Still Alive [Private]

While Erisi had been punished, his punishment hadn't taken effect yet, nor had it have him suddenly being whisked away to Candidate Isle for a few sevendays. From someone else's point of view, Erisi probably came out on top of the situation. He still thought his punishment was wherry dung, but it was better than... a few things that he had envisioned. At least, this way he got to remain with the few companions he enjoyed spending time with. That was a relief, since it had taken Erisi so long to just make two friends. It'd be a shame for him to lose him because he was unable to maintain a relationship with them. Spending time stuck on an island would certainly do that.

Still, he was peeved about his punishment, and had every right to be. The turn of events likely would have never came around if I'shan hadn't done everything possible to incite Erisi's temper. The young man entered the kitchen, figuring that having a bite to eat would give him one less thing to complain about - being hungry. The kitchen, while focused on preparing each meal for the day, always seemed to have an assortment of pastries and leftovers that the hungry wanderer could snack on. Most of the time, the kitchenfolk could care less if someone got in their way while trying to get a snack. Erisi had found himself a dish of fruit, and was daintily picking out the ones that didn't look overripe. He leaned against the kitchen table, resisting the urge to lick his fingers (he was going to be nice enough not to spread his germs everywhere).

Something, or rather, someone caught his attention, so that he was no longer tempted to lick his own fingers. He recognized that body shape very well, and after popping another piece of fruit into his mouth, departed from his station to follow said figure. The other man had disappeared into one of the back storage rooms, which Erisi assumed was to get some spices for the klah he was so addicted to. Pinpointing which storage room the Healer had disappeared into, Erisi walked in after him. On a whim, he shut the door behind him.

"Guess who's still alive?" Erisi greeted Talian with a brief, cocky smile.

Talian's tawny eyes widened as he heard the door click shut behind him. He spun around, his posture crouched and almost nervous as his eyes adjusted to the dark and searched for his pursuer. Thankfully, the face that eventually came into focus was a familiar one. Talian let out a deep sigh and relaxed, his thin shoulders falling with relief.

"Eri! You're all right," he said, taking a step closer and flashing his friend a modest little smile. Talian rarely grinned, but these little smiles were coming more easily these days. He brushed a bit of his hair aside and approached. "What did the Weyrleader say? Are you going to be punished?"

He could only assume as much, but it was great to see Eri still at Katila proper, and not shipped off back to the island. Tal couldn't imagine going back to the isle. He'd missed the solitude it provided after he first moved to Katila proper, but he imagined that staying there too long would have driven him mad. Now that he had friends, it was even less acceptable. Tal couldn't imagine that Eri would like it any better. The harper seemed to dread his assumed fate so much, to the point of being so depressed the previous evening...

Tal felt a flicker of nervous embarrassment as he recalled the encounter, but all in all, it wasn't bothering him as much as he'd feared it would. There was attachment, but it wasn't romantic. Romantic attachment was still reserved for the girl who got away, but physical companionship was a nice release. Talain wasn't sure if he should congratulate himself on the detachment he'd obtained, or be worried about it.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't his smartest idea to shut the door behind him. He knew that Talian was a particularly sensitive individual, but he felt as if they had crossed enough boundaries together that Talian would feel at ease with him. Still, it was clear that he had spooked the man, just not enough that Erisi was obligated to apologize for it.

Erisi leaned back against the closed door, arms folding casually against his chest. The one thing he didn't want to reminisce on was the details of his punishment, but Talian had a certain right to know what had gone down. After what Talian had gone through to make Erisi feel better, well, Erisi felt better about being open with him. He trusted Talian more than anyone else in this Weyr, and not really just because the man had shared an intimate moment with him. The full reasoning was too long for Erisi to bother musing over, and so he didn't. "It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Apparently, I'shan had the wits to explain that he had provoked me, and that my actions were only incited by his own.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's not bad. I have to do some physical training for G'rem at the end of our next Candidates Lesson and then..." a particular scowl spread across his face, the displeasure there evident even in the slight dark of the storage room. "I am basically at I'shan's beck and call for one occasion, to help him take care of his dragon, which is his own sharding responsibility. I don't know why D'ren is making me take care of I'shan's dragon, neither of us can keep our mouths shut. We'll end up fighting, and then I really will get stuck on Candidates Isle." It was sad how easy Erisi could see that situation unfolding in his head.

A long sigh was drawn between his lips as he reminded himself to not get upset. What done was done - D'ren wasn't going to change his mind no matter how much Erisi reasoned with him.

While the news was good, Talian suspected a lot of thought went in to that verdict. "I wonder why he would do that," he asked, leaning against one of the shelves. A thoughtful expression crept onto his face. It did seem unusual for the Weyrleader to go easy on Erisi, but just as strange for the bluerider - if he was really as bad as Erisi reported - to willingly report the incident when it provided him with such power over his attacker.

"I would watch your step," he advised Erisi thoughtfully. "I bet it's meant to be a 'second chance'. To test and see if you learned your lesson, if that makes any sense," he said. He didn't care for the situation, he was just trying to rationalize it. The Weyrleader surely wasn't an idiot. He wasn't going to select a counter-intuitive punishment without a reason.

"Either way," Talian said, "I'm glad you're not being locked up." He continued internally about how lonely he would be with one of his few friends ripped away, but he didn't feel any need to say it out loud. He figured Erisi already knew without it being spelled out for him. He did pity his friend, though. Talian didn't care for dragons. He couldn't imagine having to wash Larrikith, catering to her demands and enduring her cruel quips. It would be humiliating. He didn't know much about I'shan's blue, but he figured Erisi hated that pair for a reaso.

"I assumed he was just kissing the Weyrleader's ass with his fat lips," Erisi responded dryly. At least they were in a storage room, and no one was exactly nearby to be able to hear Erisi's antagonistic comments. If someone was vindictive enough, they'd probably try and report Erisi for just saying the wrong things. He wouldn't be all that surprised. Almost out of paranoia, he glanced down to the light gleaming from underneath the door. No shadows. Good. He really didn't want to get into trouble so soon after well... he got into trouble.

"You're probably right... shardit," he sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. Both Talian and he knew how the event was likely to go. Erisi's temper very easily could get ahead of him, and before he'd know it he was stuck fighting with I'shan again. Faranth, that was probably exactly what the Bluerider was hoping for. Erisi's blue eyes sharpened with displeasure, and it was hard to keep the scowl from invading his face even with Talian as his company. He glanced over to his friend, a little glad for the dark of the storage room. It was easier to avoid the temptation Talian constantly provided him when he didn't have to stare into the face he had spent all last night kissing.

"Me too. I imagine you'd miss me terribly. Who else would make your life a little more fun?" Erisi answered lightly, trying to distract himself from the more grim subject of his punishment. He hadn't entirely meant for his playful comment to come out the way that it did, but since it had likely come out that way... he wouldn't bother fixing it. They hadn't exactly settled on the decision to put last night behind them and act as if nothing was different. Erisi didn't think it'd do any good for Talian.

Erisi was probably right about I'shan sucking up to the Weyrleader. That was a good enough reason to report the incident immediately. If he got to the authority first, he could make what he wanted of the incident. Of course, Talian had to remind himself that he didn't even know the man he was criticizing, but his pessimistic side was winning out. So far, he was disinclined to trust any dragonrider except for B'jin.

That's just how it was for Talian and how he viewed every new person he met. He assumed they were out to harm him until they proved otherwise. He sighed and looked down at his feet, trying to think of something else to console his friend. "Just be careful, I suppose. If he tries to bait you, just stay quiet." That's what Talian would do. He wasn't sure if his tendencies would do a lot of good for Erisi, though.

He could sense something different about Erisi. While Talian was oddly at peace with their actions from the previous evening, Erisi seemed to revel in the darkness. Talian cursed his perceptive eyes and mind sometimes. He would have rather remained unaware. The comment didn't do anything to alleviate his suspicions, but it did merit a small laugh from him. "Yeah....I would, actually," he said. He looked up, catching Erisi's eyes and staring like he so often did. He wondered what exactly was going through Erisi's mind. Was the harper trying to coax something out of him, or was Talian thinking about the previous night more than he'd anticipated?

Liking to think himself more aware of his own behavior, Talian decided to dismiss his concerns in favor of conversing with Erisi like normal. He smiled once more and looked at Erisi, his mild confusion lurking just behind his eyes.

"You know me, I have a sharding difficult time of staying quiet. I'm not going to let him think he can bait me, and I won't do anything about it. He likely imagines that he can walk all over me, since I'm in trouble already and shouldn't desire to risk more." Erisi was not Talian - he simply couldn't take a step back from the situation and figure out what was the best way to respond, not when it came to I'shan. The man knew how to press his buttons, and Erisi was sure he gave away just what would make him upset in their last argument. If I'shan wanted to push him, Erisi would be pushed, and he refused to just sit back and let that happen. I'shan wasn't going to own him.

He felt Talian's gaze on him, a sort of gaze that was less casual and more inquiring. Their gazes locked, and Erisi silently cursed himself for letting that happen. Talian really had no awareness of how he was staring Erisi down, and how badly Erisi felt like reacting to it right now. He was worried that he'd push Talian too far, since last night had been as far as Talian's boundaries would allow. Any more stress, and Erisi was sure that he would break. But, on the flip side, that meant that Talian was at least a little versed in physical intimacy. He trusted Erisi, and knew what to expect out of his Harper companion. So, there was the chance there that Erisi wouldn't be outright rejected.

It really wasn't like he wanted to jump the man in the storage room - well, not entirely.

Erisi was just feeling particularly inclined towards a course of action. His gaze remained fixated on Talian's face as he mused over his choices, waiting to see if any sort of hesitation would suddenly shine in Talian's face. The man had to suspect what Erisi was musing about. Last night was not so terribly long ago, after all. In fact, it was still imprinted fresh on Erisi's mind, so much so that he finally concluded that the reward would be worth the risk. He pushed himself away from the door, taking an effortless step closer to the Healer. His hand raised, fingers gently touching the underside of Talian's chin. Lips came to press a kiss to the corner of Talian's mouth. Erisi was testing the waters, seeing if Talian could likewise be inclined towards kissing.

"There, got that out of my system," he said after a few seconds had passed, a brief smile flickering across his face. It was a lie - it really wasn't out of his system yet.

There they were, those lips.

Talian's eyes closed and he looked down for a moment, taking a few moments to think about the new development. Erisi didn't seem like the kind of man who made attachments. Talian started to recoil, his timid nature taking hold of him for a fleeting second, before he ordered himself to be fearless and leaned closer.

He returned the kiss, planting his lips firmly to Erisi's and timidly setting one hand on the man's chest. He hovered there for a few anxious seconds while he gauged Erisi's body language. Talian could feel his warm breath bouncing off of Erisi. "Eri...I thought you didn't do repeats," he whispered. He wasn't sure if he'd actually heard Erisi say that or if he'd just gathered it. Talian gathered a lot about other people.

He shivered a bit, not out of desire but out of nervousness. He found himself wanting more, even though he didn't have anything he would call a romantic attraction to Erisi. Was he just that desperate for affection? Was he that lonely? Was his understanding of physical relationships just very poor? It confused him, but not enough to deter him. Erisi felt safe.

Tal sighed and leaned in, meeting Erisi's lips and sinking in to a deep, passionate kiss.

Talian raised an excellent point - Erisi normally did not do repeats. There was no reason for him to want a repeat when it would only foster affection. But, he felt like Talian knew what kind of man Erisi was, and knew that forming any form of romantic inclination would be a waste of time. In all honesty, Erisi didn't have very many people he would like to turn his attention to. With his choices limited, he felt inclined to be intimate with Talian again. It wasn't as if Talian was a terrible catch. Erisi was actually quite proud that the Healer had been adventurous with him.

"I changed my mind. I told you that if you wanted to, I'd be available," he muttered, relieved to see that Talian was receptive to the idea. His hands moved to rest on Talian's hips, the touch gentle enough to not be considered intrusive. Erisi wasn't thinking much past this moment, where all he needed was a few kisses to distract him from his troubles. It probably wasn't a natural way to deal with his problems, but he had to admit that it was far more enjoyable.

They shared another kiss, and one hand lifted from Talian's hip to play with the Healer's hair. Erisi had... considerable practice with kissing, so much so that he dominated and controlled their kiss with ease. It was as if he were playing tutor to Talian, though he had done enough of that the previous night. His companion had certainly picked up a few good habits, and it made being with him now fluid, easy. Erisi was discovering that he rather enjoyed having someone to 'vent' on over and over again, someone who at least knew a little of what he was like.

While the season was drawing to a lazy close, the weather that day had been particularly warm and enjoyable. As a result, B'jin had round up both his young children, and somehow managed to wheedle their mother's into tagging along as well for a trip to the Lake for swimming, sunning and merriment. Unfortunately for the man, his freeday had become something less free when the Crèche had gotten wind of what was going on (probably the result of his excitable daughter) and it appeared the entire population of Katila Weyr between the ages of newborn and about ten at a rough guess, were clambering onto dragon necks, squealing and laughing and cheering as their parents prepared for a long day. Dragon voices clashed, as they went on high-frequency to include everyone in the activities.

B'jin had, without question, thoroughly enjoyed his day. He was very much someone that found children alluring and a great deal of fun to be around. As a result, however, Larrikith had winked home between barely a wing-length off the ground (he was so glad there had been no senior ranking riders with the group) and promptly clawed her way into her den to curl up and die. B'jin, discovering his children had eaten him out of house and home, and been less than impressed when he realised he would have to trek all the way to the main dining areas for food before he could collapse much like his poor dragon. The man's good fortune had made itself known briefly in the shape of a neighbour who was catching a lift to the Dining Hall on his brown, and B'jin, without the least amount of shame, had begged a lift. He'd been at the receiving end of humorous pity when the day had been explained to his fellow rider.

Arriving at the dining hall, B'jin had erred on the side of caution; if he ate now, he likely would collapse in some far corner and not move for at least ten hours. So, in order to avoid that, B'jin had decided to weave his way through the people milling around, and make his way into the kitchens. Waving absently to a friend as he passed through, the greenrider made his way towards the storage rooms, intent on digging up some foods and spices he could take back to the hut and restore what he had once claimed. Oh, the trials of being a parent! Covering a yawn with his left hand, B'jin's mind reached out to poke at Larrikith, determining what her status was, and smiled lazily as she told him in no polite terms to bugger off as he pushed open a store room door and jerked to an abrupt halt.

"Oh!" Normally, B'jin would have had enough brain cells functioning that he wouldn't have made a noise upon spotting a relatively common scene. Tired as he was, however, B'jin didn't manage to stifle the surprised gasp as he blinked big brown eyes at the engaged young men taking refuge in the storer. A teasing grin flickered over his lips as he took a step back, even drawing the door partially closed with him, before he stopped in sudden shock and his mouth dropped slightly.

"Tal?!" Features an expression of shocked surprise, the greenrider froze, obviously unsure whether to slam the door shut and flee, or stay and discover what, exactly, was going on. Eyes, still wide, flashed to Erisi, then back to Talian, and his jaw clicked shut audibly as he swallowed whatever other words might have flowed forth.

Romance was a strange thing.

Talian had never been prone to romanticism, so to speak. He had no love of children or traditional families, for his own family was a miserable thing in spite of appearing so ideal. There was a mother, a father, and four children. The father and son worked hard and the daughters and wife obeyed the father. By all appearances, they did everything right. Talian found no love among them, however, with the exception of his older sister who he rarely saw after he turned six. The younger ones he barely even knew.

Furthermore, he had no fantasies of marriage until confronted with a possible pregnancy, but that was harshly interrupted by B'jin's appearance into the boy's life.  He had no real attachment  to the idea of classical 'love'. Talian was only just discovering the joy of having friends and parental figures for the first real time. Almost every single feeling of love (platonic or romantic), personal devotion, warmth, or emotional investment he'd ever felt in his entire life was aimed at one girl, and his affection for her manifested itself only as a decade long obsession and one night of passion. He knew he was supposed to wait for his one an only, to look forward to the birth of his children, and keep his hands to himself except for his chosen partner. That's how the world worked.

Why did this feel so right, then? Talian was pretty sure he wasn't in love with Erisi. He didn't feel near the wildfire of emotions for Erisi that he felt for Fiora, though she was finally starting to fade out of his memory a bit. Talian was devoted to Erisi, that was certain. But it was a different kind of devotion. Erisi was his friend. Weren't you supposed to avoid kissing your friends unless your feelings were evolving into something new? Was it wrong to just enjoy things as they were?

Talian wasn't sure what iut was he was actually feeling for Erisi. He didn't think it was love. Even so, he didn't want to let the man go. He melted away into that kiss, clutching desperately at the man's sides while he enjoyed their contact.

Of course, it came to a sudden and heart-dropping end when B'jin made his appearance. Talian pulled back and hid his face in instinctive shame, his little body drawing up as if he expected to be whipped. His horror only escalated when he heard the familiar voice calling his name.

"B-B'jin!" He squeaked. Overcome by shame, Talian did the only thing he knew to do: he hid behind Erisi and tried to make himself as small as possible.

Erisi was aware that he could be giving off the wrong impression easily, and perhaps part of the issue was that he didn't care. If it became a problem, Erisi would tackle it in the future and somehow try to maintain his friendship with Talian. He really didn't think the other man would fall for him. Talian was likely still attached to whatever girl had let him underneath her skirts back home. He believed that if Talian thought hard enough about what he was doing, he would think it was wrong to even be locking lips with another man. So, why was Erisi doing this when there was little payout? Sure, he had a rather enjoyable finish to his evening last night, but he could have stopped at that. There honestly wasn't much else in the Weyr for him. He had felt no amazing inclination to drop his pants for any passing dragonrider.

Okay, so he was still feeling vindictive. It had been a few seasons since he had been kidnapped and he still couldn't get over the wrong they had put him through. Now, he was faced with even more trouble. Talian was his only escape, even if it was only for a few lip-locked moments. He should really be thinking about when this would end, since Talian wouldn't remain comfortable forever even when he appeared eager now. But, he wasn't. He was thinking of how nice it was to be able to entangle his tongue with the Healer's, and how nice it was to steal little touches on Talian's warm skin.

It shouldn't have lasted long, but it shouldn't have ended this soon. He heard the door squeak open in the back of his mind, and almost wasn't bothered by it until he realized the implications.

Shard it.

This sort of wherry crap just had to happen to him. If being punished by the Weyrleader enough, they were bound for an interruption that would scare Talian off forever. Sharding fantastic.

Whomever it was knew Talian, and the moment he spoke the Healer's name the kiss had been doomed. Ironically, Erisi had no idea what to do when Talian decided to hide behind him. For the boy's sake, he didn't move. For his own sake, he was mildly embarrassed that Talian was hiding behind him as if he were a shield. Erisi wasn't even remotely equipped to handle everything negative that tossed itself Talian's way, and neither would he ever sign up for that sort of task. So, while Talian decidedly looked frightened and ashamed - Erisi didn't.

He stared at B'jin with unimpressed eyes. He knew the man, from their Candidates Lesson and also from Talian. This was the man who had Searched Talian, and whom Talian had somehow grown fond of. Funny how Erisi punched his Searchrider in the face, and Talian quickly made friends with his own. "Man, you must feel like a total ass," the Harper drawled, and that wasn't even for B'jin barging in on them. That comment was for searching a depressed Healer who had little to no capability to adapt to Katila's environment.

Way to go, he had just found the Searchrider of the Turn right here.

"Easy, Tal," B'jin's voice was a near-whisper, the tone both reassuring and filled with warmth and affection. Though he made no motion to approach the pair, the rider's brown eyes were watching his young ward with soft concern. Guilt for startling the boy washed through him, though he managed to keep it off his face as Larrikith, startled awake by an emotion that usually spelled a drunken breakdown, swarmed into his mind and searched for the cause. Her sleepiness was replaced with irritation when she spotted the two young men through her rider's eyes, and then wilted into soft concern as she reassured B'jin.

B'jin ignored Erisi's comment, partially because he didn't feel like dignifying the young man by answering; mostly, however, because he was still watching Talian with a soft gaze that meshed somewhere between reassuring and affectionate. Sadness lingered somewhere around the edges, the greenrider upset with himself for causing the young healer to feel as if he should flee or hide from him. B'jin could tell, by Erisi's easy stance and the way Talian had ducked behind him, that both the boys had been completely consensual in their little session.

"I'm sorry, Tal," sincerity was awash in the soft words, as B'jin held the edge of the door gently in one hand, ready to leave but wanting desperately to make sure that Talian was alright before he did so; he so desperately did not wish to end up in the young man's bad books once more. "Come out, please?" There was nothing in his tone that could be taken as an order, as B'jin had no desire to force the boy to do anything. Except, you know, come to Katila. Larrikith put in bluntly, her tone about as droll as the accusation Erisi had thrown at him. Like he had the Harper, B'jin ignored the dragon.

Well, this was turning into a proper nightmare. The timid healer clutched at Erisi and tugged his clothing nervously. "Eri, please don't fight with him..." Talian breathed lightly into the other man's ear, likely sounding much more amorous than her'd intended. He looked wide-eyes at B'jin, catching the warmth in the older man's eyes and responding in kind, albeit with a healthy dose of fear as well.

Talian hated this. B'jin was the only older figure in his life that didn't seek to outright exploit him, which was something of a miracle considering their history. Tal didn't expect Erisi to understand. B'jin was kind and openly regretted tearing Talian from his life, whereas that other searchrider sounded like a bastard. Erisi was entitled to hate that bluerider, but Talian felt like he needed B'jin. He needed Erisi, too. Erisi was, with the obvious exception of Fiora, the best friend he'd made in his life.

He swallowed hard and stepped around Erisi, though he didn't approach B'jin outright. For a moment he thought he was taking charge of the situation, but he quickly realized he had no idea what to say..so he just stared comically, jaw slack and eye twitching anxiously.

"B'jin...am I in..trouble?" he asked, not sure why else he was being asked to leave. He took a couple steps forward out of habit, for he rarely disobeyed orders and didn't plan to ever outright disobey B'jin again. "I..can explain...everything?"

He cast a desperate look back at Erisi.

He was being ignored. Erisi didn't care about the parental care crap that B'jin was laying thick on the storage room's atmosphere - he liked to at least be addressed when he spoke up. Considering that he had taken a well-aimed shot at the man, what he expected was some sort of comeback, not to be dismissed entirely. Then again, maybe he really should avoid picking fights with more Searchriders. Doubtlessly it would get back to D'ren on the same day the Weyrleader had finished talking to him. It was that, just as much as Talian's whispered words, that stayed Erisi's tongue. It was hard not to listen to Talian when he was whispering warm breath against his ear.

Shardit, they were done making out, he had to stop thinking about it.

"You're not in trouble for kissing someone," Erisi responded to Talian with a tone of impatience. He probably should have been more comforting, but the idea that Talian was in trouble with B'jin for kissing him was ridiculous. Talian was seeking Erisi's aid, and Erisi would give it. Of course, his aid was probably not the ideal for this sort of situation. With a strained sigh, he reigned in his initial anger. An arm wound itself around Talian's back, in an attempt to provide Talian with some comfort. He was surprised the Healer even had the courage to step out from behind him.

It was a sharding miracle.

"Look, you encouraged him to experiment, so he experimented. That's the explanation. Flat line. Plain and simple." He really should probably be more sensitive about it, instead of seeming irritated with the entirety of the shenanigans that were going on right now. He sighed again in an attempt to work out his irritation, but that didn't work well either. Talian was stepping out in front of him, and instinctively he reached out to hold Talian's hand, silently bidding the boy to stay and stop acting like B'jin's lapcanine.

"Talian, seriously, it's okay. You're not in trouble. I get in enough trouble for the both of us, so you don't have to worry." It was an attempt at a joke. 'A very bad one', he thought to himself.

"No, Tal, you're not in trouble." B'jin said, with just a hit of amusement touching on the tone. His brown eyes lit up, and the man shook his blonde head slightly while a smile touched just lightly at the corner of his lips. "Perhaps over breakfast," B'jin offered to Talian, though his tone was distinctly teasing as he vaguely brought up the last time Talian had sought him out for explanations and reassurance. The greenrider hadn't been counting on Talian taking him so seriously when he asked him to come out; he'd simply wanted to boy to stop cowering behind his friend as if B'jin were a fire-breathing queen. The poor healer took life far too seriously, sometimes; though, looking at the pair, he suspected Erisi might get him to loosen up a little.

Turning his gaze solely upon Erisi with slightly raised eyebrows, B'jin snorted. "I am aware," he drawled in response, mimicking Erisi's earlier tone with ease, his expression as flat as his words. The greenrider didn't bother to expand upon those three words as Erisi finished his little rave and then tried to reassure Talian, brown eyes flickering over both of them as he watched the play of emotions and the subtle language of their bodies and B'jin snorted once more, lips twitching as Erisi spoke to Talian.

"Just don't drag him down with you, Erisi." There was amusement in the words, but also an underlying warning. He would bless their unique play on friendship (whether Erisi wanted his blessing or not), so long as the other boy didn't wind up dragging Talian into something that would make the young healer unhappy. "Now, can I please have some of that Klah powder and I'll leave you to yourselves."

Eyebrows arched as B'jin indicated the Klah store tucked away behind the pair with a slight nod.

Breakfast. Tal found himself embarrassed again, though he swallowed his self pity and nodded. "...All right. Tomorrow?" he asked cautiously. He would enjoy another breakfast with B'jin anyhow, though he wasn't wild about delving into this particular topic. His own attitude towards Erisi was confusing to say the least. This way, he would have a little bit of time to think about what he would say. He'd be able to srot his feelings out a bit. B'jin's devilish smile from their first conversation on the topic was still with him, though. He let out the most awkward laugh and flashed B'jin an uneasy but well-meaning smile.

Feeling more relaxed, Talian stepped back beside Erisi. He squeezed the other man's hand lightly and shifted his gaze between the two. Talian could practically smell the tension, but it appeared one sided. B'jin was calmer than Tal expected. It was a relief. Maybe B'jin would take the whole thing in stride and show a bit of mercy. Talian wasn't sure he could handle being teased over the incident. "Um, sure," he murmured, prying himself away from Erisi and searching for some klah powder; coincidentally, exactly what he'd come looking for himself.

He flashed a look to Erisi as he walked past. His eyes were alive with appreciation. Erisi had been entirely willing to stand up and defend Talian. B'jin was no threat, of course, but it was the spirit of the matter that counted. Talian sheepishly handed the klah powder to B'jin, nervously avoiding direct eye contact.

Ugh, he could only imagine what Larrikith would have to say about it. He tried to avoid thinking about the Great Green Monster too much, though. She'd left him alone since the last little incident and that was good enough for him. He was happy to see B'jin forgiving of the situation, though. "...Thank you," he said softly, for no immediately obvious reason. Then, he skittered back to Erisi like a darting insect.

There was the slowest tick at the corner of Erisi's mouth as B'jin suggested he not drag Talian down with him. "I'm glad to know that's the first thing you'd assume I would do," he answered dryly. B'jin had seemed fine during the Candidates Lesson, but getting a closer look at the man now and his rotten attitude, Erisi decided that he really didn't like him. Was it really that easy for the man to turn on him with a sarcastic voice, and then to Talian with warmth and affection? Sure, Erisi may have invited conflict a little first... but, that didn't mean he felt unjustified in his sudden distaste of the man. He was trying not to be too verbal over it, since Talian seemed to dote over the Searchrider. Talian was acting as if he were happy B'jin was the one to Search him. For someone like Erisi, it didn't make any sense at all.

His own experience with his Searchrider had been less than favorable, though. He was developing quite a prejudice against Searchriders in general. There were few that would rise above his ire, and B'jin was not one of those privileged.

B'jin had asked for the klah powder, and it was clear by the flat expression that Erisi gave him that the Harper wasn't budging even an inch to do him a favor. Luckily, Talian was ever so quick to kiss B'jin's ass. To set things straight, he wasn't jealous, he just couldn't comprehend what kind of relationship the two had. It was an entirely foreign concept for Erisi, to like the person that had doomed him. He was sure that there was something psychologically wrong with Talian to make him feel attached to B'jin. From how Talian acted around B'jin, Erisi was fairly sure that Talian would go out of his way to hang out with the greenrider.

Again, this baffled him.

As Talian returned to his side after saying good bye to B'jin, Erisi arched a playful eyebrow and announced, "Well, sort of ruins the mood, hmm?"

"Hardly the first, Erisi. Only the most worrying." B'jin replied lightly, ignoring the younger Harper's dry tone and responding with his usual tone of voice; he wasn't interested in baiting the boy and while he had absolutely no allusions as to where he stood in the young man's opinion, and he wasn't really concerned. B'jin was aware that Talian liked the candidate, however much and for whatever reason was not the point of the matter. B'jin would be civil, for the Healer's sake, and whether Erisi was willing to do the same would be up to him. B'jin really wasn't too worried, so long as Erisi didn't - as he had said - end up getting Talian into trouble, than he would leave their confusing relationship alone.

Amusement played around B'jin's eyes as Talian took him very literally, and a smile shimmered over his lips for a moment. When he spoke, however, there was none of the emotion in his voice, just simple warmth. "If you wish," he took the klah powder gently from the youngster, letting his hand linger for a moment to give Talian's fingers a gentle squeeze as the boy thanked him. He wasn't exactly sure why he was being thanked, and so found it easier to give a non-verbal reply.

Watching as his young ward went swiftly back to Erisi, B'jin turned his brown eyes upon the harper in question and just looked at him for a moment, his expression slightly calculating before he smiled mischievously and stepped backwards, drawing the door with him, but not before he tossed a cheerful, teasing "have fun, boys!" in through the gap. The door clicked shut, cutting Erisi's comment in half, but B'jin could easily guess what he had been saying. Highly amused, and slightly worried, B'jin's day came crashing down on his shoulders and he shoved his free hand back through his hair as he went to get what other things he required so he could get a lift back to his hut, curl up to die, and worry about Talian's incredibly serious nature later.