D'baji is looking up rather pointedly at the fading night sky, lying on his back in the sand, a little lump of the volcanic stuff coming up to support his head. Nverath is curled at his feet- or more, he is stretched out near the curled Nverath- a wiry tail wrapped easily about the man's legs, and the dragon offering soft crooning, almost a hum, for his Companion. 

Yulianna shimmies down out of one of the trees nearest the wall of the Weyr and brushes her hands off on her trousers, peering up and recognizing Nverath first.  She offers him a nod of greeting, then recognizes D'baji and goes all red in the face, lowering her eyes to study the sand rather abashedly for a long moment before she takes a couple steps nearer the bronze and his lifemate.  "G'evening Nver. ... G'evening Baj."  She clips his name, seeming almost hesitant to say it, and certainly hesitant to speak to him.

Nverath turns his croon towards the entering goldrider, it losing some of its songlike quality to offer a serene and resonant greeting as the bronze lifts his head to gaze tranquily upon the girl. D'baji takes a bit longer to respond, giving one last faithful look towards the stars, a bit north-east towards the horizon, and then to the one who'd received such a generous greeting from his bronzen Rock. "Yuli," is said a bit too carefully, head bobbing to her from his sand pillow, and with just a bit of encouragement from Nverath, apparent if one were to watch the dragon's eyes close enough and note the intended whirling, D'baji gestures towards the spot of sand next to him.

"Pop always said that ya' only get mad at the people who ya' care about." Yuli's words are abrupt, but she falls silet quickly, poking the toe of one boot at the sand.  Her hands cling to each other behind her back, too warm and growing uncomfortably damp in the humidity.  She shifts her weight to her other foot.  "I shouldn't have said that.  All that stuff I said 'fore."  She pauses for another beat, still not raising her eyes from the shadows on the sand.  "I'm...I'm sorry."

D'baji has rather placidly resumed his watching of the night sky, Nverath, however, being polite enough to keep his head raised for this girl. But just because he isn't so much looking at her doesn't mean the man doesn't hear. He waits through the pause, and for the final apology, gives a bit of a 'heh'. Not a condescending 'heh,' nor a mocking one, as 'hehs' can be very expressive. This one is more of a 'heh' of acknowledgement. And with a grunt he pulls himself up, not moving his legs so as not to dislodge the tail around them. "Alright..." is said, slowly. But D'baji is slow tonight. Not stupid, but he's plodding in his pondering, taking extra care. "Well, I'll thank you for that, then. And once more ask what it was I'd done that had you upset? Like your father said... I dare ask this because I care." And really, that musn't be forgotten.

Yulianna keeps her eyes steadily on the ground--that way hopefully he won't see them misting over again.  She stands silently for a moment with her head bowed, looking for all her worth like a child repentant after having been caught snitching bubblies.  "I nev..."  Her voice is hardly above a whisper, more of a squeak really, and she finds it necessary to clear her throat and gulp once before she can continue.  "If ya' don't think I'm cute I--"  Shard it.  Why don't words come easier?  Funny, she never seems to have this trouble in the middle of negotiating a trade.  "I never..."  She pauses in her toiling, taking a deep breath, and murmuring, her face a veritable study in red, "Shards, why's it have to feel like this?  Shouldn't...well...I thought that this was s'posed to...feel good."

D'baji actually focuses his eyes in on her, enough and in time to see that she's got her eyes on the ground, and to frown a bit in appreciation for whatever it is she's saying that she can't quite say. The first traililng off of never has the bronze's attention, a mispronunciation, perhaps of his name, and empathic enough to pick up on some feelings here, he offers a general croon. "You never... And no, cute isn't a good thing. To me, cute means little and pretty, and absolutely... Not right. It's too... Wrong for someone like you, I think." As if that clears anything up. But finally his head is tilted sideways, an eyebrow quirking ever-so-slightly in over-used habit. "What's supposed to feel good? What, you aren't happy with something?"

Yulianna's eyes don't raise, but they do blink rapidly--alas, not quickly enough to keep the tears from trekking a little ways down her face before they are ruthlessly swiped away by the back of her hand.  She starts out quietly, replying, "Mum never thought I was pretty either.  She always wanted me to be more like Cirri.  Pop didn't mind me so much so I guess that's why I followed him ev'rywhere...it's not that I didn't /wanna/ be pretty...I just never had the nack for it." she explains, voice growing a little louder as she glances briefly up at Baji and then fixes her eyes back on the sand.  "I guess I really am the boy that pop always said I was at heart an' I don't mind--" she lies, sneaking another glance up as her volume grows, "--but I didn't mean to let anyone down an' I can't help it if I'm not graceful or pretty or charmin' any of those things.  An' I can't help it if I'm not cute 'nough for ya' any more than I can help that I li--"  Eeek!  She breaks off ubruptly, her own voice suddenly seeming too loud to her ears.  But now is no time to back down, so she murmurs, almost under her breath, "I like ya'."

D'baji does note the hand swipe, and with the indomitable patience of Nverath backing him, gives what could almost be taken as a gentle smile. "No. You aren't that generic pretty. You... Are one of the most amazing people I can honestly say I've met, and I've been around in quite a few places. You can't just... Class yourself in there with the rest. That someone would want you to be like someone else," he adds a bit dubiously. "And you certainly don't seem a 'boy' at heart to me... And you've not let people down, I'm sure. I've heard nothing but praise. I mean, you're Yulianna, rider of gold Miyakath, but Yulianna none the less.  And trust me, that's loads more attractive then half the female population running around gracefully, flaunting their dimples, and trying to hold a conversation on half a brain that's hardl-" Here he cuts off in his speech, having just managed to absorb the 'I like ya' bits, and blinking at her, once, twice, before nudging at Nverath's tail to release his limbs. "You do? I never thought... Oh." His big maturity is rather brilliantly gone, face turning a delightful shade of crimson. And she thought she was floundering. "Err... Thanks? I mean, I like you too. I..." Hee. He halfway struggles to his feet, one shin still trailing in the sand as he finds himself at a brief loss of what to do. "Come sit down?" It's easier to talk when you don't have to count on legs.

Yulianna sniffles a little and half-nods, shuffling toward Nverath and D'baji and gingerly lowering herself to sit in the sand, a little nearer Nverath than Baji.  Her knees are, as usual, drawn up to her chest, and she clings to them with all the enthusiasm of a man clinging to a piece of driftwood in the middle of the ocean.  She manages to keep her eyes studiously on the sand, at least it won't look at you funny, even if it doesn't talk back.  Her meek "thank you" at D'baji's commenting on her being amazing falls far short of enthusiastic--verging on the disbelieving.  "Ya' don't have to say ya' like me too, ya' know." she finally murmurs.  "I...was confessin'...not lookin' fer requisition.  It was...you...well...I was tryin' to explain.  That's all. Just explain."

Nverath swivels his head a bit towards Miyakath's rider, so as to be within touching distance, and gives a soft whuffle her way. As really, what an interesting response this one is evoking from his rider. And Nverath is the Observer. "You're welcome," is said with a somewhat bemused tone as he turns himself to face her a bit more. "And I don't just say that. I mean, sure at times tact has its uses, but pointless manners to the point of stretching the truth if not all out lying, well. I don't do that. It's too... Fake. And I do try not to be too fake. I mean, despite it all." His own legs are finally stuck back out for Nverath's tail to wrap 'round, hands thrust out behind him to lean back against, and hair falling all too bothersomely into his face with the change of position. "Thank you for explaining though. Y'know, we're liable to spend the whole night just thanking each other if this keeps up."

Yulianna shrugs lightly, peering briefly at D'baji before murmuring, "I don't guess I can think of somethin' better to do."  She sits for a moment, arms just wrapped around her knees.  Then all of a sudden, with a gasp, she scrambles to her feet.  "Straps!"  She turns--all ready to flee for the barracks, then turns back to peer a moment at D'baji.  "I haven't got my straps done, yet, an' Miyakath'll eat me alive if they ground us 'cause I don't have those silly things done." she explains all in a rush.  She pauses a moment though, hands hastily clinging behind her back, again, as she mutters, "I...understand if yer mad at me.  Not that I'm sayin' ya' have any--" erf! "What I mean is...well, just I'm sorry.  I'll let ya' know if I figure out why I've--well, I know why I've been so...but anyway...I'm sorry.  Really."

D'baji finds himself rather falling to his own feet after her, to end up standing rather awkwardly, and having nearly stepped on Nverath's tail. "You aren't done yet? I could give you a hand with 'em, if you want..." is offered, with the same feeling in which he stands. "Why ever would I be mad at you?" he asks, in rather a changed feeling, completely befuddled by such an idea. "Why you've? Don't apologise, you've not done anything... You've been what?" If the girl would maybe say what she means, imagine how much easier it'd be. "I'm sure I'd accept any apologies if they were valid, but I'm really not... Wait a second, will you? At least don't leave me in such a state?" And that's a plea. Bronzer could do with some sleep tonight.

Yulianna had already turned again to flee when D'baji voices his last request and she pauses, very nearly in mid-step, and peers over her shoulder at him, wrinkling her nose and blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes with a little annoyance.  "Leave ya' in what such a state?" she looks him up and down, as if to expect him bleeding or such, then peers blankly at him.  "Sometimes I wonder if I'm just talkin' another language what with the way some people look at me." she murmurs, almost to herself--but it could pass as a side-comment to Nverath.  "I didn't...ya' didn't hurt yerself or anything, did ya'?" she asks a little louder--this time definitely directed at Baji.

D'baji shrugs, tucking each hand rather nonchalantly into the pocket on the same side as the arm their attached to. "In... A state of utter confusion. Emotionally hanging by a thread- a sewing kind, not the kind for flaming, mind you, as I don't think I've ever been hurt enough to claim hanging emotionally by one of /those/ threads- but... Wondering as to what you mean, and why you said it?" He frowns, searching his brain for more synonyms of this. "I'd like to end it on a not that cannot be questioned. At least explain what those quasi-rambles of yours were about, please?" And Nverath offers a pleased rumble for her overheard mumble. It's that she doesn't talk enough of this language, silly Miyakath's rider...

Yulianna's expression becomes more and more confused and she turns back around and takes a couple steps toward the bronzerider.  "End on a not that can't be questioned?" she repeats slowly, hoping she got that right.  "Well what are ya' so confused about?"  She thought, after all, that those were all very clear and self-explanatory statements that she made.  "What did I say?" that didn't make sense, she means, and unclasps her hands, letting them fall limp against her sides.

D'baji smiles sweetly towards the poor little Yulianna he seems to have confused yet again. But she's not laughing at him right now. He'll cling to that. "Yeah. Like, no apologies for whatever it is you're apologising for... I mean, you start saying you're sorry for something, and then cut off before you say what that something is. Like letting me know if you figure out why you've been- stop. Or that you know why- stop. Why you've been what? Answer that for me, if you'd be so kind, and I won't ask anymore annoying questions of you for the evening, I swear."

Yulianna turns progressively redder and redder as he explains, really not having noticed that she speaks in pseudo-phrases.  "I...I don't remember." she mutters...an almost-truth.  "I think I meant why I've been so..." er... "...moody lately.  I'm not usually such a wherry-head.  But I've also never had...well anyway."  See there?  She doesn't even know she's doing it.  "Yer not annoyin' me...I just forget what I'm sayin' sometimes...or I figure it out half way through my sentence."  Eyes.  On.  The ground.  Blush.

D'baji is grinning. Moronically. "See, now we're getting somewhe-" Oh, and so close to, what he is sure, is some sort of great big psychological discovery. "You've never had? Dot, dot, dot?" He frowns, tugging one hand from a pocket to stroke his chin with one of those contemplative little gestures. "What?" Blink. Blinkblink. Nah, couldn't be that. Hmm. Humm. Or that? "Good that I'm not annoying you. And come in, you've got to know what you ewre saying. Tell me anything if you will, though if you don't I won't complain. At least I know now it's not me." Insert big grin here. Equally moronic as the first.

He's gonna make her say it /again/?  That's just plain cruelty.  Maybe she feels that she deserves some sort of punishment for the last couple days...maybe she's lost all semblance of organization in her head and doesn't /realize/ she's repeating herself.  In any case, Yulianna slowly drawls out, "That...I...like you?  Never had...never liked anyone..."  Blush.  Blush /blush/.  "...before."  Okay, now she looks like she could happily crawl into a hole and disappear for the rest of her life.  Where's ET when you need him?

"Ooooh!" D'baji gets it now, really he does. And Nverath gives a warble that seems almost a friendly exhasperation towards his rider. "I thought you were onto something different by now... Sorry... I mean, not that I don't like to hear it," despite Nverath, he has retained /some/ ego, "but... Yeah. Alright. You haven't? Hadn't? Sorry. Right. Umm..." And how to make an awkward situation all the more uncomfortable: Fill in your speech with fillers like err and umm. "So, err... You... Had straps to make? I ought to let you get to doing that now... And y'know, it's getting later, and Nverath and I've not been sleeping really."

Yulianna nods quickly, seeming overly eager to agree and send them both on their seperate ways, muttering as he talks, "Right, straps...let me go to that, yeah...and I'll just...go...crawl into a hole and die--G'night!"  And with that she really is fleeing, certain that he's seen enough of her red face for the night and heard enough of her juvenile babblings--at least that's what she's certain he must think of it--and one could almost swear that as she skitters off toward the barracks she muttering under her breath, "Stupid stupid stupid..."