The Finer Techniques (2/2): Extrication

Writers: Bree, Eimi
Date Posted: 2nd January 2007

Characters: Abrei, U'kaiah
Description: Abrei admits to U'kaiah that she has been having some technical problems during her new adventures in romance.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 18 of Turn 4

Abrei

Abrei made a half-hearted attempt to shove her hair out of her eyes, but it didn't seem as important at the moment as laying absolutely still and letting her heart rate slow. "If you were having fantasies about _that_
as an apprentice, you were awfully advanced," she muttered to the bronzerider stretched out beside her.

"I was a bit," he nodded with a rather smug grin as he leaned down to kiss her shoulder, wrapping an arm lazily over her. "If only you had given a younger man a chance back then, just think of the possibilities."

It was all too easy to imagine her reaction if anyone--much less U'kaiah, whom she'd loathed--had suggested she try anything of the sort.
"I would have broken bones you didn't know you had," she replied easily.
"Probably best for you that you waited. Besides, I refuse to believe you could do what you just did when you were fifteen."

"Well, I could have tried. It did take a while for my technique to catch up to my imagination." And oh what an imagination that feisty healer had inspired.

Abrei laughed lazily and relaxed against his chest. "Mmmmm. Well, your technique seems to be decent enough now. Though I still think you shouldn't have been having those thoughts at that age."

"My imagination starting taking off at younger than fifteen, I assure you," he chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. The bronzerider was glad that it seemed that neither one of them was in any hurry to extricate themself from the other. U'kaiah liked the Abrei she became while basking in the afterglow. She really was more open and relaxed after a turn in the sheets he had noticed. "No wonder you were such a pain." She closed her eyes and arched her neck into his touch. "You're not so bad now, though. You grew up sort of nice."

"Thank you. You're not so bad either. Who would have guessed, hmmm?"

Abrei laughed. "Why can't things be this comfortable with other men? I don't feel like I need to run away from you." But then, she also wasn't particularly worried of waking up and finding herself harboring secret romantic feelings for U'kaiah. The entire notion was laughable.

"Well, maybe I'm just a far better lover than other man," U'kaiah said with resigned sigh. His fingers danced along her spine teasingly. "Why do you want to run away? Don't you ever stay long enough to do it again?"

She poked him in the ribs with one finger. "Smug idiot. Sometimes I do.
But most men do get tired eventually... and then the awkwardness starts.
I have been threatening most of the men I know with bodily harm for the last ten turns. I think they're all suspicious when I start agreeing."

Well, it certainly had caught him off guard the first time. Or it would have if he hadn't been numb from Jaela's passing. "Don't you ever just... talk to them? Like we're talking?"

Abrei rolled over and propped her head up on her hand so she could look down at him. "I've known you practically your whole life and I _still_
could barely talk to you at first. Or do you not remember that?"

"Yeah, but... things had been different then." They both had a whole lot of other things that they just didn't want to talk about.

"Well, and there's the other thing..."

He tried to follow but the meaning escaped him. "Other thing?" "The romance thing." She smiled at him and let her hand come to rest on his chest. "Not that you're not lots of fun, but I don't think there's much danger of us ever falling in love." "No, not really. Not that I wouldn't be a lucky man to have this to look forward to every night." And whoever did eventually get Abrei to fall in love with them was going to be a very happy man.

"You don't need to soothe my ego," she replied firmly. Then she poked him in the side teasingly. "Or am I supposed to say that whatever woman you inflict yourself on is going to be happy, too?"

U'kaiah's face was not all together amused. "Why can't I compliment you on your skills as a lover. I really enjoy spending time with you, you know. What you lack from experience you _more_ than make up for with your passion." Not to mention that she was just so sharding hot.

"Oh." Abrei's hand stilled on his chest again, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Well, thank you, I suppose." "I mean it, Abrei. You are a very sexy woman, and a very enthusiastic lover." He was sure he was making her a bit uncomfortable saying it so directly, but maybe she needed to know. "And just what would be so bad about falling in love? Not with me of course, but with someone."

Abrei shifted away from him, obviously uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. "And this would be the point when I start trying to extricate myself."

"Oh no you don't," he chuckled, wrapping his long arms around her and sliding close to her once more. "That may work on lesser men, but you're talking to _me_ and I am your friend. And you don't extricate yourself from friends. You talk to your friends. Although, if it helps I can also remind you that we are lovers while you talk." The bronzerider teasingly nipped at her neck while he held her fast. If he held on tight enough and kissed her convincing enough, perhaps they could even manage to make through the conversation without his nose getting broken.

Abrei was considering hitting him somewhere quite a bit lower. "Well, don't ask uncomfortable questions and I won't try to run away."

"Is this why you run away from all the guys? Because they try to talk about uncomfortable subjects like love and relationships?"

"Sometimes." She gave up squirming, having decided U'kaiah didn't deserve an elbow in the ribs. Yet. "Though sometimes it's just because I don't want to sleep in a bed with a stranger. Why do people want to do that?"

"Well, they're a warm body. You've already been very intimate with each other, perhaps even more so than sleeping. And then in the morning there's the promise you can do it all again."

"You think sex is more intimate than sleeping next to someone?" Abrei asked doubtfully. U'kaiah snorted. "Well, yeah. Sleeping is just sleeping. It's not like you're sleeping with them because you're in love with them or anything. It's just... sleeping."

"It's being unconscious," she retorted. "Unaware of what's going on around you and pretty much helpless. I don't care if it makes me distrustful or paranoid... I don't want to be asleep next to a stranger."

That kind of logic made no sense to the bronzerider. "Well, if you don't trust them, why are you having sex with them in the first place?"

Abrei blinked at him in confusion. "Maybe we have different definitions of trust, because you can't possibly trust everyone you have sex with.
Not the sort of trust I'm talking about." Either that, or U'kaiah was the most trusting man on the planet. Shards, he had sex with _Sarian_!
Trusting her seemed like a pretty terrible idea.

"Well, I trust them not to do anything to me or my belongings while I'm sleeping. What kind of trust are _you_ talking about?"

"I don't know. Not that." Abrei sighed and shifted uncomfortably again.
"I don't think we're going to understand each other, U'kaiah."

The bronzerider sighed. "All right." It must be some kind of woman thing that he'd never really understand. "Well, I'm naked, and you're naked. And we don't seem very sleepy and this conversation isn't going to go anywhere pleasant. What do you say we practice the initiating part again?"

"I'm not in the mood to practice," she replied grumpily. "I want sex, and I want it now."

At least there was no room for argument there...

Last updated on the January 2nd 2007

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The Finer Techniques (2/2): Extrication