There's Something Wrong with Him

Writers: Nicole Bonvisuto
Date Posted: 15th March 2014

Characters: X'dris, Dayf, Tiaz, Tanlis
Description: Dayf and two other Candidates have doubts about Jenackt; Xandris is drawn into the crossfire.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 5, day 1 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentor approved. Precedes 'Fight Fight'

Xandris stumbled into the Dining Cavern and stretched. His body still ached
from helping in the stables. It hadn't been a good day's work. Z'lon had
overhead his joke that dragons would be cheaper to keep if they would eat
not only the herdbeasts, but also the contents of their stalls. Xandris
figured everyone could use a little roughage. Z'lon was not amused.
He looked around for a familiar face and place to sit. When he spotted Dayf
he hesitated for a moment. Dayf was with those twins from Emerald Falls,
and he'd met tunnelsnakes he'd liked better. But, in the end, familiarity
won out and he wandered over to their table.

Dayf turned around as the bench shifted with new weight, nodding to Xandris.

"'Bout time," Dayf said. "We were just talking about your boyfriend."

Xandris wrinkled his nose. "What the shards are you talking about?"

"Jenackt, or Amiko, or whatever his name /really/ is," Dayf said, his
posture tense and aggressive.
"Someone should do something about him."

"There's only one reason someone changes their name," one of the twins
began. His face was a canvas of freckles, his hair, carrot orange, and his
nose more crooked than his brother's. Tiaz, Xandris recognized him.
"Either they're hiding from something, or they're criminals."

Xandris stifled a grin. Those were /two/ reasons.

"Or both." Tanlis chimed in. He was an identical mirror of Tiaz and sat
slumped against the table with his arms folded across his chest.

"Maybe he just wanted to start over and be someone else," Xandris shrugged.
"Did none of you notice that no one was there from his family last
Hatching? Everyone else was there with someone at the feast."

"There's something wrong with him," Tanlis maintained, clenching his jaw.
The boy's brow furrowed deep enough to swallow a line of freckles.

"Because he changed his name?"

"He's a criminal, Xandris," Dayf said, pounding the table with his fist.
"He has to be. Then he's sleeping in there with all those girls and all of
our things."

"Tanlis' knife went missing two nights ago." Tiaz said, crossing his arms
to mirror his brother.

"So that means Jenackt took it?" Xandris raised his brows. "I don't suppose
you thought to /ask/ him."

"Pssh," Tanlis hissed. "As if he'd admit it."

"You guys sound pretty paranoid," Xandris said and shook his head. He
leaned back against the edge of the table.

"Don't worry," Tiaz said. "We won't say anything else bad about your lover."

"Go scorch yourself," Xandris snapped. "I'm not like that."

"Your boyfriend won't talk," Tiaz continued.

Xandris' eyes met Dayf's and held his gaze with cold intensity. There was a
long pause at the table, and the tension was palpable. Behind Dayf, Tiaz
stood up. Xandris balled a fist.

"Let it go," Dayf said, glancing over his shoulder. Tiaz looked down at him.

Xandris relaxed his hand and stood up from the table. He glanced over at
Tiaz, who met his gaze with a smirk, then looked down at Dayf, who said
nothing.

"I know you and these two wherries already have ideas about what needs to
be done," Xandris said, jerking a thumb at twins. "But, they'll throw you
out if you start something. Dragonriders fight, dragons die. Remember?"

"Good thing we're not dragonriders," Dayf said cooly.

"I guess so," Xandris replied sharply and looked away once before meeting
Dayf's gaze again.
"I won't back you if you do this. It's stupid."

"Then get out of here, then," Dayf snarled. "Go tell your boyfriend we're
comin' for him."

He listened for footsteps behind him as he walked to towards the table of
food at the back of the Dining Cavern. Nothing good would come of this.

Last updated on the March 16th 2014

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There's Something Wrong with Him