"Stay. Stay. Stay." Safi's moving backwards one step at a time, a hand out towards her growing puppy. Jen's tail is wiggling violently like he wants to come RIGHT NOW, but he is obeying. About a dozen steps Safi smiles broadly and opens her palm which holds a treat. "Come! Good boy!" The puppy rushes Safi and her hand is dog-saliva-covered as he goes after the treat. DIDYOUSEEHOWGOODHEDIDHEISSUCHAGOOOOOODBOY.

From down below the loft a voice is heard as well as the sound of boots on stairs. Peaking over the edge of the loft ladder is a bright mop of red hair, and not long to follow is Th'res he is cradling something in his arm, as he climbs up. He looks on the worn out side of life right now, bags under eyes that are still a little red. But he smells as if he just came from the baths, all fresh and clean. Lost in thought as he is he seems to be talking to the object in his arms "I am sure she will like you…"

Safi is giving Jen-puppy a GOOD SCRATCHING. The dog enjoys this so much that he's down on the ground with all four paws in the air wiggling with all the happiness. Here among the hay and animals Safi seems more at peace than normal. Looking up she doesn't notice at first the worn signals on Th'res' face, just him. "Th'res? Hey!"

Th'res looks up as he gets up on the loft, and actually smiles, it is a tired one but an honest smile. "Hey, Just the herder I was looking for." He walks over to her and smiles at the little dog who is apparently the good boy! He has been sneaking up here or out to the pasture everychance he gets it seems but she might not know that.

"Really?" Despite his admission of liking her, Safi hadn't given it more of a thought. "Been… staying inside." A shy glance downwards Safi gives the puppy one last scratch and stands brushing fur off her fingers. The puppy jumps up also CONVINCED TO HIS BONES they are going to do something interesting RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW. OH, HI TH'RES HIHIHI. That tail wag, seriously, it could power a small country. He starts to go forward before Safi says clearly, "Stay." EARS DROPPING and a WHINE> WHY SAFI. WHY SAFI.

"Yes seems I found another stray for you, well more like Jedameth found it." Th'res says as he holds out the very warm bundle in his hands to her. He smiles but even with her there it still doesn't reach his eyes. He glances down at the little dog who whines for more play time and chuckles softly reminded of the blue dragon sulking in the bowl when he was told he couldn't come play with the cows.

Safi is puzzled and steps forward. (So does Jen the silly opportunist he is.) REaching out she takes the bundle with the same care he's taking with it. "Are you okay?" Seeing now the tired in his eyes.

Th'res nods and as soon as the bundle is taken he will move to sit on a hay bale saying "Just been a rough seven day, Thread fall hit us rather hard." Yup that is where he is for now, but he does reach down and holds his hand out for the dog should it want to sniff him and get a good petting. "If you don't want it, I can always turn it loose" he says motioning to the bundle in the herders arms.

Safi's distracted. QUICK, TO THE HAND. <— Jen. Safi unrolls the bundle and gasps when she sees what's inside of it. "Th'res- I, I can't, it's too much," Turning Safi looks wide-ed at the bluerider, completely shocked.

And the pets will in sue, Th'res happily gives the puppy all the attention it wants. He doesn't even look up and shrugs "Jedameth doesn't think so, and if you are going to give it back you can do it right to his face" He says with a teasing tone but it might be lost in the tired that seems to be behind his voice today.

Happy HAppy HAPPY puppy. He's just gonna keep being puppy so long as Th'res keeps petting. Carefully Safi shifts and sits down next to Th'res. The egg is cuddled in it's warm covers in one arm like a baby. The other reaches out to touch his knee. "Are…. I don't want to say no. But… are you okay?"

Th'res doesn't shy away from the contact, and will start to nod..but stops himself and shakes his head "I don't think I know what OK is anymore." He still pets the little dog trying to absorb some of that happy joy it seems. He sighs and looks over at her saying "I…I have never lost anyone before."

It isn't the most intimate of contact, friendly more. At the talk of loss Any smile Safi had fades slowly. Her eyes flick towards the puppy for some reason. "Did… did someone die?" What it means to have a hard thread was lost on Safi, her experience so limited.

The red headed man nods "Yes, first one got injured. Then we lost a rider out right, from the weyrling wing.. my wing." Th'res absently reaches for something on his hip but stops himself before he can. Instead he will reach out and place his hand on hers seeking comfort in the connection.

"It… it isn't… easy to lose someone." Safi can come to this place from one of understanding. She'd started to pull her hand away when he makes it clear he wasn't reaching - except then he is! okay! She squeezes his. "I'm sorry."

Th'res nods and squeezes back looking at her and there is a faint flicker of understanding before he says "I am sorry for your loss, I didn't know" Of course he didn't know, but that doesn't stop him from trying to comfort her because grief is weird like that.

"I, what?" Safi doesn't understand what Th'res means, and pulls away. She hadn't told anyone here about Jenfrie and as much as she DOES have good feelings about the bluerider, his sudden knowledge makes her withdraw. Arms curl around the egg which she keeps hold of gently.

When she recoils the bluerider sighs and this time does reach for his hip flask. Th'res will quickly take a quick pull from it before he puts it away, no one said being sober was a mandatory thing on time off. He goes back to petting the puppy, letting his friend figure out if she wishes to run away again or stay.

"I'm… How… did you know? I mean…" Safi drifts off, confused now at the interaction. "I didn't mean to…" hurt his feelings? Make him drink? Whatever she just did wrong. "I'm sorry."

"You can't understand what I am feeling with out going through it yourself. And you have that look of loosing someone. I am not asking to know who or anything but I am sorry for your loss." Th'res looks over at her and shakes his head at her apology "you did nothing wrong, Safi, I told you that you don't have to apologize to me."

"Oh." Silence from the girl as Safi digests her own jumping to conclusions. "I'm," except she was about to say sorry, and she has to gulp it back down. "I'm not helping any." A sincere desire TO help, but without the knowledge of how.

Th'res smiles at her and pats the hay bale next to him saying "You are actually for caring and being here. As much as I would want to I know that being alone here isn't what I need." his voice is tired and strung out from at least a few days of not sleeping and mulling over everything that has happened.

With her bundle still carefully cradled in her arms Safi slides over closer to Th'res and reaches her free hand over and wraps it around the bluerider. "You.. you sound like you need a nap. I, no one is going to be here for a while if you wanted to… use the hay for a nap?"

Th'res looks at her, and nods saying "I could, but…" he blushes as she wraps him in a hug will lean slightly into her saying "would you…stay with me?" Even in his current state of exhaustion he blushes.

It's a good thing they're sitting side-by-side, because Safi doesn't see that blush. It would make HER blush. Jen noses Th'res' hand. Has he forgotten the good boy right here that needs pets? Flopping onto his back the puppy shows his belly, will that get him pets? The puppy is a good place to put Safi's eyes. "I, um, have the afternoon free." Plus she was just wasting time with Jen anyway.

Th'res hasn't forgotten the puppy and reaches down to rub that belly. He smiles at Safi, still a little blush on his ears "Thank you.." he still leans into her and will let his head loll to one side to rest on her shoulder while he absently pets the little dog. It doesn't take long for his hand to slow to a stop as he falls asleep sitting up.

Safi is 99.9% sure that this is when one of the journeymen are going to come up and she's going to catch it for being in an intimate pose with a man. With Th'res asleep though, Safi isn't going to move at first. Eventually she does start to shift so that he can lay down (more comfortable) but she doesn't go far. Jen needs a good brushing after leaping through the hay, so that's what she's going to do until Th'res awakens.