[G] [P] 734.09.30 | Self-Interested Sympathy

The last signs of winter were dissipating, with spring eager, it seemed, to make it's arrival. S'bel was fine with that. He was done with this winter and ready to leave it behind. S'bel could feel Ipsyth as he walked through the tents set up as their temporary shelters on this almost-spring evening. He tried to ignore the feelings coming his way from the blue. It was a jumbled mix of curiosity, happiness, disbelief, amusement, and pride. The blue's feelings were hardly ever straightforward, but S'bel had gotten used to that turns ago along with the rest of his dragon's many, many quirks. He finally sighed. What is it?

Ipsyth seemed reluctant to answer. Like perhaps if he pointed it out, S'bel would suddenly realize what he was doing and stop once he became aware of it. Come on, out with it, he prodded further, stalling his walk until the blue spat it out. You're visiting a friend. Was that a hint of incredulity S'bel detected? He figured he should have been offended or something at that. Instead, he merely starting walking again and sent his dragon a curt response. I don't have friends. But you are to visit Ilveriath's rider, yes? What of it? He was injured? Yes. A broken leg, I think. You know what that means? He could use faces of a friendly variety. I was going to say, 'He can't get away.' Though I guess my face is friendly enough. Although his personality might have been a different story.

Still, the blue ignored the negativity in his rider's mind, apparently overjoyed for S'bel taking the initiative to do something that seemed so selfless to the blue. So S'bel just let him go on thinking that way, though the bluerider was well aware of his own intentions and figured on some level Ipsyth should have been aware of that as well. Who knew what went on in that blue's head sometimes. No, S'bel already knew his motivations weren't anywhere near being kind for it's own sake. He wasn't visiting I'shan to be nice, but because it looked nice. It was always nice to have a back-up for the times when he did rub people the wrong way. Then if they said anything about him, the response would be less likely to be, 'Yeah that guy's an ass' and more likely to be something like, 'Really? S'bel? No, you must be mistaken. Ipsyth's so sweet. And he even visits his fellow blueriders when they break limbs'. ...It was a limb, right? S'bel wasn't even completely sure on that. Did he look like a damn healer? It wasn't his job to keep track of other people's injuries. Well, as long as it wasn't a coma, he was sure his visit would be welcome. He could practically see the other man going stir-crazy already.

Besides, I'shan was entertaining and, more importantly, S'bel was still on good terms with the other bluerider. And it was one of the many contradictions in S'bel's character that he loved company while greatly disliking people as a whole. He tried not to think too hard about that.

He finally arrived at his destination, I'shan's tent. "Hey, I'shan, you in there?" he called as he stopped in front of it. Although where else would the man be? He had a broken leg. Arm? ...Back? Though he supposed he could have still been out an about if it was the arm. So they would hope for one of the other two... preferably leg. Broken backs were way more depressing.

I'san's fire lizards caught wind of S'bel's approval long before the bored bluerider himself. Ilveriath was off sleeping, so when the fire lizards took off in a chirping, chittering flock, he was left with no one but himself. He pouted. "Fine!" he called out, more for his own satisfaction than because he thought it would actually accomplish anything. His fire lizards were poorly trained and had poor attention spans. They were, in many ways, far too much like their master.

And so the fair whirled into the hallway, swirling around S'bel in a vocal little procession. Squee led the charge, looping erratically around the bluerider and singing a friendly greeting. Squeak and Spazz were a little less focused on S'bel and a litle more focused on trying to bat one another out of the way. Either way, the trio made sure that S'bel got quite a greeting, and in turn ensured that when S'bel walked into the room, I'shan's eyes were locked keenly on the entrance.

"Heheh," I'shan chuckled dryly. "...They must have been able to small you coming." He stuck his tongue out cheekily and beamed. S'bel wasn't one of I'shan's closest friends, but he was one of the brotherhood of blueriders that I'shan held sacred. He was one of the guys, and quite fun to be around. It had been entirely too long since they'd seen each other! Or at least it seemed that way to I'shan, who felt like a bird with clipped wings. He couldn't wait to walk again, but shards knew how long that would be.

"Nice to see you," he cooed, softer and sweeter this time, to take the edge off of his teasing. The fire lizards dispersed, chittering and squabbling. I'shan waved them off. "Pay them no mind, they're crazy," he said, though he was sure S'bel had experienced run-ins with the little pests before. I'shan loved them dearly, but he had to apologize for the little beats more than he had to apologize for himself! Did that say something about the flitters, or about himself? "It's about time you showed up. Everyone else has already brought me presents, you know." That was absolutely not true, but it was a fun claim to make. The bluerider eyed his friend cattily and awaited a response, arms crossed with mock disapproval.

S'bel scowled at the firelizards as they sped his way. He had never had an urge to keep any firelizards for himself. He didn't quite put stock in the blame some of his fellow riders that impressed before the Plague seemed to place on them, but he still quite disliked them. Funny, as S'bel generally liked dragons more than people. Their smaller cousins? Not so much. He sent the creatures a few very unamused looks while he was still out of I'shan's sight, but stopped glaring at them to force another smile on his face as he entered the room where his fellow bluerider was at rest.

He quirked an eyebrow at the other rider's facetious "greeting" and then responded without a beat, "Yeah. I keep telling Ipsyth not to leave dead herdbeast remains inside my room because of the stench, but you know how irrational dragons can be," before he cracked a smirk and chuckled a little. It was a joke, of course, but then again anything seemed possible as far as Ipsyth was concerned. The dragon didn't seem to dwell in the same world they did, sometimes, with all its logic. It was always interesting being bonded to a creature that seemed like he belonged in a surreal little world all his own.

S'bel supposed it was good, in his own sort of indifferent way, that I'shan still seemed to have his humor and be in good spirits. S'bel always somewhat envied those who were completely sincere in that regard. At any rate, it was much more fun for S'bel to be around people who weren't depressed. He had no clue what to do with those who needed comfort. He crossed the room, looking for a place to sit as the other bluerider sent the firelizards off. He paused slightly as he spoke again, obviously feigning embarrassment at having possibly committed such a grave social faux-paus. "Oh dear me. And here I am empty-handed. I didn't know gifts were required, maybe I should leave and come back with a suitable offering?" He pointed toward the door, matching I'shan's own teasing with a playful look, seeming to ask whether he should stay or go, though his amusement was still obvious. Two could play at this game. Really it probably had been too long since he had seen I'shan, he forgot how much he appreciated how little the man took seriously. S'bel didn't take much seriously these days, either, though for him it was a trait born less out of good-humor and more out of just not caring.

I'shan's smirk lingered. His good spirits were difficult to dampen on even the worst day, but he was sincerely happy to have some company. Aside from a few visits from R'nd and his new, adorable greenrider friend C'dhin, I'shan had been rather alone. Having lost the mother of his child in the landslide and his relationship with N'gelt some time before, the bluerider felt awfully isolated these days. He was needy in general, and being cooped up only made it worse!

"No...don't bother now, it won't mean anything!"  I'shan insisted in a huffy and dramatic tone. Much like S'bel, however, his true amusement shined through in spite of the biting words. He shrugged and offered a soft smile. He chuckled softly, then stretched out a bit and motioned for S'bel to come closer.

"...Seriously man, thanks for stopping by," he said. The humor drained in exchange for casual relief. He was happy to have company, and he didn't quite have the energy to keep up their little back and forth. He certainly didn't want to risk running the other man off. "It's been pretty sharding lonely in here." He briefly entertained the idea of gossiping to S'bel about C'dhin, but he swiftly decided that could wait. It was hard not to, though...the greenrider was such a little catch!

"How have you been? I'm so sharding sick of being stuck in here," I'shan murmured. "....It's been like, a month...and I have like five more to go, or something like that." Okay, so he hadn't paid much attention to the healers...he couldn't help it if everything they said was both bad new sand soul-crushingly boring.

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