Night Demons (Ember;Ruby)

[Requiem]

Mind felt fuzzy. That was really not at all uncommon after a Run, Dmitri had already discovered, and given he no longer had a weyrmate (and hadn't for several months) there was nothing to confuse him about being tangled up with someone else. Dementia's Run had been no surprise, after all. Now if he could just remember who she'd chosen...and it really did seem like there were far too many limbs involved here, he thought blearily. Well, there was always looking. He cracked open his eyes, waiting for them to adjust, and then the confusion was returning. Not one but two heads, this was definitely not a bed...the couch in the wherhandlers' common room. And by the looks of the overturned chair nearby they were probably lucky to make it this far.

Continuing to take stock of his surroundings - because he suddenly did not want to know the who and why of having a lovely little orgy going on the couch - the bluehandler blinked to find his wher sprawled casually not far from the door. The blue was between them and the guard they were supposed to check in and out with, looking decidedly bored. He was even tapping claws against the floor much like a human might. Dmitri was suddenly very amused, which elicited a look from the blue and then a calculated yawn as his head turned slowly back toward the guard. All those nice teeth on display. Nice to know that some things never changed. Of course, Dmitri would have gone for privacy over safety about now.

Dementia's mind was silent, the gold still sleeping, and there was enough lingering seepage to explain the calm and even satisfied feeling the teenager had, despite being decidedly sore in places he didn't want to think about. He finally located her amidst the cushions of the oveturned chair, coiled with another 'mandyr. Just one. Nocturne. Mentally, Dmitri winced. Thank you Dementia for being an insane, demented creature and choosing a blue, the blue that just happened to be bonded to one of two wherhandlers he considered to be a friend. Oh, and his boyfriend? The other friend of Dmitri's. And they were out in the common room. Just...lovely. He stirred a little against the two bodies hopelessly entangled with his, finally making out the second one. Piden.

It just kept getting better and better.

Okay, so...Piden was underneath him and had one of his legs trapped. Eikane's arm had somehow ended up between them, and the goldhander was partially pressed into the back of the couch, mostly on top of Dmitri. The man was heavy compared to Dmitri's insignificant one forty or so pounds, which made the prospect of worming free questionable enough, yet alone doing it without disturbing either of them. The bluehandler was getting increasingly annoyed. What was Piden even doing here? He was getting tired of the sharding opportunist. Dmitri made a mental note to suggest tying the man down during all the runs - whether one of his mindmates chased or not.

Fine, if he wasn't going to be winning free of these while they were asleep anyway...Pinned mostly immobile, he found that his teeth still had access to Piden's shoulder, and that's exactly where they went. He bit the bronzehandler hard.

[Ruby]

Flattened, but warm.

This was a fairly normal position for Piden to wake up in, although the person on top of him seemed heavier than usual. Much heavier. Twice as heavy, in fact... squinting sleep-filled eyes open, he sighed in recognition and squirmed slightly. That's because there were twice as many people as usual, and they were piled on a couch. Now that he understood and could breathe, he figured it was a good time to go back to sleep. It's not like he could get out without dumping the other two on the floor, and then he'd just be cold. On the other hand, he wasn't about to let the others up without discovering who they were. He kept his legs locked around the calf of the next person up, despite the fact that one of them was falling asleep. So, back to bed for Chaser #3.

Piden's moment of wakefulness appeared to disturb three minds in the room, although had the Bronzehandler stayed awake, he only would have been aware of two. One was Three, lurking up near the ceiling and absolutely radiating jealousy and anger, watching Dmitri stir in hopes of separating him from hers. She did not like to share, but if none of them were awake there was little she could do to get revenge. The other was Shells, perched both awkwardly close to Dementia and as far from Nocturne as he could get. Shells' emotions were more complicated than Three's - while angry that he had lost and absolutely furious that he'd lost to a Blue, his eyes returned to a blue-green... almost smugness when he looked at Dementia. For once the Bronze was silent, waiting for her to wake, to discover that she'd made the wrong choice on her own. THEN he could begin the process of explaining why he was infinitely superior to Nocturne in every way, worming his way into her good graces so he'd be certain to win her next time. After all, pretty shiny golds simply could not stay mated to blues. It was both wrong and grossly unfair.

The third, of course, was Dmitri, whose teeth made sure Piden wouldn't be asleep for long.

At first, the Bluehandler didn't have a particularly good angle, and the pressure felt good, drawing a pleased sigh from the redhead. Quickly, though, it built to unmanageable levels, turning the sigh into a hiss. One arm was trapped by his own head and another, the other arm between the two still-mysterious men on top of him. Had to be men - too rough and angular for women. Not to mention that one was still biting. Alright, that was enough (not to mention that Three's anger was even stronger now that hers was being assaulted). No chance of pulling his shoulder away... but he could move it up. With a jerk of the arm lodged between the other two, he slammed it up as hard as he could into the damaging mouth, feeling flesh stretch and tear at the sudden movement. "Too hard!" he mumbled, discovering his mouth pressed into a head of long, blonde hair. Eikane, then, one of two. And that was Dementia Shells was fixating on, so... well didn't THAT make things interesting.

[Ember]

Eikane was decidedly uncomfortable as he slowly came to awareness. There were uncomfortable angles, a part of him was a little chilly without anything to cover it (although he couldn't say it was cold either), and he couldn't really feel one of his arms. Dmitri may not be all that heavy compared to him but long enough in the position they were in had taken it's toll on his arm. Also, those odd angles were moving a bit. That was just plain weird.

Patient as ever he just waited until things started to come back to his sleep and post-run fogged mind. Post-run. Right. Nocturne, ever the odd 'mandyr, had decided to chase...Dementia. He didn't remember much beyond going out to see Dmitri. He could only guess that he came back to the apartment and probably ended up sleeping with Nautic. He didn't even think that Nocturne might have won. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in the blue...it was simply that he was a blue. And blues didn't win gold runs. Or perhaps that was too much of Eikask's mentality?

Still, why was the blue so bloody contented? He'd never felt such an emotion from his tiny mindmate before. Hmph, maybe he got to snap at some bronze at something. Either way, now that he'd pieced together what had happened, it was time to wake up. He was about to open his eyes on his own when he heard a quiet murmuring that was familiar but not Nautic. His eyes flew open quickly and he realized the truth of his predicament. What, so he'd jumped in with Dmitri and Piden?

Eikane freaked. He let out a startled gasp-grunt and squirmed, trying to free his arm so he could get away. He realized freaking out on Dmitri and Piden was incredibley rude but waking up with two guys in the common room of all places...too much. It was just too much for him. Calm, Nocturne counseled from his position coiled with Dementia. It was quite annoying to be woken up by His freaking out. There wasn't even anyone to blame for it but himself.

Still, remaining calm should hopefully help His regain his composure and stop being irritating. He liked His because he generally wasn't so annoying so he tolerated it well enough. The whole bronze looking at his mate while she was curled around him was pushing it though. Shells was shown a wide yawn to show off his teeth (it was freaky how similar Dmitri and Eikane's mindmates could be) while Nocturne tried to delicately extract himself from Dementia. He didn't do cuddling. Just after the run was fine but he didn't want a a clingy mate.

[Requiem]

One might possibly think that it was the movement that awoke the dainty gold from her rather contented sleep, but in all actuality she simply hadn't moved. Her eyes were slitted, focused on Shells with an intensity that would have been disturbing to most, and scary to any with access to her thoughts. The body curled up with hers - though tolerable, if only because she truly was content after her Run - simply wasn't registering on the same level of importance. There might have been the slightest amount of courtesy involved when she stretched out in response to Nocturne's wriggling without snapping at him, though; Dementia was not known for being nice or reasonable, and squirmy 'mandyr bodies when she had other things occupying her would usually have been met with at least a snap of teeth.

Suddenly, she lunged for Shells, frill flaring wide and claws swiping at his snout in very clear indication of her fury. Control stupidYours, she snarled, the words most definitely a command. The gold had no idea why he was sitting there and staring at her like a little creeper - even the Devil wasn't allowed such audacity, and Dementia was admittedly more tolerant with her than most, if only because she was such a good little slave most of the time - but the bronze's mindmate striking at Hers was more infuriating for the moment.

Indeed, Dmitri hissed in response to the shoulder crashing against his teeth, unsure if the blood he tasted in his mouth was Piden's or from his own lip. Probably both. At the very least, the man was up now, and Dmitri took wicked pleasure out of having woken him so rudely. Served him right. Eikane was clearly awake, too, if the sudden thrashing was any indication. "Watch it, will you?" he growled irritably, the words muffled by Piden and a mouth that was definitely bruised if it wasn't bleeding. He couldn't really tell which right now. All he knew was that the squirming man on top of him was upsetting some very sore muscles and digging angles of limbs into very uncomfortable places. Dmitri didn't have enough meat on his bones to protect him from this.

It didn't take a genius to realize that Eikane was trying to extract his arm. That said, knowing this or not, Dmitri was pinned by the man and unable to help him at all. (Which he would really like to do to get him off, thank you much.) "Stop acting like a worm and lift yourself up enough so I can move. Or you could just stay trapped here forever. I'm sure Piden wouldn't mind." Most definitely irritable. Dmitri wiggled a little himself, just to make sure he was still stuck. No change. Sigh. "Move. Your sharding. Legs." This growl directed at Piden.

[Ruby]

Shells just stuck his tongue out at Nocturne, making a very immature sound while the blue yawned. So he had teeth, ho hum. Shells had more, and they were bigger. Stupid blue. Pointless to try and intimidate those who were so clearly superior. Ah, but Dementia was awake. Shifting a little, he prepared to make his greeting - but no, she'd lunged because hers bit his. Shells did not see the logic. Instead, he stayed where he was, confident that her claws would fall shy of his face, or that he could catch them before they connected. As it turned out, with just a small adjustment of his over-long neck, she did, in fact, miss. Then the bronze broke his unprecedented silence, his tone innocent and sad.

Troll stupidMine? No no, Menail so mistook, it no opposite time. Yours gnaw on stupidMine, not other side 'round. Pain, torment, trad-edgy. Multiply, Menial pick Shells in first place, no UglyBlondie, no trap, no pain! Just say, he finished, watching Nocturne attempt to flee the scene. Then again, was Shells ever really finished? No. In a sweet tone, he went on, Menta see, fugly flailBlue no like, no gooder than ugly flier. Mini lesser eggsies, liliputian. No pretties, only flugs.

Piden tuned most of this out, although he privately agreed that this was all someone's fault, and that someone wasn't him. Dmitri, maybe. Likely. It was the Bluehandler who had invited Piden along, after all. He would've been happy to find a flightmoth - he knew how these things worked, Pidesk lost enough green runs after all. This was preferable (clearly), but still, he knew well enough not to force himself on a winner post-run. That tended to get you killed, and while he was more than a little sore, it was good sore, not bad sore. There had been no killings attempted here.

Not that that seemed to be stopping Eikane and Dmitri from killing him now, which greatly annoyed Piden (well, Three really, but the Bronzehandler was too sleepy still to make the distinction). "Mmph - Do mind," he mumbled, spitting out hair. They were heavy"Not quite delicate flowers," he added, complying with Dmitri's orders to move his legs. Not that it would help much, with the Bluehandler still trapped fully under Eikane. For his part, Piden stayed mostly still, attempting to crane his head far enough to see the damage Dmitri's teeth had done. From what he could see there was no blood, but there was a bite mark. An angry, red, distinct bite mark. Lovely.

[Ember]

Nocturne may not have bothered to thank Dementia for moving enough to let him easily slip away but he was somewhat grateful all the same. It reassured him that chasing the gold hadn't been a mistake. He completely ignored Shell's mocking. It only showed how stupid the bronze really was. He'd leave the idiot to Dementia to deal with. His pride was hurting because of her, after all. The insults regarding him made the blue pause consideringly. Well, that was annoying.

Noisiest carrier emptier than quiet one, the blue said, mental tone dripping scorn for the the noisy bronze. His meaning was obvious; the more empty something is, the more room the objects inside have to make noise, the louder it is. Understand? Noisy bronze, emptier head. Understand, leave. Well, he was already planning to leave so technically the bronze could have stayed...but he'd annoyed Nocturne and so the blue decided he didn't much want the bronze around Dementia either.

Between the embarrassment of having a person younger than him what to do logically and the cold anger drifting to him through Nocturne, Eikane calmed down enough to actually listen to what Dmitri was saying. "Not a worm," he muttered as he lifted himself up so that his arm could be freed and he could escape go put on some clothes for decency's sake. Lying around naked anywhere but one's own apartment was...oh crap. Nautic! What would he think? Even assuming he did understand because of the whole bonded to a chasing creature thing...it was still bad to rub it in his face.

When he managed to pull his arm out from under Dmitri he quickly got up off the other handlers (avoiding as much contact as possible, which was not easy) and searched with his eyes for anything resembling closs to at least temporarily cover himself. As much as he'd like to run to his apartment and shut himself in it...he cared enough about Dmitri not to do something like that. That and he still felt kinda guilty for running out on Piden after Eikask's run.

[Requiem]

Think want more stupid blatherhead babies like Shnell? Better small clutch, smart good babies. Better than big clutch stupid idiots, get steppeds on, chase fat gold uglies. Her eyes slitted dangerously. Color blind stupid blatherhead. Think fat gold ugly better? Think bring ugly gifts? Not bring Dementia gifts? Think Dementia want no make-sense cling-happy shiny imbecile? Shnell mistake. Say Dementia choose wrong again, Dementia use Shnell hide sharpen claws. So it wasn't exactly the most loving defense of Nocturne. At all. The gold didn't choose wrong. Though she did allow amusement to pass through her eyes when the blue hissed at the bronze. BlueMate says rightly. Shoo gone, empty-head. She flicked her tail dismissively as punctuation.

With his legs free, he somehow moved them enough to half-stradle the bronze-handler, palming the man's chest and pushing up hard enough to lift Eikane a little. The movement made him wince, and the older harper's scrabbling really did nothing but make it worse. Dmitri resigned himself to lying on Piden for awhile longer as Eikane went about extracting himself, even if Dementia's anger was tempting him to add another bite mark to the first. He wasn't particularly pleased with the man himself, after all. "Yeah, keep right on complaining," he grumbled at Piden.

There was a rather unfortunate tremble in his limbs right now. This, perhaps, was what kept him there even after Eikane was up. That or the goldhandler's eyes on him. He really didn't want to know why the man was lingering, but it was definitely awkward trying to avoid really seeing him while feeling completely exposed at the same time. Reaching behind Piden's head, he yanked the pillow free and tossed it at Eikane. "Don't really want to see that." Shifting uneasily against Piden, he stopped because that had all new elements of awkward in it. Didn't mind the whole male/male thing with other people, but being in the middle of it (literally) made some small part of him inside want to scream.

"Are you just gonna...stand there?" Dmitri pushed up from the bronzehandler, but then his muscles cramped up and gave out, and he just slid back down with a near inaudible curse. The bluehandler turned his face away from the older harper who was some odd cross between a friend, a mentor and a brother to him. This was infinitely worse than ending up entangled outside Yoalla's room in the hall. He just hoped the rising heat in his cheeks wasn't showing on his neck, too.

[Ruby]

As much as the bronze wanted to completely dismiss Nocturne, he neded to clear something up. He did not, however, address the Blue - he was obviously below notice, and idiotic to boot. Instead, Shells drew himself up to his full (and actually very significant) height, turning his face distincly away from the Blue, towards the Gold. Clear, very ginormous 'stake in this place. Full-head humans chat most, full-head Mandyrs do same. See, Mentia chat most, Shells chat most, ugly thing little chat t'all, even not 'tempting to fend off mate. Too quiet, head must be full fluff. Only empty-head colored sky.[/i] Curling back around himself, he changed his tone, resting his head on his paws and overall attempting to look as pathetic and love-lornas possible. Pained pride, all. Mentia see, Shells love most, only Shells prove self how when no other shinys to shun, hmm? Already no like other fat uglies, all shapes sizes. See-throughly, Shells need do more. How? If prove by shooing gone, Shells go.[/i]

"Who, me? Complain?" Piden asked, his tone as venemous as his Salamandyrs felt. But he left it at that, sighing a little as Eikane freed himself. He really couldn't stay mad because this WAS kind of a triumph for him, especially out in the open like this. The Apartments would be buzzing for weeks, with his name at the center of it. Not bad, for a run he lost. That was really all he could do, though, so he stayed where he was, trying not to enjoy Dmirti's wriggling too obviously. Eikane was given a brief - albeit appreciative - glance, distracting him just long enough that he smacked his head pretty hard when Dmitri stole his pillow.

"Ow," he hissed again, reaching up to rub the back of his head as Eikane acted like no one had ever seen him naked before. As pleased as Piden was with his night's work, it DID get tiresome when grown men acted like little boys. Dmitri's collapse touched something in him, though, and he slid himself backwards a little so he could prop the Bluehandler up. "Come on," he murmured, chivvying Dmitri up and away so he could twist sideways and get an arm under the other's shoulders. A scrap of fabric fluttered away from the couch - someone's shirt, not Piden's. He reached down and snatched it, tossing it at Dmitri's lap with only the tiniest hint of a sneer. Ignoring the awkwardness and anger emmanating from the Salamandyrs, he pulled one leg up, draping his arms around his knee (and generally obscuring his nakedness - for their sakes, of course). "Any idea what time it is?"

[Ember]

Eikane wasn't exactly staring at the bronze and bluehandlers on the couch but at the same time it was hard to draw his eyes away from the odd scene for too long. Not to mention he was still feeling out the new dimension of his bond with Nocturne. He didn't feel the rumoured desire for Dmitri that others with mated mandyrs were said to have. He suspected that had a lot to do with his blue's personality though. He did sense a faint interest in protecting Dmitri but there was also the unmistakeable doubt (or faith?) that he'd need protecting.

Well, he could deal with that. And Nocturne's mate was a gold so...that meant fewer runs he'd have to suffer through. In the end, could he really complain about Nocturne's choice too much? Despite the brotherly affection he had for Dmitri, if he was forced to choose between any of the other handlers besides Nautic to have his mandyr stick him with, he'd probably end up picking Dmitri. A pillow flying at him broke him out of his thoughts and he caught it, discreetly holding it to cover his lower parts. "Thanks..."

Dmitri's question had Eikane about to answer when the boy collapsed and Eikane's eyes narrowed. But, well, Piden had that problem under control, so there was still no need for him to be present. "Beats me," he finally said, answering Piden's question. "But I think it's high time to put some clothes on, at least. I'll...see you around. Make sure Dmitri gets back to his apartment for me, Piden?" He turned then and headed for his apartment, shifting the pillow behind him. No need to ogle, Piden. Nocturne, who by then was quite tired of Shells' idiocy, flicked his tail in his direction before going to follow His.

[Requiem]

The heat in his face was climbing as Piden began shifting beneath him. Of course he knew that it would be impossible for the bronzehandler, at least, not to notice his collapse. Dmitri wasn't stupid. He didn't like having to acknowledge it though when the man moved to help him. There was a little bit of gratitude mixed in as well, of course, but it was mostly outweighed by the embarrassment. His hands bunched in the material placed over his lap - his shirt - his eyes locked on them for the moment. He wasn't interested in looking at Eikane. Fortunately, the goldhandler didn't fuss. Just made his request and left without a further word. That was fine, Dmitri supposed. Yeah. Fine.

Dementia turned slightly to watch Nocturne's retreat, her slitted eyes returning to Shells as the bronze continued speaking. The red was slowly bleeding from them. She still was not at all pleased by the male's initial behavior or his continued mockery of the male she'd chosen - Dementia was never wrong - but the contrite turn to his words and what His was doing to help with Hers did indeed get her attention. Fine. Still here, she observed, her irritation still evident. Shells say want Dementia, say love? Shells ask how prove? No chase fat uglies. No say bluemate bad. If bluemate no please, Shells no chase fat uglies, next time Dementia Run...ShellsMate be. Is good? She highly doubted Nocturne would disappoint her, but Dementia would choose what was best for her clutch. Otherwise she would have kept her perfect Devil-slave.

The bluehandler was slipping his arms through the sleeves of his shirt and buttoning it up, his eyes flicking briefly toward the blue sprawled near the entrance to the handlers' quarters. "Nearly dawn." He wouldn't mind just going to bed from here. Definitely didn't feel rested. Was rather hoping that they'd simply been sleeping for a really long time, though. Clearly, Dmitri was not as shy as Eikane was, though he ended up pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them in an effort to get warm. Even at Selenitas the nights of late fall could be pretty chilly, especially after losing the body heat of the other two men. No, not terribly shy. The apartments had no bathing rooms, so he'd been using the common ones for turns now. Nakedness was simply...nakedness.

"Not sure where the rest of the clothes are." He didn't have to look to know they weren't here; Dmisk had a good view of the parts of the room that he couldn't see from where the wher was positioned. His eyes flicked to Piden briefly. "Why were you here?" he questioned finally. There was genuine confusion behind the words instead of accusation. By now he'd figured out that Piden had apparently been allowed in, considering how everything had turned out. But he couldn't imagine how that could be.

[Ruby]

Eikane's abrupt exit got no more than raised eyebrows from Piden - the Goldhandler really was an enigma, and not of the interesting, mysterious type. More of the frustrating type. Not that his actions were at all unexpected, just... infuriating. Again. Idly, Piden wondered if gold dragonriders were better or worse. Dmitri had his moments, but his gold was only a salamandyr. And then there was Darmori, but the odd Bronzehandler could just be the exception to the rule. To be sure, he'd have to track down Kaegan or... well, just Kaegan right now. If he wasn't a Wherhandler, that would be a scary thought. But he was, so instead it was just vaguely unsettling.

While his owner contemplated, Shells was preening. The blue had left, and he was still here. If nothing else, that should show Dementia that her choice was wrong. Still here,[/color] he confirmed, totally ignoring her obvious annoyance in favor of listening to her next words. No chase fat uglies,[/i] he confirmed, not that he would anyway. Uglies were ugly, after all, and Shells was perfect. No say Bluemate bad, even if true. He nodded, shifting dangerously scarlet eyes in the direction of Nocturne's retreat. His frill flickered, settling back against his neck as his eyes returned to Dementia, the red bleeding out. Is good. ShellsMate be.

Challenge accepted, he skittered away, twining up Piden's arm to settle himself around his owner's neck. Once he was comfortable, his eyes fixed on the Gold again, tracking her while his owner helped Dementia's. He was content with the outcome, and content to be silent. For now.

Piden wasn't worried about his clothes (or lack thereof), but he WAS cold. Luckily, the couch had a lot of pillows on it, so he used the cover of replacing them to slide a little closer to Dmitri, borrowing a little of his warmth. Sure, a blanket or a shirt would be better, but according to Dmitri, they weren't here. Instead, he snuggled back into the cushions, wrapping his arms around himself, since it sounded like Dmitri wanted to chat (probably until his arms stopped shaking. Piden didn't blame him). "Me? You grabbed me, as far as I remember. I didn't realize you felt that way about me..." he purred, then shook his head. "Seriously, though that's all I've got. No idea why I'm here, 'cept I know you invited me."

[Requiem]

Surprisingly easy to placate, the simpleton of a bronze. Perhaps he would make a good slave for the few days he remembered their deal. And if he proved to be more reliable than that? It would certainly be a surprise, but Dementia didn't mind some more options just in case. Good slaves made good mates. As long as they left when you told them to, she was fine with it. Nocturne was smart and naturally not a clinger, though. She didn't see why she'd want a different mate so long as the babies turned out well. Maybe, Dementia told him. He couldn't be her mate just by being good. She had to have reason to get rid of Nocturne, too.

"Invited you..." Dmitri didn't doubt it. There really wasn't any other way Piden wouldn't have been fought off or at least looking the worse for it. Other than the bite the teenager had just given him, anyway. He really just couldn't understand why he would. Dementia clearly hadn't been influencing him because she hadn't wanted Shells. The boy offered her his palm as she climbed his leg, a slightly amused smile coming to his face when she wound herself around his fingers and settled against him contentedly. Time to go back to sleep, apparently.

The bluehandler sighed softly. It was definitely cold. The shirt helped a little. Not much, though. Piden looked colder than him. Dmitri was tempted...He forced himself upright instead. His dark blue eyes fell to the golden creature coiled through his fingers, resting there. Stupid. His stomach was roiling, and he knew his legs weren't going to carry him far. Could make it to the wall though. Probably. Walk along it. Go to the empty room to be alone with his thoughts, a sleeping 'mandyr and a silent wher. It should have been enough. Even desirable. Much as he tried to be mature, though - succeeded in some ways - he was still a seventeen-turn-old. And her ghost would plague him, too.

He really didn't want to be alone right now.

Too proud to say it aloud. Strange, what some people would do to escape themselves. Dmitri turned his head, looking down at Piden on the couch behind him. "Help me to my room? My legs are a little...shaky." It wasn't a lie. Of course, he could have used the wall. Or Dmisk. If he was lucky, Piden might figure it out without him having to say another word at all. The teenager took a couple steps on wobbly legs. Not waiting for his response. The roiling in his gut was tightening, centered around the loneliness and the uncertainty of how he wanted Piden to respond. It would probably be better if the bronzehandler didn't notice. Wouldn't it?

[Ruby]

Ohhh, it was so hard. Piden's eyebrows tried their best to climb to his hairline, each one attempting mutiny in turn. It was sheer power of will that kept them pulled together slightly, the picture of concern when paired with his gently downturned lips. Really, Piden might be dense about nearly everything else, but when it came to sex and the things leading up to it he was basically Master-level. Nothing in Dmitri's words gave him away, but something about his tone, maybe body-language... whatever it was, Piden was suddenly aware that Dmitri did not want to be left alone. He must have hit his head during the Run or something, or maybe all the loathing he usually oozed was just to cover up some deep, secret affection? Certainly not the latter, so Piden was going to stick with the former and assume that was the problem. Honestly, he should probably make sure the other Handler didn't have a concussion.

Piden wasn't exactly one to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, so instead of verbally questioning the Bluehandler's mental health, he stood, sliding an arm around Dmitri's ribcage just above his waist. The touch was surprisingly platonic, coming from Piden, despite their near nakedness. A little bit of adjusting and coercion got Shells off Piden's neck, and Dmitri's arm over Piden's own shoulders. The Bronzehandler did his best to conceal his own soreness and fatigue, evident as soon as he moved. Shards, they must have been going at it for hours. Piden was used to that sort of position, but Dmitri wouldn't be, especially with the intriguing Greenrider out of the picture - no wonder he could barely manage to walk. "Don't blame you," Piden said, shifting into a slightly more comfortable configuration before starting off down the hall.

Dmitri's door wasn't far down the hall, certainly closer than Piden's was. A small, red shadow ghosted on down the corridor, followed closely by a dark green one. Shells and Three would return to their own beds, and as they squeezed through the crack at the bottom of Piden's door, the Handler felt their presence fade, his mind (mostly) his once again. Well, that was nice. Now, though, he had reached Dmitri's door - and a decision. Might as well try, since it seemed Dmitri didn't hate him anymore, all of a sudden.

"I, uh..." he started, feigning hesitation, maybe embarrassment. "I'm chilled through to the bone, and I know Shells will just complain all night. Any chance you wouldn't mind... a little company?" As an afterthought, he added, "I can even sleep on the floor, if you want. It'll be warmer with two bodies, is all." Oh so casual, and his suggestion, not Dmitri's. No face lost if he accepted a little manly company - Piden could worry about finding his way into the bed later.

[Requiem]

Dmitri placidly submitted to whatever position Piden wanted him in. He leaned against the man with a small twinge of gratitude for the extra support. It didn't prevent him from trying to walk mostly on his own power though, especially when he noticed that Piden was a bit shaky himself. The bluehandler tried not to think about what that meant. Dmisk's presence against his other side, even if it was only a light brush, served as welcome distraction.

The blue pushed through the door ahead of them and went straight to his couch. He curled up, calm hues watching the two beyond the door with what might have been curiosity. It was impossible to tell with Dmisk unless he allowed you to. His mouth opened in another wide yawn. The teenager smiled wryly at that. Yes, and there was the flexing of claws, all under the guise of stretching.

Piden's bumbling made the half-smile turn even more crooked. Not that the bronzehandler could see it; Dmitri's face was turned away from him. Playing the game. The bluehandler might not have a ton of experience on the physical side of things, but he knew political jockeying when he heard it. Anything was possible as long as it was phrased right. Egos were more important than what actually happened. It was all in the presentation.

He'd left that world behind him, though. Obviously. Dmitri was not often accused of sugar-coating anything these days.

The boy pulled away from Piden and walked into the room, slow enough that the weakness in his legs wasn't too obvious. He glanced back over his shoulder. The self-mocking amusement in his face had vanished by now, leaving it blank. "The floor's cold," he stated flatly. Another pause. "You don't have to pretend you don't know. I don't make a habit of lying. Come in."

Dmitri set Dementia on the shelf by the head of the bed and sat down on the edge. The wry smile returned. He really was pretty weak, when it came down to it, wasn't he? It was easier to pretend he wasn't phased by these Runs when he had someone he could retreat to afterwards. Who did he have now? Erilena? Laughable. Eikane had gone. Piden wasn't sympathetic, but at least he was warm. And here. "You know I don't want to be alone." The question made that more than clear.

[Ruby]

Well, that was refreshingly straightforward, Piden mused as Dmitri invited him in. Honestly, he shouldn't have been that surprised - Dmitri certainly wasn't anywhere near the most manipulative Wherhandler, and while he could be as closed-mouthed and mysterious as his Wher, it rarely seemed to hide anything exciting. Still, it was nice not to have to play, for once, and still win.

Piden had let Dmitri go readily, showing his reluctance with just a slight trailing of fingertips on his shoulder. Now, carefully concealing his somewhat devious pleasure, he leaned up against the door frame, crossing his arms while he watched Dmisk settle and Dmitri ... do whatever it was he was doing. Giving in, perhaps. Not to Piden, certainly; he seemed to be giving in to that endless human need for contact, that damned oxytocin. At least he wasn't going to dance around it. Although perhaps that was a plea, and attempt to scare Piden off?

Nah. Or if it was, Piden wasn't about to let that get in the way. "True," he said, leaving what, exactly, was true up to interpretation. It was cold, but if was also true that he didn't have to pretend, apparently. Using a shoulder to push off the door frame, he slunk into the room, pulling the apartment's door closed behind him. While he was turned away, he allowed himself a smile - interesting, the part this door played in their relationship. That, however, could be contemplated later. For now, the Bronzehandler crossed behind Dimitri, somehow managing to flop gracefully onto the bed. "I know. I get that way too - last time it was Eikane, for me. Pretty sure he didn't appreciate it at all, but I was a good listener, anyway."

Piden cut himself off, smoothing Dmitri's bedfurs before turning carefully unsultry eyes on the tall blond, only half faking a shiver. "Come on. It must be that stupid grey time right before dawn that's always frigid." Sliding himself around so he could free up the edge of the furs, he pulled them back, offering the bed to Dmitri, first. "I'll be good. Unless you don't want me to be?" Whether he was joking or not was up to personal interpretation.