02.Sep.18, 02:18 AM
It had been barely more than an hour since F’drel had met this bluerider and he was already proving to be one of the most utterly ridiculous people he’d ever met. He had absolutely no idea how to properly sneak around — the trick was to act as if you belonged there, not jump at the slightest noise — and F’drel had to resist the urge to smack his head against the nearest wall every time he had to watch the bluerider dart from shadow to shadow or press against a wall. Ridiculous. The worst was when he physically dragged F’drel to hide at noises. Dragging an unwilling greenrider into the shadows was way more obvious than simply walking, but whatever. No one ever saw them anyway.
All the theatrics and absolute lack of skill at sneaking confirmed for F’drel that the other man was weyrbred. Maybe upperclass holder, but he didn’t seem it and his general openness and demeanor didn’t support that. He’d definitely never had to be truly subtle in his life though. F’drel had. Drudges were meant to be silent unless directly spoken to when around the lords and such — didn’t want some lady or lordling complaining about you stomping around while cleaning, perish the thought! — so you learned fast how to walk around and complete tasks nearly silently. His footsteps were softer than his friends, and F’drel wasn’t even trying, it was just ingrained at this point. You also learned to look like you belonged; easy enough when you were a drudge, no one really questioned that you were there to clean something or other, but some people never could quite stop looking nervous. They usually got sent away or reprimanded the most.
Even knowing they were unlikely to get in trouble — no one would care about two dragonriders getting a bit more food late at night in a Weyr — F’drel still tensed every time the bluerider did something a bit too exaggerated or made a little too much noise. Did he actually think he was succeeding at being stealthy or was he just entertaining himself with the dramatics having no intent to actually be stealthy. F’drel decided to pretend it was the latter to make himself feel better. He managed to contain his eye rolling as his companion stopped to go through the ‘plan’ right near the door to the kitchens. ‘Easy peasy’ indeed, especially if the bluerider would act like a normal person about getting a late night snack.
Snagging leftovers from the kitchen was hardly new to F’drel. The current Lord of Nabol had actually been fairly openhanded with his drudges and servants, but his father had been less so, especially in lean years, and it wasn’t uncommon for F’drel to ghost into the kitchens and steal a bit extra for his younger siblings. You just had to know what wouldn’t be missed, what wouldn’t get the kitchen workers in trouble. Lords ate so much, there was always a little bit here and there no one would notice the disappearance of. A handful of berries and a day old pastry or two, like Edath’s rider wanted? Well within the category of ‘unlikely to be missed.’
The rest of the ‘plan’ had F’drel raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Like fuck he would. What was this, ‘make the other person get in trouble not me?’ Or maybe some garbage about a flirty greenrider being a good distraction —and honestly with most riders it would be a good distraction, but F’drel had no desire to be a distraction if it relied on pretending to be interested and available. Fuck that. F’drel stared flatly at him .
“I don’t smile on command for blueriders,” he snapped, keeping his voice quiet despite his irritation. F’drel only truly smiled for Miri and his siblings, with the occasional pretend smile for someone when he deemed it safest to come across as friendly with them. If Edath’s rider had anything going for him — other than being kind to Halomirth — it was that he didn’t strike F’drel as dangerous. Overly enthusiastic, overly familiar, and a bit childish, sure, but he didn’t trigger F’drel’s ‘flight’ instincts nearly as much as most blueriders. In addition to almost certainly being younger than F’drel, he seemed to be genuinely open about what he was thinking and feeling. Either that, or he was a really good actor, but F’drel didn’t think so. Still, he wasn’t gonna be a distraction for a few berries and a roll or two, no fucking way. It had been a long day and F’drel had no patience left for being told to smile and look pretty.
All the theatrics and absolute lack of skill at sneaking confirmed for F’drel that the other man was weyrbred. Maybe upperclass holder, but he didn’t seem it and his general openness and demeanor didn’t support that. He’d definitely never had to be truly subtle in his life though. F’drel had. Drudges were meant to be silent unless directly spoken to when around the lords and such — didn’t want some lady or lordling complaining about you stomping around while cleaning, perish the thought! — so you learned fast how to walk around and complete tasks nearly silently. His footsteps were softer than his friends, and F’drel wasn’t even trying, it was just ingrained at this point. You also learned to look like you belonged; easy enough when you were a drudge, no one really questioned that you were there to clean something or other, but some people never could quite stop looking nervous. They usually got sent away or reprimanded the most.
Even knowing they were unlikely to get in trouble — no one would care about two dragonriders getting a bit more food late at night in a Weyr — F’drel still tensed every time the bluerider did something a bit too exaggerated or made a little too much noise. Did he actually think he was succeeding at being stealthy or was he just entertaining himself with the dramatics having no intent to actually be stealthy. F’drel decided to pretend it was the latter to make himself feel better. He managed to contain his eye rolling as his companion stopped to go through the ‘plan’ right near the door to the kitchens. ‘Easy peasy’ indeed, especially if the bluerider would act like a normal person about getting a late night snack.
Snagging leftovers from the kitchen was hardly new to F’drel. The current Lord of Nabol had actually been fairly openhanded with his drudges and servants, but his father had been less so, especially in lean years, and it wasn’t uncommon for F’drel to ghost into the kitchens and steal a bit extra for his younger siblings. You just had to know what wouldn’t be missed, what wouldn’t get the kitchen workers in trouble. Lords ate so much, there was always a little bit here and there no one would notice the disappearance of. A handful of berries and a day old pastry or two, like Edath’s rider wanted? Well within the category of ‘unlikely to be missed.’
The rest of the ‘plan’ had F’drel raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Like fuck he would. What was this, ‘make the other person get in trouble not me?’ Or maybe some garbage about a flirty greenrider being a good distraction —and honestly with most riders it would be a good distraction, but F’drel had no desire to be a distraction if it relied on pretending to be interested and available. Fuck that. F’drel stared flatly at him .
“I don’t smile on command for blueriders,” he snapped, keeping his voice quiet despite his irritation. F’drel only truly smiled for Miri and his siblings, with the occasional pretend smile for someone when he deemed it safest to come across as friendly with them. If Edath’s rider had anything going for him — other than being kind to Halomirth — it was that he didn’t strike F’drel as dangerous. Overly enthusiastic, overly familiar, and a bit childish, sure, but he didn’t trigger F’drel’s ‘flight’ instincts nearly as much as most blueriders. In addition to almost certainly being younger than F’drel, he seemed to be genuinely open about what he was thinking and feeling. Either that, or he was a really good actor, but F’drel didn’t think so. Still, he wasn’t gonna be a distraction for a few berries and a roll or two, no fucking way. It had been a long day and F’drel had no patience left for being told to smile and look pretty.