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C'tis would contentedly have slept for hours longer if left to his own devices.

He was not left to his own devices.

It was the third kick to his door that properly woke him but it took a few moments for his fuzzy brain to process the voice calling out to him. Rochelle. What did she-

Oh. The flight.

C'tis sat up and groaned, rubbing his scarred face to try to rouse himself and then casting around in search of some trousers. Rochelle was here. Malcarreth had won the Flight. Had she... had she... found somebody? The moment things had kicked off he'd locked himself in his weyr so he had no idea what she'd got up to. Maybe she'd let one of the unsuccessful riders in to have a tumble with, and was now here unreasonably cheerful to tell him how great she felt. For his part C'tis just felt groggy but at least he found yesterday's britches and a clean shirt, he even managed to get them on the right way around.

"A minute!" he called a bit belatedly, rubbing his face again and quickly moving around his little home to tidy up the clothes he'd strewn haphazardly across the floor. C'tis did not consider himself a neat-freak by any stretch of the imagination but dirty clothes belonged in the wash basket. After a moment's thought he stripped the sheets off his bed and tossed those in too before shoving the basket into a corner.

With this done his weyr was in its usual semi-tidy state, and satisfied with this state of affairs C'tis moved to the door, yawing massively and scrubbing his fingers through his hair. Pulling it open he announced. "I'm never decent, it's part of my natural charm. What the shaff time do you call this Rochelle?" She looked pretty. Not done up fancily just... pretty. She'd bothered with a cincher and even combed her hair by the look of it, how long had she been awake? Perhaps she and her hypothetical partner of the moment hadn't even bothered to sleep they'd been having so much fun.

C'tis scowled, took a mug, took a swig and then stepped back inside, pulling the door further open to let Rochelle come in too. "You interrupted sleep," he grumbled, "but seen as you've woken me up now and brought breakfast I suppose you can come in." It was pretty obvious that Rochelle was looking around to see if he'd had company, he wasn't sure whether that indicated that she also hadn't or that she had and thus thought he might have as well.

"Take a seat," he waved a hand vaguely at a couple of chairs set before his slightly rickety table, setting his own klah down on it before heading around the weyr to open his windows and let in the morning light.

What should he say to her? Their dragons had... and it had been... well, interesting. He was glad he'd locked his door before he got caught up in things, that much was for sure. If he hadn't he probably would have ended up with somebody or other and while he wasn't averse to casual sex... well it was just more complicated now with her and... well yes. Ugh. He definitely needed more klah before he could work any of this out.

C'tis grunted, his stock response to something he didn't know what to say to or didn't care to answer. "Well it would have served you right for banging my door down this early," he added to the grunt after a moment, slouching back across the room to flop into his own chair.

Taking a bite of meatroll he offered a muffled; "Thanks," and after finishing his mouthful he swigged more klah. Now what? Had she been telling him through her comment that there hadn't been anyone last night? Why should he care anyway what she'd got up to? He liked her, sure, but it had been a Flight so it wasn't like knowing she'd been with somebody meant she really liked them like that. He still hoped she hadn't been with anyone, and he knew full well how stupid that was.

"And... well it was her first time." Had that sounded awkward and abrupt after the silence that had hung in the air? "So you'll know next time, and you can give some more warning." Yes, that had sounded awkward or it had to him anyway. C'tis ate some more meatroll.

It had been a jerk move, but he supposed it would have been an awkward conversation to have later. Even more awkward, that was. He supposed it could have been left unasked but... well, yes, it was a flight and a first flight and so something would probably have been said.

After a few more moments of silence C'tis shrugged. "Well, yes it was, but it's alright. Forget about it." He took another sip of klah. "So... is this the part where I ask if you did or not? I never went near your weyr, came here as soon as Malcarreth shot off spouting whatever it was he was saying to Kibeth. I didn't pry."

"Oh." C'tis' very neutral verbal response was slightly incongruously paired by him relaxing a little. "Well, fair enough. First flights, Mercy did go on about how they can confuse you. I figured it was better not to get involved at all than to end up so muddled I ended up with somebody regrettable." That was true... kind of true. Well it was true but it wasn't the whole truth.

If he had gone along with things and she had let him in then.... Well he wasn't comfortable with the idea. It would have been fine if they were friends and he happened to just be physically attracted to her as well but it felt like more than that and that was... awkward. Complicated. Difficult. He'd tried really hard to swear off liking anyone at all ever after that b***h had screwed him over (by screwing that b*****d) but then there had been the revolution and Aleck and Rochelle and friendship and now.... Well yes, now it was complicated.

C'tis choked a bit at the jest and raised his mug to her toast. Becka... he didn't get it, not really. If he held that much bile for everyone that had ever hit him then he'd probably explode from the pressure of it. It was a bit more than just the hitting, he knew that, but it all seemed.... He didn't know, but semi-unprincipled git that he was he was quite happy to take his friend's part even if he wasn't sure that her feelings were justified. It didn't really matter in the end, did it? You felt the way you felt and it didn't always make sense, and if you had any sense you stuck by your friends regardless of whether or not you thought how they felt made sense. That was how he felt anyway, real friendship was worth hanging onto no matter what.

Let him be accused of anything before disloyalty, even cowardice.

C'tis sighed and then gave a crooked little smile. "Yeah we're... we're good. It was just a bit of a surprise and... yes, a bit of a surprise. I'm on your side, regardless of whatever other crap goes on."

C'tis consumed the piece of crust in one bite, and then took another big bite of one of his own meatrolls. "Mmfh!" he said eloquently. Once he had swallowed he added; "Well, yeah. I know. I mean, you too. To me that is. And yes, at least you brought breakfast and I was able to find my trousers." What would he do if/when Mal did decide to chase other females? Just shut himself away again?... He supposed so, stupid sap that he was.

"So," C'tis took another little bite of meatroll, "what're y'doing with the rest of t'day?" The harper's usually crisp tones were rather muffled by the food but he presumed Rochelle would decipher what he meant, and was too hungry now that he wasn't worrying so much anymore to stand on ceremony.