It is morning.

Juliena wanders in, giggling as she looks at no one, but rather scratches along Sasha's neckridges. She makes it nearly to the hearth and her usual seat before noticing. "'Evening there Halsian, Jaaren." The last word coming out rather forced, but she keeps a determined smile.

Jaaren smiles at Juliena, that "I'm so good looking," smile that he has. "Evening Juliena," he says. He pointedly ignores Halsian. Not worth noticing.

Juliena pointedly ignores that 'I'm so good looking' smile, she doesn't want to loose her dinner, after all. "How're the new apprentices doing." she asks Halsian softly, grinning. "I might be getting another one, since Miridea's doing so well."

Halsian looks up from his hides, glaring at Jaaren brielfy before flashing a bright smile to Juliena. "Well.. I've only the one now.. How are you this morning, Juliena?"

Jaaren grumbles "One too many"

"Is it really morning already? I need to go outside more." She flashes a bright grin, and swings 'round the snack table for a small breadroll. "Wonderfully, I'd say." Once again, Juliena barely glances in Jaaren's direction.

Halsian continues smiling as he shoves the hides away and pats the seat beside him. "Join me for a little breakfast?"

Jaaren smiles harder at Juliena. Hey, he's irrisistable right? Don't worry that recent events haven't born out that assumption. "I was just going to have a little breakfast myself," he says meaningfully.

Juliena swallows a bit.. Is Jaaren going to follow? Could she possibly keep breakfast down knowing that he's staring at her? She smiles at Halsian, threading her way through the crowd to take the seat. "I'd love that, thanks."

Jaaren sidles up to her. "So would I," he says, following. He's sure he's invited

Of course he's not, but Halsian would never be unpolite.. Especially not in front of Juliena. "Here, have some poridge.. It's not that great, but it's good for you." He says to Juliena, sliding over his untouched bowl.

Jaaren screws up his nose. Real men don't eat porrige, so that pretty well concludes his opinion of Halsian doesn't it? "I think I'll have some herdbeast," he says in an aggressive tone with a sneer at Halsian. But he takes the seat next to Juliena, because of course, how could she resist sitting next to someone so incredible?

Halsian frowns, seeing Jaaren sit beside Juliena. Hey, she was already sitting next to someone incredibly.. /Him/!

"Poridge? Is that all you could get out of the cooks? It needs some fruit, at the very least.." Juliena forces a grin in Jaaren's direction, completely and obviously fake.. to all but the recipient. "I suppose I should go back to the Weyr, shouldn't I, Halsian," she ponders. "I suppose I didn't exactly pick a good time to visit last." Meep.

Jaaren summons a drudge and orders some herdbeast. Aggressively. He's completely taken in by Juliena's grin, of course. Hey, I knew she liked me! He smirks over in Halsian's direction. So there

"Go back to the weyr?" Halsian sounds terrified at the prospect, but gives a quick sigh of relief, hearing the word 'visit'. "If you'd like. Of course, I'd have to accompany you.. Make sure you were safe from all the holdless." He grins broadly and winks at her, completely ignoring Jaaren.

Jaaren frowns. "It's always a bad time to visit the weyr" he says ominously.

Another drudge wanders near Juliena with a bowl of small, reddish colored berries. "Thank you Sminsa." Juliena gives her a far more charming grin than she ever gave Jaaren, and the woman goes back to her work with a smile. "I'll always feel safe with you around, Halsian." She smiles back at him, returning the wink before adding the berries to the poridge. She's not going to say a single thing to Jaaren, not a single thing.

Jaaren shudders. "There are riders there and they corrupt young women," he says sephuchrally.

Halsian blushes at Juliena's words. Hopefully it goes unnoticed with his dark skin. He opens his mouth to say somethin to her, but is startled by Jaaren's comment. "What?" He asks, frowning.

Juliena chokes suddenly, she was just swallowing a bite of poridge. A few seconds pass before she manages to get her breath back. "Riders are hardly the only ones there, and it's in more than one place that a woman can learn about life." She swallows again, and, irritated, inches as far as possible away from Jaaren.

Hey, doesn't that mean she's inching toward Halsian? Winkwinknudgenudge.

Jaaren frowns. "Just you take care you don't go the same way as my sister" he says disgustedly

Halsian raises an eyebrow at Jaaren, then grins. "She doesn't need to worry, I'll protect her." His grin broadens as he reaches over, patting Juliena's hand gently.

Jaaren raises his eyebrows dubiously. "She needs some /real/ protection" he points out.

Juliena can't take this any more, she gets as far away more Jaaren as the table, and the seats, permit. "I have all that I need, right here." Right next to Halsian, and she slips her hand into his. Her glare to Jaaren is icy.

Jaaren glares at Halsian. It's all /his/ fault

Halsian just blinks. Blinkblink. He's confused.

Jaaren hrmphs and looks askance at the healer. Women. No taste

Halsian blinks some more, at Jaaren this time. "What?"

Jaaren glares "I said she needs some /real/ protection, not some feeble weakling like you," he spears the herdbeast agressively. Yeah like that. Juliena's actions have made him more annoyed.

Halsian smiles brightly. "Well, apparently she'd prefer a 'weakling' like me to a great big dimglow like you."

Jaaren snorts at him. "Can't see why," he says disgustedly. "And I've got as much brains at the next person." Yeah, sure he has.

"Sure you have." Halsian just smirks smugly and sips at his klah, ignoring the younger 'boy'.

Jaaren stands up and walks around the other side of Hal from Juliena, pressing his nose right up Hal's. "I resent that implication," he growls

Halsian giggles at Jaaren. Apparently he's a /tad/ giddy at the moment. "Good for you."

Jaaren screws up his nose and looks at Hal incredulously. What's he up to? Wierd.

Halsian pokes Jaaren's nose and pushes him away. "Get away." He says, his tone insinuating that he is not pleased with Jaaren at the moment.

And since when has that bothered Jaaren? He moves his nose though. "Don't order /me/ around" he snarles. "You're just a weak little wherry egg of a... a... healer" Ooh, and calling him a healer is a pretty bad insult in Jaaren's book.

Halsian raises his eyebrows at Jaaren. "More than you'll ever be."

Jaaren splutters and glares. "I wouldn't /want/ to be a healer anyway," he says.

"Good for you." Halsian says, giving a shrug as he ignores Jaaren again.

Jaaren splutters. He's being /ignored/. "Healers are just one step better than dragonmen," he says disgustedly, and pokes Hal in the chest. "You're one of the worst."

Halsian swats the hand away, but doesn't say anything to Jaaren. He's still ignoring. So there.

Jaaren seems torn. On the one hand, he's got to show he's boss, on the other, there's Juliena looking on, and not seeming too pleased. He snorts, and walks off to find some klah.

Halsian frowns as his gaze follows Jaaren. "What's your problem with me, anyway?" He asks, forgetting that he's ignoring him.

Jaaren gives him a "you should know" look. "You're a healer, and a weakling" he says disparagingly.

"Why is that any reason to dislike me?" Halsian asks, frowning.

Jaaren ers. It's not he guesses. Why do people ask him hard questions? He frowns, trying to come up with an answer. While he's thinking he asks "Why do /you/ dislike /me/?" There, that'll get him

You say "I only dislike you because you dislike me. And you were rude."

Jaaren grumps, but grudgingly has to admit it's true. "Well," he says, trying to think of a comeback, but really, it's getting a bit wearying being disliked by everyone. "You were rude back," he says finally. OK. It's childish, but we've come to expect that from Jaaren.

Halsian raises an eyebrow at Jaaren and crosses his arms over his chest, giving Jaaren a /look/. "Well, I had good reason, didn't I?"

Jaaren hrmphs. He doesn't want to admit the /real/ reason he was rude to Hal was because he was jealous. "I guess so," he mutters sourly. "But I don't like to be pushed around." Yeah. Hal started /that/.

"I was just defending.. Certain peoples' honor." Halsian points out. And we all know who those certain people are..

Jaaren decides something. Juliena's gone. "Lets have some wine," he says.

Halsian grins at Jaaren and nods. "Thank you.." He raises his eyebrows at the mention of wine. "Wine? Really? /Wonderful/ idea."

Jaaren thinks with that tiny mind of his. Someone's agreeing with him, and all he had to do was say something nice, and offer wine. Make a note. He gets up to fetch a wineskin. "Real men drink wine," he says, coming back with two glasses.

Halsian nods vigorously as he snatches his glass. "Yes..."

Jaaren pours the wine. He's being magnanimous. Look, he's being nice to someone. Time to get drunk. No silly disapproving women around. He raises his glass "To...er...to what?" he asks Halsian.

Halsian shrugs. "To... To women." He grins wickedly as he clinks his glass against Jaaren's.

Jaaren grins. That's a good toast. That Healer is definately not as bad as he thought. "Yeah... to women!" he says. "And to wine!"

2 things close to Jaaren's heart.

Halsian grins broadly. "Aye.." He says quietly before taking a swig. Ahhhh.. The good stuff.

Jaaren sculls his down. Like a real man, you see. He returns Halsian's grin. This is much better fun than fighting. "More?" he asks, readying the wineskin.

Halsian nods, holding out his glass. "Of course!"

Jaaren pours it again. One for Hal, one for him. He raises the glass again. "To...er.. to the winemakers," he says. He's running out of original toasts.

Axia walks in from the Main Hallway. Axia has arrived.

Halsian giggles a bit at Jaaren and nods. "Yes, yes.. And to.. That lovely lady over there!" He exclaims, raising his glass to Axia.

Jaaren grins too. Heh, see he's got a friend. He raises his glass cheekily at Axia. "And to her lovely sister," he adds, downing the glass once again.

Axia skips in, looking to be in quite a sunny mood. Of course, appearances are always deceiving with Axia. The two drunkards get first a look -- just a look, not a /look/ -- and then a smirk, and finally Jaaren's words cause outright giggling.

Jaaren smiles magnanimously. Yes, today he's up to getting drunk with anyone. "Sweet Axia," he says, already slurring. "Come and join us in a glass of wine," he mutters to Hal "or two or three"

"Or twelve." Halsian giggles gaily as he downs another glass.

Jaaren looks approvingly at Halsian, and pours them both another. "Or more," he says and raises his glass "To...er...firelizards!" he says, raising his glass to Halsian's bronze. "May they have plenty of clutches." He swigs that glass too.

Axia giggles insanely. "Oh, I'd love a glass." Smirk. This should be fun.

Jaaren gets up and staggers over to the table. Nah, he can't swagger while he staggers so he looks like a regular drunk. He grabs another glass and presents it with more than his usual exaggerated gallantry to Axia. He staggers back to his chair and pours himself another glass, waiting for Axia to join them, and for Halsian to finish his.

Halsian nods to Jaaren. "And... And.. To.. Us!" And with that his head hits the table, and he's out cold.

Jaaren looks astonished at Hal's collapse. "To us!" he agrees, downing his, anyway. Don't let a little thing like that get in the way.