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Post by darkaire on Jun 22, 2007 21:17:22 GMT -5
He grinned at her first comment, trying briefly to imagine one of Azerith’s discontented grumbles coming from her stomach. It didn’t seem possible, so he dismissed the idea. If he heard anything of that nature from a human, he’d run away. It was hard enough to sleep through dragon noises, but humans making dragon noises? He wouldn’t be able to take that.
The more he thought about it, despite his trying to dismiss the idea, the more he grinned. It was just too interesting a notion. When he became aware of a silence, he hastily dropped the thoughts and kept the grin. What had she said last? His mind raced to find a word that sounded right. He settled on gather, and they were talking about food…so bubbly pies? They were a food of occasion, and one that just about everyone was fond of.
“Well, maybe when Adeloth clutches they’ll get around to making some pies.” It was a wistful statement, because the food was one of the rider’s few indulgences. It wasn’t uncommon to find several pies missing, and then find them in the brownrider’s weyr.
He placed a hand on her lower back and led her gently to the door. “It seems like forever since there’s been a gather. I think I’ve probably forgotten how to dance,” he sighed. With a Hatching coming up, he’d have to get his good clothes looked at and remember those dance moves. Not something he looked forward to.
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Post by kayla on Jun 22, 2007 21:30:06 GMT -5
Rynien grinned at him at that statement, "Oh! I hope so." She nodded, "They should. It'll definitely be an event worthy of it. I just hope that sickness among the children is gone by then." She knew of the sickness though it was not touching her directly. She knew that things were quieter and a little sadder in general in the Weyr, and she could not imagine what it was like for those who were losing littles.
She took a deep breath to clear her mind of the unpleasant thought, and that was the moment he had laid his hand on the small of her back. Her eyes opened as she felt a shiver run through her body at that touch.
She swallowed and grinned up at him, making no move to move away from his touch, but letting him led her, "Oh, I doubt that. I imagine that you'd be a pretty good dance partner. But dancing should be enjoyable, so its really more about having fun rather than trying to win some kind of award."
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Post by darkaire on Jun 22, 2007 21:38:36 GMT -5
He frowned slightly when she mentioned the sickness. His mind traced back to his brief encounter with Rory and the room full of children. He wondered briefly what had happened with him and his niece, but was brought back by her voice. He had missed the shiver, but since she had not moved away, it amounted to the same thing: a positive signal.
Z’ir opened his door and led her through, letting the natural weight of the wood shut itself. Unconsciously his hand stayed where it was, enjoying the slop of her back. “I do enjoy dancing,” he admitted, “I just don’t like reminding myself how to do it. If I’m going to dance in public, I need to be able to do it correctly. Another complex of mine,” he said a bit sheepishly. He had spent enough of his life perfecting his public appearance, and he wasn’t about to give that up yet.
”An award would be nice though,” he mused, toying with the idea. Suddenly interrupting his own thoughts, he turned to Ry, a spark of excitement turning his lips further upwards. “Maybe you would be willing to practice with me sometime?”
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Post by kayla on Jun 22, 2007 21:49:59 GMT -5
She giggled softly, but it was not in a mocking way at all, "Do you have to be perfect? Or are these just idiosyncrisies?" She grinned to him and her eyes would show that she meant nothing at all mean or ridiculing by it. "Its sweet. And everyone has complexes."
Rynien blinked and blushed, though this time it wasn't a blush of embarassment but from being flattered. "Yeah, I'd like that. I enjoy dancing. The music is so freeing and when I'm dancing with a good partner, someone who can lead well, I can focus on enjoying the dance, the steps, and just let myself go..." She chuckled, "A good leader makes it so his partner can do little flourishes and things that just... add to the dance. Even if its just for the two of them."
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Post by darkaire on Jun 22, 2007 22:06:11 GMT -5
Surprisingly he didn’t tense at her laugh. Normally he would have been mortified to admit to any of his complexes, but he seemed to have forgotten to care with Rynien. After all, she had taken his cleanliness in stride without making a big deal about it. Having to be perfect wasn’t nearly as bad as that.
His smile, however, did falter slightly at her question. He shrugged, “I’ve come to expect perfection from myself. How else do you think I became Wing Second?” The question wasn’t callous, but it did hold a sarcastic tone. It was a matter of pride for him to have ultimate control over himself.
His minor mood swing passed as she accepted his offer. Her words struck something buried within him, bringing up ideas he’d tried to forget on their first meeting. Z’ir swallowed thickly, averting his gaze. He had always considered what it would be like to have as much control over another person as he did over himself. The woman beside him had just admitted to enjoying a dance with a strong leader.
The brownrider found his face heated, and he fought it back into control. She didn’t need to know what he had gleaned from her words. When he spoke next, he sounded just like he had before. Like everything else, he knew how to control his tone when he needed to. “I’ve always enjoyed doing the leading. Ladies shouldn’t have to worry about steps, just those little flourishes,” he smiled down at her. He had no doubt that they would be at ease with each other, so dancing wouldn’t be awkward.
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Post by kayla on Jun 22, 2007 22:16:46 GMT -5
"Can anyone really be perfect though?" Rynien tilted her head slightly at him as she looked up at him, "Seems like being perfect could be rather boring."
And Ryn knew that she was far from perfect herself. She was far too shy, and so did not really have any friends - other than Z'ir. She found it difficult to stand up for herself. She bit her lip and made herself stop cataloguing her faults.
She did come out of her own thoughts in time to see that he had looked away. She wondered if she had done or said something wrong but before she could ask, he had turned back to her and seemed fine. "It sounds like we would make good dance partners then. Maybe we'll be able to show off some if we ever do have a gather."
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Post by darkaire on Jun 22, 2007 22:50:59 GMT -5
He laughed shortly at her question. “I like to think so. If not perfection, then I’d like to achieve an avoidance to embarrassing myself. I tend to like to control most aspects of my life,” for the second time that day, he openly admitted to something that wasn’t widely known. If someone had taken the time to think about how he acted, they might have guessed that he controlled himself most of the time. “I suppose perfect can be boring, but it is safe.”
Z’ir warmed to the idea of showing off his soon-to-be-relearned dancing skills with a beautiful woman to accompany him. It helped that they had skipped most of the awkwardness of a new friendship, allowing them the comfort to truly make an impressive pair on the dance floor. He had always hated dancing with stiff women, and he was thrilled at the idea of having someone that could flow. “Yes, I think we’d make good partners, too,” he smiled. “I hope you’re not adverse to consistent practicing; I tend to go overboard sometimes.”
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Post by kayla on Jun 22, 2007 23:00:46 GMT -5
Rynien groaned slightly, teasingly, at the warning about the consistent practicing. "You're not going to be too harsh a task-master, I hope. As long as you're not too demanding, I think I'll be able to survive whatever grueling practice schedule you come up with."
She grinned then, "And we can't be perfect if we don't practice a lot. I think I can make the sacrifice. I'd not want to disappoint you." Which is kind of odd considering I am just getting to know you.
Her stomach growled again just as they reached the hall and she looked positively mortified. "I can't believe how hungry I am... I promise, my stomach does not always make noises this loudly..." Of course it was probably just loud to her since it was all embarrassing.
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Post by darkaire on Jun 23, 2007 17:26:34 GMT -5
He mirrored her grin warmly, pleased that she wasn’t immediately opposed to constant practice. Granted, he could have gotten someone else to practice a few times with, but if he was to be dancing with her at the Gather, he’d like to be practicing with her. “I’m fairly hard on myself, but I’ll try to go easier on you. To start with,” he added innocently.
“But if I do start demanding too much, let me know. Or just leave. One usually works better than the other, though,” he said lightly. He meant it, and he wasn’t about to reveal which one was the easier of the two to pull off. Her mention of disappointing him made him snort in amusement. Somehow, part of him doubted she’d disappoint him. He was rarely disappointed with anyone but himself, anyway.
“You're not going to be too harsh a task-master, I hope.”
He cringed, face heating again. His brain had emphasized only part of that sentence, and the direction it had taken it had led to his face heating. It must be because he’d been reclusive for long enough that he wasn’t accustomed to being around people that indulged his presence. Though that didn’t explain the cold chill that had touched his skin briefly when she said it.
It was then that her stomach growled, and his response was to laugh. His hand slipped off her back to cover his mouth as he kept his laughter muffled. It wasn’t too long before he gained control again as replaced his hand where it had been, steering her into the door for the cafeteria. “Don’t worry about it, we’re here.”
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Post by kayla on Jun 23, 2007 17:50:09 GMT -5
She chuckled as he promised not to go too hard on her - to start with. She found the qualifier rather amusing. "I will." She grinned at him, though the truth of the matter was that she wouldn't, she was not the kind to complain, and unless he really pushed her too far, she would not make any protest. Rynien could occassionally stand up to people, but usually only when they said something that she knew was wrong and didn't correct it when told.
And then he cringed again and he face reddened in a way that did not seem to be... a good blush. Rynien sighed. She wished she knew what it was she said or did to make him all... cringy. She half mumbled an apology, though it got lost in his laughter.
Never before had Ryn been glad for her stomach to make a loud noise. And his laughter meant that whatever had made him uncomfortable the moment before had passed, for which she was grateful. "Thank Faranth. I don't usually get this hungry..." She sighed softly as his hand returned to the small of her back.
Despite the noises, the food she selected was not a great amount - oh she wasn't one of those women who did not eat enough when she was hungry, it just did not take much to fill her up. She selected a plate that had a small meat serving, with more vegetables and fruit and bread and then moved to wait for him, unsure of where to sit since they were of different wings.
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Post by darkaire on Jun 23, 2007 18:31:18 GMT -5
He smiled pleasantly at her sigh, and the change of subject did his mind well. He was hungry, too, and welcomed the opportunity to concentrate on something else. His hand slipped away again as she drifted off to choose a plate. He glanced at what was on the plate she picked up. More than some women, but still less than he thought healthy.
Z’ir surveyed the selection, taking the time to push unwanted thoughts and feelings away. He breathed deeply and confirmed his authority over himself again. Problem momentarily solved, he chose a plate with twice as much meat and half as many vegetables.
His eyes swept the room, the assigned tables. He snorted and simply sat at the nearest one, not bothering himself with proper seating. It wasn’t a normal time for eating, so he didn’t think it mattered where they sat. “A light eater, are you?” he commented, more as a way to avoid any silence.
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Post by kayla on Jun 23, 2007 19:06:24 GMT -5
Rynien followed him and sat beside him. She tilted her head at his question, "Hmm?" She was genuinely puzzled by it for a moment. She looked at her plate and then back up at him, "Um... this is plenty... will feel me up."
She then looked at his plate and grinned, "My mother always told me that men eat more than women. I promise, this will be enough, though I might manage to have room for desert if there is any."
She took a bite, chewed and swallowed before saying anything else. "Um... Z'ir... am I doing something to upset you? You keep getting this... distant look and ... whatever it is, tell me and I'll stop."
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Post by darkaire on Jun 23, 2007 19:14:15 GMT -5
He had waited to eat until she started, but at her question, he decided now was as good a time ever to start. As soon as she mentioned his distant look, he knew what was coming next and promptly speared a vegetable and shoved it into his mouth. He took his time chewing.
Az, Az! What do I say? he pleaded his dragon. He felt the brown shift the situation around, then answer after an agonizing second. The truth? Z'ir choked. It gave him another few seconds. I can't tell her I'm having fantasies about...about... Fantasies are a normal part of any human. Not these kinds!
He realized with a sinking dread that he had just swallowed, and now had to answer her. His dragon had been - intentionally - no help. "It's...nothing you're doing," he floundered, knowing how cliche and horrible his explination had been.
Smooth, the brown rumbled, and Z'ir detected a hint of satisfaction. He would deal with Azerith later.
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Post by kayla on Jun 23, 2007 19:30:15 GMT -5
Rynien tried not to watch him as he ate and then choked. She sighed realizing that even that question had made him uncomfortable. She pushed the food around on her plate as she waited for him to answer.
She did not sigh, I finally have a friend and I think I just chased him away.
You still have me. But he is nice. I do not think you chased him away.
I hope not.
When he finally answered, she blinked, "Oh... ok. I just thought I was upsetting you." She smiled to him, it was a small kind of uncertain smile, "Everythings ok then?"
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Post by darkaire on Jun 23, 2007 21:18:19 GMT -5
He felt a cool relief at her smile, and managed his own uncertain smile back. Thankfully it didn't seem like she was going to pry. But shards this girl kept throwing him off. He'd either have to get used to it, or simply stop caring that she might bolt if he revealed his thoughts. He didn't know her well enough to do either - she might take the lack of care as lack of interest, and the thoughts as too much too soon. So Z'ir tucked them away and tried to content himself with moments of control. For now.
"Like I said, it's not you that's upsetting me. And yes, everything is fine," he turned his charm on more, uncertainty fading some his smile. "So don't worry about it, okay Ry?"
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