24.Aug.12, 12:58 AM
A'liran glanced at V'zire as they walked along, trying his best to interpret the man's behavior. V'zire was saying one thing, but almost certainly meaning another. A'liran had never understood that. It made it hard to know what to say in response. Was V'zire actually going to be all right, or was he trying to hint that A'liran should remain at his hut afterall? Why not just say it, for the sake of modesty?
The greenrider's cynicism faded a little bit as he looked his colleague over. V'zire was a mess, and well, A'liran remembered the way he felt after his first bad flight. This has to be something similar. There had been anger, yes, but also dejection. The feeling of uselessness and powerlessness was overwhelming, the sort of thing a man could drown in. Someone delicate like V'zire? He probably felt like a burden.
Yeah, that was it. A'liran softened and reached out to lightly pat V'zire's shoulder, not sure else how to comfort him. 'Dude," he said encouragingly, "If you want me to stay, just say so. I'm not worried about it. All I'm gonna do at home is lay around a while and go to sleep anyhow."
Maybe V'zire wanted to be alone. Maybe he needed to be alone. A'liran sure had those days. But would leaving him alone be safe? It was a puzzle, and A'liran didn't like puzzles. He shook his head, as if doing so would remove his confusion. "Only if you want, though. I mean, it's not a problem to me either way. I just..." He trailed off, his eyes narrowing with angry remembrance. "I just know how it goes, okay? And I want to help if I can. Whers like S'kef...they think they can have anything they want from us. That's why we have to take care of each other."
The greenrider's cynicism faded a little bit as he looked his colleague over. V'zire was a mess, and well, A'liran remembered the way he felt after his first bad flight. This has to be something similar. There had been anger, yes, but also dejection. The feeling of uselessness and powerlessness was overwhelming, the sort of thing a man could drown in. Someone delicate like V'zire? He probably felt like a burden.
Yeah, that was it. A'liran softened and reached out to lightly pat V'zire's shoulder, not sure else how to comfort him. 'Dude," he said encouragingly, "If you want me to stay, just say so. I'm not worried about it. All I'm gonna do at home is lay around a while and go to sleep anyhow."
Maybe V'zire wanted to be alone. Maybe he needed to be alone. A'liran sure had those days. But would leaving him alone be safe? It was a puzzle, and A'liran didn't like puzzles. He shook his head, as if doing so would remove his confusion. "Only if you want, though. I mean, it's not a problem to me either way. I just..." He trailed off, his eyes narrowing with angry remembrance. "I just know how it goes, okay? And I want to help if I can. Whers like S'kef...they think they can have anything they want from us. That's why we have to take care of each other."