Brand new guardman [Machi/R'vis]

[nozomi]

Another day, another few hours outside of his cell and the dining hall. Warden still didn't trust him as far as he could throw a dragon, and yet Machi still found himself almost pleased with the fact his legs remained unbound and his hands were able to spread as far apart as his shoulders. Days weren't quite so mind-numbing when one could count on daily trips to the outside world to scare the living shit out of those scurrying around.

Apparently his usual guards had caught on to the reason behind Machi's occasional non-dead stare and agreeable mannerism when it came time to wander to the free area. The prisoner wouldn't stare at them as if they were meat to be devoured, and he'd keep his hands down in front of him without the muscles in his arms twitching in a silent threat. For weeks, one of them in particular - Charian - poked and prodded at the prisoner to test at his patience, laughed when all Machi did was stare to the floor. The prisoner even Warden thought should be put down started to allow himself to e pushed around like a common street rat.

It meant he wasn't watched as closely when it came time to be in the recreation area, or the mess hall. Machi was being broken, right? He was not so dangerous. Or something like that.

One day in particular, Machi trudged from his cell to the sound of Charian laughing in the hall.

"Let the little new thing watch him. Tough him up or something." Machi's other regular guard, a female, just stared at her partner with unamused eyes. She crossed her arms, staring at Charian. The man shrugged. "What?"

"I--" She shook her head and sighed, waving her hand at the prisoner. "Move, Machigai."

He moved. Neither of them touched him until they got to the recreation area and Charian, that dimglow, waved towards another small group of guards. He raised his voice, calling out to the one weyrling in the midsts of the adult guards.

"Here-" Charian pushed lightly at Machi's shoulder, just enough to make him shift a step closer. "He's all yours, kid. Have fun, don't let him near any sharp objects, don't unlock his hands."

For his part, Machi at least waited for the other two to head towards the cluster of guards before he took his eyes from the ground and looked over to R'vis. He took his time - Charian wouldn't try to taunt someone huge and hulking, so the kid had to be one of those that Machi... liked. Cold brown eyes started from the young mans feet, and slowly trailed up the length of his body before looking R'vis in the face. The murderers face lacked any expression save for that dark, dangerous gaze.

[S'yal]

R'vis was the obedient sort. He was the kind to duck his head and nod meekly at whatever anyone told him to do, to not ask questions and just allow himself to be pushed around. It was sort of sad, actually. Without Rikath he would have easily faded into the background as just another mindless peon. Thankfully, the blue usually kept R'vis out of trouble. Today, however, Rikath was not there to protect his rider. The blue was sleeping in their 'weyr', and R'vis didn't want to wake him up. He was just following the guards around, after all- learning the tricks of the trade! He hadn't wanted to be a guard at first, but... he respected the lead guard. He wanted to be like him!

It wasn't really a surprise when R'vis came over obediently, eying the guards and Machi with something that could only be called terror. He felt rather like some small animal cornered by a wolf whenever the other guards or prisoners talked to him- he was one of the youngest weyrlings, and without Rikath he was pretty much useless and weak. Empress had been sent away, he hadn't wanted to risk her being hurt by a prisoner. Now he was regretting having not brought her- the familiar weight of the gold firelizard was comforting.

Heterochromatic eyes met Machi's own, before R'vis quickly averted his gaze to the ground. "... Hi." He greeted, feeling more then a bit awkward. What did he do now!? Rikath sent a questioning thought to his rider, but R'vis quickly soothed him. They didn't really need words to communicate, and after a second R'vis convinced the blue to return to sleep. It wasn't like Rikath could barge in here anyway- he was too big now.

R'vis sent a helpless look back at the guards, honestly at a complete loss. Was... he supposed to do something? "... Um, wha-what..." He trailed off, because Machi was frankly terrifying him. R'vis was doing a pretty good imitation of a chihuahua at the moment, with how much the poor bluerider was shaking. "do... is there something you're supposed... to do?" He hesitated at random parts of the sentence, trying to control his stammering.

Stupid guards leaving him alone with the creepy, terrifying guy...

[nozomi]

Poor trembly thing. Weren't guards supposed to be the bold sort, ones frustrated enough with their position in life to just not care? When faced with such a puppy of a young man after three Turns of being kept away from boys just like him, Machi could hardly find it in him to care. The other pretty thing incited a malice in Machi, all for that attitude, the condescention - he'd be broken, soon. Then maybe Machi would bother with him again. But the guard - oh, he shook, and all but whimpered, and was lovely.

"You can report them for that." Machi looked off to the side where his two guards talked and laughed, neither of them paying much attention to the young guard, or the serial killer they left him with. A darkness settled over his features, mouth tightening when Charian chortled over something. When he was freed from his chains, the guard would be the first to die. His fingers twitched before he could stop himself, and Machi cleared his expression back to that same emotionless front it usually was. "I am on double guard."

Not to mention that R'vis nearly glowed insecurity and inexperience, but Machi had enough manners to not bring that particular bit up. He let R'vis have his nerves and his fear, all but drinking the boy up with his eyes, chin tilted up to give himself a better look over. The prisoner shifted from one foot to the other, more out of seeing if R'vis would jump or not then boredom.

"I am not allowed to touch you." Warden would put him back into the jacket. Damn him. Machi ran his tongue over his teeth anyway, sliding over ever individual edge. "You are to watch to make sure I do not touch others, or kill someone. Or touch you."

Poor R'vis.

[S'yal]

"Oh, no, I couldn't!" R'vis looked practically terrified at the thought of reporting the guards, shaking his head fiercly. "I mean... you... you don't seem like you're go-going to sna-snap and sta-start strangling m-me... you won't, ri-right? I hate it... whe-when I g-get people in trouble..." An unhappy look crossed his face. "Please do-don't tell..." He was the kind of kid that got bullied in school because he didn't want to get the bullies in trouble for telling on them. R'vis was always thinking of other people over himself.

He bit the inside of his lip as he was informed Machi was on double guard, the bluerider rubbing one arm. R'vis took an involuntary step back as Machi moved, though he managed to keep himself from jumping. If he reacted with too much fear, then Rikath would wake up. That wouldn't be good for anyone- Rikath couldn't hurt a human, but there was nothing stopping him from roaring in Machi's face and causing a huge scene.

"Um... do you plan on doing any of that?" R'vis asked, a miserable look on his face. He really hoped that Machi didn't, because R'vis didn't want to get touched by Machi. He felt as if the man touched him, he would burst into flames. He was obviously freaked the heck out by Machi, because who wouldn't be? "I me-mean... Rikath wo-would be v-very upset if you ki-killed me..." He seemed more worried that Rikath would be upset then the fact he would die.

"So... um... the-they didn't tell me your name... I'm R'vis..." Try to be polite, R'vis! Try! Maybe then he won't kill you/ogle you anymore! Machi was most certainly making R'vis uncomfortable. He was going to stay with the other weyrlings from now on. Maybe Yari... she scared him, but she was also the best shield ever. "I'm blue Rikath's rider... we-we're weyrlings..." He was trying to be polite to the serial killer. How cute.

[nozomi]

Machi did not say what it was he thought with R'vis' stuttered, and horrified, questions, did not tell the young man that he'd only ever strangled two people, both of them pets. After them, he'd stopped with the strangling, as it made their death masks so very ugly, with the bulging eyes and twisted lips, that blue tint to their face. One of them even bled. Distasteful, for his darling pets to look so digusting in death. At least when he slashed their throat or beat them beyond, Machi could close their eyes after, brush their hair back. They didn't bleed from the ears or anything like that.

Shards, he could say it to the young man and he wouldn't even report Machi. The prisoner doubted that the young man would breathe a word even if Machi told him just what he wanted to do to him, not that it consisted of violence, not at all; Machi wanted to pet the bluerider. He looked down to his hands, how they were bound still, and his expression flattened once again. No. No, no.

"I don't hurt boys like you," he said at great length, without looking back up to R'vis. All of his pets started out like him, scared and stuttering, often high on Dust. They came to love him, eventually. (Before they died.) "I take care of my boys."

Machi glanced up then, under eyelashes and loose bangs, his eyes bright. He didn't smile, as there was no need to scare the boy further, but he stared. R'vis may have well been a herdbeast to a starving dragon, the way Machi watched him. Pretty boy, had it been during the times Machi was free, he would have sheltered him away from that big scary world, kept him safe and fed and pretty until the young man snapped or ran, until Machi had to punish him. He wanted him.

"If I snap, and do any of that, Warden will lock me back up in solitary with the jacket." Machi paused, considering that particular piece of fashion. "I dislike the jacket."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "I am Machi. A pleasure to meet you, bluerider R'vis."