M-maybe, I shouldn't have turned you down either.
Who: Roa and Essdara
Where: Bathing Caverns, Female Resident Dorm
When: Evening, Day 18, Morning, Day 19, 10th month, Turn 1 of the 7th pass
Note: When someone says they have an evil idea, won't tell you what it is, be careful if you give them blanket permissions to do what they want!
Baths
The bathing cavern is divided into a number of large pools, each spacious enough for ten to fifteen people. There is one cold-water pool with the remainder being given over to water warm enough to fill the air with swirling clouds of steam. Each pool has been tiled in blue and white and boasts benches along the sides to allow people to sit and soak. Alcoves in the walls have been hollowed out to provide places to store clean, dry towels and various other bathing paraphernalia.
The corners of the room have been decorated with potted ferns, brought here from Ista Island. They are pampered and fussed over by the staff who keep the baths clean and stocked. The plants provide a cheerful splash of color in an otherwise pale and steamy cavern.
Out (O)
It's late evening in the Weyr, and activity as a whole has died down dramatically. Done with her duties for the day, Essdara is in the warm water of the weyr bathes, scrubbing her skin clean to get a days worth of sweat, oil, and other bits of dirt off it. A rare sight of late, she looks almost relaxed as she performs the daily ritual of cleansing.
Well, here's something to jangle that calm. Roa heads into the bathing area looking quite worn. There are a few circles under her eyes and she makes her way slowly but steadily to the small storage area to begin peeling her clothing off. She hasn't yet noticed anyone else and her back is to the baths as the last garment is tossed aside and she begins to unwind and then unbraid her tightly coiled black hair.
Essdara isn't so lucky. Hearing the soft footsteps of another arrival, she turns around a bit to see who it is, and stops dead when she recognises her. Quickly turning back around, she sinks far into the water, hiding as much of herself as she can under the sandy water; just time to wash her hair, that's all, nothing and noone to see here.
With her dark hair falling loose to her knees, Roa turns with a yawn, grabbing a small bag of soapsand as she pads to the bathing pool which is, of course, the one Essdara's so busy trying not to be noticed in. She does too good a job it seems as Roa sinks into the water with a deep sigh, still distracted enough that she hasn't even really realized that anyone else is there.
Panic! Dara watches the petite goldrider enter the pool with wide eyes. Too late, she coughs softly, coming up more out of the water. She quickly looks away, though, with a bright blush. "Umm." She starts. "Hi." Eloquent as a harper, she belatedly makes her presence unmistakably known.
Eyes that had drifted shut open a crack at the cough, and then more fully when Roa sees who's doing the coughing. "Oh," she says softly. "Hi." She sits up a little straighter although for once, her cheeks aren't red or even pink though her expression has shifted from weary to wary. "How, um, how've you been?"
Essdara carefully keeps looking away; it's hard to concentrate when the person you have a crush on is entirely too close, and entirely too naked. "Umm, I'm ok, just, you know, washing up. Been in the kitchens all day, always messy. You? Keeping well, I hope? Tialith doing well?"
Roa nods, except that Essdara can't see it because she's looking elsewhere, so after a moment the goldrider supplements the gesture with, "Yes. We're, ah, doing fine, thanks. Tialith and I." Yup. The girl reaches for the bag of sweetsand, scooping up a handful with which she begins washing her arms, the faint sounds of lathering the only ones she makes for the moment.
Essdara says, after a long moment. "I thought I saw you in the infirmiry the other day. You looked pretty busy." She leans on the edge of the pool, using her arms as a pillow for her chin. "I'm glad you are doing well."
Roa nods again as she cleans. "I take some of the dragon infirmary shifts. I was reorganizing," she offers helpfully. "You looked like you were getting stitched up. Are you all right?"
The young girl turns back to Roa, blush finally under control, and nods. She shows the well-healing incision. "Just got a bit distracted and nicked myself a bit. Nothing too major, didn't even get me out of any chores or anything." A slight smile.
Roa pauses to sink down into the water, rinsing the soapsand away as she peers at the cut. "Looks a little deeper than just a nick," the older girl notes. "But I'm glad to see it's healing well." She drifts into silence, her hands lifting to run through her hair, carefully working out the tangles that the day and the water have put into it. Very softly, almost inaudibly she asks, "Are...are you angry with me?"
Essdara shakes her head quickly, blushing again. "No, of course not. Why would I be?" she shifts in the water a little, with a sigh. "I promise, I'm not."
Roa nods faintly. "I don't know. Maybe because..." not quite able to say it, she only shakes her head and dunks underwater to wet her hair. More soapsand is poured and she begins to lather up the long tresses. "Guess I'm just being silly," the junior weyrwoman murmurs.
Essdara sighs. "No, you're not silly." She sighs and sinks down in the water a bit. "It's me who is. I guess I've been avoiding you. It's not your fault, though, I just... I mean, after that..." She trails off without finishing the explanation.
After another dunk under the water to rinse her hair, Roa resurfaces, about half as far this time from Essdara. "I...I understand I guess. It's just, it's only...I've really missed you." The girl swallows softly, blue eyes lifting up to peep shyly at the cook.
Essdara blinks, suprise at the sudden proximity. "I'm sorry, I know it's silly and unfair, I just, I'm not sure what to do, or say, anymore." She starts to look down, then resolutely keeps her eyes up. "I've never been rejected before, I guess it takes getting used to."
Roa's lips quirk upwards into a tentative smile. "I don't see why you would ever have been rejected before." She tucks a curl of dripping hair behind her ear, sliding closer until she's directly in front of Essdara, the current making bubbles pop and fizzle between them. "M-maybe, I shouldn't have turned you down either."
Essdara can't help looking more nervous as she gets closer, and her final statement widens her eyes considerably. "Roa? What... I don't understand? You said... I mean..." If she was blushing before, she's a star in nova now. She says, softly, tone almost scared, "Are you serious?"
In answer, the shorter girl closes the final space between their bodies and when she pushes up on her toes she can just manage to press her lips softly, and then more firmly against Essdara's. Roa's eyes close and breath sucks inward as she initiates this bold move. Wet hands close lightly on the cook's arms in part for stability and in part for the contact.
Essdara's breath is held as Roa comes closer, and when her intent is clear, a soft, worries sound escapes her. Arms held, lips touched, she does the only thing she can and closes her eyes, relaxing ever so slightly and returning it.
Roa ends the kiss gently to smile up at the other girl and say, softly, "Ess." Then, a bit more firmly, "Ess." Then, insistant, "Ess!" Roa's voice melts away and into th woman's who accompanied her to the healer's the other night, and it is not Roa's hand but this woman's whose firmly shakes Essdara's arm. "Ess! Get up! If you show up late again, you're really gonna get it." The girl is bent over Essdara's cot, where she has been sleeping, and is currently the only one not yet up and dressing for the day.
Essdara groans, softly, and looks up at the ceiling with a sigh. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" She shoos the other girl off. "Just when it was getting good, too." She mutters to herself, before throwing off the covers and getting up to start her day.
Where: Bathing Caverns, Female Resident Dorm
When: Evening, Day 18, Morning, Day 19, 10th month, Turn 1 of the 7th pass
Note: When someone says they have an evil idea, won't tell you what it is, be careful if you give them blanket permissions to do what they want!
Baths
The bathing cavern is divided into a number of large pools, each spacious enough for ten to fifteen people. There is one cold-water pool with the remainder being given over to water warm enough to fill the air with swirling clouds of steam. Each pool has been tiled in blue and white and boasts benches along the sides to allow people to sit and soak. Alcoves in the walls have been hollowed out to provide places to store clean, dry towels and various other bathing paraphernalia.
The corners of the room have been decorated with potted ferns, brought here from Ista Island. They are pampered and fussed over by the staff who keep the baths clean and stocked. The plants provide a cheerful splash of color in an otherwise pale and steamy cavern.
Out (O)
It's late evening in the Weyr, and activity as a whole has died down dramatically. Done with her duties for the day, Essdara is in the warm water of the weyr bathes, scrubbing her skin clean to get a days worth of sweat, oil, and other bits of dirt off it. A rare sight of late, she looks almost relaxed as she performs the daily ritual of cleansing.
Well, here's something to jangle that calm. Roa heads into the bathing area looking quite worn. There are a few circles under her eyes and she makes her way slowly but steadily to the small storage area to begin peeling her clothing off. She hasn't yet noticed anyone else and her back is to the baths as the last garment is tossed aside and she begins to unwind and then unbraid her tightly coiled black hair.
Essdara isn't so lucky. Hearing the soft footsteps of another arrival, she turns around a bit to see who it is, and stops dead when she recognises her. Quickly turning back around, she sinks far into the water, hiding as much of herself as she can under the sandy water; just time to wash her hair, that's all, nothing and noone to see here.
With her dark hair falling loose to her knees, Roa turns with a yawn, grabbing a small bag of soapsand as she pads to the bathing pool which is, of course, the one Essdara's so busy trying not to be noticed in. She does too good a job it seems as Roa sinks into the water with a deep sigh, still distracted enough that she hasn't even really realized that anyone else is there.
Panic! Dara watches the petite goldrider enter the pool with wide eyes. Too late, she coughs softly, coming up more out of the water. She quickly looks away, though, with a bright blush. "Umm." She starts. "Hi." Eloquent as a harper, she belatedly makes her presence unmistakably known.
Eyes that had drifted shut open a crack at the cough, and then more fully when Roa sees who's doing the coughing. "Oh," she says softly. "Hi." She sits up a little straighter although for once, her cheeks aren't red or even pink though her expression has shifted from weary to wary. "How, um, how've you been?"
Essdara carefully keeps looking away; it's hard to concentrate when the person you have a crush on is entirely too close, and entirely too naked. "Umm, I'm ok, just, you know, washing up. Been in the kitchens all day, always messy. You? Keeping well, I hope? Tialith doing well?"
Roa nods, except that Essdara can't see it because she's looking elsewhere, so after a moment the goldrider supplements the gesture with, "Yes. We're, ah, doing fine, thanks. Tialith and I." Yup. The girl reaches for the bag of sweetsand, scooping up a handful with which she begins washing her arms, the faint sounds of lathering the only ones she makes for the moment.
Essdara says, after a long moment. "I thought I saw you in the infirmiry the other day. You looked pretty busy." She leans on the edge of the pool, using her arms as a pillow for her chin. "I'm glad you are doing well."
Roa nods again as she cleans. "I take some of the dragon infirmary shifts. I was reorganizing," she offers helpfully. "You looked like you were getting stitched up. Are you all right?"
The young girl turns back to Roa, blush finally under control, and nods. She shows the well-healing incision. "Just got a bit distracted and nicked myself a bit. Nothing too major, didn't even get me out of any chores or anything." A slight smile.
Roa pauses to sink down into the water, rinsing the soapsand away as she peers at the cut. "Looks a little deeper than just a nick," the older girl notes. "But I'm glad to see it's healing well." She drifts into silence, her hands lifting to run through her hair, carefully working out the tangles that the day and the water have put into it. Very softly, almost inaudibly she asks, "Are...are you angry with me?"
Essdara shakes her head quickly, blushing again. "No, of course not. Why would I be?" she shifts in the water a little, with a sigh. "I promise, I'm not."
Roa nods faintly. "I don't know. Maybe because..." not quite able to say it, she only shakes her head and dunks underwater to wet her hair. More soapsand is poured and she begins to lather up the long tresses. "Guess I'm just being silly," the junior weyrwoman murmurs.
Essdara sighs. "No, you're not silly." She sighs and sinks down in the water a bit. "It's me who is. I guess I've been avoiding you. It's not your fault, though, I just... I mean, after that..." She trails off without finishing the explanation.
After another dunk under the water to rinse her hair, Roa resurfaces, about half as far this time from Essdara. "I...I understand I guess. It's just, it's only...I've really missed you." The girl swallows softly, blue eyes lifting up to peep shyly at the cook.
Essdara blinks, suprise at the sudden proximity. "I'm sorry, I know it's silly and unfair, I just, I'm not sure what to do, or say, anymore." She starts to look down, then resolutely keeps her eyes up. "I've never been rejected before, I guess it takes getting used to."
Roa's lips quirk upwards into a tentative smile. "I don't see why you would ever have been rejected before." She tucks a curl of dripping hair behind her ear, sliding closer until she's directly in front of Essdara, the current making bubbles pop and fizzle between them. "M-maybe, I shouldn't have turned you down either."
Essdara can't help looking more nervous as she gets closer, and her final statement widens her eyes considerably. "Roa? What... I don't understand? You said... I mean..." If she was blushing before, she's a star in nova now. She says, softly, tone almost scared, "Are you serious?"
In answer, the shorter girl closes the final space between their bodies and when she pushes up on her toes she can just manage to press her lips softly, and then more firmly against Essdara's. Roa's eyes close and breath sucks inward as she initiates this bold move. Wet hands close lightly on the cook's arms in part for stability and in part for the contact.
Essdara's breath is held as Roa comes closer, and when her intent is clear, a soft, worries sound escapes her. Arms held, lips touched, she does the only thing she can and closes her eyes, relaxing ever so slightly and returning it.
Roa ends the kiss gently to smile up at the other girl and say, softly, "Ess." Then, a bit more firmly, "Ess." Then, insistant, "Ess!" Roa's voice melts away and into th woman's who accompanied her to the healer's the other night, and it is not Roa's hand but this woman's whose firmly shakes Essdara's arm. "Ess! Get up! If you show up late again, you're really gonna get it." The girl is bent over Essdara's cot, where she has been sleeping, and is currently the only one not yet up and dressing for the day.
Essdara groans, softly, and looks up at the ceiling with a sigh. "I'm awake, I'm awake!" She shoos the other girl off. "Just when it was getting good, too." She mutters to herself, before throwing off the covers and getting up to start her day.