Ayyonth was all about a good time but more importantly, He’s already helped R’nd even though both humans haven’t realised it. They went well together and without even trying, B’jin was managing to get R’nd to open up more and chance the risk of investing more deeply in someone.

Ayyonth shifted to curl himself around Larrikith a bit better after she had settled down from ruffling her wings. He thought on her words, and knew their work wasn’t anywhere near finished. Why they had to bond to such oblivious humans was beyond the blue’s comprehension but his love for R’nd and wanting what was best for the man was strong enough to not waver under any complications. I will continue to help you of course, sweet little one. R’nd tried to leave earlier before Talian did but I made him stay. I’ll continue to do so as much as I have to until he stops fearing he’s not welcomed or not wanted. Thanks to B’jin asking R’nd to stay, his work would be a lot easier for a while, at least until the button-pushing began. Ayyonth really hoped that would be avoided.

Hrm, Larrikith said mildly, the only response Ayyonth was getting to his comment. She didn't think anything more needed to be said on that at the moment, and she had already shared so much of B'jin she was worried he'd find out and get angry with her. Her rider could become unreasonable when he felt betrayed, and while she knew that every word she spoke was to help him and the relationship the pair of dragons were trying to get the two humans to build, she was also sure B'jin wouldn't see it that way any time soon.

Larrikith's silence after Ayyonth's question was extended, and she had turned her head to stare at the two men sprawled on the bed. She didn't know the answer to that question, not really. She wanted to say yes, he could - would - but the little green was reluctant to say those words when they may lead to her lying either to herself or to the blue. She had also gathered enough knowledge about R'nd in their exchange that if he were told he could help the greenrider, he would be crushed if he didn't manage to deliver. Larrikith didn't want to harm another in the hopes of helping her own... Well, with a few exceptions.

I hope so, she whispered softly, a sigh in her voice. It turned dry as she rolled her gaze to look at Ayyonth from an odd angle, head still directed towards their humans. I doubt he could do more damage. It was a bit of a twisted compliment, in her thoughts that the bluerider was of an essence too sweet to purposefully harm someone, but also that he'd have to be pretty extreme in order to outclass the men that had done so much damage to her rider across the turns.

Larrikith's head jerked around and angled to stare at Ayyonth with one shining eye. His endearment had been met with a soft croon of pleasure, but it was his comment about R'nd trying to leave earlier that worried the smaller dragon. B'jin wouldn't kick him out, Larrikith said frankly, partially amused and partially exasperated. B'jin was only capable of kicking people out of his hut under one circumstance, and she highly doubted R'nd would end up in it. Her rider was too passive, otherwise, though Larrikith was not. I solemnly swear, Larrikith said, almost mocking in her severity, to inform R'nd the moment he has over stayed his welcome. Until such times, he has nothing to fear. Soft amusement swirled in her eyes as she sprawled out, a yawn stretching her jaw wide and she snorted at herself.

Perhaps I will sleep now. She said lightly, pausing for a moment to poke around in B'jin's mind and make sure he wasn't going to end up dragging himself down any time soon. Content, she lifted her head to rub against the side of Ayyonth's face and neck, before resting her chin on his forepaws and closing her lids.

---

[sup]... :| At first she was like "TALK MOAR" and then I was like "Sleep bitch" so she was like "Eh, okay" xD There is room for you to post and it should wrap up xD finally.

This is the thread that never ends
yes it goes on and on my friends!
some people started writing it,
not knowing what it was
and they continued writing it
forever just because~![/sup]

Ayyonth remained silent as Larrikith mulled over everything that was said, using the time to consider once more things he had been told. He didn’t think R’nd was in over his head but felt it would be good for his bonded to sort out the mysteries of B’jin and learn to deal with the bad as well as he did the good. The two men were a nice balance to each other and already seemed to draw them out of their carefully crafted personas they kept up for most of the world to see. So he believed that any stumbles they had on their way to opening their eyes to what their amazing dragons had worked so hard to give them would be dealt with without major hysterics and drama. He’d probably try to disown R’nd for Kerrin if his idiot lifemate tried to walk away because he was afraid of feelings or worried he would disappoint B’jin.

I hope that time doesn’t come but I imagine he’ll know why and understand it should it happen. R’nd was usually rather perceptive, unless it came to his own feelings, but Ayyonth knew he would realize when he had overstepped a line and caused B’jin more pain than he had ever attempted to soothe. Given how slow their steps forward were, Ayyonth wondered if that would mean any potential pain-causing was twenty turns away or if it would happen sooner because they were being too cautious and not willing to open up about all aspects of their lives until it was too late.

Those were things to worry about when they happened, Ayyonth decided as Larrikith brought up the very good idea of sleeping. He had been getting a bit sleepy himself while watching the humans and the befuddled mind of fellis R’nd had briefly suffered before passing out hadn’t helped the blue’s concentration when he went poking around in that mind. A wonderful idea. They clearly need us watching over them while they’re awake and near each other for a while longer so we should rest when they do. He gave a returning nuzzle to the top of her head after Larrikith had settled down before finally finding the perfect spot to rest his own head and shut his lids. Sweetest of dreams to you and B’jin, Larrikith.