M'ko trudges into the caverns, thumbs shoved under the loop of his belt and head hung low.

Decata is slouched comfortably in a chair, a hide tossed over her face to shield it from the light as she sleeps.

M'ko wanders past Decata, boots scuffing along the floor of the caverns as he heads for a table with..wineskins, of course. He grumbles audibly as a caverns girls knocks over several klah pots by the hearth. /That/ oughtta wake the greenrider up, since Moe certainly isn't going to.

Decata starts with a soft snort, following it with a grunt as she tugs the hide from her face, "Wha?"

M'ko just grunts again as he pours a glass 'o' wine. Is Decata there? He didn't notice... Really.

Decata tugs her butt up until she's sitting properly, her feet planting on the floor. Through bleary eyes she notices, "Moe.."

"Yes?" Moe asks pleasantly enough, glancing over the rim of his gladd at Decata.

"Just greeting," Decata smiles.

"Oh." Moe downs the rest of that glass. "Hello."

Decata wonders idly, "How are you?"

M'ko doesn't sneer. Oh no. "Dandy." Comes the simple reply as he pours another glass and finishes that one off quickly, too.

Decata lifts a brow, rising in search of klah. "Something wrong?" she wonders.

"Of course not." Moe says hurriedly, staring into his empty glass. "Why should anything be wrong?"

"You're just not your normal cheery self," Decata murmurs, piling a plate with food.

M'ko chuckles bitterly under his breath. "Kind of you to notice." Cryptic as always, that brownrider...

Decata shrugs, unconcerned. If he's not gonna talk, he's not gonna talk. She returns to her seat with her dinner.

M'ko slams his glass down suddenly, scowling. "So you really don't care about me at /all/ now, huh? Not like it matters, anyway..." His frown darkens as he adds, "It's better that you don't like me, really...It wouldn't be right."

Decata blinks mildly, glancing up slowly, "What /are/ you talking about?"

M'ko sighs, running a hand through that fiery red hair. "I'm talking about /you/...And P'len." He sighs again, then continues, baritone voice surprisingly gentle. "...I don't care about what you two do anymore... I really don't. Just leave me out of it..." Dark green eyes flicker hearth-wards, then, "I don't want to let myself get hurt anymore. I never should have to begin with..." Maybe that's just the three glasses of wine talking, though...

Decata points out, not unkindly, "You did it to yourself Moe. You drove me into his arms with your jealousy. He was there when all you did was pout and pity yourself."

M'ko closes his eyes and chuckles lightly again, shaking his head. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't know I'm the dumbest guy on Pern?" He refills his glass, staring into the burgandy liquid. "And I don't care anymore...If you're happier with him...Well, that's all that matters."

Decata slumps a little, shrugging her shoulders, "We're not exclusively together... not weyrmated or anything."

M'ko grins crookedly, nodding. "Well, if you decide to do so, I wish you the best." He mutters softly, rising from his seat and moving to leave.

Decata sighs faintly, and shrugs, settling back in her chair. A frown crosses her lips.

M'ko stops just before he reaches the cave entrance, than turns, smiling faintly. "So..This is what comes from letting yourself believe that someone loves you..." He sighs heavily, noting, "...I've learned my lesson."

"I /do/ love you, Moe," Decata calls.
Decata says "We just can't be together if you can't handle my personality. I want to be with you, but I don't want to hurt you with everything I do."

M'ko sighs again, nodding. "I may not be the brightest glow around, but I do know about flights... The outcome doesn't just affect the greenrider and the winner, you know..." He pauses, then continues explaining, "I didn't mean to burst in on you or be angry or...or any of that I really didn't. Eshoth...and I, we were upset about losing... And my temper affected him, I guess, and..." He trails off, keeping his eyes closed. "Not like that makes any sense, anyway..." Sigh.

"It makes perfect sense Moe," Decata murmurs quietly, "But you have to understand. I don't know if I can just be with one person all the time... even outside of flights. No matter how much I love them."

"I don't understand that..." Moe admits, giving a one-shouldered shrug. "If you really love someone, why would you ever want to be with anyone else?"

Decata sighs faintly, shaking her head, "I don't see sex as having anything to do with love, Moe. It's an instinct... "

M'ko frowns thoughtfully, then shrugs. "I always thought that -- except for flights -- that's exactly what it's about..."

"How can that be what it's about?" Decata asks, "Dragons aren't in love when they do it. No other animals are in love. You don't have to love someone to have sex, and you don't have to have sex to love someone."

M'ko sighs again, nodding. "But for Dragons it's an instinct, and--" He blinks those dark green eyes suddenly, then looks down, starring at his booted feet. "Oh." When he looks up, he frowns thoughtfully. "So...Does that mean that you don't feel anything for P'len?"

"I didn't say that..." Decata murmurs quietly. She adds, "And it doesn't change how I feel about you."

M'ko just shrugs again. "So what is P'len to you, then?" He asks, voice growing slightly rougher.. He doesn't say anything about that last comment.

"P'len is a lover, and a good friend," Decata murmurs, then admits, "And I love him."

M'ko blinks..Several times. In rapid succession. "Oh."

"Just like you," Decata finishes.

M'ko shakes his head quickly. "No..." He pauses, then asks softly, "How can you love us both?"

Decata shrugs slightly, "I don't know. But I do. I can love Vindrith and others..."

"Vindrith is different. Vindrith is your lifemate..." Moe points out, sighing again. "You can't really love two people like that, though...Not at the same time. I don't think it works that way..." But he's awfully naive.

"And how much do you know of love, Moe?" Decata asks, quietly.

M'ko sniffs, baritone voice barely audible, "Obviously nothing."

Decata sighs quietly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Moe... It has to be possible to love more than one person, because I do."

"But how...how could..." Moe stops suddenly, frowning.

Decata sighs, "I just do..."

M'ko shakes his head, still staring at his feet. "No..You're just confused..Or just trying to be nice to me, or..something." He finally looks up and states, "You love him."

Decata grumbles quietly under her breath, "Yes, Moe. And I love you. And I'm not confused, or just trying to be nice."

M'ko just keeps shaking his head. "No, you don't... Why would you?" He heaves a sigh, then, continuing. "You spend almost all your time with him, and...and do /things/ with him, and..and..." His gaze returns to the ground as he kicks at an invisible pebble. "..I spent sevendays refusing to believe that I felt anything for you, and as soon as I think that I might...." He trails off, ending with one of those sighs. "I shouldn't have listened to Eshoth.."

Decata frowns quietly, sighing, "I never see you, Moe... I thought you didn't /want/ to see me anymore."

M'ko shakes his head. "You never see me because while I'm sitting on the beach or in the bowl with Eshoth," Moping "you're with P'len."

Decata sighs quietly, "That's not true..."

M'ko shrugs, holding his hands out helplessly. "No? Then what've you been doing the past... What, two sevendays?"

"I only go there at night," Decata defends, "After I haven't found you during the day."

M'ko shakes his head again. "You go there because you love P'len, don't you?"

Decata sighs quietly, "Yes, I do. And because we have fun together. And because I thought you didn't want to see me...

M'ko sighs, too. "Why would I not want to see you? Because we argued 'cause of my dragon-induced anger?" Siiiigh again. "Well...I'm sorry I'm not any fun, then...I dunno why you even like me, anyway." Sniff.

"I never said you weren't any fun," Decata corrects, calmly. "I jsut seem to make you upset all of the time."

M'ko scuffs his boot along the rock floor of the cavern, sighing again. "And you don't always make me upset. If I'm upset at anyone it's myself...Because I'm a sharding idiot..."

"You're not an idiot," comes Decata's response, by now almost automatic.

"Am so..." Moe counters. "You said so yourself... /I/ drove you to /him/..."

Decata sighs quietly, not saying anything.

M'ko just sniffs. "See?" That's all he says, turning around again, facing the cave entrance.

Decata rises, stepping up behind you. She pauses for a moment, then spins you about and kisses you.

M'ko pulls away after a moment, shaking his head. "Decata...That doesn't work anymore... You can't just solve everything with a kiss..."

Decata turns away, murmuring, "I was trying to show you my feelings."

M'ko shrugs, then puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What /are/ you feeling?"

"Love," Decata murmurs, "For both of you. And regret, that I hurt you."

M'ko sniffs again, then sighs. He chews on his bottom lip, muttering, "Do you...Do you love him more? Or just as a friend? Or do you just love me as a friend, or....?" Shrug.

"I love you both the same," Decata murmurs, quietly.

M'ko shakes his head slowly. "I don't...I don't think that's possible. You love everyone a different way, or a different...ammount." He's pretty sure that's the word he's looking for, anyway. "You can't love us the same... And even if you /really/ do...Well.. Then what, huh?" That's said softly, almost an inaudible whisper.

"I think I know how much I love someone Moe," Decata half-scolds.

M'ko counters, defensively, "And I think I can tell when someone really loves me." Ouch. He didn't really mean that... Honest.

"Then why are you denying it?" Decata counters, in true Decata style.