High Reaches Weyr - Lake Shore
Extending all the way out to the bowl wall, this large, beautiful lake draws human, dragon and firelizard alike throughout the Turn. The crystal-clear waters are fed by mountain springs, remaining chilly even during the heat of summer. The shortening days have brought about a significant drop in temperature for the Weyr's lake. Choppier waves come more frequently, whipped into being by passing gusts of autumnal wind. Dragons and firelizards still frequent the water for bathing and frolicking, but less swimmers dare to venture into the chilling lake.
A mighty gale has picked up with the morning light, howling and whipping about the trees. As the days shorten, an autumn chill invades the Weyr, and there is a hint of coming snow in the air.
When the message arrived, this time a certain young girl didn't waste time in answering it. Not in writing of course but by showing up in person on a certain Weyrleader's ledge. Kaliena has dressed warmly, but all the same she dons the borrowed (which she still assumes they are) riding gear as she meets up with Zi'on. After a short discussion, where the girl's mood seems to improve considerably, they'll both mount up on Suldith, possibly pausing only to gather some supplies. Kaliena has an idea of where they're going, but all the same she's doing her best to mask her nervousness with excitement. Flight holds no worries for her, though she tenses when they prepare for Between. And true to High Reaches' reputation, it's cold when they reappear over the Weyr. Colder then anything Kaliena has ever experienced and immediately she seems to flinch from it in the straps. She curses too and says some comment over it that's likely rude but the wind snatches her words away. Not that they were really that important.
Zi'on is of course happy to see Kali as he always is. And today they've got big plans and all. There is a stop to gather supplies, they both need to get ice skates that fit them. Which should be a dead giveaway as to where they're heading. Though she may not know exactly where. They pop out of between over High Reaches. There's the smell of snow in the air, also of fires and other wintery things. "What?" Zi'on calls out to Kali as she chatters about the cold. "I can't hear you. This is High Reaches." There's already a layer of snow on the ground, which crunches as Suldith lands, and then again as Zi'on slides down. It's cold, very cold. Enough that the lake is pretty frozen solid and all. Zi'on helps Kali down, then opens up one of the packs attaches to Suldith's straps to pull out their ice skates. He hands Kali her pair. "I guess we'll put them on over on that big rock over there."
Kaliena just pulls a face and a grimace, which means Zi'on will likely hear all about it the moment Suldith lands. Sure enough, once the bronze has landed and she's dismounted from the straps with the Weyrleader's help, she's instantly on a flustered ramble, "Shards, it's cold! How in Faranth's name to folk stand it? And I thought Benden was bad and that was just their fall season. Ugh." Crunch, crunch, crunch. That's the sound of Kaliena stomping about in the snow, not in anger per say but perhaps to gain some feeling back in her feet. Or it could be the girl just likes the sound of the snow. When Zi'on holds out the skates, she eyes them for a moment before reaching out with a gloved hand to grab her pair awkwardly. "Alright. Lets hurry, before I possibly freeze anymore." Kaliena grumbles, but it's all words. She heads off quick enough and finds the rock Zi'on pointed out, eager to start though she's trying to play indifferent.
Zi'on chuckles at Kali. "You should grow a beard. It helps to keep your face warms. Anyways, once we start going you'll probably be hot." Zi'on shrugs a bit then. "You get used to the cold. Though I like the tropical weather better anyways. But I do miss ice skating." He heads over to the rock with her, plunking down on it and pulling off his boots to lace up his skates instead. "Getting out onto the ice is the worst part. Then once you relax a little it's not so bad. Though I haven't been out in a while. I'll be a little wobbly. Maybe we should have brought a chair." He laughs. "This rock is ice cold. My balls are frozen. Also we could lean on it on the ice." Once his skates are on he stands to wobble about a bit on them. "You need a hand getting yours laced up?" He assumes she'll at least need a hand out onto the ice. "You should hobble around a bit to get used to the feel, then we'll make for the ice together."
"Or I could get a /scarf/?" Kaliena scoffs, wrinkling her nose at the idea of growing a beard. She doesn't seem to mind Zi'on growing one though. "I hope so. Freezing my bloody…" the rest is mumbled under her breath as she roughly pulls off her one boot and then hastily crams the skate on. Besides, he manages to fill in the blank for her anyways and the girl snickers at his complain about the rock. "Your idea to come to High Reaches." Kaliena drawls and begins to lace up the first skate, though it takes her a few tries to figure it out and tighten it enough. She is listening though to all of Zi'on's words, "Why the chair? Oh… lean on it? Thought you said it was easy." Then her second boot is coming off and the next skate is slipped on. At his offer for help, she shakes her head, stubborn and determined to do it herself. "Nah, I'm good. And… really?" Kaliena seems doubtful to his advice, but shrugging her shoulders, she pushes herself quickly to her feet, smirking. Which is then promptly wiped from her face as she is not prepared for having to balance on the skates and immediately topples forwards to her knees. "Damn it." She grunts and then begins to try and right herself. Not off to a great start.
Zi'on chuckles. "You could, sure." Zi'on looks kingly in his beard! At least that's what he thinks. As if he needs to look older or more threatening. He grins to her. "I wanted to skate. The cold goes hand in hand with that. But you won't even notice after a while." Crunch Crunch Crunch. He moves around in the snow getting a little bit more surefooted. If Kali doesn't want his help that was fine. By now Zi'on has learned not to press the issues with Kali, it only makes her mad. He grins and helps her up once she's toppled over. "It is easy. But you gotta get used to it. Take it slow. Are holder girls always in such a rush for everything?" Once Kali is upright, he slowly lets go of her, but keeps his hands out in case she feels like she might topple over again. "Just take it easy. Try not to roll your ankles, but let your knees bend."
Kaliena shoots him a narrowed look for his teasing jab about Holder girls and then she promptly snorts, expression relaxing into a lopsided grin. "Not all of 'em. But I am. Why wait?" This time she does accept Zi'on's help, reaching for him as he helps her up. Once he lets go, she stays upright, though her wobbling makes it a close call sometimes. "Ugh, shards. This is awkward." She mutters, taking a few more tentative steps. Once she puts her mind to something, Kaliena is stubbornly determined. So within a few minutes, she's grasped it enough that while she's still a little unbalanced, she at least won't go sprawling every time she tries to move. "I'm beginning to wonder if I should have believed you that this was /fun/." She drawls teasingly towards Zi'on once she's made a short circle around him. Then she's glancing out over the ice and her grin fades to an uncertain smile. "Shall we?"
Zi'on grins to her. "I dunno… sometimes it's good to take things slow. Savor them, you know? Sometimes a little build up is good. So you don't uh… hurt yourself. Or something." He keeps close tabs on her until she can wobble around with more confidence. He seems amused at her stubborn determination, but really, it was better than getting defeated about things. He laughs a bit to her. "Well wobbling around in the snow isn't fun. We haven't even started yet. You better take hold of me for this part." He holds out his hand to her, and then leads her down to the edge of the ice. Once there, he carefully steps out first to get his bearings. Once he's stable, he turns towards her and holds out both his hands for her to take so she can get herself up onto the ice. "Careful. Take it slow. Nice and easy." Hopefully she can make it out and they don't end up in a big pile on the ice. At least not this soon.
"You talking of skating or relationships?" Kaliena points out both teasingly and bluntly as she turns her head slightly to give Zi'on a long side-glance. He'll soon learn that she has a lot of stubborn determination to spare and it may not always be a good thing. "Uh huh." She half drawls, half grunts but reaches out all the same for his hand, following slowly and carefully behind him as he leads her along to the ice. Her head turns down slightly, eyes focused on where she places her feet at first until her confidence returns. It vanishes though when he steps out and leaves her on the edge. Staring at the ice like it's some malevolent threat, she shoots Zi'on another skeptical look. "Easy?" Kaliena huffs, reaching out to poke at the ice with the tip of one skate and nearly winds up flat on her backside as she unbalances herself. Grumbling a few curses, she straightens herself and then sighs. "Lets get it done then. I'm freezing." With that, she straightens her shoulders and steps out onto the ice. Predictably, she's terrible at it and it's a good thing Zi'on is there, as she immediately clings to him for support before she winds up eating the ice's surface. "This is weird!" she gasps out, her jaw clenched slightly as she struggles to keep herself from sprawling.
Zi'on grins smugly to Kali at her question. Clearly he's talking about both, though he isn't going to say it. Really Zi'on is still reeling from the fact that Kali came to him not just wanting a little play or kissing, but the whole shebang. All in one night! Actually it seemed to be a common thing for him… jump into bed right off, figure out the relationship later. Maybe he should knock that off, and he won't get into these situations where his lady of choice didn't want to be seen with him. He chuckles and nods to her. "Yes, easy." As she nearly flops out onto the ice Zi'on grabs hold of her to keep her upright. He somehow manages to keep himself upright as well, and helps her at least find some sort of balance so she's not clinging to him. "Okay, now to move you sort of push your feet outwards a little as you move them forward. Like this." He lets go of her temporarily to skate out in front of her a ways. Even he's a little wobbly, but he makes it look easy enough. Then he moves back to her. "You can hold onto me if you need to, but you should try to get the hang of it on your own if you can."
Kaliena only frowns for that smug look Zi'on gives her and promptly drops her gaze soon afterwards. She's not about to pry that subject open, not when they're supposed to be out and having fun and not ruining the mood with sober talk that often leaves him upset and the girl frustrated. "I want to call you a liar for it, you know. None of it has been easy." She complains, though it's not a truthful one. She's actually having fun, even if she won't just go and out rightly show it. After Zi'on's demonstration, Kaliena squares her shoulders again and doesn't reach for him this time. Her first attempts are rocky, but once she gets the feel of the motion, it begins to smooth out. Occasionally, she'll wobble and may have a close call, but she seems to be managing her own. Quick learner? "Heh. Not bad." Kaliena admits once she can concentrate on more then just trying not to fall. Which means she's also relaxing and as she begins to lazily circle around Zi'on, he may see that she's grinning. Then a thought occurs to her, as she performs another small lap. "How do I stop?" You think she'd ask that /before/ she started.
Zi'on didn't want to get into sober talk either. Though that night he has rather fond memories of. Even if he's still surprised about it all. It's unlikely he'll ever find much fault with the way things turned out. Even if he does have to take his lumps. The bronzer laughs at her. "Call me a liar then. We'll see who the liar is by the time we're all done." He stays close as she starts to slide around. "Yep, like that. Don't lock your knees, or you'll lose your balance." A couple of times he even reaches for her as she wobbles a bit, taking her arm once or twice to steady her. He starts to move then and urges her to widen up her circle so they can skate next to each other around the lake. "You can point your toes together. It will slow you to a stop. Later when you're more sure footed you can just turn both feet to the side. That's how to stop quick though, if you're moving fast. If you're moving slow you'll either turn or fall over." Now that she seems okay on her own, he offers his hand to her. He didn't want her using him as a crutch or anything, and doubt she wanted that either.
Fond memories that Kaliena likely has as well, but the girl would never admit it. Not yet, anyways. So Zi'on may be left to wonder and puzzle about it for some time. There are plenty of signs though for the bronzerider to pick up on that the girl regrets nothing and may, given the chance, calm down enough to finally acknowledge the relationship. Enough, anyways, that they won't have to "hide" it. "Fine. Liar," Kaliena says in a singsong voice before she kicks off and tries to add some speed to her movements. Her efforts pay off, though she'll turn to Zi'on for support when he gives it and takes his advice to heart. "Ah. Good to know." She mumbles and promptly tests the first method of stopping. When it proves effective and easy, the girl grins broadly. "Heh. Not bad." Then she's turning her head to glance to Zi'on and his offered hand and her grin falls to something more of a vague smile. "You seem to be doing a lot better then me," she murmurs, reaching to grab his hand firmly. Maybe he'll lead her along? She certainly didn't seem to mind skating by his side.
And someday maybe he'll trick Kali into using the L-word about him. Though that's something he doesn't much like to think about. That's the sort of thing that makes him upset. Really he'll be happy for her to just acknowledge him in public right now. There's only a grin for her as she calls him a liar. "I dunno. You're catching on fast. I still think it might be easy." He says in his own sing-songy voice. Once she's done testing the stopping method and all they can start moving slowly around the lake. "Heh, we'll I've been before. A lot of times, actually. Just not recently. So it's hardly fair to compare me to you." He'll lead her along a little bit. Not too fast though, he doesn't want to scare her or make her topple over. "I feel like we're always doing things I want to do though. What do you want to do? We should do something you want to next time." The bronzer lets go of her for a second to skate ahead of her, turning around to skate backwards. "Maybe you can teach me to do something I don't know how to do."
It wouldn't be true if she were tricked, though. Or would it? Kaliena would be pretty upset if she felt her words were twisted from her. But that is neither here nor there and the girl seems focused mainly on enjoying the chance and experience of skating. She's no longer complaining of the cold, though it's put a good rosy complexion to her cheeks and the tip of her nose. "Easy only if you're keeping your mind on it!" Kaliena fires back, smirking as Zi'on returns her singsong tone. Then there's a frown before her memory kicks in. "Oh. Right. You told me that." So no, it wouldn't be fair to compare herself to his skill. Instead she allows herself to be led around the ice by Zi'on's pace, following along easy enough save for when she stumbles. No falls so far! "Who says I don't want to do this? This is more then I would have dared asked for!" Kaliena admits in a rare moment where she actually speaks the full, open truth. "If I didn't want to do it, then we wouldn't be here. So you've nothing to fuss or worry over." She snorts softly, her hand still gripping his firmly as they go around and around the ice. "Teach?" her tone sounds dubious and the look she gives him echoes it. "I doubt I have anything to teach you. Though Kimmila has offered to take me hunting. Only other real skill I have is fishing. And I ain't showing you that."
It wouldn't be true. But if she said it right now Zi'on probably wouldn't believe her anyways, so he'll think he tricked her somehow. That was always the thing about the cold. Even if you felt warm, bare skin was bare skin. And eventually it'll get chapped by the cold air and the wind. Not to mention a light snow has started. Flakes here and there. He laughs. "What else do you have to think about?" Who could tell? Girls. They were always thinking up something. Zi'on takes things slow, so he can still support her through the stumbles and all. "Heh, well I would hope if you didn't want to do this you would have shot down the idea. I guess I just want to make sure we're doing things that you like, too. And that you don't think I'm just leading you around. I figure when we're done here we can go to a guest weyr to get warmed up before heading back." He skates back around so that he's next to her, still with her hand in his. When she gives him the dubious look he just shrugs. He nods. "Your brother wants to take me hunting. I dunno if that's really my thing. I'd rather be at home tinkering with a gadget or something I guess." He grins. "Not going to show me fishing, hm? Ah well. I just thought I'd ask." A bumpy patch of ice and makes the bronzer stumble due to lack of concentration. Hopefully Kali isn't too dependant on him for support!
Kaliena doesn't seem to notice the snow and if she did, she'd likely be making some cursing comment about it. But her mind isn't on the weather or the cold. For now it seems to be focused on other things, Zi'on and keeping herself upright while skating among them. "Not falling on my ass is one thing," she drawls smartly with a smirk. "The rest I ain't going to share. Some of my thoughts stay with me." Around the lake they go and Kaliena becomes comfortable enough to actually look up at Zi'on next to her, a frown settling on her face. "I told you I would let you know if I wasn't happy with the idea. So you'd know. Don't fuss over it." At the mention of the guest weyr, her smirk becomes a lopsided smile and now she notices the snow. It doesn't ruin her mood though, "Mhm. Fine. And some food too?" The girl actually suggests something! "Th'ero hunts?" Surprised? Kaliena is. Then she's wrinkling her nose and grimacing. "If you really want to, I could. I'm just sick of it. That's all." Sadly, she is distracted and when Zi'on stumbles, so does she. But without his support, she topples forwards and ends up sprawling out on the ice. There's a half-second of surprised silence and then the girl is laughing - actually laughing. Not her usual harsh, sharp ones of mock humor.
Zi'on chuckles. "Well, true. Not falling on your ass is always good, though." He sighs then and shakes his head. "Fine. Be a girl like that. With all your secrets. I'll keep mine, too." Though generally that's a lie. Zi'on tends to prattle on about whatever happens to be on his mind at the time. The bronzer looks down at Kali as she looks up at him. He grins at her. If ever the bronzer looks young, now would be one of those times, with his nose and cheeks rosy from the cold. "I know. Yeah, we can find some food, too. And some hot klah." Zi'on shrugs then and nods about Th'ero. "Apparently him and Kimmila, yep." He chuckles then. "I can fish already, kind of. I'm sure you're better than me though." Between the wobbling and then Kali flopping forward, Zi'on is too off balance to keep himself upright. He ends up falling backwards onto his rear. "Ooof! I think I got whiplash!" Seeing Kali laugh though makes him laugh as well. "Are you alright?" He manages between giggles.
Kaliena gives Zi'on a smug look and then snorts again, "You have secrets?" she asks in a teasing way, but partially curious too. She figures everything the bronzerider tells her is because he wants to and that nothing is a particular secret at all. At the mention of klah and hot food, the girl makes an appreciative sound. "Mhm, sounds good." She says, skin just as rosy as the bronzerider's now. Another frown but not in anger and more in thought then anything. "Ahh. Figures." Kaliena mumbles over her brother and his partner's choice in hunting. "I'm good at prepping the fish and doing simple shore fishing. Probably no more then you and I wasn't allowed on the big ships that went to the deep waters." All that conversation goes on the backburner though, as Kaliena lies sprawled on her side and when her laughter subsides, she begins to gather herself up. "Eh, I'm fine. Gonna take more then that to break me." Sure enough, she's back on her feet in no time and dusting off her pants. The wince she gives is for Zi'on's sake. "Looks like you're the one who fell on his ass though. You alright?"
Zi'on grins and shrugs. "I dunno. Maybe." Then he peers at her. "Eh… probably not too many. I guess I talk a lot." He couldn't even keep his love for Kaliena a secret in the end. "That doesn't mean I can't keep them, though! I haven't told anyone about us other than Th'ero and Kimmila. I haven't even told Enka." Thought the weyrwoman has likely grown suspicious by now as to why Zi'on hasn't been trolling her for booty. There's not a whole lot Zi'on can add before he's sitting on the ice and laughing, then struggling to get to his feet because he's laughing so hard and his behind hurts. At one point he falls back onto it, wincing and laughing even harder. At the end it takes him a solid couple of minutes to get upright and catch his breath. "Yeah… yeah.. my behind his killing me though. How's it look?" He turns then, leaning forward and pulling his pants down to moon Kali. Which sends him back into a fit of giggles. It's not a long moon though, since it's cold.
"You do talk a lot," Kaliena points out bluntly, but not meaning it to be entirely insulting because after a brief pause, she adds, "I don't mind it. And thanks. For not telling. 'Cept for Th'ero. You could have kept it from him I'm sure." The girl has likely forgotten that he and Enka were once in a relationship, which may be why the bronzerider gets a puzzled and slightly worried look from her. Why would he tell the Weyrwoman? That's all forgotten though as Kaliena tries not to grin over Zi'on's attempt to regain his breathe and get to his feet. When he falls back, she begins to laugh again. "How's what…" She begins and then curses loud enough that it echoes a bit over the lake. "Shard it, Zi'on!" she mock yells, adverting her gaze when he moons her and skates away to circle around in front of him instead. She's both amused and annoyed by his little trick, though she seems to be trying to aim for more annoyed then anything. "This how Weyrleader's behave?" she drawls as she crosses her arms loosely over her chest.
Zi'on laughs. "Thanks, Kali. I can always count on you to lower my self esteem just a little," He teases. Enka was also one of Zi'on's closest friends. But he doesn't bring her up often because they were together for so long and have a baby together. Kali might feel threatened or jealous. And Zi'on didn't want that from her. Zi'on is laughing hard again after the moon and gasping for air. He half expected Kali to push him back over onto his rump. Which also might be why the moon was so short lived. "Ah hahahaha! Weyrleader's behavior! We're not at Western and this isn't a business trip. Also my ass is old news to three weyrs now. Not everyone has a stick up their behind all the time like your brother pretends to, you know." He slides over to pull at one of her arms, so they can continue their loop around the lake. "Come on, let's finish this loop. My nose is starting to freeze."
Kaliena fires off a little salute for Zi'on's teasing and probably one of the first she's done ever in his presence. Go figure it's done mockingly. And she isn't the jealous type it seems, since he doesn't question his ties to Enka further. Nor did she really explode over his little encounter with Rea. So it could be she'd handle it fine and truthfully with some jealousy. But threatened? Hardly. Kaliena's grin turns into a frown when he begins to laugh again and while it's belated, she does skate closer to give him a playful nudge but it's nowhere near strong enough to send him spawling back. "/Three/ Weyrs? That's…" Impressive? "…disgusting. Why'd you want a reputation like that?" There's a snicker to the reference of her brother and others having a stick up their behinds and then she's reaching to grip his arm in return. "Still. Don't you have Western's reputation to hold up too?" Clearly, the inner workings of Leadership confuse her. As they continue along the loop, Kaliena's grin returns. "Sure it's just your nose?" she asks slyly.
Zi'on sticks his tongue out at Kaliena for the salute. He didn't much like that anyways, outside of something specifically having to do with business. The bronzer is never quite sure how Kali will react to things though, either. And he doesn't think she'd like it if he were constantly talking about Enka, either. He finally catches his breath enough to answer her. "Well yeah. I've lived at three weyrs and had to bathe at all three. Do you bathe in your undies? Because I don't." Zi'on didn't take to running around nekid until Telgar probably. "What? You'd rather I be boring? Besides, there's no one really around. I could even kiss you out here and no one would notice. Maybe." Besides, Enka and Zi'on have already pulled stunts where they have wardrobe malfunctions in public places. It was the weyr, after all. He raises a brow at her. "What's that mean? What else would be cold?" Whatever she's talking about, he doesn't get it.
No, that would likely irk her if Zi'on just prattled on and on about his previous relationship with Enka or any of his past flings. Kaliena has to draw the line somewhere as far as tolerance goes. "I doubt folks were oogling your bare ass each time." She drawls with a bit of a sigh, knowing full well she had forgotten Zi'on's past homes. "Well. No. Boring wouldn't be fun. Just thought it was… well, the rules. Or something." Now the rosiness to her cheeks isn't entirely from the cold. The girl feels a little silly, really. "I told you that I don't mind us being closer in places like this. No one knows me here." And Zi'on is right; very few folk seem to be out on the lake. When it's clear her little joke goes sailing over the bronzerider's head, she only grins all the more. "Nothing." Kaliena answers and from the way she holds her head, she'll remain stubborn on elaborating. The joke is ruined now anyhow.
Zi'on chuckles. "I hope not. That would be gross if I were just a kid." If people were oogling him. "Besides. Everyone likes butts. We like to scratch them when we're alone, we like to fondle them when we're together… we even like them on babies." He grins, then shrugs. "I don't worry too much about my reputation, honestly. Maybe that's bad. But most of the weyrleadership around know me. And those that don't know me assume I'm just like my father." He smiles to her, leaning down like he's going to kiss her. Then he pulls away, apparently thinking better of it. Or maybe trying to tease her. It was hard to tell. He peers at her about the joke, then grins. "What? You want to go someplace where you can warm me up? Or are my pants undone or something?" He looks down to check, chuckling a bit. "You want to take one more trip around the lake? Or have you had enough?"
Kaliena just gives Zi'on the strangest look for his reply before it settles on something close to incredulous and amused. "You are /odd/, Zi'on." That's all she can think of to reply with. Then she's shaking her head and back to paying attention to the ice beneath her skates. She's fallen enough for one day! "I dunno if that's a bad or good thing." Kaliena admits after a lengthy and thoughtful pause. "At least some know you. Maybe that helps." Her mood seems to shift a little then, as her thoughts turn inwards to the past, but she says nothing more. Could be too that at that point, Zi'on is leaning down to kiss her and her mood picks up. Only to be dropped again when he pulls back. That earns a light scowl. "What do you think?" The girl asks with a smirk, but can't help but chuckle dryly when Zi'on actually checks himself. That has her rolling her eyes a bit and then staring up at the sky. "My feet are getting sore. Offer of the weyr with food and drink still stand?" And while she didn't chase after him for the kiss, Kaliena does skate close to his side, head turned upwards just-so as she asks her question that she knows the answer for.
Zi'on laughs. "Again. Such a help with my self esteem. I think I'll go home and cry tonight for a while now." Zi'on doesn't want to fall either, but he seems more sure-footed now than before the fall, actually. Maybe before he was stiff with the fear of falling, but now that he has he's lost the fear. There's a shrug then, about people knowing him. From the look on his face it's clear that Zi'on isn't sure if it's good or not either. Or what to think about moving out of the shadow of his father. The brief silence they share is somewhat welcomed. The sly grin on Zi'on face at her scowl about the retracted kiss gives away that he's playing some sort of game with her. "I don't know. I never know what you're thinking." When she moves close to ask him the question he bends down a bit like he's going to kiss her, but again, doesn't. "Of course it does." He says. This time he doesn't pull away, but still no kiss.
"No you won't." Kaliena counters back with a knowing smirk. What will happen if she ever does push Zi'on too far? Won't she just feel awful then? She spies that look on his face and it brings another slight frown and she seems tempted to press him but thinks better on it in the end. The silence is also welcomed by the girl, content to simply skate , enjoy company for once and mull over her personal thoughts. "And I intend to keep it that way. Makes it fun." She drawls and then finds herself falling for Zi'on's trick again. This time she leans forwards abruptly to close the gap, even if it means just a short, brief (and possibly a little rough) kiss. "What're you up to now?" Kaliena asks as she awkwardly attempts to skate backwards in order to face the bronzerider as they move closer to shore. Though by then she's walking more then skating.
Really Zi'on isn't too broken up by her calling him weird or talkative. It was like calling the sky blue, really. He was just teasing her about being brusque. Which is part of why he likes her, really. She doesn't usually say things that were meant to be hurtful. He chuckles to her. "Fine then. I won't." There's a grunt about her keeping her secrets and all of that. The bronzer must have been expecting her to close the gap, because he meets her lips with his own and the kiss probably lasts a bit. Even if it is rough. He grins to her. "It's a secret." Some sort of secret game, apparently. The bronzer moves past her on his skates, heading towards the shoreline. Once he's there he wobbles off and onto the snow, which by now has a fluffy layer on top of the hardened crunchy stuff below it.
Kaliena can get pretty mean when truthfully riled and just down right cruel if she feels wronged or betrayed. But for now her jabs are harmless and she likely finds it curious that Zi'on just brushes them aside so casually. Possibly that's why she's actually liking the bronzerider. Anyone who can stomach her for this long is good in her books. "Ha! A secret? Now you play games too?" And the girl is eager to play along. So she follows him to the shore, hesitant at first before stepping into the snow. She finds where she's left her boots and once she's settled herself awkwardly on the rock, begins to switch from her skates back to her boots. There's a slight groan when she frees her foot, rubbing at it briefly. "Shells. Might've blistered." Kaliena grumbles but with a tiny half-smile - totally worth it all.
Zi'on has a thick skin for such things, it would seem. Plus he finds it amusing that harsh words can come from such a cute girl. And since Kaliena seems to like spending time with him, that was even better. "I can play games, too." He chuckles a bit. A game where she has to chase after him, apparently. He sits down on the rock next to her and exchanges his skates for boots as well. "Mine are sore, too. But I don't think blistered. Can you walk or should I carry you?" He chuckles, teasing. Once their boots are back on, he wipes off his skates and ties their laces together for easy transport. "Careful, the blades are still sharp. The guest weyrs are right over there." He points. Suldith's tail can be seen poking out of the wallow of one. The bronzer gives Kali a smile before he takes off running towards the weyr. "Last one there is a stinky wherry!"
Ah and there is a difference in opinion. Kaliena will challenge him for some time on that, concerning her looks. She's always considered herself plain, unremarkable. Likely had the same embedded into her. So perhaps Zi'on will learn to beware of the cute ones? Not every girl is as she seems. "Ugh. No, I'm not that crippled. Just minor aches. I can handle it." She scoffs slightly as she slips her last boot on and then mimics the bronzerider in preparing her skates for transport. Just like he warns, she's careful with the blades. Just as she spots the weyr in question, with Suldith's tail as a marker, Zi'on is taking off. "E—hey!" Kaliena shouts, "Not fair! Shards, you cheater!" Sore feet or not, she's running at her best even through the snow. She may not be able to beat the Weyrleader, but she's going to put up a good fighting challenge!