all my islands have sunk [open]

[Avu]

You’ll scare the runners.

He licked his lips, a shiver spilling down his spine, pulling at the sides of his jacket, tucking it closer against his body for warmth. Pressed his hands into the pockets, curling his fingers open and shut, the Night Guard wristband the one warm spot. “I won’t,” Vix murmured, half to himself. “They’re not scared of people.” His gaze cut back towards the trees, the green wher peering at him anxiously through the darkness, eyes bright with green-yellow. “Just…I want to see if I remember, okay?” His hand pressed against the door of the stables, the wood rough under his palm. “It won’t take long. Just keep—stick around, huh?” He felt the thin thread of her acquiescence before Tekivisk stepped back into the shadows, hide blurring with the dark foliage clinging around her; a swish of the tail and the night was quiet.

It had been so long since he’d even touched a runner. He missed them, even if he didn’t miss Beastcrafting; the runners made sense even if the people never did. (How long had it been since he’d seen Kostya, anyway? How long would it be before he went looking?) The door creaked when it opened. Vix ignored it, edging forward carefully in the dimly lit corridor, listening to the shuffles and snorts as the runners began to stir at the invasion. He peered over the first stall, murmured an automatic soothing “Shh.” He could barely make out the backwards flick of the ears, eyes flashing white in alarm in the darkness. “It’s okay,” breathed on a promise, Vix uncurling his hand tentatively over the stall door. “C’mere—I’m not gonna hurt you.”

He probably smelled of whers; the musk and the spicy oil he used for Tekivisk’s hide and the straw of the green’s bedding and the whuff of her breath. Vix felt like he stood for minutes before a velvet-soft muzzle pushed against his fingers, rubbery lips mouthing hopefully along his palm. He grinned, let the runner continue its careful examination of his hand, and finally wiggled his fingers upwards to stroke down the white blaze on her face, peering into dull brown eyes hidden in a matted forelock. The runner sighed under his touch; emboldened, Vix leaned forward to rub the heel of his hand in long sweeps down the thin neck.

Come back, a quiet entreaty in the back of his mind—pleading. Not in words, but a want. Tekivisk. His hand stilled and the runner gave a sleepy snort, the dark tangled mane spilling over the back of his palm in stark contrast—black against white. Tekivisk pushed again, harder this time—please. She wanted to finish their sweep and go back home, couldn’t he hurry. The runners couldn’t be this interesting. They weren’t anything; they were just runners, frightened of everything like the herdbeast.

That, Vix sighed against the wher’s impatience, is not nice. And not true, either. I—I like this. It’s been forever. He squinted at the brassy-colored nameplate on the stall, trying to read the name of the owner. It would be nice if someone would let him ride. It had been Turns, but he didn’t think it was something you forgot, how to ride a runner. And if it was, he could learn again—he knew the theory well enough. It would just be retraining his body. He wove his fingers through the runner’s mane, slowly working out the tangles. And even if he couldn’t ride…this was still nice, just being there. The thing was, Tekivisk was right—Runners weren’t anything. It made them comfortable company, at least.

Company—Tekivisk’s warning brushed yellow against his mind; the flash of her eyes brightened in the back of his mind and Vix turned again towards the door, a frown dropping the corners of his lips downwards soberly. What company would be out at this time of night, exactly?

[rii]

It wasn't a human that came toward the door. A hide of emerald of jade, brilliant - glowing - under the moonlight slipped toward the stables. Her gain graceful, flawless with her long whip-like tail accenting each forward step to add an extra sway to the glide. Konstask sniffed at the ground, then peer at the closed door. His smell went inside – why on all of pern was he in there?

Kostya's eyes flicked across the dark stable. He had fallen asleep and only woken at the opening creak of the door. He couldn't see his present company, but the quite tone was familiar enough to him. The green wher lurking outside – also wanting him to come out – had a fair reason to ask why Kostya of all people would be inside the stables at night and not out among all the people showing them how absolutely beautiful he was.

Pale eyes narrowed with renewed annoyance. His long apprenticing shifts with the infirmary took up all of his time and then some. He took extra shifts where they allowed him. The more he learned, the quicker he learned... Kostya rubbed at the corner of his eye. Only drawback it put him around people constantly -- not something Kostya would complain about, but with Konstask's mood and increasing glow (damnit didn't he break her from the need to do that?) drove him more than a little bit mad. Constantly feeling that strange need to flaunt himself and display himself for everyone to take notice, to admire him - to want him.

It was maddening.

Kostya cleared his throat, figuring the time for secrecy was over since Konstask was on the verge of pushing the door in to drag him out into the open. "Fancy running into you here," because he had nothing better to say other than the obvious so you like horses?. He pivoted slightly out into the open, shifting his gaze in the other green handler's direction. He hadn't talked to Vix in.. well since Tekivisk's run it seemed. Kostya was busy with his apprenticeship and well.. part of him made up a story about his favored toy and that idiot goldilocks starting some overly awkward relationship. Kostya purposely didn't look into it.

A hand smoothed the bottom of his shirt as he turned the rest of the way into the aisle and made a slow advance on the exiting door, which brought him up to and past Vix. Kostya was intent on leaving the kid alone, but a few steps later he just couldn't.. help himself. He pivoted, tilting his head curiously at Vix with a half-smile. "You never really struck me as an animal person." What with the kid's constant tinkering with inanimate objects. "Ever ridden one?"

[Avu]

He felt Tekivisk’s sharp flare of delighted recognition a second later, the rapid flash of her thoughts nearly incoherent in the back of his mind—glowing gorgeous love so much so long—a second before he realized the green had left the jungle at a swift lope to greet whoever. Konstask, she supplied eagerly, Konstask, and it clicked at last. Oh. Vix’s frown deepened slightly—glowing?—before he curled his fingers through the runner’s mane again, pushing his fingers down her neck towards her shoulder, scuffing his palm against the rough tangle of mane. Well, Konstask. That didn’t necessarily mean Kostya, of course. He didn’t think Konstask was as anxious about being apart from Kostya as Tekivisk was him.

Now, if only he knew if that was a good thing or not.

At least Tekivisk was very much convinced it was a fantastic thing that Konstask was there, even if the other green’s attention had not strayed to her yet. The green wher barked a soft greeting to her sister as she got closer, tension lessening with every step closer she got to Konstask and Vix; slowed to a walk a few paces away from Konstask, head tipped to one side, eyes bright with blues. So lovely her sister looked, more gorgeous every time she saw her—lovely. The awed touch of Tekivisk’s mind was followed immediately by her muzzle extending towards Konstask—and then stopping a few inches away, a low whine pulsing in the green’s throat. It had been forever. Was she still allowed to touch?

Someone else was there. Vix spun so abruptly on his heel that the runner snorted its surprise. And—yes, apparently Konstask and Kostya were, in this case, together. He swallowed, clenched his teeth together at the words that he took as downright condescending. Nothing to say to that, anyway. Kostya wanted to pretend it hadn’t been months since they’d spoken, fine then. Vix flicked his gaze back to the runner, intent on keeping his silence. Good luck getting Tekivisk away from Konstask, anyway. At least one of them was happy. Well, right up until Konstask snapped at her or something. Glowing, right?

Er—words.

Vix looked up, hand stilling on the runner’s neck. It huffed companionably against his forearm, and Vix automatically moved his arm in a downwards stroke again. Already on the defensive, he almost bristled at the question, but, yeah, justified. He’d never really expressed an interest in runners before. “All the time when I was a kid,” he said dismissively, and turned towards Kostya, glancing over the other greenhandler before he added, eyes narrowing slightly—he’d been going for casual, but Vix wasn’t a particularly talented actor—“Been busy lately? ‘ki’s been feeling lonely.”

And she was clearly the only one.

[rii]

Kostya's chin inclined ever so slightly when Vix's gaze seemed to wander. Let it not be known it gave the older green handler the urge to look down and check his clothing and hair to see if some straw or such had ended up on him during his impromptu nap. Konstask's mind soothed over his, a purring lull to her undeterred belief that even being in a somewhat tousled appearance, there was no other as beautiful, as stunning, as—

Shut up. Shut UP. SHUTUP.

By force of will alone, Kostya slowly lowered his chin back down to a more humble level and did his best to concentrate on the few words Vix spared him – and not stand there blankly staring at the kid while mentally fuming at his wher. Although, maybe he should have tuned out Vix because what he heard quickly made Kostya narrow his in return. Harsh words flew out past his lips before his mind could rationalize, "She has Damorsk."

Oh er – wait.

Konstask definitely had him in a foul mood if he was defensively snapping at Vix and not taking time to actually listen to what was being said. Kostya's pale eyes glanced aside, staying adverted a few seconds in a silent show of an unspoken apology. In a softer tone Kostya responded again, "I've been apprenticing with the healers." Taking on full shifts instead of the few hours a day that were recommended. "Finding somewhere quiet to study when I'm not, catching naps in between all that."

He made a vague gesture with his hand that ended with his fingers sliding through his hair. Casual, right, as he secretly made sure there actually wasn't any piece of straw stuck there. His eyes shifted to the runner, his mind automatically cataloging the information about the possible settings Vix had grown up around if he had the leisure to ride the beasts all the time. How easy it would be just to ask pointed question instead of make a puzzle game out of it all. With a smile Kostya took a half-step closer to Vix in order to extend his palm out to the creatures nose. "Going to go out for a ride?"

Outside Konstask quietly considered her approaching sister, all the while keeping her neck highly arch and wings loosely folded along her sides to better accent her slender shape. Tekivisk was asking for permission, what a lovely sister. Konstask slid sideways, lightly bumping into then brushing along her humbled sister in a distinct cat-like motion. What was her sister's handler doing in there – both of the humans should come out. There was nothing in there of interest, so why did they remain inside? Fetch them both for her, would you dear sister.

[Avu]

His spine stiffened at Kostya’s immediate response, and Vix could already taste his own retort on his tongue, how is Darmosk supposed to replace Konstask, bit it back with effort. He was sure the expression that crossed his face said it clearly anyway. Well then, fine—it wasn’t like Tekivisk didn’t have plenty of other friends anyway; wasn’t like she couldn’t let Darmosk or Ximesk or Yosk or whatever other wher replace Konstask. Fine. He was irritated enough that he almost missed the sideways glance, but even after he caught it, Vix wasn’t entirely appeased. Well, hello to you too, glad to see you in such a good mood tonight. Vix shrugged silently, dipped his chin in a nod in acknowledgment as Kostya continued. The Infirmary. Oh. Supposed that was, at least, a good way to be spending time.

He still wasn’t, per se, happy. Tch.

Vix carefully wove his fingers through the runner’s mane as it turned its muzzle to snuffle contentedly over Kostya’s palm, evidently thrilled (if rather sleepy) at the attention it was receiving. The question had him hesitating again—how tempting it was. Could ride Tekivisk, he supposed, if he really wanted to, but runners…he missed riding runners. He’d always heard you could ride a wher, but he was too afraid of accidentally hurting Tekivisk to try, and it still wouldn’t be the same, but…“Not right now,” he said, turned his face towards the runner. “Riding at night’s dangerous on runner-back, they aren’t nocturnal. And I don’t know whose it is, anyway.” Losing somebody else’s runner for them because he hadn’t ridden in years: Not high on his list of Things to Do.

He paused as the runner began to push its muzzle up Kostya’s forearm and at his shoulder, a hopeful bid for more attention, since Vix was clearly not planning on stopping his own fawning in the near future. “Maybe later, closer to morning, I’ll take one of the Weyr runners out. I don’t know. ‘ki won’t like it.” And maybe it was a little unhealthy, Vix noted, the way the green got downright upset if he was away from her too long, if she was alone too long, but it wasn’t something he could really bring himself to fuss at her for—it was kind of endearing, even if she still crawled into his bed at night and yeah, she was definitely too big for that. (Wasn’t like his bed hadn’t been broken before, either.)

“So. Sleeping in the stables?” It had been vaguely puzzling him, why Kostya was in the stables at all—he hadn’t really struck Vix as a runner kind of person—but if he was so busy…the words came out slightly more accusing than Vix had meant them to, but he didn’t try to correct his own tone. He had a right to be a little upset, didn’t he?

Tekivisk purred at the rub of Konstask’s body against hers, the green’s head dipping to butt affectionately against Konstask’s shoulder. So lovely was her sister, she repeated on a low croon, eyes dropping shut briefly in her happiness. As for Vix and Konstask’s, though…hmm. It hadn’t occurred to Tekivisk to actually go in and fetch Hers, mostly because it would scare the runners and she didn’t want that, but…if Konstask suggested it, then it couldn’t be too terribly wrong, could it? She flicked her tail thoughtfully, and then attempted to slot her claws into the crack between the doors of the stables.

Didn’t work. (Of course, she’d never been able to open doors that weren’t already cracked open, but that hardly kept her from trying if they were doors in between her and VixHers.) Tekivisk turned back to curl closer to Konstask, and whined quietly, trying to grab Kostya’s attention as well as Vix’s—come out, please, please. It was so much nicer out here—they didn’t want to keep a door between all of them, did they? It was better when there wasn’t any silly building.