Welcome to Gaia! ::

The walk to the tents set up for the Hatching Feast from the Candidate barracks was a long, slow one. Phayton -- rather, Ph'ton now -- trudged along slowly, his ichor-stained Candidate's robes exchanged for more suitable attire for a celebratory feast. He should have been feeling jubilant, and on some level he was; he had finally Impressed a dragon, after all this time. But, overwhelmed by the incredible emotions of Impression, he had completely forgotten about the person who meant the most to him: Jailla. Seeing the hurt and angry expression on her face when she showed up at the Weyrling Table cut through Ph'ton's heart like a dagger and quashed any joy that he felt over seeing blue Micheth by her side as well. He should have hugged her, introduced her to Tinanath, something, anything other than just walking away and leaving her standing alone on the Sands. Even if he was walking away with a dragonet.

You were not wrong, said Tinanath as the hatchling walked next to his lifemate. The most important thing at the time was feeding and oiling me. I am part of you now, and you belong to me. That is part of being a dragonrider -- you know this. You need to accept it.

"I know," Ph'ton sighed. "It's just… I love her."

Tinanath pushed his head into Ph'ton's hand. I love you as well, Phaytonmine, more deeply than any human can. This crisis of priorities would never do. If they were to achieve their true, full potential, they had to start now!

Ph'ton absently rubbed the dragonet's head between the knobs. "I love you too." He sighed again. How could he explain it? And how did other dragonrider couples manage? He had no idea. Did he even know any dragonrider couples?

As he pondered, the pair arrived at the tent. Only a few people, riders and guests and Weyrlings, were there, but Ph'ton didn't really want company. Well, except for Tinanath. His Tinanath. And Jailla. If she was still speaking to him.

Ph'ton had just sat down at the table when Jailla's greeting startled him. "Wha- oh. Um, hey Jailla," he stammered a little. He could feel his face going a little red as he pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. "Yeah, we really do. I'm so so happy that you and Micheth found each other out there. And without either of you getting hurt too!" he added with an involuntary derpy grin and a chuckle. "Given the way this hatching went, that's a minor miracle!"

Looking down at his hands in his lap. Ph'ton sighed, his hair falling back in his face again. "Um, so Jailla… I'm, uh, really sorry I just kinda, y'know, wandered off when I Impressed Tinanath… I guess I was just caught up in the moment," he shrugged, still avoiding her gaze. "You know how it is… I mean you REALLY know how it is now, since you Impressed too…"