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Contently curled up Calith had only been sleeping lightly, which was something certainly in the Weyrleader's favour. Had she slipped into a deeper sleep he would have had a trial to rouse her, if it had been at all possible. R'yn would then also have to deal with a very grouchy dragon when she eventually did wake. Calith did not enjoy being roused for her sleep for anything and tolerated it for only a handful of things. The heat seemed to be stopping the dragon from sinking into the deep layers of sleep, she would wake and shift about quiet frequently.

Hearing approaching footsteps Calith opened one eye to regard her rider's mate, as well as her mate's rider. R'yn had done well in keeping in the dragon's good graces. Undoubtedly the respect and frequent praise he gave her helped his cause. Calith was pleased with his bow and opening comment. She expected that he desired something from her, but she did not mind that much. Hmm, yes, Gereth has already spent a satisfactory amount of time regarding me for the morning. Of course, come the evening she would expect the bronze to return to her side once again. Calith was possessive of most of the bronzes and some of the browns in the Weyr, but none more so than Gereth. As the only bronze to be able to catch her, Calith deemed Gereth the best and of course the best should be hers and only hers.

Very well. Calith said simply at R'yn's request as he stroked her hide. Calith generally did not like close contact with humans other than her own, but R'yn was an exception to that rule as he was to many. Her rider's affection for the man had managed to filter across their bond enough that it could at least be claimed Calith was fond of R'yn. The dragon reached out for Ticene's mind and found her discussing something with the Headwoman. Your mate is requesting your company. He plans to take you to a cove, though he is giving clearly false reasons as to why that is.

Tic paused in her conversation when Calith's voice slipped into her mind. Clearly her dragon hadn't felt like playing along to the point of trying to convince Tic that R'yn really was being serious. Smiling slightly Ticene finished talking to the Headwoman before departing. Luckily they had been near the conclusion of their conversation anyway, so Ticene wasn't being rude by leaving. As she walked back to her weyr, Tic pushed her hair back from her face. The heat was causing Tic's hair to be even wavier than usual, causing her to tie it back. However several strands had fallen forward and were being repeatedly swept behind her ears.

"So, I hear we're going somewhere?" Tic said with a smile as she walked in and looked at Calith and R'yn. Calith had settled back down and closed her eyes again, though Tic knew full well that the dragon wasn't sleeping yet. She shifted her attention to R'yn and raised an eyebrow in question. So what was the reason for their unscheduled outing?

Tic's eyebrow arched at R'yn's serious tone. She didn't really believe he had called her back to check that there wasn't a wher hiding in a nearby cove. It wasn't like wild-wher disposal was one of her duties. That and had it really been serious Calith would have said so. She had said that R'yn was making up reasons to go, so this was likely another one. Her suspicions were confirmed when his seriousness he had taken on fell away and was replaced by a familiar grin that called a smile in response from Ticene. "As if I was frightened for even a moment." She waved her hand to dispel the idea, but the smile on her face showed Tic hadn't taken insult.

She considered the idea, true her duties probably could be managed with her gone for a few candlemarks. Still, she didn't like the idea of running off and having something go wrong in her absence. Tic often worried that things would collapse if she didn't spend every waking moment making sure things were working. The poor woman was just so frightened of failing even after the turns of being in the position. Ticene may have, under different circumstances, refused simply because she thought herself too busy. However R'yn's dedication to getting her to go with him was getting to her.

Looking down at her hand in his Tic continued to smile. She heard a pleased rumble from Calith at the idea of leaving Gereth and herself to sleep. With her dragon's consent and her weyrmate's excitement slowly infecting her, Tic would be hard pushed to refuse. "Okay, let's go." Just a few candlemarks away couldn't hurt, right?

Happily Tic followed R'yn as he led her to the cove. She smiled along with him as they walked and he reassured her that Gereth would tell them if they needed to return. R'yn's excitement had led to Ticene looking forward to their little outing even if she had only known about it for a short while. The compliment her weyrmate sent her way earned him a familiar look. "You don't spend candlemarks admiring me?" Ticene had never been one for compliments and wasn't sure to receive them from anyone except for R'yn, she knew she could give a joking response to him. As it was she was used to them from him now, although she often thought the amount he gave her was unnecessary.

Ticene looked at the mouth of the cove when the pair of them came to a halt in front of it. Her eyes roamed over the cove, it was a pleasant little place and it had turned out to be closer than she had expected. "Alright, I'm coming." Tic laughed as she was led inside, it wasn't like she had the chance to refuse him when he held onto her hand.

Allowing her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light inside the cave Tic walked carefully to avoid falling and probably pulling R'yn down with her. "I don't know." Was all Ticene could say at the idea of what they were, though wonder did fill her voice at the sight of them. Tic had come from a poor family, as had many at the Weyr, and had no idea what it was she was looking at or the value it held. She carefully reached out and trailed her hand down the wall; fingers gently skimming over stone and crystal alike. "But they are beautiful." They really were. Tic was glad that they had never been taken. She much preferred the idea of them staying inside the cave and being naturally beautiful than being stripped from the walls to be stashed away by someone.

Smiling and shaking her head Tic let R'yn's comment go. It was just typical of him to take that route in it. It was a good thing that Ticene didn't believe the majority of what he said regarding her. Otherwise she would be terribly big-headed and vain by now. "Don't you go abandoning your duties to admire me." Ticene warned him by wagging a finger at him. She didn't want either of them to be dealing with the backlash of R'yn not carrying out his duties just so he could look at her. She didn't plan to stop her duties so he could look at her either.

"You never miss a chance to flatter, do you?" Tic fixed him with a look before turning her attention to the fallen crystals he was pointing at. It was entirely possible that others would know what they were and since some had already fallen out she couldn't really complain. They've probably only end up getting covered in sand anyway. "She does like shiny things, so most likely these'll provide entertaining for her." Tic said as she carefully took the two crystals. At least they might for a while. The dragon could be rather short with certain things in her current state. Especially if she hadn't gotten what she deemed the right amount of sleep, which was several candlemarks more than most would deem the right amount.

As R'yn took out the fur Ticene turned one of the crystals over before holding it up to the light. She was quite surprised however when the light went through it and a small patch of rainbow light appeared on the floor. Moving the crystal she caused the rainbow to move around on the sand, causing a slight laugh to escape the woman. "R'yn look at this." She turned her head to her weyrmate, only to see him having spread a fur on the ground. His comment and grin caused the woman to raise an eyebrow. "Oh, can we?"

"Well then don't go thinking of me when you should be focusing on something important." Last thing she needed was him daydreaming about her and flying straight into the path of a flame during a drill. She liked to think Zelith would keep them safe, but she wouldn't put it past the bronze to take the opportunity to think about Calith. Ticene suddenly found herself fearing for the pair far more than before. "And how can you prove it's true?" Tic did decide to challenge him, with a grin of her own. How could he possibly prove it? Beauty was in the eye of the beholder so it was only R'yn's opinion and Tic had a sneaky suspicion that R'yn was biased.

Tic rolled her eyes and shook her head at R'yn's comment. Oh yes, of course that had been the only reason that she had chosen Gereth. Not because he was fastest or strongest bronze there. Or because Tic wanted him to win. Nope. It had to be the bath the night before. "Yes, I'm sure that was what won it for him." Tic decided to agree as he kissed her cheek.

Ticene had to laugh when R'yn tried to catch the colour. "R'yn, it's just a rainbow, you can't catch them." Tic had seen them after rain before and in water spray, but never made by a stone before. "I think it works like when you reflect sun off metal, only on the other side." That seemed a good enough explanation for her. It was good enough for her since Tic didn't really feel the need to know what exactly caused it. Just to irritate R'yn she tilted the crystal and sent the colour moving away from him and up the wall. Suddenly an idea struck the woman and a smile lit her face. "R'yn, let me borrow your belt knife, I want to try something."

"As I recall you weren't lazy all the time. When it came to girls you always seemed awfully driven." Tic's first impression of R'yn had been quiet heavily influenced by the fact he seemed to have a small female following. She hadn't been overly interested in spending time with him and his fan-club. Tic had had more interesting things to do than fawn over some boy. Even after impressing and the pair became friends she still avoided situations involving the little group. It had been implied to Tic before that the only reason R'yn had tried to be friends with her after the hatching was because of Calith and he had been seeking favour for Gereth. At the time Tic had laughed and said that was ridiculous, but it was still a thought that could creep up on her in Ticene's darkest moments of self-doubt. "I can't of changed you too much, since I still can't get you out of bed in the mornings." He'd managed to make her smile enough with his words and the kiss on her cheek that Tic was willing to let go that he hadn't managed to prove his claim.

Ticene pretended to look thoughtful at Gereth's claims. "Well, those things might of had something to do with it." Ticene never tried to tell Gereth he might not be the best bronze on Pern for two reasons. One, being a typical bronze Gereth wouldn't believe her anyway. Second, Calith seemed of much the same opinion. She may believe Gereth inferior to her, as everyone except Tic was, but he was still the best of everyone else. Otherwise she wouldn't allow him to catch her.

Watching R'yn continue to try and catch the rainbow caused Ticene to click her tongue. "Who needs children when I have you to entertain me, hm?" And if R'yn wasn't there to do it Ionan often was. The weyrbrat seemed to always pop up nearby one way or another. If there was one group of people she didn't have to worry about taking her too seriously it was the weyrbrats. Taking the beltknife Tic's mind turned to Ionan; she did wish someone would foster the lad. If it weren't for her and R'yn's rank in the Weyr and workload she would probably of already have tried to convince R’yn they should foster him. She couldn't do that to Ionan though, it wouldn't be fair if someone who could give so much more time to him wanted to foster him and she already had.

Looking at R'yn it seemed a shame that she had to lower the crystal to achieve what she wanted to. Placing it down nearby so he could continue to do it himself, Tic straightened up and held R'yn's beltknife out in front of her. She frowned in concentration as she tilted the blade slightly. Tic had the side facing the entrance to the cave and yet was looking at the floor whilst still moving the knife. Finally a sound escaped her when a fleck of light appeared. There, she'd got it now. Keeping an eye on the little patch of light she continued to tilt the blade to make it travel across the floor and up the wall. Tic and L'fir had used this trick often as children to irritate people by reflecting light into their eyes when they were trying to do something. The principle remained the same though her goal was rather different. She moved the knife and forced the light to travel along the wall to what she deemed a suitable cluster of the crystals. Carefully she moved the light until a short triumphant laugh escaped her. Having found the right angle Tic had managed to get the light to reflect into the cluster and for several patches of colour to appear on the walls and floors of the cave. “Let’s see you try to catch all of them.” She challenged with a grin, he had no chance of that.

A frown crossed Tic's face as she looked at R'yn. She hadn't really thought much of her comment, so when he said he needed to talk she hadn't grasped just what he wanted to talk about. Tic's face blanked when he outright asked her if they could have children. Really she should have expected he would say something eventually. It hadn't been an issue before; they were young and had a Weyr to drag out of a ditch. Now she supposed things looked very different. Ticene turned her face away to hide her expression as R'yn explained how he thought it could work.

Her mind was trying to work through so many things that by the time R'yn spoke again she wasn't really listening anymore. "I can't." She eventually let quietly slip out, still not looking at her weyrmate. Her arms dropped in defeat slightly and the light moved and the effect was gone. Suddenly the cave seemed so much closer than it had before. It was too close and oppressive. Tic just wanted to walk out into the open air and try and clear her thoughts, but she couldn't do that to R'yn. You didn't walk out on someone after they ask you that.

"I couldn't. It... It just wouldn't work." Ticene had no reason she physically couldn't have children. Her problems were nothing to do with her body. It wasn't even that the young woman didn't want children, the fact she did was a problem. Tic bit down on her lip and was thankful that she wasn't facing R'yn as tears threatened to show themselves. Ticene had known that she would have to face this at some point, but that didn't make it any easier. She had reasons to refuse, perfectly valid reasons in her eyes. More than just the time issue that was the problem with her fostering a child.