[Jaeyi] Some day somebody's gonna ask you a question that you should say yes to.
RL Date: 2/7/10
IC Date: 12/21/21 --I took this log from T'rev because my connection was horrible and the game hiccoughed in the middle. And, because this one had a good "song," here's the YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEwFik6ObJs; and the lyrics: http://www.lyricsbox.com/old-97s-lyrics-question-hgwjk5p.html ("Question," Old 97's).
For once, it's not the dead of night at Nerat, though it's still after dark and once arrived, T'rev walks around the cothold to open up shutters, let the relatively cooler winter air inside and lights up the lanterns out on the porch. The chairs are piled up with pillows, the sheets changed on the bed in a particular bedroom, candles lit there too, then he actually does something he rarely does: he cooks. It's not fancy and 'cooking' could more mean 'chopping' since he makes two salads, one vegetable, one fruit and then goes down to the beach to catch a couple of fish off the pier, spits these on sticks to grill over open flame on the sand itself. Cooking in T'rev's universe, is small potatoes.
Tried and true: Jaeyi still gets dropped off by the same blue, who still does the same routine of politely acknowledging Mecaith and then pretending he himself doesn't exist, disappearing into that inky tropical night to leave the Baker and her basket a little ways up from the shoreline. Confused, seriously, she cocks her head faaaaar to the side and, resolute about investigating, tracks down to where that fire's burning like she can't even begin to comprehend its purpose. Cooking, in Jaeyi's universe, is done inside with a stove.
By now the fish is getting close to done and T'rev's aware of the blue's landing, stepping away from the fire after tilting the fish up away from the flames. Go figure, he's only wearing a sarong and the fire's light picks up the ruddy hue of the fabric as he moves, but shadows rob all of color as soon as he's a few paces away. "Over here, though I'm about to bring these up to the house," he claims, voice quiet, but not so quiet that it won't reach her easily.
With very serious, round eyes on those fish, so concerned about the situation that she neglects to pay homage to T'rev in a sarong by firelight, Jaeyi asks, "Did something happen to the stove?" She shuffles a few steps closer, decides she doesn't quite trust this cooking-by-firelight business and stops where she is instead, shifting her basket aimlessly from hand-to-hand.
From quiet seriousness, T'rev shifts to laughter, head tossed back and holds out a hand to catch one of hers. "Nope. It's fine, but I suck at usin' it. This I can do and I wanted to cook for you tonight even if it ain't any kind of fancy." His eyes find hers in the dim light and there might be something about the tilt of his head and his expression that might convey a touch of sheepishness. "You gonna be okay roughin' it a little?"
Though she's conscientiously ensured she's wearing /her/ clothes and none of the fancy new gear, Jaeyi has never ever ever dressed for roughing it in her entire life. "Tell me a little bit more about this 'roughing it,' and I'll let you know if I think I might survive it," she answers, eyeing the fish first-- which looks edible, to his credit-- and then T'rev, who is awfully scantily clad for the hard-core versions of 'roughing it' that she imagined for a second there. "Hi," she adds with the bloom of a delighted smile, having realized he ain't wearing that much.
"Just mean that tonight's dinner ain't fancy and about all you can expect for trimmins is a salt n' pepper shaker," T'rev explains good-naturedly and steps closer, drawing her hand up first to graze a kiss across her knuckles, then slides his arm around her. "Hi," he echoes and tilts his head down for a 'welcome home' kiss.
"Ooohhhh. Well, I'll try. If worse comes to worst, I brought dessert." Of course she did. "And I keep peanuts for Sugar if things really get bad." Jaeyi rattles the basket experimentally, but the only sound is a little bit of clinking cookery, probably well-padded with linens by the dim sound of it. Kissed and happily, she loops an arm around T'rev's waist, leans her cheek briefly against his shoulder, and reports in a totally romantic voice that fails to match the words, "You smell like fishes."
Breath caught after that kiss, T'rev laughs again and his arm tightens around her a little. "I can fix that. The fishy smell," he claims with a grin and noses at her hair a little. "And you're right, worst comes to worst, we've always got the best sweets in the world to eat." He stays put for a good handful of seconds, then steps back with a little quiet sound, regretful. "Lemme get these fishies up to the house though." So saying, he takes a half-step back, then turns to go catch up the sticks and kicks some sand into the fire to quell its flames. "C'mon, I'll lay stuff out and take a quick bath."
Jaeyi kick some sand, too, just to seem useful. Not very much sand, and she actually does it after he's got it properly extinguished, but she looks satisfied with her efforts, nods seriously at the dead flames. "You could take a long bath instead of a quick one," she counters, starting up to the house presently. It's a bastion of civilization, after all, and all this 'cooking on the beach' business seems a little to wilderness-y for the homebody. "And we could eat cold fish. I bet it's not half bad, with some bread especially."
Good thing it's dark. It's a lot harder to see the little amused grin that curls up the corners of T'rev's mouth even if it has a fond quality to it. "Maybe later for long bath," the Weyrleader offers over teasingly as he heads up to the house, one hand curled around hers, the other holding the sticks draped across his shoulder. All tribal-like and stuff. "This is the only warm part of the meal I've got goin' on." Presently footsteps thud up the stairs and into the cothold where the table is set in civilized fashion at least, both salads in bowls, just waiting for the fish it seems. There's also a box on the table, plain, shut.
"See," Jaeyi begins with a disappointed sounding huff. "If you'd said 'hot part of the meal,' I could've argued that you're hot, too, and then we could've had a bath now instead of later." She puts the basket down one one of the spare chairs and, to save Sugar the trouble of doing it later, opens the lid ahead of time. "Go and clean yourself up," she suggests, pulling him along by caught hands toward the bathroom. "And I'll pretend I didn't look in the box while you were gone, how's that?" She smiles like that'll sell the compromise.
"Mmm, could've," T'rev agrees gaily and sets the fish down, lets himself get led along. "Please don't look just yet?" he does request in a quiet, serious sort of voice. "That's somethin' I really need to say somethin' about," he continues, eyes seeking hers out, expression earnest. "Won't be long, promise, just enough so's I don't smell like a fish bucket."
Jaeyi does not like being told no or wait or any variant thereof, and she pauses to make a face at the suggestion, though the earnestness does its job. "All right," she answers, borderline promises, and leaves him at the door to go back to the table and fuss around and not twitch her fingers about the box. Much.
A grateful grin: "Thanks, it's important, Jae," T'rev claims before he vanishes into the bathroom and really doesn't take more than a couple of minutes or so to scrub up enough to smell more like soap than fish when he comes back. Sitting down to the table, he smiles across the way and uses a knife to help slide a fish off onto her plate and the other onto his. "Give that a try n' tell me if it's any good atall," he requests and then reaches for the salad bowls to serve from those too. "And then we can get to that box," T'rev says with a winning smile.
Jaeyi didn't open the box while he was gone, of course, but the fact that she's sitting at the table with her hands folded resolutely probably speaks volumes about how much she wanted to. Poor Pandora. She does, as a measure of distraction, catch T'rev's wrist for a moment when it's in range, smell it quite seriously, and then hand it back to him with a satisfied nod, not a word about it but she's obviously happier with the new smell. Fork to fish, a testing taste; "I'm tempted to tell you it tastes like sand, just to see your reaction-- but no. It's good. Fresh, which goes a long ways. I can't say I ever had stick-fish before, either."
Brows lift for that smell-test and her nod is answered with a little pleased grin. Then he's waiting while she tastes and he laughs. "You'd have gotten the disappointed puppy eyes," he informs and sticks his fork into his portion, marries it with some salad and munches contentedly. Swallowing: "Really? Never? Huh. S'only way I usually had it unless gramps was doin' somethin' fancy with it," he relates and eats a little more before asking quietly. "Did you bring the mark with?"
"Yeaaaah," Jaeyi drawls like she's hesitant to point it out, but is going to anyway. "We mostly ate inside with, like, dishes and stuff? I know it's a rough concept for you hillbillies." She holds up the fork at that, like it needs explaining, and puts it to the fish meticulously-- see? This is how it's done. "Mmn," with a quick nod, a mouthful precluding the rest of the answer right away. Swallow; "I did. I probably better get it before Sugar finds it, come to think of it." And she's out of the chair to do just that.
"Just used t'makin' do," T'rev says with a little shrug, clearly not put out by being called a hillbilly. She demonstrates proper fork usage, he just tucks in with good appetite. "Yeah, gonna need it," he offers over and pauses in the eating to slide a look over after her as she goes. Probably admiring the way she moves.
Jaeyi, to making-do, "I know. I'm just teasing you because it's easy." And she knows from easy. There's a pause for the latter remark, a look back while she rummages in the basket amid dessert dishes and peanuts and who-knows-what-else she carries around in that thing. Though she purses her lips thoughtfully, she doesn't ask, not expecting an answer with all the built-up mystery. Ah, there it is; dangling from her fingers by its pink-string, she walks it back over to the table and, standing with her empty hand on the back of T'rev's chair, holds it out expectantly.
T'rev finishes off most of his food while she's fishing in the basket and folds his hand around the mark when she brings it back and looks up at her for a long moment, expression ... full. Solemnly he unknots the string and pulls it free, then reaches for the box and turns, rising to his feet, holds it out with the mark curled safely in his palm. "Go ahead and open it," he invites steadily.
"Don't look so serious," is Jaeyi's response to that full look, put with a quick kiss into his curls as if to dispel or affirm or maybe just acknowledge what there is to read into his expression. "It makes me miss the dimples." But even the flaky little fool can recognize that there's going to be more than panties or even rubies in the box, something non-trivial, and she actually gives him a smile edged with worry for a second before she makes with the opening of the box, stays next to his chair all the time in case a sudden hug is called for. Which it probably will be.
That kiss wins Jaeyi a smile, complete with dimples and T'rev's arm slides around her waist as she opens the box. Once it's open, he takes a breath and reaches inside for the chain. "I asked you once upon a time, to be my weyrmate. And not so long ago, I told you that you couldn't be, because of the Steward," the Weyrleader says quietly. "Thing is though, I was wrong Jae. And -- it's a long story I don't wanna get into right this second, because I want this to be a happy moment, but I know you got your knot," he continues in that same tone of voice and he unclasps the ends of the chain he's just uncoiled and threads the mark along its length. "So if you're still willin', it doesn't matter where you are or who you're with, what we got is for real and it doesn't take bein' in the same weyr to make it so."
A lot of times, with a lot of people, Jaeyi could probably fake a smile and bubble off some sort of response to take the gravity out of a moment. But there is just way way too much right now for that to work, so she just pins shiny eyes to the chain until she's reasonably sure it's safe to blink without blubbering, leans into the arm around her waist until she remembers that some sort of response is probably appropriate and she makes up some quick little nods. Carefully, "I'm still willing."
T'rev's arm tightens around her fractionally and well, hers aren't the only eyes all shiny right now. "Then let's make it so." And that voice isn't quite so steady, thick with sudden emotion. His arm leaves her waist and T'rev steps around behind Jaeyi, moves her hair carefully aside to clasp the chain around her neck - it's not overly long, she won't be able to hide the mark under her tops like she did with the string. A little fumbling with the clasp and then warm lips press to the curve of her neck. "I love you, always will. No matter what." T'rev's arms tighten around her briefly, then he nods towards the box, reaches to lift of the ring from its little velvet cradle. "The jeweler I got these from said that in old times, they used to swap rings instead of usin' a mark piece and I thought you'd like this and the story." Breath out. "And it's not ... as obvious as a mark." Quieter. "But we'll both know what this means." Next move, the obvious, sliding it onto her finger.
Jaeyi covers the mark with her palm for a second, pressing it to her skin before she curls her fingers around it for a brief squeeze. "You dunno how much I need to hear that right now," she says to the always-will, takes in a big breath and blinks about twenty times before she's all okay again. Able to small without the edge, she watches the ring come out of the box and, expecting it, holds out her hand to watch it slide onto her finger, too, reaching afterward to put her fingers under his chin. "It's a really nice idea, I think. I'll wear it every chance I get, I promise."
"Had a feelin' you might," T'rev answers that first part and lifts one hand to cover hers, shifts her fingers from his chin to his cheek and slides his other arm around her to pull her close. "I know," for that promise and his forehead drops to touch against hers. "Won't ever leave you," T'rev adds, having trouble keeping that thickness out of his voice for sure now. "Folks can say whatever the hell they want. Don't care. There'll always be a you n' me."
Quiet for a time, nose-to-nose, letting it be what it is while a couple of stubborn tears roll on down her cheeks and off her chin, Jaeyi shifts her hand even farther, to rest it on the back of his neck and barely nod in response to all those nice things. Again, it's not until she really trusts herself to get it out without sounding too watery that she adds, "It's a nice ring." Now with her hand held out slightly so she can look at it on her finger over T'rev's shoulder, the other arm curled around him loosely. "Sentimental," an old accusation, "but nice."
Gentle fingers brush at those tears and T'rev smiles at what she actually says. "One of us has t'be," he jokes, for sentimental then aims to sweep her up into his arms. "I hear our bed callin'," the rider adds to the prior quip, eyes dancing with a touch of wickedness now, for all there's still plenty of 'smitten' to go around. Clearly, he's got plans for the rest of the night that have little enough to do with being sentimental and everything to do with fogging up the windows.
"I'd beg to differ," Jaeyi begins for has-to-be, "but I've gotten used to it now, and I'd miss it if you suddenly got all hard-hearted." She pauses, squinting, gradually smiling to add, "Better to save 'hard' for things other than your heart." She still thinks she's funny, mhmn. With a new laugh, short but honest and a little more merry if only because it's relieving to giggle after too many less frivolous emotions, she adds, "If anyone could speak Matress-ese, it'd be you."
"Yeah well, them other things is indeed, mighty hard," T'rev says candidly, grin going wider and wickeder and he laughs outright as he heads down the hallway, kisses offered every other step. "Just you wait n' see, I'll interpret every squeak," he promises, deadpan, but with his eyes twinkling like mad. Now that's more like it.
In between those every-other-step smooches, Jaeyi guesses, "If our mattresses talked, they'd probably just be saying things like 'would you two /please/ give it a rest already' and 'oh no not again.'" Which is probably what the one in that borrowed bedroom says to the one in Rodric's room right about now. "You oughta see the four-poster I'm in nowadays. I haven't spent a night yet without thinking that nobody makes bedposts that sturdy unless he means to use them for tying someone up."
Squeak goes the mattress in fact when T'rev sets Jaeyi down on it. And the one in Rodric's room is saying: 'Man, I know, I know. Between those two and my two, we're going to be old before our time!' Kisses travel along the baker's neck, fingers along fabric that needs to be gotten rid of right now dammit. "Huh. Really? You sayin' I should sneak in sometime and test that out?" T'rev jokes from somewhere in her cleavage.
"Sorry," Jaeyi tells the mattress with a pat-pat for its trouble, though she really ought to apologize to the blanket that she clutches at promptly afterward. In some agreement about the fabric, she squeezes her fingers in and starts the buttons from the bottom so as not to get in the way of what he's busy doing there, though she adds distractedly, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Holds have actual guards, you know, and they-- you-- I forgot where I was going with that." Better to just sigh contentedly, squirm eagerly, and leave worries about Hold guards for some other time.
"I'll just have t'get some posts put onto mine then," T'rev murmurs and thereafter, forgoes speech in favor of driving any and all worries firmly out of both of their minds for a good long while. Poor mattress. Poor blankets. But that ought to make for a very happy couple tangled up in them.
Well, at least the mattress won't be able to complain about being bored for a while, anyway. By the time it's all relaxing again, Jaeyi's toes wiggling lazily against T'rev's ankle, hair scattered and sweat drying, the mattress has had a damn good work-out. Exhaling across his skin, it can all be summed up in a sighed, "Thank you."
With his nose buried in her neck and one arm flung across her mid-section, Jaeyi might feel his smile more than see it. He doesn't say anything right away, just walks his fingers out along her arm to find her hand and lace them together, silent re-affirmation of things promised out in the other room. It's after a bit more breathing and being that T'rev drawls out: "I reckon I still owe you a long bath, hm?"
Jaeyi, who totally hates the idea of delayed gratification, answers that with a quietly lazy, "Later. The bath'll still be there in a little while." Tightening her fingers, nestling just that little bit closer, she seems to be more in a not-moving-much mode than the more typical busy, scurrying from one pleasure to the next. "I think we owe the mattress at least a little cuddling before we up and abandon it. And I'm... so tired of being busy. This is nice."
That brings T'rev's head up a little, brown eyes searching her face, but in the end he only smiles again and kisses her cheek. Tucking in against her more comfortably, both arms sign up for the cuddling idea. "Yeah, it is," he murmurs and falls silent again, to let the moment be.
Jaeyi will, left to her own devices, fall asleep like that. And soundly. Which may put a damper on all the big plans for the evening, but it also should be a pretty clear sign of how much running-on-fumes she's been doing-- falling asleep before dessert, even! Sex without sugar is, like, unheard of!
Big plans or no, T'rev is not going to complain about just spending the night. Dessert can wait until breakfast and he can just hold her for a little while until he drifts off in turn. After all, giving her good sleep is what started this all off in the first place, what better 'wedding' present than that?
Jaeyi will trust Jaeyi to have made something that will keep overnight rather than, say, some delicate frothy little custard that's going to be inedible come morning. Especially since it may take a while to get out of bed after spending the night there, with the Baker intent on keeping the Weyrleader between the sheets as long as she can before relinquishing him back to whatever it is that he does all day-- which, in Jaeyi's mind, is still something of a mystery.
Not a mystery likely to be answered soon, nor the longer version of how T'rev found out about her new rank. He's in no rush to leave and will claim he doesn't have anything pressing to get back to, in favor of giving the sheets their due. Once again, he will bring her back to Fort Hold himself, though at least their landing is a discreet spot near the orchards and not the courtyard where every curious eye can get a gander of the Weyrleader kissing the Steward's mistress soundly farewell.
IC Date: 12/21/21 --I took this log from T'rev because my connection was horrible and the game hiccoughed in the middle. And, because this one had a good "song," here's the YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEwFik6ObJs; and the lyrics: http://www.lyricsbox.com/old-97s-lyrics-question-hgwjk5p.html ("Question," Old 97's).
For once, it's not the dead of night at Nerat, though it's still after dark and once arrived, T'rev walks around the cothold to open up shutters, let the relatively cooler winter air inside and lights up the lanterns out on the porch. The chairs are piled up with pillows, the sheets changed on the bed in a particular bedroom, candles lit there too, then he actually does something he rarely does: he cooks. It's not fancy and 'cooking' could more mean 'chopping' since he makes two salads, one vegetable, one fruit and then goes down to the beach to catch a couple of fish off the pier, spits these on sticks to grill over open flame on the sand itself. Cooking in T'rev's universe, is small potatoes.
Tried and true: Jaeyi still gets dropped off by the same blue, who still does the same routine of politely acknowledging Mecaith and then pretending he himself doesn't exist, disappearing into that inky tropical night to leave the Baker and her basket a little ways up from the shoreline. Confused, seriously, she cocks her head faaaaar to the side and, resolute about investigating, tracks down to where that fire's burning like she can't even begin to comprehend its purpose. Cooking, in Jaeyi's universe, is done inside with a stove.
By now the fish is getting close to done and T'rev's aware of the blue's landing, stepping away from the fire after tilting the fish up away from the flames. Go figure, he's only wearing a sarong and the fire's light picks up the ruddy hue of the fabric as he moves, but shadows rob all of color as soon as he's a few paces away. "Over here, though I'm about to bring these up to the house," he claims, voice quiet, but not so quiet that it won't reach her easily.
With very serious, round eyes on those fish, so concerned about the situation that she neglects to pay homage to T'rev in a sarong by firelight, Jaeyi asks, "Did something happen to the stove?" She shuffles a few steps closer, decides she doesn't quite trust this cooking-by-firelight business and stops where she is instead, shifting her basket aimlessly from hand-to-hand.
From quiet seriousness, T'rev shifts to laughter, head tossed back and holds out a hand to catch one of hers. "Nope. It's fine, but I suck at usin' it. This I can do and I wanted to cook for you tonight even if it ain't any kind of fancy." His eyes find hers in the dim light and there might be something about the tilt of his head and his expression that might convey a touch of sheepishness. "You gonna be okay roughin' it a little?"
Though she's conscientiously ensured she's wearing /her/ clothes and none of the fancy new gear, Jaeyi has never ever ever dressed for roughing it in her entire life. "Tell me a little bit more about this 'roughing it,' and I'll let you know if I think I might survive it," she answers, eyeing the fish first-- which looks edible, to his credit-- and then T'rev, who is awfully scantily clad for the hard-core versions of 'roughing it' that she imagined for a second there. "Hi," she adds with the bloom of a delighted smile, having realized he ain't wearing that much.
"Just mean that tonight's dinner ain't fancy and about all you can expect for trimmins is a salt n' pepper shaker," T'rev explains good-naturedly and steps closer, drawing her hand up first to graze a kiss across her knuckles, then slides his arm around her. "Hi," he echoes and tilts his head down for a 'welcome home' kiss.
"Ooohhhh. Well, I'll try. If worse comes to worst, I brought dessert." Of course she did. "And I keep peanuts for Sugar if things really get bad." Jaeyi rattles the basket experimentally, but the only sound is a little bit of clinking cookery, probably well-padded with linens by the dim sound of it. Kissed and happily, she loops an arm around T'rev's waist, leans her cheek briefly against his shoulder, and reports in a totally romantic voice that fails to match the words, "You smell like fishes."
Breath caught after that kiss, T'rev laughs again and his arm tightens around her a little. "I can fix that. The fishy smell," he claims with a grin and noses at her hair a little. "And you're right, worst comes to worst, we've always got the best sweets in the world to eat." He stays put for a good handful of seconds, then steps back with a little quiet sound, regretful. "Lemme get these fishies up to the house though." So saying, he takes a half-step back, then turns to go catch up the sticks and kicks some sand into the fire to quell its flames. "C'mon, I'll lay stuff out and take a quick bath."
Jaeyi kick some sand, too, just to seem useful. Not very much sand, and she actually does it after he's got it properly extinguished, but she looks satisfied with her efforts, nods seriously at the dead flames. "You could take a long bath instead of a quick one," she counters, starting up to the house presently. It's a bastion of civilization, after all, and all this 'cooking on the beach' business seems a little to wilderness-y for the homebody. "And we could eat cold fish. I bet it's not half bad, with some bread especially."
Good thing it's dark. It's a lot harder to see the little amused grin that curls up the corners of T'rev's mouth even if it has a fond quality to it. "Maybe later for long bath," the Weyrleader offers over teasingly as he heads up to the house, one hand curled around hers, the other holding the sticks draped across his shoulder. All tribal-like and stuff. "This is the only warm part of the meal I've got goin' on." Presently footsteps thud up the stairs and into the cothold where the table is set in civilized fashion at least, both salads in bowls, just waiting for the fish it seems. There's also a box on the table, plain, shut.
"See," Jaeyi begins with a disappointed sounding huff. "If you'd said 'hot part of the meal,' I could've argued that you're hot, too, and then we could've had a bath now instead of later." She puts the basket down one one of the spare chairs and, to save Sugar the trouble of doing it later, opens the lid ahead of time. "Go and clean yourself up," she suggests, pulling him along by caught hands toward the bathroom. "And I'll pretend I didn't look in the box while you were gone, how's that?" She smiles like that'll sell the compromise.
"Mmm, could've," T'rev agrees gaily and sets the fish down, lets himself get led along. "Please don't look just yet?" he does request in a quiet, serious sort of voice. "That's somethin' I really need to say somethin' about," he continues, eyes seeking hers out, expression earnest. "Won't be long, promise, just enough so's I don't smell like a fish bucket."
Jaeyi does not like being told no or wait or any variant thereof, and she pauses to make a face at the suggestion, though the earnestness does its job. "All right," she answers, borderline promises, and leaves him at the door to go back to the table and fuss around and not twitch her fingers about the box. Much.
A grateful grin: "Thanks, it's important, Jae," T'rev claims before he vanishes into the bathroom and really doesn't take more than a couple of minutes or so to scrub up enough to smell more like soap than fish when he comes back. Sitting down to the table, he smiles across the way and uses a knife to help slide a fish off onto her plate and the other onto his. "Give that a try n' tell me if it's any good atall," he requests and then reaches for the salad bowls to serve from those too. "And then we can get to that box," T'rev says with a winning smile.
Jaeyi didn't open the box while he was gone, of course, but the fact that she's sitting at the table with her hands folded resolutely probably speaks volumes about how much she wanted to. Poor Pandora. She does, as a measure of distraction, catch T'rev's wrist for a moment when it's in range, smell it quite seriously, and then hand it back to him with a satisfied nod, not a word about it but she's obviously happier with the new smell. Fork to fish, a testing taste; "I'm tempted to tell you it tastes like sand, just to see your reaction-- but no. It's good. Fresh, which goes a long ways. I can't say I ever had stick-fish before, either."
Brows lift for that smell-test and her nod is answered with a little pleased grin. Then he's waiting while she tastes and he laughs. "You'd have gotten the disappointed puppy eyes," he informs and sticks his fork into his portion, marries it with some salad and munches contentedly. Swallowing: "Really? Never? Huh. S'only way I usually had it unless gramps was doin' somethin' fancy with it," he relates and eats a little more before asking quietly. "Did you bring the mark with?"
"Yeaaaah," Jaeyi drawls like she's hesitant to point it out, but is going to anyway. "We mostly ate inside with, like, dishes and stuff? I know it's a rough concept for you hillbillies." She holds up the fork at that, like it needs explaining, and puts it to the fish meticulously-- see? This is how it's done. "Mmn," with a quick nod, a mouthful precluding the rest of the answer right away. Swallow; "I did. I probably better get it before Sugar finds it, come to think of it." And she's out of the chair to do just that.
"Just used t'makin' do," T'rev says with a little shrug, clearly not put out by being called a hillbilly. She demonstrates proper fork usage, he just tucks in with good appetite. "Yeah, gonna need it," he offers over and pauses in the eating to slide a look over after her as she goes. Probably admiring the way she moves.
Jaeyi, to making-do, "I know. I'm just teasing you because it's easy." And she knows from easy. There's a pause for the latter remark, a look back while she rummages in the basket amid dessert dishes and peanuts and who-knows-what-else she carries around in that thing. Though she purses her lips thoughtfully, she doesn't ask, not expecting an answer with all the built-up mystery. Ah, there it is; dangling from her fingers by its pink-string, she walks it back over to the table and, standing with her empty hand on the back of T'rev's chair, holds it out expectantly.
T'rev finishes off most of his food while she's fishing in the basket and folds his hand around the mark when she brings it back and looks up at her for a long moment, expression ... full. Solemnly he unknots the string and pulls it free, then reaches for the box and turns, rising to his feet, holds it out with the mark curled safely in his palm. "Go ahead and open it," he invites steadily.
"Don't look so serious," is Jaeyi's response to that full look, put with a quick kiss into his curls as if to dispel or affirm or maybe just acknowledge what there is to read into his expression. "It makes me miss the dimples." But even the flaky little fool can recognize that there's going to be more than panties or even rubies in the box, something non-trivial, and she actually gives him a smile edged with worry for a second before she makes with the opening of the box, stays next to his chair all the time in case a sudden hug is called for. Which it probably will be.
That kiss wins Jaeyi a smile, complete with dimples and T'rev's arm slides around her waist as she opens the box. Once it's open, he takes a breath and reaches inside for the chain. "I asked you once upon a time, to be my weyrmate. And not so long ago, I told you that you couldn't be, because of the Steward," the Weyrleader says quietly. "Thing is though, I was wrong Jae. And -- it's a long story I don't wanna get into right this second, because I want this to be a happy moment, but I know you got your knot," he continues in that same tone of voice and he unclasps the ends of the chain he's just uncoiled and threads the mark along its length. "So if you're still willin', it doesn't matter where you are or who you're with, what we got is for real and it doesn't take bein' in the same weyr to make it so."
A lot of times, with a lot of people, Jaeyi could probably fake a smile and bubble off some sort of response to take the gravity out of a moment. But there is just way way too much right now for that to work, so she just pins shiny eyes to the chain until she's reasonably sure it's safe to blink without blubbering, leans into the arm around her waist until she remembers that some sort of response is probably appropriate and she makes up some quick little nods. Carefully, "I'm still willing."
T'rev's arm tightens around her fractionally and well, hers aren't the only eyes all shiny right now. "Then let's make it so." And that voice isn't quite so steady, thick with sudden emotion. His arm leaves her waist and T'rev steps around behind Jaeyi, moves her hair carefully aside to clasp the chain around her neck - it's not overly long, she won't be able to hide the mark under her tops like she did with the string. A little fumbling with the clasp and then warm lips press to the curve of her neck. "I love you, always will. No matter what." T'rev's arms tighten around her briefly, then he nods towards the box, reaches to lift of the ring from its little velvet cradle. "The jeweler I got these from said that in old times, they used to swap rings instead of usin' a mark piece and I thought you'd like this and the story." Breath out. "And it's not ... as obvious as a mark." Quieter. "But we'll both know what this means." Next move, the obvious, sliding it onto her finger.
Jaeyi covers the mark with her palm for a second, pressing it to her skin before she curls her fingers around it for a brief squeeze. "You dunno how much I need to hear that right now," she says to the always-will, takes in a big breath and blinks about twenty times before she's all okay again. Able to small without the edge, she watches the ring come out of the box and, expecting it, holds out her hand to watch it slide onto her finger, too, reaching afterward to put her fingers under his chin. "It's a really nice idea, I think. I'll wear it every chance I get, I promise."
"Had a feelin' you might," T'rev answers that first part and lifts one hand to cover hers, shifts her fingers from his chin to his cheek and slides his other arm around her to pull her close. "I know," for that promise and his forehead drops to touch against hers. "Won't ever leave you," T'rev adds, having trouble keeping that thickness out of his voice for sure now. "Folks can say whatever the hell they want. Don't care. There'll always be a you n' me."
Quiet for a time, nose-to-nose, letting it be what it is while a couple of stubborn tears roll on down her cheeks and off her chin, Jaeyi shifts her hand even farther, to rest it on the back of his neck and barely nod in response to all those nice things. Again, it's not until she really trusts herself to get it out without sounding too watery that she adds, "It's a nice ring." Now with her hand held out slightly so she can look at it on her finger over T'rev's shoulder, the other arm curled around him loosely. "Sentimental," an old accusation, "but nice."
Gentle fingers brush at those tears and T'rev smiles at what she actually says. "One of us has t'be," he jokes, for sentimental then aims to sweep her up into his arms. "I hear our bed callin'," the rider adds to the prior quip, eyes dancing with a touch of wickedness now, for all there's still plenty of 'smitten' to go around. Clearly, he's got plans for the rest of the night that have little enough to do with being sentimental and everything to do with fogging up the windows.
"I'd beg to differ," Jaeyi begins for has-to-be, "but I've gotten used to it now, and I'd miss it if you suddenly got all hard-hearted." She pauses, squinting, gradually smiling to add, "Better to save 'hard' for things other than your heart." She still thinks she's funny, mhmn. With a new laugh, short but honest and a little more merry if only because it's relieving to giggle after too many less frivolous emotions, she adds, "If anyone could speak Matress-ese, it'd be you."
"Yeah well, them other things is indeed, mighty hard," T'rev says candidly, grin going wider and wickeder and he laughs outright as he heads down the hallway, kisses offered every other step. "Just you wait n' see, I'll interpret every squeak," he promises, deadpan, but with his eyes twinkling like mad. Now that's more like it.
In between those every-other-step smooches, Jaeyi guesses, "If our mattresses talked, they'd probably just be saying things like 'would you two /please/ give it a rest already' and 'oh no not again.'" Which is probably what the one in that borrowed bedroom says to the one in Rodric's room right about now. "You oughta see the four-poster I'm in nowadays. I haven't spent a night yet without thinking that nobody makes bedposts that sturdy unless he means to use them for tying someone up."
Squeak goes the mattress in fact when T'rev sets Jaeyi down on it. And the one in Rodric's room is saying: 'Man, I know, I know. Between those two and my two, we're going to be old before our time!' Kisses travel along the baker's neck, fingers along fabric that needs to be gotten rid of right now dammit. "Huh. Really? You sayin' I should sneak in sometime and test that out?" T'rev jokes from somewhere in her cleavage.
"Sorry," Jaeyi tells the mattress with a pat-pat for its trouble, though she really ought to apologize to the blanket that she clutches at promptly afterward. In some agreement about the fabric, she squeezes her fingers in and starts the buttons from the bottom so as not to get in the way of what he's busy doing there, though she adds distractedly, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Holds have actual guards, you know, and they-- you-- I forgot where I was going with that." Better to just sigh contentedly, squirm eagerly, and leave worries about Hold guards for some other time.
"I'll just have t'get some posts put onto mine then," T'rev murmurs and thereafter, forgoes speech in favor of driving any and all worries firmly out of both of their minds for a good long while. Poor mattress. Poor blankets. But that ought to make for a very happy couple tangled up in them.
Well, at least the mattress won't be able to complain about being bored for a while, anyway. By the time it's all relaxing again, Jaeyi's toes wiggling lazily against T'rev's ankle, hair scattered and sweat drying, the mattress has had a damn good work-out. Exhaling across his skin, it can all be summed up in a sighed, "Thank you."
With his nose buried in her neck and one arm flung across her mid-section, Jaeyi might feel his smile more than see it. He doesn't say anything right away, just walks his fingers out along her arm to find her hand and lace them together, silent re-affirmation of things promised out in the other room. It's after a bit more breathing and being that T'rev drawls out: "I reckon I still owe you a long bath, hm?"
Jaeyi, who totally hates the idea of delayed gratification, answers that with a quietly lazy, "Later. The bath'll still be there in a little while." Tightening her fingers, nestling just that little bit closer, she seems to be more in a not-moving-much mode than the more typical busy, scurrying from one pleasure to the next. "I think we owe the mattress at least a little cuddling before we up and abandon it. And I'm... so tired of being busy. This is nice."
That brings T'rev's head up a little, brown eyes searching her face, but in the end he only smiles again and kisses her cheek. Tucking in against her more comfortably, both arms sign up for the cuddling idea. "Yeah, it is," he murmurs and falls silent again, to let the moment be.
Jaeyi will, left to her own devices, fall asleep like that. And soundly. Which may put a damper on all the big plans for the evening, but it also should be a pretty clear sign of how much running-on-fumes she's been doing-- falling asleep before dessert, even! Sex without sugar is, like, unheard of!
Big plans or no, T'rev is not going to complain about just spending the night. Dessert can wait until breakfast and he can just hold her for a little while until he drifts off in turn. After all, giving her good sleep is what started this all off in the first place, what better 'wedding' present than that?
Jaeyi will trust Jaeyi to have made something that will keep overnight rather than, say, some delicate frothy little custard that's going to be inedible come morning. Especially since it may take a while to get out of bed after spending the night there, with the Baker intent on keeping the Weyrleader between the sheets as long as she can before relinquishing him back to whatever it is that he does all day-- which, in Jaeyi's mind, is still something of a mystery.
Not a mystery likely to be answered soon, nor the longer version of how T'rev found out about her new rank. He's in no rush to leave and will claim he doesn't have anything pressing to get back to, in favor of giving the sheets their due. Once again, he will bring her back to Fort Hold himself, though at least their landing is a discreet spot near the orchards and not the courtyard where every curious eye can get a gander of the Weyrleader kissing the Steward's mistress soundly farewell.