11.Mar.12, 03:09 AM
"Not at all, actually," he said. "Larrikith is calmer and much more intelligent, and possibly the single meanest creature I've ever encountered." Tal frowned a bit. He'd noticed of late that he was attracted to hard-edged people. His closest friends were practically all sharp-tongued and aggravating. Larrikith was sharp-tongued and aggravating. Why did her snarking make him so uncomfortable? Was it the viciousness of it? Or just the fact that if any one being could be credited with the loss of his old life, it was her?
Now she had, on some level, saved it as well. Shards to that creature! Tal didn't like not knowing how to feel about something. He was used to being analytic. Larrikith, like so many of those he'd met at the Weyr, seemed to enjoy slaughtering his usual way of viewing the world and dancing upon it's corpse.
He just shook his head. "There are stereotypes concerning the dragon colors, but so far, I see little truth in them," he said as he stabbed a piece of roast wherry with his fork. He paused and let out a little laugh. "So far, though, I've yet to meet one that I care for." He hesitate for a moment. "That's not why I wasn't allowed at the touching, though. I haven't been well," he explained. He figured she was clever enough to figure out what he meant without excessive chatter; he was mentally unstable. Surely every-sharding-one knew by now, he thought grumpily. He wasn't stable, so he wasn't even allowed near the eggs.
He took a few more bites before answering her next query. A troubled expression flickered across his face, but it didn't linger for long. Like many healers, Talian was a bleeding heart when it came to such things. He hated to hear about unnecessary deaths. "Exposure and predators," he said. "There are some horrible beasts out there in the jungle, and far worse in the sea....As far as I can tell, this place is inescapable." A weighty bit of resignation lurked in his light voice.
The next part should probably have triggered more sadness, but in spite of himself, he managed a pleasant but plainly masochistic little laugh. "We're both sticks, then," he said with massive morbidity. He was the undisputed King of the Mopers. He knew he'd been a pathetic sack of useless for most of his time at Katila. He didn't want the Weyr to profit from his skill, though that was a tricky road, since his skill happened to be saving peoples' lives. Not a lot of flexibility there without turning into a murderer.
He decided to speak to that effect. "I'd have pouted back," he said, laughing again. He was getting some genuine amusement out of the situation, though an uncomfortable gleam in his eyes revealed just how true it was. He'd had a lot to lose.
It was still worth being alive, though.
An indifferent look came over him as she mentioned Impressing. "It sounds wretched to me," he confessed, letting his guard down just a bit. He liked Breccan thus far and found her clever and observant, the sort of person who wasn't a complete bother to talk to. Talian didn't befriend optimists or idiots. He wasn't the sort to spill his secrets to each person who showed interest in him (though he'd noticed that Breccan seemed awfully curious about him), but this was something he was comfortable discussing. After all, this was some common ground he had with all the other stolens...some common ground that wasn't distressing to talk about, too!
"They say the bond is amazing, but to be honest, I don't know if I can handle having someone in my head all the time. And think about it..." He paused to finish off his klah. "Your dragon determines your rank, your responsibilities...even who you sleep with?"
He blushed a little bit. It wasn't a virginal blush, but rather the blush of someone with a secret.
Shards, I'm smitten he realized miserably. Why, of all people, was he still fixated on Erisi? Because it kept his mind off his girlfriend back home?
He suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Breccan, may I ask you a question?"
Now she had, on some level, saved it as well. Shards to that creature! Tal didn't like not knowing how to feel about something. He was used to being analytic. Larrikith, like so many of those he'd met at the Weyr, seemed to enjoy slaughtering his usual way of viewing the world and dancing upon it's corpse.
He just shook his head. "There are stereotypes concerning the dragon colors, but so far, I see little truth in them," he said as he stabbed a piece of roast wherry with his fork. He paused and let out a little laugh. "So far, though, I've yet to meet one that I care for." He hesitate for a moment. "That's not why I wasn't allowed at the touching, though. I haven't been well," he explained. He figured she was clever enough to figure out what he meant without excessive chatter; he was mentally unstable. Surely every-sharding-one knew by now, he thought grumpily. He wasn't stable, so he wasn't even allowed near the eggs.
He took a few more bites before answering her next query. A troubled expression flickered across his face, but it didn't linger for long. Like many healers, Talian was a bleeding heart when it came to such things. He hated to hear about unnecessary deaths. "Exposure and predators," he said. "There are some horrible beasts out there in the jungle, and far worse in the sea....As far as I can tell, this place is inescapable." A weighty bit of resignation lurked in his light voice.
The next part should probably have triggered more sadness, but in spite of himself, he managed a pleasant but plainly masochistic little laugh. "We're both sticks, then," he said with massive morbidity. He was the undisputed King of the Mopers. He knew he'd been a pathetic sack of useless for most of his time at Katila. He didn't want the Weyr to profit from his skill, though that was a tricky road, since his skill happened to be saving peoples' lives. Not a lot of flexibility there without turning into a murderer.
He decided to speak to that effect. "I'd have pouted back," he said, laughing again. He was getting some genuine amusement out of the situation, though an uncomfortable gleam in his eyes revealed just how true it was. He'd had a lot to lose.
It was still worth being alive, though.
An indifferent look came over him as she mentioned Impressing. "It sounds wretched to me," he confessed, letting his guard down just a bit. He liked Breccan thus far and found her clever and observant, the sort of person who wasn't a complete bother to talk to. Talian didn't befriend optimists or idiots. He wasn't the sort to spill his secrets to each person who showed interest in him (though he'd noticed that Breccan seemed awfully curious about him), but this was something he was comfortable discussing. After all, this was some common ground he had with all the other stolens...some common ground that wasn't distressing to talk about, too!
"They say the bond is amazing, but to be honest, I don't know if I can handle having someone in my head all the time. And think about it..." He paused to finish off his klah. "Your dragon determines your rank, your responsibilities...even who you sleep with?"
He blushed a little bit. It wasn't a virginal blush, but rather the blush of someone with a secret.
Shards, I'm smitten he realized miserably. Why, of all people, was he still fixated on Erisi? Because it kept his mind off his girlfriend back home?
He suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Breccan, may I ask you a question?"