The End of a Long Day

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 26th May 2007

Characters: U'kaiah, Traelyn
Description: It's the end of a long day for the displaced Weyrwoman
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 19 of Turn 4

U'kaiah tied his sleeping pants before reaching for a towel for his hair.
He emerged from the bathing chamber followed by a cloud of steam. "Do you
want to take a bath now?"

Hiding a yawn behind her fist, she nodded, rising from the dinner plate
she had half-heartedly picked at, being too tired in body and in mind to
even eat as much as she should. "Please?"

"I'll find you a clean towel. I can offer you one of my clean shirts to
sleep in as well." Packing clothes for the journey had been the last
thing on her mind, he knew. In fact, U'kaiah very much doubted she had
anything but the clothes she came in.

Shards, was the room swaying? Or was that her exhaustion finally taking
over? "Thanks, U'kaiah." Traelyn reached out, lightly touching his arm
as she passed him before entering the bathing chamber. Slowly she began
to peel off the dirty, mussed clothes from her body. Wrinkling her nose,
she kicked them into a corner before sinking, moaning, into the steaming
hot water. Shards....if she wasn't careful, she'd find herself falling
asleep in here....

U'kaiah rummaged around his closet and found a couple shirts that would be
long enough to cover her decently. "Do you want white, blue, or black?"
he called, smelling each one in turn to make _sure_ they were really
clean. "Trae?" he called when there was no answer. "All right," the
bronzerider sighed. "Black it is." He tossed the others in a pile behind
him. **Wait, she might need those...** He carefully rehung them and
grabbed the shirt and towel.

"I picked the black one." White showed too much, especially when it clung
to wet skin, and blue... well, he just liked black better. "Is that ok?
Trae?" Shards, she was being awful quiet in there. The bronzerider
slipped into the bathing chamber, shirt and towel in hand. "Trae?"

"Mmmm?" she replied drowsily, practically lulled to sleep by the soothing
sound of water sloshing up against stone, from the relaxed, boneless
feeling she was experiencing as the hot water melted all of the muscle
tension from her body.

U'kaiah smiled as he began rolling up his pant legs. At least he knew
she'd have no trouble sleeping! He set the towel and shirt on a shelf and
lowered himself down on the edge of the pool behind her. "Wake up, Trae.
I don't want you to drown." He reached over for the sweetsand and pulled
it closer. "Or at least dunk your head and get your head wet."

"Mmmm..." Obediently she sank beneath the surface for a moment until she
felt the ends of her long hair tickle her face. As she came back up, she
tilted her head to the right, looking for that comfortable little niche in
the stone edging where she could rest her head comfortably. She vaguely
wondered if U'kaiah knew about that delightful little crack. He probably
did. Traelyn shifted yet again, this time to the left, but her head met
something a lot softer than a niche in stone. It was warmer too. A
contented murmur escaped her lips as she rubbed her cheek along his leg,
nestling her cheek against it.

"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you," U'kaiah chuckled,
reaching for a handful of sweetsand. He wet it and worked it into a
lather and gently began rubbing it into her scalp.

She sighed, holding her head still for him as he washed her hair. Well,
as still as she could. It was rather difficult to do...she was still
experiencing that floating sensation. "That...feels...." Traelyn sighed
again. "Really nice."

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?" He wasn't sure she'd have the energy
to make it to her assigned weyr, let alone if she even knew where it was.

A smile curved her lips. "I was just..." a quiet yawn, "going to ask you
if I could." Gently she pressed her cheek against his skin. "Can I?"

"Have I ever said no to you? Now stand up and hold out your hand."

Carefully, she stood, but shards, it wasn't easy. She'd much rather lay
down.... Bracing one hand on his leg, she reached out with the other one,
fingers curled, seeking.

U'kaiah filled her open hand with sweetsand. "Here, you get the front,
I'll get the back, and you'll be done in half the time."

Pulling her wet hair over one shoulder, she did as she was told, though
half-heartedly. The hot water had sapped most of her muscle strength.
But she did manage to get the streaks of grime and sand, and the odor of
perspiration, off of her skin. Wrinkling her nose, she dipped her
lathered hands in the water and scrubbed them too. "Can I rinse?"

"Go ahead. I'll get your towel." The bronzerider pulled his legs up from
out of the water. Shards what a day. He couldn't wait to sink into his
nice warm bed!

Once Traelyn was rinsed clean, dried except for her hair, and was wrapped
in U'kaiah's long, soft shirt, she could barely stand on her own two feet.
Shards, she was exhausted. As she leaned pliantly against U'kaiah, her
mind reached for Nyith. The queen was calmer, but still intensely
watchful and alert. Tonight she could not be soothed enough to sleep in a
strange Hatching Ground, but she told her rider that _she_ had better
sleep. Traelyn agreed whole-heartedly as she slid between the furs. "If
I snore tonight, I apologize in advance," she mumbled against his
shoulder.

U'kaiah snorted, his own voice muffled and slurred by imminent sleep.
"Don't worry. I won't be awake to hear it."

Looking at him, she gently kissed the side of his neck before closing her
eyes, nestling snugly against him. "Thank you, U'kaiah," she whispered.

His reply was inaudible as they both slipped into much needed sleep.

Last updated on the May 27th 2007

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The End of a Long Day