Log: Flipskirt on Relationships and Furniture

[milaninc]

Who: B'kaiv, Milani
When: 11/3/19
Where: Gather Grounds, Fort Hold
What: Milani meets Kai at the gather. There's flirting and an invitation but then some instruction in the possibilities of a middle ground between 'whore' and 'good girl'. Furniture is also rearranged and procured.


In the hubbub and hustle of a Gather's first day, the booths and stalls are nearly as crowded as the squares and alleys of the Gather grounds. Riders from all over Pern, and what seems like half of the Bollian peninsula, are here as well, sporting shoulder knots in what seems like every color imaginable. Vendor's cries rise and fall over the swell of the crowd, and twangs and plucks rise from the dancing square. In the somewhat quieter section of crafter's stalls, one broad-shouldered weyrling hovers across from the Weavers' tent, nursing a mug and scowling across the way at the lavender streamers.

Knotless amidst so much of knotted throng, Milani might stand out for several reasons, one being she's tall, the other being the color of her dress, jezebel red with straps rather than sleeves, though a wrap drapes around the young woman's shoulders against the definite chill in Fort's air. Snow hasn't fallen this far south yet, but the peaks of the mountains are starting to show white that slowly creeps downward and it won't be long before the change of seasons sets in, in full. The crowd itself is large enough to generate some heat though and it's been on the warm side during the day, so that choice of gown may not seem completely inappropriate. Fetching up against the counter at that stall, Millie fingers one of those streamers of lavender ribbon, draws a curl of her hair over her shoulder to check the shades against each other, while the crafter in the stall is busy helping another customer.

Milani(#708PXce)
Tall at somewhere just shy of six feet with a head of strawberry blonde hair, Milani tends to stick out in a crowd. A well-balanced figure boasts decidedly feminine curves, rather than the angularity that often goes along with such height, but it's often her expressive blue-green eyes that grab attention. Otherwise her features are more on the 'cute' side with a small, slightly upturned nose scattered with freckles across the bridge and a wide, full mouth set in an oval face that's saved from too much softness by a sharp chin.

Simple but very pretty, this dress is just the right shade of red to go with Milani's strawberry-blond hair. It's deep and rich, and shimmers faintly through the smooth folds of fabric. Held up by two wide straps, the bodice curves into a modest vee in front, the cloth gathered in soft folds. Clinging close through her hips and thighs the skirt doesn't flare until it hits her knees, swishing to fullness at her calves. The ensemble is completed by a pair of red low-heeled shoes with fancy t-strap closings across the front and fake sisal flowers perched in her hair.

B'kaiv pushes away from his tent and cuts across the foot traffic, ending up by accident or design beside the red-clad redhead. "Hey," he offers companionably, giving the goods on display behind the counter an uncaring once-over before casting a sidelong, judging look at the woman. "Nice dress."

B'kaiv
Rugged and slightly rough around the edges, Kai is one of those men who looks perpetually scuffed. Well-tanned skin tells the tale of many days spent working under the rays of the sun, while dusty brown hair is chopped short enough to barely rumple when he runs his hand back over it. His nose is broad and slightly askew, his chin is square and stubborn under mutinous lips, and the tip of his left ear sports a notch, long healed. His face usually wears an impassive, unimpressed mask, though occasionally his eyes, a hazel predominated by brown, will light and the mask drop away. The young man's shoulders are wide and broad, echoed by his arms and hands, both of which are thick and muscular. He stands just barely over six feet with a growling muttered baritone of a voice and is probably about 19 turns.
His linen shirt may be a boring beige, but it manages to fit across his shoulders and cover his wristbones, and what more can you ask from a shirt? Over it he wears a maroon leather vest, once quite fine but now scuffed and worn. His shirt is securely tucked into a pair of brown trous, nondescript save for the lack of patches. A pair of brown ankle high boots at least as old as his vest finish the outfit - sensible, not flashy. On his left shoulder he wears the knot of a Fort Weyr weyrling twined with green.

The sudden presence of a large, bulky man in her field of vision, lifts Milani's eyes from the contemplation of lavender as an actual good choice for strawberry-blondes and she takes Kai in with a little smile. "Hello there, and thank you. It's one of my favorites for dancing in. Twirls nicely, see?" And she demonstrates briefly which does give that hem a nice little bit of lift. Upon completion of that spin, Millie's gaze skips to his knot. "Weyrling, hm? But it's been ..." she ticks off on her fingers, "8 months and change since the eggs hatched, so I guess that's enough time for some freedom. What's your name? And your green's?" Asked in friendly, outgoing fashion.

B'kaiv can't pretend to study the Weavers' wares any more, not with that spin in such close proximity. The woman behind the counter gives them a glance but turns to the next in line, leaving Kai to admire the hem's swirl by himself. "Yeah," he tells her knees, and in the next heartbeat, yanks his eyes back to her face, not lingering on the way up. "Eight months an' not quite a seven. 'M B'kaiv, she's Chielyth, but everybody calls me Kai. What's yours?"

Milani extends a hand with a smile. "Millie, from the Reaches," she introduces herself, apparently 'headwoman' isn't something she's bandying about today. "Chielyth - nice name. Is she a pretty green? To match the name? And well met Kai. If you're not picking up anything," a little nod towards the stall, "want to come dance with me?" The young woman's manner is bright and engaging, friendly but not yet particularly flirtatious.

Kai repeats the name as he covers her palm with his own, tacks a, "Well met," onto the end. "'Course she's pretty," he says while one corner of his mouth quirks up. But isn't every rider biased that way? "Could meet her, later. If you wanted." He gives the Weaver another look for Millie's invite, turns back with a shrug. "Sure. Ain't like they're goin' nowhere. You need anythin' here?" He wraps his fingers gently around hers, gives a little tug in case she's already ready already.

"I'd love to. My mother riders green at the Reaches, she's got a sort of watercolor effect to her, very nice," Millie tells the weyrling and smiles again as his fingers wrap around hers and tug. "Not particularly, I just like having a good stock of ribbons to draw on, you know, goes with the long hair," the redhead says with a little pat to her hairdo as her hand settles more comfortably into his. Movement forward indicates yes, ready already is the case as she falls into step with him. "So, how've you found Weyrlinghood so far? Challenging? Fun? Easy? Something else?"

B'kaiv leaves the Weavers behind without a second glance, but tucks Millie's hand into the crook of his arm. Not that she needs protecting, but even two six-footers need to navigate carefully through this crowd. "Dunno," he answers after a moment, and once they've passed the spice-seller's tent. "Ain't never done nothin' like it before. Worst part's prob'ly people thinkin' they're right an' I ain't 'cause I'm a weyrling an' they ain't. --You ain't a rider, are you?" he wonders belatedly, and with an uncertain look over.

"Oh I know how that goes, a friend who's a lot older than I am kept calling me 'kid' because of our age difference," she says with a little roll of her eyes. "Just because a person's under twenty, that seems to be a license for assuming that someone that age can't know anything about anything," Millie adds with a snort and reaches across to give his arm a little pat with her unthreaded hand. "And no, I'm not a rider. Weyrbrat, if you will. I work in the lower caverns at the Reaches, headwoman's staff," she provides, which is absolutely true, just you know, not her /exact/ title. "Thankfully, I don't have to worry about the 'kid' thing anymore. Finally left 'teen' behind," she notes cheerfully as they progress through the crowd, occasionally having to dodge others. "Oh they're starting up a good one! C'mon!"

B'kaiv snorts agreement and shakes his head, takes long strides around a dawdling holder gawking at the sights. "So I don't got t' worry 'bout you blabbin' t' th' Weyrlingmaster," he teases. "I'd come t' you straight off, if you was workin' at Fort. Bet you're plenty helpful." He hastens his steps at her urging, and they squeeze past a gossiping pair of aunties to get to the dancing square. It's not as packed as it will be later in the day, so Kai has the room to give his partner a little bow before settling into the forms of the lively dance.

"Blabbing to the Weyrlingmaster about what?" Milani asks curiously as they dodge through the crowd, though she's still smiling as those notes of lively music waft their way. "And I like to think I'm /very/ good at my job. I know where /everything/ is in the caverns," she says with a note of pride and a brief, sidelong look his way under lashes. Getting to the flirty bit. There's a girlish giggle and a pleased smile for that bow and Millie answers it with a surprisingly proper curtsey though that might give Kai an interesting view very briefly. Her hand settles atop his shoulder, the other into his palm for the figures of the dance. Light on her feet, clearly Millie really does enjoy dancing and gets plenty of practice at it.

"Anythin'," Kai answers with another flash of smile. "How I didn't hold your hand good. I ain't a good dancer. Didn't give you no proper manners, or nothin'." It's more likely she'd complain to Jantha about his dancing ability - the greenrider is more enthusiastic than skilled, though he's careful about not running either of them into the other couples, and her toes are safe. For now, anyway. "So I got a question for you," he says as they whirl past the Harpers' stand. "Say you got a - say you got this room. An' it's real big, but you got a couch an' a bed an' a fire. You put anything else in it?"

"Well, you hold my hand just fine, you're not making my toes bleed and your manners have been very nice ... so I really don't have a thing to complain about," Millie informs him blithely. She might be used to leading without leading too and this could contribute to the lack of bruised toes so far. She listens attentively to the question though, considering. "Big room, bed, fire ... I'd say carpet, couch, maybe a couple of chairs and at least one small table. Is it big enough to divide up into sort of ... mini areas?"

"S'got a couch," Kai repeats. "Rug, too. Table, yeah. Didn't think of that. Guess there's room for it." He falls silent for a tricky bit of footwork which he only makes a marginal hash out of, then lifts his eyes from his feet to grin crookedly at her. "Just got my weyr, few days ago. S'real - I ain't never had nothin' like it. S'these three rooms plus what Chielyth's got." So much for the hypothetical room of Millie's.

"Tables are good for you know, having space to work or if you have company a lot, to put things down on. Drinks, food. Very useful." Milani winks at him then, fingers shifting to give his collar a playful little tug. She quicksteps through that tricky bet as he hashes it a little. "I hear that a lot actually, working in Stores. A lot of the holdbred weyrlings can't get over how much space they have. It sounds like a really nice space, Kai," the young woman says sincerely and she tilts a look up at him takes in that crooked grin. "I could come have a look if you like, make suggestions about where to put the furniture? I help with that a lot and I enjoy it."

B'kaiv agrees, "Yeah," to both table and space, lips twitching again at the collar tug. "Almost as much room as my whole family got." And it's his, his, all his! "If you want, maybe, but I come t' the Gather for dancin'. You? Prob'ly weren't plannin' on comin' t' enjoy yourself an' then get straight back t' work, huh?"

"Mmm, probably feel like you're rattling around for a bit, then it'll get better. Some of the riders I speak to say that they sleep with their dragons for a bit at first and that helps until they adjust," Millie notes helpfully then laughs brightly. "I came for dancing and a little shopping ... and just fun in general. I don't consider moving furniture around to be work. I /like/ to do it. Like to help people," she says sincerely and lifts her hand from his shoulder to brush fingertips towards his cheek lightly, smile warm again.

B'kaiv snorts at that, though with a smile. "Chielyth don't sleep at night, an' I got classes in th' mornin'. You want t' talk t' my Weyrlingmaster, though, explain t' her that I ain't gonna be there, you go ahead an' try. Just lemme know, so I can be there." His head tips into those fingers, but he keeps both of his hands on her waist so she doesn't go flying off into the ether when they do the final spin. "Shells, you -are- weyrbred, ain't you?"

"Really? Still? That's interesting, I don't think I've ever met a nocturnal dragon before," Millie claims and when his head tips into her hand she smiles all the more widely, slides her fingers back into his hair. "Terribly," she confesses with an amused wink for those words. "Does that mean you'd not mind a little mattress testing too, along with furniture re-arranging?" Her head tips to the side, winsome expression on her face.

"From about dawn t' noon," the weyrling confirms. When those fingers go exploring his eyes first widen, then cast about the square - looking, perhaps, for an exit? Or maybe a trio of hulking brothers. "Shells. Yeah. Only. There's this girl." Spotting an empty table, he tips his head toward it, leaving a hand at her waist for unneeded guidance.

"The reverse of most," Milani says a little wide-eyed for Chielyth's sleeping habits. "Have you tried taking her for a reaaaaalllly long swim or fly at bedtime?" she suggests, curious again, then laughs for that look he shoots around. "If you're looking for my tall brother, he's studying very very hard for his exams and my /other/ brother is either back home with his weyrmate or looking for someone himself," she says with a little amused grin. "We're very weybred," is noted with mock-seriousness as she allows herself to be guided. "Ahh, well, tell me about it over a glass of wine, maybe?"

Kai sends Millie a dubious look for 'tall brother', but plainly decides not to ask. "Done all of that, back when she were little. Helped for a day or two, but she started gettin' grumpy an' it weren't worth it." He sniffs and pulls out a chair before claiming another for himself, looks around for one of the Vinters' apprentices but seeing none, laces his hands on the table and lowers his voice. "You can't go tellin' nobody I told you, now."

Milani walks over to that table and settles into the offered chair with a graceful sweep of skirts, crosses one leg over the other and rests her elbow on the table, her chin atop her hand. "Mm. Maybe start gradually then? Tweak her bedtime back by oh ... a quarter of an hour, then half, then an hour and so on?" Millie's expression sobers though and she nods. "You have my word. Whatever you tell me, will be between you and me."

B'kaiv nods his agreement and looks around once more. There are plenty of people nearby, just none with a tray of drinks or even the Vintner's badge. "So I got this girl. An' she's - shells, she's pretty. We Stood t'gether, only she didn't Impress. An' I was - if I weren't no rider, I'd ask her t' marry me. Only she's a Apprentice, an' she couldn't say yeah even if I did." Prologue laid out, he takes a breath, studying the redhead beside him.

Milani listens attentively, eyes on B'kaiv's face. Her expression remains open, encouraging even. "Awww, that's sweet when that happens, candidates connecting," the young woman across the way says sincerely. "So, you guys fell in love as candidates and got split up by one of you being a weyrling and one being an apprentice. Sounds a little like my mother and her first weyrmate, or my brother and his. She Impressed, he didn't and he went off to learn how to be a baker at Tillek. Go on," she invites with a warm smile. Since no vintners are readily presenting themselves though, she sheds her shawl, leans a little in her chair out to the side so one of her long legs is flashing the aisle. That brings a young man right quick and she smiles sweetily up at him. "A half carafe of whatever sweet white your journeyman is trying to pitch the most this gather, there /might/ be a sale in it for him!" Wide-eyed and then, back to Kai while the fellow heads back over to the stall with a goofy grin on his face.

There's a one-shouldered shrug about them falling in love as Candidates, and Kai falls silent in frank admiration of her apprentice-fetching technique. "Ain't you afraid of leadin' 'em on?"

That shrug earns a brief look and Millie's foot bounces a little up and down. "Wasn't like that?" she asks then laughs merrily, head tossed back. "That's not leading on," the Reachian explains with a smile across the way. "We'd have to you know, be a lot closer to actually do something for it to be leading on. Being a little flirty and playful is one thing, that just opens the possibility of more flirting, more conversation. Besides, he's more interested in actually getting a sale for his journeyman, so giving him a little nice scenery is just a way to sweeten the pot. At least he got to look at a pretty girl who flirted with him a little while he was doing his apprentice thing." Her hand drops and reaches across the table for his, touch light. "If I started tracing the top of your hand though, that'd definitely be showing interest, but it's not an invitation until one of us actually does any inviting," Milani concludes, smile still warm. "And I think I need to hear the rest of your story, though my invitation about your mattress still stands unless you say 'no'."

B'kaiv says, "Where I come from, what you done /is/ a invitation," but he shrugs again, leaves his hand under hers, and continues on. "Yeah, so - th' other day I find out she ain't what I thought. An' I... shells. I dunno what t' do. There was all these people tellin' me t' sleep with her, like she was a whore, only she weren't - I thought she weren't," he corrects. "Only... shells. She ain't loose, not like some of them. An' I ain't been /laid/ in close t' a /turn/, but she ain't like that! She /ain't/!" Despite his own words to the contrary. He thumps his other fist into the table, face twisted, and looks at Millie again. "So'm I s'posed t' treat her like a good girl, or a whore?"

"/Really/?" Milani looks quite interested by this statement and gives his hand a little squeeze. "Well, funny enough for all Weyrs are you know a lot more open about things than a lot of places, there's a lot of respect for you know 'yes' and 'no'," she explains further then quiets to listen again, face going all serious once more as she takes in his words. She waits until he's done even and there's a little quirk of her mouth to the side. "Have you ever ... considered Kai, that there might be a middle ground?" Milani's voice is quiet, thoughtful and there's actually sympathy for his plight in her expression. "It sounds like you're used to one set of rules and now they've all been shifted around on you. Crafts and Weyrs aren't the same as holds. It is a hold, right?"

"Waystation," he agrees. "Close enough. Th' only girls who put out there is th' ones lookin' for money after." Or before. "I ain't got nothin' against whores," he adds earnestly, twisting his hand beneath hers to catch at her fingers lest she try and flee before this shocking revelation. "Or weyr women. I just... I didn't think she were like that. An' I - it don't feel right. None of it."

"Right, so that's the kind of girl you're used to. Either ones who don't put out at all, or the kind that put out for money and there's no in between," Milani echoes, fingers sinking lightly between his, reassurance that she's not running anywhere. "Kai ... this might be a bit of a shock, but there /are/ other you know, ways of being that aren't those two examples that you just gave me," she says gently. "It sounds like your girl, you said she's an apprentice right? Well if she's in a craft, she's probably had some chances to explore a little. That doesn't make her a whore. It just means she's got a little experience, or maybe a lot, I don't know." Millie takes a breath, expression earnest as her fingers tighten within his. "Listen, you love her right? Will sleeping with her make you love her any less? Will it change the way you think about her? Or will it just be a way for you to show her just how /much/ you love her and maybe give her a chance to show you how much she loves you too? Because shells, I've slept around a fair bit, but it's never as good as when you do it with someone you really, really, really care about."

B'kaiv starts shaking his head when the Reachian declares that there's at least one shade of grey between black and white. "It ain't - there ain't." He can't come up with an argument fast enough, so subsides to hear the redhead out, though he doesn't look pleased about it. "S'bad enough Chielyth's green, an' everybody thinks /I'm/ a slut, an' gonna be tumblin' guys. I ain't gonna do that t' her: make her a laughin'stock. I'd weyrmate her in a heartbeat, only I can't, an' she can't neither."

"Does everyone think that?" Milani points out pragmatically, head tipped to the side. "I mean, greens only rise three or four times a turn. Sure there's some greenriders like that, but there's plenty that aren't. My mother isn't. She's been weyrmated to my father for ages. My brother rides brown and he's in and out of beds a lot more than almost any greenrider I know except for his weyrmate. But ... that might be a little bit too much information for you right now," and she holds up her free hand, pinches air between her fingers. "At any rate, browns and blues /chase/ a lot more than most greens rise, so it's kind of a um ... well it's silly to think of greenriders that way, really. Blueriders are the /real/ horndogs if you ask me." Breath in and breath out. "Those might have been the only options you had in the waystation you're from Kai, but you live in a Weyr now. The rules aren't the same," Millie insists gently. "I mean, maybe it doesn't feel right here in your heart," and she taps her own with two fingers. But people at the Weyr will not think less of you for sleeping with this girl of yours and they won't think less of her either, especially not if you care about each other." Her hand squeezes his again and she opens her mouth only to be interrupted by the apprentice returning. She shoots him a sweet smile as the carafe and two glasses are set down. 'There you are ma'am," he says with a hopeful smile and Millie beam, reaches into a discreet pocket for her marks pouch, which bears a stylized 'M' on the front and slides a full half-mark and a sixteenth into his hand. "For your trouble, /thank you/ so much and if I like this, I'll be sure to buy a case from your journeyman," she promises which earns an even brighter smile as the fellow turns tail to depart. "Okay, where was I? Oh right. I mean, sure, she's an apprentice, so you do have to be careful you know. Discreet. Because a lot of the journeymen won't like it if you're being super obvious. But think of it as being promised maybe, or engaged. And that it's okay to be intimate together as part of that promise, until she walks the tables."

B'kaiv nods: yes, everyone thinks that, or at least everyone who talks to him does, which is the same thing. Then he retreats into stubborn scowling, his attention wavering to the dancers so she gets only a sidelong look now and again. It's not until the apprentice makes his delivery and escape that he turns back, his fingers having never left hers. "It ain't -right-, though. Don't matter if we're sneakin' around - an' how come," he adds with righteous indignation, "We got t' sneak around if it's all right?" Ergo, it can't be all right, and that's logic!

That scowl and the digging in of heels just make Milani shoot him a sympathetic little smile. "This is really hard for you, isn't it?" she says and gently withdraws her hand so she can pour some wine into each of the glasses and pushes one across to him. "Try that and tell me if you like it." Then she's taking up her own glass, fingers cradling the bowl and tilting it up to take a small sip. "Hmm. Not bad. Maybe a titch too sweet," she says and sets the glass back down. "Not sneak, just not make a huge splash, there's a difference. Like, don't do it on a table right out in the open. Or you know, ask /her/ what she's comfortable with. Because it's always a good idea to ask your partner what their boundaries are," she points out and re-crosses her legs. "It may not seem right to /you/, Kai. But for most weyrfolk and a lot of crafters even, this really isn't a big deal. You don't have to be weyrmated to the person you care most about to be you know, intimate. Most riders /aren't/ weyrmated. It's just a completely different way of thinking when your dragon comes first. And you know, if your girlfriend's been there, done that before and it hasn't caused any problems with her craft, then why would it be a problem with you?"

B'kaiv's scowl twitches again at her sympathy; he shrugs and accepts the wine to wrap both his hands around the glass but doesn't drink. "Can't think of her like that," he finally says, barely loud enough to be heard over the skirl of pipes as the Harpers strike up another lively dance. "Just... dunno. There's girls I'd tumble like that," and of course he snaps his fingers. "An' shells, she were wanderin' around 'ith her top off th' other night -- 'scuse me," he adds instantly, and with a hunted air for the admission. "S'just - shells, I dunno. Everythin's all tangled t'gether. Th' one as is tellin' me t' bang her like a whore's th' one who got a whore of his own, an' th' only time you see 'em t'gether they're two steps offa rippin' off their clothes an' goin' at it. An' a'course since he's a Wingleader, he's /always/ right," cue the sarcasm, "an' I can't say nothin' but 'yessir'." He scowls at the dancers and tosses back a mouthful of wine, only to have to swallow hard, eyes bulging. "/Shells/." Lips curling, he sets the glass down again, well to the side.

Both of Milani's elbows drop to the tabletop and she listens again, chin propped up in her hands. "So ... you're stuck between how you feel about her and how you thought she was and how she really is and what you think you should do next. Let me back up again. If you sleep with her, will that change the way you feel about her? And I know what you mean, there's guys out there it's the same thing, I'd do them like that," and she snaps her fingers even. "Only see, when I'm in love with someone ... it's just them," she says quietly. "It's only been the once, this one guy I really really love. And we were together for a turn and it was only ever just him. But he lived at Ista and I was up at the Reaches and the distance got hard and we split up. So when I'm not with someone like that, you know, I still want to get laid, so it's easy enough to pick someone up. But if I had someone I was serious about, or weyrmated to, I wouldn't do that." Her fingers reach out to turn her glass to and fro a little. "Riders tend to be pretty casual about sex," Millie says with a shrug then she blinks. "Shells?"

Kai nods to that, all of that, and laces his hands together behind his neck. "Shells, I dunno. Only girls I slept with've been whores. Ain't never... there ain't never been no one like her." His hands fall back into his lap as she continues, and he nods again, answers her query about the wine with a rueful shrug and grimace. "It ain't nothin' I'd drink. S'too sweet. Sticks t' your tongue. Guess it's a girly, drink, though?" So saying (however dubiously) he slides his glass back, just in case she wants it.

"It ain't just th' sex," he adds. "S'just that he... shells." He blows out his breath, and his words tumble out in a rush. "She's a whore, an' a tease, but you try t' tell /him/ that an' you might as well be explainin' that red's white, or his dragon's a gold. He won't hear nothin' 'bout her 'cept what he wants t' hear. An' like I said," another shrug, "He's a wingleader, so he don't got t' listen t' nobody, an' he don't."

"Only whores. So you've never slept with a girl you actually /like/, or were just attracted to and was attracted back. Wow. I'm having trouble imagining that. Guys don't usually have to pay for it at all in a Weyr. Girls either." The wine is reached for, poured into her glass. "For what it's worth, I don't really drink much but I was looking for something that I can keep on hand when I -- have guests. Might ask if they have something dryer though. This is more like, dessert wine." She listens to the rest seriously though and tilts her head to the side. "Well. If this guy really cares about this girl you think is a whore and a tease, that could explain it? I mean, if someone called /your/ girl a whore and a tease, what would you do?"

"Didn't have t' always /pay/ for it," Kai corrects. "Just sometimes." He idly watches the reclaiming of the wine that was once his before narrowing his eyes thoughtfully at her. "Hit 'em so hard they'd see stars for a month," he answers simply. "'Cause she." Whereupon he shuts up, and jerks up his chin before continuing. "She /is/, though, this girl. Jumps int' pants like she's lookin' for a pair t' fit. Used t' come on t' me, too - leaned over, lemme look down her dress like you done only more - only soon as I said nothin' about it, she told me no. Said her legs was sewn t'gether when it come t' me."

"That doesn't make her a whore," Milani points out, "just means she likes to get laid," she continues pragmatically and her smile goes lopsided. "Well, Kai, honestly, if you've got a girlfriend and you tell me that you've promised to be faithful to each other ... I probably wouldn't either, even after flirting. Because then I'd be putting you on a path to cheating on your girl and that wouldn't be right by /my/ rules, or what the two of you have agreed on." She swirls her doubly full glass around and around a few times. "Everything is a lot more flexible in a Weyr. There's no ... absolutes, really. It's up to you and your girl to figure out what's right for you both /together/," she says softly, sincerely, eyes on his face. "If you can honestly tell me, that we can go back to your weyr, or even duck out into the dark out there somewhere and have a good time together and it won't cause problems, I'm happy to go with you. You seem like a pretty stand up guy and you're pretty hot and I'm -- just looking for a good time right now while my heart heals up. But if you think it'd break your agreements, make you break your word, I won't put you through that dishonor."

B'kaiv shrugs over the Jaeyi-semantics. "Same thing. An' I never told her nothin' like that. This girl. /Or/ my girl. I just - shells. It ain't cheatin' on nobody if it's just sex." He drums his knuckles on the table in unconscious mimicry of the beat that entices the crowd and looks up sidelong at his table mate. "Dunno. Turn ago, I'd'a said yeah. Shells, wouldn't still be sittin' here. But right now... shells. I got thinkin' t' do. It ain't that you ain't pretty," he adds hastily, "S'just that - s'complicated."

"Sure it is," Milani says promptly. "If you've agreed to be together and be faithful, or if there's an expectation that you're going to stick to each other, it's absolutely cheating," she says quietly and looks down into her glass. "Sometimes, even when you didn't formally agree, if the other person is expecting it from you, they might still feel like you cheated ... even if you didn't mean to." The young woman's voice peters off, blue-green eyes fixed on the contents of her glass, sadness replacing the light-hearted cheer she's shown so far. She blinks, takes a breath, looks back up and laughs. "Oh you don't have to worry about that," she says and waves a hand. "It does sound complicated and adding /more/ complications to that probably isn't a good idea." Her smile returns, sweet in quality.

B'kaiv scoffs, "So weyrfolk can cheat, even if nobody ain't said nothin' 'bout bein' together? Simpler my way: s'just sex, it ain't cheatin'. S'when it's more'n that, then you got a problem. S'how my Da explained it t' me, an' my Ma agrees." He drums his knuckles again, then folds his arms atop the table and leans on them rather than outshine the Harpers. "You wanna dance again? Wouldn't mind you seein' my weyr, 'cept Chielyth ain't old enough t' go *between* - even /if/ Elaruth done it," he adds as an aside, "An' whoever you come with prob'ly ain't gonna be lookin' for you at Fort."

"No, it's often you know, when different ideas of rules collide," Milani says and looks up. "From people /not/ being clear and not saying things up front. That's why it's a good idea to do that. Because see if you think 'it's just sex' and the other person /doesn't/ then you have a really, really big problem," the young woman says with a wry laugh. "For some people it's never cheating even if you're weyrmated. My brother and his weyrmate are like that. They don't care about who's sleeping with who, so long as they come home to each other. If I'm with someone though, weyrmated, other than flights, absolutely I expect us both to be faithful to each other unless we say otherwise." She takes another mouthful of the wine and beams at him. "I would /love/ to dance some more and Kai . .. I hope this all gets sorted out for you." Millie's getting to her feet though and then laughing. "Oh don't worry about. She can bespeak a couple of different dragons with riders who'd be more than willing to take me back, or I can always just sweet talk my way into one."

"Your brother an' his girl sound like that b... Wingleader," the weyrling says wryly, but without ire, and shrugs for the rest. "I got thinkin' t' do. Ain't real good at it, but I got t' do it anyway." He's up on his feet only a heartbeat after her, a hand offered too late to help her stand. "A'right. See if we can't dance your feet off, maybe, an' then we'll see how you feel 'bout flyin' long up t' Fort."

"His ... guy actually," Milani corrects gently. "He was weyrmated to a woman for about ten turns but then they broke up and he's been with a guy for oh, a few turns now. They're very happy though. They're both bi. That means they like guys /and/ girls the same," she explains helpfully even as she re-adjusts her wrap to supply a more modest neckline for her dress, perhaps mindful of Kai's particular quirks. She laughs as she sets her hand into his. "All right then, I'll take that as a challenge to see who gets tired of dancing first," Millie says gaily and tugs on /his/ hand this time to lead the way onto the dancefloor.

'Guy' makes Kai's mouth gape, then snap closed; he bravely keeps his arm out for Millie anyway though his eyes are looking a little wild. He does manage a sort of weak, "Oh," for the information and is quiet for a while, but by the time the first dance is halfway through he's rallied a bit. The second and third are too fast for anything but smiling and gasping, and by the time the pair tumble back into chairs the first group of Harpers have switched out with a second, and a third is preparing to take their place. "That," the greenrider declares, his chest heaving, "Were fun."

Milani can't do much but smile at Kai and give his collar another tug as she conveys that information and he takes it that way. The dancing though brings back smiles all around and by the time the drop into chairs, her cheeks are prettily pink and eyes dancing. "Oh it was. Thank you!" she says animatedly and reaches for her erstwhile wine glass. "It's the best part about being able to get away to a gather. Dancing and dancing!"
B'kaiv flat-out grins and captures her fingers for a squeeze. "Yeah. You wanna go? Or walk around for a bit, dance later? I ain't got a curfew or nothin', but I do got class t'morrow, an' have t' figure out how t' get Chielyth t' sleep t'night still."

"Let's go take a look at your weyr, okay? See what we can do with your furniture. Then if we're all still awake and energetic, we can come back down for a dance and I can see if the person I rode down with is still around, how's that work for you?" Milani asks B'kaiv, drinking down a little more wine, then abandoning her glass again. "Or if she likes to fly fast ... we can fly around for a bit. Think that'll tire her out?"

Kai eyes her when she mentions flying there and coming back. "You know it's a good three-quarters of a hour between here an' there, yeah?" For those dragons not yet old enough to go *between*. "We go back t' Fort, an' I ain't comin' back here t'night. Mean - shells, maybe I could, Faranth knows she'd be tired if we did, but I want her sleepin' at th' Weyr, not some place b'tween here an' there."

"I wasn't sure how her strength was," Milani admits and nods. "Well then, let's go flying and end up back at the Weyr and if she doesn't fall asleep, she can bespeak someone for me or I can send my firelizard. If I can get /him/ to wake up. He has a little um ... sleep problem," she claims with a laugh and pushes to her feet again. "Come on. Let's go fly and see if we can get Chielyth nicely tired out for you and I can give you interior decorating advice and if I do get stuck at your place, I will be good and sleep on your couch."

B'kaiv makes a show of groaning when he pushes to his feet /again/, but leavens it with another crooked smile. "Yours don't do nothin' -but- sleep, an' mine don't sleep when she ought. They're a right pair, ain't they?" Talk turns to nothing of consequence as they cut across the Gather grounds to where some of the dragons wait, well away from the runner pens. Chielyth would be easy to spot, even if Kai didn't introduce her with pride: she's the one come galumphing up to meet them while the other dragons can be barely made to crack an eye. "She ain't never flown so long with two people," Kai warns, readjusting the little green's straps. "But I told Mikhuth an' he knows t' keep a eye out for us."

"That /is/ funny," Milani says with a bright laugh and chatters along amiably as the head over to where Chielyth is 'parked'. Laughter again as she gallops up to meet them and she holds up her hands towards the young green with the familiarity of someone raised around dragons. "Oh you /are/ a pretty one," she compliments readily. "May I?" she asks, before actually touching and when she speaks to Chielyth she speaks /to/ Chielyth, not Kai. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you fly." There's a nod Kai's way, understanding on her face. "Of course."

Chielyth dips her head eagerly to explore the redhead, her rider quirking part of a smile at them both. "She don't mind. Loves people. An' yeah, she's somethin'." More rider bias. Plenty of elevator duty means it doesn't take long to get the second rider's straps ready, and soon the trio is leaving the bright Gather behind, heading northwest toward the rise of the Weyr. It takes closer to an hour than the forty-five minutes promised until they arrive at a low weyr on the eastern side of the bowl, and Chielyth's puffing but looking mightily pleased with herself for her effort. "We're here," Kai announces unnecessarily, and turns to help his passenger down.

Once Chielyth's head drops and Kai gives the okay, Milani's hands gently stroke up the sides of the young green's muzzle. She lingers there while Kai deals with the strap situation and she lets him help her up and down. She is after all wearing a skirt and she does drop a hand to keep it from slipping up and inadvertantly flashing him more than some leg. "Thank you," she says sincerely and looks about with bright, curious eyes. "You're so low down, don't they usually put greens higher up?' she questions, fingers loosening the folds of her wrap a little and smoothing back windblown hair. Even if the flight was look, Millie seemed to enjoy it, especially if Chielyth tried out anything acrobatic while she was going.

B'kaiv shrugs at the question and looks around. "Dunno. Ain't never been a greenrider before." Again he almost smiles, again he offers her his hand to escort her in. "S'pretty small weyr, though. Don't think there ain't no room, 'cept for a green." And the wallow, as they go past it, leaving Chielyth out on the ledge, is definitely on the small side. "Gotta get a curtain, maybe," Kai observes as he releases the redhead into the wilds of his weyr to cross to the hearth and waken the fire. "S'pretty cold, I guess."

B'kaiv's Weyr

Clover-shaped, this weyr is composed of three nooks that meet at the central living space. The first of these is Chielyth's room, with a low-arched opening out to the ledge and sky. Here hooks draped with straps and bits of leather stud the walls and a long shelf provides space for storing equipment. Opposite the shelf is her wallow, cushioned with sand and a tattered, well-loved quilt.

Just past the wallow the walls taper into the irregularly circular living area. A braided rug in rusty shades warms the floor and a leather couch turned pumpkin from use stands before the hearth. The nook directly across from the entrance to Chielyth's wallow stands empty save for a pair of empty cabinets, one on the floor and the other directly above. The bedchamber opens across from the hearth; a smallish room with a niche cut into the wall for the bed. A mattress lies there with a single fur folded at the foot. Along all of the walls, shelves and shallow curio spaces have been carved to hold mementos and knick-knacks, though they are currently empty of even dust.

Looking around some more as Kai leads inward, Milani nods for his remarks. "In here, sure, small wallow, meant for a green, but it's a nice living space overall. Decent setup to have company over," she pronounces as she turns slowly about in the middle of the living area. "Oh and there's your couch. Leather, good, easier to keep clean." And with the briskness of her unknown status as headwoman, Milani heads over that way, draping her wrap on a hook as she goes, apparently completely comfortable with the idea of just ... taking over. "You know if you turn this just a little this way, yes, that'll open it up a bit, and you could put another chair, /there/ and a table, /here/ and that'll be really cozy and welcoming." She beams over at him. "A good thick tapestry for that opening there to keep out drafts," she recommends. "Do you have favorite colors? Not that I can really do much to get them for you /here/, but ..." she laughs a little. "Just nice to know a thing or two about you. It's starting to get a little chilly," she does agree and gives the couch another little nudge, walks over to him and comes to a halt, just shy of touching distance. "I'm Reaches-raised so it doesn't tend to get to me until it's /really/ cold out."

B'kaiv steals glances over his shoulder with a man's wide-eyed bemusement as she rearranges his furniture in absentia. "Shells. A'right, chair, table. Dunno what I'm gonna do with that," he jerks his head over at the mostly empty room with its cabinets and lays a handful of twigs over the embers. "An'... favorite color? Shells, I dunno. Brown?" Did he get it right?

"Well, if you have any hobbies, you could use it as a work space, or storage or a guest room." Milani looks just a little bit thrown by his choice of color. "Well there's a lot of nice shades of brown, but you might want something brighter to liven up a space like this." Her hands clasp behind her back as she watches him lay the fire.

"Wouldn't mind havin' a bath, like I hear some of 'em have," the greenrider admits, blowing the flames back to life. "Only that ain't one." No, it's a room. With cabinets. Another careful breath and the twigs catch; he spends the next few minutes coaxing them to eat larger and larger bits of wood before turning to find his guest. "So? I ain't got no idea what t' do. Wanna have some place t' put th' beer, I guess. But brawlin' don't take up no space." There's his crooked grin back.

"You could put a tub in there actually, but you'd have to rig up a drain to let the water out and draft Chielyth to fill it for you from the hot springs," Milani claims with a laugh. "And all those cabinets would be good for a liquor collection, actually." More laughter. "Brawling? Is that how you come by those big shoulders?" she compliments with a warm smile, then turns to settle down on the sofa, legs folded up beneath her, red skirts draping over knees and down towards the floor with unconscious elegance. "Tell me more about where you're from?"

B'kaiv snorts at the very idea and lays a log in the hearth; places the screen across the opening and lumbers across the room to flop on the other side of the couch. "S'a waystation - Othana. You heard of it? 'S about seventy miles th' other side of th' mountains." He waves a hand more or less northwestward. "An' yeah. I been liftin' beer kegs an' brawlin' all my life, seems like. What about you? You always been at th' Reaches? Guess so, you bein' a weyrbrat an' all?"

"No, but I don't really travel the roads at all. If I need to go somewhere I hitch a ride straight to wherever it is. Here. Ista. Down south." Milani waves a hand explanatorily and leans back into the couch. "Beer and brawls. That'd make a man strong for sure." A few nods answer his question. "Yes. Since I was born. I've always lived there, though I was sort of part-time at Ista for a bit around work. When -- my guy was living there."

B'kaiv snorts at her preferred method of travel. "Weyrbrat, f'r sure. I ain't never been nowhere, before I come here. Still ain't been nowhere, I guess - but we're gettin' more places, Chielyth an' me." There's a snort from the wallow and the light darkens as the green pokes her nose into the living room; a second later she retreats again, though not without leaving a memento of meaty breath. "Chielyth don't like me fightin' none," Kai says as he twists back. "But sometimes you just got to."

"Yes," Milani says laughingly, unoffended. "You'll get to go everywhere eventually. I think that might be one of the best things about being a rider. Instant travel," she adds thoughtfully then bounces a little in place. "I can understand that," Millie says of Chielyth's preference against fighting. I mean, does it really solve anything? Do you /really/ have to?"

"Well, sure," Kai answers, surprised. "Can't just... can't just /talk/ your way outta everythin'. Like - say there were this guy, back t' the Gather. An' he grabbed you, yeah? An' you didn't want t' be grabbed. He ain't gonna let go just 'cause you say so." He helpfully makes a fist and pops the air by way of demonstration.

"Oh yes he will," Milani says with a laugh. "And if he didn't he'd get a strong grab and twist right where it counts, or his ears boxed," she notes with a little amused twist to her smile and a demonstration with her hand. "Most men won't mess with a girl who's confident and means business. Or you know, can always just scream loudly and that's enough to stop most in the middle of a /Gather/," she points out.

B'kaiv says, "That ain't just /talkin'/, though," waving his hands like that will make him right. "Anyway. It ain't like I been in a decent brawl since I come here anyway. Sparrin' ain't just th' same."

"No but there's a big gap between, talking your way out of it and needing to bring out the physical," Milani points out. "Most men can be talked down," she says with a little shrug, tips her head to the side. "Do you ... miss that? Brawling?"

B'kaiv squints over the couch at her with the bemusement of a man who's never had to talk anyone down in his life. "Shells, yeah. Used t' do it all th' time, back t' th' waystation. Couple times a seven, if we got lucky." The Reachian's probably not familiar with his definition of 'lucky'. "Then there was th' ones we ah..." Ranged? Maybe. But he's not going to finish that word. Instead he moves onto a different tack: "S'like if you weren't gonna never give people furniture no more. Or only on special occasions, yeah?"

"A couple of times a seven. Wow. That's a lot," Milani says, eyeing B'kaiv speculatively. "Guess that means you have a lot of stamina too," she can't help b ut tease a little, ducks her head. "Sorry. That was too good of opening to pass up," she notes with a little cheeky grin his way that slowly turns wry. "Hm. I can't imagine living that way, to be honest. You must be ... really wound up, Kai," she says softly. "No releases at all."

"Ain't been in a decent brawl," Kai ticks off on his fingers, "Ain't been laid in close t' a turn, ain't been able t' get drunk." His smile over her is more of a grimace, and a rueful one at that. "Wound up's a good way t' put it, yeah. An' then everythin' else on top of it." He glances over at the wallow again, but Chielyth's moved out of their vision. "You gimme th' chance t' do 'em all, and I dunno which one I'd do first." Back to Millie, his grimace tilting. "Shells, you don't stop. Wish I could show you just what I got."

Milani lifts a hand to her temple, leans her forehead into her palm and regards him in silence for a moment. "Listen ... Kai, I know things are really complicated for you right now but, hm. Maybe it might be easier if you /weren't/ so wound up. I don't know if I can arrange a brawl for you, though I can certainly go get you some liquor so you can get plastered. Otherwise, all I have to offer is tonight." Her eyes are serious on his face though, not playful. "I like you, you seem like a pretty nice guy, brawling aside. I know that -- this might not be the best idea, but if you like, I can stay. You can show me what you've got. And I'll show /you/ what I've got and it might actually help instead of making things worse. I don't live here, it's possible we might never see each other again. I won't ever mention it to anyone, you have my word. So it'd just be -- your conscience." Her voice is gentle and the look in her eyes is compassionate rather than passionate or even teasing. "Could you live with a one night stand, if you thought it might help your overall situation?"

"I don't hit girls - women," Kai says, as though she needed the reassurance. He pushes back against the couch as she leans forward, folds his arms a few seconds later. "Got drills t'morrow," he says of the offer to get drunk, though not without regret. "An' - shells, you ask me again, I dunno I'll be able t' say no, but..." His face twists. "--No. I got - I got t' talk t' S... t' my girl first. Figure stuff out. Maybe - maybe we could go down t' Stores? They ain't yours, but maybe you could figure 'em out?"

Milani actually giggles, ducks her head then shakes it. "Oh no, see I know some other big guys. I could call in a favor maybe, or ask my brother about where you could go to get into a brawl around here," she explains, merriment returning. "And don't worry. No is no, so I won't ask again," Millie says sincerely and pushes up off the couch, reaching for her wrap. "Let's go do that. A store room is a store room after all!"

B'kaiv looks wistful at the thought of big men, exhales sharply at her 'no is no' and follows her off the couch. "Yeah, know th' way t' -your- heart now." He lets her go ahead, lingering in the weyr to fuss with the fire, then says as he emerges onto the ledge where Chielyth's waiting, "So who d'you want Chielyth t' get? When it's time - not now, I mean."

Settling the drape of red fabric across her shoulders, Milani looks into the fire and shakes her head. "My heart ... was captured a long time ago," she murmurs softly. "It's just a little bruised right now from the person I wanted to give it to, not being particularly gentle with it and ... me, making some mistakes." For all she stands in front of flames, her face is shadowed a little by the fall of her hair. She takes a breath and turns away to head to the ledge. "My mother, actually. Sionath's rider."

Kai turns back, blinking, and fishmouths for a second. "Th' /storerooms/," he explains. "I were jokin' 'bout knowin' th' way t' your heart. 'Cause, you know, you work there, an' you're gonna help me, an' all?" Jokes are rarely better explained, but he tries it anyway, while Chielyth dances a little in place, blatting at another of the half-grown dragons soaring across the bowl.

"Sorry, it's still kind of a sore spot," Milani says with a sheepish little laugh and reaches over to pat Kai's arm gently. Chielyth gets another scritch as they mount up and head downward.

Chielyth's better for her rest, short as it was, but flops onto her side once they've landed anyway, much to the bemusement of a grey-muzzled blue. "This way," Kai says, and escorts her through Fort's tangled tunnels, half empty for the Gather. Once in the storerooms he has to first hunt out and then wake the attendant, a bleary-eyed teenager, to find where the furniture is stored; after that, though, their trip is fairly uneventful, and a shabby chair and a small side table are fairly quickly found and procured.

"You could re-upholster that to brighten it up, or just put a blanket over it," Milani points out about the chair as they return to Chielyth with their booty. "Need help getting those strapped up? Then I should probably see about that ride back," she says with a smile for the big weyrling.
"Think I'll just leave it f'r now," the weyrling says with a sideways semi-smile. "Dunno if I need no 'brightenin' up'. Thanks for your help, by th' way." He shakes his head for the offer of help and hoists the furniture fairly easily onto Chielyth's straps, though he does ask for a hand to steady the things. "An'... yeah, she says Sionath's on th' way. You want me t' wait with you 'til she gets here? Or have her come up t' my ledge?"

"That works," Milani says and helpfully steadies things then gives Chielyth a parting pat. "Thank you for the flying, Chielyth. I hope you have a good rest tonight." Then she moves back to B'kaiv's side and leans in to kiss his cheek lightly. "You go on home," she tells him with a smile. "You know, temptation and all that. I'm sure Mum'll be here any minute. Thank you for a lovely evening, Kai. I hope everything works out for you." She takes a breath, lets it out as she steps away. "And if you ever come to the Reaches ... just ask for the Headwoman." Mischief caught in the corners of her mouth there as she slips away into the shadowy Bowl.