Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hmm? Ash turned away from where she'd been stealing glimpses of Licerth and looked where Lyraeth gestured. Poor thing. Wonder where the other one is? She remembered seeing him often with another boy before the Hatching that scarred him but now she couldn't think when the last time she'd seen them together was.

Jarah sighed. Heavily. He missed spending time with Marinel but after the Hatching, every time he tried to hang out with him the other boy was supposedly busy. Jarah felt an absurd amount of guilt for not being right there next to Marinel when it happened. Was that why Mari was avoiding him? Was he mad that Jarah hadn't been there to protect him? He'd been torturing himself like this for a long time now. Jarah wasn't usually like this and he needed to do something about it. But what?

Ashtoreth cut a sidelong glare at the other gold and decided it would be better not to comment on that. What she did or did not tell Licerth was her own business and if Licerth had been talking to another gold about her, well... Well. She might have to have words with him later. Maybe so. They didn't seem close to breaking up, though. Maybe it's something else.

Ugh. This was stupid. He was Jarah! Son of a green rider! He shouldn't sit here and wait for Marinel to be unbusy. He needed to just go find him and ask why he was avoiding him. He wanted answers and shard it he would get them. With a determined look on his face, he stood and made his way to where the dragons relaxed. Perhaps one of them could point him in the right direction.

The large gold went back to peeking at Licerth, nodding at her friend's words. Perhaps he will, she said, missing it when the other boy came. As do I. It's sweet and sometimes amusing. A chuckle rumbled out of her as she turned back to see the dark skinned boy approaching. He looks determined.

Jarah was about to walk up to the pair of (probably) gossiping golds when one of them pointed with her dual-tipped tail. He grinned his thanks and waved at them before heading toward Marinel again. He needed answers, and he wasn't going to leave until he got them. Or... He didn't want to think about that.

"Marinel!" he called out and waved, offering him an adoring smile as he jogged closer.

Ashtoreth snorted at the comparison, but it was accurate and she said as much to Lyraeth. Watching Licerth could wait; she was much more interested in seeing how these two would end up.

Jarah smiled crookedly as he came closer. "Hey," he said, a little lamely. "So uh...why are you avoiding me?" Smooth, Jarah, real smooth. Just come right out with it. No dancing around the bush, just...blurt it right out. Guys love that crap.

"No, you've definitely been avoiding me." Jarah wasn't going to give up that easily. Even though he wanted to, just to wipe that look from Marinel's face. They had always found time before to be together, even if it was just a few stolen moments before curfew or chores. "Please, is it something I've done?" he asked. He would hate to have done anything to lose Marinel, just the thought of it made his heart hurt.

Ashtoreth settled further down, laying her head on the ground in such a way as to be able to still watch the boys. They probably wanted privacy for this but Ashtoreth was too nosy to give it to them and she suspected that Lyraeth was as well.

"But we haven't spent any real time together since the hatching, and I've got the same lessons as you." Jarah reached for Marinel's hand, having missed their easy affection from before. "Please talk to me, Mari, I miss you," he said, reaching his free hand up to brush his knuckles over the other boy's cheek.

Ashtoreth heaved a sigh. As do I.

Jarah frowned when Mari flinched from his hand. He'd never done that before, so what had changed? Jarah looked to the cheek he'd been about to touch and it hit him like a load of firestone.

"Is it...your scar?" he asked quietly.