More Than Casual
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: Devin
Date Posted: 17th June 2008
Characters: N'vanik, Talryne
Description: After kicking Feriana out, N'vanik goes to Talryne and he reflects on their relationship.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 4
When N'vanik entered her weyr, she was reading. She looked up from her book, a little surprised to see him.
"Hey," he said. His hair was still damp from the quick bath he'd taken.
"Hey," she returned. "What about your friend?"
"I kicked her out."
"What?" She sat straighter, eyes widening. "Why did you do that?"
"She said some things that pissed me off." N'vanik sat near her on the couch. He hadn't expected Ana of all people to come off sounding like a holder.
Talryne closed her book. "Oh."
He sighed and stared at nothing in particular. "You didn't have to leave earlier, you know."
"I know. But I thought you wanted to ... spend time with your friend."
She knew exactly what N'vanik did with his female friends. Or most females when he was alone with them, really. It didn't bother her. Not really. What she worried about was that she needed N'vanik more than he needed her, and the lingering fear that he still might get tired of her. That he would find someone better. Someone whole.
"I did. I hadn't seen her in a long time and I wanted to ... catch up with her. Looks like it was a bad idea, though." They'd been so alike, back at Vista Point. He'd thought Feriana would understand. He shouldn't have told her anything.
"Was it because of me?" Talryne asked, her voice small.
He looked at her. What could he say? "She doesn't understand me anymore, that's all. We're too different."
That wasn't a straight answer. She was tempted to press him, but didn't. "Oh. Ok."
He wanted to distract her. Shells, he need to be distracted himself.
N'vanik slid closer to her. "We did get interrupted earlier. And I did promise to make it up to you." He gave her his best 'I want it' grin.
She knew his moods well enough to accept the shift in conversation.
She set her book on the floor. "You did. Reading is a poor substitute for what I _could_ have been doing. You have a _lot_ of making up to do."
He grabbed her legs and yanked her down onto her back. Talryne let out a surprised squeak. He smiled and started unfastening her pants.
"Let's see how this works for a start."
~*~
Casual sex was what he had with other women. Sex with Talryne could be fun, it could be spontaneous. But it didn't feel casual. There was something else to it, a connection he'd gotten close to a few times, but never had with anyone else. Love. It was making love even when they did it on a table or up against a wall. Even when it was under the haze of dragonlust after a lost flight.
He lay there with his chest heaving, listening to her pant against his ear. "You ... you made it up," she said.
He smiled against her shoulder. "Good. Otherwise you'd have to wait til tomorrow."
She laughed. Faranth, he loved to hear her laugh. He turned his head to kiss her neck. "I want to fall asleep right here on top of you."
"I might let you, if you weren't so heavy."
He laughed and rolled off her. It seemed to take a lot of effort. "Can I still use you as a pillow?"
She studied him for a moment. "If you turn the lights off first."
He weighed his options, then sighed. His legs were shaky when he climbed out of bed. The main room seemed very far away, but he made it. He turned off the lights and returned to the bedroom to turn down the glows. Back in bed, they shifted to find a comfortable position.
N'vanik laid his head on her chest and listened to her heart. Talryne started running a hand through his hair and his eyes drifted shut.
He was almost sure Talryne didn't mind him sleeping with other women, but he didn't dare ask. If it did bother her, it would make him feel guilty about something he shouldn't feel guilty about. It would make him feel caged. He wouldn't be happy being monogamous. He wouldn't be _himself_. He thought Feriana would understand that, but he'd been wrong. Sex was just an activity. A very pleasant activity, but still an activity. Sex with another woman here and there didn't mean he wasn't serious about Talryne. What he shared with her was more than an activity. He'd never let anyone else this close. No one else had ever been such an important part of his life. He loved her. He shared more with her than he did with anyone. She'd changed him, made him a better person.
Nothing else compared to that.
N'vanik laid an arm across her waist in a way that might have been casual. Or possessive.
Last updated on the June 28th 2008