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[Taylani]

Time Stamp Fall 20 513

It was the early morning, the light of the sun barely cresting over the horizon in the east and the camp city Endrykas was just beginning to stir. The early morning hours are not as busy as afternoon and evening hours, but in a city like Endrykas there is never a time of complete silence. The horses whinnying in their paddocks, occasional spats between two Drykas can be heard at times, and even in the morning there are chores to be done.

However it is not as crowded as it seems to Taylani when it is early morning, especially now that she has taken residence within Fallan's tent. Away from the middle of the city she can enjoy some of the quiet times in the day here, where she does not feel as if there are always eyes upon her. It has been ten days now, since she was sold on the auction block and things have ...evened out for Taylani. Which is good enough for the moment, she no longer feels the burning rage, or the sweeping sorrows that were her wont during her first weeks as captive. She refused to believe that it could be because he had not been quite so vile as she had imagined someone who could refer to another human as a slave would be.

She still felt the captive, that was one thing that had not changed. She was not in chains, but neither was she free. There were chains that one can not see that binds as surely as chains of iron. So she has taken it upon herself, in these early times whenever she might wake before he did to sneak out and face out toward the rising sun. She would go through her dance poses, trying to keep the limberness in her limbs, the strength of her muscles firm. She did not like the ideal that ..depending on the whims of the gods she might not make it back to Syrilas with enough years left in her for Dance. Dance being a young person's job.

Instead, she looks to the positive and practices. This morning was one of those such mornings. Her traveling dress that she was taken captive in was not really a great one for practicing her different poses but it worked well enough. She again, looks around to ensure she was alone away from curious eyes as this was something she does for herself and for no one else. She felt confident that Fallan might know of her practice but as of now she had not heard or seen him during.

Her red hair is carefully combed back, she did not have any hair pins to tie it back properly though so it would often swing in her face, or in her way. It really was not the efficiency as much as just the doing. Pose one, right foot out, left foot turned out, right hand extended over head, watch the elbows, left hand laid flat on her stomach. Every motion brought her mothers voice in her ear, "careful of your feeting Tayla...Straighten your back Tayla...Very good Tayla.." and unconsciously she smiles, her eyes closing to block out the sight of the plains. Drawing up the image of her mother she continued her practices, each one slow and fluid, her muscles bunching and flexing, working.

[Fallan Windchaser]

The first rule of being in charge was knowing everything and making decisions about everything, even if the decision was to leave well alone. Fallan had learnt this to some degree in his time alone in the wildernesses and cities of Syrila, but more he had learnt it at his mothers knee as did most children.

The glorious freedom was to escape that monitoring, that control, but there was one thing that every Drykas learnt even before they could walk, and that was the herd came first. Later they would learn that their Striders came even before that, because this was the burden of responsibility which came in exchange for the benefits that the herd and their Striders provided.

It was something that had escaped Fallan in the auction tent, and immediately afterwards when the surge of sexual anticipation in owning a woman he had desired overwhelmed all sense and training. It had, unfortunately for his fantasies, resurrected itself before he had bedded her.

Now though he was sated, reunited with his family and his mind was turned back to his responsibilities. His Strider was in the care of the Clan, but all the same he had been neglecting her and it was time he introduced Tay. As he lay in the bedding that was still warm from her body, still retained her musk and was still stained from the seed which had dribbled free after their couplings, he became aware of shadows on the tent wall, cast by the rising sun. He knew that she had made a habit of spending time in the early Fall sunlight, but the shadows belied the assumptions that he had made. Assumptions which were dangerous because they implied a lack of knowledge.

He cast aside the bedding and pulled on his leggings before padding over to the tent entrance. Not yet had he moved them into the Pavilion, but he knew that he should and perhaps it would do Tay good too, to see normal Drykas life and not the microcosm that was his tent. He peeked outside and then looked more closely, a smile forming upon his face and ducked through the flap, the grass cool and a little damp under his bare feet.

"Tay teach Fallan?" he asked, curious as to why she did what she did and wondering if it was as easy as it looked.

[Taylani]

She did not hear the tent flap as it opened, did not notice when he stepped out, but when he spoke she continued the last pose smoothly, her body coming to a slow stop. She held it for just a second before she turned back to him, her smile drifting away to leave her face in the soft but blank expression she carefully composes for him. It would not do to give him more power by giving away emotion on her face. This too is another side effect of being a captive, one begins to automatically do things to protect oneself without even thinking about it.

For instance, she does not want to reveal that she did enjoy the nickname he gave her. It was close to what her mother called her but not the same, if it had been the same she would have despised it. But she couldn't let him know that so instead, she simply does not remark on it, but is careful to always respond when he uses it. "You would like to learn to dance?" She asks, her fingers entwining together in front of her, blue eyes eying him up and down as if she did not know exactly how trim his body was, how his musculature lay. In the days that followed the auction she had ..gotten to know him physically pretty well.

Though he has not overtly mistreated her, the simple threats that he had levied at her the day he bought her kept her suspicious and alert. Though still, she tried to keep her voice even and her face as well, both to not provoke but also to not give him that much knowledge. "..I am not sure how good I would be at teaching." Taylani gives a soft shrug, and her head tilts to one side just slightly as she finishes, "But if you really would like to try it I could show you."

She moves back further, motioning him to come near her. While she liked these private times, she also -again would not admit to him- had a soft trill of perhaps one could call it a form of happiness that he had expressed an interest in her passion.

[Fallan Windchaser]

Something lay unreadable in her eyes when she turned to face him, her pose smooth and controlled, but he had become accustomed to that look, the one when her thoughts did not show themselves in word or expression. He ignored it though for he was still more curious as to the moves for they reminded him of what he had seen some of the better fighters do.

He smiled to counter her expression, his eyes running down her form and deciding that it would soon be necessary for her to get more clothes. He banished an image of her riding in that dress, the hem pushed up and her bare thighs exposed, as he did the wondering which immediately followed it as to whether she had been wearing her undergarments in that moment.

He nodded his head in answer to her question, his right hand reinforcing the move. He paused and decided that he needed to use Pavi with her more rather than less. "Yes," he replied in Pavi and then repeated it in Common. He could not answer her questions about teaching, but they seemed to be addressed to herself rather than to him so he allowed them to pass unanswered.

An invitation to close the distance was not one that he was going to ignore, so he eased forward, closer than she had probably expected and dipped in to kiss her softly on the lips, his hands on her sides just tight enough to stop her squirming away. He held it a moment and then stepped back, his eyes alive with pleasure and anticipation.

[Taylani]

Taylani has had more then a week to try and control her reactions to him, to manage herself when he is near. She has gotten pretty good at controlling her face, she has gotten pretty good at controlling her muscles so that she no longer stiffens and tightens around him. However there were two things that she could not control, as much as she would like. The first, was her blushing. A red heads are always prone to blushing, and now that her first severe sunburn has healed her face has weathered and toughened so that now her cheeks are fairly normal, no longer splotchy to hide the blushes. The second, was the way her body responds to him so readily, the quick intake of breath, the speeding of her heart. She has quit trying, and in fact has quit trying to avoid it. It causes too much angst and emotion to fight him, and too much confusion in her mind about her reactions.

So when he slides up close, his hands at her sides, her face tilts up almost obediently -for her anyway- to accept his kiss and return it gently. The only difference was when he pulls back she does not smile back, though she can not hide the warming of her face. "Yes." She repeats in Pavi, hardly tripping over the word but it was after all only one syllable. She remembered a few words that she has picked up here and there, almost enough to make sentences if one didn't mind fragmented nonsensical sentences that was.

"The forms I was doing, are basic forms." She begins, moving so that she faced him exactly, her hands moving to her skirts so that she could raise them to knee level, giving him a good view of her calves and bare feet. Her feet were placed in the first formation, meaning her left was planted flat perpendicular to her body, and her right was raised to her toe, heel lifted but flush against her left ankle. "This is first position. Each form is not dance in and of itself, but it is elements of dance. A dancers first lesson is these forms. They allow your body to become limber, to adjust, to remember these positions so that when you begin to dance your body is used to them." Her words were no longer the soft stoic tones she tries hard to maintain, except when he has made her angry for she still struggles with her temper. Instead her words, despite her best efforts, become warm and not quite excited but her blue eyes lit from within.

"Women dance different then men. We are more limber, more fluid. Men are stronger, steadier. Men are supports and action, while women are story tellers and fliers." She moves to him now, and with a small dainty foot she nudges his left foot, "Straighten this foot." Her hands came to rest on his hips, to give her balance as she works with his feet and legs, one brow quirking as she looks up at him almost smiling. "Are you sure you wish to learn this?"

[Fallan Windchaser]

He listened intently as she spoke, watching the way that her lips curved their way around the words, missing one or two of them as her speech moved more quickly, but there was enough for him to fill in the gaps and it was still better than his halting attempts to speak, improved now though that was.

Faced with the reality of what had been a whim, and certainly not what he'd had in mind as he'd been laying in the bedding thinking of horses, suddenly it seemed harder than she had made it appear. Almost he didn't get distracted by the curve of her calves, almost it didn't bring back that image of her riding. His attention firmed up again and tried to catch back up with what she'd said about positioning.

Forms made sense to him, most things became easier when repeated often enough that the rider didn't even think about them any more, and it was even better if those automatic movements were good movements and not sloppy bad habits.

Her words distracted him, and clearly his positioning was not perfect. He was amused to find their situation reversed, something that he had not counted upon when suggesting it, but neither was he one to easily back down.

It was a good question, but how could he resist? Clearly this was something that she enjoyed and from her description a man and woman worked together in this dance of hers. He wasn't averse to the idea of dance, though he didn't know enough to judge about this sort, which clearly wasn't the drink fuelled forms that he had indulged in before.

"Yes," he smiled in Pavi, and continued in the same language, "I will learn this with you."

[Taylani]

Taylani continues to look up into his face for several long seconds as he spoke, her height making it to where she simply has to tip her head up just a little. He had spoken Pavi, and she recognized the word Yes though the other sentence was almost unrecognizable though she did make out a 'You' at the end. She disliked when people used the language with her, mainly because she felt more acutely like a lone person in a sea of strangers then any other time. However she understood, at least to an extent that she had to learn the language so she nods and simply assumes it is another affirmation.

She steps gently back and eyes his form critically. "Muscles must be tight." She says, then and only then realizing that since his common was not perfect that he might not understand all that she says. His common was much better then her Pavi, but even then it sometimes was difficult to make out what he means instantly and she has to think about it. She has little doubt that he would find the same barrier when trying to understand common, especially when filled with technical jargon of something he probably was never exposed to.

So she resorted to pantomime as well as words. She raises her arms and holds it straight out in front of her. "Watch, every muscle must be stiff, tight, controlled. Like this." Her arm does not bend or lower or raise, and while her dress sleeve covered the limb to her elbow the forearm tightens visibly. "Nothing works if your muscles are not worked. You have your feet positioned for first position but now for your arms. Copy me." This was not pantomimed because she places her arms in the original first position, one held aloft over her head, her elbow softly bent but not dramatically so, her fingers stretched straight. Her right hand is laid lightly against her stomach, her elbow and arm moved so that neither rested against her body.

Waiting for him to comply she speaks again, "Every dance that is choreographed..uh..planned and not a surprise." She stops for moment to think if she could explain choreograph better, but she didn't think she could. "From ballet, to lyrical, and to simple acrobatics these steps make up the core functions. Learn these and your foundation will be built."

After he had copied her, Taylani moves closer, circling him slowly. She makes small adjustments, laying her hand on his shoulder and gently pushing, "Align your shoulders with your hips better, perfect alignment prevents back injuries."

As she circles around his back she puts a flat palm against the middle of his back, pushing back the idea of how solid and firm his body was and what he was capable of. Trying to push that thought away faster before they left that telltale blush on her cheeks.

Her hand moved along his body with her slow circle, tracing along his side as she finished her walk around. "Its all about memory placements. If you learn these right..." she stops again in front of him once more, dropping her arm to her side. "then your body will be able to form even the most difficult techniques."

It does not make a lot of sense in Taylani's mind, as to his interest in dance. She couldn't figure out why he would want to learn, she did not see any mocking in his tones or body language. Yet there it was, he was already getting everything he wanted from her as far as Taylani could tell. He was bedding her, she was 'willing', she would bear him no less then two children. These thoughts darken her mood just slightly, but not enough for her to throw this opportunity to practice her chosen craft. "Fallan?" She does ask, her voice once more guarded and slightly controlled, "Why do you want to learn this? For me its a passion. But it is hardly what one would call necessary ...out here." She gestures vaguely around her as well as further out, into the grassland.

[Fallan Windchaser]

Her expressions amused him, especially when they were natural and not that carefully blanked look. Now she looked as though she was a teacher with a particularly dim student, but in this she was probably right. Certainly her first statement had made no real sense until she demonstrated and his own expression also displayed that for in this he had no reason to pretend to her.

He raised one arm, copying her as instructed though not as precisely as her movement for he did not as yet appreciate the necessity and the precision which she displayed so effortlessly. The other hand he placed on his stomach but only after a slight delay as he became momentarily confused about which hand he should have in which place.

She lost him in some of what followed for she slipped in several longer words that he did not recognise, but her explanation helped once more to fill the gaps. Planned, yes that made sense, like a horse display, and made the difference between something that looked good and people trying to do things off the tops of their head.

It was almost worth making errors just so that he could feel the pressure of her hands as she moved this and pushed there, but it did not last and her face grew serious in a different way, the light fading from her eyes and her face adopting some of its usual mask.

It was a good question and in many ways mirrored what his own thoughts had been so shortly before. He dropped his arms too and considered the question before answering. "Not necessary?" He sighed and shook his head. "Fallan been to cities, Fallan not like." He gestured around them. "Tay not know Drykas. Drykas tents yes. Horses eat grass, must move new grass, house not move." He wondered if that made any sense and now was not the time for a history lesson of the Drykas and the ruins of the fortress that had been Endrykas. One day he would show it perhaps but now it was too closely tied to secrets she would not know.

"Drykas laugh, drink and yes dance." His face cleared a little. "Not dance as good as Tay. Dance necessary here." it was part of the answer and he struggled to answer the more personal part. "Tay body nice because dance, move well. Fallan want too."

"Tay say man supports, woman flies. Fallan want Tay fly." There was more, but he lacked the words to tell her that he wanted her to be happy and doubted that she would believe him, well happy so long as she did what he wanted in any case.

[Taylani]

Taylani listens to his words with little expression as he compares Endrykas and Syliras -or she assumed Syliras since that was her city- and did not let the mild confusion show. The words were halting and broken, but it seemed to Taylani that Fallan was speaking of the reason behind the constant moving of this tent city. It did not go with her question, she did not understand the correlation but she did appreciate the little bit of knowledge. Knowledge gave power, this was the reason she tries to school her expressions so well around him. She was not quite aware of the lack of control when she spoke of dance, if she figures it out she might go so far as to give it up altogether such is her need to govern herself around him.

When he speaks of Drykas laughing, drinking and Dancing she could not help the slight upturn of the right corner of her lips, though she wanted to give a giggle. The image of Fallan doing the type of dancing she is teaching while drunk had brought to mind a rather amusing image and it was so very hard to keep that amusement inside. "This dance..is not a drinking dance..You will hurt yourself if you tried this drunk." She admonished lightly, her face remaining neutral but her voice holding just the barest hint of laughter in it.

It was his last remark that stopped her cold, drew her back and caused her to turn her back swiftly to him. This last was simply to keep from him the sudden blurring of her vision, and the sick features on her face. It felt almost like a kick to the stomach, his words on wanting her to fly. He couldn't know, there was no way he could have possibly known, that Taylani's mantra during childhood, and one that she is sure her parents had become to loathe was "I want to fly like a bird." It was why she started dance lessons oh so long ago. It was also why the very first amulet she had crafted with her mother was a tiny nested bird.

For just a brief few seconds she remains turned, getting her bearings under control, letting the shock to her psyche at his words loosen so that she was more or less 'normal'. In this moment she could not tell you what she felt, it was such a mash of feelings. Acute warmth from the way his words sounded -as if he wanted Taylani to be less sexual slave and breeder and more person, and he be more then a sire of her children- to deep suspicion and disbelief, and instantly trying to figure what his angle was. Taylani was not a suspicious person by nature so the suspicions that arise were more just that, without real thought on how it could be sinister just a deep belief that it probably was sinister in some way.

When she felt as composed as she could be she turned back around, her eyes still closed until she faced him again before slowly opening them. "I." She starts and then stops for a moment. "I am not sure I ..trust what you say. But. I suppose that if you teach me Pavi, I can continue to teach you dance. You might be a little too old to hope for a long Stage Career but it will..definitely help your body and help it move with a bit more...grace."

[Fallan Windchaser]

It could not be said that Fallan was the most perceptive of men, though likely enough no man would ever satisfy a woman on this point, but even he could see that his words had an effect, but not the one that he desired.

He sighed to himself as she stood with her back turned. This was why he had remained single for so long, without the complications of relationships and the need to keep other people happy. It was times like these that the solitary nature of the grass lands with just his Strider for company appealed so much. But that was not who he was any more, and for all that his position was so much better than hers the temptation to leave it all behind was never so far behind. But this was self pity and he dismissed it curtly, turning his attention back to her, closing down that moment of openness where he had said just a little too much, too freely.

He shrugged in reply for her trust was not his to control and nothing in the short term would act to change that. He also did not know what a Stage Career was but it was curious that it could end so abruptly.

"Pavi, Taylani learn," his mien was a little more guarded and more sober than it had been a moment before. The moment seemed broken, the fragile connection between them withered like frosted grass that had been trodden upon.

"Taylani teach, then we go, meet Stormdancer." He smiled, breathing in and then out again dismissing as he did all of the mistakes of the past moments.