Wrongs Righted [A'liran]

You are back! Niskziath's voice was filled with an almost childish eagerness. Despite sounding excited at her bonded's return, she did not move to greet him as she usually would. He was with a guest, after all, and she would never dare invade somebody else's space! Niskziath was a polite and sweet dragon, and while she wanted to greet V'zire's friend, she did not. That would also be an invasion of someone's privacy and space. The same logic applied to asking V'zire what had happened to him. She wanted badly to know what was upsetting him, but when she got close to touching the rampant thoughts in his mind a warning would flare up. It wasn't something she was supposed to pry into. She just had to trust that her bonded would remain well. He was in one piece now, but she could feel the threat of grief looming on the horizon.

It would be just fine, though, because she was here for him always.

"I haven't played dragon poker in a long while," V'zire was saying as he made his way up to his small hut. He sent a silent greeting to Niskziath, and a flow of comforting feelings to her as well. They both could read each other so well by now that they knew how to do just the right things to make one another feel better. Silently, he did want to just go lay down next to her and fall asleep. But, he also knew there would be so much difficulty in the simple act of falling asleep. There were a lot of thoughts and feelings that he had yet to confront. He kept on shoving them to the side to address later, because he was simply too weak to do so now.

The better option, undeniably, was to let A'liran keep him company. V'zire still felt a little awkward next to the other Greenrider. A'liran knew what he had just gone through, and was going out of his way to ensure that V'zire wasn't left to the dangers of his  "U-ummm, feel free to take a seat wherever you like," he instructed A'liran with a hesitant smile. V'zire wasn't used to being the host of conversation. He was the type of person that liked to sit back and listen to the chatter that went on between his friends. "A-and if you want something to drink, I've got some wine around here somewhere. I'm not sure it's the best, though."

It sucks, Ast, A'liran thought as he moved along quietly beside V'zire. His mind was a whirl of emotions, ranging from pity to bitter nostalgia. He remembered his first flight. It had been a bad one, too. Not that this was exactly the same situation, but it was similar enough.

It does the dragon agreed, solemn with a hint of bitterness. She didn't fully understand the issue, but she hated when these sort of things put her bonded in a dour mood. A'liran was so easily upset by things like this! He kept it hidden under a strong exterior for the sake of his newly-found charge (friend?), but she knew better. She could sense the frustration underneath. A'liran wished for nothing more than the knock down the door of the man responsible and punish him for his crimes, but they both knew that nothing would come of that. Nothing, that is, aside from more injustice.

A'liran kept a lopsided smile on his face as he followed along, though her remained notably muted. When they reached V'zire's hut, A;liran moved inside and seated himself heavily on one of the couches without asking. He realized his mistake a bit too late. Whoops he thought, hoping he hadn;t upset his skittish host.

Astoreth appeared overhead. She landed beside the hut and exhaled heavily, eyes gradually settling from red to a neutral, lazily whirling green. Good evening, Niskziath she said, her greeting kind enough though she was a bit distracted by  A'liran's mental jumble.

A'lirn bit his lip as he looked around. Poor V'zire. He pulled out his cards again and put on the best smile he could manage. "Well, that makes two of us," he lied. He loved dragon poker, but he fully intended to throw the game to give this little guy a confidence boost. "And nah...I don't need a drink," he said casually. He didn't say 'thank you', as the gratitude was already included in his otherwise dismissive tone. A'liran wasn't one for manners, but he'd always held true to an 'actions before words' attitude.

Oh, good evening Astoreth! You and your's are up late tonight. Niskziath loved all the other dragons, and she loved all the humans. That Astoreth was giving her attention was a highlight of her evening, and a distraction from her bonded's unusually darker thoughts. Niskziath rose, putting some more distance between herself and Astoreth to ensure the other Green had enough room to spread out and relax. Niskziath had learned to be a polite host! The Green liked to think she did a very good job of being polite, and not showing how overeager she was to make new friends.

V'zire was a naturally forgiving type of person, so he didn't seem the least bit miffed when A'liran just happened to flop down onto his couch. That was why the couch was there, to be sat on! He wasn't even bothered that A'liran still had his shoes on. Tidying up tomorrow would give him something else to do other than dwell on what S'kef had done to him. V'zire realized that the best way for him to move on from this was to focus on anything else possible. A'liran was here to help him out now, but A'liran wasn't always going to be around, and V'zire didn't feel like confiding in anyone what had happened to him. It was enough that a single person knew and cared about him.

"If you're sure. If you need anything, just tell me." V'zire wouldn't drink himself if A'liran didn't want to. He was a social drinker, who often got a little carried away when he drank. Since he did not want to to turn into a hot sobbing mess on A'liran, he kept himself away from the alcohol. When V'zire drank, things could get ugly... in the embarrassing way, really.

He took a seat down next to A'liran, running his fingers through his hair as he observed the man shuffling the deck of cards. "I think I've only played this when I was drunk. I'll probably do terribly," he warned A'liran with a small smile.

Astoreth landed delicately and approached her fellow green. It has been a trying night Astoreth said simply, curling up beside Niskziath and letting out a soft yawn. She suspected the other green had no knowledge of what had happened. While the idea of keeping it a secret made her a little uncomfortable, she kept quiet regardless. That was V'zire's place to say, not hers. She let the issue go, instead choosing to rest comfortably beside her fellow green. A'liran was calm, so she saw no reason not to go ahead and drift off to sleep. She expected he'd strike her up for a tender conversation later after V'zire was asleep. A'liran did a good job playing strong while he had someone to protect, but when the darkness came, he would come to her. He always did.

A'liran smirked playfully at V'zire. "Don't worry, I'm not very good at this," he said, bluffing just a little bit. He wasn't the best player in the Weyr, but he knew his way around a card table. He quickly shuffled his cards and dealt them out. "I don't have anything for us to bet with, so I guess we're just playing for fun," he said. He didn't expect V'zire would play for keeps with money or anything, but something to represent chips still would have been nice just to keep track of things.

His cards were old. He'd been carrying them around with him for over fifteen turns now. They were tattered and frayed, bent...and yet he couldn't retire them. They were one of a few knickknacks he'd brought from the north. They were beaten to the red star and back, but handling them reminded him of home and the good times in a good way, when so often he was surrounded by the bad ones.

Three of a kind. That sucks

He played his hand, and looked expectantly at V'zire. "So, what exactly do you do in your spare time, kiddo? Weyrmate, kids, anything?" he asked casually, realizing he knew almost nothing about this fellow greenrider.

Oh, Niskziath hesitated, I am sorry that it has been. The Green wasn't the brightest of dragons, but she could assume that her bonded's grief was the cause of Astoreth's long night. It was very nice of Astoreth and A'liran to go out of their way for her bonded, and she'd thank A'liran personally if it wasn't so rude. Usually she'd ask V'zire to inquire if his friends would mind if she spoke with them, but she was keeping distance from her bonded tonight. He didn't want her catching onto his thoughts, and Niskziath respected it. When he was ready, he would tell her. Until then, she'd curl up here with Astoreth and doze off. A'liran was doing a good enough job of taking care of V'zire that she had no need to worry.

"I don't have much I could bet with either, and since I'm really not good at this game, I think I'm better off with having nothing to bet." He was slowly coming out of his shell. The game would do well to distract him from himself, and silently he decided that it was a really good thing A'liran had come along. V'zire couldn't imagine walking all the way back to his hut alone, couldn't imagine trying to fall asleep right now by himself. A'liran wasn't going to stay all night, but it was nice for the time that he was here.

He looked at the hand he was dealt and frowned. Now, it was rather clear why V'zire didn't play card games often. He was an honest person, and what he felt tended to show on his face. Either his hand really sucked, or he couldn't figure out what he actually had in it. He rearranged his hand, organizing it so he could try and get a better understanding of what he got and... nope. "It's a really good thing we're not betting," he mumbled. A'liran laid down his hand, and V'zire's frown deepened. "I think you won," and flashing A'liran his cards, he revealed that all he had was a low numbered pair.

"I usually just hang out with Nisk, or some friends. Um, no kids." He could be sure of that one, at least. The young Greenrider looked vaguely pained at the inquiry over a Weyrmate. No one ever seemed to understand him when he tried to explain his Weyrmate situation. "Uhhh, I kinda do? R'ore's dragon always wins Niskziath's flights, which is why I don't normally... have something happen like what happened." He quickly steered away from that train of thought. "But R'ore already has a Weyrmate, and I find it a little... weird to look for anyone else when Niskziath so clearly favors him and his dragon." V'zire considered it enough of a relationship that he didn't look around for an actual relationship.

And here A'liran thought he'd been going easy. He smiled nonetheless and dealt again. This time he was looking even better; two pair. He shook his head and put on a stony expression of disappointment. V'zire was horribly easy to read, but A'liran had been playing enough to manage a halfway decent pokerface.


The weyrmate comments didn't sound so out of place to A'liran. He knew V'zire's green rose infrequently and was known to go to the same dragon, but he hadn't known about R'ore's proper weyrmate. "Flights complicate stuff, man. I wind up with weyrmated guys all the time," he said. "Most of em don;t care, though. Everyone knows that you can't help what happens during flight." He thought it a little odd that V'zire used that as a reason not to seek anyone out, but he wouldn't question it. Maybe V'zire just didn't want a relationship, and that was fine.

"....Pair of fives," he said, purposefully withholding some of his cards. He flashed a smile at the other greenrider and shrugged. "And don't worry, we wouldn't bet for keeps anyhow. It's just good to have chips or something to keep track of the game a little bit better." He flipped through his cards again, admiring the handsome artwork that had faded so much over time. He sighed. "I wish I could get a new deck of these. I'd like to put these ones away for rainy days before I wear em all the way out," he said. He made a mental note to try and locate another set.

"I almost had a kid," A'liran continued. He'd had some passing encounters with women, but always on the condition that they between afterwards. The one he referenced had been a flightchild. "She didn't make it, though." A'liran didn't necessarily speak with remorse, but certainly with consideration. He couldn't feel emotion for something that just didn't happen, but he sure understood how different things might have been. He couldn't exactly say he was glad, but the thought displeased him. His mixed emotions showed for only a moment before he drew his new hand.

"Ha!" he crowed happily.

V'zire was easy to read, and easy to fool. The look on A'liran's face told him that the man had been dealt as poor a hand as he had gotten the last round! The disappointment on A'liran's face almost made V'zire feel bad about winning. He was fairly sure what he had counted as a run, and if it didn't well then... he was out of luck. In reality, all V'zire knew was good to have were matching numbers and runs. He really did not play card games often enough.

"Ah! I got a run! I won, right? I think I won." V'zire, for a few moments, looked genuinely excited that he had actually beaten someone in a single round. It was a childish sort of glee that oddly suited him.

"Oh, I understand that. I just... I don't know. Sometimes I don't think I'm really suited to this lifestyle. I'd feel bad for being with anyone else when I know the next time Niskziath rises I'll be back with R'ore." It sounded silly even to V'zire as he began to explain it. It wasn't that he didn't want a Weyrmate, it was just that he still retained pieces of a different lifestyle. It felt wrong to pursue someone, and he was probably too shy and awkward to actually do such a thing to begin with. Whenever R'nd playfully hit on him, he couldn't even talk straight enough to reject him. Anything and everything dealing with relationships was just... awkward for V'zire.

"Oh, I... I'm sorry. I'm sure you would have been a great dad and she a good mother," he didn't quite know how to respond to such a statement. At least he replied earnestly and genuinely. A'liran would have been a fine father, he liked to think. His children would have been blessed with good looks, too. The subject was uncomfortable for V'zire, even if he wasn't the one experiencing the loss. He felt sympathy for A'liran, even though he really did not know his feelings about it.

"...you just got a good draw, didn't you?"

"A run?" A'liran asked, smirking. "Yep, that beats a pair. You're doing pretty good, for someone who never plays," he said. He eyed his new draw and suppressed the urge to smile again. He actually hadn't gotten anything at all. V'zire was just pitifully easy to bluff. It would have been a fun game if they were betting, even if the chips consisted of pebbles and lint balls.

"Eh. It's not for everyone, I guess," he continued as he waited on V'zire's draw. "I wanted a weyrmate when I was younger, but Ast's flights are inconsistent and well..." Why hadn't he ever come across someone? He liked to think that the right person simply hadn't come along, but part of him knew he'd long outgrown the ideal of romance. A'liran hadn't had a serious boyfriend or girlfriend in decades, and in all honesty, he'd grown attached to a life of no attachments. Part of him was ashamed; it propagated negative stereotypes of both greenriders and homosexuals, but it shouldn't. People should be free to do as they pleased, and the very notion that his behavior in his bedroom reflected on his character outside of it, at least in the eyes of the world at large, was annoying as shards.

It really was unfortunate. He didn't want to contribute to the problem, but how could he change peoples' minds? Was changing their minds or sparing himself their judgment worth compromising himself? A younger A'liran had been slightly more modest in that regard, but he'd advanced well beyond caring. Fuck those people.

V'zire himself was proof that those stereotypes were garbage, and on both fronts, too! V'zire was sweet and chaste, innocent in spite of the thing that had happened to him. He was a male-lover and a greenrider, and had more integrity than half the damn Weyr. A'liran thought very highly of that, even if he couldn't imagine living a lifestyle like that...devoted to someone he couldn't be with.

"Don't feel too bad about the kid," he mumbled a moment later, his mood sinking just a little. A'liran tried to remind himself not to be a sucker for what couldn't be, but at his core he was a bit of a softie. "There's nothing anyone could have done about it, you know?" His tone was gruff and dismissive. That was that.

He arched a brow, then smiled. "Actually, I don't have shit," he said teasingly, amusement and pleasure stirring in his voice again as he dropped his cards. "You win again, bud. That's two out of three."

"I don't think I'm necessarily doing good as just getting good hands?" It wasn't as if they were actually betting. What they were playing was a game of luck, and in that at least V'zire had a chance to win. If this were an actual game of poker, V'zire would be losing terribly. He couldn't bluff, and it was up in the air if he could tell whether he had a solid hand or not. Right now he was guessing, and hoping that A'liran would point out to him what he had. He drew his next cards, a little dismayed that he had a low pair. A'liran had beaten that before, and V'zire suspected that he would beat him again.

"I kind of want... an actual one," he admitted with the smallest blush. "But if Niskziath is happy with picking R'ore's dragon again and again, then I'm going to be happy too." A weyrmate seemed out of the picture to him, or at least a weyrmate who wasn't already weyrmated with someone else. For someone who wasn't a stereotypical greenrider, he had a lot of complications in his relationships. He supposed it was unavoidable from the moment he had Impressed Niskziath. She was everything he wanted, and if that meant his human relations were skewed... so be it. He had her, and that was all he really needed.

"Still..." It seemed as if V'zire had something to say on the subject of A'liran's baby, but decided that he was better off respecting the man's boundaries. Whatever thought was on his mind withered and died. A child was a difficult subject to discuss, especially one that was lost. If A'liran knew he was having a child, the pain had to be similar to losing one that had been born. But, maybe A'liran had already conquered that grief, and maybe he was being a bit of a dick by bringing the subject up.

V'zire glanced at A'liran skeptically, and then took a cautious peek at his hand. "Why do you sound so happy to have lost?" He was sort of excited that he was winning, though!

"That's part of it, but so is knowing what to lay down," A'liran commented as he looked at his next hand. Three of a kind, not too bad. It would have to do. He frowned anyhow, his gaze flickering to V'zire to see if he'd pick up on the bluff. He doubted it, and it was absolutely adorable. V'zire was charming in his innocence, and A'liran was glad to he close by to help foster it. Some viewed innocence and naivety as the same thing, and a weakness at that. Here, A'liran saw the former without the latter, and a type of endurance that far too few displayed these days.

"You know you can have someone else as a weyrmate, you know. It doesn't have to be someone whose dragon flies yours. Shards, I've even seen two greenriders shack up," he said as he laid out his hand. He smirked.

"And I don't mind losing. It's just a game..." he said, not bothering to point out how obviously happy winning was making V'zire. A'liran's sole purpose in visiting was to keep his fellow greenrider happy and safe. If winning brought a smile to V'zire's face, A'liran was happy to lose all night long. It wasn't like one of those high-stakes games where his marks were on the line! Or, in some cases, more serious things.

"Three of a kind beats a pair. Good game, though," A'liran said as their cards hit the floor. He quickly scooped them up and dealt again. "You know, I used to wish for a weyrmate, too. Ast has a pretty erratic schedule though, and she flies often. Its always just been whoever, but the last couple turns the same dragon wins her about half the time."

A'liran was holding two pair, but he decided to play it as one. Letting V'zire win again couldn't hurt.

"Too bad the guy's an asshole." He spoke with stony indifference, but he couldn't help but breathe just a little faster when he thought of the blue in question.

"I k-know, it's just..." It was a mixture of embarrassment, mixed feelings of obligation, a large degree of shyness when it came to romantic involvement, and a little bit of fear. V'zire was clearly embarrassed just from talking about it, and so it wasn't hard to see how he was with relationships outside of flights. The greenrider wanted a relationship, but inhibited himself so greatly that having one was improbable. Having the same rider winning Niskziath's flights was an easy crutch to lean upon. V'zire wasn't really hurting from the lack of a love life, he had Niskziath, and a great deal of friends. He just thought that maybe... it would be nice. "It's just difficult for me, I guess." It was the best way he could sum it up.

"I hardly win games like these," he admitted, and was a little eager to move away from the conversation he had drug up himself. "It's kind of nice to win, every once in a while." V'zire was naturally a graceful loser, but he couldn't deny that he got a little giddy when he won, especially since he hardly expected to. As A'liran had clearly witnessed, V'zire was terrible at keeping a poker face and terrible at determining someone else's expressions. He couldn't even see through A'liran's bluff, and was completely unaware that the man had been bluffing a few times throughout this game.

"That should be nice, though, shouldn't it?" he asked with an obviously curious tone. "It provides some stability, to have the same dragon win. I like that Niskziath habitually chooses the same dragon." Of course, maybe he was wrong about such stability being a good thing. He flashed A'liran a sheepish, almost shamed smile when the other greenrider mentioned that the man who won wasn't entirely pleasant.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I uh, I guess that wouldn't be too much fun." He was so distracted that he didn't play his current hand, and likely would need a friendly reminder in a few minutes when it became apparent to A'liran that V'zire had forgotten they were in the middle of a round.

A'liran shrugged, more than willing to let the topic go if Vikki wanted to let it go. A'liran didn't necessarily understand his fellow greenrider's skittishness on the subject, but he could at least respect it. The feistier green just considered it another sign of V'zire's charming purity.

He wasn't sure what to say on the topic of his flight winner, though. "I'd be inclined to say 'boring', but I suppose if Z'ia is anything, it's not boring," he commented with a bit of a grumble. Once more, his feelings towards Z'ia were amazingly mixed, mostly negative, and yet somehow invested. A'liran felt like he was doomed to clash with that bluerider until the end of time, taunted by that smile and those annoying bouncing curls. He was a good lay, but a nightmare to deal with outside of the flight. Why couldn't be just go away and leave A'liran alone outside of them?

"He thinks we belong to him," A'liran said icily. He would leave it alone at that; he didn't want to bring up any bad memories in Vikki by talking about cruel riders. So, rather than linger on his own bitterness towards ther situation, A'liran just snorted and forced a laugh. "It's okay, though. I kick his ass every time," he lied playfully, injecting a bit of humor to protect the other greenrider's delicate sensibilities.

With Vikki's recent pain in mind, even thinking about it all made A'liran even angrier.

"Zi'a... seems nice?" Of course, V'zire had never really associated with the Bluerider to really tell if he was anything else. But what he had seen of Z'ia, the man had appeared to be decent. V'zire had never been the focus of Z'ia's attention, though, so he likely had no idea what A'liran put up with. The greenrider just liked to think optimistically! He categorized nearly everyone as 'nice' until they proved otherwise, and then V'zire would just try to find something else that was a positive attribute. Of course, he was yet to figure out anything that was good about S'kef. But, he was also trying not to think of the brownrider. It was easy to tell when his mind drifted back towards what happened. He really did not have a poker face. His lips would crease just slightly at the corners, and his eyes would become distant. V'zire would look remotely saddened for a moment before his attention was successfully diverted by A'liran.

"O-oh," V'zire replied meekly, gaze dropping back down to his lap. He clearly did not handle negativity well. In reality, he had no idea what to say in response to A'liran's comment about Z'ia. He knew it was wrong of Z'ia to think that way, but he couldn't bring himself to criticize someone he did not know. V'zire wouldn't dissuade A'liran from it, but he certainly wouldn't participate.

It was for the best, then, that A'liran let the subject drop and gave V'zire something to smile at. The smile really didn't blossom, but the effort to be happy was there. It was the best V'zire could do after his encounter with S'kef. "I hope someone nicer wins Astoreth's flights, for your sake. You deserve to end up with someone who treats you like an equal." That was one thing V'zire could say with certainty. A'liran deserved to have whomever he wanted, and if he didn't want Z'ia, V'zire could hope someone else would come along for him.

"That's sweet of you," A'liran mused lightly, eyes focused on the cards, though his tone remained thoughtful. 'You get what you get, though. Z'ia doesn't fly her every time, he's just the only..." Was regular the right word? Z'ia wasn't quite a regular, but just..."A familiar face. Ast has a lot of suitors and she's a real bitch to catch, so I don't get a whole ton of repeats," he said casually, as if it was nothing. He enjoyed his his flights, though that wasn't something he was going to flaunt to V'zire, who obviously had less than exotic tastes when it came to flights.

A'liran sure appreciated this other man's desire to be happy, though. Not a lot of people could boast that; a legitimate desire to be happy.

A'liran yawned. He looked down at his cards, watching as the letters and suit symbols swirled around. Was he really this tired already? He wrinkled his nose, then dropped his cards. "Dude, I hate to do this to you but I am totally exhausted. I don't think I've got any more cards in me tonight." Not that he intended to go to bed. He wanted to stay up and protect V'zire for as long as he could. Once his fellow greenrider slept safely, then he could sleep.