Difference between revisions of "Logs:Shy, Gay Teenagers"

Yyth extended herself to twine into Cadejoth, letting him know P'ax was coming to visit. Sure enough, the greenrider arrives, hands jammed into pockets, hat pulled low against the chilly reachian night. "You in here, K'del?" he calls, skipping up the steps two at a time.

It's not that long after K'del excused himself from his conversation with Shad and Audria in the Nighthearth - so not long, in fact, that he's still in the process of removing his boots, sitting as he is, in front of his own fireplace. Cadejoth tangled himself with Yyth at her touch, but must have let his rider know, too, because he turns to call back, "Come on in, P'ax. Fire's warm; freezing out there, isn't it?"

P'ax grunts in agreement about the cold as he comes tromping in, stomping snow off his boots so he doesn't bring the muddy wet mess in with him before coming in completely into the circle of light. He pulls his hat off and wipes the back of his hand across his face. "Yeah, definitely. Time to find a bed warmer." The notion of somebody nice and snuggly in his bed cheers him considerably, bringing a grin to his thin mouth.

"I was hoping more for... Spring." But K'del already has a bed warmer most nights, so perhaps that's the reason for that. The bronzerider shakes his boot off of his foot, dumping it on the ground as she tilts his head around to watch P'ax's progress. "Can make klah or something if you want it." It's cozily warm inside this part of the weyr, protected as it is from Cadejoth's couch and the entranceway.

P'ax nods his head. "Klah'd be great. Got something I wanted to talk to you about." He dumps his jacket across the back of a chair and leaves his boots beside it, obviously it's nothing he's too worried about if he's taking the liberty to get comfortable. "Spring's soggy, at least the snow's dry so long as it's cold enough. Once it heats up and the snow starts to melt, I'm scrubbing mud off Yyth twice a day."

Now free of both boots, K'del bobs his head and crawls off of the couch and towards the fireplace, where he fusses around with a klah pot and water, getting it set up to start boiling. "True," he allows, as he works. "But at least it's not quite so nastily cold. Mud cleans, eventually. Snow... well, it just keeps getting dirty anyway, you know? And then more falls. And it's cold." Beat. "Anyway. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

P'ax has to grin at K'del's logic, settling on the opposite end of the couch and curling his legs towards him comfortably. He watches K'del work, head tipped thoughtfully. "Hm? Oh, right. Some kid, that new smithcrafter, told me something rather interesting about the stuff being pumped out of his Hall. Thought it might be something to bring to your attention."

Once the pot is all set up, K'del shifts backwards to resume his position on the couch, crossing one ankle over his knee as he settles himself in such a way as to be able to face P'ax almost directly. "Shad," he says, supplying the name with a faint frown. "Met him just earlier-- just before I got back here, even. /He/ didn't mention anything to me. Except that he's from Crom."

"Right, Shad," agrees P'ax limply. "Yeah, I promised him I'd let you know...being as he was scared pissless to face you alone." Another flash of a grin goes across his face and then he lets his head loll back against the cushions. "He said there was this huge order of farm equipment from some guy named...Uh... Bow..den? Bowen? I really don't remember the name too properly. Just that he was some tiny holder who'd had his eye on our field for a long time and there was no way he could afford such a big order."

Amusement flickers on K'del's expression at the idea of Shad being that scared of him; his head shakes evenly. But the rest of what P'ax has to say draws him forward, leaning towards the greenrider with a frown forming steadily more intense until the end of the explanation. "Browden?" It's little more than a breath. "Must be Browden. But..." His head shakes again. "It's odd. Very odd. Very-- thanks, P'ax, for telling me. Have to talk to Shad myself, now. And-- was already planning to visit Browden, but this just makes it..."

P'ax shrugs his shoulders, grin widening into something uncomfortably large when K'del leans close. Then he sobers and shrugs his shoulders. "Sure, Browden. It is odd, that's why I brought it up." He glances at the klah and sighs. "You know, thought this would take longer, and the water hasn't even boiled yet."

Maybe there's more amusement at P'ax's reaction to his leaning forward, or maybe it's uncertainness; either way, K'del settles back down again after a moment, gaze flicking from greenrider to the klah, and then back again. "Not done with you, yet," he says, lightly. "Think we can trust this Shad person? Only talked with him briefly... he seemed be anti-Crom, but how do we know he's not, you know, here to try and sew mistrust? Sounds like the kind of thing Crom would do."

P'ax winks at K'del when he leans back, teasing, "Oh, keep me as long as you want, Kas. Should I be taking my clothes off?" He sits up a little straighter and chews the corner of his lower lip uncertainly. "Well, seems pretty on-the-level from what I got off of him. I could ply him a little, see how trustworthy he seems. I'm usually a decent judge on who's a spy though. Don't think Crom'd send shy gay teenagers off to do their misdirection work though, do you think? Especially not ones who spout the information off to grumpy greenriders after, uh, said grumpy greenrider sent another greenrider off sobbing with his humiliated bronzerider lover on his tail. Know what I mean?"

"Hot," says K'del, which is, if we're being honest, probably the first time he's actually been able to joke about anything like that. Go K'del! "Would you? Ply him, I mean. Take your point on the--" Pause. Frown. "You made B'tal cry? Shells, P'ax, that's hardly fair. He's such a--" He waves his hand around aimlessly. You know. "Maybe he is exactly what he seems, but maybe he's not, and I'd like to know, if I possibly can. Could all just be misdirection, you know? The gayness, and the whatever."

P'ax arches an eyebrow, maybe caught off guard that K'del joked back, but then his smile quivers back into existance. "Oh, he had it coming, it's a long story." He nods his head a few times, not really focusing. But hey, here's something P'ax is good at. Smugly, "If he's faking being gay darling, I think we'll find out rather quickly. I would be happy to...ply him, yes. We'll know soon enough."

Maybe that was the intention. K'del, certainly, looks quite pleased. "I'll--" Beat. "Take your word for it." On B'tal, presumably. The smile is less certain, as he says that. There's a hesitant pause before he answers the rest, his gaze sliding back to the klah pot nervously. "That's-- not requesting you sleep with him for the purposes of research on my behalf, P'ax. Just for the record. That's skeezy. Just want to know if his story holds up." Oh look, the pot boiled.

P'ax barks out a sharp laugh. "K'del, we both know I would have slept with him anyway. But on the record..." he splays his hands wide and looks smugger than the cat with the overturned milk pitcher. "I'll find out what you want. Let me worry about how I'll do it." He follows K'del's gaze to the pot and his light eyes slide sidelong towards the weyrleader. "Speaking of doing it. How are things?"

Beat. Beat. Beat. "Point taken." K'del's smile is a crooked one, as he hauls himself off of the couch again to angle back towards the klah pot. "Fine. Do-- what you do. /I/ don't need the gory details, though, okay?" It's with his back turned, while he pours out the klah into mugs and adds milk, that he answers the last question. "In general? Fine. You know. The usual." Pause. Pregnant pause, even, ironically. "You heard that Millie's pregnant?"

P'ax salutes lazily. "Never, dear Weyrleader. I only kiss and tell when I have something to gain from it." His eyebrows lift. "I'd heard a rumor, but I took it to only be that. Well. Congratulations?" Maybe he didn't hear it wasn't K'del's.

K'del can't seem to help it: he laughs openly at that. But his expression is less amused as he turns around again, offering one of the mugs to his friend, then taking the other back to his seat. "Not mine," is what he says, finally, once he's settled back down. "K'ndro's."

"Oh." P'ax's eyebrows knit at that news, reaching up automatically to take the mug. "Awkward." He blows a heavy breath out through his nose, cradling the klah between his palms for some time without bothering to look at it. "I -- huh. Damn."

K'del huffs out a long breath of his own, staring down at the contents of his mug, waiting quite some time before, finally, he says, "Yeah. I guess." He glances up after that, noting, hurriedly, "Not like I begrudge her the happiness or anything. Them. Whatever. Just... You know. Strange. Knew she was sleeping with both of us. Had this idea, though, that it'd end up being... that, one day, she'd have /our/ baby." He takes a breath, and then adds, "Sorry. You probably didn't need to know all that."

P'ax grimaces, apparently -- unusually -- at a loss for words. He releases one hand from his mug to spread it palm up in a gesture of helplessness. "You have a right to talk about it, K'del. You've sure as hell listened when I needed to get something off my chest." He takes an unsteady sip of his klah and asks, "How does she know it's his? I mean, if she's sleeping with you both...?"

"Yeah," says K'del, haltingly. "But..." But what? He can't seem to think of a good reason, so, in the end, simply nods, turning his gaze back to his mug again. It gets a long, long look. "Something about the timing. She's sure of it, so I'm not going to question it. She said something about, you know, give me a couple of turns and then we can plan one. But. It's not quite the same, is it? Guess I'm just jealous. And... what if I can't have kids at all? No one I've been with has gotten pregnant from me. I want kids."

P'ax frowns, shifting uncomfortably on the cushions and staring towards the fire for long moments. Only when the fire pops and sends sparks up into the air does he turn back. "I'm sorry, man. I don't really....know much about it all. Timing and... all that. Some woman in the lower cavern tried to claim I'd gotten a baby on her once. Settled it pretty quick when the baby came out with dark hair and dark eyes and her as fair as I am." He snorts in contempt, takes another sip. "Don't want any kids, man. Don't really understand why you do. Guess if you can't though... not like you can't love Millie's kid like it's your own though."

Wincing, K'del says, "That's pretty low. Her claiming it was yours. Maybe she thought it was, but... still. Ouch." The bronzerider is silent, briefly, after that, and finally nods. "Maybe. It's just... it won't be mine, you know? My flesh and blood. That means something to me." He takes a long breath, and then laughs. "Being dumb, probably. Millie's not going to throw me over because she has a baby with someone else, and probably there will be other chances... guess it just took me by surprise, shook me up a bit." Beat. "What about you? How're things?"

P'ax tips his head, regarding K'del squarely. "You sure you aren't worried Millie's going to run of with K'ndro to play Hold, Kas?" But who's he to guess at what plagues the bronzerider's fears. "Eh. The usual. Got my nose deep in the drama, like it that way. Yyth's been surprisingly...complacent lately. I can only think it means when she goes up next it's going to hurt."

"Not..." A deep breath. "Much. No. Don't think it'll change things like that. Guess I just worry she'll start caring about him /more/, and that it'll change everything else." K'del's thin smile is wry. "Trust her, though. It'll be fine. It is what it is, right?" He seems more eager to discuss what's up with P'ax, saying, around the edge of his mug, "You and drama... that's about right. Hope you're wrong about Yyth, though. Maybe she's just mellowing a bit?"

P'ax's lower lip sticks out slightly, accompanied by a shrug. He really doesn't know on the relationship front. "Yeah, can't much change what is." He gives the thought of Yyth mellowing due consideration around a mouthful of klah and then dismisses it with a laughing snort. "You really think Yyth'll ever mellow out?" The klah is drained. "We'll see how it goes in a few more months I guess. In the mean time..." The smug grin returns to his face, "My bed is still empty and it is still mighty cold out there. Thanks for the klah."

With a determined grin, K'del agrees, "Right. Just keep doing my best, and whatever happens, happens." He seems less inclined to dismiss the idea of Yyth mellowing, shrugging evenly: "Anything could happen. Even if not outright so... hope she causes you fewer problems, anyway." He transfers his klah from one hand to the other, then nods. "Thanks for the information, and anything else you come up with. Appreciate it."

P'ax rises to his feet and stretches slowly until his back gives a sharp 'pop!'. He relaxes with a pleased sigh and then nods sharply to K'del. "I'll let you know as soon as i have something to tell you. And uh...keep your chin up, Kas. You know, you're young, babies happen." He sets his mug down and moves to collect up his boots and jacket. "Have a good night."

K'del's nod marks his appreciation for being kept in the loop, but seriousness is evidently not on the cards, because; "Reckon there's something else I should be keeping up for /that/ count." He /must/ be in a good mood tonight. Rising to his feet, he adds, "You, too, P'ax. Look after yourself."

Startled laughter stalls P'ax's departure and then he salutes. "Right. Well. Keep it up!" Cheerfully, he ducks out into the darkness and the weather, untied boots clomping until the sound is swallowed by the night.