This Is Satisfactory [Lan, Open]

Midday at the Weyr. Usually day was the domain of the dragons, with their wings filling the autumn sky just like the colorful leaves that fell from the trees. In the depths of the lower caverns, whers would be sleeping along with their handlers in preparation for the night’s watch. Yet, it seemed as if at least two handlers were having trouble following this time-honored schedule. Even as Audren washed the brutish Ausk, Physicero lay sleepless in his bed.

He had been tossing and turning for hours now with little to show for it. So he lied on his back, furs push to the side, and stared up at the dark ceiling. In the corner he could hear the sky-colored Physisk snoring as he dozed on his couch. At least the blue seemed to not have any trouble sleeping. He never did. The vain wher much adored his beauty sleep and little could keep it from him. Not even the troubled musings in his handler's head seemed to touch him. And Physicero was troubled. Not in a life-or-death sort of way, but in an analyzing where his life was at sort of way. For almost thirty turns he had walked the planet. Eight of those turns had been spent in the presence of his funny little beast. A handful of them had been spent here, at this Weyr. But making friends had not come as easy at Dalibor. He had thought it would be a fresh start, but several turns later filled with only routine Physicero had found himself essentially alone. Or at least that’s how it seemed.

It was homesickness that kept him awake in these late hours. Physicero missed his family. He missed his brothers and his sisters. And, while he tried most days not to think about it, transferring had crossed his mind. Despite all the time he had spent here, Dalibor had yet to seem like home. Even Gejami Hold held more endearments to his heart than his own Weyr.

Perhaps it was best if he walked it off. He sat up and stretched, listening to the clicks as his stiff back got used to moving again. Quickly he dressed in simple clothing and then he tip-toed out the door. It was best to let Physisk sleep. Physicero needed some time to himself with his own thoughts in his head. Through different corridors he wandered, going nowhere in particular. There was no purpose to his meanderings. Just the act of movement was therapeutic in soothing the wherhandler's thought-laden mind. For a long time he trod through various pathways, avoiding main routes to help with his need for alone time.

Finally, he made his way back to the heart of wher territory. The underground pool at the center of all the wherhandlers' quarters was a prime spot to find people to talk to. But it was afternoon now. Physicero hadn’t really expected to find anyone there. A sound echoed through the corridors as he approached, something akin to a woman sighing. He made no hesitation in his movements. He had had his alone time. Now it was time to say hello to someone. Conversation, he deemed, was now the appropriate remedy to soothe his homesick soul.

When the Alphahandler and the red came into view he smiled at them and nodded. Despite Ausk's undeniably terrifying persona, Physicero had always been curious about Audren herself. Any woman who took charge of and was tied to such a ferocious beast ought to be interesting. But she was Alphahandler and he was just a Priderunner. They hardly spoke even two words to each other. This was in part because Physicero made sure to keep Physisk away from Ausk. The blue would get himself killed, trying to make an admirer out of the red. It was good that he had let him sleep, then. Maybe he and Audren could find something to talk about without the burden of their whers' temperaments.

In the side of the pool farthest away from the angry red Physicero sat down and rolled up the legs of his trousers. He removed his footwear and let his bare feet soak in the cool waters. "Good afternoon, Alphahandler Audren, Ausk" Phys smiled calmly and amiably, nodding respectfully to Ausk before he continued addressing Audren herself, ”What keeps you up so late?” The question was stated in a light-hearted, pleasant tone. He was just making conversation. There would be no accusations or business or animosity or fear. Just two people talking normally. It could happen, right? Surely even redhandlers must have conversations with other humans sometimes.