The frustrations of leading a rebellion ic: An'sif

[Jilli]

Noita sighed pacing in her room once again. The frustrationshe felt at not being able to even peak at the gather was bothering her. Among other things, she always had to be nice to her riders. Of course she loved and was grateful for each one of them, but it was completely impossible for any leader to ALWAYse be pleased and patient with their charges.

Sylencath had finally gone to sleep, so she didn't have anyone to talk to, but she didn't want to sleep. Not yet. She had to think, who did she know that wasn't at the gather that she could pass some time with and be herself for once in this franath-forsaken turn? The answer came so quickly.

An'sif. With a soft smile she wandered from her rooms to his and knocked lightly, greatful for the silvery full moon that made her path through the dark more easily manageable.

[Bellatora]

An'sif did not wear a shirt... or his customary mask across his nose and below his eyes which hid the scar that marred his features, though it was a rather clean scar. But he went to the door anyways. This was his Weyr. Why should he care? He answered it and smiled warmly when he saw who was there. "Good evening Noita," he said, motioning for her to enter his Weyr. The Rebel Leader herself.

Baysath lifted his head. Sylencath is not awake at this time? He had... protective feeligns for the obsidian female. The leader of the Rebellion. Sylencath was very important. But not as important as himself or his rider, of course... not that he would tell hre or her rider that that was what he thought. No... the garnet kept particularly quiet about such things.

The Garnet rider motioned for Noita to pick her seat, though there was really only two chairs in the whole of his weyr, which was relatively unadorned and seemed to be more cryptic than telling of the personality that it housed or the garnet whose ledge was just outside.

An'sif sat on the edge of his bed and ran a hand through his hair. He supposed he should grab a shirt... Especially in front of Noita. He grabbed for the black one he had just taken off and slipped it over his head. "How are you doing tonight, Noita, my dearest," he asked her softly, a faint smile on his lips as he looked at her. She was particularly special to him... and he didn't hide the fact andl ikely never would.

[Jilli]

Noita let her eyes wander appreciatively over her Garnet knight's half unclad form. She rarely got to see him like this and no matter how many times she did the feelings their past evoked wound and writhed in her stomach like coiled wyverns waiting to sink their fangs in. She preferred him this way, that distinctive scar visible.

"Good evening An'sif." Her smile was one of the rare ones that touched her eyes as he motioned her in before she even had the chance to request entrance. She nodded to Baysath as she entered .

"She isn't Baysath. She has been getting tired of late... "

It was just the first of her obsidian's false alarms. The ornery dragon would sleep large chunks of her day away unless she was needed for a week or so, just like she would normally do before she flew. No one had been able to tell her why, but her dragoness had times where it seemed her body liked to keep them all guessing. When asked, the dragoness would only reply, I'm tired.

Noita had to admit to herself, she liked her garnet knight, and very much liked his rider, though her own feelings were far too complex to chalk up to the lovie dovie emotions that most had. Since they'd came to Rindell she hadnt had much time to see where her riders stayed. She looked around the room while she made her way to one of An'sif's offered chairs, settling in it and aranging the skirt of her nightgown so it wasnt restricting her movement too badly. The room was simple. It fit An'sif, she decided. Wasnt showy or ostentatious, but there was an underlying mystery in it's simplicity.

"Thank you An'sif." She watched and tucked her feet under her getting more comfortable as An'sif sat on his bed suppressing the stab of disappointment that welled up in the covering of his form.

"I'm afraid I found myself quite irritable this evening An'sif. " She smiled wryly. She'd always been able to talk to him and he'd provided her with council that proved he was niether of the groups that had driven her crazy of late. "Everyone's at the gather, and those who are left either treat me like some kind of deity, or a hungry demon who will eat both them and their dragon's with one wrong inch to either side."

[Bellatora]

Baysath gave a huff of disappointment and moved to settle himself in a better position and to try to get some sleep himself. He wasn't interested in the humans right now. They tended towards being boring much of the time in his opinion. Except His of course.

He leaned towards her with a soft smile, studying her, his eye attempting to lock onto hers. Their history was something... intricate and special. She had to know that he felt very deeply for her. "I'm so sorry to hear that my lovely Noita." He leaned forward and placed a hand on hers. "But there are both advantages and disadvantages to that. One being that... you will have their respect and be able to command them even better for it. However... the drawbacks is that a friend may be hard to find... and someone who would really love you..." he stood up and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning down to gently place his lips against her forehead. "But a positive for me is... that that means I can have you to myself a little bit more... And a positive for you... a real friend may be a bit easier to spot when most people are cowering before you... and besides that... you are incredibly amazing. More amazing than anyone else.... Though you deserve some real and good friends. If only we could have gone to that Gather. We could have had a very good time... the two of us..." He gently kissed her forehead again. "You are exceptional, my beauty...." he whispered softly in her ear.

He had some shred of loyalty in him that was for more than just his dragon.... and that was for Noita and Sylencath. That was all there was to it.

[Jilli]

Noita sat very still turning an'sif's words over in her mind. Loyalty... That did seem to be a problem... She felt a stab of hatred toward whoever had caused their failure in the trelis attack. She would make sure that didn't happen again. As for real friends? It was really nothing she was all that concerned with.

Slipping her hands onto his shoulders she gave him another soft smile.
"Why would I need other true friends though? I've already got you and I think that's plenty. I just wish they'd treat me more normally."

His explanations went into more time for him to be around her and her smile grew as he kissed her on the forehead again.

" Our faces are too recognizable and we couldn't afford exposing ourselves just to enjoy a gather.... Anyway. I've been meaning to ask you. When she gave you this scar...". She stroked her thumb gently across the scar as it traced high across his cheek.
"Does it affect your vision?"

[Bellatora]

"I'd like to think we're more than just friends," he said with a soft smile, bringing one hand over to cup her cheek, his rough palm touching her soft skin. Maybe that is something that we can work on... after all, no matter how majestic, beautiful, and incredible my Noita is, she is a human... and her dragon is a dragon."

"Unfortunately they are..." he said with a sigh. "But there are benefits, I suppose... such as striking fear into those around us..." He smirked. He wasn't the most easily accepted rider either. But that was okay with him.

He smiled. "It did at first when it was still healing... but now... not... it hardly makes a difference." He gently grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss in it.... before putting his hands on ether side of her face and placing a kiss on her lips gently and rather quickly. "You are beauty incarnate, Noita, my dearest..." he said to her with a smile. Oh yes... this woman had his loyalty.... and heart should she want it.

[Jilli]

Noita smiled tracing her thumb along his jawline softly.

What we are confuses me, as well as most of our riders, my knight." She was sure she wasn't blushing. She never blushed. Her cheeks grew warm all the same as he spoke of working on becoming more than friends. she didnt count him as just a friend. something more already, but she wasnt sure exactly what.

"That's not something I usually allow myself to dwell on too often."

Her answer to his comment about scaring those around them was a soft chuckle. Resting her hands on his shoulders and sliding them down to his chest she discovered she liked feeling the strength that wasnt immediately evident too look at him.

"Most of the time, my darling, that reaction is only what we want with S'vrin and his cronies. We would like to limit that effect on our own riders."

When he answered her question, her eyes followed him as he took her hand and kissed it. A tingling warmth spread up her arm and to her fingertips. A teasing light came to her eyes and her lips quirked in a cute half-smile.

"I only ask because I was wondering when and if your aim was going to impr-!" His aim improved and she was treated to a soft quick kiss. Far too quick for her tastes.

"You have a silver tongue my dearest An'sif. I wonder what sort of a reaction you would get if you used it for more than flattering me?" Their riders tended to avoid the garnet rider even more than they did Her.

[Bellatora]

An'sif kissed her again. "Hmm... so has my aim improved my beauty?" he asked her softly, grinning at her. He leaned down and kissed her again, this time a bit more demanding.

"Hmm... I think you're right... but I'm not much for other reactions from anyone but you...as I'm sure you have noticed. But... I'll be thinking on how best to improve things in the eyes of our own people. I assure you..." Wit hthat he kissed her again. His mind wasn't really on much besides Noita herself at this point. "I hope that we strike fear into the hearts of S'vrin and his riders... I want to be the one to strike a final blow against him..." his voice was a growl as he thought about S'vrin.... and that rider who had scarred him. "But.... none of that matters so long as you are safe adn here with me... my dearest..." He gently stroked her cheek with two of his fingers and tilted her chin gently before kissing her jawline again.

He smiled softly. "Oh... I don't know. I don't know that I could really get them to listen for too long... but... we will see eventually, I suppose... But i much rather use it to flatter you." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her out of her chair and scooped her up in his arms before laying her down on his bed and stretching out beside her.

[Jilli]

She would have liked to say she understood what he was talking about and if he had been standing a few feet easy saying it, she would have. There was a certain wall being built carefully by her an'sif where rational thought was being blocked off. With every kiss, every touch, her stomach clenched in anticipation. Her body trembled.

This had not been her reason for coming here tonight, but... She hadn't been the one to start this either. That had all been him. She wasn't going to deny him. She could never deny him anything. For reasons she didn't understand and refused to say, she did her best to grant her garnet rider's every wish.

When he scooped her out of her chair she slipped her arms around his shoulders never tiring of his strength. The bed she was laid on was soft and she kept her arms around him when he stretched out with her, pulling herself closer to give him a long slow kiss filled with the feelings she would never admit to herself or him.

[Bellatora]

An'sif was more than happy to return her kiss, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She would always be his in his heart, even if he hadn't said as much. Did such things need saying when it was so obvious?

"Tell me, my dearest Noita... If you could have gone to the Gather for any one thing... what would it have been...?" He gently kissed her again, still holding her there in his arms.

He never felt strange or awkward around her. Regardless of if he was wearing his band over his scar or not... Most people... he hated when they looked at it. Looked at him as though he was weak... or looked on that scar... but Noita was different.

They were both quite different really, different than the other people around them. They were not entirely accepted. Not even by their own.

Mine... You two are quite... intolerable... I think that I shall hunt. And perhaps find a meal for our queen. Hmph. So dark and twisted... and yet with an innocence. So unlike you, An'sifMine. The sub-king rose with a huff. Sylencath's I shall attempt to bring back a kill for MineQueen.

An'sif sighed and shook his head slightly. The stupid dragon. "He really is intolerable sometimes..."

[Jilli]

It took Noita a moment or two to re surface from the dreamlike haze he'd submerged her into, but she dimly registered the question. What would she have gone to the gather for? The games, the food, the feeling of happy companionship? No. None of that was it. With a soft smile she traced a fingertip down his neck and across his chest.

" I'd have gone for the dances , my An'sif. " that was one of her favorite things. The dance. To be reeled around a dance floor or a bonfire in someone's arms and forget everything but the rhythm and the music. The beating of your partner's heart. It was close to heaven.

She smiled as baysath got grumpy and announced his intention to leave.

"I'm sure Sylencath would appreciate that my lord. Thank you, for being so thoughtful."

She smiled linking her arms back around her garnet rider as he grumbled about his dragon. ". It's just his way.". She tugged him lightly down to her again, enjoying the closeness that she only ever allowed to him.