Who You Really Are (2)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: AL, Cali
Date Posted: 31st January 2009
Characters: F'gol, Meledei
Description: F'gol finds out more about Meledei the day after the hatching.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 24 of Turn 4
After applying the oil, he checked once more then set down his supplies. "I feel disgusting. Oil, mud, blood, who knows what else..."
"You probably don't want to know. Just wait until we have to clean out the barracks." Meledei had helped her friends do that in the past when they had impressed. It was definitely not the most fun in the world. "Come on, let's get cleaned up, then we can have breakfast." The goldrider helped gather the items and led the way back to the barracks, depositing buckets, cloths, and leftover oil in the designated area before heading to the bathing room. "I could go for a good long soak right now, but we don't really have that much time. Oh well."
A bath sounded good to him, it was an opportunity for him to sit down, so he followed her and a few other weyrlings as they left the room. As he walked into the bathing room and saw several weyrlings stripping down and others already in the pools, it didn't take him long to remember all the talk in the Hall about the communal bathing. "Shards, we don't have a _choice_?" He'd much prefer to just bathe with the boys, that's the way they did it in the Hall...
"A choice?" Meledei asked, a bit confused as she lifted her tunic over her head and turned to face F'gol, bare-chested and evidently unashamed. She had been born and raised in the Weyr, nudity was nothing new to her. "A choice to take a bath? Well, I suppose you don't have to but if you don't I hope you'll forgive me for not sitting too close."
He groaned as he eyed the pool, maybe one end had less girls in it? But no, it was fairly full with everyone wanting to wash up and get to breakfast. He looked anywhere but at Meledei as he started unlacing his boots. "Never mind. I just thought we might have a choice in pools is all."
"Oh that." The sudden realisation that this boy was a crafter and most likely from a hold prior to that hit her. "It's something you're going to have to get used to, F'gol. But really, it's not that bad." The girl placed her tunic to the side, kicked off her shoots and wriggled out of her pants. "They're just bodies, after all."
"But shards, they're _naked_ bodies." His eyes briefly flashed towards Meledei and then he looked away quickly. His heart started beating faster and his breath quickened, and he closed his eyes to focus on slowing them down. "And I'm pretty sure that we got told last night before bed that we were not supposed to do anything or think anything that would upset the dragons like that..."
"The warm water will help." Meledei thought about taking his hand and guiding him to the water, then thought better of it. If he was reacting like that with just looking at her, she'd hate to think how he would react if she _touched_ him. "Come on F'gol, it will be fine. Besides, the sooner you do it, the sooner you can get back into your clothes."
F'gol nodded, feeling a bit light-headed with his quick shallow breathing. He quickly undressed and slipped into the water keeping his eyes down and right in front of him. He knew Meledei was besides him, but he dare not look at her until she got settled in as well. "It gets easier?"
"It does." Meledei had always been around it, so she really didn't know personally. Still, she'd seen many a crafter and hold bred impress and come to the Weyr only to struggle with the same issues. In time, it got easier for them. It would get easier for F'gol. The girl plucked a cloth from a pile that sat by the pool and offered it to the bluerider. "Come on, we can't eat until we've bathed and I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
F'gol scrubbed with single-minded intensity, not looking up until he felt Meledei get out of the water. He gave her a moment then turned, still keeping his eyes on the floor in front of him. "Toss me a towel?"
Meledei did as requested, tossing it and watching it land right over his head. She couldn't help but giggle as she made her way back to the barracks. F'gol was just going to have to get used to the way they did things around there. Still, she hoped that she could help him ease into the transition - one step at a time.
Last updated on the January 31st 2009