Chance Encounters [R'nd]

Well, things had been completely underwhelming lately.

With both of his friends Impressed and a steady stream of mangled patients, Talian hadn't been doing much other than making rounds and drinking klah. It was a boring routine, but it was a routine he was growing used to. He'd never particularly valued excitement in his life, but he was starting to feel more and more like a cog...undoubtedly exactly what they expected of him.

Still, he obeyed. He did what he was told and did what he had to do as a healer, but otherwise he wasn't very good company. He came out of his shell a bit when he saw his friends, but those were rare occasions these days. Eri and Val were busy in lessons, Lymsleia was apparently out and about and who knew what Breccan was up to. B'jin, of course, was preoccupied with his new lover and dealing with his wounds.

It had been quite a while since the lashing now. Tal expected B'jin to come to have his stitches removed soon. That would be a weight off the young healer's mind. He'd been going over his current patients during his bath that evening, lurking in the warm water for longer than he probably needed to out of sheer desire for escapism. He had nothing interesting to do and nowhere to go, no imagination and no desire to be where he was...what did he have to do but sit in his bath water and daydream?

Too bad he could only seem to daydream about medicine right now. Shards.

He emerged after some time and quickly dressed. He dried his hair as best he could before sliding out into the hallway and reluctantly but wearily starting back towards the healer hall, but he didn't make it out of the first hallway before he noticed movement ahead...

Really, someone else in the bath house this late?

It was some ridiculous hour of night and R’nd was still awake. He kept fairly odd hours thanks to tasks, Ayyonth’s whims, and his own desires so it really wasn’t that unsurprising for the bluerider to be seen roaming around while most everyone else had gone to bed hours before. It was a habit he should probably break but the unpopular hours of night gave him more freedom to do as he pleased; like slip off to the bathhouse to laze in the hot water on his own for a while. True, he had his own small bathing tub in his hut thanks to living on the outskirts of the Weyr, but it wasn’t quite the same when the water started to cool and there wasn’t as much room as the public baths provided.

So it was a lazy bluerider looking to relax and unwind undisturbed for a while that flew atop Ayyonth in a lazy glide over the Weyr to the bathhouse. I may be a while if you want to return home. Not wanting to risk bothering anyone or alerting them to his idea of bathing alone, R’nd avoided speaking aloud  while outside and gave his blue an affectionate pat on the neck as his feet touched the ground. It’s a nice night out. I think I’ll join you in your lazing about but from the rooftop. Go and enjoy yourself. Ayyonth waited for R’nd to start inside and took off to go settle in at his desired location.

As he made his way down the hall, he heard an odd noise before seeing something move up ahead. Had someone else had the same idea as him? Odd, but R’nd was willing to accept that he wasn’t the only one with such habits and since it seemed the other person was leaving, there was no reason to abort the plan in order to avoid chatting while they soaked when he was being strangely quiet that night. That had been the plan until they moved closer to each other and the light caught the other man’s face. Talian. R’nd couldn’t stop the startled expression that took over but he quickly pulled it back in and smiled at the master healer. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here but I’m glad to see you, Talian. I’ve been meaning to find you.”

A wave of ominous dread washed over Talian as he watched the other figure approach, it's identity cloaked in shadow. He flattened himself against the wall to let the other man pass, but he was astonished when the person instead stopped and uttered his name.

I've been meaning to find you.

Tal's eyes widened, first in confusion and then in slighty discomfort as he realized who he was staring down. It was the bluerider, B'jin's new lover! R'nd. Talian never, ever forgot a name.

He swallowed hard. "Why?" he asked point-blank. He unconsciously slid onto his tip-toes, trying to look taller. He wasn't sure why he felt so suddenly threatened by R'nd; the bluerider hadn't actually made any threatening gestures towards him. His logical side knew that. But it was a very uncomfortable place to meet someone he wasn't thrilled to see, and that ominous wording was, well...ominous.

Tal swallowed hard. He mostly feared an extremely awkward conversation and the opening of new wounds. "I er...was just heading back to go to bed," he said almost too hopefully, as if politely asking (begging) the bluerider to let him go.

He didn't dare just walk away, though. The dragonriders had proven well enough that they didn't tolerate disobedience.

There Talian went freaking out over being near him again. If he wasn't giving looks of hatred, it was fear. R'nd wasn't sure which he preferred out of the two emotions the healer seemed to reserve for him. Both seemed to stem from the simple fact that he was a dragonrider since Talian likely didn't know much else about him. Of course he was always in at least one rumour circulating so there was a chance something was heard about him and believed. Then again, given how much time he was spending with B'jin lately, maybe Talian didn't approve of him or was jealous of the time he was missing out on. So many theories and so little answers! That and the simple fact that R'nd hated people hating him without a good reason --S'kef, for example, could hate him all he wanted since it was mutual -- were why the bluerider had wanted to find the healer.

"I'll be quick then." R'nd stepped closer to Talian so they wouldn't have to raise their voices and either disturb anyone else hiding in the baths or attract an eager ear looking to overhear others' business. Since he came in peace and just to talk, the idea that he seemed threatening in his movement didn't occur to the rider that still came to a stop with a couple of feet between them. He didn't want to yell but he also didn't need to be right up in the man's face for a civil conversation.

"I only wanted to know why you hate me. I don't think I've done anything to you." It was hard to say what happened when lost to flightlust but R'nd knew he hadn't slept with Talian and didn't think he had even bowled the healer over on the way to the greenrider he was after. Every other time he could account for and there was very little interaction between them, so it had to just be the generalized hatred of all dragonriders he was suffering under but even still, R'nd had to hear it from Talian. "Have I?"

To Talian, the motion was extremely threatening. He tried to ignore his own discomfort, but he couldn't help but flatten himself against the wall a bit more in an effort to make himself small before the bluerider. Tal felt like he was facing one of the masters at the hall; someone who had complete power over him. R'nd wasn't a Weyrleader or a Weyrling Master, but he was a rider...he was already miles ahead of Talian by Katilan standards, and if he wanted to destroy Tal, it wouldn't be hard. Just a quick meeting with D'ren or Tsuen, right?

Tal swallowed hard. He wondered why R'nd had such an interest in him. He didn't want to assume that R'nd was a terrible person, but he was having a hard time avoiding that exact worry. His logical side and pessimistic, wildly emotional side were arguing violently in his head.

He reminded himself of Charath. He knew Erisi loved the ugly little monster, so Tal had resolved to tolerate her. R'nd should be much the same; B'jin wouldn't be so fond of him if he was actually horrible, right?

"I don't hate you," Tal said quietly, his voice nearly catching in his throat as he spoke. He raised both hands defensively, as if to surrender to the bluerider. How did he explain 'I just hate dragonriders and don't need any kind of friendship any of you could ever give me, B'jin being the one exception'? Well, that wasn't even totally accurate anymore, since both of his friends had gone off and Impressed.

"I just....well, you haven't," he said hastily. He hoped that would be good enough, but he doubted it. Shards, why did R'nd have to stand so close?!

He had plenty of answers for the bluerider, just nothing he felt comfortable saying to a total stranger. So he apologized instead. "I'm sorry if I made you feel that way before. I just..."

Convincing. Real convincing.

R’nd sighed and ran a hand over his face, frustrated at how their meeting was going. Nothing was changing for the better as it felt like Talian was even more afraid of him as he tried desperately to meld with the wall. Who had the man met to make him fear dragonriders so much? There probably wasn’t one singular person to be blamed but all of them and their way of life and collecting Candidates. He had heard a lot from the Candidates he Stood with, including hatred aimed directly at him. How could he understand what they were going through when he had willingly gone South and wanted the secret Weyr life? How could he pretend to miss his family when he turned his back on them and chose a dragonrider’s offer to go into seclusion?

“You did and I should honestly be used to it. I Impressed last clutch, the first for Katila, and a lot of my classmates didn’t want to know me,” he didn’t offer the reasons, knowing even as he said what he had that Talian wouldn’t be interested in it. “I’m not a bad person. I just chose different paths in life.” Like how Talian didn’t seem to know how to articulate his reasons behind his hatred or fear, R’nd wasn’t sure how else to say he was nice and that being hated without cause really bothered him.

Instead, he went with another tactic; flattering the kid and showing he was a nice guy. “I said it before at B’jin’s, but whether you Impress or not or whether you like or hate me, I’m glad you’re here.” His voice was softer now and R’nd took one of the hands raised in defence to hold gently in his own. He was naturally a touchy-feely type of guy and at times R’nd forgot that not everyone else was or would appreciate the gestures he saw as innocent or normal between friends. The way his thumb moving in small, slow circles over Talian’s hand, however, was a habit R’nd didn’t know he had, subconsciously flirting with attractive people.

Talian swallowed hard as the bluerider appealed to him, obviously quite intent on earning some level of favor from the boy. Talian was wholly uninterested, but R'nd's evident sincerity led the healer to calm down just a little bit. R'nd had a reputation when it came to candidates, but if B'jin liked him, could he really be so bad? Talian decided to let his guard drop just a little bit as he cleared his throat and prepared to talk.

"I don't think you're a bad person," he said evenly, eyes widening and peering adamantly into R'nd's as he spoke. "I don't believe that B'jin would be with you if you weren't," he added, his voice becoming dangerously faint as he spoke, as if someone was sucking his breath away. He inhaled deeply, composing himself, before carefully peeling himself off of the wall.

"I just know how most dragonriders feel about us," he said, voice a blend of resigned sorrow and his usual factuality. "And I don't want anything to do with it. I don't know anything about you, just that you're a dragonrider and B'jin likes you," he said. He talked like someone who was denying someone a second date. "If I acted uncomfortable before, well...that's b-because dragonriders make me uncomfortable. I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that. It's nothing about-"

"....you." He swallowed hard as R'nd slid up before him, gripping his hand and speaking to him in a terrifyingly gentle tone. Was the bluerider....hitting on him? Shards, what would happen if Tal said 'no'? A chill shot up Talian's spine as he felt R'nd's fingers moving over his skin. The healer lowered his head submissively, suddenly unsure what to do. How could he talk his way out of this?

"Look...B'jin...is like a father to me," he said with a nervous laugh. Shards, where had he even been going with that?

Completely oblivious to Talian’s new line of thought but encouraged that his touch wasn’t shaken off while Talian seemed to try opening up to him, R’nd continued in kind, “you’ll find I’m not like most dragonriders. I want to help those brought South however I can.” Sure their circumstances were different for going South but they were all from the North, right? They were all humans, right? So what did it matter that he had a big blue dragon linked to his mind while others didn’t? There just wasn’t a need to treat people differently and there wasn’t a need to pass judgement on someone because they were part of a group that wasn’t entirely trusted.

When Talian lowered his head, R’nd frowned and with his free hand, brushed the back of his fingers lightly under the healer’s chin to encourage him to look up again, leaning in a bit closer as he did to capture the man’s gaze. “I would really like us to get to know each other better.” Talian said he didn’t think he was a bad person but still R’nd had to give one final try to show he was a pretty good guy and could be a friend. It was also for B’jin since Talian was important to the greenrider he was spending a lot of time with lately and didn’t want there to be any awkward encounters that would leave B’jin angry or choosing between them. When it came down to an adoptive kid or a playmate, R’nd didn’t doubt he would be the one kicked out of the hut. “I won’t hurt you, Talian.”

So he wanted to help? Tal highly doubted that, but he kept his reservations to himself. Unfortunately for R'nd, his continued obliviousness to Tal's concerns was only serving to exaggerated them more. The blueirder's words grew kinder and softer, almost too gentle to be trusted, and his touch grew more invasive. Tal could feel his heart pounding in his chest and throat.

The hairs on the back of his neck sprang up at R'nd's word choice. Get to know him better? Surely he didn't mean anything illicit, right? No one actually used those words as a code for something more intimate, right?

He cringed a bit, shrinking away from the fingers as they brushed underneath his chin. "Y-you don't understand," he panted, his voice quivering lightly as he tried once again to make himself small.

He couldn't stand it anymore. The proximity was too much, the implications too threatening...and dear Faranth, Tal had no idea how to say 'no' to a dragonrider. Would B'jin get angry with him if he did? Shards, would B'jin get angry at him if he didn't? What was the etiquette? What were his rights?

Oh, that's right. None.

Overcome with sudden terror, the healer squeaked a pitiful response to R'nd's unintentional advances, pleading wide-eyed with the bluerider as he backed up against the wall. Realizing there was no escape, he slowly began sliding down to the floor. "Oh Faranth, please don't do this to me," he groaned, tone laced heavily with resignation, for he already considered himself thoroughly doomed.

Talian showing fear around him and being timid wasn’t anything new but the healer had suddenly upped the display tenfold until he was slinking to the floor. But what was that about not doing something to him? Don’t do what? R’nd blinked in confusion as Ayyonth’s roar of laughter vibrated in his mind and since Talian didn’t react to the noisy intrusion, R’nd knew it was directed solely at him.

Your reputation for having too much fun with Candidates has finally caught up to you! Before R’nd could voice his continued confusion, Ayyonth ever-so-helpfully went on, leaving his rider practically drowning in his amusement, You’re hitting on him without even realizing it. I love how oblivious you are to how you come off to people like the healer. I am not hitting on him! Was he? Talian was adorable but-- But nothing. You freaked him out and he now believes you’re about to force yourself on him. Normally that wasn’t something the blue or his rider would take lightly but Ayyonth couldn’t stop his laughter this time since R’nd deserved the misunderstanding for how he was pressing the poor little healer.

Shock hit R’nd hard as Ayyonth’s words sank in. He supposed the way he held the hand he still hadn’t released even with the kid dropping to the floor could be seen as the wrong signal. And there was the way he had brushed his fingers under Talian’s chin. Who knew what he had said and how wrong they sounded to a man that was already nervous. Suddenly nervous himself and wanting to make it very clear he had no intentions of sleeping with Talian against his will, R’nd was down the hall so quickly that it was as if he went between himself. “I only wanted to talk, Talian!” His hands were raised in surrender and to let Talian keep them in sight so he knew no sudden movements were going to happen. “I didn’t mean… I wasn’t… That’s not my… shards!” When words failed the smooth-talker, things had definitely gone wrong.

Speaking of wrong, what would B’jin think if he found out about this? Oh how R’nd wished he could learn to keep his hands to himself! Ayyonth’s new bout of laughter wasn’t helping anything either.

Talian sank dejectedly to the floor, landing squarely on his knees with his head hanging low in defeat. It was a dramatic gesture filled with melodramatic flair, but much like R'nd was unaware of his own advances, Tal was lost in his own blaze of fitful emotions. He opened his eyes and to look up emphatically at R'nd, to beg one more time to me left alone, but he was genuinely surprised when he saw the bluerider suddenly peel away.

Tal 'eep!'ed at the sudden movement, recoiling and rolling from his knees onto his backside. His back hit the wall and his hands flew down to his sides, postured to help him bolt if he got the chance, but he found himself too puzzled by R'nd's behavior to bring himself to move.

"Why do you want to talk to me so badly?" Talian asked, composing himself a bit now that the physical proximity was gone. While flighty and nervous, the healer knew confusion when he saw it. R'nd was stunned by something so...maybe Tal wasn't going to be brutalized after all? He crawled a few paces before nervously pulling himself to his feet.

"I just don't understand. Haven't you people done enough to me?" he asked, his words oddly hollow, lacking the pain  or frustration they would have had in the months prior. He still felt very much the same about the situation, but his desire to argue against it was fading. The boy just didn't have much will to fight, even for himself and especially when it was hopeless. Instead, he just looked disappointed.

He hugged himself anxiously and sighed, watching the bluerider with mistrust, but not moving to run away. He realized he was probably being a little  bit unfair to the bluerider, but shards...he couldn't stop shaking! "I don't care anymore," he lied, raising his voice just a little bit in an effort to sound more sincere. "But every dragonrider I talk to is just interested in turning me into one of them. And I don't want to be." He stopped himself, recognizing that he was well on the way to a rant or an emotion-spill if he didn't. He just sighed again.

“Because,” I need people to like me. Going into seclusion with only his Searchrider and dragon as company for several turns had started to mess with his mind and made him crave interaction more than he had previously despite always being friendly and starting to learn the ways of being flirtatious. When the call to unite came, he had made the extra effort to befriend everyone he could and couldn’t bare the thought of people not liking him and making him an outcast once again. Alone in a sea of people sounded worse than simply being alone at the sea to R’nd. Sensing his rider’s sinking mood, Ayyonth’s laughter subsided and he sent reassuring thoughts, urging R’nd to not continue down that path of memories.

“You seem to be a decent person, B’jin likes you, and quite frankly it has been bothering me that you decided to lump me in as just another rider that doesn’t deserve more than glares of hatred when you aren’t cowering in fear. I like to think I’m rather unique but that aside, it’d be appreciated if you at least spoke to me once before deciding I was horrible.” He was beginning to ramble, a good sign that he was either getting frustrated and trying to find anything to prove his worth and opinion or he was trying to cover up his true feelings, something he normally didn’t even want to examine. In this case, it seemed to be a bit of both.

R’nd ran his hands through his hair and down onto his neck where they rested as his head lolled back to rest against the wall. Talian was infuriatingly stubborn in his opinion on dragonriders but it would be unfair and unkind to ignore everything that happened to the Candidates the moment a dragon Searched them. “I don’t want you to be a dragonrider either. As a weyrling you’ll be too busy to be a healer. Yes, after that you can return to your craft with more ease but I like you with your feet firmly on the ground,” R’nd hesitated for a moment, wondering if Talian cared to hear anything he had to say or if he was just talking to the walls that didn’t even have the courtesy to echo his words back and give the illusion of a conversation. Even if it made no difference, he had to say what was on his mind and call his attempts of at least being passing acquaintances done, “you have a passion for what you do. I saw the dedication in your eyes, when you weren’t eyeing me suspiciously, and in the way you moved when tending to B’jin’s back.” He stopped there, knowing that anything else said about it being admirable wouldn’t be believed or that saying Katila needed him wouldn’t sit well with the man that hated everything to do with the Weyr.

Tal frowned, slumping lightly against the wall and listening with misgiving as R'nd explained himself. The healer imagined he at least owed R'nd an ear, though he remained largely unconvinced...not of the bluerider's good intentions, but of his own ability to look past the rank itself.

He knew it was unfair, but he couldn't just order his brain to shift modes.

"That's exactly why I don't want to be a dragonrider," he said bitterly. He looked straight at R'nd, but the effect was lost between distance and darkness. Talian was quiet for an uncomfortably long time before he spoke again. "That'll be the last thing your leaders can take from me," he said with deceptive stoicism, choosing intentionally to say 'your leaders' instead of a generic, catch-all 'you'. It was a minor token of acknowledgement, a sort of 'benefit of the doubt' term. Tal was doing his best not to label R'nd, though his mistrust lingered.

"They've taken everything else from me. My craft is all that remains," he whispered. "I don't think it's worth a dragon, but if I say anything like that, they just say 'you don't know what you're talking about. Of course you want a dragon'. It's....I don't know," he said, stopping gently before he could get off on a tangent. He was an emotional boy and had poor control over his expressiveness. The last thing he needed was to dump a sob story on R'nd right now. "It's not important."

He sighed again. "I'm sorry to have bothered you," he said one final time, soft voice muffled somewhat as he hugged his knees. He hoped R'nd would get the message and leave him alone now. He didn't know what else he could say; he had nothing particularly nice to say and he didn't want to go off the deep end. He just couldn't imagine anything in between.

R'nd wasn't quite sure what else he could say to ease Talian's mind for when they were near each other. He had already said he was glad the boy was at Katila for all the good he had done through his craft and stated he was one of the few that didn't mind if Talian never Impressed. Of course he couldn't fully understand the need to cling to the craft that was so well loved since he hadn't liked sea-crafting, preferring the beach and ocean to be a place for tanning and swimming, not work. But given the circumstances Talian was in, R'nd could see how being allowed to continue healing in any capacity was important when everything else had been stripped away. His life in the North, possibly a lover and family, even his pride and dignity to some level had been stolen. If Ayyonth tested as a capable search dragon, R'nd would do his best to make his Candidates come willingly, though with the restrictions they had to work with, it would be a challenge.

Though he didn't know what to say, there was still a desire to comfort the Healer and R'nd took a step forward out of habit to console through some form of touch. He stopped and stepped back when he remembered where that had gotten him minutes before and why they were down standing with such a large space between them. Words. He would have to find words to comfort with. He was good with words, normally, but they often failed him when it came to talking about feelings or such delicate situations. "For what it's worth coming from someone like me, I hope you don't Impress unless you do truly want it and that others will soon realize that you're happiest when helping someone and they welcome you as a Master Healer we're lucky to have and not as any sort of failure."

While he didn't view Talian as a failure, R'nd was coming close to thinking he was himself. His attempts had little effect on the boy and while he did catch the small effort to not include him in as the evil riders holding him back, R'nd deemed it time to give up, perhaps only for now, and leave the kid alone. "Don't apologize, I'm the one that's sorry for bothering you. Thanks for humouring me as long as you have." He took a few side steps down the hall toward the bathes, clearly showing he wasn't about to approach Talian or block the way outside and away from him. "Oh, and never say it's not important. Your feelings and thoughts are just as important as mine, as B'jin's, even as the Weyrleader's." He smiled softly but with the dark space between them he knew it likely went unseen.

Talian frowned as R'nd spoke to him. He couldn't see the man's face in the dark, but he could hear the kindness in his words clearly enough. Why didn't it feel good? Tal scowled a bit, careful to keep his face hidden, as he puzzled over his strange mix of emotions. There it was again, the roller coaster.

Tal's stomach lurched. He knew all too well what lay at the end of this road. He let out a barely audible gasp and shuddered, trying to hide his sudden wave of illness from R'nd, before he made a reluctant but steadfast decision.  He slowly rocked forward onto his knees and looked up at the bluerider with pleading eyes, just in time to see R'nd change his mind about his approach and start to walk away.

"Wait."

Talian slowly stood, taking only a moment to brush the dust from his pants. He still wasn't sure; he had no desire to form any sort of friendship with riders simply because of what they were. They were, ultimately, nothing but a big club of prison guards. Still, R'nd hadn't meant him any harm...

Tal acted primarily out of logic and habit. He knew what the right thing to do was. He even knew how he was supposed to feel right now - happy and thankful that  R'nd was being kind to him. Why, then, did he feel neither of those things? He appreciated the concern, but he didn't feel any better at all. He just felt numb.

"It's just that...Being around dragonriders brings up...bad feelings,  I guess? Things I've been trying hard to leave behind," he admitted frostily. He was subtly ashamed of himsef. He could feel both his muscles and his mind winding even tighter, as if he feared what would happen if he relaxed.

He did fear what would happen. He would break down again, start whining about his poor lot in life to this stranger who probably only cared so much. It wasn't even that Talian was in such acute pain anymore. He just preferred to keep it in the back of his mind. If he started to talk about it just a little bit, it was hard to keep it at bay for long. He hated being reminded, and any extended contact with a dragonrider was likely to do just that.

Then again, he couldn't avoid them forever.

"Thanks for not giving me the same lecture as the rest of them," he said modestly, taking a tiny step closer.

At Talian’s one word, R’nd stopped and turned back the Healer that was slowly getting to his feet. Did the kid want to leave first to make it seem like he had some control of the situation and was the one ending it? It was about the only thing that made sense, unless Talian wanted to be added to the list of men that hit the bluerider, because there didn’t seem to be much else to say. Apparently there was more to be said and it seemed like Talian was struggling with how to phrase it. He appreciated the attempt and could understand wanting to avoid people and objects that brought up bad memories. So it was time to let the man get away from one of those reminders and go relax for the rest of the night.

“Talian, it’s okay. I may not like being lumped into one large group but at least now I understand better why you act like do around me. Thank you,” he didn’t explain that the gratitude wasn’t just for saying it wasn’t anything personal or for seeming to try and tolerate him. It was also for opening up, even if awkwardly and only in the slightest way, and sharing a bit more the inner workings of a young Master Healer upset with where life had taken him. There wasn’t much R’nd could do to help Talian except continue to be kind when they crossed paths, though not too kind where it seemed like he was seconds away from molesting the guy! R’nd was never going to get over that moment, apparently neither was Ayyonth with the amusement he was exuding.

That reminded him, “just so you know, Ayyonth is sitting on the roof waiting for me. He won’t speak to you or come down to see you. I just don’t want to hear you shriek when you see him out of the corner of your eye.” He grinned, his playful side coming out as he lightly teased the Healer, showing that while he wasn’t going to yell, he also wasn’t going to treat Talian like he was made of glass and about to shatter. Since he was now standing near a light, R’nd didn’t doubt his teasing would be noticed from his expression.

Talian nodded slowly. "You're welcome," he said, only slightly more at ease now that he'd at least tried to talk to the man. He reminded himself once again that B'jin and R'nd were apparently an item now. He would have to get used to the bluerider's company. His only other option was to avoid B'jin when R'nd was around, but that was stupid and childish. As much as he didn't want to share his surrogate father, he knew it was selfish of him to even entertain the thought....not that he seriously could.

He'd shared his own pain with B'jin quite extensively, but he'd also seen beneath the surface. B'jin had plenty of his own, and undoubtedly he couldn't share it all with someone like Talian. The healer could accept that, and if that meant he had to accept R'nd...well, he would try.

He inched nervously past the bluerider, offering a meek smile.  It was sincere in it's intent, but also tainted by sadness. "It's fine," he said, acknowledging the warning about Ayyonth. "I've gotten used to seeing them." His voice was heavy, a blend of sadness and exhaustion.  He'd missed the teasing, as he was prone to do, but still returned the smile ever so tentatively.

"Good evening."

A few minutes later, he was curled up neatly in his bed.  He pulled the covers over his head and sighed. Another day at Katila, just like the last.

As Talian left, a second figure emerged from a nearby room. The figure was lithe and handsome, hair still moist and body covered only by a towel around the waist.

Immodest and intrigued, the figure stepped into the hallway, curious eyes flashing after Talian as he fled. The figure, moving with long, flowing stride, approached R'nd and let out a throaty chuckle.

"Hey R'nd," a familiar wispy voice called, "I know that boy's cute, but you do know he's a headcase, right?" I'shan said impishly, releasing a slight giggle as he watched Talian go. "Than again, there's nothing like real, repressed crazy in bed, is there?" He made a lewd gesture with his hand as he spoke.

The unconcerned bluerider slipped back into the room he'd emerged from for just long enough to retrieve his clothing. He wiggled into his pants and pulled his shirt on before sliding past R'nd again. He winked, the closest to a 'good night' R'nd was going to get out of him this evening, as he took off outside. A distinct scent of alcohol followed him, perhaps coming from his breath but so potent it may as well have been dripping through his skin.

Somewhere in the darkness, Ilveriath watched.

R’nd watched Talian go until he couldn’t make out the man’s figure in the darkness and turned to head for the baths like he had originally planned. He was going to do his best not to think about what had happened, knowing it would only further frustrate or sadden him. Talian was a good kid and he had every right to be angry but he had to start letting go in order to move on and find some sort of happiness again. Realizing he was starting to think about the encounter, R’nd chuckled and tried thinking about other things only to have a familiar voice float out from the shadows before the owner followed.

“Shel!” He was happy to see his friend since they hadn’t had a chance to really talk since the Hatching and so much had happened in that time but he was also worried about I’shan choosing now to appear. His fellow bluerider had a habit of showing up in critical moments and hearing too much and either making a fuss then or making a fuss later on when he could use it to his advantage. When I’shan spoke about how cute Talian was and made the crack about crazy men in bed, R’nd suppressed a groan. That confirmed it; the man had heard their conversation. “I don’t want him in bed – or any other location!” He knew how both of their minds worked and had to add in a disclaimer before I’shan, now off changing back into his clothes, could point out several other handy locations off the top of his head.

When all he received in response was a wink without even a parting word, R’nd wondered what else I’shan was up to and if he should follow to make sure Talian wasn’t harassed. But when he got a whiff of the alcohol that seemed to cling to I’shan’s very essence, R’nd stayed where he was and frowned. “Oh, Shel… he’s not worth it.” his voice had dropped to a soft whisper, knowing even as he spoke aloud he had no reason to since the man was already gone. R’nd had seen the way N’gelt left the Hatching feast, leaving I’shan devastated but he hadn’t had a chance to track down his friend and make him talk about it. Then again, given how he had met he brownrider, I’shan likely believed R’nd to be the last man to understand his pain. While that was probably true, he was still a friend first and couldn’t stand to see I’shan suffering. He’d have to find the man soon, hopefully while sober, and have a good talk.

With a sigh, R’nd turned back to the entrance, changing his mind on the relaxing soak that brought him out. Sleep seemed like the much more appealing idea after the encounters he had just gone through.