Logs:Sun's Warm, Company's Pleasant
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| RL Date: 17 January, 2009 |
| Who: K'del, Phara |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Phara invites K'del out for the day. They discuss many things, including little sisters, fears, promotions, and even find time to share food and each other as the day wears on. |
| Where: Waterfall Pool, Southern Continent |
| When: Day 1, Month 10, Turn 18 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Nakasha/Mentions, N'thei/Mentions, R'uen/Mentions, T'rev/Mentions, Tiriana/Mentions, X'lar/Mentions |
| Waterfall Pool, Southern Continent The air is thick and oppressive in the jungle that clings to the hills above the flatlands, crowning the land in lush green carpeting. A river snakes across the foothills, its silvery trail cutting an edge through the trees from above. The jungle breaks abruptly where the hill sheers away into a rocky drop. The water of the river spills over the cracks in the precipice, creating a waterfall that ends twenty feet below in a deep pool. Large boulders stick out of the blue-green water, bleached a light gray where the water never touches. Leafy fronds extend out over the pool, creating shade from the sultry Southern sun. The sound of falling water cant quite block out the general sounds of the jungle. Birds call and are answered by the hum of bugs and the soft rustle of leaves. Occasionally some unseen animal moves through the trees or hoots a challenge overhead. It seems to be a popular watering hole because many footprints can be found in the soft mud on the riverbank and there is no lack of wildlife in the vicinity. Bennath sent only a cryptic message to Cadejoth. « Meet me? » and a visual. Whether this was his preference or his rider's is unclear, but the end result was the same. There was a sense that this invitation was open-ended. That K'del and Cadejoth could slip away when the time was right and be assured that they would not be too late. The visual will bring Cadejoth out over this place, and Bennath a pinnicle to lead Cadejoth down, perched as he is on a rocky outcropping overlooking the waterfall. His welcome is warm, his wings outstretching. There is room enough down below for the bronze to land if he is careful, but the sun is warmer where he is, and so he invites Cadejoth up to his vantage point if he is so inclined. The chains in Cadejoth's mind do a barrel roll - of a sort - in vague recollection, as Bennath sends his invitation. His response takes a few moments, likely while a conference takes place, though he is clearly taking in the visual with great interest. Then: « Soon. When he's done. » Impatience notes itself in his touch, the weariness of one very used to waiting, to watching time past with increasing agitation. It's perhaps an hour later, when the bronze and his rider emerge from Between above the waterfall, the former bellowing his delight, while the latter glances around in consideration. Though he seems eager to join the blue, Cadejoth circles towards the ground, giving his rider the opportunity, first, to dismount, before he soars back up to settle in upon the outcropping, greeting Bennath with a huff of warm breath. Phara is much like her dragon today, sprawled out on one of the boulders in the water soaking in the hot Southern sun in her bathing suit. She sits up when Bennath announces Cadejoth's arrival, craning her head and shielding her eyes to watch him come. She lifts her hand to wave to K'del, calling cheerfully, "Well, I promised you a trip to the south, yeah?" It's the only explaination he's likely to get from her. Bennath is more than happy to warble back to the bronze, tipping his head to look at him with one bright, jewel-like eye. As soon as he's on the ground, K'del strips off his riding jacket, and he's about to crouch to do the same to his shoes as he responds to Phara, returning her wave with one of his own, his grin pleased. "Guess you did," he agrees, beginning on his bootlace, glancing around with interest. "And it's beautiful. Meant, by the way, to respond to your note, but--" Guilty. The first boot is shucked off, the sock with it, and he begins on the other. Cadejoth, the huffing now out of his system, settles down, to peer over the edge, and further, his tail coiling and tapping behind him. Phara waves away his explaination, grinning. "Don't sweat it, silly boy. You don't owe me anything. I'm not the sort of girl who gets fussed about being forgotten, anyways. I remember being a Weyrling, tough stuff." She shakes heer hair out of her face and licks her lips. "And now that you're here, you can relax and have a little fun, yeah? The water's cool, the sun is high, there's food and wine in case you're hungry. Just.. a good day." Which is exactly what she's all about. Bennath tips his nose to indicate a brightly plumaged bird rising out of the canopy and streaking across the sky. « Pretty. » "Senior Weyrling, now," reports the young man, clearly pleased with this, though his expression is set: she may have forgiven him, but he has not. His other boot, his other sock, join the first, and, rolling the legs of his trousers up, he makes his way towards the water's edge. "Sure thing," he adds, of the rest of her words, as he steps into the water, clearly enjoying the coolness on his feet. "How're you doing, anyway? Since I saw you last." For a moment, it looks as though Cadejoth is likely to dive off the cliff and into flight, after the bird, but he stills himself. « /Very/ pretty. I have never seen such a creature before. The way it flies! » Phara chuckles and dips her head. "My mistake. /Senior/ Weyrling then. That must be exciting. Have they set a date for your graduation yet?" She reclines back on her rock, arms stretched far up over her head so that as much skin as she can manages touches the warm stone. "Oh, well enough. Made things up with my friend, the one I was having trouble with. Bennath won a flight, which isn't exactly exciting for me, but he's quite pleased so I won't steal that from him. And you, K'del?" Her head turns to observe him on the bank. Bennath supplies, « A bird, » for Cadejoth. « They eat the fruit that grows on the trees. They live together and make a great racket. » K'del wades further into the water, which sloshes against his bare legs which, despite the time of turn, still hold a decent tan. "Don't know about /exciting/, except that it means we're getting closer to being riders, you know? No, no date yet. They're still only-- ten months? So, a little while, yet. Did you? Did he?" There's satisfaction in his expression, for the former: clearly, he's glad for her, though for the latter, he remarks, "Not so exciting for you? Not fun? Good for him, though. Me? Oh, same old. Took my little sister to one of the harvest fairs, the other night." « A /bird/, » repeats Cadejoth, tasting the word, and evidently finding it quite delightful. « Do they? How strange! And they eat fruit, like K'del does? » Phara, ever on the move, sits up again, scoots until her feet can dangle in the water. "Well, soon enough, soon enough. We did!" She's especially happy about that. She shrugs off the flight though. "I have this thing about flights. To be honest, they really sort of scare me." The admission has her blushing and laughing. "How silly, right? A girl like me, afraid of that sort of thing!" She pushes off the rock, slides into the water and swims clumsily towards him. "Oh, that's sweet of you. My big brothers hardly ever do anything with me anymore. Too busy! For shame, the big fuddies." « Well, sort of. They don't have hands. Big old shnozzes though. » He shows Cadejoth the long, arching black beaks. « They just eat the fruit right off while it's still hanging on the tree. » Not possibly soon enough, says K'del's expression, but he nods. "Really am glad to hear that," he says of her making up with T'rev, but it's the next comment that really draws his interest. "Really? Mm, don't know I'd say /silly/, just maybe a bit surprising. What about them scares you - the, like, lack of control or something?" He sounds uncertain; then again, it's something that, presumably, he knows little about, in practice, as yet. "She made me promise. But I think I really upset her, anyway. So it might've been better if I hadn't. How many brothers have you got?" « Shnozzes, » repeats Cadejoth - another word to try out, and this one he seems to particularly like, because he repeats it a few times. « Shnozzes! Do they? Not very tidy, I bet, but maybe fun. Like when we eat. » And /not/ when riders do. Phara reaches him on the bank, grins at him and extends her hands. "Didn't bring your trunks, huh?" she asks, eyebrow quirking. "Uh, yeah, that. See... I like to pick who I sleep with. And... Well, don't get me wrong, girls are nice, but I wouldn't sleep with one. And some of the guys --" she closes her eyes and shudders. "No, no, I'd much rather choose who I share my body with." Her chin lifts. "Are you worried?" she asks, catching the sound in his voice. "She'll get over it. It's just how we are, little sisters. Especially at your age. I have 5! And one little sister." « Yes, like us, » Bennath agrees. « Though, not fruit. I don't care for fruit much. » "Don't tend to wear any," returns the weyrling, blithely, though whether he means because he keeps on his trousers as a general rule (his are relatively light, likely to dry quite quickly), or because he goes without altogether, he doesn't specify. He reaches out, taking her hands into his, and grins. "Fair enough," he allows, for her explanation. "No, just-- apprehensive? A little. Like to just /know/ and be done with it." Her comment about sisters seems to reassure him - he nods, firmly, eagerly. "Your family's nearly as big as mine. Kash and I were... close. Before I left. Maybe she just feels abandoned." « Nor I, » agrees Cadejoth, with distinct distaste. « I'd rather eat a good herdbeast. » Phara smirks and steps back into the water, tugging his hands to indicate he should come too. "I see." Her eyes roll up towards the sky and she considers her reply carefully. "Do you remember when you first Impressed? The moment he looked in your eyes, and everything was multiplied? Part of you was still you, but you were also him, and you could feel the way it felt to be in his body, and the heat of the sands under his feet, and just... everything you experienced you were experiencing twice, once for yourself, and once for him? It's... very similar to that." She sinks down into the water, leaning back to let it take her weight, releasing one of his hands to run the other through her hair. "Mm, my brother Olven and I, were pretty close. But you gotta remember, you went through this whole big thing she's never going to be a part of. You're not really her brother anymore, the one you were when you left. You'll never be - well, whatever your name was before you Impressed. K'del, now, rider of bronze Cadejoth. That's your identity. She's just got to get used to that, and then I'm sure things will be alright." « Oh yes, herdbeast is definitely the bee's knees, » Bennath agrees, and then turns his head to watch another bird, this one green and harder to make out against the canopy. K'del pulls his hands back with a wave of them, to indicate 'just a minute', and removes his shirt - clearly, there's no point getting /everything/ wet. Then, his hands return to Phara's, and he follows her into the water properly. "Remember," he agrees, his cheeks suddenly pink, his gaze vague, though he glances upwards, as if seeking the bronze out, even now. "Sounds wonderful, to me," he adds in, but there's another note to it; it's not like he /doesn't/ understand where the bluerider is coming from. He, too sinks into the water as she does, nodding slowly. "Guess so," he agrees. "And it was Kasadel. Just so you know. Just wish it was easier. Miss being her best friend. Figured we'd slot back in, but we didn't." Cadejoth strains, attempting to get a better look at this new bird, but it's hard, and the sun is warm, and there's so much else to look at - all new, all beautiful. Phara chuckles. "It is, in a way, if you like feeling like an overcranked wheel. I dunno how it is for anyone else, but it makes me feel like all the sex in the world won't put the longing out. Which is very, very bad when you don't win." And worse when you do, perhaps. She tickles the palm of his hand lightly and tries the name out on her tongue, "Kasadel. I was Ephara. Not much of a change, but a little bit. Quirky, but that's how Bennath is. Guess he just didn't like the E. I dunno. It's good you're close to her. My youngest brother, he's only, I dunno, twelve months older, not quite a Turn older than me. He's always hated me. I'm obliged to hate him in return. I'm sure the two of you will find your way back. Just, you know... things change." Bennath for his part just lets his head sink down against the stone, maintaining a steady hum of happiness and letting Cadejoth take it all in. K'del thinks on this, and, finally, laughs. "Guess I'm almost always longing for more sex, but probably in a different way than you mean. At least I /can/ be sated, for a while." He's teasing himself, in this, but is more serious as he adds: "Seen riders after they lose. Doesn't look like fun." The palm of his hand twitches lightly under his touch, and he grins. "Ephara. Hmm. Sort of changes the flow of it, doesn't it? Phara suits you, though. You don't think you and your brother won't make it up, as you get older?" He admits, then, after a moment, "Wish things hadn't changed. I mean, not entirely, because I like where things are with me. Just wish she'd-- wish it was different." Phara grins and parrots, "for a while," back at him and uses his hand to pull herself back towards him, and then away again, like she's dancing with him, just... in the water. "Well... he's twenty now. It's possible, but he's the kind to hold a grudge. He's gotten even more bitter since that wher turned him down. Doesn't think it's fair that V'ran and I are both riders and he can't even impress a mangled half-wit." She clucks her tongue on the roof of her mouth and nods. "Yeah, know what you mean." K'del just grins, sidestepping against the water so as to complete the illusion of a dance - heavy going, but still, strangely graceful, this music-less waltz. "I'm sixteen," he says to excuse himself, all innocense. "Maybe not just yet, then," he adds, listening to her talk about her brother. "Give it some time. So you're not the first rider in your family?" He lifts his arm, a gesture that might, in a proper dance, to a cue to twirl, and shrugs. "She's a teenager, anyway. Suppose girls have a reputation for being difficult, at that age." He probably intends that to sound bad. Probably. Phara dutifully twirls, laughing. "Age has nothing to do with it, darling. Men are just how they are. Some women, too." And she winks. "We'll see. It's no skin off my nose if he never comes around. Olven and Phaden are plenty great!" Then she shakes her head, "My oldest brother's a rider at Ista. Blue, too. Well, and my aunt, she was Searched, but she never Impressed. I probably never would have Impressed if it weren't for her, actually." She gauges how he meant that and then her face splits into a grin. "Absolutely the worst, you know. I was just a terror. Ask T'rev, he remembers." "Good!" decides K'del, beaming, as she twirls, though it does, of course, send water flying everywhere - but he doesn't seem to mind getting wet. "That means I don't suddenly have to grow up one day, and start, you know, being restrained and boring. What do your other brothers, do, then? Olven and Phaden?" His head tilts, curious, at her comment about her aunt, though the question is shown only in his expression, and not verbalised. "Don't know T'rev, or I probably would. Can imagine it, though. You're a terror, still, only that's probably not surprising: you're not twenty, yet." Yet. Phara snorts and says in disgust, "Restrained and boring is overrated. Please don't ever go that route." She reaches out to try to toussle his hair. "Well, Tegran's the youngest after me, he's a miner. And then there's Olven, he's useless. He's taking over the Hold for Pa. Phaden's next, he's a miner too. Then there's Greydan, and he's a herder.. And V'ran's the oldest. And Odaette, well, she's three, so I guess her only job is being cute." She announces brightly, "My aunt was supposed to turn me into a proper lady! Hah, lot of good that did. She's an assistant headwoman at Telgar. If I hadn't gone to live with her, I never would have gotten Searched." She pushes wet hair out of her face. "Well, you're just going to have to meet T'rev some day and ask him. I'm not nearly as bad now as I was before I Impressed. We used to do all sorts of crazy things. Still do, I reckon, but not as bad as back then. And don't expect twenty to change me none. Six months from now, I'll still be me." K'del doesn't move away, letting Phara toussle his hair as much as she likes - it's all grown back, now, curls all fully-formed. He listens with obvious interest as she talks about her family, remarking, eventually, "Only three? Big age gap, there." And then: "You? A proper lady? Can't see it, Phara. Guess it's a good thing Bennath couldn't, either." Sliding down into the water again, though he doesn't release her hand unless she pulls it away, he adds, "Guess I'll do that, then. Talk to T'rev, one day, I mean. Find out all the nitty-gritty about young-- well, /younger/ Phara." Phara nods her head, "She was a bit of a surprise for Ma, yeah. She's a good girl, Odie, cute as a button, and just like her big sister." The pride, it hurts. "Hmph, I can't either. Well, maybe a little. I'm starting to really like dresses. Doubt I'll ever settle down, but... well, children would be nice eventually. I'm prety happy in the Weyr though. Don't think I was ever meant to be a Holder. Would have run off with the Traders, eventually, if Bennath hadn't come along." She doesn't pull away, instead, she tugs on him to bring him further out into the water. "Just don't believe him if he tells you I pushed him down that hole. It was an accident." "Can imagine!" grins K'del, clearly amused by Phara's affection for her sister. "Nothing wrong with dresses. Nor kids, for that matter. Neither of those things has to have anything to do with actually settling down, though. Not as a rider, anyway." He seems to agree on the belonging in the weyr kind of idea, nodding furiously, as she tugs on him, and he obeys the motion, floating deeper into the water. "Can't imagine being settled down with one woman and a pile of kids, and a hold to run. Not," he adds, "that there would've been a hold for me to run, anyway." He fastens a dubious expression on her for the last, asking, "Should I be worried? You're not trying to just get rid of the men in your life, are you?" Phara's lips curve slowly into a smile, her voice dropping to take on an almost purring quality. "Quite the opposite. Never too many men in a girl's life." And then she grows more serious, or less serious, it's hard to tell. "Could have, me. A hold and a bunch of kids. My family's related to Bitra-" her brows furrow and her finger lifts, skipping through the air as she recites. "My mother's father's father was a younger son. He set up Blackrock, took a wife, had some kids, who.. had some kids... who... had me." Her face scrunches up. "But I'm pretty sure that puts us so far removed from the Blood that we don't even count anymore." And this seems to be a relief. She looks up and then back at him and asks with merriment in her eyes, "You up for a bit of cliff jumping?" "My kinda girl," teases K'del, eyelashes all fluttery, which is probably not something he does on purpose - it just happens. Flirting, you know. "Closer than I am," he remarks, of her lineage. "We're small holders from a ways out of Tillek, and have been for generations. Nothing blood-y about us, though that's fine by me. Felt pretty sorry for Edeline, you know? Having to marry a stranger, pretty much, so she could get her hold." Her upward glances, and then, the merriment in her eyes, draw his interest plainly, his brows raising until she explains herself, and he grins. "Reckon so. Lead the way!" Not without her wiles, Phara leans in to steal a kiss before making for the oposite side of the pool and the windy little path that looks about as helpful as the slippery rocks for climbing. "Yeah, that's pretty awful. I'd hate to have to marry /anyone/, let alone a stranger. But we do what we have to, I suppose." Out of the water, nimble toes and fingers find purchase up the tiny muddy track that has clearly been used countless times by other people trying to get to the top of the waterfall. And as if K'del would ever turn down such a thing as a kiss. He looks exceptionally pleased for it, too, and grins after Phara as he follows her through the pool and up the path. "Suppose we make our choices," he agrees. "Guess Edeline thought Tillek was worth more than her freedom. Though, I suppose, she probably wouldn't've had a choice if her father had lived, either." He's a little less nimble, but still manages to follow without too many problems, and adds, "Not sure the life of luxury is worth that, to me." Phara doesn't talk while she's climbing, needing her attention to keep from slipping and taking K'del out with her. When she reaches the top, she smirks at him and scoots over on the edge for him to stand with her. "Not sure that's even luxury. Sounds like a punishment to me." "The fancy dresses, and gourmet food, and swanky living quarters probably are," argues K'del, once he slides in to stand next to her, returning the smirk with a grin. "Though you might be right on the punishment, all the same." He looks out over the view, clearly impressed with it, and then downwards. "Used to be kind of afraid of heights. Not so much, now." Well. Not /quite/ so much: he's certainly a little stiff. Phara sniffs. "Got all that at home, and I don't gotta do any of that stuff to get it." Well, if you can call a rock hole swanky and the cooking gourmet. But it pleases her. She looks down and chuckles. "I used to be scared of the water because I couldn't swim?" she offers cheerfully. "But if you don't want to, I'm not going to force you, or even give you a hard time." K'del looks, for a moment, like he intends to argue, but he doesn't; instead, he grins. "Fair enough. /I/ could swim, from when I was a kid, but it was only a little pond. The ocean... still not completely sold on that, but it's kind of pretty to look at." He swallows, glancing down, then shakes his head. "Nah. Can do it. Jump off the cliff at the 'reaches, the one over the lake. So I can do this. At least you won't be like Tiriana, and push me off, right?" Phara nods her head. "Ocean's pretty. Siltrock's just a little hole and a mine, the pond was for the animals, not deep enough to swim in." She shrugs it away and grins. "Want to hold my hand?" she teases, but only a little. "And no, I'm not a jerk like her." "We mostly just had vines. For the grapes. Rows and rows of them - really boring." K'del makes a face, unrepentent in his feelings for the place. Teasing back, he continues, "No. I'm a /man/, and we don't need the hands of mere /girls/ to do things like jump off cliffs. No, you're not a jerk like Tiriana." He goes silent, then adds, several moments later, "Iovniath'll probably rise a few months. Presumably. Don't know whether I want Cadejoth to catch so I can piss her off, or whether I want nothing to do with it, because she'll piss /me/ off." Is he avoiding the jump? Phara grins, countering, "But what about the hands of brave women?" She holds up her hand, wiggling her fingers in front of his nose. "Ew, why would you want your... /that/ anywhere near her.. /that/." Shudder. "Honestly, I think I'd have to ask the Healer to just chop it off after that, if my bronze caught Iovniath." But then she grows serious. "Gotta think about that sort of thing, though. When you're going to hold him back or leave. Catching a gold means eggs, and he's not going to want to leave most likely. You're confined to the Weyr just as long as there's candidates." If he's avoiding, she doesn't mind. "Well, they are very nice hands," says K'del, mock-consideringly, before laughter stops him from being able to say anything else. "Trust you, to put it so very eloquently. Don't think even /that/ could make me want them to chop it off, though. Maybe just bathe a lot, for a while." His head nods, several times slowly, as she continues. "Don't imagine he's got much of a chance with greens or golds for a while, not that he's chasing them at all, yet. So it's probably not really an issue. But. Yeah. Reckon he'd go /mad/, though, even if he also wanted to stay around. He hates sitting still. But. Would /like/ him to be a father, eventually. Like I want to, too, eventually." Phara smirks and turns her hand around to crook a finger at him, beckon him closer. "I'm nothing if not eloquent," she says at her loftiest. "Oh yes, lots of baths in hot water, lots of soap." Her fingers reach for his hair again, lingering more this time. "You never know. Gotta be prepared for it. That's all I'm saying." And closer K'del will come, on that instruction, so that he stands with feet nearly meeting hers, looking down with great amusement, particularly as her fingers reach for his hair, something he clearly enjoys the sensation of. "Eloquent, and let's not forget, to the point. Mmm, /mountains/ of soap. But not as much as I reckon /she'd/ want to use, after touching me. The things a closed mind makes you miss out on." The last is said lightly, as one of his fingers traces down her arm, idly. "No, and you're probably right. Got to think about it. At least if it was Iovniath, it'd be at the Reaches, you know? X'lar came back and forth, and I got the impression all wasn't well, when Malsaeth caught Rielsath." Phara lets her hand slip down his face, cup his chin. "I won't complain about Tiriana not wanting you. It's more for me to enjoy." So presented slyly before she is nodding about X'lar. "He was in love with Leova, and then Lujayn. He's a funny one, X'lar. Nice boy, but.. a little too romantic for my tastes. I would think Malsaeth catching Rielsath would have made him happy, but it just seemed to make it worse for him. But, what do I know? My only foray into love was short-lived and painful, and I've no clue why anyone would repeatedly want to do it." K'del's hand, meanwhile, slides up Phara's arm, fingernails trailing lightly on skin, and then over her bare shoulder and down her back. "Now, now, there's plenty of me to go around," he teases, but there's a nod there, a wry grin. "But if that's the case, I won't complain, either, though, admittedly, I wasn't complaining before, anyway." There's a pause, and surprise registers itself on his face: "In love with Leova? Huh. She doesn't strike me as his type. /He's/ definitely not hers, though I have no idea what would be." His nose wrinkles for the mention of Phara's foray into love, but, again, he nods. "Nor I. Life's too short. I've got Cadejoth, and my family, and plenty of friends and lovers. Don't think I'm missing out on anything, with that." Phara lets her eyes lower, watching his hand and breathing out slowly. "More than enough," she agrees lightly. And then there's a downward draw of her eyebrows, a frown of contempt. "Yes, well, as far as I can tell, Leova doesn't have a type. As far as I can tell, she just rejects everyone. She drags these poor men into loving her and she can't even have the grace to let them go so they can move on." It doesn't sound like she's referring to X'lar anymore. Her fingers tighten on his chin, though not uncomfortably. "You're young. Who knows, you might realize you've been missing things. You want to jump, or should we climb back down?" K'del might've continued the flirtation, but the contempt he can no doubt see in Phara's expression distracts him, and his hand slides back up, so that, eventually, by the time he speaks, it can squeeze against hers. "Does she?" His tone is mild, perhaps /too/ mild, too deliberate. "Harsh, if so. Her, I mean, not your assessment, though that might be, too, I wouldn't know. Perhaps she just doesn't realise what she's doing. She's... enigmatic." As her fingers tighten, he looks at her, consideringly, eventually smiling ruefully. "Maybe. Doubt it. You might, too, for that. Going to jump, anyway." His gaze turns, considers the drop. "Funny. Not scared at all of the diving rock at the Reaches." Phara smiles at him, her face softening and backing away from the subject. "I hear that she is. I don't see it, but I've not spent much time in her company, so there you are." She taps her fingers against his lower lip. "Maybe. Doubt it," she agrees and then laughs. "Do you trust me?" "She's my /teacher/," grins K'del. "So... you know." This probably wouldn't /really/ stop him, but for now, he lets the subject drop, his gaze shifting increasingly quickly between the drop and his companion. "Trust you? Of course." Phara leans in to put her mouth near his ear, grinning. Her voice drops, pitched quieter but still enough to carry over the noise of the waterfall. "Then put your arms around me and close your eyes." Maybe she's asking for a lot. Or maybe not a lot at all. K'del hesitates for a moment, his head turning on reflex to consider the drop, as she whispers that comment. Then, finally, he nods, drawing his arms around the bluerider and holding tight. "At this rate," he tells her, taking in a deep breath, "I'm going to get a reputation for being driven off cliffs by women." But: he nods. He's ready. Phara has a moment to laugh. "Better off cliffs than over the deep end?" she teases and then slides her arms around his waist, smoothing her hand over his bare back. "One... Two... Three...Jump!" And if he's not ready, it's probably too bad for him, because Phara's toes push off the edge, her arms taking K'del with her. "Same difference," teases K'del in return, his palms pressed against her back, his arms tense in their position. He takes one, final, breath, as she counts down, and half shuts his eyes - but his feet do what they should, and help push off, so that they're falling downwards together. His eyes open again part way, and his yell is triumphant, not terrified. A scream of delight follows them down until they hit the water with a splash. This part of the pool is deep and free of rocks though the current from the waterfall will carry a person away in short order. Phara releases him and kicks for the surface, breaking through to gasp air deeply and push her wet hair out of her face. K'del's head pushes free of the water, followed by his shoulders, a short time after Phara's does, and he gasps, kicking heartily to keep himself from travelling too far on the current. "That was fun," is his conclusion, a few moments later, breath regained. He's grinning. "And really, no different from the jump at home. Figured it wouldn't be. Just... Irrational fears, you know. Thanks, Phara." Phara grins at him, and then grabs a rock and hauls herself up onto it. "You're amazing," she tells him gleefully. "It won't be so scary after too long. Just keep doing it and it'll be cake after awhile. I've been climbing cliff faces as long as I can remember, so the heighs don't really freak me out." "Am I?" But there's no escaping the fact that K'del looks pleased. He swims, head up from the water, towards another rock not far away, and rests there, holding on, for several moments before he drags himself onto it, his light trousers clinging, sodden, to his legs. "Mm, good plan. It's not so much the height... At least, it /is/, but it's more the bottom. Knowing I won't break my neck or something, falling wrong." Phara hmms and grins. "Oh, very. But I could have told you that way before that jump." She lifts her chin towards the sun, and sighs. "I wouldn't do that to you. Or myself. I know you know that, though. Fear's only so hard to deal with because it isn't rational. If it was, well, we wouldn't suffer from it." "Conveniently, you're pretty amazing yourself," K'del tells her, honestly. "Convenient, because I'm not sure if I could lower myself to hanging out with you, if you weren't, after all." He winks at her, as he says this, drawing himself into a seated position upon his rock, one elbow resting on his knee. "I know. And yeah, know that, too. Just-- seems so silly. You scared of anything?" Phara smirks. "Am I? Good to know. And I'm glad you're hanging out with me." She studies him from over on her rock, her face growing serious. "Yes. I'm afraid of never seeing the sky again. Afraid of being stuck in one place forever." "Glad you invited me," counters K'del, though his cheerful teasing fades off as her expresssion grows serious, and he leans down, hugging his knees, while she talks. He nods, before he answers, his voice suddenly much quieter. "A free spirit, that's what you are. Not that I can blame you - don't like the sound of that, either." "Yeah, I invite you and you pay me back by sitting all the way over there? Tsk, tsk." Phara nods her head. "I am. And what about you, K'del? What sort of a person are you?" Her eyebrow quirks. K'del extends his arm, a clear enough invitation, though his expression has relaxed into something playful again - he's probably at least partially teasing. "I liked the look of this rock," is what he says, and he's /definitely/ teasing, in this. "But you're right, it probably would look even nicer if you were sitting here, too." He hesitates before answering her question, mulling it over with his teeth on his lower lip, and concludes: "Ambitious. Eager to prove myself. I..." He breaks off, and then grins. "Want everyone to like me. Respect me. /Think/ about me, even when I'm not there. That's ego, isn't it?" Phara doesn't need much of an invite to get up and leap the distance over to his rock. "Just sound like a young man to me, dear," she assures him. "Maybe it's ego, but there's nothing wrong with any of those things." Once she gets to the rock, he extends his arm, to help her shift to a seated position, or just to wrap about her shoulders, whichever she chooses, presumably. "You'd be the expert," he teases, grinning at her. "Though... 'dear'? You're not /that/ much older than I am." He seems satisfied with her summation, and adds, "Hope not. Though... Get the impression people don't take me seriously, because they think I want things for the prestige, not for them, as they are. Which isn't strictly true." Phara is more than happy to lean into him, her head resting lightly against the curve between shoulder and chest. "It has nothing to do with age, and everything to do with endearments." Her neck cranes so she can smile up at him. "Things come with age and experience. You're still a weyrling. Give yourself time to prove to them what you can do and that your ideas are worth listening to. Where there's desire and talent, things happen." She looks down, twining her fingers together loosely on her knees and curling her feet around under her. "I'm sort of hoping for something similar myself. Well, a promotion. Not much better I can do. I'd like to think Ben and I are pretty good, we work hard, at least." K'del's fingers idly play with her wet hair as he listens, his lips drawing into a smile to match hers. "I'll take the complaint back then," he tells her, lightly. "My mistake." Though his nose wrinkles, impatience writ large over his features, he nods. "I know, I know. /Know/ there's no chance of advancement for ages, and that's probably fair enough. I just..." Breaking off, he grins. "Wingsecond, you think? Reckon you'd be good at that, from what I know of you." Phara is more than happy to lean into his touch, her breath brushing across his jaw as she sighs. "Ah, to be young and impatient. T'rev and R'uen both fell into Wingseconding not too long out of weyrlinghoo, and Wingleader after that. And shells, R'uen's Weyrleader now, so you never know what might happen." Her hand sneaks over to play with a wet fold in his pants near his knee. "I'd think. I don't know. T'rev... he brought it up. I thought... I dunno. I thought maybe he's thinking about promoting me. But... Well, it's silly. He was just making conversation." K'del's eyes close contentedly under the sensation of her breath against his skin, his hand lingering where it is, while the other curves about his own knee. "Bet they both Impressed older than I did," he notes, of her two examples. "L'vae, one of the Wingleaders at the Reaches, was similar. But, again: older than me. And I'm ambitious, but Weyrleader sounds... Ominous. Though couldn't be worse than N'thei, right?" One eye cracks open slightly as she plays with his pants, but it's an idle, vague kind of glance. "Maybe, maybe not. /Could/ talk to him about your ambitions, see what he thinks." Phara thinks about it for a time. "Well, R'uen was older. But T'rev was... seventeen? Don't quote me on that, though. He's three Turns older than me, and I was fifteen, so maybe he was eighteen. That sounds about right. And I was, oh, almost seventeen when I Impressed. So, there you are. You aren't that far off. A'zan, he was really old." She turns to look at him again. "Don't you think that's... forward? Like... expecting something." "Oh, really?" This news seems of definite interest to the young weyrling, though he doesn't shift, and his eyes still remain at least half-closed. It's just something in his tone. "Well. We'll see then, I guess. How old's really old?" Under the weight of her gaze, his eyes do open, allowing him to regard her easily. "Not if you phrase it right. Like... 'My goal is to be Wingsecond before I'm, say, twenty-one. What do you think I need to do to achieve that?' That way, it becomes a 'I want your help' kind of thing. Not just a hint." "Really," Phara promises. "Really old's, like, 23. He made Weyrleader pretty fast, too, A'zan did. Lot of people in my class - or, T'rev's class, since i didn't Impress, they made it pretty big, as far as the Weyr goes." She sucks her upper lip into her mouth, sinking her teeth into it. She lets go with a smacking sound and says, "Could work." "Twenty-three," repeats K'del, and then he laughs. "There're weyrlings in my class as old as that. A few older, though mostly not. Successful class," he adds, sounding more musing. "And your class, any particular success stories there?" He watches her, affectionate, as she sucks in her lip, then nudges her shoulder with his elbow. "Bet it would. Even if he doesn't have plans to promote you, couldn't hurt to know what to do in the longer term." Phara shrugs, "A'zan and R'uen were the oldest, I think. They were sort of on the peripheral of my group of friends, though. Edlyn, Carys, S'ref, T'rev, and I, were, were... you know, the thing. They all Impressed though, and I didn't. Didn't handle it well, I'm ashamed to admit. I spent a Turn wandering around and living at Ista with my brother. Finally got to missing everyone so much I came back. And my class?" She frowns. "No, not really. Virgil and I moved to Fort, but the rest of our class went else where. Well, Tiriana, you know her, I don't know if you can call Impressing a gold a success, though. Luck of the egg, really." K'del draws his lips in, and twists them, clearly in response to Phara's failure to Impress the first time, and finally nods. "Got to sting," he murmurs, not much louder than a whisper. "Sunniva - she was the one I most regretted not Impressing. And then she was searched at Ista, and didn't Impress there, either." His fingers trace lines down her neck, then back up through her hair, whisper-light. "Right. May be a success, but... No. Suppose you've not been graduated that long, though. Give it time." Phara turns slightly, hand transfering from his knee to his stomach. "Don't really want to think about that right now. It all worked out in the end. Got Bennath, he was worth the wait. Yeah, I know Sunniva. Well, I know /of/ Sunniva. She's Berit and Fiorella's little sister. Well, don't care for Berit, never really did. She stood with me as well, you know. X'den, too, but both of them Impressed at Fort, not Telgar. And I hear Sunniva's more like Ella than Berit, and Ella's a pretty alright little girl. Well, a Turn, thereabout. Guess not that long. So you're right. Plenty of time." Her fingers walk across his stomach playfully. K'del's breath intakes slightly, at the sensation of her hand on his stomach. "Guess so," he agrees, his gaze lifting to glance at the dragons, still standing sentinal far above, then returning to the bluerider. "Don't know either of the sisters. Sunni's a nice girl, though. Sweet." Again, with the intake of breath, as her fingers do their walking. Watching her, he adds, "Exactly. Plenty of time. Besides, kinda nice to have time to do this, mmm?" His fingers trace long circles down her back, over her shoulder. Phara's mouth curves into a smile, her weight shifting to put pressure on that hand, her other hand slipping down between them to rest on the rock and give her leverage to turn over onto her knees. "Sun's warm, company's pleasant. Very nice to have time for this." K'del watches Phara shift appreciatively, his hand still lightly at play on her bare skin - it helps to have long arms. "Nice change from a Reachian autumn. No doubt the same is true of Fort," he agrees. "Turns out, I quite like having the freedom to go places." Phara just laughs and gives him another gentle push, trying to get him to lay back. "You're talking about the /weather/? I'm thinking about peeling your pants off and you want to talk about the autumn." She shakes her head in amusement. "Most people enjoy freedom, K'del. We're only human." K'del can /try/ to be all grown up and unphased by such ideas, but it's a losing battle, really: he's sixteen, after all. Needless to say, between the push and the words that follows, he manages a lazy, but very self-satisfied smile, and, holds extracted to lift into the air - guilty, guilty! - he lays back. "Well," he insists, as he stretches out, smiling up into the sky, "Wouldn't be doing that, if we were back home, would you?" For her last remark, he can only nod, adding, "True enough, I suppose. Just never thought about it, til now." "Doing what, trying to get you naked?" Phara asks absently, swinging one leg over to straddle his thighs, though that's all she does for now. Like she's queen of this hill and she's more than happy to sit here and rule over it. "No doubt. Have you, you know, seen yourself? I just can't figure out why you're wasting time with me instead of someone far more dashing. Oh, right... I'm amazing." Smirk. "Plenty of time to think about it. Your whole life for it, even. Cadejoth's not going anywhere." "Not outdoors, you wouldn't," he tells her, shading his gaze with one hand so that he can look at her, and not just the glare of the sun. He looks amused for her position, and continues, "Can promise you, I'm rather less pretty, frozen." His hands reach out, to rest upon her thighs, thumbs stroking against her skin, as he adds: "You're fun. And I think you're pretty. And yes, you are amazing - smirk all you like. My whole life, hm. And thread-free. So much time! Life's good, isn't it?" Phara snorts in amusement. "You know, I might, but I'm sick like that. Better here, with nobody to see. I'm sure Fort frowns upon screwing another Weyr's Weyrlings in public... or anyone, for that matter." Her head dips down for a casual kiss. Her gaze is a little distant when she sits up again. "I liked fighting Thread, it was... exciting. But yes... life's definitely good." She smiles and her hand reaches to stroke his cheek, caressing his cheekbones and then tracing an eyebrow. "Very good, in fact." "Exhibitionism, hmm," teases K'del, after returning the kiss with dancing eyes. "Would rather not be kicked out for indecent exposure," he adds, then, grinning. "But everyone knows I'm as a randy as a-- something really randy. No one at the 'reaches would be terribly surprised, I bet. Suppose I should avoid getting that reputation at Fort." He takes in a breath, then releases it, and asks, "What was it like? Aside from exciting. Sorta wish I'd gotten the chance to know." Though his question is serious, his expression for the rest of her response, and as her hand plays atop his features, is purely satisfied. Meanwhile, one of his hands explores down the length of her leg, dipping beneath her knee, then curving around again. Phara laughs softly, huskily, her head drooping just a bit. "Nah. Nothing like that. Just... something freeing about being outside. My weyr's nice, but it's still a hole in the cliff, and I'd rather see the sky." Her fingers move on to his curls, twisting a strand of hair gently around her finger. "Bennath was just a weyrling when the comet passed out of range, so we never got to fight it for real. Resupply. But it was... exhilerating just the same, you know. You'd have to ask the older riders, if you really wanted to know." A content noise is made as his fingers explore her leg. "Hard to tell, are you trying to distract me, or am I trying to distract you?" K'del's eyes lift higher, so that he can see the sky again, and he nods. "Sky is good. Except when it's snowing, and then I'd probably rather be indoors." His arms aren't quite long enough to allow his fingers to trace all the way down to her toes, but he tries, and gets a good long way down. "Ah, no, of course. I forget how long it's been, sometimes." For her noise, and the question that follows, he just grins, eyebrows lifting in all innocence as he moves to meet her gaze again. "Bit of both? Should we give in, be distracted?" Phara laughs, "No playing in the snow for you? I'll keep that in mind." A lazy wink is dropped at him. "Give in? Mmm, I never 'give in'. But if you'd like... I'm happy to oblige." Her hand travels down to rest on his chest, joined by the other. This time when she kisses him, it's much more than casual. Eventually, Phara gets him out of those pants, and they spend awhile enjoying each other. Afterwards, Phara stretches out on the rock, looking much like the cat who caught the rat.(Or the one who spilled the cream, if we want to play with words.) "Hmmm," she sighs as her breathing returns the normal. "You do know how to make a girl's heart race." Luckily, those pants end up on another rock, and not floating downstream to be lost forever, which might not have been a good look in the long run. Not that K'del is in any way concerned for their whereabouts, afterwards, as he shifts just slightly to get more comfortable (smooth rocks are still only so comfortable, after all), and recovers his own breath. "No point doing it if it isn't a full-on workout, I always say," he tells her, content and lazy, though he probably doesn't always say it at all. Phara hums in approval and smiles. "You can work me out any time, darlin'." Her bathing suit might be with his pants, they can only hope. "Though... perhaps ... not on a rock, next time," she reflects, turning her head just so to eye the stone uunder her cheek. "Don't think I won't take you up on that," he returns, stretching out a crick in his back. "And you, too." He curves his foot about her leg, vaguely stroking it, though he's otherwise relatively still and at peace. "But. Yes. Not the most... /comfortable/ of locations. You say earlier you had food with you?" "You better," Phara says quite seriously. "And... perhaps when you're graduated. I'm not sure how... appreciated my presence would be, given my history with some of your assistant weyrlingmasters." She rolls onto her hip, propping her head up with her elbow. "Sorry about that. Wasn't thinking much." Giggle. "Hm, food? Oh, yes! Good thinking." She groans as she stretches again and sits up. "Almost a shame to get up."' K'del inclines his head, expression not so much serious as intent, lips curved into a smile. "I think they could stand to get over that," he says, of his assistant weyrlingmasters, but it comes with an easy shrug: so be it. Following her lead, he begins to pull himself up, too, grinning at her apology. "Nah, it's good. We'll stretch out again. And it was fun." He seems to agree with her assessment, though, doggedly, he pulls himself together, sliding feet towards the water with a pleased sigh. "We can lay down again, on the share. More comfortable. And less change of rolling over and floating away." Phara laughs. "Just don't want to make problems for you. You let Bennath know, though, next time you want company. We can be... discreet." The look she gives him is sort of like she doesn't think he ever truly lacks for company." She jumps into the water and wades over to get their things off the other rock before turning to shore. "Sometimes I think I'd like to just float away, you know?" She throws his pants over a tree limb to finish drying and opens her pack. "Got some bread, and some meat for sandwiches. And I stopped to pick some fruit on my way in, so there's that. Help yourself." The amount of food she pulls out could probably feed three or even four people. And there's that wine she mentioned. "Hmm.. probably a bit warm, now, but still ought to be good." "I will," promises K'del, utterly ignoring the look - he seems earnest enough. As she heads to gather up their things, he pauses to splash water over himself, then wades back to shore at a lazy pace. "Mmm," he agrees, vaguely. "Know the feeling." The amount of food just makes him laugh - "Planning to fed an army, or just confident of our need for sustenance?" - but he seems eager enough to partake, fixing himself a sandwich and then settling down upon the ground. "It'll be fine. Otherwise - just float it in the water for a bit." Phara smiles and reaches to touch his cheek again fondly. "Such a sweet young man you are," she croons teasingly. And then, eyeing the food, her eyebrows draw together. "What? I eat a lot!" Grinning, she slaps together her own sandwich and flopping down next to him. "Too lazy, don't want to get up again. Hot wine, hot sex, we'll make it a theme, huh?" Chuckling, she pops the cork and takes a sip, setting it down between them and biting into her meal. For that, K'del will bat his eyelashes madly. Sweet? Oh, without question. "And people say teenage /boys/ are bad about eating the weyr out of food," he teases, laughing, before he fills his mouth with food. "Mm, good deal," he says of the wine, clearly equally lazy - the water is all of a few steps away, but they're a few steps too many, without question. Phara mms and waves her sandwich vaguely at him. "T'rev and I could eat the Weyr clean out given the chance." She traces his ear thoughtlessly while she eats more than she should be able to, drinks, enjoys his company for the rest of the afternoon. When the sun starts getting low, she sighs and makes her goodbyes with lingering kisses and a few teasing touches. "Don't forget to write this time, hm?" she says as Bennath lands, allowing her to clip on her pack and mount up. "Hope they don't give you the chance too often! Don't want to hear of mass food shortages in the Fort region," he teases, as his fingers tangle through her hair again, and slide down shoulders, marking circles on her skin. It's a very pleasant afternoon, and he seems reluctant to make his farewells, returning her kisses with eagerness, and surely taking his own leave distractedly. "Promise," he assures her, as he swings up towards Cadejoth's neckridges. "And we'll do this again soon. Definitely." The sunset is spectacular, as they disappear *between*. |
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