This isn't my idea of nap time. [Sasha]

[PhazonDragon]

Keltin was groggily awake in the middle of the day. He had jolted awake from his deep sleep for some unknown reason. With a growl, the wherling rolled out of his bed and hastily dressed himself--and open button-down shirt and wrinkled blue jeans. He didn’t care how he looked, for the prostitute had looked worse, and slipped out of his quarters. He needed to get out, even if the sunlight from high noon would hurt his night-adjusted eyes. Keltisk moved, lifting his brown head.

He was half-way out of the doorframe when he looked back. “No, Keltisk. Sleep. I’ll be back,” he told the worried wherlet. When the wher had lowered his head without a sound, and drifted back to sleep, Keltin nodded at the brown creature, and closed the door. As Keltin walked through the dimly-lit hallways of the wher handler’s quarters, his fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt. The handler didn’t notice as he hooked the wrong buttons through the wrong holes. In fact, his jeans were only being held up by the fact that they were buttoned and sitting snug on his hips.

The handler stumbled through the hallways, eyes half-closed and squinting against the bright light that was coming up in the distance. His eyes shut tight in a large yawn, and Keltin kept walking. Probably not the best idea. He ran into an object, his nose flattening against it as the wher handler got a little too close for the object’s comfort.. “Oh, sorry,” he grunted to the thing, be it person or wall, and reached out to pat the unfamiliar object with a tender hand. “I was yawning. I didn’t see you there. I’ll just be on my way.” He politely stepped out of the way.

[redwerecat]

The morning- though it was not an hour he preferred to be awake- was going relatively well. He was truly only up this early because he had to make a phone call to a colleague. Somehow, the time difference between this particular section of America and his colleague's laboratory in god-knew-where made it necessary for Sasha to be up at noon to make the call for Romanai to receive the call at the seven am conference....ugh. And it wasn't even as if he had anything to say. He'd retired from his position there a long time back, after the whole issue with Euclid...

Ugh. His head hurt. And not just because of the sun. Though that wasn't helping. Hence the tea in his free hand. (The other arm was currently folded behind his back as he walked- sort of a formal pose, yes, but it was old habit to do so for him.) Sasha was glad now for the red-tinted glasses he was fond of; they were quite handy for a recently-inducted member of the nocturnal life. Not that he regretted it to terribly much, he mused-

And then something walked into him. A young man, actually. A slightly disheveled young man who was apparently to tired to really notice much of his surroundings. Perhaps another wherhandler, then, was Sasha's inevitable logical conclusion.

Sasha just carefully and rather delicately put a gloved hand on the boy's shoulder and moved in the other direction, though whether it was to be polite or to protect the mug of tea in his other hand was a bit unclear.
"Yawning. Yes. Do not worry about it." He said slowly, raising an eyebrow as the dark-haired man patted him gently for just a moment. "I...apologize as well?" He finished, giving the young man a curious look. Intriguingly scruffy, with a surprisingly rough voice for someone so young. Sasha merely filed this away for future reference and stepped to the side.

Unfortunately, he went in the same direction as the stranger had, and ended up blocking his way once more. He swore quietly, though with little real inflection.
"My apologies once more."

[PhazonDragon]

The object said his own apologies, and Keltin looked upwards towards the man’s face. “Oh... Oh.” The brown wherling had stepped out of the way, and started forward when the other man had similar thoughts, effectively moving in the same direction as Keltin. “I’m very... Well this is embarrassing,” Keltin commented dryly. His face lit up in a warm smile, and the wherling chuckled. The other man was taller than him, Keltin being of average height, and the wher handler found himself staring up at the stranger’s face.

“I-I-I don’t believe we’ve met?” he stammered out, his eyes darting away from that pale face with the short, dark hair that Keltin found surprisingly attractive. “I don’t think I’ve seen you at all during the day. And then again, I’m not usually up during that day... That might be why.” Keltin nodded. He held out his hand, flashing the older man a brief smile. He couldn’t see his eyes well through the red glasses, but he couldn’t be a bad person. “I’m Keltin. Wher handler. Well, not yet, but as long as I can be of some use, then I might as well. My wher’s brown Keltisk”

At this moment, Keltin noticed his disarranged attire. “Oh... I... Um, well. If you’ll pardon the mess... As I said, I’m usually not up during the day... I get tired, and... This happens.” He shrugged his shoulders, and tried to fix the array of buttons down the front of his shirt, but he wouldn’t be able to fix them unless he undid all of the buttons. And that would be weird to do in front of a stranger that he just met--and wasn’t getting paid for. “I’m very sorry. Can you tell that I’m not a fan of getting up at this hour?”

[redwerecat]

Sasha couldn't help the wry smile that came next. "It was just the slightest bit apparent, yes." He said smoothly, (a miracle for him, really, since witty comebacks were hardly his forte.) He watched Keltin for a moment, as if considering something, then rather tentatively took the slightly shorter man's hand in a brief handshake sort of gesture. He tried not to seem slightly nervous about this, but he wondered if perhaps he failed. (Damn.) Still, when Keltin stammered out a quick introduction, he focused on that instead.

"As for meeting previously, no, I do not think we have." he said, suddenly terribly aware of his accent. Did he always sound so... so odd? And why was he suddenly so self-conscious? That was hardly like him at all. Perhaps it was just him comparing his voice to the other handler's, which managed to be far more authoritative than Sasha figured he could ever manage. He filed that away too, along with the vaguely alarming notion that it was a very attractive thing about the other man.

"Ah, Keltin, it is...." He couldn't seem to figure out what he was going to say after that, so he just frowned and continued on another sentence. "Well. I am Sasha. Also, by some twist of fate, a wher handler. Mine is the white Sashask..." He waited to gauge Keltin's reaction on this- most didn't take to fondly to his partner's attitude, or appearance, or...well, Sashask in general. Still.

He took a second to more thoroughly examine Keltin here, expression blank as he did so. Handsome, very much so, he noted, despite the slightly off-putting current nature of his appearance. Even Sasha had managed to be properly dressed... Then again, understanding the handler's distaste for being up at this obscenely early hour (by wher standards), he let it pass. Besides, on this particular specimen of humanity, it happened to be rather enticing. (Had he just thought that...?) In any case, the boy was polite and rather charming in a disorganized sort of way, even despite his rumpled appearance and distracted air, so maybe he did have some redeeming qualities other than just being...well, really good-looking.

"Do not worry about the 'mess.' It worries me little-" Okay, lying, but he didn't seem to care right now. He could worry about his neuroses later. "And is understandable under the circumstances." He smiled back at Keltin, and though it was rather reserved and a little shy, it was genuine. "Please, unless it bothers you, put it aside. I am sure I can somehow deal with it."

[PhazonDragon]

The man’s remark went over Keltin’s head as he busied himself with his appearance. He didn’t mean to look so... Awful. “Yes, yes... I think I would have remembered if I had seen you before,” Keltin commented as he looked over the older man. Definitely. He had a distinctly Terrian feel to him. Either that or he was a Pernese that took to Earth life faster than Keltin was. Or he was here longer. Either way, he was a handler too, and definitely one that was older than the nineteen-turn-old young man. Of a white wher.

“White?” he repeated, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity. “White? Really? That’s... Interesting. I don’t think I’ve met a white wher before. Heard about the white dragon, but a wher is something different. I’d love to meet him--or her--and I’m sure Keltisk would too. He’s not as vicious as most whers tend to come off as. It’s good to meet another wher handler too, Sasha.” Keltin nodded, dipping his head respectfully. “Not many wher handlers here, and I regret to say that I don’t think I’ve met all of them yet...”

He sadly shrugged, his mind now starting to wake up despite the early hour for him, for a wher handler. “I probably should make it a point to meet more of them. That might be a good idea. Though in my defense, a young and growing wher can be handful, more of a handful than an adult wher, to take care of. Especially Keltisk. He tends to be curious, though he doesn’t stray far. I mean, just now he tried to come with me when I woke up!” The brown wherling joked, feeling at ease with the other man.

“And I’m really sorry... I look like a mess. I should look so much better, but, well, you see...” Keltin stammered. Shards, why did he feel this away around this other handler? He stammered so much. He didn’t do that with anyone else. “No, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t bother you,” he assumed, “I shouldn’t look this bad. I really should make sure I’m fully awake before leaving my quarters, or even getting dressed.” That last bit was a touch of commentary on his own part, considering his ‘occupation’ that was sure to go right through the other handler.

I’nao wouldn’t miss it though, and that was what he liked about the bluerider. He knew what he did, and how he earned his marks. “I’m sorry, I’m very sorry. Here, I’ll just get this now.” Keltin fiddled with the buttons of his shirt, undoing a few before he realized that he was standing in front of someone he didn’t know that well. And for some reason it didn’t feel right. “Oh... Excuse me.” He turned from Sasha, facing away from the handler as he tried to fix the rest of the buttons on his shirt.

[redwerecat]

Sasha raised one hand to his face, adjusting his glasses in a ruse to cover his smile.
"You're really concerned? I didn't mean to imply anything like....well, anything. Please-" He did watch possibly just a little too closely as Keltin fiddled with his shirt, though after he caught himself he glanced at the suddenly very intriguing ceiling. This Pernese man- he assumed Pernese from just a little of the way he spoke, something very slight in his accent- was far more interesting than he had thought. He didn't say as such out loud, but he thought he would have remembered running into someone so ...appealing... around the Weyr before as well.

"White dragon? Oh, yes. There was that very small specimen on Pern- I only saw him once, briefly, and never was allowed a chance to speak with Lord Jaxom, but..." He shrugged, realizing he was probably babbling. No need to bore the other handler to death right yet- Sasha was actually enjoying himself now. "But....truly, a wher is different. She-for so she chooses to be called- would...possibly not mind meeting your companion. She can be rather difficult, though, sometimes. She's snappy around the current Queen wher, but I know not what her reaction to a male would be. As for the other whers and their handlers...I've met..." He made a show of counting off something complex, tracing some sort of equation in the air with one finger, then raised an eyebrow at the invisible result hanging imaginarily in the air in front of him. "...two."

He did manage to catch something in one of the phrases the young man had used, just a sort of slight manner of saying it that made him curious, but he didn't want to pry. But he sensed that he might have missed something. Then again, he could be reading into it way to much. He had a habit of over-analyzing things like that.

"You don't look bad at all." Sasha said, off-hand, in response to one of the brown handler's comments; then his eyes widened at the phrasing. "I mean..." He was sort of glad that Keltin had just turned away to fix his shirt and then couldn't see the expression that had flashed across his face for all of a millisecond.

He did not need to be thinking that way about this young man. Not when there was obviously at least a ten year age difference. It was...ludicrous. And ridiculous. And lots of other words he couldn't think of right now. Still, he was almost sad that Keltin had taken the path of modesty and turned politely away. Sasha wasn't sure he would have minded at all.

[PhazonDragon]

“No really, I should fix this,” Keltin stammered under his breath, his fingers fumbling over a button in his haste. The young handler already felt a slight flush to his face, and he just knew that he was blushing. “She? So she prefers to identify as female.” He nodded, glancing up at Sasha the white handler continued to talk. And he so politely looked away, putting his back to the man. As long as he talked, Keltin could attempt to make himself more presentable (and why in the world was he bothering?) without there being an awkward silence between the two handlers.

With a grunt, Keltin had finally undid all of the buttons, and was now in the process of adjusting the way his shirt sat on his shoulders. He shrugged, jostling the fabric, then paused. Did that look rude to Sasha? He didn’t mean to look like he was shrugging at the handler’s comments, whatever comments he was making. Oh, Keltin wasn’t paying attention--bad idea. And rude. What he remembered hearing was a simple ‘too’ which Keltin assumed meant he was referring to how many wher handlers he met. The brown wherling nodded again in agreement, now working his way up the front of his shirt when he froze.

"You don't look bad at all."

Not expecting that at all, Keltin’s fingers slipped, dropping their hold on the piece of plastic between them. He opened his mouth, a deep red blooming in his cheeks, but nothing came out. Sasha tried to make up for it with a quick ‘I mean’ but Keltin’s mind didn’t register that. A compliment? Was he just complimented? And was he looking too deeply into that harmless phrase? Maybe he only meant that Keltin wasn’t dressed as bad as he thought himself to be.

No. Keltin. Stop.

He was only commenting on how you don’t look as bad as you think.

“I... Um, well, thank you...” Keltin hunched over a tad--he hoped the action was as visible as it felt--and hurriedly fixed the rest of his buttons. Turning back, he said, “You don’t look that bad either.” SHARDS. Shards. What did he say that for? He was mortified. Attraction... He couldn’t feel attraction towards this handler. He had I’nao. And and and... His line of work meant he couldn’t--! The color drained from face, then instantly returned as he flushed a bright red. Ohh... His gaze dropped to the floor, which was where he noticed his pants.

Keltin didn’t think he could get any more embarrassed than this. His fly was open. Maybe it was good that he had run into someone, just so the handler could see how ridiculous he looked. But did it have to be someone that looked so... sharding... attractive? Quickly, Keltin reached down, and pulled the zipper up on his pants. Careful to avoid Sasha’s eyes, Keltin mumbled something. “I should probably go... Yeah. Leave. Good idea...”

[redwerecat]

Sasha jerked his attention back to Keltin from his rather wistful daydream with a slight noise of startlement. He had a brief moment to notice that he could have sworn the young handler was slightly red. At least, the back of his neck was for just a moment. But it must simply have been the heat, or perhaps...oh. Sasha realized belatedly he had possibly put Keltin in a rather embarrassing position like this; where was his sense of tact? And he'd had to go and say something utterly mortifying too. He swore softly in Russian and glanced at the ceiling.

Keltin had simply shrugged in response, so perhaps he hadn't realized or heard...(and, again, Sasha was distracted by the rather handsome sweep of Keltin's shoulders...stop that. Stop it...right. Back on thought.) And well, yes, Keltin was definitely a stunning specimen. Almost on the line of rugged, devilishly handsome, sort of...hmm. And-wait. Huh?

What had he just said? Sasha didn't look half bad either? oh. So he had heard him. And...oh. Sasha kept his expression neutral, though inside he was bouncing between glee and terrified hope. Keltin was blushing, though, and looking to the ground, and Sasha forced down anything else he might have thought. Don't be ridiculous, he told himself. The boy was obviously embarrassed by what he'd said, and Sasha had probably crossed the line there.

So he just cleared his throat and glanced awkwardly anywhere but at the other handler, trying to remain composed though he would very much have liked to begin swearing again. He did notice Keltin's fumblings, but after realizing what he was doing, he simply tactfully pretended he saw nothing. But...then Keltin said something about leaving, and all rational thought left him.

"Ah! No, you do not need to leave! I'm sorry if I said something offensive. But...you do not...damn. Damn thrice over. I am sorry, I just...it was a slip of the tongue. I understand if you would think such a thing rude of me...but I do not really want you to leave. I enjoy your company, however brief a time we may have known one another, and I did mean what I said. You are very handsome." He carefully and almost mortified put a hand to his mouth, trying to stop himself from the rest of whatever insane outburst that had been. What the HELL?! How had that come out when he'd just meant to apologize?

"Ack." And again came a rather complex phrase in his native tongue that was rather self-abusive and horribly embarrassed, the gist of which was him swearing up and down he was going to go find a hole to crawl in and die in. "Yes. Ack. "