Kai shares old suspicions
It is an early winter afternoon of day 13, month 13, turn 22 of Interval 10.
It's snowing. Of course, this is Fort and it's winter, so this isn't particularly shocking news. Obsidian is gathered in the bowl to drill, minus its Wingleader. As fat flakes fall from above the riders are gathered in pairs and clumps - feet stomping to keep warm, voices drift through the air, with the near-silent creak of leather and rustle of wings to punctuate a draconic comment. Some are taking bets on whether they'll drill today, and a few are firmly refusing to guess at all. Eventually, as more and more turn speculative eyes in the direction of R'lis' ledge, word finally comes: no drills today. The weather is far too bad for flying.
Vanissa is more than disgruntled at the wait. It's COLD standing here waiting! Nissa's jacket collar is turned up, scarf wrapped around her neck, gloved hands thrust in pockets, all to no avail. The circles she's pacing around Liath don't help either, her circuit interrupts the nose-burrows the green is playfully snorting in the snow. Finally, after lifting her head for the who-knows-how-many times to let Nissa by, there's a snort of exasperation that blows a mini-blizzard over her rider. That does it! "I'm goin' somewhere warm! Ain't seen Ista yet." B'kaiv is not so far away, so it is to him she adds, "Hey Kai, wanna go with?"
B'kaiv's not the only one who groans at the decision, even if Chielyth enjoys the waiting. As his companions drift off with talk of Boll or Nerat or the Hot Springs, Kai turns at Nissa's call and squinches up his face at her. "Ista," he repeats dubiously, and casts an eye up at the sky. "Whaddya want t' go t' sharding /Ista/ for?" Chielyth snorts and curves her neck, lifting one wing to blink at Liath under the whole shebang.
"Cos shardin' Ista's /warm/," is Nissa's saucy reply complete with a cheeky grin. And she's not waiting, either. Her legs are stiff, but she makes to scramble (turns out to be more like a crawl) up Liath's side, the movement has the green pausing muzzle-deep in the snow, rolling her eyes back at first her rider, then over at Chielyth before her sneeze nearly unseats her rider. While buckling in, "An' I've been to Boll and Nerat already. Been wanting to go to Ista ever since- for a long time now," she amends.
B'kaiv barks out a laugh, his breath puffing in the air, shakes his head and looks back at Chielyth. "Sharding Ista," he says again, but there's no weight behind his words. "--A'right, I'll take you t' Ista." Take her to, go with... same thing, right? "You got th' visual, right? Me an' Chielyth'll meet you there." The smaller green bugles happily and dances in place, snapping her wings out, as Kai gives her a thump and heads for the caverns. "Got t' do something real quick, first!"
Get dragged to... Yeah it's all part and parcel of the same. "Got it!" Nissa sings out and lest he change his mind, she prompts Liath silently, the green, crouches, butt-wriggles and launches, making a quick stop at their ledge for Nissa to change into warm weather clothes and bundle back up for the flight. The time it takes them to get ready finds them arriving over Ista and popping out of Between nearly simultaneously with Liath's pleased warble soon after at the green-blue waters dancing below them, making bird-like swoops of exuberance as she descends.
Of /course/ Chielyth darts after Liath, hard on the other green's heels for a fun game of chase. The pair buzz the main beach with its docks, but Kai pulls them away from the black sands and turquoise waters to land in the bowl instead - albeit a bowl with a lovely view of both sands and waters. Kai brightens at the sight of a trio of weyrlings playing - and Chielyth looks for a moment as though she'd go join them - but after a moment he sags, turning to wriggle out of his jacket and bundle it into Chielyth's straps without a word.
Liath chirrups to Chielyth as she weaves a pattern through the air with the other green, mighty pleased with skimming the sands. She wants to land on the beach badly enough that her whine of disappointment swirls in their wake, but she's obedient enough to follow where directed. As the beach would be the logical place for a first-time visitor to land, B'kaiv has Nissa's attention with his alternate choice, a quick look 'round to the bowl and back to him as they land and thus she notes that sag of his, eyes following the path of his gaze towards those weyrlings. Hmm. Her flight gear is stowed, boots traded for sandals and she dismounts to note Liath's pathetic eyeing of the waters, "Really ought to let 'er swim."
"...Yeah," Kai agrees, not-happily, as he shoves up the sleeves of his sweater. Resigned, perhaps. /Chielyth/ wants to swim, and she nudges at Kai's shoulder until he can't help the smile that twists up one half of his mouth. "--Yeah, a'right." He shoots the far end of the bowl a black look but unbuckles Chielyth's straps anyway, and barely is she free than she's up and shooting back toward the beach. "Where d'you want t' go, any road? S'a bar down there," another nod toward the beach. "Or you just want t' get some sun?" Of which there's quite a lot.
That's all it takes, and with that second 'yeah' of B'kaiv's Nissa's quirking a brow at that second look he gives the group then undoing Liath's straps, looping them as she goes until they're off. She turns, one shoulder hunched up protectively to avoid the spray of sand and small rocks Laith is sure to kick up in her wake as she follows Chielth, waits for the thunder of their departure to fade and answers, "Bar sounds good to me." Then beach and sun - D, all of the above.
B'kaiv flings up an arm likewise, waiting until Liath's gone before moving up to join his wingmate. "Bar, then." Even that he doesn't sound happy about. It's a fairly longish walk - across the plateau, down a steep jungle trail, and across the beach - to find out why: the Sandbar is closer in spirit to the Glass Fountain than his own Dragon's Den, though it's a very casual place. Kai claims the honor of paying for the first round and retreats to brood over the ale in a corner booth, ignoring the pleasant breeze coming off the ocean.
It's not like Nissa expected B'kaiv to be -happy- about being here at /shardin' Ista/, but this mood of his baffles her. Wisely, perhaps, she doesn't chatter across the plateau and down the jungle trail, content to take in the tropical sights. In the bar she acquiesces to his wish, lets him pay for that first drink. She's in Ista where there's a slew of fancy drinks in a myriad of varied colors and flavors, so ale just won't cut it today. A handflip at the menu and a 'surprise me' sees her with a tall glass filled with vodka and pineapple in hand and sliding into that corner booth (which has gotten a nose-wrinkle for it's location, by the way) to sit opposite her uncommunicative wingmate. After a few long sips, and a period of silence she asks casually, "So who were they?" And lest he not follow, she adds, "Those weyrlings you were glowering at?"
B'kaiv isn't, at least, complaining about the beer, though he rarely does that in front of the 'keep unless it's /truly/ horrible stuff. He shrugs and mumbles, "Dunno," and pretends like watching a little boat skimming across the water is the most interesting thing he's seen all seven. "Just some weyrlings. Thought as I might'a known one of 'em, but I didn't."
"Oh really." Nissa can't quite keep the amusement out of those two words. The corners of her lips quiver with her attempt to keep from smirking, raising the glass to take a sip helps. She can't help it because right now he looks so much like a young boy in a sulk that the contrast between illusion and reality tickle her sense of humor. Thankfully his attention is on that boat while she gets herself under control, working on her drink in the meantime. When that boat has progressed some distance she asks offhandedly - he doesn't have to answer, it's idle curiosity- really! "So who did ya think it was?"
B'kaiv shoots her a suspicious look, his eyes narrowed and brows drawn down. Guess the boat wasn't that interesting after all. "Nobody you know. 'Specially if you ain't been here since *between* training." After a slug of beer he returns the mug to the table and turns it to and fro while watching the liquid inside slosh. He does relent enough, however, to offer a name. "--Vyshani. She were up t' th' Reaches, before. Come from Bolgur originally. Got a little green now."
Oops. Busted! Nissa has a sheepishly apologetic smile in response to that narrow-eyed look. "Ain't been here before, so probably not," she tells him before falling silent while he's preoccupied with his beer. Sipping from her drink, a faint, brief frown and a muttered, "This sure is sweet." He doesn't seem in the mood for small talk, so her attention is on the water when he fills in the rest of that and maybe it's the way he says it, for her gaze is back to him, perplexed. Uncertainly, "A green, huh? That's nice, ain't it?" Unstated: But you don't seem too pleased.
"Yeah," Kai agrees, when what he means is 'no, not really'. He opens his mouth and closes it again, checking over his shoulder, then leans in to his wingmate like he's about to impart the wisdom of the universe. "It's... she's...." That wasn't particularly enlightening and he knows it, his face screwing up in frustration. He tries again: "It's sharding /Ista/."
Vanissa follows him... yeahnnnnnnno. Hazel eyes narrow slightly in her attempt to decipher this, her head nods slightly, then shakes and she mimics him, leaning in to hear the Big Secret. When he's finished she blinks at him, sits upright and stares. Okay, so she can put two and two together and thus understands this Vyshani from High Reaches must have impressed here. But... "Sharding Ista?!" Right, so she doesn't exactly bellow it, but she's not trying all that hard to keep her voice down. "What is it with you? First Gar and now Ista?" Cue small, uncertain smile to cap that - she's not exasperated as much as baffled.
Widening eyes try in vain to signal her to keep her voice down; when that fails Kai hisses a shush at her and leans back, trying to simultaneously sit casual and look for eavesdroppers. He must do well enough, for though one of the waitresses starts to amble their way she's about the only one paying attention to the pair and is easily waved off. That leaves Kai gazing across the table at his wingmate, still frustrated, still uncertain how to proceed. "--Look," he says eventually. "You know what I been doing, th' last turn or so. You ever ask yourself /where/ I been doing it?"
Too late? Nissa's last bit was at least uttered somewhat lower than the first, a quick glance over her shoulder at the waitress and back to her wingmate has her adopting a more relaxed position. Propping her chin in one hand, she considers his question. Amazingly, "Nah, not really. I mean-" and this is perhaps understandable "-saw ya at the camp and you told me about Monaco." Comprehension dawns, her hand drops as she sits bolt upright, "You mean," this time it's her eyes that widen, rove the bar's interior and return to him, "You were -here-?"
B'kaiv works at his drink while she works through his words and the implication thereof. As soon as she's sitting up he tries to shush her again, with a 'calm down' hand instead of voice; eyes closing - for strength? - he takes a moment before shaking his head. "Yeah. No. Dunno. Weren't never at th' Weyr. Not -here-. Just... there ain't real many islands out this far that ain't under Ista's protection, huh. I ain't got no proof of nothing, so don't go blabbing it around t' nobody. Just seems real strange is all. You know?"
Shushing means yes, and the reminder helps Nissa to wilt to the table, slumping on one hand again. Her drink is taken up with a muttered, "Sorry," and a long swallow drawn from it. But then wait, what? She doesn't sit up and fume, but there's a quiet simmer, eyes narrowing fractionally and she hisses softly across the table, "I -never- blabble, you know that. Never told anyone about /you/." Huff. Sulk. Glower. "If SOMEone ever trusted me enough to tell me a thing or two I wouldn'ta been so surprised now." Her drink claims her sour attention until her ire slowly dissipates. Finally back up to him, but casually quiet this time, playing the game, "What exactly is strange about a girl from Bolgar by way of the High Reaches impressing at Ista?"
"/If/," B'kaiv says crisply, pitching his voice low and intense across the table "I thought you -was- gonna tell nobody, I wouldn't'a told you no matter how much you begged." Let her make of that what she will: if she's going to get huffy he'll lean back again, one arm slung over the back of his bench and other occupied with his mug. He is, perhaps, two-thirds done with the beer when she speaks again. He gives her half of an approving nod before glancing out to sea. "Didn't say it were strange. But until Laonyth's old enough, only way we got t' talk is me coming here. Don't like Ista." Which he's said, several times, though he remains calm about the declaration.
Vanissa says, "You said don't blab." Nissa, still somewhat peeved but not pressing the matter, choosing instead to find humor where she can points out sweetly, "I've never met a man can make me beg." smirk. He may be a mere two-thirds done with his drink, but she's just finished hers, and so lifts a hand to gain the attention of the waitress. She waits until the woman arrives, slides over enough coinage to pay for another beer should B'kaiv want one, her browlift asking him silently whether he does or not. "I'll try the pink- red? one," she tells the woman like that will be less sweet. When they are alone once more, she opines with genuine sympathy, "Well that must suck for you." She gets that, really. "So you dislike Ista..." Probably not the best time and place to ask.
"Yeah," he agrees, "I did," with a blank look across the table. "Didn't say... ah shells, forget it." The impending waitress serves as a perfect excuse for Kai to slug back the rest of his drink, so that when she arrives he's ready for a refill as well. He sends her off with a nod and a quick smile, while Nissa gets a, "Thanks," and another baffled look. "...Yeah. I did."
Blame it on the vodka, disguised by too much sugar and taken too quickly, Nissa is looking baffled herself. "But you- I- well... okay." She shrugs, relaxed by the peaceful haze brought on by the drink, lets it go. His continued bafflement gets a little 'what' look, then carefully after a quick glance around, "Well, why don't you?" She's just not following, as her hand flutter indicates the islands, "Can't blame a whole Weyr for what happened out there, can ya?"
"Don't I what?" Vanissa's not the only one who can do baffled, though in Kai's case it's more like confused. "I'm here, ain't I?" It may be phrased like a rhetorical question, though from his nod around the room he acts like it's supposed to be answered. "Shells, Nissa, don't want t' talk about it no more, a'right?" He takes a moment to rummage up a new topic: "How long you think it's gonna be until R'lis is replaced? Or you think T'kyn's gonna keep him?"
Blink. "Well, okay then." Words Nissa gets, the baffled looks he was giving her seemed to beg explanation. She leans back in her seat, sides down just a bit, eyes on the fingers that she drums on the table idly. She knows how to shut up! Her pink drink is placed in front of her, B'kaiv's second beer in front of him, forestalling her answer, which comes with a languid shrug as the waitress departs. Almost irritably, "Ya keep askin' me about him. Not soon enough, how's that? He's an idiot, never should've been wingleader in the first place and not half the stud he seems to think he-" She halts that line lifts stormy eyes, then starts laughing. "Ya don't have to make small talk with me if you're wantin' some quiet. Ya shoulda just said so before."
B'kaiv is just a fount of cheerfulness and good manners! Here he is, saying, "Hey," and, "Thanks," to their waitress, and not yelling or throwing things because she's Istan! He casts a wry eye back on his wingmate, only relaxing once she's started to laugh. "Yeah, well. You like t' talk. Just sitting here's fine with me." There is a bit more small talk - comfortable, not forced - over the next little while, at least until Nissa gets it into her head that she needs to see the corrals. With an indulgent half-smile Kai finishes his beer and tosses a bit piece for tip, slides out of the booth and escorts the other greenrider, keeping close for safety.
Shells, she can't hold her liquor at all. Kinda cute.
It's snowing. Of course, this is Fort and it's winter, so this isn't particularly shocking news. Obsidian is gathered in the bowl to drill, minus its Wingleader. As fat flakes fall from above the riders are gathered in pairs and clumps - feet stomping to keep warm, voices drift through the air, with the near-silent creak of leather and rustle of wings to punctuate a draconic comment. Some are taking bets on whether they'll drill today, and a few are firmly refusing to guess at all. Eventually, as more and more turn speculative eyes in the direction of R'lis' ledge, word finally comes: no drills today. The weather is far too bad for flying.
Vanissa is more than disgruntled at the wait. It's COLD standing here waiting! Nissa's jacket collar is turned up, scarf wrapped around her neck, gloved hands thrust in pockets, all to no avail. The circles she's pacing around Liath don't help either, her circuit interrupts the nose-burrows the green is playfully snorting in the snow. Finally, after lifting her head for the who-knows-how-many times to let Nissa by, there's a snort of exasperation that blows a mini-blizzard over her rider. That does it! "I'm goin' somewhere warm! Ain't seen Ista yet." B'kaiv is not so far away, so it is to him she adds, "Hey Kai, wanna go with?"
B'kaiv's not the only one who groans at the decision, even if Chielyth enjoys the waiting. As his companions drift off with talk of Boll or Nerat or the Hot Springs, Kai turns at Nissa's call and squinches up his face at her. "Ista," he repeats dubiously, and casts an eye up at the sky. "Whaddya want t' go t' sharding /Ista/ for?" Chielyth snorts and curves her neck, lifting one wing to blink at Liath under the whole shebang.
"Cos shardin' Ista's /warm/," is Nissa's saucy reply complete with a cheeky grin. And she's not waiting, either. Her legs are stiff, but she makes to scramble (turns out to be more like a crawl) up Liath's side, the movement has the green pausing muzzle-deep in the snow, rolling her eyes back at first her rider, then over at Chielyth before her sneeze nearly unseats her rider. While buckling in, "An' I've been to Boll and Nerat already. Been wanting to go to Ista ever since- for a long time now," she amends.
B'kaiv barks out a laugh, his breath puffing in the air, shakes his head and looks back at Chielyth. "Sharding Ista," he says again, but there's no weight behind his words. "--A'right, I'll take you t' Ista." Take her to, go with... same thing, right? "You got th' visual, right? Me an' Chielyth'll meet you there." The smaller green bugles happily and dances in place, snapping her wings out, as Kai gives her a thump and heads for the caverns. "Got t' do something real quick, first!"
Get dragged to... Yeah it's all part and parcel of the same. "Got it!" Nissa sings out and lest he change his mind, she prompts Liath silently, the green, crouches, butt-wriggles and launches, making a quick stop at their ledge for Nissa to change into warm weather clothes and bundle back up for the flight. The time it takes them to get ready finds them arriving over Ista and popping out of Between nearly simultaneously with Liath's pleased warble soon after at the green-blue waters dancing below them, making bird-like swoops of exuberance as she descends.
Of /course/ Chielyth darts after Liath, hard on the other green's heels for a fun game of chase. The pair buzz the main beach with its docks, but Kai pulls them away from the black sands and turquoise waters to land in the bowl instead - albeit a bowl with a lovely view of both sands and waters. Kai brightens at the sight of a trio of weyrlings playing - and Chielyth looks for a moment as though she'd go join them - but after a moment he sags, turning to wriggle out of his jacket and bundle it into Chielyth's straps without a word.
Liath chirrups to Chielyth as she weaves a pattern through the air with the other green, mighty pleased with skimming the sands. She wants to land on the beach badly enough that her whine of disappointment swirls in their wake, but she's obedient enough to follow where directed. As the beach would be the logical place for a first-time visitor to land, B'kaiv has Nissa's attention with his alternate choice, a quick look 'round to the bowl and back to him as they land and thus she notes that sag of his, eyes following the path of his gaze towards those weyrlings. Hmm. Her flight gear is stowed, boots traded for sandals and she dismounts to note Liath's pathetic eyeing of the waters, "Really ought to let 'er swim."
"...Yeah," Kai agrees, not-happily, as he shoves up the sleeves of his sweater. Resigned, perhaps. /Chielyth/ wants to swim, and she nudges at Kai's shoulder until he can't help the smile that twists up one half of his mouth. "--Yeah, a'right." He shoots the far end of the bowl a black look but unbuckles Chielyth's straps anyway, and barely is she free than she's up and shooting back toward the beach. "Where d'you want t' go, any road? S'a bar down there," another nod toward the beach. "Or you just want t' get some sun?" Of which there's quite a lot.
That's all it takes, and with that second 'yeah' of B'kaiv's Nissa's quirking a brow at that second look he gives the group then undoing Liath's straps, looping them as she goes until they're off. She turns, one shoulder hunched up protectively to avoid the spray of sand and small rocks Laith is sure to kick up in her wake as she follows Chielth, waits for the thunder of their departure to fade and answers, "Bar sounds good to me." Then beach and sun - D, all of the above.
B'kaiv flings up an arm likewise, waiting until Liath's gone before moving up to join his wingmate. "Bar, then." Even that he doesn't sound happy about. It's a fairly longish walk - across the plateau, down a steep jungle trail, and across the beach - to find out why: the Sandbar is closer in spirit to the Glass Fountain than his own Dragon's Den, though it's a very casual place. Kai claims the honor of paying for the first round and retreats to brood over the ale in a corner booth, ignoring the pleasant breeze coming off the ocean.
It's not like Nissa expected B'kaiv to be -happy- about being here at /shardin' Ista/, but this mood of his baffles her. Wisely, perhaps, she doesn't chatter across the plateau and down the jungle trail, content to take in the tropical sights. In the bar she acquiesces to his wish, lets him pay for that first drink. She's in Ista where there's a slew of fancy drinks in a myriad of varied colors and flavors, so ale just won't cut it today. A handflip at the menu and a 'surprise me' sees her with a tall glass filled with vodka and pineapple in hand and sliding into that corner booth (which has gotten a nose-wrinkle for it's location, by the way) to sit opposite her uncommunicative wingmate. After a few long sips, and a period of silence she asks casually, "So who were they?" And lest he not follow, she adds, "Those weyrlings you were glowering at?"
B'kaiv isn't, at least, complaining about the beer, though he rarely does that in front of the 'keep unless it's /truly/ horrible stuff. He shrugs and mumbles, "Dunno," and pretends like watching a little boat skimming across the water is the most interesting thing he's seen all seven. "Just some weyrlings. Thought as I might'a known one of 'em, but I didn't."
"Oh really." Nissa can't quite keep the amusement out of those two words. The corners of her lips quiver with her attempt to keep from smirking, raising the glass to take a sip helps. She can't help it because right now he looks so much like a young boy in a sulk that the contrast between illusion and reality tickle her sense of humor. Thankfully his attention is on that boat while she gets herself under control, working on her drink in the meantime. When that boat has progressed some distance she asks offhandedly - he doesn't have to answer, it's idle curiosity- really! "So who did ya think it was?"
B'kaiv shoots her a suspicious look, his eyes narrowed and brows drawn down. Guess the boat wasn't that interesting after all. "Nobody you know. 'Specially if you ain't been here since *between* training." After a slug of beer he returns the mug to the table and turns it to and fro while watching the liquid inside slosh. He does relent enough, however, to offer a name. "--Vyshani. She were up t' th' Reaches, before. Come from Bolgur originally. Got a little green now."
Oops. Busted! Nissa has a sheepishly apologetic smile in response to that narrow-eyed look. "Ain't been here before, so probably not," she tells him before falling silent while he's preoccupied with his beer. Sipping from her drink, a faint, brief frown and a muttered, "This sure is sweet." He doesn't seem in the mood for small talk, so her attention is on the water when he fills in the rest of that and maybe it's the way he says it, for her gaze is back to him, perplexed. Uncertainly, "A green, huh? That's nice, ain't it?" Unstated: But you don't seem too pleased.
"Yeah," Kai agrees, when what he means is 'no, not really'. He opens his mouth and closes it again, checking over his shoulder, then leans in to his wingmate like he's about to impart the wisdom of the universe. "It's... she's...." That wasn't particularly enlightening and he knows it, his face screwing up in frustration. He tries again: "It's sharding /Ista/."
Vanissa follows him... yeahnnnnnnno. Hazel eyes narrow slightly in her attempt to decipher this, her head nods slightly, then shakes and she mimics him, leaning in to hear the Big Secret. When he's finished she blinks at him, sits upright and stares. Okay, so she can put two and two together and thus understands this Vyshani from High Reaches must have impressed here. But... "Sharding Ista?!" Right, so she doesn't exactly bellow it, but she's not trying all that hard to keep her voice down. "What is it with you? First Gar and now Ista?" Cue small, uncertain smile to cap that - she's not exasperated as much as baffled.
Widening eyes try in vain to signal her to keep her voice down; when that fails Kai hisses a shush at her and leans back, trying to simultaneously sit casual and look for eavesdroppers. He must do well enough, for though one of the waitresses starts to amble their way she's about the only one paying attention to the pair and is easily waved off. That leaves Kai gazing across the table at his wingmate, still frustrated, still uncertain how to proceed. "--Look," he says eventually. "You know what I been doing, th' last turn or so. You ever ask yourself /where/ I been doing it?"
Too late? Nissa's last bit was at least uttered somewhat lower than the first, a quick glance over her shoulder at the waitress and back to her wingmate has her adopting a more relaxed position. Propping her chin in one hand, she considers his question. Amazingly, "Nah, not really. I mean-" and this is perhaps understandable "-saw ya at the camp and you told me about Monaco." Comprehension dawns, her hand drops as she sits bolt upright, "You mean," this time it's her eyes that widen, rove the bar's interior and return to him, "You were -here-?"
B'kaiv works at his drink while she works through his words and the implication thereof. As soon as she's sitting up he tries to shush her again, with a 'calm down' hand instead of voice; eyes closing - for strength? - he takes a moment before shaking his head. "Yeah. No. Dunno. Weren't never at th' Weyr. Not -here-. Just... there ain't real many islands out this far that ain't under Ista's protection, huh. I ain't got no proof of nothing, so don't go blabbing it around t' nobody. Just seems real strange is all. You know?"
Shushing means yes, and the reminder helps Nissa to wilt to the table, slumping on one hand again. Her drink is taken up with a muttered, "Sorry," and a long swallow drawn from it. But then wait, what? She doesn't sit up and fume, but there's a quiet simmer, eyes narrowing fractionally and she hisses softly across the table, "I -never- blabble, you know that. Never told anyone about /you/." Huff. Sulk. Glower. "If SOMEone ever trusted me enough to tell me a thing or two I wouldn'ta been so surprised now." Her drink claims her sour attention until her ire slowly dissipates. Finally back up to him, but casually quiet this time, playing the game, "What exactly is strange about a girl from Bolgar by way of the High Reaches impressing at Ista?"
"/If/," B'kaiv says crisply, pitching his voice low and intense across the table "I thought you -was- gonna tell nobody, I wouldn't'a told you no matter how much you begged." Let her make of that what she will: if she's going to get huffy he'll lean back again, one arm slung over the back of his bench and other occupied with his mug. He is, perhaps, two-thirds done with the beer when she speaks again. He gives her half of an approving nod before glancing out to sea. "Didn't say it were strange. But until Laonyth's old enough, only way we got t' talk is me coming here. Don't like Ista." Which he's said, several times, though he remains calm about the declaration.
Vanissa says, "You said don't blab." Nissa, still somewhat peeved but not pressing the matter, choosing instead to find humor where she can points out sweetly, "I've never met a man can make me beg." smirk. He may be a mere two-thirds done with his drink, but she's just finished hers, and so lifts a hand to gain the attention of the waitress. She waits until the woman arrives, slides over enough coinage to pay for another beer should B'kaiv want one, her browlift asking him silently whether he does or not. "I'll try the pink- red? one," she tells the woman like that will be less sweet. When they are alone once more, she opines with genuine sympathy, "Well that must suck for you." She gets that, really. "So you dislike Ista..." Probably not the best time and place to ask.
"Yeah," he agrees, "I did," with a blank look across the table. "Didn't say... ah shells, forget it." The impending waitress serves as a perfect excuse for Kai to slug back the rest of his drink, so that when she arrives he's ready for a refill as well. He sends her off with a nod and a quick smile, while Nissa gets a, "Thanks," and another baffled look. "...Yeah. I did."
Blame it on the vodka, disguised by too much sugar and taken too quickly, Nissa is looking baffled herself. "But you- I- well... okay." She shrugs, relaxed by the peaceful haze brought on by the drink, lets it go. His continued bafflement gets a little 'what' look, then carefully after a quick glance around, "Well, why don't you?" She's just not following, as her hand flutter indicates the islands, "Can't blame a whole Weyr for what happened out there, can ya?"
"Don't I what?" Vanissa's not the only one who can do baffled, though in Kai's case it's more like confused. "I'm here, ain't I?" It may be phrased like a rhetorical question, though from his nod around the room he acts like it's supposed to be answered. "Shells, Nissa, don't want t' talk about it no more, a'right?" He takes a moment to rummage up a new topic: "How long you think it's gonna be until R'lis is replaced? Or you think T'kyn's gonna keep him?"
Blink. "Well, okay then." Words Nissa gets, the baffled looks he was giving her seemed to beg explanation. She leans back in her seat, sides down just a bit, eyes on the fingers that she drums on the table idly. She knows how to shut up! Her pink drink is placed in front of her, B'kaiv's second beer in front of him, forestalling her answer, which comes with a languid shrug as the waitress departs. Almost irritably, "Ya keep askin' me about him. Not soon enough, how's that? He's an idiot, never should've been wingleader in the first place and not half the stud he seems to think he-" She halts that line lifts stormy eyes, then starts laughing. "Ya don't have to make small talk with me if you're wantin' some quiet. Ya shoulda just said so before."
B'kaiv is just a fount of cheerfulness and good manners! Here he is, saying, "Hey," and, "Thanks," to their waitress, and not yelling or throwing things because she's Istan! He casts a wry eye back on his wingmate, only relaxing once she's started to laugh. "Yeah, well. You like t' talk. Just sitting here's fine with me." There is a bit more small talk - comfortable, not forced - over the next little while, at least until Nissa gets it into her head that she needs to see the corrals. With an indulgent half-smile Kai finishes his beer and tosses a bit piece for tip, slides out of the booth and escorts the other greenrider, keeping close for safety.
Shells, she can't hold her liquor at all. Kinda cute.