Shadowplay (WIDE Open)

[nightingale]

Kei wasn’t in the habit of watching sunsets, but tonight the sky outside the weyrling barracks had been so lovingly painted by sun, wind and rain that the young weaver couldn’t bring himself to look away.

He was perched on one of the top steps, breathing in the honeyed perfume of jungle flowers as the wind tugged as his hair into a tangled mass of dark curls. It was soothing, this quiet observation of something that he held no power over, and so it was hard for Ke'rin to fathom why he couldn't keep hold of that serenity as his mind drifted. However, as sure as his thoughts always flowed to Raylin when these quiet moments found him, there was heartache in the current.

Until Ebolath had attacked his dragon, the boy had been convinced that there was no hit he couldn’t take. Now, as he brushed against his Jaymith's sleeping mind he wondered why he had ever been so arrogant. It wasn’t just the hatred he had read in the little green’s eyes that day by the river. It was the cold indifference to it that had he had seen in Raylin’s. The calm acceptance, the unwillingness to make amends...it was as if she really didn’t care if there had been damage done, or if they never spoke to one another again.

That was what hurt the most right now.

His most recent humiliation during lessons and the fact that they still didn’t know where the poison was coming from only helped to drive home the dull, aching belief that there just wasn’t very much to stay positive about anymore. Sighing, the boy pressed his forehead against his knee. A small, defensive smile forced it’s way onto his face as he gazed unseeingly at the woodgrain, trying to figure out what to do with himself. There had to have been some point, back before everything started to go wrong where he could have just said no...

[Rowana]

Farryl was surprised to find herself not alone when she came outside her door that evening. Most of the other Weyrlings were off doing chores, or studying in their rooms, or going to bed early for the day ahead. It had been a stressful time, and everyone was starting to get overwhelmed. Farryl had just settled Peppeth down to sleep with Tille curled up on her back. Now she had decided to go for a walk with Mikka, currently purring in her arms, but it seemed she had to do something else tonight.

Farryl didn't think she had ever seen Ke'rin looking so down. It probably should be a surprise, considering all that had happened, but she didn't think he had to sit there and suffer alone. Quietly, she took a seat on the stairs next to him, letting Mikka explore her lap while she gazed at the beautiful sunset in silence for a moment. "A mark for your thoughts?" she inquired finally. Her voice was quiet and kind. She hoped Ke'rin was up for talking and wasn't going to hold everything inside. In her experience, that just made it worse.

[nightingale]

It was a moment before Kei realized that someone was talking to him. He lifted his head an inch or two, tilting it to regard the person who had come to sit beside him with vague curiosity through the thick fringe of his bangs. He recognized Farryl of course, but it was odd to have her just...sitting there, not saying anything. Did she need something? He almost asked her for the sake of getting rid of the decidedly awkward silence that had settled between them, but then she began speaking.

“I’m afraid you wouldn’t get your money’s worth.”

He winced even as the dry laughter brushed past lips, and immediately felt the need to apologize.

“Sorry...that sounded...ridiculously contrived...that feline of yours is getting big.”

It was a pathetic attempt at shifting the conversation in a more pleasant direction, but he did his best to eye the kitten thoughtfully. He had to admit that Mikka was a cute little thing, even if he had never really liked the idea of keeping dumb animals as pets. Maybe if he focused his attention on all that cuteness he'd be able to destract himself...he kind of liked kittens after all. Other people's kittens were best of course, because you could play with them until they were tired and then leave...

This was going to be tough.

[Rowana]

"She is," Farryl agreed with a rueful smile. Mikka rubbed her hand in a demanding way and Farryl strooked her. "She's turning into quite the troublemaker too. Soon I won't be able to keep her in my room all the time." Which would mean she'd get caught by the Weyrling Masters sooner or later, but she doubted they would be concerned about a few pet felines with everything else going on.

Mikka grew bored of Farryl's attention and leaped playfully over to Ke'rin. She meowed loudly and butted his hand for attention. Farryl smiled at the boy warmly. "I guess she likes you." She allowed the silence to continue for a moment, trying to think how best to get Ke'rin to open up. She didn't believe holding everything inside was healthy for anyone, especially now. "Is it about Ebolath?" she asked finally, her tone sympathetic. She had heard of the incident and knew it was probably one of the things bothering him right now.

[nightingale]

The boy couldn’t help but smile weakly as he felt Mikka’s soft forehead pressing against his hand. He lifted it obligingly, allowing the kitten to settle herself underneath it as he rubbed at her ears. Yeah, he liked felines just fine.

“I can’t imagine her causing too much trouble.”

He offered vaguely, fondling the creamy tip of her tail for a moment before returning his attention to the back of her head. Kei really had nothing to say on the point of her liking him. Kittens liked everyone after all, so long as you treated them gently. However, the bronzeweyrling tensed as Ebolath was suddenly brought into the conversation. He wasn’t really surprised, considering that the entire weyrling class knew about the fight by now, but hearing the green’s name out loud was somehow...sharper than hearing it in his own mind.

“Well...what can I say?”

He offered will a small shrug of his shoulders, keeping his attention fixed on Mikka.

“When your dragon gets himself mauled...it’s a little hard not to take it personally.”

Ebolath had seemed clueless to the fact that when you picked a fight with a dragon, you couldn’t help but drag their rider into it. To be frank, he would have preferred it if Raylin had stabbed him -at least then he might have had some say in how the situation developed.

[Rowana]

Farryl nodded sympathetically. "It must be hard for both of you. You were just trying to do the right thing."

Ke'rin had a right to feel upset. She could only imagine how she would feel if Peppeth were ever injured, much less by someone she trusted as a friend. It was hard to think of a way to console him. She hadn't been present at either incident and so only had second hand information. It was hard to offer advice if one didn't know all the facts. Maybe she could at least cheer him up.

"How is Jaymith doing?" she asked, while Mikka purred loudly under Ke'rin's attention.