[G] [P] 734.08.01 | Fine Wine, Fine Clothes.

K'ren was a mess. In fact, he had never been more of a mess in his life. He was emotionally torn, physically worn, and the only garmet he had to wear was mud stained and blood stained. He'd lost all of his clothes when the earth decided to swallow his hut, hell he'd have lost his life it it wasn't for Beloyath. Since the moment when Beloyath had pulled him from his devastation of loosing M'bal, K'ren had been helping dig out those who were burried and still alive, Beloyath had helped greatly, due to his ability to find them the same way he searched, and due to him being able to move a great deal more earth than K'ren could have moved. None the less, K'ren had been digging all day, and calling out for someone to take the wounded  to the healers as he and Beloyath moved on to find another. The whole time, all K'ren had on was his sleeping pants. He didn't even have on shoes.

You should bathe us and rest Had suddenly been said, and when K'ren looked up, he noticed that the sun was setting. Beloyath was right. He then climbed up onto Beloyath's back and the two washed off in the river. When Beloyath was no longer brown from the mud, and K'ren was sure that he nor his pants were going to get any cleaner, he racked his mind for anyone who might have some clothes suitable for him to wear. S'bel came to mind, and he remembered that the man loved wine probably as much as he did.

The flight back to the ruined weyr where there was already a sort of temporary housing being built, dried him and his pants mostly, and it didn't take K'ren long once off Beloyath's back to find a bottle of wine. It wasn't the best wine, but it would do. Then, he told Beloyath to ask Ipsyth where S'bel was, so that he might offer some wine for clothes. As he waited for the responce, he tried to tidy himself the best he could, and had decided it was a lost cause by the time Beloyath relayed the answer.

This day. It just needed to end. The hatching that had transpired- what, a day or two ago?- it seemed ages ago now. S'bel and Ipsyth had done their parts pulling others out of the rubble for much of the day, despite the fact that the bluerider didn't particularly want to be around people at times like these. He never knew how to act during a tragedy. Without a smile to hide behind, he felt laid bare, exposed for just how frayed he felt when no one was looking. Granted, that was to be expected in the wake of something like the day's landslide, but it didn't make S'bel feel any less apprehensive about showing any amount of lingering unhappiness. Still, he wasn't a monster, and had contributed his efforts for the Weyr and those in it.

And now he was spent. He slouched against the table in his hut, wineskin in hand. He had emptied its meager contents since returning. He had half a mind to go find more, but at present, couldn't bring himself to move. S'bel, Ipsyth's tired voice reached his rider's mind. Beloyath's asked after you. "I'm not here," he mumbled, not bothering to send the thoughts rather than speak. I have already told him where the mountain winds have led us- that is, that we are home. S'bel groaned. There may have been mention of wine. At that, the bluerider just let out a long sigh and pushed himself up from the table. "Well damn." His night would go on a bit longer, so it seemed.

S'bel made his way to the door, opening it to wait for K'ren's arrival. He leaned his head against the doorframe, slouching slightly as he leaned the rest of his body in the doorway as well, arms folded across his chest. He was fairly certain he didn't look his best. He had cleaned himself up after dredging through the mud, but he was just so damn tired. He could almost feel the bags under his eyes. He peeked to the side and could see Ipsyth's tail sticking out past the wall where his hollow was. Somehow, that was a comfort. He sighed once again, looking out into the night and waiting, wondering if he would be able to muster some sort of smile to greet his fellow bluerider with. The show goes on, he spoke idly to Ipsyth. A song and dance. Yes. Let them come see. "You're so weird," S'bel muttered back with a small shake of his head, though finally some fondness shone through his voice in lieu of exhaustion. Maybe he could fake it for a bit longer today after all.

K'ren felt Beloyath's confusion when Ipsyth had first replied, then an understanding before he got the answer. Ipsyth says they are where the mountain winds led them, or rather home. K'ren also felt the beast's relief that that said home was withen walking distance. He was tired, and walking was easier. K'ren with Beloyath in tow, headed towards the home of S'bel. K'ren had a fleeting thought of how odd it was that Beloyath followed as he walked, only to be answered before the thought had even completly formed. You are not well, I should be near.  It was true, K'ren was more than exausted, he was heartbroken, and so with Beloyath shadowing him they made it to S'bels place.

Seeing S'bel waiting for them K'ren raised his bottle of wine and half shouted as he neared, "Hey, thought you might be looking for some wine," then when he was close enough to talk he continued, "That and I was hoping you had some clothes to spare." He made a nasty face as he motioned to his pants. "These are all I have left, I don't mean to be a bum, but I can think of no other who is even close to my size." At this, his facade fell, and the hurt and sadness that he had been able to push back with the day's work fell through, and his face fell. He said nothing of what had happened, for he didn't want sympathy, and he hoped that perhaps it would be mistaken for wearyness, and hurt vainity.

Beloyath wasted no time in moving to Ipsyth, and witout so much as a greeting curled up around the smaller blue and lay there in a tired heap, wings hanging loosely, his head resting on Ipstyh's hindquarters. His eyes swirled mostly with the hues of fagtigue, but there were hints of worry, as he kept a close mental watch on his bonded. Not a muscle moved as he ached everywhere, sore from digging all day, using muscles he didn't normally use. Then as an afterthought, he nuzzeled the other blue in a soft show of friendly affection. Beloyath had always liked the calming affect that Ipsyth had on him, and considered the odd dragon a friend.

At the sight of K'ren, S'bel did, actually, manage to pull a tired smile onto his face with some ease. It seemed like an automatic response these days; it just happened regardless of what he was thinking or feeling. S'bel pushed away the thoughts that told him that was probably some sort of indication of just how messed up he was. No. Happy. He was happy, damn it. Except today wasn't the day to be happy. Grateful, then. He was just glad to be alive. There was his reason for smiling. "You thought right, then," he called back to the fellow bluerider. When was he not looking for wine, after all? And today it proved more true than ever.

He gave a slight, incredulous whistle as K'ren drew nearer and he could get a clear look at the man. "Yeah no kidding," he responded to the comment of needing clothes. Had he really wandered around all day like that? Of course then K'ren had just told him that he had lost everything else. S'bel supposed he should have seen himself as fortunate to be in one of the relatively untouched areas. He was nothing if not a lucky bastard.

S'bel watched the mirth K'ren had been holding onto crumble from his face and he looked away, a grimace tugging on his own features as he covered his mouth with a hand. He pretended as if he didn't notice, and even moreso, at least to himself, that he didn't relate. He cleared his throat and turned again to K'ren, pushing himself off of the door frame in the same motion. "Well for Faranth's sake get in here," he jerked his head toward the inside of his hut before he turned to walk inside. He pulled a chair out from the table and dragged it into his room. "Here, sit down and open that wine, and I'm sure we can figure something out." He hoped he sounded hopeful.

He ducked into his kitchenette to grab a corkscrew for the task that he handed off before he turned to look around his room. "Right. Clothes." He flipped up the lid of a nearby trunk and looked over his shoulder to see how that wine bottle was coming. S'bel wondered if K'ren could tell he already had a head start where drinking was concerned. He seemed to realize something as he looked, though, and turned to grab a blanket from his bed, which he offered somewhat awkwardly to K'ren. He was, after all, still only in a pair of sleeping pants and had been wandering outside for what S'bel could only assume was a decent amount of time.

Outside, Ipsyth shifted to let the other blue wrap himself around him. Ipsyth never minded. Being around others was always a comfort to him. Do not worry Beloyath. Rest. he told him in that calm and wispy voice of his. He seemed thoughtful, seeming to stare through the walls at the two riders and consider things unseen.

K'ren must have been more worn out than he thought, for he could have swore that S'bel had smiled at seeing him come to visit. It seemed out of place to smile after what had happened, but then, maybe it was the wine, or perhaps it really was K'ren imagining things.  It didn't matter though, He was invited in, and he really wanted some sort of cover, now that he wasn't too busy to think about it.

When invited in, K'ren followed, managing to pull himself together some, grateful that S'bel was indeed going to help him. K'ren had spent so long collecting the clothes he had had, and now he had none. It was like he had lost a part of himself, two parts of himself really, as his thoughts went back to M'bal. No I can't grieve right now. Later. he told himself, and then he sat down where invited, and later took the corkscrew offered to open the wine.

Popping the top came with practiced ease, and he took a whiff of the contents and actually gave a half hearted smile. It was a better wine than he had first thought. He should have known to look closer to the age.  "This will be a treat, it's older than I anticipated." He said, then took the offered blanket. It wasn't until it was wrapped around him that he realized that he had been cold. The blanket felt good. "Thanks." he said a bit gruffly.

To the topic of clothes, he awkwardly replied, "At this point, I don't really care if it's old things. Later, I'll be able to acquire more, and will then be able to properly repay you." 

He then looked about, trying to spy a couple of wine glasses, but not seeing them he spoke again, "Got anything to pour this in?" A half grin appeared as he added, "Or shall I partake from the bottle?" It was meant as a tease, and a subtle flirt, something that was natural for K'ren. Even in this horrid state he was in. 

Through his bond, he felt Beloyath relaxing significantly, and this helped him to relax himself. He silently thanked Faranth for the affect Ipsyth had on his dragon, only to have a half asleep reply in dragon logic. Faranth isn't why Ipsyth calms me. K'ren had no reply to that, and let his dragon continue to drift.

S'bel gave a half shrug at K'ren's thanks. He really didn't know how else to respond. S'bel wasn't used to doing things for others. On a regular day he was nice enough, or at least he put up that front. But it was always just words. S'bel was far more used to saying nice things than actually doing them. Today was far from normal, though. He started to shuffle around in his clothes for something to do.

He started to pick out a few things he could let go, tossing them over onto his bed. He turned back around as the other rider asked about glasses. S'bel didn't feel like fetching anything to pour the wine in. Screw that. They had shared a bed before, they could share a bottle just fine. He returned K'ren's smile. "Oh, the bottle sounds good to me." He had no doubt that between the two of them they could probably finish the thing off quite easily anyhow. He resisted the urge to take the bottle and the first drink for himself. He could wait. The wine already in his system had him starting to feel the slightest bit fuzzy already and S'bel, at this moment, could think of nothing he wanted more than be truly and completely drunk. Maybe he could forget some of the nightmare that this day had been. So even though he waited his turn, he still leaned against the end of his bed and waited expectantly for a drink, hoping he could trust the man's assessment that the bottle would be a good one.

Part of him was perhaps glad to see other bluerider retaining some of his flirtiness. Likely because it meant the alternative was nowhere in sight for the moment. It probably didn't take someone as observant as S'bel to tell that not everything was rosy in K'ren's garden at the moment. And S'bel's natural aversion to feelings made him thankful for the bit of levity.

He could also feel his dragon's calm wash over him, but it did very little for his own mood. He and Ipsyth's feelings tended to be different quite often, what with Ipsyth predisposed to be content with everything and everyone and S'bel being quite the opposite. He supposed their bond would seem a little odd to most, but most things with Ipsyth were. And if S'bel had been too susceptible to his dragon's feelings, he couldn't help but think he would have gone absolutely nutty long ago.

K'ren nodded to the reply, and tipped the bottle to his lips, closing his eyes to let the flavor of the wine fill his awareness completly. It was a dry-sweet, rather than a complete dry, and ever so smooth. Because of it's age, the alchohol was strong, but K'ren only knew this from the date, and not the taste. It was a fine wine indeed, if, perhaps not suiting the occasion. He would have much more prefered a bitter dry in his current mood, he should have payed more attention to the lable. He tossed those thoghts aside, and lowered the bottle and offered it to S'bel.

He tossed the idea of putting on some of the clothes that were laid out on the bed, but decided against it, wine was how their encounter last time had been started. He'd be lieing if he'd said that sex would be unwelcome even as he mourned. To K'ren, sex was physical, not emotional, and like wine, it made him feel good. Damn good, infact. The two combined might even break him out of his current depression, well now there would be no guilt to be sure. M'bal now couldn't come back to him. The very slim chance he had had before was gone. These thoughts sobered him from his lust, and he decided that he wouldn't press for sex, but would be more than willing if it were to come his way.

"Beloyath always has been fond of Ipsyth." He mused alloud. He didn't really have much for conversation that wasn't depressing, and was trying to steer clear of that. Things only got worse when the bad things were focused on, and he wasn't here to be depressed. He was here to share wine and borrow clothes, so that is what he was intending to do. He put on a smile, next and found a joke he could use to perhaps lighten his own sad presance. "No doubt if dragons flew their own gender, Beloyath would do his best to catch Ipsyth, or maybe even be caught by him." The tone in his voice as he said the words left no doubt that this was a joke, and the twinkle that shown in his eye suggested a lot more. He sure hoped S'bel would find it funny enough to laugh, it was the best he had right now.

Sorry it's so short, I've a bit of writer's block, and someone nagging me to use the computer tonight. If it's not replied to tomorrow, I'll edit and add more.

S'bel eagerly took the bottle once it was offered, the hint of a grateful smile on lips for a few seconds before he raised the bottle to them. The other man wasn't kidding- it was good wine. He tried to savor it as much as possible he drank, lowering the bottle after a several moments. He just wanted to down more, really, but let the taste linger there for now. And while K'ren might not have thought it fitting for a day like today, but S'bel didn't see too much dissonance in it. Nothing was sweeter than the realization that you were still alive. And it was the little things that did that for him.

He nodded slightly at K'ren's statement of Beloyath being fond of Ipsyth, followed by a small laugh as he continued. "Now there's a thought," he said, voice mirroring the same facetiousness the other man's words had been spoken with, "Just imagine what they'd say in the Holds. Blues flying blues." He shook his head slightly, but added, "Not that I'd really complain about more flights. Why should greenriders have all the fun?" Still leaning against the end of his bed, he looked to the wall, the one the dragons lay behind as if he could see them through it. He seemed thoughtful, a bit more serious than he had been before. He spoke up again. "Really, though, I'm not really all that surprised to hear he's fond of Ipsyth. He tends to have that effect. He's comforting and friendly and good natured and all that. Really nothing like me."

Shit. He internally kicked himself for that one. His self-loathing was showing. S'bel forced out a laugh at that, playing it off as a joke. Just a little self-deprecating humor. It was anything but, of course, but he desperately hoped K'ren would buy it. And despite the fact he knew it would probably only make things worse, he brought the bottle of wine to his lips once again to distract himself. Once he was done with this drink, he set it down and turned back to the trunk of clothes. Right. Clothes. Yes. Another good distraction. He shuffled through a few more articles of clothing, tossing another shirt onto his bed as he mentally berated himself. It was just something about today- he was just not on his game.

Haha, it's cool. RL's been busy and distracting on my end of things to, and this post is likewise short, so I definitely understand.