Xanadu Weyr - Weyrling Grounds
Cradled in a cup shaped bite out of the mountain, this wide, grassy flat has become home for Xanadu's weyrling dragons. It's set surprisingly high above the level of the beach, visible from the eastern side of the grounds where a long path snakes its way down the hill to the sand dunes below. All other sides to the grounds are bordered by the hard granite cliffs, two entrances clearly visible. One is merely human sized and leads deep into the mountain, to the Caverns. The other is broad and high, the entrance to the Weyrling Barracks.
Good morning Xanadu! The mist that veils the weyr makes for either an eerie or peaceful view of things. That's all dependent on the observer. The low grey cloud doesn't shroud things heavy enough to make walking a hindrance, but it is enough so that a careful soul wouldn't go barreling through, in fear of smacking into a once unseen object. Once the sun rises a little more, it'll surely burn off, but Ka'el is here now. Now, at a time where most aren't. A handful still snooze. Others are dressed and ready for the day and have taken the time to go to the caverns to eat and socialize. He's not hungry, and instead he and Kanekith sit upon the grass on the portion of hill that overlooks the beach. Other than his lifemate, he is alone, and as he gazes out, arms draped over upturned knees, the expression on his face is the one he reserves for lonely times like these. Tired. Not the sort of tired that comes due to long days of work, but the sort of mental exhaustion that numbs the brain and sags the soul.
Luraoth makes her way through the fog, amusing herself by imagining her breath as part of it. It's not yet quite that cold, though there's a chill to the air that suggests it will be before too many more sevens have passed. Soriana's riding her dragon, though Luraoth's not wearing her straps; just her rider, perched atop her neck. The weyrlingmasters would probably disapprove. Perhaps that's why they're only doing it on a foggy early morning when there's not likely to be anyone around, much less paying attention. The golden dragon's steps are slow and careful, her movements smooth, and Soriana relaxes against the motion as Luraoth makes her way toward the hill. Why? Because it's fun to slide down the hill on the way to the beach, that's why. The bulk of another dragon in the fog is dimly seen, and questing tendrils of fog-silver light brush out, their touch light and curious.
Kanekith's eyes remain on Ka'el, swirling between one color to the next as emotions twist within him. But it's not a rollercoaster of them. The change from one to another is not violent or fast. It's more like a kaleidoscope, these feelings within. Shifting from one to the next in an expectant sort of way, not sudden. They are all cohesive, and thus Kanekith is calm despite the inner shift of moods. They're not only his own, either. Ka'el's and his are difficult to differentiate, and thus neither one of them try as they stare off towards their separate places. But then there's an invasion. A gentle touch that belongs to neither of them, and Kanekith's head lifts with a short and soft chuff. Who is there? A smokey shadow reaches, tensely at first to the unknown, but when the unknown turns to known, there's a notable relaxation. « Luraoth. » Both a greeting and an announcement for his rider who shows little reaction and continues his stare. « You and yours should pass, » he says to the gold. « Mine is in a mood that no one enjoys from him. » Closed off. Distant. These are not words given to Luraoth, but instead briefly shared in feeling.
« Kanekith. » The same purposes, from the other side, and Soriana nods from where she sits on Luraoth's back before tilting her head as she hears the echo of what else the bronze says of his rider. Hmm. Soriana reaches down to pat her hand against Luraoth's neck, and pass a silent message that has the dragon lowering her head. « Mine does not mind. » Soriana swings her leg over and slides down, her feet touching the ground with a muffled thump. That's the most noise she makes, the rest of her footfalls quiet as she comes over to join Ka'el. She doesn't say anything, either; a small nod of her head, the duck of chin that probably means hello, and then she drops down to a seated position next to him, looking out over the lake. The fog's peaceful, this morning. It makes the world seem wrapped in a soft blanket, the edges blurred and made gentle. A morning to meditate on, if you're given to such things. A morning when the far-off is mysterious, whether that's the other side of the lake… or Ka'el sitting next to her. « I go to swim. » Luraoth's light caresses Kanekith's shadow gently, the touch affectionate but not lingering, and then she continues on her way toward the beach.
Ka'el is very much aware that he and Kanekith are no longer alone. He hadn't expected to be for overly long, anyway. The grounds were not chosen by chance to be the spot where he sat, knowing that any contemplating he'd do would be interrupted before long. A necessary distraction. But it takes him a little bit to bring himself back to the present, pulling himself through the thickness of his worries as if it were quicksand destined to drown him. His eyes stay forward as he's joined by Soriana, and it's slow seconds that pass before he turns them to her, as if only now registering that she's seated by him. He watches her with that same expression. Looking past her. Straight through her. Then his head turns again to the beach as Luraoth leaves and Kanekith lingers, unwilling to depart from his discontented rider. "The quail house is finished," says Ka'el, breaking the stretch of silence. "But it was a joke. The whole thing was a joke."
Sooner or later, there was going to be a wakeup call for Ka'el's thoughts, but Soriana is closer to the slow build of sunlight than the loud alarm clock ringing. She waits, watching the lake and the sky instead of Ka'el; just sitting, even if he's miles away. Even if, perhaps, the silence seems more awkward than companionable… she does her best to make it the sort of company that's comfortable. Her gaze flits to his as he watches her, giving another small nod of her head. Hey. Then her eyes turn out to the lake once more, one of her knees bending up and her hands draping loosely around it as she watches nothing in particular and listens to the calm of the morning and the muffled stir of people starting their days elsewhere around the weyr. Listening, she hears Ka'el as he speaks, though she keeps her gaze on the lake. "Yeah?" Her tone is unsurprised. When is Ka'el serious? …well, now. For instance. But… "Should put it out anyhow. Never know what might happen."
Maybe. Maybe the one quail on Xanadu with an excellent sense of humor will move right in to the Quails Only house. He smirks mildly. "Maybe. Or maybe someone will take it and burn it before it can be placed on a shelf with all the other things I've taken as a joke." He draws a hand back and up, pressing his palm against his face to give his eyes and whole face a rub, like a person newly awakened from slumber. He exhales and drops his arm back down with a "shards" and half lids his eyes. "Comin' here was a joke. Nobody really thought I'd make it as a smith. I treated Candidacy like a joke. I never really thought I'd impress a dragon. But now… nobody's laughin, you know? It's all real and not a joke and I can't undo anything that I've done or change what has happened or what will happen.." It's a ramble he's caught himself in, and he cuts himself off with a vague scowl, raking his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry."
"Maybe," Soriana agrees, unperturbed. It's not like the fate of the quail house is important, really. Not to her, not to that theoretical amused quail, and… likely not even to Ka'el. It was a joke. She tilts her head slightly, turning it to watch Ka'el sideways. A subtle glance, easing her way in toward looking at him. Taking it slow. Listening. Hearing more jokes. Smithing. Candidacy. Dragons. But if those are the jokes… what's left to be serious? Soriana turns her head gradually as she listens, her gaze becoming more and more direct. She doesn't say anything, not until the apology makes her give a small shake to her head. "So what if it burns?" Back to the quail house, apparently. "You can build a new one. Or not, maybe it's time for a different joke. People like laughing." She half-smiles, one corner of her mouth curving up, and then it settles back again as she reaches out with one hand to set her fingers against his. "Kale…"
If it burns and turns to ash, from the ashes…something new must rise, yes? Like a phoenix renewed. But his eyes don't match the blaze of that thought when he next looks to her. His fingers do shift though, as hers touches his own, and he curls his around hers to hold her hand. "I think I'm out've jokes," he says, giving her an apologetic look. "I look ahead an' all I can see is one thing, and it's not funny." Kanekith lowly rumbles in his chest, a consoling sort of noise before the large bronze lowers his head down to rest it upon his legs. "I got a letter from my ma a few sevens ago," he informs as the tip of his index fingers runs along the side of her hand. Back and forth, soothingly. Soothing himself. And for a while, that's all he says. Internally he wrestles for both words and will. This isn't her problem. "She doesn't know about Kanekith. If she did, .. eh, when she does, things with her and me will be different, and I don't know if I'm ready for it to be that way. I thought I was, but her letter made it more real."
Soriana's fingers curl in against Ka'el's, holding his hand. That makes a smile flicker, even if her expression settles back to the serious of the moment. Of the future? She nods to that, with a small rise of one shoulder and then its settling as she keeps listening, even without the jokes. Her thumb slides slowly along the edge of his fingers, light and soothing touches. Being soothed. Soothing him. Like the soft blanket of fog around them. A letter from his ma, and that's enough to make her wonder. Her head tilts, the expression thoughtful as she goes through what she knows about his family and… oh. The reaction to Alloy. Kei'lan. Soriana may not know much about Ka'el's family, but it's enough to make a concerned frown begin to stir her face. Enough so that, when he finally begins to speak again, her nod is almost more confirmation than anything. So this is about Kanekith. About Ka'el the dragonrider of Xanadu, not Kale the farmboy of Black Rock. Her fingers squeeze against his. "You're probably not," she says. Her tone is soft, though the words are blunt. Her lips quirk slightly. "I'd be surprised if you were. I'm not ready for how things are with me and my mom now… and that's nothing, compared." Sorrin, another goldrider; proud of her daughter and supporting her… and it's still a change. It's still a different dynamic, new and strange and sometimes worrisome. For Ka'el and his ma… "I dunno if you'll ever be ready." A small pause, and then a tilt of her head. "So what're we going to do?"
Heh, yes. Who is ever ready to sever ties with family? Kei'lan surely wasn't. Ka'el isn't, despite how much strife his mother had given him in the past. Soriana's touch is succeeding at being comforting, and so Ka'el focuses his senses on that, pulling in his wayward thoughts to instead have a single one. The graze of skin to skin and the gradual calmness that it provides. He does have a questioning look for her thought as she speaks of the relationship between her mother and herself. A goldrider with a goldriding daughter. "…What's to worry of?" he asks aloud. "Your ma probably can't stop talkin' about you. I know she had to have been there at the hatching." One face within a sea of so many. "She probably can't wait til your graduation." A half of a smile at that, but it's a faltering look now as she speaks her last question. "We? Sori.." he shakes his head. "It's just a 'me' thing. My ma. My…issue." He snorts at the word, lips twisting down. "You don't have to worry about it. I'll … deal with it. Go home or somethin' after graduation. Send word to Kei' or something. Maybe he'll come with me. Get it over with."
Oh, of course. Sorrin's proud. She was there at the hatching. Soriana nods to all that. "Yeah. Only, now I'm a goldrider too. So am I her daughter, or am I someone she should be training to take her job?" Soriana half-smiles back. "I said it was nothing like." But she's still not ready for it… even if it's probably good, in the end. Unlike Ka'el's situation. Ka'el's situation. Just his? Her fingers are still curled around his, keeping the contact even as she shakes her head slightly. "Yeah, it's your ma." But there's that shake of her head, the denial to accompany the assent. "That means you've got to deal with it. Doesn't mean you've got to do it alone." She half-smiles, and then her gaze drifts away, out over the lake again. "I like it when you make me laugh, you know." Her fingers squeeze slightly, holding his hand for the moment it takes for her to look back over to him, a crooked smile curving her lips. "But I love you seriously."
"Nothin' like, but .. still important," remarks Ka'el as Soriana's point of view is revealed. Or rather, Sorrin's possible point of view. "Could be a little bit of both for her. You're still her daughter, but instead've teaching you right from wrong or whatever, she'll teach you .. whatever it means to be a goldrider. It's perfect timing. She doesn't have to teach you all've the stuff she taught you as a kid. That part's over. Now it'll be like spendin' time together for a different reason. She gets to teach you stuff still. That probably'll make her feel good." Her situation is nearly a complete opposite of his. A mother to learn from and be encouraged by. The edges of his mouth curve down in response to his own thoughts, and Kanekith's eyes continue to swirl with colors that can't agree with one another. Ka'el's brows dip, though his eyes watch Soriana now as she speaks assurances that she has his back. She's on his side in this, and that takes him aback. Not because he didn't think she would, but because she continues to claim she does after having been given an out. Who wants drama? Especially family drama, which in itself is the worst kind of drama. "But you don't have to," he insists, wanting to make it absolutely clear that she needn't drag herself through any of this. His problem, not hers. "Havin' you there won't change what she'll say or do." He continues to hold her hand through all of this, and his fingers curl a little tighter around hers, the action countering his words. Don't leave me. Stay close. His chest lowers with a slow exhale. "I like makin' you laugh. Your laugh makes me feel.. good." A master of words, he is. His head slightly cants to one side at her last statement, and vaguely does he grin. "Like, you seriously love me? Or you love me when I'm serious? Seriously? Or, seriously, you love me when I'm seriously serious." Which .. he apparently isn't being right now. But at least she did get a grin from him.
So, by nothing like, we mean the complete opposite. "Yeah, I guess," Soriana says, and she smiles… briefly. Then Ka'el's frown brings hers down, and she just brushes her fingers against his, eyes dipping for a moment - though they only get as far as his chest before lifting up again. "I'll be fine. It's just… weird." Strange. Different. A little scary. But it'll all be fine, and really, Sori's got nothing to worry about… unlike Ka'el. His ma didn't exactly make sure everything turned out right with Kei'lan, now did she? "Of course I don't have to," she tells him, her fingers squeezing back at his. "I could just walk away." But she doesn't. If anything, she leans a little closer… though she pauses as a thought strikes her. If Sori's there… "It might." Soriana the great and influential? Her lips quirk to the side in a vague smirk. "She might object to me, too." Soriana the corruptor! The girlfriend of the baby boy. Maybe not as awful a thing as a dragon, to Ka'el's ma's mind… but on the other hand, unlike a dragon… a girlfriend can be gotten rid of. So who knows? Regardless, she gives his hand another squeese. Nope. Still not going anywhere. Her expression shifts, though, as he unpacks her like and love. It turns from not-entirely-amused smirk to pleased smile, and then… a visiting grin. She tilts her head up, planting a kiss on Ka'el's forehead, just where the shagginess of hair falls over it. "I love that you're serious with me." The stresses fall evenly on the words. Does she love the serious? Or the fact that it's with her that he shows that side? Or maybe she's saying that he's serious with her, in that relationship-y way. Whatever the meaning, she's completely serious about it, except for she's smiling, so maybe not? But maybe. For serious.
She could walk away. Others might have walked away, and Ka'el wouldn't blame them for doing so. Dating is supposed to be fun and carefree with kisses and hand-holding and happy experiences shared. Not this heavy stuff. The drag of worry and ill-feelings and trepidation. Things like that scare people off. But not Sori. Not his Soriana, who so stubbornly insists to being at his side when things will be difficult and angry and sad. And so as he watches her, Kanekith's eyes begin to settle, the hues no longer fighting for dominance to instead settle with a pale green. The bronze giant himself has his gaze settled on the girl, contemplating her. This girl can do things he cannot. It's a thought that is usually aggravating, at the least, for he strives to maintain his dominance within the life of his rider. But this time, it isn't aggravation that he feels. Many times has he wrestled with Ka'el's emotions. Trying to force the bad ones away. Bullying them out, to no avail. Yet this girl, so weak in comparison, can do what he cannot and unlock the door to the cage his boy locks himself in and bring him back. She is something he cannot be, and for once it does not spark his anger. Ka'el's lips have adopted a small smile from her kiss and her cryptic words. He shifts now, slipping his hand from hers in order to move his body behind her, legs spread to accommodate her between them, and arms wrapping around her middle to pull her gently against his front. Back to chest, bodies close. "My ma's not going to like you." Blunt fact. "You're not a holder girl. You're not from a family she knows. You're a goldrider's daughter. You're a rider. You're not the type that we marry. .. There's a lot've things for her to not like. .. But, lucky you, my ma's not the one datin' you. She doesn't have to like you. I like you. I love you a whole lot more than…maybe I should. Nothin' she could ever say about you is gonna change that. Besides.." a slight smirk, "I already know all your flaws. I keep you around anyway."
Oh, yeah, Soriana's stubborn. Also prying and interfering and many other things besides, but for now… oh, for now she shifts and leans back against Ka'el, oblivious to Kanekith's eyes on her - for her eyes are on the boy. She reaches an arm back, curving it to brush lightly against his hair. A light touch is about all she can manage, in this position - at least, unless she contorts herself, but she's content with the touch of fingers being a small one as she leans. So Ka'el's mother won't like her. It makes her nod, but it doesn't take the smile from her face. After all, it's hardly a surprise. She's seen what holders - some holders, anyway - think of riders. "Lucky me," Soriana repeats, and gives a small laugh. "I'd make a pretty awful holder girl." Her fingers shift, brushing along his hair, and her lips quirk teasingly. "I'd make an even worse date for your ma. And isn't she already married?" A flash of grin, and then her expression turns to a softer sort of smile. "I know it's not easy, being… well. You're not really a holder boy anymore, either." A rider… and a man. And then Soriana grins. "Not to mention all those flaws of mine. I know that's really why your notebook got full. You were writing 'em all down. Well, trying to, anyhow…"
"You'd make the worst holder girl ever," Ka'el agrees, finding it a little easier to joke now. Now that his situation feels less lonely. No less worse, mind you. The thought of losing a mother's love is still a terrifying notion, no matter what age the child may be. But even if he has to walk away from home for a final time, he won't be walking alone. "But I'm in to riders now anyway." His arms close around her, hugging her to him as a kiss is pressed to the side of her neck. "I don't feel like I did before I came here. .. Shards. How many turns ago was that? Five?" His head shakes slowly in disbelief. "I don't feel like a holder. I don't know if I feel like a rider yet, but I feel different. If I were to go home, I'd feel more like a visitor than someone who belonged there. There were so many things I thought I knew about weyrs and dragons and .. people that were wrong. It's crazy how five turns can change what you thought you knew in thirteen." Another kiss, this one pressed to her jaw. "My Notebook of Soriana's Flaws. You found me out. I only stopped writing them because I ran out've pages. I'm planning on selling it as a novel. To be fair, you'll get .. eh, one percent of the proceeds. Alright?"
A terrifying notion, and one Soriana is ever so glad she doesn't have to face. Not for herself, anyway. Standing beside Ka'el as he faces it for himself… that barely even counts on the terror-meter. She smiles to him, tilting her head back and touching her lips to him in return - to his ear, as it happens. That's where they reach. Soriana presses close for a moment, then adjusts herself, half sitting up and… there. Now she can settle back again with the angles working better. Five turns? She ponders on that a moment, then nods. "Must be." Or close enough, anyhow. "I barely knew anything at thirteen." Not like her sage wisdom of seventeen and a half, oh no. "But I did get one thing right." Her head tilts, and her lips touch to Ka'el's chin before curving in a grin as she looks up. "'Bad at making deals' had better be in there, if you expect me to take that." Otherwise it'd be false advertising! She could sue him for libel… or something. Soriana sneaks in the third kiss, by leaning up and drawing Ka'el's head down, just a little. Just enough to brush lips to lips, just for a moment. "You'll figure out who you are, where you want to be." Craftrider. Search and rescue. Or even (hah) Weyrleader. Who knows? "I know where I want to be." Right here. In Ka'el's arms. Her lips press in again with another kiss.
Only thirteen turn olds believe that thirteen turn olds know anything. Ka'el certainly did, brashly heading out into the cold, cruel weyr world on his own to pursue a dream no one believed he could do. When one is thirteen, anything is possible! But he sure didn't forsee himself landing here. A weyrling on Xanadu on the verge of losing everything and gaining everything at the same time. Content and discontent, but it's contentment that's dominant now as kisses are peppered and received with fond smiles. "Bad at making deals is on the list," he vows. "As is 'horrible cookie maker' and 'nail biter'." He clicks his tongue a little, head shaking vaguely from one side to the other. Such flaws! His expression softens though at the last of what she says, and he kisses her warmly in return, feeling his heart do a faint skippish move in his chest. And so he kisses her again and keeps kissing her, impervious to the chill of the mist-filled morning as the warmth that rises in his chest spreads to his extremities. And he continues to kiss, even when the catcall whistle comes from the bronze riding K'asin, whose ego rivals that of Kanekith, as he passes by with his dark bronze towards the beach. "Yeeow!"
Thirteen is a time for wild dreams. Eighteen? Well… it's still a time for dreams. Big dreams, even. They're just… different dreams, and if in some ways they're more realistic, in others, well, they reach for the sky. (Though it's important to check the riding straps first.) Soriana grins and nods her agreement to being bad at deals (according to Ka'el's tell-all biography) then briefly looks shocked! Her? Bad at cookies? Hers were fine. No eggshell or anything! …oh, wait. Right, this is opposite-day biographing. So she smirks, and soon arguing those details is so very far from her mind. There's kisses to be had and kisses to be returned, her fingers brushing through Ka'el's hair and along the line of his jaw. The fog is beginning to burn off. It might be the rising sun - or it might be the warmth of those kisses. A beacon of light to draw… well, K'asin's eye, evidently. Soriana hears the whistle, but she continues the kiss despite it. So what if she's got an audience? There's kissing to be done. Though… she slowly draws her head back, once she's finished that kiss. Other weyrlings are one thing, but if they're stirring, others will be as well. The restrictions on romance may have been gradually relaxing, but… there are other constraints. "Luraoth'll need oiling after her swim." Which she's almost done with, despite taking it slow enough that she's more or less used up the extra time meant for oiling that expanse of hide. Though it's not like Soriana hasn't been making use of that time… just not how she'd planned.
K'asin can just keep on whistling til he turns blue in the face for all Ka'el cares. Soriana is far more interesting to him than the other bronzerider of the group, and this likely wouldn't be the first time any of the weyrlings at least glanced the two of them kissing. Or flirting. Or a combination of both. So he can keep on walking, which he does, though not without a grin on his face before his hands are shoved in his pockets and he saunters on. Kanekith watches his fellow bronze, the first hatched of the group, but other than a rumble he says nothing to him. Ka'el … does not want to stop kissing Soriana, weyrlings or not. Sunrise or not. Restrictions or not. And so when the kiss ends, he turns his head a little towards her fingers, seeking more of her touch. Her words sound like parting words. He doesn't want to part. "I'll help," he volunteers, not giving any indication that the grip of his arms around her have plans on loosening. She'll have to pry herself from his cold, dead arms! .. Well. Not cold and dead. Warm and alive, but you get the idea, right?
So, until he turns into T'bor? Oh, wait. That'd be if K'asin turned blue in the dragon. It's true that Sori and Ka'el are hardly a secret among the weyrlings. Not since Kanekith has stopped grumbling with displeasure every time lips touch. Nobody's making K'asin watch. They're out of the way. If someone comes along to yell at them… but they're just kissing. Kanekith's not upset about it. Luraoth isn't either. Thus… Soriana doesn't really care if she's breaking the rules or not. Her fingers trail down along the line of Ka'el's jaw, and she nods to his offer of help. "Okay," she says, and makes no move to actually get up. If he's helping, it'll go twice as fast, right? So she only needs half the time. So she can lean in again, fingers turning his head back so she can press her lips squarely to warm alive ones.
Kanekith is right there and he doesn't care! The truth of the matter is, Soriana helping Ka'el feel less dreary has helped him be a little (or a lot) more tolerable towards her. At least for this moment. But unlike Luraoth, he doesn't grant them any privacy. Nope. Ka'el is still his rider, and he's only … lending him to Soriana for a time. She'd better not get any ideas of stealing him away! And just to be sure he doesn't, Kanekith makes it a point to make sure that both of these lip locked young adults know that he's still here. His head inches closer to the two of them. Closer. Closer still. Pausing when only a few inches separates nostril from human heads. And Ka'el could happily ignore the fact that his dragon is there, staring like a creeper, if it wasn't for hot exhales of breath through wide nostrils that are blown towards them with every breath. Puff …. puff …. puff…. 'Beat it' he tries to shoo him away, though Kanekith doesn't seem to get the message. That's ok. He can do this even with a peeping Tom. Ka'el's hands loosen their hold from around her so that his palms can slide against the tops of her thighs. Puff. … puff.. goes dragon breath.
Hey, Soriana was totally with Ka'el first. She has dibs! …not that she expects Kanekith to understand or appreciate that fact. She flits a glance sideways to see large greenish eyes staring at her. Nope. Not awkward at all. Sure, Luraoth's in the back of her head still, but Luraoth isn't looking at her like this. If Kanekith just stuck out his tongue, this would be a three way (and sloppier) kiss. He wouldn't even have to stick it far. Soriana tries to ignore it. Eyes closed is a good way to kiss, right? Eyes closed and… warm breath washing over her face. Where's the dragon breath mints? A diet of meat does not make for the most fragrant of exhalations. This… is not exactly romantic. Soriana may not be about the roses and candies, but… well. When they say 'hot and steamy', this is not what they mean. She opens her eyes again, giving another sideways glance at Kanekith. Yeeees? Was there something you wanted? He's just… watching. Ka'el's hands make their way down to Soriana's thighs. Kanekith keeps staring. It's… well… Soriana laughs. It's wrapped around into funny, is what it is. She reaches down, putting her hands against Ka'el's and holding them in place.
Ka'el is really trying to push through the weird 'yeah, my dragon's staring at us as we kiss' issue that's unfolding now. Just ignore it. Press on! Just keep kissing and ignore the rhythmic feel of warm breath that teases the hair and obviously comes from a dragon's lungs. It could be the breeze! A warm…smelly breeze. All he has to do is keep his eyes closed and keep those hands moving and … laugh? No, that's not him laughing. It's Sori, and with her laughter, he knows all attempts at ignoring the situation has failed! With Soriana's hands on his he turns glaring eyes to his bronze, whose face is .. woah close! Blink blink, goes dragon eyes. Whaaaat? "We've a word for dragons like you.." he says with narrowed eyes, but even he can't keep himself from laughing, head tilting back a little. "Shards, Kanekith. When's the last time your teeth were brushed?" Kanekith's head faintly tips as he contemplates the two. They've never acted like this before. Not after mouth touching anyway. What a strange day.
It was laugh or get angry. Given those choices… yeah, Soriana went for the laughter. It's just so ridiculous. Do all riders have to deal with dragons prying into their personal lives? Well, yes, but do all of them have it like this? Everyone talks about the consequences of flights. Nobody talks about dragon-breath during kisses. Sori keeps on laughing, and gives her head a shake. "Sorry," she says. To Ka'el. She's not apologizing to Kanekith! Really, he should be apologizing to her, but… he won't. Which is another reason for her to laugh, because he just doesn't get it. "It's just… ha." It's just funny, that's all. Sorry, Kanekith, there's not likely to be any explanations forthcoming! "Plenty of words, really." Soriana manages to stop laughing for long enough to tilt her head and apply another kiss to Ka'el's lips… but the moment has passed, and the kiss - while certainly affectionate - is not nearly so steamy as it was before Kanekith decided to turn Inspector Of Makeouts.
Haha! An apology from Kanekith? It'll be a long time coming! And Soriana is fortunate. Not everyone has it like this! In fact, some dragons probably would feel it necessary to go occupy themselves with something else when their rider's seeking a private moment. But not Kanekith, nope! So lucky Sori and Ka'el might get dragon stalked on quite often. Congrats! "I'm sorry," Ka'el manages, pressing his palm to his face due to the ridiculousness of the situation and his own lack of managing it. It isn't his fault his dragon isn't listening to him! Soriana's laugh is infectious, and he laughs right along with her until he can return that kiss. A soft, innocent kiss. Nice going, Kanekith! And now, Ka'el can't even concentrate on kissing anymore due to Kanekith's curiosity and questions that invade his mind. Sigh! He pulls back with a smirk. "I can't wait til I get my weyr." It'll provide at least a little physical privacy! Maybe just a dragon eye through the window.. "Want to oil Luraoth?"
So… Sori's sorry. Ka'el's sorry. The only who's not sorry is… Kanekith! The one responsible. Soriana still grins, even once the laughter's stopped. "You'd better not get one of the ones with a shared space." Or else they'll never have any privacy! Kanekith would rest his head on the bed and… shells, he'd probably shove the riders right off the bed, so he can have a chin-rest while he watches. At least a peeping Kanekith in the window won't have the dragonbreath problem, and if they wait until night they can pretend it's just a moon. A brightly colored moon that's very close to the ground for some strange reason. Soriana gives her head a shake for those thoughts, then nods her head. "Yeah, that." Luraoth's ready and waiting! So Soriana leaves the circle of Ka'el's arms (though not without some reluctance), and rises to her feet, extending a hand to pull him up after her.
"If it does have a shared space, that'll be the first weyr repair request form I fill out. Request: My Own Space." Hm. And where were those forms located again? He should've paid a little more attention to that tedious part of their lesson with Jethaniel. Paperwork is important! If not … boring and tedious. But necessary! He too begins to conjure up thoughts of a dragon-head in his bedroom. Knocking over stands and chests and breaking the springs of a tiny bed (in comparison) as he tries to claim a spot! Oy. Definitely separation is needed. The separation that comes now as Soriana rises is a thing sighed at, though it is necessary. The day is in full swing with the morning mist all but burned off. Dragons need to be washed and/or oiled and sent off to feed before they can feed themselves and begin their morning lessons, practices, and conditioning. He takes her hand to help pull himself up, and once he's on his feet, his free arm immediately wraps around her hips and gathers her towards him. He's smiling now, a small but genuine curve of his lips that lingers as he watches her. "Thanks. .. For makin' it easy for me to be serious. You're … There's not anyone else I want it to be like this with." A smirk, then a kiss to her lips, gentle and lingering before his arm slips from her, yet his hand still holds hers.
Paperwork is definitely boring and tedious. …and, yes, important, Soriana supposes. If it comes down to it. "I will so get that request expedited." How? She doesn't know. Maybe there's an official channel for it. Maybe she'll just have to go and stare at Jethaniel until he takes pity. She'll figure it out, should it become necessary. For now, there are other necessities to deal with. A patiently waiting Luraoth, for one. Food, for another - or so the small rumble in her stomach reminds her. Lessons and exercises and oh so many other things… yeah. Those too. A busy day awaits, but first, Soriana steps closer to Ka'el, her arm going to his shoulder with the fingers curved around. Would you care to dance? There's no music, though, and their feet stay on the ground as she gazes into his eyes. The moment's serious again, but it's a smiling sort of serious. Lovingly serious. Her head tilts with a quiet question at his thanks, and then the smile dips deeper. Serious with her. "My serious Kale." Her lips brush back to his, the kiss chaste but prolonged, and then she steps back, keeping his hand in hers but shifting to stand beside him so Soriana and Ka'el can go forth to the world and what it requires of them.
Kanekith begins to rise to his paws now, wings unfurling to stretch widely as his head lifts up, up, and away from the two small weyrlings. Things are well again, and for that he is happy. Grateful (almost) that Soriana and Luraoth came about, for the girl has now proven herself to be a fixer. And if this is the one thing that Kanekith himself cannot fix, matters locked away deep within Ka'el's heart, then…he can live with that. This he is willing to share. There are far more highly important things that Kanekith remains the center of and solution to in Ka'el's broad world, and so relenting one is doable. These serious moments don't come often. Jokes don't cease for long and laughter is quieted for only rare moments. But in those precious moments, Soriana is whom his heart seeks, even if his own stubborn brain insists he deals with these problems alone. His Soriana. Her serious Ka'el. His smile remains on his lips at that claim, and his hand squeezes hers. Hers alone, as it has been for days. Months. Turns. Through roadblocks, milestones, and accomplishments they have been one another's. And with another roadblock looming in his (their?) future, Ka'el moves hand in hand with her to collect Luraoth, feeling more confident about facing it when it shall arrive.