Logs:Still Confused?
| |
|---|
| |
| RL Date: 15 March, 2013 |
| Who: Nicky, Barnabas |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Nicky wakes the beast in his lair. Confusion ensues. |
| Where: Greenhouse |
| When: Day 26, Month 3, Turn 31 (Interval 10) |
| Weather: Heavy rain in the middle of winter only means that the temperature is only a few degrees above freezing; it's more miserable for the soaking torrents. |
| Mentions: Wakizian/Mentions, Mave/Mentions, Hana/Mentions, Sabella/Mentions |
  |
| Greenhouse, High Reaches Weyr A rustic and unadorned vestibule leads in from hewn spiral steps to a refitted ledge, enclosed by limestone pillars. Sturdy wooden framework captures elongated glass panes, tilted to absorb the most light during the day. The wash of heat from within, lush and humid, persists even into the dead of winter; the air is heady with the scent of fresh-turned soil and various flora. Long, deep troughs of soil line the inner stone wall, planted with an assortment of broad, leafy tropicals - practical and decorative alike. Fruit and vegetable baskets hang from rafters, optimizing space, tempting in reach with a perpetually ripening harvest. A series of stone shelving is devoted to flourishing, aromatic herbs and new green shoots; even the softest touch releases a burst of savory scent from tender leaves. Amidst the greenery, a handful of wooden benches have been scattered, making this a temptingly warm and secluded spot to sit. Shuttered vents serve to regulate humidity and heat given off from a small hot spring recessed into an alcove at the back; a secondary pool with cooler waters siphons off to provide a constant, fresh supply for irrigation. A small potting station nearby is cluttered with watering cans and gardening tools of various uses, with a wooden bin for composting materials tucked underneath.
Nicky's left to stand in silence for a few moment, his quiet call not answered all that swiftly. A few flashes of lightning in the distance briefly illuminate the greenhouse beyond the weak light of dulled glowbaskets, and in that flash an otherwise darkened bench is brought into view. Bones, sleeping face-down with arm and leg hanging limp to the floor and face pressed into a benchseat, had only been partially roused by the call of his name. It's the thunder that finishes the job. CRACK! A sharp sound booms out across the night sky, and Bones' eyes shoot open. "Huh, what?!" Without the aide of lighting, he's almost entirely drenched in darkness, and yet the glint of dim light off of the buckles of his leather cuffs help pinpoint him as he pushes himself up to a sittting position. "Is that klah?" That's his greeting. The thunder makes Nicky jump, almost causing his precious cargo to spill, He cants his head when he hears Bones's first response, then squints through the gloom to pinpoint him. "Y-yessir." Having located him, the teen wends his way towards the gardener, staying a step or two back - perhaps waiting for an invitation to come closer? "Um... your b-ban's over now, right?" He's got an easy, crooked smile for the man, holding out one mug towards him. "I d-didn't, um, wake you, did I?" "Mmmph." Not really an answer to either of Nicky's intial questions, the beastly man adjusting to the new uncomfortable state. Consciousness sucks. No wonder he used to drink all the time. "You mighta helped on that waking thing, thunder did most of the work though." He slowly stands while rubbing at his eyes with a thumb and forefinger, and takes the half step necessary to be within arm's reach of his favorite drink. "You're awesome, kid." A thank you for the drink he took and immediately brought to his lips, about the only part of his face not concealed in crazy sleep hair. "Sorry." And Nicky does look apologetic, as he raises his klah mug in a toast to Bones. "I was up, and, um, w-working, and th-thought I'd come see if you were here, um, b-before turning in for the night. Um..." He casts a look around him, squinting through the dim light at the hanging baskets, and those plants within visible range. "It's nice in here. Very w-warm." Which means he doesn't really need the coat he's wearing, so he starts unbuttoning it. "I d-didn't really look, when I dropped your, um, th-things off." It's either the reminder of returned blades or the drink of fresh klah that has Bones smiling big. It's the warmer sort of smile without the mischevousness of his toothy grin. "I always appreciate a visit." His voice has lost some of it's harsh edge thanks to lingering sleepiness. And the fact that he's damn near whispering. "You did good work on my blades too, by the by. Y'make me wish I had more stuff to chop through." Nicky's cheeks flush with the compliment, and he smiles as he lifts his klah mug to his lips to sip from it. "I'm glad you l-liked them, sir." The teen curls both hands around his mug, holding it to his chest while looking down at the ground between the two of them. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, awkwardly silent, biting his lip when he looks up at Bones with a thoughtful glint to his eyes. "Um. S-so they, um, ch-changed our duties, because the e-eggs are nearly ready." Bones does his very best to try and focus on Nicky's talk of duties, but there's so much more for his tired brain to pick up. As if his usual blush and stutter wasn't enough, there's the additional layers of looking to the ground, biting his lip, and that awkward little shift to his feet that makes him sway back and forth. "... There's no way you're doing all this on accident, fuck!" His voice is still quiet, but now that grin is back. "You're like, pile of puppies in a down blanket cute!" "Wh-what?" Nicky looks confused; his blush deepens and he looks even more awkward at the compliment? Can he even call it that? One hand leaves the warmth of his mug to run through his tousled, damp curls, leaving them even more wild in the touch's wake. "Um... I-I just, um, c-came to see you, and, see? B-brought klah, 'c-cause it's late, and, um, I-I thought you m-might've been up, sir." Where his stutter had been somewhat compressed, the awkwardness brings it back, as Nicky looks not quite uncomfortable, but he's certainly leaning that way. It's with a soft laugh that Bones finds an apology of sorts. "Aww man, I'm makin' you all nervous ain't I? Sorry, just trust that I don't mean no harm eh?" He puts the klah back to his lips, but takes deep drinks of it more akin to how one would handle an ale. "Mmph, sweet nectar'a life." The klah serves as momentary distraction, but his focus returns to Nicky swiftly. "So you were sayin', 'bout why you chose to venture through a rainstorm in the dead'a night, just to pay old Bones a visit?" "It's o-okay," Nicky replies to the apology, looking sheepish. "I-I'm just, um, not u-used to being told th-things like that, um, 'specially not... not f-from a... a..." He can't quite bring himself to say 'from a bloke', but he gives Bones a look that's hopeful - hopeful that the words will be filled in without further prompting. And that leads him on to why he's there! "A-actually, sir, you've g-got me all.... um... all confused. W-with the c-c-compliments," double-stutter on that one! "- and the -" he mimes a smack to the butt, then drops his gaze in embarrassment. Continuing to drink at his klah as Nicky explains himself, Bones manages to keep both eyes locked onto Nicky's as the canidate does his best, in his own time, to explain his feelings. At the end, there's a soft sigh of pity from the bigger man. "You ain't confused, kid." Bones heads back to the bench he had made his bed for the last few hours of napping, and after one last drink of his klah he sets the mug down. "I mean you are, but not for the right reasons. It's the simplest thing in the world." Bones intends to illustrate, closing the gap between them once again, and attatching his hands firm to Nicky's hips in a sudden firm grip. Fight or flight or... neither, as Nicky just looks wide-eyed up at Bones when he's captured, hands gripping his klah mug at chest-level as tightly as the grasp on his hips is. His teeth are sunk deep enough into his lower lip to the point of threatening to draw blood, and his breathing is slow, but deep - as if he's carefully measuring each breath he takes. The one time his mouth opens as if he has something to say, he just can't find the words, swallows hard and flushes deeply, the colour rising from his cheeks to his ears. Bones gives Nicky time to find any words he can, but ultimately, the silence lingers long enough for Bones to find that his grip is rendering quite Nicky speechless. His hands are oversized even for the rest of his frame, and so his fingertips dig in over the very lowest portion of Nicky that you could call lower back, before just calling it ass instead. "You like this, don't you?" His voice is quiet, scanning Nicky's eyes for an answer he might not have the courage to speak. It's a genuine question, a test, and to try and squeeze out an answer he tightens the grip just that much more. Does he like it? Nicky closes his eyes and draws in a sharp breath, which puffs his chest out as he holds it for as long as he can, before it's exhaled long and slow through his nose. It clears his head, perhaps, to do so; his eyes open and he looks up at Bones, just the few inches that separate them height-wise. With his teeth still sunk into his bottom lip and his expression as uncertain as ever, he gives a tiny, tiny shake of his head. This time, he finds his tongue when he tries to speak, though it's barely a whisper that he manages. There's a hint of apology to it. "I d-don't know." "You dont know?" There's a small touch of disbeleif in his tone, paired with an eyebrow raise that makes it clear he's not entirely trusting of Nicky's claim. Bones relinquishines the tight grip and instead slides his hands a bit higher up to his waist, the hold a little gentler as if the two were to dance together. "I ain't tryin' to convince you one way or another y'know..." Bones glances down to spot where his hands are, giving a little smile in satisfaction at their new locale. "But there ain't no shame in admittin' you got a thing for both walks of life out there." The klah mug is brandished almost like a protective shield, with Nicky's grasp around it white-knuckle tight. "Y-you c-can't do this wh-where I'm from," he admits in a voice that squeaks, just slightly - a throwback to his earlier teen years. "W-Waki says it's f-fine here, but... y-you can't do this. N-not where I'm from." So perhaps it's less personal inhibitions, and more familial-enforced ones? Nicky chews on his bottom lip anxiously, before paring a hand free from his mug and tentatively reaching out to touch Bones's chest. "C-can't do it," he whispers, one more time. Glancing down at the gentle but clear touch to his chest, Bones is quick on the trigger to release Nicky in full, taking a half-step back and slipping his hands firm into his pockets. "You are confused, aren't you?" Bones half-winces at Nicky, somewhat apologetic. "I figured you came on up here to get some answers 'bout yourself. Maybe I was wrong, and you are just the kinda sweet kid who fixes on bringing up klah for strangers." The mention of his drink reminds him that he hasn't finished it, and so he gives the canidate a little space to breath by turning around to go retreive it, staying back by the bench to add to the safety. "Azaylia tells me Canidates ain't supposed to get down and dirty so close to a hatchin' anyhow, so there's no rush on anything. I was just hopin' I could maybe clear things up for you eh?" A sigh of relief as the pressure's off for Nicky, and he slumps, relaxing a little. When Bones sits, he steps forward, hovering - in the hopes of being asked to join him, perhaps. He's still got klah in his mug and he drinks from it, peeping over the rim at the gardener. When he lowers the mug once more, he draws in a breath. "I-I'm sorry. I j-just thought you might be a-awake, l-like me. I d-don't know, um, wh-what I want, a-and... there's too much to c-confuse me here." Whether he's invited to or not, Nicky sinks down onto the bench, leaving a handspan's space between the two of them. "Th-there's just e-everything h-here, and on a plate, and sh-shoved in f-front of me and... it's o-overmuch. T-too much. I w-want to Imp-press a d-dragon just s-so I d-don't have to w-worry about a-anything -- anyone -- for... h-however long." Bones stretches an arm around the back of the bench, leaning into it in relaxed fashion as he kicks out his legs and then crosses them at the ankle. "To be honest with you kiddo? I know exactly how you feel." He's slowed down his intake to just sipping at the klah now, trying to make the remainder of it last. "Before I came here? My life was reaaaal simple. I thought I had shit figured out good. Now? I'm put in this position of... worrying." He takes a short sigh as he contemplates the word, then turns to look at Nicky with a smile. "And I hate to tell you this kid, I live with a dragonrider. Havin' yourself a rideable scalemonster don't seem to make life any simpler." He ponders his words for a few seconds before adding a stipulation. "Cept for traveling." Nicky props his elbows on his knees and leans forward to rest on them as he listens to Bones, with his head canted sideways so he can watch him. "Everything was easier before I c-came here," he agrees, nodding his head. When the conversation continues though, he looks surprised - and then he groans softly, rubbing his hand over his lower face. "I didn't r-realise y-you were, um... w-weyrmated." There might be just a hint of disappointment there, as he raises his klah mug to his lips, drinks, and then leans back against the bench again. "A-and I didn't th-think that h-having a dragon would m-make things m-more complicated. I-I, um, d-don't think I thought about m-much at all, r-really." There's another rumble of thunder that's not quite as wicked as the one that roused Bones before, and he decides to pause to let it pass before speaking. It's in that pause that he has time to pick up on Nicky's misunderstanding. An annoyingly common one. "We ain't weyrmated, I just look after her." He clears one aspect of their relationship up at least. "And I'm not saying it makes things more complicated exactly. Just don't expect it to make stuff easier." The hand around the back of the bench lifts enough to give Nicky a few pats on his shoulder. "Relax kid, eventually all of the chaos just kinda quiets down when you get older. If you let it." With his misconception set straight, Nicky's lips form a little 'O' of understanding, and he nods. While he initiatially tenses under the first pat, he relaxes quick enough with his shoulders sinking and his head dropping forward a little. "The w-worst I had to w-worry about back home was, um, wh-where the herds might've been, or which g-girl my folks were going to try and h-hook me up with." He yawns, covering his mouth with his hand, then he continues. "I-I'd like to let it quiet down. Um... b-between H-Hana, and Mave, a-and Julie, and, um, a-and... um..." He waggles a finger between the two of them, suggesting whatever it was that happened between them earlier, "I d-don't have a clue." He had met Mave, but the other names were a bit vaguer. No clarification was saught out, as he just decided to go ahead and put them all into the category of girl problems. "It sounds to me like you've kind of identified precisely what your problem is." A playful smirk creeps out across his face as he pauses for effect. "You need to stop getting so hung up on sex, dude. It sounds like the only person you talk to that you don't think about bangin' is your pal Waki, and even that might get damn close to a makeout session at any time." Nicky groans in embarrassment, setting his klah mug down on the bench so he can hang his head and hide his face behind his hands. When he talks, it's muffled by his palms. "Hana's b-beautiful, a-and she's such a lady, but Mave is... Mave." Does the girl need more of an explanation than that? "I like her. I like them b-both, but Mave..." ... is a little bit more special, is where the unspoken words seem to lead. "I don't think that way about everyone. N-not any of the o-other candidates. Not r-really. Not even Sabella, and she's pretty. Or Emmy... th-though she has huge, um... boobs." The word's whispered, and he masks his laugh behind his palms, then lowers his hands a bit to peep out over his fingers. "E-everything just seems d-driven by..." A nod of his head indicates something below the waist. It's hard not to smile through Nicky's torment, the familiar woes of a teenager who's just so unsure as to who he wants because he wants damn near everyone. "Look, kid, I don't know what to tell you. You've got what, seventeen, eighteen turns on you? I can tell you to stop thinkin' bout sex, but it just ain't gonna happen." Bones stops leaning back in his seat, and instead adopts a pose similar to Nicky's, where he puts his elbows on his knees and turns his head to the side, back slumped over. "I mean it's so bad you're even thinkin' bout me like that, right?" The nudge of his shoulder into Nicky's is firm but playful. Given what happened between them earlier, it's hard for Nicky to deny that there have been thoughts of that sort. "Y-you, um, s-started it," he teases back, returning the nudge with one that's just as playful, though far softer. "N-no-one's ever, um, c-called me what you said. Or sm-smacked my, um... y'know w-without me having b-been, um, n-naughty." Blushing, he looks down at the ground between his feet, then sighs. "Waki and I were, um, t-talking... about g-guys." A hushed whisper for the word, and Nicky winces at Bones after he says it. "W-we thought that, um, i-if we --when we impress, um, w-we might... t-try it. T-to know how to, um, d-do things, i-if it h-happens -- but n-not with each other." He's quick to clear that bit up. "Called you what? Cute?" He takes a pause as to recall every title he's used in the past. "Scrumptious?" A bit of a growl is in that one, intentionally toying with Nicky. "That's the whole point of takin' a smack of your backside. To make you feel... well you found the perfect word didn't you? Naughty, ha!" He scooches in close so their hips are touching. "And honestly kiddo? That's probably why you're into me. Because you wanna have fun bein' bad. He fires up his big toothy grin now, leaning in slow towards the side Nicky's face, dangerously close in fact. Nicky's trying to look at Bones so hard without actually moving his head, that his eyes must be hurting. He stiffens up, muscles going tense with the proximity of the gardener, and his mouth opens just a fraction as he gasps in a short, short breath. Then his eyes close, his lips come back together so he can bite down on the bottom one, and he slowly, hesitantly - cautiously, even - leans sideways, presenting his red-blushed cheek for a kiss, perhaps. Bones took his time watching Nicky, waiting for another hand to push him away. This time, even with all the pretense of what can or cannot be done, there's almost a touch of eagerness in the teen. Yet the cheek he offers is abandoned in favor of something a touch more wicked. Somehow managing to tuck his bulky frame down low, the beastly male presses in a rough kisss right into the side of Nicky's neck. He pairs it with a growl, both the contact and sound quick yet intentionally ferocious. It just wouldn't be Bones otherwise. Talk about unexpected! Nicky draws in a shuddering breath, stiffening completely at the unanticipated kiss to his neck; the roughness of it, flesh on sensitive flesh, makes him forget to breath, tension running through every part of his upper body, causing tendons to strain and muscles to seize. His eyes are shut tight and he swallows hard, finally forced to take a breath by lungs gasping for air. The good news is that he hasn't pulled away. The bad? Well, he's just sitting there, clueless and confused, and... well, he's a teenaged boy living on hormones. The math speaks for itself. It's with a cruel chuckle that Bones backs away entirely, giving a few pats to Nicky's back as he sinks back into his previous pose, leaning back on the bench. "Seems to me like you enjoyed that." Matter-of-fact, but in a voice quiet enough to let Nicky sort through the last few seconds of what he had just guessed was pleasure. "Now imagine if I just kept on you like that." He can't help but grin, a little cocky. Teenagers were too easy to work up. "Still confused?" Nicky's eyes stay tightly shut, his breathing quickened, and his body tense, even after Bones has pulled away from him. He sniffs, dropping his head forward, then cracks open one eye to look at the man. Oh yes, he's still very much confused, but there's a hint of something in the look on his face that suggests something may be slotting into place, even if it is just hormones kicking in. "Yessir," he whispers croakily, though what it's in response to is left up in the air. It's in that moment that Bones realizes he'd asked two distinct questions, and his grin drops for just a second in confusion before it crops right back up. It was more than likely the answer to both. He'd let it stay ambiguous. "So as I was saying, you just gotta stop thinking about sex so much!" He slaps his palms to his knees and then pushes himself up to his feet. "Easy, right? Hehehe." He reaches a hand down towards Nicky from his new standing position, offering to help him up to his feet. "C'mon, lemme walk you home. S'becoming a damn tradition for me now to see folk home safe after they wander in here where they don't belong." Nicky takes the offer to help him get up to his feet, reaching back down to grab his klah mug. There's still a little left in it, but not for long as he upends it, draining the last dregs. If things are as easy as Bones suggests them to be then he just doesn't see it, but he gives the man a watery smile anyway - then stifles a yawn with the back of his hand. It may be a fake yawn... it may not. "You d-don't have to walk me home, sir. The r-rain's pretty miserable. I'm s-sorry if I int-truded in your greenhouse, sir." He hovers uncertainly for a moment, then stretches up to press a quick, shy kiss to the gardener's cheek, which leaves Nicky flushed red when he pulls back. "N-n-night, sir." If ever there was a time to bolt, it's now! Nicky turns on his heel, heading to the door that will take him back out into the rain-filled night. |
Comments
Wakizian (Wakizian (talk)) left a comment on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:02:52 GMT.
<
Ahahaha. I love Bones. And Nicky's too cute in this scene. Awesome scene! Much enjoyed!
Leave A Comment