Boom! Another chapter for you! A little bit of handler love for the world! Thanks for the reviews, they make me super happy whenever I get one :3 I hope you continue to enjoy this chapter - and stuff's about to go down, if you don't guess by the end XD

Chapter Ten: The Handler's Observations

Eon stifled another yawn. As much as he wanted to be there for his friends, it would be nice if they remembered he lived on a completely different schedule than they did. In the back of his mind, he could feel the calm that filled Eonsk as he spelt peacefully. How Eon wished he could join him. Instead, he was sitting in the I'cas' weyr, watching silently as the man hit his head against the table over and over.

"Please," Eon finally grumbled. "My head's hurting just from watching you."

The silver rider left his head on the table instead of hitting it again. He groaned and pressed his hands against the back of his head – like he was trying to push himself further and further into the table.

"So," Eon sighed, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to keep them alert. "What did you do to upset her?"

"Nothing," was the muffled reply.

"You must have done something for her to turn around and deny knowing you."

"I didn't do anything," I'cas snapped.

Eon rolled his eyes; out of all the Tennar Troubles, I'cas wouldn't be the one who Arami 'forgot'. So surely there was something the silver rider had done to annoy her? She always played games, so maybe this was her revenge for something. Then again, Arami wasn't the type to purposefully upset someone she cared about – and, call Eon an idiot, but it had always seemed like these two cared about each other.

"Maybe she didn't recognise you? I mean, think about it, you don't exactly look like the Trouble you were."

"You didn't see her face. Even as I said my name she was completely blank."

Unable to watch one of his oldest friends waste away in such a state, Eon stood up and walked around the desk. Placing his hands on the smaller man's shoulders, he didn't hesitate in dragging I'cas out of his seat. The silver rider knew Eon well enough to expect it, and allowed the handler to pull him to his feet – though he wasn't impressed.

Once I'cas was on his feet, Eon slapped him on the back. "Right, moping around isn't going to help. If you continue to do so, I'll take great pleasure in punching sense into you."

"Only true friends can say that..." I'cas grumbled as he shrugged Eon away.

"I'cas?"

The call from the weyr entrance wasn't a voice Eon knew terribly well, though I'cas seemed unnerved by it. Quickly ruffling his hair back into place and straightening his clothes, the Weyrsecond stepped towards the entrance.

"Come on in," he told the arrival.

The woman who stepped inside was Wika, the Weyrwoman's Second; she seemed surprised upon seeing Eon, but gave him a gracious smile nevertheless. Her eyes then immediately turned to I'cas and narrowed in worry.

"I wanted to check you were ok," she said, moving further inside the weyr. "Quesuth said Touth was worrying."

"Touth always worries," I'cas said with a painfully fake laugh.

"Uh huh, sure." Wika crossed her arms – clearly not buying the man's story.

"Did you need anything else?"

The gold rider's expression softened. "Yes, actually. It's Kida's turnday in a few days, and she said she wanted the three of us to do something. Though, I'm sure she'll understand if–"

"No, sure, that sounds great. Just let me know what she wants to do."

Wika nodded, seemingly gratefully for the reply and said she would take her leave. When her footsteps died away, I'cas sighed.

"Well done. Whilst recovering from the denial of your childhood sweetheart, you're making plans with your ex-Weyrmate." Eon applauded sarcastically, earning a glare off the silver rider.

"Wika and I were never Weyrmates."

"And she's the one you deny."

"Besides, it's Kida I'm seeing, not her."

"Ok..."

"Wika... she's... cut it out, Eon!"

"Hey, I'm just asking, how many people actually make time to spend with their kids? Especially flight kids."

"Yeah, well... what if I like being a Dad?"

"For Faranth's sake, what's wrong with you two?"

The third voice that joined the men had made her way into the room unnoticed. Eon and I'cas turned together to face Siene's frowning form at the entrance.

"So, I ask you to stop I'cas from drowning in his self-pitying, and you end up lecturing him about his fatherly duties?" the blue rider growled at Eon.

"Finally, someone on my side!" I'cas explained, but his happiness was short lived as Siene stepped forward and smacked him across the head.

"And you! As Arami's friend, I feel it's necessary to point out that you should have denied being childhood sweethearts with her!"

The three stood in a stalemate for quite some time; Siene didn't want to tell the others what she'd just heard, Eon didn't want to start another argument, and I'cas was much more interested in whether his 'cheering up party' would leave soon.

In the end, none of them had to break the awkward silence, for a dragon did it for them.

The roar crippled each unfortunate listener, and actually shook the looser furniture in the room. Eon wasn't sure which dragon it was – but I'cas and Siene were worried enough to run to the ledge and peer out. The wher handler wandered over sleepily and stared into the Bowl as well.

The large black dragon wasn't flying, his feet were all flat on the ground, but he was leaning forward and roaring right in his own rider's face.

"Arami!" Siene screamed, running from the weyr without a moment's hesitation.

"Touth!" I'cas yelled only a second later; he didn't need to wait long before the silver was on the ledge, ready to lift his rider to the Bowl below.

The handler watched the scene from where he was, sitting on the edge and allowing his legs to dangle freely. First to land was Touth, of course, and I'cas leapt down to run towards the screeching dragon and his rider. Even from such a distance, Eon could see Arami and I'cas arguing – just like old times. Siene soon appeared on the scene, racing across the Bowl and immediately slapping both the black and silver rider across the head. The three continued arguing – building up quite a crowd of nosy onlookers – and being interrupted by Zaith's ear-splitting roar every few seconds. Whatever they were fighting over, it seemed to be surrounding Arami, for I'cas soon grabbed her arms and begun dragging her back inside the Weyr. Her heels left two lines in the dirt as she fought back, but even Zaith seemed happy to see his rider being taken away.

Where? Eonsk's no sleep? Why?

'I was talking to I'cas. Sorry, I'll be back soon.'

Eonsk's no sleep. Eonsk's too tired when work. Sleep!

'Don't worry, we'll still do our watch – I wouldn't dare take away your work.'

The brown sent a grumble of warning through the bond. Back now, please. Boy here. Eonsk no deal.

'Leon or V'on?' Eon couldn't think of any reason for either of his little brothers to visit. V'on should be doing his Weyrling chores, and Leon lived on a nocturnal scheduale too – so he shouldn't be up.

Small Boy. Icky Boy.

'Eonsk... Leon has been 'icky' since he was seven and got into that food fight. Can you drop the name now?'

Boy. Icky. Eonsk's home now.

Figuring most of the entertainment was finished for today, Eon decided it was about time he headed back to bed anyway – though if Leon was hanging around, he probably wouldn't be getting to sleep any time soon. The boy was probably worrying over something silly again.

The wher handler yawned continuously as he made his way over to the handler quarters. If his dragon riding friends needed another Tennar Trouble reunion, he was sure Gatar would be back to fill the place of 'sleepy wher handler'. Though, as he passed the black handler's weyr, it was clear there was still no life inside it. Gatar and Gatask were over in Draken Hold – where the main mining craft hall was based – which had to be a new record for Gatar and bad timing. The day notorious Arami comes back, Gatar pops off on a little trip around the Southern Continent.

By the time he had stepped into the comfort of his own weyr, Leon had apparently irritated Eonsk enough to make the brown wher bury his big head under Eon's bed covers. Leon was trying to apologise by lying flat on the floor to show his 'total and complete lack of worth' to the wher.

"Leon, he'll only look down on you more if you keep doing this," Eon sighed as he picked his brother off the floor – Leon was so small that his older brother lifted him clear off the ground.

"Yeah," the boy sighed. "But I don't want him to hate me!"

Icky Boy leave? Yes?

"Quiet Eonsk. And get your head out of my bed. I don't want your slobber over it." Eon placed his brother back on the ground and glared at the wher as he lifted his head off the bed – taking the covers with it – and marched back to his couch.

Eonsk no slobber! the brown snarled as he curled up.

Eon didn't bother trying to take his covers back, and instead sighed and turned to his youngest brother. "You wanted me?"

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Leon looked surprised himself. "You know that Larinask has laid her eggs, right?"

"No, Leon, as the Troop Second and one of Larina's closest friends, I had no idea that her wher had laid her eggs more than a sevenday ago." Eon moved over to his desk and fell into the chair.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Leon asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Eon laughed. "I knew before you did. Now, what's your point? And why is it so important that it couldn't wait until tonight – you know, the time I'm actually meant to be awake."

"Well, you see, Patind took us to see the eggs yesterday," Eon raised his eyebrows in amusement – Patind wasn't the friendliest of handlers, and the image of him as Wher Candidatemaster was still a joke to him. Leon coughed, ordering attention. "So, we all go in, just to see the eggs and stuff... and there're these two eggs."

"I thought there were around seven?"

"I'm not done! The first egg is a gold one, and so everyone was crooning over it like it was the next Faranth... a wher version of course," Leon's eyes widened and he clenched his fists in front of him. "Then there was this other one, that no one was paying any attention too. It had to be the second biggest, and it was a really dark brown."

"It sounds like you're just describing any old large wher egg, Leon."

"No! Because it was different! It was a really noisy!"

Eon blinked.

"Noisy?"

"Yeah! He had to be the nosiest egg there! I kept trying to tell him to shush, but he just wouldn't! I felt kind of bad; the poor greens were getting worked up."

To say Eon was speechless would be an understatement. He couldn't even form words; the only sounds that came out of his gaping mouth resembled baby talk.

"What?" Leon asked, stepping back from his brother. Worry lines that were years too old for him appeared on his forehead. "You think it's really bad that he's so loud?"

"Leon... how could... how could you hear him?"

"Huh? The same as everyone else..."

"No one else can hear them."

"B-but... V'on said that Z-Zaith made Arami laugh a lot in the hatching... so I th-thought..."

Eon leapt from his seat and clasped his brother's shoulders. Leon squeaked in terror.

"Leon, don't tell anybody you can hear them, ok? Promise me you won't tell a soul."

"O... ok..."