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Post by kysseh on Sept 2, 2008 14:23:15 GMT -5
He seemed genuinely puzzled by her confidence in him, though Savitri could not understand why. She trusted his judgment on the official things, largely because she had never seen any reason to not do so. He was not nearly as irrational as Shmee, and he was a wingleader, so he was more often seen than the elusive... oh, what was the junior weyrleader's name? R'non! Ka'rys, as far as she had seen, was intelligent and practical, and Savitri held those two qualities in high esteem. Though, Ka'rys' practicality on a few issues could be called into question, but when it came to the safety and soundness of the weyr, she had yet to hear of him failing on any count. Aliscia had even admitted to her that he was not the worst of wingleaders, so that had to count for something. The cynical greenrider was not easily pleased by some things.
She tilted her head lightly to one side to listen, intrigued by the way he spoke about the weyr. Almost... almost fondness, perhaps? He had come from the north, so he must certainly have viewed some qualities of the people here as... disdainful. Savitri was disdainful of some of the naivete, especially those of the leaders in the weyr. They erroneously seemed to think that placidly living day-to-day would secure their war-free future. Savitri was no expert in wars, but she had seen conflict on a smaller scale between siblings and holdfolk. The strategy of ignorance and total passivity just did not work. They had to get a better plan, somehow. Ka'rys probably had ideas, but he was too lost in his own worries at the moment.
"Well, it won't fall on your watch. We're... soft, in a lot of ways, but we're not complete cowards. We'll fight." She sighed and looked over his face, noting how awful he still looked. More alert, surely, but he still needed rest. And food, probably. She was doubtful that he would take care of it himself, but she was not going to pry into that issue. Not yet, anyways. "I'm guessing you've talked to Shmee, and... that's not done much? Talk to the other bronzeriders. S'rei would listen, and so would K'nam. I know Shmee might not listen to you about some of the self-defense things, but... well, maybe she'd listen to me? I am female and southern-born, and, really, Aliscia is teaching me anyway."
Actually, Aliscia's version of teaching was a little more brutal than Savitri was used to. It was effective, though, and the young woman knew that her friend was only being harsh on her because Savitri lacked a great deal of physical aggression. Emotional and verbal aggression, she had a plethora of. Physically? No. Their first lesson had quite literally consisted of Aliscia smacking her around until Savitri learned to block a few moves. She had had bruises for a good few sevendays, but the lessons had hit home. Harsh but... most effective. She was learning now, though she still could not work up enough anger to really get aggressive. Perhaps asking Ka'rys to a lesson to taunt her would be a good way to start. That would get her riled up in no time at all.
"Besides, I wouldn't even need to talk to her about the riders. I could just bring up the weyrlings, and that would be enough of a start," she continued, acknowledging his sheepish smile with a slight roll of her eyes. A smile quirked the corner of her lips regardless. Ridiculous man. Someone would find out, one of these days, but it would not be from Savitri. Then her smile turned into a frown, and she huffed softly in exasperation. He was missing the point entirely. "Is it still mocking it if it's the truth? It's really unattractive, Ka'rys. Long sleeves are completely impractical, especially in the south." She impatiently threw up her hands in a gesture of frustration. Honestly, this man was the limit at times! "These aren't pretty clothes. They're practical, useful, everyday clothes that are comfortable and easy to move in. I only own one skirt and shirt for Gathers, if I feel inclined to get very fancy. You can dress comfortably and neatly without 'dressing up'."
Was she really riding his case? Of course. But, the shirt had to go, and she plucked at it lightly with two fingers, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "It's formless and hides your body, makes you look almost scrawny, which I'm sure you're not. You're depriving the people of the weyr of a perfectly good view by dressing this way, and-" Old?! Hadn't they already been through this discussion? And he obviously was not swimming hard enough if he still had terrible insomnia. Perhaps his diet was off, though that could be discussed another time."... You are not old. The shirt is. And you need to swim harder or engage in more vigorous physical exercise. That, and stop worrying about things you can't fix. That'll keep you up at night regardless of what you do during the day." Her voice had taken on the distinct air of a knowledgeable and well-trained healer, though it was laced with concern over his appearance. He looked rather pitiful.
"I'll stay, if you don't mind." Oops, that had come out before she could stop it, and she looked a bit perplexed at her own boldness. And then shrugged it off. Now that they weren't at each other's throats--or down them, quite literally--she was back to enjoying his odd company. He was... well, not pleasant.... but he was interesting. "I enjoy your company, and I want to make sure you don't decide to overstress yourself. Again." She glared a bit. "If you need help with something, you can always just ask. I don't mind." Not at all, though she really wanted to burn that shirt. Perhaps if she dyed it a bright color, he would have to get rid of it. Green would do nicely. Or red! Red would do.
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Post by glamourie on Sept 2, 2008 23:02:14 GMT -5
"Fighting won't do anything if the people doing it are hopelessly outmatched," Ka'rys replied softly, but not without a certain degree of sternness. He had no doubt that the Selenitas riders would do everything in their power to keep the Weyr safe, but they were untrained, and the northerners specialized in combat. How many people in the south knew how to wield a blade with any level of efficiency, knew how to defend themselves on the ground? Let alone in dragon-to-dragon combat! When they'd been attacked in the air, it was blatant who was and wasn't northern trained. Embarrassingly blatant, actually. Selenitas riders had enthusiasm, yes, but they didn't have any real training on their side, and eagerness didn't keep a Weyr safe, no matter what they make have believed. It may have kept a Weyr trying, because hope was the last thing to officially die, but the amount of defensive skill Selenitas had was... depressing. They hadn't even started down that path. He didn't propose attacking the other Weyrs. Selenitas was not a part of the war on that scale, and anyway that sort of level of offensive skill took Turns and Turns to build up, and the southerners hadn't the guts for it; it also didn't give the idea that they wanted to be left alone. Learning to efficiently defend oneself was considerably easier. Since they weren't going on the offensive, they had the home advantage, too. It would be a lot easier to learn to defend themselves, if only people were open to it...
He frowned. Shmee. Shmee Shmee Shmee. "S'rei told me not to bring it up to her; he said she was... uninterested in the idea. I meant to suggest it to her the last time we spoke, but the Weyrwoman was... in a right state, and I do not think she was emotionally equipped to fight." Surprisingly, Ka'rys had kept that suggestion to himself solely to be considerate. He was fairly sure that Shmee was too upset to want to bicker with him and from what Ciceroth had explained, she and S'rei weren't exactly getting along. He'd left it alone because if she was fighting with her Weyrmate, he hadn't a snowball's chance in dragon's fire to get anything through to her. Better to wait until she was in a good mood. "I'm sure that many of the other bronzeriders would be for it. Certainly everyone northern-born. S'rei isn't a northerner, but he was trained at both Benden and Fort. The problem isn't with the riders who are willing. They already know how to defend themselves. The problem is with the ones who are from Selenitas - riders and Weyrfolk alike - who don't know how to tell a dagger from a sword. They're the ones who want to keep Selenitas this peace-oriented Weyr and I applaud the efforts, but truly, this passive refusal to do anything is exasperating. If the Weyrwoman is unwilling to let us figure out an official way to teach defense, I will work something out with those who would agree with me... but I would rather give her a chance before I go and undermine her. That way at least I can say I tried to do right by the Weyr and include her."
Strangely, Ka'rys suspected that Shmee would be open to the idea. He wasn't sure why, but the last time he'd spoken to her, she seemed considerably more willing to listen when he explained things, especially when he presented them with full-on reasons for why he wanted certain ideas. She'd also approved the idea of a Night Watch, which meant she was trying. Shock, awe, was he having faith in Shmee? She did seem to be trying to get better - or maybe it was just that she was blatantly depressed and unwilling to make yet another bronzerider unhappy with her. Whatever it was, he hoped it didn't go away. Cruel as the thought was, if keeping her depressed made Shmee reasonable he was all in favor of the idea.
"If you're determined to do something," he said softly, a thought occurring to him, "you might encourage your fellow weyrlings to adopt more defensive tactics - like coaxing their pets to guard the entrances to the barracks to let anyone know if someone who isn't supposed to be there comes in." That struck him as a good idea. "I'll talk to the Weyrwoman first. If she won't listen to me, you can bring up the idea of defensive classes; I've been trying to organize who I'd like to teach it, when it would be, and exact details before I approach her. My belief is that if she sees it as something she can 'yes or no' rather than something she actually has to work on, she might be more enthused by the idea." He really wasn't trying to add more work to the Weyrwoman's load. Though, that posed the idea -- "If we can get defensive classes going, would you be interested in being an on-sight healer?" She needed the experience, right? And it kept him from having to bother Kalierre for who she'd prefer to handle the little knicks and cuts. Seemed logical enough to his sleep fogged brain.
Ka'rys slowly stood up and gestured for Savitri to follow him; if she wanted to stick around and talk she could keep up as he was desperately in need of washing his face. He wandered to the bathing room and smoothed some water over his eyes, specifically, until he was sure that he was not about to fall asleep again. Several times he blinked, his eyes widening, and then he turned back to Savitri. One hand sought a towel to dry his face and he spoke as he did so, sounding slightly displeased. "I think your clothing would fall under my definition of 'pretty', if you want my honest opinion." She got it anyway. "I don't see anything wrong with how I look, I honestly don't. I like the long sleeves. My arms get cold without them. People don't like looking at me. If they want someone to look at they go hunt down S'rei or C'lryn. They come to me when they want to have their feelings trampled on or need something." Folding the towel, he put it back on the pile (it wasn't dirty!) and started back toward the couches in his weyr. If they were going to talk, he was sharding going to be comfortable about it.
Why did she care so much about how he looked anyway? He cast a sideways glance at her before flopping down on the larger of the two couches, and sprawling out on his back. Just because he wasn't going to sleep didn't mean he wasn't going to make himself quite comfortable. He thought his shirt looked just fine. Women and their fixation on appearances. "I don't think how I dress is expressly important." He honestly did not believe most women at the Weyr would want to look at him even if he didn't, as she had put it, dress like an old man. "I also don't understand why it matters so much to you. For the record, my sleeping habits don't have anything to do with exercise. I think too much... or rather, I don't sleep well because I'm both a light sleeper, and prone to convincing myself that when I'm asleep, someone could sneak in and kill me. It's happened before. On the subject, if you ever decide to come in my Weyr when I'm sleeping again, you'd probably do better to tell Ciceroth to wake me up - he's good at that and it will keep me from accidentally knifing you. Or... um." His face tinged pink. "Knifing is more likely. There's blades under my pillows..."
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Post by kysseh on Sept 3, 2008 0:01:09 GMT -5
"Fighting back is better than throwing our hands into the air and running around like brainless idiots at the least sign of problems," Savitri pointed out, though she reasoned that he had a point. The Selenitas weyrfolks' zeal could not make up for their lack of skill and proper organization. It made sense to her to be prepared, if only because she would rather not get gutted or have her throat slit or be burned to death. Such unpleasant and painful occurrences, those. Really, though, if Shmee was unwilling to approve it, she would just continue with her own plans as she had been thus far. Aliscia was a good teacher. A rough one, but she was good. Savitri was at least figuring out how to properly duck attacks instead of just running from them. Her fight or flight instinct ran more toward 'flight' when real violence was involved. She could call a bluff and stand her ground with the best of them; she wasn't a coward. But she knew that when serious damage was intended, she was better off fleeing.
His suggestion about the weyrling barracks had her startled, and she considered in silence for a moment and then nodded. That actually as a fairly good idea. She would have tried convincing Shadow, but he was busy tracking down all of the 'action' in the weyr. And she was loathe to call him off at the moment. He had been cranky as of late and had given her a rather nasty nip to the back of her hand. "I'll talk to a few of them. I'm sure they'd be interested. I'll talk to the others... and maybe to the candidates too. It certainly can't hurt." And it would keep them appraised of any sneaking around. "I'll see if I can't convince Shadow to peek around a little more when he's in a better mood. He sees a lot more than you'd think."
She saw his reason, acknowledging that it would probably be easier to ask something of Shmee if the lessons were already... set up. Who to teach them, though? "You'd probably want northern riders to teach them. You could ask K'von or Aliscia, but... well, know that their teaching styles are a bit... brutal, Aliscia moreso. Not brutal. Realistic. She smacked me around fairly well before I figured out how to duck." She still bristled a bit at the thought of that first lesson. Aliscia had thrashed her quite soundly. "And Aliscia might not be able to handle much. She's... tired a lot," Savitri added quietly, her brow furrowed lightly with concern for the friend she loosely viewed as an older sister. The woman never had done wrong by her. "On-site... I suppose. Though I'm not going to miss out on instruction just to patch them all up for when they do fall all over themselves." No, she wanted to learn just as much, and she pinned him with a look to make sure he understood that. She would help, certainly, but she was loathe to miss out on practice time of her own.
She followed him to the bathing room without a second thought for propriety. She doubted he would strip down to bathe in front of her, and even if he did, it would be nothing she had not seen. Though.... she would not have argued with getting more details. He was an attractive man, and she was not allowed to engage in anything stimulating, because of Hepaticath. But surely, looking did not hurt, correct? "These are not meant to be... pretty. They're meant to be practical, honestly." She was complimented by that, though she immediately glared at him, folding her arms over her chest at his pronouncement that seekers should go look for S'rei or C'lryn. Honestly, was his self-esteem that low? He was a bronzerider! "S'rei is good-looking, I suppose, but he is an absolute giant. And C'lryn is... well.... he's a boy, not a man. There is a very distinct difference. I would consider them good-looking, perhaps, but not attractive," she clarified rather huffily, following him back out to the main part of the weyr where he flopped on one of the couches. She eyed the other couch and then looked back at the one he was sitting on...
... and sat herself down on the edge of the couch, next to his torso. There wasn't much space, but she would rather not sit all the way over on the other one. Besides, she had him cornered here, didn't she? "It matters to me because I'd prefer to enjoy seeing you in attractive clothes as opposed to looking... like you just rolled out of bed after spending a Turn there," she pointed out tactlessly, staring down at him as he fussed more about his sleeping habits. Of course, her eyebrow arched at his statement concerning blades, and then he blushed. She could not help it. She laughed very quietly, almost giggling. Almost. "Or accidentally kissing me?" Yes, she liked to be perfectly direct about things. But that did bring up an interesting point, and she tilted her head to one side to regard him curiously. "So.... do kisses always require that sort of tongue...." She waved a hand in place of a word and then decided to attempt one. "... behavior?"
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Post by glamourie on Sept 3, 2008 0:48:48 GMT -5
Ka'rys grunted slightly, but decided to drop the topic of Selenitas defending itself. In his opinion, the fighting back was both good and bad at once. There was no denying that the Weyr was filled with unskilled fools. They were honestly better off running from the conflicts than outright fighting. More people got hurt because they tried to stand and fight and were blatantly pathetic at it. Yet, he did want them to learn. His head hurt. Thinking about that was not going to make him feel any better, either. The lack of self-defense capabilities that Selenitas possessed was, in his opinion, startlingly embarrassing, and also terrifying. If it was keeping him up at night, it was probably not the best conversation to be having, and really, he didn't want to go into technical details with a weyrlingrider, Junior Weyrwoman or not, simply because he was sure that the factual evidence would worry others. Who he'd like to teach - the people he'd trust - he hadn't even thought about yet. K'von and Aliscia were okay suggestions. He leaned toward S'rei more. The last thing he wanted though was to ask the other bronzerider for help. He seemed... distracted. So much to think about, and he was not going to let his mind be swarmed by such complicated thoughts when his head was slightly aching from a lack of proper sleep. No, that kind of decision-making should have been saved for when he was properly rested. He hoped she wouldn't mind him dropping the topic quite unceremoniously.
Besides, Savitri was most effectively distracting him. Did she realize that the closeness was... awkward? He squirmed a little, sitting back slightly so as to give her more room, and also to put a tiny bit more room between them. He was definitely nervous about additional physical contact, given how poorly she had responded to him... kissing her. Granted, he probably was over-reacting, but he wasn't eager to make things strange again. They'd just attained peace... if one ignored their semi-petty bickering about his shirt. What was with women wanting to dress men? He didn't see anything wrong with looking, as she'd put it, old, or frumpy. His attitude was that when it counted, he was wearing riding gear anyway. The female fixation on clothing baffled him, and he was naturally resistant to the idea of change. It wasn't so much that he was attached to the shirt, more that it was consistent, and the idea of changing that made him cringe away metaphorically speaking.
"They're pretty just the same," he countered with an indignant sniff, though it amused him that she called S'rei a giant simply because he'd often felt as much. More than once he'd ended up standing near S'rei and actively having to look up at the other bronzerider. That was definitely not something he found appealing. "We can cut S'rei's feet off, then he won't be a giant anymore." It sounded so reasonable. He was pretty sure if he approached S'rei with a large knife, he'd be both sassed and fled from, however. The fact that the former Weyrleader towered so effectively over him was a matter of considerable embarrassment to Ka'rys. He'd always been one of the shortest bronzeriders but S'rei reinforced that every time he came into Ka'rys's line of sight. The fact that even Shmee was taller than him didn't help. Rawign towered over him. There were very few men that were smaller in height than he was. K'lir, K'dran and Mutasim. That was all he could think of off the top of his head. S'rei was one of the tallest... but in his experience, he was also one of the most popular. Everyone seemed to like him.
As for C'lryn, Ka'rys smiled. He couldn't help himself. She called him a 'boy'? "Aren't you the same age as C'lryn? That doesn't exactly give you the right to refer to him as a 'boy' like that, as if he's a child." Ka'rys would have called him that, though... but Ka'rys was ten turns the boy's senior, despite the fact that C'lryn, like many of the bronzeriders, was taller than he was. In fact, only one of them was shorter -- one of the junior weyrlingriders. The lack of experience was where Ka'rys's comments came from. Maybe he was conceited on that front but he'd been a rider for near to fourteen turns and he was not, remotely, shy about that fact. Surviving that long wasn't easy, and he took pride in it. C'lryn was a child in his eyes for the simple fact that he was younger and considerably less world-battered. He'd get that way though soon enough. It was hard to remain naive when there was a war on.
Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by her laughter and he blushed a hue darker before scoffing. "Or kissing you," he agreed, his voice stronger than he felt. It wasn't as though he'd meant to! Her question made him squint and he tilted his head, before sitting up properly. Why was she asking him that? Was she honestly so naive, so inexperienced? His head tilted further and he rubbed the end of his nose before clearing his throat. "Not always. Surely you've been kissed before?" Hadn't she? She was far from a child, and hadn't she said something about some boy not wanting to be joined to her? It seemed logical enough to him that she'd surely been kissed before -- so why was she so surprised? He crinkled his nose in confusion, the expression clearly showing on his face. "Haven't you?"
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Post by kysseh on Sept 3, 2008 1:42:44 GMT -5
Of course he would drop that interesting topic. Savitri let it go, though, if only because she really had nothing left to say on it, knowing that he would not respond. Honestly, the man was a constant mystery. They could not stay on a topic for very long without one of them getting insulted or annoyed, or without him changing the topic. He did not seem to be able to talk about himself for very long before freezing up, but this.... well, perhaps he was just too tired. She would think about it and approach him later if she had some new ideas. There were some already beginning to stew in the back of her mind, but she left them there to be touched upon later. Much, much later.
He was... moving away? She ignored that for now, mostly because pointing it out would start up another debate. She did roll her eyes at his indignant response, not even bothering to give it a response. He was too pigheaded to even bother with debating that issue for now. She would just take action later. But... oh, he was so clueless when it came to his own attractive appearance! Did he not understand that she preferred him over them, by a large margin? " I'd recommend against cutting off S'rei's feet. Shmee might not be so willing to cooperate if we did that," she said dryly, though the quirk of her mouth hinted at the humor she was attempting. His smile and comments quickly made her purse her lips and look archly down at him with clear disapproval. "He is a boy. Males mature emotionally far more slowly than females, and I'll.... I can't see him as a man. I just can't. He can't be serious!" That, and he just... was far too much of a big man for her tastes.
He was blushing again! She chuckled again, watching him attempt to cover that with a scoff. She couldn't resist tapping his cheek with one finger, just to tease him. He was so hilariously youthful when he was embarrassed like that. She highly doubted that telling him that would be beneficial to their continued 'truce' of sorts. He would probably overreact just a bit, and touching his cheek was teasing enough, to be sure. He was squinting at her suddenly, and then she waited as he sat up all the way, waiting for whatever it was that was going through his head. Surely, he did not have to sit up to answer that simple a question. It was either a yes or a no, wasn't it?
Oh, she had embarrassed him. She wrinkled her nose a bit, frustrated. That had not been her intention at all, though it was an interesting side effect. She made a mental note to remember that if he was ever difficult again. Bringing up kisses or any sort of intimacy tended to make Ka'rys... a bit flustered. His response had her wondering, though. Hadn't she- no, she hadn't talked to him about that. She flushed a bit as he answered her question and tacked his own onto the end of it. Unfortunately.... Savitri was largely inexperienced in that area, and she shook her head, watching the confusion on his face. "No...."
That was an inadequate answer, and she shifted slightly, a bit discomfited now that he had turned the question around on her. "I... he sort of leaned forward and put his lips on mine, and I suppose that was supposed to be a kiss...? But that was the extent of it, and I was... fifteen. I've been too busy, and... really, men tend to not be interested in me. I'm too outspoken, and I don't coddle them and their oversized egos." She shrugged helplessly. Really, that was all that she had to offer. The way that Ka'rys had grabbed at her was... surprising. Not unpleasant, though. Not wholly unpleasant. Feeling his tongue slide over hers had been interesting, though she was unsure if she wanted to repeat the entire circumstances again. "That was... an odd first, I'll admit. Besides, even if men are interested in me now, I can't do anything because of Hepaticath. And... plus, most of them aren't the least bit appealing." Most. Not all. "But... it wasn't all that bad." Her tone was almost shy now, her cheeks coloring a bit. That had taken just a bit too much effort to confess.
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Post by glamourie on Sept 3, 2008 4:55:33 GMT -5
Ka'rys squinted slightly before replying, quietly, "I don't think Shmee would protest, as cutting off S'rei's feet means he can't run away from her, nor walk without help; it would make him dependent on her, and she seems to appreciate that." He scoffed, then shook his head slowly. "It would put him closer to her level, too - heightwise." Leradi was exactly Ka'rys's height. In his experience, sleeping with someone of the exact same height was highly intimate; eye-contact was a near constant. Then again, given his height, most women weren't that far off from him, one way or the other. He honestly didn't see what complaints Shmee would have -- well, except that it would hurt S'rei, which was the obvious reason of why he wouldn't do it. (Mangling bronzeriders was surely not a pleasant task, given that, despite all rumors to the contrary, the ranking riders seemed to be the ones who complained and whined the most. Yes, that statement applied to him, too.) Ultimately, he wasn't serious, although... although if S'rei made him mad enough he would seriously consider it. A man could live without a foot. It had been done before! As for C'lryn - well, Ka'rys didn't know him, he just knew that the younger bronzerider seemed to have a constant clutter of people around him. Considering that no one ever bothered to speak to Ka'rys, other than Savitri, that spoke volumes to him. Not that he knew anything about judging men's appearances. In his opinion they were all... too... male for his taste. It never even occurred to him to wonder which ones were considered attractive or not, 'til then. Odd. "He is a boy, but I do find it funny you're calling him that. As I said - he's your age." She didn't like it when men weren't serious? ... Oops; maybe he ought to have stopped joking, then.
Touch - his stomach turned over at the so-slight contact, both from embarrassment (at the fact that she was obviously amused by his blushing, evidenced by her laughter) and from the slightest brush of skin-on-skin. Whether she realized it or not that one touch was considerably more intimate to him than most, likely because it was his face. The only time women touched his face was to slap him. His eyes flicked down toward her fingers, as much as they could, then back to her face, but she was making a funny expression and his embarrassment heightened. Was it that odd, the kiss? He was tempted to ask - but she began to speak and he was determined not to interrupt her. Her answer proved that the conversation was a touch more.. personal and intimate than he'd realized. More private. Interrupting would have been beyond rude. Why was it that their conversations always seemed to veer toward things he was not entirely sure he felt comfortable discussing, yet ended up doing anyway?
Her explanation made him smile slightly, and he nodded. He didn't comment, though. The truth was that most men didn't like overly confident women, it intimidated them. More than that, Savitri tended to come off like she was mothering, at least with him, and it was not expressly easy to ignore that. Motherly tendencies were rarely associated with physical or emotional attraction. People could say what they wanted, but no man really, truly wanted their lover to behave like his mother did. He didn't want to risk hurting Savitri's feelings, though, by confirming what she said, or trying to explain it. The fact that he was still there obviously showed he was the exception to the rule, anyway.
"I think you are too picky," he teased softly as he scooted back to sit up proper, legs stretched out in front of him next to her. "To answer your question though, no, not always. I'm sorry your first .. real kiss was awkward. We can pretend it didn't happen if you'd prefer." Sometimes females were odd about that -- insistent that their first anything be with someone they loved. He was perfectly happy to pretend it never happened if Savitri was such a person. The blush subsided mostly from Ka'rys's cheeks, namely because she was blushing, too. "If I'd been awake, I wouldn't have done that; I don't normally make a habit of... wandering up to and manhandling women. Despite what Shmee seems to believe, or what you may have been led to assume from.. erm.. earlier. You shouldn't be so critical of the men here, though. Not all of us are completely dreadful, and not everyone is after you just because you're a goldrider. In fact, I'm fairly sure that repels as many men as it attracts. Give them a chance. You might find someone you can grow to love, if you stop assuming the worst."
Love advice from Ka'rys? Truth was, he didn't believe in love at all; he was just.. saying what he thought she needed to hear. He didn't believe he could love anyone, or anyone could love him. He believed in companionship and fondness, genuine affection and attraction, but love like in the stories told between old cotholders was simply not something he was fond of. Still, just because he was bitter didn't mean that he could assume everyone was, and it sounded to him - from the way Savitri had spoke the last time they were in his weyr - that she was looking for that. Maybe she'd find it, who knew - but if she was assuming the worst of every man in the Weyr, she clearly wouldn't.
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Post by kysseh on Sept 4, 2008 14:16:16 GMT -5
Savitri snorted softly and rolled her eyes. She doubted Shmee would find S'rei being more dependent on her to be a good thing. The man was most definitely male and would probably chafe at the idea of having to be dependent on anyone for something like that. It would add more problems, to be sure. "I doubt he'd be thrilled about having to be dependent on her. Men tend to get odd about not getting to be the 'strong' ones," she pointed out, lightly shrugging her shoulders and relaxing a bit on her... narrow sort of perch on the edge of the couch. "We'd have to cut him off to the knees to make him closer to her height, though. He's huge." Then again, nearly everyone was huge compared to Savitri, which made her huff a quiet sigh. Being vertically challenged had its disadvantages.
She gave Ka'rys a look of mild reproach. She and C'lryn were roughly the same age physically, of course, but she rather thought she had far more maturity than he did on several counts. It was the curse of being female. "We are around the same age, yes, but he is a boy, as far as I see him. He just... everything seems to be such a joke to him. I don't mind laughing if I'm not busy and something is funny. But... not all the time," she elaborated, looking mildly annoyed. "How do you know how old I am anyways?" Had she ever told him? She doubted it. When was her birthday anyway? ... a few months off, at least, or so she hoped. She had never celebrated it, so it mattered little except to mark the passage of yet another Turn.
He had looked at her oddly when she touched his face, but Savitri thought little of it. She was slightly more concerned with the way he was teasing her in response to her explanation, which made her scowl wipe the blush right off her face, at least for the moment. "I am not that picky." It was more a defensive bluster than anything, though, and she was effectively distracted by his quiet offer. Her scowl melted into an expression of bewilderment. "Pretend it didn't happen? What good will that do?" she asked, genuinely bemused. Pretending it would not happen would not make her memories go away, and she frankly did not want them to go. Now that she knew there was no danger or any source of fear, she was more curious than anything. "Really, it wasn't that terrible... just... surprising. I wish I could've learned a bit from it, though." If her gaze kept flicking to his mouth, it was understandable, right? She was a healthy young woman with normal interests, and she had a healthy dose of curiosity, now that she had had a taste of what kissing--which she previously thought was rather disgusting, since it involved dueling tongues and saliva--could be like. She needed to re-test this.
His prolonged attempt at reassurance and advice had her eyeing him cautiously. Ka'rys was hardly the type to be offering any sort of love or relationship advice, given how awful he was with feelings. He just... was accidentally inconsiderate quite a bit, not really realizing the effect his words could have. Then again, she could scarcely claim to be much better. "I'm not searching for... love, really. Companionship would be nice, when Cath gets older and such things are permissible again. And I don't think men are all terrible. You're certainly not. Inconsiderate and prone to outbursts at times, but I don't mind you at all," she said bluntly, her gaze landing on his mouth again, green eyes focused intently. All right... she just had to ask. "What, exactly, are kisses like that supposed to be like, if that wasn't it?" As long as he was talking, he might as well be useful in giving her general directions as well.
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Post by glamourie on Sept 4, 2008 17:44:21 GMT -5
Ka'rys raised an eyebrow, smiled, and chose not to reply; he didn't know C'lryn at all and really had no desire to change that. He wasn't exactly a friendly entity, but in his experience, Ciceroth, despite being exceptionally outgoing, did not like being exposed to other bronzes for very long. Wing drills, yes, and a few conversations, but he wouldn't seek them out for companionship; more likely was it that he'd lounge with browns, greens, blues, or, as of late, golds. He privately assumed Ciceroth simply did not like spending time with other bronzes due to their behavior. From the descriptions that he'd gotten from Ciceroth, most bronzes were not only arrogant, but outspoken about it. Ciceroth was arrogant, too, but his level of arrogance simply exceeded what should have been natural; he did not need to boast about his blatant superiority, or treat the dragons of lesser rank as inferior in order to prove himself. He treated everyone equally because he was secure, and Ka'rys secretly believed that Ciceroth found it very irritating when other dragons did not possess the same level of comfort he had. Thus, Ka'rys spent relatively little time around bronzeriders if he could help it. Funny enough, most of them seemed to be the ones he got along best with, too - or at least, on a public front. He and R'non had always gotten along well.
"He's not that huge," Ka'rys commented softly, then laughed. "He's just.. taller than we are." To be fair, Ka'rys was used to seeing abnormally tall men. It did annoy him to some extent that when he had a meeting with his Wing, most of them were at least his height. (He continually wanted to stand near Aliscia to make himself feel better.) The other bronzeriders, too. But Ka'rys had Turns to adjust to being the shortest bronzerider around, and he'd accepted it; in truth, he actually would not have changed a thing about himself. Being small gave him an advantage, usually. No one ever seemed to expect him to be as fast as he was, and when they didn't expect it, they couldn't prepare for it. No, he wouldn't change anything about himself - huh? Blinking, Ka'rys tilted his head slightly to regard Savitri with an amused smile. "I don't know your age. I'm guessing. You don't look like you're anywhere under eighteen turns, and you can't be over twenty-four to have Stood; from the fact that you're still an apprentice I'd say twenty or thereabouts, and C'lryn looks about that age too. I'd guess he's close to eighteen or nineteen. It was a generalization, but thank you for confirming my guess."
He relaxed back against the arm of the couch and quirked an eyebrow at her declaration that she was not that picky. He was tempted to list off the first ten males that came to his mind, on the assurance that she could find something wrong with them, him included. Savitri did seem to be extraordinarily picky. He chose not to argue, instead smiling at her slight scowl; he was not even bothering to hide his amusement. She surely wouldn't like it, but Ka'rys was of the opinion that she'd both entered his weyr uninvited, and chose to stay, so he was entitled to divine some entertainment at her expense. It was unlikely that she would fail to turn the tables on him eventually anyway. Still - not that terrible? What a flattering female she was.
"That's just what every man longs to hear. 'Your kisses are not that terrible,'" he quipped, then shook his head. He supposed he didn't mind that much, though. Her almost scientific interest had him baffled; most people were not interested in 'learning' so much when it came to.. things like that. Did she realize she was on the odd side? Ka'rys chose not to tell her, and immediately regretted it, as Savitri continued to speak and made his stomach turn over awkwardly. Hearing his own thoughts so closely voiced made him nervous, and he pushed the similarity to the back of his mind. Not a good time to be drawing odd conclusions about her. He settled instead for half-bickering (consciously, he knew, but he couldn't stop himself), "Well, I'm glad you don't mind me. But, you know, I'm only prone to outbursts with you. Normally, it takes quite a bit to garner such a response out of me. You should feel spec-- what? Er." Why was she asking him? Well, he supposed it made sense but still -- "That's -- kissing isn't exactly something you learn by talking about it, and I'm no good at explaining things like that anyway. I mean -- well -- I only learned through doing, so I can't well explain. I'm sure someone else would be.. um.. more eloquent than I am...?"
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Post by kysseh on Sept 4, 2008 21:52:39 GMT -5
Ka'rys received a glare for the eyebrow and the smile that he failed to qualify, though it possessed only a little real ire. She was almost grateful he did not continue down that vein of conversation, if only because that was... a sad sort of topic. It was not that she had anything against C'lryn; truly, she did not. She appreciated the entertainment he provided at times. But she was not attracted to him in the least. He was just too youthful in action to suit her peculiar tastes. Was she... was she really picky? No... she just was odd. That was probably the best word for it. Her father had understood that right from the start and had not pressed her on the issue when she had ignored a 'handsome' boy haring after her when she was fourteen. Her mother had flew into a temper. And Savitri had merely ignored the arrogant annoyance until he gave up a month or so later. What an idiot.
She snorted softly at his assessment of S'rei's height. It was not entirely accurate. Frankly, S'rei was the tallest man she had seen thus far. K'von was big; S'rei was bigger. "We're short, true, but he really is very tall. Taller than any other man I've seen. At least you're taller than I am, if only by the slightest bit." A hand-breadth, at best, and she doubted even that. She was not tall for a woman, but she was not so very short as... oh, say, her greenrider friend. But he was shorter than most men she knew--barring Mutasim--so they were close enough that she felt less than intimidated when standing next to him. He had to bring up the age issue, and she wrinkled up her nose a bit and then huffed a sigh. "He's nineteen, I think... like me. I'll be twenty in a few months... don't exactly remember when. Virast usually reminds me by doing something ridiculous." Her scowl this time was tainted with affection for her sibling. The little brat, for the little he seemed to care about socializing or interacting with others, never failed to remember her birthday and appropriately--or inappropriately--celebrate. She was almost, almost afraid of what he would try this Turn.
All right, now he was just trying to push her buttons by sitting there with that not-so-innocent smile. "I'm not picky. I'm blunt about my opinions, and I'm odd in my tastes. I find just as many faults with myself as everyone else. I am not picky." Of course, that probably did little good to tell him, largely because he would likely only continue to give that idiotic little smile. He was frequently amused at her expense, and it was irritating. She minded little for the moment, though. She would get him back.
Eventually. "I did not mean it to be an insult. I was attempting to reassure you that the kiss was not unpleasant or traumatic, and you took it the wrong way." She could not really be angry with him, though, largely because she knew he was joking. It was a shame he could not take being the butt of the joke himself, or it would have been more fun to tease him. As it was, though, her priorities were shifted in favor of her renewed intrigue as his train of thought was derailed as he realized her question. Of course she did not feel special to be privy to his outbursts. But... she did feel relieved that he was being honest about that fact. He was not as closed off as he hoped.
Oh, he was funny when he was stuttering that way! She did not do him the discourtesy of laughing, though, as that would have made it longer before he answered in a satisfactory fashion. "Perhaps, but I'm asking you, so I'd appreciate the effort in explaining. Besides, if I ask a man, they'll expect that I'll try my new technique on them. If I ask a woman, she'll either blush and not answer... or she'll laugh and tell me to figure it out for myself. I'd rather know a little something before diving right in." It made perfect sense to her to ask for instructions... or at least a general direction before just shoving your tongue into someone else's mouth with no real sense of purpose. What was the purpose of the tongue thing? It felt oddly interesting, surely, but was there some other reason for it? "And with Cath awake, I can't exactly ask for a demonstration from people."
She touched on Cath's mind and acknowledged that the gold was still deeply asleep. She would not stir for a candlemark, at most. She had been bathed and stuffed full of food, and it was unlikely that she would be wanting for either soon. Hmmm... with Hepaticath asleep...
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Post by glamourie on Sept 5, 2008 2:17:20 GMT -5
Had he ever met anyone taller than S'rei? Likely - or at the least, close to the same height. He wasn't that exceptionally tall. Yes, he was definitely up there, but it wasn't that abnormal. He supposed he didn't blame Savitri for her belief though. He was not sure that his assessment of height was fair, anyway. There were only three categories in his mind: taller than he was, shorter than he was and same height as he was. Everyone of each category was simply lumped together. It was easier, really, and he rarely drew comparisons between taller or shorter people. What did it matter to him if S'rei was taller than someone else, he ended up staring at their chests equally regardless. What was one finger's distance in height, truly? Maybe he'd simply numbed himself on the subject of height. It had bothered him once, but not really anymore, so long as it wasn't lorded over his head. Fortunately for him, most people didn't dare try that. He was fairly sure that came from the fact that his moods were unpredictable but he had no intentions of complaining; if he had to be totally honest, Ka'rys greatly preferred people avoiding him and treading thin ice. Made his life easier.
Virast -- her brother. She'd mentioned him before. Ka'rys smiled slightly, but chose not to comment on the subject of birthdays; he didn't really celebrate his, and never had. He didn't have the luxury of a family member to remind him he was another Turn closer to dying. With his lifestyle, he'd probably die relatively young anyway, either murdered or by some freak accident entirely his own fault. He was betting on getting murdered though. Ka'rys was really quite pessimistic when it came to his own destiny. It amused him endlessly though that he was right; he was being broad in his statements about C'lryn's age, but had unintentionally hit it exactly on the mark. Who knew? Apparently he was more observant than even he realized, and he did make a habit of people watching. He supposed if he wanted to know when Savitri's birthday fell he could always set Ophelie to following around whichever of the Weyr boys was Virast. He didn't even know. Hmm.
"You are picky," he replied quietly, arguing more for the sake of doing so than because he hoped to gain anything. "I bet right now you can list four or five major faults with every guy I can list off. Every single one, a reason to reject them. We could make it a game." He was still smiling, even though he was sure it was irritating her. "I'm sure you are just as harsh on yourself. That doesn't make you anything but picky. In fact, it makes you more so. It's not an insult, you realize." Although, she quite clearly was taking it as one. Oops? "The more you bicker, the more sure I'll be, and if you want the honest truth, I was joking. I'm well-aware I'm a terrible kisser." He was still joking -- although, only partially. If he had to be honest, he was pretty sure most women found kissing him unappealing. He did not exactly have a fan club, and he'd rarely been complimented. That aside, he wasn't particularly bothered. There were a lot of subjects that did annoy him -- kissing wasn't one of them. The fact that he wasn't the most popular, best looking, most appealing male had never upset Ka'rys very much. In fact, he wouldn't trade his outsider position for the world. He missed being able to skulk in the shadows, unnoticed.
Unfortunately, he had the distinct impression that Savitri was not going to let him go back to that any time soon. From the way that she was talking and the fact that no matter how nasty he was, she didn't seem to be repelled at all, he was beginning to believe she actually liked him. Faranth knew why. He had more flaws than he did strengths, and the things he thought he did well, she was likely to not find particularly flattering. Southern women rarely appreciated the kind of traits he prized in himself. Savitri could say what she wanted, too -- she was a Southern woman through and through. The fact that she was sitting next to him asking him about kissing was clear proof of that, especially when he'd just told her there was a strong chance he could knife her if she wasn't careful. Strange, strange.
"Now I'm not a man?" Ka'rys asked, quirking an eyebrow. Oh, he knew well what she meant (for once), but couldn't resist the opportunity to poke her when she'd left herself so very open to interpretation; besides, it was nice to not be on the receiving end of teasing for once. "I don't think I can explain it; it's one of those .. things... I -- this is a very awkward topic, you realize?" He squirmed slightly and pulled one knee up toward his chest; he was uncomfortable, and typically hugging his legs made him feel a touch better. Nervous habit. "Why don't you ask Lauranna? I think she's something of an expert and she's less likely to be embarrassed than most." And it kept him from fumbling around trying to explain. Of all the questions she had to ask, why did she pick one he couldn't answer properly? Women. Pfft.
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Post by kysseh on Sept 5, 2008 21:01:07 GMT -5
More quiet, innocent smiling. Savitri wanted to wipe that smile off his face. It was irritating, only because she knew that there was so much going on in his head that she was missing out on sniping at. That was bothersome. It was highly unfair that he got such ample opportunity to pick on her when she was deprived of treating him similarly. Ah well. She would get him back eventually for it. This whole kissing topic and the topic of what males were considered attractive had him slightly squirmy. She made a note of that. She found him attractive, quite frankly. If it were not for Hepaticath, she would have tried to invite herself into his presence a little more. Aliscia had been kind enough to remind her of that slight problem of virginity, and Savitri had scowled at that. Sharding weyr life.
"Being able to list faults in people is not being picky. It's being honest. I can just the same find as many virtues in people, so stop telling me that I'm picky," she said pointedly. She was not picky. She saw flaws as easily as virtues, and that was no bad thing, was it? Still, he said it was not an insult, but she still slightly saw it as one and let him know that by the annoyed look she turned toward him. That annoyance dissolved, though, when he had to comment about his kissing. To be honest, that kiss had been shocking enough that she could not have made a great deal of complaints other than the fact that it surprised her and nearly suffocated her when he froze.
She wanted to try again, but he was being surprisingly reticent about the whole matter, which bothered her. Hepaticath was asleep, she was curious, he was obviously in need of some relief, so what damage would another exploratory kiss do? Besides, she did want to see how muscular his arms were. She had touched them before, when caring for him after the fight, but... that had been in an impersonal sort of setting. She wanted to get a better idea of his fitness beneath that ugly, ugly shirt. She would deal with that shirt some other time; it had to go. The very sight of it made her want to vomit.
She knew that he was just poking fun, but she could not help but make a soft exclamation of exasperation. "Oh, you know what I meant! You're a man and an attractive one at that. I just am more comfortable with asking you than with asking some other men." The teasing was worth it when he squirmed and moved in response to her queries. He was really so uncomfortable about this? He shouldn't have been. All she was asking was the technicalities of kissing anothe rperson. "I know it's awkward. I'd rather ask than just try it, though it sounds like I may not get that luxury," she commented dryly, watching him hug his leg toward his chest. Silly man. "I could ask her, but I would rather not be laughed at for my inexperience." And she had a feeling that Reysalth's rider would likely laugh at her for asking that. Just a hunch.
Something occurred to her, and she scooted up a little closer than him. Better to just go for it. "If it's so hard to explain, then just show me again, preferably without the grabbing? And before you fuss, Hepaticath is asleep, and she's not likely to wake up for awhile." The young healer saw no problem with an indulgence of curiosity, especially since she saw no wrong or harm coming of it.
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Post by glamourie on Sept 5, 2008 23:10:41 GMT -5
Oooh, it was so tempting to ask her to actually list off a few virtues of people. Ka'rys was willing to bet Savitri could list more flaws than she could virtues, even if she tried actively not to. She was just so critical of people, or so it seemed. He refused to acknowledge the possibility that he was misjudging her, either. As far as he was concerned, the healer seemed to prefer being grumpy and annoyed. He came to that conclusion from the simple fact that she always misunderstood him, no matter how hard he tried to be clear. She got more honest emotions out of him than anyone else he'd ever known (perhaps exempting Ciceroth, who should not have been counted to begin with) and the only thing she seemed to latch onto was negativity. Not that he was expressly different, but was it so wrong that, given that knowledge, he was quite convinced Savitri was more the type to believe the worst of everyone? She could say it over and over again and simple words would not change his mind; no, as far as Ka'rys was convinced, Savitri was overly picky, and that was likely her biggest problem. The goldrider could believe whatever she wanted, but the fact remained that she could have virtually any man in the Weyr she wanted, and she chose instead to find fault with them all. Not exactly proof of her being open-minded. He settled for not arguing further, though. While it was fun to disagree with her (in a semi-casual setting, at least), he didn't have the energy to fully debate his points, and besides, she probably wouldn't have listened anyway. Not like he cared.
There were more pressing things to think about -- like the idea of trying to explain kissing, which was making his head reel. There were just some things he did not want to have to explain. What was it with women and wanting long explanations for every little thing? Ka'rys was perfectly fine with learning while doing if it spared the awkward stuttering and trying to understand. He was pretty sure most men didn't have a problem with inexperienced women either; it wasn't that odd was it? The thought made his head hurt worse and he squinted. She was more comfortable with him?
"Do you have a thing for knife-wielding borderline homicidal males?" Ka'rys asked, intrigued. All evidence seemed to imply that she did. After all, she was friends with one of the few people at Selenitas who could hold their own against him, and she kept restating that she was attracted to him -- although, honestly, Ka'rys was convinced she was joking. At the maximum possibility, he was fairly sure it was Hepaticath's fondness for Ciceroth bleeding over, but he wasn't Ciceroth; he was no where near as nice. "I think that Lauranna would laugh at anyone who asked, and anyone who didn't. I get the feeling she's always laughing at me - even if she's not doing so aloud. Irregardless, she's a lot more approachable than most people. I doubt she'd be making fun so much as being playful anyway - I get the impression she rarely means offense, but I could be wro--- what?"
She was... asking him to do it again? After she made such a fuss about him not asking? Curiously, Ka'rys uncurled, rearranging himself so that one leg was hanging off the side of the couch while the other was slightly curled under him. An odd position to be sure, but it was a lot less defensive than the half-curled up position he'd had only moments before. Why did Savitri have such a talent for making him feel nervous? The fact that she immediately countered his first argument for why it was a bad idea didn't help any, either. Was he that transparent? Shard it - shard it! Why was she asking him? He was possibly the most unappealing bronzerider in the entire Weyr! At least, that was the impression he got.
The problem was, he wanted to kiss her again, and he couldn't blame that entirely on the surging hormones, considering he'd felt his eyes wandering more than once when in Savitri's presence. She confused him and, at times, made him question things he didn't particularly want to doubt. The last time Ka'rys actually felt attracted to a woman (outside of a purely physical drag-into-furs sense, at least), he'd stayed with her for almost three turns, and would have been with her still if he hadn't transferred. She was a greenrider. Goldriders were bad news - always. They were flighty, demanding, typically spoiled, controlling, bossy -- most of those terms applied to Savitri from what he'd experienced of her personality, so why was he still attracted to her? He didn't like it at all. His instinct was to curl away. And she was so much younger than him; practically a child in her own right...
"Are you sure you want me to?" There was only a slight note of reluctance in his voice, despite his mind screaming what a bad idea it was; he knew better, he did. Why was he even toying with the idea? He didn't like lying to himself very much (although he did it often), so he did not bother to privately deny that his reasons for considering following through on her... suggestion.. had nothing to do with 'teaching.' And unlike Savitri (he was quite convinced any fondness she felt for him was because of Hepaticath being close to Ciceroth), he couldn't blame those feelings on anything but himself. Shard it. "You're not just... I mean - there's plenty of others..."
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Post by kysseh on Sept 6, 2008 0:16:53 GMT -5
Of course he let the picky comment slide, which irked her. She still had more to say on that vein of conversation, including the fact that she could find a lot more good in people than most people thought. True, she could see their flaws. She had never had a problem with that. But she saw plenty of good in people. She saw good in him, didn't she? Really, he had no room to be acting like she never saw good in men. She was not difficult to get along with, so long as the other person was not an imbecile. All it required was a reasonable amount of sense and no inclination toward utter sloth. And most people could at least fall a bit into the first category, enough that she could tolerate them. She really did not fight with others often. Ka'rys just... brought out the mother in her.
Strange, but she did not think that he had kissed her, thinking she was his mother. No, but that was something utterly different.
What was he asking now? She looked honestly bewildered. "No, not really. I just seem to attract a few difficult ones. I have plenty of... acquaintances and friends who don't go around trying to knife each other," she said with a shrug. Granted, the people she knew tended more toward the former than the latter. She could tolerably get along with many people, true. But really knowing others and letting them get to know her? That was a difficult challenge, mostly because people simply were not interested in getting to know her further. She was... difficult, at times. She knew that; she accepted that. But she was unlikely to become a cooing, coddling sort of personality just to make others enjoy her company. If they did not like her like this, then that was their loss, not hers.
She watched him rearrange himself on the couch and just shook her head in response to his statements about the bouncy greenrider. She would have asked Lauranna if she thought it would have gotten her anywhere. But, frankly, she was happier asking Ka'rys. He was more likely to explain without attempting to humiliate her. He seemed more awkward about the whole situation than she did. She took advantage of his new position to scoot up closer again, not bothering to deal with stupid things like personal space at the moment. No, he had invaded her space earlier, so, fair was fair, right? Besides, he looked surprised, but he did not look... quite as terrified or hesitant as he could have.
Wait, he was asking her for confirmation? She tilted her head to one side, confused yet again. Would she be asking otherwise? She wanted him to kiss her. He was an interesting and attractive man. She enjoyed his company when he was not being difficult. And besides that, all she wanted was a kiss to satisfy her curiosity. And... possibly incite that stomach-flipping feeling that was supposed to happen. "Of course I do. I wouldn't ask you to if I didn't want it." It seemed perfectly reasonable to her. She tilted her head to one side to regard him, trying to figure it out.
Ahhhh, his tone suddenly made sense. He was only mildly reluctant to kiss her, which meant that he either was desperate enough to just want some attention... or he found her attractive. Either way, the results were almost certainly guaranteed to turn out in one direction, mostly because she was pushing and he was not sufficiently resisting. She inched right up to him. They were sitting at an odd angle to each other, with her perched on the edge of the couch and him... sort of sprawled. At least he couldn't use his legs to fend her off, with how close she was now. "Plenty of other what?" What now? Honestly, he was such a pain. "Am I really confusing you that much?" She wasn't being clear? She thought she was.
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Post by glamourie on Sept 6, 2008 1:46:32 GMT -5
A few difficult ones. Oh, how he wanted to laugh at her. Mutasim, himself, hadn't he seen her with Aliscia? That was three of the more dangerous people at Selenitas. Kalierre and Uu'n probably qualified as dangerous. Probably. Were there any other ones he really considered as able to hold themselves together? R'non, perhaps, but he was more impulsive than Ka'rys particularly liked -- not that he had a problem with the other bronzerider. Shmee, he supposed, was the most dangerous of all people at Selenitas due to incompetence being the most deadly of all fighting tactics, but fortunately it effected her worse than everyone else. From his experience, Savitri definitely seemed to favor the more dangerous types. If she wanted to ignore that detail, though, he wouldn't rub it in her face. He was fairly sure she wouldn't like having it pointed out to her that everyone she spoke to could probably rip her apart in a matter of seconds, if they put forth the effort. He certainly wouldn't have. He didn't even like being reminded that other people were as dangerous as he was. (He did not consider any of them - no, not even Mutasim - to be more dangerous, given the logic that few would be willing to risk the punishment that came with killing the Weyrleader -- and if he wasn't Weyrleader, he would definitely have had his weyr trapped for entry. Paranoid much?)
The closer she moved to him, the faster his pulse went, much to his own agitation. He wasn't scared of Savitri. Anything but. That did not mean, however, that he was used to having people in his personal space in any way, and the fact that he was still remembering the ... view she gave him not too long ago did not help him. His mind was quite embarrassingly roaming into reaches it should not have been going, for numerous reasons but first and foremost because Savitri was not an option. No, no, no. She was not an option at all. The closer she inched, the harder it was to remind himself of why he was against kissing her -- a little voice in the back of his mind had no problem reminding him that he was just 'teaching' her and it was nothing more... intimate than that. Just 'teaching' - harmless. He wanted to throttle that voice. Didn't it realize that he was going to be making a very, very big mistake? If Shmee found out, she'd kill him. If anyone found out he'd be perceived as taking advantage of a weyrlingrider. Even considering it at all was a total and complete mistake.
"Plenty of other men who would be willing to kiss you," he replied quietly as one hand lifted, his index finger tracing along her jawline, feather-light, as if he thought that the touch would make her disappear. Some part of him did. He'd been dreaming the last time, hadn't he? And she'd most certainly responded badly... but she didn't seem to be responding badly now, no... He squinted slightly. She'd said Hepaticath was asleep, so hopefully there would be nothing .. bad... coming of it. If Hepaticath was asleep she wouldn't be confused or startled and it was just a kiss, right? Scientific, studious, a learning experience, nothing more - no feelings to question, no extra touching, no doubting. Nothing more. Just a kiss. How come he was not convincing himself of that, no matter how much he repeated it in his mind? Probably because he kept flashing on what it would be like to do a lot more than kiss... and kiss more than just her lips. How did people survive like that? More over, could he even bring himself to resist? Answer: No. No he couldn't.
Thisisabadideathisisabadidea...
Despite the fact that he knew it was a mistake, somewhere in the back of his mind (what good could come of getting involved with a goldrider?), Ka'rys gave up trying to resist. If questioned he could always blame his lack of resistance on sleep deprivation and it wouldn't entirely be a lie. That thought comforted him, though only slightly. Despite the trepidation he felt at doing so, he tilted his head slightly and leaned forward to press his lips to hers, his fingers still resting against her cheek; no grabbing, like she said. No extra touching. Just a kissing lesson. Right. Suddenly it made sense exactly why no one had ever asked him to teach anything before....
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Post by kysseh on Sept 6, 2008 19:16:03 GMT -5
He had abandoned all attempts at conversation, and Savitri minded little. After all, talking and kissing were not meant to be accomplished simultaneously, as they both required the use of a mouth. And if he was talking, he could not comply with her seemingly easy request. Then again, she still wanted to know what he was thinking. Based on what he had been babbling on about earlier, perhaps letting it stew in his brain was not the best way for things to be left. She would inquire later, if she felt the need to. He was seemingly very content to leave it be for now, though, and she would have to content herself with waiting to inquire.
He was.... getting interested? It was hard to tell, but it looked like he might be seriously considering agreeing. He had been only slightly reluctant before, and Ka'rys was... well, she was close enough to tell that he was not disinterested, at the very least. Would he try to push it further, if he finally got over whatever excuse was holding him back? She doubted it. He was smarter than that, and she trusted him to not make things more difficult than they need be. All she asked for, and all he really could provide, was a kiss meant for her own education. Her green eyes flicked over his face, trying to read his expressions, widening a bit as a hand approached her face.
"I know. I don't want them to, though," she replied, her voice similarly quiet as his finger traced along her jawline. She could not quite make her statements any louder than that, mostly because that almost-nonexistent touch made her want to press closer. Resisting that urge took some will, and she just patiently waited, watching as he squinted at her. Of course he was thinking. When was he not thinking or overthinking what was going on? Looking for another excuse, perhaps? She was going to ask if that was the case, but instinct held her back, and she waited, letting him make the first move.
Ahhh, there it was!
She saw his head tilting and knew she had won out. She watched him as he leaned forward, her eyes instinctively fluttering closed. Why did she want to do that? She had no idea, but it felt right. A little shiver ran through her, and she made a small noise of pleasure. This.... meeting of lips was a familiar sensation. But, wasn't there more involved to it, and her mind raced with excitement and more than an ounce of curiosity. It was supposed to get more complicated, wasn't it? Her lips parted a bit, and she came, in about a millisecond, to the conclusion that that was normal and supposed to happen. A tongue couldn't come into play with a closed mouth.
Shards, but she had to make sure he didn't escape before he taught her properly... and that must have been why her right hand somehow made its way around his waist to splay itself on his back within about half a second of his lips coming to meet hers. Her left hand carefully, almost possessively, slid around to the back of his neck, and she squirmed up a little closer. She vaguely noted that somewhere in the very recent second or two, she had abandoned the thought of letting him take charge. Oops. She hoped he did not fuss at her for it; she only intended to make sure she didn't get shorted on any teaching. Strange, but where had she learned that hand stunt? It had to be all instinct, and her curious mind settled on that, while her lips moved lightly against his. Was she doing this right? She had no idea.
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