Logs:A Prelude to New Knots
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| RL Date: 27 October, 2015 |
| Who: Dee, Ka'ge |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Before the graduation ceremony, Dee and Ka'ge talk weyrlinghood and personal matters. |
| Where: Dee's Touch of Pink Weyr, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 11, Month 2, Turn 39 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: J'zen/Mentions, Lilah/Mentions, Paislie/Mentions, R'oan/Mentions, Szarit/Mentions |
| OOC Notes: Slightly backdated. |
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| Dee asked him to come, 'to stop in' she'd said, before the graduation festivities commenced, to share a few of their last moments of being weyrlings. When he arrives, Dee is sitting cross-legged in front of her hearth, staring at the flames that leap and lick, twirling together in sizzling dance. She's only half-dressed, wearing a slip and black knit stockings. Her dress-- a lovely dress, the same dress she wore to the hatching feast, is spread on the bed, waiting for her to don it, only she shows no signs of moving just now. Taeliyth's head is oriented toward the sleeping room where she's settled, freshly oiled in her wallow, waiting in turn. It's hard to say if they're sharing any words or anything deeper than words just now, but there's an odd silence and stillness to the weyr on the whole and its pair of occupants, as if they might both be holding their breaths. It's the sensation of the bronze landing that comes first, the shadows of his being and his mind a peripheral thing. Those ghostly shades in a doorway from afar, those figments at the end of a dark tunnel. The shadows have the edge of tired, but hardly does the presence give away a lack of power of being. The bronze himself of course remains outside, landing in the grounds of the bowl instead of on the young queen's ledge itself. When Ka'ge subsequently appears, his head is tilted down to be cast in the secrets of his hood, He's not so clean as to warrant being ready for their celebration, his typical darkly mottled greys mottled further with splotches of dirt and dust. He pauses a moment at the weyr's main entrance with face still hidden to drop his head in a slight bow to Taeliyth before moving towards the sleeping chamber- a regular habit he's taken up in light of greetings. Hands shoved in pockets, he appears at the corner nearer Dee, if only to lean against it, head tipping up enough that the edge of blue-green eyes can be seen- and can see her. But whether it's the evident silence or just because of the eeriness he carries with him, he doesn't say a word. Taeliyth's attention shifts accordingly, to the shadowed man and then the shadows beyond. She greets them with a touch of her own shadows, those of leaf and bough, the scent of the wood heavy with them. Dee's head turns to take in the weyrling so nearly a bronzerider as he comes in, looking back to the flames and then resolving herself to shake whatever trance of thoughts she entertained to rise and cross to him, arms automatically reaching to curl around his waist, pushing up onto the balls of her feet to seek a kiss, one that would be followed by a sigh and the resting of her head against his cheek. Ka'ge pulls his gloved hands from his pockets to wrap around her in turn, allowing of course the kiss when she seeks it. He lightly strokes the back of her head, fingers teasing at her hair, when she rests against him. "A turn goes by fast." He offers, testing for the source of her distracted thoughts, his gaze downturned to watch her with an expression that may be too-calm, accented with a small grin. "So fast," Dee agrees with a squeeze of her arms. "And I keep thinking, 'can it really be just a turn'? Not even two since I arrived here. In that time, so much has happened. Natural disasters, candidacy, thievery, Impression, training-- endless training, a Weyrwoman lost, friends gone, a brother-" Dee cuts off and tries instead, "and this." She doesn't name what's between them, possibly because she doesn't know what to call it. "And that's not even the sum of it all." That it's overwhelming to reflect on is obvious from her tone and the fleeting look up she gives. "And yet," Ka'ge shakes his head slowly with the barest shift of his shoulders that may be a shrug, "You survived. Did what you had to, and what you didn't have to but did anyway." He manages to chuckle quietly at that, though it's cut short, replaced by a sigh. He shifts so that he may lean against the wall yet still keeps her with him so long as she moves with the slight adjustment. But much of this pause is also in silent consideration, "Jem?" He coaxes, trailing that instead of the 'this' that's far too complex for the moment. "And yet." Dee agrees, shifting with Ka'ge. The coaxing meets with a headshake. Jem isn't up for discussion just now. "You're not dressed," is what she observes to fill the space, stepping back. Nevermind that her dress is still on the bed. "Do you want to use my bath?" before, "Are you nervous?" "Not even close." Ka'ge admits about not being dressed, his arms following her as his hands are not quite ready to release her as she steps away. But he seems still attached to that wall with his weight. "You already bathed." Seems to be coated in faint disappointment when she indicates he can use her bath. Certainly, it couldn't be without her. Her question earns the twitch of the edges of his lips that doesn't really count as amusement, his eyes blank of hints of any true response. "What will change for me? I'll go do more of what we've been training for. Sit in a wing, be kind of useful in an Interval that doesn't need me." His even lesser enthusiasm than normal in regards to graduation becomes more pronounced as his tone becomes dry, flat. "Yes, but I could keep you company," Dee offers, amending, "not in the bath. I have to do something with my hair." This much comes as a half complaint. She still leans away from him, but not with enough force to free herself or even intend to try. Her hands rise to toy with her hair, a little unruly from the recent bath. "It's still a change. Instead of just other new riders, you'll be with people who have turns more experience in the doing of things. You won't be 'Weyrling Ka'ge' anymore but 'Bronzerider Ka'ge'. It's different." Dee's hazel eyes search his face, seeking for any sign of feeling that might there. "It's perfect as it is." The young bronzerider murmurs, lifting a hand to draw his fingers through it, not likely caring if it may mess it up just a touch from whatever she'd done so far. "Different." He echoes curiously, chewing over the word as if speaking it makes it easier to consider, but in the end he lets it fade. The only change in those eyes she may derive being a playful glint as he finally pushes himself off the wall to reclaim that distance she'd created. A finger slips beneath her chin to tilt it up to tempt a kiss. "You have a lot more on your plate than I." Ka'ge states with an edge that doesn't quite match the comment. "We have time. I could help ease your nerves." "That's never been a question," Dee delivers on the heels of not acquiescing to that kiss, only narrowly avoiding it by moving at the last moment, ducking her head such that he might catch her forehead but nothing more exciting. "And you're trying to distract me. My question was about how you are feeling, not about the differences between what we face going forward." Now Dee makes a bid for freedom by leaning her weight back against his arms, prepared to catch herself on her back foot if that's enough to have him release her. Ka'ge's lips brush her forehead, the scruff of his chin in the place of an actual kiss. He'd release her slowly as she works for escape from his embrace, but not without the fanfare of a quiet breath, a sighed 'hmh' that comes in the face of the denial and redirection. There's a look that he gives her that continues to not be any part of a serious conversation, puppy dog eyes that beg as he lifts one of his hands to his face, biting the tip of a finger of a glove to start pulling it off. The effort is slow, dramatized. The second is removed as he turns to take a step past her with a sly wink. He pulls off his shirt as soon as he's in her periphery, dragging it over his head to reveal the muscles, scars and ink that lie beneath. As with each time he's come at her beckoning, there's new marks among the old. "Feeling." He muses amidst all this, walking away from her some paces, unhurried, "The same as I always am when I'm here. And when I'm-" He lifts a hand somewhat towards the door, the 'outside,' "Wanting you." Of course he knows well that has nothing to do with the topic. Dee's eyes follow him, her body turning and twisting only so much as is necessary not to lose sight of him. She considers him. She must have noticed the additions to the marks, at least sometimes, but she's never asked and she doesn't now. Instead, she concludes: "Still distracting." Then, with a troubled look, "You always seem so... separate. Like the day to day of our lives just doesn't matter, like it's not real to you. Will you make mock of this too?" This event, this measure of movement from one phase of life to another. He approaches the bed, his blue-green eyes under the fringes of shaggy black hair not yet brushed appropriately downturned to the dress upon it. His dirtied greys, having seen enough work today that patting them would produce a cloud of dirt are placed on the floor beside the bed in a collected, tight ball. Ka'ge stares at that dress for a few moments, though her troubled look and particularly directed words finally garner a response. "A mock of graduation?" He clarifies, not really disagreeing with much of what she says. "It's a big step for you- us." His attempt to fix it is delayed, but it comes with rubbing the back of his neck, thinking, even if he doesn't turn to face her. He's quiet for a heavy beat before he finally speaks again to give something of worth, "I'm going back to see my family after. I haven't seen them in turns. Guess I'm just trying not to think about it." The 'and' goes unsaid as he continues, "Don't know where I'll end up." Wing-wise, he implies. "Besides Zymadiath's hide, haven't done a thing to stand out." Dee manages, to her credit, to stay put. At least until he mentions his family. Her lips round to a silent 'oh' before moves toward the young man, brushing off her slip as she comes, only to wrap her arms around his middle and place a kiss to on his shoulderblade before angling to slip under his arm and stand at his side, one arm still around his back while her other hand presses flat to his stomach. "I don't think you've tried to stand out. But you don't have to stand out to be good at what you do," that much is probably meant to be encouraging. "Do... you want company? When you go to see your family? I mean, I could just-- stay in the air, or with Taeliyth and not meet your parents," these latest thoughts come rushed; the offer, so genuinely made in her desire to 'be there' for him is suddenly shaking loose a slew of unthought of issues and bringing them to the forefront of her mind (along with a blush). Ka'ge smiles, more to himself than anything, at the feeling of her arms wrapping around him, the kiss. He adjusts as she slips in beside him, drawing his arm around her shoulders to hold her there. "I haven't." He both admits and agrees, "But, standing out in some way or... whatever, gets you tapped." There's a little exasperation to that, a hint of annoyance. Her offer evokes two very separate responses, the first a fleeting one- a tensing of his shoulders with what could be a protective squeeze of her. The second is a release of that to give way to an open chuckle. Mid-laughter he tips his head to kiss the top of hers. "I wouldn't take you anywhere near those people, though my mom would adore you." Spoken as if he talks of his family all the time. "She always wanted a daughter instead. She might make a trade if she gets the chance." He catches the blush though, eyes narrowing, curious. "What is it?" "Nothing," something, "just--" Dee tucks herself against him, face hiding briefly against his chest, pressing another kiss there before she sighs and straightens up, admitting, "I wasn't thinking of how awkward it would be: 'so, son, welcome home! Who's that girl with the unmistakably shiny dragon who you won't introduce us to because the best description you can come up with is some girl you're sleeping with every now and again.'" Dee looks briefly as mortified as she might were she standing in front of his family to hear that explanation. She groans. "I'm sorry. I wish I could be--" She holds up a helpless hand to wiggle to gesticulate the word "different," an empty wish likely, but from a sincere desire to be better suitable to be the sort of girl one could take home without awkward questions. "You'll get tapped into some wing. Everyone will. You've not done anything to warrant having to stay in the weyrling wing. Well, not since--" everything they did that could easily have resulted in a longer weyrlinghood. "I'm pretty confident in saying they'd be surprised," shocked? appalled? his tone doesn't give away his real meaning with that, "to see me with anyone at all." There's a roll of his eyes at her description, Ka'ge taking advantage of the moment of mortification to try to draw her back in front of himself so he can look at her better. "Nothing to be sorry for. I've told you this many times." Yet he still seems entirely too patient with the matter that has caused them such ongoing frustration. Her comments on wings earns a shake of his head, a slight frown dissolving the remainder of the amusement that was there, "Of course I will. I'm not.." He trails off again, tempering some flare of annoyance that doesn't really fit in the course of the conversation, "I'm not worried about staying a weyrling or not being tapped." The second try is more even, "It's more.. by who." "Mm," is Dee's sound of general disagreement that won't bring argument on the point of whether or not there's something to be sorry for. She looks up at the young man, apologetic all over again. "I wish I'd thought to ask sooner. I don't know if it would've matter, but maybe I could've put in a word for you if you had a particular wing in mind. Maybe it would've helped." Then, of course, she has to ask, "Do you have a wing in mind? One you'd prefer to be in?" Ka'ge makes his avoidance of the disagreement obvious, a brow raised at her in response to the sound she makes, his slanted grin returned. "Don't worry about it." He says at her offer, leaning towards her to touch his forehead to hers. "I'm trying not to." Because that's a good reason. At her question, however, he sighs, "Nah." Is simple yet not. "Zymadiath," and himself, of course, "Doesn't like working with others. Which has been a whole lot of help through weyrlinghood. Even better during shadowing." He steps back then with intention to release her, and maybe actually start cleaning up for that thing he's clearly not ready for. "Dragons are helpful," Dee can be wry about it now, but there's a loud snort from Taeliyth's part of the Weyr. She doesn't try to stop his withdrawal, but she does move to try to turn him and push him gently along toward the bathing room. "If we had more time, I'd offer to help you relax before the thingy," is regretful. "On the one hand, I'm hoping I'll be less busy and have a little more time for myself after this, on the other hand, I think that's probably more likely for whatever fate awaits you, bronzerider." Kael does turn when she makes the effort to get him to do so, but as she directs him, he makes the trip an intentionally slow one, not terribly unlike a child who doesn't want a bath. "We can make time." Is, of course, the immediate response to that subject. To her hopes of free-time, there's an odd chuckle of disbelief, settled after with a heavy sigh, "Aye, maybe." Hardly believable in that tone he uses, something which sounds just short of having a roll of his eyes with it, "This bronzerider's fate involves so much slacking off, let me tell you." This, even dryer. "Unlike you." When he does finally reach the bath, he turns into her again if she'd followed the rest of the way to embrace her again, clean or not. "Do you feel ready?" Dee is no stranger to herding boys to baths, it seems. The circumstances here are, doubtlessly and wholly different than when she might've been responsible for dragging her brother to get clean when they were tots, but it is perhaps that routine innocent preparation that makes her able to ignore his suggestion with a roll of her eyes and a harder push. "It might if you end up in Flint. They have more free time than any other wing I've seen," and she's seen them all, of course. She isn't prepared for his turn into her upon their arrival, probably because her training never went that way. Take boy to water, toss him in, deal with whiny wet boy was probably the extent of it. "No, but I never have, have I?" That much makes her laugh, though it's not a happy sort of laugh. "I imagine I'll do better this time with faking it." Her comments earn her an attempted kiss to her forehead rather than words before Ka'ge releases her again. His lingering look on her remains amused, his brow just slightly risen before he turns fully to the bath. Shedding the remainder of his clothing, he steps over and into the water, sinking into it slowly, completely. "I'm sure I'll find the right place to slack off." And then he's quiet, submerging and re-emerging a couple seconds later finally soaked. Finally slightly less dust-covered. As he sits upright again, he draws his fingers back through his hair. "I hope you're not that good at faking things." "You'll never know," is teasing response as Dee works a comb through her hair at the mirror that now hangs on the wall. Given the size of the small bathing area, she's still within arm's reach but she's not reaching for him, focused on the task at hand as she is. The comb gives over to careful manipulation that includes small pins to hold bits in place here and there. "Want to come back here after?" she asks in an oddly hurried way. Ka'ge groans in a mockingly dramatic displeased noise at that, resting his chin on the edge of the bath in the crook of his bent arm as the rest of him sinks deeper into the water. Chest rested against warmed stone, those bright eyes of his watch her now as she does up her hair. Eventually one of his dripping arms reaches out to try to hook a finger into her clothing to draw her nearer despite her focus on 'important' things. "Do you even have to ask?" Is not hurried, not in the slightest, and rather drawn out, amused. "Hey!" is protest, but a weak one, Dee laughing even as she turns to face the man in her bath. She doesn't bother to feign indifference, the pleasure of his acceptance writ on her face before she leans to kiss him, first lips then forehead. "You're going to make us late," she accuses but without malice. He would likely shrug if he wasn't in such a turned around position, and thus for now the tilt of his head to one side, the brief closing of his eyes and the conclusion punctuated with a smirk takes the place of one. Ka'ge returns her kiss, the pressure of his pull intensifying in the moment to try to keep her there, but relinquishes in fair enough time. "I'm sure someone will be later than us." Isn't very reassuring, but considering the young man somehow manages to be extremely punctual, his lackadaisical attitude on this note is clearly swayed by the situation. "Mm," is Dee's noise of disbelief paired with tolerant amusement. "What's the thing you won't miss the most? About weyrlinghood." As she asks the question as she shifts to let her fingers trace across the lines of his face in active study. "And the thing you will miss the most," she adds as an afterthought. "Caretakers." Babysitters being the more appropriate term that he actually means. His voice is flat with that in distaste. Ka'ge turns over in the water to lay his back against the side now, likely an effort to leave Dee alone long enough for her to finish doing what she's doing. The fluctuation of his expression to something serious is immediately switched back into a grin as he closes his eyes, arms stretched out along the sides of the stone in his recline- getting ready quickly doesn't seem to be as much on his radar as it is hers, though that's probably already been made plenty clear. "You getting stuck in lessons with me." Sweet, too sweet. But then he adds in a moment of thoughtful truth, "And when he was small enough to lay in the cot." Ignoring the fact that was when they were both fairly badly injured. "What about you?" Dee dutifully turns back to her task (though with a small sigh that might halfheartedly object to being released back to it. There's a smile into her mirror at the back of his head for his sweetness, but a laugh too that marks her acknowledgement of his sentiment as too sweet. "I'll miss most the lack of overwhelming responsibilities. I have to be Dahlia from now on, Kael." That statement wasn't hard to make but it stops her full and has her staring blankly at herself in the mirror. The smirk drifts into more of a comfortable and relaxed expression at her laughter, though he does at least start on his arms with the soapsand. There, progress in the right direction. "They've kept you overwhelmed from day one, I thought." Ka'ge notes offhandedly. "You didn't have the smoothest beginnings." Is a reminder without the ugliness of specifics. Then there's a pause, only the sound of water moving, the soft scraping of the gritty soaps on skin, before he eventually has to ask, "To me?" "I haven't had the smoothest anything," is very matter of fact and with a shrug that wholly dismisses Dee's own hardships in favor of a grim look, "The Weyr hasn't had much of the smoothest anything since I came here either." It's only after that she modifies, "Well, no, it's been more 'tragedy' and 'recovery'. The recovery is always hard but steady, but the tragedies..." She shudders, closing her eyes briefly against the memories: recovery from the storm, the betweening of the greens (one at hatching and one much later), the vanishing of a Weyrwoman. She's quiet some moments before looking her shoulder, "To you, I'm just me. You can call me Dee or Dahlia and it won't change who I am to you, in here." Her weyr, in private, where their relationship goes beyond the professional. "Do you want me to call you Ka'ge now?" is a weak attempt at levity. "That just means you'll be a better leader in the long run. Seen it all and whatever." Ka'ge's tone is aloof, indifferent, "That's all there is out there," Away from the bowl walls they're about to be more released from than ever before, "Tragedy." There's a breathy chuckle in the wrong place with that, the sound of pouring water as he rinses himself off and then stands within the bathing pool with intention to get out. "But out there," He offers as clarification to her point, "Weyrwoman Dahlia, I'll be on my best behavior." Stated as believably as one might imagine he'd say it, he manages not to chuckle again. Her question meets quiet at first, the young man taking a towel and rubbing his face, his ink and scar inscribed back to her. His decision comes muffled through the towel, "Only if I'm in trouble." "Seen it all," Dee rolls her eyes. "I'm eighteen, Ka'ge. I haven't even seen a quarter of all." She finishes with her hair, turning back toward the bath. "What do you think?" That's asked only a half-second before she observes teasingly, "Your best behavior makes my worst look beyond reproach." That's even as she comes to make trouble with his toweling efforts, tempting tardiness. "And yet you've seen more than a hell of a'lot of people." Ka'ge notes, almost too-serious. But her latter comment sees him turning back to her, the towel that she may reach for making an attempt to wrap around her backside- tempting tardiness is not something he's willing to argue much against. "Then I'll just have to stick close by at all times, to make sure people see just how glorious you are." Would be said amidst an attempt to get ever closer and touch a kiss to her nose, but his tone is a little more suspiciously mysterious than sickeningly sweet. "Just perfect enough for me to mess up later." Is said as a delayed compliment to her hair. "While that's very selfless, Kael," Dee tells him, drawn close as she is now, her head tilting up a touch to look into his eyes, "I'd rather be seen for myself, not someone in comparison to another. There'll be enough of that if Taeliyth rises and claims the seniorship of Fort." She leans to peck his lips so quickly and lightly as to try not to be caught there long, saying, "I need to get dressed." "You look fine like this." Ka'ge's semblence of complaint is short-lived; 'fine' like this for his eyes, not for where they're going, obviously. Contented for the moment with the brief affection, his towel-hold releases her. "Taeliyth chose you for a reason. I don't think that will be a problem." He lifts his greys, the fabric perhaps dirtier even than he had been. He considers it for a long moment, holding the hooded top in front of himself, dangling. "I didn't really think this through." He mumbles in light of not having clean items to put on for this whole cherade, "You're quite a distraction." "A high compliment," Dee tells him wryly. She looks to him as he picks up his clothes and there's a hesitation that's telling before, "I think I have a set of clothes here that would fit you, to get you from here to your place without getting dirty again." Nevermind that she's turning away to move into the sleeping chamber so quickly and it almost hides her blush. Ka'ge's expression falters, blue-green eyes under the wet head of black hair lifting to follow her as she rushes out so suddenly following that comment. He promised to not mind, but that was outwardly. The arm holding up his greys slowly lowers, maybe a hint of his disbelief at the offer. A kind offer, though, surely it was? 'Kind'. Silenced, he does follow her, although quite slowly. Rounding the corner, he's kept his shirt to partially cover himself maybe incidentally- not that he's so modest, not around her. Not in general, either, aside from hiding his ink. He leans on the wall when he's back in view of her with one shoulder, "How quickly should I get back to my weyr," He asks quietly, wryly, teasingly, "Before the owner catches me?" It takes Dee time to find the garments in question, rooting through a press on one side of the room, making a messy pile on the floor of what was surely crisply folded garments. They're mostly hers, of course, but as she digs she produces two shirts and a pair of trousers that are larger than her size. Her cheeks are red when she rises to offer them out in trembling arms. "If they'd missed them, I'm sure they'd've come back for them by now." Ka'ge looks as though he may say something, but there's a likely thankful quiet that follows as he reaches his freehand out to take the clothes from those shaking arms of hers. There's a knowing grin- too knowing. Once in his possession, he drops his own top at his feet, and stretches the 'borrowed' one to look it over briefly. Without losing the smirk, he draws it over his head, arms in sleeves. "You know," He says, drawing it out a little too long, "You'll end up with quite a collection if you safekeep all the things-" He pauses, as if he was about to give a name, and reroutes, "your visitors leave behind." The pants are pulled up, buckled, "Useful for me, though, I guess." The clothes are baggy on Ka'ge, indicating a partner of a larger stature and something about looking at Ka'ge in these clothes makes Dee blush more darkly. "I-- usually ask one of my laundress friends to make sure they find their way back home, but I hadn't gotten around to-- Well." She swallows hard. "I'm sorry. You never leave anything behind," is an attempt a humor, but there's tension. She moves to the bed to pull up the dress resting there and carefully pull it on over her head. "Aye, I don't. You want me to disappear, I disappear." He's busy, though, examining himself while pulling at the extra cloth hanging from him. It's temporary, one must be reminded. Ka'ge finally gives up the investigation to stoop to grab his top, as well as turning back around the corner to collect the pants and flight jacket he'd left in there. "Nothing to be sorry for." He calls back as he returns, and slowly makes his way to join her at the bedside. "I haven't been surprised yet." A beat. "Except for one." This, said oddly, somewhere between disapproval and amusement. "You-- could--." It's stiff, stilted, but not uncertain. It might be that this is simply an awkward moment to make the offer. "If you wanted. An extra change of clothes. Or-- whatever." Then quickly, "Within reason." And quicker still, "My version of 'reason.'" It's only moments later as Dee is futzing with the exact way the dress is laying on her sturdy frame that she manages a quiet question of, "One?" Ka'ge's laughter is in full with her addendums, a hand placed over his chest and the scar that lies tight there in such efforts. With a rumbling of chuckling underlying he words, he's appreciative and approving with the response, "You've learned well." But what he gives as an actual reply is a single-shouldered shrug, and a rustling of fabric with it, "I'll keep to being scarce until you desire otherwise." Very business-like with that, but not unkind, it almost has a gentleness to it. He reaches up a hand, his head slightly tilted to one side, with intent to brush his work-roughened fingers under one of her ears, tracing her hairline. "All I saw was a kiss, but," His smile grows slightly, "Considering how drunk you get around him, I wouldn't be surprised if more happened." "I pay attention," is quipped with a stubborn look at the young man. "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't-- Look, I don't plan on this stopping anytime soon, unless you're planning otherwise," and her blush redoubles and it's obvious that she wonders if that's the case. Especially with the new revelations. "R'oan," is murmured with a little flinch, but not at his touch. "If you're feeling gracious, you can thank him for my-- willingness to experiment. And the recommendation that I find someone my own age to--" She's suddenly flustered, awkward. It is awkward, isn't it? Dee certainly seems to find it so. Although his smile fades, it doesn't vanish completely. But his eyes remain unreadable, his expression moreso. "I'd make no plans that include that." Ka'ge almost-whispers, his touch hesitating and withdrawing, though it doesn't seem directly related to what she says. "Thank him?" A raised brow makes that a mildly incredulous statement, though his carefully stable tone doesn't match that, "Would you not have, otherwise?" His arm returns to his side, he stands up straighter- an inch, maybe two taller than he'd been at the start of candidacy. "He told you to kiss me before the Hatching too?" He's not being perfect at hiding that hint of arrogant defensiveness. Dahlia's eyes flit away from meeting the bronzerider's gaze. "No, he didn't tell me to kiss you." She draws a slow breath, and then another. "He didn't tell me to feel for you either." That tone is almost designed to rebuke the arrogance. "Nevermind," is what she decides, shaking her head and her skirts at once. "You should go get ready for the celebration," she recommends, but gently, even if the topic change is anything but. Ka'ge turns his gaze downwards from studying her too-closely to his clothing which he slowly folds, his hands working in a too-practiced rhythm for doing so. His flight jacket is tossed over one shoulder, and once he's out of things to do to buy time to think on this whole.. topic.. he gives an anticlimatic, "Yeah." He turns away to start towards the weyr's entrance, stopping and tapping his hand twice on the corner. "I'll see you there." Not so smooth, that. Awkward, his hesitation lingers him there for another couple seconds before he'd take his leave. "And after, I hope," is all Dee adds, already turning away to go to return to the bathing chamber and its mirror to ensure every hair is tucked carefully in its place. |
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