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Elibrie was feeling terribly guilty, though for different reasons now than she had originally, so...perhaps that was an improvement of sorts? On some levels, she did still feel some guilt for, well, quite a few things: for being unscathed, for Impressing while her sister and Lusialu had not - while Juhvek never would, and that was almost certainly the very least of his problems - for nearly pushing Kesucianth away, for scaring him so and being such a disaster in their first hours. But she was managing all those things as best she could, keeping them sorted and acknowledged and in their proper place, where she could work through them instead of ignoring or wallowing in them.

Her other guilt was feeling that she had abandoned or neglected her friends in family in the wake of Impressing; she knew it wasn't true, that it was in large part a reality of life for a new weyrling, but she felt awful for it all the same. She'd had a chance to reunite with Oranie for a little while once she'd been allowed to the Feast, but then it had been off to bed. The days since had been filled with caring for her dragon - as they should be - and lectures and training and duties, then sleep and then waking up to do it all again. Kesucianth had made sure to update his uncle Menankith once a day, and to reach out to Oranie each evening with a warm wave of love from him and His, so that she knew they were well and that they cared.

But her first real opportunity to see and spend time with anyone outside of her class and mentors didn't come until Turn's End, and while it had only been a few days, those few days felt like forever. Though it felt strange do so, she put herself together with utmost care, donning her nicest dress and arranging her hair into a simple but elegant style, much as she would have for the Hatching Feast had things not happened as they had.

Kesucianth had gently encouraged her through the moments she paused and hesitated. Though much remained uncertain in regards to Juhvek, and there was no banishing that hurt and worry, and thus the state of her world was far from ideal, there was nothing that any of them could do for it, and she well knew it could not rule her life - no, Kesucianth had to be the priority. Still, it felt strange to play dress-up and go to a party, even if her sole interest in going was to see everyone she'd been missing...everyone she could see, at least.

Lullaby was perched on her shoulder as she entered the dining hall, while beside her Kesucianth patiently carried Moondrop and Brightstar. Snoops and Chomps had been sent to play with her aunt's flits to keep them out of trouble; Snoops would have been into everything, and Chomps' territorial tendencies had been far worse than usual of late, likely out of instinct to protect his bonded due to her tired and delicate state. Usually she could manage them well, but given everything, it was a bit much just now.

Lingering along the edges, she kept an eye out for Lusialu, hoping her friend would be in attendance.

There she was!

Elibrie perked up visibly at the sound of her friend's voice, and her whole expression lightened when she caught sight of her, tired eyes brightening. She rushed to draw Lusialu into a gentle hug, given only slight pause by how odd it felt to be curtsied to by her friend. Before Kesucianth, she might have let it stop her and make her fret, but soft and quiet though she still was, her blue had lent her a certain confidence that, now that their bond was strengthening, smoothed out many of the little everyday worries that had always so preoccuppied her.

"I'm so sorry, I've wanted to see you for days." Oh, how she had missed her friend! The love of a dragon was a balm for many things, but it did not erase the need for all other bonds. She pulled away for a moment to have a look at the other girl as Lullaby continued to croon happily at Lusialu and flits alike. "You look beautiful."

Kesucianth gave her a charming little approximation of a bow, one that wouldn't disturb too badly the flits who'd made a perch of him and were cheeping happily at their fellows.

It was only since coming to the Weyr that Elibrie had turned a little more tactile with anyone but her sister, though be Weyr standards she still remained quite reserved. But she had missed Lusialu, and it felt like it had been far longer than a few days since she'd seen her, and not only did hugging her feel right, it went some way towards soothing the hurt she was still carrying with her.

"Still I wish there'd been time somewhere." There really, truly hadn't, and she knew it, but it had felt so amiss to not see or talk to her friend at all. To be in new Barracks, with different neighbors - though obviously she was already well-acquainted with some of her classmates - was still terribly strange. Her life had been wholly upended, and though Kesucianth was well worth the changes he had brought...well, it was all a lot to process, especially all of it at once. "I've missed you so much, I really have."

When Lusialu described the new cot situation, Elibrie giggled just a bit. Perhaps she should feel bad for the new girl, but it was an adorably funny little scene to picture. "I suppose if I meet her, I'll have to apologize for having encouraged them in bad habits." Not that she was an over-feeder of treats, but she did spoil and baby flits more than some, she knew. "Chomps hates that we're somewhere new, and Snoops is just devastated that he can't just go back whenever he likes to play, but you know how he is. He'd been in someone's things in a heartbeat."

And he missed Juhvek, too, in his own little way. He'd been very fond of the man ever since 'exploring' him as a brand new little hatchling. Snoops was one of no few reminders that kept thoughts of him close; even if others avoided the topic, the thoughts were there regardless, inescapable, and they weren't necessarily unwelcome, even if they ached.

Elibrie accepted the return of her compliment with a ducked head. "I don't feel it either, I'll admit. Mostly I feel tired, but I'm glad I could make it, too." And though her aunt had offered to let her borrow something, she had balked at the idea - she was most comfortable in simpler things that kept her well-covered and didn't call attention with bold colors. "I finally get to see everyone."

Almost everyone.

But Lusialu was admiring Kesucianth, and she let it distract her, for she was indeed proud and very much in love with her blue. "Isn't he? Lusialu, this is Kesucianth. Kesucianth, this is Lusialu."

It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Miss Lusialu. The blue's mindvoice was soft and gentle, and his eyes whirled with happy colors. He seemed somewhere in the middle when it came to addressing others, neither averse nor a chatterer, but on this occasion, decorum certainly called for it. And he well remembered her from the Touching, as well - even before he'd seen her from the perspective of His' affections, he'd known she was a good young woman with a true heart. I am glad that Mine has someone like you as her friend.

Though Brightstar was content to remain on his dragon-perch, Moondrop couldn't resist! When Honeycomb whistled and Seaglass peeped, he hopped into the air to loop around the little gathering with a hopeful trill. Play?

"I know there's nothing for it, I just- I just wish some things had been different," Elibrie admitted. Obviously, chief among those wishes was that Juhvek had not been hurt, but in her perfect world, everyone she was close to would have Impressed from the same clutch, so that they'd all have been together through weyrlinghood and everything after. She knew how unlikely such a thing was, but hadn't her aunt Impressed alongside her best friends? Maybe it had been silly to hope for the same, but she had. And now she had to cope with all these trials and changes without those she trusted the most. The one, shining bright spot in her life was Kesucianth, and the one thing she would never even dream of changing. He was perfect, everything she could have wanted in a partner and more, and patiently and steadfastly holding her up through it all.

It was hard not to linger on sad thoughts and could-have-beens, but the topic of flits, at least, was a cheerful one. "Maybe some playdates would do them some good. I can't blame them for missing their friends." After all, didn't she? And she actually understood the situation, whereas for the flits, things were inexplicably different. "She'd be very lucky to have one of Honey's, I think. Brightstar's been a very good boy. Haven't you, buddy?"

The dark flit, still perched on Kesucianth, straightened up when spoken to and cheeped in response. He had modeled Lullaby's habit of speaking when spoken to, a trait Elibrie found delightful and endearing. She liked to have little 'conversations' with her firelizards, regardless of how little they actually understood of what she was saying. It was just nice to have someone she could talk to about absolutely anything, and while she now had Kesucianth she could share everything with, the practice of talking to her flits was still a comfort as well.

"I don't know how much faking I have in me, but I'll certainly try," Elibrie said with a small smile. In truth, she did do a lot of faking, and had no shortage of practice with pretending that everything was alright, that she was a model girl with no thought or feeling out of place. And she'd spent the last few days keeping up appearances as well, more often than not, as there was nothing else to be done for it. Much as she might have liked to, she couldn't just curl up with Kesucianth and wallow - they were weyrlings, with duties and responsibilities. But it did get tiring, holding everything in as she went about her days, though her bonded was holding her uo and keeping her going.

Kesucianth's eyes whirled with calm, happy colors; Lusialu seemed pleased that he'd spoken to her, and it warmed his hearts. She truly was a good girl, and he was glad that she and Elibrie had each other as friends. With a soft thrum, he offered her hand a little nuzzle.

"I'm lucky to have him," the young new bluerider remarked fondly, looking on him with love and gratitude. "I don't know what I'd do without him." She'd have had difficult choices to make, painful ones, that was for certain. She didn't think she'd ever have wanted to Stand again, but that would have meant leaving...and where would she have gone, and what would it have been like, without her sister, without her friends?

Moondrop trilled as Surprise joined him, looping in a little twirl around her as well, before flitting off across the Dining Hall - but well above head height for most of the crowd, at least. Chase??? Chase!!

"I'd love that." It was a small thing, but it was still a plan for the future, such as it was, and for something normal. The flits could play, and the more tolerant of them could be subjected to some of the motley little accessories they'd acquired or made, and they could just...be for a little while, and distract themselves from what wasn't what it should have been, or at least what they'd hoped it would be. "I'll have to ask, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. I feel like I hardly know what day it is."

Between what had happened, and all the new lessons and chores, and then another Hatching - which she had not attended - followed by another Feast and now another Feast, it was hard to keep hold of any overarching sense of time. It had been a very bizarre and exhausting series of days, and they all sort of bled together. Kesucianth, at least, was a constant, and a blessing.

The young blue crooned softly, pleased by this modest fawning-over; he was only a blue, after all, so he hardly merited the degree of fussing and adoration his larger siblings did, but this little bit of it was quite lovely and sweet. I have not yet had the pleasure, but I hope to meet my uncles properly soon. As for blues being the prettiest, well - he could hardly disagree with such a lovely young lady, as that would be impolite, but it would also be improper to tout his own color so, so he simply accepted the admiration with blue-green eyes. Perhaps one of my fellow blues will be in your future, then, though it will be a lucky dragon who calls you Theirs regardless of their color. It would have been hard not to be found of Lusialu, even if she'd not touched his egg, as dear as she was to His.

At mention of Juhvek, he felt the inevitable and familiar sadness it stirred up in his, and her returned to his side to lean against her. It was a tender subject, and while not one she wished to avoid altogether, was yet difficult to speak of. Though she'd not contradict her friend, she doubted whether the Weyr at large would be waiting, though his family connections weren't insignificant. But with this parade of celebrations one after the other, it was hard not to think that what had happened had been quite swiftly forgotten by most - and after all, in the eyes of the Weyr, injuries and even deaths on the Sands were a fact of life, significant only to those close to such incidents. Looking down at Kesucianth, she stroked his head, which he tilted just so to best receive the petting, an act that soothed her. "So am I. I'd be lost if he hadn't found me, truly."

Elibrie glanced up after Moondrop and his friend - he was well-behaved enough, and unlikely to cause anyone any trouble...unlike Snoops, who'd not have been able to leave the tables of food alone. Moondrop, however, was more interested in play, and would likely nyoom his way outside soon enough. "Faranth, I hope, not," she said as to the matter of a queue of admirers, "That sounds exhausting. No, I just want to see you and Oranie, really." Though she was only a few years younger than her aunt and had practically grown up with her, she'd changed considerably from the girl that Elibrie remembered, and in truth she found her and her brown quite intimidating, though there was no questioning that they were well-meaning. They just...were rather outside her comfort zone. "Something to drink would be lovely."

Weyrling-appropriate for her, as it went without saying. Not that Elibrie had ever had anything that wasn't.