Erin had only recently decided that she would move to the Hold, especially since she felt it would be more convenient to start learning her craft. Uneasily she stood at the exit of the "weyr" that had been hers through her weyrlinghood and for the past couple turns. Pausing after a moment of studying to make certain she had everything, she looked at her dragon and sighed. "I suppose it's time, isn't it?" she asked the beast who looked to her.

~Are you going to say goodbye to L'ric before we leave? He seemed rather sad to see us leave the Academy, mine,~ the dragoness commented to her rider, awaiting her rider to mount up.

~We'll be back. I promised H'lee that we would be available to help out whenever he needs... provided it doesn't interfere with my lessons,~ she responded softly before mounting her dragon and giving her the go-ahead to take off. It would be their last time there for a while. She had to get all settled in at the hold and check in with the hall and begin learning her craft.

====

Before long the two of them had arrived at the Hold and landed outside the house that would be Erin's while she was living there. She liked it, and her dragon would have enough room to curl up outside, or to go rest and sun where she liked. Although, Erin figured the best part was that her house was ground level. It wasn't way up high like it had been at the weyr. She shuddered at the thought before she smiled at her dragon and began unpacking. The green snorted as she relaxed and waited for the "junk" to be taken from her back. She was NOT a pack mule.

It took a few hours, but before long Erin had her stuff inside and set about working. ~Eat something, mine. I ate earlier today and already I feel hungry again~ the green told her rider from her spot.

~I will, dear, but I just have a few more things to get done. Just rest,~ she chuckled as she continued setting up her kitchen until she finally had it the way she wanted it. It was then that her stomach reminded her of what her dragon had. "Shards..." she cursed softly before turning and heading out of her house, glancing at her dragon. "I gotta go get food, apparently," she frowned.

Luckily for Erin, her arrival was expected and even planned for by a certain Bluerider. Of course, said bluerider wasn't paying attention to the time he missed her arrival. It wasn't until the fuzzy murmurings of another dragon's voice tickled his mind that he realized Erin had arrived nearly an hour before and he wasn't ready. "Shards! Dranith why didn't you say something?" He scolded, waking his blue from a nap.

Because I thought you knew. Besides, I was sleeping. How was I supposed to know? The Blue replied, opening one eye to look at his rider. You still have time to go see her. It's not like you missed anything. He added, shifting into a better patch of sunlight and closing his eyes again, determinedly ignoring his rider while A'dam rushed about washing up after working in his garden and putting together a quick lunch.

Once he was ready he set out for Erin's home and happened to arrive just as Erin was heading out the door. "You're in luck, short stuff. Lunch has come to you. That is...if you don't mind the company of an old friend to enjoy it with." He offered, holding up the basket he'd put together with a quick lunch of wherry meat, sweet rolls and some fruits and cheeses. He'd also thought to grab a skin of wine and some fruit juice (he didn't know what she'd be in the mood for so he'd grabbed both).

Erin started slightly when he spoke, although the look on her eyes once she saw the food... well, it's a miracle she didn't just pounce him right there and smother him with kisses. "A'DAM!!! You're a savior!!" she grinned as she hurried over and at the very least gave him a huge hug. It was important. When she stepped back she nodded and glanced back at the door, "Well, why don't you come in so we can eat that? Unless you have something else in mind."

Plyath snorted at her bonded, glancing towards A'dam. ~Hello, A'dam,~ she greeted him easily. He was the only rider she would ever CONSIDER speaking directly to... of course it helped that he was able to speak directly to her.

"Not a savior. Just a good friend." He told her with a wink and a smile as she came over to hug him. He didn't hesitate to return the hug and smiled when she invited him in for lunch. "I hadn't really planned this, exactly, so inside is fine." He told her following her toward the house. He paused and nodded toward Plyath when she greeted him. "Hello to you as well Plyath. You're looking as lovely as ever." He told her, giving her a brief pat on the nose as he passed. "Dranith is napping at my place. He's been getting lazy living out here just the two of us. Maybe you ought to go wake him up." He suggested, giving her a smile before disappearing into the house with Erin.

He took a moment to look around as they headed toward whatever portion of the home served as the dining area and he set the packed lunch down. "It's not much, just some stuff for sandwiches and some fruit. But I figured you wouldn't have brought much with you. Besides, it's not as if you're Pern's greatest cook." He teased, touching his own face to indicate the scar she bore from a failed cooking attempt. "Anyway, I figured we could eat and I could help you unpack if you needed. I'd have been here earlier but I kinda lost track of time and missed your arrival." He actually looked quite embarrassed about admitting he'd forgotten what time she was arriving.

Erin chuckled at him, knowing full well that he was indeed a savior for bringing her food. She knew full well that it would be even more truthful when they considered her horrible ability to cook. Plyath crooned at his words, ~I think I might do that. Have fun,~ she told him before rising from her spot and taking to the skies and flying towards Dranith. It took her a moment, but she landed nearby, ~Hello Dranith~ she crooned.

Once they were inside and he'd set the food down, she smiled at him and nodded. "It sounds great. And yeah, I was rather dreading the idea of cooking, myself," she chuckled. Honestly, if it had been any other person to point out her flaws and tease her with them, she would have gotten upset. However, this was A'dam and she'd known him forever! At his admission to forgetting what time she would be arriving, she chuckled, "That's just horrible!" she teased him, grinning as she sat down. "Honestly, I was rather surprised to see you show up today. I wasn't sure if you were going to be busy today or not," she admitted to him herself. Although, she was somewhat embarrassed about that since she felt like she should know better. After all, it was A'dam that they were talking about and he had always managed to find his way back into her life... no matter how much time they spent apart.

As Plyath left, A'dam smiled, knowing his Blue wasn't going to be at all upset by the company. In fact, Dranith was half-expecting this move and was simply sprawled out in the sun with his eyes closed and not actually sleeping. When the Green landed nearby, he opened his eyes and lifted his head, shifting so that she could settled in the sun next to him if she wanted. Hello Plyath. I take it my rider sent you? I don't know what he's got planned but somehow I think he might not want you listening. He explained, receiving a mental prod from his rider. Hush you. We're just having lunch.

A'dam knew he could get away with teasing her because, well, they were best friends and had been for a long time. He knew he could get away with it because she could get away with teasing him. "I know how you feel. I'd have been dreading it too." He said, preparing to duck should she decide to throw something at him or try and smack him for his comment. He gave her a helpless look at her teasing and shrugged. "Yeah well at least I showed up right?" He questioned, sticking his tongue out at her in a childish gesture. "I could have just stayed home." He told her, waving away he comment that she was surprised he'd shown up. "Me? Busy? Hardly. Living out here, away from the weyr or academy it's very different. You don't have such a tight schedule to follow. I've got more free time than I know what to do with sometimes. And even so, I'd have made time to visit my best friend." He told her, unpacking the food even as he spoke. "Now, I don't know about you but I'm going to sit down and eat. You're welcome to join me any time." He added, putting together a sandwich and biting into a slice of redfruit.

The green easily moved to lay down next to the blue, enjoying the idea of sunning herself. At least for the time being she would be able to relax after the hard work she'd done moving the stuff from the academy to the hold. ~Why wouldn't he want me listening?~ she asked, clearly confused by this concept. Her tail flicked to wrap itself around her haunches as she enjoyed the heat, ~Does yours like mine?~

Erin gave him a pretend shocked look, playfully throwing some small thing at him. She wasn't even entirely certain of WHAT she had thrown at him. All she knew was that it was small, and that it wouldn't hurt. However, despite that, she did laugh at his words, knowing full well that ANYONE would dread the thought of her in the kitchen. As he began to start jesting over showing up, she chuckled. "That's okay, it was a wonderful surprise, and I still maintain you being my hero for bringing the food," she chuckled as she began putting together a sandwich of her own. At least with that she wasn't in danger of spilling boiling hot water on herself.

I don't know. But there's no other reason for him to send you here. So that is my guess. He doesn't want you listening for whatever reason. The blue explained, shifting a bit at her next question and making a point of making sure A'dam couldn't hear him. Very much. He was...very distressed when he learned about your flight. He rumbled his amusement at that. He likes yours. He just doesn't know how to say it and has forbidden me from telling her. That, of course, didn't mean Plyath couldn't tell. A'dam had, afterall, never told Dranith not to tell Plyath and therefore had never told Plyath she couldn't tell. By dragon logic, Drantih wouldn't have done anything wrong.

A'dam, of course, had no idea what his dragon had done and managed to catch the object Erin threw at him with a smile. "That wasn't very nice." He scolded, setting the item down on the table. "Fine then. If I'm your hero do I get rewarded for saving you from an unfortunate fate?" He asked and immediately wondered why he'd said it the second it was out of his mouth. But he smiled anyway and just played it off as teasing. No need to make her suspicious that his visit had an ulterior motive. He wanted to know if the rumors he'd heard about her and L'ric were true. And if they were, well, he wasn't quite sure what he might do about that. Lunch was merely the first step in whatever plans he hadn't made yet. Which didn't make much sense when he thought about it but he was just sort of winging it, going with whatever came up and seeing what happened. In his opinion, it was the best way to deal with things.

Plyath snorted at the blue's words. ~He was upset because Scriath caught me? Seems rather odd. But L'ric did not catch Erin-mine, at least not the way Scriath said that he wished to,~ she admitted to the blue, not really paying attention to whether or not Erin and A'dam were listening to her. She knew that hers would be far more interested in spending time with her childhood friend. ~Why do they not do something about it if they like each other?~ she asked.

Erin chuckled as he scolded her, giving him a glare with absolutely no malice behind it. She just couldn't work it up, she felt utterly at ease with her old friend. Although, she did pause at his comment about a reward. Her mind raced as to what she should reward him with. ~That funny thing that you keep imagining doing to him? Or would he not like that?~ Plyath suddenly asked her, getting mildly distracted by her rider's momentary panic. Instantly she blushed and felt as if she could kill her dragon. Damned thing! However, she had looked up at the sky, pretending to be thinking. "Hmm... Perhaps. Dinner? I could try cooking that... although, I think that might be more of a punishment..." she began thinking, although it was clear she was just continuing the jest. (Not that she wouldn't seriously enjoy having dinner with him...)

A'dam is weird. I don't know why he was so upset but he was. And he knows that. He felt much better after he learned yours was not staying with L'ric. It's all very complicated. A'dam's feelings were strange as far as the Blue was concerned, like not wanting Erin to know he liked her. Does yours like my A'dam too then? If so I don't know why they don't so something about it. Perhaps that is what mine is planning. I don't know. He's confusing sometimes.

A'dam, of course, was overhearing bits and pieces of the distant conversation and was finding it very difficult to resist the urge to strangle both dragons. Of course, the thing that most got his attention was Plyath's suggestion of a 'funny thing' Erin wanted to do to someone, likely him, and the question of whether or not he would like it. "What thing is she talking about?" Belatedly he realized she'd mentioned something about dinner and his response was not any answer she could possibly have expected. He shook his head a bit and blushed, occupying himself with his lunch for a moment. "Dinner would be great. Uhm. Maybe we could cook it together?" He suggested, glancing up at her and trying not to look too embarrassed by having eavesdropped on the conversation their dragons were having.

Plyath rumbled her amusement at his words, her tail flicking ever so slightly. ~She does. Although, I agree with you, they are just being silly.~ he stated simply, snorting at the thought of the humans and their little "dance".

If Erin could have killed her dragon at that moment... she might have. All of the color drained from her face for a moment at A'dam's question. She had temporarily forgotten that A'dam could hear dragons. ~Plyath!!~ she yelled at the green mentally, trying to convey all of her horror at the idea that A'dam might find out. She blushed a moment later and finally settled down when he commented on dinner. She smiled, "Sounds like fun! And uhm... she wasn't talking about anything important..." she tried to play things off, hoping that he hadn't noticed her momentary lapse of wanting to murder a dragon...

Dranith merely rumbled his amusement of Plyath's assessment and stretched out. They should stop being silly then. Was the only comment he made, more for his rider's benefit than for Plyath's.

"Then we'll do dinner. Uhm...I don't know if there's anything you still need to do as far as unpacking." He had all day, he could hang out and do whatever Erin wanted. Of course, her evasion of his question only made him more curious and he momentarily forgot his embarrassment. Instead he looked up at her and tried to decide how badly he really wanted to know. "You didn't answer my question. If it's nothing important you wouldn't avoid answering. So what was she talking about?" He questioned, forgetting his lunch for a moment as he gave Dranith a mental prod to see if he knew. Frustratingly enough, Dranith refused to answer though whether because he didn't know or was just being annoying A'dam couldn't tell.

Plyath rumbled softly, chuckling at his answer. ~They should.~ she agreed before laying her head down and allowing herself to simply enjoy the sun and the company. She felt that any conversation they'd had would be more than enough to prod their riders into SOME sort of action. They had agreed to have dinner, and the way Erin had reacted... well it made the green wonder at whether or not it was akin to mating. ~Dranith, would yours cooking with mine be like us mating? She seems very happy about the idea, almost...~ ~PLYATH! IF YOU UTTER SO MUCH AS ONE MORE WORD ON THE SUBJECT THEN I WILL... UGH!!~ The dragon blinked, ~Perhaps it is not... Mine seems rather upset now...~

Erin breathed a slight sigh of relief, believing the topic of discussion MIGHT be over. At least until she heard A'dam pressing her for what her dragon was hinting at earlier. Her eyes went wide for a moment and she paused, "Uh... uhm... It's really nothing... Just Plyath being silly..." she tried to dodge it once more... although she knew her resolve would break. It always seemed to break whenever she was with A'dam.

Dranith merely gave a bubbling croon of laughter at the younger green's question. He couldn't really answer because he was far more amused by A'dam's reactions for the moment though he did give the Green a reassuring nudge. Her rider wouldn't stay mad forever.

A'dam, of course, was a bit less calm about things than Erin was. When Plyath had asked her question, he had actually returned to eating his lunch and nearly choked on the bite he'd taken when the word mating crossed his mind. Shards. Plyath no...it's just eating. Nothing like that. Now will you both hush and leave us in peace? He told them, earning a mental laugh from his Blue. Then do something about it and we'll eave you alone. Dranith....shut up. These things....take time. I'm not just going to 'do something about it' because you think I should. Though, admittedly, he did sort of want to take the Blue's advice. If he'd pieced together the finer details of their conversation, Erin like him as much as he liked her.

And with the silent support of his dragon, A'dam was left to wonder, what would she do if he did make a move? Considering poor Erin was still trying to avoid answering his question and he still wanted to know, he wasn't quite sure what to do but he was running out of things to talk about and eventually just put a finger to her lips and shook his head. "Just...shut up for a minute. You don't have to tell me. I get it. It's probably something really embarrassing. Considering I'm pretty sure she was talking about me I can make a few pretty good guesses as to what she was talking about." He told her before putting his hand on her cheek and, before his nerve deserted him, leaning in for a kiss.

Plyath paused at A'dam's scolding, although she had accepted the reassuring nudge from his blue. It was just eating? Then why should her rider feel all happy and act like she was on her way to finding her mate? This all seemed rather odd to the green and she snorted her annoyance at not being able to understand humans. Clearly they just didn't have as good a grasp on things as their dragons did. After all, you didn't see dragons out there dancing around and playing games. When they were ready to mate, they mated and that was the end of it. There was no need for these silly games.

Erin had gone back to eating her own meal, trying desperately to think of a way out of the question. Certainly her friend would continue to press... is that not what A'dam usually did? He always had a way of driving her to tell him the full story... just as he did when she'd learned that she was horrible at cooking. The scar on her right cheek was proof enough of that. And she had dodged his questions then far more than she was now... but... she gave him a shocked look when he put his finger to her mouth as she tried to come up with a response and watched him. Instantly her heart began to beat faster and she watched him. A questioning look came to her as he began to lean in, and before she knew it she felt the strongest urge to do so as well... something that happened about two seconds later when she finally found her own resolve.