Where Did We Put That K'var Bait? [Rhi]

[RavenSong]

{desc=Seph/Lili}Seph was starting to feel better. Time had passed since he'd spoken to Jazz, and while Benal was still running around, he genuinely felt better about what was going on in his life. He wasn't moping as much, though he still, as always, looked sad.

Today's roster had seen him and Lili paired up to clean up some storerooms, with the direction of one of the Headwoman's assistants. Once he'd obtained a list of what was needed done where, the young man headed off to go do just that. He hummed to himself as he worked, some tune he'd made up as he moved boxes around to arrange them properly.

Callistath had flown not too long ago, which meant that eggs would soon be on the Sands, hardening, waiting. He thought about that in silence until Lili entered the room to help him.

"Hey," he said quietly, keeping his voice low so people outside the room wouldn't hear him. "Um... Lili, I never thanked you for pushing me to tell a Candidatemaster. I told Jazz, as you know, and... well, she said she'd handle it. I haven't heard anything beyond her telling me what the Pinkrider said was wrong, but... I bet she'll be forcibly transferred soon. You... You probably helped a lot of people with that.

I've been thinking lately... like usual, I mean, about what I'd do if I don't manage to Impress in the next four Turns or so. I bet you'll Impress this coming clutch. Callistath Flew, after all... queens have large clutches, and you're sure to find your dragon this go. Seidon too. I'm... I'm still not sure if mine is here, but that's okay. Herders are needed here too. I'm idly considering signing up for the wher program, too. Yusk is absolutely adorable, and there's that new Brown people are talking about from Ausk's clutch... I think if I don't Impress this Hatching, I'll sign up for whers, too. What do you think? I won't, if you think it'll separate us. I mean... I like you. I like you a lot... and I know dragons will separate us for two Turns soon." He paused a second to rub at his face. "Maybe longer, depending on if one of us Impresses first."

[RhiaBlack]

Lili was dressed casually, much as she always was. Work in the Lower Caverns was always filthy, no matter how much she tried to stay clean. She didn't mind much, but often times she came out into the brighter light of the main hall or outside looking more like an old woman for all the gray in her hair than anything else.

She assumed today would be no different. The fact that Seph's name was listed on the roster beside hers almost perplexed her - she knew that word had probably gotten around by now, if not via the other Candidates, than by others, that she was sweet on him. To be scheduled for chores with him was one of two things; a vast oversight, or a test of endurance. Maybe a bit of both, Lili pondered with a wry sort of grin. If Benal is his bane, than by shells I must be the corrupter or something.

Exhaling slowly as she strode in, pulling her gloves on, she sized up their chorework with a mild expression of ruefulness.

"Well, they certainly didn't shortchange us on the workload today, huh.." She peered over towards him with a small smile. "Sometimes we all need a little bit of a push, Seph. No need to thank me, if I was me in the same place I would certainly have hoped that someone else would do the same, you know?"

The mention of Benal made her sigh, though it clearly wasn't irritation at him, but at the Pinkrider.

"I still think socking her in the nose would have been a better punishment, but that's just me. Hopefully it does, or she says something to someone that's not as reigned in as I am, and they make her sorry for it. I feel bad for her Dragon. She must be sharding impossible to deal with, if that's how she gets her kicks."

Lili went quiet at the rest. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it. She was always thinking about it, and what Sora had said really sunk in. Dragons were smart enough to tell the difference between loving them, and loving someone else. Dragons were Impressed forever, and Riders loved their Dragons for all time, she knew. She'd seen K'var with Argotath, after all. Though she probably didn't understand all of it, but she figured in time she would.

"Yeah. Yeah, I heard she flew at the Gather, lots of the Candidates came back talking about it. Lots of them didn't really seem happy about it, Riders either, but from what I understand when it's time for them to rise, they rise. Thank Faranth it was at a Hold, though, that couldn't have been easy for all those chasers and Theirs. I hear Flightlust is pretty rough. Never seen it, though. Most of that seems to happen up in the weyrs, not down here. Though I think I walked by a Rider and one of the kitchen Drudges once."

She bit the corner of her lower lip, and shifted her gaze; a sure sign she was nervous about something. Most people had their quirks, their tells, that one happened to be hers. Lili knew it, and she often tried to hide it, but sometimes the whole premise slipped her mind.

"I don't know, in all honesty I've been here two turns now, Seph. I imagine there's other Candidates who've been here for longer, but I haven't talked to anyone who has. I age out this coming Autumn, so I'll be watching from the Stands if that happens. Who knows. Like you said, Golds have large clutches, so I figure - stars willing - there will be lots of new Weyrlings in a month or so."

Lili hefted a sack of rice, checking under it for tunnelsnakes and mice before setting it aside for them to sort into a different room. For once, her voice was more than a little uncertain, but there was a measure of truth behind it that wasn't in any way, shape or form deniable.

"I've...been thinking about it. A lot, actually. If you go into Whers, then that puts you up at night, and me up in the daytime, if I don't Impress by fall. But, it might be the best chance for both of us...I guess if I don't Impress by then, we could look at joining up for Whers together, but then if you happen to Impress a Dragon and I get a Wher, that puts us in the same spot, and I...well..."

She swallowed, and went quiet. At least, for a minute.

"It probably sounds a little goofy and maybe even sharding foolish, but I was thinking that if we Impressed Dragons, maybe you could be m-my weyrmate. I mean, when...if...it gets that far, I-I mean.."

It sort of...spilled out. She'd wanted to ask for a while, but it didn't feel right to. Her hands were shaking, and the sight irritated her. She wasn't a weak-willed Holdgirl. She didn't get so easily moved by things like that, shard it why did he -effect- her so much? Her brows furrowed.

"I trust you. I mean, I trust people, but not the same way I trust -you-. I know you'd never do anything to hurt me, and the way that Jazz talks about Flightlust, I just...I'm...kind of scared to go through that with some random person. I didn't think anyone here would hurt me, you know, but all this stuff with Benal, and then hearing about that whole mess at the last Hatching with that really aggressive Tanrider, I just..."

She was at a loss for words. She just gestured with her hands, sort of a 'well, there it is', before she went back to lifting sacks of rice and leaning barrels of flour to roll towards the far wall.

"I didn't mean to sound...well...for that to come out as awkward as I guess it did. I'm rambling again, I'm sorry..."

[RavenSong]

Seph listened to Lili, nodding a few times. He didn't watch her too closely, just glancing over a few times as he worked. Sure, he was a hormonal young man nearing his seventeenth nameday, but he'd still made a name for himself through hard work. That was likely the reason they'd gotten paired despite the fact it was obvious Lili was sweet on him. They trusted he'd work hard anyways and keep her working too.

"Socking her in the nose would get you kicked out, though, so it's not an option, Lili." Seph stayed calm, but he grimaced slightly. "I'd really rather not talk about her too much though. As for Flightlust... I've seen a bit of it. You lose yourself in the dragon's mind. You become the dragon for that time. Most riders feel that flightsex doesn't count."

He stopped for a moment to listen to her, thinking on it. He stayed silent, continuing to work, as he mulled over her proposition.

"You'd be safe, you know, but... yeah, I'd be there for you, if I could. Even if I was a handler. You could wake me up midday, or call for me... I imagine Runs interrupt patrols, and they probably have nights off... maybe, I don't really know. Don't be sorry. From what I've been told, dragons won't Rise unless they know it won't hurt their Rider. I mean... ah, you probably don't know him, but there's an Apprentice Healer who's younger than me. Has a Cyan, his name's N'yn. We talked once, and he told me that his dragon won't Rise until he's old enough to handle it. So... if your dragon knows it'll hurt you, she won't Rise, he won't Chase. I can't imagine that kid lying to me, or his Weyrlingmaster lying to him, you know?" He rubbed his neck, then sighed.

"Lili, I... hang on." He poked his head out of the room to look around, then lowered his voice further, barely audible to even Lili. "I share similar feelings. Don't let on, though. If we get separated it'll turn my plans into so much crackdust. I've been kinda distant because I've been planning. I know some Candidates get away with it, cuz they don't get caught... and I've been thinking of how to not get caught because the last thing I need is another breach of rules in the Candidatemasters' memory. Jazz would have my hide, I know it. So...." He trailed off, blushing. He couldn't finish the statement. He had a cheesy grin on his lips, though. "Let's just say I've figured out how not to get caught. I'll tell you after we're done. Faster we do this, the more likely we are to have time to go talk in the Bowl or something." He winked at her, then turned back to his work. "Leave the really heavy stuff for me, Lili. I'm used to hauling hay, I'll lift the heavy barrels."

[RhiaBlack]

Lili's brows shot up, but she didn't say anything otherwise. Her mind was going a mile a minute, and the concept of a plan had drawn her intrigue - but she didn't intend on saying anything, not yet.

As he asked, she let him get the heavier stuff. Not because she couldn't do it herself, of course, but he was trying to be chivalrous and she could appreciate that. A few sacks of rice and flour, as well as some crates later, and she finally spoke up.

"I half hope we both Impress at the same time, but who knows. I wouldn't be opposed to Whers at all, but then again if we end up doing the you-Impress-one-kind, I-Impress-the-other, we're pretty much hung out to dry, I think."

She sighed quietly, wiping at her forehead with her forearm before stepping back to see what else needed to be sorted. Still some work to do, at any rate, so she dove right back into it.

"How's Seidon doing? I haven't had much time to get down to the Infirmary and check on him, sharding chores and kitchen duty's had me so busy I haven't hardly had time to do anything but eat and sleep. They've got us on Firestone bag duty, too. Then again, it seems like we're helping more with that than it does cleaning out tunnelsnakes and such and sorting all this mess. Sometimes I wonder if someone doesn't come mess all this up just for the sake of giving Candidates something to do."

She wasn't sure what he meant by planning, but she could scarcely dare to hope, if he meant anything by not getting caught. Lili didn't have any idea what else it could be, but she knew that if they were caught doing anything wrong, there'd be shells to pay, and by the First Egg, the last thing she wanted was for either of them to get into more trouble. Then again, she had never really been afraid of reprimands, and she was decent enough about talking her way out of things.

Though, she knew Jazz and K'var were smarter than that. She just hoped they weren't caught to begin with, whatever this was that Seph had planned. With any luck, K'var wouldn't show up in the middle of whatever he intended for them to do. A blush crept into Lili's face, but she said nothing on it - simply feigned that it was a flush from working.

"It would be pretty great if all three of us Impressed at the same time. Can you imagine? All three of us in the same class? K'var would have a fit.."

She giggled slightly at that. For all the fun she poked at about the Weyrlingmaster, she really liked K'var. He had a sense of humor that most people seemed to lack, and he was always good for a grin or a story if she wasn't feeling all that great. He reminded her of her Dad, in lots of ways, and it was reassuring almost to know that there was someone who, like Jazz, was there to make sure things didn't get too overwhelming for Candidates and newly-Impressed Weyrlings alike. They were good people, and they had amazing Dragons on top of that.

She could only strive to be that great one day. A sided look at Seph, and she caught herself grinning slightly.

One day they would be that great, Seph, her, and Seidon. One day, he wouldn't have to hide anything anymore, and she almost looked forward to that more than anything else. A day when he could be proud of who he was, and wouldn't feel the need to keep anything secret.

Lili turned her attention back to her work quickly. After all, like he said - the sooner they finished, the sooner she could find out about these 'plans'.

"So, none of these say 'K'var Bait' on them, do they? Don't want to rub up against it and give him something to track..."

[RavenSong]

"It'd be fun to Impress at the same time... wonder who our Weyrlingmaster would be if we Impressed right now. I think K'var's class graduates soon. I hope it's not him." Seph grinned. He kept working, sweat on his brow. He ignored it, like always. Unless it started creeping down his face, he'd always ignore it.

"Seidon's doing pretty well. He has a limp and he's wearing a support bandage, but he's doing well. He'll probably be on the Sands for Callistath's Hatching, which means I'll be on them for the one after that. If I don't Impress this coming Hatching, that is. You're not kidding about this mess, though. How does it get this sharding huge from regular usage?" He shook his head. He thought a bit on how to enact his plan when Lili spoke again. He grinned brightly.

"If he figured out who the ringleader was, anyways. One of my crechemothers used to say 'still waters run deep' in regards to me. She figured out pretty quick that I get bored without something to challenge me. That's why I started thinking to the future more often, and laying out plans that have long term goals. Learned pretty quickly how to hide my own actions. Gets people in trouble sometimes, which I feel bad about somewhat, but... if they're dumb enough to laugh that loud in class they kinda deserved it, regardless of if I was the one who told the phallus joke or not." He winked then. He may or may not have been responsible for the proliferation of dingdoodle jokes amongst fellow male candidates.

"I don't see any redfruit in here... I might've ensured some was on his plate at breakfast, though. Just to keep him indisposed for a bit with either flits or the necessary. Probably flits, with how his fat green was eyeing his plate. Hopefully flits, I don't want to hurt him. Hey, you want to get some bubbly pies after the midday meal? I can convince a drudge I didn't get enough to eat and probably obtain some bubbly pies that way. Especially if we show up a little late to the meal." Subtle and aware of it, wow. He blushed a bit. "Wow, that probably makes me sound horrible. You know how I look sad when I'm just sitting there, resting my face with no expression at all? Well... I sometimes use that to my advantage." He chuckled, little crow's feet appearing at the corners of his eyes as they lit up with mirth. "I don't often fake it, though. Most of the time I get enough to eat. Lately, though, I've been extraordinarily hungry. I think I'm growing again. Shards, if I grow much more I won't be able to hide my body that well. Everyone will stare at me. I don't mind when you do. The other girls, though, it's just... well, I know what they're thinking. They're not interested in me, they're interested in my looks, and that's annoying. Really annoying." He continued to work as he chattered, finishing up the heavy lifting with ease. He then poked his head back out to look around. A drudge came by to check their work, impressed by their speed. Seph was his usual self-effacing self, modest as he accepted the praise for their quick work and ability to work together without temptations.

Oh how little the woman knew. Flushing as she left, Seph winked at Lili.

"We've got time, and I found a cave behind the waterfall. I watched it awhile, though not too intently because I was busy exercising the runners, but I didn't see anybody go back there. Might be a pretty place to sit and chat. Or we can go hunt tunnelsnakes and maybe find a relatively unused room to... ahh, chat. Right. You know, talk privately, where nobody will overhear us." He glanced meaningfully toward the doorway. Hopefully she grasped his code. He took a deep breath and smiled warmly. "So shall we?"

[RhiaBlack]

Lili rubbed her face with a sleeve, and nodded with a sigh - though her train of thought was effectively derailed by the reference to joke-telling during lessons. So THAT was who had been behind it! The laughter exploded out of her, and she had to keep from doubling over. By the First Egg, there was no doubting that he was certainly such a guy...

It was almost strange, to see him so much more, well, -relaxed- around her. Even if there did seem to be a little bit more edge to him than normal.

It was a relief to hear about Seidon. Lili had been worrying about Seph's brother for some time now, and it seemed like the older boy would never get well. To hear he would be standing again soon, however, was contrary to her fears. For that, she was immensely happy. It was a sad sort of happy, all the same - by the time Seph got to Stand again, if he didn't Impress by the time they reached that point, Lili wouldn't be Standing with him. Which meant she would either have a Dragon of her own, or she'd be watching and waiting from the stands. Not something she wanted to think about, and the thought was shoved away with a marginal sense of annoyance. No. She would Impress before then, she hoped. Perhaps Seph too.

Her brows raised at the admittance of putting redfruit on K'var's plate to keep him busy.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were planning..." It surprised her. It surprised the shards out of her, and things only got more interesting after that.

The Drudge was smiled and nodded at, as most people with authority were when she was confronted with them; and suddenly, Lili found herself face to face with the prospect of doing more than just hugging Seph. Just talking, if she was picking up what he was seemingly laying down. She dodged it for the time, though. He had only hinted, and she wasn't - well...there it was. After all the times she had playfully hinted and ribbed him about it, here he was, throwing those hints and 'jokes' back at her feet. The egg was in her basket, and she wasn't sure if she was ecstatic or nervous. Despite the fact that she was pretty sure he had told her he had never gone that far with anyone before. Despite the fact that she knew, of course, that she had.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of what you have," she admitted quietly, tugging her sleeves to roll them a bit more properly, so that they would stop sliding down her arms. "And yeah, I know what you mean. I've caught a few looking a time or two, though they haven't said anything. At least, not where I can hear them, but I know what those looks mean. Used to get the same ones from boys back home. It gets frustrating after a while, knowing they wouldn't do anything but use and toss you, same as those ones back home would have done with me - boy and girl alike."

The waterfall comment pretty much sealed what she had been suspecting. Not that she was adverse to it in the slightest, but given how K'var tended to...randomly show up places at the drop of a hat, she was almost concerned that they'd be caught. Temptation, shards, it was all but a certainty. She was head over heels for him, there was no such thing as temptation. It was only a matter of time.

Lili slid her hand into his, and leaned in to murmur into his ear.

"I would love bubbly pies. That being said...how much time do you think we have, until they start looking?"

That grin. The one that made it blatantly obvious that once he went down that road with her, there was no going back. Lili didn't share; though she thought, perhaps a little selfishly, that once they reached that point, it would be obvious she wouldn't have to. After all, she liked to think she wasn't just good at getting what she wanted - she was good at keeping it, too.