found[lost] souls cross paths|PORITA

[InsaneWhitey28]

Woken from another nightmare again, of course the one time he had managed to drift off to sleep, he felt no need to simply lay there in the Candidate Barracks surrounded by others who just couldn't get why he was so afraid of the dark. Let the taunting ensue. Groaning as he sat up, not bothering to grab his vest he wore over his sleeveless top, he ambled out into the corridor slipping on said sleeveless top. Because yea, he slept shirtless. Southern was far too hot not to, the other male candidates can just deal and he swore he heard one more gay joke...

Shoving those violent thoughts aware, he trudged his way down the empty corridors, well half way empty. The wher patrols were up and about, but at this stage in his life he knew exactly how to avoid them if he didn't want to be found. After a few minutes he found himself outside, shrugging off the brief chill he felt from the stories of the jungle creatures, whatever they were. They weren't his problem, and if they took him alive, hey. At least he wouldn't have anymore nightmares, or this insistent gnawing on his heart and mind where Ker-

"Stop it," he muttered, shuffling on and grateful that it was late enough that the sky simply looked black. He could deal with black better than he could with blue. Shrugging his shoulders and stretching, noting his lack of an arm warmer and other accessories apart from the talon necklace he had carved for himself, he continued onward aimlessly. Aimlessly enough until he caught the scent of runnerbeasts on the air. What was he? A hound canine? Please.

Regardless of which, as he muttered idiocies to himself, he trudged his way on over to the stables, finding the soft whickering noises of the runnberbeasts almost soothing. His muttering shifted to comforting croons as he approached one of the near, waking runnerbeasts, reaching a hand out as he shushed her, stroking her muzzle. And as usually, he let something so minor take him away from the world, hopefully nobody would feel the need to sneak up on the scaredy-feline.

[Rowana]

Posk was his usually perky self, exploring the outer edges of the Weyr with his bouncy gate. Porita knew the curious blue wher would love to explore deeper into the caves and jungle, but she would never let him. Not after what had happened to the others. Besides, they weren't in the Watch or the Guards, something for which Porita was very grateful. Still, sitting and sewing all night was tiring, so she and Posk often went for walks like this one.

They neared the stable and Posk perked up with interest. "What is it?" Neyki gave a sad, little trill almost as though she could sense the unhappiness inside. Porita poke her head inside nervously. Was something wrong? The runners didn't seem upset. Posk had no such hesitation. He trotted right into the dim place and rubbed his nose against Chandil's leg. Would he like to be friends? Maybe he wouldn't be so sad if he had friends. Porita ventured further inside, bowing slightly in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "He...that is...We didn't meant to disturb you." In the dark she couldn't tell who it was, but surly it was rude of Posk to invade the other person's space so quickly.

[InsaneWhitey28]

Needless to say, he jumped when a nose met his leg. Startling the mare in front of him, who snorted and shifted to the back of her stall, and turned so her tail faced the teen. After the brief surge of free, the thought of things crawling out of the dark flying through his mind before the initial adrenaline rush left him and his mind calmed. Well, as calm as it could have been before the wherspeak that were images shifted through his mind, sending another spike of adrenaline rushing through him. Seriously. What was his problem?

He gave another, smaller jump as the female voice reached his ears. Almost physically reigning himself in, and chasing away the old, brief, childish fears of runnerbeasts again, he turned and let his eyes adjust to the moonlight to spot the figure of a... wherhandler by the creature at his leg. But then again, he knew that voice didn't he?

"...Porita?" he asked hesitantly, cringing at the flare of blue hide from the wher, taking a step back as he tried to swallow his sudden nausea. The brief flash of the Hatching from two Turns ago flashed through his mind again, and he inwardly curled away from the sudden sharp ache of pain in his chest. He really, hated the color blue.

[Rowana]

Porita urged Posk to back away a little. He was clearly making the person nervous. Posk whined sadly, but returned to curl around her legs. He only wanted to make friends, was that wrong. Porita patted him fondly, surprised when the person called her name. She looked up, trying to make out his face in the gloom. She was sure she knew him from somewhere. The memories came back almost unbidden. The horror, the pain and the never ending sorrow.

"Chandil?" she asked softly, but she was sure it was him now. "Are you alright?" He did seem very upset and she couldn't blame him. She had Posk to help her now, but he only had his memories.

[InsaneWhitey28]

"...fine," Chandil bit out after a moment, the moment that it took for the wher to creep away from him. There was a reason he no longer looked at the sky, except at night, when it was utterly black no blue to be found, the only time of day that didn't bring a burning pain to his chest. He tried to force his body to relax, having tensed up against the stall door, he curled his fingers. Open, close, open, close; the pattern that so often took over the tendons in his hands.

"Sorry, didn't mean to freak out on you," he replied gruffly, leaning back on the stall door he was surprised when the mare returned her attentions to the teen, shoving her nose in his face as she demanded to be stroked again. Perhaps he could go find her a treat too?

"No, there's nothing in my han- or my pocket for you, glutton. Urk, runnerbeasts. Always expecting a treat of some type," Chandil stated as he shoved the mare's nose away from his trousers. Reallly, someone should teach these beasts manners.

[Rowana]

Porita frowned. Chandil didn't sound fine at all, but she didn't question him. She hardly ever asked questions, since she'd been taught not to. She watched his hand as he open and closed in slowly. Something was certainly upsetting him, but she couldn't think of anyway to help. "It's alright," she said at last, offering a shy smile. She was almost glad when the runnerbeast stole Chandil's attention, since it gave her a moment to think. She didn't want to leave him alone like this, but she didn't know what to say.

Posk whined at her side, laying down in boredom. He toyed his his tail for a moment as Porita thought about her next question carefully. "The hatching..." she began nervously, hoping she wouldn't make things worse. "...will you go?" She wasn't sure how Chandil felt about dragons after what had happened. She had bonded to Posk before she'd had to think about it herself.