A Most Embarrassing Mistake

Writers: Jelena, Len
Date Posted: 2nd March 2012

Characters: Naton, G'wen
Description: G'wen brings healing herbs from DFW territory to journeyman Naton, who thinks he's...well....
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 6, day 21 of Turn 6

Deep in thought about his lover, G'wen walked into the Dolphin Hall,
and walked to the door that the young girl outside said was Journeyman
Naton's office. Healer Jelari had been specific that the herbs be
given to his man, saying something about him being an old friend. He
knocked, still half lost in daydreams about E'naer's hands and lips on
his body, doing...

"The door is open, do come in!" Came Naton's cheerful reply to the
knock. The journeyman was in a particularly good mood. He'd taught a
class to the apprentices that morning and things had gone ever so
smoothly. Some of the apprentices had even thanked him for the
entertaining lesson. And to top that off, Naton was pretty sure they
had actually learned things too.

Snapping out of his daydreams, G'wen opened the door and smiled at the
Healer. "Journeyman Naton?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Looking up at the opened door from behind his desk, a smile came to
Naton's face as G'wen walked in. "That would be me," he said
cheerfully as he observed the greenrider that had come to his office.
He couldn't help but wonder why. "What can I do for you?"

The small, delicate rider held up a sack of herbs. "I was told--by
pain of my green's hide being flayed--to give you these." He walked up
to the man's desk, his face half hidden by hair that was in dire need
of a trimming. "Healer Jelari said she knows you..." His voice went up
at the end, not sure if the man before him would recall the tall,
busty Journeywoman at Dragonsfall.

"Now who would want to flay your green?" Naton said with a smile and a
sparkle in his eyes. When G'wen mentioned Jelari, the smile spread.
"Ah yes, Jelari, how wonderful she thought of me!" Naton said,
obviously pleased. "I hope she didn't take up any of your valuable
time with this delivery, though?"

"No, anything to get into nice weather for a change! It's been snowing
back home." He placed the herbs on Naton's desk and wondered if he
should leave the man in peace now or was he going to be offered a cup
of klah?

"Well, then," Naton said as his eyes travelled over G'wen for a
second, before he met his eyes again. "Would you like something to
drink for your troubles anyway? Some klah or fresh juice perhaps?"

"Oh, fresh juice!" He had heard all about the exotic fruit that they
had here, and was curious to try some. With an overly delicate move
that would have made S'vin proud, G'wen flopped into the chair with a
happy grin.

"Juice it is," Naton said with a smile. He observed G'wen's smooth
movements before he turned around to take the pitcher and a fresh
glass. Smiling to himself, he wondered if perhaps this was one of
those greenriders without boundaries Opater had told him about. Now
how would he go about figuring that out? When he turned back, he
smiled his most irresistible smile. "So, you like the hotter climate
up here, do you?"

G'wen nodded enthusiastically. "All that cold back at Dragonsfall can
get to someone, y'know?" He shivered in emphasis to his words. "And
you have the ocean, which is so lovely. Do you like it here?"

"Oh, yes, I certainly do!" Naton nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I
have always been near to the ocean, but the climate here does make it
even more enjoyable. Do you get to swim much?"

"Only when my green throws me in our Inner Lake back home," G'wen
teased, enjoying this man's company. Crafters certainly seemed more
open minded than Holders.

"You should visit our beach sometime," Naton suggested 'innocently',
as he looked at the rider with a grin. "I can assure you it will be a
lot more pleasant than a dip in that lake!"

The tiny greenrider picked up on the undertone in the man's
suggestion. "You flirting with me?" He gave him a shy smile and
blushed at his own boldness in asking.

"That depends," Naton said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Is it
working?" The dolpineer noted to himself how endearing the blush on
G'wen's face was..

"Uh..." E'naer wouldn't mind him doing a bit of harmless flirting,
would he? G'wen couldn't see how it would hurt. Biting his lip shyly
he answered, "that depends on what you're looking for, I suppose."
Feeling like having some fun, he came around and sat close to the man,
on his desk. If he wanted he could reach out and make a grab for the
greenrider but G'wen doubted he would do that.

"I'm not looking for anything in particular," Naton said with a boyish
grin, taking G'wen moving closer as an invitation and shifting
forward in his chair. "I can just appreciate a gorgeous lady when I
see her."

"Lady?!" G'wen stood up at those words. He barely stood eye to eye
with Naton, even though he was now on his feet and the Crafter was
sitting. Still spluttering, he blurted out, "you think I'm a girl?!
Wha...how??" True he_was_shorter than most men and if pushed, he'd
admit to being rather pretty...but to mistake him for female? Of all
the nerve!

Naton gasped and shot back in his chair at G'wen's reaction,
connecting the dots at last. "What!?" He had been warned about this,
he really had. He just hadn't thought it would happen to him. He'd
been sure he could spot the difference between a boy and a girl, that
was for sure. These greenriders, they really were something different.
Though he wasn't very intimidated, being a lot taller than the
dragonrider, Naton tried to calm the man down with soft shushing
noises. "I'm sorry, okay? I can see it now."

G'wen puffed himself up for the mother of all lectures before
dissolving in giggles at the horrified look on Naton's face. "At
least you didn't embarrass the both of us in a public place like a
gather." It occurred to him just then that this man was much larger
than himself and could be angry over the mistake. Swallowing his
laughter, he stepped back out of hitting range.

"Right," Naton said, flopping back down in his chair with a dazed look
on his face. "I'm sorry, honestly," he looked back at the giggling
greenrider in wonder. "Do you get that more often? Or am I the first
real idiot you encountered?"

Now that he knew Naton wasn't going to beat him for being mistaken for
a girl, G'wen relaxed again and grinned. "I hate to tell you
this..but you_are_the first person who's ever mistaken me for that.
Why'd you think I was a girl?"

"Oh, the first, really?" Naton said, looking all the more guilty for
that. "Now I feel worse! But yeah, those puppy brown eyes, your full
lips, I don't know. I just didn't think about it I guess." The man
seemed a little uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat. "Shall we
pretend it never happened?"

G'wen settled back into his seat on the edge of Naton's desk and tried
to look serious but failed. "Only if you promise not to hold it
against me!"

"I solemnly swear," Naton said with a half hearted grin. He may be
more open minded then most of the southern men he knew, but hitting on
a guy still had him a little uneasy, even if he had done so by
accident.

"Okay, so do I still get a juice or what?" G'wen settled back,
looking forward to trying something exotic.

"Right, juice!" Naton said, remembering his earlier offer all of a
sudden. "A fresh glass of juice coming up!"

Last updated on the March 9th 2012

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A Most Embarrassing Mistake