Dancing and Footwork [Rekka]

[E]

He knew it. Maybe not consciously as he was still surprised it would be the first question she chose to ask, but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew she would bring up the woman he had made the mistake of mentioning earlier that night. Any woman he bedded more than two nights in a row would bring up the woman if they had the slightest inkling she even existed.

Brining up a simple answer to keep his own emotions under control, he took a breath before he began. “She was a woman who came to the Weyr nearly 10 turns ago. She has been gone for almost 5 turns now and I’m afraid she will not be coming back.” It wasn’t very specific, but it was a topic he knew he would need to scratch at carefully and tenderly to keep it from bleeding everywhere.

“Do you avoid everyone in the Weyr, or just me?”

[Rowen]

Rekka blushed at his question and bit her lip and considered her options. She did have to answer, and truthfully. She should have been prepared for the question but she wasn't. Letting out a shaky breath she lowered her eyes to the ground before looking back at him. "I'm invisible to everyone. The few I encounter don't care about me. When I saw you turns ago I knew.. You wouldn't be like the others."

She met his eyes letting him see her honesty. "There are those I do hide from, but to the weyr the people who live and breath here I'm as important as the stool they use to eat on. When I break I'm replaced, but I deserve no other thought." Rekka smiled faintly. "What happened between you and Ashni?"

[E]

L’nuo listened intently, hanging on every word as she spoke it. He memorized the emotion she said it with, as that emotion often tells more than just the words. Already he wanted to argue with her, tell her that she was wrong and that she was more important to the Weyr than the stools in the Hall and classrooms. He bit back the words however, tonight was a night for listening and understanding. Not arguing, agreeing or disagreeing. Just listening and answering.

He smiled at her next question, a lopsided, halfhearted smile but it was a smile none the less. His eyes glazed over slightly as he looked back into the past. Oh what had happened between Ashni and him… it was love the kind you could fly with. But apparently it hadn’t been enough…

“We became friends, who trusted in eachother and eventually fell in love with eachother. Even Menith spoke to her and loved her until she left.” Again it was a short answer with very little detail, but it was an answer. Perhaps he should say more? His heart hiccupped at the idea, however, and he moved onto his own question. “If you are invisible to the world, how did you come to be the headwoman?”

[Rowen]

Rekka smiled slightly and let out a small 'ha' in her breath. That was a very simple question. "When everyone else played I worked, I grew up underfoot of the women who worked everywhere. I made so many messes as a child, the women wouldn't often help me clean them up instead they told me to do it. Just like the others my age told me to do their chores...." Rekka stopped suddenly she'd been going off topic. She gave a fake half smile pausing a moment before continuing.

"Well since I worked so much I knew quite a lot more than the others. It came down to a respect that they didn't want to give. I know more about what needs to be done every day than most my age, and I know the best ways to make sure it's done. So when the headwoman died, things just... Ended up that way." Rekka took a breath and let him soak in what she'd said before asking her question. "Why did Ashni leave?"

[E]

L’nuo listened carefully, but when his question came, he found he forgot what he had been listening to. It wasn’t that he wasn’t expecting the question… He knew she would ask many about that black haired woman. But the question had instantly tossed him back into his memories. No matter how simple of an answer he gave, he was lost to the pain.

Eyes clouding over, he closed them and let two tears roll slowly down his cheeks. Shaking his head as if to shake away the memory and the pain, he answered in a voice that reflected that pain. “I… I don’t know Rekka. I thought she was happy. Every time we were together she was laughing and smiling… But she left Menith and I all the same.”

Putting his fore arms over her legs, he buried his face in them as he drew a ragged breath. Menith… Me… The baby… It was not enough… It was not enough to keep her from letting go… I was not enough… Letting the silent tears fall, he forgot it was his turn to ask the question.

[Rowen]

Watching him Rekka felt a tug inside of her and reached out a hand as gently as she could she coaxed him to look at her. "L'nuo she's the one you see when you dream isn't she?" She didn't expect an answer so shook her head slowly her eyes never leaving him. "I have one more question about this woman L'nuo.. Can you answer it?"

Using her hand she gently wiped his cheeks of tears kissing his brow lightly hoping to calm him at least enough to see beyond the pain she could see in his eyes. "I can't ask this question of you until you ask me a question. We're taking turns remember?" She reminded him as calmly as she could that he could ask any question of her and she'd answer him.

[E]

Letting her lift his head and wipe away the tears, he watched her, struggling to replace the image behind his eyes with Rekka sitting there before him. She was not Ashni and she did not have Ashni’s mysterious and alien beauty, but Rekka was beautiful in her own right, and he focused on that. He focused on her deep brown eyes, on the curve of her lips, on the mess of her hair.

Watching her lean down to kiss his eyebrow, he finally managed to replace the embedded image – at least for a time. Lifting his large, calloused hand, he took a firm hold of her chin and pulled her back to him, kissing her firmly on the lips. It was not a quick peck either, he held her there to memorize the softness of those lips, the feel of them against his own. Feeling the fire begin to burn within him, he finally released her and took in a calming breath.

“My question, Rekka… Do you still fear my touch?”

[Rowen]

Rekka felt as if everything had shifted just slightly as a quick breath escaped her. She swallowed as she tried to refocus her eyes on L'nuo. What was it she had been planning to ask? She couldn't remember any longer. She knew she would if she could calm the fast pace her heart was beating to. If she could think beyond L'nuo's touch.

She heard him ask a question and had to close her eyes to try to understand what he was asking of her. What he'd wanted. She knew she had to answer because that was the deal right? They had a deal? About questions and answers... At least that's what Rekka thought. 'Do you still fear my touch?' That's what he'd asked.

Opening her eyes to look at L'nuo she let out a shakey breath. Fear his touch? A little maybe? She couldn't think beyond it, she knew she should but she couldn't do it. Her lips parted slightly as she looked at him. Answer she had to answer what was her answer? Was she in fear of his touch? Rekka finally took hold of his hand, she didn't know if she was in fear of it, she could only feel it. She placed his hand on her neck lightly. Closing her eyes she searched for a feeling of fear. She didn't feel fear, she felt... Lost, not a frightening lost, but a overwhelming sensation of being unable to think of anything but that touch.

[E]

The confusion on her face was plain and easy to see, but there was something else there in her eyes… Watching her searchingly, his own breath caught as she moved his hand to her neck. Within moments he was up on his feet, leaning over her and kissing her firmly again. The hand she had placed on her neck stayed there, caressing her jawline and cheek as his other hand lifted to the other side of her face to cup it gently.

Without breaking contact of her lips, he sat beside her on the bed and let his hand move to her hair, running down it to her shoulder where his thumb caressed her again. Finally breaking the contact, he put his forhead against hers and touched his nose to hers as well. His breath was a little heavier now, but he had to know. He couldn’t continue with anything if she was going to wake up screaming because of it.

“You can tell me no Rekka. If I scare you, all you have to say is no and nothing will happen.”

[Rowen]

Rekka tilted her head to the side. He'd stopped, why? Was he talking about her fearing him again? She wished he'd stop talking. Maybe she wasn't doing it right? What was she doing? What was she supposed to do? She wasn't quite sure but she found her hands lifting to his head to hold him as she gave him a return kiss for the one he'd given her.

She held his lips to hers unwilling to let him stop again. If his mouth couldn't move then surely he wouldn't stop to ask more questions. Questions, that's what she was supposed to be thinking about, even as her mind found that the word was important, she couldn't seem to care enough about it at this point.

[E]

L’nuo knew that answer all too well. He could feel the heat of her body and the heat of the fire that was building inside her… Tonight we will fly Menith. Join us. I will. And with that he gave the woman in his arms his complete attention.

[[[[[We are sorry to interrupt this program to bring you important news. The masses are being brainwashed by a talking squirrel who calls himself ‘Foamy’. Police and Officals are on the lookout for this highly dangerous squirrel and anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to please step forward and make an anomonous phone call to your local authorities. Thank you, and back to the program.]]]]]

L’nuo lay on his back, one arm wrapped tightly around the woman against him as he pulled up the furs a little higher. The look on her face was a peaceful one and he let out a sigh as he pet her messy brown hair once again. Tucking the fur over her shoulder, he wrapped his other arm gently around her and closed his own eyes knowing that, tonight at least, the dreams would be kept at bay.

[Rowen]

Rekka let out a soft breath her eyes closed as she felt darkness creeping up on her. There was something she was forgetting still, but this relaxing sensation, the warmth she felt, she wasn't willing to let it go to let her mind remember what she was supposed to be remembering, whatever it might be.

She felt L'nuo pull the furs higher around them and relaxed the darkness seeping in around her. This is where she wanted to be, with no worries about the past, no memories intruding on what was, instead of what had been. Her mind finally relaxed into a calmness and she dreamed, of the wind brushing against her face blowing the tears of the past away.

-Threads over!-