Logs:On One Condition
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| RL Date: 20 March, 2015 |
| Who: Laine, Z'riah |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Laine kisses Z'riah in exchange for being Searched. |
| Where: Greenhouse, High Reaches Weyr |
| When: Day 22, Month 4, Turn 37 (Interval 10) |
| Weather: Raaaain |
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| That heavy, battering rain beating down on the glass greenhouse panes drums out a loud tattoo; usually so peaceful, the greenhouse rattles under the spring storm. No wonder it's so empty with all that ruckus: there's only Laine, who has claimed a wooden bench for herself and her typical pile of hidework. Also typical: she's sleeping, or at least resting her eyes, the book in her hand threatening to slide out of her lap. Z'riah was no doubt counting on the greenhouse being empty with all the noise of the rain against glass. Both him and the guy his arms are wrapped around, the guy who's kissing him right up until he notices they aren't alone and panics. "Hey, wait!" All of a sudden there's no making out because the younger man, an apprentice who probably even recognized the sleepy tanner, is fleeing the scene, leaving the greenrider to make a frustrated sound as he turns to see just who scared off his toy. Laine starts awake with a snort and a "Whaa-?" sometime after the kissing but before the younger man has made his dash for freedom--probably somewhere around the hey, wait!. That book tumbles onto a puddle on the flagstone floor and Laine scrabbles for it (before it soaks up too much water) while Z'riah turns around. She's busily dabbing at damp pages with her sleeve when she glances up and her eyes settle on Z'riah. "Oh. It's you. That wasn't Brendyn, was it?" "Brendyn?" Z'riah repeats the name like he definitely doesn't recognize it. But then, "I never asked what his name was." Why would he do something like that? He glances off in the direction that the apprenticed flew the scene and sighs. Then his bright blue eyes are on Laine and he needs to know, "And what do you mean, 'Oh, it's me?' What's wrong with me?" He's coming closer now, sorry Laine. The apprentices chuckles, closing the book and pressing it between her splayed hands. "Definitely Brendyn." Probably. She really only saw the back of his head. Laine tosses that book aside (not so casually that it falls off the bench, mind) and grins. "Nothing's wrong with you! It was, like, oh. It's you! Not a, oh, it's you." The latter has a tone of animosity, while the former is more or less amicable. "Sorry I ruined your make-out session. But you can do better than Brendyn." If it even was Brendyn. He's unconvinced, but Z'riah isn't exactly the sort to hold a grudge, so he doesn't linger on it. Life's too short for that shit. "No worries. Anyway, it's not really about doing better or worse. Just doing... someone." He pauses. He might not have meant it the way it came out. Or maybe he did. "You don't want to make you, do you?" Is Laine better then Brendyn? Laine sucks her teeth with a funny expression, visibly considering Z'riah's offer with an up-and-down sweep of his body, but ultimately wags her head. Nope. "You can do better than me, probably." At least she doesn't call him old again. "Want me to go try to find someone for you to make out with? I can clear out. Didn't realize this was Ultimate Make-Out Central." "But you're here." Which clearly counts for something. But Z'riah doesn't seem terribly put off so he must not have been holding much hope out on her being agreeable anyway. "I can find my own people to make out with, thanks." No problems in that department. "Rain is boring. At least it was warmer rain back home. I'd probably freeze to death if I had to do anything in it today." Never mind that it's almost fifty degrees still. "Sure," Laine shrugs with a self-deprecating quasi-grin, "But I'm studying by myself in Ultimate Make-Out Central, which makes me a big nerdy loser." And no one makes out with big nerdy losers. Laine scratches her chin as she glances up at that pummelling rain. "It's better than snow. And it's got, I dunno, ambiance." Still tipping her head back, she asks, "Where's home?" The greenrider moves to settle into a space on the bench, evidently planning on staying for a little while longer. "Well, I guess we can be big nerdy losers together now. Never crafted, though, so I don't know if I can count as a nerd." Just a loser. "Monaco," is home. "And I sharding miss it on days like this." Because Z'riah can't just, you know, pop between and visit. His gaze turns to the glass, out toward the bowl. "You're from Nabol, right? You don't just have bad friends there?" When Z'riah looks like he's about to sit, Laine makes a token effort at clearing up her messy stack of notes and books. It leaves enough space, at least, that he doesn't need to sit on anything important. She grins, sidelong, at the man. She offers: "You can be a nerd about anything. You can be a--a knitting nerd or a reading nerd or a make-out nerd." 'Cause that's totally a thing. For home, Laine purses her lips. "Yeah. Cothold outside Esvay Hold. Orchards." "A make-out nerd. I like it. We'll go with that. Except it's pretty hard studying making out by yourself." He won't, however, point out what else he could be a nerd about that would be a lot easier to do alone. Z'riah must want to actually talk to the apprentice for more than a few more minutes. "You like it there? I've never lived in a hold. Was it weird to come here? Are you completely corrupted yet?" There's a glint in Laine's eye when she looks over at Z'riah that suggests she might have some ideas on luring unsuspecting victims into being unwitting, ahem, study partner. But she leaves that for another time. Instead, she answers, first with a thoughtful grunt. Then, using her words: "Guess so. Been at the crafthall, mostly, since I was thirteen. Here for a year, now." She studies her hands. "I feel... the same, mostly." Which isn't to say she wasn't corrupted when she got here. "I've been here about that," says Z'riah, looking, for just a moment, like he's not sure how he feels about it. "Even I didn't feel the same when I got here." Here being 'away from home', most likely. "Anyway," blahblahblah, enough about feelings, "Yizi has been going on and on about asking you to stand for the damned eggs. It's getting kind of annoying. So, do you want to? Or is this..." he gestures at all her stuff, "more your speed?" It's like a... Same-but-different. I'm still me." Laine clarifies (maybe), but she doesn't look very certain as she says it, and her cheeks flush. Embarrassment? Laine would rather latch onto this next subject, but, but this next thing Z'riah says is scary and big and Laine just stares at him. Once she collects her open jaw, she manages: "This stuff sucks." It's... almost a yes! "Why are you even... whatever you are, if you think it sucks? You shouldn't be throwing your life away on something you don't love." Z'riah is an expert on this subject, wanton hedonist that he is. He throws away his life on awesome stuff. "Does that mean you're in? I don't have any knots on me, but we can get you all squared away." Pushy bastard, isn't he? "On one condition." He gives Laine a very serious look. "Lots of people are doing things they don't love," Laine says, and it's with a distracted flick of her fingers that seems to indicate that she's come to terms with it. "I get to do what I want in my free time. I have hobbies," and she almost sound defensive, but that cloudy expression clears into a crooked smile. She nods, listening. Go on. Still serious, he tilts his head just so and taps the cheek closest to her with one finger. "I need a kiss. Right here. Just one." Z'riah is easy to please. Also completely taking advantage of the situation. He waits, but moves his finger out of the way. There's not even a hesitation: Laine sits forward and plants a kiss on Z'riah's cheek. It's not even sloppy or wet or anything. She sits back, running a hand over the back of her neck, and laughs, "I bet you make all the candidates do that. Total abuse of power." It has Z'riah grinning, quite pleased that he's gotten something pleasant out of said abuse. "It sounds kind of hot when you say it like that," he points out. "But I suppose I should hold up my end of the bargain. You don't have to do it right away or anything," given all her crafter stuff laying around. "In case you need to talk to a journeyman or something? But the Headwoman will be expecting you to pick up your knot if you don't change your mind." "Ugh, gross." But Laine's laughing as she says it, leaning back now and supporting her neck with her hands, elbows splayed wide. She's in no rush to go anywhere. "I probably will. Have to talk to someone. And if I do? Change my mind? Just... don't pick up the knot?" She considers. "Though. I went to all that trouble." With the kiss and all. Hard work. "It's no big deal if you change your mind. No one wants to force you to stand or anything. But if you make it through without a dragon, you basically just go back to your life as usual with the experience under your belt." Z'riah doesn't make this sound like a bad thing. Just a thing. "But you definitely should do it to make having to kiss me worth it. Just wait until you want to kiss me and then I won't let you." Laine wrinkles her nose in thought. "Okay." She says it confidently; Z'riah's convinced her. Graciously, she even offers: "I didn't have to kiss you. I did it by choice." As for ever wanting to kiss him, willingly? Laine just eyes him, sidelong. Chuckles. "Thanks." "And I appreciate it. Do you know how hard it is for guys my age to get cute young women to kiss them?" Not that hard, actually, but he won't say that out loud. Z'riah starts to shift back up to his feet, though, saying, "Anytime. If you ever need a pep talk, let me know." This is apparently his parting commentary, since he's already turning toward the way he came in. It's probably time to go find Brendyn! |
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Comments
K'zin (00:16, 21 March 2015 (EDT)) said...
<3
Edyis (03:51, 21 March 2015 (EDT)) said...
Bribery works every time.
Alida (02:35, 22 March 2015 (EDT)) said...
Reaches: home of corruption of youth. ;)
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