Down to business. [ZxWarden]

[nozomi]

Warden often visited the detoxification area of the prison. roaming around the coats of those ill, or writhing and screaming in the throes of withdrawal. Injured persons had their own little corner of the ward, tucked away from the members of Wardens that could hurt them future with their sickness or their shrieks. Part of his duties included doing this, checking up on all of his people, possibly sparing a word or two with the Healers present. Some 'Dust addicts learned to hate Warden here, his face turning to them every so often while they tried to recover themselves. Warden didn't mind.

What he did mind is visiting one of his own inside of the infirmary, particularily if the cause had to do with a Hatching. Wher hatchings were bloody, distasteful things, too much screaming and fear going on for his liking. Even when dragons mauled, they either betweened or they stopped, they didn't go wild and have to be killed. Warden preferred dragon hatchings, the order of it all. At least, for that, Zalman was required to stay behind the Candidates in the makeshift Stands so one of his lead guard figures wasn't laid up like an invalid.

After giving the Wherleader a day to rest, Warden descended. Near to midnight - mid-day for those with Whers - he grabbed a basket of 'glows and went to the detox area. Healers still milled about, of course, they had as many shifts as guards did, and only a few gave him even a nod as the older man walked past them. It did not take long for him to spot lovely Zalmask and her less than lovely companions cot.

Warden went towards them. Hurrah! "Zalmask. If yours awake?"

[S'yal]

Z had managed to get in a lesson on how to prepare wherlet food before being kidnapped back to the detox area. He was not enjoying this fussing over him at all, all to reminded of his time with his father when the man had all but held him captive. Zalmask was resting on the ground beside his cot, her large head placed on his stomach and quite obviously dozing. Warden got her attention, and she reluctantly nodded to the man. She was upset with him for criticizing her selfish behavior at the hatching, despite her liking for him. She was also wary about him... and would continue to be.

"I'm shardin' awake, Warden. You better tell those... those healers to give me back my booze, or i'm gonna wreck something." He grumbled from his cot, hand resting on Zalmask's head and obviously bloodshot eyes locked on Warden. He'd been crying. His breath shuddered as he breathed in, turning attention to Warden. "If this is about Lucisk, I gotta idea for her... one of the healers mentioned it. I gotta idea." He repeated, his voice just slightly slurred to reveal that he'd managed to drink some of his confiscated alcohol before they took it. Her stroked Zalmask's huge head, eyes blearily focused on the warden.

"Can make 'er useful...He flared his arms out, nearly falling out of the cot until Zalmask steadied him. "I need a drink..." He muttered, shoulders shaking. "This sucks. Sucks so bad... Don't kill her... don't make me kill someone elses wher... not after Zalsk..." Z should never beg for anything. It wasn't in his personality. After Zalsk though... "When the dragonhealer comes, i'll pay 'im to look at her legs..."

[nozomi]

"Yes, Zalman. Because you are in quite the state to be wrecking the infirmary." Warden manuvered around the cot as he spoke; let Zalmask take up as much side as she wanted to, Warden wasn't fond of making a drunk, mourning man look all the way down towards the end of the cot in order to chat with him. With the basket of glows deposited on the floor, for a moment all Warden could do was look down at the intoxicated young man. His lips pursed.

He should be thinking Z pathetic, right about the time the Wherhandler began to beg, to say things about a dragonhealer and not murdering the sharding white Wher. Warden grimaced, waving one hand lightly in the air. Even if he wasn't Z's biggest fan, Warden couldn't think of him as pathetic - he'd be an inconsollable ball of sobbing Warden if something happened to Yusuth, for those few minutes before pleading with a rider to take him between.

"Be quiet. If you think you can make her useful enough so there's no 'Watch breathing down our necks, then the creature falls under my responsibility to pay for, doesn't she. Maybe it's best they look at her and that green. The Smith's. Your only job with the white one is making her useful. Should anything happen with it - Lucisk - it won't be from lack of trying on anyones part."

Warden shifted, slightly, from foot to foot. Being 'concerned' or acting the part of an understanding peer always escaped him. Should he touch him? Smile? Stare at him like one would an insect? "On Zalsk," he said instead, voice stilted - awkward. "I - offer my condolances, Z. I do not understand what it is you are going through, but you should not have had to understand either."

[S'yal]

Z grunted, not even having the will to yell at Warden for the use of his name. He didn't have the will to do anything anymore, except stay here with Zalmask. He had to look at the large gold constantly, fearing her bloody demise if he looked away for a mere second. She would leave him, just like Zalsk did. He couldn't lose Zalmask- she was the only thing anchoring him to the world. She was everything.

"The green looks mostly fine..." He hesitated, groaning and rubbing his head. "I think that the only reason her legs and tail are so short is because of the egg size. Her wings are pretty normal among whers..." He looked at Zalmask again, earning a yellow eyed stare from the anxious wher. She was still mourning, but she was more worried for her handler. "We could always send the white here to help with the ill. Handlers don't get sick often, like riders, so her rider could help out." His voice was still slurring, but he was determined to get out what he was going to say. "The white's heat vision will let 'er see if someone has a temperature without the healers having to touch them and risk getting sick. I'm gonna run a few temperament tests on her and see if she's friendly enough for it to work." Thank god he wasn't drunk... just a bit buzzed. It had a habit of loosening his tongue and ruining his judgment, though.

"I..." He seemed shocked by the attempt at comfort, his eyes widening to the point of being ridiculous. "... Neither should Lucine..." He said in a soft voice, hugging himself. He hadn't acted like this since his parents had died. He hated it. "I just... it feels... like i'm empty. Even with Zalmask there, there's a piece missing and i'll never get it back. Faranth, she was so... happy to meet me." He choked, not even thinking that the man he was talking to didn't particularly like him. He didn't care. "She just died... was just... gone." Because he was not a rider, the loss wouldn't kill him. It wouldn't drive him insane.

It'd have probably been kinder if it had.

[nozomi]

Another second of hesitation, and then Warden reached out, and pressed his hand to Z's shoulder. He squeezed the younger man with more gentleness most would see from the warden in the entirety of their relationship. He had a soft spot, for the grieving, something that confused both rider and dragon. If Z didn't shake off the touch, Warden left his hand there for a long moment before pulling back.

"She passed away happy, then, and I'm assuming, innocent with ones she loved. Few on Pern have ever been able to say the same. Had you not bonded with her, she would have died alone. You made her last moments the best one could hope for." Warden cleared his throat and took a slight step back from the Wherhandler. Perhaps his words were a cold comfort, if any at all, but they were all he knew to say. He did not move to touch Z again, small eyes moving instead to the basket of glows where no handler or Wher eyes looked back at him.

"As for the green, she seems to - suit the smith, I suppose. She can walk fine, and defend herself. It may be a non-issue, but it is still something to be on the watch for while in Wher classes. If you wish to teach this group, that is." He looked to Z then, lips pulled together in a tense line. "It would not be a demotion. A period of mourning for you, and Mama. There is Rishisk."

[S'yal]

Z stared at the hand that was touching him, surprise crossing over his face yet again. Warden was being... nice? He spent a minute trying to understand, but then decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He awkwardly smiled at the warden, almost reluctant when the source of comfort pulled away. He almost said something teasing to the warden, almost showed a glimmer of how he was before Zalsk... but he couldn't do it.

"I... guess you're right. But..." He clenched his hands in the blankets, eyes on the ground. "I should have known. All I did was sit there while her sister ripped her apart." He slumped over, biting his lip until it bled. "It was Zalmask that saved her. I would have just let her die." He sighed, looking up towards the ceiling. Perhaps it was a good thing Zalsk had died- Z would have ordered the death of Lucisk if not. But now? He couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bring himself to do to another what had done to him. Especially not a young woman with no one but her wher to turn to.

"She seems aggressive, but she hasn't started mauling anyone like the other green. Did send her running like hell, though." He hesitated, listening quietly to the offer of having someone else teach the wherlings. "No. I'll teach them. These whers... some of them are too aggressive for me to risk anyone else teaching them. That gold... she bothers me. The look she gave me when she came after me..." He almost wished she had killed him, but he couldn't do that to Zalmask. He couldn't ruin her life. He'd seen what happened to whers without handlers. Sometimes they reimpressed. Most of the time? They went crazy and screamed.

[nozomi]

Take physical comfort from Warden while you can, Z! Chances were high he'd never let the Wherhandler close enough to his person to allow it ever again, especially if Z started to tease about it. Ever. Warden was already starting to decide just how much he would deny it - too much, and it would become clear. Not at all and... well, who knew. Ugh, he'd touched Zalman. At least the man wasn't well enough to start propositioning him or something equally unsavory.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Yours just happened to be the same as every other Wher handler in existance. It isn't something to double think." Warden did not chastise Z otherwise; he should have ordered the whites death. Then again, so should have Warden. The pale creature had no right to breathe, not if she was going to die in a few months and hurt her Handler just that much more. Cruel, to Lucine, to watch her Wher pass away slowly. Z lost Zalsk early, relatively quick. But...

"Well, she has a gigantic Handler to help keep her in control, at least for now. Lack of mauling is always good to hear," Warden grumbled the last bit, his tone dry. "The greens and the gold in particular appear to be rather violent, all things taken into consideration. Having the gold dislike you and be of the large sort could be - troublesome. Especially if she chose to attack her mother, as well."

He spared Mama a glance, and slowly shook his head. "Keep your eye on the girl with the two of them. I remember her. ...Perhaps best she has two things in which to control her with." He'd never had complaints of her from the staff, guards, or prisoners, and thus never caught his attention overmuch. THere were worse things, then to be below Warden's notice. "The white being in the infirmary rather than on patrol with them is a very, very good idea."

[S'yal]

Z sighed, looking down at Zalmask as he stroked her head. "All I can think of is how she didn't get away. One of the healers yelled at me for not bringing her to a wherhealer for autopsy... but I just couldn't let him poke her body like she's just..." He grit his teeth at the very thought.

"I've got to think of something to keep the hatching under control. It would have been better, but Zalmask was sleeping when they hatched out. She was too tired and shocked to control them..." He bit his lip, feeling guilty for the maulings that had happened. Being mauled was a normal thing at a hatching, but Bujare had nearly lost part of her foot. "I'm thinking it might be best to watch the reactions to eggs of candidates and just pair them off before the eggs hatch. Whers aren't picky like dragons..." He rubbed Zalmask's head, seeking comfort.

"I will. I'm thinking of filing down the greens claws- she's too dangerous to let running around without doing something to keep her under control. If she screws up, she's going to be kept on a muzzle. The green that got mauled but still lived doesn't seem too bad, she tried to run when the other went after her. Just seems kinda... excitable." He grunted at the comment of his idea having been good, shaking his head.

"If the gold is dangerous, i'm going to have to either send it away or cull it. We already have two golds here, and with greens clutching we don't really need another." He shrugged, rubbing Zalmask's headknobs. "I don't want to cull it. I really don't. As for the white, I've got her staying in my quarters. It's too dangerous to keep her with her siblings... they could kill her without meaning to. But, she's looking like she'll grow to the size of a dog... if we can get her legs straightened out, i'll be able to have her patrol the detox area. A wher the size of a dog is still stronger and smarter then a dog, and then we can fit her in here without her hurting something accidentally." Talking business made him forget the pain, a bit. It distracted him from the thoughts of his dead partner.

"If we can get her walking, there's no problem. In the mean time, we might be able to come up with some crap about Ruth to keep the watch off our backs..."

[nozomi]

"Which healer?" Indeed. Whatever name Z gave - oh, were they in for a time. Anyone to scold for not wanting to slice open ones bondmate deserved a stern talking to from a less than cheerful Warden. For all his intentions, Warden did not attempt to keep his voice anything but cold, lips tightening once more. He remained silent when Z spoke, talked about things that were awfully important that Warden had no right to be interrupting; he was a Dragonrider, not a Wherhandler. Warden had no idea how these things worked, and at least he was secure enough in his intelligence to admit to it. Inwardly.

"The gold is certianly dangerous. I'd be surprised you would doubt the infant, but it's you I'm talking to, Zalman." Warden shook his head, one hand drumming idly against his thigh with flat eyes on the Wherleader. "Bleeding heart. It's handler, again, she's just another guard. I don't care if we sent her away-" As if he'd care otherwise, really. "-But I'd rather not cause undue attention to the... less than normal atmosphere that is here. The new dragons appear healthy, but the Watch is not happy. Not at all. If they choose to replace me, I can assure you that you would like the new warden even less than you like myself."

That drumming hand waved, small thin fingers fluttering in the air. "Enough on that. You don't need any more gossip-fodder. You Wherguards gossip more than greenriders. Keep the white dragon as close to your person as you can and make sure all of those other Whers are normal. Ruth or not, Zalman, the white needs to be the only thing wrong in that clutch. Keep an eye on the stunted green, file down the claws of the other, and keep as much attention off of the Ruth Wher as much as humanly possible. I may have a soft spot for Hatchlings, but you damned well know most Riders don't give a flying flit about Whers. It isn't me you want to convince now - it is everyone else. If you can do that, I am on your side."

Warden fixed Z with a beady eyed stare, chin cocked up in order to make himself look more threatening than he felt. Let Z think he'd kill the creatures - shards, just let Z pretend he believed, but Warden, once caught off guard, did not want to do it a second time.

"Now recover, and see to your mess of infants. Keep your inebriation to yourself until they are self-sufficient and require less watch. That is not a request, Zalman."

[S'yal]

"I don't know. You think I shardin' know their name?" Z scoffed, rolling his eyes at a lame attempt at some humor. It just made him feel worse. "Well, Zalsk is safe. Zalmask buried her on the sands. A green would like it there, right? Warm, dark, quiet when there isn't a hatching..." He hesitated, tapping his fingers over Zalmask's head in quick succession. The gold wher did nothing but grunt, willing to deal with her handlers extra clingy and nervous behavior. She was his rock, for the time being. Z would be much, much worse if Zalmask wasn't there to anchor him and hide away some of the pain.

"It'll be easy enough to turn the Watch away. They've got their head so far up their ass that they can't see." Z scoffed, though he kept his voice low so no one but Warden would hear him. "They shouldn't shardin' care anyway... it's the dragon watch not the wher watch..." He grumbled unhappily, crossing his arms over his chest. He hesitated, dropping his voice even lower so he could share a secret with Warden.

"Not many remember this, but Whers can between... i'm hoping the kiddo is like Ruth with his betweening skills..." He hesitated, as if regretting mentioning it to Warden. "If you can just buy me time until she's old enough to try..." Z requested, looking away and honestly hating that he was asking warden for help.

"My drunken ramblings will help them learn to understand what their whers are trying to say." Warden was informed by the entirely serious Z, who laid back and stared at the ceiling. "Yeah, yeah. I'll keep the little brats out of trouble. I wouldn't worry much about that green- she's a sharding beast. Did you get a good look at her? She's packed with muscle. The blue is small, but he looks healthy..."

[nozomi]

"A small blue is preferable than a stunted green. I only got a passing glance at the creature, enough to see she has small limbs. Still, at least she's a normal color. It's the white..." And Warden paused with that, Z's previous statement sinking in. For not the first time in that very day, Warden found himself with no words in his brain. For a long moment, Z didn't even get a stammered noise from the Warden, simply a long stare and high arched eyebrows. Warden ran a hand through his hair, fingers tugging idly at the strands when the news of Whers betweening came up. He hadn't known, quite obviously. "... Apparently, I should have paid more attention to Wher lore when younger. That particular talent, I was unaware of."

Fabulous.

Despite that wonderful news, Warden did not even twitch. He just nodded, quick and sharp, to Z's request. Z, looking up or away, would not have seen it, and so, the Warden sighed. "Get her walking, Zalman, and I'll get you time." And, just like that, Warden found himself in a middle of a conspiracy to throw something over the eyes of the DragonWatch. Delightful, absolutely so. Still, he did not take back his words, but merely glanced past Z, to the healers some distance away from them.

"The blue seemed to have no problems." Other than hid - if you wanted to call the creature a blue. Warden wanted to say it but, for once, held his tongue. He shook his head once more and stepped back. The entire conversation made his head hurt; Z tended to have that effect on the Warden. The older man frowned, glanced at his Whermaster, and leaned down to grab the basket of 'glows.

He deposited two beside Z, careful to keep his fingers from coming in contact with his once again; a single time of physical contact with the handler was more than enough to last Warden a lifetime. He'd deny it happened to begin with. Let the man keep some light when the Healers took it away, if he so pleased. Warden could not offer him wine (Z'd probably be able to tell, with the distinct fellis in there), and, so - glows.

"The dragon watch is full of idiots, Zalman, but it doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. Keep your grumbles to yourself, and if the time comes, you let me handle them in my manner. Not yours," Warden sniffed, prim and proper. He knew Z's manner of handling .. conflicts. Flirting, or yelling. (At least, those were the two he'd seen. Ugh) "And in the meantime, don't throw up in the hallways. Or bleed on them.

"Now." Warden straightened, tucking the basket of remaining glows under his arm. That square little jaw went up, distaste written all over his face. "I have to go make sure no one has killed the other not normal colored creatures of this prison. You - stop worrying about the small one. Anything else I need to know? Can Whers breathe acid and clutch gold dragons?"