Welcome to Gaia! ::

There is a brief moment Kanath wonders if he has said or done something to upset the gold, bringing on her suddenly grievous mood. She had been so cheery only a moment ago, and he hadn't meant to cause any harm. Maybe he should try and fix it… But then she bounces right back, as though nothing at all had happened, and he's left thinking maybe he just misinterpreted. Her manner is still terribly confusing to him, after all. S'en is mine, he repeats evenly instead, glossing over his own awkwardness and lack of understanding.

She's doing strange things again.

While the dragonet observes with renewed curiosity, S'en's attention is torn away, his eyes tracing along behind the flitt's path. Her settling on the table, giving its contents a purposeful stare if he ever saw one, has his expression less neutral and more disapproving than it was before. "Your lizard…" he starts, glancing back at the young woman the green had launched off from. But she clearly has other ─ bigger ─ concerns, and the rest of his reproach drains away from him. Shards, someone else can worry about the food, and the lizard. This is all so new, it's not like he has any idea on how things are run, anyway. There are other tables he can pick from, when he finally gets around to feeding himself.

Does Yours not know you are happy? Kanath is asking, sounding no less perplexed. Not that there's anything wrong with making happy sounds… or angry sounds, really… Well, it doesn't matter. He hadn't even thought to wonder about the why of it 'til she offered. No. His has not, he confesses, sounding rather unabashed and no worse for the wear. S'en is uncomfortable here. He can tell, and he doesn't want to bother him over something like that. Meeting his clutchmates is important! Food is important. Scratches aren't so important. Not now, anyway, but maybe later…

And then Hers goes and brings it up anyway. Kanath glances up at His. Yansanth says Hers is Annelie, he informs him, helpfully. Apparently, he hadn't considered it relevant before now.

"Thanks," S'en remarks, a little more coldly than he actually intended. He's… Well, he's not exactly known for his approachable smile and warm words. The opposite is a lot closer to the truth. It isn't that he's oblivious to her supposed nervousness. He's not really even insensitive to it. He just isn't one to know ─ or maybe to care ─ how he should react, so he responds to it the same way he does to most everything: stoically.

"I'm S'en, by the way." But it does seem he has at least a sliver of decency in him, even if he never does cross the threshold into sounding legitimately friendly. Shells, his own name sounds odd to him; it's almost remarkable he even remembered the honorific. This whole Weyr thing in general is odd. He's had nowhere near enough time to come to understand it, and to adjust to it. He doesn't really even know how to introduce himself, let alone to a goldrider, nor if it's even needed. Maybe Yansanth told her, like Kanath had him.

You worry too much, Kanath remarks, softly. S'en can't help but think how much he hates being social in response, even though he doesn't dare to say it out loud.

And shards, someone is being overly noisy. He can hear it even over the din of the crowd.

"Oh, for Faranth's—OI! Would you keep it down? Some of us are trying to...you know, nevermind." Marko took a deep breath, huffed it all out in an impressively gusty sigh, and pushed his plate away. Looking at the drunken Candidate again, Marko stood up very carefully and deliberately, stepping over the bench and walking up to Dorinelic. Looking down at him, he considered him for a moment before speaking, slowly and clearly in a way that indicated he, unlike the Candidate, was Not Drunk At All.

"You, sir, would do best to shout somewhat less," he began slowly. Then, taking a few steps back, he huffed another sigh and shook his head. "But until the others have finished eating, I will play. If you will kindly stop shouting."

Shaking his head and grumbling to himself, he returned to where he had been playing before, and reached into the pouch. Selecting the panpipes again, he sighed, wondered vaguely if anyone had a tambourine that they knew how to play, and then shook his head slowly. True, it was the work of the Harpers to entertain, but shardit, they needed to eat as well. Well, he'd escape when everyone else came back, maybe grab another plate of food and duck out. That sounded good. Regardless, that was not now. Now was playing. Looking around at everyone, he brought the panpipes to his lips and started to play one of the more familiar dance tunes.

At the sight of a fellow Healer approaching her, Zara's face brightened. Mouth curving in a smile at the compliment to her blue--one that Fuxith considered carefully before accepting--she nodded. "That's the name. And you would have been...Kypak? It's not that now, I know that much." One hand unconsiously-reaching to scratch Fuxith's eye ridges, she continued, "And a pretty green you've Impressed, I see."

He might have accepted the compliment, but Fuxith was quick to make it clear through his posture that he felt himself above socializing with his clutchsibs. They were just babies after all, not big and interesting like...was that a gold over there? What is your name? You are very big, he asked abruptly, eyes whirling rapidly with sudden interest.

"My pleasure!" Jiriar said cheerfully, figuring Inaari could entertain S'van for a while--Shards, wait, was that a firelizard she had with her?! How had he missed it! "That's a pretty little lass you've got with you, swear I thought I heard something..." He'd mutter at the girl, blinking a little as S'van all but whined at him. Bit of a lightweight, was he? Stifling his urge to giggle, the man nodded. "All right, all right, keep your leathers on? Eh?" S'kagi's words made him blink a little, and that was when everything fell into place. That man!

That was the other competitor at the klah-off! Ohhh boy. He only grinned widely however, even chuckling. "Trust me, sir, you'd be able to taste it if I'd tried my hand at making anything klah-related. Someone's drunken bellowing made him wince and snicker all at the same time, high on the adrenaline one tends to get when they realize they are walking a very thin line. "Well, can't have that... Maybe after I get you two some more cups, I'll steal Inaari for a dance." He'd grin at the girl before strutting off again.

This was working beautifully! He could see it in the bronzerider's face that the alcohol had taken effect--and, well, S'van was just a bit of a bonus, really. After wading through the crowd, he'd return with two more cups, sighing exaggeratedly. "I am not battling through that again unless I am bribed."

S'van didn't need Inaari to entertain him. S'van was entertaining himself, and his dragon, by singing a particularly rousing rendition of one of his favorite teaching ballads. It seemed that the weyrling actually sang in tune while drunk, quite a change from his usual singing. Somehow, the next time the young man went for his mug, a glass of wine was slipped into his hand instead... mysteriously. Perhaps the servers were enjoying the cheer coming from that table?

"In the Weyr there's a girl named Nan
Who tells all the lies that she can
If you've got business
She'll be a witness
Your 'mates will know all that you plan!"

Oh he was cheerful no doubt, and enjoying the opportunity to sing songs that he had written, for all that that one had originally been a poem, and a short one at that. Is that one about the nice girl? Galliath inquired, listening curiously. S'van glanced down at his hand, and realized that there was a now empty glass in it, which he set on the table absently.

"Oohh! Pipes!" S'van clapped enthusiastically, enjoying the dance tunes. They had a real Harper here, did they? "Tha's won'erful!" Had it been two glasses? Maybe. He wasn't quite sure. Taking a cup of klah from Jiriar, he grinned cheekily at the taller lad. "Thank you very much," he said with just a hint of a slur.

Can he play with me? The dragonet glanced from S'van to Jiriar. "Sorry Gall, I think Jiriar's busy. Are you busy? Gall wants t' know if you'll play with him." He was probably busy. There was a bronzerider, and Inaari, and Jiriar had said he was going to dance with Inaari. Wait, he was going to dance with her? What if S'van wanted to dance? Who would he dance with?

"Mmmmm... what kin'a bribe do you want?" Another cheeky grin, showing off that dimple. Rascal. "There... there could be bribes!" A laugh escaped him, and he leaned ever so slightly against his dragonet, who nudged him with his wedge shaped head. ... Hmmm. He still had a mug. He drank the klah down, blissfully oblivious to the alcohol that it contained. "Hoy! Bronzerider...! S'kagi was it? Maybe you should dance." Where were his manners?

Marko could be just as ruffled as he wanted, and it didn't matter. "Good man!" Okassis cheered as the Harper staked out the area for his performance. Nodding his agreement to Dorin, the young Trader began searching the room immediately near them to find a dance partner. There were plenty of girls here, even fetching ones, but which among them could dance....

The music sprang up. "Ah, now there's a lively tune!" Okassis grinned happily. They were already missing prime dancing time, shards! A few wandering eyes went up at the music, but he still couldn't gauge who to approach. He could just pick one and drag her out, but his cheeks weren't numbed just yet.... "See any likely lasses?"

Wine? So he'd been drinking! It did seem odd, however, that one glass would do in such a large young man. Even she could have a glass of wine and not feel more than a slight fizziness in her brain from the liquid. Curiouser and curiouser, truly the whole thing was! Maybe soon he'd sing that ridiculous song about Okassis that he'd begged her to perform. That would be most appropriate for how she was feeling at the moment.

Her head nearly swiveled right off her shoulders, however, when Jiriar's arm came into her view as the request for a dance reached her ears. He wanted to dance with her? Little Inaari? Oh she really was growing up! Looking back at the newly anointed S'van one more time, she shooed Ryka from her sleeve and tossed her hair back over her shoulder.

"I would love to! I've not danced at anything other than a large Gather dance in such a long time. And I don't see a fool, but I'd love to dance with you!" Oh, she really knew nothing about boys, did she? Her chest pinged ever so slightly as she walked away from her friend and her lizard, hoping that the dragonet would at least be a good influence on one of them!