A Strategic Advance

Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 24th July 2014

Characters: Alina, Ervine
Description: A persistent Ervine tracks Alina down
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 27 of Turn 7
Notes: Notes: The Game 7
Mentioned: Kapera

Alina

"There you are!" Ervine popped around a corner of the storeroom, grinning like a fool. "I've been thinking of you."

"Oh, really?" Alina continued to go through her list, looking for the items Kapera had requested. More leather, a pot of oil for Riyanth, sweetsand for her bathing pool. She wrinkled her nose and pretended that his declaration hadn't sped her heart up.

"Yes, really." Ervine took the hide from her hands over her protests, and then captured the pair of them in his own. His palms were soft and warm, and they were utterly alone in the store room. The air was cool and smelled faintly of dried herbs and sweetsand. He advanced and she retreated until her back was against a storeroom shelf. "Alina..."

"I'm working." Her mouth was dry. "Go away."

"I don't think you want me to." He was smiling and the dimples on his cheeks had reappeared. If she looked at them, she didn't have to look him in the eye. "I think you want me to stay, and you just don't want to say it."

She shook her head. "I'm working for _Kapera_."

"And Kapera won't notice if you don't work all the time." He still held her hands, and she twisted them half-heartedly to break his grip. It was like trying to break out of manacles. He was so close that every time she breathed, her breasts brushed his chest. The shelves dug painfully into her shoulderblades. Slowly, so slowly, he bent his head toward her. His eyes closed, and then their lips brushed.

His touch lit her blood on fire. Her swimming head jettisoned every protest, every intention of asking him _his_ intentions, and she was kissing him back, there in the store room, like some sort of hedonistic, no-good tramp hiding behind the stables. His hands were around her waist, and she was running hers up his arms, to his chest.

And she pushed him. Ervine staggered back a step as she tried to get her bearings. Her lips felt swollen. "I told you, I'm _working_."

"Don't be like that." He stepped into her space again, pinning her against the shelves and kissing her neck.

It tickled, it felt glorious, it felt utterly _wrong_ and moist as snails, so she pushed him away again. "I said enough!"

"Come on." He had grabbed her hands again. "It's all good fun. Don't tell me you're one of _those_ hold girls."

The way he said 'hold' put her back up-- like it was a swear, or a bad smell. Alina knew that being holdbred was supposed to be an embarrassment, but to hear it said aloud instead of hinted was somehow more hurtful. "What do you mean by that?"

Ervine sighed. "It's not-- I didn't mean it like that. Don't be sensitive."

"Then what did you mean it like?"

"I just..." He sighed again, rolled his eyes, drew her closer as if he could erase an awkward conversation with his presence. "I like you, Alina. I don't want to screw this up."

"There is no _this_ to screw up," Alina told him. It cost her a small, sharp hurt to say it, but it was true. There was no _them_. Her night time imaginings were clearly just that. Imaginary. Maybe her first instinct about him had been correct. "I have to get to work."

"Not yet." He bent his head and kissed her again, and she let him, for a moment, just to see if she could handle herself or if lust would drive her crazy like it did to the greenrides, or even some of the other Lower Caverns staff. And the kiss was nice, made her insides dance, but it wasn't... as much as she'd thought. Perhaps sensing her distraction, Ervine pulled back. "Look. You're being too sensitive. This is just... fun. Even holder girls get to kiss a boy or two behind the stables before they're married, right?"

She blushed, discomforted to find out that he'd read her thoughts from earlier so clearly. "I just... that's not what I want. That's not _who_ I want to be."

"You can be anyone you want here," he whispered.

"And I choose this." She lifted her head a little higher, her chin jutting out defiantly. "If you can't even contemplate marriage, then you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be with _any_ girl."

"Who says I haven't thought about it?" Ervine bit his lip, his gaze ernest.

His eyes were so dark and Alina's heart battered itself against her chest. Something inside her loosened. He'd thought about marriage? "And?" she asked, a little breathless.

"And I'll be meeting your family at the Hatching, right?" He smiled and kissed her again.

And for a moment, she let him. Then she pushed him away again, but gently this time. "I really do have to finish this, Ervine. I'm sorry, but you have to go."

"Well, fine." He pouted for a moment. "Come meet me on the beach tonight, after dinner?"

She shook her head. The last time she'd been there with him, he'd kissed her unexpectedly. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Because you don't have an escort?" His voice was gently mocking. "I'm not going to do anything awful to you."

"I have a very busy day today..." But her resolve wavered, and he could see that. Smell it like blood on the wind.

"I'll meet you where we sat before, after dinner. Don't leave me waiting!" Ervine back up and blew her a kiss before turning on his heel and leaving her alone in the store room once more.

The air stilled, and her lips felt swollen. Alina picked up the list that Ervine had taken from her and carelessly dropped, smoothing it out absently against her thigh. Her lips felt too sensitive after all that kissing so she chewed her bottom lip in retaliation. It was strange to go from a single kiss to what felt like a never ending supply.

And now he wanted her to meet him on the beach tonight. **It's probably a bad idea,** she told herself. But he was thinking of marriage... her hand stilled on the shelf. She felt as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff, and that tonight, at the beach, her whole life would change. Either she'd agree to marry him, or... he was a liar. But it didn't feel like he was lying.

And there was no way she could stay away from the beach tonight.

Last updated on the July 28th 2014

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A Strategic Advance