Never Forget [Creche Chores]

They’re gone, you know Tyrrisath reminded idly as S’kef stepped into the Weyrfolk hall. This assignment had been eating away at the brownrider ever since his recovery. His lack of patience wasn’t the issue; S’kef could pretend to be patient for anything. He could grind his teeth and silently curse his way through anything. Screaming  children were an annoyance, but it wasn’t their unruliness that plagued him.

Tyrrisath wasn’t sure what to do. S’kef’s emotions were muted with occasional spikes, almost always manifesting themselves as outbursts in some form of another. Tyrrisath was a moderating force, watching for those spikes and giving his rider the presence of mind to handle them and put himself back in line. This was something else, something grinding and self-perpetuating, something lurking just beneath the surface of his mind at all times.

Tyrrisath didn’t remember J’nira or the children, but S’kef did, and when S’kef remembered them, Tyrrisath silently wept for him.

I know they’re gone S’kef thought as he moved into the creche area. None of his shift-mates had arrived yet, thank Faranth. What a sharding unfortunate assignment. Normally he’d have been overjoyed for a chance to pass an unpleasant task with N’gelt and J’ver, two hos his favorites – and B’jin, the object of his distant desire, within eyeshot for a nice little sideshow. That only added to the problems, though. S’kef couldn’t bear the thought of any of them seeing him at his weakest.

So, with a disgrunted snort , he seated himself and began preperations for his usual game: pretending like nothing was bothering him. It had worked in his past  two shifts. Perhaps his luck would continue.

Tyrrisath’s mind pressed against him, suppressing the flickering memories that so troubled the brownrider. S’kef found himself smiling just subtly, appreciative of the dragon’s silent touch.

You’re too good to me, you know that

That’s not true

Tyrrisath’s emotions warmed and a trace of mischief emerged. So, the dragon said, We left B’jin alone the past few days. I’m sure he is comfortable by now. Is today the day we strike?

S’kef laughed aloud. That sounds lovely…With J’ver and N’gelt here to help, as well! he thought. He was so amused by the notion that he hardly noticed how much one of the nearby children looked like his younger girl did when she was four turns old.

B'jin had been less than amused by his allocated chores, and not because he was being told to play in a room full of children. He could handle that, thrive on it even. B'jin loved kids, especially his own, and being thrown into the Creche for work was hardly a bother. What bothered him were his companions. Some of them were easy enough to ignore, or get along with. Mostly, he ignored them though E'lore was spoken to politely if distantly. B'jin didn't mind the woman,  but brownriders as a rule gave him the shivers. It was better to simply keep his distance. It was more the fact that he felt he had been thrown like a piece of meat out to suffer in Threadfall without his dragon. D'ren, for some reason he couldn't fathom, had decided that S'kef, his bitch and N'gelt would make a good group to throw in a room of children. And a greenrider who was liable to be chewed up and spat out.

The greenrider had enjoyed the first month, where most of his shifts clashed with that of N'gelt and J'ver, and S'kef was still dying in his hospital bed. B'jin hadn't been quite optimistic enough to hope it would last, and so he had  been less than surprised when S'kef began filtering back into the daily life at Katila. Unfortunately for B'jin, that had meant the man was undergoing his chores as well, and it had been suspiciously short time before their shifts collided. He wouldn't have put it past the brownrider to manipulate it so they worked together, but he had been mollified by the lack of interest the demoted Second had displayed in him. So long as he kept to the opposite side of the room, B'jin had found he had little to put up with but the occasional lingering glance. It still made his blood run cold, but at least he hadn't been near him.

Smiling pleasantly as he wandered up the Hall toward the Creche room, B'jin's arms were loaded up with the small body of his five turn old daughter, who was playing with the neckline of his shirt while she told him all the wonderful things she wanted for her birthday. Pretty dresses, ribbons, sweets, a firelizard (find me one, Daddy!), stuffed toys. B'jin was getting a long list and wasn't the slightest bit phased by it. Navigating around a Rider and her own armload of brats, B'jin entered the creche room he'd been assigned to that day, and looked up curiously to see with whom he'd be working. His step faltered slightly when he saw S'kef, looking far too pleased as he sat by himself, and B'jin felt his stomach churn unhappily. Imorandii's babbling continued, however, and he tore his gaze from the brownrider to focus on the ecstatic child.

"Anything else," B'jin murmured quietly as he beelined for the opposite side of the room to that which S'kef was occupying, dodging children as he went. Reaching it, the greenrider collapsed onto the floor and allowed his daughter to rearrange herself in his lap, huge blue eyes staring up at him with determination. Both of B'jin's eyebrows arched and a smile flicked over his lips. This would be good! "I want to paint Larrikith!"

The greenrider burst into laughter, while the little girl peered up at him with an indignant pout and Larrikith filled his head with objections and excuses.

J’ver wasn’t impressed. He wasn’t sure he had ever been in this dour of a mood in his life. Except for having to ‘rough it’ during exile and the first few turns of reuniting and any time they run out of scented oils he can add to his bathing waters. Other than those exceptions, J’ver was certain standing near a room full of children was the worst thing to happen to him. Was he being punished? Someone had obviously grabbed a hold of D’ren’s ear with S’kef out of the way and was making him pay for some minor misunderstanding somewhere along the way. The nerve of some people! This was a prime example as to why they needed to prove S’kef was in fine working condition once more and his little hiatus could end. He never had to serve time in such a dirty little place of existence when the brownrider held power!

Cautiously, a small step inside the room was taken, blue eyes darting around, quickly counting the heads of the enemy and making sure none were near him. Satisfied none were within reach and he could make it across the room to S’kef – how grateful he was to at least have the man suffering along with him! It would prove his point so much better this way – J’ver tried to keep his composure as he moved swiftly from one point to the other. A child made a sudden movement off to his left causing the greenrider to flinch and increase his pace but he made it to the goal in one piece and managed a smirk instead of a sigh of relief. “I’m fairly certain neither of us would be in this room if you had your position once more.” It wasn’t a practical greeting but it was one that S’kef likely expected all the same. J’ver had taken to mentioning D’ren’s idiocy in not hiring him back on every chance he could.

He eyed the seat beside the brownrider but opted to continue standing. Their location was too open and a child could spring into action and attack from any angle and J’ver wanted to be ready for such a thing. “Although it’s not too bad, I suppose,” he whispered as his gaze drifted across the room to B’jin. He had seen his fellow greenrider beeline in the opposite direction of S’kef and J’ver knew his associate had some sort of design on B’jin, though he wasn’t entirely sure what. From what J’ver could tell, it was simply the fact that B’jin was a huge pain that caused an untoward amount of trouble and still hadn’t learned his lesson from the lashing. He would break. All in due time.

S'kef's eyes darted to the door as soon as he saw movement. He'd hoped to see J'ver, but he certainly wasn't disappointed when he saw B'jin instead. The brownrider bristled unpleasantly in his chair and his expression tightened to a very pointed look of want.

Of course, B'jin had come equipped with a shield. The little girl S'kef thought with disgust. He wasn't sure what he hated more, seeing B'jin's vulnerability reduced by the presence of a child (which S'kef had no intent to scar by tormenting her father in front of her), or being reminded of his own little girls that he hadn't seen in fifteen turns. Or was it sixteen by now? S'kef could feel the bile churning in his stomach.

I have an idea Tyrrisath chimed in. S'kef could feel amusement and satisfaction peeling from the brown as he spoke, his sharp mind concocting all sorts of ideas for handling the problem. S'kef smiled; he pretended the smile was a smile of greeting, but in reality it was am expression of dark pleasure.

You always have the best ideas

I know

"Good day, B'jin," S'kef said cordially. His attention was quickly drawn by a second greenrider, this time the one he'd expected before. "J'ver," S'kef said with a professionally polished nod. He didn't reveal his relief at friendly company, but he was genuinely warmed to see his pet arrive.

Well, for a moment anyhow.

As expected, J'ver opened his fat mouth. S'kef was in no mood. He immediately narrowed his eyes. "Shut your sharding mouth. I don't want to hear it," he scolded with an extraordinarily cold edge. He crossed his arms and his spine went rigid in his seat as he glared up at J'ver, waiting expectantly for the greenrider to seat himself. What was that idiot waiting for!?

Tyrrisath could sense his bonded's agitation.  Rilaleeyth? he asked the green lightly, brushing against her mind with his usual suave delicacy. Would you be a dear and offer yourself for B'jin's child to paint? I think our bondeds would be much happier without the little girl's presence. That would be a good start, if nothing else. The brown almost laughed. Perhaps I will do so as well he commented, thinking how delightful it would be to see B'jin react to his precious child playing with the 'great brown monster'. He wouldn't sleep for a week!

S'kef went unaware of the plan; he was too busy trying to decide which greenrider he was more pissed at. He kept his visual poise, but his expression was toxic. "J'ver, sit your whore ass down," he snapped, pointing irritably at the spot beside him and not caring at all if the children overheard his swearing. Afterwards, he slowly turned back towards B'jin. "You look perky today," he accused smoothly.

S’kef’s snarled reply was so expected that J’ver barely even heard it but humoured the man with the appropriate level of disgruntled wrinkling of his nose and a sideways glance to the brownrider. Despite knowing S’kef rather well and feeling fairly comfortable in their business relations, J’ver still had an underlying note of genuine fear that kept keen blue eyes keeping a careful watch for an outburst that could very well land him in far more pain than was preferred. If S’kef took pleasure in his displeasure, than J’ver would just have to make do.

However, the bark to sit down rankled and J’ver first eyed the children that seemed to be circling closer and then the brownrider before sweeping his gaze back over the enemy’s army. Was S’kef in league with the brats? Was this a setup for a trap that would see the fragile greenrider slowly torn apart first mentally and then likely bodily? That one child did seem rather round and had a gleam in his eye that said he enjoyed meat, lots of meat. J’ver visibly shuddered before slowly stepping back to the seat that had been indicated. He didn’t want to turn his back to the little wherries in disguise.

He sat in silence for a moment, watching B’jin try to ignore them and S’kef goad him all the same. Even that failed to pull J’ver out of his current defensive posture and frame of mind though when Rilaleeyth included him in a reply meant for Tyrrisath, he tilted his head to the side, intrigued. It seemed at least someone amongst their little group was on the ball and about to make things interesting.

Rilaleeyth didn’t answer Tyrrisath right away. It was a bit unusual for her to do hesitate in replying to the brown that knew her so well but normally he didn’t ask such things of her. Certainly he did have odd requests and she was always happy to oblige but they very rarely involved the risk of upsetting Larrikith. She was by no means friends with the little green but Rilaleeyth also didn’t want to risk becoming the focus of so much more hate than her tiny form should have been capable of producing! This, however, was just innocent fun with the child while the adults conversed and J’ver did seem interested in getting to B’jin without the adorable shield he kept a tight hold on.

I would be happy to help, Tyrrisath. Imorandii is a sweet child, just look at her babbling away with so much spirit! Unlike her rider, Rilaleeyth didn’t mind children and often found them to be adorable and so full of life. It was refreshing to be around since J’ver lacked in true friendships outside of S’kef and most dragons didn’t trust her enough to be open and themselves because of whom she had bonded with. But you should give her the invitation. You’re so much better with words than I am. She couldn’t possibly turn you down.

S'kef watched with a hint of delight as J'ver did as he was told, seating himself neatly beside his keeper. It was a silver lining in an otherwise terrible day. S'kef reached out, placing one hand lightly on top of J'ver's before giving it a firm squeeze. "Good," the brownrider said, gradually snaking the hand up J'ver's arm in a delicate, doting way. He was careful to avoid being overtly sexual; as much as he despised sharing space with children, he didn't want to scar them.

Gradually, the brownrider looked to B'jin. An opportunity was presenting itself. Perhaps by abusing his own greenrider a little bit, he could remind B'jin whose presence he was in. What better way to grind a greenrider into his place than by making an example out of another one?  J'ver was being a cheeky bitch anyhow. S'kef winked at B'jin and made a sudden, fluid grab for the back of J'ver's hair.

"At least now I have something pretty to look at while I sit in here," S'kef said informally to J'ver, giving his hair a rough yank.

Tyrrisath didn't flinch. He knew his rider's actions were mean-spirited and unnecessary, but he didn't care. He did, however, recognize that Rilaleeyth may get delicate over it. Rather than doing the right thing, Tyrrisath opted to support his rider by distracting her. Thank you,  Rilaleeyth he purred, nosing the little green in a loving manner. I will do exactly that

He redirected his next words to the little girl, Imorandii. Little one? If you would like to paint a dragon, Rilaleeyth and I would like to play he said gently. Little humans took delicate words. Would she fall for it? He sure hoped so. He imagined S'kef would absolutely love seeing B'jin's reaction.

B'jin was doing his best to ignore both S'kef and his little green slut. The brownrider's greeting was responded to with a flat look, neither respectful nor disrespectful as he eyed S'kef suspiciously for a moment. The gaze lasted only a moment, before B'jin was returning his full attention to Amorandii as she spoke her arguments aloud to Larrikith, who was beating each excuse, reason or desire down with a comeback. Some of them were actually plausible, but most were designed to amuse the little girl curled up in his lap. B'jin listened in with amusement, doing his best to ignore the, oh, why wouldn't they just leave him alone?

Irritated brown eyes flashed over to look at S'kef, lips pursing as he watched J'ver coil on the seat like a snake beside his master. Disgust flickered over B'jin's features, and he pointedly ignored S'kef's use of language. There wasn't anything he could do about it without the brownrider twisting it into some kind of insubordination and punishing him. B'jin didn't particularly feel like whatever S'kef decided would be a fitting retaliation to his 'disobedience'... but he refused to answer, the greenrider turning his attention back upon his daughter pointedly.

Unfortunately, the sound of S'kef's voice was hard to ignore, and the words he spoke caused a shudder to ripple down the greenrider's spine as his gaze flickered apprehensively up to see what the ex-Second was playing at. The blonde man flinched and ducked his gaze away, tearing his eyes from the show the man was putting on for him. B'jin knew S'kef would never openly make such a scene with another man unless it was to rile someone else up. It was the games he played, and if taunting and twisting J'ver would get to B'jin, then he knew S'kef would probably screw the man right there if he could justify it to the Weyrleader. Just to fuck with him. Disgust and fear warred with B'jin's features, before shock completely wiped it all away, and staked its claim.

Yes! Go paint them! Larrikith's voice was relieved as she pounced and grabbed at the idea the brown dragon had brought forth to the child. Amorandii twisted her lips thoughtfully, pretty blue eyes narrowing as she made her decision. B'jin, for his part, was staring at Amorandii in confusion, while he pounced on Larrikith to see whom, exactly, his daughter was meant to be painting. Tyrrisath and Rilaleeyth have offered themselves to be painted. She explained, scoffing irritably when B'jin turned his gaze upon the two bonded men, expression first flashing with terror, before settling into a look of irritation. Then it lit up with a sly flare, and B'jin smiled sweetly at S'kef.

"What a wonderful idea!" B'jin chirped, standing up fluidly and swinging Amorandii up and around to sit on his shoulders. With the little girl clinging delightedly in place, B'jin clapped his hands twice, successfully getting the attention of most of the children scattered throughout the room. "Who wants to paint a dragon?!" B'jin's voice took on the coddling tone of someone speaking to young children, since most of the group ranged between three and six turns. The enthusiasm with which his question was met had B'jin toss an eye-flutter at S'kef. "Why don't you thank Brownrider S'kef and Greenrider J'ver for the offer their lovely dragons put forth! Shall we go out and greet them?" B'jin's voice went up a couple of octave as he played up the question, eyes widening with amusement as several children jumped around and squealed. He wondered, idly, if Grith had taken to being painted since arriving at Katila, or had been so decorated before the plague. He'd have to ask Par'a some time!

"Come along then!" B'jin gushed, grabbing up another child and carrying the little boy like a rolled up rug under one arm, and allowing another to swing from his free arm. "Let's go greet the pretty dragons!" A sweet smile was directed towards the two other riders. "Why don't you help that lot bring out the paint?" B'jin was positive the older children would bring out enough to successfully torture the Evil Brown Monstrosity and his Green Whore, but it was worth the dig and the chance to bat his eyes sweetly before slipping outside with the excited hoard of squealing children.

So glad I'm not you! Larrikith chirped deviously to the other two dragons, hiding well out of reach on the roof of the Hall, and thoroughly enjoying B'jin's manipulation of the situation. She did so enjoy it when her little human lived up to her expectations. Knowing he had it in him was one thing, of course. Seeing him so beautifully execute something like that? Larrikith sighed happily to herself, causing B'jin to laugh softly.

Considering how long he had studied S’kef and been at his side, he really should have predicted another dip in his attitude. Stiil, J’ver had foolishly relaxed for a few heartbeats when a hand found his, giving him a moment’s respite from his fear of the children attacking. Of course the real predator in the room was the man he had placed his trust in and an inhale of breath was taken sharply when his hair was pulled. He couldn’t fathom what game the brownrider was up to, not then with the surprise of the motion and the stinging of his scalp. So he protested the action, simply playing himself by being anything but amused by the action. “I’m glad you find me so pretty to look at but there’s no need to mess my hair or inflict any amount of pain.” His words were sharp but to his credit they were still rather civilized and no one could blame him for negatively influencing the brats giggling and running about.

Unfortunately they fell on deaf ears to the obvious target of the show of power S’kef had over greenriders as B’jin did his best to ignore them and focused on what the dragons were up to. J’ver would have thought it a safe bet to say B’jin wouldn’t have liked the idea of his precious little girl being anywhere near the dragons belonging to such horrible riders but he not only encouraged her but the other brats as well. This was certainly an interesting turn of events! Perhaps S’kef and Tyrrisath didn’t know their prey as well as they assumed. Perhaps, J’ver thought with a nasty smirk curling up his lips, S’kef was simply getting too old for such games and he should be the one sitting silently at another’s side to look pretty. “Yes, S’kef, why don’t you help the little ones with the paints for the dragons to be decorated in?” He was on his way to a lot of pain but J’ver suspected it would have happened even if he kept his mouth shut. Might as well get his digs in when he could!

Rilaleeyth’s head shot up, worried eyes staring in the direction she knew her bonded sat behind a wall when J’ver’s pain, as minimal and brief as it was, hit her. She was concerned for what S’kef was bringing down on J’ver but given their trust in the brown pair, she was, as Tyrrisath predicted, easily distracted from the going-ons inside. At the sweet nuzzling she received, Rilaleeyth was once more soothed and at Tyrrisath’s mercy as she let the humans continue with what they were getting up to. You truly are an elegant wordsmith, Tyrrisath. How could the sweet child refuse you? She knew she couldn’t and apparently not even B’jin could as the invitation was sent out to everyone from the cheerful human. She wished she could understand why the man was being targeted that day when he always seemed so friendly and like someone that would be fun to spend time with. Will this disturb your plan, Tyrrisath? Perhaps even with all the children distracted with painting us our bonded can still have time alone with B’jin?

At Larrikith’s teasing, Rilaleeyth sat up and glanced around for her green sister, finally spotting her hiding up on the roof. Good day to you, Larrikith! I don’t mind being painted since Grith always seems to enjoy it so much. I’m not sure J’ver will appreciate the clean up but if it makes everyone happy, why should I protest it?

Oh, what a disaster.

S'kef drew up as he heard B'jin's voice ring out, encouraging all the children to  rush outside and make fools of his good, loyal Tyrrisath. And Rilaleeyth too, he added as an afterthought. She was a cute little green and knew her place well, so he hardly had any reason to wish this on her.

S'kef wasn't sure what to do. He was momentarily paralyzed by the situation. Damn that B'jin! Clever and quick on his feet, as always...clearly not to be underestimated.

Look out, here they come

I know Tyrrisath said hesitantly, blinking and wrapping one protective wing around Rilaleeyth, as if to protect her from the little beasts. Tyrrisath didn't particularly hate little humans, but S'kef's loathing of the situation and the general discomfort he felt around them were bleeding over. The brown searched his mind for a solution, but none came...

..Except from his dazzling green cohort.

Think of it as us distracting all the children, not just B'jin's Tyrrisath said, crooning and nuzzling Rilaleeyth as a reward for her good idea. Meanwhile, he braced himself for impact. There they come! He would have to get Larrikith back for this one.

S'kef nodded and reached out, catching J'ver's arm. "Go ahead and get the paint, Jai," he said lowly. He winked, hoping J'ver would get the implications; playing fetch would keep him away from the kids for that much longer. S'kef, meanwhile, needed to come up with an idea fast.

Then, S'kef took off, following B'jin as he herded the children outside. "Clever," S'kef snapped, shooting one hand out to snatch suddenly at the greenrider's shoulder. How cute it would be if he jumped.

Larrikith laughed cheerfully at Rilaleeyth's comment, her eyes swirling prettily with her amusement. Grith enjoys many activities I would not recommend taking part in, the little green responded, thinking of the number of times Grith had been caught in doorways; It was, honestly, something that happened so often even Larrikith and her terrible head for memories could recall the habit without any effort. Most brats are happy to wash you later, if you ask nicely. Or you could kidnap them, they often enjoy the unplanned flight. Larrikith, personally, simply preferred the bath time part. B'jin had encouraged her to be painted alongside her friends, but the little dragon simply couldn't bring herself to do so. Her hide was pretty, and she enjoyed it being clean. If only more children had a head for oiling!

B'jin, busy being abused by children, didn't hear S'kef's rapidly approaching footsteps. With his daughter balanced precariously on his shoulders, a youngster tucked under his arm giggling wildly, and another swinging off his other hand, B'jin was unprepared for the sudden addition of another hand, gripping his shoulder terribly close to his daughter. B'jin's movements would have been actions to be proud of, if he hadn't had sudden fear swallowing any sense of pride. He spun rapidly, adjusting his grip on the child propped against his hip and the one who held his hand so they were both delicately set on their feet behind him, while the free hand, not affected by S'kef's grip, lifted to steady his daughter's swaying seat; Her shriek of surprised fear at his sudden movement had masked B'jin's own gasp of surprise.

Wide, brown eyes stared at S'kef for a moment, wary and wondering what the man wanted now. With a flick of his hand, he sent the two children behind him scurrying after their friends and out to attack the two dragons. Amorandii was carefully lifted down from his shoulders to be propped on a hip, B'jin unwilling to set her down and be left alone with the man before him.

"Daddy? I wanna go paint!" Andi wriggled and poked him in the cheek, but her father's distrustful gaze never left S'kef's face, and he didn't realise J'ver wasn't there.

Rilaleeyth bloomed under Tyrrisath’s attention and praise and she sat up a little taller and nuzzled the brown in return. She knew she was always viewed as weak and useless due to being a green but she always took great pride in doing or saying something that helped out, showing she was worthy of the clever company she kept. Her revelling didn’t last long, however, as the children came dashing out. There’s so many! In truth, three kids would have been counted as ‘many’ to the bright green dragon that didn’t interact with children thanks to J’ver’s hatred of them.

I hope you’re right, Larrikith. I don’t think I’ll be green for very long. Perhaps she could convince the children to paint her blue! She could pretend to be one of the boys for a few hours as a little entertainment for herself. She silently laughed to herself as she nudged one of the larger children with her nose in greeting.

J’ver was still in a miserable state of existence as he nearly stomped his way across the room to where the paints were supposedly stored. He didn’t care that it was keeping him away from the spawn the weyr housed since he was still doing tedious tasks that would eventually bring him back to the children and make them happy. He was certain that removing himself entirely from the equation would make everyone happy. Unfortunately, that also meant B’jin would be thrilled to see him go and that simply wouldn’t do. So as he opened and closed cupboards to find the paints, J’ver thought up ways to help torment the greenrider S’kef was currently fixated on.

For the moment, it seemed removing the child from B’jin’s grasp was the most beneficial thing he could do.

Once the basket of paints was found, J’ver took a moment to collect himself with a few slow and deep breaths and turned to march back to his doom. “Amorandii,” he addressed the girl as casually as he could, doing his best to hide his disdain for the pipsqueak and her cohorts. “Would you like to show me the way outside? You can pick which paint you want to start with and tell me what you plan to draw on Rilaleeyth.” He smiled at the girl, ignoring S’kef all together for the time being. He knew the brownrider would understand his lack of attention to mean he was annoyed with having to do such a self sacrifice and there would be a lot in the ways of making up to be done that night for all assistance that day.

Oh, look at J'ver, stomping away like a little diva. S'kef snorted derisively, still aggravated by the goings on and how B'jin's nasty little countermeasure almost foiled his plans, but at least J'ver was pulling his weight when it came to correcting the problem. S'kef made a note to reward the precious little greenrider later.

Ah, alone. Well, except for B'jin. S'kef watched with amusement as the little girl trailed off after J'ver, leaving him all alone with his second favorite greenrider.

Second, because J'ver had been an awfully good boy lately. That was the only reason, at least that's what S'kef told himself. He dismissed any lingering thoughts he had on his possession and turned towards B'jin, who was left adorably alone and defenseless. S'kef approached at a steady pace, hands tucked neatly behind his back.

"B'jin, do you have just a moment?" he asked, smiling cordially at the greenrider. His eyes shimmered with a hint of that old familiar desire. B'jin was one of his favorite prizes, rare and fleeting, like an extraordinary delicacy that is difficult to reproduce later. B'jin wasn't looking quite as extraordinarily beautiful and desirable as he once had, but S'kef was chalking that up to not feeling well. His gaze unconsciously shifted to J'ver for just a moment as the thought crossed his mind, but he himself didn't notice.

"I wanted to let you know that your healer kid is a dud," S'kef said with a sudden, dour frown. "It's a shame, you know. I was hoping the little rat would be able to pull me through it and prove his worth." He adjusted his posture somewhat, carefully maintaining his professional facade. They were in public, after all.

He leaned closer. "I also wanted to let you know that I have my eye on him, and you. I don't trust that runt. He made his disdain for dragonriders obvious enough. You better get that rat on a leash, and fast...before he becomes a problem."

A sweet smile. "So, when does Larrikith fly again?" He asked loudly, partially to tease J'ver, who would hopefully overhear. Actually catching Larrikith was a tall order, but S'kef wanted to see both of his favorites wriggle just a bit. Being pissy during the day always made J'ver better in bed at night.

Normally, J'ver's question would have received a suspicious glare. He knew the way outside, and she knew perfectly well that he knew it. She was also well aware of when she was being dragged away from a situation or group of people, such as the way J'ver was obviously trying to get her away from the current conversation going on between her father and the other man. However, Amorandii really wanted to go and secure herself a chunk of dragonhide before all the other children took the best spots for painting and she got left with nothing! Daddy could be boring and unfun and talk about grown up things; the child practically threw herself at J'ver, startling her father who scrambled to keep hold of her lest the little girl splatter on the floor at J'ver's feet. She might not be aware that he wouldn't catch her, but B'jin was.

When she was safely on the ground, Amorandii fluffed her skirt out with great dignity before reaching up to take J'ver's hand and lead him toward the doorway outside which the dragons were to be found. The entire way, she babbled about everything she was going to draw on his pretty dragon and what was Rilaleeyth's favourite colour? Well, besides green? What did she like? What was her favourite time of the day, who was her best friend - she did have one, right? Why? Where? Who? How? Ohh!

B'jin was torn between smirking as his daughter chattered J'ver's ear off and terror as he suddenly realised he was alone in a deserted corridor with S'kef. Very not good. His gaze flicked around skittishly for an escape, but he was unable to act upon anything when S'kef was suddenly in his face. The greenrider drew back dramatically, eyes wide. He shook his head, no he did not have a moment! Moments with S'kef had been very unpleasant in the past and he had no doubt future moments would be just as much so. Maybe more.

The jab at Talian had B'jin bristling, despite his own trepidation, and the greenrider straightened, indignant outrage etching itself upon his features, an expression S'kef would have seen far too often, many turns ago. Before the greenrider could articulate a reply in Talian's defence, S'kef had dropped a bomb on him and B'jin's brain skipped several gears before shooting off in the one direction B'jin did not want to travel. "Never," he snarled, puffing up like a cornered feline, though his eyes were bright with terror.

A smile played on the corner of the evil brownrider's mouth. He knew those comments alone would alarm B'jin enough, but thrown together, they satisfactorily destroyed all of the greenrider's defenses. It was just too easy.

"Never, huh? Llarrikith must have turned over a new leaf," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand, voice calm and expression both smug and mellow. The encounter was no big deal to him; merely a game, something to get his mind off his troubles. The warning about Talian had been real enough, though. S'kef continued to carry himself like an authority figure, even though as each day passed without reinstatement was a worse and worse omen for him.

With that, the brownrider reached out with one deceptively smooth hand and unashamedly brushed it down B'jin's handsome face. It wasn't a rough or even threatening touch, but it was done with complete and utter entitlement. B'jin was a greenrider, and therefore fit only to be property. S'kef could touch him if he wanted, and touch him he would.

"Just keep all that in mind, all right Jinny?" If B'jin could call him a humiliating nickname like 'S'keffy', then by Faranth he would return the favor. He smiled pleasantly and winked once, lifting one hand and making an idle salute before turning to walk off. His greenrider had gone through a lot of trouble to secure Skef a minute to tease B'jin. It only seemed fitting to repay the favor. S'kef chased J'ver down gave the greenrider a dismissive signal. "Go on home, Jai...I'll cover your shift here."

It would be worth it to make B'jin stew in the creche alongside him for the rest of the day. Ah! Life's simple pleasures!

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Honey can close if she wants, but otherwise I think we're done