Late, for a Very Important Date (A'nd)

[Requiem]

He should have been nice. He really should have, just smiling and letting the whole situation go with a suitably harmless comment. But, well...it wasn't like he was going to press Cairenn to do something she didn't want to. A'nd really just couldn't keep himself from teasing, her clear discomfiture making him feel less nervous. That or maybe because he could still almost feel her ghost touch on his skin and he was a teenaged guy. Not exactly renowned for self-control, teenaged guys. "What looks nice? Me in my shirt or...me?" The emphasis made it clear just what he meant.

Regardless, the question should at least make it clear that if her apology was necessary at all it had definitely been accepted. "Your welcome." A'nd, too, picked up his fork. An'd, too, waited for her to start eating. The whole scenario quickly degenerated into what was kind of like an awkward half-staring contest before the bluerider finally gestured at her plate with the hand holding the fork. "So...did you want to try it or...?"

[Aftershock]

The bluerider's words sent a fresh wave of color through Cairenn's recovering skin, and she averted her gaze once more before replying (after a moment), "B-Both. You look r-r-really nice. I l-like it." She then stopped talking, only shyly peeking back up at A'nd after a few more moments of silence.

She watched him, waiting for him to eat, as he apparently waited for her. Finally, he spoke, and she almost reflexively stabbed her fork into the food, sputtering, "O-Oh, sorry. I was waiting for you to start..."

[Requiem]

That didn't really answer his question. Though...considering he doubted she'd be blushing so furiously over a nice-looking shirt, maybe it did. His male ego preened a little more and he decided to let Cairenn off the hook for the time being. Wasn't like she couldn't embarrass him just as easily by asking the right questions so maybe it was time he...returned to his more normal way of interacting with her.

"Well now we can both start," he responded cheerfully, perhaps forcing it just that little bit to try to get her to calm down a little, while he speared some of his own food and began eating it with a passion. Awkward, awkward, awkward. He was pretty sure this was not how dates were supposed to go, but never having been on one before he wasn't really sure. He glanced at the girl for a moment before returning his eyes to his plate and proceeding to attempt to clean it at record speed.

[Aftershock]

As she focused on her plate, her eating much more dainty than the speed-devouring A'nd, it seemed to help her calm down a little, and by the time A'nd had finished his plate, Cairenn was halfway through hers and her color had returned almost completely to normal. "It's good," she said, looking up from her plate for the first time and seeing his empty of food, her eyes widening a bit in surprise as she added, "Oh... I didn't realize I was eating so slowly."

[Requiem]

"I'm just really hungry," he admitted with a hint of bashfulness. He kind of...had been expecting to eat hours ago and had spaced out his meals accordingly. "Take your time." Of course, now that he was finished he had to find something to do. At the table. Other than kind of stare at Cairenn eating. Eh. A'nd's gaze wandered around the room, the bluerider rather wishing it hadn't as he kept spotting things he suddenly wanted to pick up or clean. The straps in a heap below the peg in the wall. The random piles of alternately clean and dirty clothes scattered around. A whole shelf of random trinkets just piled high cause he couldn't think of any better place to put them. The random spill of papers over his desk and half into his chair...

Yeah, he kind of looked like a slob right now. Which was more or less true anyway but it wasn't a very good way to impress a girl...oh well. A'nd tried to concentrate on something else, focusing his attention on counting the wood grains in the table.

[Aftershock]

Cairenn continued to eat in silence, mostly keeping her eyes on her plate, but occasionally stealing shy glances at A'nd. He seemed distracted, and his expression sometimes soured as he seemed to see something that displeased him. Eventually, Cairenn asked quietly, "Is everything all right? You seem like things are bothering you."

[Requiem]

"Fine," came the abrupt reply, a small reassuring smile thrown her way. He ran a hand through his hair and settled on the truth. "Just seems kind of weird to just sit here and stare at you while you eat." Well, most of the truth, anyway. If by some miracle she hadn't noticed that his weyr looked like a storm had swept through it he wasn't about to bring attention to that. A'nd just didn't really know what to say to Cai. It didn't take much to turn her into a tomato, after all. She wasn't like anyone he normally hung around with. Liked her well enough, he supposed. She was cute and all. But it was hard to get out of his head their first meeting and so he never was really all that comfortable around her. Not really.

[Aftershock]

At his words, Cairenn's face fell, and she quietly apologized, "I'm... I'm sorry. I don't mind if you stare at me, if you think I'm pretty enough to stare at." A few more moments of silence, then she added, "Unless you just don't like the silence... I'm not good at talking. I don't have any friends, really, other than my aunt, and you, so I don't get any practice, and I don't... well... do much. I don't mean to be a bore..."

She took another forkful of food, and chewed carefully before swallowing, then glanced back up at A'nd and started, "Um... h-how did you learn how to do that thing with the animal hide? Do you enjoy doing it? I never learned a trade while I was growing up..."

[Requiem]

Great. A'nd did a fair job of keeping the dismay from his face. Now if he didn't stare at her she'd think he didn't think she was pretty and probably pout or at least feel bad. That didn't change the fact that the bluerider felt creepy just sitting across the table staring at her, though. Fortunately she kind of saved him from trying to find an explanation that didn't end with his foot firmly inserted in his mouth by guessing that the lack of conversation was the more likely source of the awkwardness. Which was more or less true, since there was nothing weird about looking at someone while they were talking to you. He nodded quickly while the opening was still there.

"Tanning? I'm from Keroon." That really should probably explain it all, given Keroon housed the beastcraft Crafthall. She was trying so hard to start a conversation, though, that it would have been rather unfair if he didn't at least make a bit more of an effort with his answer. "My Uncle was a master tanner. I was going to be kind of the heir to his business or whatever since he hadn't had kids yet, but then he did, so..." A'nd shrugged. Actually, life with his uncle had been far from ideal, including regular beatings and guardians who didn't really care for him. But that was a long time ago now. It drove him to try to become a dragonrider so he couldn't complain.

[Aftershock]

Cairenn continued to eat, listening to A'nd speak of his history. As he finished, she replied, "That's neat. So what happened after your uncle had children? Did you get Searched immediately after?"

[Requiem]

"Not exactly." So actually he probably should have left it at being from Keroon. "He just kind of...stopped doing anything with me...ever." Unless you counted getting your hide tanned for getting in enough trouble to be publically whipped. Repeatedly. Keroon had been very strict when A'nd was growing up there, and he hadn't gone back to see if it had changed any. "Dad would send them money. I don't even know what he looks like." Sometime during the answer to the question he'd gone back to studying wood grain.

"None of them liked dragonriders so I guess it was the ultimate revenge to get Searched...only I doubt they even know or care." A'nd snorted softly. "But I can't complain. If they hadn't been like they were I wouldn't be here so..."

[Aftershock]

"Oh," she said after he'd said his piece, feeling a bit awkward for bringing up a painful subject. Well, she supposed, it was only fair that she tell him her history, as well. "My parents ignored me, too... my father only ever saw me as a mistake, a mistake that would only be resolved when he could use me for a dowry when I was old enough to marry. He treated my younger brother like he could do no wrong, and used me for manual labor, when he paid any attention to me at all." The greenrider's face soured as she spoke of her family back in Hyphen, as if her food had suddenly gained a nasty taste.

She then continued, "My auntie Roselle was the only person who treated me well, but she had her own life, so I couldn't see her all the time. I didn't see her at all after she was Searched and became a dragonrider, at least until she came back and Searched me... just before my father was going to marry me off to some old rich man. She saved my life," she concluded, her expression brightening as the conversation moved to her aunt. "Anyway, Roselle taught me some basic jewelcraft things, but I never officially had a Craft like you did..."

[Requiem]

A'nd listened politely of course. He even knew that it must have sucked to have a dad who didn't really want her but...eh. It didn't sound any different than most any other teenaged girl's story. Running away from a joining. Was it really so bad to be joined? He'd always thought the girls had it easy. Daddy takes care of you, then you get joined and your husband does. Cairenn didn't exactly seem like anyone independent enough to not need someone looking after her so...

Of course the bluerider was smarter than to voice those thoughts. "Oh, mine's not official either. I failed at being an apprentice so bad that they kicked me out," A'nd concluded with a self-satisfied grin. So maybe the failure was on purpose when his uncle started hyper-focusing on A'nd's cousins, but whatever. "Xina saved me from being a drudge." This was punctuated with a playful salute towards his dragon.

[Aftershock]

"You look like you know what you're doing pretty well to me," replied Cairenn with a shy smile, ignoring the fact that she had no idea what properly stretching a hide looked like, so would have no idea if he was doing it correctly or not. To her, it was obviously the thought that counted. She then listened to the rest of what he said, and nodded, saying, "I suppose Nildath saved me from being a drudge, too, considering I have to Craft. Though, I had a pretty long time and a lot of hatchings before I aged out when I Impressed, so I guess it wasn't exactly like with you."

The conversation had lasted long enough for the young greenrider to finish her meal, and she put her fork down and said, "That was really good. So... now what? Do you want to go somewhere else together? This is my first date, so I don't know exactly what's next after eating."

[Requiem]

The slight lift of an eyebrow betrayed his doubt that Cairenn really had the qualifications to determine whether or not his leather work was any good, but the small smile on his lips at least made it clear that he accepted the compliment for the attempt that it was. Neither did he really comment on the aging out business. For him it had come a lot closer than he might have liked. Nevertheless, he'd never done or said anything to let on about his worry and certainly wasn't about to start now.

"Somewhere else?" he echoed blankly. They lived in a Weyr. In the middle of nowhere. Where else would they go? Her place? The dining hall? The weyrbowl to take a stroll? Wasn't exactly like a Gather with a whole bunch of interesting (and expensive) stalls. "Shards if I know," he mumbled. "Never been on a date either. You asked me out." Ironically enough at his own place, but he tended not to question her oddities too much. "Aren't you supposed to be the one who has a plan to do things?"

He couldn't resist the small half-smile as he added, "Could always finish that striptease if you can't think of anything else." Of course he was joking. Mostly. Honestly, prancing around nude might actually be less awkward than this date was turning out to be.