support group (REKY)

There wasn't any particular reason for the pair to be out flying that day. It being spring, the air was warm and nice and it seemed as good a day as any to take a leisurely flight for no good reason other than to have a breath of fresh air. Kaezeth was happy enough to stretch his wings; he'd been complaining about being cooped up in the weyr with R'len hunched over his desk all the time. He was acutely aware of the fact that Thread was to fall in a little less than two Turns, and his job, as a wingleader, was to somehow get his wing ready to fight Thread without casualties without being able to have any real practice. He was always nitpicking his drill plans.

Most people in his wing knew what they were doing, though. His wingseconds were good, even if L'am and Lebeth were still young and Mesreath was touchy. Paralee and Tomarth were a little more... rambunctious, but that was acceptable. He didn't know what was going on with X'mor sometimes -- the guy wasn't always there. Kesviry's pink was always antsy, but at least the girl kept her pink relatively calm. She was a quiet girl, that one... tall and awkward. He could pick out all his wingriders from a crowd no problem. He could also point out exactly what every single one needed to work on, whether it be 'up the alertness,' 'get more comfortable banking right,' 'practice aiming,' or what have you. He was a perfectionist like that.

Kaezeth was glad to have His out of the weyr and flying. He was aware that R'len was still thinking anyways - about which Sr. Weyrlings he'd get in his wing after they graduated, or how the brand new Jr. Weyrlings would do, or about Nimara and Waroth - but at least he wasn't at his desk. Relax, R'len-Own,

Kaezeth rumbled happily at the pink's introduction. He let out a throaty hum, still flying around her. He was constantly making some noise or another now, as he was wont to do when he was in a good mood. I am Kaezeth, he said to her, Hers, and His, transmitting his words similarly as was polite. This is R'len-Own. He jerked his head back at R'len; the convulsion it sent through his muscular, iron neck jostled R'len a little. It looked far from graceful.

R'len looked over the pink and her rider. R'cat was older - he could see that. He would be a more experienced rider. He knew that this pinkrider wasn't in his wing, though. Last he'd heard, the new transfer pair was in M'lock's wing. That was good. The middle wings needed more men to catch what got through his and O'sho's wings on the upper levels. Then, he heard the pinkrider's voice calling to him, and he snapped out of his silly business-oriented thought train.

"Oh, Faranth!" he said, but it was a happy thinking. He laughed. Kaezeth bugled along with him, and then rumbled. The iron was ready for a race. He didn't have anything to prove, really. Syrryth would probably beat him - he was built for endurance, not for speed. His huge body didn't make him an agile creature. However, he wasn't all responsibility and seriousness. He was more open to fun than most irons. A race sounded like a good time to him and, more importantly, it sounded like a good time to His, too. R'len needed a good time. Kaezeth figured, too, that after this R'len could go see Nimara, and he himself could go have a bath.

As Syrryth zipped off, Kaezeth was hot on her heels. R'len bent over, closer to his dragon's neck, feeling the vibrations from every cheerful trumpet the dragon let loose. He pushed himself as far as he felt like it. It wasn't a Flight, after all - he wasn't going to use up every last drop of energy without thinking about it. This was just for fun. Being sore for days afterwards wasn't fun. But this - going fast, but not painfully fast - was fun. He was lagging behind, though. Syrryth was getting further ahead of him because he was slower. He bugled to her, though, to let her know that he wasn't going to give up yet.

When Syrryth slowed down and circled him, Kaezeth heard her happy little sigh and gave a similarly happy rumble. It had been a nice game. Even though he hadn't really been trying, and Syrryth had just been showing off most of the time, it was all good fun. It had been a while since he'd just reverted to weyrlinghood ways like that. He felt like an old man thinking about how boring he'd been lately, but then the iron figured it had been for the best. He was a King. He had important things to do, generally more pressing than racing with a pink.

Yes,

The iron floated lazily in the water as Syrryth swam ahead and then turned around. He rumbled often, sometimes with his nostrils just barely underwater so that they made bubbles, content to simply float while Syrryth bounced around and played in the water and the mud. He wasn't feeling quite so energetic - he rarely did, being the cumbersome size that he was. Syrryth, however, made him feel young again. Her energy was infectious; he gathered it up inside of himself and felt its happiness.

R'len caught the hint of a different meaning in R'cat's words - it earned the pinkrider a brief raise of the ironrider's eyebrows, before he replied. "Dalibor's nice," R'len said, looking at Kaezeth and Syrryth with a fond smile. "I like that it's smaller. I came from High Reaches, you know, so... that's a bit of a change. I mean, not as huge as Benden or Fort, but it was still quite the move. I think, at first, it was supposed to be a bit of a 'retirement' move," R'len laughed, "But Dalibor needed wingleaders and I fit the bill. I think I'm just as busy here as I was at High Reaches!" He rolled his eyes.

"At least, here, I'm dealing with full-fledged riders," he said, relief in his voice. "I used to be a Candidatemaster. You know how candidates are. Every single one of them - young and rebellious. Once upon a time, I was, too, for Faranth knows how many years... Now I'm getting creaky." He sat down, stretching out his legs and groaning. He had found a nice smooth stone to sit on, big enough for himself and R'cat.

Well, of course it comes off, Kaezeth said, matter-of-fact. At first he was perplexed at the idea of getting dirty for fun. His whole life had been about image - acting like a King, looking like a King. Playing mud generally wasn't in his itinerary. He watched Syrryth rub up next to him, getting mud on him, and he didn't push her away, but he was obviously reluctant to do the dirty work himself. He preferred floating. Floating was nice, so he continued to simply float.

Kaezeth let Syrryth go at her little game. Like the boring, sophisticated creature he was, he just kept on floating there, occasionally reaching down to dig into the bottom so he wouldn't tip over when Syrryth rubbed against him. He was surprisingly tolerant of all the mud. He'd humour Syrryth - after all, it would come off after a quick dive, and that was what kept him from shaking it all off right away. Besides, wasn't he telling His to have fun? He should have fun, too. The iron gave a good-natured, amused rumble, and arced his neck so that Syrryth could get all of it. The mud was actually making him feel a little cold, but he bucked up and ignored it. He wasn't having the discomfort as bad as R'len, at least.

The man wasn't missing any of R'cat's looks and (not so subtle) hints. They didn't sit well with him. Perhaps it was because he hadn't been flirted with in many, many Turns, and the sensation was unfamiliar by now, but he figured it was most likely because R'cat was a man and he already had some growing feelings for Nimara. If only it had just been the first reason. Getting used to flirting again would be alright, but he really wasn't open to it. It made him shift uncomfortably where he was sitting, and he just wanted to hide himself from R'cat's eyes. It wasn't a good situation.

But he was too nice to be rude about it, and Kaezeth expected him to be social. He couldn't be completely, blissfully unaware of R'cat's advances like he wished he could, but he did the next best thing. He pretended not to notice. He just ignored it and went on as if everything was normal, instead of making him feel antsy and weird. "I guess she and I are pretty shameless, aren't we?" R'cat said. R'len swallowed.

"Well, it's not like that's a bad thing," he said. On second thought, it might not have been the best thing to say. A tad too encouraging than he wanted. "I have the capacity to be a little shameless, but, you know... I work too much. I'm getting boring. There's not enough time to relax. Used to be a big party animal, though, back in the day." He quirked a smile, his words running off on him again. "Especially when I was a candidate. Kaez was the start of all this Faranth-shardin' work, weren't you, Kaez?" He shouted out to his dragon, who simply snorted in reply.

"But... you know. There's always time here and there. But I always keep thinking about work. Boooring."

For the first second, R'len was frozen in place. He felt R'cat's hands on his chest and neck, and they were so unfamiliar and unwelcome that they almost felt like they were burning. He felt R'cat's lips against his, then, and his eyes remained wide open. The ironrider couldn't make sense of it. It made no sense. This... brand new transfer, who hardly knew him at all, had thought it the right moment to kiss him, when really, it was the last thing R'len wanted. If R'cat actually knew R'len, R'cat would have known that. Instead, all he had to go by was how rigid R'len's body had become and how quickly he pulled away and stood up.

"Um, no, that's... that's quite alright," R'len said. He was shocked. Disgusted. Thoroughly weirded out. "I can relax and have fun by myself, thanks, or, you know, with people I actually know and actually like." He was well aware of how juvenile he sounded. He couldn't help it. "That's hardly my idea of fun, R'cat of pink Syrryth. Nor is it my idea of appropriate or called for. So... thanks, but no thanks." He had paced himself quite a ways away from the pinkrider, face hot with confusion, arms crossed for self comfort.

Kaezeth was giving Syrryth a cold shoulder. He tensed at her muddy touch, and instead was more focused on his uncomfortable rider. He crooned to R'len, touching minds. R'len-Own--

No, no, Kaezeth, be quiet, this was your idea.

R'len-Own, how could I even know?

Well, I don't know, Kaez, but it was still your idea. I should've stayed inside! This is weird!

Yes, but at least you got outside...

You don't even understand, Kaez! How could you understand? I don't want this! This is weird! This is very, very weird...

Oowwwn...

I want to go see Nimara instead, Kaez. I want to see Nimara...

Own! Shut up. Calm down.

But-- Kaez! The argument was ended their, with a hurt look from R'len and a confused one from Kaezeth. R'len released his arms, letting them fall limply at his side, and watched as Kaezeth dunked himself under the water, cleaned off, and then lumbered onto the shore. The man made to mount his dragon, feeling shaken more than enough for the day. For the sevenday, even! For the whole Turn!