Sweet Breeze... [Purnip-ip!]

[Jack]

The breeze was chilly, brushing easily through the yellowed tops of field-grass, but it felt good against his flushed cheeks, and Bambi grinned all the more as it whipped by. His breath came out in smoke-like huffs, seduced into the sky and blown away in a seamless flurry of motion, and he laughed to watch it swirl away, curling his arms tighter about his small frame as the breeze turned into a wind. Playful and loud, it swarmed past him like a river's torrential current, tugging firmly against his wherry-hide jacket and running its fingers hungrily through his hair. He grinned, laughing again, and with a yelp fell forwards into the grass, rolling onto his back to stare up at the sky.

The wind slowed as though apologetic, and gracefully swirled past, displaying grasses and leaves within its grasp as though it were a woman dancing with fans. Bambi smiled at the thought, an older candidate's sketch of a dancer flashing in his mind, and squirmed lightly in the grass, enjoying the rich scent and the crunching sound. It was such a wonderful day, as cold as it was, and he was happy the idea to run out here had arisen so suddenly this morning. Full of peace and happy relaxation, he reluctantly sat up, leaning back on his palms for a long moment before reaching to dig into his bag, hunting for a snack.

[Purnip]

The cold was bracing, and Aldernon had much against it. His teeth clattered, as his mind reeled back to thoughts of home where even in the winter it was warm and in the summer it was scorching. He preferred that blissful heat to this hellish cold, nine out of ten. He couldn't understand how people could put up with this sort of weather for several months straight without going insane. He too watched the puffs of steam rise from his nose whenever he huffed them out. It was the only thing that kept him distracted enough to forget the numbness of his toes and fingertips.

It was then that he spotted something on the grass, which he had not identified as a body right away. From his distance, it just looked like a pile of clothes abandoned. His arms were folded tightly against his chest, but as it became more apparent that something was wearing that clothes, his right hand slowly freed itself before he lowered it to his side, fingers wrapping around the end of a thick branch he was carrying on his person. It was instinct now, ever since he had to fight his way back out of Southern Hold with nothing but a two by four and a rusted sword he pulled out of a dead guy. Though there had been no reports of VT infected humans near The Weyr as of late, it never killed one to be extra cautious. Or maybe it did? Well, Alder would feel much better to be prepared for this.

But fearlessly, as if it were his duty to find out, he approached the lying form on the grass and stopped with just enough distance to poke him with the branch on the back of his head, which he nearly had done. Just as the end of the branch was about an inch away, the boy was sitting up, and Aldernon nearly took a crack at his head right then and there until he recognized the kid as one of the Candidates at The Weyr. He dropped his 'weapon' and folded his arms tightly to his chest again, giving the boy a rude stare. What in the hell was he doing lying out on the grass like a dead guy to begin with?

"Yo," He glanced over Bambi, since he was still standing over the other kid. "Got anythin' warm in there?" As if he wasn't about to inflict a head injury on the other Candidate just seconds ago, now Alder was already regarding Bambi as a familiar. Such was the way Aldernon operated. He hoped the kid had at least some wine on him, because even cold that stuff warms one up.

[Jack]

A voice sounded behind him, and it took him a long moment to realize it wasn't just the wind playing tricks on him. Big brown eyes turned back to stare up at Aldernon, blinking with mild surprise before brightening as a huge grin slid across his lips. Cheerfully, he waved--a meat pie sticking out of his mouth from where it had been promptly shoed there--and swallowed his mouthful, laughing merrily. "Uhm...not really, no." He chirruped apologetically, patting the ground next to him, "It is pretty cold, isn't it? I can't remember the last time I've been this chilled! But it sure is nice..."

A sweet, happy expression crossed the candidate's lips and he gave a soft sigh, leaning back to enjoy the breeze. As cold as it was, it was a new and fabulous thing and he was really enjoying the sharp tingling the chill brought. "Oh wait.." A blink, and Bambi practically leapt at his bag, pulling out a firmly capped pot and a couple cups. "I forgot that the crazy doctor gave me this! He was pretty convinced I'd die of frostbite...but klah should help, huh? Its still warm!"

[Purnip]

Aldernon quirked a brow at Bambi's expression, and the way he spoke up kind of reminded him of his youngest brother. He remembered finding it annoying then, and though he missed his family like a fish out of water would miss a stream, he found it just as annoying now as he had less than a turn ago. Alder's hopes sank the moment a negative response came up, and the bit about the weather was on the list of the last things he really wanted to talk about. It was like making up a conversation while trying to pick up a girl! But he could tell Bambi wasn't the sort who could necessarily help that sort of thing. He just gave an audible grumble in response, since it was perhaps the best way to translate how he felt about this weather into something short of words.

He was about to leave soon if Bambi didn't keep talking, because he really was starting to feel chilly and he wasn't kidding about seeking something warm to counter it. He held his breath as the other boy started to search his bag until he pulled out a pot and cups. "Ya gotta campfire in there too?," he said with a chuckle, finding that handy bag to be somewhat of a miracle for providing hot klah and cups at a time like this. Even in a sour mood he had a sense of humor, but what good was it to live if you didn't laugh once in a while?

Crazy doctor...just about everyone knew that guy. Aldernon smirked again at the mention of him and his threat of frostbite. He had only heard stories, but there were so many of them to go around that he was rather tempted to meet the guy himself. He was sure the good doctor was probably busy as hell, and had every reason to be as snarky as he was, but one day he'd pass by the infirmary for a visit. He was sure he'd get hurt in some way or another eventually. "Sweet. Pour some for me, wouldya braw?" Rubbing his hands together, eager about the prospect of being warmed up some, he crouched by Bambi and waited to be served.

[Jack]

"No...no campfires... Bambi replied thoughtfully, chewing on his bottom lip as he worked out how to get into the pot, "There's some firestone though. Its L'natic's bag--he just kinda threw it at me when I was in the kitchens grabbing some meat pies. There's a lot of weird things." A laugh resounded in the man's throat, and he tilted his head to grin at Aldernon before looking back to his bag. The pot was finally bullied open, and Bambi gave a soft yelp when the over-filled container spilled a bit over his hand. Mumbling in mild pain, he stared at the light burn for a moment before promptly shoving it in his mouth, sucking at the injury for a few seconds.

But even while in pain, he gave a cheerful chuckle and poured two cups of klah, pressing one into Aldernon's hands. "Here ya go! Its really hot." A laugh, and he sipped carefully on his own, wincing when he burned his tongue slightly. A soft huff and he stuck it out, going cross-eyed to try and stare at it before laughing and pulling it back into his mouth. "I didn't listen to my own advice...guess i deserved that."

[Purnip]

"That explains it," he said, lowered his head to idly scratch behind his ear. The dryness around here made his skin itch often, which was yet another reason upon a reason for him to dislike this weather so strongly. It beat being stuck at Southern with little hope of survival though, and he knew in the end he had to be grateful for whatever he had left. When Bambi mentioned 'weird things' though, it piqued Aldernon's curiosity. What was considered to be weird in that crazy doctor's care package? Firestone couldn't have been that strange, come to think of it--the healer was a Bluerider, so if the bag was originally meant for L'natic, the firestone was meant for his dragon. Still, he put a hand to the ground to balance himself out and leaned over to see if he could get a peek at the contents of the bag, thinking nothing of the fact that he was closing in on Bambi's space as a result. He was used to getting close to his brothers, so being close to other guys wasn't a blow to his pride or dignity.

He backed away when Bambi spilled some klah on himself though, which might have been his fault in part for his proximity. Aldernon didn't look too sorry about it though. He was impatient, but served sooner than he expected. The other Candidate wasn't much of a wimp after all. It must have been some hot klah though, but Alder wanted it that way.

Taking the cup, he made himself more comfortable by planting his butt on the ground and bracing against the cold grass with his best poker face. He didn't like to show off any weakness, even if it hurt, because he was used to always being the strong one back at home. He stubbornly took a sip without blowing on the surface first, and it burned his tongue as a result. He scowled and watched it, rather than making an effort to cool it. He always thought that blowing at something to cool it down was for pansies, but he didn't want to burn his face either. So he sat, trying to keep his limbs close to himself to preserve whatever heat he had in him, pretending that he wasn't trying to drink the klah up as quick as possible. It left the door open for chit-chat, but unless Aldernon was with familiar company he didn't tend to get too chatty. He felt like he had to say something though. "Yo, so what's your story?" It was a question these days that always had an interesting answer. "Before shards started flyin', thread started fallin', and all that."

[Jack]

Bambi seemed to find the bag as interesting as Aldernon, and after losing his battle with the klah, he set to digging a bit more thoroughly in it. He was hoping to find something more to eat--to share with Alder, of course!--but after removing a metal finger, three different sets of knives in various sizes shapes and materials, a rather unassuming looking box that Bambi was quite certain he did not want to open, and an actual human hand with all the bones intact and some of the muscles--dried, of course--still attached to the deteriorating flesh, he promptly decided he was no longer interested. A soft cough, and he shoved it all back in the bag, biting his bottom lip with mild displeasure as he scooted away from the bag and settled himself next to Aldernon.

The boy had leaned over him earlier, so Bambi assumed he didn't have too many qualms with space, and with the wind picking up he was more than eager to seek the warmth of the local bodies as well as his klah. Humming softly, he swayed a bit before at last stilling, leaning partially against Aldernon as a particularly rough bit of wind pushed by. "What do you mean by story?" He chirruped at last, opening one of the eyes he'd closed at the rough breeze, "Before the thread..?" A soft frown tugged at his lips, and he wriggled slightly, unconsciously leaning even more against Alder as he tilted his head and thought. "Well...I don't think I have one." He decided after a long moment, grinning merrily, I've never seen Thread. The earliest memory I have is in a boat! There was some rope...but everyone tells me that Thread and rope aren't related." He quirked his mouth into a frown, brows knitting, and gave a soft hum. "Everyone says that came after whatever this Thread stuff is...so...I don't have a story before then." He smiled and without thinking began to fiddle with his own hands, lightly tracing the Thread scars upon the skin. He followed it farthest up his right arm, pulling up his sleeve as though entranced by them, but then yawned and quickly forgot about them, returning his attention to his klah.

[Purnip]

Aldernon didn't seem to care if Bambi was leaning against him today. Had the weather been warmer, his pride might have disallowed it; only family had access to such proximity. But it was cold and he was feeling passive this early afternoon. He took a sip of his klah, which was cooling quickly with each stiff breeze, and sat like a pillar--let the strongest winds try to knock him down now.

An incredulous stare into the distance was Alder's initial reaction to Bambi's story. How could he have not known? It had only fallen everywhere, destroying any inch of life that wasn't protected by walls of stone. It infected the living and turned them into mindless eating machines. To not hear of Thread...that was like not hearing of dragons. But after he seemed to concentrate on that thought, his expression softened before he let out a smirk. Leave it to him to try to find the bright side in the darkest places. "Pff. Consider yourself lucky. I envy you, y'know?" He started to chuckle, because if he didn't keep on doing so, he might have started to cry. He couldn't start doing that in front of someone. It wasn't manly at all. "What I'd give to forget it too," he mused, shaking his head and taking another sip of his warm drink. "But it's all good. It's over now. Alls that matters is puttin' the pieces back together, eh braw?" He gave Bambi one of his tough, yet friendly elbow buttings. He nearly spilled his own klah doing so, but it was like a nervous tick. It just happened without conscious decision.

But there were other matters, which he never came clean about. Aldernon was still hoping to find his brother someday, or at least whatever might be left of him. He had to have been rescued. He watched a man and his dragon take him to the skies. He should have been here, at The Weyr, yet no one knew him or the dragonrider that Alder described. His father was another likely survivor, if he didn't die fighting the thread like many other riders did. He didn't know how long he could last without his family, but he had to stay strong in case they came around. He had to stay strong for the other Candidates too, though few of them were much younger than him. So used to being a big brother all his life, he had to keep up appearances. Perhaps Lucas would turn up. It was a small group of islands after all.

[Jack]

Dark brows knit, and a soft, distraught expression twisted onto Bambi's face. Unsure of how to react to the twisting sorrow that was writhing in his breast, the teenager bit into his bottom lip, his eyes flitting to the ground to stare at the klah between his hands before all at once lifting, a sternly determined look in his gaze as he looked stubbornly at Aldernon. "You shouldn't want to forget." He assured, stumbling over the phrase slightly, "I...I have dreams every now and then. I can't ever remember them...but I always feel like...like I've lost something very very important to me." He frowned and leant further against Aldernon, rubbing his scars with a strange sense of urgency, almost as though he was unconsciously trying to wipe them away, "Its...a sickening feeling. I got a stomach virus once, not too long before I came here. Its the closest thing I can relate to the taste I get when I wake up. I just...I wanna throw up it hurts so bad. S'like my chest and my stomach are all wrapped up in big, ugly knots. Sea knots on a boat that've been so warped and mutilated by misuse and salt water that they can't come undone."

The youth shrunk into himself slightly, his brows knit and an uncharacteristically unhappy expression on his small frame, and he bit harder into his lip. A moment passed, and he took a deep breath, lifting his eyes to Aldernon. "But..you know...its worse not knowing why I feel that. I don't have any idea why. I mean...I assume I had a mom...and a dad...simply because everyone has one somewhere. But I don't know who they are...or where they are...if they're alive or dead. I don't know about any friends or siblings." He looked away and gave a quiet sight, "I wake up screaming sometimes...and my arms hurt." He ran the pads of his fingers up one arm, but all at once gave a soft laugh, his eyes lightening with his expression, "Its scary, not knowing what happened to you...and knowing from all the looks you get and the people who stare at you when they think you're asleep that you've forgotten more than you could even imagine. I'm afraid of what I can't remember...I'd give anything to know whatever it was I've left behind."

[Purnip]

What the kid said threw Alder for a loop, wondering just what it was he was missing in this argument. Bambi brought up a good point, and it left him with little to say in return. He didn't let his bewilderment surface, to the best of his abilities. He wasn't a professional at keeping his softer emotions hidden, but he did do a pretty damn good job if no one scrutinized him all too hard. He took a long sip of his klah, leaving just enough liquid in the cup to mask the bottom of it. Once again, he wasn't making any effort to shrug the other boy off of him. The warmth was more than welcome and it made him feel like the supportive, big brother he once was. Still is. Because he refused to believe that Lucas was anything but alive.

"Whatever it is...it sounds better off forgotten," Aldernon said, sticking to his guns. Anything that haunted someone so deeply was best forgotten about. The problem was, Bambi couldn't forget. Not completely. He wanted to know because it still irked at him. He wanted to know because everyone had a past to look back on. So he couldn't just leave what he said at that. Alder needed to elaborate. "But sounds like you still remember somethin'."

Staring down at his nearly empty cup, he swirled around the contents, remembering the sorry sight of Southern Hold. "I understand, though. I saw some pretty wicked shit when I went to the Hold to look for my folks, and I knew I'd be like that too--it was a lot worse than I thought. But I needed to know." Aldernon wanted to say something positive to lighten the mood and cheer the both of them up, but it wasn't the time for it. He kept having flashes back to those horrid, rotting faces of his youngest brother and his mother. They didn't even look like they ought to have anymore.