Lingering

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 30th December 2006

Characters: U'kaiah, Traelyn
Description: After an evening of celebration, it's time for U'kaiah and Trae to say goodbye
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 29 of Turn 3
Notes: Follows "Shall We?"

The bronzerider fingers were linked naturally with Traelyn's. They both had spent the evening dancing, eating, and of course drinking. But now it was time to leave Dolphin Cove and report back to his own Weyr to celebrate all over again. Kalamath was waiting patiently on the beach as the Weyrwoman escorted her guest to his waiting bronze, both dragging their feet a bit as they walked. U'kaiah felt relaxed and happier than he had in months. Neither one wanted their private little celebration to end, and they both found little excuses to linger just a little longer in each others company.

"Shards, but your Weyr is beautiful in the moonlight," he said, tilting his head back to breath in the cool sea breeze and look up at the cliff-side illuminated by double moons.

"Mmm. They make the ocean look like molten silver, don't they?" Traelyn gestured to the moons crowning the tops of the spires.

"Hmm," he hummed in agreement. "I never thought about it that way. What a beautiful way to put it."

"I should've been trained to be a harper, huh?" she asked with a grin, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know, being harper trained didn't help me come to it," he chuckled, releasing her hand and wrapping his arm around her. "So do you have any resolutions for this next Turn?"

Wrinkling her nose, she nodded. "I say this every Turn, but....well, I want to work at my temper. Ever since I was a little girl, Mama encouraged both me _and_ Papa to stick firm to that particular resolution, but we both really never could." Then she grinned, her arm wrapping around to rest gently on his waist. "Difficult girls turn into difficult women. I'm going to try--again--to not be so difficult."

"Well, I haven't found you so troublesome," U'kaiah said as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "We seem to have been able to get through your temper fine so far."

"And thank Faranth for that," she sighed, rubbing her cheek against him.

He bent down to kiss her forehead softly. "I love you despite your temper."

She stopped walking, her eyes closing suddenly. Swallowing thickly, she wrapped her other arm slowly around him. Shards... It utterly amazed and confused her how she could be so quickly undone by such simple words. How long had it been since any man, whether he was a family member, friend or lover, had said that to her? Shards...

"Are you all right?" U'kaiah asked, his voice colored with concern as he stopped and wrapped his other around her to pull her close.

Nodding, she rubbed her cheek against him again. "Better than all right,"
she murmured quietly, tilting her head back a little to look up at him.

The bronzerider shook his head and smiled down at her warmly. "You know, sometimes I feel like I've known you forever, and sometimes you're still a mystery to me."

"And how do I seem to you right now?"

U'kaiah looked at her thoughtfully a moment, gently brushing her hair from her face. Finally he smiled. "You look beautiful. You look happy."

She actually blushed a little, eyes meeting his as her fingers idly began to trace the elegant embroidery on the back of his shirt, following the arching line of the dragon's neck to the swirling wings.

"You're awful quiet," U'kaiah said, breaking the comfortable silence. He cocked his head to the side curiously. "What's going on in that head of yours, hmm?"

Her fingertip reached the coil of of the dragon's tail. "Just thinking.... About the new Turn." She ran her nail down the spiral. "So much happened last Turn...I'm wondering what's in store for us this time around." Traelyn shrugged a smooth shoulder, smiling a little. "You know. Little musings."

He gave her a soft smile. "Any predictions for the coming Turn?"

"Uh huh. We're going to see each other more," she teased.

U'kaiah's smile turned into a grin. "I like that prediction. We'll have to make sure it comes to pass."

Her hands drifted to his waist. "It will."

"Well," he said, looking over his shoulder at the bronze glowing in the moonlight a little further down the beach, "I suppose I should get going..."

Trying to bury her disappointment, Traelyn gave him a smile. "I suppose so. And party the night away at Dragonsfall!"

"Well, we'll see. You might have taken a lot of the party out of me," he chuckled. "But maybe all I need is a couple cups of klah and then I'll be ready to sweep all the ladies off their feet."

"Mmmm. I'm sure you'll have no trouble," she grinned, releasing him. As he began to turn around, she called after him softly, "Oh, U'kaiah...."

"Yes?" he asked, turning to look at her over his shoulder.

A whisper of a smile touched her lips. "Kiss for luck?"

"Sure," he said, returning her small smile. As he turned back to face her, though, he felt a seed of uncertainty growing in his stomach. It wasn't that her request surprised him. It was Turns End after all. And it wasn't the thought of kissing a friend, since after all, he had _slept_
with most of his good female friends. It was that fact that it was _her_
that his heart beat a little harder in chest. As much as they had cuddled and touched each other, they had never had so much as a small, innocent Turn's End kiss before. Not that it really _meant_ anything of course...

He reached his large hands out to hold her waist. Chuckling softly he looked up at the goldrider's face, knowing he was acting like an adolescent moving in for his first kiss. It was just so... different...

She grinned at him, white teeth flashing in the dark. "You're not scared, are you?" she teased gently, brushing the tip of her nose against his. But despite her outward calm, her heart was beating just a little faster, and her hands came to settle at his hips almost nervously...hesitantly.

"You're very intimidating, Weyrwoman. I'm a shy boy," the bronzerider grinned. Leaning in even closer, his eyes flickered to hers, almost seeking her permission.

Lowering her lashes, Traelyn closed that small distance between them and pressed her lips to his.

It was short and very innocent, but even so the bronzerider's eyes closed, his heart flipped in his chest and his fingers tightened around her waist.
Shards.

"See? Not so scary, was it?" she asked him, her voice very soft, a little breathy. But when she met his eyes, there was an expression in them that hadn't been there before.

U'kaiah chuckled softly. "I survived."

Slowly she let her hands fall from him, fingers lingering. "Have a good Turn's End tonight, U'kaiah."

"You too, Trae," he smiled as he slowly released her. "Good night."

She smiled back. "Good night."

He turned to walk towards his waiting bronze, breathing deeply in cool breeze. Shards, it had been a great night. And it was just starting. But he wondering if anything could top that. U'kaiah stopped, feeling eyes still on him and turned to look back over his shoulder at the Weyrwoman, still standing illuminated by the moonlight on the beach. For the briefest moment he wondered what it would have been like, if _he_ had been the one she had chosen rather than N'vanik back at Dragonsfall...

Last updated on the December 1st 2006

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Lingering