Haphephobia [Fade-in for Tashe]

[llew]

Rukbat's first rays pried him away from his dreamworld. N'tia's eyelids creaked open and shut, sluggishly at first, then gradually quickening to the pace of the awake as the world came into focus. A rested, satisfied groan rumbled up from somewhere in his chest, apparently of its own accord. Shards. . . never felt this tired, not after a meal, not after a run, not after threadfall. . .

I hate mornings.

He yawned widely, then reached with a hand to knead the corners of his eyes -- only, his arm would not move. His brows knit together quizzically, mind blurred with sleep. He tested the appendage again to no avail. Something pinned it to the bed. . . something warm, and soft, and breathing sweetly into his ear. . .

His drew back abruptly as if roughly yanked by some invisible grip, eyes wide; the bronzerider was now fully awake and bristling with alarm. There, enfolded in his arms and nestled to his chest, lay a woman. Kaegan. The room swam and the world flooded back to him. He gurgled in his throat, trapped between a fright that bid him flee and a strange comfort that told him to stay.

"Kirayuth!"

The dragon was already awake, but did not stir at the call of his bonded. After what seemed an age to his stricken rider, he responded foggily, "Good Morning. I trust you slept well."

N'tia's jaw worked at its hinges, eyes fixed in unblinking disbelief on Kaegan's peaceful face. "What. . . what do I do? What did I do? What did you do?"

"Go back to sleep if you are going to be a nuisance. I am comfortable." Kirayuth closed his eyes, taking in the warmth of Milleth's body and rumbling with contentment. His tail twined round hers, delighting in every inch of her golden skin that was now his to touch. It was all wonderfully new: he had never flown a female before.

Neither had his rider, who struggled to gain control of his thoughts. The bronzeman crushed his eyes shut. He couldn't just leave her, what kind of impression was that, what kind of dishonorable stunt -- shards, she was the junior weyrwoman! . . . Not to mention warm, and beautiful the way the light played across her hair. . . But she was naked under the same furs in the same bed which was probably not even his with her body daring him to stay and to fall and to lose himself and --

He could only bring himself to hold still, stiff and waiting for the beat of his heart to slow.

[Tashe]

The source of warmth next to her shifted a small amount, forcing her to readjust, once more curling up happily against it. But the movement tripped a reflex in the back of her mind, causing jaw muscles to contract in a small yawn, and her eyelids flutter. Mumbling slightly as she stirred, Kaegan once more cuddled closer to whatever it was that was warm, she didn't want to wake up yet. /Sleep well Kaemine?/ Mhm. /Well that's good.../ "Mmm." As her eyes finally opened, the Goldrider blinked the sleep out of her eyes before glancing up at the warm-thing, surprised in her sleep stupor. Skin? Millieth had gold hide... not tan. "Oh..." Memories jerked her totally awake, reliving the moments of the entire flight in painful clarity, driving a blush to her cheeks. Since when had she become so confident during and after a flight? Removing her thin fingers from the winner's chest, Kaegan twined them into her hair, hiding her face and the blush. The man wasn't the one she was hoping for, he wasn't even Jessereth's, not that she wouldn't react in the same way toward the Brown's. /He is Kirayuth's. N'tia./ N'tia. He was a Wingleader wasn't he? F'con had mentioned him once... something about serving under a young, novice leader.

It took a few moments of quiet reasoning for the Weyrwoman to remove the hand from her face, but even then no words seemed to be able to come to mind. What did you say to a man you wake up next to after having had Flight-induced sex with? Hi! Had a good sleep N'tia? Definitely /not/. /Calm down Mine. You shall be fine./ Tch. Shifting her hand to grab one of her curls in a habitual movement, Kaegan nervously looked up at the Bronzerider's face, a sense of inbred worry settled into the pit of her stomach. She couldn't help but feel a little afraid, it was a constant thing she had to live with, thanks to her stay at Benden. Clearing her throat quietly, Kaegan glanced down from his face before she spoke, though it came out more as a soft whisper than anything else. "Um... h-hello."

Moving her head with a yawn, Millieth rubbed her neck on Kirayuth's hide like a feline, arching it in a stretch. He was a pretty Bronze, one of /Her/ pretty Bronzes now, and his warmth was the epitome of temptation. He had flown well, and she was happy with the outcome of the flight, even if he wasn't a Bearinth or Jessereth. Nudging his cheek with her muzzle, the Gold crooned at him, letting her body rest slightly on Kirayuth's solid form. /Hello. Did you rest well enough? You are a certainly warm enough to kept me grounded for a time./ Lifting her gaze from the Bronze's face, Millieth studied the form of Her's inside, puzzling over something before returning to Her male. /Would you tell Yours to be gentle in voice and actions with Kaeganmine? She harbors a fear of Human Men. She is worried he'll be angry with her./ Snuggling closer to Kirayuth with another coo, the Queen placed her head on her forelegs, watching both Her Bronze and Her's. If Kirayuth couldn't convince His, she certainly would have to.

[llew]

"Best rest of my four turns," Kirayuth rumbled with amusement. He was content to revel in his queen's attentions, but frowned with concern at Milleth's request. "Really. . . Yours seems to be very much like Tiamine. He is not accustomed to intimacy; women frighten him." He paused, feeling for N'tia's mind. "Assure yours that he is not angry with her. Far from it."

N'tia loosed a breath of relief as Kaegan's hand left his chest. He allowed himself to relax as much as he dared, easing his eyes open again. He looked into her face, which was presently obscured by a hand and a cascade of tousled red curls.

The bronzeman contemplated her quietness. He wasn't quite sure what he had expected from the aftermath of a flight; a bitter exchange perhaps, or an immediate eviction. But certainly not the nervous silence they now shared. He was glad in part: fewer words meant fewer opportunities to humiliate himself. But there was a tinge of concern needling the back of his mind. . . Was there something wrong?

"Tiamine, be gentle with Millieth's," came Kirayuth's mental voice.

N'tia inwardly snorted. "Oh, when I wake up anxious, you ignore me, but now you defend the bonded of your pretty little gold?"

"Were you in any danger I would have rescued you. I know your fears. But I cannot know Millieth's bonded, and will not have you hurting her unnecessarily."

The Wingleader did not bother to respond. He was angered by Kirayuth's lack of sympathy, and further frustrated by the current situation: he had never been more uncomfortable in his life, but there was no escape.

Despite his heated thoughts, he turned his attentions back to Kaegan and immediately softened. She had removed the hand from her face now, and. . . he had to admit that she was pretty. More than pretty. There was a stillness about her completely different from the loud, tittering women he was used to. She was no chatty Lauranna, and he liked that. She was no threat. He could not hate her, as much as he hated her sex.

"Hello," he answered slowly, guardedly. "How are you?" Suddenly the awkward reality dawned on him: they had never spoken a word to each other, or even met, before the flight. He stifled a groan of embarassment, and quickly added, "I am N'tia."

[Tashe]

/That is good, and rather amusing at the same time.../ A yawn interrupted her sleepy thoughts, letting out a comfortable sigh before she continued. /... that I should choose one whose Theirs shares some of the same fears of Mine./ Rumbling in a chuckle, the Golden Queen unfolded her large membranes, stretching the sleep out of the thin wing joints. /Very amusing indeed./ The brief twitter of the memories of the flight, offered up a thought in her head, her Brown and Bronze would need some consolation later... even if it was just a compliment or two. Giving a wing shrug as she refolded her wings to settle along her back, Millieth closed the lids over her eyes to block out Rukbat's rays.

This man was nice, at least in the sense he wasn't arrogant upon waking up, winning a Gold flight would give any man reason to be so. In fact, he seemed tense, guarded even. "Im... um, a little sore... but, fine as to be... expected." Allowing a nervous smile flutter across her face, one that was little more than a small upturn of the corners of her lips, Kaegan fleetingly glanced up at his face. "I'm K-kaegan. And... how are you?" A slight movement of her body made her painfully aware that she was still pressed up against his side, not to mention she was probably pinning N'tia to the bed by laying on his arm. "I should uh... probably un-pin you?" The statement was formed more like a question, she didn't know if he wanted her to stay close or not. Taking a moment to quietly contemplate how to move away from him without accidentally flashing her chest, the Goldrider noticed that one of her arms was exposed. Hiding her arm under the furs, Kaegan bit the inside of her lower lip, the last thing she wanted to do was scare him away with all of her scars.

/I hope Kaemine doesn't have to do paperwork today, I'd much rather go out and walk in the fields. Its to stuffy to be inside today./ Shifting her head so that she could look off of her Weyrledge, Millieth crooned at the bright blue skies that the mid-morning created. /I also want to go sunning. That would be nice... and maybe a dip in the ocean or river./ Twitching her tail which was still intertwined with Kirayuth's, the Golden Queen rumbled happily. /Of course you are more than welcome to come with me. And so is Yours... that is if Ours don't scare each other to death./ Another bout of laughter emitted gutturally from her throat, her amusement in this situation wouldn't diminish anytime soon.

[llew]

"I am. . . thoroughly tired." N'tia grimaced with embarassment at his own feeble respose, but he couldn't help but laugh softly at the sheer force of awkwardness permeating the conversation. He shook his head until his mirth peatered away. He sighed, composing himself. "It takes me a little while to remember how to think in the morning, forgive me. I'm doing my best not to be an ass."

Kirayuth mentally watched the play of emotions streaming through his bonded's head. Rarely was N'tia's mind such a garbled mess of hot and cold and fright and giddiness; it was somewhat disconcerting, if undeniably amusing, to watch the bronzeman squirm. "Needless to say, I am glad you chose this bronze of the peculiar bonded," chuckled the dragon at Millieth's musings.

N'tia was taken aback by Kaegan's question; she was perceptive, this one. "Well, yes, un-pinning is good. Spaciousness is always good." He was suddenly overcome with the urge to smack himself. Calm and cool N'tia, indeed. Where was his usual articulateness? Even his worst exhaustion-induced hangovers never left him feeling this slow, his brain this plodding, his mouth this insensitive. But he was surprised by her swift whip of the arm back beneath the covers, and his forehead wrinkled quizzically. The bronzeman had not had the time, let alone the presence of mind to notice her scars. Nonetheless, out of simple courtesy, he felt compelled to ask, "Is there something wrong?"

Kirayuth brought himself back from N'tia-study to rumble cheerfully, "Oh, I do love walking, and sunning. And oiling. Tiamine has been lazy with his duties as of late. That man needs some responsibility drilled into him." He crooned with mirth, fully satisfied with himself and his lovely gold. Why couldn't his bonded be so happy? Females were a wonderful thing, he decided.

[Tashe]

"You are... doing better, than me." Hiding a yawn behind a hand, bending slightly rather than bringing her palm all the way to her mouth, Kaegan rubbed some of the Sleep out of her eyes. If not for the emotions still funneling out from her Gold, the Weyrwoman knew she wouldn't have stayed in her furs for this long with a man she didn't know, but because her Millieth was content she was getting the dulled (nevertheless the same) after flow. His next comments caught her wondering her attention, redirecting it back unto N'tia, his rumbling voice slipping from one word to another. Shifting the arm she was laying on so that she could prop herself up slightly, Kaegan used that leverage to gently push her torso away, sliding her legs along in the process giving them some room between them. Luckily for the both of them, her large living quarters accommodated a bed more than big enough for two people, allowing the option of creating a comfortable space.

/You flew Impressively./ Rumbling in Dragonic chuckling, Millieth furled her wings to catch the slowly rising Rukbat, warming her stiff joints and cold membranes. /Then you shall accompany me. Yours will learn that keeping up appearances is crucial to being a Weyrleader, so you shall soon shine everyday. If you do not look presentable, even if you wish to look like one of the people, they will be hesitant to pledge themselves to you. Kaemine might be submissive, but almost everyone likes her, willing to serve her./ Settling her wings onto her back once more, the Gold eyed the Bronze happily, glad to be parting with important facts. /If you look like a Selenitas leader, then you will be one. If you look like a ragamuffin then people would whisper about you./ Sly in her wording, Millieth quietly began to preen her hide, cleaning some red-clay-dust from between her toes. /That is what I believe./

"Something... wrong? Oh..." Her mind flicked back to the motion she had preformed with her arm only a few moments ago, a quiet sense of nervousness seeded itself in her stomach, she had thought her maneuver had gone unnoticed. "N-no. Nothings... wrong per-say." Fidgeting slightly as she flipped herself onto her back, Kaegan rubbed one of her scared arms, thinking about whether or not it would just make everything easier to show him her blemishes... instead of just trying to hide everything.