Before the break of dawn

[cevara]

The air was cold and crisp despite hints in the air that it would be a fine day, and Cevara was glad she had thought to throw on a jacket before taking flight with Gaveneth. It was at least two hours before true dawn, when the sky is no longer black, but morning gray still had not overcome the pitch darkness.
Casually surveying the sleeping world below them, Cevara breathed the biting air deeply. Although she would never dream of waking up this early, staying up this late had become more a habit for her than she'd like to think about. Still, she preferred the sunrise to the sunset, so perhaps it was not a loss to keep such strange hours.

It had been several days since she had returned to the weyr K'ivan and herself had shared for several turns now...not for lack of wishing to be there, but simply due to the crazy schedule she had herself on. Due to her late guardian patrol, over the past turn or so she had found it more productive to just stay awake and carry on directly into her smithing work, rather than returning home to sleep and heading back out after a few hours. And there had certainly been much to do in the Hall! Having reached her official status of Master weaponsmith a turn ago, she had determined it was good practice to spend more time on the half of the craft she neglected more: actual smithing. Always more fond of the combat aspect, she had been surprised to find just how much she had missed working with metal and fire on a daily basis. Upon first coming to Great Cliffs she had found the stock of weapons used for training in terrible repair and finally, after more hours of work than she could really wrap her head around, they had all been replaced with superiorly crafted weapons that would easily last for decades.

Having placed the last longsword in its bin, she awoke a rather disgruntled Gaveneth from his slumber to bring her home...something, she hoped, she would be able to do far more often. While sleeping, eating, bathing, and working in her Hall certainly seemed efficient, she suffered from lack of human company...in particular that of her weyrmate. While K'ivan had many scenarios unbeknownst to her as to why she had been so absent, none of them in her mind were terribly serious. As the only ranked weaponsmith in the immediate area, she had her plate full improving the Hall. After all...it was hers now and it needed to be in top shape. Fortunately, the bulk of the work completed, she looked forward to re entering normal human hours and schedules.

To begin with, I think I need a nice hot bath. Or breakfast? Laughing aloud as they landed quietly as was possible for a dragon on the ledge outside their weyr, Cevara could not help but be entertained by her dragon's priorities.Yes that as well. Or perhaps breakfast in the bath? Feeling adventurous are we? Yes, as a matter of fact. Sliding from his back, she ran a hand through her knotted wheat-blond tresses, cringing as it pulled. Ah. I am glad you are. As for me, I am going back to sleep. Also an excellent option my love.

[K'ivan]

Certainly landing quietly in the early morning was never a problem for Gaveneth as it was a rare thing they'd awakened Baizynth. For the past ten turns of his life, K'ivan's schedule of waking up before dawn to take in his customary jog or rock-climbing (depending on the weather) had been customary. Baizynth was rarely there when Gaveneth and Cevara came for their sleep, having already dressed and gone out to begin his day. His hours were from the early morning to late into the night and they kept him well away from the weyr most of the time.

Perhaps connecting or rather reconnecting face-to-face would be enough to alleviate K'ivan's growing concerns and paranoia in regards to his weyrmate. The Syndicate's throat hold on Great Cliffs for so long had left its mark on K'ivan's personality, and perhaps this accounted for his numerous theories about why Cevara was markedly absence. She had been a solid part of the base structure of the Guardians since its conception. With the loss of so many other Guardians in various accidents was it any wonder K'ivan was troubled about Cevara? Of course a few dragons messages could easily solve the problems.

This day, unlike most, found Baizynth no the shared shelf. He was curled in the majority of the space however rearranged his position upon noting the arrival of his brown friend. Instead of contacting Gaveneth via telepathy, the bronze merely rumbled a greeting and closed his eyes again as he curled up, dropping his tail over his muzzle in the end.

Great Cliffs Weyr's size and careful planning allowed many of the weyrs the luxury of a private bathing chamber. Cevara and K'ivan's was among these. So when the noise of Gaveneth's landing diminished and Cevara made her way toward the interior of their home, she would hear the clear sounds of splashing from the bathing chamber. It seemed she was not the only one who had the idea of a bath.

[cevara]

Although this was earlier than she would normally arrive home, it was nonetheless a bit of a surprise to find Bai still dozing peacefully. As Gaveneth returned the quiet rumble of greeting and arranged his bulk next to his friend, Cevara smiled at her good fortune. She had hoped it was still early enough for K'ivan to be home. To no one in particular she muttered, "It's shaping up to be a good day."

Humming quietly to herself as she sauntered into the weyr's interior Cevara's ever-watchful gaze scanned the familiar room. Farin and Misko were nowhere to be found, one likely already up to trouble and the other undoubtedly trailing him. If firelizards could get gray hairs, poor Farin would have many of them. The empty rumpled bed dampened her mood for an instant, until she picked up on the sounds of splashing from the adjoining bathing chamber. Chuckling internally, she began to peel off her outer layer of clothing and accessories. She should have known better than to think her weyrmate would still be abed, even at this hour. Leaning her sabre up against a hide strewn desk and setting her boots neatly by a chest at the bed's foot, she tiptoed with barefoot gingerness over the cold stone floor to the bath's door.

Raising a hand to swing it open, she paused. Although she had not exactly been terribly quiet upon entering, perhaps it would be best to knock...afterall she had not been home at this hour for quite some time. The raised hand balled into a fist and rapped twice on the door. In rhythm with the taps, she called out "knock, knock!"

[K'ivan]

Whether he was simply making too much noise to hear her or chose to ignore the goings on outside until Cevara made herself known, K’ivan was not paying attention to the rest of their weyr. This was one of the few places his paranoia was lower than usual as the only creatures that could get this high were fire-lizards and dragons. No one without permission was going to enter the Weyr while Baizynth was on his ledge, and fire-lizards were easily spotted, especially with Aridron so alert for them. He knew his owner had once been spied on by a strange blue fire-lizard, and since the former sickly ‘lizard had miraculously reached maturity, he had become K’ivan’s miniature guard canine.

While K’ivan did not greet Cevara and neither of her fire-lizards were in view, as she passed through the bed chamber, she found the oddly colored fire-lizard sitting in the middle of the bed. He was the reason the bed was rumbled rather than lack of straightening it, as K’ivan was meticulous about ensuring their bed was made. The fire-lizard looked up with surprised guilt as Cevara appeared, and ducked his head under one of his wings as he gave a sheepish chirp. Rolling around on the bed was simply too much fun to pass up; he’d managed to throw the covers everywhere.

Cevara’s knocking induced more splashing and a muffled swear. It took the speed of a thought to find out who it was when Baizynth reported Gaveneth was there. “Hello, c’mon in… the water’s hot if you’re interested.” K’ivan said through the door as he eased himself back into the sitting position he’d been in before he’d scrambled to grab a towel. Since it was his weyrmate, modesty didn’t matter. Had it been – the Weyrwoman for example – a towel would have been necessary.

When she entered, she’d find K’ivan sitting up in their tub holding a towel as he folded it again. Small groups of suds clung to the sides of the tub. One leg was folded under him, the other (his left) stretched out and though the distortion of the water could have accounted for the swelling around his knee, the scrapes and bruises along his shin and up his thigh suggested a different story. He also had several long scratches across his chest and along one arm. The side of his face was peppered with small reddened pits suggesting gravel or sand had been trapped in them before he cleaned up.

[cevara]

Cevara started at the clamor inside, actually jumping back from the door a bit in surprise. She glanced over her shoulder at the guilt ridden Aridron as though he might provide an answer, and then, grimacing, she moved closer to push the door open, eyebrows raised in a quizzical expression. K'ivan was known to be a bit jumpy these past few turns, but shards! Maybe he had been asleep. She hoped nothing in particular had happened to put him on edge. She, at least, had heard nothing. Surely if anything was serious Bai would have informed them.

Pushing the door open a crack, she peeked in before fully stepping inside, one honey-brown eye peeping through the narrow opening not sure exactly what to expect. However, at his voice she relaxed. "Oh, perfect!" She exclaimed practically bouncing inside now. Swinging the door shut with a sharp click, she wasted no time beginning to unbutton her rather sooty faded red shirt. "Well, at least that was /partly/ what I was interested...in..."

What had begun as a coy remark trailed off in confusion as she got her first good look at her weyrmate. Her famously bright and mischievous smile melted from her face.

Hand dropping from her half undone shirt, she briskly approached the tub, bare feet slapping urgently against the stone, and dropped to a crouch. Meticulously her hardened eyes gazed over every exposed inch of him, cataloging his various scratches and bruises in seconds.

Biting her lip, she reached out to very gently brush her thumb over the reddened side of his face, her own now gentle with concern. "What happened? Have a bit of a fall rock climbing? Or has running also become a dangerous sport now?"

[K'ivan]

Admittedly K'ivan hadn't realized how much noise he was making. The fact he expected anyone here beside Cevara was odd to say the least, he simply had a feeling he was going to have a visitor soon. Ridiculous idea, but there it was. He'd managed to cast the towel far enough away the water sloshing up over the bath's edge didn't soak it, only catching the end. His expression visibly eased upon the appearance of his weyrmate, a brief smile flickering across his features at the anticipation of seeing her completely unclothed.

At her words, he realized what a state he must look and exhaled a long breath, leaning his cheek into her gentle touch. K'ivan closed his eyes, taking in the moment between them and her words did quite a job to banish his suspicions about her. The tone of her voice, the cast of her eye... and the fact she had soot smears in various places caused him to realize the actual reason she had not been around recently was probably due to the fact she was alone at the moment in the Weaponsmithing of Weyr and Hold.

He cleared his throat as he placed one of his hands over hers, squeezing the back of her hand gently. "Yes, I fell while I was climbing this morning. I'm all right, no serious damage as far as I can tell... looks worse than it is." There might have been false confidence in his voice or he could still be shaken up from the experience. This was by far the worst fall he'd had. "One of the rock lips I was holding broke and crumbled. There was no way to salvage the position, so I fell. I hit the wall twice before Bai caught me."

You're not meant to be that high without my wings, K'iv-mine. I fly, you ride. The dragon admonished sternly, again expressing his displeasure at the situation. The heart-stopping moment of watching his rider fall shook the bronze up more than he was willing to admit. However, no rider needed words to tell what their dragon was feeling and K'ivan was guilty he had caused Baizynth so much distress, more so than even his frustration at falling. He did not like to be reminded he was mortal. Yes, I know Bai...[/color] K'ivan agreed. They both knew he would be up on the mountain before the month was out if he could help it.

"Baizynth reminded me people aren't suppose to fly without wings. He's never been fond of my climbs."

[cevara]

Cevara, like Baizynth and as K'ivan well knew, also disapproved of his rock climbing. Her mind stretching back a few Turns, she recalled the first time she had seen him far up there on those cliffs. It had been shortly after she had arrived at Great Cliffs and she had been bathing Gaveneth for the first time in the lake. Even then, though she had barely known him at the time, seeing him up there so high had made her heart race. These days she made a point to avoid ever watching him, if only to prevent undue stress and nausea. Of course Bai was always there to help when it was needed, but as this incident proved, one could fall a good distance in an instant, and it only took a short drop at a bad angle to snap the neck.

However, it was no use trying to dissuade him. Keeping someone from something they loved never went well. Besides, she really didn't have much room to talk on the subject of avoiding dangerous activities, what with her love of all things pointy mixed with her equal enjoyment of the company of rough crowds.

Perhaps on another day she would have responded with anger, her knee-jerk reaction to fear, at the news. Certainly it was not his fault the rock crumbled, but if he hadn't been up there in the first place threatening to give everyone a panic attack then a weak ledge would have been of little consequence. Fortunately, as the circumstances were, his gentle hand over hers after seemingly weeks of being away spread a soft warmth through her body. So soothed by his simple presence after being long starved of him toned down her reaction.

"Yes, well, neither have I." Attempting and failing to look stern, her hand reluctantly dropped from his face as she shifted from a crouch to rest on the side her hip. Peering down into the water, she bit on her lower lip. "You're sure it's not at all serious?"

Gazing down through the bath water at his extended leg she grimaced. At best that would be terribly stiff and painful for several days...but with a fall like that he would be lucky if he had not cracked his kneecap. K'ivan may be the Dragonhealer, but while that knowledge certainly and functionally crossed over into human care, it didn't seem to make him any wiser about his own health: somewhat more hard-headed about it, truth be told. "I mean, it could just be the abstraction of the water, but it looks horribly swollen from here."

Studying his face for the non-verbal response she was quite sure would not match his words, particularly considering the shaken tones she had detected in his voice, she waited for him to speak.

Her gaze, however, was unwillingly distracted, as he undoubtedly would notice. It crossed absently over all his features: first his eyes...those beautiful dark eyes that had never failed to draw her in or instigate a smile when they brimmed with laughter...she then followed the defined line of his cheek, reddened though it was, before finally settling on his lips.

Blood rushing through her veins, she was amazed to think how long it had actually been since she'd pressed her own against them. Not so long ago she would have felt terribly deprived if even a few hours had passed. True, her love of her work had existed long before her love of her weyrmate, but even so it presently seemed incredible to her that she could be kept away for even a day in favor of steel.

If he was talking she would likely only be half aware of it, despite the initial urgency of the question. Without realizing it, she had leaned in very close to him...so close he would be able to feel her warm breath on his face. Her nearness would have an almost electric feel to it; as though some energy inside her was barely being contained.

Her lightly bronzed skin smelled of well worked leather and smoke.

[K'ivan]

Cevara and Baizynth were not alone in their disapproval, K’ivan was aware of others who did not like the idea of the only trained Dragonhealer and the leader of the Guardians plastered against the face of a cliff with only his strength to prevent him from crashing. This fall proved Baizynth following behind him was invaluable and he had considered using ropes again. Perhaps it was time to give in to that simple request at least. They had always seemed restrictive, and cheating. The triumphant of reaching the top was so much more satisfying if he alone was responsible for the task. The taste of victory that much sweeter if by his hands and feet, strength and agile, he had made it to the top of the mountain.

K'ivan smiled at her attempt at a stern look, laughing welling in his eyes as she attempted to chastise him with her glance. However, his expression faltered when she gazed down into the water, staring at his knee. Her mental assessment was true, he like so many healers and dragonriders alike was not the best patient, despite the fact he attempted to be, he was impatient for his body to heal and often pushed himself too hard even if he wasn’t injured.

K’ivan knew he did more than bruise his knee it would hamper him possibly keep him grounded too and worse scenario it could be a permanent injury. However, he was confident there was nothing serious wrong. K’ivan nodded at her assessment, grimacing as he slid his hand along his knee.

“Yes, it is swollen. Bruised only though, I’m sure of it. I could walk on it with minimal pain, and nothing sharp, just a dull throb.” Dark eyes met her gaze without flinching. If he was lying, he had gotten much better at it. He arched a pale eyebrow as he gave a soft chuckle that could have easily been bravado for her sake. Even K’ivan did not escape the ‘show no pain’ motto most men adhered to. “Don’t worry, love, I intend to see the Healer… the new one…” He frowned partially because the Healer’s name escaped him… she was still new a transfer and their schedules hadn’t coincided recently so he had not the chance to meet her properly…. and partially because he too was distracted. Their eyes met and K’ivan found himself lost in Cevara’s.

Regardless of whether or not she intended to lean that close, K’ivan could not resist the opportunity to show Cevara what she meant to him. Her scent only leant to his want for a bit of affection. He was foolish to think her doing anything but her job, her loyalty was toward him and the Weyr, and he knew this. It was just… things were hard recently. While Cevara’s love of steel would always remain, eventually she would be unable to physically do the things she could do now, and their love would still be there. In this moment looking into Cevara’s eyes with the concern and warmth, their radiation of love, he realized despite his recent interactions with Klissi, it was Cevara who had her place in his heart just after Baizynth. The physical encounter with Klissi that had sprung from Baizynth catching Tuirith meant exactly what most Flight-encounters did, in the end it was just two riders experiencing their dragons’ lust. Straightening up, he took hold of her shoulder with one hand and leaned the rest of the way toward her, his intention simply to kiss her. And pull her into the tub in the process.

[cevara]

Through Cevara's quickly narrowing focus she heard something about the knee only being bruised, to which she thought to give some indication of relief ("Ah, good...that's very lucky"), as well as something about going to the Healer soon. Despite the fact that her thoughts had obviously wandered somewhere away from the immediate conversation, her notoriously efficient mind nonetheless stored the information for later, making a note to ensure that he did, in fact, tend to it properly. However, there were other things to tend to first.

The immediate and powerful effect he'd always had on her amazed her to this day. She had wanted him almost literally from the moment she saw him, and while there were many things they had been through since that day that no one would have wished to experience, even the most trying times had only made her respect and love for him deeper.

If she had known his thoughts over the past few sevendays, she would have been deeply hurt. Cevara was far from stereotypical in many ways, but in one she was directly on target. All brown riders were known, among other excellent qualities () for their loyalty, and in all things she exemplified this trait. Once one had the admiration and devotion of a brown rider in general, and Cevara in particular, it was basically impossible to get rid of them. Frankly there was not much point even trying. She considered herself happily bound to K'ivan for life, and she would have it no other way.

If K'ivan only sought a bit of affection, he was about to be utterly overwhelmed. His weyrmate had left her Hall extra early for one reason only: hoping to find him here. And now that she had him, her intentions were far from innocent. Of course she had missed talking to him, his company, and his friendship; but paramount in her mind, at least at the moment, was how much she had missed his touch.

As her lips closed around his, softly, sweetly at first, that precariously caged energy that was the dangerous mix of raw human lust backed by passionate love burst from its restraints. Allowing herself to be pulled into the tub, clothes and all, her kiss grew fiercer. Straddling him and pressing herself against his lean, muscular torso she wrapped one arm tightly around his waist, lacing the fingers of the other through his damp hair.

Her soft but slightly chapped lips met his again and again in rapid succession, as though if she let up on their intensity for a second too long he might have long enough to conjure a reason to leave. At last she mastered herself just enough to pull back a few inches, panting slightly.

"You know," she said breathlessly, "I really feel overdressed at the moment." It really was a shame to be in a bath with clothes on. Laughing eyes seeking his, she looked questioningly for some indication of approval or anything that would suggest her sudden onslaught had not taken him too much by surprise.

[K'ivan]

This mental note tucked away for later use was one of the reasons they excelled as a team. Reluctant to go to the Healers as K’ivan was, his weyrmate ensured he followed through with his words, and so later after this was over, K’ivan would go to the Healers. Whether it was due to his memory or her urgings remained for the future. For now K’ivan’s mind wandered with quick step in the same direction as Cevara’s, they’d had little time together in the past few months. This brief interlude might be the only time they had privacy to delve into more … intimate… aspects of their relationship.

Had he stopped to think about it, the fact their reunion – of sorts – was taking place in water had a certain irony or fateful logic to it. They’d met, after all, at the Weyrlakes and K’ivan as Cevara had been attracted to her from the beginning. She was right to be hurt at his thoughts; unfortunately his paranoia was growing tenfold recently and this was one of the reasons he questioned even her, the most stead-fast of loyalists to him. What had begun as standard precautions was gradually turning into an obsession with light and with secrecy. For now he managed to put it aside as he welcomed her embrace and continued the kiss with vigor and a crushing embrace. It was serendipitous Cevara found him here, and his hand sliding down her back suggested it seemed both were intent on taking advantage of their brief alone-time.

As Cevara slid her hand down his torso, her fingers would graze the puckered Turns-old scar. The telltale sign that he’d saved Ashla’s life on the first day the Syndicate attacked. K’ivan and Baizynth bore physical reminders of their mutual failure to protect Alayth’s eggs. At least K’ivan managed to protect the Weyrwoman, taking the knife meant for her.

When she pulled back he took a moment to breath and gave a soft chuckle, licking his lips, the salty taste of hers still lingering thereon. Inhaling the scent of her perspiration, he shifted upward so he was sitting better and relieved some of the pressure on his knee. Going to the Healer was a good idea.

K’ivan nodded; his voice soft. “You’re right… too many clothes.” Sliding his hand under her shirt, he shifted position again to guide his other hand to the small of her back and began to push off her shirt. Though he did not verbally respond to her question, there was no doubt in the passion-filled glance in his eyes and … other things…. that he approved of her amorous intentions most whole-heartedly.

[cevara]

While Cevara was obviously happy in this particular moment, she hated how pressed for time they always seemed to be, having hardly any time for each other. The strange part was she really couldn’t track how it had happened. It seemed that even when the Syndicate was active they were together much more often. A sensual woman by nature, Cevara needed to feel intimately connected to her partner often, and this loving on the run did not suit her. While it was certainly better than nothing, she looked forward to keeping hours more similar to his now that all her repair work was done…it took far less time to keep things maintained once they were in order. Just sleeping in the same bed with him again would be a great comfort.

Perhaps having her around regularly again would bring his paranoia back to more normal levels. It had certainly not escaped her notice that every time she did return home another glow had materialized somewhere in the weyr. There were certain advantages to having the Weaponsmaster for a weyrmate, the most obvious of which being increased security. No one in their right mind would threaten any of Cevara’s friends, and most certainly not K’ivan while she was present. Not if they valued their good looks. Unfortunately, it seemed many of the people they encountered were far from their right mind. In any case, one could not be an effective protector if they were not often around. Fortunately, now that circumstances appeared to be getting tricky again was right when she planned on making herself tenfold more present.

Grinning at K’ivan’s response, she leaned in to give him another swift kiss. “Glad you think so, too.” Breathing the words against his cheek, she pulled away from him again as she felt his hands slip under her shirt. Compliantly, she lifted her arms above her head so the garment could rapidly be removed. Taking it from him as it reached the tips of her fingers, she carelessly tossed the soaked shirt aside where it slapped against she stone wall.

Settling back into his lap, her hands ran firmly up his arms to his shoulders, nails scratching against them lightly as she pulled in for another kiss. One hand reaching the back of his head, she would aim to guide him toward the gentle curve of her breasts where they rose temptingly above her red breast band.

[K'ivan]

((-continued off screen-))