[PRP] Rainy Day Date (Iafri/Li'tt)

[Meepfur]

Rain, rain, and more rain. Iafri was hardly one to complain about bad weather - or anything else, really - but the long series of dreary gray days had combined with Western's current situation to take a bit of a toll on her mood. It would have been easy to sink into a state of wanting to do the bare minimum, keeping to herself as much as possible and spending free time tucked safely away inside, under the covers. Would have been, if not for a certain someone, who against all odds had somehow not tired of her yet. She continued to be not only amazed, but absolutely smitten. She'd been hesitant to allow herself the latter, but as time went on, she'd started to get comfortable, and the next thing she knew, good sense and self-preservation had fallen by the wayside, and she was far more attached than was wise. All the while, her dragon had subtly nudged and encouraged it; Li'tt was clearly a good sort, and though Girofleth brought Iafri a long way from where she'd been some six Turns ago, it was well past time she start letting other humans in. They were settled and secure at Western, and there were no more excuses for living like they might up and take flight at any moment.

But it wasn't the sort of thing Girofleth could really push; there had been nothing much to do for it but wait and hope that someone patient and gentle enough might come along, whether as a friend or more. Now that someone had, the green could sit back and enjoy Hers' progress and happiness (while she could curl up with a certain brown and feel much less guilty about it). It was much to her surprise and delight when, on a rainy rest day morning, Iafri had requested to make a visit to Western Hold to do some shopping.

Iafri almost never went shopping. Having grown up the way she had, scraping for everything and with a 'me last' personality, she hoarded her marks almost obsessively, and if she didn't absolutely need something, she didn't buy it, no matter how much she wanted it (hence the perpetually sparse state of her weyr). But she wanted to do something nice for L'itt, and since it was for someone else, well...that was an excusable indulgence.

When they returned in the early afternoon, it was mercifully drizzling instead of pouring, and Iafri squelched her way across the wet sand and into her little hut with one armload of things and then another. She spread a lightweight red and white blanket over the bed, then set about unpacking and arranging a small feast of goodies: cheese, bread, fruit, meat and vegetable pies that had been well-wrapped to hold their warmth, cookies, and even a couple of fancy tarts. She'd spent by far the longest deciding on what to drink, as she knew next to nothing about wine, and had ultimately opted for a bottle of hard redfruit cider instead. That, too, was perched on the blanket, next to a well-worn little book she'd also found at the Gather.

Last but not least, she changed her clothes - the very first new outfit she'd had in Turns aside from riding leathers - and wound a new ribbon through her hair before asking Girofleth to get in touch with Vuurth.

Mine would very much like an afternoon with Yours, if he would not mind making the trek through the rain. Though she was certain he wouldn't, it was only right to ask.

x demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Sounds like it snowed out near Nabol," Li'tt had informed Vuurth in a sort of matter-of-fact way as he read the letter his mother had written him back. The little green he'd borrowed for the task had lingered only long enough to be rewarded for her efforts with a tasty treat (that he shouldn't have given) and idly he half-pondered the idea of getting one of his own. Vuurth hummed with dissatisfaction at the idea. We should just fly there and say hello! he suggested instead from his ledge, stretching his wings to make a show of the fact that he had them and they very much deserved to be used for something beyond being rained on.

Vuurth hadn't grown sick of the rain yet, however.

"I'm not taking us to Nabol without warning and you know it." It was less about the general reputation of the place and more about how Li'tt felt about putting strain on his parents' household. He'd done everything in his life to try and lighten that, after all. His dragon rumbled, but didn't protest. Mostly because he had more interesting things to redirect the conversation with.

Girofleth says Hers wants you. he announced like a naughty child who was tattling about something he'd overheard mommy say to daddy. Li'tt leaned back in his chair to look at him. "Does she?" he asked, pressing on the blue to make sure it wasn't simply Vuurth playing fast and loose with him. Vuurth had the capacity to be offended he was questioned. She does! Li'tt took another minute to squint at his dragon before standing and taking less time than that to grab his jacket so he could head out into the rain.

It was hardly a long enough venture to even take the edge off of the blue's energy and Li'tt pat his shoulder as he landed along the beach. "Sorry, buddy." the rain didn't exactly leave the blue many options for playmates either. But Li'tt was sure Vuurth could get into plenty of trouble on his own as he first knocked to announce his presence, then stepped inside of Iafri's weyr. He paused in the doorway, taking a long look at the setup she'd so carefully assembled.

"Well. I'd almost dare guess you were expecting someone you like to come visit."

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Iafri couldn't help but be nervous once Girofleth had relayed the message. This had all seemed like a very good idea when it had occurred to her, but it was hard not to worry about doing something that, to her, was really very big. What if Li'tt was busy? What if he didn't like surprises? What if he thought it was silly? What if she should have just asked him to go to the Gather with her? There were a lot of what-ifs, and while her dragon reassured her as always, there wasn't much else to do but think about them while she waited, besides adjust this or that or fuss with her dress and hair.

...and gently shoo two curious flits away from the spread of food. With sad creels, the blue-and-green pair hopped up onto the headboard of the bed to stare longingly at the goodies that weren't for them (as if they weren't certain to be given some sooner or later). She did pat their heads, but it was small consolation for them, really.

When Li'tt knocked, she started at the noise, but very quickly settled herself, smoothing her dress even though it didn't need it. Iafri smiled, albeit a touch nervously, while Pocket and Sparkle cheeped greetings from their perch. "Would you? I wonder what gave you that idea."

"I'm sorry it's raining. I know it would be better outside, but..."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Li'tt made a show of standing in the doorway with one hand on his hip and the other on his chin as he studied Iafri's little picnic. "If you're expecting company, maybe I should come back later then," he teased, barely masking his playfully mocking smile before ruffling a hand over his wet hair. Once he was at least some semblance of pat-dried, he moved to join her on the bed.

"You seem to have this idea that all of this isn't better because you set up a surprise and I get to spend time with you," Li'tt corrected, reaching out to gently boop a finger on the greenrider's nose. "Lights up all of the dreary weather by far."

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"But then you'd have walked through the rain for nothing, and that would be a shame." He really was quite a sight standing there like that, with his playful smile and rain-wet hair, and she admired him almost shyly. Perhaps it was silly, some half a Turn into this, that she should still be so easily worried, but she couldn't entirely help her nature, though she did try to keep such concern in check. It wasn't fair to Li'tt for her to worry so, after all; she did trust him, even if her own self-doubt did sometimes make it difficult to believe that she could deserve - let alone hold the interest of - someone so wonderful. And she didn't want this to feel like a burden for him, having to always reassure her.

While she tried to at least not look like she needed it so much, though, he had a way of knowing anyway. Iafri ducked her head at his gentle correction andsmiled up at him when booped. "Well I- I'm glad you like it, then. I would fix the weather if I could, but I'll settle for making the day a little better."

There wasn't a thing she wouldn't do for him, really.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

She really was sweet and thoughtful - perhaps the best surprise he'd ever woken up in bed with (the only closest competition being Vuurth, who had taken to splashing about in the water and upsetting a few wild firelizards who were now squawking angrily at him for his crimes). "Ah, poor weather makes the strange treks and compromises a bit more special, though, so letting this be what it is is perfect to me."

Li'tt carefully turned and shifted a few of the items that had been laid out, as if to get a better look at them. "It looks as though you brought a whole feast back with you," he mused, not wanting to be rude and partake of anything until he had something like permission. "As well as a curious little something over here...." he nodded towards the book that was settled next to the bottle of cider. He admittedly liked books, mostly for the lack of them in his youth.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

Iafri watched him carefully while he surveyed the spread, hoping he was indeed pleased even as she looked for any sign otherwise. She wanted terribly to please him, though she did know it wasn't as though there'd be some awful consequence if she didn't, or even some small critique. She still wanted him to be happy, and she just...wanted to be enough. "The pies should still be warm, I think," she suggested, a compromise between urging him to eat and waiting for him to start; she certainly wasn't used to being the one giving permission of some kind. "I got them last and wrapped them as well as I could."

"I don't know if it's even anything interesting, but...it was with a Trader who had a little bit of everything, and it looked lonely." To say the man had had 'a little bit of everything' was her very generous estimation of odds and ends that had added up to what would be junk by some people's standards. The book might very well be about the habits of wherries, for all she knew, but she'd felt bad for it. She hadn't been able to glean much from her glimpse at the pages before the Trader had griped at her about whether she was going to buy it or not, and to not be sticking her nose in it any longer if it was the latter. (It wasn't her fault she couldn't read much better than most children, but she certainly hadn't been about to explain that. She'd rather have died.)

x demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Ah, so a secret we can look over later," Li'tt decided in spite of his curiosity about the book. After all, investigating it now would mean they'd let all of these tasty treats that Iafri had gone through the effort of gathering up get cold - and it was already cold and dreary outside enough to not want to add more.

So instead he took to her suggestion of one of the pies, picking up one of the pies to unwrap it. It was just warm enough to the touch to be comforting without threatening to burn his fingers off. Then, rather than taking a bite of it himself, he held it out to Iafri instead with a sly little smile.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be about geography or wherries or something," she half-joked. Geography seemed unlikely, since she hadn't noticed any maps in her skimming. Or drawings of wherries, for that matter. But it could still very well be something educationally dry, rather than the fanciful tale she might hope. It was a romantic thought, at least, rescuing the battered old book, even if it bored them to death in the end.

Iafri was pleased when he selected a pie, ready to watch and see if it was as good as she thought it looked and smelled, but he offered it to her instead! Of course. He knew her far too well already (not that she didn't enjoy it). She pursed her lips before smiling up at him with a gentle look - she knew what he was up to! - but of course, chronically unable to resist doing what was wanted of her, did take a bite of the offered pie.

And it really was quite tasty.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Li'tt grinned at her indulgence. "Well, from the look on your face it must be good," he mused, following up her first bite with one of his own to find that this was indeed true. By virtue of the pie itself, rather than it's juxtaposition next to dreary weather and the abundance of fish that had come to be the diet of every person at Western Weyr.

He'd again offer her the next bite - really alternating until he allowed her the last one as well. Then it would be time to pick up the next treat of temptation.

"Which calls to you? I certainly picked the last, so by all fairness I should let you pick now."

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

It was a good pie, although the change from fish certainly didn't hurt, and neither did sharing it, which was rather a new discovery for Iafri, and something very strongly associated with Li'tt. So here they were, eating in bed again! Or on the bed, anyway. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Once they'd finished the pie and he'd declared that it was her turn to choose, she carefully regarded the spread she'd assembled.

Ultimately, she reached for the bottle of cider and the pair of sturdy wooden cups. "How about something to wash it down with?"

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Of course - and better fare than all the water we've had about," Li'tt was grateful for the warmth that came with Western's rain - High Reaches storm season was far more slushy and being both wet and cold was a fairly miserable experience.

Though it did refill their drinking water nicely, even if he was getting a touch sick of it now.

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"It is getting a bit old," Iafri agreed. "I don't mind drinking it all the time, but I am tired of being wet all the time." And though she vastly preferred her little hut on the beach to a traditional stone weyr, she didn't love when the sand was all squidgy from so much rain.

She poured a generous amount of cider into each cup, careful not to spill any, then safely set the bottle on the chest at the end of the bed so that it wouldn't tip over now that it was open. "Now, I'm pretty sure that makes it your turn again."

So she hadn't picked food, but she had picked, and it absolutely counted. Meanwhile, Pocket was growing as impatient as he was hungry, and slithered doen from the headboard to crawl closer to the food and look to the feasting humans with a pitiful creel.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Just covered, inside and out," Li'tt said. He hardly preferred any drink that one had on the daily over each other - klah was better in the colder seasons but in the summers water was simply better. He accepted one of the cups from Iafri when she'd filled them with a smile, leaning back to watch her for a moment before looking back to the spread thoughtfully.

Then he looked to Pocket with another smile. "Ah, are you telling me you want to pick little guy?" Li'tt asked, readily grabbing up some bread and cheese - a clear staple of his diet - to start setting up a few slices for himself and Iafri....but if he 'accidentally' dropped a small scrap of the cheese near the firelizard.....

Meepfur

 

[Meepfur]

"Wet clothes, wet sand, just wet everything," Iafri sighed. A little seasonal rain was one thing, but day after day after day...nope. No thank you. Still, at least she had a roof over her head to go back to; she didn't miss any part of growing up Holdless, and that included being stuck in all manner of bad weather. "I'll be glad when it finally stops."

Peep-peep-peep! Pocket toddled closer as Li'tt spoke to him, by now well familiar with the man and what a soft touch he was. He was quick to seize upon and snorf up the scrap of cheese, but paused when Sparkle appeared beside him with a hopeful cheep. Foods?? Obligingly, the blue coughed up what cheese he hadn't quite swallowed yet. Sharing!

Iafri made a face, but shook her head fondly. Flits would be flits, and at least hers didn't squabble. As for what Li'tt was putting together, "Now that looks familiar."

While there wasn't anything not to like about bread and cheese, she'd developed a particular fondness for it of late.

demon_pachabel