Just Dropping In
Who: B'kaiv, G'dri (( Chielyth, Khameth ))
When: It is a winter afternoon, day 8, month 1, turn 21 of Interval 10.
Where: B'kaiv's Weyr, FTW
What: Kai's sorting laundry when G'dri stops by after being thoroughly idiotic and flying through the slushy weather.
It is a nasty, nasty day out there, suitable really only for staying inside and drinking mulled wine. Even Chielyth doesn't want to be out in it, but is curled up in her wallow instead, glumly watching the rain/snow mixture. Farther inside her rider can be found sorting through his clothes, his couch covered with furs and socks and trous and shirts, a Cromcoal fire crackling away. "An' I were thinking later we could see about heading up t' th' Reaches - you ain't flown with Corvinth for a while, yeah?" His green greets this sally with a blown breath, a tired sigh, and rolls onto her back in case this new perspective will bring out the sun.
It's not proper sunshine, being confined as it is to mental touch, glowing through the vibrant greens of Khameth's internal jungle and flashing off the brightly hued wings of strange and exotic avians that weave and flit between golden shafts. << Chielyth, >> comes his mellow, cheerful tenor. Not even awful weather can get him down, it would seem. << May we visit? >> Not 'I' which has been the occasion a few times. Likely they were either already on their way or at least already in the air, since if given a welcome it'll take less time than one might expect for the stocky, scarred cobalt blue to wing his way over to her little ledge. Whatever they've been up to, they've been out in the weather long enough at least for the upper half of G'dri's jacket, and pants from the knee down, to be soaked. Shame on him, really.
It may not be 'real' sunshine, but Chielyth's glad enough to see it, even amplifies Khameth's with a touch of her own. << OK! Hi, Khameth! Kai's.. um. He's doing stuff! >> A heartbeat later she adds, << He says yes please come he's sharding tired of looking at socks okay? >> By the time the blue lands she's right side up again and watching eagerly, and Kai, though he doesn't pause in folding his socks, barely waits for the bluerider to dismount before calling, "Shells, what you been /doing/? I got a fire going - come on in."
Encouraged by that amplification, some of those mental layers recede, a clear place found between towering tree trunks, a familiar opening made soft with ferns that was once smeared with childish paint. << Why is he looking at socks? >> Really, these kinds of questions from Khameth should be expected by now. More importantly, though, << And how are you doing today? >> Surely it's only the wet leather that makes G'dri move stiffly as he dismounts and promptly heads inside, already peeling off his gear. Helmet and gloves, and then he can fight with the fastenings of his jacket. "Practicing. We haven't done any proper foul weather flying in turns. At least the little ones will have warmer rain and not this slush once their grown enough to fly themselves." Of course he's already thinking of that. "Just get your laundry back?" Forgoing a more normal greeting when in private because he really is freezing, so he chooses to hover by that fire instead of going directly over to Kai.
<< You can come in, >> Chielyth invites absently of her own wallow, hitching herself to one side to give Khameth room, squished and cozy though it may be. << Because he got new ones. >> She draws him a pair - brown with blue toes, yay! << I wanted to go flying in the sun but Kai says there is no sun but maybe we could go flying with Corvinth later even if there is no sun. I don't want to go flying in this. It's soggy. >> "Shells." That's what Kai thinks about flying in this crap - he tosses the rolled socks into a corner of the couch and moves to collect G'dri's jacket, freeing the older man to go stand at the fireside. "Yeah. Chileyth hatched 'bout six sevens from now, two turns ago. I know what you mean about th' sharding weather. --An' yeah. Went down t' stores, found some more socks an' furs an' things. They just brought 'em up a hour or so ago. You want somethin' t' drink?" he adds, sounding concerned.
<< Thank you, >> Khameth returns, waiting until Chielyth's rearranged before carefully working himself in alongside her, wing lifting in his own invitation for her to tuck up against him even though his hide is still cold and wet. << Those are very nice. There is no sun /here/ perhaps, but the clouds do not cover all of the world. I am sure you will be able to find some sun somewhere. >> Helpfully -- or not -- he flips through his rider's head to find some warm, sunny images to share with her. A desert. A tangled up forest similar to his own mind. Crashing blue ocean waves. G'dri chuckles, eyes warming far faster than the rest of him. "Thanks." And he will reach out, try to brush his fingers against Kai's sleeve before the greenrider is out of reach. "Two turns... I'm surprised there's anything usable left down there. I thought for certain by now everything would have been picked over and only items fit for rag bins left behind. Some klah would be wonderful if you have some up here and don't mind heating up some water. Or just, something to help chase the last bit of chill from my bones. How's your arm?"
The little green tucks right in and snuggles, clammy hide or not, draping her neck over his. << Those are very nice, >> she agrees. << Oh! You could come with us! >> Her and Corvinth and Khameth, and however many others she can pick up along the way. Kai flicks half of a smile for that touch to his sleeve, ducks out to the wallow to hang the jacket up properly and heads for the cabinet room when he returns, leaving his laundry out for G'dri's delectation. "Weren't much. I ain't got no klah, but whiskey?" Cabinet opens and he ducks behind the door, glass rattling. "Arm's good. I seen T'rev's sister down in stores. She's been tryin' t' poke her nose int' things as don't concern her. I told her she'd be better off thinking 'bout th' Hatching."
Regretfully, as Khameth settles further once she's comfy, << It is unwise for G'dri or I to stray too far from the Weyr, Chielyth. >> Never mind how short a trip it is to come home, thanks to that nifty little trick of Betweening. << But I should still like to fly with you, when there is sunshine /here/. >> G'dri pulls his hands up, turns his back to the fire as he stretches out a few kinks. Really more interested in B'kaiv than in his laundry, but while the greenrider is out of sight his gaze does wander about the weyr, lingering on all those empty shelves as well as the pile of stuff on the bed. "Whiskey will be fine," he says ameniably, lips finding their upward turn again and his eyes crinkling with his smile. "Ah yes, Vanissa seems quite the little spitfire. I assume you mean the recent trouble, yes? Why do you say such things don't concern her? It is for her, as much a family concern as it is a political issue. Though you are correct. She does have more immediate concerns to focus on at the current time."
<< Whyyyyy? >> she asks, stretching the question like taffy. << Kai says, >> she continues cheerfully, << it's going to snow and snow and snow and snow and he hopes there's sharding sun tomorrow when we have to go on sweeps! >> One of Chielyth's feet sneak-sneak-sneaks out to nudge at one of Khameth's: tag! When Kai emerges from the room, casually kicking the cabinet door closed, he's got two glasses in hand, not one. "You wanna sit? --Shells." Because he's just taken a real look at his cluttered couch. A peek into his bedroom proves that the bed's not in much better shape. "Uh - just a sec." He makes quick work of piling things atop other things, and those that can't balance go back into the basket before sweeping an arm at the now-cleaned cushions. "Yeah. Gar, an' all that. 'Cause it ain't none of her problem - Weyrleader's, sure, an' Lord Fort's. Not hers, an' not mine. Ain't like she can do nothing t' help."
<< Because we are to have charge of the young ones, when Elaruth's eggs hatch. >> Khameth responds with his usual patience, a mental chuckle also there in his gentle amusement. Fussy humans are silly. << Of course it will snow. It is winter. But it will not snow /endlessly/ and there will be sun again. >> Bright, brilliant white sparkles and the cool shimmer of rippled ice beneath blue, blue sky. Perfect for playing in. She uses a paw, the blue uses a tail tip, curling it upwards oh-so-very casually to aim a tap against her haunch. Laughter again, fuller this time and G'dri moves to take both glasses to hold while Kai commences with his, ah, tidying efforts. "You know I could help you with all this." Offered casually, but sincerely. Though sitting down will be awfully nice, along with that whiskey and especially if Kai's going to join him rather than take the chair. "So... we should none of us attempt to turn our minds to the problem? Different people view things different ways, and if you truly believed that, would you have volunteered to go to Fort Sea?" He shrugs his shoulders. "She might be able to help her brother, on a personal level, if nothing else. Family will often see signs others may miss."
Big sigh from the little green, gusty like she's trying to flutter Khameth's wings. << Elaruth won't let me see the eggs. I would be very very good! But she says No and Kai says No and I want to but I can't. >> Meanie broody sisters. << That's what Kai says! Kai says it will be Spring and warm and sunny and we can fly and fly and fly but it isn't yet. Oh! >> Head whips around to spy that tail; a second later she wriggles closer, trying to hip-bump him without any leverage. << I got you! >> "Nah," Kai demurs to the offer of cleaning. "If I knew you was coming I wouldn't'a got so messy. And it ain't that, 'Dri." What it -is-, though, he can't - or won't - say, only flops onto the couch in the middle, leaving the arm for the bluerider and placing himself as barrier against leaning piles of laundry. "She's a... well, shells. She's a girl. An' a Candidate. She can't do nothing useful, 'cept maybe talk all their ears off once we catch 'em. They'd say anything t' get her t' shut up."
One wing might flutter, just a little, though it's more the draconic equivalent of a snug around the shoulders being offered by Khameth. << Not even from up high, on the ledges where we will all sit to sing them into the world? >> Poor little Chielyth, always told No. He sympathises, really he does. << Not yet, no, not for a while. But surely you can charm him into taking you somewhere where it is lovely and sunny and warm to fly? >> He's going to get G'dri in trouble at this rate, encouraging her. << I think I, >> the larger dragon continues laughingly, << have got you. >> And one hind foot twitches enough to lightly bump back. "You're sure?" 'Dri. That shortening might charm the bluerider a little bit, as he settles himself companionably next to Kai and offers over that second glass. "Rather be doing, than speculating?" He snorts then, casting the greenrider a sidelong glance as his brows arch upwards. "What does her being a girl have to do with anything?" The candidate bit though, that he can concede with a nod of his head. Pausing still further, "You... don't like her?"
Up high, yes - she draws out for him those way, way high up ledges, soooo high up the eggs are barely dots! Poor Chielyth! << Kai says we can fly there, but I want to fly there with you and -you- say No and how come what if we go now, just for a little bit, Khameth? I won't even ask Gedroth to come with us! >> Coax, coax, coax. She 'giggles' then and lets her head flop again, nuzzles his shoulder before resting it between his shoulderblades. << All right. >> This way she can keep an eye on the couch and doesn't have to look at the yucky weather. Yay! "Sure I'm sure. If she weren't a Candidate, maybe, she coulda gone down t' Fort Sea like I done. Or she can go t' Gar after if she don't Impress. An'... shells." /He/ doesn't know what her being a girl has to do with anything, save that it means he needs to have some whiskey. "Ain't that neither. She's nice enough t' look at. S'just she were yammering on an' on at me in Stores, wouldn't shut up even when I told her as I didn't want t' talk about it no more. It's th' Weyrleader's problem t' deal with; not mine, an' not hers. She got ideas t' help, it ain't me she needs t' be talking to."
Khameth's turn for a gusty sigh, a little rumble of sound somewhere deep in his chest. << G'dri says no. >> Clarification offered, before he offers her a completely different perspective of the eggs. A human's perspective, as they're seen from the galleries, though he has to snapshot the images since a true memory reel would focus more on the slightly chubby brunette teenager who appears at the edge of some of those images. Distractions? From Khameth? Never. But the old blue is also perfectly content to be cuddled up after spending who knows how long out flying in that nasty weather they're both ignoring. Sipping his own whiskey, G'dri listens through everything, head tilted. Somewhere around 'yammering' he reaches over, intending to rest his hand on Kai's thigh above his knee if he's permitted. "Nerves," he suggests after a moment. "Come on Kai, it's only been two turns. More I think of it, more I suspect Nissa might be trying to think about anything /but/ the Hatching. I told you she turned me down flat at first, didn't I?" Settling back and stretching his legs out, "So what /else/ has been going on?"
Chielyth flutterflutters her own wing, the wind is so fierce! Just pretend it's not the far one and there's no way Khameth's breath could ever reach her. Flutter! << They are very silly, >> she offers then, of their riders, since she has such a nice view. << Where did you go today? >> and that is a blatant beg for the old man to provide one of the travelogues he so adores, and for her to provide an appreciative audience. B'kaiv only glances down at the hand and quirks a smile; shifts his glass to his other hand so he can rest his atop G'dri's, fingers lacing ever so lightly. "Maybe. Only she said as she weren't worried about it. Shells, /I/ were. An' no, don't think you said. Huh." Perhaps that puts the blonde into a new light, as Kai mirrors the bluerider's lean-and-stretch. "Uh... dunno. Not much. Got boots spoke for at th' Tanners. Should be ready in a seven. An' that's 'bout it. Weather's been real iffy, an' there's some days as we can't go nowhere. What about you? How come you went flying in /that/ muck?"
<< They are, >> Khameth agrees, entirely fond and indulgent of such foibles. Blatant beg or otherwise, he's also quite willing to indulge Chielyth too. And if his travelogue is a /teensy/ bit more exciting than the reality was, as his shushed tenor narrates through the images of swirling white and looming mountain peaks and sudden gaping valleys he shares, well. He is a storyteller and she is /such/ a good audience. G'dri's smile is far less quirky, for the lacing of fingers, and while his sigh isn't gusty like his dragon's was, he seems just as content. "I would be very surprised to meet anyone who ever Stood who was not, however privately, worried about what would happen on the day the eggs crack. She did. At first she thought is was a joke, that T'rev had asked us to play a prank on her. When she realised we were serious, she refused and ran. So if she is saying she isn't worried, I expect she's trying to convince /herself/ more than anyone else." He tips his head a little further, as if he might lean it against Kai's shoulder. "Practice," he repeats the original claim. And then, after a pause, "And because it was better than pacing around in a circle trying to talk myself out of interfering in Liladri's love life. Lust life. Whatever it is that girl of mine has gotten herself into now."
B'kaiv huhs for how Nissa handled Search and swirls his whiskey, more to watch it slosh than anything else. "Well, an' either she's gonna Impress or she ain't, an' I know that ain't no help or nothing. Just... shells." He thirds - or is it fourths? - the sigh and turns his lopsided smile onto G'dri, shrugs that to-be-leant on shoulder like Chielyth 'hip-bumped' Khameth. "She gone an' fell in love with some guy?" A beat. "You want me t' go take care of him?" He's teasing. Probably. "Could say as he's part of th' Gar thing, an' that'd get him out of here for a while. --You know," remembered outrage pulling him out of the comfortable slouch, "that /both/ them Gar Bloods is still here? An' th' Weyrleader's gonna let 'em /Stand/?"
"Easier when looking back, to accept the inevitability of it will or it won't," G'dri muses, his own reappearing smile possibly felt more than seen as his cheek meets that shrugged shoulder. A final sip of whiskey later -- he /really/ needed that drink -- he rests the empty glass on his knee, in the curl of his fingers. "At Turnover, some stablehand. Ah..." Tempting. Even if Kai is teasing. After all, he was willing to sic /Nia/ on the lad. "No. He has not treated her poorly and for all my reservations, she has been happy these past two sevens. It will either stabilize or end, and then--" Well. Khameth will get bawled on, and so will Papa. The bluerider slumps a little further, the unexpected shift of Kai's posture making him blink as he straightens himself out again. "Kai... I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for that decision. Perhaps they truly have been found innocent of any involvement with their family's machinations. I believe the daughter, at least, had been living at Fort Hold for some time? And the son is a /younger/ son, correct?"
B'kaiv says, "I guess. You want more?" A nod for the empty glass. "Makes me glad I don't got no kids. Wouldn't'a minded, with Su, if..." He cuts off with a nasal sigh over pressed lips and says no more about the Vintner - but then, he rarely says much about her at all. "An' I dunno, G'dri. How can they -not-? They're sharding /Blood/, ain't they? What kinda family is it as ain't know what th' others is doing?" Shaking his head still he settles back against the couch, though remains tense. "I guess. S'just... after all I done - after all we /went/ through, an' they ain't gonna have nothing happen t' 'em? S'like sharding gold an' bronze riders, that's what it is." By now G'dri's probably familiar with Kai's muttered refrains about how some riders are treated differently than others, just because of the color of their dragon's hide. "Promise me you ain't gonna let no weyrling get away with nothing just because they're bronzeriders, a'right?"
"No, thank you. I came straight here after we got back and one glass of whiskey on an empty stomach is more than enough." G'dri's fingers tighten a little, where they're laced through B'kaiv's, as he rolls his shoulders, turning his upper sideways so he can look at the younger man again. Quietly, "Life is full of unexpected changes." His lips quirk, corners pulling downward slightly but this, as in almost everything else, is something he won't push Kai to talk about if he's not ready to do so. "Blooded ones," he answers that question about types of family with utter conviction in his voice. "They're raised on politics from the day they're born, practically, and if Bloods do anything well, it's keeping their secrets close. If the Gar children are /not/ innocent," because he has that annoying habit of looking at both sides of an argument, "it is entirely possible that sending them home would be even more disastrous. Keep them close, allow them to Stand as if there is no undue tension between the Weyr and one of it's beholden Holds. It's... a show of strength. To send the children home could be taken by other Weyrleaders, by other Lords and Holders, as a sign that internally, Fort is unstable and unable to handle these problems." Shifting still further, he leans away to bend, and place his glass on the floor. Which frees his hand up for the following quest to rest it against Kai's chest, his expression fond with a tinge of exasperation. "Relax, Kai. There's no sense in getting angry over this. It is another thing that, however much it may rankle, is out of our hands. I promise." No hesitation. Which might be surprising, but no one's seen G'dri in Teacher Mode yet.
B'kaiv grimaces and nods, tosses back the rest of his in one go, glances down at their fingers and snorts softly. His, "I just..." protest dies there, and though the greenrider shakes his head, he hears G'dri out. "Shows that we ain't gonna hold with no thievin' tunnelsnakes stealing no eggs," is his opinion on the matter, but he's no longer as riled as he was working up into. But he sighs, then, and sets his glass between his knee so he can capture G'dri's wrist in a light bracelet of warm fingers. Trying for light (and mostly failing), "You ain't promised. I seen what W'ton an' Nolek got away with. Just... shells." Both of his hands flex lightly before he frees the other man entirely and looks away, probably wishing his glass wasn't empty after all.
G'dri smiles, a bit crooked, a lot gentle. "Who knows what will happen? And, unless those children march out onto the Sands and start loading eggs into wheelbarrows, they won't be /stealing/ anything. The hatchlings will make their choices, as they always have. They may not be choices we agree with, but such is the way of things." Wrist caught thus, his fingers curl towards his palm as his smile brightens a touch. "I promise," he repeats, his own gaze steady, "that I won't let any weyrling get away with anything just because of the colour of their lifemate." Which kind of neatly avoids the bronze and gold prejudice. When Kai looks away Ged's hand chases after his face, aims to bring his palm against cheek. "Kai. Everything's going to work out. Stop borrowing trouble, hmm? Just because the weather is shit doesn't mean our moods have to be." Hey, he actually swore. He must really be serious.
B'kaiv snorts again at that, dark and cynical. "Bet as there was them as didn't want me t' Impress neither." But he sinks back, shoulders almost but not quite resting against G'dri, legs close enough to not matter. His smile flickers and dies before he looks away, is coaxed back when the bluerider urges him back. "Yeah, maybe. I guess. I just... shells." There's no more whiskey, but there is a fire to watch, and contented dragons in both their heads, and that, perhaps, is enough to settle the greenrider. A little while later, apropos of nothing, "You any good with numbers?"
"Undoubtedly," G'dri meets that cynicism head on. "There were more than a few who weren't thrilled when I ended up with Khameth." He shrugs, accepting of the natures of people. Settling again, the bluerider has no qualms with a close curl. "You're frustrated." It might be a guess but he says it like it isn't, tries to convey understand with his touch as well as with his voice, even if he can't know just what inner workings are leading to such. But the quiet companionship is welcomed, and he doesn't let his hands stray /too/ much in his search for contact with his young lover. "Hmm?" Numbers? "How so?"
"--Grin," Kai remembers, his snort this time amused. "Guess you showed them. Guess I will, too." Eventually. If he can stop being confined to his weyr. But frustrated? He sighs a, "Yeah," and folds a leg between G'dri's, tangling them rather like blue and green. "'M losing my touch, feels like - ain't been in a real fight in... shells. Too long. An' we can't go nowhere, me an' her, an' Gar, an'... shells. All'a it." 'All of it' requires him to turn G'dri's palm to his, and thread their fingers again, more firmly, to watch the twining and only after glance up to blue eyes. "I asked th' Weyrleader about th' bar. I run 'em myself on Turnover, only I want someone t' check."
G'dri stills as he stops breathing for a moment, his eyes closing as B'kaiv says his old nickname. "You will." For all the softness of those two words, the conviction in them could prop up the world. Whatever it is that the bluerider sees in the younger man, he's got faith that eventually, others'll see it too. Shifting to accommodate the tangle of legs, he listens through and then watches their hands come together. despite the seriousness, he can't help but smile. "You don't call the raid a real fight?" Amused, it having been long enough now that all the residual worry and the resultant fretting has stopped entirely. "Wait. Why can't the two of you go anywhere?" Brows draw together in puzzlement, as blue eyes meet hazel, his fingers tightening slightly and he reaches across with his free hand, aiming for Kai's side but he might find his hip instead. "Oh, yes. Well enough to keep my own books in order. Sure, I'd be happy to go over those numbers for you. ...now?" Something in his voice, please don't say now.
B'kaiv settles back against G'dri's shoulder, watching the flames and not those emotions flickering over the bluerider's face. "Ain't what I mean - it were a fight, sure, but not a... not a fight like I like. A brawl. People coulda really got hurt." He doesn't consider the slice on his arm 'getting hurt'? "If th' wind's bad, like it's been, it's safer we don't go flying." He twists about, away from their cozy cuddle, so they can see each other. "Little as she is? Ain't safe. Don't want her spraining a wing, or worse." 'Worse' has him looking out to catch a glimpse of Chielyth, far too entwined with the blue for them to go anywhere and back with a wry smile. "Nah, not now. An' you don't got to, if you don't want. Can take 'em down t' the Harpers, make sure everything looks good."
Having no hand free to facepalm, G'dri turns his face into Kai's shoulder instead and /doesn't/ say anything about that arm. His sigh might speak volumes, though. Straightening as the greenrider shifts, his brows lift, "I didn't mean take her flying in weather like /this/. But all it takes is a lull to get up for a hop Between." Because 'worse' would be bad, though he doesn't twist to follow that glance of Kai's. But then, he doesn't need to look to know that Khameth at least, isn't intending on moving until he absolutely has no other choice. "I really don't mind," he continues reassuringly, some merriment coming to spark in his eyes. "But I'm also very comfortable and disinclined to move right now. Unless it's somewhere more comfortable." Well, that says it, doesn't it?
"It healed up fine," Kai says, correctly interpreting that sigh and wrigging his arms free so he can tug the sleeve up as proof. Healed, see? A nice pink line that only itches a little. Finished scratching, the greenrider returns both sleeve and hands to their previous location, all cozy and comfortable. "Yeah, s'true. I just... don't want her getting hurt 'cause I done something stupid. It gets real bad, we'll go, promise." As G'dri continues Kai's mouth quirks up again; the greenrider teases, "Thought as you ain't eaten nothing. You stay up here, that means I got t' carry you down later? Fling you over my shoulder like you drunk too much?"
G'dri sees, but it still makes his mouth twist to the side, his own fingers twitching with the repressed urge to bat Kai's away from scratching. "I still--" Wish the greenrider had been more careful. Yes yes. Instead of following that line, "Kai, you're not stupid. You take good care of that girl of yours." One hand seeks to nudge, a playful not-punch to upper arm. "I haven't, but I'm not about to pass out in a faint, either," he says, laughing. "I suppose if you really /had/ to, though I can think of a few more entertaining activities than carting me around like a sack of firestone." G'dri. Naughty. Yes, it happens.
B'kaiv scratches carefully! And the scabs are mostly fallen off too, whether on their own or with careful help. "Got to, don't I? Me an' her, we're th' only ones we got." He leans-and-twists again to give his napping girl a fond smile, gets punched in the shoulder for his troubles and grunts away his pain. "Good. Then you got a choice. We got th' couch," where they can keep company with socks and bed linens, "th' bed," other assorted bits of laundry, "or th' rug," a nod to what's laid out in front of the fire. "After, you wanna go eat somewhere? Don't want you getting all weak an' falling off Khameth, or nothing." His face is just a little too neutral (though twitching around the edges) for it -not- to be humor.
"Oh, Kai." G'dri tends to say that /a lot/, and in that slightly sad tone of voice. Especially in the face of that 'alone in the world' attitude. This time, he follows it up with, "You've got me. And Khameth adores her." Choices. There's a fourth option in there somewhere, that of starting out with the socks and tumbling to the rug later. "Food. Kai." He doesn't even try to match neutrality, the webs at the corners of his eyes deepening as he grins. "We can worry about food later." Kissing is far more important, and that's just what the bluerider is leaning in to do.
'Oh Kai' and the man in question turns, coming face to face with big blue eyes only inches away. He really shouldn't be that startled to find them there. "You can't be responsible for her though, can you? Or me, neither. --An' yeah, guess we can." They can start out with the couch, just like this, and later there can the bed, or the floor (perhaps with some stolen rugs), or make a hash out of his laundry... but now, just now, later is far, far away.
When: It is a winter afternoon, day 8, month 1, turn 21 of Interval 10.
Where: B'kaiv's Weyr, FTW
What: Kai's sorting laundry when G'dri stops by after being thoroughly idiotic and flying through the slushy weather.
It is a nasty, nasty day out there, suitable really only for staying inside and drinking mulled wine. Even Chielyth doesn't want to be out in it, but is curled up in her wallow instead, glumly watching the rain/snow mixture. Farther inside her rider can be found sorting through his clothes, his couch covered with furs and socks and trous and shirts, a Cromcoal fire crackling away. "An' I were thinking later we could see about heading up t' th' Reaches - you ain't flown with Corvinth for a while, yeah?" His green greets this sally with a blown breath, a tired sigh, and rolls onto her back in case this new perspective will bring out the sun.
It's not proper sunshine, being confined as it is to mental touch, glowing through the vibrant greens of Khameth's internal jungle and flashing off the brightly hued wings of strange and exotic avians that weave and flit between golden shafts. << Chielyth, >> comes his mellow, cheerful tenor. Not even awful weather can get him down, it would seem. << May we visit? >> Not 'I' which has been the occasion a few times. Likely they were either already on their way or at least already in the air, since if given a welcome it'll take less time than one might expect for the stocky, scarred cobalt blue to wing his way over to her little ledge. Whatever they've been up to, they've been out in the weather long enough at least for the upper half of G'dri's jacket, and pants from the knee down, to be soaked. Shame on him, really.
It may not be 'real' sunshine, but Chielyth's glad enough to see it, even amplifies Khameth's with a touch of her own. << OK! Hi, Khameth! Kai's.. um. He's doing stuff! >> A heartbeat later she adds, << He says yes please come he's sharding tired of looking at socks okay? >> By the time the blue lands she's right side up again and watching eagerly, and Kai, though he doesn't pause in folding his socks, barely waits for the bluerider to dismount before calling, "Shells, what you been /doing/? I got a fire going - come on in."
Encouraged by that amplification, some of those mental layers recede, a clear place found between towering tree trunks, a familiar opening made soft with ferns that was once smeared with childish paint. << Why is he looking at socks? >> Really, these kinds of questions from Khameth should be expected by now. More importantly, though, << And how are you doing today? >> Surely it's only the wet leather that makes G'dri move stiffly as he dismounts and promptly heads inside, already peeling off his gear. Helmet and gloves, and then he can fight with the fastenings of his jacket. "Practicing. We haven't done any proper foul weather flying in turns. At least the little ones will have warmer rain and not this slush once their grown enough to fly themselves." Of course he's already thinking of that. "Just get your laundry back?" Forgoing a more normal greeting when in private because he really is freezing, so he chooses to hover by that fire instead of going directly over to Kai.
<< You can come in, >> Chielyth invites absently of her own wallow, hitching herself to one side to give Khameth room, squished and cozy though it may be. << Because he got new ones. >> She draws him a pair - brown with blue toes, yay! << I wanted to go flying in the sun but Kai says there is no sun but maybe we could go flying with Corvinth later even if there is no sun. I don't want to go flying in this. It's soggy. >> "Shells." That's what Kai thinks about flying in this crap - he tosses the rolled socks into a corner of the couch and moves to collect G'dri's jacket, freeing the older man to go stand at the fireside. "Yeah. Chileyth hatched 'bout six sevens from now, two turns ago. I know what you mean about th' sharding weather. --An' yeah. Went down t' stores, found some more socks an' furs an' things. They just brought 'em up a hour or so ago. You want somethin' t' drink?" he adds, sounding concerned.
<< Thank you, >> Khameth returns, waiting until Chielyth's rearranged before carefully working himself in alongside her, wing lifting in his own invitation for her to tuck up against him even though his hide is still cold and wet. << Those are very nice. There is no sun /here/ perhaps, but the clouds do not cover all of the world. I am sure you will be able to find some sun somewhere. >> Helpfully -- or not -- he flips through his rider's head to find some warm, sunny images to share with her. A desert. A tangled up forest similar to his own mind. Crashing blue ocean waves. G'dri chuckles, eyes warming far faster than the rest of him. "Thanks." And he will reach out, try to brush his fingers against Kai's sleeve before the greenrider is out of reach. "Two turns... I'm surprised there's anything usable left down there. I thought for certain by now everything would have been picked over and only items fit for rag bins left behind. Some klah would be wonderful if you have some up here and don't mind heating up some water. Or just, something to help chase the last bit of chill from my bones. How's your arm?"
The little green tucks right in and snuggles, clammy hide or not, draping her neck over his. << Those are very nice, >> she agrees. << Oh! You could come with us! >> Her and Corvinth and Khameth, and however many others she can pick up along the way. Kai flicks half of a smile for that touch to his sleeve, ducks out to the wallow to hang the jacket up properly and heads for the cabinet room when he returns, leaving his laundry out for G'dri's delectation. "Weren't much. I ain't got no klah, but whiskey?" Cabinet opens and he ducks behind the door, glass rattling. "Arm's good. I seen T'rev's sister down in stores. She's been tryin' t' poke her nose int' things as don't concern her. I told her she'd be better off thinking 'bout th' Hatching."
Regretfully, as Khameth settles further once she's comfy, << It is unwise for G'dri or I to stray too far from the Weyr, Chielyth. >> Never mind how short a trip it is to come home, thanks to that nifty little trick of Betweening. << But I should still like to fly with you, when there is sunshine /here/. >> G'dri pulls his hands up, turns his back to the fire as he stretches out a few kinks. Really more interested in B'kaiv than in his laundry, but while the greenrider is out of sight his gaze does wander about the weyr, lingering on all those empty shelves as well as the pile of stuff on the bed. "Whiskey will be fine," he says ameniably, lips finding their upward turn again and his eyes crinkling with his smile. "Ah yes, Vanissa seems quite the little spitfire. I assume you mean the recent trouble, yes? Why do you say such things don't concern her? It is for her, as much a family concern as it is a political issue. Though you are correct. She does have more immediate concerns to focus on at the current time."
<< Whyyyyy? >> she asks, stretching the question like taffy. << Kai says, >> she continues cheerfully, << it's going to snow and snow and snow and snow and he hopes there's sharding sun tomorrow when we have to go on sweeps! >> One of Chielyth's feet sneak-sneak-sneaks out to nudge at one of Khameth's: tag! When Kai emerges from the room, casually kicking the cabinet door closed, he's got two glasses in hand, not one. "You wanna sit? --Shells." Because he's just taken a real look at his cluttered couch. A peek into his bedroom proves that the bed's not in much better shape. "Uh - just a sec." He makes quick work of piling things atop other things, and those that can't balance go back into the basket before sweeping an arm at the now-cleaned cushions. "Yeah. Gar, an' all that. 'Cause it ain't none of her problem - Weyrleader's, sure, an' Lord Fort's. Not hers, an' not mine. Ain't like she can do nothing t' help."
<< Because we are to have charge of the young ones, when Elaruth's eggs hatch. >> Khameth responds with his usual patience, a mental chuckle also there in his gentle amusement. Fussy humans are silly. << Of course it will snow. It is winter. But it will not snow /endlessly/ and there will be sun again. >> Bright, brilliant white sparkles and the cool shimmer of rippled ice beneath blue, blue sky. Perfect for playing in. She uses a paw, the blue uses a tail tip, curling it upwards oh-so-very casually to aim a tap against her haunch. Laughter again, fuller this time and G'dri moves to take both glasses to hold while Kai commences with his, ah, tidying efforts. "You know I could help you with all this." Offered casually, but sincerely. Though sitting down will be awfully nice, along with that whiskey and especially if Kai's going to join him rather than take the chair. "So... we should none of us attempt to turn our minds to the problem? Different people view things different ways, and if you truly believed that, would you have volunteered to go to Fort Sea?" He shrugs his shoulders. "She might be able to help her brother, on a personal level, if nothing else. Family will often see signs others may miss."
Big sigh from the little green, gusty like she's trying to flutter Khameth's wings. << Elaruth won't let me see the eggs. I would be very very good! But she says No and Kai says No and I want to but I can't. >> Meanie broody sisters. << That's what Kai says! Kai says it will be Spring and warm and sunny and we can fly and fly and fly but it isn't yet. Oh! >> Head whips around to spy that tail; a second later she wriggles closer, trying to hip-bump him without any leverage. << I got you! >> "Nah," Kai demurs to the offer of cleaning. "If I knew you was coming I wouldn't'a got so messy. And it ain't that, 'Dri." What it -is-, though, he can't - or won't - say, only flops onto the couch in the middle, leaving the arm for the bluerider and placing himself as barrier against leaning piles of laundry. "She's a... well, shells. She's a girl. An' a Candidate. She can't do nothing useful, 'cept maybe talk all their ears off once we catch 'em. They'd say anything t' get her t' shut up."
One wing might flutter, just a little, though it's more the draconic equivalent of a snug around the shoulders being offered by Khameth. << Not even from up high, on the ledges where we will all sit to sing them into the world? >> Poor little Chielyth, always told No. He sympathises, really he does. << Not yet, no, not for a while. But surely you can charm him into taking you somewhere where it is lovely and sunny and warm to fly? >> He's going to get G'dri in trouble at this rate, encouraging her. << I think I, >> the larger dragon continues laughingly, << have got you. >> And one hind foot twitches enough to lightly bump back. "You're sure?" 'Dri. That shortening might charm the bluerider a little bit, as he settles himself companionably next to Kai and offers over that second glass. "Rather be doing, than speculating?" He snorts then, casting the greenrider a sidelong glance as his brows arch upwards. "What does her being a girl have to do with anything?" The candidate bit though, that he can concede with a nod of his head. Pausing still further, "You... don't like her?"
Up high, yes - she draws out for him those way, way high up ledges, soooo high up the eggs are barely dots! Poor Chielyth! << Kai says we can fly there, but I want to fly there with you and -you- say No and how come what if we go now, just for a little bit, Khameth? I won't even ask Gedroth to come with us! >> Coax, coax, coax. She 'giggles' then and lets her head flop again, nuzzles his shoulder before resting it between his shoulderblades. << All right. >> This way she can keep an eye on the couch and doesn't have to look at the yucky weather. Yay! "Sure I'm sure. If she weren't a Candidate, maybe, she coulda gone down t' Fort Sea like I done. Or she can go t' Gar after if she don't Impress. An'... shells." /He/ doesn't know what her being a girl has to do with anything, save that it means he needs to have some whiskey. "Ain't that neither. She's nice enough t' look at. S'just she were yammering on an' on at me in Stores, wouldn't shut up even when I told her as I didn't want t' talk about it no more. It's th' Weyrleader's problem t' deal with; not mine, an' not hers. She got ideas t' help, it ain't me she needs t' be talking to."
Khameth's turn for a gusty sigh, a little rumble of sound somewhere deep in his chest. << G'dri says no. >> Clarification offered, before he offers her a completely different perspective of the eggs. A human's perspective, as they're seen from the galleries, though he has to snapshot the images since a true memory reel would focus more on the slightly chubby brunette teenager who appears at the edge of some of those images. Distractions? From Khameth? Never. But the old blue is also perfectly content to be cuddled up after spending who knows how long out flying in that nasty weather they're both ignoring. Sipping his own whiskey, G'dri listens through everything, head tilted. Somewhere around 'yammering' he reaches over, intending to rest his hand on Kai's thigh above his knee if he's permitted. "Nerves," he suggests after a moment. "Come on Kai, it's only been two turns. More I think of it, more I suspect Nissa might be trying to think about anything /but/ the Hatching. I told you she turned me down flat at first, didn't I?" Settling back and stretching his legs out, "So what /else/ has been going on?"
Chielyth flutterflutters her own wing, the wind is so fierce! Just pretend it's not the far one and there's no way Khameth's breath could ever reach her. Flutter! << They are very silly, >> she offers then, of their riders, since she has such a nice view. << Where did you go today? >> and that is a blatant beg for the old man to provide one of the travelogues he so adores, and for her to provide an appreciative audience. B'kaiv only glances down at the hand and quirks a smile; shifts his glass to his other hand so he can rest his atop G'dri's, fingers lacing ever so lightly. "Maybe. Only she said as she weren't worried about it. Shells, /I/ were. An' no, don't think you said. Huh." Perhaps that puts the blonde into a new light, as Kai mirrors the bluerider's lean-and-stretch. "Uh... dunno. Not much. Got boots spoke for at th' Tanners. Should be ready in a seven. An' that's 'bout it. Weather's been real iffy, an' there's some days as we can't go nowhere. What about you? How come you went flying in /that/ muck?"
<< They are, >> Khameth agrees, entirely fond and indulgent of such foibles. Blatant beg or otherwise, he's also quite willing to indulge Chielyth too. And if his travelogue is a /teensy/ bit more exciting than the reality was, as his shushed tenor narrates through the images of swirling white and looming mountain peaks and sudden gaping valleys he shares, well. He is a storyteller and she is /such/ a good audience. G'dri's smile is far less quirky, for the lacing of fingers, and while his sigh isn't gusty like his dragon's was, he seems just as content. "I would be very surprised to meet anyone who ever Stood who was not, however privately, worried about what would happen on the day the eggs crack. She did. At first she thought is was a joke, that T'rev had asked us to play a prank on her. When she realised we were serious, she refused and ran. So if she is saying she isn't worried, I expect she's trying to convince /herself/ more than anyone else." He tips his head a little further, as if he might lean it against Kai's shoulder. "Practice," he repeats the original claim. And then, after a pause, "And because it was better than pacing around in a circle trying to talk myself out of interfering in Liladri's love life. Lust life. Whatever it is that girl of mine has gotten herself into now."
B'kaiv huhs for how Nissa handled Search and swirls his whiskey, more to watch it slosh than anything else. "Well, an' either she's gonna Impress or she ain't, an' I know that ain't no help or nothing. Just... shells." He thirds - or is it fourths? - the sigh and turns his lopsided smile onto G'dri, shrugs that to-be-leant on shoulder like Chielyth 'hip-bumped' Khameth. "She gone an' fell in love with some guy?" A beat. "You want me t' go take care of him?" He's teasing. Probably. "Could say as he's part of th' Gar thing, an' that'd get him out of here for a while. --You know," remembered outrage pulling him out of the comfortable slouch, "that /both/ them Gar Bloods is still here? An' th' Weyrleader's gonna let 'em /Stand/?"
"Easier when looking back, to accept the inevitability of it will or it won't," G'dri muses, his own reappearing smile possibly felt more than seen as his cheek meets that shrugged shoulder. A final sip of whiskey later -- he /really/ needed that drink -- he rests the empty glass on his knee, in the curl of his fingers. "At Turnover, some stablehand. Ah..." Tempting. Even if Kai is teasing. After all, he was willing to sic /Nia/ on the lad. "No. He has not treated her poorly and for all my reservations, she has been happy these past two sevens. It will either stabilize or end, and then--" Well. Khameth will get bawled on, and so will Papa. The bluerider slumps a little further, the unexpected shift of Kai's posture making him blink as he straightens himself out again. "Kai... I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for that decision. Perhaps they truly have been found innocent of any involvement with their family's machinations. I believe the daughter, at least, had been living at Fort Hold for some time? And the son is a /younger/ son, correct?"
B'kaiv says, "I guess. You want more?" A nod for the empty glass. "Makes me glad I don't got no kids. Wouldn't'a minded, with Su, if..." He cuts off with a nasal sigh over pressed lips and says no more about the Vintner - but then, he rarely says much about her at all. "An' I dunno, G'dri. How can they -not-? They're sharding /Blood/, ain't they? What kinda family is it as ain't know what th' others is doing?" Shaking his head still he settles back against the couch, though remains tense. "I guess. S'just... after all I done - after all we /went/ through, an' they ain't gonna have nothing happen t' 'em? S'like sharding gold an' bronze riders, that's what it is." By now G'dri's probably familiar with Kai's muttered refrains about how some riders are treated differently than others, just because of the color of their dragon's hide. "Promise me you ain't gonna let no weyrling get away with nothing just because they're bronzeriders, a'right?"
"No, thank you. I came straight here after we got back and one glass of whiskey on an empty stomach is more than enough." G'dri's fingers tighten a little, where they're laced through B'kaiv's, as he rolls his shoulders, turning his upper sideways so he can look at the younger man again. Quietly, "Life is full of unexpected changes." His lips quirk, corners pulling downward slightly but this, as in almost everything else, is something he won't push Kai to talk about if he's not ready to do so. "Blooded ones," he answers that question about types of family with utter conviction in his voice. "They're raised on politics from the day they're born, practically, and if Bloods do anything well, it's keeping their secrets close. If the Gar children are /not/ innocent," because he has that annoying habit of looking at both sides of an argument, "it is entirely possible that sending them home would be even more disastrous. Keep them close, allow them to Stand as if there is no undue tension between the Weyr and one of it's beholden Holds. It's... a show of strength. To send the children home could be taken by other Weyrleaders, by other Lords and Holders, as a sign that internally, Fort is unstable and unable to handle these problems." Shifting still further, he leans away to bend, and place his glass on the floor. Which frees his hand up for the following quest to rest it against Kai's chest, his expression fond with a tinge of exasperation. "Relax, Kai. There's no sense in getting angry over this. It is another thing that, however much it may rankle, is out of our hands. I promise." No hesitation. Which might be surprising, but no one's seen G'dri in Teacher Mode yet.
B'kaiv grimaces and nods, tosses back the rest of his in one go, glances down at their fingers and snorts softly. His, "I just..." protest dies there, and though the greenrider shakes his head, he hears G'dri out. "Shows that we ain't gonna hold with no thievin' tunnelsnakes stealing no eggs," is his opinion on the matter, but he's no longer as riled as he was working up into. But he sighs, then, and sets his glass between his knee so he can capture G'dri's wrist in a light bracelet of warm fingers. Trying for light (and mostly failing), "You ain't promised. I seen what W'ton an' Nolek got away with. Just... shells." Both of his hands flex lightly before he frees the other man entirely and looks away, probably wishing his glass wasn't empty after all.
G'dri smiles, a bit crooked, a lot gentle. "Who knows what will happen? And, unless those children march out onto the Sands and start loading eggs into wheelbarrows, they won't be /stealing/ anything. The hatchlings will make their choices, as they always have. They may not be choices we agree with, but such is the way of things." Wrist caught thus, his fingers curl towards his palm as his smile brightens a touch. "I promise," he repeats, his own gaze steady, "that I won't let any weyrling get away with anything just because of the colour of their lifemate." Which kind of neatly avoids the bronze and gold prejudice. When Kai looks away Ged's hand chases after his face, aims to bring his palm against cheek. "Kai. Everything's going to work out. Stop borrowing trouble, hmm? Just because the weather is shit doesn't mean our moods have to be." Hey, he actually swore. He must really be serious.
B'kaiv snorts again at that, dark and cynical. "Bet as there was them as didn't want me t' Impress neither." But he sinks back, shoulders almost but not quite resting against G'dri, legs close enough to not matter. His smile flickers and dies before he looks away, is coaxed back when the bluerider urges him back. "Yeah, maybe. I guess. I just... shells." There's no more whiskey, but there is a fire to watch, and contented dragons in both their heads, and that, perhaps, is enough to settle the greenrider. A little while later, apropos of nothing, "You any good with numbers?"
"Undoubtedly," G'dri meets that cynicism head on. "There were more than a few who weren't thrilled when I ended up with Khameth." He shrugs, accepting of the natures of people. Settling again, the bluerider has no qualms with a close curl. "You're frustrated." It might be a guess but he says it like it isn't, tries to convey understand with his touch as well as with his voice, even if he can't know just what inner workings are leading to such. But the quiet companionship is welcomed, and he doesn't let his hands stray /too/ much in his search for contact with his young lover. "Hmm?" Numbers? "How so?"
"--Grin," Kai remembers, his snort this time amused. "Guess you showed them. Guess I will, too." Eventually. If he can stop being confined to his weyr. But frustrated? He sighs a, "Yeah," and folds a leg between G'dri's, tangling them rather like blue and green. "'M losing my touch, feels like - ain't been in a real fight in... shells. Too long. An' we can't go nowhere, me an' her, an' Gar, an'... shells. All'a it." 'All of it' requires him to turn G'dri's palm to his, and thread their fingers again, more firmly, to watch the twining and only after glance up to blue eyes. "I asked th' Weyrleader about th' bar. I run 'em myself on Turnover, only I want someone t' check."
G'dri stills as he stops breathing for a moment, his eyes closing as B'kaiv says his old nickname. "You will." For all the softness of those two words, the conviction in them could prop up the world. Whatever it is that the bluerider sees in the younger man, he's got faith that eventually, others'll see it too. Shifting to accommodate the tangle of legs, he listens through and then watches their hands come together. despite the seriousness, he can't help but smile. "You don't call the raid a real fight?" Amused, it having been long enough now that all the residual worry and the resultant fretting has stopped entirely. "Wait. Why can't the two of you go anywhere?" Brows draw together in puzzlement, as blue eyes meet hazel, his fingers tightening slightly and he reaches across with his free hand, aiming for Kai's side but he might find his hip instead. "Oh, yes. Well enough to keep my own books in order. Sure, I'd be happy to go over those numbers for you. ...now?" Something in his voice, please don't say now.
B'kaiv settles back against G'dri's shoulder, watching the flames and not those emotions flickering over the bluerider's face. "Ain't what I mean - it were a fight, sure, but not a... not a fight like I like. A brawl. People coulda really got hurt." He doesn't consider the slice on his arm 'getting hurt'? "If th' wind's bad, like it's been, it's safer we don't go flying." He twists about, away from their cozy cuddle, so they can see each other. "Little as she is? Ain't safe. Don't want her spraining a wing, or worse." 'Worse' has him looking out to catch a glimpse of Chielyth, far too entwined with the blue for them to go anywhere and back with a wry smile. "Nah, not now. An' you don't got to, if you don't want. Can take 'em down t' the Harpers, make sure everything looks good."
Having no hand free to facepalm, G'dri turns his face into Kai's shoulder instead and /doesn't/ say anything about that arm. His sigh might speak volumes, though. Straightening as the greenrider shifts, his brows lift, "I didn't mean take her flying in weather like /this/. But all it takes is a lull to get up for a hop Between." Because 'worse' would be bad, though he doesn't twist to follow that glance of Kai's. But then, he doesn't need to look to know that Khameth at least, isn't intending on moving until he absolutely has no other choice. "I really don't mind," he continues reassuringly, some merriment coming to spark in his eyes. "But I'm also very comfortable and disinclined to move right now. Unless it's somewhere more comfortable." Well, that says it, doesn't it?
"It healed up fine," Kai says, correctly interpreting that sigh and wrigging his arms free so he can tug the sleeve up as proof. Healed, see? A nice pink line that only itches a little. Finished scratching, the greenrider returns both sleeve and hands to their previous location, all cozy and comfortable. "Yeah, s'true. I just... don't want her getting hurt 'cause I done something stupid. It gets real bad, we'll go, promise." As G'dri continues Kai's mouth quirks up again; the greenrider teases, "Thought as you ain't eaten nothing. You stay up here, that means I got t' carry you down later? Fling you over my shoulder like you drunk too much?"
G'dri sees, but it still makes his mouth twist to the side, his own fingers twitching with the repressed urge to bat Kai's away from scratching. "I still--" Wish the greenrider had been more careful. Yes yes. Instead of following that line, "Kai, you're not stupid. You take good care of that girl of yours." One hand seeks to nudge, a playful not-punch to upper arm. "I haven't, but I'm not about to pass out in a faint, either," he says, laughing. "I suppose if you really /had/ to, though I can think of a few more entertaining activities than carting me around like a sack of firestone." G'dri. Naughty. Yes, it happens.
B'kaiv scratches carefully! And the scabs are mostly fallen off too, whether on their own or with careful help. "Got to, don't I? Me an' her, we're th' only ones we got." He leans-and-twists again to give his napping girl a fond smile, gets punched in the shoulder for his troubles and grunts away his pain. "Good. Then you got a choice. We got th' couch," where they can keep company with socks and bed linens, "th' bed," other assorted bits of laundry, "or th' rug," a nod to what's laid out in front of the fire. "After, you wanna go eat somewhere? Don't want you getting all weak an' falling off Khameth, or nothing." His face is just a little too neutral (though twitching around the edges) for it -not- to be humor.
"Oh, Kai." G'dri tends to say that /a lot/, and in that slightly sad tone of voice. Especially in the face of that 'alone in the world' attitude. This time, he follows it up with, "You've got me. And Khameth adores her." Choices. There's a fourth option in there somewhere, that of starting out with the socks and tumbling to the rug later. "Food. Kai." He doesn't even try to match neutrality, the webs at the corners of his eyes deepening as he grins. "We can worry about food later." Kissing is far more important, and that's just what the bluerider is leaning in to do.
'Oh Kai' and the man in question turns, coming face to face with big blue eyes only inches away. He really shouldn't be that startled to find them there. "You can't be responsible for her though, can you? Or me, neither. --An' yeah, guess we can." They can start out with the couch, just like this, and later there can the bed, or the floor (perhaps with some stolen rugs), or make a hash out of his laundry... but now, just now, later is far, far away.