==== January 19th 2014
==== Lisette, E'sren
==== Lisette finally pushes E'sren over the edge to being pissed off.

Boardwalk
Ancient-cut stone stretches broad, smoothed by the wind and the weather and the rain to create a boisterous center of commerce. Wood overlays stone in places, patterned and pretty, to attract the eye of those traversing the strip to particular vendors. Though not the size of the tremendous markets of the North, the boardwalk's offerings show the knowledge of ageless crafters: Smith contraptions, Herder-certified animals, Starcraft maps and Weaver textiles are only some of the things that may be purchased, among the spicy scents of beach food and the contrast of bright shells and dark stones from the shoreline.

It's an absolutely beautiful day out, except for that whole sweltering humidity thing. The boardwalk is a bustle of activity and Lisette is amongst the crowds, stopping at different shops along the way. At one she picks up something to eat, just a simple spicy shishkebob on a skewer. Then she pauses at one booth selling seashell necklaces, poking around for awhile before she returns to the main path. Her feet seem to be taking her in the direction of the beach and that is where she's headed. At the end of that stone and wood boardwalk, she slips her sandals off and prepares to sink her bare feet into the sand. For today she's traded in the drab clothing of laundry caverns for something more beachy and a lot better suited to hot weather.

A day like this is just the thing for post-flight weirdness, and even if it is crowded the boardwalk is a pretty cool place to be. And maybe the people help, maybe it's like having a hangover that lasts until the afternoon and at that point you just need to be outside. Maybe that's what brings E'sren here, has him strolling slowly up the stretch, hands in his pockets. At one point he stopped to talk to someone, being the social sort that he is, and that's when he spots Lisette. She walks by behind him, catches his eye even if she doesn't see him. So when he says, "Okay now I'm stalking you," it's behind her by a little bit, and he's smiling and squinting against the sun.

Thankfully, Lisette has no post-flight weirdness to speak of! She didn't have to go running all over the weyr while her dragon chased some green with three paws. She slings her sandals over her shoulder, takes a bite out of the shishkebob and hears E'sren's voice. Her eyes roll all the way into the back of her head now and she turns around, simply lifting a questioning 'brow at him as she slowly chews on her food. He's given a once over to see if he looks any different from yesterday, but there must not be anything outwardly remarkable about him.

She turns, he gives her a cheesy grin. "Hi," he states. And yes, there really isn't anything obvious about him that screams different, but his voice might sound a little tired, like he didn't sleep that great. Still, his name was most definitely not one of those heard around the place for being involved in anything crazy after losing, while some of those other riders ended up in all kinds of interesting-to-gossip-about situations. Under her scrutiny he shifts, a little uncomfortable, and that grin starts to fade. "Are you uh… are you gonna say anything?"

True, E'sren wasn't involved in any brawls or anything the next day. Still Lisette stands there for a few long, uncomfortable seconds as she fixes him with a stare. In the meantime she'll chew on her little snack until what's in her mouth is swallowed and gone. She waves the stick in the air with one hand as she licks the grease off the tips of her fingers on the other, "Hi. What did you want me to say while I had a mouthful of food?"

"Oh. I dunno," E'sren replies, rubbing the back of his neck. Awkward. He zeroes in on the stick and gestures at it. "Those are good. I had one the other day. I was gonna get one. I thought I'd say hi. First." The fact that he's not being very awesome isn't lost on him and that shows, too, but instead of a wince he tries another grin and shrugs one shoulder. "That was weird, right? What happened? Man."

"Well, that's nice." Lisette responds, just as awkwardly. She glances around them and lifts up onto her toes before dropping down again. When that next grin comes and the shoulder shrugging, she lifts her eyebrows and purses her lips. "I suppose you could say that. But I guess surrounding confused looking girls right before their dragon goes up and pointing out all the bad ways she's dressed is normal here. I'm not a rider, I wouldn't know. Seems like a shitty strategy though." She takes another slow bite out of her meat on a stick.

"Point taken." E'sren is fair. "I know it's totally fucking weird. She… it wasn't the same thing as confused. And a lot of those guys… When you're newer at it it's harder. To be yourself. Still. And if the dragon's crazy intense it's way worse." He looks down at his shoes because they don't look back, collects his thoughts and meets her eyes again, his brow furrowed. "It sucks." Another shrug. "I'm sorry you were there. I'm sorry I was there. And it sucks that Cerise…" Sudden squint. Nope, not gonna go there. "Anyway. I've felt really bad about it so I was hoping I would see you."

"It was a mob mentality. Suddenly there were all these people." Lisette isn't a big fan of how the beginning of that flight went down. And it shows in the way she begins to fidget around, her free hand plucking on the edge of her shirt. "And she sure looked confused." She takes another bite, chews and swallows. Her gaze is fixed on some point past E'sren's shoulder, her own body tense. She doesn't do these kinds of conversations, that's clear enough. "Uh, alright. Your sad feelings or apologies or whatever are accepted." There's another wave of her stick, only one piece of meat left on it.

She isn't wrong, E'sren isn't going to argue. He just nods and listens, possibly feeling worse about it all now but hey, he came looking for her. But for whatever reason when she says that last part about apologies he grins. "I was just telling you I felt bad. You don't have to officially accept or anything. I just," gesture from him to her, "wanted you to know. And fuck it, anyway. It's one of those things you don't ever really get used to. I don't ever wanna be the guy who got used to that." There's a railing not far, he goes to lean against that and look out over the water.

"You just wanted to tell me how you felt bad? What, do I look like your mindhealer or something?" Lisette furrows her eyebrows in annoyance now, crossing her slender arms over her chest. "So don't get used to it. Seems simple enough, don't be a jerk." She sighs dramatically and looks out over at the water before ruefully eating the last piece of her stick. The trash can is literally a few feet away, but she flings the used thing over the side of the boardwalk instead. And it looks like she's ready to just leave E'sren there where he is, especially since she starts to walk away. But then she pauses and glances at him from the corner of her eye, "Was she alright?"

The look E'sren gives her is parts confused and concerned. Because she obviously doesn't get this whole social thing. It isn't until she tosses that stick and is a giant litterbug that he actually gives up on her, leading up to that he might have still been on her side. That is too much. And worse when she walks away. He stares after her, annoyed, shakes his head and makes to go fetch the stick. Her question turns him back though, that same look given, the annoyed and now incredulous one. "Oh yeah like you actually care." Add in a sort of unpleasant scoff and more head shaking as he wanders off. "Why don't you just go off and do whatever it is you do with your day."

Littering. The one act that sends him over the edge. If only she'd known all along! After all this, Lisette has the nerve to act as if she's offended by the tone he uses. "She spiked my drink. She's an okay person." And that's apparently the measuring system that she goes by, whether or not someone will put some booze into her juice at dinner time. "But alright, don't tell me. I can find out on my own. I don't need your help." There's a dismissive wave over her shoulder as she departs the boardwalk and walks down to the beach. Before she's totally out of earshot though, "I might be a bitch, but at least I'm not a wishy-washy pansy-ass." Yeah, take that. Or something.

It's right around 'on my own' that E'sren turns and gives her another kind of smile, an unkind one, and gestures the way for her, as if showing her the door. He resumes his path down to wherever her trash went, the trash she threw, pauses when he hears her last shot and calls back, "You're right, you are a bitch!" And if anyone else overheard so be it, he's too pissed off to care.

Lisette takes a sweeping bow and gives him the finger over her shoulder when she turns away.