"Can't believe this. I've been out of the Weyr a few candlemarks and I've already lost a few months worth of marks," K'swaren said with a wry expression, groaning lightly. "Thanks," he added as Anajou put a mug down in front of him.

The gambler took a seat across from the bluerider in the Dining Hall. They were away from the bustle of the game room. Anajou himself had a full mug of the bitter ale that Avella had become known for.

"Compliments of Illotte's purse," Anajou said with a snicker and a sly grin, raising his cup to K'swaren's in a mock toast. He then took a sip, tasting the familiar flavor before setting it down.

"I hear that the Weyrs over there were quarantined for a while because of some plague," Anajou said in a conversational tone. If he was going to sit with the rider, he wasn't going to put up with the silence.

"Yep," the bluerider said, taking on a rather mournful expression. "Hit us pretty hard, took 'em a while to figure out what it was. It was just today that they lifted the quarantine. I was born around here before my mother transferred to Asura, so I came back to visit one of my cousins and ended up staying for a game with you guys," he took another gulp of his drink.

"Yeah, been hearing a lot of bad stuff about the Weyrs lately. Heard that the Sr. Weyrleaders went and died on you a while back," he said with a sniff, rubbing at his nose. It wasn't often that he gossiped, though if something happened Avella people usually heard right away.

"Yep," K'swaren said again, rubbing at the back of his neck. "We lost both of 'em in 'Fall..." he said in a soft, sad tone. "We lost our head Searchrider earlier today," he added after a moment, a thick sound in his voice.

Anajou nodded. "Well, good luck to ya in dealin'. I s'pose that's quite a bit to take all at once." He took note of K'swaren's sad attitude towards the ordeal, feeling sorry for the man.

Silence stretched for a moment. K'swaren once again seemed to blank out and stare at the table. Anajou took another drink, swallowing a mouthful of the bitter ale and taking a second. "What's with that?" he finally asked when K'swaren's eyes refocused.

"What?" the bluerider stared at him for a moment, a look of confusion written on his drawn-out face.

"The staring off into the air and stuff. You've been doing it all evening. You need a healer or somethin'?" Jou queried, tilting his head to one side. It really was rather odd, and annoying at times, as well.

K'swaren seemed to stare blankly for a moment- in a confused way, not in the way he had been all night- then a grin came to his face as he realized exactly what Anajou was talking about. "Sorry, most at the Weyr don't take note of it," he said in ways of an apology. "Coeleth is finding himself rather chatty tonight," he added in a softer tone, looking at his mug as if it was the most interesting object on the entire planet of Pern.

"What's he chatty about?" the gambler pressed, taking another drink. He'd been to SeaStorm Weyr quite a few times for Turn's End celebrations during his nineteen Turns of life. He knew enough about Weyrs not to have any illusions of them, though he hadn't picked up as much as he'd thought, apparently.

"Oh... just listening in," K'swaren said quickly, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. He lifted his eyes from his cup, looking over at Anajou. "You seem to know quite a bit about the Weyrs. Did you know that Aden Weyr has a Hatching coming up?"

Jou paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Think we heard a while back of a clutch. We don't us'ly hear of Hatchings until after they've happened. And even then it's usually just SeaStorm's to the north."

"Don't know too much about Aden, eh?" K'swaren asked, regarding the gambler with such a gaze that Anajou immediately narrowed his eyes, a wary expression crossing his face. "It's a fairly interesting place. I think it'd do good for Avellans to get more dragon blood in their ve-"

He was cut off before he could finish by the laughter from the man across the table. Anajou thumped the table lightly, mirth rolling off his tongue. When he finally stopped, the bluerider had a completely shocked - and very confused - expression on his face.

The handsome gambler grinned for a moment, shaking his head. "You _really_ don't know this place well, do you?" Anajou said after a moment, leaning forward. "When was the last time you were at Avella Hold?"

K'swaren seemed taken back by these questions, and his brow furrowed and he looked over at the other man with what almost looked like a wounded expression. "I haven't been here for five Turns, but I hardly see what that has to do-"

"It has everything to do with it," Jou ammended seriously before the rider could finish. "Avella is well-known for their general dislike of dragonriders. Probably the only reason you haven't been driven out with a pitchfork yet was because you were playing poker with Illotte and myself earlier, and that you're drinking with me now," Anajou said, giving the other man a meaningful glance.

Suddenly, Jou's gaze wasn't meaningful, rather it watched the other man curiously. "Just where were you planning on taking this?"

K'swaren watched the other man's wary face for a moment, fidgeting lightly in his chair. He got that far-off look in his eyes for another moment, then took a deep breath and smiled sheepishly at Anajou. "Well, you know... he doesn't usually do this. I mean, he never does this... this is like the second time in about seven Turns. But Coeleth-"

Jou cut him off once again, eyes narrowed. "You're talking about Searching me? Well forget it. Weren't you listening to what I just told you?"

K'swaren wrinkled his nose, taking on a disgusted look. "What does that have to do with you?"

Anajou stared blandly, then took a deep breath. "I'm an Avellan. I'm a gambler. For one, I haven't even the slightest bit of an inkling to go to the Weyr and stand for a Hatching. For another thing, I'd never be let back in here again if I did." He sat back in his seat, arms crossed against his chest.

"Well, Coeleth thinks you'd make a good dragonrider, and so do I. They're in need of male Candidates over at Aden, you seem like you've got enough balls to make a good, annoying bronzerider or brownrider," the bluerider added testily, showing a bit of annoyance at the 'higher' colors. "If you thought for it a bit I'm sure you'd get an inkling, and you'd probably like the idea. And I don't think it's that bad of a crime to leave this place," he snapped inappropriately, getting a dig in after his own pride had been stung.

Anajou narrowed his eyes, looking more annoyed than angry. "Listen, K'swaren. I happen to like my life. I've got it good. In a few more months I'll be cleaning up at Gathers, and this conversation will be just a memory."

"Well maybe if you didn't sit back in this wallow you'd know a real chance when you got one. You're sitting in the armpit of the Southern Continent, Anajou. If you'd just-"

"Now hold on a minute! What did you just say?"

"I said-"

And from there, the voices got higher as the tempers got hotter.

~*~*~ A long while later... ~*~*~

A young woman appeared out of the kitchens, carrying a tray in her hands. She was tired, her feet were sore, and she was being kept from her warm bed. The reason for this? Because a pair of idiots were sitting in the middle of the Dining Hall arguing with each other.

It had been at least a candlemark and a half since anyone else had been in the Dining Hall besides her and those two. They'd gone to bed... lucky them. However, as long as the gambler kept ordering ale, she had to keep bringing it out. She was considering telling him that he'd had enough... either that or going back to yell at the Steward to leave her be and take it himself.

Anajou took a sip of the ale as soon as it was put down in front of him, not noticing the glare and 'look of death' that the young woman shot him before turning back towards the kitchens.

"Now listen t'me," he began. "I d'no want tah go t'Weyr, a'ight? 'M happy 'ere." His words were beginning to slur together... not surprising considering how much the nineteen Turn-old man had had to drink.

K'swaren, on the other hand, was speaking perfectly, though his voice had grown considerably softer, and now had a raspy sound to it. "You're happy in this pit? Do you have family here?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Friends?"

"Illotte."

"What about a girlfriend?"

"Not lately."

"Any real money?"

"What ah git fr'm gamblin'."

"Then why don't you want to leave?" K'swaren asked in an incredulous tone. Long ago he'd leaned forward on the table, fingers massaging his temples. Coeleth had fallen asleep outside, occasionally waking up to make sure that K'swaren was still at it.

"Cuz'm happy!" Anajou all but yelled at the other man, then winced and put a hand to his own head, feeling it throb as his own words bounced around in what felt like an empty cranium.

"How?" K'swaren rasped back as loud as he could, which was loud enough to cause Anajou to put his other hand to his head and whimper lightly. K'swaren watched with considerable curiousity as the younger man set his head down on the table.

Something unintelligible tried to get muttered through the thick wood of the table.

"Huh?" K'swaren asked ever-so-eloquently.

It was once again muttered, still unintelligible, but loud enough to sound like some dying watch wher.

"Get your head outta the wood and speak, man," K'swaren said irritably, reaching over and popping Anajou on the back of his head with his palm.

Anajou lifted his head with a groan, opening one eye to glare at K'swaren with it. "If you shaffing shut up... then I'll go," he finally got out after what seemed like an excruciating pause. He then whimpered, putting his head back on the table.

"Just... shut... up..." he said slowly.

K'swaren didn't say a word, though a triumphant smile came to his face. Instead, he nudged Coeleth with his mind. **Wakey, wakey.**

}: Did we get 'im? :{ the blue asked, surpressing a yawn.

**Yeah,** K'swaren replied in a satisfied voice. **We're leaving, be awake,** he warned the blue before turning his attention back to the boy across from him.

"Come on, then. Let's get your stuff and get going. I've got to get back to the Weyr tonight, so you're coming, too," K'swaren got to his feet, feeling far less shakey than he looked.

"I thought I told you to shut up," Anajou said sourly. The man slowly got to his feet, wiping one hand across his face. He stared at K'swaren squarely for a moment, realizing that at 5'11" he was quite a bit taller than the bluerider. He fixed him with a level glare. "You realize I hate you," he said in a voice that resembled a growl.

K'swaren smiled, earning him a groan from the other man.

"Yeah, I know."