Something New

Writers: Dana, Eimi
Date Posted: 1st August 2008

Characters: Nialyn, K'lar
Description: K'lar keeps his promise and takes Nia for a ride on his dragon and shows her something new
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 11, day 14 of Turn 4

So this was what the ocean looked like. Nialyn stared, eyes wide and
sparking with awe, at the huge expanse of crystal-clear waters stretching
before her as far as the eye could see. Even from her standing position
on the dunes further up the beach, bare feet wriggling beneath the silken
grains of sand, she could still hear the roaring of the waves as they rose
and crashed against the shoreline. She had never seen a sight more
beautiful and terrifying than this. The movement of the ocean was
mesmerizing to the senses, like a siren's call. Maybe later she'd
actually get up enough courage to go closer but for now she was content
enough to marvel at it from a safe distance. Besides, after taking her
first ride on a dragon, she needed to give her poor nerves a break--though
she knew she wouldn't trade any of today's exhilarating experiences for
anything in the world.

The balmy wind suddenly stirred, tossing her long hair in her eyes.
Wrinkling her nose, she ran her nails through it, holding the tangled mass
against the back of her head as she turned to look over her shoulder at
K'lar, who seemed to be about done unpacking the bags that had hung from
Bruith's harness. She'd tried to help him, but he had insisted that she
enjoy the gorgeous view instead while there was still enough sunlight to
appreciate the vibrant colors of the small island. And vibrant they were.
Dragonsfall had its own stark beauty in dark browns and grays and shady
greens, but those colors seemed rather muted now compared to the lush
colors of Dolphin Cove's tropical foliage. Further up the shore, long,
wild blue-green grasses grew out of the sand, followed by rows and rows of
leafy ferns and shrubs with huge, waxy-looking leaves tipped in white.
Flowers unfurled from those lime-green depths, red as rubies. She
wondered if they smelled as sweet as they looked. There were different
kinds of trees growing here too: elegant ones with smooth, spiraling
branches as pale as snow and others with thicker trunks and rougher,
darker bark. All trees were covered in curling vines--an intricate
weaving that must have taken Turns for the slender plants to accomplish.

Feeling eyes on her, she tore her gaze away from her surroundings to meet
K'lar's, and she smiled at him as he approached.

"Beautiful, isn't it," he grinned, reaching out to wipe a rebellious
tendril of hair out of her face.

"Gorgeous." Her voice was still rather breathless, but she couldn't help
it. "I had no idea places like this existed. Or that such color in
wildlife was possible. I've never seen so many shades of green in my
life!"

His expression was soft and full of wonder as he looked at her. Having a
dragon, he had seen beautiful sights all over Pern. He had forgotten just
how amazing they were for the first time, and watching her discover them
was like finding something gorgeous and wonderful himself. And he had.
He had found Nia. Reaching up K'lar lightly trailed his fingers along her
cheek, marveling at how soft her skin was. He couldn't even think of any
words to say in that moment. He just wanted to look at her.

Her heart gave that hard little bump again, and she blushed, releasing her
hair. Hesitantly she touched her fingertips to his arm. "Thank you for
bringing me here."

K'lar's other hand lifted to caress her gently, cupped her face and he
leaned in close, his lips stopping a breath away from hers. His eyes were
half closed as he held his breath, waiting for any sign that she wanted to
kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her in that moment.

Nialyn brushed the tip of her nose against his, too shy and too nervous to
close the small space between them. But, oh, she wanted. Her trembling
fingers tightened on his arm, warm breath mingling with his.

It was enough of an invitation. K'lar lightly pressed his lips to hers,
and when she didn't pull away he leaned in a little closer. Compared to
most of the women he'd traded first kisses with, it was almost juvenile in
its innocence, and yet it warmed him down to his very core. Nia wasn't
like most of the women he'd kissed.

It had been a very long time since she'd been this intimate with a man.
Her lips felt clumsy against his as she tilted her head, and she didn't
quite know what to do with her hands. So she kept them on his arm. He
was obviously more adept at this than she, and her cheeks turned red again
as he leaned in closer, mouth pressing just a little harder. Nervously
she pulled back a tad, her smile shy and self-conscious as she peeked up
at him through her lashes. "Sorry," she whispered, embarrassed.

"No, Nia," he murmured softly with a slight shake of his head, one hand
slipping into her hair. "It was perfect. _You're_ perfect."

"Hardly," she laughed quietly, leaning into his hand.

"I think you are," the brownrider smiled. "And I'll prove it. I'll kiss
you again. And if you don't believe me, I'll kiss you again until you do.
How about that?"

Her vanity was quite pleased with the way this conversation was heading.
"You know, K'lar, for a threat...that isn't very scary."

He grinned at the challenge, pulling her a little closer as he kissed her
this time, gently catching her lip between his and almost daring her to
respond. As innocent as she seemed, he knew she was not inexperienced.

The tip of her small tongue darted out briefly in response to his unspoken
dare before she tried to capture his upper lip with hers--unsuccessfully,
of course. He was teasing her, goading her into being not so passive.
Biri had used to do the same thing. Annoyed, she shoved those memories
from her head. Tonight wasn't about _him_. It was about the brownrider.
And her.

K'lar was a little surprised at her response. It seemed she was starting
to remember! Instead of pushing forward, he pulled back slightly,
encouraging her to take the lead. She had been so shy up until now. Was
there passion smoldering underneath it, he wondered, excited by this new
side of her he was discovering for the first time.

Nialyn hesitated briefly, still shy, but wanting to explore--him, and the
new feelings she was experiencing. So she placed both hands lightly
against his chest, bracing herself as she lead him slowly and carefully,
not in any hurry for anything more...intense. She hoped he wouldn't be
amused by the easy pace she set, or by the way her tongue flicked
teasingly against his lips.

The brownrider was certainly not amused. He was intrigued, he was
excited, he was falling for her more each passing moment. K'lar pulled
away a little breathless, satisfied that she had remembered exactly what
she was doing, and if she kept it up, he would forget he was trying to be
a gentleman. "You know, if we don't stop, we might miss the sunset
completely."

"And we don't want that." Feeling more confident now, she grinned at him.
"It'd be tragic."

"Well," he shrugged a shoulder, "we'd just have to come back another time,
I guess."

"I want to come back a lot."

"All right then," the brownrider grinned, wrapping his hands around her
hips. "I guess that just means we can keep kissing."

She ducked her head shyly, wrapping one of the loosened ties of his tunic
lightly around her finger. "You'll go slow?"

He gently lifted her chin so that her eyes met his once more. "These past
few sevendays I've wanted to kiss you more than anything in this world.
But I don't want to do anything that you're not ready for."

What a gentleman, she thought, searching his eyes. After a moment of
studying his honest face, she awarded him with a smile. Slowly the
suspicions she naturally harbored regarding the opposite sex were
beginning to fade away where he was concerned. The more time she spent
with him, the more she realized that he may be exactly what she needed.
Of course, it helped that she was physically attracted to him--just like
he was to her. And she liked the feel of him against her...liked the way
he tasted. Slowly she moved a little closer, rising up on her toes to
kiss him again.

Last updated on the August 1st 2008

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Something New