Utterly Charming

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 30th July 2006

Characters: Larken, M'tone
Description: M'tone drops in on Larken on the beach and finds a crack in her shell of propriety
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 13, day 8 of Turn 3

M'tone sat with his elbow braced against his brown's forearm, his legs dangling over the edge of his ledge. The brownrider had never had a fear of high places, not even as a child. In fact, he loved them. He loved to sit there with Encourth and watch the Weyrlife pass between his feet, soaking up the sun as passionately as any dragon, chatting away with his favorite sunning partner.

He closed his eyes, letting the warmth wash over him when his thoughts were interrupted.

}:There is your pretty friend, M'tone. The girl you don't like liking.:{ His rider knew exactly who he meant. **Larken? Where?**

}:On the path to the beach.:{ The brown turned a knowing eye towards his rider. }:I wouldn't mind a swim myself.:{ M'tone's lips curved into a smile. His lifemate knew him so well. **Then lets take a dip!**

~*~

Though she was covered in white, gauzy "beach clothes", Larken wished she had enough courage to take them off and just sit in the sun in her swim suit. But with all these dragonriders about... Blushing, she pulled the neckline of her shirt up a little higher and settled herself down on her towel--closer to the water than usual.

It was a bright day, the sun making the sand hot to the touch. No doubt the sea was nice and cool... Wistfully she watched the Weyrfolk play in the waves. She loved coming down here...maybe it was something about the atmosphere, which could be both fun and exciting as well as serene and peaceful. Maybe it was simply the weather--when it got too hot out on the sand, she could just move upshore a bit to the shade of a tree. Maybe it was the thrill of experiencing something like this that she never would have had the chance to had not her life been completely turned upside down by the arsonists' fire... Whatever the reason was, Larken couldn't stay away for long--she was always drawn back.

Looking down, she set aside the novel she'd been reading on and off for a couple sevendays now. Maybe she'd start reading it again in a little while. Right now she just wanted to lay here and enjoy the sun beating down on her skin, warming her right to her toes.

"'Flowers for Belior'... Now what is _this_ one about, hmmm?" M'tone asked, kneeling in the sand behind her, thumbing through the pages of her novel.

Her eyes flew open and she tilted her head backwards even further to see him. "M'tone!" Mortified that he was actually _flipping through it_, she made a grab for the book. If he came to any...scene.....

"Oh my," he pulled the book away from her hands. "'Her fingers entwined in his tunic pleadingly. "You must believe me, Enestant! Your brother envies our love and is seeking only to drive a wedge of doubt between us. But what we have is above doubt, Enestant. True love can never be proved false!'" Does your husband know you're reading such tales?" M'tone asked, trying to sound accusing, but his grin betrayed him.

"Oh hush! Now give me that..." Blushing furiously, she sat up and turned about, hand outstretched. "Come on now..." Shards, her face must be redder than a sunburn.... But his grin was infectious and she couldn't help but start to grin back--even if it _was_ an embarrassed one.

"All right, come on now," he chuckled, giving her his hand instead of the book, "let's go wash all your shame away in the water. Come on."

"The...water?"

"Yes, where else, the sand?" M'tone stood up, still holding her hand. "Let's go."

"But..." Shyly she rose to her feet, flicking a glance from his bare chest to the other riders out in the water. **Shards, Larken! Technically, you are Weyrfolk too now....** Swallowing past her uncertainty, she gave him a small, hesitant smile. "I guess it's a good thing I'm wearing a bathing suit huh?"

"Well, I was pretty sure that was what was peaking out under your shirt there or I wouldn't have suggested it."

Again, she blushed. "You're not to look so closely, you know," she murmured, turning a little so she could start to shrug out of her shirt and skirt, very aware that he _wasn't_ turning around like propriety screamed he should, and it made her cheeks grow all the more redder.

"All men look that closely, Larken. They just don't admit it so openly,"
M'tone corrected, not bothering to hide while her back was turned just how brazenly he enjoyed looking at her.

Her bathing suit was modest enough, but it still exposed far too much pale skin for her own comfort. The expression she caught on his face when she finally turned around made her want to dive for the nearest towel and wrap herself in it. Taking in a deep breath to steady her nerves, she made herself look into his face--and her expression could only be described as shyly defiant.

M'tone dropped the book back down on the towel and reached for her hand.
"It looks like you're ready then. Shall we? I promise not to splash...
too much," he amended.

"How thoughtful," was her soft, dry reply, but she didn't hold back as he lead her down to the shoreline.

"Why don't I ever see you swimming?" he asked as they neared the water. "I often have seen you sitting on the sand, but never in the water."

She shrugged a slender shoulder, looking down to her feet. "You know me well enough to know that I'm...shy..."

The brownrider smiled and nodded. "Yes, I had noticed that. But surely your swimming can't be _that_ bad," he teased.

"No....not anymore since now I have someone to swim _with_." She glanced at him, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Ah, so am I to be your rescuer then?" he asked, eyebrow arched.

She laughed at his expression, feeling something in her begin to lighten as they drew closer to the water's edge. "If being a rescuer involves persuading a hall-bred woman to go into the ocean with him, then yes."

"Well, yes, I did rescue you from the horrible filth you call a novel," he laughed, watching as a wave curled around their toes.

Blushing, she lightly slapped at his hand. "It's not _filth_, dragonrider," she grinned, bouncing away a step or two further into the water. "It's light reading. An escape."

"Ah, but would your husband approve of his lovely wife's reading habits?"
M'tone asked with a wicked grin, reaching down to splash water at her with his fingertips, herding her deeper into the water.

With a startled yip, she splashed him back even as she stumbled backwards.
"He encourages me to read."

"And does he consider 'Flowers for Belior' classic literature?" he asked, spraying her a bit more. "Does he quote it to you? 'But what we have is above doubt, Larken, True love can never be proved false'?"

"Oh you're _terrible_!" she laughed, swiping a hand across the surface of the water, getting him right in his face.

"Oh you better believe I am," he laughed as he dove straight at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into deeper water with him.

She let out a shriek that would have impressed a gold flit as they fell back into the swell of a small wave. Spluttering, she raked her wet hair away from her eyes so she could glare at him--but she was laughing. "Even _I_ didn't memorize their dialogue!"

"Hey, those are words I'm going to treasure in my heart forever," he laughed, blinking water from his eyes.

"I'm sure you will, M'tone. You can even borrow the novel when I'm done with it, if you like."

"Or maybe you can read it aloud to me over a plate of cookies?"

Grinning, she edged away from him. "And have you mock both me and this classic literature? I don't think so!"

"Never you. Just your taste in classic literature," he teased as he jumped up to catch the wave coming up on them.

"Is it in your nature to tease mercilessly like this?" she asked with a laugh, blinking water from her eyes. Shards....she hadn't felt like this in so long. It was a good feeling.

He nodded as he flung water from his bleached blonde hair. "I only tease the people I like. The more I like them, the more I tease them."

Larken floated closer to him. "That's an interesting quirk." Her grin could almost be called impish.

"Yeah, don't lie. You find it utterly charming, don't you."

At that, she blushed, letting the small wave push her away from him. "I might..."

"You know, you can tell me if you think I'm charming. There's nothing wrong with admitting what you're thinking. I won't tell anyone, and I already promised you I'd behave. What's the harm?" he asked with a shrug, letting her put a bit of distance between them if it made her feel better.

It was hard to think of what harm it could do out here--her reaction to him had seemed almost to be instinctual. "You're utterly charming, M'tone."

The brownrider rewarded her with a triumphant smile.

Last updated on the July 31st 2006

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Utterly Charming