It's a shame that a lot of Yari's escape attempts come to a premature end due to the arrival of a certain greenriding pair. Tonight's no exception. Tahdah: Reiseth wings down from on high, landing and allowing Catti to dismount while pleased warbles are given to Nediath. Such a fine sandy hide she has! Black really does look good against green... "Yari! There you are. I've been looking for you /everywhere/."

For once, T'yari wasn't attempting an escape. It happens rarely, yes, but it does actually happen every so often. "So fly. I don't care," he adds on, holding a strange one-sided conversation with Nediath. "I'm not going to get on you and get wet, though." He breaks off, glancing towards the arriving pair as Nediath scoots back towards the water to re-rinse. "Hey," he greets. "Have you?"

Reiseth hunkers down, leaving Catriona to trot forward with a gleeful smile on her face and a large bundle in her arms. "Sure. Even when you're not hiding you're good at hiding. How've you been?" she greets cheerfully, sending an amused glance after Nediath. "Her Ladyship is looking as fine as ever."

T'yari gives the large bundle a passing glance before he looks back to Catriona, responding amiably, "Okay. I'm okay." Nediath, who's in the process of splashing around and making a general nusiance of herself -- lucky that Yari's smart enough to edge away from the water when she goes in -- warbles brightly at Catriona, past transgressions forgiven in light of this compliment. T'yari, for his part, rolls his eyes.

"Good to hear. I'm okay too," Catti responds in much the same tone, although there's that positively buoyant edge to her grin, "Just finished talking to the tanner, actually." The package is jostled idly while she watches the green lolling in the waves. She's been splashed often enough by Rei that it doesn't matter much. Besides... if Nedi wants to splash her, and that's what it takes to stay in the green's good graces, so be it. "You'd be surprised at how far a pretty smile and a little teasing can go, in place of marks. And don't lecture me about my promise of no more flirting..."

Nediath fans her wings once, shaking away large droplets of water as she heads out from the waves, more subdued. "Don't roll this time or anything," T'yari warns, momentarily diverted. "Get anything good?" he inquires. Meanwhile, Nediath drips, staying in one place in an effort not to kick up any sand. Eyebrows quirk upwards in faint surprise before Yari holds his hands up in mocking self-defense, noting, "I didn't say anything! Flirt all you want."

A pretty salute is tipped with two fingers towards Nediath, in thanks for the compliance with the no sand rule. Yes, sand would be a bit uncomfortable. Catti then switches attention to the rider and all but beams, "Well, it was flirting for a good cause, since I can't seem to keep a mark to save my life... but yeah. I got something /really/ good. It's for you, actually." The bundle is pushed at him, with a quick addendum, "It's just something to say thank you. For having the only cool head I know around here."

Those eyebrows twitch upwards even more so, then, as T'yari comprehends the other greenrider after a minute; he's a little slow on the uptake, as usual. "For me? Oh, Cat, you shouldn't have," he protests. "I'm just -- me. And there's other cool-headed people around, too." He does smile faintly, though, adding a moment later, "Thanks." Nediath remains good. But who knows how long /that/ will last.

"That's why I got you something. Because you're just you. And that's nice," Catriona insists, taking a step towards him and insistantly shoving the package towards his chest. "Take it, silly. I said I was going to make up for being so horrible to you. Not that I'm trying to buy you off or anything," she remarks with a wink and a grin, looking quite pleased with herself. "But this should do for starters, right?"

T'yari obediently takes the bundle, peering at it curiously. "Should I open now, or later?" he wonders. Nediath rustles, distracting the greenrider long enough to force him to shoot A Look at her. "No." Attention slides back to Catriona, then, and Yari remarks, "You made it up, really. I'm good. I'm fine. I don't need presents and things -- but thanks." T'yari's mother worked hard to install manners, and they manage to surface from time to time.

Catriona's eyes cut to the green. "No what?" she asks curiously, giving the bundle over and stepping back just a bit. "Sure, go ahead! I really do want to see your face when you see it. Even /I/ was impressed." And, from her tone, that's apparently a difficult thing to do. Ha. "And... well... I also figured everyone needs something really nice once in awhile. As a pick me up. You know?"

Wherhide has been stretched and scraped until the ultimate in leather is achieved: buttersoft-silky against the skin with an expert sheen that begs to be touched. This piece of perfection has been dyed a rich burgundy, the shade drawn from the finest Master's wine, and shaped into a tunic that could grace the elegant frame of a Lord Holder. Each tiny stitch of hemming has been accented with threads of silver, creating the illusion of a border of minute stars that twinkle with the slightest movement and add grace to the most awkward of postures. A matching belt of the same leather and delicate embroidery completes the package, the buckle crafted in liquid silver to form an etched starburst that cunningly connects one end to the other.

"No," T'yari repeats firmly. For Catriona's benefit, he adds, "No laying down." Nediath obeys, but not without a rumbled protest-- sand feels good, dangit, even if it dirties her hide and makes it itchy and uncomfortable later. Carefully, he picks at the strings of the package and begins to unwrap it, pausing to blush faintly and inform Catriona, "You shouldn't have, probably." Then, Yari contines with the unwrapping until the shirt and belt is exposed; eyes widen with appreciation and shock, and again, he states, "You shouldn't have! Oh, it's gorgeous."

Being something of a bad influence in the best of times, Catti shoots Nediath a sympathetic look before going into full gush mode. "Oh hush, I should too have. Isn't it, though?" Sidling closer again, she looks with complete admiration at the craftsmanship. That must've been some smile she gave the poor tanner. "I always wondered how they can make stitches that small. I bet it's going to sparkle like diamonds in glow-light. You should wear it to the next Gather..."

Nediath might follow instructions for right now, but she'll find ways to get T'yari back some other time. She always does. "Yeah. This is really nice. I don't think I've had something this nice before," Yari shares before breaking off on that tangent and slanting Catriona a faintly wary look. "Gathers? Er." Don't tell him that she's going to force him to attend those things. Crowds and people and lots of wine. Scary.

"Well, you should. So... there you go," Catti laughs, flapping a hand at him and grinning for all that she's worth. "Gathers or in private. Although it'd be a shame if you didn't let at least a few people see you in that. It's one of your colors, y'know. You'd look wonderful. Besides, it's made specially for dancing. I figured since you grew up where you did, you'd probably know how to dance, right?" Big, pale innocent eyes are blinked at the greenrider. She's not plotting anything. Truly. "It's light enough you won't get too hot in it, and fancy enough it'd put anyone else to shame..."

"Is it?" T'yari considers this. "Well -- maybe," he compromises. "I'll consider it." Suspicion slides onto his expression, momentarily, but Yari can't really keep it there in good conscience seeing as she just gave him a nice gift and all. "I learned," he replies carefully. "But I haven't...danced in a long time." Oh no. He does not relate stories about how he'd run away, red-faced, from his dancing partners whenever they tried to make him dance.

A half promise is better than nothing, and considering something is better than nothing, so Catriona contents herself with that. "I never really learned to dance. I mean, not well enough to get up in front of everyone," she remarks, nodding in sympathy, "I wish I could, it looks like fun, but... " A tiny shrug signifies studied nonchalance. "I bet you'd be a good dancer, if you let yourself relax. When you're not paying attention, you move really well, like the Harpers always tried to show us weyrbrats." That grin is no where in sight, as it's being kept carefully hidden where it won't arouse suspicion anymore than it's already roused.

"I may've learned, but that doesn't mean I like getting up in front of everyone," T'yari comments. That'd mean people would /watch/ him. The horrors. He wrinkles his nose at the compliment, reddening slightly. He's predictable that way. "Hmph. I don't pay attention...to how people move."

Catriona says cheerfully, "I do. Or I did." Old habits are so hard to break, dontcha know. "Would you ever dance if no one was watching?" It's getting harder and harder to keep up this facade of simple curiosity. "I did that every once in awhile, actually. Well... not dancing exactly, but I used to sing when no one was around to hear. Since I know I could turn hair white with how I sound."

"I'm not surprised." T'yari does grin a little, though, before contemplating the question. "Um. I don't know." Because if 'if no one's watching' counts as Catriona watching, then it's a 'no.' But Yari plays it safe for right now and stays in the middle-ground. "Haven't, before." But there's always time to try new things. "Oh, I bet you're not /that/ bad."

A hand is flapped about to dismiss any thought of how not that bad she may be. "Trust me, I could fly against Thread /without/ firestone, if they'd let me sing my way through a fall," Catti laughs, shaking her head. "And that's pretty bad. But... I wouldn't mind learning how to dance a little better. Do you think you could teach me, Yari?" Yup, there it is. You know it was coming.

"Could be a good talent to have, then," T'yari jokes. "Less work for the miners." The humorous expression subsides, then, and Yari steals a few precious minutes of weighing the pros and cons and possible embarrassments by peering back towards Nediath and exchanging unvocalized comments with her. "Well --" Nediath huffs. And promptly relays to Reiseth, << Of course he will. He'd be delighted. >> As an afterthought, she adds, << And if he isn't, I'll make him anyways. >>

A quiet chuff of amusement signals Reiseth's passing on of the message -- as if Catriona's sudden delighted grin didn't already speak volumes. Yes, Nedi does come in handy, doesn't she? "I promise not to step on your toes /too/ much," she promises, hand pressing to her heart to show the solemn nature of this vow. Uh huh. "And I also promise to never ever let you hear my singing. It's not fit for anything with a pulse. Really."

"Fine." T'yari ejects a long-suffering sigh. "Well, as long as I don't have to listen..." He softens those words with a quick grin, adding apologetically, "I bet you're not /that/ bad." Nediath is quite pleased with herself, although her performance earns her a quick, annoyed look.

Catriona balances the rider's annoyance with a quick, thankful look for the dragon. "Yes, I really am that bad. But maybe if you're really, really mean to me, I'll serenade you one of these days," she teases, "So long as you teach me the easiest dances. I want to be able to get up there and at least look like I know what I'm doing a little. When do you want to start?"

"Oh." In /that/ case...T'yari retracts his protest. "You've got permission to do that if I'm mean -- I'll just remember not to be mean, I guess." Like Catriona /needed/ permission. She'd probably do it anyways, with or without it. "Okay." If Nediath makes him, Yari doesn't have much of a choice. "Um. I don't know? You can...pick a day, I guess."

Catriona bounces on her toes, completely thrilled at having won this little encounter. It's nice to have allies. "I'll drop by your weyr sometimes. I have to get a decent dancing outfit first." For every purpose under heaven, there's the proper clothes. "And you have to wear your tunic! Anyways, I have to go, early day tomorrow and all... Thanks Yari!" Leaving the fray victorious, she runs back to Reiseth and mounts up.

"Great," the greenrider says faintly. Nediath backs up his apparent lack of enthusiasm with a loud warble of her own, then adds a quieter one as a parting shot. "See you later, Catti." And while T'yari's distracted, Nediath plops down in the sand. Which, when Yari spots, elicits a look of dismay. "Ned/ia/th! Sugar, I can't /believe/ you."