A Not So Pleasent Discussion [Tag Asdra and Charm]

IC Month: Late Spring
IC Setting: Candidate Quarters

Aria sat at the edge of her cot brushing her now nearly waist length auburn hair. She'd been bumping into Asdra a lot lately and she wandered at the strange way they acted towards one another sometimes. They'd sit and talk, usually while he ate which she still found completely disgusting, or they'd go for a walk and listen to the chittering conversations their pets had about them; which were always fun. Now as she ran her brush through her thick curls, she hummed to herself and let her mind wander to the man she'd spent so much time with lately. Asdra was...well he was different. Though if asked, she'd never be able to explain why she felt that way about him. To her, he just was, and that was all that mattered. He listened to her and didn't get offended by her bluntly honest mannner. In fact he usually found her amusing which had annoyed her to no end at first; still did actually. Which was the cause of some of the nastier fights that often occured between them. Some of their arguments had even taken place in the dining hall where'd they first met six months prior; which didn't bother Aria when it was happening, but embarassed her to no end after the fact. At least Tylar hadn't found out about them yet; or if she had she hadn't said anything about it. After all, Aria wouldn't put it past her cousin to assume something other than friendship was going on between herself and Asdra. As if she couldn't have male friends. Rolling her eyes, she pushed the annoying thoughts from her mind and focused instead on the feel of the brush going through her hair and the song stuck in her head as she hummed.

Jyluu sat at the top of her Pet's cot curled into a little ball on Aria's pillow. As long as nothing was going on with her Pet, this was the gold's perfered spot.

((this is the song she's humming btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xluO0bygL88 ))

Gossip....wasn't it something all socialites as a rule were supposed to be intricately entwined with? Tylar hoped not, or she couldn't count herself one anymore; she really wasn't one for much gossip, because she'd learned long ago you couldn't trust it. Instead, she liked to have information directly from its source, which meant getting it herself. It wasn't too hard to do; if she wanted to confirm something, she'd go to the very root of the matter and find out. And beware of when Tylar wants to know something! She's sure to pry until she figures it out.

And right now, Tylar wanted to know something. Oh, yes, she did. If anyone knew Aria Montgomery, it was her cousin, and Tylar had noticed the changes in her cousin over the past several months. Oh, nothing big; she was still her same old independent, quick-tempered self, but it was there. Aria was just slightly...different than she used to be. A bit quieter at times, as if she was thinking of something more often....Touchy about some subjects, more eager to move on to others. In some ways she seemed more open; in others, more withdrawn. Small changes; Tylar didn't think many could tell, nobody that didn't know her very well, at least. Tylar had known her cousin since before she could remember; they were very nearly the same age, only a season or so apart, and had played together since they wwere kids. They'd grown even closer since coming to Pern and living together the past couple of years.

Closer? Well, maybe that was the wrong word. They were cousins, and very different cousins. They fought. A lot. (Though Tylar liked to think of them lightly as 'spirited discussions'.) But they had learned how to put up with each other, at least. And gotten to know each other better. It was a very interesting relationship they had.

And something about it was changing.

Tylar wanted to know what it was.

She had seen her cousin hanging out with someone, some man to be exact lately - occasionally over the past few months, a bit more often recently - and had gotten curious. She'd seen them eating together - sitting and talking - and occasionally fighting ,which Tylar didn't judge one way or another because Aria got into fights with pretty much everyone. A little digging had gotten her his name: Asdra, simply that - he had no last name to speak of. He had a blue dragonet named Cobalt - similar name to Cody.....it made her smile fondly to think of her sweet, clingy dragonet, curled up asleep right now - and was a candidate and a strategist.

She was curious. Very curious. And so she'd gone looking. Not much more she could find though, except that Aria and Asdra spent an increasing amount of time together, and that their dragonets, Jyluu and Cobalt, liked to spend time together also. Nothing seemed to be an arranged meeting - but they never denied each other's company either. It wasn't enough.

It was time to go to the source.

She hopped up decisively, plan formulated, and bounded towards the door of her room. Cody lifted his head at the movement, and chirped, following. The candidate went to her cousin's room; inside she could see Aria brushing her hair and staring off into space. She leaned into the doorframe, assuming her "I've-got-something-to-discuss-and-I'm-gonna-get-it-out-of-you-no-matter-what" position. Oh, she hoped what she was finding out was something juicy. She would love it if Aris ended up getting hooked up with this Asdra dude. Honestly, it was about time It would give Tylar something to smirk about....Plus, she honestly wanted her cousin to find love.

"Thinking about Asdra?" was her first shrewd remark; the smirk on her face was certain to get Aria riled up, she knew, but that was often how she got the most information out of her cousin. "I hear tell you've been spending a lot of time with him....and never a word about it to your own cousin?"

Aria's reaction was probably not the one her cousin had been expecting. Startled as she was by Tylar's sudden appearence, Aria let out a girly shriek of suprise and fell of the edge of her cot. Quickly righting herself, she turned on the one who'd startled her. "Oh for heavens sake Tylar, don't you know not to sneak up on people like that?! You nearly gave me a heart attack! What do you want?" She obviously was now in a bad mood. It was also obvious she'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the question presented to her either.

Jyluu had also been startled by her Pet's sudden shriek and was now up in arms over the incident. Flying over the heads of the two, she landed on Aria's shoulder, wrapped her tail possessively around the young woman's neck, and hissed in irratation at Tylar.

If Tylar had been expecting a sharp turn, a gla,re and a snappy "not your business" comment, she didn't get one; instead it seemed Aria was much more wrapped up in her thoughts than the dancer had expected. Instead she gave a shriek that Tylar immediately wished she'd been able to record, because nobody, and that meant nobody, would be able to leave such a sound had ever come from Aria Montgomery's mouth.

Less startingly, she was now obviously in a bad mood, most likely spawned from Tylar's appearance. She really didn't want to upset Aria, she didn't, but she wanted to know, and she probably wouldn't get an answer without a lot of angst first. But she hadn't started very well, because apparently Aria hadn't even heard her question. Time to start over....

Nonplussed as she was by Aria's unexpected reaction, it took little effort to fall back into routine. Abandoning her position by the door, Tylar let gravity draw her forward until she caught herself on the edge of Aria's bed; she was now face-to-face with her cousin - and literally, because Aria was sitting down - with arms outstretched, hands splayed on the bedspread, torso in a diagonal position. Ignoring Aria's accusation of having snuck (she hadn't...) and other exclamations, she repeated her intention, though this time rephrasing it. "Open your ears, girl. Asdra. You. What up? I want details."

Suddenly abandoning her position, she let herself fall onto the bed, and executed a perfect roll that brought her sideways and up; she curled around herself, catlike, beside Aria, and looked up expectantly - the whole time completely ignoring Jyluu, who she didn't consider a threat.

Cody hopped behind his Pet a bit nervously. She was in one of her driven moods, and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to be part of it, but he didn't want to leave her either. Making a decision, he hopped up onto the very corner of the bed, and chittered at Jyluu curiously, though warily; the gold was obviously irritated. Did she know what was going on?

Aria shifted on the cot and glared at her cousin with the most evil glare she could manage. "Tylar you just never learn do you? Seriously." Rolling her darkening eyes she snorted at the question asked her by her cousin. "And I don't know what you're talking about. What about Asdra and I? We're....friends. Well sort of. More like he's my snark buddy but still. I don't see how that's any of your business though." She turned her head to face the wall and got up off the cot before crossing the room in a huff. Clearly this was a touchy subject for her.

Jyluu hissed angrily at being ignored by the Tylar-Person that belonged to Cody. How dare she! The gold wouldn't attack her though, no indeed for that would upset Aria. So instead she'd wait and watch. She looked over at the nervous Cody and chirped at him, trying to convey what was going on to the other firelizard.

Here was the reaction she'd expected ;Aria was fixing her with her worst glare, and it was obvious Tylar had hit a nerve. She was used to it though; the glare didn't phase her much. She listened to her cousin's explanation in calm silence, drinking in and analyzing every word. She ignored the barb about it not being her business, and sat up straight. Snark buddies. Right...."C'mon, Aria, I'm your cousin! Isn't it my right to know? And I do know. Please, you've been different ever since you met that guy. I've seen you with him. And I've watched you change. Admit it Aria, you like him!" Her voice rose in excitement at the last sentence; Aria might be angry, but she wasn't. She'd long hoped this day would come. "You have to like him."

Cody chatterd at his Pet, slightly confused. She was happy being yelled at? He'd never understood his Pet, nor the way she interacted with Jyluu's. Still he didn't like the hostile aura around Jyluu's Pet. He burbled a question to the gold. She was a queen, wasn't she? Could she make it stop?

((.....kinda fail....sorry))

Aria rose from her place on the cot and crossed the room. Fury radiated from the woman's form as she wheeled on her cousin for her questions and her words. "Tylar Montgomery, my personal life or lack there of has and never will be any of your business. Now I love you, you're my dearest friend and my cousin, but I won't stand here and listen to you make idiotic accusations against be that have absolutely no grounds in the truth!" Snarling loudly, she made for the door and a hopeful escape from this uncomfortable situation. Did she like Asdra? Surely not, no matter how much time she spent with him. They were just friends, right? Turning scarlet in anger and embarassment, she stomped out of the room and towards the candidate's lounge. "Now if you'll excuse me, Tylar, I have better things to do than listen to you accuse me of things. Humph!"

Jyluu hissed and wrapped herself more firmly around her Pet's neck. She soothed Cody as best she could, reasurring him that she'd make this well.

Asdra was sitting in one of the lounges in the candidate's quarters, staring fixedly at a board between him and Gonneth.

He had nearly connected his border rows; he was sure of it. The only problem was that Gonneth seemed to have caught what he was doing, and was actually grinning slightly at him from across the table. He never did make things easy, but now...he couldn't risk a double, because Gonneth could cut it off too easily...yet there wasn't any way for him to get around the wall he saw starting to form just far enough away from his barricades to easily maneuver his way into completely blocking him off.

Things just didn't look good...unless...

Asdra smirked to himself and placed a peg between his current chain and the barricade Gonneth was placing. He saw Gonneth frown worriedly, and smirked a little to himself.

"Well, you're certainly getting better, Gonneth," Asdra started. "But I'm afraid that I think I've won this-"

An angry shout echoed from down the hall, and he heard a door open. Asdra sighed heavily. "Wonderful," he muttered. He looked up to Gonneth again. "Sorry, lad, but I'm afraid we'll have to call this off. You'd best get out of here. Trust me."

"O-o-okay...i-i-i-is...i-is it th-that girl...?" He stammered. Asdra knew that Gonneth had seen them around, but he didn't think anything of it, thankfully.

"Yeah, I think so."

Without a word, Gonneth nodded to show he understood, grabbed the game board without moving anything - clearly he intended to finish the game eventually - and ran off, silently as always, blending into the shadows so well he almost vanished entirely if not for the patches of light from outside.

Asdra stretched, and casually lounged in his chair, putting his feet up on the table. He'd wait for her to pass by. Maybe she wouldn't see him there.

Aria strode down the hallway in a fine fury, her dark hair bounced around her in her wake. She couldn't beleive the things her cousin was accusing her of! Oh the nerve of her! She didn't know anything, not at all. Always assuming, never knowing, that was Tylar for you. She was in a fine state as she passed Asdra by, not noticing him as she started pacing furiously in front of the chair he sat in. Oh but she was mad.

Jyluu kept her place on her Pet's shoulder if only just, and chirped a curious greeting to Asdra one of the times her Pet passed him. Maybe he could fix this problem with her Pet, the Gold certainly hoped so.

Asdra mentally grimaced as she started pacing in front of him instead of walking on by. He usually got into some sort of argument with her when she was this upset, and the fact that Jyluu was chirping at him made it so he had no way out, it seemed. He got the impression from the gold dragonet that she wanted him to try and calm her down...how in the world was he supposed to do that?

He called out to Aria; maybe he could make her laugh. "Hey, are you trying to pace a groove in the floor?"

He stood up, and walked over to where she was. "What's up, Aria? You seem...distraught."

Now this was the reaction Tylar had expected, as Aris whirled to glare at her with dark eyes. She grinned, glad to get back to the normal pattern; she'd been around too long for her cousin's anger issues to faze her now. She listened to the girl's words in silence, raising her eyebrows. Well, she'd expected anger, but this was going a bit over the top, wasn't it? 'Idiotic accusations'? 'No ground to the truth'? That wasn't fair! It certainly did have ground to the truth....Aria probably couldn't see what Tylar saw; Tylar knew[/] there was ground. And she wasn't accusing anything....suggesting, maybe....not [i]accusing. You'd have thought she'd just suggested Aria had committed murder.

Then again, the way this conversation was going, maybe Aria would be committing murder today. Even Tylar knew she should watch her neck now....This was a serious overreaction, and out of the realm of "normal" Aria anger.

For a moment she sat up on the bed, staring after Aria as the weaver stormed out of the room. Damn. After a few uneasy seconds passed by, in which Cody nuzzled her, chattering worriedly, she jumped up and dashed after her cousin. "Come on, Aria!" she called, repentance clear in her voice. She knew from experience that things could go from bad to worse in situations such as this if she didn't take the step and apologize, or at least defend herself. "I was just saying - Come on, have you even noticed what I've noticed? There has to be something between you and Asdra -" There was a pause as she reached the common room and caught sight of - speak of the devil! - Asdra himself. Automatically sensing the awkwardness and typically enjoying it, she called out, only missing one beat, "Oh, hi Asdra!" in a put-on perky voice. Yes, she was supposed to be apologizing - or defending herself? Which had she been doing again? - but the potential for awkwardness between Asdra and her cousin was just too much to resist, far too much.

"She's distraught because she thinks I accused her of murder - I mean, liking you," Tylar continued with a grin. She had to wonder what answer she'd get from that....Maybe Asdra would confess his love for Aria here! And wouldn't that show her? Okay, Tylar admitted this probably really wasn't much of her business, and she shouldn't be provoking either of them....Eh, I'll apologize after they live happily ever after.

Aria had actually paused in suprise when she'd finally noticed Asdra there and had opened her mouth to speak to him when Tylar came and opened her big mouth again. A violent snarl escaped the young woman and she rounded on her cousin. "Tylar...." She bared her teeth at the other woman, looking quite like a wolf baring its fangs at the moment. "Tylar I am not distraunt. And I DO NOT like him like that! For the love of all that is holy woman, what part of HE'S ONLY A FRIEND DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!" She'd never been so angry or so flustered in her entire life. Color ran high on her cheeks and it was obvious one missaid word would end up with her trying to punch one of them through a wall; namely Tylar. Something had to be done to difuse this situation.

Asdra sniffed quietly. Only a friend, was he? Well, in all honesty they were really only friends...at least it seemed that way to him. They talked, they argued - the arguments got quite violent usually, but that was another matter altogether - but it never really seemed like more than that would happen between them. Cobalt occasionally expressed curiosity about him - the little flitter seemed to think he acted strangely around Aria, somehow; Asdra also got the impression that Cobalt seemed to be feeling emotions from him that weren't anywhere near what he was usually like. Why would he ever act differently?

Suddenly, he shook his head a little; that line of thought was dangerous, and he didn't want to worry about it at all, or at the very least not right now. Instead, his face spread into his usual, devious-seeming smirk.

Asdra usually wasn't one to attempt humor, but he thought this was worth a try. He strode over quickly, looped his arm through Aria's as though he were escorting her somewhere, turned to Tylar and said, "Yeah, Tylar, we're only friends. You should really learn to listen to people when they say something the first time." A subtle tone that seemed to mimick Aria's overly blunt way of speaking to people just barely tainted the words; to him, this just might work to his benefit, somehow or another.

He turned to Aria, his arm still looped through hers, and said in the same kind of voice, "Aria, doesn't this happen a bit often? I mean, I know she's your cousin, and I also know that you two don't have the greatest of relationships, but your temper could almost browbeat me into submission if I could wrestle a temper as I would another man. Almost."

He remained silent for a moment before a silly grin slid itself across his face; he hadn't been able to keep a straight face for the "joke", but he just thought it was funny.

Now to see how this turns out. No matter what happens, I can at least try and resolve this now.

Tylar's resumed good mood vanished the moment Aria rounded on her again, the girl actually baring her teeth like a dog. And snarling too - shells, she must be really angry. Why was she getting so upset? Did the idea of likin gsomeone really offend her so very much? Tylar only wanted her to be happy - she'd been waiting for years for Aria to find someone she liked (or at least someone she didn't dismiss as too stupid for consideration). She didn't have to become wolf-woman on her.

But the young woman really wasn't prepared for the positive roar that escaped her cousin. Tylar felt like she was suddenly cornered by a provoked bear as her cousin stood over her, several inches taller. She was beginning to really regret bringing this whole thing up at all - it seemed like these days she got yelled at for everything! Fine, see if she'd ask Aria anything - she could be head over heels in love and Tylar would just keep her mouth shut, because the weaver obviously didn't want to hear - such rebellious, sulky thoughts crossed her minds in the few seconds she had to react.

Only a few moments after Aria's outburst, Asdra strode over and looped an arm through Aria's. He spoke to Tylar with what seemed to the tiny dancer as an almost patronizing tone, maybe even slightly mocking; he obviously viewed his words as a joke, but Tylar didn't take it that way. She was beginning to feel way too cornered and ganged up on for something that wasn't even her fault....she'd only asked a question, it wasn't her fault Aria had blown it all out of proportion! It took quite a bit to drench Tylar's normally good mood, but they'd manage it; her lips turned down in a pout as the combined weight of Asdra's so-called 'joke' and Aria's intense rage pushed her down.

"Fine," she snapped, pout becoming more pronounced. "Fine! Forgive me for being interested in my own cousin's feelings....forgive me for wanting the best for her!" She shot a genuinely hurt look at Aria. "You know how long I've hoped you could find someone. I hoped you had, okay? I was excited for you." Her voice began to tremble. "But if you don't want me to have anything to do with it then fine by me. I won't bother you anymore, okay?"

Without another word he turned her back on the two of them and dashed back into their rooms, tears threatening to spill over. Stupid Aria, stupid Asdra. She'd only wanted to know; who could blame her for being curious? She'd just hoped Aria might have found the one...But no, the instant she stuck her nose in it got bitten. You'd think I'd learn, but no, I can't help but stick my big nose in other peoples' business. You'd just think that with Aria I might be justified! But they don't. It wasn't fair. But at least they wouldn't have to worry about any more questions from her, oh, no. She'd stay well out of their way and let them 'snark buddies' do as they pleased.

With a sigh she half-glanced back at the open door to the common room, watching Asdraq and Aria out of the corner of her eye and trying to make it look like she wasn't. They'd genuinely upset the dancer, something that didn't occur often, and part of her was just waiting for them to walk off laughing or something....but not even Aria would do that....would she? Maybe if she was angry enough....and you certainly got her angrier than ever, didn't you?

The room was quiet for a long moment after Tylar left the room before Aria finally realized what had happened and what she'd done. Pushing Asdra physically away from her, she sent him the glare he deserved for making things worse than they already were before dashing out of the area with Jyluu hot on her heals. She knew she'd gone to far this time with her temper, but she also couldn't understand why it was she'd gotten so angry at Tylar in the first place. She didn't like Asdra in that manner in the first place so what was the harm in letting Tylar talk? It wasn't as if it meant anything serious, that he meant anything serious....right? She just didn't know, but she did know she owed her cousin an apology. She loved Tylar, really she did, and she understood her being concerned about her. The girl just went about it the wrong way and that was the reason they butted heads so often.

Going into a dead sprint so she could catch up, Aria started calling after her cousin, hoping it wasn't to late to repair the damage she'd done. "Tylar! Tylar wait up! I'm sorry! I don't know what's gotten into me lately!" She stopped when she reached their room where Tylar had gone. Mahogany eyes turned to the floor in guilt and obvious embarassment [to those that knew her anyways] Aria tried to make things right. "I'm sorry about the things I said, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You have every right to wonder about my life and the people in it. I should have thought about that before yelling at you I know, but you just caught me off gaurd from the moment this conversation started." She shook her head, a flash of temper sparking in her downcast eyes before she subdued it to speak again. "And don't listen to a thing Asdra says either, he doesn't matter." Well he did matter but that was something entirely different. "It was all just words from him, just hot air; and not anything you should take to heart. He had no right to but into our disagreement like that and I think he's partialy the reason it got so bad." She shook her head again. "I don't understand anything about how I've been acting lately to you, to him, to everyone! It's all just so confusing." Finally she looked up at her cousin, eyes pleading for some form of understanding. "That's no excuse for speaking to you the way I did, but it's all I can think of to say. That and I'm sorry. I'll say that as many times as it takes to get you to believe me; even though I hate saying it in the first place. Tylar you're my cousin, and we're close enough to be more like sisters. You're my best friend, the person I trust the most, and I love you like you really were my sister. So please don't stay angry at me. I promise to try and think things through more often from now on."

Asdra nearly stumbled when Aria pushed him away, and when he went to ask what that was all about he only saw a very, very angry Aria staring him down - it only took a moment, but it felt much longer - before she ran off, calling after her cousin.

Asdra stood there, not quite sure what to think. He had several things in mind - most of which made him wonder what had gotten into him - and finally decided that the best thing to do was to apologize to Aria for...whatever he did. He didn't think he had done anything wrong, of course, it was all in jest; but given what happened, he probably needed to apologize anyway.

As he caught up with them, he overheard Aria talking...was she basically giving Tylar the exact same kind of spiel he was about to give Aria?

click.

Asdra mentally called for his blue, sending images and his intent; shortly thereafter, the blue arrived, chirruped in response, and flew on towards Aria and Tylar. Asdra, in the meantime, snuck back to where he was before. He didn't feel like getting chewed out for eavesdropping.

Tylar sat on the bed, drawing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them, and a moment later Cody swooped in to land beside her, crooning worriedly. Reaching out a hand to pet him, Tylar sighed, eyes moist. "Is it really my fault, Cody?" she asked him, closing her eyes. "Am I a bad person for getting into her business? I was only curious...When will I learn to keep my nose out of other peoples' business?" Cody nuzzled her, trying to send comforting feelings to his distraught owner. "Thanks, buddy," she murmured back to him. "I guess I've really done it this time, haven't I? I haven't seen Aria get that angry before. I'm a jerk, aren't I?"

She shouldn't have tried to understand what she didn't have anything to do with. Better just to leave out of it - let Aria and Asdra figure it out by themselves. Tylar was just a snoop and a busybody, and Aria was right to be angry with her, even if Tylar personally thought she'd received way more rage than was necessary....yes, she'd beern wrong, but...but not that wrong, right? Her brain seemed to have developed two sides: one that insulted herself, showing her all the ways she was stupid and mean, and the other trying to find ways to lift the blame from her shoulders...insist that it wasn't her fault...Tylar felt trapped between the two of them, and wished they'd both just shut up.

"Tylar! Tylar wait up!

Huh? She lifted her face, opening her eyes to find Aria skidding to a halt in front of her. She hadn't expected to see her cousin around for a while - thought she'd be off with her 'snark buddy' Asdra...but she'd followed her instead. And now she was...apologizing? Not angry anymore? But Aria almost never apologized.She must really think she'd been wrong. And she actually looked embarrassed, casting her eyes to her shoes instead of looking at Tylar. Where was the angry-bear Aria now?

"I'm sorry about the things I said, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." And suddenly the apologies were spilling out of the dark-haired girl's mouth, tumbling over one another, and Aria was explaining and saying 'sorry' every other word and telling her not to take anything Asdra said to heart. Aria also said 'he didn't matter', but Tylar could sense the confusion in her voice then, and in the sentences after that....Pity made her look away from her cousin, lowering her eyelids over her startled look. Poor Aria. She wasn't like Tylar, not at all; in fact they were so very different it was amazing sometimes. Tylar flirted and dated and broke up and made up as easily as breathing...it was as natural as her dancing, to dabble and experiment. Tylar had yet to put down any strong roots simply because she was too mobile.

Aria...was the other way around. Aria didn't 'dabble', she stayed out of it. Unlike Tylar, she stayed out of the way of love and attraction, downright turned her nose up at it sometimes. Aria was perfectly content to wait and not have anything to do with it. She didn't put down roots because she appeared to be made of stone sometimes, but Tylar knew she wasn't. Just a firm tree with soft bark inside. And now that she had found someone she had feelings for, she didn't know what to make of it, because it wasn't like anything she'd experienced before. If Tylar were in such a situation, she'd be just as confused for different reasons. She'd be confused because she wasn't willing to let the boy go. But it was different for Aria.

And now she was apologizing, trying to make up. 'I'll say I'm sorry as many times as it takes to get you to believe me, even though I hate saying it in the first place.' Tylar looked back at her cousin, cracking a watery smile; boy was that the truth. Slowly, wordlessly, the dancer got up, sliding off the bed and stepping over to her cousin, who was indeed as close to her heart as a sister. And hugged her. "I believe you, Aria," she said quietly, stepping back. "It's my fault too...I shouldn't have gotten into your business. Whatever you have - or don't have - with Asdra isn't my concern. But," added the tiny girl, smiling wanly, "would it be starting the whole thing over again to ask if you tell me if anything does happen? Pretty please?"

Gossips can't be kept down for long.

Aria shook her head at her cousin's comment about it being her fault too, but she still returned the hug that was offered to her. It looked like Tylar was going to forgive her after all and that meant everything to the young woman right at this moment. "Maybe it is both our faults but I still shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I guess I'm just stressed over the whole Asdra thing. I..." Here she paused and mahogany eyes widened almost comically. "Tylar I need to go. You're right and wrong about Asdra and me and I promise I'll tell you all about our disfunction when I get back. First though, I have to apologize to Asdra too. I sort of blew him off to come after you. Once I've set things right with him, you and I should go back to my room and just talk. And just so we don't fight, Tylar please I'm begging you, don't start saying outlandish things until I give you reason to. If I say there's something between me and Asdra, there is and then you can ask about it all you want. If I say there isn't anything, please respect me enough to drop the subject, okay? That's all I'm asking." And she hoped her cousin would listen, because she hated it when they fought.