Taking Care of Business
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Heather
Date Posted: 12th April 2019
Characters: Ranni, R'nar
Description: Ranni has a chore to complete that only R'nar can help with.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Sh'del, Xeladrie, A'vel
**It's just a chore that you have to get done.** Ranni coached herself as she walked the path to R'nar's weyr, rubbing sweaty palms against her skirt. She'd done many things to get away from Sunstone, some of them were things she could never speak of to anyone.... **Lady Xeladrie.** An image of the woman flashed before her and she shook her head as inexplicable emotions forced tears to the backs of her eyes. Then she thought of A'vel and how she had lied to him and played upon his innocence to convince him to bring her to Dolphin Cove Weyr. Lastly, she thought of the bronzerider she was walking to meet. He liked her, **Faranth only knows why,** and rather than doing what a normal girl would do, laugh, smile, and like him in return- she planned on using his feelings to secure her a place at Dolphin Cove.
**What kind of horrible person have I become?** she wondered, footsteps faltering as doubts began to overwhelm her.
Ranni had watched girls at the Hold lay on their backs often to secure themselves a good marriage, or a better position on the staff, and she'd ridiculed them for being so weak. Yet, here she was, doing the same thing. For a moment she considered calling off the entire charade, if being a virgin kept a dragonet from picking her, then so be it.... But the memories of flying on Iorath and Tsogath were hard to forget. Having a dragon equated a certain amount of freedom that she would never have otherwise.
The chance at freedom was too great to pass by, she told herself, lifting her chin in a determined fashion as she resumed her walk, more confidently than before. There was no hesitation as she arrived at R'nar's weyr and knocked on his door.'
"Ranni," the door swung open, revealing a smiling R'nar that showed the dimples in his cheeks. Guilt twisted in her gut.
"I'm here," she replied, attempting a smile but faltering halfway through.
R'nar took the look on her face to be nerves. "Come on in," he said, ushering her inside and closing the door. "How were chores?" he asked, trying to keep things light and conversational since she was obviously nervous.
"Oh, as wonderful as latrine cleaning can be," Ranni replied with a sarcastic twist of her lips, although a bit of humor touched her dark eyes.
"Ah yes, latrine duty," he chuckled as he motioned for her to sit.
Ranni took the spot he indicated on the couch, noticing that there was a bottle of wine and empty glasses waiting. She licked her lips. Wine sounded good, she would need it to bolster her courage.
"I remember having latrine duty, I couldn't get the smell out of my nose, I felt." R'nar said, noting where her eyes had gone and pouring them both a glass.
Ranni took the glass he extended to her and made quick work of gulping it down. "Can we skip the small talk? I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve," she confessed.
He had wondered how long it would take before Ranni tried to take control of the situation. **Thirty-seconds,** he thought drily. His eyes took in the trembling of her fingers as she held on to the wine glass like a life-line, tossed to a sailor who had been swept out into the sea.
"Alright then," he said, setting his glass aside and standing. "Let's go," he offered her his hand.
Ranni looked up at him, at the warmth in his rich brown eyes, at the callouses on his palm. Both Sh'del and Chaysea had impressed upon her the importance of getting this out of the way, of having no obstacles in her path if, or when, she became a Weyrling. Putting her hand in his, she let him pull her to her feet.
His weyr was impeccably neat, she noted as he led her through an entryway into a small room that was mostly filled with a bed and a nightstand. A trunk rested at the foot of the bed and on the near wall a wardrobe. There were minimal decorations apart from a quilt folded on top of the chest that looked homemade and a tapestry depicting sunrise on the far wall.
A basket of new glows lit the room from the corner. "Are you going to cover those?" she asked.
R'nar arched an eyebrow. "I can't see you if we're in the dark."
Her eyes flew to his. They were going to do this in the LIGHT? Where he could _see_ her? _All_ of her? Her courage began to crumble.
"Whoa, there," R'nar said, sensing her panic. "We made a deal, remember? We would do this my way. You'll forget all about the lights," he assured her, although inwardly he was beginning to question himself. He was far from a virgin, and he'd had several partners, but what if he wasn't good enough to get Ranni to let go of her fears for a little while? That would be problematic. What if he was so awful that she never wanted to have sex again?
**No pressure,** he told himself, earning an amused nudge from Iorath, who was curled up in his weyrcouch.
Ranni nodded, not sure what to do now that they were in his room. Should she undress? Should she lift her skirts the way she'd seen women at the Hold do? Or would he take her from behind? She'd stumbled upon that more than once in the nooks and crannies of the Hold.
"Come here, sit on the edge of the bed," he told her.
She sat down uncertainly, hands folded in her lap.
"Is it okay if I take out your braid?" he asked.
Ranni reached up and touched the single braid that was long enough to pull over her shoulder. "Why?"
R'nar cocked an eyebrow. "I'm calling the shots, remember?"
She pursed her lips and nodded.
Picking the hairbrush up from his nightstand, R'nar crawled onto the bed and sat behind Ranni, his legs outlining hers, cradling her hips between his thighs as he pulled the hair tie out of her braid.
Her pulse fluttered as his proximity, and she sat ramrod straight, making sure that her back wasn't touching his front.
"Do you think you'll keep your hair long if you Impress?" R'nar asked as he began unwinding the braid, massaging through the silky black waves with his fingers.
The question was unexpected. Why were they talking about her hair? What did this have to do with the reason she'd come to his weyr that night?
"Um, I hadn't thought about it. Do most women cut their hair?"
"Some of them do it to make it fit better under a riding helmet. It's up to you and what you find easiest." He began pulling the brush gently through her hair.
Ranni was having trouble thinking about what she would do with her hair down the road, because of how good his fingers and the brush felt in her hair at that moment. She couldn't remember the last time sometime had touched her hair, maybe her mother when she was a child?
"You have beautiful hair," he murmured, setting the brush aside now that it was silky smooth and tangle free.
"Thank you," Ranni whispered, warm tingles spreading from her scalp down her neck and back.
R'nar swept the curtain of hair away from her neck and pressed a kiss to the smooth curve there.
The contact caught her off guard, the feel of his lips so softly on her skin. She found that her body knew what to do, instinctually, even if she didn't. Ranni sank back against R'nar as he kissed her neck more fervently, his hands sliding over her shoulders, down her arms, and then up the front of her blouse.
Unlike the incident during Panitath's flight, this time she didn't push his hands away when they began loosening the buttons on her shirt.
Last updated on the May 3rd 2019