Revenge is best served...? [R'nd]

Kerrin had decided: he was officially going to kill that stupid, cocky, drastically important information-witholding bluerider.

It hadn't taken much effort on his part to determine R'nd's current whereabouts; all he'd had to do was ask his father's brown, Zhiranth, to seek out Ayyonth. It was a common request on the boy's part, and the brown - despite his having learned from his rider to regard his son's motivations with suspicion at all times - had no reservations divulging the fact that the blue was currently enjoying a swim at the lake. Unfortunately that presented another problem: how the heck was he going to get there in order to do the killing? Here Zhiranth had come to the rescue once again, for Kerrin had managed to wheedle from his father a few minutes of the dragon's time - ostensibly to take their laundry down to the lakeside for a wash, one of the few chores the clothing-conscious teen was willing to volunteer himself for.

And though he knew his father very much frowned upon the boy going between on a dragon that was not his - regardless of how careful Zhiranth always was, and how unusually close the mental bond between the two though the brown was not his lifemate - Kerrin was in a sharding hurry, and he hadn't even bothered to fully tighten the great beast's riding straps before directing him to the lakeside they both knew so well. The dragon, as utterly unconcerned by all the small details of human affairs as he was, failed to notice the laundry bag left lying forgotten at his feet as he launched him into the air and, a few great wing-beats later, disappeared.

Naturally Kerrin did not go between as often as Katila's full-fledged riders, but every time he did he was always reminded of civilian clothing's woeful inadequacy in its freezing cold blackness. Shards, he would have riding leathers if he had to make them himself! So what if he didn't have a dragon yet?! Three heartbeats later and Kerrin was already in a fouler mood than when he'd left, even with the hot Southern sun warming his back rapidly enough to make his heavy jacket - one which he owned for the sole purpose of dragon-rides, in fact - nearly stifling in the short time that it took Zhiranth to glide gracefully to the shore, his serene mood mercifully unaffected by his young charge's fuming.

I will return to work. Ayyonth will take you home, the brown addressed Kerrin as he hurriedly scrambled out of Zhiranth's straps and half-slid, half leaped from the dragon's politely extended leg. Zhiranth knew only that the blue seemed to like the boy and usually needed only to be asked for the courtesy of a ride; Kerrin only nodded and patted the beast's foreleg in thanks as he always did, carefully mentioning nothing of the fact that his friend's dragon would probably squish him after he'd murdered his friend. He managed to hold his composure quite admirably in fact, until Zhiranth had launched himself into the air again, finally disappearing over the lake's shimmering waters.

Then he whirled upon the bluerider's general direction.

"RAND!!" Kerrin shouted, throwing off his jacket and shaking a fist at the rider, who surely already knew what had brought the obvious perturbed teenager to meet him. "Why didn't you tell me it was G'rem?!"

Thanks to growing up in a sea hold, despite not wanting to learn the craft of his family line, R’nd loved spending time near bodies of water. If fishing wasn’t involved, he was there in a heartbeat swimming or sprawled out at the edge of the lake working on his tan. With a rather quiet day in hand thanks to completing his tasks in the morning which freed his afternoon, R’nd easily persuaded Ayyonth to spend that time at the lake. Of course it wasn’t an entirely innocent plan and while he was curious to see, or even just hear, the reaction to his latest evil ways, he figured being further away was the wiser choice. It would hopefully give his friendly target some time too cool off as dying by your friend’s hands was never a good way to end the day. Without a doubt in his mind, R’nd knew that was what would have happened if he was anywhere near the outdoor class when Kerrin arrived and saw who was holding it.

That had been the plan anyway, but as R’nd emerged from the refreshing water after dunking himself under to cool off from too much sunning, he heard his nickname in a very familiar voice filled with the equally familiar edge of anger. R’nd shot a quick, accusing look at his dragon curled up on a flat rock near the water’s edge which earned a cheerful reply filled with feigned innocence, You didn’t tell me it was a secret swim. He could always count on Ayyonth to create his own fun.

Turning to face the owner of the voice, R’nd ran his fingers through his sandy locks sending trickles of water running over his shoulders and down his toned torso where they were collected by red shorts. He was already smiling and a laugh was forming but upon seeing Kerrin’s expression which was clearly supposed to be anger but looked like it got confused halfway through the process and ended up mildly surprised with the way brows drew together and mouth was set, he lost it and started laughing hysterically. “Good class?” It was all he could manage to say between gasping for the breaths that kept his laughter going.

Oh, so that stupid son of a wherry wanted to laugh, did he?! Kerrin clenched his teeth as he bent to pick up a nearby stone. Let's see him laugh at this! Outraged at the indignity of his ex-friend treating this very serious offense like a sharding chuckle-fest, the boy had whipped the heavy rock right at the dripping bluerider's head before he'd even spoken another word. Kerrin didn't care if R'nd could easily dodge it, because that wasn't the point. No, in this particular instance the weyrbrat had already decided that the bluerider's death would be so much more satisfying if once he'd gotten hold of the chance to do it with his bare hands. Nothing less would be a fitting punishment for the sheer betrayal R'nd had committed by failing to divulge that the candidates' instructor for this clutch was quite possibly the one and only dragonrider in all of Katila Weyr that Kerrin legitimately feared.

"No, it was not a good class!!" Kerrin exploded, shouting loud enough to be heard over the distance that spanned between them as well as R'nd's increasingly hearty laughter. Not that he had expected anything less of the mischievous bluerider - they were friends for a reason, and any sensible Katilan would happily point out that were their positions reversed, Kerrin would have done the exact same thing to R'nd, and laughed just as mightily. In fact, this whole incident was probably revenge for something or other that the weyrbrat-turned-Candidate didn't even remember.

Kerrin knew all of this, but that knowledge did nothing to calm the rage that had him all but trembling from head to toe. The boy did not take well to humiliation, and that's exactly what resulted whenever he managed to get himself on the wrong end of G'rem's temper, because that was one man everybody - even him! - knew you just didn't talk back to. You just didn't. And for the young man who had orchestrated it all to stand there in the water and just guffaw like a fool, with that stupid water trickling down his stupid flawless body as if he were some kind of perfectly sculpted statue of masculine glory... well that just pissed him off.

"You can't get out of this one just by being good-looking, you know!" Kerrin growled, the irony of this statement coming from him, Katila's main offender when it came to such tactics, completely escaping him as he began to pull off his boots and shirt. Of course, for a man as quick on the draw as R'nd that action alone was surely warning enough for what was to come next, but just in case the boy was sure to add a quick, "You're dead, Randy!" before he took off in a run towards the bank before he launched himself bodily in a flying tackle towards the snickering bluerider.

Even with his laughing fit, R'nd was still able to dodge the rock tossed at him. That should have been enough to sober him up since his friend was actually trying to cause him harm or at least scar his face--which quite possibly was the greater sin of the two options--but it only lessened the merriment into snickering. It was hard to take Kerrin seriously when he was so riled up thanks to knowing his usual personality and only seeing his goofy expressions instead of the full blown anger. Besides, it really wasn't his fault that he withheld information so the weyrbrat would end up in an embarrassing situation, that was just a part of their relationship. They hung out together in free time, Kerrin helped tend to Ayyonth, and they played pranks on each other that usually resulted in them not talking for a sevenday. It was just his time to get revenge.

When clothing started to be removed, a task that R'nd typically liked overseeing, he knew it meant something not nearly as fun this time with Kerrin's adorable scowl in place and the words flung at him. "But being good-looking gets me out of everything!" He called back just as the younger lad took off running at him. He knew what was coming. Dodging a rock? Sure, he could do that no problem. Dodging Kerrin's flying tackle attack? That was a bit harder if he miss-timed it since Kerrin was quick to change direction and there was always that side of himself that insisted on making sure the kid didn't end up hurting himself if he went tumbling to the hard ground.

This time he didn't get the chance to make a decision on what to do as he saw Ayyonth from out of the corner of his eye stretch out his wings and seem to give a yawn as if he just woke from a nice long nap. It was just enough distraction for R'nd to turn back in time to fling out his arms and try to catch Kerrin as he came flying at him, arms tightening around the smaller body as they were both sent into the water with the bluerider fairing the worst as he had his legs knocked out from under him and a body on top of him to keep him from righting himself or surfacing.

Ayyonth didn't seem quite as concerned as he watched the humans interact. It was nothing new to see them goofing around like that and he knew Kerrin well given the time the boy spent with them since his hatching. In fact Ayyonth felt like he had Impressed two boys! So when Kerrin launched himself at R'nd, he simply chuckled, sending his amusement to both men. That was a good tackle, Kerrin!

Stupid two-timing dragon! was the only thought R'nd aimed back at Ayyonth.

Unfortunately for R'nd, Kerrin was distracted by nothing but the sweet taste of victory when their bodies met, the momentum he'd gained in his running start lending enough power to the leap to send them both flying backwards into the lake with a mighty splash. The force of the impact when bare torso hit bare torso almost hurt enough to make the boy regret his decision to attack so boldly... almost, because it was so rare that he ever physically got the upper hand against the much larger rider that it was hard to revel in his success when the weight of his body forced R'nd completely underwater. The fact that his friend had more or less let him win by opening his arms to receive the leaping boy like an oversized catch-ball, however, went either unnoticed or completely ignored in favor of the weyrbrat's cold-blooded revenge - for as soon as Kerrin had oriented himself in the water, both hands were scrambling to push on the bluerider's head for a merciless dunking.

Kerrin smirked when Ayyonth's mind-voice entered his head, and soon found himself laughing just as riotously as his friend had been moments before, his anger all but dissipating in favor of the simple, childish joy of having gotten one up on his friend. "Thanks Ayyonth, I thought so too!" he yelled to the dragon aloud, so that R'nd would not be exluded from the pair's friendly mockery of the rider - whatever pieces of it he would hear over the splashes and gurgles for air, that is.

He was fine with the tackle and thought that was where this line of revenge would end but when hands went to his head to hold him under water, R’nd knew this time was a little different from the norm. He was already low on breath stored in his lungs thanks to the sudden impact of a smaller body against his and being tossed into the water without preparing so he had to work fast if he wanted to survive. He knew his charming dragon wouldn’t come rescue him given his encouragement and backing of Kerrin’s antics! Sometimes he wondered about that dragon and where his priorities and loyalties lied. Don’t trouble yourself, Ayyonth; I got this!

Thankfully, he was taller with a larger build so out manoeuvring the weyrbrat that was quickly becoming an ex-friend shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Adjusting his hold on Kerrin, R’nd gave a twist of his torso with as much force behind it as he could given his position until the momentum was enough to reverse their positions. When his head broke through the water’s surface, a large gasp of air was taken before diving back under where he smirked at Kerrin now being held under with stronger arms. There was no need for him to be holding his breath as well since his longer reach could hold the boy under easily but R’nd wanted to keep a close eye on Kerrin and make sure he really didn’t drown the brat though his attempt at murder did sort of warrant it in his mind!

Momentarily carried away by the rush of victory, and perhaps unaware of just how dangerous his actions could have been for the asphyxiating bluerider, Kerrin was wholly unprepared for the force of R'nd's retaliation. The boy hardly had time to let loose an undignified squawk of surprise before the larger man had wholly overpowered him, sending him bodily underwater - much to his shock and dismay. Of course the boy understood the need for retaliation, even without the understanding that he actually could have killed R'nd if the man were not so much bigger than him, and so for the moment he was willing to accept his fate with just a minimal amount of trashing and cursing (which presented as little more than a thick stream of bubbles rising to the water's surface, anyhow). That is, until the sharding jerk joined him underwater just to smirk at him. Scowling in reply, Kerrin delivered a strong kick to the dragonrider's stomach, loosening the man's grip just enough for him to writhe out of his drowning grasp.

With a gasp Kerrin broke the surface of the water, immediately pushing back the sopping mess of curls his hair had become. He was already dreading how frizzy it was going to be once it dried, but that wasn't the only reason he was unhappy. He had much to discuss with that randy bluerider! Impatiently he awaited R'nd's return to the sunlight and the breathable air, a petulant glare already prepared for him.

R’nd was a bit slower in surfacing thanks to that kick to his stomach. He had doubled over from the pain with the breath he held coming out in a gasp as his now empty arms circled around the offended area. Kerrin was spirited, he knew that and would even label him as feisty at times but the kick had been completely unexpected. It was more the need to vent his anger at the entire attack than the lack of air his lungs now held that finally sent R’nd surfacing, though it was the issue of breathing he had to deal with first.

He came up with a cough, followed by another thanks to having swallowed a bit of water somewhere in the midst of their struggle. Lovely, now he could add stomach pains and choking on water to the list of injuries that sevenday had brought him which had thus far only contained fading bruises from his time with B’jin. When had his gorgeous day turned so rotten? Oh, right, when Kerrin forgot how to take a joke! With a frustrated sputter, R’nd brushed back the dripping mess he would later call hair when it was properly styled once more and narrowed his gaze on the brat that was close to losing friendship status,  “what is your problem?!” He grabbed at Kerrin’s arm, intent on dragging him back to the shore where they could properly duke it out since it seemed that was going to be the only way to appease the kid.

Still on his rock but wide awake now, Ayyonth stretched, rising to his feet, and kept a watchful eye on the men. Their fighting was somewhat of a normal occurrence but this time was beginning to make him a bit anxious and he felt it was time to intervene, doing so by speaking solely to R’nd. Keep calm, R’nd. Kerrin is a friend. He’s angry and has a lot on his mind. Let him vent.

“Stay out of this, Ayyonth,” he spoke aloud for Kerrin’s benefit though he didn’t deserve that honour. Still, R’nd listened to his dragon’s sound advice, and released his hold on Kerrin, turning his back on the man so he could slosh his way back to the shoreline to find his towel.

Kerrin offered only token resistance to the tugging at his arm, along with what might have been a half-hearted growl of, "You are." At this point feeling so unbearably sullen that he couldn't even muster up the energy required to protest against the dragonrider's blatant manhandling. He'd missed those lovely bruises marring R'nd's body before, with the distance between them and the sun in his eyes obscuring what should have been obvious with even the most circumspect of glances, but with the other man getting so up close and personal it was impossible to miss them now. And he knew exactly where they'd come from, too - insider knowledge which only set the boy's frown to deepening. Granted, given their sizes, shapes, and very suspect locations Kerrin suspected even one of those wide-eyed, blushing Hold-bred girls could figure out what had happened if they thought about it hard enough.

What the pouting weyrbrat couldn't figure out why he was feeling so uniquely bothered by them, this time. For now he blamed it on those damn Candidate lessons not only putting ideas into his head, but forcing him to stare for what seemed like hours on end at the very culprit responsible for disfiguring his friend! Between that and the bluerider's backstabbing him with withheld information, it was no wonder Kerrin was feeling a little grumpy.

Quickly, the boy shot his own glare at Ayyonth when the blue's rider betrayed that the dragon had been talking about him. Some part of him did suspect that it was far more likely the dragon had been defending him rather than not, but with his mood soured as it was it was hard to muster up any appreciation for any human or beast who abused a mind-link just to gossip about him as if he weren't standing - or floating, rather, as he had yet to wade out of the shallow water - right sharding there.

When he finally did look back at R'nd, Kerrin just could help it when amber eyes lingered on those bruises, perhaps betraying the true source of his irritation when he inquired without the slightest bit of sympathy in his peevish tone, "So, those still hurt?"

Wait, Kerrin was interested in the bruises he had nothing to do with but showed not an ounce of remorse for the kick? R’nd hesitated briefly in reaching for his towel when that realization hit him but quickly resumed the task so not to show he was affected by the question that almost seemed more like a jab. “Why?” He shot a glare over his shoulder as he straightened before wrapping the towel around his shoulders, “do you want to hit them if they do?”

R’nd gave a growl of frustration at their fighting and brought the towel to his head to run it over his hair, though he was careful to keep his eyes on Kerrin in case he had the urge to strike again while the target was blinded. Having an attitude wasn’t going to get them anywhere and he didn’t need his nosy dragon to point that out. He counted to ten to help bite back the urge to continue with sharp replies, eyes never leaving Kerrin. There had to be another reason for the rage besides the little prank of not mentioning G’rem as teacher. Given the only things Kerrin had mentioned so far were G’rem and the bruising, R’nd was led to believe it had to do with the latter, which still didn’t make sense despite both of their love of always looking perfect. The only way to find out, naturally, was to try talking without letting anger guide them.

Removing the towel from his head, R’nd replied in a calm and even voice, hoping to cancel out the bite and suspicion in his previous reply, “They don’t hurt as much as they did yesterday.” He ached all over for two days after the encounter but it was well worth it and still the thought of that time brought a small, goofy smile to his lips, which R’nd didn’t realize he was doing at first. Once he did, teeth clamped down on his lower lip to stop the uncharacteristic response to a flight coupling and lifted the towel in offering to Kerrin as a further wordless distraction.

Kerrin's eyes narrowed visibly when that increasingly familiar goofy grin lit on the bluerider's features, which had until then been noticeably pinched with the effort to hold back his frustration and anger. Kerrin decided he preferred the first look, because for the past week he'd had to watch that same sickeningly stupid expression cross his friend's face every time a certain greenrider passed by or a certain flight was mentioned. "Maybe I should hit them again! It'd probably knock the sharding sense back into you," the boy shot back, his irrational anger over seeing his otherwise suave, playboy friend so blatantly and disgustingly lovestruck utterly mystifying even to himself - but that didn't mean he could do anything to stop it. No, the best he could do was attempt to justify his unhappiness by assuring himself that he was only feeling frustrated because R'nd was so different lately. Different but still a backstabbing jerk, of course.

Unlike R'nd, it was pretty clear Kerrin was making no effort to calm himself, especially when he rose from the water sopping wet to grab at the offered towel as if it had been the bluerider's privilege to still be allowed to give it to him. "Great," the boy mumbled in response to the news that his friend was recovering nicely from his sexual injuries, the word muffled by both his obvious lack of enthusiasm and the towel as Kerrin hastily rubbed his hair dry.

“I didn’t realize I had had any sense knocked out of me,” R’nd was already getting tired of the riddles Kerrin had taken to speaking in. If this was simply about the prank played by not mentioning G’rem would be in charge of the class then he could twist things around enough for it to fit. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of the grumpy bluerider’s wrath, not even other riders, so he could see it from Kerrin’s point of view that it was a huge betrayal and a lapse in judgement to purposely place him in such a situation. He should apologise for it and whatever punishment was doled out, perhaps even offer to help if he could. It still seemed odd, however, when the weyrbrat normally grumbled about the revenge played on him and then ignored R’nd for several days to all of a sudden try to murder him.

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you it was G’rem. What did he task you with?” He really didn’t want to help out and would probably only land both of them in more trouble if he was caught assisting but it really was only fair to put the offer out there, especially if it worked to calm Kerrin down. Although that lovely kick to the stomach begged for the rider to stay out of everything and to keep the apology to himself. That train of thought brought him back to Kerrin’s interest in the bruising. Oh, shard it, it was time to get out of the haze of confusion he had been left to stumble around in.

“Kerrin… I’m not a mind-reader and I’m not going to ask Ayyonth to do it for me either though that temptation is growing with every verbal assault I take. It can’t be G’rem that has you so upset and while your lack of even trying to feign concern in the bruising was ever so touching it’s also baffling. Why point them out now when you haven’t since the first time you saw me after a flight?” Growing increasingly frustrated, R’nd ran both hands through his hair, leaving it in a beautifully chaotic mess that he didn’t even attempt to tame as, for once, his appearance wasn’t ranking too high on the list of priorities right then.

“And just so you’re aware, Ayyonth won’t leave that rock,” naturally just to further irritate him, Ayyonth dove from his rock into the lake and merrily swam around, “…or the lake without both of us on his back, so trying to wait me out and not answer won’t work.”

"I don't know, didn't look," Kerrin answered honestly when R'nd questioned him regarding his punishment, hardly pausing in his dutiful scrubbing of the moisture from his hair. His flippant tone suggested total disinterest in the punishment itself, but the bluerider likely knew the boy well enough to know it was more accurate to say that Kerrin just didn't want to know all of the sordid details of the torture that G'rem had dreamed up, and it was saving the sullen weyrbrat a great deal of face to pretend that he simply didn't care. "Something about the kitchens, I guess. It was on a note."

Actually, come to think of it, the note was probably completely illegible now that it had been thoroughly dunked in the lake along with the rest of his person. Perhaps he'd found a loophole, after all! ... at least until G'rem found out at rewrote it. Probably with an extra dash of horrible for his carelessness. But whatever, because that problem was so five minutes ago. Kerrin shot the older man a sour look when R'nd proved insistent at poking around in his brain for the cause of his irritation. That sour look that proved hard to maintain, however, when he caught out of the corner of his vision Ayyonth's dive into the water, apparently timed just to spite his snarling rider. It took all of Kerrin's available composure to suppress his snicker as his friend's frown deepened at the sound of the splashing behind him. Shells, did he ever love that dragon!

Tearing his eyes away from the blue and quickly wiping away whatever smirk might have formed on his lips as he'd watched the dragon's antics, Kerrin sniffed in unabashed disdain in the bluerider's direction. "Maybe because you've never acted so much like a lovestruck virgin girl after one of your flights before?"

R’nd was torn between glaring at Ayyonth and Kerrin while thinking on the note that held the punishment. He wondered if asking to read it would go over well so he could decide if he really wanted to help or even if he could because knowing G’rem he’d come up with something ridiculous and meant more as a solo project with possible room for spectators. That question never had a chance to form on lips as it was quickly shoved aside for the less than graceful squeak of a, “what?!” when Kerrin finally deemed him worthy enough to admit what was bothering him beyond the prank.

A lovestruck virgin girl after a flight? A few of those words didn’t belong in a sentence associated with him, unless of course it was ‘a lovestruck virgin girl wants you after the flight.’ That was something he could understand. Being called that, by someone he considered a close friend? That left R’nd more than a little baffled, at least in regards to being found out. It had taken him two days before he realized the goofy smile appeared when the flight was brought up whether it was Larrikith’s amazing dive or how long he had stayed tucked away with B’jin in a borrowed room which left R’nd trying to pay more attention to the after effects of that encounter. So while he wouldn’t have used that exact phrasing when it came down to his mannerisms after a successful flight, perhaps he was displaying similar characteristics. Not that anyone else was supposed to notice! How had Kerrin? Was it really so out of place that the younger man noticed it as a trend?

No, it couldn’t be and so R’nd did the logical thing; denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kerrin did nothing to hide or prevent a massive roll of his eyes when R'nd decided to play dumb with him, because the bluerider's thought process was practically broadcasted for miles from the squeak of surprise all the way to the puzzlement that had crossed over his expressive features before the grey eyes had hardened into outright denial. Of course that just figured; Kerrin didn't even know why he tried. Oh right, the weyrbrat reminded himself, casting a defeated glance over at Ayyonth. He was standing here trying to reason with the densest man in the entire weyr because that blue dragon was his only way out of here. Well, that or a many-hour-long hike, which the teen didn't feel quite up to at that particular moment, especially with G'rem's potentially grueling punishment still hanging over his head. Did you have to leave me here, you great dirt-colored lug?! Kerrin thought as hard as he could, with Zhiranth's image in mind. He knew the scolding would never reach the brown dragon, but nevertheless, it relieved some of his frustration and stress to imagine that it did.

The boy sighed, throwing the towel back in the baffled rider's face once he'd finished with it. His pants still clung wetly to his legs and thighs, and the cold, clammy feeling only further annoyed him. As did the sharp bits of lakeside twigs and pebbles beneath his toes, and the way his hair was already twisting into those abominable curls as it dried. Kerrin tugged at the strands in a futile attempt to smooth them down, grumbling all the while. Stupid R'nd making him jump in the stupid lake just to get back at him. This whole situation was clearly all the bluerider's fault. Finally he spoke up, directing a droll look over at his friend as if only now just realizing he hadn't gone away yet. "Please. I know you look in mirrors often enough to have noticed that stupid, giddy grin you get every time someone mentions his name by now."

Kerrin felt no need to specify whose name he was talking about; that much was obvious to both of them. No juicy tidbit of gossip ever got very far past Katila's network of eavesdropping weyrbrats.

The towel was being abused as much as he was, R'nd thought absently as he chucked it to a rock, uncaring of how it ended up after still getting whacked in the face by it despite his hand intercepting most of the material. Then again, the towel wasn't judging him and throwing around crazy accusations like being lovestruck or giddy over someone. It's your own fault, you know. You made him explain his interest in your colourful collection of bruises. R'nd watched Ayyonth continue his lazy swim around the lake, looking utterly unconcerned with the situation his rider had landed himself in. It wasn't like he needed an ever so helpful dragon pointing that out and R'nd barely contained a huff of annoyance for how well he trapped himself.

As bold as it was given Kerrin's unpredictable mood, R'nd turned his back to the younger man and moved away several paces where he stopped and stared, unfocused, at their surroundings. He did not want to talk about feelings. He didn't even understand his own feelings so how could he attempt explaining them to someone else? Maybe he could ignore replying and offer to give Kerrin that lift back to his hut and they could go about their usual routine of ignoring each other for a sevenday before the next prank took place. If Kerrin truly wishes to leave, I'll take him but it's better if you both talk for a change. With a sigh, R'nd glanced over his shoulder at Kerrin, "sometimes how much Ayyonth likes you is a real pain."

He fell silent again and R'nd knew he had to say something soon or Kerrin would come up with his own theories and once that happened, it would pretty much become truth to the weyrbrat and nothing would change his stubborn mind. "That was the one flight I have always wanted to win even before Impressing Ayyonth. He's unattainable outside of flights." He spoke quietly but R'nd was pleased that his voice was still strong and didn't warble as he attempted to explain why he was a little out of sorts every time B'jin was mentioned.

Kerrin was treated with the crooked smile that R'nd didn't always like popping up since it made him look younger and innocent, or in this case, embarrassed as he slowly worked his way to stand before his friend. "Shocking, I know, that even I can end up a little infatuated with someone."

Kerrin's expression softened slightly at the mention of Ayyonth's concern for him, though in reality the weyrbrat knew he likely should have been even more annoyed at the insinuation that R'nd wouldn't have cared enough to stick around if it weren't for his troublesome blue. Still, he couldn't help but feel a flutter of affection for the dragon that swum leisurely about the lake. Somehow Ayyonth had in the very short time since his hatching become as much of his friend and brother as R'nd was - perhaps a better and more loyal one, in fact, for the dragon's rider seemed more liable at the moment to jump into the lake himself and never come back up rather than elaborate any further the very subject he'd dredged up. It wasn't like Kerrin had even wanted to talk about it! He would have been plenty happy just slapping R'nd upside the head one more time and telling him to get a sharding grip before he embarrassed himself in front of everyone.

Instead, for reasons that remained completely beyond the grasp of Kerrin's comprehension, he was standing here listening to the bluerider go on and on about... Faranth only knew what, but for some reason hearing R'nd explain in detail all of his complicated feelings for B'jin of all people made the weyrbrat's stomach go sour. It was a feeling he absolutely hated, because he couldn't remember experiencing it any other time the older man had gotten tangled up in a flight, just as R'nd had pointed out. To get so upset over something so simple made him feel childish and petty and stupid, and for all the weyrbrat had done to earn those nicknames at various points in his young life, he never liked feeling like any of those things.

"I guess," Kerrin muttered lamely in reply to his friend's apparently difficult confession, and for a good while it seemed as if all R'nd had earned for his troubles was the boy's nose scrunching up as if just hearing the word infatuation in conjunction with B'jin had left a horrible taste in his mouth. Or was it really the greenrider that was the problem, here? When he now stopped to consider it, just the thought of R'nd making those goo-goo eyes at anyone was enough to leave him flooded with irritation once again. R'nd, after all, was the quintessential randy bluerider: gorgeous, sexy, confident, and attached to no one. If rumors were anything to go by - and at Katila they always were - then the man's affections were as ephemeral as flightlust, sending him drifting in and out of weyrfolks' lives and beds with little more to show for his visits than a set of rumpled furs and a cheeky grin the next day. And, well, maybe a few kids; Kerrin wasn't so naive as to think that absolutely none of those little blonde brats toddling about the Weyr belonged to his friend, no matter how vehemently R'nd denied paternity of any of them.

Regardless, or perhaps thanks to that healthy sense of denial in and of itself, one could easily say that the bluerider's longest lasting and most significant relationship was with... well, Kerrin himself. Certainly not some sharding middle-aged greenrider who hardly spoke to him!

Feeling suddenly overcome with frustration, the weyrbrat thrust his hands into his hair, pushing the still-wet locks away from his forehead with a restless growl and a fierce, "What about me?!" He froze the instant the words had tumbled from his lips, hardly daring to breathe. He did not elaborate. Partly because he wasn't exactly sure what he'd meant to say himself... but mostly because what that little outburst had sounded like was exactly the sort of thing that sent R'nd hightailing it out of peoples' lives faster than a dragon could go between.

R’nd froze just as quickly as Kerrin when that demanding question was set free and hung between them. This, this was awkward. There had been the belief that nothing could top admitting to liking B’jin more than was appropriate until Kerrin spoke up. What did that question even mean? Did Kerrin possess the same feelings he did? If so, were they for B’jin? R’nd nearly laughed out loud at that thought as he recalled some comments made in the past about the greenrider and how old he was and how he wouldn’t want to chase him anymore than he would Par’a. So that clearly left him and R’nd wasn’t quite sure what emotions were currently roiling through him. There was of course arrogance but also confusion and most assuredly fear. Anytime someone started to display affection that went deeper than being bed buddies, R’nd cut all loses and ran, trampling hearts as he went; though sometimes he tried to break them gently. But he and Kerrin were already as thick as thieves so why would he want a weyrmate relationship?

Maybe the kid simply wanted to add to the bruises or have his own collection brought on by sharing a bed with the bluerider. R’nd sort of preferred that option but… Kerrin? He took a physical step back as well as a mental one to properly examine the weyrbrat he had known for what seemed like a lifetime. What stood before him truly was a young man. Given their ages upon meeting, R’nd realized he was still viewing Kerrin as a young teenager and not someone that was attractive, his type, and of an age where sex was something natural to crave and want to explore. How had he been blind for so long? He was a highly sexual being with no qualms in sleeping around and flirting with anyone that caught his eye, yet he had been blind to Kerrin as anything more than a friend and pain in the butt to trade pranks with that led to innocent rough-housing.

Maybe he should just go turn in his rights to being a bluerider right then and there.

No, first he had a question to answer before finding Grith to see if she would share her brown paints for Ayyonth. Too bad he still didn’t know how to answer it! When in doubt, make your opponent show his hand before making your final blow. R’nd stepped back in towards Kerrin until they were toe to toe. He grabbed one of Kerrin’s hands and placed it at the small of his back so that the weyrbrat held him in place. The action was repeated with his own arm wrapping around Kerrin so they were locked together, one not being able to leave the conversation without the other approving of it. With his free hand, R’nd tilted Kerrin’s chin upward until the uniquely amber eyes caught his which only served to send another awakening jolt of realization that his friend was hot and quite desirable. “Yes… what about you?”

For a long moment Kerrin could only stare into the eyes that searched and caught his own, completely petrified except to let his remaining free hand fall from his hair to the dragonrider's shoulder, steadying himself as he all but fell into the older man's firm embrace. It was not so much fear that kept him frozen there, for the fact that R'nd had not already jumped onto Ayyonth's back and winked out of there was enough to reassure the wide-eyed weyrbrat that the worst was not to happen. There was, however, a considerable measure of uncertainty, for even with the bluerider's arm wrapped around him and a sensual light suddenly burning in those grey eyes, Kerrin still wasn't exactly sure how he could answer his friend's question. What had he meant by that sudden outburst? The boy swallowed, desperately trying to sort out his feelings over the thunderous roaring of his own heartbeat in his ears, as well as the embarrassing realization that the bluerider could likely hear or feel that wild reaction to being so abruptly skin-to-skin with the magnificent body he had admired for so long. And shells, it was hard to concentrate with R'nd looking at him like that! He'd never quite experienced anything like it.

Quietly the weyrbrat gasped, struck by that sudden realization: R'nd hadn't ever looked at him like that before. Kerrin was young but being weyrbred, he wasn't so naive that he didn't know lust or desire when he saw it, and it was definitely one of those two that was keeping that cool grey gaze locked so intently on him. It occurred to him, briefly, that he probably could have felt hurt or at least indignant that R'nd - in possession of one of Katila's most notorious libidos - had never even considered him as an option before. The mild affront he felt at being so blatantly overlooked, however, was utterly lost to the sheer excitement he felt as it dawned on him that for now, he held the bluerider's complete and undivided attention in a way no one else exactly had before. Not even that middle-aged greenrider R'nd thought was so precious!

Kerrin let a slow smirk cross his lips, relaxing noticeably against the dragonrider's bare chest as a sudden wave of self-assurance washed over him. R'nd had finally woken up and now wanted him, obviously. Of course he did. All he needed now was the go-ahead, which the weyrbrat felt he could deign to give. After all, his friend owed him something for boring him with all this talk of infatuation and unattainable old men, or whatever. The teen's hand cupped the bluerider's neck, tugging him down just slightly so that their noses nearly touched. "I will Impress a dragon, you know," Kerrin began, his voice rich with his absolute conviction on that count. He didn't know if it would be green, blue, brown, or bronze, but the reality of that unknown hardly mattered in this particular hypothetical. The point was that he was sure he was just on the cusp of entering R'nd's world, and he wanted the man to know it. "So when I do, would you fly with me?"

It was interesting to see the emotions play across Kerrin’s expressive features and R’nd loved how easy it was to read his friend and enjoyed knowing he was the reason for the elaborate displays that were often given. That joy quickly faded when, for a moment, R’nd believed he was about to be decked, only to be relieved when a hand hooked around his neck instead. His young friend was prone more to throwing punches when around him like their battle in the lake showed but it was a nice change of pace to have Kerrin attempting a calmer form of interaction though it was also a bit strange now that R’nd wasn’t quite as oblivious to his friend’s feelings. Normally he would have suspected the move to be a ploy to lull him into a false sense of security before renewing the scrappy fighting style Kerrin possessed but with the outburst the brat had had, it now seemed a bit more in line to R’nd’s usually way of doing things.

“I have never doubted that. Despite your father’s status, I’m hoping for and predicting blue or green for you,” on one hand, their interaction wouldn’t change much from how it had always been but on the other, flights would be involved and the grin R’nd gave to Kerrin, as unseen as it was with how close they were, would have clearly displayed for the younger man exactly what was going through the bluerider’s mind right then. He should probably be worried about Kerrin having a dragon of his own and the trouble he could get into but R’nd held onto the belief that any dragon that Impressed the weyrbrat would be a calming influence and there to balance out the mischief Kerrin got into, not add to it. Faranth help them all if he got a dragon just as crazy as him.

Kerrin’s question worked wonders at quickly ending his wandering thoughts and R’nd tightened his hold on the younger man’s waist. In the back of his mind was a thought that he shouldn’t encourage Kerrin but the desire to lavish his friend with all the attention he wanted was stronger. “Do you really need to ask that?” R’nd countered with a question of his own, believing they both already knew the answer to Kerrin’s was in the positive. Given the conversation, where his thoughts kept trying to wander to, and the close proximity of mouths, R’nd finally gave in to what came naturally to him and put an end to their talking with a kiss that was neither urgent nor insistent. It was up to Kerrin to decide if his previous demand to know ‘what about him’ was satisfied with such interaction.