Logs:Don't Say Anything
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| RL Date: 8 June, 2010 |
| Who: K'del, Teris |
| Type: [[Concept:{{{type}}}|{{{type}}}]] |
| What: Teris and K'del are not friends. |
| Where: Feeding Grounds, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day {{{day}}}, Month {{{month}}}, Turn {{{turn}}} ({{{IP}}} {{{IP2}}}) |
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| Feeding Grounds, High Reaches Weyr Wedged between the lake and the rest of the vast bowl are the dusty feeding grounds. Here, the well-trampled ground is contained by a sturdy wooden fence, cutting right through one end of the lake to section it off into a muddy watering hole for the animals. Several gates allow people in and out, while at the back, large overhangs of rock provide the herd -- a mixed bag of herdbeasts, wing-clipped wherries, and fat porcines -- shelter from storms or the hot sun. What grass survives is usually bloodstained, but feeding troughs are stationed around the edges of the pen. It is a rare day of cloudless sunshine, though the temperatures are markedly colder. It might be chilly and it might be getting dark out now that it's past supper time but that doesn't keep Teris or Iskiveth from being out in the cold to enjoy the evening and fewer people. The former is bundled up comfortably, leaning against a portion of the fence, and the latter is probably riling the poor herdbeasts up a little more than she really ought to be but not so much that Teris seems terribly concerned by it. And since the skinny blonde is watching it, she can't be unaware. But finally, "I think that's enough now. Just pick one." Cadejoth's descent into the pens is performed with a couple of wingbeats and a sudden drop - one that just barely misses the poor beast that dies anyone, a few moments later, when the bronze tears out his throat. It's only once he's done that that the pale bronze considers his company, rattling some bones and chains at Iskiveth as he settles in to eat. His rider isn't that far behind, though his footsteps noticeably falter a distance away - perhaps he's seen Teris, or perhaps it's just Cadejoth, warning him. He takes in a deep breath, and then starts walking again, approaching the fence to rest gloved hands upon the top rail. Iskiveth doesn't quite get the chance to actually pick out her beast since Cadejoth appears and gets in the way of everything. At least that might be what's suggested by the irritated surge of fire against his bones and chains. Also possible the hiss she offers and mantled wings. Even though she snakes her head down, though, she doesn't charge at him like she was more known to do to others in her younger months. « That one was /mine/. I was going to eat that one. » She can't keep a note of petulance out of her voice but she also doesn't demand he hand it over before she's in the sky and after her own, much more quickly this time. Teris, despite possibly knowing K'del is more likely to be around with his dragon here, keeps her gaze fixed forward. « Too slow, » says Cadejoth, cheerfully, as he shows Iskiveth mentally /exactly/ how good this particular beast tastes. « I'm sure another one will be nearly as good. » It's an unusual mood for the bronze, but the tracery of merry sparks that twine through his chains suggest it's all in good fun. Once his hands are resting upon the fence, K'del casts a glance in Teris' direction, as if attempting to determine something - though whatever it is he's looking for, his gaze doesn't linger long enough to see all that much. "Evening." It's even toned; it could even be termed almost friendly, except that he doesn't quite manage to sound entirely relaxed. « You did it on purpose, » accuses the pointy queen with sparks of her own cast about as though she's trying to shake off the touch of his presence. That about the whole show of it, though, because after she settles into dismantling her chosen herdbeast with the irritation she must feel otherwise. It's not very pretty. But at least she's quiet now. "Good evening, Weyrleader," Teris returns his greeting with her own, voice entirely typical. Well-practiced politeness. She doesn't even turn her head to look at him. K'del doesn't really seem inclined to leave Iskiveth alone - then again, he's been 'checking in' on her regularly, of late, and maybe that's making him feel proprietary. « I think yours looks pretty good, » he offers, after a few more bites of his own. « Eating is fun, isn't it? All bloody and gooey and tasty and fun. » K'del's expression shifts somehow, at Teris' cold politeness; his hands grip more tightly to the fencepost, but beyond these two tells, he seems to be unaffected. "At that point, are we?" Beat. "/Teris/." He stresses it: /he/ uses her name. "Distant, polite strangers." Fortunately the young gold has been on fairly good behavior. She still haven't been very happy about all the flaming that everyone else gets to do but her lesson in trying to chew it might just be one that sticks with her forever. « I like the way the bones crunch, » Iskiveth returns, sharing the way that she likes to crunch bones, maybe his, with a flicker of smoky fire there in the background. She's still not happy but she's not quite so determined as Teris. There is something fun about it. "We're hardly strangers," Teris assures the younger man with a glance finally in his direction. "Seems as though that might be best, though, hmm? All around. And your hand? Is it better?" "Best. Because, of course, our friendship was never enough to withstand the fact that sometimes duty comes first." K'del's tone is dry-- he's actually doing relatively well at this whole not-showing-his-emotion thing. Though his hands tighten, including the broken one, the one plastered beneath the glove. "It's fine," he adds, presumably off that hand. Or perhaps not? « I like the stuff inside the bones, » agrees Cadejoth, perhaps blithely missing Iskiveth's mood, perhaps ignoring it wholesale. « The-- marrow. It's tasty. And fun, because you have to break all the bones to get it, so it's a /challenge/. More than just the other meat, anyway. » "Our friendship was a lie to begin with," Teris bites back, shooting a look toward him then and shifting against the fence slightly so that she faces him more directly. "Remember? I was told to be friends with you. And look where it got me." The last seems to be more to herself than to him but there's no less feeling behind it. Though what exactly she's referring to might be difficult to figure out. She watches him anyway. « It's not so challenging if you just crunch them up anyway, » Iskiveth returns, perhaps just to be contrary. Or maybe she just doesn't take that much time eating to enjoy it the way that he does. K'del turns, too, to match, resting his injured hand upon the fencepost still, while the other hangs loose at his side. "It was not," he returns, more even toned. "It may have /started/ that way, but if you actually believe it never stopped being that, then--" He breaks off; he shakes his head. « Maybe, » allows Cadejoth, tearing off one of the legs of his kill. « But it's more fun, my way. I /like/ the challenge. Getting every little last bit out. And then I have to have a bath afterwards. » Which never hurts. "Then what?" Teris, now that she's going, doesn't seem particularly content to leave it alone. "Then you got played? Maybe I'm just that good." Except she sounds a little too angry about it. That in itself is probably telling enough. There's a glance cast toward his hurt hand that might make him glad she's not close enough to hit it if he sees it but then she's glancing out toward where Iskiveth is making short work of her meal. "It doesn't matter anyway, does it? We'll never be real friends." The gold doesn't seem sure of this, « Baths take /so/ long. I could be doing other things. » "Then you're fooling yourself." He didn't even need to say it: watching her, eyebrows raised, there's no doubt in his expression. His voice is soft, though. "Why not real friends? Because you're not capable of that?" « Baths are better when they're out of the weyr. In interesting places! We go down South sometimes, in winter, where it's lovely and warm and bright and perfect. » Cadejoth's meal is nearly done, too, and his maw is all bloody from it. « But baths are, too, fun. There are lots of fun things. » "I'm perfectly capable of having friends," says Teris, forcing herself to sound somewhat less upset in general though she can't quite manage a more usual neutrality. "It's you, K'del." But she doesn't seem sure how to make sense of that to anyone but herself for the moment. "I just can't do it. It wasn't supposed to mean anything." Iskiveth seems slightly more interested in the idea of traveling elsewhere and as she finishes off her herdbeast with several more crunching, messy bites, she turns to look at him, « I want to go down South. I like when it's warm. » There's a quick rubbing of her muzzle on her forelegs and then Iskiveth is moving closer toward the bronze, rushing without charging though it might be hard to tell the difference. K'del, certainly, looks outright bewildered. "Me?" he repeats, and then a second time. "Me? What's wrong with me?" Cadejoth, being still somewhat bigger than Iskiveth, stands his ground, watching her with an expression that could almost be termed quizzical-- though his mental touch sounds amused. « I'm sure you'll be going to plenty of warm places, soon. If we let you. I suppose we will. You won't do stupid things in warm places, will you? » "Yes, you." Teris sounds impatient and she moves closer to look up at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "I'm not happy for you. And you don't really care /what/ happens to me in the end, do you." She doesn't make it sound like a question and so that's probably just how she feels he feels. "I hate that I want you to care." She says the last more quietly and there actually some flash of emotion on her face for several moments as she studies his. Then she puffs out a breath and turns back toward the fence from her closer position now. « I'm /not/ stupid. Of course I won't do stupid things. And I'll just ask Iovniath if you won't let me go. » Once she's closer, Iskiveth's wings droop in a way that might seem almost submissive if it weren't for the way she snaps at the air toward Cadejoth's head. She's not /trying/ to make contact, though. Again with the repetition: "Happy for me?" And then a pause, and something like confused comprehension floods his expression. "You're wrong, though. I /do/ care what happens to you. I don't know what end you're talking about, but... I /do/ care. I care about you. And I don't get why you'd think I didn't." He looks down at her, reaching out his free hand as though he intends to touch her face, even now that it's looking away from him again; he doesn't though - he lets it drop again. « Iovniath might not let you go, either, » Cadejoth points out, drawing himself up so that he's even taller than Iskiveth all over again. « What are you doing? Is it a game? » "Because to you I might as well be anybody," Teris tells him, quieted now and not so angry-sounding. Resigned might not be quite the word, either, but it's close enough that it might not matter. She doesn't say anything else now just crosses her arms over the top rail and rests her head down on top of her arms. Iskiveth looks a little indignant about that suggestion of Cadejoth's. « She /should./ » She snaps at the bronze again, this time toward his chest before she hopes away with a backwing. « You're the one that thinks every thing is fun. You tell me! » But, well, it sounds like she's amused to it probably is. To her, at least. So maybe K'del doesn't quite understand after all. His brow furrows; he frowns. "That's-- you're Teris. You're my /friend/, someone I /care/ about. I--" Or maybe he does get it. Or is getting it now. His mouth closes, at least, and his eyes follow suit. He turns his own head away, and by the time his eyes are open, he's staring out at the dragons. "Wish I knew what I could say to you," he says, finally. "Nothing's black and white." Cadejoth, having apparently decided that this /is/ a game, looms forward, aiming a paw towards Iskiveth, though it's clearly not designed to impact, either. « It /is/ fun, » he decides. « Like flying and chasing and other fun things. » "Don't say anything," Teris says to K'del without turning her head to look at him like when he first arrived. A puff of breath is visible with the sigh she gives. And that seems to be that. At least so far as she's concerned. Which might not be great in general. She closes her eyes, at least, and probably tries to focus on her lifemate for now. Iskiveth is clearly having fun now, too. The herdbeasts sticking as far away from them aren't having quite so much. Fortunately; « I bet you can't catch me! » And then she's dodging away and launching herself into the air with a delighted screech. K'del's breath catches in his throat, not as though he's about to cry, but as though he's having to work physically hard not to say something more. Both hands grip at the fence, instead, one more awkwardly than the other. As Cadejoth launches himself after the gold, hurtling off into the air, he lets out a long breath. "If you ever--" Beat. "Whatever. Just. I'm there. If you ever need me." And then he turns, presumably to walk away. Iskiveth is going to give the bronze a run for his money if she has anything to say about it. And she probably won't even try to use her blood-stained talons if he gets too close. Teris opens her eyes at the catch of breath to shoot him a look but since he doesn't say anything straight away, her expression eases. And she doesn't look particularly put out that he goes and talks anyway. There's no response from her, though. She just frowns as he turns away and straightens herself to turn and follow after him. It's a merry game of chase, then, one punctuated with Cadejoth's enthusiastic clatter and chatter-- as far as he's concerned, it can continue well into the dark, until Iskiveth is tired of the game. K'del, though? If he's aware that Teris has also turned to go, he makes no show of it: he walks, straight backed and silent, all the way back to his weyr, climbing up the stairs, then disappearing inside. So be it. Teris doesn't say anything along the walk back toward their weyrs and she doesn't really try to draw attention. But neither is she all that quiet about the way that she walks. She's a little slower about the stairs but that gives her a chance to linger outside of his once he's disappeared as though she isn't sure whether or not she wants to keep following him. But then she sighs, breaks away and continues on to her own. |
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