Like a Man on a Mission ~ { Tag } Kate/A'ric

[Ember]

It had been a long day, and K'rios was ready to kick back and unwind for a bit. After a difficult sevenday filled with a difficult length of chores and lessons on top of Threadfalls and drills, he was ready to get out for a while. Not just out either, but OUT. He asked about Nizhoni, knowing she was always willing to have a good time with him, but his partner in crime was unavailable, and his other guarantees were likewise out of touch for the time being.

He considered trying to see if his new found sister might like to be shown some of the territories hot spots, but their father had asked him to approach her gently, since he hadn't known how she would take to suddenly being approached like "Hello, I'm your brother though you didn't know that until recently". There was one other person he thought to check with, someone that was almost like a brother to him in a sense, and when he considered the slightly younger man, his face cracked in a wide grin and he chuckled to himself, sitting up and deciding that yes, yes this was the one that he was going to go out and drink with tonight. Iktomith...

Within a matter of moments he knew where A'ric was, and was preparing himself to go out. A bath, fresh clothing suitable for a night out, and all the marks he would need to pay for plenty of drinks for both of them at the nearest Holding of choice. Of course, this was all before even asking if the bronzerider wanted to go, but K'rios knew it was all but guaranteed. He was certain of it at least. A'ric was young, a young father, a young father who was in charge of a Wing with responsibilities that were surely weighing him down heavily. Of course he was going to want a break, and if he didn't, then K'rios would find a way to convince him that he wanted to go out - that or go get enough booze from one of the Holds to have a little party in A'ric's office and get completely shitfaced there all by himself to prove a point.

He heard Iktomith try and ask "What point is that?" but he was ignoring the pewter in favor of heading off to A'ric's office. "Probably tending to paperwork." He laughed, because it was the truth. He wasn't all that different from... L'van.

It didn't make him jealous that A'ric seemed to take after L'van so much. It rather amused K'rios, if he were honest. Even so, the bronzerider needed to take some time off, to get away for a little while from Weyr and duties. Fatherhood, Wingleadership... well, he needed a good drink or six, maybe more, and K'rios knew just the place in the territory to take him to for that. When he reached the bronzerider's office door, he knocked, let himself in without waiting for a response, and leaned his heavy body against the frame while clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "You and my father might as well be twins. I swear, you work as hard as the old man. Don't you ever take a damn break, L'van Junior?"

[Kate]

Sighing a bit, the young man ran a hand through his dark hair. Dark eyes looked around the room before a hand moved in to rub them. The bronze rider felt so exhausted already, but he also knew he had more work to do. Now that he was just a Wingleader again, things HAD quieted down, just not as much as he would have thought. Well, it was slow, it was just A"ric trying to get back in the groove. Honestly, he had thought it would be simple, moving back down to being a Wingleader after being the Weyrleader. It was just taking some time for him to readjust. During his time as Weyrleader, he had gotten a system down where he still was able to spend time with his son, and Kit. He would call her his girlfriend, but, the two of them had still not really hashed out exactly what they were yet. Being there for them had always been a priority, and would continue to be, no matter what. A’ric has taken the advice of his friend L’van to heart.

While he felt exhausted, he had to admit that he managed to juggle everything quiet well. Honestly, most not the tiredness probably came from having to do all the paperwork. That stuff was pretty boring anyway, so A’ric always found himself trying to stay awake while he was working on it. Usually he would stop and talk to Behemoth, or someone would come in and talk to him and distract him from the boredom log enough for him to get a second wind. Today though, he just wanted to get done with it, especially after running drills all day. Keeping quiet was actually working, as the pile of paperwork was shrinking. It didn’t help that sometimes his mind would wander to Viktor or Kit, and then he would find himself spending some time just thinking about the two of them, which did not help him get his paperwork done.

After a moment of thinking about the two he cared about the most, his mind wandered a little more. Since Viktor was at the creche, and if he remembered correctly, Kit had told him she was going out with a couple friends, maybe he would do the same thing instead of just going home and being by himself. Not that he really minded being by himself, Then again, he also wasn't in the habit of going out by himself either.

Shrugging, he finally turned his attention back to his work. The focus didn't last very long as then there was a knock on his door and K'rios came in. Dark eyes shot up to look at the Pewter rider, and A'ric gave a shake of his head, playfully rolling his eyes. "L'van Junior huh? Well, honestly I guess I'd take that as a compliment." Of course he would take it was a compliment, and the other man already knew it, which is why A'ric said it in a teasing voice.

Of course, K'rios was L'van's actual son, while A'ric was more of an adopted son. The three of them all got along though, and A'ric had found that K'rios was a good friend too. Pushing thoughts of his paperwork aside once again, he smiled at the candidatemaster and said, "So I know you didn't just come here to pay me compliments, that's not really your style. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

[Ember]

K'rios was glad to hear A'ric was ready to take it as a compliment. He would have been disappointed otherwise. In fact, he would have been downright insulted had it been taken otherwise. It was meant to be taken as a compliment, something for A'ric to enjoy and be fond of. It was also something he looked at with fondness himself. He knew damn well that A'ric was like an adopted brother, someone his father had pulled into the clan by choice. And so despite their differences in age, he chose to treat the younger man like a little brother, even if he was in charge of a Wing, where as K'rios was in charge of helping with the dragon candidates. "You should. I think the old man would be insulted if you didn't." Which was a truth as well, and neither of them wanted to see that happen; K'rios didn't, and he was damn well aware that A'ric would never want to see L'van insulted.

Speaking of insults though, he was good at feigning when he was insulted, and so he placed a hand over his heart and gasped as though he just had been. He heard Iktomith chuckling in his head and decided he was going to play it for a little while. He was good enough at pranks, thanks to the tutelage of Nizhoni, and so he played around with it for a little while longer. "As a matter of fact, I might have come in here to pay you compliments. I could have very well wanted to come here just to see receive a few nice words. It's not often that you get that kind of service." He started to "get angry" and snarled. "Faranth, come to show some kindness and what does it get you? Nothing. Nothing at all. Forget it and forget you."

He left, not bothering to shut the door on his way out, which might leave an indication about what he was doing. But he stayed out of the office for a good thirty seconds before sticking his head back in and grinning from ear to ear. "If you believed that, I have some good swampland in Igen to sell you." He stepped back inside and set his hands on A'ric's desk. "I came here because you need to get away from the Weyr for a while. I have a kid, and as much as I love her, I know when I need a break. I know when I need a break from my duties too. You, A'ric, my dear adopted brother, need to get away it all for a while. So get up, get dressed up, and meet me in the yard. I'm taking you out for some drinks, my treat."

[Kate]

Chuckling, the young bronze rider just shook his head a bit. Of course he knew that L'van wouldn't be THAT insulted, but it was certainly a compliment, a true testament to the type of man L'van was. The only reason that A'ric always stayed behind to work on his paperwork was because he honestly just hated leaving things undone. He wasn't quiet sure if that was the same reason that L'van always seemed to be doing a lot of extra stuff, but he got his stuff done as well. A'ric liked taking after L'van honestly, but at the same time, he knew he took after his own father. When he was younger, A'ric would work in the mines with his father, and then continued to follow after him when he grew up. That was where he had originally learned his work ethic from. Now though, he continued to push himself with L'van being around, it just seemed right that he should take after one of the two people he considered like fathers. L'van was one, Ol'ver was the other. Olly was all business as well, but he had taught A'ric more about having fun, so when it came to work, A'ric tended to be more like L'van.

K'rios spoke again, and for a moment, A'ric's mouth just hung open. Now normally he could tell when people were just messing around and pulling his leg. This time though, at least for a few moments, it was very hard for him to tell. Maybe it was because he was thinking about his paperwork and about L'van that it slowed his mind down. Once it came to him though, he relaxed a little bit. Besides, he had never been one to see K'rios angry anyway. Or well, TRULY angry. A'ric had seen him "playful" angry like this before.

Before he could gather his thoughts anymore than that, K'rios was back in the room, with a huge grin on his face. Rolling his eyes at his friend and chuckling the bronze rider said, "Well then, it's a good thing I didn't believe it. Or I would have had to be very upset." Moving his completed papers out of the way, his desk was clear when K'rios came up. Raising an eyebrow he chuckled and said, "Well, I'm honestly glad you came then. I was just thinking about what I was going to do tonight. Viktor is at the crèche and Kit is doing her own thing, so I was debating if I was going out by myself or just going home to sit by myself. Why don't you come over? I'll pour you a drink while I get cleaned up and changed and then we can go?"

[Ember]

K'rios put up a finger and gave it a shake. "See, I knew it would go over well, and the reason I did was because of my father." He pulled out a chair and turned it around, seating himself down in it backwards and resting his arms upon it. He grinned as he eyed his friend from across the way, wondering if A'ric could guess what he was going to say at all, even if only in part. "I pulled something similar on him a bit ago, and it went off much the same way. I sort of calculated the chances of it working on you, and wanted to see how well it would turn out. Granted, it might not have worked out the same way but by Faranth's shiny gold ass, you did not disappoint, A'ric. You did not disappoint."

How are you even alive still?

I wonder that sometimes myself, Iktomith, believe me.

Shaking his head, he managed to tune back into A'ric just in time to hear him comment on what he had been planning to do for the night. The pewterrider started to grin, and he shifted to lean closer to the back of the chair he was sat upon. Perfect timing, it would seem, and he was more than happy to take up his friend's time. "Sounds like a pan." He stood, fixed a chair because he knew how his father liked having them kept neat and straight in his office and he figured A'ric would be the same way, given how similar the two were. "Want to lead the way then and you can tell me how that cute as all git little boy of yours is doing?"

[Kate]

A'ric rolled his eyes, chuckling softly at the other young man. Why was the bronze rider NOT surprised that K'rios had used that same tactic on his own father. Shaking his head, he laughed as the pewter rider finished talking. Farnath's shiny gold ass huh? Rolling his dark eyes, A'ric said, You know, you really should be careful doing things like that. They say payback is not usually very fun." Of course, if K'rios did get payback form A'ric and L'van, the young man would probably find it funny, mostly since the two bronze riders wouldn't be doing it to be mean to him or anything like that. They would probably just end up playing a joke on him or something. Doing exactly what K'rios had done would be kind of boring honestly, so if they were going to get him back at some point, they would have to make plans, and come up with something better than that.

For a moment, A'ric looked at his desk once more. Sure, he had been thinking about going out for a drink and stuff, but should he really do it? Or should he stay here and continue trying to get a head start on this stuff? Quickly, he scolded himself. No, he didn't need to be a workaholic. Every now and then he needed a night to himself. Besides, as the other rider pointed out, he did do a lot of work, maybe a little too much. A'ric got up, quickly checking that everything was in its proper place so that he could just start working quickly in the morning, and then he turned his attention back to K'rios as he spoke again. Chuckling, A'ric nods. "That's fine, it won't take long to get there at all."

The two of them made their way back to A'ric's apartment. The bronze rider unlocked the door, letting K'rios in and then shutting the door behind them. {b]"Viktor is doing well actually. I wish he could be here so you could see him, but with me working and Kit going out, we just decided it was best for him to stay at the crèche tonight.[/b] Looking around he pointed to a cupboard. "Glasses are in there, feel free to help yourself to any kind of drink you want." Pointing to another cupboard he said, "The liquor is in there if you want to have one before we leave."

With that he went into his room and quickly grabbed some clean clothes before heading to the wash room and cleaning himself up. Probably 15 minutes later he was back out in the kitchen, smiling at K'rios, ready to go. "So, what's the plan? Where are we going?"b] K'rios had not really told him very much about the plan, so the bronze rider was curious.eager to get going, and see what the night had in store for the two of them.

[Ember]

"You know, you really should be careful doing things like that. They say payback is not usually very fun."

K'rios placed a hand on his chest, right over his heart, and batted his lashes in an all too innocent manner. Of course that look would never work for him, never in a thousand plus one Turns. But it sure did create pause for effect, and at least he looked adorable while trying it on for size. "Who me? Who would ever try something like that on me?" But whatever he was trying to do didn't last for long, and he burst out laughing a moment later. "Oh, I know one of these days its going to come biting me in the ass, A'ric, but that's part of what makes it so much fun for me. The knowing and the understanding and the anticipation of it all. I can't wait to see what you and the old man try to come at me with. And trust me..." He smirked and winked. "I'll be waiting for the two of you."

"Viktor is doing well actually. I wish he could be here so you could see him, but with me working and Kit going out, we just decided it was best for him to stay at the crèche tonight.

He smiled at that and nodded, then thought of something that might be enjoyable for them both. "I'd love it if I could bring Norissa around sometime when you've got Viktor in the apartment. She just turned two and she's at that stage where babies are just fascinating to her." Thinking of his daughter made him smile, and for the first time since arriving in A'ric's presence, he was actually calm and simple without being over the top. There it was, his weakness aside from his dragon - his daughter, his little girl. Want to bring the man to his knees, well, A'ric now knew how to do so.

"So, what's the plan? Where are we going?

After pouring them both drinks, and offering one of the glasses to A'ric, K'rios sat down on the couch and took a drink from his. "There's this nice little tavern out at the docks of Southern Seahold. Some of the best alcohols you can get your hands on, guaranteed. I want to take you there, and see which of us ends up drunk and under a table first. Winner gets this," he pulled a bag of marks out from his jacket and gave it a shake to show A'ric just how full it was. Lifting a brow, smirking, he then proceeded to ask, "What do you think, my friend?"

[Kate]

A'ric could not help but roll his dark eyes playfully at his friend, unable to resist the urge any longer. Honestly, he loved having the other rider around. K'rios made everything much more interesting, and therefore, more entertaining and fun. Especially when he did things like he was doing now. Pretending to be all innocent and such. A smirk came to play on the bronze rider's face. "Oh I don't know, any one of the number of people you joke around with could want to get you back." Of course there was a teasing tone in his voice, and there always was when he was with K'rios. It was hard to be serious when he was around. As his friend burst out with laughter, A'ric couldn't help but laugh as well. "Well, I don't know if your father would mess with you," After a brief pause, and thinking about it for a moment he said, "Oh? You're waiting for us huh? Well where is the fun in that for us? We'll just have to get you when you are least expecting it." Grinning at him, he just left it at that, wanting to leave K'rios wondering if/when he was going to do anything.

Dark eyes danced with happiness at the mention of K'rios daughter. Honestly, the two of them had talked about their children before, but usually when they were working it was all business, and they hadn't been able to actually go out in a while. "I think Viktor would love that. I'm sure he's already bored with playing with the creche workers, or Kit and I, so it would probably do him some good to have a friend come over." For a moment, the bronze rider let his mind wander, thinking about his son. Honestly, he had never really saw himself as a father figure, but now that he had Viktor, everything seemed different. A'ric knew he was going to make mistakes, but he just hoped they weren't big ones. Besides, Kit was there to help him, as was L'van, and he knew K'rios would even give him tips too. It was nice to know that he had a support system.

A'ric felt more awake and everything after he got himself cleaned up. Taking the drink and quickly taking a sip of it, he sat down on the couch next to K"rios, allowing himself to relax a little. As he listened to him, he nodded. "Actually, I think I've heard of this place you are talking about, I've just never been there myself, or at least not yet anyway.." As K'rios bet reached his ears, he hesitated a moment. Did he really want to take this bet? Sure, he could drink, he could hold his liquor, but it had been a while. "Well, I think I'd be a fool to take that bet, but I'll do it anyway. This night sounds like it is going to be one for us to remember huh?"

Raising the glass to his lips once more, he quickly downs the rest of his drink before turning to the pewter rider. "Well, the night is still young. I say we get going. Means we can spend more time there, right?"

[Ember]

Chuckling, and presenting the face of a man with no fear, K'rios lifted a hand and waged his fingers towards himself. It was a sign that he was jokingly not caring what they did, and truthfully he didn't because it was all fun and games, so long as no one got hurt in the end, and really, they never did. They all just joked and played around, had a good time with each other. Even so, he smirked and looked like he didn't give a care in the world, and maybe in some regards he didn't, as if he could handle anything thrown in his direction. "Is that so, bronzeboy?" He chuckled and shook his head, though he stopped wagging his fingers and crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose I should make a bet with you, but I already have one in mind, you'll hear about it soon enough. Just wait and be patient and I promise you, you'll like what I have in mind." He winked, though whatever it was K'rios had in mind could be hit or miss - sometimes his bets were fun, sometimes they benefited just himself, but never did he do them with the intention of being malicious towards anyone else.

"Then we'll have to arrange a playdate between the munchkins. I'm sure they'll enjoy it. I think my girl would be happy to bring over one of her toys for Viktor to have. She just got two new little stuffed dragons. A pewter and a bronze. Says the bronze would be better suited to Viktor since, and I quote "Viktor's Daddy rides bronze, isn't that right, Daddy?" Cutest thing in the world, I love that she's already able to distinguish the colors. My girl, she's got a brain on her, let me tell you. She's going to go places in this world, be at the top of her craft, be at the top of her weyrling class someday. And she's only two. Two. Can you believe that." He stopped himself from gushing further and laughed. "You need to stop me from going on any further. I keep this up, I'll be telling you what I have planned for her when she becomes a candidate under my charge."

The pewterrider clasped his friend on the shoulder and grinned. "There's my boy. I knew you'd have it in you. I'm having Iktomith send Behemoth the coordinates now. I'll meet you there, we'll go in together, get started on the rounds and the food, see how the bet goes, and whoever loses has to drag the winner back home? Sound good to you?"

[Kate]

The bronze rider just rolled his eyes at his friend once again, knowing that he was still in a joking mood. K'rios never seemed to really be serious, or well, at least, not that A'ric had ever seen anyway. Although, A'ric tended not to be super serious unless the situation called for it. Honestly, he didn't want to be the type that was always worried about stuff. Worrying about Kit, and Viktor, and his friends, that's really all he wanted to have to worry about. Although, sometimes that was hard being a Wingleader. Paperwork sometimes bogged him down, but he tried his best not to let himself stress about it too much. Sure, he needed to make sure it eventually got done, but there were more important things than that, and he wanted to make sure he spent time doing the more important things. A'ric raised an eyebrow at the new nickname, chuckling softly to himself. "Bronzeboy? You know, I could actually get used to that I think, it has a certain kind of ring to it." Of course he was only joking, but honestly, he knew K'rios was going to call him whatever he wanted, and it was all in good fun. Raising his eyebrow slightly. he chuckled. "I never really took you for a betting man, but if you are, I don't know if I'd want to bet. Besides, I'm not much of a betting man anyway."

Dark eyes dance with silent laughter a she listens to K'rios describe his daughter, and gush about her. He can't blame the man, hell, he knows he does that about Viktor half the time. Obviously it was a parent thing to always want to brag about them. Laughing he said, "Well, at least she knows her colors huh? She'll be able to name any color dragon by the time she is four." A'ric can't help but grin just a little as the other rider just keeps going on. Holding a hand up, he throws a smirk at his friend. []b"Oh really? What if she and Viktor are in the same Weyrling class? Are we going to be betting on which one of them will be the top of the class?"[/b] Of course his voice was light, and teasing. Both of their children would do great, no matter what. A smirk came to his face. "Oh, you already have something planned for her? Just be careful you don't embarrass he man. I doubt she would ever forgive you if you over do it." The bronze rider hoped that wasn't true, but he also knew that the same could be said about Viktor, and it probably was. Although, at the same time, A'ric knew it was almost a parents duty to embarrass their children.

Chuckling, A'ric let his dark eyes look around for a moment before he finished his drink. Now that they were ready to leave, he could feel himself getting a bit more excited, Even Behemoth rumbled in his head just a bit, glad that his rider was going to be going out and having some fun. The bronze believed his rider needed some fun, that he couldn't just work all the time. Nodding, A'ric stood up, putting his glass in the sink. "Of course that sounds good to me."

It only took them a moment to get out to their dragons, and A'ric quickly got himself mounted up and strapped in. Then they poofed between, and arrived where the party was going to be for the next few hours. A smile played on the bronze rider's face. The night was still young, and he couldn't wait.