A Breath of Fresh Air [Talian]

B'jin heaved a sigh, standing in the centre of his hut with his fists planted on his hips. It had taken him all morning, but his hut was, finally, once more, clean. Between the visits of his children, R'nd and his own abandoning the hut for random nights, it had had little in the way of clean up or the chance to remain tidy. Having woken up that morning without children, without a lover, and without a dragon (she had gone hunting apparently) B'jin found himself in a rare moment of alone. It was used to sweep through the house like a hurricane as things were put back where they belonged, beds were made, and clothing was sorted. He'd wash it later, because washing it that day was not on his to-do list.

Content with the state of his hut now, B'jin returned to his bedroom to dig up a bag he had seen during the process. As he wandered back into the main room, he threw some parchment and charcoals in it, the latter carefully wrapped to avoid breaking or smudging on anything else. Then he went to the kitchen, and dug around for a moment, throwing odds and ends into the bag. Happy with his collection, B'jin closed the bag and slung it over his shoulder as he made his way over to the chest he kept Larrikith's riding straps in. Grabbing them, and two riding jackets, he moved out of the hut and into the bright almost-midday sun. The wintery weather lessened the impact of the sun in the sky, but not the brightness with which it shone. Glancing up, B'jin waved Larrikith down from where the little green was curled up on his roof.

"Where is Tal, love?" Where is he ever? Larrikith asked dryly, and B'jin grinned. "Perfect. Here, come down so I can put these on you." We're going flying? Larrikith's delight flowed into the rider as she quickly dropped onto the ground, literally stepping off the roof and bouncing joyously over to B'jin in a rare display of exuberance. "Yes and no, my dear," B'jin said lightly as he slipped the straps onto his dragon and tightened the clasps as needed. Holding up an additional set used to secure a passenger, B'jin gave them a slight wave before attaching the bag of supplies to the straps. "We're taking Talian out for the day, my dear one, so please fly sweet." You are no fun at all, B'jin. She paused, her eyes lighting playfully. My tummy is full of wherry. I couldn't fly exuberantly if I wanted to. B'jin laughed softly as he mounted, letting the little dragon use her excuse without calling her on it.

Larrikith, as per her style, took off by simply vanishing between when she was sure her rider was secure. Reappearing above the Healer Hall, Larrikith slowly descended in a lazy spiral, her eyes a placid and cheerful blue-green. Alighting gently outside the building's main entrance, Larrikith gave a bugle of joy, eyes bright, while B'jin slipped off easily and slapped her companionably on the neck. "I'll be right back, love." I doubt that. She said cheerfully, highly amused. You have to convince him to come out, then climb up. This will be fun. B'jin laughed, his dragon's good mood echoing through him as he slipped through the front doors and to Talian's office, smirking at the Wherry that glared at him as he passed. Oh, he loved his free pass to see the Master Harper and how much it pissed the grumpy old hag off.

The greenrider knocked once on the door before stepping through, not bothering to close it behind him. Ever since getting his stitches out, B'jin had blatantly flaunted his free pass to see Talian, rocking up at random hours on random days, and doing anything from bringing news and gossip, to simply sitting in the corner of the boy's office and drawing absently or singing softly while his son worked. He enjoyed the gentle companionship such times offered. This time, however, B'jin had other plans as he grinned impishly at Talian, his mood high, the expression both mysterious and mischievous. "Did you have plans today, Tal?" The man's voice was curious, though there was a distinct plea for the negative as brown eyes, dancing with amusement, appealed to Talian.

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[sup]They'll end up on the far out reaches eventually xD[/sup]

Talian had enjoyed B'jin's free pass as much as the greenrider had himself. It meant the healer got to see his father figure more often, and in the uncomfortable isolation following attempted suicide and the Impression of his friends, more company kept the boy sane. He was perfectly content to work with B'jin at his side, whether the greenrider followed closely or watched quietly form the corner, and B'jin's antics were just the thing to bring a smile to Tal's face.

Today would be no different, at least in theory. When B'jin arrived, Talian was slumped over his desk and staring quite hard as a medical file. The papers didn't include the patient's name, but the lengthy list of symptoms and frantic writing all over the margins identified it as an emergency case. It was an illness, and while Tal's specialty was in trauma, the Hall was trying everything they could with this one.

Tal finished off the last of three large mugs of klah on his desk and looked up to greet B'jin. "Hello," the healer said, muted and distracted, though apparently happy for said distraction. He'd been wracking his brain over the case all morning. He'd woken up on what was supposed to be a day off for it! Hours later and he still had nothing to show; how bizzare!

Talian knew that expression. He started to open his mouth and protest, but B'jin's playful eyes and hopeful expression couldn't be argued with. The healer closed his mouth and looked down bashfully. "I do now, don't I?" he asked, not exactly with reservations, just...cautious. B'jin was wonderful, buty also infuriatingly unpredictable. Tal didn't like unpredictable.

He smiled, an adorable attempt not to look suddenly terrified, and flipped the folder closed. "What do you have in mind?" he asked..hopefully? Nervously? Both? Definitely both.

B'jin's impish grin widened dramatically at Tal's quiet question and his reserved expression. His eyes alive with amusement, B'jin walked the rest of the way in to lean a hip casually against Talian's desk and  peered down at the closed file for a moment. His gaze shifted to look at the three empty mugs, an eyebrow arching slightly as he gently removed the now closed folder from Talian's fingers and pushed it aside. He then eased the young man to his feet with gentle but insistant poking. Not speaking, and his amusement just intensifying at Talian's confused expression, B'jin herded the young man out of the office and down the hall.

As they passed the Wherry, B'jin, who was shepherding Talian from behind, caught up to his young companion enough to grab his hand and make the boy wave a the horrible woman, B'jin's face an evil smirk as he stuck his tongue out at the woman and then pushed Talian out of the hall before she could form the objection that was undoubtedly claiming her tongue. Soft laughter was bubbling up from the man's lips as he corralled Talian up to Larrikith, grinning innocently at him, the green dragon crooned with amusement at the two men.

Hello Talian, her voice was deeply amused as she lowered herself to the ground. B'jin tugged the two riding jackets out from where he'd attached them, and tossed one at Talian, watching steadily as the boy put it on. Putting his own on, B'jin, once his dragon was practically lying down, grabbed Talian lightly on the waist and placed him carefully on the little green dragon, winking good-naturedly as he did up the straps that would hold the boy in place before throwing himself up behind the healer, and latching his own. "Alright Larri!"

Wrapping both arms tightly around Talian's waist, B'jin leaned forward slightly, forcing Talian to do so as well, while Larrikith stood up and then threw herself into the air, wings snapping out and heads jerking back as B'jin shifted to avoid having the back of Talian's head bash into his chin. "She'd normally just wink between," he said lightly to Tal, as Larrikith strained to put distance between the ground and her body. "But she's getting fat and needs the exercise." Oh shut up, B'jin. Larrikith retorted irritably, then snorted in relief as she levelled out, well above the ground and turned leasurely to glide in a western direction, the sight of the Weyr proper vanishing behind them. Larrikith, as per her implied promise, flew smoothly, her pace lazy and at ease.

Where did you want to go, Ben? Larrikith's voice was cheerful and lazy as she touched lightly on the mind of both her passengers. "Well outside the Weyr, love." B'jin replied, chin resting with companionable affection on Talian's shoulder. "Where no one can find us!" Larrikith gave a rumble of amusement and she altered her flight gently to follow the curve of the mountain that their Weyr was cradled in, and over the treetops of the forest. There were some clearings scattered throughout, and in her various flights - with and without B'jin - Larrikith had found some that were quite nice.

I know the perfect place, she crooned with a gentle touch, and sloped into a lazy dive toward the ground, her spiral wide and lazy. The clearing she angled in on was large enough for Larrikith, though getting another or a bigger dragon in would be difficult and probably unlikely. With a gentle flutter of wings, the tiny dragon dropped into the center of the clearing, and alighted gently on the ground. Folding her wings back against herself, she preened with self satisfaction as B'jin looked around curiously, unhooking his and Talian's straps without watching what he was doing.

"Oh! Very nice, Larri!" He gushed, deeply impressed. The clearing, small as it was, was surrounded by huge trees, obviously never touched. A small spring fed pond was off to one side. Sliding off his dragon, B'jin turned to gently help Talian to the ground.

Talian frowned as B'jin flipped the folder closed. "...That's the Weyrsecond," he said urgently, voice bubbling with hints of toxicity as he recalled the lashing. Talian hated the brownrider fully and wouldn't weep for a moment to see him dead, but he a[]i]was[/i] still a patient. "Or, ex-Weyrsecond," Talian added with even more distaste. Before he could add anything else, however, he found himself being forcibly spirited from the room.

"B'jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!" Tal whined pointedly as he was herded through the hallway and out past the lobby. Why, his arm even gave an unwitting and unwilling wave to the plump woman at the front desk as they passed by. "Uuuuum, I'll be back later!" he stammered as B'jin pulled him outside. "I'm....apparently going somewhere!"

Spontaneity scared Talian, but nothing on Pern was scarier than the diabolical look in the greenrider's eyes!

Talian's heart skipped a beat when he saw Larrikith. She spoke to him, and while he gave off his usual uncomfortable shudder, he forced himself not to shy away from her. He still resented the way she'd screamed at him in their first two meetings, and at his core he probably blamed her for his situation, too. B'jin was just as much at fault, but Tal couldn't bring himself to bear a grudge against the greenrider anymore, not when he'd given him so much. Tal's previous undiluted hatred for Larrikith had been somewhat quelled and terribly confused by the whole keening incident, though.

He just didn't know how he felt about her anymore, and he hated that.

He frowned a bit and reached out to touch her, delicately pressing the palm of his hand against her snout for just a few moments. He didn't understand her, but he was hard for him to hate her like he once had. He just didn't get it. He didn't understand why she kept trying to talk to him, or why she'd bothered to save his life when she seemed to have such a poor opinion of him.

It was like Charath, though. She meant a lot to B'jin, so maybe if he tired....

Tal's brief attempt at empathy was interrupted when B'jin tossed a riding jacket at him. The jacket hit the healer in the head and hung there awkwardly while he tried to process what had just happened. He pulled his hand away.

Shards. He nervously started to putthe jacket on and considered running away like a lunatic, but he didn't think that would go over well. "I don't like flying," he mumbled, but before he could say much else, B'jin was lifting him onto Larrikith's back.

"B'jin!" Tal squeaked, dragging his heels until they left the ground and afterward clutching desperately to B'jin's coat. "Where are we going?! I don't want to fly!"

He clammed up quickly as B'jin wrestled him into the straps and climbed up behind him. Oh, this brought back bad memories. He swallowed hard and cringed on Larrikith's neck, closing his eyes tightly and trying not to think about the last time this same scene had played out.


He cringed like that for most of the flight. He was too preoccupied being nervous and uncomfortable to bother enjoying the nice weather or looking out at the spectacular scenery. He did, however, appreciate the soft landing.

One second, they landed. The next, Tal frantically dove to the ground.  He flew out of the riding straps like they were trying to kill him and landed awkwardly on the ground, curling up in the grass as if he were trying to embrace Pern itself.

After a few moments, he realized how silly he looked.  He awkwardly unwrapped himself and rolled over onto his back, not bothering to get up out of the grass.

Wow, this...was nice.  He slowly smiled.

Larrikith pressed her nose gently against the hand that was so tentatively placed upon it, her eyes swirling rapidly as a rainbow of colours danced through them, hiding the little dragon's true feelngs about Talian's action. The jacket landing on his head caused Larrikith to pull her head back, amusement and irritation fighting for a place in her eyes as she stared at Talian and then gave B'jin a dirty look. It washed off the human, who was, as per usual, completely oblivious. Larrikith rolled her eyes to herself, a mental expression, and let the issue slide. She was as pleased as she was confused by Talian's effort, though she kept that to herself. She was starting to think handling the child would be much like handling her rider's relationship with R'nd. Baby steps, and most of them backwards.

Like he had done all those months ago, B'jin ignored every whining comment that came out of Talian's mouth. This time, however, the greenriders' attitude was full of goodnatured fun, as opposed to seriously doing business. Still grinning like an idiot, B'jin was completely oblivious to Talian's unease as the boy recalled the past event. B'jin, however, was as far away from recalling that day as he was physically located from it. He did, however, notice Talian's unease as they flew and was particularly glad that Larrikith had agreed to fly smoothly. While he had no doubt that Valerian could probably be coerced back onto Larrikith without too much issue, B'jin had no doubt that a rough flight would be the last straw for the boy. He had no intention of doing that, and apparently, neither did Larrikith as they alighted with particular grace in the clearing she had chosen.

As B'jin turned back to help Talian from his dragon, the man found himself staring at the blank air left there. Eyes widening dramatically, B'jin's face blanched even as Larrikith's laughter filled his mind. Spinning around to stare around, B'jin spotted Talian curled up on the ground. Starting, the greenrider peered down at the young healer with wide eyes and a slightly befuddled expression. A moment later, he burst into spluttered laughter even as he watched Talian roll over ans smile up at the sky. Stepping closer, B'jin leaned over Talian and peered down at him with amusement. "Pretty, yes?"

Hello? Riding straps? Taking them off! Larrikith's indignant voice was broadcast to both men, and she stared at B'jin with irritation swirling through her otherwise amused eyes. "Oh! Sorry!" Throwing a cheerful wink at Talian, B'jin practically bound over to his dragon and quickly removed the straps from her little body, tossing them carelessly in a pile to one side, but well away from the water and out of direct sunlight. "Better?" B'jin teased, as Larrikith shook herself and then stretched her wings. Much! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going exploring!

Not waiting for an answer, the little dragon trotted off casually between the large trees, her small form fitting just well enough though a bigger dragon would be less able to negate between the huge plants. "... Bye?" B'jin said vaguely, staring after her. "Watch out for felines!" He yelped suddenly after her. Larrikith's tail twitched and her laughter was for them both. I eat felines for breakfast! "But it's lunch time!" B'jin yelled in response, laughter thick in his voice. The green dragon didn't deign to answer him, and Larrikith soon vanished between the tree trunks, her grey toned mossy hide quickly melding with the scenery.

Taking his eyes from the general direction his dragon had vanished in, B'jin turned back to his healer boy, grinning happily once more as he took a couple of strides and then literally toppled to the ground, landing on his back beside Talian and reached out to grab the boy, tugging him gently to cuddle up with companionably. "So! Tell me something new!" He paused, and then gave Talian a devious wink, "and no work!"

Talian watched the exchange between B'jin and Larrikith half-attentively, his attention fluctuating between that and the sky overhead. It was a nice day, and being the busy and generally sullen little wretch that he was, Tal had almost no casual appreciation for beauty. He  never stopped to look at things. He analyzed them, studied them, watched them, but never saw them.

The scenery didn't rouse his enthusiasm like it might a harper's, but he did smile just the same. His eyes traced B'jin's movement as the greenrider lay beside him. Startled, Tal let out a little squeak as he was pulled to B'jin's side, but he didn't complain. Talian was content to lie there, clutching lightly to his surrogate father in a manner that would have made his real father roll his eyes.

"New?" Talian inquired. He started to talk about work, but was stopped cold by B'jin's preemption.

Well, that made things difficult.

"Um."

There was a long pause as the boy turned the recent days' events over in his head. He could literally think of nothing outside of work. Distressed upon realizing just how boring he'd become, he rested his chin against B'jin's shoulder and sighed. "...But that's all I do," he complained exasperatedly. In a Faranth-forsaken place like Katila, there wasn't anything else for him to do.

Well, he could comment on how the lining of his stomach had finally fully healed from his Tansy adventure, but that would probably ruin the mood. Instead, he pouted comically, frustrated at his inability to hold a stimulating conversation.

B'jin chuckled softly as Talian faltered to a halt and considered his new options. Brown eyes watched the young man with amusement, brightening noticeably as the healer sulked on his shoulder. An eyebrow arched gently and B'jin considered for a moment before rephrasing what he had asked.

"Okay then," amusement was clear in his tones, but both words and expression were warm. "Tell me something I don't know." Turning his head back to look up at the sky through the gap Larrikith had come in by and pondered his own words. It was an old game he'd played with his Master, when he'd first been taken on at the Hall. An exercise in words, but also in trust, it was one B'jin had enjoyed - more for learning about his Master than for sharing about himself. Even then the child Benjinamor had been fairly tight lipped about his past. Not because there was anything in it so much as knowledge was power, and what was known by others could be used by others. Numbweed had been the main teacher in that lesson.

That, of course, brought up the obvious question: What could he offer Talian? Chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully, B'jin pondered on what he had told Talian. Most of it had revolved around M'ram and Namndith, and his allergy to numbweed. Ironically, both things he hadn't shared at Katila until he told the boy. S'kef and Nemall both knew about his allergy, but they had known before the Plague. Nemall knew about M'ram because he had been with B'jin at the time. Neither of their knowledge was given in an act of trust or desire to share, where Talian's was. But Talian knew about those facts and B'jin didn't want to go anywhere near the topic of either man. Besides the fact that B'jin himself had no desire to think about what he knew of them, he had even less desire to upset or scare Talian.

"I am the eldest of four." He said suddenly, voice mellow and gently filling the scenic area without being over powering or demanding. "My brother is a Vintner, my sister a Harper. M'ram you know of." It wasn't much, but it was a start and B'jin gave Talian a gentle squeeze, still staring up at the sky thoughtfully.

Tal listened quietly, but not without writhing in a little in discomfort. He didn't know the stated purpose of a trip, but he couldn't imagine baggage was welcome. They were well on their way, though!

"I don't want to talk about my family," he said glumly. He pouted sourly for a second ans puzzled over the situation, trying to think of something nice to say...something relevant, worth B'jin's time, and that didn't lead to drama.

That narrowed the list down an awful lot. Tal's pout twisted into a thoughtful yet troubled expression as he considered his options. No work, no family...and he needed to cross his friends off the list as well, since that was something of a taboo topic for Talian at the moment.

An anecdote, perhaps?

"When I was a kid," he began, his tone mild and even, "I remember walking into a  class and having the harper ask us a math problem...6 + 7 x 8.  This boy who used to always make fun of me said 104..." he said, eyes widening and face overcome by a very pointed expression as he recalled the incident. "He looked proud of himself because he'd raised his hand and answered before me...but he was wrong, and the harper didn't correct him. So I had to wave my hand around until he called on me. You see, the correct answer was 62 because the other boy didn't factor in the order of operations..."

He paused, suddenly realizing that he was babbling. He frowned.

"I'm...not sure why I remember that," he confessed sheepishly.

"Then don't," B'jin said gently, turning his head to gaze at Talian with mild amusement. He watched the emotions wash over Talian's face, warping his expression, mostly through a negative array that B'jin was unhappy to realise was still featuring far too predominately on the young face. The smiles were far too rare, unfortunately, and the greenrider wasn't really sure how to enhance their popularity with the boy.

"We remember some odd things," B'jin smiled softly, giving Talian a gentle squeeze as he pondered over what Talian had offered him. A slight frown tugged his eyebrows down over his eyes and he gave Talian a curious look, one of them reaching upward once more and brown eyes bright with amusement. "Numbers were never my strong suit," he said brightly, winking. B'jin had a far better grasp of literal music and his own voice than he did on numbers. Writing he had a good grasp off namely because of all the turns he had been forced to undergo it, rather than a natural born talent for words.

"I can't write lyrics." That was said with a grudgingly dry humour, and B'jin gave Talian a sly look from under his lashes. "But they tend to ruin good music anyhow." That was said far more lightly, but with a wrapped spine of iron, clearly indicating the man's solid opinion that that was true. B'jin's most obvious talent was his voice, and he greatly enjoyed singing; it didn't stop his firm dislike of lyrics, however, despite all the shit he had copped from his Masters throughout his education.

Ttalian failed to see what numbers and lyrics had to do with anything.  There was some theory out there about how music and math were closely aligned, but neither interested him too much. Talian was skilled with numbers, but they were a side interest, something to stretch his brain when it went too long without use. He'd grown quite fond of doodling little number puzzles in his first few weeks at the Weyr, simply for lack of anything else to do. He was still refusing to treat patients back then, usually even denying his position as any kind of healer. An unsuccessful denial, but one that he attempted nonetheless.

He realized with a bit of disappointment that even this seemingly unrelated topic managed to bring his thoughts back to his situation.  It was frustrating and he found it terribly unfair to B'jin, but what was he to do? Ignore it like a watch wher in the room? So far, that had only made the trip awkward.

Defeated, Talian let out a bit of a groan as he wiggled closer to B'jin. He turned his head to one side, looking upwards at the sky again. "You know," he muttered, resigned rather than bitter, "If this had been done before the plague, back when people were searched...normally...I bet I would have done it," he said, speaking less in admission and more like he'd made a scientific discovery. "...Just to piss my dad off."

It was almost funny. Actually, upon imagining the look on his father's face, it was funny. Talian let out the softest, most ticked little laugh.

B'jin enjoys your company, and he finds your awkwardness endearing. Larrikith's feminine voice brushed against Talian's mind almost out of the blue, though the little green had been keeping an eye on both their trains of thoughts as she explored through the thick tree trunks. She didn't often go exploring on the ground by herself, it was a dangerous past time, even for a dragon and if not especially for one of her diminutive size. But she enjoyed trotting through the dappled shade and was having a great time, mostly focusing on the world around her though paying close enough attention to Harper and healer to be just as amused by their idle thoughts.

Talian's soft voice had B'jin turning his head slightly to look down at the boy, expression curious as he spoke. The plague was not something B'jin willingly delved into and he frowned slightly as Talian mentioned it, even in passing, though the subtle expression was the only indication of B'jin's discomfort. When Talian finished his comment, however, B'jin gave a soft laugh and hugged him tight for a moment, placing a gentle kiss on Talian's forehead. "I would be sad to miss it," he said gently, smiling at Talian. "Healer's Hall is quite far out of Telgar's region."

B'jin wasn't sure what to make of his life, and the way it had unravelled. There were so many turns of pain, as a result of the plague, that he would have preferred to live without. Losing friends, family, and loved ones. Fighting for survival every day for three turns, the awkward coming together of the remaining riders. The pain and unease those turns had brought about... And yet, B'jin was still thankful, for some of the small bursts of joy he was given. The births of his young son and daughter. The friendships he had developed with both riders and stolen, the classes he got to teach like he was a real Harper instead of a dragonrider fighting for a piece of a normality he had once taken for granted.

Staring up at the sky as his mind wandered, B'jin watched the clouds cruising across the cold and bright winter blue of the sky. Brown eyes, shadowed with his thoughts, made shapes out of the fluffy white without realising it, and his comment was made quietly and without much thought. "That one looks like a bubbly pie." It was even steaming! He smiled, gaze now seeking out another cloud with childish eagerness, and he nodded at another. "That one is a dragon's egg!"

Oh, it was Larrikith. Talian didn't bother to shiver at her voice this time, though as usual he wondered why she bothered. She seemed to hate him an awful lot, especially judging by their earlier encounters. Was this a punishment for touching her? The comment itself wasn't bad, at least. It was a far cry from the vicious insults he'd come to expect from her during the early part of his stay. It didn't grate on him like it once had. So, he decided to accept it without complaint, though a mild frown did cross his lips for a few moments as he considered the motive behind it. It was over soon enough.

Tal could see the flickering tranquility in his adoptive parent. The healer often wished he could be that way, finding the cheerful points of light in the darkness. He'd never been able to master it, though. Optimism seemed like a fool's game. Realistic people realized how awful the world was and made up excuses to be happy to keep themselves from going mad.

Talian wished he was an idiot. Idiots were so much happier.

He sighed, smiling in mild endearment nonetheless. He envied B'jin's easygoing ways, but was also able to take comfort in them. "They look like clouds to me," he said in a rare display a sarcasm, a spike of playfulness that showed how his mood had improved. He liked the solitude out here. So quiet and far away from his problems.

He paused and spent a few moments thinking. He wished he had something interesting to talk about. "I don't have anything interesting to talk about," he observed without thinking. He raised a brow at himself. He scanned the clouds, trying to find something in them. He was terrible at this game.

"That one is...a...tansy flower?"

Whoops. Bad observation. Talian was so embarrassed that he rolled over and faced the other way, arms and legs curling into an embarrassed fetal position. "I mean, a plant that helps heart palpitations." Which was exactly what Tansy was used for in proper dosages.

Larrikith was a dragon, and as a result, she didn't remember anything more than the past forty eight hours worth of information, and for the little green, even that was pushing it. Her intelligence couldn't be questioned, for she was incredibly smart. But her ability to link events was scarce, and her appearance of remembering things came heavily from drawing on B'jin's memories. As a result, she generally only remembered things that were important to her human, or that were around her on a daily basis. As B'jin's affection for the young healer grew, so too did Larrikith's as a result. However, she was also privy to the young man's mind and his constant discord in his response to her caused the green to be wishy washy in her responses to him. But, B'jin loved him and what digging around she had done in the young man's mind had proved him harmless and the only way he would ever hurt B'jin would be by hurting himself. Having tried that and seen how it resulted, Larrikith doubted the Healer would do so again. He was safe for B'jin to be around, probably good for him, and she found him quirky. As her mind wandered from the young man, she glanced up at the wintery sky, noting that the shade of blue was a spectacular match for Ayyonth's hide, and her thoughts strayed to the young blue. She should bring him exploring! She was sure he'd enjoy it, and their riders could bond in the little clearing! Trilling softly to herself in a manner similar to B'jin's humming, Larrikith pranced through the dappled shade.

B'jin, feeling the gentle waves of pleasant joy radiating from Larrikith, smiled softly and soaked in the warmth of her enjoyment of a lazy afternoon. While often treated as and spoken to as an idiot, B'jin was far from any such thing. Intelligent and cunning when he wanted to be, the greenrider had always been someone that enjoyed pressing buttons and enjoying life. As his life painted itself in darker shades than anyone anticipates or desires, the man had wrapped himself up in the ability to smile through the darkness and to laugh off the hurts. It was easier to smile, shrug and pretend that nothing was wrong than to face the music. He didn't want to remember what he had been through or what it meant. But there was also Larrikith to consider. His dragon was high maintenance at the best of times. B'jin couldn't even imagine what would happen if she managed to unlock the doors to that portion of his mind he kept her out of with a resounding dedication. He had no idea she'd ever glimpsed what was behind those doors, in part thanks to her inability to remember it once the moment had passed alongside B'jin's incapacity at the time.

B'jin chuckled softly at Talian's comment, gaze not leaving the clouds. Unsurprised by the admittance, B'jin's arm around the boy tightened for a moment before relaxing. The greenrider would have been far more surprised if Talian had jumped on the change in game with enthusiasm than he was in the dry sarcasm that left his lips in soft words. The young man - in B'jin's mind - was severely lacking in the area of imagination and childhood games. Of course, while B'jin himself had been thrown into education at much the same age as the boy he was sprawled out beside, the greenrider had been tossed into the Harper Hall, where imagination was encouraged. His daily classes had been compiled as much of learning to read and write as they had been of finger painting and playing games. Talian's mind had been taught to see patterns in words and numbers, to find the errors in the human body. B'jin's had been taught to see pictures in the clouds, to pick out sour notes. Both highly educated men, but their disciplines as different as day and night, it was no surprise to B'jin that Talian was lost as he stared up at the sky.

Talian's comment washed over B'jin with little effect. Like all things that effected the man badly, he had locked his memory of that time away, and recalled little of it immediately. Instead, it was Talian's reaction to his words that caused B'jin to ponder on what had been said until he realised. He made no comment on it, as Talian mumbled his additional explanation and B'jin rolled over himself, lying on his side as he peered at Talian's back. The man's expression was placid as he lifted himself up onto his elbow and leaned over further to peer down at his adopted son's unhappy face. An eyebrow arched slightly, lips quirking. "You can't see the sky curled up like that!" He said gently, amusement lingering in the soft words. Expression twisting mischievously, B'jin's touch was gentle as fingers darted over Talian's ribs, brown eyes bright as B'jin scrambled onto his knees and attacked Talian with a wicked little laugh.

What are you doing? Larrikith's voice fluttered to both as she picked up on B'jin's sudden spike of playfully evil intentions and she peered through his eyes and down at the young man her bonded was attacking. "Tickling!" B'jin giggled gleefully, before squealing indignantly as his dragon's voice once more filled both his mind and that of his young ward. B'jin is extremely ticklish. Larrikith told Talian with wicked pleasure.

Talian knew little of dragons, primary due to his great disinterest and even aversion to them. He admittedly found some aspects of their anatomy to be pretty interesting though, and had he known about the memory issue he might have been more forgiving. It never occurred to him that Larrikith didn't remember being so hateful towards him.

For the time being, he was worried about B'jin hating him! He curled up tightly, ashamed that he'd dare speak of the incident, even if his comment had been purely academic. That was, in fact, what that cloud looked like. He wasn't thinking about killing himself! Honest!

So he cowered there, waiting for a lecture, when he felt the warm embrace. B'jin...wasn't angry at him? "I wasn't trying t-" the healer began, ready to defend his stupid obliviousness when he felt B'jin's fingers fly over his delicate skin.

The healer's lithe body immediately began squirming fitfully. "No! NO!" he yipped, erupting into involuntarily laughter as the stronger man began a merciless tickle assault. "No!" Tal begged, squirming and crawling and kicking for all his worth. Talian was incredibly ticklish, something he hated, and especially hated that B'jin had found out!

Then, Larrikith's voice came, whispering the most useful piece of information Talian could have been given.  A smirk flashed across his youthful face as huge twisted onto his back, facing upwards at B'jin, and counterattacked. Talian had long fingers, and now was a good time to put them to use!

"No! No, no, no, no!" he giggled wildly as he tickled B'jin.

Had he known anything about it, re-educating Talian on the ins and outs of draconic memory would have been somewhere at the top of B'jin's priorities, if only so that a more peaceful truce could be initiated between the young man and the spirited green dragon B'jin shared the space in his head with. Unaware of such issues, however, B'jin was unable to rectify the situation. It didn't occur to him that Talian may be behind in his knowledge of dragons - after all, the young man appeared to know a great deal about everything... so long as it wasn't fun. Which, in point, should have told B'jin that Talian really wouldn't know squat about dragons. What could be more fun than the silly beasts?

What could Talian possibly show less interest in?

B'jin, oblivious as ever, cackled with wickedly playful delight as Talian squealed and wriggled in an attempt to escape his gleeful tickling, the greenrider's brown eyes  bright and alive with mirth. The people subjected to the man's tickling were few and far between, for normally it was he that was wriggling and kicking, laughing and crying and damn you Larrikith!

"No!" B'jin squealed, the single word hiccuping in the middle as he squeaked in protest at the fingers now attacking his own skin, dancing over tenderly sensitive anatomy, and the greenrider toppled backwards, fighting in fitful bursts against Talian's tickling while breathlessness turned his wicked laughter into near silent gasping giggles. Sound occasionally managed to burst through as he would randomly manage to land a good attack on Talian, before the young man got his own back on him. Tears were trailing down B'jin's cheeks, completely unchecked, while his stomach muscles protested forcefully to being so abused between laughter and tickles.

"N-n-n-no m-m-more," B'jin gasped, holding his hands up for a moment to signify his forfeit, before he dropped them, wrapping his arms solidly around his middle as he giggled breathlessly. He had no idea how long their playful torture had gone on - minutes, or hours (his stomach muscles said weeks) - but his random splattering of giggles refused to die completely even as B'jin, once he was sure Talian wasn't about to spring on him, wiped his face with the sleeve of one arm, folded over his palm. Another bout of giggles erupted from his lips, and he grinned at Talian.

"N-n-nice to see y-you smile," B'jin gasped, words split between teary gasps and the remains of his giggle fit. His face was a picture of mirthful joy, however, genuinely happy to see Talian without his trademark scowl.

Tal was genuinely surprised by how quickly B'jin gave up. Newly determined, Talian leapt at the man. "You're a horrible man!" Tal spat playfully as he toppled on top of the greenrider, tickling him mercilessly.

For those few minutes, Tal was genuinely happy. He'd had his moments throughout his stay, but they were few and far between, and almost always tinged with a distant hint of bitterness. It was hard to get absolutely everything out of his mind. His negative nature and his complete inability to process change didn't help, and combined with his seeming inability to forget his old connections, it really turned into a mess. At that moment, however, Tal wasn't thinking about any of them.

"YES, more!" Tal said with playful vindictiveness as he continued, throwing himself on top of B'jin. The healer kept the game going until his fingers ached and he had to stop, settling finally on a playful swat at B'jin's head before collapsing back on the grass. Talian hadn't realized how tired he was, or how good he felt. Not until right then.

He smiled a little bit, though he kept the warm feeling to himself. Instead, he just clutched close to B'jin once more. "Thanks," he said in response to the last comment. It felt good to smile. He rarely felt he had anything to smile about anymore (had he ever?), so rarely that he'd forgotten how good it felt.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Tal said at length, almost a little bit embarrassed. B'jin was probably the single best thing that had ever happened to him, but he couldn't admit that even to himself. That would make his kidnapping 'okay', and that wasn't ever going to sit well with the young man. He couldn't imagine his resentment ever fading away, but B'jin? B'jin was worth it, even if the healer didn't want to actually consciously tell himself that.

So instead, he just squeezed again. "Thanks...I really needed to get out..."

Talian's insult caused B'jin's eyes to widen with surprise, and an underlying vein of horror. Sweet, adorable, precious little Talian had called him horrible! The greenrider didn't have any longer to focus on it before he was toppling backwards, being tickled once more by the young man's long fingers. Coughing and crying and laughing without breath as his body reacted to the attack, wriggling and writhing and scrabbling to escape. He didn't push or shove or kick, however. His every move was designed to escape if he wasn't attacking Talian with tickling fingers himself.

He was given no more time than it took to blot the tears from his face, before B'jin found Talian throwing himself on him once more. His words caused B'jin to squeak, eyes wide - hadn't he just called a truce! - the sound more distressed than playful. But then everything was forgotten except the fight to  breathe and laugh and wriggle away from his son's unmerciful fingers. Someone who could give such amazing massages should not be so capable of torture! B'jin knew it made perfect sense, of course, but his brain was afire with the chemical reaction of so much laughter and so little oxygen. Nothing made sense!

B'jin's entire body was trembling as he collapsed beside Talian on the grass, allowing the young healer to cuddle up to him. The greenrider was breathless, giggles ripping free at random while he fought to catch his breath. Talian's admission earned a tightening of B'jin'a arm around him, clutching the boy tightly to his side for a moment before he relaxed the muscles. Turning his head, B'jin kissed Talian on the forehead, his uneven breathing sending the young man's mussed up hair skittering. Pressing his cheek to the top of Talian's head, B'jin breathed in deeply, sighing out the air and feeling his body relax some more, the tickle-trembles abating as they faded away.

"I know," he said gently. He should have brought the young man out so much sooner. While he could personally have done with at least half the amount of tickling, B'jin hadn't seen Talian looking so cheerful and at peace - ever - and that was more than worth the bruising he was sure his tummy muscles were suffering after so much wriggling and laughing. "My tummy hurts!" He pouted, eyes sparkling as he threw a look at Talian's face, shifting so he could better see the young man's features.

Tal's revelry at their little tickle fight was almost cut short when he saw the expression of surprised betrayal on B'jin's face. What..? Did I upset him? Tal wondered, but before he had time to worry too much, his quarry was trying to escape!

The tickle match ended a minute or so later with both men flopping down lazily in the grass. Tal hugged B'jin back and smiled, though his mind drifted back to the sad expression in B'jin's eyes earlier. "Did I upset you just now?" Tal inquired. He knew he'd called B'jin 'horrible' out of play, but had B'jin taken it too seriously? B'jin did seem awfully consumed with guilt when it came to Tal. Feeling guilty himself, the healer sat up and set his hands on the man's shoulder.

"Lay on your stomach," Tal instructed. B'jin had enjoyed his last back rub so much, Tal saw fit to give him another one. He scooted around behind B'jin and dug his fingers into the man's flesh before he even moved. Tal immediately noticed how tense the muscles were.

Tal frowned. "Your back is rock hard," he said with concern. His medical side immediately leapt to all sorts of causes and remedies, but Tal tried to wade through the haze and focus on the emotional side of things. "Have you been stressed lately?" Tal was one to talk about stress. He'd been stressed himself, but he hadn't even stopped to think that B'jin might be as well. B'jin always seemed so happy.

Maybe B'jin put up fronts for Tal just as often as Tal put up fronts for B'jin.

This is so messed up Tal thought with a hint of sadness as he worked his fingers over the dragonrider's back.

B'jin's face took on an expression of muted surprise, blinking at Talian with wide eyes as he considered the question he'd been posed. "No?" B'jin asked, not at all sure where Talian was coming from or what he had done to cause such a worry in the young man. Completely bewildered, B'jin frowned at the healer, "Why?" Caught up as they had been in their little play fight, B'jin hadn't had enough time to process what had been said, in order to keep it once the game had finished. In part, that was due to the fact that it did hurt and freak him out - and B'jin was ever careful to forget the things that upset him, and when he couldn't, lock them away. Pain was not something the greenrider enjoyed.

Talian's order caused more surprise from B'jin, and he eyed the young man suspiciously, not entirely sure he was out of play mode and unwilling to sacrifice himself to being tickled when unable to escape. When he vanished behind him, B'jin's head whipped around to keep an eye on him, expression bewildered. A squeak of surprise was uttered when he felt Talian latch onto his shoulders, jerking unintentionally in expectation of more tickling, an undesired giggle fleeing his lips at the same time. Realising rapidly where Talian was going with his order and actions, however, B'jin's expression brightened and he flopped onto the ground, pillowing his head on crossed arms.

"Stressed?" B'jin asked, amused, as he tilted his head to glimpse Talian. He gave a soft snort, and rested his chin on his crossed wrists, staring out into the forest. He hadn't really considered that he might be stressed, but he supposed he probably was. But... He couldn't very well tell the young man that Valerian was snotty with Larrikith and as a result had barely been seen, that he was worried R'nd was going to become bored of him and find someone else to spend time with, that Larrikith had flown early and now he wasn't sure if she were going to fly again or not. That S'kef had been prowling him for a chance at payback because of his smart mouth and he was hoping the horrible man would get sucked between...or simply drop dead from whatever illness he'd ended up with. "Not really," he said lightly, thankful his face was more or less out of Talian's field of vision.

Talian waited patiently for B'jin to arrange himself on the grass before replying. The healer thought about B'jin's innocent and vague words, trying to find the meaning buried just beneath them. Talian assumed there was meaning to everything, and while he was apt to take peoples' words quite literally, he also knew when something was off about his father's words.

"I was just playing with you," Tal said gently. He reached forward and gently worked his fingers into B'jin's shoulders. The healer hummed to himself for a moment, content enough to let the silence wrap around them as he thought over the situation and started really working on B'jin's back. Perhaps if the greenrider loosened up a bit, he'd be more willing to talk.

Tal had always excelled at the 'silent companionship' game. He was a good listener and rarely spoke without putting some thought into it. While reclusive and quiet, he felt like now would be a good time to show B'jin that in his silence, he was always paying close attention. He continued his soft humming while carefully kneading B'jin's strained flesh with his fingers for some time before finally spekaing.

"B'jin, you've listened to me complain an awful lot. And you're the only person here other than my fellow northerners who hasn't responded with 'well, get over it'. You do realize you're more than welcome to tell me about your problems too, right?" He smiled, even though he knew B'jin couldn't see his face. "...I can tell when something's off with you. And you've been shedding little clues all day."

He didn't press on after that, he just continued humming and massaging. If B'jin wanted to talk to him, the invitation was extended. If B'jin wanted to take the healer up on the offer, he could. If he didn't want to, Tal would just keep on humming.

Well, humming and worrying. But he wasn't going to try and pressure B'jin to talk. That was his own business. Tal just hoped he was important enough to share with.

B'jin paused thoughtfully, his features contorting into a frown as Talian's words hit home, and the greenrider buried his face in his arms, the action less resigned and more... surprised. Not that Talian had picked up the hints that he was out of sorts, that wasn't really all that hard to do in most situations. But rather, because as B'jin listened to Talian put forward his offer, he realised the young Healer wasn't just a lost little kid (and B'jin was aware he tended to fence Talian in that play pen more often than not) but actually an adult, and, when it got right down to it, not all that much younger than R'nd. Of course, B'jin didn't think he'd be any more comfortable dropping the bombshells of his life on R'nd's shoulders than he was Talian's. That would open too many doors, for both of them, and slam shut too many others. The greenrider didn't want either of them knowing any more about his past than they absolutely had to. There was too much at risk.

And B'jin wasn't sure he could live through a retelling.

"I know." Murmured gently, B'jin raised his head and rested his chin on his arms, still frowning slightly though it was more an unhappy expression than a thoughtful one. That wasn't to say the gears weren't churning, they could practically be heard as B'jin stared into the dappled shadows where Larrikith had vanished. He didn't want to Talian to think he didn't take the offer seriously, or that he wouldn't take him up on it. It was more... how much of what he felt comfortable sharing with the young man. As oblivious as B'jin could be, he was usually intensely aware of the ins and outs of his children - he'd had to learn that, when he'd taken on Indamor and Amorandii. They didn't know the difference between sick and sick, so he had to learn to pick up on it. Body language was probably one of B'jin's better interpersonal skills, and Talian, while often appearing at peace, was (in B'jin's opinion) still liable to collapse in on himself.

He knew he couldn't live through that again.

Perhaps it would be easiest to start with the least dramatic issue, and probably one Talian could relate to, on some level anyway. "Valerian and Larrikith are ... at odds." He said gently, voice holding the barest trace of exasperated amusement. The two of them were being undeniably stubborn, and B'jin was getting sick of playing piggy in the middle to the cheap shots. The green dragon refused to talk to the young bluerider, and he in return refused to tell the dragon he wanted her to speak to him. "Val is shitty with Larri, because she won't speak to him. But he won't tell her why he is shitty with her, so she doesn't know why he's being a brat, all she knows is something is up and it makes her sulky, which makes her grumpy - especially when he's around. Larrikith won't speak to Valerian, because she doesn't speak to other riders. She says that after Impression, it's like their mind has been... tarnished, I think is her word. So they're being incredibly childish and so stubborn!" B'jin groaned and huffed a sigh. "All Valerian has to do is tell her he wants her to talk to him still and she will. Of course, she could simply ask! The pair of them are being so stupid!"

B'jin buried his face back in his arms with a distressed whine.

Tal looked back at B'jin with wide, inviting eyes. His trusting expression was tinged only slightly with concern as he shifted his weight to one arm and listened. He could see the reluctance and conflict in B'jin's eyes. The greenrider must have had a lot on his mind. So when B'jin lapsed into his ultimate explanation, Talian took it with a grain of salt; many times in Healer Hall he'd claimed his problem was a headache or a spat with Fiora, when in fact the issue on his mind was his hatred of his father or his desire for freedom. It was easy to vent about a small problem in order to channel your anger away from a much bigger one.

It was still a form of catharsis.

Tal listened quietly. His solemn expression remained unchanged throughout, though he did have an amusing passing thought about how much he wished Larrikith wouldn't talk to him. He knew the issue was important to B'jin, though. B'jin had ended a long term relationship when the lover in question expressed a vicious dislike for the dragon. Tal was constantly afraid of his dislike for dragonkind in general to show around any of his friends, for fear they would abandon him in favor of the beast. It was a legitimate problem.

"Have you said anything to her?" he asked cautiously. He was charmed by B'jin's sudden whine and the indignant way he buried his face in his arms. Tal smiled and reached out, lightly setting his thin fingers on the man's shoulder. 

Tal was sure that wasn't everything, but that would suffice for now. Let B'jin rant outwardly about something small. It would make him feel better, at least. Talian could only imagine what was actually going on.

He wasn't sure he wanted to.

The healer scooted closer. "I could give you something for stress, if you like," he said gently. Tal wasn't a healer of minds, and his social skills were in their infancy. His solution to almost any problem tended to be scientific and medical. Emotional problems were no exception, as evidenced by his dependence on klah. He prodded B'jin lightly. "Or you can keep coming  back for those back rubs."

"Of course!" B'jin said, indignant in both tone and expression as he tilted his head slightly to frown up at Talian. His brown eyes were wide and his expression altered to be dramatic. "Not that she listens to me!" B'jin was pretty sure Larrikith had Impressed to him for the soul reason that she could so easily ignore his demands upon her. B'jin just wasn't a very demanding person, and he had a very long fuse. Larrikith was well aware of how far and for how long she could push him before he'd explode. At least B'jin could explode with a bang, though.

"Stupid tart," B'jin grumbled under his breath, still speaking about his dragon and pouted comically at the woods. Larrikith, wherever she was, was either uninterested or simply not paying a lick of attention to the conversation he was having with Talian; she usually had some retort for his insults. Instead, all he got was silence, which just increased B'jin's pouting.

Talian's offer of stress relief was answered with a suspicious frown, the greenrider searching Talian's face for a moment before his pout transformed into pursed lips and he shook his head slightly. "No thank you." It wasn't that he didn't trust Talian to take care of him, and make sure he was given the right kind of medication. B'jin just didn't much care for taking drugs; besides, he had two children that were liable to rock up at any unknown hour, a dragon that had decided flying out of synch was fun, and a lover who... B'jin sighed and stopped listing off reasons for a 'no' and instead just re-shook his head to affirm his decision. Talian hadn't asked why, so he shouldn't need to have a list of excuses ready.

"But thank you," it was almost a question, as if B'jin wasn't quite sure whether or not he should actually thank Talian or not for his offer, or how his rejection of the offer would go down. The soft poke caused a raised eyebrow, and B'jin met Talian's eyes. A smile flew onto the man's lips at the boy's words, and he laughed softly. "That I can work with," B'jin was still chuckling, and he threw a wink at Talian. He had no doubt that would create some interesting scenarios on the Mill, not that he was going to point that out to Talian; the healer was far too twitchy and B'jin wasn't sure where he stood with his opinions on gossip. B'jin was pretty sure Talian would not approve, and would probably die a little in horror. Or a lot.

Eyes sparkling, B'jin flopped over onto his back and rested his head on Talian's thigh, staring up at the sky with amusement. The clouds really were very white and fluffy that morning. B'jin smiled lazily and shifted his gaze to meet Talian's. "This is the best kind of medicine for stress," he said softly, voice tinged with amusement and sincerity. The dragonrider enjoyed lazy, peaceful times to himself. Larrikith was preoccupied, and so his mind was free to be his own. He should have brought some -- he did!

Scrambling up, B'jin found his feet and strode with determination over to the pile of straps and leather that had been on Larrikith. Picking up the small back he had packed, B'jin returned to Talian's side, and flopped back down on the grass, crossing his legs and emptying the pack in front of them both. He picked the food out, and indicated with a gesture that Talian should help himself to anything he wanted, while B'jin picked up the pieces of slightly rattled looking parchment and carefully unwrapped the charcoal. Smiling happily, B'jin shifted to lie on his stomach, feet kicking up and swaying above him as he flattened the top piece, and looked up at Talian.

"What would you like?" He asked, indicating with the stick of charcoal in his left hand that he'd draw for Talian whatever he so decided. An exchange, of sorts, for the promise of more back rubs!

Tal didn't appear bothered by the rejection. He shrugged flippantly and brushed the issue aside. Lots of people didn't like to take drugs. Tal liked them because they worked, and peoples' emotional or 'logical' reasons for not medicating themselves for solvable issues often seemed petty to his unempathetic mind. If B'jin was one of those people, though, Talian would leave him be. He didn't bother pointing out that the offer stood; he figured B'jin ought to know that by now.

The next bit brought a smile to the young man's face. "Always glad to help," he replied, completely oblivious to the scandal implied by B'jin's wink. Tal was so poorly adjusted to regular social norms and so hastily and uncomfortably introduced to dragonrider norms that he hardly knew what was inappropriate and what wasn't. What could be wrong with medical massaging? Scheduled massaging in a closed room between an older man and a younger one? Well, he wasn't thinking about it in those terms, and it didn't even occur to him that some would. Poor Talian.

He watched curiously as B'jin unpacked his food. Tal lifted one hand and shook his head slowly. "I'll pass, I'm not hungry," he said. He'd barely eaten enough to keep him on his feet during his first season at Katila. After the Tansy incident, he'd started eating a lot more, though he still felt like people coddled him too much in that area. His friends were always trying to get him to eat.

Then again, he did forget to eat sometimes. Or just ran off of klah and nothing else, like he was today!

The healer smiled back at B'jin. He was genuinely enjoying the outing, feeling so far away from the place and people that he despised. Talian's penchant for escapism would probably get him in trouble one day, but for now he was happy to indulge it. Of course, the next question threw him off a little bit. While Tal loved looking at B'jin's artwork, he didn't really know what to ask for.

"Um." He paused for a long moment and fidgeted. "I...I don't know?" he asked meekly, hoping his lack of an immediate answer wouldn't offend his surrogate father. The little healer wilted a bit.

---

I think we're probably close to done, unless you have anything else you'd like them to discuss?

Talian's lack of desire to eat caused the dragonrider little issue. People had different eating habits and besides, Talian was a healer. He would know how much of what to eat and when to eat it in order to best upkeep his body. Diet was probably the one corner of healing Bjin had a good grasp on. With a nasty habit of putting weight on easily, and a particularly delicate and small dragon, B'jin kept a very careful tab on his own diet. Besides his own vanity not allowing him to sink back into his pre-dragon appearance of several extra kilos to pad out his body, B'jin was also aware that Katila simply couldn't handle the strain unrestrained eating could put on the place. Besides. Par'a already claimed the rank of insatiable hunger, and she looked much more fetching with extra weight to fill out her curves than B'jin did!

Instead, the greenrider shrugged in answer to his younger companion, and he focused instead on the timid reply he was given. Smiling gently, B'jin winked cheerfully and curled his body around, sitting up fluidly and balancing the parchment out of Talian's view. The greenrider had no issues with being watched while he worked, but the decision to surprise Talian required he adjust appropriately. Throwing Talian a cheeky grin, B'jin set to work with very little flourish. 

The gentle quiet was welcome as Bjin worked. He didn't mind Talian's natural inclination for silent companionship and B'jin himself enjoyed the lack of both interruption and the requirement to think. It was good, to relax and enjoy the seasonal weather; a gentle breeze through the tops of the trees, the soft murmur of the animals that called the area home, the complete lack of Larrikith being obnoxious and loud for the little green dragon was completely caught up in her own world. 

The light sound of B'jin's charcoal stick on the parchment joined the fray of more natural sounds, the rider's face a soft combination of enjoyment and concentration. Drawing was something he truly enjoyed, and adding it in to a lazy morning spending time with the young man he so rarely got to himself was doing far more to relax and sooth the older man than any drugs the young healer could have had him swallowing. 

It was no quick drawing, and there were several times B'jin would pause, staring blankly past his companion as he drew upon some memory or another, face blank, or frowning, or smiling, before he'd go back to work with the same distant look in his eyes, hardly seeing what it was he was working on, and near forgetting Talian in the process of creating the gift for the young healer. 

Eventually, B'jin stopped, and he peered down critically at his creation, a mild frown pulling his eyebrows together as he considered for a few moments. Deciding that it was worthy of being a gift (if jut barely, judging by the slight pursing of his lips) B'jin tuned the parchment around and offered it to Talian. On it, worked in careful shading of the charcoal stick, were the faces of Valerian and Erisi, both entwined in dragon wings, before the faces of Veeth and Charath filled their respective corners, linked delicately to the human they had chosen. B'jin's signature curled in the left hand corner, melding into work and almost invisible. 

Tal watched with patient interest as B'jin worked. Having no artistic skill himself, Tal both respected and was fascinated by such endeavors. It was certainly something he could never hope to replicate.

He could only imagine how much effort went into such creations. But how, when B'jin made it look so easy? Perhaps Tal's stitches and incisions looked easy to other people. Were artistic and mechanical skills similar in that regard? Could it be learned, or was it purly natural? Tal still wasn't such which category healing fell in to, but art and surgery had to have something in common. The delicate motions, the intense concentration!  Tal smiled, musing over the possibilities as he watched B'jin work. In a way, it was relaxing.

When it was finished and the final product revealed, a warm smile quickly crossed the healer's face. In truth, he'd have greatly preferred those ugly dragons be left off, but he'd never say that aloud. It was still beautiful, and the content was more fitting and perfect than B'jin could have known. Tal gently took the paper and looked over it, marveling at the exactness and liveliness of the artwork. How could something made from lines look so real, like it could start breathing on it's own?

"That's amazing," Tal said in a delicate whisper. He carefully set the parchment aside to avoid wrinkling it before leaning in and giving his father figure a gentle hug. "I wish I could give something to you, but I'm afraid I'm not good at things like that," he said, almost purring. "I'll make everything up to you one day, though..." His voice became distant and almost hazy at the end, filled with unspoken thoughts but still tinged with gentle warmth. It had been a good day.