[Log] If I Was Gonna Kiss a Guy

[brazenbronzer]

Who: Linnea, L'sen, Te'an
When: Unknown
Where: Diving Cliffs, High Reaches Weyr; Weyrling Barracks, High Reaches Weyr
What: Linnea sorts L'sen out after he upsets Te'an again.

Diving Cliff
     The worn, stone steps that disappear into this flat area resting high above the waters below. Huddled families of rocks, boulders and pebbles lay strewn around the edges of the clifftop. The sandy center of the half-plateau seems to have been cleared of any debris and the area provides enough room, sitting or standing, for many people. A small journey to the edge of the precipice reveals the true use of this place. The deep, midnight-blue waters of the lake shimmer below in the setting sun's light, and the shorn patch of rock near the edge proves that many a person has felt the thrill of a swift flight from this clifftop, only to be enveloped by the chilly waters of the Weyr lake.
     The early evening crystal clear as the sun sets over the western rim of the bowl. There seems to be a light breeze and the winter air is cold.
     It looks like it might be fun to 'jump' or 'dive' off the cliff into the water.

Contents:
Te'an

Obvious exits:
Path

Te'an stopped off at the barracks for just long enough to get his often-carried blanket and then slipped off to the diving cliffs to go.. well, brood. There's no other way to explain it, for he sits at the very edge of the cliff so he can look down over it, and silently sits there. The blanket is wrapped around him, in some futile attempt to keep cozy though it's apparent it doesn't /quite/ to do the job as he shivers now and again. Stupid winter.

"Are you /sure/?" L'sen hisses loudly, staring up toward the diving cliff. Neiveth lounges beside him, rumbling an affirmative; L'sen finally shrugs and says, "Well, wish me luck. Maybe he won't, like, push me off or anything, you know what I mean?" As the blue snorts amusedly, L'sen ambles toward the cliff, up the path to it, hesitating only when he sees Te'an huddled up. Then, brightly: "Hi! Neiveth said you went up this way." Pause. "I came to cuddle." Because that'll cheer Te'an right up.

Te'an might usually respond favorably to that, but this time he just looks at L'sen, tilts his head, and then looks away again. "Oh, you, just go away." He says somewhat harshly, then shakes his head. "Sure you did. Besides, don't you have enough people to cuddle up with already?" He quips, none of his foul demeanor having faded since the little incident in the living caverns. The blanket is drawn closer to him, and he continues just to look down at the lakeshore from this perspective rather than looking back at L'sen at all.

"I don't think I'm allowed to talk to Elaia any more, either," L'sen remarks, grimacing. "Shards, you sure do know how to make a scene, you know? It /was/ kinda funny, though--did you /see/ her face?" He snickers, then stuffs his hands in his pockets and glances back over his shoulder at Neiveth by the way. He shrugs, as if to say 'I tried, at least', then sticks his tongue out at the blue. "So, ah," he tries again, shifting his weight. "Well. At least you won't have to put up with her any more after this, right?"

"I'm sure you're /so/ disappointed." Te'an says, finally looking back at L'sen, and then arching his brow, "What do you like about her, anyhow? She's so.. desperate and annoying. I really don't see how /anyone/ could like her." He complains, but then does give a faint grin at the mention of her face and a nod. "Like a two year old having a tantrum." So far, though, he's not offering any of his blanket /or/ any cuddling, which is quite odd indeed. The last statement illicits a shrug, and he says, "Who knows, I doubt she'll leave me alone when it's so fun to make me react."

L'sen shrugs mildly, folding his arms over his chest and ducking his head. By now, he's starting to look a little chilly himself. "Huh? Oh, I dunno," he answers Te'an. "I mean, I think what's-her-face--Rilsa--might hit her or something if she messes with you again. Anyway, she's not bad-looking, you know. And if you were deaf, then you'd probably be all up on her, too. Me, I just grin and go on. I mean, she's right about how she looks--mostly--but she, well. She's not exactly great for conversation, but then, I don't think that's what she's after. Or probably what I'm after, you know?"

"You, really.. don't know how to stop talking, do you?" Te'an asks, once the little tirade finally comes to an end. "If she were nicer, and if she were a little less self obsessed, and a lot more modest, I might like her. It's not like I go after /everyone/." He quips, and then corrects, "Well, not /really/. Most of it's just fooling around, I know it as much as they do." He admits, then shrugs as he looks at L'sen, "You look cold, I guess I could share the blanket at least."

"Not really, nope," L'sen tells Te'an good-naturedly, grinning. Stepping forward, he flops inelegantly on the ground, scooting closer to Te'an. "I guess. I think I must just tune her out, you know? Like I always did with my parents, and ol' S'din, and people like that. They talk, but you don't really know what they're saying," he explains, shrugging again. "Anyway, seems to me like you go after an awful lot of people. I mean, there's Rendahl, and Savaughna, and Satiet (I think?), and Linnea, that one time... And me."

Te'an offers some of the blanket to L'sen, and scrunches his nose, "She hones right in on the ones I /do/ actually like. It's.." Well, annoying, it's easy to tell for the way he seems like he wants to finish the statement then just shrugs, "It doesn't matter, she does what she wants and there's nothing at all I can do about it." He tells himself, more than L'sen, before he just knits his brows. "You really don't get me, do you? Satiet wouldn't sleep with me if I was the last male in all of Pern, Linnea and Savaughna probably are about as believable as it's going to get hot in winter here, and Rendahl.. well, he's a trader, more likely to pack up and leave before we're out of weyrlinghood."

L'sen wraps the edges of the blanket about himself, glancing over at Te'an curiously. "Like Rendahl? Shards, she's all about some of him, you know?" he notes, wrinkling his nose. "Then 'gain, he's kinda halfway nice to her, so I guess I can't blame her for hanging on him right back. And Te'an? I don't get /nobody/." He grins crookedly, glancing over at the green weyrling. "Well, you still go after them, even if it /is/ kind of f-you--fyou... even if it ain't gonna happen."

"I /know/ she is all about Rendahl sometimes, she hangs on him in front of me half the time, knowing full well I sort of like him. I guess, I resent him a little for being so nice to her, like I resent you wanting her too." Te'an admits, then frowns and just looks over the edge of the cliff again. "A little secret; I flirt with some people just because it's futile. I flirt with Josilina even though I know full well she isn't interested. It amuses them, and it amuses me, and it doesn't usually hurt anyone at all. Besides, the way you go on, I'm sure you'll have slept with anyone who'll take you as soon as weyrlinghood is over. I doubt you'd even look twice at me."

L'sen nods, frowning briefly. "Yeah, I think she just does stuff like that to bug you," he notes, shaking his head. "She's real good at that." He pauses, glancing sideways at Te'an once more. "Oh. Is that why you flirt with me? 'Cause it's futile?" he asks after a moment, strangely serious. "'Cause I talk to everybody 'n' stuff? 'Cause, well. I mean, I wouldn't say /that/, you know what I mean? I mean, I'm just being friendly and I don't guess they would and anyway I'm a teenage guy so that's just... how I am, you know?" He pauses, then adds, "Rendahl said you liked me."

"It bugs me, alright." Te'an agrees, though the display of food in her face was enough proof of that. "I guess, so.. well, it does seem futile, you certainly don't seem to /care/ for me or anything, so how is it not? Then you toss yourself desperately at whoever seems interested as though you can't hardly believe that they might consider you - there is a difference between that and flirting." He suggests, then quickly adds, "Well, I think so, anyhow." He then gives a faint smile, "I /do/ like you, but, you know.. I won't stop you from sleeping with whoever you want. Want to know a little secret?"

"I've never had a guy like me before, that I know of," L'sen remarks thoughtfully, mulling over that a moment. Then, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly, he admits, "I've, uh, never exactly had a girl like me, either, that I know of." He shrugs, offers Te'an a quick grin. "I didn't know, you know? I mean, I didn't realize you were flirting, or then that you were flirting because you liked me. I'm kind of stupid like that, see. What secret?"

"Most guys just brush me off, I was surprised when you didn't entirely." Te'an admits, and then tugs his blanket around himself a little more - at least as much as he can without pulling L'sen with his tugging. "For all my flirting, and teasing and talking, I've only ever /been/ with one girl, and it was terrible. I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you it was my fault, too. She's not far off from Elaia except much more modest about her good looks, but didn't want anything to do with me after either. Bet you thought I was with more than that, and I didn't suck at it."

L'sen's brows arch as he stares at Te'an, belatedly scooting closer so the blanket can cover both of them better. "Really? I mean, shards! Well, yeah. I mean, you seemed like... I dunno. I just figured..." He shrugs, offering a crooked smile to the other weyrling. Then, curiously, he wonders, "What was so bad about it, though? I, ah. Well. I kinda sorta haven't ever didn't really... okay, so I kind of, er, stretched the truth a little, too, you know? Just a bit. ... Okay, a lot. As in, like, made all of it up? Sorry. I guess I just figured I'd better keep up with--match you or... Well." He shrugs, cheeks reddening a bit.

Te'an lifts a finger to his lips, and shhs L'sen, "Don't tell anyone though, only a /very/ few actually know." Hence why it's a secret, right? He gives a bit of a frown as he recollects why it was so bad, and then sheepishly admits, "Well, I got too excited, I suppose. Things really don't last that long if you do." He shrugs it off though, the only explanation he's going to give to L'sen about that little experience though his cheeks don't pinken at all other than that incited by the chill winds. "You really need to learn how to flirt to keep up, really.. you sound more desperate than flirtatious." He admits, then tries to loop an arm over L'sen's shoulder and pull him a little closer.

L'sen nods quickly, earnestly. "Oh, right. Of course! I won't tell anybody," he vows. "And, er. Oh. Guess so. But it was fun while it lasted, right?" he adds, grinning optimistically. "As for... Well. Pro'lly 'cause I /am/ more desperate than flirtatious," admits the weyrling with a shrug, leaning into Te'an's arm comfortably. "'Sides, flirting requires being subtle, I think. I suck at that. Maybe you can teach me, though?" He brightens, beaming at Te'an.

"Oh, it was alright. Though she'd argue against that." Te'an says with a bit of a snicker, and shrugs his shoulders good naturedly. He gives a brief chuckle, and nods, "Yeah, it /sure/ sounds like it. Why be desperate though? You're attractive, or I wouldn't be flirting with you. Well, actually, that's not true, I flirt with everyone just about." He decides, and then rolls his eyes a bit, "I don't think you'd actually listen to me, you sure won't about Elaia. Hey, do you actually like me, or do you just like me because I like you?"

Elindath has arrived.

L'sen and Te'an are seated at the edge of the cliff, once more wrapped up together in a blanket; the green weyrling has his arm about L'sen's shoulder. L'sen snickers, noting, "Ah, well. I'd cut you some slack, you know? I mean, it /was/ the first time 'n' all, you know?" He grins over at Te'an. "And, well. I dunno? I mean, I just kind of... well. Er. I don't know, I guess. I mean, you're a--you're a /guy/. But you're not so bad, really. For a guy. Huh." He seems surprised himself by his words.

"Right. Hung up on that are you?" Te'an asks, withdrawing his arm from around L'sen and letting go of the blanket to stand up and leave the blue weryling alone with it. "Well, that's fine, I don't blame you." He says, running his fingers through his hair and then turning away from L'sen to start back towards the lake shore, "I'll see you later, okay? I should probably go see how Deneth's doing, she's been awful quiet."

The circling of a dark green dragon is slow, melding with the coming darkness and camoflauging her approach in starlit subterfuge. It is thus that her rider is able to overhear the words going on below, and there is a silent landing on the part of Elindath, curiosities of both piqued.

L'sen frowns. "I said something wrong, didn't I?" he surmises. "Besides, what do you expect me to say? I mean, it's... kind of a big deal, you know? But, er. But if it makes you feel any better, if I /do/ like guys, I'll like you. Kay? So, er. I guess I'll see you later, then?" He sounds rather hopeful, and tightens the blanket around his shoulders when Te'an abandons him. "I'll bring your blanket back. Again." As yet, he's not noticed Elindath's landing.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Who really cares how I feel, anyways. Later." Te'an quips, though he doesn't look back at L'sen, nor does he pay much mind to Linnea's landing either. He just pushes his way down the diving cliff to go find Deneth, who is probably starting to stir now and need some oiling as is usual.

Te'an leaves the diving cliffs, following the path that winds down towards the lake shore.
Te'an has left.

Elindath paces forward, a dragon on the prowl, her wings flutter to her side, as quietly as folding capes draping over her haunches. She stretches her neck, lightly sniffing the air, testing it for evidence of what might have been going on up here on the isolated cliffs. Now that weyrling #2 has departed, she focuses on weyrling #1, exhaling a soft breath that might rustle his blanket if it makes it that far. Then she's still again, except for the sound of a rider's dismount on Elindath's far side.

"I said something wrong," L'sen concludes with a nod, watching Te'an exit. He frowns, sighs, turns back around--and spots Elindath. "Oh, hi," he greets the green mildly, still frowning; he adjusts the blanket once more where it flutters in her breath.

Linnea hops down Elindath's side to the ground, as the dragon rumbles softly.
Linnea has arrived.

Linnea comes around Elindath's nose, peeking first to see if they've been noticed, and frowning at his words which indicate they have. "Shells," she mutters under her breath before taking a step forward to hail him. "Hi." Her brows crease across her long forehead. "You weren't just making out with him, were you?" Might as well cut to the chase.

L'sen stares at Linnea blankly for a moment, before grinning wryly. "Er, well. Hi, Linnea. And, well. No. Just... Well, you know. Like the other night, you know what I mean? We were just talking, see? What're y'all doing out? Are you cold? 'Cause, well--" He wiggles one edge of the blanket temptingly.

Linnea regards L'sen skeptically, one hand even finding its way to her hip. "Hi L'sen," is returned, a touch of amusement in her voice, though tinged with that sense that she's not going to let him think she was born yesterday. "Just talking with your lips touching?" She notes the change of subject, coming a few paces closer and smothering any trace of a shiver that is spurred, perhaps, by his mention of the blanket's presence. "No, thank you. I'm not cold."

"Well, okay, if you're sure," L'sen tells Linnea, shrugging off her refusal. He peers up at her, grinning still. "Nope, no lips touching. I mean, it wasn't like that--really. We were just sitting... close... with his arm around me... but no lips! I wouldn't kiss him. ... Well, I mean, I'm a weyrling, so I wouldn't--I wouldn't... How're you?" He brightens once more, abruptly, beaming at Linnea winningly.

Linnea folds her arms, interlacing them, and instead commences a foot-tapping that could only be a maternal habit wrought by generations of hold life. "Mmm hmm. Of course not. Being a weyrling, you understand the dangers such behaviors could hold for your dragons. Don't you?" She disregards flatly the rest of his question.

L'sen peers at Linnea, brows knitting as his grin slowly fades. "Well, yeah," he tells her quickly. "I mean, really. I wouldn't do nothing like that to Neiveth, really. What's with the grilling, though--is this 'cause you're supposed to be my mentor now? That sucks, you know--you were fun that one night, you know? I mean, then you just kind of went along with us and didn't tell the weyrlingma--hey, you're not gonna tell them now, are you?" For once, he looks genuinely worried.

Linnea keeps up the foot-tapping until he points out that she's a party pooper, and then it takes work for her expression to perk up again. "That isn't very nice to say, L'sen! It's my duty to make sure you get through weyrlinghood incident-free and with your dragon in the best possible shape." Even so, she comes a little closer to offered blanket. "I won't tell if there's nothing to tell?" is a tad more gently said.

L'sen pouts at Linnea's words. "Aw, hey. I'm doing good, you know? I mean, I haven't thrown nothing at anybody, like some people," he points out, glancing over his shoulder to where Te'an vanished. "And I wouldn't do anything like that to hurt Neiveth, either. I'm desperate, but not stupid. And hey, there's nothing to tell, so it's all good." Once more, he wiggles the blankets, waggling his brows pointedly.

Linnea frowns again, scuffing her shoes on the cliff and wrapping her arms more tightly about herself to ward off the evening chill. "People were throwing things? Oh, you must mean him. Yeah, he's not the best-mannered youth I've ever met, but he's an awful lot like my brother in many other ways." Her frown deepens, accentuating the lines around her eyes. "You're desperate? I know weyrlinghood is long, but surely you can wait it out?" Contrary to her chiding tone are her movements, which take her toward the inviting blanket.

L'sen glances around toward Te'an again, wrinkling his nose. "Er, well. Earlier. Threw dinner at Elaia--you know how the two of them get together--and Rilsa went off on him. I don't think we're gonna be allowed to talk to her any more, which is kind of sad." He pauses, shrugging, then grins. "Er, well. Te'an says I come off as desperate, anyway. I don't guess I'm really /that/ bad, you know, but still. Anyway, it ain't /that/ much longer, you know?"

Linnea kneels, crawling just under one edge of the blanket and doing her best not to come in contact with L'sen. Elindath scoots a few paces closer, serving as a wind shield and content enough to do so. "Hm, her." The name itself brings a roll to Linnea's eyes. "Can you believe she, Elaia, went to bed once with S'reit? Can you imagine a more perfect pair?" Halting the gossip, she tries to summon a smile. "He says so? How about pot meeting kettle?"

L'sen slides the blanket around until Linnea can have more of it, though he doesn't scoot closer to her himself. "I dunno S'reit, but then, I think she'd go to bed with just about anyone, so," he remarks, grinning. "And Te'an's not so bad, really. I mean, he just flirts. A lot. With everybody." He frowns quickly, shaking his head. "Anyway, he's not so bad. He likes me, you know? Although maybe I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Rendahl told me a while ago. Weird, huh? I've never had a guy like me before."

Linnea tugs the offered cloth over her knees, nodding, "You're lucky if you don't. He's the most ill-tempered rider I've ever seen, and to make it worse, his dragon's got a crush or something on Elindath." To which the green rumbles a soft soprano noise of superiority. "She even bit him once, and he -still- likes her. Like Te'an likes you, only Te'an sounds nicer than Malicith." A shrug. "It only seems weird at first. I've never had a girl like me before, but at a flight, anything can happen. I keep hearing that, from Emily, Amilin, everyone. What would happen if Neiveth won Deneth's flight? It's good to think about it, with Graduation not too far away."

L'sen ponders that question a moment, then shrugs. "I guess we'd... you know. I mean, it's a flight, right? No choice. Huh. That's kind of strange to think about, you know what I mean? I don't think--well, it might not be so bad, you know? I mean, I guess... Well, it still seems kind of weird to me, that he's a guy, but he's really not so bad." Pause. "But I think he's mad at me now. You know, I'd expect guys to be easier to deal with."

Linnea nods slowly, as though the topic'd been on her own mind enough that the words just tumbled right out of her mouth the second it opened near another being. Elindath coos to quiet the frown wrinkling Li's brow, and Li takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I know exactly what you mean. With another person the same as you, or anyone. I think maybe he can't understand why it'd matter what his gender is, and hopes that you like him enough back that it won't." Less lecturing, more friendly, she wonders, "Do you like him enough to think about it, even if it wasn't from a flight? Don't worry, if it's just thoughts, I won't tell."

L'sen tilts his head, his expression confused. "I... don't know," he admits after a moment. "I mean, I do like him, but... I dunno. Maybe. I mean, hey--we're weyrlings, right? So no need to worry about that right now, I don't guess. I'll... figure it out before anything happens, you know?" He hesitates, then asks, "Would it matter to you? I mean, if some girl liked you and you kinda sorta maybe liked her a little but she was still a girl?"

Linnea leans closer to L'sen, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I've wondered about it. Mostly after Sruth won Teonath's flight, because, you know, Sria's a girl. But I haven't got the courage to ask Satiet about it." Her eyes grow wistful, then sharper again as she studies her lifemate. "You've got time to figure, and are safe in weyrling rules for a while yet. If you need the safety, I mean." She considers his question, then answers honestly, "It might matter. I'd be awfully torn about it, even though my brother prefers boys. He's very happy, though, since coming here. Lots of men to flirt with."

L'sen grins slightly. "Right, Sria and Satiet. You know, that's not nearly so weird to think about," he remarks, his eyes glazing over. With a start, though, he pulls himself back to the present with a shake of his head. "Oh, right. Safe. Well, I guess that's good, anyway. I dunno. I'll figure it out, though. Guess things are really different here, though--I mean, back home, I'd've never even considered--Hey, who's your brother?"

Linnea shrugs slightly, then frowns as L'sen starts with the daydreaming. "Hey! Quit that!" She scoots over, pulling the blanket mostly off of him to half pout, have stubbornly sulk. "It's weird to me. That's part of why when my brother wanted to stay, my parents agreed--he never fit in back at home. He's Lidoyel, spends a lot of time with a green weyrling from my clutch. You haven't met him? No, you'd remember if you had."

L'sen clings desperately to one edge of the blanket, all that remains to him when Linnea pulls it away. "Hey, my blanket! ... Okay, Te'an's blanket, but I'm holdin' on to it for him. Er. Anyway. Huh. I guess that makes sense. Most of the guys I know'd beat up a guy like that. I mean, I wouldn't, I don't guess, but I'm not a fighter, anyway." He shrugs mildly. "Can't say I know him, but hey. Maybe I'll run into him some day, you know?"

Linnea dons that superior, snooty face again. "Your blanket, eh? Is this the same blanket as last time, too? I'm afraid of what's on it after all those group snuggle sessions." Her front put up again, she's trying to keep her distance, affronted by his imaginings. "You'd know if you had. He has sparse regard for rules, and they wouldn't stop him from trying to bed you." A scowl, then a shrug. "I don't see why people would fight about it. Has Te'an ever been beaten for it? Lido's tough enough, barely, to have avoided it. Or scared the fighters away by flirting."

L'sen shrugs. "I dunno. I don't get people, you know? Like Te'an--he's confusing. But hey, I guess I better get in. Neiveth's getting all restless, and I guess I should get Te'an's blanket back to him. But hey, um. Thanks--I mean, because, well. I mean, you know. Anyway. So I'll... see you later, I guess?"

Linnea releases her hold on the blanket so he can tug it back toward himself. "I don't get them either, I guess. Spent way too much time trying to figure them out better. Wasted time. Better to worry about what makes you happy, you know?" Another one shouldered shrug, then Linnea gets to her feet, taking respite near Elindath's side, patting the green. "Yeah. Anytime." Beneath her nonchalance is an air of appreciation that he'd talk to her, though she tries to cover it.

L'sen grins at Linnea, nodding as he grabs up the blanket and wads it carelessly in his arms. "So I'll see you later," he tells her, as he heads down to the barracks again.

Weyrling Barracks
     This is a large, high ceilinged cavern cut from the rock. There are rows of depressions on the floor, couches for the young dragons; the weyrlings sleep with their dragons. The floor is stone, which helps ease the inevitable task of cleaning up the muck left by the dragonets.
     The cavern has been decorated with old dragon tapestries hung on the walls, their colors slightly faded. A threadbare rug in the middle of the room bears the emblem of High Reaches Weyr, a mountain range in black on a dark blue field. A few low tables, chairs, and pillows have been scattered about the room, and baskets of glows placed strategically throughout the room keep the place well-lit. An opening in the southwest leads out into the Bowl.

Contents:
Te'an
Deneth
Ozriadasoth
Tiqueth
Neiveth
Kirath
Chakieth
Candidate Cots
Firelizard Perch

Obvious exits:
Weyrling Training Room Bowl

With Te'an's blanket still wrapped around his shoulders, held closed at the neck, L'sen enters the barracks in step with Neiveth. "Huh? Oh, well. I dunno. I mean... Linnea /did/ had a point, I guess, but still. I dunno." He shrugs, and the blue continues to his couch while L'sen shrugs off the blanket and glances around. "Hey, Te'an!" he calls, raising his voice as he scans for the greenrider.

Deneth is curled up ever so primly on her couch, Te'an rubbing some of the last remnants of oil on her hide before deciding she's finished. He looks tired now, if he didn't before, and blearily blinks at L'sen's rather loud greeting. "You can just put the blanket down over here." He says, pointing at where he usually sleeps with the green, who gives Neiveth a rumble of weary greeting. How tiring it must be to be tended to.

"Oh. Okay," L'sen tells Te'an easily, stepping over and tossing the blanket haphazardly on the couch. Without an invitation, he plops himself down on the floor beside the green's couch, offering her a grin and a, "Hey, Deneth. Lookin' good." Then, glancing back to the rider, he tilts his head. "Are you mad at me? You sounded like you were mad at me. You just ran off and left me with the blanket. But it's okay. Linnea showed up just as you left, and we shared it."

Te'an knits his brows as he checks Deneth's hide, then a nod of satisfaction once he decides yes, she is looking quite good. "There you go, you big baby." He tells her, though she seems more content on giving L'sen a look over and a cheerful rumble. "Mad? No, not mad. Disappointed maybe, that's all." He says, then rolls his eyes, "Course you did. Well, I'm tired."

"Not touching, or anything," L'sen belatedly clarifies. "I mean, she wouldn't--well, I wasn't trying--anyway. Um. So... Disappointed? Why?" He frowns briefly, confusion evident in his expression.

Te'an rolls his eyes, "I don't care if you did, L'sen." He says, and reaches for the blanket to shake it out and make sure the dirt is out of it. "Nevermind, and don't worry about it." He says, then pulls the blanket around himself to slump against Deneth.

L'sen sighs. "You sound like you do. You said you liked me," he notes, rather accusingly. "I thought--nevermind." He shakes his head. "Shards, I don't get you. And I thought /girls/ were supposed to be confusing. Gah. Linnea makes lots more sense than you when we got to talking about this sort of... stuff. Would you believe she actually accused us of kissing and all this stuff? I was like, 'Shards, no.'"

"What's the point of liking someone who doesn't like you back, huh?" Te'an asks, then glowers accusingly at L'sen as he pulls his blanket around himself. "What'd she tell you, then? And how /dare/ she accuse me of kissing you? Not like you'd want that, even I can tell, and despite what everyone says I did learn not to kiss someone who doesn't want it when I did it to Satiet."

"Hey! I never said I didn't want to!" L'sen protests hotly, folding his arms over his chest. "I just said... Well, you're a guy. And... that's weird. But you're a nice guy, and if I was gonna kiss a guy, I'd kiss you. I'm just not sure... Well. I dunno. I guess maybe I like you a little, but I don't like guys, and I don't really know, so--" He shrugs, slouching in his seat and staring firmly at the ground between them.

Te'an continues to look grouchy as he presses against Deneth's side, "What's so weird about it?" He asks, trying to feign calm in a moment when he just feels rather upset. "Don't you see how you're contradicting yourself? You'd kiss me and like me, but yes, I'm a guy - but you think it's weird, and you don't like guys. Make up your mind already. Do you or don't you? And then stick with it. At least everyone knows I like both."

L'sen rubs at the back of his neck, looking tired as his usual buoyant optimism fails. "I don't know, okay?" he tells Te'an at last. "I mean, I just... I dunno. It's complicated. I mean, I don't--I don't like /other/ guys, so maybe I just, er, kinda sorta like you? I don't know. It's all mixed up. I didn't think--I mean, I don't--I didn't--oh, sure, easy for you to say that now, that you just like both, but--" He shrugs.

"Well, let's find out." Te'an suggests, pushing himself out of the covers and without giving terribly much warning he tries to reach for L'sen's hand to pull him close in an attempt to kiss the poor boy. Yep, right in the barracks, in front of who knows who's actually awake and watching. He's easy enough to squirm away from should things come to that. "I notice other guys, I look at them and I know I like them. Just like I look at /girls/ and know I like them too. It's not just something I say."

Innocently, L'sen lets Te'an grab his hand and pull him close, and it's only when the green weyrling actually tries to kiss him that he shows any sign of protest. He stiffens, turns his face; yet at the last moment, he gives in at last and consents to be kissed. Uneasily, swiping the back of his hand across his lips, he notes, "Shards! You just--I mean, we just--I can't believe--shards!" He stares wide-eyed at Te'an, then adds, "But, er. That, ah... wasn't so bad. At all." Blush.

Te'an does sort of let go of L'sen's hand once there's a sign of protest, though when it wanes he does press his lips right up against the blue weyrling's. He doesn't blush, though, and does step away once the deed is done and reaches for his blanket once more. "Yes, /we/ did. Geez, it's like you've never kissed anyone before." He claims, and then slumps back against Deneth who gives a curious sounding croon. "I liked it too, but.. I like you, so it helps."

L'sen hesitates, still red-cheeked. "Er. Well. Remember what I said about bluffing...?" he says delicately. Glancing away, to Neiveth, who's already gotten bored and fallen asleep, he notes, "Yeah. Yeah, it was kind of nice. Er. I mean, we're still... so we can't really... but you /did/ say graduation..." A shrug.

"I think you should accidently fall asleep over here." Te'an suggests with a coy smile, patting the spot beside him where Deneth is finally falling asleep and seems content to just let Te'an do as he's going to. Because, well.. despite the fact they butt heads, she's too tired to argue. "We won't be weyrlings forever, and I'll be happy to show you all sorts of fun things we can do. Well, if you're actually interested and don't think it's weird."

"I still think it's weird," L'sen remarks with a smile, "but that doesn't mean I'm not interested." He pauses, tilts his head and scoots a little closer to Te'an. "You think we could get away with that? I mean, maybe we could tell the weyrlingmasters that we were just talking and just kind of dozed off, you know? And nothing happened? Because that's kind of the truth, you know what I mean?"

"Don't talk so much, you'll have the whole barracks awake." Te'an suggests quietly, then shifts so there's more room beside him. Snuggling up as soon as L'sen is beside him, he just gets a content smile on his face and blinks up at the blue weyrling. "We were talking about wingleader stuff, of course. Straps and hides and all that." He muses, though luckily Deneth's fallen asleep now so she's not one to tell on their little masquerade.

L'sen slides up next to Te'an, nodding quickly. "Oh, right," he says, lowering his voice and grinning. "Wingleader stuff." He snuggles down until he's comfortable, glancing over at Te'an again. "Night, Te'an."

"Night, 'sen." Te'an murmurs as he gets himself cozy, probably far too close to L'sen than he ought to be, but funny things happen when people fall asleep. Blankets get shared and if one's lucky, Te'an won't be sprawled out half across L'sen when one of them wake up.