Mourning the Past [R'nd]

The greenrider didn't so much as flinch when R'nd spoke his name quietly, an arm slipping around his waist; B'jin was lost in the accusing stares of the past, his sister a hovering accusation as he trudged along, lost in his own little world. The kiss to his temple had brown eyes lifting a moment later to meet grey, dark and unreadable, but the greenrider curled closer against his lover's side and didn't object as the man guided them to his own hut, feet placed one before the other in a mindless continuation, the action needing no thought.

The walk seemed to last forever, and in the same breath, no time at all. B'jin was silent the entire way, and if R'nd said anything to him, the greenrider didn't hear it. The door was gazed at with a dull expression, watching in silence as his lover opened it, allowed them both entry, and closed it gently behind them. B'jin waited until the wine bottles were placed on a table top, before stepping into R'nd's space. A gentle kiss was placed on his lover's lips, while nimble fingers loosed his shirt and carefully removed it. Light touches traced over the bluerider's chest, needy and desperate, but inviting rather than dominating; he didn't want to be in control, he just needed to make his intent clear.

B'jin had been twitchy, reluctant and uninterested in anything but being held for the past two weeks, in part due to the damage that had been inflicted upon him by the brownrider that had won his dragon's last flight, and in part because he couldn't let go of the memories and the things S'kef had said, and done, to him. Scalding baths had become a part of his daily routine, sometimes as many as three, once Talian had been convinced he wouldn't drown himself in the process. He couldn't rinse off the dirty feeling, and wasn't willing to - in his mind - contaminate his lover. What if he somehow made R'nd into a monster like he had S'kef and N'mall? The greenrider couldn't bare the thought, so he had played up the injuries, and actually been thankful for his allergy to numbweed.

But now... B'jin kissed R'nd desperately, needing the reassurance of that they were alive, they were well, that the man before him wasn't about to vanish into an oblivion of between where he would never get him back from. The greenrider's touch changed subtly as the whirlwind of emotions brought with it a conscious realisation and understanding that the bluerider he was pressed against meant so much more to him than he was allowed to. B'jin was drunk on emotions, an empty stomach and a glass of wine, but he wasn't stupid. He recognized the emotion for what it was, and it made his blood run cold, even as he welcomed it with a wave of guilt. If R'nd noticed anything different, B'jin took a subconscious reassurance in blaming it on the recent traumas.

~ sexy times ~

The new found knowledge was kept carefully to himself, wrapped in a blanket of guilt as he cuddled sadly against his lover, comfortable in the younger man's bed and fearfully wondering how much longer he would be welcomed in it. Not long, if he wasn't careful. Gentle fingers traced over the flat expanse of R'nd's stomach, swirling around the man's belly button and tracing down the side of his waist, upwards to come to a rest lightly over his heart. Sad brown eyes lifted to meet grey, and B'jin shifted to kiss him lightly.

'Thank you' and 'I'm sorry' warred for the honour of pouring from his tongue first, but B'jin smothered both of them; he didn't think they were really necessary, though he fought the desire to say them none the less. "I'm the eldest," he whispered, dropping his gaze from R'nd's face to watch the soft movement of his fingers over his friend's chest. "I was five when my brother was born, but we never really got along." B'jin's voice was dry, a soft murmur "as a child, I was jealous of him - taking away mother's attention, and all? As we grew, he became jealous of my talents, and that Mother and Father were saving with so much dedication to get me into Harper Hall. My family were just peasants, though S'kef would never believe that." The brownrider thought he'd been born with the silver spoon in his mouth, and one in each hand to boot. B'jin shook his head, darkly amused, but his gaze was far away, and his voice a low murmur. Where once mentioning S'kef's name would have held an undertone of fear, now it was murmured with no more emotion than any other random rider.

"Andeleen followed a couple of turns later, and we got along much better; she was sweet and delicate and beautiful." Everything B'jin believed a proper female should be, though his voice didn't quite say as much, there was loving approval in it. "Moramanda was born the same turn I was finally shipped off to Harper Hall. I was only ten, but the Journeyman passing through Lemos had heard me singing. We lived further out of town, but Mother had taken me in to get some supplies for the family we worked for, she was really heavy with Moramanda at the time. I remember wondering how she managed the walk. They spoke, and before anyone knew it I was being packed off on a wagon headed towards the Hall."

The greenrider paused, sighing softly and letting his lover take in what had been said, giving him a chance to object if he wasn't interested in a rather extended history lesson on the greenrider tangled with him. There were few people B'jin took to speaking with, and he knew the reason he'd kept R'nd in the dark so long was a fear of frightening the bluerider away. Having already broken the one rule the young man lived by (don't get attached!) B'jin figured he had very little to lose by sharing.

With his own pain and memories haunting him shoved aside for the time being, R’nd paid careful attention to B’jin. There was clearly more bothering him than simply the deaths Katila had suffered but R’nd was still too afraid to ask questions, not wanting to spook the greenrider away forever. He needed company and a drinking buddy and R’nd would give that and anything else asked of him willingly. When they returned to his hut and B’jin was suddenly pressing against him, hands working to strip him, mouth on his, R’nd knew something was wrong. There was still the usual attraction behind each movement but there was more, but what was it? Desperation? Fear? R’nd wasn’t certain but he didn’t question anything or try to stop it. After the last few sevendays, this was something they were both in need of and the bluerider let B’jin guide them into what he wanted before R’nd took control and gave it and more to his friend.

~ sexy times ~

R’nd was thankful he wasn’t the ticklish type or he might have been kicking and flailing with all the light touches to his stomach and sides B’jin was doing. As it was, he enjoyed the tenderness behind each caress and liked when it was done since it seemed to be something B’jin enjoyed doing for his own reasons that had never been questioned either. R’nd wondered if that was bad. He wanted to know everything he could about the man but he never dared initiate conversations that would lead to such reveals after a couple of attempts blew up in his face. He liked spending time with the B’jin of the present and knowing what he liked to do and that was good enough for now. Whenever the Harper wanted to share stories, R’nd always listened attentively and absorbed like a sponge what he had been told.

Still, perhaps he should start asking simple questions. The first one being why those beautiful brown eyes were still so sad. It was heartbreaking knowing B’jin was in some sort of emotional turmoil but R’nd couldn’t help, not without knowing anything. He finally resolved to ask when a kiss was given to him instead and the determination to ask was brushed away but B’jin found his voice instead. It was always at times when R’nd least expected to learn something about the man he held close that B’jin began to share a story. Like the other times, the bluerider listened carefully, surprised to hear it starting with the mentioning of siblings and moving into how he arrived at Harper Hall.

“I’m the youngest of three,” R’nd softly added when B’jin fell silent. It was probably odd to point out but R’nd always noticed the facts in their lives that were opposite of each other. He didn’t know why, only that they existed and he caught them. He was aware of that saying that opposites attracted and that was how he always ended up explaining all the differences between them and how they still got along so well.

He wasn’t sure where the story was going but given the last major one told was during Krypth’s maiden flight and how S’kef had traumatised B’jin, R’nd knew this one was going to link to recent events as well. Still, he couldn’t resist tossing in a small question borne from honest curiosity with a lack of people he could ask. Sure, he could ask the Northerners but most were angry when they arrived and there was the fear of them not liking him for not attending one of the various craft halls that made R’nd never ask. He found B’jin safe to ask silly questions of though. “What was Harper Hall like? Coming from a Sea-crafting family, I only had the Hold’s Harper to learn from. I never stepped foot inside one of the great Halls.”

B'jin would have been lying if he'd said he had expected R'nd to share in response to his own softly spoken words. He had not, though his lover's gentle voice was welcome in the silence that had been settling between them while B'jin gathered his own thoughts to continue. The greenrider sighed softly at the words, curling subtly closer and placing a light kiss on his lover's shoulder. Like the younger dragonrider, B'jin was not unaware of the way in which their lives were mirrored, but he did his best not to focus on it. He was not particularly comfortable with some aspects; such as his lover being the same age as his dragon... Which B'jin had Impressed in his twenties. Some things just shouldn't be thought about. Ever.

The greenrider had been prepared to pick up his narrative, as once more silence settled between them, but was beaten by the soft question poised on R'nd's lips, and B'jin smiled. What was Harper Hall like? Shifting slightly, B'jin folded his arms across R'nd's chest and leaned on them, kissing the bluerider's nose before relaxing, staring without really seeing at his chin. "Magnificent," was the first word to leave his lips, whispery and thoughtful. He had barely been ten turns old when he'd first stepped foot into the Harper Hall, and the entire structure had completely overwhelmed the child who had never seen anything more grand than the outside wall of his Lord Holder's property. B'jin said as much, voice a continued soft murmur.

But how else to speak of the Harper Hall? How to explain the magnificent building, the students, the wonderful (and some not so) people who had educated him? Encouraged him to free his voice and frowned at him when he favoured the delights of drawing a few years into his apprenticeship. B'jin freed a hand in order to push his hair back, hooking some of it back behind an ear while the rest simply flopped back over his face. B'jin ignored it, folding his arm back on top of R'nd's chest and looking thoughtful for a moment longer. "It was big," B'jin said at length, eyes widening dramatically as he thought back, emphasising the wonder of a child so many decades ago. "So much more than the world I had grown up in." A peasant brat, he had been housed with his parents in a small room on the kitchen of the small farm they had worked on. To suddenly find himself in the massive world of the Harper Hall. "I missed so many lessons, getting lost." There was an amused grimace on his lips. He hadn't meant to, but "the other apprentices didn't take kindly to such a young child, and most of them were sons of lords of some description, or the children of the Journeymen and Masters within the Hall."

His gaze focused, and he gave R'nd a look that was part coy, part smug. Leaning forward, he kissed his lover lightly, teasingly and withdrew tauntingly. "I have always been naturally talented in my craft, love. By the time I was twelve, I was officially taken in, and under the wing of the Voice master." He didn't speak a name, for some people were beyond the simplistics of a name, but the greenrider's reverence for the teacher in question was blatantly clear. B'jin smiled warmly at R'nd. "That went down wonderfully among many of the older Apprentices. My parents were thrilled, though. It meant they were not required to pay for my education, and instead focus on my brother's apprenticeship. They didn't want us to be as they were, you know? They wanted us out there and doing things, I suppose. Lenador favoured vinting. He was a Journeyman when - when the plague hit." B'jin faltered slightly, then continued, though his voice lowered as he spoke of the plague. The word lingered on the air for a moment before B'jin brushed it away.

"My voice broke a few turns later," brown eyes lit up with laughter, the smile twisting to become slightly more amused. "I think my master aged about ten turns every time I squeaked. My art had always been a side hobby of mind, mostly to occupy my hands while some teacher droned on about notes or music or so such." B'jin rolled his eyes, not interested in going into the boring details of his education that he'd not been able to avoid. "I joined some of the drawing classes while my voice was on the fritz, and improved on another natural talent. My master promised the arts master he could have me if my voice failed after settling, but I know he was loathe to give me up; my Arts master wanted to keep me for himself, too." Smug, so much smug, rolled off the greenrider as he peered down at R'nd from under his lashes. It was wonderful to be good at something - better to be good at two! - and better still to be fought over. B'jin smiled cockily. "My voice settled very nicely, as you have heard," who had room for modesty? "Though I kept up classes with the arts master. I enjoy singing, but I prefer to draw. Drawing is... all me; singing is someone else's words, and my interpretation. It is not the same."

The greenrider shifted slightly, lowering his head to rest his chin on his crossed wrists atop R'nd's chest, tilting his head slightly so his hair fell to one side and watched his lover quietly. "I walked the table at 17, got my Journeyman knots... I enjoyed Journeying," B'jin said lightly, eyeing R'nd sideways with a not-so-subtle smirk. "So many pretty girls!" His eyes sparkled, even as a mild blush washed over his cheeks. The grin on his lips belied any real embarrassment, however. A single eyebrow arched upward. "Another Harper was assigned alongside me. Nemall is a little older, and he was not so interested in the girls." B'jin widened his eyes dramatically as he emphasised the single word. Laughter lingered on his features, but he didn't give life to it. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing," he continued, amused. "He was really not subtle at all about his interested in me; but I was also very much otherwise wrapped up in..." Now he did look somewhat uncomfortable, though amusement lingered. "Ah, various young ladies as we made our way from Harper Hall down through the smaller holdings, before returning home again."

How many of those young women had his children toddling around their ankles? B'jin's nose scrunched up slightly. "After returning to the Hall, I was given a few months to enjoy being home again before I was told I'd be assigned to Tegar Hold. The Lord Holder had recently remarried and his wife fancied art and music and fine dresses. Since my speciality was both, the Hall decided to pack me off alone rather than send two Journeymen. I was excited, though the journey was a pain in the arse and took forever. I'm not sure why they didn't send a dragonrider, but I guess even freshly married Ladies don't get their Harpers yesterday." B'jin's lips twitched. "Her name was Lady Amarilla," the name rolled off the greenrider's tongue with the ease of one well spoken, though he hadn't spoken of it in many turns. "She was a very pretty little thing. Rather charmed by her husband, too, but I was closer to her age group; we became fast friends." B'jin didn't say it: he had promised the sixteen year old girl he would never tell anyone, but the expression on his face as he half frowned, half smiled in remembrance made it quite clear they had been that little bit more, too.

"They were invited to the Hatching at Telgar about eight months after my assignment there. Amarilla insisted I accompany them and record the event, originally for her own personal keepsake. It later became a part of the official records in the Hall. Our dear S'kef and that monster of his were sent to collect us. I wasn't the only one affronted by being picked up by a brown Weyrling." Well, the brownrider had been out of Weyrling class by that point, but not by much! "Lord Derrigan hid it much better than I, and Lady Amarilla was simply charmed by anything with relation to dragon kind. I believe she received a firelizard egg from the Weyrleaders as a gift of greeting." B'jin's nose scrunched up again. "S'kef was assigned as my personal guide to the Weyr, much to both our disgust. We bickered regularly, until I pressed a button and he -"

B'jin frowned, pursing his lips thoughtfully. Brown eyes searched R'nd's chest, but they weren't seeing what was before him, focused instead upon the past. "I think I said something insulting. I can't remember; S'kef grabbed me by the arm and threw me in an unused room. He started raving - Faranth only knows what about - and I just stared at him. I think that pissed him off more, because I wasn't afraid." B'jin tilted his head. "Sometimes, it is better to be afraid. He started throwing punches after that; I'd been in scuffles before." Mostly for sleeping with girls he shouldn't have, "so it didn't really bother me all that much until he got the upper hand. And kept it." B'jin's face blanked out and he met R'nd's eyes solidly, unflinching. Then he snorted. "Adding icing to that day, I received a flitter-note from the parents of one of the girls at Tegar demanding I marry the silly girl because she was pregnant." B'jin's eyebrows arched up wards, amused and still confused by how they figured that would actually work.

"I told them to shove it. I had other things on my mind. Three days later I had a green dragon attached to my ankles, an annoyingly smug brownrider breathing down my neck, Nemall demanding a transfer to Telgar as their new Harper, and my sister Moramanda demanding to be Searched." B'jin rolled his eyes and huffed a sigh before dropping his head against R'nd's chest; his next words were muffled. "Worse turn of my life to that date!"

R’nd smiled gently, eyes twinkling with obvious interest and delight over the way B’jin spoke about Harper Hall. He knew it had been a question that bordered on asking too much even with the current sharing mood since B’jin loved his life as a Harper and didn’t love Impressing Larrikith nearly as much. But he was glad it had been answered and even more so with the emotion put into the tales. R’nd chuckled at the image of a young Benjinamor lost in the halls trying to find his classes and wondered how often it was due to the sprawling size of the Hall or B’jin’s wandering attention leading him astray. Oh, how R’nd wished he could even just fly over the various Halls and see their greatness for himself! Maybe one day he would finally be allowed to go North with a collection party and he could sneak a glance. Ayyonth was five now; there wasn’t a risk of either of them like there would have been in their weyrling days.

“My father was teaching me about sailing and fishing,” and wouldn’t he be surprised at how much had actually sunk into Orwind’s pretty little head and helped keep him alive for several turns and help provide for a community now? “So I never really had true classmates, just my brother and some of the sons of father’s friends that were my friends. But I imagine even if you were always the first one in class they would still find reasons to dislike you and I question every single one of their sanity.” In answer to the kiss he had received to his nose, R’nd lightly bopped his index finger against B’jin’s and smiled. He was actually nervous he had said too much or something wrong but the way B’jin seemed to be unfocused, he was willing to bet the man hadn’t heard any of that and R’nd was grateful.

The teasing kiss he finally got in response worked just as anticipated as R’nd tried to sit up to trail after the mouth that was leaving his. He finally gave up with a laugh and leaned back against his pillow once more. B’jin could be so cruel to him! At the mentioning of the plague, R’nd bit his lower lip, wondering if they were going to jump right into that mostly taboo topic but was visibly relieved when B’jin steered them into a story that had them both chuckling, the exile once again forgotten for the time being. “I wish I could have heard that squeaking given the wonderful voice you have now. The shock the masters must have had…” He had heard tales from some of the other Harpers at Katila, though most were retellings of it happening to someone else – or so they said – so it was fun hearing a recount of it happening directly to the teller. “I’m glad it happened though since you had time to master your artistic skills.” Kerrin rolled his eyes when he saw the first drawing up in his living room and again when a few more were added, saying something about crushes making good guys do disgusting things, but R’nd truly did appreciate the art and the time put into each piece; the amount of B’jin that went into every stroke.

R’nd finally stopped adding commentary when Nemall was mentioned. As much as he loved weyr gossip, he had made a point to not overhear anything about B’jin. Perhaps that was his silly crush when he was young and naïve but he didn’t want anything to taint the image of the man he had created from their brief interactions. What he had heard about the break up, as little as it was, was something he never fully shook off but R’nd wasn’t stupid enough to ask for details of anyone. Now that the mysterious man was appearing in the stories, R’nd wasn’t sure if he was anxious to hear about him or if he wanted to cut B’jin off at the pass and distract him from such topics. In the end, he decided Nemall was a part of B’jin’s past and he shaped the man curled up with him into what he was that day, be it good or bad.

Still, he was again relieved when pretty young girls turned into the momentary focus and R’nd certainly didn’t miss the look B’jin had when he mentioned the Lady Telgar. No judgement was made, no comment either. R’nd knew if he had been there, he would have become intimate with the Lady as well. That was just who he was. He liked physical contact and liked making everyone feel important. Sex seemed to be an extremely enjoyable way of showing that.

S’kef.

He knew that part of the story of was coming when Telgar was mentioned, still, R’nd didn’t want to hear it. He knew enough and didn’t want to put B’jin through those memories again; if the man ever stopped tormenting himself with them to begin with. A move was made to stop him from talking as R’nd brushed the stubborn locks of hair off of the greenrider’s face but B’jin was just as stubborn and caught up in his retelling that he continued on. R’nd didn’t try to cut him off verbally, finally deciding that perhaps sharing was therapeutic and would help release the demons of the past and help his lover in some way. He truly hated that brownrider and everything he had done. How many other lives had he tampered with? How many broken bones and spirits were credited to S’kef?

The mumbled confession about that being the worst turn of B’jin’s life prompted arms to wrap around B’jin to hug him tightly. When finally they loosened, one hand rested lightly at the small of his lover’s back while the other drew nonsensical patterns along the back marred by a whip that S’kef had enjoyed wielding. The scars didn’t bother R’nd, not even Indivara’s facial scarring did, but the pure pleasure he had seen in the brownrider’s eyes as he tore away the flesh did. The man was sadistic and while he seemed the sort to have everything calculated; he was still unpredictable and hard to read. Since that day when S’kef threatened his troublemaking friends, R’nd had kept a closer eye on them all.

“I know the worst turn of your life, but what’s the best one?” It was another borderline dangerous question but R’nd was willing to take the chance and was getting good at thinking on his feet to counteract his stupidity and make it seem like he was only kidding or pretend it was never asked as he went into distraction mode. Which, the current question was a distraction as well. R’nd didn’t want B’jin to draw in on himself and shut down the world around him while he got caught up in the misery of the past. There had to be something good that happened, right?

The greenrider curled into the embrace R'nd initiated, snuggling closer and breathing a soft sigh against his lover's shoulder. The breath expelled both in satisfaction for the embrace, and a gentle brushing away of the past that was lingering so heavily in the room since he had begun speaking. He hadn't intended to bring the evening crashing down with the added weight of yet more of his past. It was bad enough, was it not, that the death of the little weyrling still lingered in the air? The notes of the keening dragons still lingering in his ears and rattling his brain. B'jin shivered lightly, pressing closer to R'nd even as the bluerider posed his quiet question.

B'jin's breath caught in his throat, and he paused, unintentionally stiffening against the warm body he was half sprawled on top of. He knew the answer to that question, without so much as a moment to think; it wasn't a lack of answer that bothered the greenrider and had him suddenly anxious. It was the uncertainty of whether or not he should voice it. Should he? How much harm would it cause, though? How far was he allowed to go, before it was too far and he sent the bluerider he had become so terribly attached to running in the other direction? B'jin lifted his head slowly from where it had been buried against R'nd, head tilting slightly so his hair toppled to one side. The result was one visible brown eye, narrowed just slightly with thoughtful caution as the other vanished behind the sheet of dirty blonde hair.

"The best?" B'jin asked gently, as if he hadn't heard the very words that had caused him just breaths ago to freeze up like a glass of water in the winter time at Telger. The greenrider's body relaxed, muscles unbunching as he shifted his position, sliding across to straddle R'nd as his arms snaked up the bluerider's chest, to worm their way under him, wrapping around his neck and drawing the greenrider's curiously serious face closer. His voice was breathy and quiet as he spoke, "this past," barely more than a murmur as he claimed a wanton kiss, encouraging R'nd heatedly not to think about what he had just said.

While R’nd was looking to distract B’jin, he found that he was the one that ended up distracted. B’jin was rather good at doing that though R’nd suspected he could blame himself just as easily for giving in. The two little whispered words had been a shock but when lips suddenly claimed his own, his brain didn’t allow him to do more than realise that that was the answer he had been hoping for and blocked out every reason why that could be bad. The past turn had been fun and almost every good time had happened with B’jin at his side so to have the greenrider agree it had been a top turn in their lives made for a happy R’nd. The lashing was ignored, even the length of time spent in the company of the older man didn’t matter – how many times could a man freak out over that subject anyway? – the teasing given from fellow blueriders, and the way the weyr felt they were mated… all forgotten and ignored in favour of his ego swelling and knowing he had made a difference in someone’s life to the point of creating the best turn ever.

R’nd could be his own worst enemy when he felt he screwed up but he certainly didn’t need help in patting himself on the back when he felt good about what he did.

“I might be inclined to agree,” R’nd mumbled on a breath between one kiss and another he stole them right back into. There was mischief and excitement in his eyes and even though the day had been full of sorrow with the death of the weyrling and B’jin had shared more of his traumatic past, it was hard not to get caught up in the greenrider straddling him. R’nd wouldn’t acknowledge it since it led to deeper thoughts and questions but the world around them faded away when he was with B’jin and the fun they had was entrancing and making B’jin smile in new ways was a fun game in and of itself. Wondering how much he really could get B’jin to smile right then, R’nd slowly let his hands slide from B’jin’s waist to cup his ass in a silent question.

The dive in to prevent his lover over thinking the gentle words that had whispered from his own lips also prevented B’jin from seeing what effect they might have had upon the bluerider, atop whom he was so carefully positioned. A turn ago, he wouldn’t dare have put himself into such a position, afraid of how forward such an action could be, but also afraid of the once very real fear of being thrown across the room. As the turn had progressed, the timid greenrider had found himself relaxing, taking action and saying things he certainly wouldn’t have said at the same point a turn beforehand – and not because he may not have felt them at that time. Rather, R’nd’s gentle presence and lack of violence toward the greenrider gave him faith that he wouldn’t be mistreated, and his tongue loosened and said things he might otherwise have never dreamed of speaking.

To have his admittance well received – B’jin could feel the gentle affection in R’nd’s actions – was more than he had hoped would happen. If B’jin were honest with himself, he would have been less surprised to have been pushed off of the bluerider. Not thrown off – R’nd would never actively hurt him, something B’jin was investing a growing amount of trust and belief in – but shoved away wasn’t out of the question. But he wasn’t, and that made the greenrider’s belly bubble with happy feelings that were definitely not appropriate to be fuelled by R’nd. Indeed, it was very obviously a bad thing, and so B’jin ignored it, like he ignored all the bad things in his life.

R’nd’s light, breathy words took the greenrider by surprise and brown eyes fluttered open to blink with the emotion clouding them for a moment, before he blinked it away and gave a soft breath of laughter. It probably could have been classified as a giggle, but B’jin considered himself much too refined to actually giggle (besides, women in love giggled, and he was certainly not a woman and he was not digging deeper into the other half of that evaluation). Instead, the greenrider shifted encouragingly where he was straddled over R’nd, feeling warm hands shift across his skin, and he set to work keeping R’nd’s mind busy and away from giggles and words that shouldn’t be spoken (wouldn’t be spoken) and the ones that hinted far too close to those that were forbidden.

Humans, Larrikith said to Ayyonth, her voice a long suffering sigh as she nuzzled against the blue and relaxed, watching the interactions between the two humans from B’jin’s eyes with a contented amusement.