An Inoportune Reunion [Dragon]

[Agenothree]

Tess scowled as she walked into Fort's dining hall, seeming more like she was about to face Thread than meet an old classmate for dinner. Tess wasn't happy, Kazeroth wasn't happy, but she made an appearance regardless. First she'd happened upon Trein (or he'd happened upon her, she wasn't sure), now Issalle wanted her company at dinner for reasons that weren't readily apparent. But of all Fort's inhabitants, there were few that could draw her from being something of a recluse than her old classmates, so here she was. Speaking of her old classmates, she could see Issalle now, waiting where she said she would. Tess wasted no time in getting herself some food and plunking down across from Issalle, giving her no warning to her arrival or approach. "So you wanted to see me?" she said, her voice curt and rather blunt, wondering why she had asked her here.

[Dragon]

Issalle started slightly as Tess plunked down across from her at the table without warning and practically snapped about Issalle wanting to see her. It wasn't as though Issalle had summoned her old classmate; she'd merely sent a firm invitation for them to share a meal. Firm because anything wishy-washy would have undoubtedly been ignored by Tess.

"I just thought that the two of us could catch up," Issalle said mildly. She didn't want to bully Tess into anything, but she definitely wanted to be a friend to her old classmate. Geth and Kazeroth were clutchmates, after all, and while that wasn't quite the same as being human siblings it did mean that she and Tess had gone through candidacy and weyrlinghood together ... and that Geth and Kazeroth had a lot of similar experiences. "It's been a while since we talked."

[Agenothree]

Tess scrutinized Issalle, though she said nothing in response to her answer. In her invitation, there were no ifs, ands, or buts; it was firm and straightforward, giving her no room to evade attending, except telling her to forsk off. Part of weyrlinghood involved getting to know your classmates on a level close to wingmates, which meant Issalle understood how to get her to comply, much to Tess' lasting dismay. But Tess seemed satisfied enough in Issalle's reason for asking her here, as much as she could list numerous other things she could be doing for sake of complaining. Of all Fort's inhabitants, she could think of few others she would accept for company at a meal than her old classmates. "I suppose that's reason enough," she acquiesced, beginning to poke at her food. "An accurate assessment too," she added behind a mouthful of wherry meat, not seeming to care about manners and talking while eating. "Kazeroth and I transferred to Equinox not long ago, everything's going fine, all those shards." Everything wasn't exactly fine, but Issalle didn't need to know that. "Still haunting Daylight, you and Geth?" she asked, as conversationally she would get.

[Dragon]

Issalle was genuinely glad that Tess seemed accepting of the reason why the whiterider had invited her to share a meal. Tess was a prickly one, but that didn't stop Salle from liking her old classmate. The woman wasn't exactly easy to like, but Salle thought that Tess was still a good person who just needed to do things her own way, something that the whiterider could relate to.

"We're still in Daylight, yes," Issalle confirmed, sipping a mid-day cup of klah. Geth was an odd dragon, but Salle loved them all the same. And she cared very much for her old classmate despite her being ... complicated. "It's a good fit for us. Sy'rei and Trowa keep us on our toes and in peak Thread fighting shape."

For all that Geth was a tall dragon, they were small, and they were fast. They were suited to flying Thread in one of the highest flying wings. If Salle remembered correctly, Kazeroth was bigger than Geth, but then again so were most dragons. "What about your personal life? Anything new there?" She felt a little like she was interrogating Tess, but sure sometimes it was like that with the greenrider.

[Agenothree]

TW: Tess being a little bully

Tess nodded where it seemed necessary and made sounds of acknowledgement more infrequently, mostly focused on her food. Though she wasn't much of a conversationalist on a good day, she had ears and gave enough shards to listen to Salle, which was more than most could say of Tess; being as standoffish as she was, few could earn such favor. But as Issalle moved on to ask about her personal life, Tess practically choked on her klah, startled while she was taking a swig of her drink. Putting her mug down more forcefully than necessary, she glowered at Salle, her nose scrunched up and her jaw tense.

There were few she explicitly told of her being weyrmated, other than her best friend (and constant annoyance) and her adoptive mother. It was clear that Tess was being cagey now, more than usual, feeling like she was being questioned more than conversing (though she could rarely tell between them, given her less-than-personable nature), but after continuing to give Issalle a look that could drop a herdbeast, she seemed to relent. Curling her hands on her mug and pulling it closer, she averted eye contact, a well-known cue that she was feeling hesitant. A sigh left her lips, but she answered, her voice still gruff, but quieter, as if she was afraid of being heard.

"Well, yeah, actually..." Tess began, fidgeting at her fingers, one of multiple nervous habits. "I took a weyrmate in '64. Sweetest man you'll ever meet." Given how her voice went softer as she spoke of him, it would be dangerous to challenge her about her weyrmate's qualities. But her eyes found Issalle's again and narrowed, what warmth in her voice and body language vanishing behind her usual hostility again. "Tell a soul and it's your funeral, Salle," she hissed, but seeing as she used Issalle's nickname (a fond thing) and spoke too quickly, it seemed more for show than an actual declaration of malevolent intent.

[Dragon]

The expressions that rolled over Tess's face made it clear that there was something to tell. Issalle waited for Tess to come around to it, not pushing. When the short woman did admit to what was going on with her life, Salle smiled broadly. However, in tune with the greenrider's wishes, she kept her voice down as she responded, completely ignoring the threat.

"That's wonderful, Tess!" Salle whispered excitedly. "I'm so happy for you - and for him! Wow, and it's going on twelve turns - it must be really serious." Not that finding a weyrmate wasn't serious to begin with. While it wasn't really something that Issalle wanted in her life, she could appreciate the magnitude of such a move in someone else's life.

"Do you want to tell me about him?" Salle asked, keeping her volume down so that people wouldn't overhear and gossip about Tess's private affairs. There was rarely any point in talking about her own lovers - they flitted in and out of her life so quickly! - but a weyrmate of twelve turns was news and something to chat about. Sweet, huh? Well, they did say that opposites attracted.

[Agenothree]

Tess' face twisted like she'd tasted something sour as Issalle responded in what she saw as too much obvious excitement, her lips pursed in a frown as she checked her surroundings, as though she was afraid to find eyes on her; listening, searching, finding things about her she wasn't willing to share. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she tuned in to her Salle again, making a grunt of acknowledgment at her expressing her happiness for them. "Of course it's serious," she huffed, crossing her arms on her chest defensively. Though she could've said more, nothing would be particularly flattering for herself or friendly for Issalle. Not that she couldn't take some of Tess' fire; she'd always been a tough sort, before, throughout, and after weyrlinghood. Speaking of saying nothing more and taking some heat... "Not particularly," Tess growled at Salle asking if she wanted to talk about her weyrmate, her response a force of habit that she wasn't inclined to break. But realizing she was being a little unreasonable, a reminder ironically from her weyrmate himself echoing in her mind to please try to be nice for her old classmate, she sighed. "Sorry..." she forced an apology from her lips, her face an inscrutable blend of emotions as she tried to scrounge up a cursory description of her beloved, enough to satisfy Salle's curiosity. "I guess...he makes me a better person. Makes me feel...enough. That's what's most important." And he makes you smile, Kazeroth spoke up in her mind. I like how he makes you feel. One thing he and I both agree on is that you don't smile enough. Warmth flooded Tess' blue eyes in that moment, love for both her weyrmate and her dragon so strong that it overwhelmed her defenses, clear for Salle to see.

[Dragon]

Tess looked ... actually kind of happy. She obviously didn't like talking about her weyrmate for some reason - probably because Tess was so private - but she had good things to say about the man. As defensive and even cagey as Tess was being, at least she could admit that her weyrmate made her feel 'enough'. Issalle wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but it sounded like a good thing! Especially because Tess definitely was enough.

"Making you a better person is always a good thing," Salle continued in a low voice. Really, talking about her weyrmate made Tess look almost gentle, something that Salle had never seen before in the other woman. "It sounds like he makes you happy, too, maybe? At least from the look on your face." Tess seemed a little happier talking about him.

Salle kept talking, intent on taking a little of the pressure she had put on Tess off of the other woman. "I've never experienced anything like that with another person," she said gently. "You know me - I make connections, but never anything lasting. At least I have Geth and my friends." Among which she counted Tess.

She wondered if it would be as nice as it sounded to just be with somebody, but frankly, Issalle wasn't sure that she was capable of bonding with another human that way. No, the most that she could expect out of life outside of Geth was friendship. Warm, cordial, adult friendship at times, but just friendship.