A Private Concert
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Devin
Date Posted: 14th February 2009
Characters: N'vanik, Talryne
Description: N'vanik has a surprise for Talryne.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 29 of Turn 4
He probably should have tried harder to socialize. Being his first Turn's End as Weyrleader -- in any important position -- he could have made a better impression, talked with more people, danced with more women. But after Talryne left, it was hard to focus. She'd done very well, dancing with him for almost a candlemark while he put off other prospective partners. That had been her limit, though. She didn't have to tell him, he could see in her face, in her eyes. There were too many people, too much noise, and an awful lot of attention was being paid to them, some of it not so nice. So he'd taken her back to her weyr and then returned to the celebration to give those promised dances.
N'vanik didn't think he'd done too bad, though. It wasn't as if he'd had a miserable time, just that he'd rather have been with Tal. When he figured he'd spent enough time there, he sought out one last person to talk to and then went up to Tal's weyr.
She looked a little surprised when he walked in. She was in her underclothes, her dress laid carefully over the back of a chair. "You're back early."
"Nah. I spent plenty of time there."
Talryne had figured he would be back very late tonight, and not just because of the celebration. He'd been upset with Traelyn lately, and with both of them attending Turn's End, Talryne thought they might make up in their usual way. Apparently not. "I thought you liked parties ..." A knowing smile curved her lips. "Are you trying to escape your social duties?"
He joined her on the couch. "I'm not escaping anything. I just did the bare minimum." He grinned.
"And now you're hiding in my weyr."
"I'm _not_ hiding."
"You said yourself that you wanted to come here because you'd be harder to find."
His grin turned sly. "I wanted you to come here because I didn't want you in my weyr." He laughed at the confused and slightly hurt expression on her face, only because it wasn't what it sounded like at all. "I have something to show you. Put your dress back on and we'll go see."
She frowned at him. "Why do I have to put my dress on?" What did he have to show her? **Loseth? Do you know what N'vanik wants to show me?**
}:It's a secret,:{ the dragon replied.
"Just put it on. Please," N'vanik said.
Her worry faded as her curiosity grew. She got up and pulled the dress on, slowing a little when she saw N'vanik's eyes on her. She made a show out of it, sliding the fabric slowly along her body. He got up to fasten the back for her, bending to kiss her neck as he did. A little shiver went through her. "Don't forget your shoes," he murmured against her ear. Then he pulled back.
She put her shoes on, giving him a questioning look. He just grinned at her. N'vanik took her hand and led her through the halls and up the stairs to his weyr. He stopped at the door. "Close your eyes."
She frowned, suspicious, but she did it. N'vanik opened the door and stepped through, pulling her with him. "Can I open them?" she asked.
"Not yet." He closed the door and led her farther in. "I know we said we wouldn't get too romantic, but I thought Turn's End might be a good time for an exception. Open your eyes."
Talryne startled when she saw a man sitting in the room. "What --?" Then she saw the gitar in his lap, and the knots on his shoulder. "A harper?" She turned to N'vanik.
"I didn't know how long I'd get to dance with you downstairs, so I arranged for us to have a private concert."
She stared at him. This was like something out of the books she'd read as a girl. "You ... you did this for me?"
"Not exactly. I'm selfish, and I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to dance with you." He grinned.
She kissed him, maybe a little longer than she should have. When she pulled away, dancing wasn't the only thing on her mind. "Thank you," she managed. She felt guilty for not getting him anything. First the dress, now this.
"You're welcome." N'vanik turned to the harper. "Journeyman, how 'bout you start us off with something slow?"
"It would be my pleasure, Weyrleader." The journeyman shifted his hold on the gitar and started to play.
"Care to dance?" N'vanik asked, smiling down at Tal.
"Yes." They moved into position, swaying to the melody. For a few moments, Talryne was very aware of the harper in the room, a man she didn't know. The more she danced, the more she forgot about him. There were slow songs, where N'vanik held her close, and fast ones, where the furniture was in danger. They knocked over one chair and nearly fell over the couch.
N'vanik loved to see her like this: her face open, her eyes shining. She was happy. She was _alive_. Dancing with her at the celebration had been wonderful, and there'd been a few fleeting moments where she looked this happy. But there was always an underlying tension. He knew, they both knew, that she would reach a limit. She could only stand the crowd for so long. Here, they could dance until dawn.
The harper started another tune, fast and sexual, with occasional taps on the gitar to add a beat. The lyrics were too racy for Hold or Hall. N'vanik thought this harper must have picked it up from someone here at the Weyr. From the look Tal gave him when it started, he knew she recognized the song. She knew how to dance to it, too. She threw a leg over his hip, rolled against him. There was heat in her eyes, and a growing heat in his body. N'vanik thought the poor harper was going to get shoved out the door by the time the song was over.
He was right.
Last updated on the February 20th 2009