Pools of affection (V'tayn and Anarath/Attn: Open)

Already in the water, Vorganth watched Anarath make her way towards it.  The cobalt had gone still, his gaze tracking her every move.

Attempting to get his dragon's attention for the fourth time, R'fariel grumbled, "Hey, I need you to move your wing so I can get…," and trailed off when he spotted the scarlet coming towards them.

Her color was… brighter, wasn't it?  Did that mean she was…?

No.  Not yet.  But soon.

Slightly relieved at that, R'fariel looked around for V'tayn, figuring he was unlikely to be too far behind his glowing dragon. He finally spotted the scarletrider and headed out of the bathing pool to meet him.

"You didn't have to put clothes on just for me," he grinned, eyeing the crooked lacing and inside-out pants.  Of course, it could have been a sign that V'tayn was just coming from a night spent with someone else… but R'fariel was rather hopeful that wasn't the case.  "Especially when they're just going to come back off again so you don't get them wet."

Already shirtless, himself, the cobaltrider's shortened trousers were still dripping down his legs from his time spent in the water scrubbing Vorganth.

His dragon, meanwhile, had lowered himself back into the pool, leaving most of his head and a stripe down his back above the waterline.  His gaze was still trained on Anarath, the water swirling faintly around him as his tail lashed below the surface.

Good morning, Vorganth. What a lovely day isn't it? So clear and bright.
Anarath asked, swinging her hips provocatively for the cobalt. It pleased her immensely to see Vorganth at the pool. She favored the male greatly.

"And deny you the pleasure of peeling them off me later? R'fariel, I wouldn't dream of being so cruel." V'tayn practically purred the words has he came to the water.  He pulled off his own shirt and cast it to the sandy beach.

Never one to speak when words weren't necessary, Vorganth simply responded, Yes, and let his tone convey everything else.  Interest, appreciation, the desire to chase.  Nothing at all to do with the day, itself-- had Anarath complained of dreariness and rain, his answer would have been the same.

"Hmm.  There is that," Raf agreed, enjoying the play of muscles on the taller man's frame.  There was definitely something to be said for watching the scarletrider remove his clothes on his own, too.  R'fariel didn't mind the show in the least.

Movement in the water-- Vorganth shifting so he could keep his gaze trained on the scarlet sharing his bathing pool-- distracted him for a moment, and reminded him of his earlier suspicions.  He should probably ask V'tayn about it, just to verify, and let the scarletrider know he was aware.

"So, uh… Vorganth thinks Anarath's…. rising soon?"  The words were hesitant, the tone just a bit bashful, as if R'fariel wasn't sure if the question was too intimate, or not.  He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it nervously as he waited for V'tayn's response.

"I think he is right. She's really bossy today." V'tayn said. If Anarath heard him, she gave no indication. She settled herself in the water as primly as you chose and the light playing off the water made her pink shading even brighter.

"I'd say give it another sevenday or so, then she'll be flying high." V'tayn said. He only felt a little thrill of trepidation.

'She's my darling. She will be okay.' he thought to himself.

"She isn't, ah… normally?" the cobaltrider asked, knowing that each dragon had a different personality.  He knew golds and titans and bronzes could be demanding, but he thought at least some of the scarlets and greens exhibited such attitudes.

Maybe it was mostly just when they were proddy…  And he was certainly glad he didn't have to deal with such things.

Of course, he did have to deal with a dragon on the other side of things which would likely be an entirely different experience.  "I… ah, you won't mind if… Vorganth chases, will you?"  R'fariel hoped not, not after the recent changes in their relationship; the same went for Kyabree.  But he wasn't going to take his friends for granted, and just assume they would be okay with it.  Especially since, from everything he'd heard, flights could be… intense.

"Oh no. Anarath is as gentle as a spring breeze, which makes me a little worried about what she might be like coming her rising day. I've heard....things from the other scarlet riders. I'm just hoping she doesn't try to bite my head off and actually does listen to me. I know it isn't as important for scarlets and greens to blood only when the rise but....it seems better. I won't let her gorge, no matter that she wouldn't clutch eggs." V'tayn said softly and then a smile rose to his face, wiping it clean of any anxiety. He crossed to R'fariel, his heart fluttering in his belly.

"Why R'fariel. I had hoped that Vorganth would chase. Very much so, in fact. Yes," he said thoughtfully. "Very much."

Of course R'fariel knew that.  Anarath had always been fairly evenly keeled and polite, from what he'd been able to tell through Vorganth.  Although it was possible the scarlet just liked his dragon, and so wasn't mean or otherwise to him…  But, he'd likely have known that was the case from V'tayn, at least, if no one else.

So he was just going to blame the memory lapse on nerves.

And be extra specially glad he had a male dragon, not a female one, with all that to remember about flights.  He wasn't sure he could deals with the mood swings, or whatever you called them when a dragon was proddy-- he'd never had to in human females after all, with only brothers to deal with.  Although there were times Kezariel had accused Tyvaniel of PMSing…

But that was neither here nor there.  And he was far more interested in focusing on what the scarletrider before him had to say now than what his older siblings had argued about in the past.

Lips curving into a much cockier grin as he looked up to meet the taller man's gaze, R'fariel couldn't help the smug tone in his voice.  "I was hoping you'd say that."  The hesitancy of before was gone, erased by V'tayn's obvious (to R'fariel) interest in the possibility of Vorganth flying Anarath.  "He's likely to win, you know."  Rider and dragon were both in agreement that it was  a highly possible outcome, especially considering their own preferences… and what they believed to be the scarlet's and her own rider's.

"I know." and V'tayn reached out without hesitation to settle his hands to either side of R'fariels hips. He inhaled slowly, savoring the smell of the cobalt rider and the feeling of his strength through his hips.

"Oh Faranth, I do know. I can hope, at least." he breathed.

So sure you both are. Anarath scoffed, tossing her guava pink head. She snorted, partly amused at her rider's rising romantic thoughts.

"I have full faith in both of you." the scarlet rider said, releasing his hold on R'fariel.

"That said, he'll need to be on his game. I've seen Osgilath checking out Anarath and I won't be surprised if Maraxith comes after her, especially since he didn't fly Hesriath." V'tayn said.

"With luck, they will be your only competitors but...you never know who might show from Eastern." he added.

Making a face at the mention of their former home, Raf stuck his own hands on his hips in a gesture of irritation.  He missed the scarletrider's touch, but the thought of dragonriders from Eastern coming just for Anarath's flight had his hackles rising.  "You think they'd do that?  Come all the way here just for a flight, when they didn't want anything to do with…" he broke off, not sure if he should say 'her' or 'Anarath' or 'scarlets'.  Or 'us,' even.  So he ended up gesturing  towards their dragons in the water, so he didn't have to voice any of those words aloud.  "Before?"

It wasn't like Anarath was a queen-- there wouldn't be any eggs coming from her maiden flight.  So why would they go to the trouble of making the trip just for it?

Was it because of V'tayn?  Had any of the riders of male dragons that didn't mind the mutants fancied him?  Probably… knowing the scarletrider.  And that thought irked R'fariel further.  "Vorganth won't let any of them win."

V'tayn raised an eyebrow and looked skyward. He raised his right hand to his chin, rubbing it softly.

"I don't know that they would come from Anarath but they did in fact come for Hesriath. A bronze won her flight, remember. I am surprised if you didn't, that flight was so loud. So was Ashrah, as I remember." he said with a giggle.

"What? I was passing by, is all. I certainly wasn't eavesdropping." he said and laughed. He splashed a little water at R'fariel, grinning and smiling most flirtatiously at him.

"None of those Easterners have a chance of out flying Vorganth!" he shouted. His wild grin faded and suddenly crossed to R'fariel, sliding his arms around the cobalt riders neck as he gently pushed him against Anarath's side. The pink scarlet rumbled the draconic equivalent of a laugh

"None of them, Raf. None of them." V'tayn said huskily.

Raf made a face at the mention of Ashrah being loud.  Mostly because he didn't think of her in the same terms as Kyabree and V'tayn, despite her being a scarletrider.  More than ten turns older than he was, she fit in with what he considered the 'older' crowd, even if it was largely by virtue of her Impressing from the first mutant clutch, and not the most recent one he and his former classmates were from.  "Actually, I don't remember that.  I was out on sweeps when she went up, I think."

But it certainly gave him pause-- if bronzes and who knows what others came from Eastern for Hesriath's flight, then… maybe there were some who would come for Anarath's.  Much as he'd rather they didn't.

Trying to hide the worry creeping into his thoughts, he only half-heartedly drove his hand through the water to splash the scarletrider in return.

I will win.

The certainty in Vorganth's tone should have been enough to reassure him, but privately R'fariel couldn't hold back the thought that a more experienced, or smaller and more agile male might have an advantage over the cobalt.  Even if Anarath eventually wanted him to win as much as Vorganth was determined to win her.

V'tayn's shout brought about an attempt at a smile, but it held none of Raf's usual cockiness and faded just as quickly as the scarletrider's grin.  He made no protest at being pinned to the dragon behind him a moment later, and wrapped his own arms around the taller man's back to keep him close.

There was no doubt corresponding to his own in V'tayn's gaze.  Only sure belief that Vorganth would win when the time came.  And that had R'fariel's lips curving in a far more genuine attempt at a grin as he agreed. "No. None."

Stepping up to the cobalt rider, V'tayn lifted his mouth to his and pressed his lips softly to R'fariels. Anarath moved closer to Vorganth, extending her neck in flirtation.

It seemed they had an accord.