The Walk (Salina)

[Xinnai]

It felt as if her system might go haywire. She shuddered with another little gasp, pale neck arcuating to allow him access, feeling sensitive little shivers shoot down her body from her ear, where lips were seductively tearing down her defensive walls.

Fingers were making much more headway. Salina emitted a little sound of her bliss, feeling the fabric of the gown she wore pulled tighter by those oh so clever digits. She was relishing in the feel of his chest rising and falling rapidly against her own, knowing she had caused this. The rueful feelings that spiked were stronger than ever before-she could only be glad that he kept them close, at least for now.

"You'll wake her?" She laughed, tone tinged slightly with the regret that welled once they were free of one another and limbs and lips were their own. "I think it more likely my own contrary emotions would." Another laugh, as she reached out, bold enough to take his fingers this time. She wouldn't allow that much room to push them aside. "I suppose we should walk then." But she waited for him to start.

[Omnia Munda]

J'fel grinned. Yes, he thought, I'll wake her. With my fingers. He could still feel the sleekness of her gown's fabric, even as his hand met hers. He could still feel the tremble of her against him, sense the tension of her desire in her spine and in her breath. He had to set these things aside and focus on the cool night air in his lungs to be able to take the first step.

"Your contrary emotions." After the first step, the second came more easily. He had a longing not just to haul the weyrling off to that bench and strip her down there, but a simpler one to merely adjust his trousers. On account of his pride, he fought both and just walked, watching her from the corners of his eyes. "Contrary to what?"

[Xinnai]

She followed after him, feeling loathe to tear herself away from this magic spot. But with each step, she felt that emotion tampered down, stepped upon, to rear up later. She linked his fingers with his more firmly, legs matching his as they began their small journey once more.

"Contrary to how I've been ordered to behave." She laughed softly. They'd have another act of rebellion later, of that she was sure. For now, she was content to walk once more, no matter how much she wanted his taste, wanted to plunge her hands into his hair and hold him tight. "It was such a simple little rule at the beginning but now...Now I'm finding it trying." She sent him a look, one full of all her remembered emotions from their brief detour and sighed. "Very trying indeed."

She hadn't thought it'd be difficult to keep the imposed vow of abstinence. It hadn't been before, so why would she ever have thought it would have been after she impressed? But it was. Shards, but it was.

[Omnia Munda]

J'fel smirked, and this time he let her see the smirk on his profile. His eyes twinkled, too; let her be well aware that all the pleasure he was taking, he was taking in her.

"It's not the rule I'm inclined to obey," he purred, turning his head just a little bit away to be coy. His thumb again stroked the side of her hand as they walked, his fingers wound with hers; now, however, the tracing caresses his thumb made were reminiscent of other, less decent touches made much the same way. "It's the comfort of your queen."

That these statements made him sound like a rule-disrespecting cur in the beginning and like a perfectly upright, loyal dragonman in the end was appropriate enough. J'fel was not quite either thing; the truth lay somewhere in between.

The young weyrleader smiled more broadly yet and turned his eyes back toward Salina. "When she's ready," he added, voice serious despite the happy shape of his mouth, "we'll celebrate, you and I."

It was a private promise. They were leaving the herb garden slowly behind; its scents clung to them and to the ever cooling breezes, a reminder.

[Xinnai]

The contradictions were not lost on the young rider. She laughed enchantingly, rather charmed by this. So they coud break rules...but he'd always be looking out for Deoneth, was it? With a mental shrug, she decided that was fine, just fine.

What wasn't fine was the way his caresses, his eyes and looks were making cravings rise, the insatiable and irrational need that she should not be having. They rose despite her intentions, making fluttering motions at that promise.

She glanced over toward him, gray eyes full of humor and darker thoughts, her chin tilted to an angle as her smile curled lascivious about her lips. "We shall, I think," was her return. She inhaled deeply then, detecting the slight tinge of herbs that clung about them like a sweet perfume, at complete odds with both of their thoughts, Salina would reckon.

[Omnia Munda]

With Salina's words, J'fel had of her everything that he wanted that she could give - for now. He was deeply content to walk in silence, his hand linked with hers, his blood thrilled to the knowledge that she desired him. He resolved to make sure she continued to desire him until Deoneth was more likely to be pleased than distressed by the actions they'd take on account of that desire. It would be unfitting to visit her too often... but he could visit the weyrlings whenever he liked.

It would build him up as a weyrleader, too, if he saw to it that these young riders saw him as a leader early on. Never had J'fel been more content with his choice of I'dalyn than he was now: he was quite sure the brownrider wouldn't bar him from the barracks, nor from instruction if he took a mind to 'help.'

So he strolled along beside Salina, thinking these things quite slowly while other, more distracting thoughts - the shape of her body, the little gasps he'd elicited earlier - threaded through his mind. It was not until they were within sight of the glow of the barracks entrance that he realized how long he'd been quiet, and looked over at the weyrling that was the source of his absent-minded delight.

He grinned at her in the dark, slowing his pace. "Your presence," he murmured, almost under his breath out of respect for the little chance they could be overheard, "is a pleasure, weyrwoman."

However lustful the young man's grin and the words themselves might have been, there was a formality about the title that signaled their dalliance at an end - for now.

[Xinnai]

They'd descended into a silence, one that seemed to suite. It wasn't uncomfortable. For that, Salina was very grateful. It would have put quite a damper on things if their pleasurable excursion was to be marred by an awkward wake of silence they felt had to be filled with the whispers of meaningless words and grasping phrases.

Instead, they were just walking, right as rain. Salina looked him over, feeling a twinge of subtle awe rise. He was quite beautiful for a man. The dark curls, the laughing eyes, the way he could twist such delicious tasting lips into a variety of movements. And then hands, soft and yet hard as they took, as they stroked. Oh yes. He was a fine man indeed.

It surprised her to find that the warmer light of the glows was ahead. Surprised and saddened her. Their jaunt was coming to its end though. She turned at his words, feeling another stab of lament at the import of words. They had slipped back into titles once more then. The goldrider nodded and swept J'fel a graceful curtsy, hand still in his possession. "Yours was a most welcome one as well, my dear weyrleader." Words double-edged, she fought the smile from her face that hinted at such a secret for any who could be near.

[Omnia Munda]

J'fel turned to face the new weyrwoman, keeping a polite distance between them. He admired her curtsy with a lopsided smirk and answered it with only a deep nod of his head, the shadow of a bow from a boy who was no Lord.

That space between them was ample enough, however, that he could raise her hand in his, a courtly gesture enough. For a moment it seemed he'd kiss her fingers, but such a display would have been too visual, too remarkable. He only paused, then released her hand and stood back a step, smiling still.

"Dream sweet," he said, voice mellow and dropped for her benefit. "Tomorrow the work begins."

It was an appropriate thing to say, and he trusted that she knew that was why he said it. J'fel winked, then turned to start the walk back to the living cavern and the celebration it contained.

[Xinnai]

It was drawing to a close, this beautiful night and all the moments that had come with it. Salina rose as lips made to brush fingers and refrained. She had hoped there'd be another stolen time, more unspoken wants, but knew that the bronzer played a good game. Of course he'd leave her hanging, with that desperate craving for more.

The weyrling took another step back to separate them both, golden head nodding, the sheen of the subtle glows illuminating her, making a halo about her pale face. She watched the retreating back for a moment before she herself turned and slipped into the weyrling barracks, alone but holding a quiet, glowing joy. What a night.