What a crazy random happenstance! :D

[Kain]

The sun was warmer here. At least, that was S'pren's opinion. Though it may have been biased, considering that he'd been laying in it for several hours. Giyriath was enjoying the soak, too, and he wasn't as persuadable. The brownrider was actually happy that the dragon had been able to convince him to go exploring for once. This wasn't an adventure- this was luxury!

Early that morning, the brown dragon had woken up with a vengeance. He was bored, it was going to be a nice day, and S'pren had better wake up or he'd be falling into a very unfriendly lake soon! That particular proposition was not something that his rider had wanted to take him up on, so he stumbled through the motions of getting ready before the pair set of barely after dawn.

It was only mid-morning when the brown had found a place where he wanted to land. The settled in a field a few dragonlengths outside of a tiny hold. And settle they did! Within minutes, the pair was asleep, the brown in the middle of the open grasses, S'pren on top. This was how they were until- surprise! A boy was about to intrude upon them. Or at least, that was what Giyriath told his rider after dumping him unceremoniously on the ground.

"What in the world is wrong with you, Gir?"

[Shikai]

Eravrael’s wide green eyes were locked on the sky, watching the thin, wispy clouds drift across with a careless ease that was at once relaxing and frustrating. It was like they were taunting him, mocking the difficult lives of the Pernese below as they flaunted their place above such earthly troubles. It was a hot day, and even Eravrael was having difficulty making out shapes in them; an activity the boy usually enjoyed.

He rolled off his back, getting to his feet and absently brushing the few clinging strands of grass off the back of his shirt. What was he going to do with himself for the day? Eravrael had been given the day off from his weavercraft studies, an event more dreaded than appreciated by the boy, although he would never say it to his master’s beaming face as the woman proclaimed that the apprentices were free.

Eravrael looked up in surprise as a firelizard’s trill broke the silence around him, and a bronze flit collided with his shoulder as he scrambled to land upon it, his musical greeting turning to excited chirps. “Shells Othello, what’s got you so worked up?” The weaver exclaimed, affectionately stroking the firelizard’s head. The bronze was a bit flighty, especially for his color, so such occurrences weren’t altogether rare, but there was usually some reason for them. Often he never found out, receiving only confusing images through the mental link they shared, but today was to be different.

A…was that a dragon? “Were you at the weyr, ‘Thel?” He asked, confused. What would a dragon be doing at his hold? With an impatient snort, the bronze took to the air again, tugging at the boy’s shirt as he pushed off in a manner that indicated that he wished Eravrael to follow. Shrugging, the boy acquiesced. He had nothing better to do, really, so any sort of distraction was quite welcome to kill time. Even if it was one of Othello’s wherry-chases.

But this was no wherry-chase, he realized as they turned around a small cluster of trees, and his eyes fell upon a brown dragon. After staring in awe for a long moment, Eravrael was conscious of the rider on the ground beside the creature. He froze, fighting the impulse to turn and get away before he was seen, although it was likely too late for that. What was the dragonrider doing there? Could it be possible…surely a rider wouldn’t go out of his way to visit Eravrael’s hold for anything less than Search! If that was true, then Eravrael had no choice – he had to the weyr, and he couldn’t do that without talking to the rider. He didn’t appear to be busy, at least…

Othello finalized the matter by swooping toward the brown, alighting on the nose of his larger cousin, peering curiously into the massive, faceted eyes. Well, there was no way he could avoid a confrontation now! “Othello!” Eravrael cried, moving toward the brown’s rider. “I’m sorry about my firelizard! He…I’m afraid he’s quite a handful…” Eravrael’s rapidly dropping confidence could be heard in his voice as speaking to the strange man quickly drained it away. At least he’d managed to get one sentence out without nervous pauses.

Gathering up all his courage, he took a deep breath and started to speak again, more smoothly. “You’re…from Araelen, right? You’re lucky…your brown is very handsome.” It wasn’t only the dragon that was, either, Eravrael noticed, looking the young man over. He wondered if he…well, he wasn’t a bronzerider at least, although a blue would have been a better giveaway. With brownriders, who knew?

[Kain]

Oh. Apparently, Gir wasn't just trying to annoy him this time. There really was a boy here. S'pren scrambled to his feet, swiveling at the same time to face the young intruder. It was such a complicated maneuver that he fell against Giyriath again and was thoroughly embarrassed by the time he righted himself and was facing the boy. The brownrider dusted himself off and tried to put on a suitably haughty face for the non-rider. In his experience, the holders generally thought of the riders as a higher class of people, and S'pren wasn't going to rob this boy of his delusions now!

A bronze flitter landed on Gir's nose at that moment. The silly dragon snorted and stared at the firelizard down his snout for a moment, before shaking his head ferociously in an attempt to remove the nuisance. Well, there went any preconceptions of the dragons or their riders being nobler than the common man. S'pren sighed and laughed under his breath at their antics and turned his attention back to the boy who'd interrupted their nap.

"Don't worry about the lizard. They're all over at the Weyr. Which, yes, I am from," S'pren said, his eyes inspecting the younger boy. "Gir says thank you for the compliment, by the way. Don't you, Gir? Oh, his name is Giyriath, by the way. I'm S'pren."

The brown peered at the boy much in the same way as he had at his firelizard, and then, again treating the boy as the flit, snorted at him.

"That's... just his way of saying thank you," the brownrider said with a sigh. "Where'd you get a bronze flit? He's precious."

S'pren eyed the boy's form a bit covertly. He was very pretty, this one, which was a bit surprising considering how very few jobs were that gentle. Probably a harper or somesuch. But more than that, S'pren was trying to keep his mind from presenting him with ideas that were wholly unnapropriate, even though the boy practically leaked innocence. How... irritating.

You had to wake me up for this? If I was asleep, he might've just gone away. The brownrider asked, somewhat sardonically.

Blame the little one. He woke me up, and if I am awake, you are awake. The brown was watching the flitter, his eyes whirling green. Apparently the brown was acting more annoyed than he was in reality. Well, he did have a soft spot for flits.

[Shikai]

Othello squawked in surprise as his perch shook vigorously beneath him, causing him to fall off and promptly go between, appearing moments later beside Eravrael again. Settling on his bonded’s shoulder, he continued to peer curiously at the dragon, albeit from a safe distance. Eravrael initially quailed under S’pren’s haughty stare, greatly wishing he hadn’t bothered the young man. He relaxed slightly when S’pren laughed, attempting a meek smile in response.

Yes, now the rider didn’t seem so bad. In fact, he seemed friendly enough, even thanking Eravrael for complimenting his brown on behalf of the dragon. The lad nodded as he introduced himself and his dragon, Giyriath. After a moment, his eyes widened slightly in realization that politeness dictated that he give his own name, and he smiled apologetically. “I’m Eravrael. I’m an apprentice weaver here.” Usually he would have left it at ‘Eravrael’, choosing not to divulge the weaver bit, even if it did go against social norms, as it usually made people wonder about his orientation. Well, any suspicions they had were correct, of course, but that didn’t mean Eravrael wanted them to know.

He looked flustered for a moment as S’pren asked where he’d obtained a bronze firelizard. Was he not supposed to have one? Was that strange? Well yes, Othello was small, but he supposed it was uncommon for an apprentice in any craft to have one at all, especially a bronze. “Oh…my sister, she…gave me an egg…she was a harper.” He nearly mumbled the last bit, hoping the rider wouldn’t press him for further information about that. He certainly didn’t have to explain using the past tense when referring to her…it may have been two turns, but the memories were still painful to think about.

Eravrael nearly jumped as the brown dragon snorted at him, but smiled at S’pren’s explanation. Dragons were such marvelous creatures…what he wouldn’t do for one of his own! Speaking of which…Eravrael looked at S’pren again, wishing that Giyriath, as beautiful as he was, was any color but brown. How was he to know what the rider’s preferences were? Well, perhaps he should try anyway, and hopefully S’pren wouldn’t notice anything if he was straight. At any rate, Eravrael couldn’t let this chance slip by without trying, no matter how much courage it would take. The chance to have his own dragon was worth anything.

Eravrael looked him over again, casting away his discretion to make a bit more of a show of the action. He moved the slightest bit closer to the man, tilting his head with a charming innocence as he spoke. “You’re very lucky to have him! A fine dragon like him, I’m sure he wins lots of flights…”

Well, that was surprisingly bold for Eravrael, but such was his desperation to be a dragonrider.

[Kain]

S'pren raised a thin eyebrow at the boy- Eravrael's- implication. A weaver? Well, with those looks, maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised. "Nice to meet you, Eravrael," S'pren smiled at the angelic-type boy. He tried not to laugh as the boy panicked when he asked about the flit. He almost asked after his sister, but something in Eravrael's voice warned him not to. Instead, he leaned on his dragon, hoping to mask his curiosity.

But then the boy had to go and comment on the brown's flight-related prowess. ( Gir took this moment to remind S'pren that his skill was vast. Whatever that meant. ) Now it was S'pren's turn to be confused. Was... was the kid hitting on him? He did seem to be closer, now, but one really couldn't be sure. Only one way to find out, and that was by playing by the boy's rules.

"Well, yes. But then, there aren't many, well, male greenriders at the weyr right now." There. That was blunt, right? Now all that was left was to gauge the boy's reaction. The whole mental-picture thing was starting to hurt his brain.

[Shikai]

Eravrael fought the urge to fidget nervously as S’pren rose an eyebrow. Shards, what if he was straight? What was he supposed to say if S’pren asked him what he’d meant by that? His mind raced, trying to find a way to save himself if he had miscalculated, but came up with nothing. Othello nuzzled his bonded’s cheek reassuringly from his perch on the boy’s shoulder, sensing the lad’s distress.

S’pren’s reply brought immense relief to Eravrael. He was in luck! There could be no mistaking it; S’pren preferred his dragon to fly greens bonded to men. Eravrael knew it would be quite a stretch for him to impress a brown even, should he impress at all. But he didn’t mind, any dragon would be the best thing that had ever happened to him, that was certain.

So, now that he was sure of S’pren’s inclinations, how to proceed? Flirting, he supposed. He was sure he could find some way to persuade the man to bring him to the weyr…

“Oh, really? That’s quite a shame. Perhaps there weren’t enough suitable male candidates?” He replied, a hint in his voice. “I don’t see why some people are so averse to greens. I certainly wouldn’t mind having a green dragon, even with the flights.” Eravrael remarked, flicking his eyes to Giyriath and then to S’pren as he mentioned flights. In reality, he wasn’t sure he liked the idea of a dragon flight, from what he had heard, but he supposed that was silly of him. He was hardly picky about who he was with without a dragon.

[Kain]

Giyriath snaked his head around to S'pren's side, finally deciding on paying attention to the conversation. His rider was getting interested, why wouldn't he be? The rider leaned on one of the spikes that was nearly as large as his head as he considered the boy. He was after something, though S'pren couldn't quite put his finger on it. Was he just here to moon after a rider? That couldn't be it, could it?

The brownrider's interest was piqued when he saw Eravrael relax slightly at his words. Oh, so that's how it was! S'pren still wasn't sure what the boy wanted, but he had an inkling on how he planned on getting it.

Mine, what are you planning? I know you, and I can tell when you've got something sneaky in mind. His brown was still in his amused state, and was happy that his rider had come up with something that would probably prove to be very entertaining!

I'm not sure yet, Gir. Just wait while I figure out what he's getting at. Eravrael was talking about dragons now and... oh! So that was it. He wanted to be a candidate! That was easily arranged, right?

Mine! I'm not a searchdragon!

Hardly a problem. S'pren smiled indulgently to his dragon, figuring that Eravrael would just assume that the brown had complimented him again or something. He doesn't know that, Gir. This would be a very difficult prank... maybe we shouldn't try it, if you don't feel up to it.

Mine! Please! The brown bridled at the implication that he was scared or doubted his abilities. I am capable of acting at least that much!

"Perfect," S'pren said aloud. He didn't mind if Eravrael heard this part of the conversation. "A lot of people think it's not proper, how greenriders loose- inhibitions- during flights. There's always that possibility that you might wake up in some rider's weyr that you've never spoken to before," the rider winked at the boy, making a pretense of fixing up his riding straps.

"Well, we should probably be heading back sometime soon... Important business at the Weyr, you understand..." S'pren faded off, glancing at the boy. Just how far was the kid willing to go for this chance? S'pren was certainly interested in finding out.

[Shikai]

The smile that passed between S’pren and Giyriath didn’t escape Eravrael’s notice, for the boy was watching every motion of the two as he anxiously hoped that the brownrider would respond favorably to his ploys. He wasn’t sure what to make of the look, although it was obviously a response to some silent conversation between the two. A hint of longing appeared in his eyes, seeing the rider leaning casually against his dragon’s neck, talking to the marvelous creature through a bond only they understood. Eravrael wanted – no, needed that kind of bond. Things had been alright as long as he’d had Vale, but since her passing…well, suffice to say he hadn’t faired well without his protective older sister.

Subconciously he reached for the bronze flit on his shoulder, running his fingers over the creature’s headknobs affectionately, the action eliciting happy croons from Othello. He had him, at least, his sister’s last gift to him. But the bronze was hardly a substitute for a relationship with an intelligent being. One simply couldn’t have a conversation with a firelizard, and while the creatures were sympathetic to and recognized their bonded’s emotions, they couldn’t understand any more than a canine or feline.

No, it was a dragon he needed! He had tried to find a person first, of course, but all his relationships had failed dismally so far. He didn’t understand why. Eravrael tried so hard to make them happy…even if it meant never being honest. But wasn’t it better to lie than to say something that could upset someone? No, it was certainly better to say what someone wanted to hear.

His eyes returned sharply to clarity as S’pren spoke again, bringing his attention back to the brownrider at once. Perfect? Was that directed at him, or…no, it seemed he was talking to his dragon. What was perfect? Eravrael’s mind raced, coming up with countless explanations of what could have transpired between dragon and rider, some good for him, and some bad. But as he had heard only one word, it was regrettably impossible for him to figure out what the two could have been discussing. He certainly wouldn’t have guessed what they had actually said.

The next words were clearly meant for them, and he put the conversation between S’pren and Giyriath at the back of his mind as he responded. “I imagine it’s the same for other riders, isn’t it?” Eravrael said. “Anyhow, it doesn’t sound so bad, really…I wouldn’t mind.” Would he mind? It would be a bit unsettling. Hm, as long as the other lad didn’t run off first thing in the morning, no, he wouldn’t really. But if a bronzerider or such should win, Faranth forbid, well, that he wouldn’t like at all. Not a chance they would be interested in any further relationship, and would probably be disgusted by what they had done, dragon-influenced though it was. That would be distressing for Eravrael.

A wary look came to his mind, shattering the airy, flirtatious manner he had been using to talk to the rider, as he began to adjust his riding straps. No, he couldn’t be…“Wait!” He cried out, as S’pren seemed to make to leave. “Please don’t leave…I mean…I want to go with you.” Eravrael stated, quite flustered, but he gathered up his courage for the last sentence, locking eyes with S’pren in a show of determination that was incredibly rare in the lad. “I would very much like to be a candidate, please…I would do anything.” The time for hinting was over, it was now or never. Time to offer everything he had, which wasn’t much, in hopes that the brownrider would agree. Shy of murder, Eravrael meant anything when he said it, and his tone made this clear.

[Kain]

Well, at least now S'pren knew that he'd guessed correctly on the boy's motive. But now, his whole-hearted promise of anything - anything - threw him off balance. While Eravrael didn't come off as niave, per se, S'pren couldn't be completely sure of that judgement now. He wondered vaugely if this hopeful boy had any idea of what 'anything' might mean to a person like S'pren. While he was pleasant for the most part, the brownrider would be the first to admit his immorality. Indeed, his own part at the moment in the farce was far from what one would consider 'nice.'

Mine, this is a truly delightful one you have come up with! Think of how the greens will look at myself in awe as I regale them with this tale! The brown wasn't even paying attention to the conversation at this point, though his eyes had defiantly turned a pale purple color. Whether the change was from his planned exploits or a residual from the rider and dragon's shared link; it was hard to tell. And, mine, you will have a very good story for yourself as well. We will be known as the cleverest in the Weyr! The brown's tone was most definitely smug now.

Hush, it's not done yet. We still have to convince him that we're taking him on search, remember? S'pren lightly tapped the brown's hide and the dragon snorted.

We're taking him all the way back? I thought we'd just leave him here.

"Don't be cruel," the brownrider said, momentarily forgetting that there was a witness right there. "It's only proper that..." At that point, he realized that Eravrael was probably listening in. It's only proper that we reward him, or as an apology, perhaps. The brown still seemed uncertain, and S'pren continued slyly. The greens will practically fall over themselves to get to you, the most compassionate and kind brown in the Weyr.

Why, yes, I suppose they would. Good thinking, mine! Hurry with whatever it is that you plan to do, I want to get back soon. Can't deprive them for much longer.

"You're probably right, they must be distraught without you," S'pren said sardonically, then again remembered that he was in the middle of a very sneaky prank. "Eravrael, I'm not sure what you mean by anything," S'pren winked at the boy. "Would you mind terribly if you could explain back at my weyr? Gir is in a hurry."

[Shikai]

((I’M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE. ;_____________; I’ll never be this bad again, I promise! Dx ))

Othello hopped down into Eravrael’s arms, which rose automatically to hold the bronze firelizard like a feline as the creature rubbed his head against the weaver’s chest reassuringly. He could feel the fast, nervous pounding of Eravrael’s heart as he did so, but not comprehend the meaning. The firelizard could, however, sense his bonded’s distress, and crooned reassuringly. Eravrael was glad of the occupation for his hands, and he rubbed anxiously at Othello’s headknobs as he could only stand and wait for S’pren’s reaction. Well, not to say he didn’t consider turning around and running, and trying to forget the day had never happened. But he stayed, because maybe, maybe, S’pren would agree. It wasn’t likely, but…he had to find out.

He started when S’pren finally spoke aloud again, and Othello’s claws dug into his shirt. He grimaced as he felt them against his skin, but was more concerned about the brownrider’s words. Don’t be cruel? What was only proper? It was immediately clear that he was still talking to his dragon, but the bit of conversation Eravrael had heard was unsettling. Cruel…? What were they talking about? He struggled to stand his ground, clutching Othello closer to his chest without realizing it.

At last, S’pren addressed him by name, and Eravrael tried not to look too anxious as he waited for his decision. Yet he could only stare blankly back at S’pren, shocked, when he actually agreed.

“You…r-really? You’ll take me with you?” He said, his mind slowly coming to terms with it. His face broke into a genuine smile for perhaps the first time in turns, and he shoved Othello back up onto his shoulder (to which the firelizard squawked loudly in protest) as he rushed toward S’pren and the dragon, although he remained a respectful distance away from the great creature as he looked at it in wide-eyed awe for a moment. Then Eravrael remembered his offer, and turned at once back to the brownrider. His smile turned coy as he answered.

“Of course! I would be happy to, ah…explain.”