Who

Daenerys, Echo

What

Just a chance meeting in the wee small hours of the morning in the Zingari Camp

Adult Themes

When

It is before dawn of the tenth day of the second month of the thirteenth turn of the 12th pass.

Where

Caravan Grounds, Igen Weyr

OOC Date 31 Jan 2018 06:00

 

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"Wait, I never said anything about love…"


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Caravan Grounds

Deep grooves in the hard packed earth criss-cross a large patch of denuded ground, bearing mute testament to the caravans that frequent this area. Despite the midden holes set back a ways from the main center of traffic, the air is sweet, redolent with the sagebrush that forms a loose perimeter around the flattened expanse. In what is as close to its center as the vague boundaries suggest, a stone ringed fire pit has been dug and surrounded with the odd log or two, ash overflowing from its darkly blackened core.


Oh, it's early, so very, very early; but already, Daenerys' day has started with a four am wakeup to complete chores, wash, and get breakfast before the onslaught truly begins. However, Daen is used to such early morning insanity, and simply goes about it with the methodical, plodding determination of the not-yet-awake; having done everything else, he's now settled with klah and his morning meal: a simple affair of fruit and a little porridge, along with a healthy mug of klah to chase the last cobwebs away and leave him ready for the morning's rigors. He settles himself on the steps to his yurt and considers his schedule — but, as ever, his mind turns to Echo, mulling over their last meeting. He mentally tallies up all the events: their sequence, their evidence; and as always over the past two sevens, comes to the same conclusion he always had. Milosh was jealous, and possessive. The question is why.

Trying hard to be as quiet as possible, Echo slips out of Milosh's wagon, clothes hastily thrown on, hair bed-messed. Try as she might the door slams just a little bit on the closing and she winces, looking around in the darkness. She has been too often the target of knowing looks in the last two sevens since their very public argument followed by a full day of making his wagon rock while 'working things out'. So now she is hoping not to give anyone anything new to bring back those sly glances that have been dogging her steps. Running a hand through auburn hair, she smoothes it back slightly as she makes her way soundlessly towards her wagon.

Unfortunately for her, Daenerys has the hearing of a bat — and that tell-tale door slam was loud enough to catch the attention of anyone awake at the moment. He watches Echo begin her soundless trek toward her own wagon from her lover's, and debates letting her pass un-hailed. But it's serendipity that he now has the time to speak with her, and had been desirous of checking up on her. And so he does decide to hail her — but not loudly. Instead he will leave his half-eaten meal inside his yurt and move toward the herder; when he's within speaking distance, he'll offer her a quiet, "Echo. So nice to finally see you again." He's teasing, really; he well knows what she's been up to, thanks to the rumors; she might know what he's been up to as well, from the sounds heard from his yurt. Rumor has it that a certain young dancer has been on the recieving end of his personal attention on several occasions. There is novelty in it, for the guard trainee and leatherworker is not known for attention to a single female for very long.

Wincing as her name is called, and not just in embaressment, Echo pauses and tries to look as casual as possible, which she fails at terribly. "Oh! Hi Daen! Just thought I would umm.." she looks around a llitte bit, "go to the Baths early. Before the rush." That works as an excuse right? And Echo does not usually participate in the gossip, since that would mean, y'know, interacting with people and stuff shudder. "It has been awhile hasn't it? You found a use for those idle hands of yours?" She says with a giggle before she realizes what she said could completely be taken the wrong way, and a dark blush starts to creep up her face. Good thing it's not yet sunrise.

Oh, but it isn't! Daenerys, however, is too kind a man to really tease Echo just yet. "Good idea; soon everyone will be up and about and will be clogging the place up. His laughter at the double meaning of her question is genuinely amused; it's so delightful when she does things like that all unwitting. "Oh, a couple uses, at the least." He purrs playfully, then decides to explain, lest her blushes rival the sunrise soon to appear. "I've joined the guard, and will be taking up bellydance lessons with Tallel."

"The guard? And belly-dancing with my cousin. You are certainly keeping busy." Echo silently thanking Faranth that this vain man seems to love talking about himself. That's just fine with her, he can totally take all the attention off of her thank you very much. Idly she reaches up to play with the pendant on her choker, and then realizes she's out in the grounds and it's not covered. Her eyes dart around briefly, but it is dark where they are and there really aren't that many people around, so what's the harm? She does drop her hand though, she probably shouldn't be attracting attention to it.

Too late, Daenerys has seen it. "Jewelry, hm?" He asks thoughtfully. Vain he is, from birth to death; vain, and yet, not so vain that he does not notice other people's trials and tribulations. He steps slightly closer, and gets a better look at the collar. "And how long have you worn his mark, little herder?" He asks softly, well aware of what that kind of collar means. He's not jealous, not really; more anious for her. "Is this… contract to your liking?"

Echo automatically takes a step back when Daenerys steps forward. Her eyes grow wide as he recognizes the collar and she throws her hand up in exasperation, "How does everyone seem to know what it means? Did I miss that day of classes or what?" She says with a snort and dropping her hands back by her sides. With a long sigh she begins to mentally calculate, "I think it's been just over three months now. And yes, it think it rather is to my liking." She says softly as a contented little sigh escapes her lips.

Whoops, too close! Daenerys also takes a step back, making a gesture of apology for invading her space so. He takes a good look, studying Echo's face with calm curiosity. "I've… asked about it. The ins and outs of it." Dominance and submission; resistance and aquiescence: it fascinates him more than he thought it would. Indeed, he's played at it a time or two, among those whose job it is to know these things, and found it somehow satisfying in a way he had not expected. Absently, he touches his throat, the memory of briefly being owned surfacing before he recalls himself to the present. To Echo, who seems to be quite happy with her current lot in life. With Milosh. He'll give her a gentle smile, somehow approving of the way she softens, speaking of it. "And have you… found out how far your power extends?" He asks, gently.

Listening to his explanation, Echo tilts her head to one side, curious as to what the man is leaving unsaid, but far too shy to asks questions. Then he's touching his throat absently and that causes an intrigued look on her face but still she says nothing. When he brings up her 'power', she lowers her eyes a bit, another blush coloring her cheeks, "I guess you could say that. I'm still trying to figure it out." she says with a small smile. "But the good news is, you shouldn't have to deal with his jealousy anymore." she hopes, "We've…worked out a new arrangement that I think satisfies him." Well with any luck it should.

"How prettily demure you are, Echo. I can see why you intrigue him so." Oh, yes, there's a story there; a story he might not explain until much, much later in their friendship. There are some things a man likes to keep close to the chest. Daenerys takes a moment to soak in the fact that she is still so shy, so long into the relationship she's managed to snag — with a man who is unlikely to ever settle into a 'proper' one. "Very good, Echo." He laughs in amusement at her. "You have as much right to make demands as he does — or so I've been told." Nope, nope, nope, he's not going to reveal his very intimate knowledge just yet, as it's new to him, as well. "I do hope you negotiate until you find a balance you are both happy with." As to Milosh's jealousy regarding his slim, pretty self, he proffers an elegant shrug, unperturbed. "As irritating as it is, I can understand it. He values you, Echo. He values you highly."

At the compliment on her demureness, Echo's blush burns brighter on her cheeks as she averts her eyes, kicking at the ground idly. Then she is even more curious when he seems to have knowledge about how the kind of relationship she shares with Milosh works. "You are certainly knowledgeable for someone who has merely asked around about these things." She doesn't further question him but her eye is now sharp upon him. "And I think the new arrangement we made will be quite..satisfying for the both of us." Is that a suggestive little giggle that bubbles out of the shy herder girl? Surely not. But then she blinks as Daenerys mentions how Milosh values her, that causes a pensive air to settle around her, "Value yes…but maybe..something more as well. Although getting him to put words to it…" She lets that line of thinking trail off a bit.

Daenerys's smile is very, very serene — the kind of serene that bodes ill for others, sometimes. "Well. Perhaps an experient or two." But then, in a lightning-quick decision, Daenerys offers some information for Echo. "There are times when… I prefer not to be in charge. And then, I go to a… friend. Who is understanding." He looks away, toward the horizon and the ominous peek of sun at its edge. The day shall soon be truly born, and he shall be immersed, yet again, in the drill and schooling of becoming a guard. "Satisfaction is key, I've found." He slides Echo a glance, once again his amused, vain self, letting the fall of his hair disguise that swift moment of a young an willing to be open in another's presence. "Oh? Dare you lay a name on your feelings, and his?"

"I see. But yours is something casual? It's never felt casual to me, although he said it was his actions made me wonder." Echo muses as she fidgets in place a little bit, still unable to wrap her mind over the mercurial nature of her lover. Also looking over at the lightening horizon, Echo sighs as she knows she too has many things to do today, she is still catching up on everything that got dropped that day he kept her in his wagon. When he challenges her to lay a name to her feelings she blinks again, "Well…I don't know. He is my first relationship ever. How am I to know how things are supposed to feel even in a traditional relationship, not to mention one that is so not traditional? He excites me, makes me hunger for his approval, I think about him many times throughout the day, he is never far from my thoughts, small things reminding me of him. He just has to whisper my name and it sends shivers up my whole being." Closing her eyes as she gets a rather vivid picture of Milosh in her mind's eye, a sweet sigh fluttering out of her lips. "But as for him? That I really don't know. I'm still not half convinced that the whole thing is an elaborate act on his part, to make me feel like there's something there for him, when it's really not."

"Temporary, yes. A finite amount of time, limited to a night, here and there." Daenerys answers, beginning to braid his hair in preparation for his day being run to ragged semi-consciousness. As Echo lays out the way she feels about Milosh, he cannot help but chuckle. "You sound half in love with him, sweet Echo. I envy him that much." And he gives her a warm, friendly smile. "I promise not to pull his hair out over it, though." One should not damage a thing of beauty without good reason, and Daenerys has no such reason to fight — but every reason to refrain from doing just that. "Hmm. Somehow I don't think it's an act, where you're concerned, sweet Echo. However, I've no reason to interfere, now I know you are all right, and content. I'd best turn myself over to my instructors; it's time to begin turning me into a guard, and not a mere ornamental beauty." He may be a vain bastard, but at least he knows he is conceited, and can poke fun at himself.

"Wait, I never said anything about love…" Echo says quickly as he makes his assertions, her eyes take on a confused look and she nibbles her lower lip idly as she examines what she could have said to make him think that. When Daen disagrees with her on her Sir's motivations, she just shrugs, "Well maybe you are right. I just wish he wasn't such a closed-off bastard at times." She says that with a giggle that obviously shows she means 'bastard' in the most endearing of ways. "But maybe with this new arrangement….who knows." she adds cryptically. "Well best be off with you then if you don't want to get extra work for being late." Echo looks in the direction of the baths and wonders if she can still manage a quick dip before the sun comes up in earnest.

With a last, heartless chuckle for Echo's confusion — she is so beginning to love that man — Daenerys will begin to move off; but not before he manages a small bit of revenge for her playfulness of two weeks ago. He'll lean in and kiss her: a quick brush of lips against cheek that suggests gentle affection for Echo. "You two are so much fun, love. May your arrangement be fruitful — and kind to you both." With that, he's off to let her get her bath on.

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