down in this hole.

[cy]

[/i] down the corridor and just cut out to the weyr bowl. At least he was sure he was allowed to be there.[/ul][/size]

tag; Nia!

[Nia]

Luckily for Ezra, Kio was on his way back to the Barracks at that moment, shifting through notes he'd taken on various parts of the Weyr. His memory was good, yes, but it always helped to write down notes and maps and the like. It only helped him in the long run. Kiosk walked beside him, eyeing his surroundings with a watchful eye, hoping to help His in any way possible. Right now, that just so happened to be watching out for the boy as he focused more on his notes than where he was walking. Kio was rather physical able, labor was beneith him, yes, but he was fast and quick and he could hold his own in a fight if it came down to it. Afterall, he had been in quite a few fights. And considering his personality, that wasn't at all surprising.

They neared the Barracks as Kio continued to shift through his notes with a flat, rather bored expression on his face. He'd gone pretty much everywhere this Weyr had to offer. He'd even looked at the Hatching Sands when he Impressed Kiosk. The Blue continued to walk next to his, guiding him around corners and making sure he didn't accidently run into a way. Kiosk wasn't the smartest, he was a wher, afterall, but he could at least do that. Watchwhers, well, they watched. Easy. Kio was still a little... unsure, to put it nicely. Would having Kiosk hinder him in the long run? No, he doubted it. It wasn't like anyone cared about a simple Bluehandler. It wasn't like he was in a position of power. Kio gave a short laugh at that. That's what they thought....

They entered the Barracks and Kio simply held his notes, as it was now way too dark to read. He simply walked casually through the Barracks, heading towards his room. He hoped his roommate wasn't there, that would be extremely annoying. He hated sharing anything with people he didn't approve of, and he didn't feel like dealing with another person right now. As interesting as he thought people were, it was still annoying to be forced to live with someone he didn't particularly like. Not that he'd even interacted with his roommate all that much, but still. It was annoying. Kio didn't like being forced to do anything. Sharding Alpha Wherhandler... he'd have to find some sort of way to show that Goldhandler just who was going to run things around here. Blackmail was the logical choice, of course, but he first had to find out about him. Kio supposed that was his first order of business, then....

Lost. We help?

[/i] Kiosk broke Kio's thought process with a line of images and words. Kio stopped, looking at the Blue that had began to walk ahead, assume that Kio was going to help him "save" this person. Shard it...! Stupid wher. Kio didn't want to help anyone! But his annoyance changed into amusement when he immediately recognized the form he was grudgingly walking towards. Ezra... his "partner". He smirked, glancing down at the notes he still held, then approached. Well, Kiosk had done something right for once! Though Kio didn't doubt that Kiosk would have stopped for anyone that seemed lost.

"Ah, Ezra," he greeted casually, lifting the hand he wasn't holding notes in a lazy wave, "What are you doing here? Looking for someone?" he asked, but he could already assume that Ezra was looking for him. How many Wherhandlers could someone new to the Weyr know? Not many. Kiosk circled around the boy, then walked back to Kio, sitting at his feet, quite proud of himself (and Kio!) that they'd been able to help a lost human. One step closer to helping the entire world![/blockquote][/size]

[cy]

[/b] He revealed eagerly, nodding as he spoke before it struck him that perhaps that would sound a little weird. As attached as they were to each other via their partnership, Ezzy did have to remember that they'd only met once before. As the blue wher finished his circle to then come to plop next to Kio, he glanced down to the little creature before looking back to Kio, lopsided grin still in place. "I'd heard about the hatching. I mean, I'm sure everyone heard about the hatching, knew about it and all, but I heard and I knew you'd Impress, so I wanted to come see how you were and see your wher and all that. It's exciting," he rambled, still feeling the remnants of his nerves from moments before, yet as excited as he claimed to be and overwhelmingly relieved at no longer being alone in the dark hall.[/ul][/size]

[Nia]

Kio raised an eyebrow in slight amusement at Ezra's somewhat awkward phrasing, but chose not to comment directly on that. He wasn't mean for no reason! Well, actually, he was, but not to this boy at least. He could control himself when he really wanted to. It wasn't that hard to have a little self-control. Though, he did quite enjoy the fact that Ezra had such faith in his ability to Impress. That was a good sign. Well, Kio didn't doubt himself of course, but it was always nice to have someone who believed in him. It made what he was trying to do a lot easier, in any case. Even if Kio wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do... he was sure it required other people to believe in him. So this was good! He didn't want to think about perhaps thinking about Ezra as more of a friend and less of a partner... not yet. Friends meant weakness, and Kio didn't want to establish such a weakness so early on....

Kiosk wanted to go look at Ezra more, but Kio kept him by his feet with a strict mental command. But it was helping! Kiosk wanted to help His! The constant of the word "help" in his mind was really starting to grate on Kio's nerves, but he didn't let it show. He could restrain himself from snapping at his own wher, for Faranth's sake. Not that Kio was one to snap in the first place. With a roll of his eyes, Kio knelt down and picked up the Blue wher. He was heavy, but not so heavy that Kio couldn't deal with it. Kiosk wanted to see Ezra closer? Fine. Now they were almost eye-level. Not quite, though. Kio wasn't that tall.

He gave a dismissive shrug, "I don't know if I'd say everyone. I didn't think whers were all that popular above the lower caverns," he smirked, though it was more of a bitter smirk if anything. He was quite annoyed by those that thought they were too good for whers... and was quite relieved that Ezra had such high expectations of wherhandlers. This boy really was far too nice for his own good. Though, he was a bit taken aback. People generally went out of their way to avoid him, probably because he'd made quite a few enemies, but someone seeking him out to see how he was? To see if he'd Impressed? It was a foreign feeling. Friendship? No. No weaknesses, not yet. But his smirk faded to an almost genuine smile... almost. "His name is Kiosk," he said absently, adjusting his hold on the Blue, careful not to mess with his notes, "It's exciting, I suppose, in a... new way," but his smirk dropped to an annoyed frown, "The Alpha Handler bothers me, though." Kio wasn't sure why he had thought to say that outloud. He just didn't like being told what to do. It was a petty reason to dislike Ridan, but it was a reason all the same.

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[cy]

[/i] knew about it. Kio had a point, he conceded; Kio seemed very smart like that. "I knew about it though," he pointed out in soft tones of eagerness, bringing that detail back to his friend's attention in the hope of earning approval for it.

His attentions were momentarily returned to the blue wher as it was introduced. As he was introduced; Kiosk. A smile danced easily onto his features as he looked down to the creature, taking in the shape of his head and the swirling eyes that seemed to study him at great depth in return. His hands idly resumed their wringing motions, sucking his bottom lip back in to nip at it with his teeth, before carefully reaching out in the hope that he might be able to stroke his fingertips curiously over the creature's eye ridges, cautious of the maw full of teeth and the claws it toted along. He was brave though, determined to be despite the itching wariness, and, while Kio held the Blue, it seemed friendly enough.

Bright eyes were snapped back up at the fleeting complaint offered, eyebrows raising inquisitively and knitting together with concern, his hand slowly retracting from the wher. "Why, what'd they do?" He questioned, already certain that Kio was justified in his bother. He tried to imagine the Alpha Handler off of that little statement alone. They must be mean and bossy, probably tall and scary too. The wher they handled was probably just like them, gigantic and cruel - and bothersome! With that thought, his gaze flicked back to the little blue in his friend's arms, small with their newborn status and thrumming with a kind energy, and the small smile he shot the creature had a new appreciation. Surely it wouldn't be like the individuals he pictured to be bothering Kio now, and that was good.[/ul][/size]

[Nia]

This boy was so... innocent, it seemed. Kio almost felt bad for asking them to be partners... no matter, the other boy seemed to be happy, and he seemed to want to help, so... why not? He reminded Kio a bit of Kiosk, but only vaguely. Kiosk felt secure in his arms, and Kio could almost admit that he did really like holding his little wher. Ugly or not, and he was quite ugly. But then, he matched Kio's insides. Hah, funny, he'd made a joke in his own mind. His smile wasn't the wide smirk it normally was, just a simple, little smile as he introduce Kiosk to Ezra.

"You did," he agreed simply, eyes looking straight into Ezra's, inspecting him for a moment before breaking contact, "Which is good. Knowing things that others don't is what we're striving for, isn't it?" Kiosk was elated that Ezra wanted to reach out and touch him. "It's fine. He won't bite you," Kio said idly as Kiosk looked expectantly at Ezra, his eyes whirling with happiness. His liked this boy, so Kiosk did! And he wanted to help, and Kiosk liked to help! It was perfect. Good,

[/i] Kiosk said happily, seeming to approve of Kio's choice in... friends. Were they even friends? Ah, partners, then. Either way, it was rather nice that the Blue agreed with him.

He frowned genuinely again, furrowing his eyebrows in thought. Should he tell Ezra of his plans to get back at the Alpha Handler? He could always use more help. And... besides, he didn't want Ezra finding out from another way and deciding that he no longer trusted Kio. Plus, he seemed eager enough... and though he hadn't wanted to use blackmail on anyone, Kio could probably manage to convince him that sometimes it was unavoidable. Like in the case with Ridan. Yes... that would work, he supposed.

Kio thought for another moment, then spoke. "He's... annoying. Seems to think he's the boss of me... which, ah, don't get me wrong... he kind of is," he gave a light laugh, "I just dislike how controlling he can be. It's arrogance, really. He... needs to be knocked down a few pegs." In all honestly, it was Kio who needed to be knocked down all of the sharding pegs, and he could admit that. He was... a little arrogant. But Ridan? Way worse. Definitely. "So... I was thinking we could... use my skills, with your assistance of course... to get back at him. For... fun" he smirked a bit just at the thought. How to go about doing this...? He'd heard along the grapevine that Ridan... slept around. If it was true, he could probably use that and show it to the Bronzehandler that had won his wher's Run.

He just needed help finding out more information... and that was where Ezra came in. "I'd appreciate the help... but if it goes against your morals you don't have to," he added. Didn't want to seem too insensitive, now did he?[/blockquote][/size]

[cy]

[/i] knock the Alpha Handler down a few pegs. It sounded dangerous and insubordinate. Kio could probably get in a ton of trouble if he were caught, not to mention himself! It didn't sound all that fun at all, but he still attempted to mimick the smirk that crossed over Kio's face. It came off as more of a wince.

But his friend was kind enough to concern himself with Ezra's morals and sentiments. He was thoughtful enough to offer a way out of this whole thing. Someone kind and thoughtful couldn't do a lot of damage, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. If they got caught, maybe it'd be small enough that the consequences wouldn't be such a big deal, perhaps some extra chores or something. And Kio was smart, they probably wouldn't even get caught anyways! And he agreed, someone as mean as the Alpha Handler definitely needed knocked a few pegs. He nibbled at his bottom lip as he considered, glancing down to the blue wher that he continued to pet as if in search of some support before looking back to his friend. He'd heard of pranks at least, irritating things that were often forgotten about by the end of a sevenday or became the simple butt of jokes. They weren't too bad. "I want to help," he offered quietly, his lips curling into a hesitant smile. He didn't want to let Kio down.[/size][/ul]

[Nia]

Kio watched Ezra carefully, the gears of his ever-calculating mind whirling. This boy was very easy to manipulate. He seemed to believe absolutely everything that Kio said, without doubting a single bit. It was almost scary, just how easy Kio could convince him. He'd obviously been lying about Ridan, or at least smudging the truth quite a bit, and yet... he was still believed. The black-haired boy wasn't even sure it was worth it, anymore. Well... he could stand to be truthful to one person. Not that he was going to retract his statements about Ridan... but Ezra seemed to trust him quite a bit. And it unnerved him.

But only a little. It wasn't nearly enough to change Kio for good. Or ever, really. Perhaps Kiosk's complex about helping other people was rubbing off on him... that thought disturbed Kio quite a bit more than Ezra's personality. Was he growing soft? No way. He was still the same old, same old. Nothing had changed. So he didn't want to deceive his partner anymore? That was normal, they were partners. Perhaps the only person that Kio could actually call a friend. And he wanted to keep that. Kiosk leaned into the boy's touch, and if he'd been a cat, he probably would have been purring up a storm. His thoughts whirled with happiness that was beginning to seep over into Kio's thoughts. He didn't like it... how easy Kiosk invaded his thoughts. He really didn't.

The quiet response set Kio's mind whirling in a completely different direction. Ah, so Ezra wanted to help. Good! More eyes meant more information which meant more chances to catch Ridan cheating. He was always happiest when scheming. His smirk returned in full force as he thought. Ah... so they were probably just going to have to lay low and lurk around the wherhandler quarters. Maybe make some more friends there that could tell them Ridan's whereabouts. And then, once armed with their information... they'd confront Ridan about it. Well, Kio would. He'd take the full brunt of it, were they to get caught, so Ezra wouldn't get in the way. Ah... but it wasn't a gesture out of niceness. It was just because Kio wanted all the recognition of the scheme himself. Really, that was it.

"Good, I'm glad," he said, and then thought for a moment. "I figure we should just get evidence of him... with other people. Not the Bronzerider that won his wher's run. I suppose you can ask around for me and help me with stake-outs..." he thought, eyes growing distant as he considered what else they had to do, "But I'll take care of actually talking to Ridan myself. If we get in trouble... you don't know me."

[/size]

[cy]

[/i] other people? His brain stuttered and stalled, uncertain and disbelieving and confused in the same breath, but the boy was continuing on with his plans and Ezzy forced himself to check back in on the conversation. Perhaps he was mistaken on his interpretation and he felt a little embarrassed that he'd leap to such a conclusion. Yes, he focused on the rest of Kio's plan, a nice and momentary distraction. He could ask around for the boy and help with stake-outs, fun!

There was a relieved tug at the corner of his lip, a soft and grateful smile as Kio took the responsibility of talking to the Alpha Handler. It was so brave of him! And Ezra couldn't deny that he was glad to not have to confront the man that had been villainized in his head so immensely. He nodded along. "If we get in trouble, I don't know you. Got it." And he trusted without question that it would be the same in reverse. If they got in trouble, Kio wouldn't know him either. One person having to deal with the consequences would be better than two... of course, Ezzy didn't like the thought of Kio being punished on his own, so he could only keep his fingers crossed that they wouldn't get in trouble at all. Surely they wouldn't.

With sudden shyness, he averted his gaze to the blue head caught between his hands, the strokes of his fingers growing more gentle and less enthusiastic as his mind wandered to other things. "Now... when you say with other people... how do you mean?" He questioned, a faint blush colouring his cheeks as he looked back up to the boy. If Kio did mean what he initially assumed the boy to mean, he certainly didn't want to hear it out loud, but if he didn't mean s-e-x or anything of the sort, then he should know before he went around asking the wrong questions or doing the wrong thing! Oh, such a difficult position to be in and his face grew hotter.[/size][/ul]