Excuse Me? [N'gelt]

By some sharding miracle Erisi had survived his first class, though he felt some lingering frustration over his predicament. Charath was a big personality, and his personality was just as huge... and somehow there was hardly enough room in his head for both. Charath had also spent the entire lesson either doting on Valerian, or trying to find a way to prank the Weyrlingmaster (much to Erisi's unhindered horror). He had somehow managed to convince her out of the idea, but her young mind was already trying to figure out who would be a good other victim. It was a good thing, perhaps, on his break between lessons, that he was with no one. Who knew what antics Charath would try and pull, and Erisi did not want his friends to suffer from them, let alone figures of authority.

Strangers, however, he'd let Charath have at them. Someone had to keep his dragonet from driving him crazy. As long as it wasn't the Weyrleader, Charath could have her fun. I don't understand why you couldn't do as well as Valerian did in the lesson. He listened very well. You tuned half of it out. I will probably have to repeat it to you later, Charath suddenly spoke with a mild amount of remorse for her bonded's inability to do as she wanted.

"You don't have the patience to," he shot back at her with a roll of his eyes. Regardless of their little argument, he reached out to scratch underneath her chin. They weren't nearly as openly affectionate as Krypth and Jada, but there was definitely a large amount of fondness in the way Erisi treated Charath. He was far more warm and open with her than he had ever been with anyone else. Even Talian didn't earn as many smiles as Charath had in just a day and a half of knowing her. Sometimes, he found her antics endearing, and sometimes he found them outright annoying. Right now, he was willing to put up with them.

I could. You couldn't tune me out, since my voice is right in your head. Can you hear me now?

How about now?

A small pause preceded her words, and then, And now? Can you hear me? Are you listening to me?

"CHARATH." Erisi scolded her loudly, holding a hand up to his ear as if that would block out the sound of her dark voice. The dragonet didn't take offense, instead shaking visibly with unrestrained laughter. Fortunately for everyone else, the only one who could actually hear her weird laugh resounding in his head was Erisi. "Fine, I can hear you. Stop it."

Are you suuureeeeee? The green dragonet tried to climb up onto the bench that Erisi was resting on, but since her lithe body was still a little too big to fit herself and Erisi, she settled for just her front legs finding space on the bench. She craned her neck to her bonded, staring into the side of his face intensely as he stubbornly stared in the other direction.

They were stuck in this stand off for a few minutes.

It appeared that the only way N'gelt was going to meet Erisi properly was in the Gather Square. A sourness hung over the Brownrider's head like a cloud. Sure, Golds were great, but where were the Browns?! Having lost so many marks on betting for Browns in the clutch, he was not in the best of moods. Especially when I'shan had been celebrating two of his searched Candidates Impressing, one of which to a Green. N'gelt had his theories about which Candidate of his had managed to Impress Green, but it certainly wasn't Erisi. He was yet to here from his partner exactly who it was that had Impressed, even though two days had passed.

He stalked through the Gather Square, irritation seeming to roll off him in great waves. Erisi's loud scold of his dragon roused him from his dark gloom, though it took him a few moments to figure out where it had come from. The first thing he saw was the small Green staring at someone, who he realized was Erisi. The man didn't seem too pleased by the dragon, was he being pestered by someone else's hatchling? Bringing himself to his full height, which was about 6'6 given his purposefully tall shoes, he strode over to the pair. Grabbing the baby Green he picked her up and put her on the ground.

"Go annoy your own rider." N'gelt said straight at the dragon's face before turning to Erisi. "Sharding Greens, annoying like all hell even as hatchlings." He commented, his gaze flickering over Erisi. He looked different. Tired and worn out. N'gelt frowned. "What's got you looking so dead?" He grunted. "You look like you Impressed." Of course, being N'gelt and having decided that Erisi was destined to be a Brownrider, the thought that the Green beside him was actually his dragon didn't even occur to N'gelt.

Erisi didn't notice N'gelt, so wrapped up in his little stand off with Charath, until it was too late. He should have noticed the large presence striding over to him. N'gelt was someone who commanded attention, whether by his impressive height or his gruff demeanor. N'gelt simply was someone you did not miss, unless you had a very demanding dragonet who was slowly sucking the life out of you. Charath kept him up at night, wouldn't let him sleep through class, and the wanted to play. The bad thing was that she was cute when she did all these things. It wasn't the cutesy kind, but rather the so-annoying-you-can't-help-but-admit-its-charm kind of cute. She had won him over, despite their equally horrible personalities. Erisi was completely her's.

So, his expression was momentarily considerably distressed when N'gelt picked up his dragonet and set her back on the ground. FARANTH where had he come from!? His mind didn't even have time to properly remember that N'gelt hated Green dragons, and that he was now bonded to one. "She is," he replied with a tentative smile. His gaze looked around N'gelt for an escape route, some way to avoid the man's looming disappointment and looming insults of his dragonet. For one, Erisi would not hear them, and secondly, if he did he was sharding obligated to defend his dragonet.

HE TOUCHED ME. The green squawked loudly, eyes flashing briefly yellow with alarm. She was mostly the reason why Erisi couldn't formulate a proper response to N'gelt. With no shame, Charath jumped into Erisi's lap, putting herself in the safety of her bonded's arms. His arms wrapped warmly around her, fingers stroking her neck soothingly. "I know, it's all right. He didn't hurt you."

I don't care! He touched me! I will make sure he eats wherry dung for breakfast tomorrow! He'll have a side of wher piss! Her eyes were still a touch yellow, but in Erisi's arms she was calming down, and only when she wasn't going to launch herself at or away from N'gelt did Erisi regard the brownrider properly.

"I did. Her name is Charath. You're upsetting her." N'gelt was upsetting him, but that didn't need to be spoken. Erisi had liked the man well enough, but Charath was his priority.

We wake up early tomorrow. I've got work to do!

Erisi's first response to N'gelt didn't quite register properly. Still in his little world of "Erisi will Impress a Brown", he assumed that the Green was annoying her rider by pestering other people. Charath's screech thudded into N'gelt's mind, to which he curled his lip at. Whoever had Impressed this Green needed to learn how to shut their dragon up, it was bad enough with the louder dragons interrupting his train of thought with their babble, he didn't need another doing it. Especially another Green.

Still reeling from the baby Green's shout he didn't quite hear the soothing coos that Erisi was uttering, though if he had he might have punched him unconscious right then and there. No real man cooed to a baby, dragon or human, like those wretched women did.

Finally managing to get his thoughts straight, N'gelt glared at the dragon now curled up in Erisi's lap, disgust written all over his face. He took half a step back, not wanting to be within the filthy hatchling's reach.

N'gelt? Who is upsetting you? Saquith's voice was surprisingly calming to him, his posture relaxing somewhat, though his lip stayed curled. 'One of those wretched Greens.' N'gelt answered, the image of Charath sitting in Erisi's lap filtering across their mental bond. Curious, Saquith reached out to the Green, just in time to hear her threatening to dose him with wher piss. I do not think you will be able to do that, little one. There are no whers here. Saquith's voice was filled with disgust much like his rider's as he spoke of his distant cousins, though any dragon that had seen the mangled creatures spoke much the same. Beyond that he was simply curious, the hatchling's threats were empty to him, the little ones were so silly sometimes.

"Charath?" N'gelt repeated like an idiot. I did…You're upsetting her. The words swirled around his mind, slowly falling into place alongside other information. He glared at the pair, standing tall and offended. "You! You're the one I'shan said Impressed Green!" He spat accusingly. Any faith or adoration N'gelt felt for Erisi was instantly sapped out of his mind, not even his tavern music would bring him back into N'gelt's good graces. He had known for some time that I'shan had searched Erisi, that in itself seemed to keep the man interesting to N'gelt, particularly since the two lacked the capacity to get along. Now it seemed that Erisi had, unwillingly, made an enemy of the Brownrider. Perhaps she stole him. Saquith suggested. He was a little dismayed that Erisi hadn't Impressed a little Brown for him to coach along, though he did accept that any new dragon was a welcome dragon. The latter of which he refused to let N'gelt know, in case it sent the man into a rage. N'gelt's eyes narrowed at the suggestion. It made sense, there were no Browns in the clutch, Charath must have known that and seized the opportunity to steal Erisi.

Still, that didn't dig Erisi out of the disgusting hole N'gelt had mentally placed him into alongside all other Greenriders.

Then he should not have touched me, so I do not have to go out of my way to find one. There was even a certain amount of reluctance in Charath to talk to Saquith. Her voice was unpleasant in tone to begin with, which only seemed to fuel the bite in her words. Not desiring to talk to humans was understandable, but Charath didn't even like most of her kin. There were only a few siblings from her clutch that she could stand, and with most of the older dragons she was a standoffish youth. Truthfully, there wasn't much in the world that Charath liked beyond Valerian, and well, she supposed her bonded as well.

Erisi hardly had any faith in the situation, mostly because he knew how much N'gelt detested greens. While he had liked the man well enough before, that didn't mean he was going to tolerate his gruff attitude towards his dragonet. Now that he thought about it, he had to wonder if he had already been drunk the first time they had met. No matter how handsome N'gelt was, it could hardly make up for his negative attitude. He was like Erisi in the way - good for one thing, and not much else beyond that one thing. With a sigh, he urged Charath out of his lap so he could rise to his feet. If he didn't stand up preemptively, N'gelt would walk all over him and there would be no end to the looks of disgust sent at his dragonet. N'gelt wasn't someone you could really back down to, not if you wanted to avoid being stepped on or losing the Brownrider's approval. He did not care about the latter. He cared about the former.

He folded his arms against his chest, not intending to start a fight over trying to prevent one from happening. Erisi had little tolerance when it came to people insulting his dragonet, who was nothing more than a few days old. She did not deserve people making snide remarks at her because her color was green. "Before you even start with this, N'gelt. Say one thing about my dragonet, and I'll be done with this. She didn't pick the color her hide, so lay off with the looks you keep giving her. I am not the kind of person who is going to sit back and let you say every snide comment that comes into your mind about her, so just don't do it." It was a warning, because Erisi suspected if it wasn't given then things were bound to intensify later.

I think I'm really touched.

Erisi sent a look down at his dragonet, as if to say 'really? Weren't you pissed two seconds ago?'.

I really am! Don't give me that look. You just chided him for giving me looks and now you're doing it because I said something nice.

A rather strong bout of wind buffeted the trio as Saquith appeared from between above them. He backwinged to land behind N'gelt, his head snaking forward to bump against his rider's hip. Saquith was by far one of the largest Browns in the Weyr, several times larger than Charath would ever be. What will you do, fly between to the North and take a mouthful straight from the beasts themselves to bring back and spit into a glass? Saquith's tone was sharp and scathing, just as Erisi would not tolerate N'gelt's rude words to Charath, he would not tolerate her own threats, no matter how empty they may be.

N'gelt's hand reached up to rest on Saquith's snout, the hide smooth and soft beneath his fingers. There was a gentle vibration as the Brown gave an extremely quiet rumble, reassuring his rider. Perhaps Erisi had been doomed to a Green all along. N'gelt's mind slipped back, thinking of the day they had met. They had rarely interacted since, though N'gelt wasn't much one for idle chatter and social niceties. His memory of the day had a little hazy tint to it, the alcohol had caused that no doubt. Whatever he tried to do though, he couldn't quite remember Erisi ever flat out agreeing to Greens being filth… or liking dragons at all. N'gelt frowned, his thoughts turning now to what I'shan had said of the boy. 'Determined not to Impress' and 'hates all dragonriders' sprung to the forefront of his mind.

By this stage, Erisi had stood up and folded his arms over his chest, a move that in the long run probably wasn't a good idea. "Oh look at the little weyrling, the one who never wanted a dragon to start with, trying to be all defensive." His voice was sweetly condescending to Erisi, though when he addressed Charath, with clear intent to ruffle feathers, his voice was flat and dark. He didn't care if his jibe upset Charath or Erisi. The fact that Erisi had Impressed meant the dragon was unfit for duty, mentally unstable as it were. His lip curled up in disgust again as he gave them a narrowed gaze. It was as if he were standing before rotting meat, turning his nose up at the awful scent it was emitting. This one thinks she is clever. Saquith commented idly. N'gelt's anger and disgust were bleeding into his mind as he fought to keep his rider calm, his rider's prejudices slowly becoming his own as their minds pushed together.

Erisi's hand lifted to push back the hair that had been tousled by the beat of Saquith's wings. The breeze could have been considered pleasant if he wasn't currently in a stand off with N'gelt, so instead the action was annoying. He had liked Saquith before, since the dragon had been one of the few that seemed to mind his space. At the first sign of trouble, the dragon seemed to ignore Erisi's desire to be able to breathe his own air. While he could not hear Saquith, he knew the dragon had said something, because Charath replied to him in a voice that she had not yet mastered, and so was broadcasted to her bonded and probably those nearby as well. He looked down at his dragonet, who did not seem to be terribly upset, but was definitely agitated. She was terribly alike him in that way - they both got along with nearly no one, and both of them were quick to make angry. Shells, both of them could hold a grudge. If Charath didn't spend all day tricking people, he would have thought that he had Impressed himself.

I would not do something so crude. Charath answered honestly. Her voice was dark to begin with, but was darker now with agitation at Saquith's continued interference. This was something that she'd likely never get over now. Do not think that I am glowless as to be unable to come up with a more clever solution. You'll see when your's winds up with a foul tasting drink. If Erisi was misbehaving, Charath was doing it more so. He would have scolded her if he didn't want to at least show a united front against N'gelt. Really, he wasn't looking for actual confrontation. He was standing his ground now, because it'd likely be impossible to later. Erisi had enough run-ins with D'ren to avoid giving the Weyrleader a reason to call him back to his dining table.

He was absolutely affronted when N'gelt started to talk down to him, and Charath was in no mood herself to calm him down. Icy eyes burned with barely restrained anger, and it was up to himself to keep calm. Arguing with N'gelt wouldn't go well for him... the man was fairly good at being intimidated. Erisi was known for stupidly starting fights that he couldn't win. As a journeyman, he'd gotten himself hurt a few times because he did not know when to shut up. "You're right. I didn't want a dragon, I didn't want a lifestyle that I was not in full control of. But I have her now, and she is everything. What makes me sad is that you see no problem with letting other people lord over your life." His words were reasonable, but his tone was biting. He was antagonizing N'gelt far more than he knew he should, but Erisi was not the type of person to back down even when it was for his own good.

Saquith stared at Erisi at his obvious distress to his hair being mussed and his own close presence. He gave the weyrling a quick snort of air to the face. He does not like my being close. Does he think that he will only ever be near his… one? He held back the snide comment that was forming in his mind. While usually a gentle and kind dragon, Saquith was forming a great dislike for the pair before them, mostly due to N'gelt's strong emotions spilling into his own mind. Charath's response elicited a deep rumble of draconic laughter within Saquith's chest. Be my guest, I would love to see you perform such a feat in such a short time. Maybe we can catch up, share tips later? His voice dripped with sarcasm, after this encounter Saquith had no desire whatsoever to interact with the little Green. She would certainly never be one he would ask to chase.

Erisi's icy gaze went unnoticed by N'gelt, but his words did not. Letting people lord over his life? Had this idiotic whirling been eating hallucinogenic herbs? N'gelt paused to wonder for a moment. Were all weyrlings this besotted with their new dragons? He didn't remember being that way. Though the main memory he had of his first few days was feed, bathe, oil, feed, sleep. Wake up, repeat. The curiosity was quickly dropped, feeling Saquith radiating frustration and anger beside him. It took all his will to restrain the dragon from doing more than blowing puffs of air at the weyrling. His own will… well.

Crack!

Erisi's skull made a rather pleasing sound as N'gelt's fist landed, he would certainly be sporting a rather pleasing bruise across his cheekbone for the next while. N'gelt tossed his head into the air, staring down his nose at the weyrling, though there was little need for him to do so with his height.

"It would do you well to learn to respect your superiors." N'gelt sneered. Beside him Saquith's eyes whirled a peculiar mix of blue and red, angered but pleased for his rider's excellent punch. He turned on his heel, striding down to his dragon's neck and leaping up into the saddle. He looked down at Erisi in thought, then decided that no, it wasn't worth speaking to the insolent boy again. 'Let's go, Saquith.' N'gelt sent, clipping himself into his straps. The Brown leapt aloft, using his wings more than he needed to send buffets of wind over the weyrlings before turning on wingpoint and disappearing between. Was he showing off? A little.