Wandering~ [Reky]

[Jack]

Although he had taken to exploring more than usual as of late, taking the time to look into every room and peek around every corner, Bambi wouldn't have been lying if he had said he had been very reluctant to set foot in the lower caverns. Now, it wasn't really out of fear that he avoided this underground wonderland, no, it was more out of an ingrown hesitance that--for some reason--assured him that the deep dark and dank places of the lower caverns were just not for him. But Bambi was a stern young man when it came to matter such as these, so it was with a swallow and a strong tip of his chin that he set a hum into his throat and strode into the caves.

To his relief, he discovered that the "lower caverns" weren't quite as low and scary as he had been told by holders. This place wasn't much at all like the terrifying holes of black that an older fisher had so eagerly described to him once, and the arm motions that had elaborated upon mouthlike holes in the stone and great archways of dripping stalagmites were far too expansive for these roads.

His fear--if it could be called that--began to melt away as he explored further, until at last a smile spread onto his lips and a sashay bled into his hips. "Well, this isn't so bad! Its kinda nice down here."

[Reky]

Some of the other candidates were putting effort into working harder at their chores now that there were eggs on the Sands. Those were the boring candidates. Really - since when did how hard you worked influence whether or not you'd get a dragon? Exactly. It didn't. It just changed how much the higherups liked you and, really, when you got a dragon, it didn't matter if they liked you or not. They had to deal with you anyways. Xaleni knew he'd get a dragon. There was no way he wouldn't, not with so few candidates and so many eggs. He didn't need to work his ass off to prove himself to anyone.

Instead, he took to wasting his days away wandering. Even if he wasn't doing chores, he was trying to be good, mostly because with such a small Weyr and Hold, evildoing rarely went unnoticed, especially since everyone was still so uneasy thanks to Ending Fall and VT. He didn't care about the people he was saving by behaving. He just cared about saving his own behind, that was all.

It could have been darker and still be comfortable. Someone was getting obsessive about keeping the glows stocked, apparently. Wasn't it a waste to always keep them so fresh? Sure, if you had nothing to do, replacing them would be a good way to spend time, but only if they needed to be replaced, which they didn't. Stupid little things like that really irked him. He was busy walking past a glowbasket that was dimmer than the rest, which he approved of, when he heard another voice. He smiled.

"Yes, it is nice, isn't it?" he called back, finding Bambi's shape in the lit tunnels.

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[Jack]

A voice sounded behind him, and with a soft squeak the teenager jumped, peering about with wide-eyes until he set his sight on the faint shape of Xaleni. Immediately, a light smile spread itself back on his face, and he lifted an arm into a happy wave, tilting his head slightly. "Yeah, actually! I kinda like it."

A merry laugh rolled off his tongue and he lowered his arm, his attention locked on a dimming glow as he waited for Xaleni to move closer. Absently, he flicked his eyes the other boy's way, however, chuckling to himself. "I actually thought it would be a lot spookier down here. The men from home always talked about these tunnels like they'd eat me alive the moment I stepped in!" He gave another laugh, "I don't know what it feels like to be eaten, but I wasn't exactly keen on it. S'nice to know its like this instead. Reminds me of the sea caves...only drier."

[Reky]

Xaleni slowly came forward, walking at a leisurely pace rather than rushing the boy. His hands were comfortably in his pockets, and he quirked a smile. This boy was very quick to talk, wasn't he? And apparently had nothing against surprise visitors in deep tunnels. There was no "why are you down here" or "who are you" or any sort of scolding, just cheery chatter. Xaleni watched him intently.

"They're pretty anal about keeping the glows stocked," Xaleni said, copying the cheery tone. "If it was dark, they'd definitely be spookier, and if there were watch-whers down here... Well, they would eat you alive, and you wouldn't see them coming, either." All the while, he just kept smiling. Then he held his hand out for shaking, bending at the waist a little. "I'm Xaleni. And you are...? I've seen you around, haven't I?"

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[Jack]

Bright eyes remained as bright as ever as the newcomer approached, and while Bambi had a strange sense of hesitance at the man's almost stalk-like movements, he forced away the thoughts of worry and laughed. "I guess I can see what they mean then! I certainly wouldn't want to be cornered by any wher. They're awful strong looking, and everyone always assures me of their importance, but they are definitely intimidating!" A playful laugh rolled again off of his tongue, and he tilted his head to the side, ethereally innocent eyes shining happily. "Hey...you seem really smart." He smiled again, showing his teeth in the grin, and eagerly stepped into the others space, pressing his fingers into the man's hand.

He shook it, but didn't immediately let go, sliding closer to Xaleni as, the concept of new knowledge gleaming in his stare, he continued his previously dropped sentence. "And I mean that! You seem like you honestly understand what's going on around here. So...so.." he bit his bottom lip sheepishly, "So when you say 'spookier', what do you mean? Is it...well...is the dark that scary?" Another soft laugh, and Bambi blushed, moving immediately out of the man's space. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Bambi. I'm pretty new here. It's such a pleasure to meet you, Xaleni!"

[Reky]

Xaleni was genuinely amused by how innocent and wide-eyed for the world this boy was. It was cute. Almost a little too cute. He was fairly sure this boy had been around the candidate barracks, which meant he was a candidate by logic, but he wondered why or how. He didn't imagine dragonriders as gullible, naive, or anything of that sort. He was fairly sure he wouldn't have to race Bambi in any sort of scramble for power, at least. That was good. Xaleni was curious to see if he'd even Impress. If he were a slightly more normal person, he'd probably feel bad for doubting Bambi's character, but he didn't.

"Smart? Really, now? Not many people tell me that," Xaleni said, trying to sound surprised. He smiled wide, both at the talk and how Bambi's handshake lingered. "I like to think I am, though. I've got world experience, see. That tends to make people pretty smart. Not to be arrogant, or anything." He pondered that for a moment. Was he arrogant? Yes, he supposed he was. He thought highly of himself and lowly of everyone else. "Oh, well, yes, the dark is rather spooky. It's harder to see, so things can hide in the shadows and surprise you." He shrugged. Bambi blushed and moved away, and Xaleni smiled again. "A pleasure to meet you, too, Bambi. Do you like it here?"

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