The Art of Doing Nothing *Zara*

[Lark]

Things were certainly becoming more and more interesting here. At first it was only watching the people that perked Tikrins interest so. The weyrlings and candidates were sneaking around doing all sorts of things, and the best part was he didn't have to instigate any of it. No, here he could just literally lean back and watch fight and dramatic fight unfold before his eyes and readied hand. It was his paradise, never a dull moment where his brain wasn't working in something.

Smirking, the candidate remembered how quickly people issues became something more, something worse and more cruel. Tikrin replayed the scene he had scene when the egg thieving had woken him up. At least three candidates had watched the riders gather while their dragons flew out to find the ex. Weyrleader. At least the thing was returned though, of course Tikrin would have loved to see the reaction on a larger scale.

It was a trade off and Tikrin just had to deal with it. Either way though, it was still a perfectly fine place to conduct his "research" on the human condition. Leaning back and draping one long leg over the chair's arm, he hummed to himself. Something wanted him to pick up an instrument in that moment, to strum it or blow wind info it to carry a tune in the silence. Oh how Tikrin hated the silence.

He wasn't the only one. The increasing night meant that Rave would be waking soon. Nothing was that same once that happened.

[Zara]

Assaila was quiet as she approached the young man draped over the chair. "Well, well, well... either someone is bored... Or far too relaxed for this own good..." Her expression was definitely devious. There was a distinct spark of intelligence in her eyes as she walked around to face him, her body moving slowly and seductively. A practiced thing for her. There was something distinctly... dangerous about her. She tilted her head. "Do you like to study people...? Hmm...? What do you think of all the reactions? I'd love to get the opinion of someone who seems so observant. Or perhaps its more than being observant, hmm...?"

She took a seat in a nearby chair and crossed her legs setting her chin gently on a hand as she leaned it against her knee with a delicate smirk, her brown coming to rest on her shoulder and look at the male that His was talking to with a hiss. He didn't like this one. "Quiet, Anori... It's alright," she said with a small smile, scratching the little brown's chin and listening to him croon as she did so. He was a good little brown. Very protective of her and her daughter.

[Lark]

Tikrin merely cocked an eye-brow at the girl as she came and started to talk to him. Interesting, the way she moved and the tone of her voice suggested a seductress, yet there was something in the look of her eyes that said other wise. He smirked as she asked him what he had observed though. "So, I'm not the only one that's watching people am I?" He purred a bit flirtatiously and stretched across the chair more, draping himself like a blanket over its contours.

"I see a lot of things, more than I should probably." He sounded bored, mostly because he was at the moment. Or at least he was at the moment of which he was relaying boring information. Running a hand through his hair he looked the girl over with golden eyes and sighed heavily. Oh yes, that's where he had heard of her. "I notice the riders tensing, the Queenlets acting up, even starting a rebellion of sorts, I see the candidates taking sides trying to brown-nose their way into the favoritism of the Southerners and Trelis riders alike."

He smirked and gave a dark chuckle at this. "I also see someone next to me that is putting every effort into looking appealing to add to her own benefit of whatever ally I can make for her. You're not like that though really, and you're not even interested in me. It's platonic on both sides I assure you, you're too easily figured out for me. You have a kid in the creche, you see him every now and again, that flit doesn't trust me and you seem dead whenever around guys in your eyes alone, yet your movements say something different. It's an act though isn't it? Someone hurt you."

Tikring sighed again and threw an arm over his eyes. "It's such a bother sometimes, why not just be yourself...then again, you don't get to see how easily others can be monopolized do you. Besides, what do you gain by being yourself with people anyhow?"

[Zara]

Assaila reclined in her own chair, giving a laugh. Oh he was good. "You're almost too smart, Tikrin. Hmmm... Though I have to say, the more you talk... the more real interest you are starting to instill. But that might just be because you aren't dense and stupid like most men who overlook so many things. But... you come off as highly intelligent, a troublemaker who pushes things as far as he can without completely breaking a person. And yet... you love to watch them squirm. You love to see how they will react. It fascinates you - the way people behave. It's why you watch so closely... Am I wrong?"

She rose and bent over so her face was inches from his, her voice soft, her hair a shield and halo around her. "If I'm right... that is the one fatal flaw in my attraction to you... But... your dangerous tendency is intriguing..." She didn't move from that spot, her nose nearly touching his. "I may have been hurt, Tikrin... but you may notice already.... very little is there that will break me... Though... I already know what your next words are going to likely be... you do know the one thing that would, certainly, break me... but... if I'm right, you wouldn't do that. But then again... my intelligence isn't as high as yours, is it...? So I could be wrong... but... that's the one thing that makes you... attractive in my eyes, without fail. Whether that attraction is more than the want of someone... intelligent with your qualities, though... Hmmm... Of course... your appearance doesn't get in the way either..." with that, she moved to kiss him, though it would be unlikely for him to move in time, it was possible. He could have moved long ago... she would have just moved to look at him.

Anori was annoyed. Why did they have to sit here and talk to this man. He was bad, right? He betweened, leaving HIs to her own devices and appearing above little Annaliese's head.

"The only thing is... it's not a boy... but a girl... and I see her quite often," she said in a whisper, her small smile growing again, though she still leaned towards him, and.... if she had kissed him, into him.

[Lark]

He smirked as she played into it yet not at all. She was cold as he was, and she was smart too. Perhaps he didn't know everything about her, but he was content with being able to figure it out. The candidate never thought she would try to kiss him though. Without ever really seeing it coming, it was suddenly there. Sure she had been mere inches from his face, but he never....his eyes widened and he gasped before pushing her away fiercely and falling out of the chair onto his butt.

Looking up at her with blinking eyes, he made a sound in the back of his throat as she mentioned having a little girl instead. How had he forgotten that? How had he messed it up? He never messed up, never! Gritting his teeth and then grabbing a hand and placing the side of the thumb into his mouth and biting down, he breathed steadily to calm himself. Finally, he spat his hand back out and took a deeper breath. He was in control, he was always in control. Sprawling out on the floor quite comfortably as if perhaps he had found a better place to stay, he looked up at her and placed his arms behind his head.

"So I made one mistake. That's not a bad thing, I have more important things to worry about. Unlike you, the last person I was involved with is still around." He grimaced as he thought of a certain redheaded weyrlingassistant and shook his head. Well, technically a certain stand-in was also an off and on for him too. Not that he was about to tell anyone about that. Closing his eyes, he hummed to himself softly, so very softly. It calmed him if only the slightest bit. "As for being attracted to me..." his eyes snapped open as he sat up and said the next words.

"Don't. It's not a very good thing to do, trust me." He snorted and then ran a hand through his hair and looked around. "Where'd that thing go off to? I was just about to introduce him to Rave." As if hearing his master call him, the dark and neon marked blue popped out of between and settled on the candidate's shoulder. "See?"