Girl Problems (Roselle/Poss. Camille)

[Aftershock]

Utilizing Higginth to speak to Tserieth, M'gnum had slowly been tracking the greenrider through the Weyr. First seeking her in her room, he had failed to find her there, and had been playing a game of dragon-based Marco Polo for the past candlemark trying to hunt the young woman down.

Finally, he had been sent to the dining hall, and was just entering it when he saw a young woman entering the dining hall just as he was entering the Great Hall. Hoping it was his quarry, he increased his pace, preparing to call out to Roselle if it was, in fact, her.

[Ivy]

The lighting in the hall was not overly bright, nor was it overly dim. A shadow cast over her for a moment before the light lit up her form once more, catching on those shiny blonde locks. A slight sway in her hips as she walked, hair swishing this way and that against mid-back with every step. She paused as she heard someone approaching from behind, quickly. Stopping completely she turns to glance behind her, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind one ear.

Seeing the older bronzerider she glanced around, only smiling once she realized he was alone. "Hello M'gnum, fancy meeting you here." A finger moved up to twirl her hair playfully as she looked up at him. Her posture shifted so she was leaning towards him, "Would you like to join me for a meal?"

[Aftershock]

M'gnum bit back his call as the woman was revealed not to be Roselle... in fact, it was exactly who M'gnum hadn't meant to find... Camille. She had heard his approach, however, and had already turned to greet him before he could escape, and he cleared his throat as he replied, "Ah, hello m'lady. I was just seeking someone out, is all, and I do not wish to intrude on your evening plans. You are looking well," he added, glad at least to see the young woman had not reacted as poorly as he had imagined she might have from his spurning of her advances, seeming to be unharmed and with no obvious signs of distress on her person.

Attempting to use his greater height to surreptitiously seek out his actual intended quarry in the dining hall, he said, "I do not wish to be rude, m'lady, but the person I was seeking when I happened upon you should be somewhere in this dining hall, and the matters I have to discuss with them are quite important. I promise I will take a meal with you soon, though, if you so desire it."

[Ivy]

Shaking her head she gave a giggle as she reached out to touch his arm lightly. "Nonsense! Haven't you heard that all work and no play will leave you a very dull boy?"

As if she hadn't heard him declining her invitation to eat with her at all she moved to stand next to him, her arm snaking through his as she grins up at him, "Now is as good a time as any, besides, we have lots of catching up to do still - yea?"

Grinning she leans her head against his arm, batting her long lashes as she looks up at him as if daring him to turn her down yet again.

[Aftershock]

M'gnum stiffened as Camille looped her elbow with his, and sputtered, "But, m'lady, I said..." before trailing off as he looked down at her face and saw the determination and challenge in her eyes. It was obvious she had heard him, and had ignored it, taking advantage of his chivalric nature to force him away from his meeting with Roselle... and damn her, it was working. He couldn't call himself a knight while refusing a lady when she already had his arm.

So, he would have to stage a rescue... of himself. Letting Camille lead him, he silently sent to Higginth, "Higginth, have Tserieth inform Hers that I am in the dining hall and seeking her out, but have been... intercepted, and require her assistance to free myself from a socially awkward situation so that I may speak to her."

Higginth, receiving the message and giving a draconic sigh at the thought of being a delivery service yet again, still obeyed His and sent the message as ordered, sending to Tserieth, "Tserieth, Mine asks that you tell Yours that he seeks her in the dining hall, but has been captured by his own duty, and requires her to extract him from his situation so as to be able to speak to her."

[Ivy]

Tserieth, Mine asks that you tell Yours that he seeks her in the dining hall, but has been captured by his own duty, and requires her to extract him from his situation so as to be able to speak to her.

If the green could have rolled her eyes she would have, but since she couldn't she gave what could only be described as a 'shrug' and passed along the message, or most of it - Higginth's is in the dining hall.

Oh? Did he say where? Roselle looked around from where she was seated.

No.

Standing Roselle scanned the hall and finally caught sight of him when someone opened one of the massive doors to leave. Pushing her plate back she made her way to the door and slipped out, stopping as she saw that M'gnum wasn't alone. Moving so she was still out of his line of sight she leaned against a wall adjacent to the pair and watched curiously, her brows furrowed slightly.

Camille, meanwhile, was not put off by his apparent displeasure. She just clutched to his arm a bit tighter and kept batting her lashes up at him. Smiling she leaned in to rub her cheek to his arm in a very overly affectionate manner, "Did you want to go somewhere more... private to eat? Easier to talk then."

[Aftershock]

M'gnum may have been bound by his duty as a knight, but he wasn't helpless, and when Camille attempted to suggest they eat somewhere privately, he balked, continuing to proceed into the dining hall proper with the young woman still attached to his arm, stating, "I'm sorry, m'lady, but my duty requires me to stay in the dining hall. I can have a quick meal with you, but I am currently not free for anything more involved than that, as I stated earlier."

If she attempted to direct him outward, he would expertly maneuver himself into the dining hall anyway, forcing Camille to either follow his lead, or detach herself from his elbow. Once he entered the dining hall, he would begin desperately scanning the room for Roselle, his expression like an animal caught with its foot in a trap.

[Ivy]

Roselle narrowed her eyes slightly at the pair as they headed into the hall, the blonde clinging to M'gnum as he led the way. Falling in step a bit behind them she followed the other riders - or no, that girl was a Candidate!

Jealousy does not suit you.

If I am jealous, it is simply because she does not have to share her mind with a lunk of a dragon like I do. The greenrider quickly shot back as she quickened her pace to catch up to the pair.

-----------------------

Cami's face flitted with disappointment as he declined to go elsewhere with her, and she stumbled as he very nearly dragged her towards the dining hall. After a moment of pouting she looked up and realized he wasn't even paying attention to her. How could he not be paying attention to her? Squeezing his arm she let out a giggle, "So how much have you missed me?"

[Aftershock]

Attempting to be as diplomatic as possible considering the circumstances, M'gnum continued to scan the dining hall for Roselle, not wishing to look a complete fool by calling her name, and replied to Cami, "I am glad to see you are doing well. I was concerned about your health considering how our last encounter ended, but decided leaving you to your own devices would help you more than my continued presence in your life would have, at the time."

He did his best to keep his expression neutral and his body posture professional, so that no matter her actions, he would look like a chivalric gentleman escorting a lady he had no actual romantic interest in.

[Ivy]

Finally the Greenrider caught up to the Bronzerider and Candidate, coming up on his free side and grabbing his arm gently. Stopping so as to force them to stop along with her she shot an inquisitive look to Camille before her eyes shot up to study M'gnum's face. He did not seem overly pleased to be in the Candidate's presence. After a moment of thought she reaches up and cups his cheek, "I thought perhaps you couldn't free yourself from work, lovie."

She did her best to make the 'nickname', as it were, sound as natural and comfortable as possible, before looking back at Camille once more. "Though it seems you've brought your work with you? I didn't know it was your duty to show Candidates around, dear."

Moving to her tip toes she presses a chaste kiss to M'gnum's lips before pulling away and smirking slightly.

[Aftershock]

M'gnum's face burst into a smile that was a mixture of relief and happiness as Roselle finally caught up to the pair, and her affectionate reaction made him let loose a mental sigh of relief that his professional expression and body language had let the greenrider know that he was not straying from her with the Candidate on his arm. He placed an arm gently around Roselle's waist as she stood on her tip-toes to kiss him, pulling her against him and returning the kiss with affection, though not overt passion, considering they were in a crowd of people.

Breaking the kiss, he said, "Not work, my dear, at least not this time. I simply was intercepted on my quest to find you by Camille here." He gestured towards the blonde currently on his other arm, and added, "I used to tell her stories back when we were in Fort and she was in the creche... we just recently reunited, as I was unaware she had become a Candidate." Turning towards Camille, he placed his arm loosely back around Roselle's hips and said, "Camille, this is Roselle, a greenrider and my current paramour."

[Ivy]

Roselle. She had known there was another woman, though up until this point she didn't know who was causing the Bronzerider to dismiss her advances. Her mouth nearly fell open as the other woman approached and then kissed M'gnum. Who in all of Pern did she think she was?! Somehow Cami was able to quell the seething rage just before M'gnum set his eyes back upon her in order to introduce the women to one another. Though the way the woman had practically spit the word Candidate Cami found herself hard pressed not to rip her dark hair from her head. Maybe that would loose the smirk from the Greenrider's face!

Lips were pressed together in a thin and obviously forced smile as she looked past M'gnum to the Greenrider, "A pleasure, I'm sure." Her grip on M'gnum's arm tightened, until she saw the way he slid his free arm around the Greenrider's waist. Despite the desire not to admit defeat, she realized that this was not the place to wage this war. With some reluctance she pulled her arm from M'gnum's and looked off to the right where she suddenly 'saw' someone and waved excitedly, "Oh! Well this was nice M'gnum, but S'rring is finally here and waiting for me with flowers - he's so thoughtful."

With that Camille walked away from the pair towards the opposite side of the hall, though there was no Brownrider with flowers waiting for her. It was just a stroke of luck she'd recalled one of the Weyr's Brownrider's names to use him as an excuse. Maybe now M'gnum would be the jealous one.

[Aftershock]

Though she did her best to hide her expression, the young woman did not have enough control over her emotions to prevent M'gnum from detecting her tenseness as he and Roselle kissed, and while he was glad the greenrider had appeared to save him, he hoped he wouldn't have to break up a fight between the obviously upset Candidate and his paramour.

He felt the blonde's grip on his arm tighten, her nails digging a bit painfully into the flesh of his bicep, as he slipped his arm around Roselle's waist, and so he breathed a mental sigh of relief as Camille's grip was finally loosened from him as she apparently spotted who she claimed was someone who she was in some kind of relationship with. He knew of S'rring, though the boy was on a different Wing, and he thought he might have to warn the young man at some point in the future regarding Camille's obsession with M'gnum, to avoid any possible problems between the two.

"Until next time, M'lady," M'gnum called to the retreating Camille, doing his best to keep the relief from his voice as the situation between the Candidate and the greenrider was headed off. Turning to Roselle, he whispered, "Thank Faranth you showed up when you did... I believe Camille was trying to steal me away by taking advantage of my sense of duty. I'm happy to see you more than simply because I enjoy your presence as my paramour, believe you me."

[Ivy]

"I'm sure she was, and if I know women it seems she is trying to steal you still. With jealousy." Roselle offers a cold smirk up at the Bronzerider before slipping her arm around his waist. Then she thought better of it, he was so proper and might not enjoy being overly affectionate with a mere Greenrider - at least not in public. Pulling her arm back she looks up at him once more, "Can't say I see what she sees in you..."

There was a teasing note to her voice as she began to walk them towards the far corner of the Hall - away from the direction Cami had gone. "How long do I have you before duty takes you again?" She asks as she sits down and takes an offered mug of klah from one of the drudges who was milling about with a platter full of them.

[Aftershock]

Noting Roselle's retraction of her arm from around his waist, M'gnum quickly pulled her closer to him, moving his arm from draping loosely around her hips to more firmly wrapping around her waist in a clearly possessive fashion, teasingly saying to her, "What, embarrassed to be seen with such an old man? As for jealousy, she is barking up the wrong tree... I was a young man when she was merely a baby, and I see her as a friend, nothing more. I worry about her, though, she seems so attached to this idealized version of me... I hope this S'rring fellow treats her well."

Reaching a table, he takes a cup of klah himself, releasing Roselle so she can sit across from him as he takes his own seat and sips once before responding, "I've given myself enough time to get a meal with you, and to spend some time with you privately afterwards... if you have the time, yourself." His smile beamed at the younger greenrider, his posture obviously relaxing now that the blonde Candidate was no longer attached to him.