Getting Closer (PG-17)

Writers: Ames, Miriah
Date Posted: 24th June 2013

Characters: Gelira, Z'an
Description: Z'an pays Gelira a visit and the two get _very_ close
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 17 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Rhosyn, N'vanik
Rating: PG-17

Z'an

Perhaps there was a better way to spend a restday than wallowing about
in his own weyr. Z'an rose, bored to his teeth. **Give me an idea of
what to do. Anything.**

Vicarth replied with a yawn. }:What do you want to do?:{

**I don't know. What do you want to do?**

There was a draconic snort. }: Well, I was sleeping, until you started
complaining. We can go somewhere. What about to Orlaith's? :{

Z'an sighed. **I'm pressing enough with N'vanik as it is. Besides,
Rhosyn is still catching up. She may not have time for us.** There was
a pause. **But, there is a young lady we've not seen in a while.** He
grinned. **Get your lazy bones up. We're going to visit River Bluff**

Getting his brown strapped up quickly, Z'an and Vicarth were in the
air and blinking /between/, reappearing above River Bluff. After
announcing themselves, Vicarth landed, greeting several unfamiliar
greens with cheer as Z'an slid off. Now, to find Gelira...

She was arm deep in a vat of numbweed. She _hated_ this particular
job, but it was one that an apprentice dragonhealer had to do often.
It was necessary in order to secure every last drop of the precious
numbweed. She was nearly bent _into_ the vat to reach down and scrape
the bottom. She knew instantly that some had globbed in her hair and
had landed on her face as well as her cheek went numb.

"Shard it," she muttered to herself as she managed to pull herself
back out with the jar she'd nearly dropped. Half her arm was numb
which had caused her to drop the blasted jar in the first place. Now,
however, she found not only was her _arm_ covered in the goop, but so
was her long hair and half her skirts. Gelira sighed. It was worth it,
however, to know she was helping the dragons, whom she cared about
more than anything.

Using his best smile on a few candidates and drudges, it hadn't been
hard for Z'an to track Gerlira down and they were right. All he had to
do was follow the smell of cooking numbweed. His nose wrinkled as he
traced the smell to the source. He managed to arrive to see a rather
pert bottom sticking up as half of Gelira hung inside a pot. He
tilted his head to the side, a wide grin splitting his face as he took
a moment to appreciate the rather lovely view. She came back up and he
quickly stood straighter and cleared his throat, trying very hard not
to laugh at the mess she had made of herself. His lips quivered with
the effort and he had to bite the inside of his cheek before he burst
into laughter.

She whirled quickly at the sound, nearly loosing her balance in the
process. She reached a hand out to steady herself on the tub, only to
feel her hand miss as it was so numb already. Instead she knocked one
of the jars she'd worked so hard to fill onto the ground. It
shattered, sending numbweed flying and splattering everywhere.

Gelira looked down at the jar and wanted to laugh and cry at the same
time. What came out was a bit of both.

"Shard it, I just wasted a candlemark on that!" She finally declared,
stamping her foot, but looking towards Z'an with the hint of a smile,
amid her very red, slightly embarrassed, cheeks.

Z'an jumped back, but not before he too was splattered with globs of
the smelly numbweed. He looked down at his pants and sighed, mumbling
a soft curse before looking back up at Gerlira and then the shattered
pot. "Uhm...sorry about that..." He moved towards the shattered jar
and carefully picked up the largest piece. "I'll help you clean up.
It's my fault after all..."

She looked at him, then down at herself, then back at him. Gelira
burst out laughing. "Now we're quite a pair!" She said around her
chuckles. It took her a moment to regain control as she helped to pick
up the shards on the ground.

"It really isn't your fault. I can barely feel my hands and arms. I'm
rather clumsy at the moment. I should probably go wash off after this
so I can get some feeling back to my body." She looked up at him and
saw that he was now wearing quite a bit of numbweed as well. "Looks
like you might need to as well!" She started giggling again.

He echoed her laugh, though his fingers had started to become numb at
the contact against the numbweed on the broken pieces of the pot. "I
would love to, but I'm afraid I didn't exactly bring a spare set of
clothes." His gaze glittered with merry humor. "And though it might be
comfortable, I don't think it would be a good idea to wander around
the Weyr in nothing but my bare skin." He paused and a mischievous
grin grew on his face. "But the idea has merit."

She chuckled. "And why would your clothes need to get wet, silly?
Unless you were planning to take a bath _in_ your clothes!" Gelira was
totally comfortable with her own body and had bathed with many
different people from the Weyr. She wasn't ashamed or afraid of the
idea in the slightest.

"But if that doesn't work, we can use the washbasin over there," she
pointed. "Though I may need to find myself a new dress to wear, this
is one a _real_ mess."

He replied smoothly. "Because my pants are spattered with numbweed, sweet. I
suppose I can have them washed while I bathe." He paused and tilted his
head. "Or while we bathe." His eyes flicked over her dress and he had to
agree with her. "Ah, the life of an apprentice. I suppose I was lucky. I
ended up covered in ink, not numbweed." His lips lifted merrily and gathered
more shards, carefully picking them up to move them to a rubbish bin. "Well,
I suppose asking you to dinner will have to wait."

She chuckled as she looked at the pair of them. "Yes, I think dinner
will have to wait. Let's get cleaned up first." She bent down and
helped him finish picking up the pieces. "I'll send for one of the
workers and they can take your clothes and wash them and have them
back in no time." She moved over and rang a bell pull that was kept in
the infirmary area. When a girl arrived, she explained what she
wanted. The girl nodded and Gelira returned to Z'an.

"She'll come down and get them as soon as we go down. Then have them
back straight away. There's stairs right back here that lead to the
bathing pools since we often have to go down and bathe after healing."
She gestured to a door and waited for him to follow her.

He followed and it was on the tip of his tongue to mention that he
could have _her_ for dinner, but he refrained. Approaching the bathing
pool, he stripped quickly and stepped into the warm water with a
slight sigh. Tilting his head, he turned and leaned against the rim of
the pool to watch Gelira; this was an opportunity that he definitely
did not want to miss.

She followed him easily. She'd bathed with many of the other healers
and weyrfolk over the Turns. She wasn't afraid or ashamed of her body.
It was a natural part of Weyrlife. Gelira didn't tend to bathe so
easily in front of people from other Weyrs, but she found she felt
comfortable with Z'an over the time they'd gotten to know each other.

In fact, she was so eager to get out of her numbweed soaked clothes,
that she quickly dropped her dress and made for the bathing waters.
She moved to the water and slid into the bathing pool, eager to get
the numbweed washed off her body.

Z'an gave a low, appreciative whistle. He couldn't resist and waggled
his brows. "Need help with that?"

She blushed for a moment at his whistle. It felt good, though, to be
appreciated.

"Well, numbweed _is_ a pain to get off," she remarked. Gelira wasn't
sure what came over her. She'd been with some men before, but didn't
often get involved with most. Yet, something about Z'an attracted her
more than some of the other men she'd met. "You don't happen to see
any soap over there, I can't find any over here?"

He leapt on the cue eagerly and scanning the ridge near him, found a
small bar of soap and lifted it. Approaching with a growing heat in
his eyes and a slow smile, he spoke softly. "Shall I wash your back?"

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him approach. She could
feel the heat on his body.

**You shouldn't,** she told herself. Gelira didn't dally with many
men, but she'd had a few from time to time. **It's been so long, and
you like him,** her mind kept telling her.

"Yes," she breathed, feeling chills wash over her spine at the thought
of him touching her bare back. She wanted it. Wanted something more
from him. She hadn't felt this way about any man in some time, but her
body was already eager to feel his touch.

Z'an's touch was soft as he slid the soap over her back, but there was
no mistaking the sensuality of the stroking movements. He liked the
young woman, was attracted to her, but even more so, was attracted to
her personality. There was a strength there that he could appreciate.
He bent and placed a lingering kiss on neck. "Where else?"

She shivered at his touch, allowing herself to relax against him. His
motions were calming, yet invigorating. Her body was reacting to each
and every stroke of the soap. When his lips touched her neck, she
actually gasped as if struck by fire. Turning, her eyes, darker with
desire, looked at him.

"Everywhere," she murmured, reaching her own hands out to touch and
caress his bare chest.

Brown eyes glinted with warmth and desire as Z'an slowly dragged her
to press against him. "I think I can manage that." He flashed a smile
and bent finally kiss the girl, his hands stroking along her back. He
spoke against her lips, his voice husky. "Here?"

"Oh, yes," she breathed at his words. Gelira returned his kisses
eagerly. Her body was poised and ready for what she knew would soon
follow.

Z'an gave a soft groan and with a full bodied embrace, drew her close.

Last updated on the July 2nd 2013

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Getting Closer (PG-17)