A Cure for the Wild Animal (Althesia)

[anhydrous]

Althesia welcomed the arm, her hand tracing the veins on the back of his hand while he searched for his questions. J'rad had a broad palm, and she turned it over to trace the lines along the inside of it to keep her mind from wandering. She didn't want to think. Right now, sitting here, she was afraid of what she might discover about herself.

Instead of lending her consciousness to something that might eventually be of use, her rough fingers ran lightly across the skin of his hand, the contours committed to memory while she stuck the index finger of her uninvolved hand into her mouth to bite at the cuticle. It was a dirty habit, one that she relied on often when nervous.

When J'rad finally offered words that weren't stalls for time, Althesia found herself tasting blood. She withdrew her finger, pressing it against her thigh to get it to scab while she considered her answer and the fact that he had actually remembered her words. She had said them in a rare self-conscious moment, and it was almost embarassing.

Was he just another man on her list? "You won't be," she said tersely, just as quickly correcting herself, "You aren't." Her correction was was much softer than her first thought, tender and reassuring. She didn't exactly know where these emotions were stemming from, but she didn't want to keep them to herself. "You're different."

Perhaps that had meant to be comforting, but it probably caused more questions than it answered.

With a slight laugh she stopped tracing his hand, anxiety gone now that the question was out of the way. "I would have been gone before you woke up," she said simply, admitting not only her usual ways, but by comparison something much more important. "And you wouldn't have woken up with pants on." That might have been delivered with a scoff, but it was hard to tell exactly.

"Men pride themselves on self control, but very few of them actually have any." If Althesia had truly wanted to bed J'rad, she would have. There was no question in her mind about it, and perhaps that was what she had meant by her very general previous statement. It was hard to tell, really, her head cradled against his chest as she attempted to open a few locked doors of her own.

[dragon]

He seemed a bit confused at her first answer. What did she mean by he wouldn't be? Though he was quickly reassured with her next answer, though lingering thoughts of doubt. But J'rad did have to expect the worst so as not to be caught off guard.

"I suppose you're right. I assume the first day we met, when you were sneaking away from the dragonriders' weyrs, you were leaving a man in such a position", J'rad seemed to reassure himself with these words. He did, however, look down at his pants. He still had a belt on and everything. If they had truely done something, he wouldn't have bothered putting pants back on in his sate, much less a belt. Speaking of the belt, he found it confining and uncomfortable in bed. He unbuckled it and slowly slipped it from his waist and cast it aside, to the floor before the foot of the bed. He then looked back at Althesia, making sure to explain his intentions, "It was uncomfortable". His statement was simple and honest but he wanted to be sure she didn't get the wrong idea.

He simply leaned back and shifted a bit, happy with this new found comfort. He then began tracing his finger along the side of Althesia's bare arm. "A couple more questions", J'rad said, breaking the silence. "Are you intending to change as well? And do you plan on seeing your usual number of men?", J'rad was straightforward and cutting to the chase. He really didn't expect this of Althesia. He knew better than to ask her to drop everything for him. After all, his first and true love would always be Arcaith and he was certain to participate in a gold's flight. He felt it really wouldn't be fair to her. But then again, J'rad could still selfishly hope.

The important thing right now was that he would be different to her. This was first and foremost and why he asked such a question first. As she would find an answer to these questions, he couldn't help but steal a glance or two at what flesh was exposed. "Certainly aren't modest, are we", J'rad couldn't help but comment, an amused tone in his voice that didn't often visit him.

[anhydrous]

The harper nodded at his speculation, thoughts meandering in that man's direction only briefly. She couldn't remember his name, she couldn't even remember what color dragon he rode. That was saying something, considering that the sizable beast had been what had woken her. Too much wine between then and now, she supposed.

Whatever inklings of seriousness Althesia had been mustering were cast aside with J'rad's belt, letting the full tones of her laughter fill his quarters even as he clarified the action in his usual reasonable tone. She couldn't help but be delighted, that simple action paired with the light brush of his fingers across her skin delicious. It was a scientific fact that men possessed fewer nerve-endings than women, literally tough-skinned just as nature intended. Time again Althesia found herself marveling in J'rad's understanding of gentleness, his sensitivity to the issue nonwithstanding.

"Do you expect me to change?" She asked between giggles. Her tone didn't exactly suggest that she wouldn't, but she clarified anyway. "I don't know that I would be able to help myself," she admitted. "Sex appeals to me, and while I guess I could technically handle such desires on my own," here she winked, "It is more fun with someone else." What she didn't mention was that at the moment, Althesia had no need to bed anyone else. There was only one man that she had a particular want of, and he was currently spending his time staring at her nipples.

Throwing back the covers and lounging one one side so that he might have a better view, the words that escaped her were irreverently bored. "Modesty is an effort in futility. We are born naked." She draped an arm over her waist, elbow tucked out of sight behind her and fingers curling near her navel. "Plus," and she said this like it was a secret, dropping her voice to a whisper, "I'm mostly naked most of the time anyway." Her clever smile was almost pretty, bright eyes surprisingly warm.

[dragon]

J'rad simply gave his usual questioning look, a raised eyebrow. What would the woman find so funny in merely taking off his belt? He wasn't intending to expose himself so completely as she would. He already considered that giving in to her fully would simply make him any other man and she'd be just as quick minded to leave him as well when he did. Still, these images weren't going to leave his head.

"No, I suppose not. I'm a bronzerider after all. I'm meant to chase the golds", he spoke up, then added with a mutter, "And greens sometimes". Arcaith had caught a green or two in the turns they'd been together. J'rad wasn't overly pleased. A gold, however, was a much rarer catch. Had he caught one before? Not one that made him weyrleader, surely. "However, I can be a selfish man", he spoke yet again. Perhaps his tone implied that dragonflights were simply business. After all, J'rad was a hardened man and Althesia was the first human he accepted in such a manner. Still, he couldn't help but feel...something. Perhaps he'd find confidence in that she said he wouldn't be like any other man. If nothing else, this made him top of her list. Right? Though why would he want to think such a thing?

Thoughts trailed off, however, as he got better view of her womanly features. "Is that a fact?", he asked, amusement clearly in his tone. Perhaps it hinted of something more...or less, depending on the perspective. His hand that caressed her arm now fell a bit to her side, just grazing the outer curve of one of her breasts as he ran his hand back and forth. She was certainly soft, he did like that. J'rad also didn't seem to be a stranger to affection, as if he only waited for the right person to break past his outer layer to show this side of him.

"That is all of my questions, for now anyway. I'm satisfied from their answers", he finally said, still caressing her and staring at where his hand was going to be honest. Not the nicely rounded area itself, but he did catch glimpses of it as his hand made it's route in the same pattern.

[anhydrous]

Althesia quirked an eyebrow at the mention of chasing greens, biting her lip to keep from laughing. She knew little of flightlust, but picturing her stern bronzer in the arms of another man was still amusing. Something dark flared within her when those men turned into women in her mind's eye, and Althesia turned her narrowing possessive frown up towards J'rad. Of course, his attention was still elsewhere.

"There is a simple way to keep me out of the arms of others," She said bluntly, clearly ignoring his attempt to close the subject. Whatever coyness marked those words could very well be attributed to his tentative touch, and she slid closer without hesitation. For an uninterested man, he certainly did have wandering hands.

Althesia's breath caught in her throat quite suddenly, his fingertips finding just the spot to procure such a result. "But don't tease me," she said, suddenly encircling his wrist with her much smaller hand. It would serve to catch his eye, and there was nothing joking in her scolding stare. "I won't take kindly to it if you're just going to stop before I get to have any real fun." Clearly last night's memories were coherent enough to enforce that fact that her bronzer wasn't known for his followthrough.

The harper resisted the urge to loose his hand so that she could bite one of her nails, thoughts suddenly turned inward. Was she going to change? The thought of J'rad tangled with another woman worried her, but the thought of the young wyerleader worried her even more. His commission would take months. While J'rad hadn't said that she couldn't, something in the way that he had mentioned jealousy made her think that she probably shouldn't.

Delving deeper, Althesia asked herself another question. After she left J'rad's weyr, would she want to?

[dragon]

J'rad listened, wondering just what it was that would keep her out of the arms of others. Still, his wondering was put to a halt as she seemed to like just where he had touched. Ah, a sweet spot it seemed. J'rad would take mental note of that. Still, she didn't seemed to be all that pleased with his bold touch. J'rad had to ask the obvious question playing his mind, "Would that real fun be sex?"

His tone didn't give away that he was against the idea, though it didn't sound positively in the other way either. J'rad had to wonder if he really was against the idea now. No man could simply go forever with a naked woman in his bed with a policy of look but don't touch. Could they? Even J'rad would have his limits, as thoughts of her walking about his weyr as she did earlier seemed to race through his head. How very pleasing those thoughts were.

Though, perhaps if she answered rightly he might be willing to indulge. But he had to wonder. Would there be consequences? Sure, there was such when he was a weyrling. Which he may or may not have ignored to some degree. But this was different. He questioned whether he would lose her over such an endevour. So he had to speak up, "If i endulge, I may just become like any other man to you. That wouldn't satisfy me". He was honest in his answer, and though it probably should have sounded more heartfelt, full of regret, or something, it simply held honesty of thought. He still wasn't willing to accept any other place. So stubborn, so proud, but something more.

[anhydrous]

It was never much fun when everything must be spelled out. Had her head not still been reeling from her bronzer's last touch, she might have been more annoyed. "The fun is knowing that you won't walk away unsatisfied," she answered tritely, dropping J'rad's hand with the slightest of frowns. Maybe she was simply answering his question, but there was also the chance that she was trying to imply something. Althesia knew that a proud man like J'rad would never allow such an accusation to stand unchallenged.

Or maybe she didn't. He had certainly surprised her so far, and continued to do so with his next words. "Indulge?" She repeated, frown deepening. "That makes me sound like a tart." That was all the words she allowed him, ignoring his worries and her own by giving them both something else to think about instead. She had already assured him that he would be no meager bedmate. If he would not put the value in her words that he did in his own, it could not be helped. J'rad's self-control might be strong, but Althesia desire to get what she wanted far outweighed it.

Expertly straddling her bronzer, the woman tilted her chin to one side and smiled cunningly before silencing him with a kiss. Her lips held none of the tender innocence they had garnered the night before, urgent rather than careful. She didn't want to be safe. Safe meant leaving without giving him a chance to wake up and find her there. Althesia wanted something else entirely, and probably expected another dinner whenever they were finished.

[dragon]

"But isn't a tart sweet?", J'rad asked, though the gruff of his voice and the awkwardness of it might have killed the fact it was an attempted compliment. Still, it was worth a shot from a man who was so stern and irritated with the world.

He wondered if it was wise to speak his mind. Though if it was or wasn't wouldn't deterr him from doing it. J'rad was a straightforward man and he answered in honesty, albeit with the sharpest or bluntest of tones, like a sword and shield. Still, he was quite surprised that Althesia's naked form was now straddling him and demanding such passion. Well, who was he to deny? She had assured him, right? So the fault was her own if she dared betrayed his trust and to be honest, trust was fragile with J'rad. Perhaps one of the rare few things that were.

He kissed back, his tongue searching for hers. It found her upper lip, which he did lick. But then there was her teeth, perhaps this kissing business wasn't completely up J'rad's alley. Finally his tongue would find it's way past the barriers and touch her tongue, wanting to tangle with it. His hands found her lower waist and clung to those curvey sides, daring to venture further downward. The solid man even made a sound that was a grunt of pleasure as their lips were locked and hands were wondering.

Too late now. He would indulge, and see just where this would lead to and the results. His back had arched, seeming to have a mind of it's own, when the kiss first started. But now, it was beginning to relax and he fell back down to the bed, engulfing himself in the pillows and blankets and what not. As he did this, he presses Althesia down with him, hoping she would lay on him, flesh against flesh. Well, some with more flesh than others.

[anhydrous]

Satisfied that he hadn't resisted, Althesia decided to make J'rad's obedience worth remembering. She obligingly followed him down into the furs, any sound of appreciation that he made met with an equally enthusiastic one from her. Althesia was no greedy lover. Each doting arch of her body was more for his sake than hers, hands knotted at the back of his neck while their tongues fought for dominance. The harper was a seasoned contender, skillfully implementing an artful scrape of teeth against lips to remind him whose idea this had been.

After much lip-locked debauchery, Althesia's hands spread over her bronzer's broad shoulders and her mouth met his neck. "Why are you still wearing pants?" She demanded, breath hot and hungry at his earlobe. As far as the harper was concerned, J'rad's body was as much for her as it was for him, and she intended to make good use of it.

[fade out. again. x.x]

[dragon]

J'rad found himself laying atop Althesia, staring down at the more dominant features of the woman. As he gazed at her for a moment, he considered some things. The deed had been done, so now where would they go from here? He supposed only time would tell.

Still, hands wandered over her body, exploring her as if it were the first time. "Not that this hasn't been fun, but I do have duties to attend to soon", he spoke up to her, letting her know that he did infact have a previous commitment since he bonded with Arcaith. He slowly removed himself from the dominating position he was in to search for his pants that had gotten lost beneath the layers of furs. He found them quickly and removed himself from the bed to put them on.

"Will you be here this evening?", he asked her as he fastened them, hoping and expecting the answer to be yes. But rather than wait patiently for an answer, he went to find his shirt that went missing from the previous night. Well, there was the belt he slung off. He allowed it to rest across the waist without buckling it.

He went a bit further to find his shirt on one of the chairs by the table they were eating at. How wild had things really gotten? He couldn't help but wonder this, some memories were still missing. He returned to her as he put on his shirt, then buckled his belt. He stood before her, getting ready to head out soon but still waiting his answer.

[anhydrous]

Consequences didn't exist to Althesia. They simply didn't, and as she laid there, watching her bronzer get up and get ready for whatever duties were required of him, very little crossed her mind. Mostly she was still tingling, satisfied, and wanting to sleep. That said, she was none too pleased to loose the warmth that J'rad had been supplying. The woman made a feeble attempt to get under the furs before realizing she'd rather just lay there exactly how she was.

Being in the realm of anything at all, thinking was really the last thing that Althesia felt like doing. There he was regardless, demanding it of her with his stiff tone. She pursed her lips at him. "I might," she replied, knowing that even a possibility of the answer being no would rankle J'rad. "Are you going to take a bath with me when you return?" The query was completely serious, attempting to negotiate something out of still being here when he got back.

If her bronzer was attempting to be more than just a bedmate, he would soon learn that she did require more than just a petting every now and again. Althesia was not easy to live with, nor did she pretend to be. Her whims came and went, moods shifting just as quickly. She made no move to get up out of his bed, in fact, one eye closed against the brightness of the room.

In the semi-darkness of one closed eyelid, Althesia let her mind wander. What were they now? Friends? She supposed it didn't matter, but it was comforting to be able to tie a person neatly in a label. J'rad wasn't the kind of man who fit very neatly anywhere, certainly not where Althesia was concerned. She couldn't place him in her mind, emotions mixing at the very thought of his ever-present frown. Through her open eye she could see him standing, suddenly quite dressed, and smiled at him vaguely. Whatever became of them, for now she was pleased.

[dragon]

J'rad seemed to consider it for a moment. There was a still quiet while he seemed to dabble in thought. "Well I usually wash Arcaith, then I take a bath myself. If you're still around by that time, then you're welcome to join me", J'rad spoke, letting her know he intended to take a bath anyway and that he wasn't going to prevent her from joining him, infact his tone seemed to imply he expected her to.

J'rad seemed to turn around and take a few steps back to his dragon before pausing. He seemed as though he had forgotten something as he turned around slowly and made his way back to the bed. He kneeled on the bed and over her, giving her a farewell kiss as he caressed a one of her cheeks. Who knew such a hard shell contained an awkward prince inside? He then removed himself from his bed, still not saying a word, and walked off to Arcaith.

The beast would smirk if he could, he wouldn't have much to argue with J'rad about now, he had passed his torch on to someone else. The crafty bronze had moved a pawn into place and J'rad was in checkmate. Stop thinking your so clever. Come now, we must meet up with the rest of the wing. J'rad responded to his dragon, reading the base of his thoughts as thinking he was clever. As man was on mount, Arcaith took off. J'rad would only think to himself, would Althesia still be around when he returned? As thoughts led a bit further, he thought how nice the change would be.

[anhydrous]

[[scene closed]]