Ista Weyr - Main Beach
The famous black sands of Ista spread out about the great cove upon which the weyr has been built, gleaming under the rays of both sun and moon, like diamonds in their own pristine beauty. Caught between the brilliance of the lush and verdant greens of the forest, and the crystalline blues of the shallows, gradually deepening their color into the wide ocean, the beach is nothing short of striking. The heat of Rukbat reaches into these sands by day, forever blazing underfoot, although the water remains cool and refreshing, never quite reaching the point of being tepid. Off to one side, spilling down from the plateau, a small waterfall empties into a catching pool that runs off toward the sea through a furrow of dark sand and pebbles.
Indianath swoops down over the ocean, having popped out of between just off the coast. He (crash)lands on the black sands with his usual lack of finesse, sending a spray of the stuff through the air as he skids to a halt. Rou'x's still shaking her head at him when her own feet touch the ground, though she's grinning as she does it. She starts to peel off her flight gear, revealing an Istan-suitable vest top beneath her heavy jacket. Then she leans against her lifemate's leg, waiting for Ryeo to show.
Let's hope that vest is of super light material, because Ista is still in the middle of a major heat wave. And Ryeo's certainly dressed for it. Having gotten a small break from his tour guide duties, the starcrafter makes his way towards the beach. Shorts hang low around his waist, while white shirt is slung over one shoulder rather than worn. He wipes a bit of sweat from the brow, even the relatively short walk bringing him to sweat. He yawns and stretches a bit as he moves across the sands, gaze eventually falling on Rou'x and her lifemate as he makes his way over with a grin. "Hey, you two."
"Show me, Ryeo, show me /now/!" Rou'x's demanding in her excitement as she trots out to meet the Starcrafter — candidate! — coming to an awkward halt in front of him. Does she hug him? Kiss him? Shake his hand and pat his back? There's a whole lot of uncertainty, so she settles for pressing her hands to her hips and letting him decide. "Bloody /typical/ you'd go'n get y'self a white knot /just/ when I'm all shaggable again, innit?" She laughs, shaking her head. "Guess y'won't be up for sneaking off for a bit've a something-something session, huh?"
"Show you? Show you what, hunter girl?" Ryeo grins teasingly at the weyrling, holding the shirt to which his white knot is attached up and out of reach. "Nothing to see here." There's far less uncertainty on the Starcrafter's part, and he wraps an arm about her for a quick hug and peck on her cheek. "Oh you know how much I like making everyone's life difficult, Rou'x." There's a bout of quiet laughter before Rye pushes the glasses up on his face a bit and winks. "Nope, won't be any sneaking off. Besides, any something-something would probably give my fragile and unmuscled self a heat stroke in this weather."
The advantage of having a dragon when you're short like Rou'x is that he can reach things much higher up. Indy's big head looms down, gently plucking the shirt from Ryeo's hand while the curvy brunette gives him a 'nyah-nyah' look. With the shirt dropped into her hands, she fumbles about to expose what she's looking for. "It /is/ bloody hot, yeah? What the shards's up the weather, huh?" She runs her fingers over the knot, then hands the shirt back. "Aw, Starboy, I've missed ya, y'know. Y'wanna sit n' have Indy make us a shade? I'm gonna melt in these leathers n' stuff."
Ryeokie glances up as the shirt is pulled from his hands and chuckles at the brown. "Guess you've one-upped me huh?" He watches for a bit as she looks for the knot before giving a bit of a roll of the eyes. "Serious messed up weather. It's been like this for a few sevendays now….people really /have/ gotten heat stroke." Taking the shirt back then, he slings it about his neck and smiles, "Missed ya too. And shade sounds awesome, please tell me you've brought something other than those leathers to wear? If nothing else you could borrow my shirt if it gets too hot."
Indianath spreads his leather-brown wing, touching the tip to the ground to create a tent of sorts. "Yeah? Y'gonna gimme your shirt?" She doesn't need to be offered twice, though Rou'x first drops to her knees and creeps into the shade cast by her lifemate - assuming, of course, that Ryeo's going to follow. Once she's sat down she starts unlacing her boots as fast as she can, struggling a little in her haste to undo the buckles on them. But then they're kicked off and free! "Shiiiit, but even th' /sand's/ bloody /boiling/ my arse. How d'you stand it, Ryeo?"
"Of course. I'm a gentleman." Ryeokie snickers a bit before also dropping to the ground and following after Rou'x. There's a bit of relieved groan as he escapes from the sun and drops down onto the sand. "You get used to it after a bit. And usually I sit in the damper sand closer to the water." He chuckles before offering the shirt to her. He remains crouching though, not yet ready to plunk his backside onto the black grains beneath them. "Plus, they've filled the pool with ice. Helps with the heat a /ton/."
Boots gone, Rou'x begins to wiggle out of her flying leathers, though she's having a little trouble where they're sticking to her already sweat-dampened legs. "Can y'pull for me, Starboy? Can't get /outta/ the damned things." She's got them as far down as a few inches over her wide hips, and waggles her sock-clad feet at the candidate. "The pool's full've /ice/? Whoa, that sounds like it'd be /awesome/. I gotta come back with my bathing stuff sometime n' try that out. Don't it melt though?"
Ryeokie chuckles, "Yeah hold on." He reaches down to curl fingers into the leather before helping her pull them down. "And we're getting those socks off too." And so, with a wink, the starcrafter is pulling off said pieces of cloth too. "Mhm, melts. But they just refill it afterwards. It's bit cooler in the fitness area though, so it takes a bit." He remains crouching for a while longer, elbows resting on knees and arms crossed in front of him. "Should definitely bring your bathing suit next time. You can go to the spa and everything. " Well Ista /is/ a touristy place. "Sorry, I've been on tour guide duty…now I'm in that sort of mode, ha!"
Rou'x gives an over-dramatic sigh of relief when she's freed of her trousers, flopping back into the sand - only to sit back up real quick when it's hot enough to make her yelp. "Hoo shit, /hot/. Y'can drop the tourguidy bit n' just be my Starboy, if y'want." Ryeo gets a wink of one big, honey-coloured eye, and a click of Rou'x's tongue. "D'you wanna sit on my leathers? We c'n both sit on 'em, then we're not burning butts n' stuff. D'you reckon this vest's enough clothes for me? Or d'you want me wearin' your shirt, n' all?" It's a longish vest, but she does only have her undies on under it!
Ryeokie should probably be kinder, but what comes from his lips is some quiet snickering and laughter. "Told you so." He really just can't resist. "Eyyy, but you haven't seen my lovely tour guide smile. If you're lucky, I might even hold it long enough that my mouth starts twitching." There's a quick nod though at the suggestion of using the leather to sit on and he begins to arrange them. "Hmmm…." The starcrafter eyes her vest for a bit before grinning and giving a bit of a shrug. "Hey, it's Ista. Land of the nude." Or something like that. "You can just use your vest. But if you feel like using the shirt, go right ahead."
"Darlin', I'd strip right off bare, but I'm half worried it'll getcha blood boilin'… n' just as worried that it won't." Rou'x shifts her backside onto the leathers, leaning back against Indianath's side. "Still can't believe the timin' o'this. All them plans I had've whiskin' you off t'Western for smoochin' and stuff? /Bah/. N' you're gonna Impress too, I betcha!" She shakes her head, scootching up a little closer to him, but not /too/ close. "Shards, it's too bloody hot t'even /think/ about tryin' t'cuddle with ya."
Ryeokie chuckles, "I'm a fine genetleman miss, of course I wouldn't just jump you." The starcrafter shoots her a wink, that half moon eye smile coming into place. "Hah, you'd made plans for it and everything? Maybe I should learn from you. Get my life in order or something." He chuckles at even the thought, however, certainly not likely to do any such restructuring. "Weyrwoman said she'd bet on green for me if I Impressed. I told her I was partial to chartreuse." Smirk. "But meh, don't know if I will or not. Just gonnna see where things go. Worry about it when the time comes, yeah?" He flops onto the leathers as well then, stretching legs out in front of them, but only letting his slippered feet touch the sands so as not to burn his skin. He doesn't move when she scoots over, either towards or away from her, simply grinning and nodding. "Bet even cuddling would induce heat stroke."
Rou'x pulls a face as she blows a frustrated raspberry. It's all going do /wrong/! She does, however, reach over to start toying gently with Ryeo's hair, curling her fingers into his dark locks - just like she used to do so, so, so long ago. A lifetime ago! "Yeah, I'd kinda been hopin' we might've… y'know, if th'spark n' shit was still there. Won't lie n' say I've not been thinkin' about it kinda a lot." One shoulder is shrugged with forced nonchalance. "I'd like y'on a green, Ryeo. Wouldja let Indy fly her?"
Ryeokie sideglance towards her as the fingers curl through his hair. Lashes lower briefly, quiet smile coming to his face before he's looking forward again. "The spark….huh?" He's silent for a few moments before he's folding his arms atop knees and letting out a small sigh. "I still like you Rou'x, I do. But….I can't do it. Not with this distance thing. There's a whole shit ton of baggage that makes it like that. And you might be able to work past it, but….I can't." The smile that usually graces the starcrafter's features seems to have disappeared for the moment, and the look of seriousness on his face is somehow foreign and unnatural all at once. Lips twitch briefly into a faint smile at the talk of green's and flying, "Thanks. But like I said, I'll worry about being a rider or not when the time comes. But if I wound up on green and she chose Indy, of course I wouldn't stop her or anything. Not that it's anything to worry about now….we haven't even started touchings yet."
There's a little hesitation in Rou'x's fingers where they're still playing with Ryeo's hair, but she recovers easy enough. "'S'alright, Starboy. It's too far n' it's been too long, yeah? N' I'd be lying if I said I've not thoughta others too, y'know? Keely n' I… we slept t'gether. The boys went up after a green, n' I woke up w' her in m'cot. It was pretty awesome." She grins, leaning over to gently kiss the dark locks she's been stroking. "Y'still hot though. Mebbe when life's settled, yeah? See where shit goes'n stuff like that."
Ryeokie breaths a small sigh, and the faint smile on his face regains some of that usual shine. "Sorry." The word is said quietly, before he's raising an eyebrow and smirking. "Oh you did, did you? Bet that was something. Shards, you've gotten more action than I have. And /I/ wasn't even restricted." At the kiss, he reaches over to brush the back of his hand gently across one of her cheeks. "You're sharding beautiful yourself. We'll see where it goes, and hopefully life'll get all settled rather than shook up."
Rou'x chuckles, tilting her head towards the touch on her cheek. "Never any promises, just wait'n see where stuff takes us, yeah? Can't ask no more'n that of each other. N' Keely? Hooo-whee. She's gotta body'll make y'go /doing/." She demonstrates the 'doing' with one finger springing up stiff from her fist - obviously symbolizing something somewhat dirty. "Ir'e gotta bit've a show outta it when he came into the barracks th' next morning, n' found us snuggling nekkid n' all. I'm sorta mebbe hopin' me n' him might getta little lovin' in, but he's all moonin' over some stupid violin-player."
Ryeokie grins, "That's how I've always lived my life, don't think it'll change any time soon." There's a snicker though and the candidate moves to swat away her hand. "Shards woman, you've got a sick mind." Nothing but tease is in his words however, and expression is equally impish to reinforce it. "Man, you sound like you're really having a lot more fun than I am." Not that he'd actually go about having fun even if he were free to. "Don't think I ever realy talked to Ir'e….but can imagine the surprise he might've gotten waking up to that."
Laughing, Rou'x swats right back at Ryeokie's hand. "Lucky f' Ir'e he was outta the barracks, prob'ly wi' Rhabel. His Yiska went after the green too, only he didn' even give Thei time t'get outta the /straps/… so he got stuck on for one heckuva a ride, I reckon." Indianath makes a deep, belly-rumbling sound then, lifting his wing a little so he can look in at the two nestled beneath. "Y'kiddin'?" Clearly Rou'x's talking to her lifemate, and she frowns. "R'lyeh's callin' us back, darlin'. I'm gonna hafta go." Oh, but she seems so reluctant to - because she doesn't move.
Ryeokie raises an eyebrow, "No way! He had to stay along for the ride?" The starcrafter promptly dissolves into a small fit of laughter at that, raising one hand to wipe at the corner of his eye. "Shards, poor guy. Must of been a heck of a time." There's a glance upwards at the rumble from the brown, though Rou'x provides an explanation soon enough. "Ah, already?" There's a bit of a grin before the starcrafter leans over to give the weyrling a bit of a shoulder bump. "Guess I should probably get back to fake smiling and tour guiding and all that too…." He does make a bit of a face at the prospect.
"D'you wanna help me on wi' these leathers first, tourguideboy?" Rou'x winks at him, rocking forward onto her knees and tugging to get her trousers out from under the candidate-Starcrafter's butt. She can, of course, wiggle into them on her own, and soon enough she's re-buckling her boots, too. "Bloody hot, innit? N' I'm all covered in sand 'n shit now… 's'not great, Starboy. Not great /at all/." She shakes her head, but, of course, she's dressed soon enough. And when she is, she loops her arms around Ryeo's neck, ignoring the heat and the sweat and the grossness that those two things bring. "Y'can call on me whenever y'wanna meet up, yeah? We're almost free now, so I gotta whooole lotta time to spend hangin' out, if you wanna do that."
Ryeokie falls over dramatically as she pulls her leather's out from under him, sprawling on the sand and looking up with apthetic eyes. "I've fallen…and I can't get up!" The words are said in a croakk, though quickly followed by a snicker as he stands as well. He brushes the glack grains off of him as best he cak before he's giving her a tight squeeze. "Lucky you. Maybe I can call you up and you can help me with my chores." He winks before giving her ear a gentle tug. "I'll send you a note or something when a free day rolls around though. Sound good?"
She gets a tug, he gets a peck on the cheek. A slightly lingering one too! Rou'x then bumps her forehead off Ryeo's and laughs playfully. Indianath raises his wing, though keeps it outstretched so they're still shaded. "I'm gonna have him fly out n' up a bit t'get cooler b'fore I go puttin' my jacket n' stuff on," she announces, picking up the (hot!) discarded clothing and tucking it under one arm. "Y'know, if we'd've got it on, I might've taken tha' shirt o'yours as a trophy or summat. 'I came t'Ista, n' all I got were this lousy shirt'." That amuses her enough to make her laugh, and she bumps her elbow gently off Ryeo's side. "Anytime, Starboy, n' I'll get here soon's I can."
Ryeokie grins at the kiss before bumping foreheads and finally pulling away. "You'd die if you tried putting that on now, I think." Picking up his own shirt then, he chuckles and slings it across one shoulder. "I bet you've already got a wonderful trophy collection, no need for a lousy shirt like mine." There's a quick wink before he holds his side and lets out another of his dramatic groans. "Oh the pain!" But then he's stepping back, and giving her a quick nod of his head. "Sounds good….I'll see you around then, Rou'x!"
"See ya around, Ryeo-pet. Send me a star, or summat, yeah?" Rou blows him one last kiss, before clambering up Indianath's side and buckling herself in. She has her lifemate walk away down the beach before he stretches out his wings and makes that powerful leap upwards - far more graceful in his take-off than he was in his landing, and even more so as they soar out over the waves.