Taking a Break [Snowland, Open]

[Ruby]

M'kai didn't normally do gathers. He hadn't been to one since Sorika was born... actually, now that he thought about it, he probably hadn't been to one since he impressed Bomb. It wasn't that he didn't like them - pretty girls, lots of booze, good food - it was just that they were so damn inconvenient. Even with a dragon, he always found something better to do. This year was different, though. Isori was sick, so it fell to Daddy to take Sorika to her promised first gather. The little girl had turned 5 last month, and this was her birthday celebration, and therefore not to be missed, so M'kai had put the straps on Futh this morning and picked up his daughter from the Hold, doing his best not to grump at Isori for not being able to come. M'kai didn't mind his kid, but he still didn't like other people's kids, and having Isori along was a nice buffer to spit and whining and who knew what else kids got in to.

They'd been in the snowy wonderland for a few hours already, and M'kai was starting to feel the strain. Sorika had just dragged him over to the icewherry wing stall where she'd gotten the most heavily glazed thing she could find, so they'd done that, and now he'd turned her loose in the Snowland play area to burn off some of the sugar-induced energy. Sorika was hovering around the edges of the play area for the moment, building a little snow-dragon. This was normal, she usually started out a little bit shy and then warmed up as soon as someone else caught her attention, so M'kai wasn't worried. His daughter just had good taste in people, that was all. M'kai was vaguely proud of that.

Dad, however, needed a moment. Installing himself at one of the picnic tables surrounding the play area, he waved a klah vendor over and shelled out a ridiculous number of marks for a hot cup and the promise that the vendor would bring his daughter a hot cider when she was done playing. Curling his hands around the cup, the Bluerider dropped his head to the table, closing his eyes for a minute before sitting up again and breathing in the steam from his klah. Ahh, caffeine.

[Shiny]

Brr. It was pretty chilly, and by J'ash's standards, it was freezing. The Bluerider hated cold weather with a passion, but he'd never miss an opportunity to go to a Gather if he had the choice. And granted, this year, it was worth it. There were lots of interesting things to do - more than he thought one could do given the climate. In fact, ice sculpting and snow-sculpture-making and other such events were making him see the frozen land a little differently.

But despite his enjoying the gather, it was still too sharding cold for his tastes. J'ash caught sight of a klah vendor and swiftly made his way toward the man, boots kicking through the decent layer of white fluff. The Bluerider attempted to stuff his mitted hand into his jacket's pocket but failed and had to take off the mitt first. He fished around to see if he actually had enough marks to purchase a steaming cup of heaven. Luckily, he got to the merchant just as he was about to turn in the other direction.

"One cup of klah, please." The beautiful man pulled out the marks he had fished for as he sat down on the picnic table immediately adjacent to him. He swung his thin legs up and over the bench to rest under the tabletop, turning to face said table. There was only one man sitting here - hopefully he didn't mind some company. The redhead had his head down on the table, causing J'ash to furrow his brow. Was he alright?

But his concerned expression quickly morphed into one of realization mixed with slight fear as the man lifted his head. Uh oh... In reaction to the change in J'ash's emotions, Craivaruth borrowed the Rider's eyes, then snorted mentally, finding the situation to be highly amusing. Have fun with that, Mine. "Excuse me ma'am, your klah?" The voice made J'ash's form visibly jump, as he'd forgotten all about the drink. "Oh, yes... Sorry," he murmured. He couldn't correct the vendor on his mistake because the man - M'kai, J'ash remembered - still, after all these turns, probably thought he was a girl. If he recognized him at all.

J'ash grabbed the cup of klah, shoved the coins at the confused vendor, and quickly bent over his drink, avoiding any eye contact with the man. Please, PLEASE don't recognize me.

[Ruby]

M'kai ignored his tablemate for a moment, enjoying the solitude for a second more. The person was busy with the klah vendor anyway, an interaction M'kai 100% tuned out. After a bit of relative quiet, though, he decided that adult company might be acceptable. At least his tablemate wasn't likely to throw up on him or anything. The... person was hunched over much like M'kai himself had been a moment ago, so the Redhead twisted to get the other person's attention, swinging one leg over so he straddled the bench and faced his partner. Something about the slim figure was undeniably familiar to M'kai, but he couldn't place it.

Raising his cup in a mini-salute, he asked without preamble, "Tough day?" before tucking a stray strand of red hair behind an ear. It was still very long, a few inches longer than his brother's shorter cut. M'kai was the one that lived in the North, after all - he could use all the extra insulation he could get. Narrowing his eyes while he waited for his companion to respond, M'kai tried to place him. Her. Dressed like a man, longish hair like a woman, small and thin. Maybe it was that Goldrider that looked like a man? No, he'd seen her around at least, and this wasn't her. She was tall, anyway. Honestly she freaked M'kai out a little.

After a moment, though, he couldn't resist. "You look so familiar, and I can't place you. What's your name? You're not a twin or anything, are you?" he asked, tone colored with humor and a hint of irony. He'd gotten the same question himself, and of course in his case the answer was yes. He generally knew when there were twins running around, though, and he wasn't aware of any sets he didn't know, not that that meant they weren't out there. Honestly, how he and Isori had managed to not have a set of twins was beyond M'kai - both of them were twins themselves. But maybe this person had a sibling M'kai had met?

[Shiny]

Locks of hair were nearly immersed in klah with how low the Bluerider's head had sunk. There was silence for a moment. Any relief J'ash had begun to feel, however, was torn from him as a vaguely familiar voice spoke up. He couldn't just rudely ignore the man; it wouldn't be right. M'kai was actually a nice man, one he didn't want to have a bad encounter with. "Oh, it's getting there..." his breath carried a laugh that only very few excellent listeners would hear as nervous.

The gorgeous female-look-alike took a few seconds to try and compose a comfortable face in the pause of the newly-founded conversation, then slowly looked up. Dammit, he was going to make it through this encounter. Things weren't going to go to hell, he just had to be careful. Really, although he easily recognized the male (who wouldn't recognize that awesome flaming red hair?), he didn't know him very well. His temperament could range from calm and collected to a raging volcano.

Only three options ran though the Bluerider's mind. A) Carry forth as Jerashina if the redhead brought 'her' up, B) tell him the truth and brace for the worst reaction possible, or C) run away without saying a word. It was very likely that the man wouldn't really care if J'ash told him the truth, as they were barely acquaintances. The blonde certainly cared about his impression on people, though, which is what worried him. One never knew when they would be forced to work together, and he didn't want to make things awkward.

It was possible that J'ash had thrown out the 'I have a twin' excuse at a time of prior panic, but he couldn't remember if he had or not. He did remember freaking out, trying to sneak past the redhead on several occasions. Observing the redhead with silver eyes that tried oh so very hard to mask guilt, J'ash responded with a friendly smile. "I believe I recognize you... M'kai, wasn't it?" A second thought occurred to him - one of Craivaruth's siblings was Bronze Mavenath, a man who looked identical to M'kai. "Or Cr'oph?" He smiled a bit apologetically for not being sure of the difference. "You would know me as Jerashina. Shina for short." And indeed that wasn't a lie; the man did know him as such. Even if that wasn't his real name.

[Ruby]

M'kai was fairly oblivious to the turmoil going on in J'ash's head. Had he cared to pay attention, he probably would have spotted the rider's discomfort, but having a five turn old was tiring, and M'kai was struggling to keep from zoning out so J'ash's personal issues were not his problem at the moment. He did notice the hint of... was that guilt? in the rider's eyes, but decided to write it off as shyness or something. When the rider mentioned Cr'oph, though, M'kai smiled, a little bit wry. "Guilty. You were right the first time, by the way - my brother wears Bronzerider's knots, not Bluerider's, although we have been known to swap. Not today, though." M'kai reached up to adjust the knots in question, making the blue thread more obvious.

When his tablemate finally got around to his/her introduction, though, M'kai froze in the middle of sipping his klah. Placing the cup carefully on the table, he tried to sort out what exactly was going on. He did remember a Shina, back in the turns before Isori. Back at Old Selenitas, if he wasn't mistaken. His eyebrows pulled together as he tried to make sense of this. Because he'd pretty much decided that the person in front of him was a man, but Shina was a woman. A beautiful woman, if he remembered correctly. "What? You're - "

Before M'kai could finish his thought, though, a sudden keening shout came from the playground. "Daaaaaaaaaaddddddddddyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!! Come looook!" Without further ado, a tiny, auburn-haired child threw herself on M'kai, clambering up into his lap and throwing a confused look at J'ash. "Is that a man or a lady? You're pretty, though," she added, in J'ash's direction. M'kai, unsure of how to answer that question, just continued gaping. What on Pern was going on here?

[Shiny]

The Bluerider felt quite relieved at the 'I'm really too tired to give a damn' expression on the other man's face; good, the man probably didn't care about the situation. Another gently apologetic face formed in response to M'kai's proclamation of identity, and leaned in to get a closer look at the braids that decorated his wear. "Ahh, I'm sorry. I didn't see that." With his well-hidden panic, he truly hadn't seen it. He was too focused on other things.

There was a slight hitch in J'ash's breathing as he watched the bored expression on his company's face morph into one of reflection and confusion. The man took a pause in his klah drinking and carefully, nearly absend-mindedly, put the cup down. That was not a good thing. The man began to speak. Faranth, he just had to say it. He couldn't take the guilt that was successively building up. The Bluerider went to interrupt M'kai, lips parting, about to spill the truth. He stopped abruptly, however, when a small child flung herself at the redhead.

Slightly befuddled, J'ash froze, taking in the sudden change of situation with wide silver eyes, simply smiling (a little nervously) when the girl asked what his gender was. He was used to handling kids, having volunteered in the Crèche for a large portion of his time at both Old Selenitas and New Selenitas. He was used to having to deal with their odd, unrestrained questions and judgements. The Bluerider chose to fully ignore the question, and instead replied to her compliment, giving her a sweet smile. "Thank you, but you're much prettier!"

J'ash looked up at the gaping man with guilty eyes, sincerely hoping they were not going to have an awkward conversation in front of this child. Perhaps changing the subject was a good idea. "Is she your daughter?"

[Ruby]

"Sorika, it's rude to ask that outright," M'kai murmured, settling his daughter more comfortably and shooting J'ash an apologetic glance. The little girl wasn't paying any attention to her dad, though, which was fine by M'kai. He was still too busy looking dumbfounded. "Thank you," Sorika said instead of apologizing, spreading the edges of her coat in a makeshift seated curtsey. "Do you want to see my Snow Hold? I'm the Lord Holder, but you can be the Lady Holder if you want." Without waiting for an answer, the 5-turn-old wriggled against her father's arm, trying to squeeze off his lap again.

M'kai tightened his arm, though, happy for the moment to use his kid as a shield. "Yeah, she is. Sorika. Isori is her mother, of green Aikelyth, do you know her by chance? She and Sorika live in the holds now." It still hurt to say that, a little, and it showed on M'kai's face. The Bluerider had always been a good liar, easy with fabricated expressions and fake happiness, but being around his daughter seemed to erase all of his training. He suspected he'd never be able to lie to her.

Well, the moment passed, and he finally let go of his squirmy little girl, who immediately took off, grey-trimmed white coat and red curls bouncing behind her. Once she was gone, M'kai took another sip of klah, eying J'ash over the rim. "So, before we were interrupted. You said you knew Shina, right? Or were related to her or something? I mean, Shina... well, you're... you're a man. And Shina's a woman." Right? Or was he missing something? I mean, there was that Weyrwoman that looked like a man, and R'ahre had cross-dressed way back when (or was he remembering that wrong? Whatever) but if this man and Shina were really the same person, he - or she, M'kai still wasn't sure - was a fabulous actor. Actress. Whatever.

M'kai found that he was distinctly uncomfortable, and remembering his last encounter with 'Shina' wasn't helping even a little bit.

[Shiny]

J’ash caught M’kai’s apologetic glance and returned one of polite dismissal paired with a slight smile. He was so used to little kids asking him questions that he really should be offended at; it really had never bothered him in the first place. They didn’t know better, after all. He smiled widely at Sorika and was tempted to take up her offer on the tour of her ‘Snow Hold’, although with her father completely befuddled with the nymph-like male’s identity, he doubted it would be a well-accepted action. Before he could process his response to Sorika further, M’kai gathered the girl against him and spoke.

“I see,” said J’ash with a slight nod, noting the drooping change in M’kai’s expression. He was good at reading people’s faces and wanted to ask about it, but ultimately kept his mouth shut. If he was a friend instead of a near-complete stranger, he would have inquired further into M’kai’s situation. But alas, it was not his place to be nosy. Maybe one day… if this conversation turned for the better.

After a brief moment of silence, Sorika was released and bounded away. J’ash smiled weakly and raised a hand in a slight wave, knowing she would not see his valediction.

“She’s sweet,” J’ash said into the lulled quiet, subconsciously mimicking M’kai by taking a few sips of his klah. He looked up over the rim to see M’kai already doing the same, and put down his cup as the redhead began to speak, fighting off the strong urge to break eye contact. A cool flash of guilt splashed over his skin as M’kai quickly steered the conversation back to where it had started. Crystalline eyes averted to the snow past the table’s edge, and J’ash raised a hand to bury into his hair nervously. “Uh. Yeah. I … knew her…”

He forced himself to look into M’kai’s eyes again, knowing full well that his own openly showed his guilt. “Yes, I am a man. She… well.” Pause. With a big sigh, J’ash bowed his head for a moment. “Look, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for turns, I really just never got the chance. I have to say it now or I’ll be haunted by it forever. Shina is not a woman. I’m Shina. If it makes you feel any better, I really didn’t want to trick you like that. I lost a bet to T’san of Brown Dsoleth and – you might know him, I don’t know – well, the bet was to flirt with a male while pretending to be female…”

He rested his forehead against his hand, eyes downcast to the wooden grain of the tabletop. J’ash was silent for a while, allowing M’kai to process that chunk of information as he would. The Bluerider was uncomfortable with the fact that the other man was probably irritated if anything, and wanted to fix it. Perhaps offering an apology in tangible form would be the right thing to do. “I know we don’t really know each other at all, so maybe you don’t care, but… I’d like to make it up to you. Can I buy you something?” He offered, feebly looking up from his headrest with humble silver eyes. “Maybe a klah refill? A small toy for your daughter? I don’t have many marks on me, but it’s my treat…”

[Ruby]

"She's..." M'kai trailed off, not sure how to sum up his daughter in a few words. He had hated kids, before he had one of his own. Well, to be fair, he still did, just not her. She was... well. Sweet was a decent way to begin. "Yeah. Sorika's Sorika. She seems to take after her mother, which is a really, really good thing." And Isori was sweet, that was for sure. So yes, sweet.

After a moment of contemplation, though, the subject was done, dropped in favor of figuring out what, exactly, was sitting across from him. J'ash was waffling, seemingly speaking in technicalities, not wanting to commit to an explanation. But then, all of a sudden, he met M'kai's eyes, and the redhead felt like J'ash was looking into his soul, or something. Those pale eyes were cool on one hand, a little creepy on the other, especially since if J'ash COULD see into his head M'kai suspected the other man (yes! he'd been right) wouldn't like what he saw, so much. And then it all came out.

M'kai had recovered from his tendency to gape, although at first he looked a little dumbfounded. As J'ash continued explaining, though, his slight frown smoothed into neutrality, then a smile. J'ash was looking down by that point, though, so he'd probably be surprised when M'kai started to laugh. It wasn't a big belly laugh or anything, but a chuckle was a damn good start, given that 15 turns ago M'kai probably would have decked the guy that tried that on him (and succeeded). Reaching over, he clapped his fellow rider on the shoulder, although he still withdrew his hand perhaps a bit faster than necessary. "Dude, you should have told me this was T'san's fault from the beginning. I don't know the guy well, but we've worked together a few turns here and there, and I know his sense of humor."

Of course it had been T'san's fault. Figured. Waving J'ash's offer of compensation away, M'kai said, "No need for that, unless you want to repay me for being one of the biggest teases ever. You're an excellent actor by the way. Or actress? Obviously I never figured it out, even what, 6 turns later? 7? More?" Finishing his klah (if J'ash still wanted to get him a refill, M'kai wouldn't say no), the bluerider, glanced over at his daughter for a moment just to check where she was, then turned his attention back to J'ash. "So where the hell have you been all these turns?"

[Shiny]

The most confused, eyebrow-raised expression was thrown at the wooden grain of the table as the completely unexpected sound of laughter rolled into J'ash's ears. The expression rose to meet the sight of the redhead, who had obviously found something he'd said amusing. Wide crystalline eyes stared at the fellow Bluerider, face frozen as the man extended an arm to clap his shoulder. Finally, at the mention of T'san, J'ash breathed a sigh of relief, one he hadn't known he was holding. A feeble grin emerged at first; it then grew in strength to match the fawn-haired man's solace. "He does have an unmerciful humor." J'ash shook his head slightly. He would've damned the Brownrider if he hadn't been a friend.

J'ash tucked some of his hair behind his ear, his usual smile playing on his lips. He bowed his head in politeness at the comment. "Thank you. I no longer take pride in my ability to woo people with my... unmanly appearance, but I used to. I've changed quite a bit since then - one could say I've retired from acting." He winked playfully to keep the conversation light, although he was serious. "It helps to know how people work. How to read them, how to mimic body language. Both realms I have had to deal with through dancing and a romantic relationship."

Noting that both of their cups seemed to be empty, J'ash flagged down the klah vendor and dug for the remaining marks in his pocket. The vendor ambled toward them as M'kai seemed to scan the snow, probably for his daughter. "Refills, please." "Yes, ma'am." J'ash cleared his throat, pausing for a moment before changing his mind about holding his tongue. "Sir." The vendor blinked and flushed in embarrassment, pouring their drinks before skulking away. J'ash wore a defiant expression. "It feels so good to finally correct him in front of you."

J'ash chuckled lightly at M'kai's conversation starter. "Hiding from you, quite literally." He blew at the steaming klah for a moment before taking a sip, frowning as he nearly burnt his tongue. "I haven't done much of anything spectacular. I used to volunteer at the creche at Old Selenitas; I still continue to help at the one in New Selenitas. Fell in love with my mate, fought in the war. Lost people dear to me, as all Riders did..." The contented expression J'ash wore grew somber on the topic. "Thankfully, Craivaruth and I escaped serious injury thanks to Erilena. Didn't need more scars on my already decorated hide." Absently, he feathered a finger over some faded, ancient scars cascading down the side of his face. M'kai would definitely not have noticed them before, as he was sure to have used tons of foundation.

"And you, do I dare ask your life story?" He said playfully. Taking a sip of his slightly cooler klah, he urged the redhead to share something, staring the man in the eye.

[Ruby]

"You'll forgive me for being relieved," M'kai commented dryly when J'ash announced his retirement. "Honestly, I'm still surprised that you were able to fool me so well. I've had a bit of training in that sort of thing, before I impressed." Back at Benden, but even in today's blended Weyr society M'kai was loath to admit that he'd come from C'leon's Benden. "Not the cross dressing, of course. Negotiation, people skills, diplomacy, subterfuge, that sort of thing. Both me and my brother were being groomed for leadership, although Cr'oph took to the fighting side more and I took to the people side. Futh kind of derailed all of that, though," he said, sending a pulse of love in Futh's direction. His Blue knew M'kai wouldn't change him for the world, even if impression had kind of realigned his goals. "I hadn't thought of learning more about it from dancing, or relationships." Maybe he should have, though. "I seem to be pretty bad at relationships, after all," he added, trying not to sound too petulant.

M'kai raised an eyebrow at J'ash when the vendor called him ma'am, then cracked a smile when the other rider made the correction. The vendor blushed, and M'kai gave him a polite nod, smile mysterious. Taking his refilled cup, M'kai raised it to J'ash once the vendor was gone, commenting, "It only took you seven turns," with an ironic quirk to his lips. He was absolutely making fun of J'ash, but only lightly - one friend to another. It wasn't meant to hurt.

Nursing his klah, M'kai listened politely to J'ash, smiling and looking concerned appropriately and such. "And who is your mate?" he asked, mostly out of curiosity. Always good to know who was with whom, even if M'kai doubted J'ash's mate would be someone he considered eligible. The scars drew a frown from the Bluerider - he was mostly untouched, given Futh's poor fighting capacity and their assignment to mostly Threadfall - but he declined to comment. It didn't look that bad, honestly, so old they had almost healed.

When J'ash asked about him, though, M'kai shrugged. "It's not that interesting, I promise. Futh's not a fighter, so we were mostly on Threadfall duty during the war, although we took part in some of the bigger battles. I fell in love, too, I guess. Isori of Aikelyth, Sorika's mom. The summit sent her to a hold, though, because she was a Weaver before she impressed. I just... I can't live in a hold. I was born and raised in a Weyr, and the only time Cr'oph and I spent at Blossom, well, it didn't last long. Even Isori and Sorika couldn't keep me there. And then they assigned me to Inverness, when all my friends and family got moved to Selenitas, so... yeah. It's pretty pathetic these days."

[Shiny]

The commenting - complimenting? - of J'ash's ex-crossdressing skills resulted in an equally dry, amused smirk. "Everyone excels in at least one thing. Lucky me, I excel at crossdressing to the point where even a trained specialist can't identify me," he snorted and let the man continue. "Impression certainly does change a person." Everyone could attest to that. He personally was helped back on his feet by the Impression of Craivaruth after the traumatic death of his younger brother turns and turns ago. J'ash took a sip of his klah and nodded casually as M'kai talked. "The most important life skills can be hidden in the most regular of things. No amount of training can ever substitute for real experience; doesn't matter who your mentor is," he commented sagely, his eyebrows adjusting to a slightly more pensive angle. J'ash simply looked attentive and concerned when M'kai mentioned his 'bad relationship skills'. He found it would be inappropriate to ask about it further, and would wait for the redhead to delve into the topic more first before asking.

The long-haired Bluerider puffed out his chest a little. Boy, it felt good to stand up for himself. In a slightly delayed reaction, the male raised his cup in a reciprocating action to M'kai's silent toast. "Hey. Seven turns of keeping my identity completely hidden... I'd say I did a damned good job." The klah was raised to grinning lips.

J'ash paused when M'kai asked a question. The pause was slightly longer than normal as the worry of the Bluerider's reaction flowed through his mind. Although really J'ash could care less; if people had a problem with his sexuality or his lover, they could take a hike. Most people he met were cool about it though, and he didn't anticipate M'kai to be a problem. "J'on. J'on of Green Rinagth. Stationed at Inverness now... although I wish he wasn't. Being a world apart hurts."

Ahh, there. M'kai was delving into his relationship issue. J'ash leaned forward a few millimeters, subconsciously showing his attentiveness. He did like to help people; his concern was genuine. "The Summit has made life quite a lot harder for a lot of people I know... splitting up relationships, friends, family." He sighed. "I get why they did what they did. I just wish there was a better way. I grew up in a Cothold, but I can see how someone who was Weyr-bred would not be able to stand an exterior post." He shrugged lightly. "I am considering moving to Inverness to be with J'on, but changing homes and friends and daily routines... it's a hard thing to do. I'm sure you know. My friends are scattered all over the place. It's funny how even though we may between to each other, the distance still feels like we have to walk it."

"If you could hypothetically move Isori and Sorika back in with you, would you interrupt their new lives to do it?"

[Ruby]

M'kai gave J'ash at J'on's name. That certainly wasn't a girl, not that he'd expected it to be. The situation still made him vastly uncomfortable (and he couldn't but think of A'emi) but the time when he'd have given J'ash a hard time for his lifestyle choice had passed. He'd just pretend J'on was a female, or something. He was a Greenrider, after all. When J'ash mentioned that his mate was at Inverness, though, M'kai's brows pulled together. "Can't you guys Weyrmate and get relocated? I've heard of plenty of people who did that right after the summit, and the bigwigs should honor their agreement with the Weyrs, no? They stripped us of everything else, they might as well let us keep our lovers. Some of the time, anyway."

Ahh, there it was, though. Friends, routines, normal life - it was exactly what M'kai had missed at the hold. He'd never done well with sitting still, and that's exactly what he'd been doing with Isori. He nodded at J'ash, agreeing. "That's how I felt at the hold. I have no skills that aren't dragon related, and standing watch all day isn't my thing. But if you have to stand watch all day, it's hard to plan time to go see people, to return to the Weyr, and such. Sorika kept Isori busy, but me?" He shrugged. "I took Isori's watches so she could have time with Sorika. So that's what I did all day." He was a little off topic, he supposed, but his friends were all half a world away. He hadn't had time to just talk to someone for quite some time.

"If I could move Isori and Sorika back?" M'kai opened his mouth to say of course, yes, in a moment, but he couldn't quite get the words to form. To say the Bluerider looked troubled was an understatement. "I... I'm not sure". Glancing over to where his daughter had made friends with a little blond girl and her brunette brother, his brow furrowed, and he looked totally lost. "I don't know."

[Shiny]

A slight twist of regret morphed J'ash's face for a moment. "I do wish I could move. I'm just caught up in the decision. But... Well, lately I've been thinking..." He scratched the back of his head in the slight pause. "The War made me realize just how much I have to lose... and how little time we all actually have in our short lives. I've been playing with the idea of asking my lover to Join with me." His face was a little pink; he had clearly been mulling the idea over for quite some time. "I can't keep delaying big decisions like this. Time is running out." He shook his head slightly. "Weyrmating might be a better idea. Much more generally accepted. Plus, J'on's not exactly the... Joining type, I feel. But in any event, I'll have to weigh what I'd be leaving behind with what I'd be leaving for, if I moved. Not an easy process."

"Hold life certainly is boring... but safer, for sure. If you're not physically strong, you're not a good farmer, which is most of the workforce in those places. I'd rather be putting my life on the line so that I can be with my friends than talking to the plants all day."

"I bet Isori appreciated that." J'ash smiled. "The feeling of having your mate sacrifice so much just so you can be happy... it's a great feeling." He leaned back and stretched his spine out a little. "But I can understand that if you do that every day all day, you'd go nuts. There's only so much tolerance humans have."

The long-haired Bluerider was slightly surprised when M'kai answered his question in a way he hadn't expected, although the expression surely didn't show on his face. "So you're not the type of guy to settle down." He said, following M'kai's gaze to Sorika. That had to be true. "J'on's like that, too." He turned back to the Bluerider and smiled. "It doesn't matter that your personality is more freelance. I think you're still a perfectly good father. Sorika is lucky to have you."

[Ruby]

M'kai shrugged, some of his red hair shifting back over his shoulder as he did. "You could always start with Weyrmating and Join later, if your... if J'on becomes more amenable, and if it's important to you." He'd been about to say 'your boyfriend', but no matter how far M'kai had come, he hadn't come THAT far yet. At least he could sort of pretend their relationship was normal if he just used names. At least it seemed healthy. M'kai himself had never even considered Joining with Isori - Weyrmating had been far more than enough. Maybe he just wasn't the settling type.

Which was funny, because J'ash echoed M'kai's thoughts just moments later, making the Bluerider smile somewhat wistfully. M'kai opened his mouth to respond, but as if summoned by her name, Sorika suddenly appeared and clambered into her father's lap. M'kai absentmindedly wrapped his arms around his daughter, then realized she was shivering. Standing up, he hefted the six turn old onto his hip, letting her wrap her arms around his neck and rest her head against his shoulder as he extended a hand to J'ash. "Well, I think it's time we headed somewhere warmer. Good to see you again, J'ash - Look me up next time you stop by Inverness, will you?"