Meawhile, Back at the Barracks.... {Jack}

[Nia]

This was the right hallway, right? Caelin tiredly peaked into a few rooms only to jump out right away when he noticed people in those room and then noticed that the room was not his. Great, that was the third time he'd done that. Feeling discouraged, Caelin wandered through the Candidate Barracks, wondering why they had to make this place so complicated. He had been about to give up and fall asleep in the middle of the hallway when he finally saw his room. It was the number he'd been told to go to, so that had to be the right room, right?

Caelin glanced into the room, praying to Faranth that his roommate (or anyone, really) would not be there. He'd just left B'rak feeling like he was in a much better mood and he kind of didn't want to ruin that mood by having another bad run-in with another person. Social contact still made him feel on-edge and wary, and now all Caelin wanted to do was to get used to his new room and lay down before the Weyr gave him chores to do or something. He guessed that the Weyrwoman or someone up there in the rankings knew about his situation and had given him a few days off to get used to his surroundings.

With that in mind, Caelin was relieved that no one was in his room. He was sharing one, but the less time he had to be with his roommate the better. He kind of winced at that thought, trying not to think about just how anti-social he had become in only a short time. But he wasn't going to think about that, he was just going to lay down on his cot and relax. Hesitantly he stepped more into the unfamiliar room and looked around. It wasn't bad. It was a typical Candidate dorm, but Caelin had never been a Candidate before, so he didn't really know what a dorm was supposed to look like in the first place.

Still feeling exhausted from his whole ordeal, the blond collapsed on his cot face-down, dropping his small bag of clothes and personal items on the floor without looking at it. He was tired and felt like sleeping, but he couldn't fall asleep again. It didn't matter though, he was fine just laying there and not thinking, he was far too exhausted to do anything and was glad that the higher-ups of the Weyr had understand that he was pretty much emotionally unable to do anything right now. Part of him felt a little guilty, but it was only a small part. He'd start his chores next week when he wasn't so tired....

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[jack]

Vraellin's steps were hesitant as he made his way into the room, altogether too aware of not only the new roommate he was to get, but what the poor fellow had been put through as well. Innerly, this made the brunette's heart rise, the thought of a kindred spirit a hope he wasn't allowed to have. But outerly he'd dashed any such thoughts, and clutched the cup of klah that had been pressed into his grip tighter. He took a delicate sip of the hot liquid, unconsciously relaxing at the feel of the burning liquid as it soothed his throat.

Energized by the warming sensation he let a blank look spread onto his face; the schooled expression of a servant...or a slave.

The young man opened the door carefully and quietly, noting immediately that his roommate was not only there, but seemingly asleep. Delicately, he moved to the man's side, peering at him curiously for a moment--taking in his features absently--before he set a second cup of klah and a small bubbly pie on the table. It wouldn't be as good steaming, but it was probably best if the fellow slept.

Quickly downing his own drink the boy set down the cup, licking his lips before setting his gaze on the bags. He gingerly took them from beside the bed--careful not to stir what he believed to be a snoozing form--and began to unpack them, storing clothing away where clothing would go, and leaving various other things out so that Caelin could put them where he wanted later. He finished unnaturally quickly, the action a repeat of thousands of actions before. He glanced again to Caelin, blinking. "...peaceful."

[Nia]

Caelin hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he had, and was indeed peacefully sleeping away. His dreams were free of nightmares, or even dreams at all, and he felt rather at ease with himself. Caelin wasn't really a heavy sleeping, in fact, he was a rather light sleeper and woke up easily. But Vraelin's careful movements and small gestures weren't enough to wake him, so he kept on sleeping, not even aware that someone else was in the room with him.

However, he jolted awake suddenly, only a few moments after Vraelin had spoke. If it was because the other boy had spoken Caelin didn't really know, but all he knew was that suddenly someone else, someone that he didn't know, was in the room with him. He flailed around at first in a panic, until thoughts of B'rak and the past few days floated through his mind and he knew where he was. Still panting, his heart still pounding, the blond looked at the strange boy in his room. ... their room, he guessed, if this was his roommate. "Um...." he started awkwardly, trying to mentally will his heart to stop pounding, "S... sorry... about... that. I'm not... um, entirely used to it here." He didn't know if this boy knew about his "situation" or not, but he decided he didn't care.

Taking a better, calmer look at the boy in his room, he realized that he looked less like a Candidate and more like a... drudge? Perhaps that was the right word. He did seem rather subserviant and had even taken the time to get Caelin klah and put his clothes away. "Oh, you put my stuff away? Thanks," he said with a, what he hoped, was a friendly, calm smile. His freakout hadn't been as bad as it had been with B'rak, but he didn't want yet another person in this Weyr to think he was crazy. Let alone his roommate, because that would be bad.

"Um, well... I'm Caelin, what's your name?" he offered a friendly greeting in an attempt to make himself look normal and... well, friendly. This guy could be his first friend here, and Faranth knows Caelin needed some friends. With a second glance around the room he noticed the klah and bubbly pie set out. "Are those for me?" he asked in surprise, not sure why this boy had gone out of his way to do all those things. Perhaps he'd had as bad a past as Caelin, at least that was something they could have in common.

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[jack]

Vraellin had just begun to clean up a few what-nots--most of which didn't really need to be cleaned...but he hated being idle--when Caelin woke up, his flailing awakening causing the poor child to give a squeak and immediately drop to the ground. Hands over his head and legs tucked beneath him, he looked a bit like he was ready to survive a bombing, and was hesitant to peek out even when it was clear the other had calmed down. Eyes still wary, the brunette relaxed as well, very hesitantly getting to his feet when he realized the whole ordeal had been a misunderstanding.

He nodded at the boy's explanation, a forced smile on his lips even as his brows knit and his own heart began to slow its pounding. Settling more now he moved carefully forwards, gesturing to the food he'd left for the other before returning shyly to where he'd been straightening up already straight things.

"My name is Vraellin." He mumbled after a moment, glancing over his shoulder at the other boy before turning to face him, nodding at the second question. A soft smile was back on his face, this one more relaxed. He hadn't been completely filled in on the blond's situation, but B'rak had mentioned a few off-handed quirks. It was soothing, actually, to know that there had been someone else who'd gone through a similar situation. The young man's smile softened even further before he set his mind and lifted his chin subtly, walking forwards and offering a hand in a completely uncharacteristic greeting, "I'm sorry." He mumbled, his voice a bit bolder than usual, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Vraellin didn't fully understand his own situation. He was still working out what was right and wrong in this place, and deducing the differences between what he'd been taught and what was actually true was a difficult process. He knew that he'd been abused...but you got used to it. Becoming adjusted to the real-world again was hard...but he would get it one day.

In the mean time...he would help Caelin. It was awkward, talking in the way that had been beaten out of him previously, but somehow he knew that anything else would...well...make Caelin feel worse. He didn't want that. Didn't want that at all!

[Nia]

Well, the two boys had certainly reacted... interestingly to each other, Caelin thought. He'd freaked out spontaniously, this boy had freaked out spontaniously, they had that in common too. Or maybe Caelin's own outburst had brought out this boy's... oh forget it, it didn't even matter. But what he did notice about it was that this boy seemed... timid? Or used to being berated and scolded harshly or something. Caelin was usually good at figuring out personality quirks and the like, but lately, for obvious reasons, he'd been thinking far too much about himself to care about others.

Taking the gesture as a "yes", Caelin grabbed the bubbly pie and began to eat. It hadn't really been sitting there all to long, so it was still warm and tasted great. The strange boy he was going to share a room with was still putting things away, which also struck Caelin as odd, but he chose not to comment and instead sipped his klah as the boy introduced himself.

"It's okay, really, I shouldn't have been sleeping in the middle of the day anyway," he said dismissively as the boy appologized, a smile he hoped was friendly and warming as he shook Vraellin's hand. "Hey, our names are pretty similar, aren't they?" he noticed, the information sinking into his sleepy mind, "Vraellin and Caelin, haha, I wonder if they roomed us together on purpose?" he laughed. Maybe they were long lost siblings? Even though they didn't look a thing alike... maybe it was possible. But Caelin honestly doubted it, it was just a funny coincidence, he guessed. That and they were both abused somehow.

But the boy seemed timid and unsure, so Caelin was going to get around his emotional scarring and be the friendly, carefree one in their duo. You know, pick up the way his personality had been before... you-know-who. All he had to do was avoid beds and physical contact and he'd be good to go!

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