Another Day of Chores (Z'dayi)

[Xinnai]

She watched him for a moment, noting the downfall of his habitually merry face. Tongue pressed into cheek. The little Weyrwoman peeled for a few moments, silent, feeling his emotions almost as though they swirled around her. She glanced up and then back at the food in her hands.

"I'm not saying they change who you are. I'm saying that you can't go back. There is no going back. And effectively they, this, is your future." She gestured about them, as if to include the entire Weyr and not the heap of potatoes still piled between them. "Perhaps it's age, but that's how I see it."

At his suggestion, he eyed him for a moment and then sighed, doing as he instructed. Her hand wrapped around her elbow and she immediately felt muscles stretch and turn limber. She murmured a small sound of pleasure, arm stretching higher as eyes slid closed at the absence of that small pain.

[blueaid]

Z'dayi made a little mmn-sound between his lips, acknowledging Salina's counter-argument though he clearly maintained a different opinion on the subject. "Not the whole of it though. Least, doesn't seem like it can be all there is for a person. Dragonriding ain't the whole of life, just gives shape to the rest of it." And he sounded a little like he's convincing himself on that one, like maybe he wasn't really happy at the idea that the whole of his twenty-two Turns could be distilled into the right-time-right-place on the Hatching Sands. Just sounds too much like fate.

But he broke the spell of his own thoughts when his arm lowered, when he picked up another potato. Would they ever end?! And raised his eyes to watch Salina actually heeding his advice-- which was kind of impressive in its own way. "Now see, that's just indecent," he added in a defusing tone, one riddled with levity, a gesture of his palm to indicate her stretch-and-pleasure posture.

[Xinnai]

One eye opened in cat-like laziness and she smirked, eye closing once more as she continued stretching, leaning back slightly on the wall behind her for support. It did feel very good. "What more did you need then? You have someone who's knows every intimate part of you, who won't leave you and loves you for all your flaws. And through that one person you get friends, you get companionship and community and love and everything you need."

She switched arms then, another small sound humming through her lips as the pain that had been accumulating disappeared. Eye opened again in that same lazy gesture and then closed as she stretched farther, arm reaching higher. "Then don't watch," she murmured softly. "Seeing as I'm a child and all." Her voice was amused and just slightly mocking, a slight bite to it she didn't mean to interject.

[blueaid]

As long as they're being so frank, Z'dayi answered candidly, "A part of my life that's still mine. Something that ain't about... all the rest of this." Much like Salina did a few moments ago, he seems to mean something beyond just peeling potatoes and watching a weyrling goldrider stretch out the kinks in her arms and shoulders. This extended outside the barracks, included the Weyr, the concept of being a dragonrider, a bronzerider, everything that had changed and would continue to change since Impression. "You seem like you wanna reshape your image into everything a queenrider oughta be, and that's great for you. But I don't wanna be somebody else."

It was a weird conversation, juxtaposed like that, but Z'dayi seemed happy the way it worked out. To talk about something serious at length, without a little levity, would probably have been way too awkward. To add in a slow grin in response to the chompy undertones of Salina's remark took the edge right off it. "Well, I ain't really got a problem with the look-don't-touch policy. I mean, as long as it's right there on display'n all." Granted, he was likely to lose a thumb if he didn't pay more attention to the knife, less attention to stretching goldriders.

[Xinnai]

Salina appreciated this extended discussion, even with it's lighter counterpart. She nodded eyes still closed, switching to her other arm again and stretching it out. Mmm, it was delightful. "But what can you do that isn't about 'the rest of this?'" She asked quietly. "I want to be the best rider and Weyrwoman I can be and does that make me something I'm not?"

She scooted her stool back right next to wall and sighed with pleasure as back met rock and she stretched against it, back arching to work out kinks along her spine as well. Shoulder squirmed as she continued stretching out her small little aches and pains. "Display'n all," she quoted. "Well, excuse me if I keep right on displaying it." She switched arms again, wanting to be thorough. And also to tease Z'dayi just a bit. It was quite a bit of fun, she was startled to realize.

[blueaid]

"You're starting to make me question my convictions," mumbled Z'dayi as if he was having trouble focusing. He wasn't, not really, but a tendency toward the lascivious was a natural state for him, and he could pretend to undress Salina with his eyes well enough that he might as well actually be doing it. Duplicitous. "I could think of a more comfy place for you to sit than that old stool, mind." And he patted his palms across his thighs a second-- never mind that Tremaith and Deoneth would undoubtedly object.

It was all smoke-and-mirrors in a way, since he couldn't really answer to the more sober conversation, couldn't explain the need to still possess himself while being so completely the property of Tremaith and the Weyr as an extension. And if Salina could accept it, that notion of belonging to something else, then there was no amount of exposition that would make it clear to her why he needed something outside of that.

So he just made idle flirtation and peeled potatoes-- tangible and easy.

[Xinnai]

Eyes flicked open with that same cat-like languor and the smile that came across her face reflected it. Amusement flashed on her face in the flash of eyes, the tilt to her lips as she watched him for a moment, following the motion of his hands. She switched arms once more, spine pressed against the stone, stretching her taller against it. "Oh really now?" she murmured.

She thought she was seeing just a little bit of his side, to his need for something outside of that adoration and love. Salina had never questioned it because she grew up with it-she'd seen it in action and had wanted nothing more than to have it. But she thought she might be seeing a little bit of it now.

Rather than speak of her slight epiphany though, she watched him, smile widening just a bit as head tilted to the side, long blonde hair spilling over her shoulder and shining a muted gold. "Would Tremaith not object?"

[blueaid]

All slick drawls and lazy charm, Z'dayi answered without missing a beat; "He might look the other way seeing as you're a goldrider'n all." Or he might flip out and raise so much fuss that the bronzerider would learn a very valuable lesson. Not that Tremaith seemed the type to blow a gasket over anything. Ever. Reserved and polished and commanding, but it would be fitting if he chose to exert the power of his possession in the least convenient way possible.

"'Course, the weyrlingmaster might walk in and then that reputation you're workin' on, the one where you're the model goldrider? That'd get a bigger hole in it than the Eye Rock." And he's precisely the right kind of perverse to find pleasure in being responsibility for ruining someone. Hence the reason his smile played with lazy satisfaction while he imagined the ensuing tableau-- or maybe that had more to do with long blond hair in his lap. Hard to say.

[Xinnai]

"Mmm. Definitely one of the advantages then." Eyes were warm on his, a light silver color and lips still quirked into that smile-that one that hinted at dark secrets and darker moments-lingered on a place it did not look as if it should be. But then, that was the best part of it.

"Well, who said I wanted to be a model goldrider? I merely said the very best I could be." Smirk widened as Salina slowly let her arms drop to her lap. Face turned slightly towards the crook of her shoulder, hiding her smile as she spoke. "You might have to give me a bit incentive though." A dangerous, wholly satisfying game was the one she was playing and she was thrilled with it because of that slightly dark, slippery edge it held.

[blueaid]

But it was all a game to Z'dayi, and not even a dark or unusual one, just one that he happened to be good at. His eyebrow twitched upward, his lips quirked just the right amount to express both surprise and satisfaction at Salina's willingness to even entertain the notion-- even if it amounted to nothing. It sure beat peeling potatoes in sullen silence; speaking of which, they were probably going to have to account for their lack of progress at the end of this "lesson." Whoops.

He thought about it, with his tongue running visibly back and forth across his teeth, with his eyes stuck to Salina's in the most captivating and attentive way. "That's open to interpretation, ain't it? Best you can be..." Gears turned at the thought, all kinds of savory gears. "I'd certainly be willing to make it worth your while if that's what you mean. Tell me what 'incentive' you're looking for, and we'll see what we can do."

This is why no one should suffer enforced chastity. Seriously.

[Xinnai]

Salina watched him, eyes tracking every small movement, every flicker of emotion. Eyes held eyes and she let head tilt further as she regarded him, just as attentive as he. "Worth my while?" Hmm. Well, that was certainly very open to interpretation, wasn't it?

The goldrider shifted slightly, pressing closer as legs crossed one another. She pretended to think for a moment before she licked her lips, watching him as he watched her. "I think you could think upon it. I have very many ideas." Oh, the thrill of this. It was definitely worthwhile.

[blueaid]

"I'll teach you a game," offered Z'dayi, which sounded like an odd prize in light of the circumstances, but the particularly promising lilt over the word game made it fit right in with the whole thrill of the back-and-forth. (Why oh why couldn't they stick to talking about difficult things like a weyrling's place in the world?)

Pause for a moment and contemplate the number of perfectly innocent little holder lasses that have suffered the fate of playing games with Bedroom Eyes over there. Not that Z'dayi tried to give Salina his "you're the only one for me, baby" looks, no point in trying to woo a self-proclaimed weyrbred woman, after all, but the smile was priceless, dimples and all. This was sport, and she seemed to know it, so that at least made it easier to be honest about the blatant insignificance of flirtation.

"It's a very simple game called Hands Off. But you have to come here if you wanna find out the rules."

[Xinnai]

Eyebrow arched and she nearly laughed. A game, huh? Well, this could get to be very interesting indeed. The goldrider looked at the bronzerider for a moment and then stood, skirting the edge of the potatoes.

"All right, I'm here." She was close enough that knees brushed as she stood over him, just barely clearing his head with hers. She flashed him a slow smile of her own. "Now, tell me how to play." She slipped hands into her pockets, careful to play at being nonchalant though the deep burn of amusement in her eyes belied the appearance completely. She had to try though, didn't she? After all, it wouldn't do to seem too eager. It wasn't her style anyways.

[blueaid]

Z'dayi drummed his fingers across his knees briefly, then flat-palm patted the tops of his thighs in indication that 'here' meant here and not up there. He smiled right up into Salina's face in the meantime. "You have to sit. Because here's the rules."

And then he leaned back, his hands on either side of the bench, his fingers curled a little around the edge of them as if it might be necessary in a moment to actually hold on, not just lean there. "You sit here, and we see how long you can keep your hands to yourself. And it's just that simple." Which meant it was probably nothing like that simple, but he sold it with one heckuva polished smile, one that practically gleamed.

[Xinnai]

She stood for a moment, debating. Would she really want to do this? There were consequences-I'dalyn's wrath for one. And then Deoneth...how would the gold feel? Salina weighed the pros and cons for the moment and then gentally draped herself over Z'dayi and gave him a cheeky little grin.

"I see how long I can't touch you? That sounds easy enough." She crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him for a moment. There had to be more to it, but she would take it. It was almost irresistable not to. "Hmm. Seems to me that I'm doing pretty well so far."