Personal Space? What? [Valerian]

B'jin had been tempted to intrude upon Valerian the day of the Weyr's loss, when the young green and her rider had been lost forever between, but other things had happened, other things had occurred, and in the end B'jin had agreed with Larrikith that everyone needed a little bit of space and that Valerian probably wouldn't enjoy his space being stepped upon at such a tender point in time. B'jin had left the bluerider alone, as much because he himself had retreated right back into his own shell as because he respected the young man and his right to privacy.

But privacy could only be respected for so long! With the children otherwise housed with mothers or Creche, B'jin had turned aside R'nd's attentions with a sly smirk and a playful kiss, telling the bluerider he had plans for the night; he had taken far too much pleasure in the expressions and emotions that had flickered over his lover's face, though he wasn't quite prepared to analyse them. Instead, he had pressed a lingering kiss to R'nd's lips, promising undivided attentions another night - or day - or both! and with great amusement told him that he was going to pay Valerian back for stealing his hut and his dragon shortly after his own (no longer so little) blue had cracked shell. Then B'jin had plucked his favourite pillow from his bed, thrown his favourite fur over one shoulder and pressed another playful kiss to R'nd's lips, far too tempted to change his plans as he backed away reluctantly, slipping outside without turning his back on R'nd, tossing the bluerider a cheerful wink as he shut the door, leaving the man alone in his hut until he decided to go home. Or not, as he decided. Coming home in the morning to find the bluerider curled up in his bed would be delightfully pleasant!

Wrapping the fur around his shoulders, and shoving the pillow under one arm, B'jin scrambled aboard Larrikith who took off lazily, barely bothering to put a proper distance between herself and the ground as she turned and half glided in the direction of Valerian's hut - the location of which B'jin himself had not the foggiest idea - though it could be easily assumed Larrikith had gleaned the location from Veeth. Such a sweet little blue dragon! B'jin grinned impishly as Larrikith landed and he slid from her, readjusting his blanket into a proper cape as he marched determinedly up to the front door.

The greenrider paused for a moment, considering and trying to remember how it had gone down when Valerian had come with the intent of using his couch and ended up sleeping on his dragon. Did he knock or had he walked straight in? Well, he almost always just barged in - so! B'jin schooled his features as best he could, though brown eyes still sparkled mischievously as he pushed the door open and walked inside regally, expression breaking out into a cheerful grin as he took in the sight within, getting his first look at the contents of Valerian's hut. It was so bare! B'jin's grin faded to be replaced by an indignant pout. Fancy a Harper living in a hut without any visible art! He would have to change that! It didn't really occur to B'jin that Valerian might not want his walls decked in the drawing and paintings of the greenrider.

Everyone loved B'jin's art; a fact B'jin was a firm believer of. His art was amazing, it was beyond amazing! Even grumpy bum Erisi would love his art. Yes indeed! Of course, he'd never admit it, but that was beside the point! Tossing his bedfur onto the couch without any thought of what Valerian might make of that fact, B'jin began exploring the main room, bee-lining for the desk which stood out like a shining golden beacon. Smiling curiously, B'jin began poking around.

---

Lol, obviously assumed Valerian isn't in the main room. And B'jin totally forgot about him in exchange for poking his nose in place it doesn't belong xD

Valerian had recently returned from gathering his clothes from a drying line. Doing his laundry was not a chore he enjoyed though he supposed the down time while the clothes dried in the sun was rather nice. It was the scrubbing of cloth he didn’t like and wasn’t overly fond of the collecting it all again to fold or hang back up in his closet that seemed like too much work. Yet he did it every time it was needed, not keen on the idea of wearing soiled clothes. While Valerian put minimal effort into his appearance, he was still a Harper, not a beggar, and he’d make sure everyone knew that.

With the last of the clothing put away, Valerian meandered out of his bedroom, still softly singing a song he had written and actually put to music for once and came to an abrupt stop when his gaze caught the bedfur on his newly acquired couch. The couch had only come into his possession the day before after the weyrling decided it would be nice to have a place for his small collection of friends to sit. Until that point, he had been fine with a bed, desk, and a chair. After all, that’s all he had since arriving at Katila since the Candidate barracks as well as the weyrling barracks had nothing else in the tiny rooms. It never bothered Valerian either; he loved to sleep and write so what else did he really need in the furnishings department?

A quick glance around the room resulted in finding B’jin at his desk, rifling through the stacks of parchment. A frown appeared and Valerian wondered how long his nosy friend had been there and quickly shot the question with a tinge of annoyance to Veeth who hadn’t warned him of company. It’s B’jin and you didn’t have any plans for him to interrupt anyway so I thought it would be a fun surprise. The light trill of amusement was evident in Veeth’s sweet voice, the young blue quite pleased with himself for not spoiling the surprise. Valerian only hoped this wouldn’t become a habit but he was already used to Erisi inviting himself into his room so B’jin showing up unexpectedly would likely become common place as well.

“Poems are in the left drawer and the record-keeping logs are in the right.” Valerian helpfully pointed out as he moved over to join B’jin to see what exactly it was he had found. It was hard to decide what he was feeling right then given he was a fairly private person but also didn’t mind having his work admired. Perhaps it was because this was B’jin, a man more experienced in the Harper craft and just as critical when he wanted to be.

The greenrider hadn't even known if anyone was home or not. He hadn't seen Veeth as he arrived and entered, but then, he also hadn't been looking for the pretty little blue Weyrling. The relevance of whether or not Valerian was actually in the hut was rather vague, since B'jin seemed to forget the whole reasoning why he'd even come to the disastrously bare hut in the first place, as he poked around the obviously well used desk with an almost childish excitement.

Despite his apparent enthusiasm and curiosity, B'jin's shoulders were tight, knowing full well that what he was doing was something he shouldn't be doing. It wasn't even so much that if he found Valerian poking around in his shit that he would flip out and probably cry at the invasion of privacy - Never mind all the pretty pictures of -- Larrikith laughed as she was brutally shoved out of B'jin's mind with a slam and the green dragon returned her attention to snuffling around the edge of the hut.

Larrikith was curious, looking around with swirling eyes and almost girlishly curious prancing as her wings were half unfurled and she did a once over around the edge of the hut and then leaped up to land lightly on the roof, claws clicking against the outside as she peered around curiously up there. After a few more moments, she leaped back down to land on the ground, sitting primly with her tail wrapped around her paws as she peered towards the window though her gaze was focused on using B'jin's vision as she laughed softly in anticipation in the corner of his mind.

B'jin squealed, spinning around rapidly to stare at Valerian with huge brown eyes, pressed back against the edge of the desk as if by so doing he might sink through it and the wall and vanish from sight. Or perhaps he was simply hoping that between would open up and swallow him. A guilty flush crept up the edge of B'jin's features, colouring his cheeks as one hand, holding several sheets of parchment splayed fingers over his heart. It would settle back to regular pace in a moment. Maybe.

"Fuck, Val!"

Larrikith gave a rumble of laughter that rippled deeply in her chest. Beautifully done, Valerian. Larrikith was deeply pleased, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she laughed at her bonded's embarrassment.

Valerian took a step back and was admittedly a tad surprised by the reaction he received though he knew B’jin would have been startled and given who it was, he should have suspected it’d be over the top. “Of course it was, Larrikith,” his cocky reply was given even as he rolled his eyes at the rider before him. Did B’jin really expect to get away with snooping? Guaranteed Larrikith would have ratted him out even if he had managed to sit innocently at the couch before anyone entered the room. That would have been an entertaining reaction as well and given the way he liked to pick on B’jin, Valerian knew he would have playfully accused the older Harper of snooping with or without the dragon’s guidance.

“Try not to wrinkle or destroy the sheets, will ya?” Valerian leaned back in to see what pile B’jin had been rifling through at the time of being caught and smiled a little at what was seen. He was a bit of a contradiction, everyone likely knew that in the short time he’d been at Katila, and it was usually seen the most clearly when it came to his work. He never went out of his way to hide his writings from anyone but he also didn’t show it off to every passing glance either. Naturally he was proud of his poems, songs, and amazing penmanship but a lot of it ended up stored away for his own enjoyment until an appropriate occasion arose for debuting. Now that B’jin had helped himself to reading some of the papers, he might as well give a review.

“Any opinions on what you’ve found so far? You know I’ll ask Larrikith if you’re reluctant and she’ll likely lie to embarrass you and I’ll choose to believe her to further add to your squirming.” Valerian smiled almost sweetly at B’jin, one step away from batting long lashes at the greenrider.

Veeth was a few huts down, visiting with the dragon curled up beside her rider’s hut. He had seen Larrikith and B’jin approach but it would have been horribly rude to simply cut off the green currently entertaining him so he watched the arrival through his vision and Valerian’s before finally thanking his host and explaining he had some company of his own he had to go tend to now. He all but pranced the short distance back and came up upon Larrikith from behind, much as Valerian had done to B’jin, and while he suspected she knew he was close by, he still tried going for a surprise as well and crooned loudly in greeting. Hello, love! I’m glad you’ve had a chance to visit. I think we’ve both missed the pair of you.

B'jin continued to stare at Valerian with huge, shocked eyes for several moments after his exclamation, attempting to slow his heartbeat and regain whatever dignity was hanging around; squealing was not a reaction he was proud to claim. It made him sound like his daughter, and she was six! Pursing his lips, B'jin sighed out through his nose, tossing a filthy look in the direction Larrikith was located before scowling at Valerian in disgust. "I would not!" Indignation was thick in the simple statement, the greenrider shocked that Valerian could even suggest he would ruin sheets of paper - particularly those with words written on them by someone that had the skill to weave them. Just because B'jin couldn't string a verse together if his life depended on it, didn't mean he couldn't respect those that did!

B'jin scowled as Valerian came forward to poke around in the piles he had been poking around in. He was going to mess up the new piles B'jin had made! Still frowning, B'jin stepped away and let the younger Harper have a better look at what B'jin had been doing; most of the work had been reshuffled into two piles, with a smaller third pile off to one side. The natural presumption would be a 'likes' and 'dislikes' pile; but nothing with B'jin was ever quite that simple. "It's good." He answered vaguely when Valerian posed his question, apparently unconcerned about the cheeky comment about seeking Larrikith's backup. "She won't."

Larrikith could be a real bitch, but B'jin knew she'd never lie about his opinion on any particular piece of Harpering. She had, once, and even her shoddy memory wouldn't let her forget the explosion that had resulted from B'jin. Her rider very rarely got angry, and even more rarely actually exploded. It had been a fascinating and slightly scary day for the dragon and the other artist B'jin had been socialising with. He had most certainly not thought such things about the painting that Larrikith had decided to broadcast. B'jin hadn't even heard of half the words Larrikith had (hopefully?) invented in the process of insulting the other man's work.  B'jin returned Valerian's sweet smile, eyes wide with innocence.

Larrikith wasn't nearly as jumpy as her rider - and besides, she hadn't been sticking her nose in someone else's things! - and so had simply turned her head to look over her shoulder as Veeth announced himself, crooning happily in a returned greeting. Hello Veeth, Larrikith's words were cheerful, still amused by the scene that was playing out between the two humans. Turning, she nuzzled Veeth's cheek, pleased. It is good to visit. We would have done so sooner, but things have been keeping us preoccupied.

Valerian would have preferred to hear more than a simple generalization though he knew his work was good and would survive with or without critique. “Not even a comment on my amazing penmanship?” He teased as the only response to the vague reply, knowing that B’jin was notoriously critical when it came to that area of writing. They could agree on that at least. Valerian wondered how Katila had survived so long with such poor writers though it wasn’t like they had a high need to pen letters to Holds and anything they needed while their scouts were in the North would either remember the list or one of the educated folk, like D’ren, could make a list. Still, it was disheartening to see such a mess on the tests he had marked for B’jin before. Maybe it was just laziness on the part of the kids as well as B’jin whom also seemed extremely laid back.

“So should I offer you something to drink, which is only water or juice before or after I ask what brings you here?” his cupboard was as bare as the rest of his hut but it didn’t bother Valerian. He would consider working on that issue as the time went on but he did manage to get a couch in time before visitors started inviting themselves in, though, didn’t he? Even with the posed question, Valerian started inching towards the kitchen area. He was thirsty so it didn’t matter if B’jin was or not, the bluerider would at least tend to his own thirst.

What sort of things? Is everything well with you both? Veeth didn’t want to think about Larrikith or B’jin being unwell. That would be tragic of the highest degree! Somehow, despite his mind making up worst case scenarios, Veeth held in the soft creel that wanted out so badly. There wasn’t a need to upset Larrikith for getting him upset if it wasn’t more than a busy class schedule or time with her mate that kept them away.

B'jin laughed softly at Valerian's question, smirking around the sound as he arched an eyebrow playfully. "Your penmanship? Hrm." The greenrider picked up one of the sheets of parchment once more, carefully placing the others onto the piles he had made at some point during his poking around. "Yes please," B'jin responded with another coy smirk, amused by the way Valerian was already edging towards the kitchen at any rate. "Juice please," he added, putting down the last sheet and picking up one of the piles. It was the smaller pile, and consisted entirely of songs. A few were unfinished, but had still been placed on the pile.

Being careful with the sheets, B'jin made his way back to the couch, kicking his bed-furs off and onto the floor (he'd already noted Valerian had a clean floor; B'jin loved his bedding far too much to kick it onto a dirty floor!) and took a seat. After a moment, he frowned and put aside the music, picking up the bed-furs and folding them, he put them on the far edge of the couch. Satisfied, the greenrider returned to those pieces of work that had captured his attention, most notably the two that were clearly unfinished.

"Why didn't you finish these?" B'jin's voice was mild, curious. He took the glass that was offered when Valerian returned, and wriggled about to sit backed up in the corner of armrest and backrest.

Oh yes, Larrikith reassured gently, nudging Veeth with her nose, not unaware of the distressed colours in his eyes. Just life. B'jin had thrown himself into his Harper classes mindlessly after the flight that had been won by S'kef and Tyrrisath, though the green dragon recalled it not; B'jin had once more repressed the memory from her, though the still frequent drinking had tipped her off that something was not right with him. Recently, he had taken to blaming it on the death of the Weyrling, but Larrikith would not bring any of that up with sweet Veeth.

How are your lessons going? The little blue (who was much considerably than her, now, though not as large as Ayyonth) had less than a turn worth of education left to go, according to B'jin. Larrikith was eager for their graduation; Veeth would have far more free time then! Perhaps he'd like to go flying with her and Ayyonth. Larrikith's eyes swirled with pleasure at the thought.

Valerian was vaguely amused at how at home B’jin was making himself by taking over the couch while still going through his work. He suspected the actual reason the greenrider appeared was just to see his new hut and give a little payback for all the times Valerian appeared when he wanted. That was fine, it wasn’t like he was doing much anyway. He grabbed the only two cups he had – the second being for times like this when he had someone over – and filled both with juice before finally returning to B’jin and handing over one of the drinks.

At the question, Valerian knew what pieces were being referred to but he still peeked over B’jin’s shoulder to verify they were on the literal same page. With a shrug, he sat on the floor since B’jin had occupied one side of the couch and his neatly folded blanket was on the other. No need to deal with the greenrider’s complaining about his precious bedding being touched by another. Valerian recalled the drama when he tried to take a pillow from B’jin’s bed once which ended in the weyrling giving up on the idea just to save himself being nagged. “Fleeting inspiration that left me unmotivated to work on the one and I wasn’t overly fond of the other.” Of course if Erisi was there, he’d take credit for being a distraction that left Valerian unable to finish the first one that he lost inspiration for but that wouldn’t have been entirely accurate. Valerian had already been staring at the paper for a while before Erisi invited himself over.

It was actually odd for Valerian to leave something unfinished, always completing his work even if he started to dislike it for whatever reason along the way. To have B’jin hone in on the two left untouched for a while was odd and left the young weyrling wondering if his habit of finishing things and almost never taking more than one sitting to do so was known. Whether it was or not, Valerian found it interesting that that was what B’jin finally pointed out beyond a vague statement and felt it said something about the man. “Does it bother you that I kept unfinished work?”

Lessons are good! Valerian likes to pretend he’s not paying attention but he’s always one of the best in the group and never falters on an answer when called upon. Veeth’s chest puffed out with pride. Valerian was so clever and had so many people fooled on how they perceived him that Veeth couldn’t help but brag about his accomplishments. He’s still not that great with socialising but he’s improving. If only he applied himself in that area like he did with his writing, everyone would love him. A dreamy sigh was given as Veeth wondered what that would be like. He wish he had Valerian’s talents for stringing together such pretty sentences. All the greens would love him and he bet they would angle for him more in flights as well!

B'jin watched Valerian seat himself on the floor with subtle amusement, his lips twitching and eyes sparkling teasingly though he made no particular comment about it. Instead, he curled his feet up under himself and took a sip of the juice he'd been given by the young bluerider, watching as he collected himself before answering the rather simple (in B'jin's personal opinion) question. It wasn't like he was asking on a great deal of information or detail; he just wanted to know why the two pieces weren't finished! It didn't take a lot of time or thought, honestly!

Naturally, B'jin didn't take the time to consider the fact that if he were the one being questioned about such things, he would be extremely thoughtful and delicate in how he answered, for the times in which he failed to finish a piece of work were few and far between. The reasons for dropping something tended to be a lack of satisfaction in the way in which it was coming to a close; usually some small imperfection he spotted at a critical moment and was unable to fix. As he had gotten older and his skills in his art improved, such times became more and more fleeting. But B'jin knew that even his work could never always be perfect, and occasionally the inspiration to finish a piece would leave him, usually permanently. Unlike a lot of artists he had been educated alongside, however, B'jin never threw out such items. To him, it was important to keep them, as much because he put time and effort into them, as the small lesson they taught in recognising when something just didn't fit properly.

The greenrider nodded thoughtfully and in surprising understanding at Valerian's mild response, not making any more of it than was given though he did look thoughtfully at the pieces of work once more. The one in particular caught his eye and B'jin settled it on top of the other. He wasn't entirely sure which one was which, as far as Valerian being interrupted or losing his motivation, but in the end, it didn't matter. He liked it, and his comment would be spoken even if he had known. "When you finish this one, let me know." The two sheets were passed down to the blue Weyrling, the top one obviously the one of which B'jin was speaking, and he smiled slightly before brown eyes widened dramatically at the question.

"No; I keep all my work." It was a simple statement, and spoken in a mild manner, as shoulders rose in a vague shrug. "Finished, unfinished. It is still art, and it is still your work." Dark, serious eyes studied Valerian for a moment, wondering if he generally disposed of his unfinished work, kept it elsewhere, or tended to actually finish it. B'jin wasn't sure that was entirely possible; surely he was as inclined to lose his train of thought or ideal as much as the next person though he couldn't honestly see Valerian throwing out much of his work. Perhaps he burned it? Regardless, B'jin would allow some professional privacy as far as that went, happier not knowing than knowing Valerian burned or tore up half finished pieces. As he had said, half a piece was still a piece of art.

"Well," B'jin amended, sipping his drink and tossing Valerian a cheerful wink, "What I don't trade, I keep." He wasn't entirely sure dumping half his work on R'nd and insisting it was to brighten up his lover's hut counted as 'trading', but he certainly wasn't going to bring that mountain load of teasing opportunity down upon himself, either. He was rather fond of Valerian, but he was a little too good with his words sometimes to trust with some portions of one's life. B'jin smiled again, but it was mostly hidden behind his glass of juice.

Humans can be rather silly like that, Larrikith responded lightly, amused by this littel tidbit about Valerian, though she wasn't overly surprised to hear he pretended to ignore his lessons. The most common complaint on any Candidate or Weyrling lip that Larrikith could retain was how they had finished learning new things and were meant to be either reaping the rewards of their education, or torturing younger souls with their higher knowledge and undeniable wisdom (okay, so maybe she'd poked around in Erisi's mind recently) but she also knew a lot of them paid more attention than they pretended they did.

There would have been more losses earlier if it were not so. Larrikith reached over, nuzzling Veeth as he sighed dreamily and snorting a soft giggle at his expression. He was such a unique little fellow, and she really did enjoy the young blue's company. Such is a reason he has you, dear, Larrikith replied lightly, giving Veeth every impression of a human wink. Sometimes they need a little... shove. Her voice was devious, and playful as she flicked her wingtip, as if by doing so she confirmed her own statement as truth.

Valerian looked up from the juice he was staring at, startled by the comment as papers were given back to him. He cautiously glanced down to see which one had caught B’jin’s eye and looked back up at the man questioningly. He wasn’t sure why B’jin had taken an interest in that one, especially since it was unfinished – or was it because it was unfinished? – but Valerian had toyed with the idea of going back to both pieces at some point anyway. The writing style he preferred for creative pieces was to work without interruption since he was caught up in the mood and moment and it wasn’t always easy to return to it once something snapped him back to reality. This piece, however, could be worked on again without too much effort, Valerian decided with a nod, even as B’jin prattled on about how he kept his art regardless of its condition.

“I’ll let you know when it’s finished,” verbal confirmation was given to go with the nod B’jin likely didn’t even see given how spacey the older Harper could be but it was Valerian’s curiosity that picked up the conversation before it fell away completely. “What do you get for trading your art?” Going by his own extremely bare hut, it was easy to believe that nice drawings would actually be a well-sought after item. Valerian wasn’t sure he would sell or trade any of his songs since they were often done for himself with a small chance he might debut them at a gathering, but he supposed he could do requests and write silly little poems for hopeless men that couldn’t string a sentence together, let alone rhyme well enough about pretty things to get a woman in bed. That could very well be a good idea. He’d have to look into his options.

I plan to help him socialise! Veeth energetically replied, unknowingly coming up with an idea that mirrored Larrikith’s own for B’jin. The green had selected different partners for her flights to help get B’jin out there to meet someone better for him, but Veeth felt everyone just needed to know Valerian better and see how wonderful and creative his bonded was. Of course the idea was also a bit selfish since the little blue liked flights but he kept losing! He was determined to win his first flight, knowing that once that happened, females would take a shining in him and then he’d be on his way to claiming victories left, right, and centre. So he’ll definitely be getting that shove, don’t you worry, love. Like with Larrikith, there was a hint of devious playfulness in his statement and he glanced back to where Valerian sat on the other side of the wall, waiting to see if his intuitive human knew he was being talked about. When Valerian gave no notice – he was talking about Harper stuff, so it was understandable – Veeth turned back to Larrikith, his eyes swirling vivid blue.

An eyebrow arched curiously at Valerian’s question, but B’jin considered it seriously for a moment, leaning back against the couch and twirling the glass of juice – or what was left of it – between his hands as he did so. “Well,” what had he traded his art for? “Just about anything, depending on what people want. The glass door on the side of my hut was traded for about six sheets of art.” That had been a hell of a commission, but it had been worth it in the end. The massive glass sliding door was pretty spiffy, though it needed a hell of a curtain across it to keep the room temperature constant and (naturally) to keep out prying eyes. B’jin pursed his lips thoughtfully as he tried to think what else he had traded his art for.

“I can usually get something out of someone for any singing I do at a Gather or whatever other party the Weyr puts on.” His voice was far too good to give away for free, after all! Brown eyes sparkled mischievously as he tossed Valerian a wink. Never work for free, if you can get someone to pay you for your efforts! B’jin was pretty smug in the fact that he could usually get someone to cough up something nice, even if wasn’t worth remembering what it was he got, or from whom.  In the end, none of that was really important. B’jin didn’t really care what his voice was traded for at such times, so long as something was traded. It was the little things like that that counted, after all!

What else had he traded his work for? “I’ve traded for instruments, though not often.” Nemall had been a fine hand at making guitars, and B’jin had spent the better part of his life in the other man’s bed. He supposed it could probably be aligned that he’d traded that for the instruments, but the greenrider didn’t fancy looking at it that was, even as his eyebrows furrowed into and irritable frown at the thought. Pursing his lips, B’jin brushed it away grumpily. Nothing good ever came out of bring up Nemall! “Most of the stuff at home I traded for,” with one item or another. It was easier than trying to figure out how to make most of it. Though he hadn’t traded just art for a lot of it; Larrikith’s assistance in building and digging had been a good trade, as well as flights for those who didn’t have dragons, “Animal hides are usually a good bartering tool, too,” he added brightly.

Good! Larrikith chirped, raising her head eagerly and eyes swirling brightly with her pleasure at the announcement from the young blue. It was a dragon’s job to make sure their human got the best out of life, after all, and quite often the human in question had no idea what happened to be good for him! Larrikith chirped lightly with amusement and pleasure. Good! Larrikith repeated, giggling deviously when Veeth looked deviously toward where their riders were located. She could tell by the way B’jin was currently that he was wrapped up in whatever the topic was in question. Harper business, naturally, since the only other time he was that attentive was with R’nd! Larrikith snorted.

B’jin had done well for himself in the makeshift community that was Katila, that much was obvious. The greenrider had a nice hut that was well-furnished and wasn’t lacking for anything – unlike Valerian’s hut. His gaze travelled around the open living space that was exactly that; open. He had a desk and chair and the recently acquired couch so any guests could sit in comfort and the guitar that had come South with him leaned against the wall near the desk. In the bedroom there was naturally a bed and currently nothing else. He had dishes enough for two people but that was it. The walls were bare and the floor bland since mats and rugs were next on the list of things he needed. He really needed to work on his bartering skills, it seemed. But what could he trade and how much would be needed?

Valerian felt he was a talented guitarist and singer though no one in Katila would know of either since he did his best to avoid showing off the skills, save for the Turnover but everyone was drunk then anyway and wouldn’t have remembered. He had to wonder why he had been hiding his talents but chalked it up to not wanting to be a performing monkey for the people that took away life as he had known it. Since accepting everything and Impressing Veeth, the habit of staying quiet had stuck and now he would have to work at showing his skills. The only other true talent he had was writing. Again he thought about a career in writing lover letters for the romantically challenged and felt that could earn him some rugs or maybe a table for his living room. Too bad he couldn’t draw or his own walls would be easily decorated with that.

Valerian wrinkled his nose at the mention of animal hides and pulled himself out of his mental wanderings. He really hadn’t enjoyed that hunting expedition B’jin had dragged him out on and then proceeded to show him how to skin as well. He was still thankful he hadn’t ended up vomiting at the task! “I’ll leave the animal hides to you,” he finally managed to say, deciding to take the hit with any further teasing that might come from even acknowledging that task. Still, he quickly turned the topic back to art which seemed far more hygienic of a hobby. “What would you ask for in exchange for a few pieces of art for a living room?”

B’jin laughed, eyes sparkling at Valerian’s response to his comment about animal hides. It was an event he remembered with particular fondness, though he wasn’t at all surprised to be reminded that Valerian had found it less than enjoyable. It was almost startling how long ago that was now, with the young man’s dragon coming up to his second year and the pair poised for graduation! Had they really been friends for over two turns? B’jin’s gaze narrowed slightly, though it was fuelled by dry amusement. Over two turns since he’d last had his house to himself and people leaving him alone.

Of course, that was exactly why he’d gate crashed Valerian’s little home-to-be, at any rate. The young man needed to be reminded that if he could bounce by B’jin’s (not nearly as) out of bound hut whenever he wanted, than B’jin could do exactly the same thing in return – especially now Valerian actually had a hut. Making himself at home in the Weyrling Barracks would not have looked very good – and they were far too small room wise to enjoy company in! – though B’jin was completely oblivious that people would be just as happy to draw conclusions about his visiting the hut with a blanket in toe.

“Depends on what you’re after,” B’jin shrugged slightly, lazing back in the seat and peering around the room thoughtfully. Valerian was lacking in a lot of the usual living room adornments, but B’jin was pretty sure Valerian didn’t really care one way or the other what people were ‘meant’ to have in the living room and more concerned about what he would want. He smirked slyly at Valerian with a sideways glance, “and how desperate they are for what you’ve got.” It had never been beyond B’jin to draw compromising things of people when he needed something they wouldn’t give him – or seemed to think he’d exchange his body for them. It was simply a matter of making the subject matter believable…

Depended on what he was after and how desperate they were for what he had…

Valerian didn’t think he had much that people would scramble to get their hands on though he supposed there was another way to view his love letter idea. He could always write stories outlining the sordid details of a rendezvous; one that was most likely of a secretive nature. It would almost be fun chronicling the misdeeds of some people around the weyr or simply making something up that was realistic enough that it would be believed and panic the person being given a bad name. Was he actually devious enough to do such a thing? Probably. Valerian didn’t think he’d have to resort to such tactics but it was still fun to think about the prospect and what the hobby could bring.

A glance around the room once again showed off the space he had even though it was a smaller hut. Valerian knew it would just be him and while Veeth had liked the idea of them sleeping under the same roof again, the idea to have a Veeth-sized entrance and sleeping area was nixed. Veeth had been understandably disappointed but he didn’t remain that way for long, especially when Valerian pointed out that his pretty dragon could socialise and entertain his own friends much easier from outside. Somehow, thinking about the walls and dragons made an idea suddenly click into place for the music-loving young man. If dragons could be painted, why couldn’t his walls directly carry a mural instead of hanging a paper with art? He turned to the wall his desk was pressed up against and a vision of sheet music came to him. Valerian knew he couldn’t draw or paint like B’jin could but he could do sheet music! The bars, a treble clef, and the notes laid out to show the chorus to a favourite song. That sounded rather brilliant and also cryptic since only those that could read music would know exactly what was on his walls.

“I’ll manage on my own for now but when I need rugs and furniture, I’ll see what I can come up with.” Those were things Valerian knew he wouldn’t be able to make on his own. Well, he supposed he could but if he wanted the items to look right and function as planned, it was likely best to leave it to those trained in the proper areas. A light of amusement shone in green eyes as Valerian considered B’jin again, looking so comfortable on the couch with his neatly folded bed furs. It was still obvious the intent the greenrider had but Valerian felt he had turned the surprise visit and invasion of space into something he controlled, as if the weyrling was the one doing the unannounced visit again. “So were quietly appraising my writing and being subjected to more questionings your goals for tonight?”

There was another question that still needed to be asked, namely, what B’jin wanted to claim as his own for sleeping if he had the nerve to follow through with his plan of staying over, but Valerian waited to ask that. He knew that while B’jin was surprisingly open with his answers when Valerian started casually digging for details, too many questions at once could bog the greenrider down and things were overlooked whether purposely or not.