[G] [O] 744.06.15 | Lust Confession?

Ulliendis was back in Fort Weyr, though he didn't really care about the approaching Hatching. But what else was there to do? Benden Weyr was a bit stale thanks to Rh'us still insisting on being a drag by putting more focus on being a father than anything else he used to do. Rh'us was still a Healer and he did still have Ulliendis assist in some research, but it usually didn't need a lot of attention or time given to each project. So, Ulliendis threw another wrench in the bronzerider's attempt at smooth living by announcing he was going to wander off to another Hatching. He had always been immune to the glares and rumblings of Rh'us and they didn't stop him that time either.

He had only been back in Fort for three days and some of his former colleagues would argue that it was too soon for him to start poking his nose about when he had several weeks, but where was the fun in that? He knew Fort's layout intimately so all he had to do was watch his target to learn of any changes in routine. Even the Candidate master and his assistants hadn't changed anything so sneaking out of the barracks at his preferred time and via his old route had been easy--and doubly covered by the sounds of a few couples doing their best to have quiet sex. He was far from being a prude, but Ulliendis didn't see the appeal of sex in the large open space and surrounded by other people trying to sleep. Sneaking off to meet a lover in a more interesting location was far more appealing.

Not that he was doing that now, though that was a cover story he would fall back on if needed. Since he was breaking into the Weyrleader's office, that cover would only work up to a certain point unless he fully committed to it by playing the innocent Candidate tricked by a dragonrider into going into the office. V'lis was likely still a little shit so he was an easy enough target to lay blame on. Ulliendis set to work on spinning his story as he pulled out his lockpicks from the hidden pocket in his pants. He gave a pick a twirl around his fingers before quick work was done to the lock and the door clicked open.

And that was all he did as he heard footsteps down the hall getting closer. With a grunt of annoyance, Ulliendis reversed his work, slipped the lockpicks back into their secret home, and headed in the direction of the other person. As soon as he spotted the inconsiderate intruder, Ulliendis turned on his flamboyant and possibly drunk Harper personality to grin widely and throw an arm around his newest friend. "You must be the one that sent me that lust confession letter via the absolutely adorable flitter! I was far too intrigued and simply had to break curfew to sneak out and meet you here. I must say, I am not disappointed so far!" He gave it twenty seconds before he was looking at a no doubt fine backside vanish down the hall.

Ryk wasn't as all-consumed with the upcoming hatching as it seemed so many others were- he liked dragons, sure, but he could wait until his bronze decided to come find him whenever he hatched. He could be patient. He cared more about learning what he could about them, and about Fort itself, the weyr being so close to where he'd grown up but still something he knew relatively little about. Knowledge was power, after all, and power itself is what the young man really sought. He was going to work his damnedest to actually be someone of note in this place, by any means necessary, and knowing everything he could would help him in that quest.

He liked to spend his time looking around the weyr, learning about the ins and outs of it entirely for just that purpose. It meant a lot of wandering around and trying to learn what he could about the weyr from the walls themselves. And the archives, of course, but the way it was built also told a lot about the humble beginnings of the old weyr. It was also an excuse to pass by the Weyrleader's office, to see where he would one day find his own office, where decisions would be made and he would be revered as a real leader. Passing by after curfew might be suspicious, yes, but when he couldn't sleep, a walk was the only thing that seemed to calm his overactive mind.

He hadn't expected to find someone else there, and even less to have them curl an arm around his shoulder. Ryk responded automatically with an elbow shoved roughly into the other man's ribs. He ducked out of the other's embrace, fixing his shirt and glaring angrily back at the other. "Maybe, just maybe, you could ask before you just assume shit? You're neither interesting nor smart enough for me to waste borrowing someone else's flit on." So much for a calm walk. "What are you even doing here? If you're here just to get laid, I'm pretty fucking sure you got played. Only idiots agree to meet in front of the Weyrleader's office after curfew."

Ulliendis grunted as he doubled over, grabbing at his offended ribs. "Rude. You could have used your fancy words before getting physical," he complained somewhat under his breathe as he straightened once more. Those fancy words, wherever they ended up in the order of operations, did give him some needed context clues. The man was either a bronzerider or a Candidate hoping to be one, and he no doubt roamed the Harper Hall for a time. Depending on his age and his time served, Ulliendis likely knew the man that owned the sharp elbow. It had been encouraged in his specific discipline to learn the names and faces of all Harpers in the Hall as memorization and recognition practice. It had been dull and frustrating at the time but it had annoyingly become a reliable skill to have by teaching him to focus on certain aspects of a person that helped his recall later on.

Clearing his throat, Ulliendis made a show of straightening his shirt and brushing off dust. "I could have been an idiot in love if you hadn't happened along and potentially scared off my potential lover. I may now never know who yearns for my touch and wonders if my hair is as soft as silk," he continued spouting bad lines about himself as if he was reciting parts of the letter while taking in the man before him. The hallway wasn't well-lit but the sporadic glowstones and his eyes being used to the dim light were enough for Ulliendis to make out a vaguely familiar face. It had been some time since he'd last been in the Hall but he was certain that was where he recognized the man that seemed close to his own age. Very? Vary? Something like that, he was certain. Wasn't his father a Harper as well? Curious that they'd cross paths in a Weyr of all places.

"I bet it was the Junior Weyrwoman or maybe even the Weyrsecond! Alas. Anyway!" He stopped regaling the man with all of his virtues and smiled brightly. "If you're not into secret lusty confessions in the middle of the night, what exactly brings you to this particular location?" He knew the Weyrleader loved his position, but he loved his mate and daughters more. No way would R'nya agree to meet with a Candidate at such an hour.

"Same could be said to you, genius." It wasn't that hard to get Ryk in a bad mood. He was nearly constantly tired, the joys of having insomnia, which did a fantastic job at making him a bit more touchy than he already was. 'Soft' was probably never going to be something that anyone called him. When he was physically stopped, without so much as a consideration to whether or not he was okay with that, it was always going to be worse. He wasn't big on physical affection with the few friends he did have, and even less keen on it with a stranger who he wasn't trying to charm into his bed. Had there been any other meeting than this one, maybe he wouldn't have been opposed...

One of his thick brows rose, casting serious judgement on the man for those lines alone. "If that's the kind of thing that works on you, I can't imagine your pants stay on very long through many conversations. Unless you're being written to by a complete moron, then, I suppose they'd come up with that sort of thing." This guy couldn't be for real. There was no way someone would ask to meet them by the Weyrleader's office in the dead of night unless they wanted them gone, and he was sure he'd have heard it by now if there was an intercandidate issue like that. He liked to think he was privy to all sorts of gossip. Either he was a complete idiot, or just trying to get Ryk to leave. It was more of an inclination for him to stay, then, if he was trying to just weird him out.

"Sounds a lot more like wishful thinking. I'm sure they have more on their plate than to indulge in some sort of fling with a candidate." His arms crossed over his chest, watching the other with his dumb little grin. "I like to take a walk when I can't sleep. I don't usually make it this far before turning back, but looks like I'm not the only one wandering at stupid hours." It was only a partial truth. This was usually the path he'd take on the really bad nights, an excuse to feel like he was close to touching his future. He knew he deserved more than just some random Harper. "Who agrees to meet someone all the way out by the leader's offices?"

"I'm a Harper; my pants hardly ever stay on to begin with." Half-truths, and sometimes even a bit of the truth, were fun to give out after starting a false narrative. It made his lies more convincing and giving them credibility. In this instance, he hoped he appeared to have outed himself as a stereotypical slutty Harper than also had dreams of love. Or a slutty Harper that easily fell in love. He'd take either. They were both easy enough roles to fall into and why he had chosen the secret admirer cover to begin with. It had gotten him out of more than one close call in his short career and no doubt would continue to serve him as well as the eccentric friend one puts up with out of politeness.

"I can't help but to hope and wish, though you're probably right in that it wasn't any of the leadership. You're probably also right that I was set up or being toyed with." Ulliendis clutched both hands over his heart in an overly dramatic motion that went with the deep sigh of tragic loss. "My heart aches, but surely I will recover from this night and one day we'll look back fondly on my misfortune and laugh together." Currently, he didn't think the other man knew how to laugh given how sour he was, but some people were still able to pleasantly surprise him.

"Since I'm heading back to the barracks," thanks to having too much attention on him now by a fellow Candidate to risk any further snooping, "you can keep me company and ensure I don't fall into any other snares or die from a shattered heart or ego." It would also keep his new friend honest as well. Ulliendis wasn't entirely convinced a simple stroll truly brought him out this way, but it was also so mundane as an excuse that it probably was true.

He just wished he could remember the man's name and any associated gossip. Considering he wasn't coming to mind straight away, it meant his little wanderer was straight-laced and kept his head down and nose clean. In other words; boring and unforgettable. He made to move like he was going to link their arms together for their happy stroll home until quickly pulling away to snap his fingers as if recalling something important. "Oh! I called you rude earlier but here I am forgetting the simplest of manners with introductions. I'm Ulliendis, lately of Benden Weyr, though I get bored at times and travel for Hatchings."