One Candlemark

Writers: Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 30th October 2014

Characters: N'call, Ninaine, K'ale
Description: T'lat was proven right.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 9, day 27 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: T'lat
Notes: Follows "Grab That Freedom...and the Bronzerider"

N'call

Ninaine

K'ale

She stared at the door of the little shed with trepidation even as she
shivered from the cold. It had been all T'lat's idea to come up here.
Did it matter that it was dark and _cold_? Why would she ever listen
to her friend? She should just go back down the path and into the
sanctity of her weyr. There was no way she could just ask what T'lat
had suggested.

Even as she began to turn around, she caught sight of the glowing eyes
of Haloth nearby, then the appearance of a second smaller set as
Luneth settled by the bronze and tried to nudge her way under his wing
to get warmer. She sighed. N'call would know shortly that she was
here.

Haloth didn't feel the cold in the same way his did nor the younger
dragons so he shifted to make room for the young green under his wing
and as expected reached for his lifemate.

}:Luneth and hers are here:{

N'call put down his cup of klah and took a deep breath and looked over
at K'ale. "I seem to have a visitor," he said standing to open the
door.

"Ninaine?"

Luneth hunkered under Haloth's wing, but was surprisingly silent,
immersed in the complex emotions flooding her from her life mate. It
had been a long day and while she was proud to have finally went
/between/ under the watchful eye of Hasaarth, her rider was distracted
by other thoughts. She wasn't sure if she entirely liked it, but found
the big bronze's presence oddly soothing in comparison.

She hadn't spoken to him since _it_ happened; she had seen him of
course, but had kept herself busy and unapproachable. In truth, she
had been avoiding him. She glanced up as the door opened, met his eyes
and then quickly lowered her own again as she hurried past him into
the warmth of the watch-shed. She came to a complete stop as she saw
K'ale's feet, looked up and flushed. "Oh... should I come back?"

"Nope," K'ale said shoving up to his feet and then bundling up to go
out on the escarpment. He could shelter with Imalkyth while he let the
two have some privacy. He kind of knew some of the story around this
particular Weyrling. The night watch on a winter evening was a pain at
the best of times. He'd give them a little privacy trusting N'call to
let him know when he could come back inside to the relative warmth.

"Thanks K'ale," N'call said and watched the brownrider slip out the
door. "What's up," he said quietly to Ninaine. She'd finally graduated
to Senior Weyrling. That much he knew. He'd been watching her even
though he'd deny it if he were asked.

Her eyes flicked at the closing door and suddenly the small place
seemed even smaller. At first she said nothing, but shifted her weight
back and forth on her feet, unable to look higher than his boots.
"Uhm..." She took a breath. "I'm sorry you're having to do this." She
rubbed her arms, the thick jacket warding off most of the cold. "And
uhm...T'lat thought that I should talk to you since I uh...Luneth
/betweened/ today."

"I stepped over a line," he said softly to the top of her head. She
was so frightened of everything that didn't fit into the small world
her parents had taught. He only wished she could see what was good
about the way the Weyr did things. "I knew it was there. So, this..."
he pointed around the room, "is my fault."

Inside he smiled and silently thanked T'lat. He was seriously going to
have to find a way to thank the boy after all this. "T'lat was
right," he said and sat in the nearest chair.

She looked up as he sat, but didn't move from her spot near the door.
"So...what are we supposed to talk about? We both messed up. So now
what?"

He shook his head minutely. "Are you sure that is all you wanted to
ask? Surely there is something else on your mind." It had been on his
mind for the last couple of weeks.

Her flush wasn't as obvious in the dimmer light, but it was there. She
finally looked up at him for the first time since _it_ had happened.
She couldn't just _ask_ something like that. "I..." She bit her lower
lip and then swallowed before asking softly. "Why did you kiss me like
that? And touch me..." she looked away.

He'd wondered that himself ever since it happened. Why did one woman
attract him and another not. He wished he could really define the
answer but he couldn't. How could he say she was delicious without
making her feel uncomfortable. "I don't know really," he said
honestly. "But you tasted very good and I wanted more."

She didn't drop her gaze, but her lips parted with the memory. "I...I
liked it." She hugged herself tighter, trying hard not to be ashamed
of her honesty. "Do you still want..uhm..."

"Of course," he said softly. "Do you?"

She swallowed, then slowly nodded, her eyes sliding down to his mouth
as she kept her arms tight around her. "I..I'm afraid, N'call."

"Come here," he said and reached out to pull her into his lap. "I'm
not going to hurt you or do anything you don't want." He put a finger
under her chin and tilted her face up. His lips hovered a breath away
from hers. "May I kiss you?"

The moment he pulled her onto his lap, she stiffened and went still.
Her arms locked around herself as if she was afraid to touch him
again. As his mouth lowered towards her, she began to tremble, but she
nodded slowly with a hard swallow.

He kissed her softly and his hand rose up her back and cradled the
nape of her neck. Finally he pulled back and just looked at her. "Are
you okay? How's Luneth?"

The soft kiss, non-intrusive and gentle enabled her to relax a little,
her arms releasing from the locked position around herself. Instead,
she licked her lips, finding the taste of him again and met his eyes.
"I'm okay." Her voice was a whisper. "Luneth is paying attention, but
is more concerned with cuddling with Haloth." Her eyes drifted down to
his mouth again and hesitantly she pressed her lips against his again.
It was light, almost barely there, but her hand lifted to lay on his
chest.

Hope dawned but he didn't let it get the better of him. She was like a
wild thing that might be scared away by the wrong move. What had
happened between them the first time had been more like a flash fire
that took him by surprise. This time he'd be gentle and slow and...

A loud knock rapped on the door and K'ale burst back in the room with
a flurry of cold air and snow. "Sorry, but it's sharding _cold_ out
there." He took note of the girl in N'call's lap and turned his head
toward the fire. "Sorry," he repeated.

N'call's grip on Ninaine tightened. "Don't bolt," he said softly in
her ear. "Please meet me when I get off. My weyr in a candlemark."

It was a good thing that N'call had the foresight to keep a hold of
her; the moment that the knock sounded, Ninaine tried to leap out of
N'call's lap, face beet red. She was held back, eyes wide, but the
touch of N'call's lips light against her ear made her shiver. She
turned her face towards N'call's, eyes wide at the request. "Okay..."

He kissed her cheek with a smile and stood setting her gently on her
feet. "Bundle up," he said tugging her jacket closed "You heard K'ale
it's cold out there."

She nodded, still wide eyed and swallowed.She glanced at K'ale and
then back at N'call, wrapping the jacket firmly around her and tucking
her hands in the pockets. She hurried out without a word, still
halfway in shock that she'd actually agreed. Luneth came immediately,
slipping out from under Haloth's wing to go to her rider and take her
back to her weyr. A candlemark. One candlemark.

Last updated on the November 2nd 2014

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One Candlemark