Nothing To See Here [Srunae]

[Zen]

Immediately Following This Calls For A Toast?

Treyjen

A'zael's brother left to ensure the rest of the Weyr's leadership that their Weyrleader would soon be safely abed and Treyjen turned back in the direction of the man's weyr, shifting him on his shoulder slightly. Not exactly the evening he had planned for, but at his core he did have a certain fondness for the Weyrleader, so he didn't mind helping. The man could be replaced at any time really, but he enjoyed working with him. He knew where he stood with A'zael, the man had accepted the truth of the matter at hand, and he wasn't eager to start over with a new Weyrleader, one who would perhaps not be as enjoyable to work with.

A'zael mumbled something at his back, but from his lack of flailing about Treyjen knew he'd gone and passed out so he didn't pay it any mind. Instead he turned his attention to Srunae. From the way she'd spoken to the Weyrleader back there... it was more than just her trying to preserve some peace in Mavros's political atmosphere that she had gone to remove A'zael from the feast. Whatever had happened between them, it was clear she cared about the man. But, he rather thought it was time for him to uphold his end of this budding friendship.

“So, is this normal for him? Can't say as I've ever seen A'zael drunk before,” he had a feeling it wasn't. After all, he had upon several occasions invited the Weyrleader back to his ship for a drinking contest with various members of his crew, and A'zael had always laughed and admitted he was rather a lightweight and didn't particularly feel like embarrassing himself. And if it wasn't normal, there was likely a reason behind it happening tonight of all nights. He found it hard to believe that a disagreement with Srunae would drive him to such length, no matter the man's feelings for her, but he'd never seen the man have genuine feelings for a woman either, so who was to say?

Two weyr staff came around a corner, chatting, and stopped when they saw the trio. Treyjen gave them both a friendly smile, waving as they passed by as though he wasn't carrying an unconscious man over his shoulder, “Good evening!” That seemed to leave them both even more confused and they hurried away, their conversation resuming in hushed tones. He looked down at Srunae then, “You two have been tossing unpleasant looks back and forth all night. What happened between you?” There, he had asked. If she waved him off and tried to avoid or change the subject, he'd let it drop, but the path was open for her now if she cared to share.

Rhush Short thread starter =X

[Rhush]

Srunae

Srunae eyed A’zael’s drink as he knocked it over, debating on if she should clean it up as his protesting words, slurred and sullen, reached her ears. “A’zael, I’m too small to help you back to your weyr by myself,” She said gently, shaking her head as she looked up at the bronzer. She was aware using logic on a drunk person didn’t always work, but it wasn’t like she was lying. Judging by how the far taller man slurred and swayed in place, she doubted he wouldn’t be too much dead weight (and awkward dead weight at that) for her to even begin to move on her own. What was it that she always told her mother? It wasn’t the weight of the canine food bags that made them hard to carry, it was the awkward shifting shape, bending and rolling over her shoulder instead of remaining straight and settled in one spot. She’d supported people taller than she, sure, but they had all been able to walk pretty straight on their own, even if they needed some assistance. Srunae would be surprised if A’zael could crawl a straight line right now, let alone walk one.

Srunae smiled little warmer at Treyjen’s agreement to her plea, caught somewhere between amused by the Pirate’s show of speech and worried as A’zael nigh immediately started trying to fight out of his grasp. Concern flashed across her face as she followed after them, watching intently as Treyjen half drug A’zael out of the feast, worried on both of their behalf – what if Treyjen’s rough handling hurt A’zael? What if A’zael got too feisty and hurt Treyjen? Srunae about jumped as S’fin appeared at her side, his apologies and explanations practically falling over themselves in his hasty speech. “Oh, it’s alright S’fin, you aren’t A’zael’s keeper,” And neither was she, but that was beside the point. “I don’t think any of us expected him to get so… out of hand.” She chuckled darkly and glanced over at Treyjen as the pirate addressed S’fin. She soon found herself nodding along to his words of understanding, before it dawned on her that S’fin and Treyjen likely weren’t acquainted. She didn’t see a need to introduce them, however, as S’fin’s admittance of brotherhood seemed enough for Treyjen to continue… and also toss A’zael over his shoulder like an overlarge sack of tubers.

Srunae let out a surprised noise about the same time A’zael did, her eyes widening slightly in amazement. She knew that seacrafters were a strong lot – they had to be, hauling around half of the stuff necessary to ensure a ship of that size stayed afloat – but she hadn’t expected to see one making a show of it without a life and death situation involved. Was he really just that strong? The beastcrafter resisted the urge to poke at Treyjen’s free arm and feel the muscle there to sate her curiosity; she’d been on his arm for most of the evening, but she hadn’t even thought about it until now… she vaguely wished she’d paid more attention. The woman turned her attention back to S’fin and stifled a giggle as she took note of the equal amounts of shock on the greenrider’s face; it was an understatement to say that Srunae believed the pirate when he said he would make sure A’zael made it safely to bed.

“I’ll definitely let you know if I need your help, S’fin. Don’t worry; I’ll even let you know when he’s in bed.” Srunae smiled brightly, her first genuine smile since this mess had started, to reassure the worried greenrider. “And thanks for handling the politics,” She winked after the man said he would tell B’rax, X’ar, and Karredy that A’zael had been escorted out for the evening. “I appreciate it.” If he didn’t do it, she would have had to herself, and frankly Srunae was about as done with politics for the evening as she could get, and she hadn’t even been playing at it all that long. Treyjen had been doing most of the politicking, humorously enough. Maybe it was more that she was tired of being arm candy… She watched as S’fin headed back into the Feast, tossing one last worried look over his shoulder before he rounded the corner and was out of sight. Srunae sighed and turned back to Treyjen, her mood lifted by S’fin’s antics. She took to eying the pirate up and down for a moment, vaguely glad that A’zael had passed out. He wouldn’t want to hear the next thing she said.

“You know, if you wanted to impress me, you could’ve lifted a large inanimate object instead of the Weyrleader.” She shot him a sideways look, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. She couldn’t help herself; it always made it easier for Srunae to deal with situations like this if she could throw out a bit of humor, and teasing an attractive pirate certainly fit that bill. “Shall we?” She chuckled darkly and gestured down the passageway before the two of them started off, quietly mumbling cargo in tow. What a strange group they made, the pirate, the goldrider, and the passed out Weyrleader over the pirate’s shoulder…

She blinked and glanced over at Treyjen as he asked about A’zael’s drinking habits. If she was honest, she didn’t actually know his drinking habits; but if their interactions meant anything, he’d never had a drink around her, so… “I can’t really say. I imagine he doesn’t drink often though; he’s never had anything more than water or klah around me, and his position would make it difficult to drink much as well…” Not that it seemed to help him tonight… She thought wryly, glancing over at the sleeping man before turning her gaze forward again. “He hasn’t had an easy sevenday though…” A pair of weyrstaff came around the corner, much to Srunae’s surprise, and the woman proceeded to make herself seem as small as possible, averting her gaze and pretending that the trio weren’t all that out of place. She blinked and looked up at Treyjen in surprise as he waved at them, taking the opposite tack as he greeted the pair with a warmly. The two looked highly confused and they bolted away while Srunae continued to gawk at the pirate. By Faranth, what was that? Was he just always this composed, no matter what he was dealing with? Shells didn’t she wish she was that confident… She looked away as he looked down at her, pretending to have totally not been staring.

And then he asked the most difficult question of the night. The corners of her mouth quirked up into an awkward, self-depreciative smirk, and she glanced up at Treyjen out of the corner of her eye. “You must like difficult questions,” She said wryly, shaking her head before sighing heavily. “I’m sorry in advance. But… A’zael and I got into a bit of a fight,” The woman occupied her hands with undoing her hair, staring at the ground before their feet. “We were having lunch at A’zael’s weyr. I hadn’t seen him in the dining caverns in sevendays, so I…” It didn’t really matter why she had brought him lunch, that wasn’t what Treyjen was asking; she waved one hand as if to dismiss it and shook her head as she continued. “We got to talking about us ‘n our relationship… what we wanted out of it – what we wanted from each other.” She slowly worked her long hair out of its braids, thankful for the minor distraction. “Nalyra… walked in. She… asked if you had gotten bored with me. Called A’zael her territory… and told me to go show you a new trick so you’d… take me back.” She glared at the floor, her speech halting and slow to keep her temper under control. “And A’zael just stood there, staring like a sharding idiot as she mocked me. I probably overreacted, but… it hurt.” She sighed and twisted a lock of hair around her fingers, finally glancing over at Treyjen. “I freaked out; I called your sister a liar and said that even A’zael hadn’t gotten into my pants yet, and I loved him… and that she wouldn’t have to worry anymore about her territory,” Srunae made a disgusted face, the frustration plain on her features. “That I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore; and I stormed out.”

She heaved a heavy sigh, her hands falling to her sides as she chuckled dryly. “Ironically, when Nalyra walked in… I was telling A’zael… that I hadn’t… I hadn’t tried for more than the…” She gestured vaguely, lacking a word to use, “Relationship we had because… I knew his reputation, and… I didn’t want to get hurt.” Srunae smiled darkly at the ground, her humor all but gone and her voice growing louder as much as it grew more tense; she always spoke louder when she was passionate about something, whether she was angry, happy, or something else.

“Shells if I didn’t nail that one on the head; little holder girl falls for the handsome bronzerider and gets her heart broken,” She shook her head and frowned before continuing, “And then Orana passed away not two days later,” She paused and glanced over at Treyjen, who likely had no idea who Orana was, “That is, his eldest daughter, Azora – her mother, Orana, passed away. Azora’s… six? Seven? And she only met A’zael… probably a little less than a half turn ago; prior to that she only knew her mother, and A’zael didn’t know he had a daughter.” She rubbed her face and took a deep breath, taking a second to get herself back under some semblance of control. “I… didn’t know Orana, but I met Azora. Great kid… deeply attached to her mother. I… can only imagine what that had to be like, being the barely known father trying to comfort a child as the two of them buried her mother.” She knew she’d be a wreck if her mother passed away now, let alone at Azora’s age. “And then add on the catastrophe that was the hatching, and…” She shrugged.

“I can understand why he wanted to drink. He… usually talked to me about these things, and… I wasn’t there for him, even though I saw it coming.” The weyrling beat herself up more than anyone else could for that chain of events, that much was for certain. Srunae laughed wryly and looked up at Treyjen again, her hazel eyes lit with dark humor, tone of voice bitingly sarcastic and laced with a self-depreciating wit. “Which brings us to now; and that is the story of how I managed to ruin your night, his night, and the night of everyone else who was involved over the course of half a sevenday. Sharding talent, right?” And now she was spilling her soul to a Pirate. What great life choices, Srunae, you’ll make a sharding good Junior Weyrwoman. She sighed exasperatedly and ran a hand across her face and into her hair, sweeping the long locks over a shoulder, gaze back on the floor again.

Zen Yes, I know, but I had written up a response for the Feast before I saw this, so I just extended it and put it all here. xD 2000 words, woo!

[Zen]

Treyjen

Treyjen laughed as Srunae suggested there were better ways to impress her, “What fun would that be? Besides that, I'm impressive enough without worrying about putting on a show for you.” His grin was all arrogance as they began making their way down the hall. Srunae explained that she'd never seen A'zael partaking in any alcohol when spending time with him, and that apparently the Weyrleader had had a bad sevenday. Idiot should have waited until he got back to his weyr if he wanted to drown his problems for a while.

Shifting A'zael on his shoulder slightly as he felt him slipping, he waited as Srunae began to explain how she and A'zael had a fight. Why was she apologizing to him? He looked over at her as she began undoing her hair, apparently very interested in the floor, as she continued to stare down at it for some time. He raised an eyebrow slightly at her. A'zael had been talking to her about their relationship...? When his sister's name dropped from her lips, he drew in a deep, exasperated breath, because no story that involved Nalyra ever ended well.

She slowly told him what his sister had said to her, clearly fighting her emotions on it the whole while. Yeah. That sounded about right. Nalyra had always been rather possessive of her toys as a child, real bad at sharing. She had never grown out of it. He was surprised, briefly, to hear that A'zael had simply let it happen, however. With how much he cared about Srunae, he'd simply stood by and said nothing? Nalyra must have really had him by the stones. He gave the man hanging over his shoulder a quick glance. He had tried to warn him, the first time A'zael had danced around his relationship with his sister, that he wouldn't be able to handle her.

If you play with fire, you're likely to get burned, A'zael. With Nalyra it's not if, it's when.

A'zael had laughed then, made some reference to his being a rider, how he dealt with fire all the time and he was just fine. Well, he wasn't laughing now, was he? Idiot. His eyebrow raised again and he looked back to Srunae as she dropped the big L word. Well, at least one of them knew it. He was more surprised by her admission that A'zael hadn't gotten her into bed yet. The Weyrleader was taking his sweet time with her, wasn't he? He blew out his breath at the final words she'd said to him. She wanted nothing more to do with him, hm? A'zael had it bad for her. That must have hurt to hear. Yet, if he had it as bad as it had seemed to Treyjen, he still couldn't understand why he'd allowed Nalyra to be such a bitch to her. He rather deserved the heartache for his failings as a sharding man.

He frowned slightly as she went into an explanation of the other things A'zael had on his plate the past sevenday. Well, that did sound like the perfect recipe for making bad decisions. And then she was blaming herself for it all and Treyjen couldn't help but sigh, “Blaming yourself isn't about to help anyone, love.” And then he grinned over at her, “And who ever said you ruined my night? At the very least, you're not allowed to blame yourself for something that didn't even happen.” As for the rest well... he was still processing it all. It was quite a lot to take in all at once. He thought back to the start of the conversation... ah. That was why she'd apologized.

“A'zael is a sharding idiot, for starters, though all the reasons why would take far too long to list,” he smirked over at her, “But if you like stupidity in a man, that's your prerogative.” He looked at her seriously then, “However, I've never heard of A'zael sitting down to talk about the state of his relationship with a woman before, and we do enjoy sharing stories with each other. I've also never seen him jealous before... didn't think he was capable, to be honest. I've had quite a lot of fun playing with it. Anyway... he might have the emotional wherewithal of a particularly dense rock, but you're an intelligent woman... surely you know how much you mean to him?”

He studied her a moment, thinking over her explanation of their fight. What a complicated mess. This was why he was upfront with his potential bedpartners. This all seemed like far more effort than it was worth, if you asked him. But it wasn't his life, and he certainly wasn't going to start trying to tell other people how they ought to live, or what was or was not worth fighting for. That was rather up to the individual. He went with a logical approach, because clearly Srunae and A'zael both were rather emotionally involved in the issue, and that tended to hinder logical thought processes. Nalyra was quite good at inciting emotional responses from others as well, making people toss logic to the wind, himself included.

“It seems to me that an... unfortunate situation was exacerbated by a lack of communication. You said you were in the midst of discussing your relationship when Nalyra's arrival interrupted you. And, it sounds like no decision was reach by either of you, thanks to that interruption. I understand your confusion as to how the deadglow feels about you after his failure to step in on your behalf after being verbally assaulted, but....” He cleared his throat a bit, “Considering my own involvement in feeding his concerns about us, I'd say you're not the only one that was left confused. Not to mention how you told him you loved him and then turned around and stormed out after telling him you wanted nothing more to do with him. Bit of a mixed message, love.”

He shifted A'zael on his shoulder again and the man grumbled something unintelligible. “And now it's been left to fester between you, due to everything else that suddenly happened, when all the two of you really need is some uninterrupted conversation to clear this mess up. You still care, clearly,” he glanced over at her, “And judging by the glares he was tossing my way tonight, so does A'zael. I've heard love is a difficult beast to kill, along with countless tales of how it's worth fighting for. So if you want it, fight for it, Srunae. You're a goldrider, for Faranth's sake, surely you don't give up that easily? If so, I'm rather disappointed.”

He tossed a glance at A'zael and shook his head. Tomorrow would be an unpleasant day for him. Hangover aside, everything he'd been drinking to forget would come rushing back. Drowning in wine was quite the temporary solution to dealing with problems like A'zael's, and hardly productive in the end, but he couldn't fault the man wanting a break from them. He turned his attention back to Srunae, “I'm not trying to say you should fight alone in this endeavor, obviously a relationship requires effort on both ends, but look at him, Srunae. He usually talks to you about his problems? You think this happened because you weren't there for him? Maybe it did. He's clearly a sharding mess without you. But any man that dependent on a woman in his life ought to be willing to put forth the effort to keep her around, and if not, it's his own fault when he loses her.”

This love business might not be his thing, but he'd seen it in his crew and the families they'd started here at Mavros. He heard how they talked about their wives. Some part of him supposed it sounded nice on the surface at least, the partnership of marriages that actually worked. It wasn't something he wanted, being tied down to one person like that, but he could see some of the appeal for others. He'd rather be able to keep making his own decisions about his own life without intimately involving someone else in the process. His freedom meant too much to him to give any of it away for anyone, no matter how much they meant to him. He was a selfish person, he knew that, and no one would ever be able to make him happier than he could on his own, not to mention that selfishness did not lend itself well to romantic partnerships. From what he understood there was a lot of sacrifice involved on both ends, sacrifices he was simply not willing to make. But if Srunae meant as much to A'zael as Treyjen thought she did, the man was surely willing to sacrifice and compromise for her sake. Still, it would remain an unknown until A'zael woke up again and was able to have that conversation with her.

His gaze softened a bit as he looked at his companion, “It isn't your fault if anyone's night was ruined. A'zael might have had a hard sevenday, but that doesn't make his choices any less his own. And, might I say, blaming yourself for ruining the entire night for everyone is more than a little self important... but I suppose you are a goldrider.” He was teasing her now, a grin pulling at his lips, “It's unfortunate that your arrogance manifests in such a negative way. I assure you it's much more fun to take credit for everything good.”

[Rhush]

Srunae

Srunae stuck her tongue out at Treyjen, hardly amused by his quips about her blaming herself and not ruining his night. "Blaming myself helps me. I'm used to taking responsibility for things that were a result of my actions, either directly or indirectly; it helps me remember what to avoid doing myself or letting other people do. I've... always been like that." She chuckled wanly and glanced over at Treyjen, a dark smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. "I would rather be the one dealing with the trouble than letting someone else do it. Even way back in primary lessons; I beat the shards out of a boy that kept picking on my best friend. She started to cry and I wouldn't stand for it any more. And," She said, chuckling genuinely for a moment, "I did try diplomacy, and told all the right people first, if it helps ease your mind." No matter how one might look at it, Srunae wasn't a typical goldrider, though she was well aware that if she tried beating the tar out of a Lord Holder it would have far greater consequences than simply being forced to apologize to the man's mother. 

Srunae chuckled again as Treyjen branded A'zael an idiot. "It always seems like the idiots are the ones with the genuine hearts." She said, then had to do her best not to laugh outright at Treyjen's explanation of A'zael's emotional skill in between other more heart tugging things. Latching onto the humorous comments helped her deal with the less humorous ones. "Intelligent or not, I can't say I know how much I mean to him." Her gaze softened as she stared at the floor once again with a sigh. "And the reason for that is his reputation; I've heard he'll say things and act like... well, to put it simply, he's a heartbreaker, Treyjen. He's sending me all the right signals, but... are they real? Or are they just a ploy?" She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, expression thoughtful. "He and I... we got to be friends early on in my weyrlinghood; and even the dimmest of glows understands that sex is prohibited until a dragon is of a certain age. So you would think that his continued pursuit of our... whatever it was... over the course of a turn plus would mean he was genuine; but he likes the chase, and he obviously had other bedpartners while he's been waiting." She sighed.

"Plus, it would've been beyond idiotic if he tried to bed another weyrling after the whole debacle with the candidate-who-impressed from my class. Didn't stop the rumormill from saying it happened anyway, but, at least we knew they were wrong." The goldweyrling shook her head with a dry laugh and looked back over at Treyjen. "All of which leaves me with two possibilities - either he really likes the chase and just wants a friend with benefits, or he's interested in something more but still wants to romp in the furs with whomever his latest craze is. Neither of which is terribly attractive to me - I'm not very good at sharing a man - but I probably could've at least dealt with his philandering if we could've stayed in an 'I-don't-ask-and-you-don't-tell' sort of thing. I'm sorry," She said suddenly, staring Treyjen dead in the eye as seriousness overtook her tone, "But I wouldn't mind if your sister was eaten by a wild wher." Srunae looked back ahead of them again, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Nalyra just made her so sharding angry... she hoped that Treyjen didn't take that the wrong way, but she had a feeling he probably wouldn't.

Either way... she was glad the man was at least humoring her, if not even offering her some decent advice. She listened quietly as he spoke, going over the lack of communication between the two of them after everything happened, the inability to come to a decision because of... unfortunate circumstances... she didn't like to admit it, but he was right. They did need to talk about it more, if nothing else than to come to a decision on what... what exactly they wanted from each other. The goldweyrling knew she'd never get what she really wanted out of A'zael - it just wasn't possible between two riders - but that didn't mean they couldn't at least... try. She glanced at the Pirate out of the corner of her eye as he pointed out her mixed message - she knew it had been a mixed message; she also knew something Treyjen didn't. "I know I gave him mixed signals there, but... when I told him I adored him before Nalyra walked in... the look on his face... well, it wasn't encouraging." She could still see him sitting there at that table in his weyr, rubbing the back of his neck with uncertainty written all over his face and confusion laced with insecurity rolling off his mind... The joys of being an empath. She fell quiet again as Treyjen continued, nodding slightly as he glanced over at her and frowning at the insinuation that A'zael was jealous of Treyjen because he loved her as well. 

The woman chuckled wryly at the jab at her rank, rubbing the back of her neck with the same uncertainty that A'zael had that day. "The truth of the matter is that, if you're right, unless A'zael realizes he feels that way about me and wants to pursue it... nothing will change, no matter what I do. And frankly," She eyed the pirate, a dark smirk tugging at her lips, "I don't see the point in fighting for something one-sided; I'm not a goldrider because of my romanticism." She chuckled and shook her head before looking over at A'zael, passed out across Treyjen's back and mumbling quietly to himself. She truly did love the man - it was obvious in her gaze - but unless he felt the same way and, instead of running away scared at the idea of at least a semi-committed relationship, wanted to pursue it, then it was nothing more than a one-sided crush. An adoration of a man that had been willing to take part in her life to an extent unexpected, whom had helped her through some very trying times just by being there. And if that was what this came down to, well... Srunae supposed she could deal with it. Eventually her broken heart would heal and grow numb to her attraction, and she could reach a point of comfort in a close friendship... or else, she could go back to having no close friends outside of her dragon.

"I suppose..." It was a half-hearted response to his explanation of the effort A'zael should be putting into their relationship if he really wanted to keep her around - he was trying to tell her that at least half the blame should go to A'zael, and that the bronzer obviously needed her. She understood that. But did A'zael? Her throat felt tight and her heart sunk slowly into her stomach at the thought. She sighed and idly braided a small lock of hair, half hiding behind the brunette waves. She was used to being a necessity in someone's life until they became strong enough to move on to their own endeavors... was this just another one of those situations? A man who needed a friend so, so badly, but was nearing the point where he no longer needed a friend as often? The goldweyrling was lost in thought as Treyjen teased her, citing her blaming herself as self important and the unfortunate circumstance that her goldrider's arrogance manifested in depression. She glanced over at him again, a dark smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she feigned a pout. "It's unfortunate your arrogance manifests in everything you do. And here I thought you cared." 

Zen

[Zen]

Treyjen

Srunae explained that she used the self blame as a tool to learn from her mistakes, or others' as the case may be. Negative reinforcement? And, as she continued... a protective nature. She would rather be the one to accept the consequences, to save others from having to deal with them. Well, she was in a good position to do just that, as a goldrider. Treyjen could relate, actually. He laughed as she assured him she had made an attempt at diplomacy before resorting to violence. He did sometimes prefer diplomacy himself, but he was also a fan of efficiency, and one couldn't deny that a good beating often got the point across much more quickly in certain situations. “Ah, yes, here I was starting to grow concerned Mavros would soon have a brawling goldrider to add to its reputation,” he teased with a grin. It was hard to imagine the petite woman beside him beating up anyone, but he knew better than to underestimate someone simply because of their stature.

She brought up A'zael's reputation as the source of her confusion and hesitation in pursuing anything further with him. Oh, right... there was some sort of sex prohibition during weyrlinghood, wasn't there? He'd rather forgotten about that until she mentioned it. That would put a bit of a damper on his pursuit of her, wouldn't it? Well, he could still pursue her just fine, he just couldn't reach his goal as quickly as he might like. And, over the course of this pursuit, they had struck up a genuine friendship which seemed to be turning into something more. Treyjen wondered briefly if A'zael had ever had a chase last quite this long before. If he had, he certainly had never mentioned it. The man might enjoy a good chase but it seemed like even he would grow weary of it after this long. He could be wrong, he supposed. Perhaps A'zael really had gone into it prepared for the long game. Proving a devoted companion even while the possibility of sex was off the table did seem like something he would do, now that he thought about it.

The Weyrleader had a completely different side to him when it came to his dealings with women. He could be surprisingly manipulative. While Treyjen had made a point of studying people from all angles, learning how they worked, why they did the things they did, what motivated them, all for the purpose of manipulation, it seemed A'zael had done the same, but his skillset was much narrower, focused entirely on how women thought about men, and what motivated them to accept sexual advances. What was really impressive about it was that A'zael had done it without outright meaning to. He was a decent man at heart, he clearly was not doing this in any attempt to hurt anyone, it was simply his lack of emotional intelligence that led him to do so. He honestly seemed quite oblivious to it all, both what he knew how to do and the consequences of those actions.

He was shaken from his thoughts at Srunae looked him in the eye and pronounced that she wouldn't at all mind if Nalyra was eaten by a wild wher. That was. Well. He laughed, his tone apologetic, “I am sorry about how she's treated you. I do still believe you could have had some semblance of a friendship with her, had you met her under different circumstances, but it seems fate is determined for you to see only the worst of her.” And after their last encounter? Friendship was quite out of the question at this point. He fought the urge to defend her, to explain the good qualities his sister did possess. He knew a lost cause when he saw one. And it wasn't even on Srunae's end. No, Srunae seemed to be a decently reasonable person. Nalyra, however, had clearly already determined that the other woman wasn't worth her time or her respect, and once his sister had made up her mind about anything, changing it was an impossible task. He had certainly done a good job teaching her to stand by her convictions, hadn't he?

When she told him of A'zael's reaction to the lighter admission that she adored him before she had dropped the far heavier love, he wasn't entirely surprised. They both had similar reactions when women started getting too attached, for it often meant messy endings. A'zael was more likely to drag it out and make it worse than it had to be, though. The man liked to get his effort's worth from a relationship. He could certainly see where Srunae's confusion came from, but for someone removed, who was very aware of how the Weyrleader worked, it was easy to see it was more than just a chase. But she had a very good point. Just because there was more to it didn't mean A'zael was aware of the fact or that it was even something he was willing to pursue if he did. And there was little he could say in advice or reassurance on the matter. It really all came down to the discussion the two of them needed to have to sort this all out. There was no chance of any sort of resolution, good or bad, until then. “Or, a third option,” he added, “He doesn't know what the shell he wants and needs a bit of help working it out, and is just living life as he always has until he does.”

When she smirked at him, returning his teasing, he smirked back. He knew who he was and he was unashamed and unapologetic for it. “I prefer to call it confidence,” he winked at her, and just a bit more seriously, “And I do care, love, that's why I'm still here.” He hefted A'zael a bit, eliciting another string of unintelligible mumbling, “You didn't think I enjoyed carrying around unconscious men whilst talking women through their relationship troubles all for fun, did you?” Neither of those things was something he was willing to do for just anyone, and certainly not both at once. Not that he had ever done both at once before, but this certainly wasn't his first time carrying a man to bed after too much drinking, nor his first conversation in which someone had come to him for relationship advice. The first few times he'd been rather incredulous as to why anyone in their right mind would come to him about relationship matters, but he was a trusted authority figure for many, especially the younger members of his crew, a father or older brother stand in, so it made a certain amount of sense. “Taking care of my friends is rather high up on my priority list,” and with a glance at A'zael, “Even when they're being ash-headed.”

He ran back through her concerns in his mind. He really didn't understand the possessiveness most people felt over their partners. It left him a little at a loss. For all that he tried, he simply couldn't wrap his head around it. Any way he looked at it, it seemed to him that it shouldn't matter if your partner was sleeping with other people; either you wouldn't care about them enough for it matter or you did care about them, and should therefore want them to be able to enjoy themselves. Why an activity had to be restricted to only two people performing it together for the rest of their lives was beyond ridiculous. It was a form of selfishness that was incredibly foreign to Treyjen, a form of control over another person's body that he simply couldn't agree with. So he asked her, wondering if perhaps she could shed some light for him, “Why are you so opposed to 'sharing' a man, exactly?” Nalyra was easy, Nalyra liked to be in control. Srunae? Was it just some sort of holdborn thing that could be overcome or was it something else?

[Rhush]

Srunae

Srunae chuckled vaguely, Treyjen’s brawling comment bringing to mind a particular moment shortly after her impression. “Well, I did end up with quite the shiner a fortnight into my weyrlinghood…” She said, the grin on her face leaving it up to Treyjen to decide if she was joking or telling the truth. The situation around Talaria and Srunae’s first meeting had not hardly been common news, but one couldn’t deny the goldweyrling’s black eye for the time it lasted – and it had certainly caused some rumors about her political style involving physical altercations – but almost as soon as the bruising was gone, so were the rumors. There was simply nothing to back them up.

Srunae frowned at the pirate’s apology on his sister’s behalf, an eyebrow rising over greenish brown gaze as she waved a hand dismissively in his direction. “Nalyra wrote me off the moment she decided I was merely your latest bedwarmer,” The goldweyrling’s tone was vibrantly acidic; though she liked Treyjen, Srunae was not so easy as to be bedded the same day. She needed to know she wasn’t about to walk into the bedroom of someone treacherous, particularly with her station in the weyr. She wasn’t about to put herself in danger, for one… for two, her casual lovers stood to gain prestige by getting into the furs of a goldrider; she wasn’t about to give out that power freely either. “Terribly sorry to disappoint her, but I’m not one to leap into bed the moment I come across an attractive man,” She stuck her tongue out in irritation, her face crumpling up into an expression of indignation. “I like to be sure I can trust them first.” She had been burned too many times before her impression to not be wary of possible suitors to begin with; couple that with the rank she held following her impression and the woman had grown ever more cautious about it. Truthfully, if she were to take a casual lover, she would be better off avoiding bronzeriders – then there was no chance of favoritism in Danovelith’s flight – but A’zael had befriended her well before she had come to that conclusion, so it was too late to avoid. And, though she couldn’t trust his fidelity, the beastcrafter knew she could trust him with aspects of herself that she couldn’t trust others with, and feel safe that he wouldn’t spill them around the weyr – the most prominent of which being her gift of empathy. Plus; he was the Weyrleader. Emotional wherewithal of a rock or not, the man was already in the highest position available to a male rider, and would gain little to no more prestige from a possible tryst with a goldrider.

All that in mind, however, if she were to take a casual lover of any kind, Treyjen was probably a decent choice – he wouldn’t gain anything from rolls in bed with her that he didn’t already have access to. The Pirate was already trading with the weyr at a good rate, – she knew it, being his new superior on the matter – and Treyjen could easily ask A’zael for specific goods to barter with (like his desire to obtain a gemglider or two) or see about planning out breeding situations for his gold seaspitter with Srunae’s bronze. He stood to gain a new bedmate, and she doubted that really meant anything to him; she had been aware of his womanizing from their first meeting, and such that he probably had a whole slew of ladies to bed in between voyages. She would just be another warm body… as much as the thought depressed her. She liked to feel as though she meant something to her bedpartners, instead of just being another pretty face willing to open her legs. Perhaps that was why she had such trouble getting past the distaste she felt when Nalyra had asked if her brother had grown tired of her – she didn’t appreciate the idea that she was just another lay, whether or not the goldweyrling had actually slept with the Pirate.

Srunae shook her head as a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, her eyes nigh glued to the floor in an attempt to minimize the noticeability of the liquid that was slowly rising before her gaze. She really needed to stop thinking so hard about things that did nothing but hurt her. “Faranth only knows,” The goldweyrling said, her voice steady despite the tears that threatened to spill forth. She blinked a few times and cleared her vision and her throat before continuing. “Too bad I can’t read minds.” The woman chuckled and glanced over at the Pirate as he winked at her, his tone unashamed and unapologetic as he redefined his arrogance as confidence. “If you say so, Treyjen,” She responded, her tone somewhere between disbelieving and teasing as she rolled her eyes. The weyrling glanced back at A’zael with a momentary flash of concern as the tall pirate shifted the bronzer, causing the Weyrleader to mumble a bit before settling back down again. Srunae laughed at his explanation of their trek to back to A’zael’s weyr, incapable of ignoring the humor in the situation. “I wasn’t aware you did this sort of thing often,” She said, looking back over at Treyjen with an amused, teasing smile, before growing a little more serious. “But, thank you. I appreciate the help… I’m used to working through these sorts of things alone, but… it’s nice to have someone to confide in.” Even if he was a Pirate, at least she could count him among her friends. Her smile warmed up considerably before she looked back down the hallway, suddenly wondering how Treyjen was going to haul A’zael up any stairs…

They continued on in silence for a short time, and Srunae sighed – a calmer, more relaxed sort of action than it had been earlier in their walk. She took comfort in the older man’s words and presence, something she hadn’t really felt outside of her interactions with A’zael. Despite his line of work, he seemed a trustworthy enough person to allow the woman to relax, to get her thoughts in order without worrying about retribution or reputation… it was nice. She paused and glanced up at the man, though, as he asked a question that was a bit off topic for their earlier conversation. The goldweyrling could see why his thoughts had led him to it, though; he had no real understanding of a monogamous relationship – she doubted he had ever really been in one – so it was probably strange for him to be talking about ways to either fix one or settle one into place. Either way… “You really like the difficult questions, huh?” She echoed herself from earlier, though this time she didn’t apologize; it wasn’t a particularly lengthy explanation she had for his question. “Ahh, well… there are a number of factors. I’m willing to share two.” She didn’t explain why, feeling it better to leave her decision to stand. “I was raised a holder; I lived in a cothold and then a hold for much of my life, and holder culture drills monogamy into girls – we’re supposed to marry well and have lots of kids, after all.” She shrugged and rolled her eyes before continuing. “And… I've always been in love.” She glanced over at Treyjen, her expression difficult to read. She wasn't lying; she had loved many a time, and lost just as many a time, her former partners all stamped on her heart in different ways.

"I find someone that brings light to the dark places in my life, that is fun and makes me laugh, that’s willing to be there when I need them, that doesn’t mind my quirks or even enjoys them… someone that just really, truly makes me happy. And... I don’t want to let them go and…" She sighed lightly and looked back down at the ground. "And they potentially don't come back. So… I don’t share well because I don’t look for flings. I look for friends and partners; people I care about." She shrugged, her hands rising palms up at her sides, and smiled wanly. The woman honestly didn’t want to lose someone who had become so integral in her life, someone whom she had come to depend on and that had come to depend on her, someone that meant something to her… as much as she didn’t want to get hurt by their loss. That was why she didn’t have many close friends, if she was honest with herself – she could do far more to ensure the people she wanted to keep around stayed around if there were only a few than if there were a lot… that and, she was an introvert at heart. Large groups of people were not her idea of relaxing.

Srunae looked back over at Treyjen, her gaze settling on A’zael briefly before her greenish hazel eyes captured the Pirate’s dark brown eyes. "People that mean something to me… and that I hopefully mean something to as well." She smiled lightly then, looking back over at the passed out bronzer slung over her comrade’s shoulder with an amused fondness. "A’zael may have the emotional wherewithal of a rock, may not return my affections, and may have broken my heart… but he’s still my friend, so no matter what, he’s stuck with me." She grinned and stuck her tongue out at Treyjen before quoting his earlier words with a chuckle, "Taking care of my friends is rather high up on my priority list, even when they’re being ash-headed."

Zen

[Zen]

Treyjen

The comment about earning herself a shiner not long into her weyrlinghood had his eyebrow raising curiously at her. Who would dare get into a fist fight with a weyrling goldrider? He might like a certain amount of risk in his life, but brawling with any rider just seemed like a terrible choice, if nothing else but for their dragon. Though he'd never seen it firsthand, he had heard that dragons were terribly protective of their riders, and a threat to their rider was one of the only times a dragon would dare to attack a human. Add to that her newly conferred rank and.... He laughed, “That sounds like an interesting story.”

Srunae wasn't wrong, Nalyra did not particularly hold many women that shared his bed in very high regard. There wasn't much point to it, honestly, as she knew she would never see most of them more than once or twice, crew members like Yelanna and Reyene excluded. It wouldn't really be an issue if Nalyra didn't jump to conclusions constantly, seeing as Srunae had as of yet never shared his bed, not that the invitation wasn't there... nor that a bed had to be involved. He laughed at her next statement, “I'd hardly say Nalyra is the one disappointed there, love... the disappointment rather falls to the attractive man in question. I, for one, am incredibly disappointed.”

Trust, hm? He wondered briefly if A'zael had told her the truth about him. He wouldn't be surprised if the man had tried to use his piracy against him, to dissuade Srunae from spending time with him. But the fact of the matter was dealing with goldriders, now that the Weyr had several, was likely to become very commonplace for him, and he was certain they would all find out the truth about him sooner or later. If Srunae knew, she had yet to give any indication, and certainly wasn't treating him any differently. It was an opening to be truthful, but he didn't take it. Either she knew or she soon would. If she had concerns about it, she could bring them to him, and otherwise what did it really matter? For all he knew she would be like A'zael and prefer to pretend she didn't know. Bringing it up could simply make things unpleasant. And, well, Srunae had had quite a bit of unpleasantness recently, it seemed to him. Now hardly seemed the time.

She rolled her eyes at him, but he only grinned back. He gave a short laugh as she continued, “More often than you'd think. Sailors like to drink, especially ashore. I've hauled a number of my crew back to their cots after too much ale. To be honest this is about the easiest time I've ever had of it... normally I'm not entirely in top form myself.” When his crew went drinking, Treyjen was more often than not right there with them, after all. "As for talking others through relationship troubles... you'd be surprised," he chuckled, "But people often look to trusted authority figures in their lives to help them solve personal problems. It just so happens that I fill that role for many, especially at sea when options for advice are limited."

He shrugged, for though he had been surprised by it at first, it was something he had long since come to accept. Leadership came with all sorts of responsibilities, many of them rather mundane, but he had always been a protector and a confidante for those he cared about, so it was a natural extension to do the same for those that trusted and followed him. Fostering trust, loyalty, a sense of family in his crew was what helped them survive. They all looked out for each other and they all wanted to do whatever needed to be done to ensure everyone was safe and well provided for, even when what needed to be done was hardly easy.

"I rarely stay long at Mavros, Srunae, but if you need someone to confide in, I would be more than happy to lend an ear when I am here," he told her, somewhat surprised himself at the sincerity in his offer. She had grown on him rather quickly, hadn't she? It was so rare for him to find people he genuinely liked outside of his crew, when he wasn't bedding them anyway, but Treyjen hardly had to like a woman to take her to bed. He shrugged again as she repeated her earlier comment, and his voice had a fondness to it, “I have a good friend that enjoys deep conversation, I suppose she's rubbed off on me over the turns.” It was Yelanna that enjoyed difficult questions, the woman's curiosity all but insatiable, and she'd only gotten bolder about it in the time they'd been together. She didn't hesitate or apologize anymore. She knew she didn't have to, not with him. He looked over at Srunae as she began what explanation she was willing to give, and couldn't help but smirk as she rolled her eyes. Clearly she didn't buy into the holder mentality entirely, at least.

The second half of her explanation didn't particularly clear up his confusion on the matter, however. He frowned a bit as he pondered over the best way to articulate a response to that. “I understand the desire for trust. Sex puts people into a vulnerable position, women especially,” he started slowly, still working out just what he wanted to say, “But is being in love something you also require to share someone's bed? A friend can also be fun and make you laugh, be there for you and make you happy, mean something to you, and you to them. Adding sex to a friendship does not have to complicate it, make it something else. Being able to let go and enjoy each other without the emotional involvement of a... heavier relationship is quite a good stress reliever.”

The two of them finally arrived at the door to A'zael's weyr, which was fantastic because A'zael was hardly a light load to bear. He pushed open the door, for once not waiting for Srunae to enter first like a proper gentleman, but figuring she wouldn't mind terribly. He gave a short laugh as he headed for A'zael's bed, “I'm sure A'zael would be quite happy to hear he's stuck with you.” Considering the man had been left with the opposite impression. Easing A'zael off his shoulder, he managed to get him onto his bed without too much terrible jostling. He'd half expected to see Fath waiting for them, but the bronze was absent, still spending time with Danovelith. Straightening, Treyjen rolled his shoulder a few times now that it was free of the Weyrleader's weight. After a moment looking down at him, he glanced over at Srunae with a dark grin, “Well, we can't very well let him sleep in his gather finery. So, who gets the pleasure of undressing him?”

[Rhush]

Srunae

Srunae chuckled darkly and shook her head at Treyjen's raised eyebrow, laughing along with him. "It is. Remind me to tell it to you some time." A grin quirked up the right side of her lips as she eyed the Pirate. He really was rather attractive, a sort of tall, dark, and exotic thing; she wondered vaguely if his family hailed from Ruatha, or perhaps Bitra, given his Pirate position. The man wasn't crisply tan, so he didn't come from a place like Southern boll or Ista Hold. Srunae was fairer than other Istan natives, but it was really only obvious in the winter, when she was not outside as often. Her family hailed predominately from Benden on one side and Fort on the other, so it wasn't unexpected for her to not be quite as dark (or quite as shapely) as Southern Bollians or true Istaners. And he had dark, dark hair... Ruatha seemed more and more fitting the more she looked at him, drawn into his roguish smirk and dark laughter as he spoke again. The short woman smirked back at him with some dark amusement in her greenish gaze and waved her hand dismissively. "Is that so? I wouldn't have thought I was your type, Treyjen," 

Perhaps it was her holder's upbringing, but men like Treyjen, pirates or not, always seemed to tend towards the particularly pretty ladies. Southern Bollians with deep curves, rebellious, highborn ladies who were married off early for their tall, slender bodies and attractive faces... Srunae was none of those things - raised a beastcrafter, built like a mother, left without potential marriage suitors because of her bright mind and sarcastic sense of humor - though she did like to imagine she had a pretty enough face, if only mostly for her eyes. "I'm no great beauty, nor am I an easy lay." The goldweyrling chuckled and went back to considering Treyjen's origins as he explained his background in hauling around men and acting as relationship counsel. She couldn't help but laugh at his description of drunkenly hauling back his crewmates after a night in the bar - it was hard not to at least imagine him staggering around the fisher caves with someone over his shoulder and someone else leaning on his side. She did see him in a new light as he got into his background in advice. The woman raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, digesting the information quietly. "That does make sense though. I imagine you and your crew are quite close with one another." She nodded decisively as he shrugged and pondered it for a while. They were like a family on their ships, weren't they? The lot of them probably knew each other's families - kids, wives, husbands - if they had any. 

Srunae was glad that Treyjen seemed a willing enough victim for her to confide in, at least when he was available. Perhaps when he was out at sea they could exchange firelizard mail in dire situations, but she doubted the man would take kindly to a firelizard suddenly popping out of between while he was... ahem... working. "Thank you," She said warmly, her happiness nearly creating a glow in her gaze. "I... appreciate it." She didn't have many friends at the weyr proper, and those that she still kept remained back in Ista, living their lives with the occasional letter of concern to the rogue weyrhold for their friend's sake. She heard from her mother more than any of them, if she was honest with herself... and the thought kind of hurt. Did distance really make that much of a difference in a friendship? The goldweyrling sighed and listened to Treyjen's attempt to unravel her vague explanation of why she was less than enthralled with sharing a man. He understood part of it, at least - the necessity of trust - the other part... not so much.

"Ah... let's put it this way, then. I..." She gestured vaguely, "It's... difficult for me to avoid emotional involvement." In part because she was an emotional person at heart and in part because she was an empath. It was nigh impossible for her to avoid some emotional involvement simply because when placed in such a vulnerable position, she couldn't shut off her ability; it had even, so far, become enhanced when something like sex was looming. "And, while I may not require being in love with a possible bedpartner, I need some sort of..." Srunae gestured again, her mind visibly searching her vocabulary. "Security?" She struggled as she thought, struggling to put her feelings into words before her frustration finally burst out of her. "I've been used too much in my life to simply give away my body, Treyjen. I refuse to be another pretty face with open legs." The goldweyrling finally said, her voice hard. The woman took a deep breath and released it slowly, pulling her frustration and the emotional turmoil around the implications behind her statement back into herself and locking it away again. A dry chuckle escaped her as she glanced up at the pirate. "And that," She said with a shockingly bright smile, though her eyes betrayed her actual thoughts on the matter, "Is not something I'm willing to explain."

As they stood before the door to A'zael's weyr, she considered the matter of her comment dropped as Treyjen moved onto lighter conversation, laughing shortly. They wandered into the Weyrleader's quarters then, and she watched Treyjen set A'zael down on his bed, rolling his shoulder a few times to release the tense muscle there. Her mind was elsewhere and she about jumped as Treyjen shot her a dark grin beneath a particularly teasing comment. She blinked a couple of times and rather suddenly turned bright red as his words sunk in, embarrassment instantly flooding her brain and shoving away the rest of her less than joyful thoughts.

"Un-undressing him?" She managed, staring at the dark-haired man like a deer in torchlight. "Um... I... th-that is..." Treyjen had to be having a grand time at her expense with that curveball, but she did her best to push it aside to focus on the task at hand - Treyjen was right, A'zael couldn't sleep in his finery - it would be ruined - so he'd have to at least have the dressier garments taken off. Like his jacket, his shirt, his shoes... She swallowed hard. And his pants...

"I-I could do it..." For the most part... Treyjen would probably have to help no matter what though - Srunae wasn't immediately sure she could lift up the man's dead weight and pull off his clothes at the same time.

Zen

[Zen]

Treyjen

“Aye, I shall. Sounds like a tale I'd like to hear,” he agreed with some amusement. There were all sorts of questions to be answered. Who had done it? What were the circumstances? And had Srunae given as well as she'd got? A story for another time, however. He didn't miss her considering eye, and quirked a brow at her once more as she stated that she didn't seem his type. His voice took on a conspiratorial note as he looked over at her, “Well, I'll let you in on a secret then. I don't particularly have a type.” He laughed, for it wasn't really a secret, “Well, where women are concerned, at least,” He was far more discerning when it came to men. It was a craving that came and went, and it did take a particular type of man to catch his interest when it came to a sexual partner. He really wasn't anywhere near as picky when it came to women.

Srunae stated that she was no great beauty, nor an easy lay. While Treyjen generally had no interest in the chase such that A'zael did, he wasn't entirely opposed to it when the woman in question was actually worth pursuing. Women like Mialli and Yelanna. He'd been trying to get Mialli back into his bed for turns now, to no avail, but at least he had Yelanna. Most women simply weren't worth the effort. He was rarely willing to put more than a single conversation into getting a woman into bed, unless in the course of that conversation she revealed aspects that intrigued him, that he wanted to learn more about, that made her worth his while. Such women were few and far between, but he by no means required anything deeper to enjoy a woman for a night. They didn't even have to be a 'great beauty' as she'd said... depending on how much he'd had to drink.

“I prefer a decent variety in my life. I would never limit myself to having a type,” he explained, “As it so happens, however, you are my favorite sort of woman. Pretty and clever.” Whether she believed herself to be a great beauty or not, she had a pleasant face, and a good head on her shoulders as well. She reminded him vaguely of Yelanna, actually, curious, tending toward introspective, with an unexpected amount of fight hiding inside her. Srunae was one of the few women on his very short list of those he wanted to get to know better, women he genuinely liked, whether they were sharing his bed or not. “I'm not particular about the women I bed, Srunae... but I am about my companions. It's quite rare for me to find a woman who can keep my interest outside of the bedroom, so when I tell you I've grown rather fond of you, you should understand just how rare that is for me.”

He laughed lightly at her thoughtful comment about his crew, “It is hard not to be close when you're stuck with the lot for months on end.” Though his words might insinuate an exasperation or frustration with having no recourse but to interact with the crew and no one but the crew while at sea, there was a vague fondness in his tone. Umbregel had been a more decent father figure and Karosh a better brother than his actual blood father and brother ever were. They were all more family to him than those he actually shared blood with... all but Nalyra anyway. They would have had to be, to agree to do all they had done at his request. It was how he was often able to set his selfishness aside for them. They never asked for much, so when they did, he tried to give it to them. If it had come down to it, he would have taken Nalyra and run off on land, maybe found some other trader's ship for them to work on somewhere, but he far preferred this life, preferred to keep his friends, his real family.

He listened as she tried to explain just what she needed from a possible bedpartner. Not love, then, perhaps... or a maybe only a form of love. She had said she wanted to mean something to her bedpartners, after all, but it seemed that perhaps it wasn't romantic love she required. He looked over at her as she admitted a bit about her past experiences, but quickly shut down that line of conversation by flat out telling him she wasn't going to explain further on the matter. She didn't really need to. He didn't need the gritty details to understand where she was coming from, and connect the dots to all the little comments she had made to him, and perhaps why Nalyra's comment had gotten to her as it had. It really was amazing how good Nalyra was at sniffing out weakness and exploiting it. But, this line of conversation seemed to be upsetting Srunae, so with her blatant refusal for further explanation, he let it go for now. He was fairly certain he understood at this point, anyway.

His question had the desired effect and he laughed as the goldrider turned a brilliant shade of red. She stuttered through a hesitant response and he shook his head. She might talk a good game, but she clearly did have some of that holdbred prudishness in her after all. He waved his hand at her dismissively. “Well, it would hardly be my first time undressing a man,” he shot her another grin, “Just let me, love, I've always wanted to get the man naked. You can just stand back and enjoy the view.” He'd propositioned A'zael numerous times but the Weyrleader only laughed and made it clear he wasn't interested in men, which was really a shame because he was quite the pretty thing. He started be getting him out of his jacket and set to work unbuttoning his shirt, casting a glance at Srunae and the jacket he'd simply tossed on the bed, “Oh, I suppose you could find a better place for his clothing than strewn over the bed.” It gave her a bit of an escape, but in the end he didn't particularly care if she stood there and watched or not, he was going to enjoy the view either way.