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Since R'nan nearly needed to run just to keep up with his dragon's long strides while they were walking, he didn't stand much chance of being able to keep up when the brown made up his mind to go charging off somewhere. R'nan skidded in behind his dragon, slightly out of breath (although he was getting better now, since this kind of thing happened often).

"Sorry about him!" he apologized quickly, pulling the brown away by the neck. Even with all his weight, there was little R'nan could do to move the mammoth brown if he didn't want to be, but he yielded to R'nan's touch. "I'm R'nan, sorry about that. And this is Burmeth, who's still learning the meaning of personal space." he said with a glare to His.
What? I was only being friendly.

If Tribleth was quiet, Burmeth was quite the opposite. It didn't seem to bother him at all that the green hardly responded. Yours. Yours seems nice. Perhaps I should talk to her too. Mine is nice too, you can come and find us if you ever need something. You can tell Yours too. We are most happy to help. Mine knows all kinds of things about dragons and riding and thread-fighting. I'm sure he could be of help to Yours, if she wanted.

"So, you're a new weyrling, right? Congratulations on Impressing!" R'nan said.

((Ah, yes. I was considering mentioning that in my last post, but didn't. They're from the last clutch, so.. 8 months? You'll have to ask Thali for the exact number.))

"Betweened? They did?" R'nan asked, surprised. "I-I didn't get to go, so I didn't know!" he paused, momentarily lost in thought as he thought about the little potential dragons betweening without ever getting a chance. He was so glad he already found His, he thought, tightening his arm around Burmeth's shoulder. He shook his head and continued, "I was doing chores. I'm still a weyrling too, see. I impressed in the last clutch."

Burmeth noticed the green's eyes turn red. Hungry? he said. Mine, Tribleth is hungry. We should help them find food.

R'yn took Tic's hand, blushing. "The tables are crowded," he said. "Do you want to dance now, and get something to eat after?" Without waiting for so much as a response, he began to lead her to the dance floor. Blue eyes were focused on her, briefly, before the seemed to realize he was staring. He looked down at the floor, blushing. "I'm not a harper," he explained apologetically. "But I've been to enough gathers to know how to dance. I think... At least I won't crush your toes or something like that."

He put his hands on her waist awkwardly. He seemed to almost tremble as he did so. "Maybe I'm not so experienced," he said conversationally, though his glances at Tic gave him away. He was nervous. "So er... Tic. I've been meaning to ask you something. It might be an after-effect of my firehead..." he began awkwardly. "No, it started happening before T'rel sent me to deliver that message to Southern. He suggested I should avoid you, you know, if you make me sick. My heart starts beating really fast, and--" he looked up at her. "Shards, this is awkward."

"So... I went to see a healer, you know, to see. And they laughed at me! They said I wasn't sick at all. They said it was normal. But I've never felt this way before. And it only happens around you--and it's not even a bad kind of sick. Just different. And er, I was wondering--since the healer said it's normal, if you'd know what it is."

It was a good thing that Tic trusted R'yn, otherwise she might not have followed so willingly when he led her to the dance floor. Despite trusting him, Ticene was worried. R'yn seemed off, was he okay? Tic mistook his blushing and began to wonder if perhaps the healers had let him go too early. He shouldn't be out, especially not dancing, if he hadn't gotten over his illness. It was tempting to tell him to go and get checked out, or to track down a healer here, but as selfish as it seemed Tic really did want to dance with him. She'd make sure he got checked out after one dance and it wasn't like she had the skill to try and even attempt a fast paced dance, so R'yn didn't have to worry about overdoing it.

His apology made her smile, if anything she was the one who needed to be careful not to stand on anyone. Tic had a moment to think about where to put her hands when R'yn's went about her waist. It really seemed that up was the only option, so she decided around his neck was as good a place as any. The weyrling looked at her friend for a long moment trying to figure out what was wrong. He didn't usually act this way, maybe he was still sick. Then it clicked and Ticene didn't know why she hadn't spotted it before, R'yn was nervous. The thought alone made her smile, she was surely the last person he needed to be nervous around. "Don't worry, we can learn together." She attempted to reassure him, she really didn't mind if he didn't have much experience dancing. It was hardly like they were going to be evaluated on it.

Tic listened with some confusion as R'yn spoke. It was slightly difficult to understand what he was talking about when he changed his mind partway through. First something was an after effect of his firehead, then it had been happening before. A small frown appeared on her face at the news that T'rel had suggested R'yn stay away from her. What a thing to say. And in case she made him sick? Was that even possible? Tic would have had time to get irritated had R'yn not pointed out how awkward the situation was. "A little bit. R'yn, I don't think a person can make you sick." She'd never heard of it happening before and was slightly annoyed that it had been suggested.

She couldn't help but feel sympathetic to R'yn. It wasn't fair for the healers to laugh at him, it sounded like it was T'rel who put the idea in his head in the first place. Although Tic had little to no idea what R'yn was even talking about. Which made it difficult when R'yn asked her if she knew what it was. Her face turned thoughtful as she tried to figure it out. She'd been posed difficult questions before, she could figure this one out. He felt sick, but it wasn't a bad sick, his heart beat really fast, the healers said it was normal and yet it only happened around her.

Wait a minute. Ticene looked at R'yn carefully. Flushed, nervous, strange feeling, heartbeat and only happening around her. Could R'yn...? But she couldn't ask him that. That was seemed a slippery slop to a lost friendship asking that question. She'd need to do this less directly. "I've got an idea, R'yn, but I need to ask you something to know." Ticene shifted slightly closer to R'yn, which left very little space since they'd already been close. Tic's original plan was simply to get close to R'yn and see how he reacted, but now she wasn't quite content with that. Closing the distance between them Ticene placed her lips against R'yn's. Tic felt the reaction all the way down to her toes and from a distance she heard Calith's pleased croon, but for the moment the dragon would have to wait.

Well, he didn't pull away. That was a definite plus. That would have been absolutely mortifying. Ticene probably would have fled the feast altogether if that had happened. Not really caring what was going to happen Ticene simply enjoyed the moment. She hadn't thought kissing R'yn would feel this good by far, but now couldn't help wondering why she hadn't done it sooner. Maybe it was because weyrlings weren't supposed to have relationships. No, she couldn't put it down to that. It wasn't even that she hadn't seen R'yn that way. It had been there in her mind, she'd just pushed it to the back. It was easier if R'yn and her were just friends, it would have made things too complicated, she didn't want to lose her best friend. Ticene had built numerous reasons to ignore her feelings, but when it had come to it those reasons just hadn't been enough. She didn't care if being friends was easier.

Sadly it couldn't last forever and Tic did eventually pull back from him. This was when she had to deal with things. The weyrling didn't even dare to breath, what if he reacted badly? She'd just laid her feelings bare and it would be so painful for him to turn away from her. But he didn't. Her usually very talkative R'yn seemed somewhat lost for words, which she hoped was a good thing. Laughing slightly at his apparent inability to form a sentence Ticene cleared her throat. "So, how do you feel now?"

The dragon continued to watch the pair quite happily. She was pleased for hers, glad that such a simple thing could make her so happy. She'd known for a long time what was in Ticene's head, there was nothing the girl could hide from Calith, even if she thought to hide it from herself. Calith simply brushed off Gereth's comment. I said 'if'. I always knew what Mine wanted.

"I feel..." R'yn was still struggling to form a sentence, but to his credit, he was attempting to answer Ticene's question. "I feel... Shards. I don't know." He didn't know how he felt. He knew, only, that he wanted to kiss her again. He closed the distance between them, and placing his lips on hers in the most inexperienced manner. He'd liked girls before. He'd tried to court girls before--but the feelings he had for Tic were beyond that.

He knew Weyrlings weren't supposed to have relationships. It was said that relationships could damage a growing dragon's mind. However, once he had thought about that, something inside his head had quickly pointed out that they would not be Weyrlings very long. They would be graduating soon. And Calith would rise--someone bronze or brown would have to fly her. By the shell, it would be Gereth! It had to be Gereth! Now that he understood his feelings for Ticene, he couldn't allow--no, he wouldn't allow anyone--it wouldn't be right. She had to choose.

He couldn't tell her that, though. Ticene wasn't the type to appreciate limits. She'd become angry with him. "Er, right. We're supposed to be dancing," he said, blushing as he pulled away.

~~~

T'rel unfortunately was so surprised by Tiar asking him to dance that he fell silent, and stared at her with wide, brown eyes. He hesitated so long that the girl seemed to be offended and left. He sighed. He had only met her earlier today. He hadn't meant to offend her or seem like he was putting rank between them.

He figured they were friends. T'rel was friends with everyone he met, unless they hurt someone he cared about. He followed her quickly and sat down. "I'm sorry," he said, frowning slightly. "I was so surprised by your question, I wasn't sure how to react. Most candidates avoid me long enough to wear I have to go find them, not the other way around." He hesitated. He was still heartbroken after losing Ky't. She haunted his dreams and thoughts. He was still very much in love with her.

But a friendly dance couldn't hurt. He had enjoyed dancing, once. "I'd love to dance."

Well you didn't have to stare at me so, like I'd grown a second head. My clothes aren't that shabby are they?" She asked glancing down at herself with a worried frown before looking back up at T'rel.

"I guess if you still want to dance we could. You're not going to abandon me on the floor are you?" Tiar asked teasingly, her words and attitude a little smother with the help of the wine as she offered the man a small smile.

"Honest Weyrleader I don't bite."