Taking a Dive (open)
Aching muscles from a vigorous sparring session with Bao, lead Dana to stroll around to Manor seeking a release in tension. In her wandering she came across a set of doors she was not yet familiar with. They were off one of the common areas so she did not think it was a private bedroom. She tried the knob of the inlaid double doors, it turned easily and she pushed the dark wood open.
The pungent scent of chlorinated water hit her nose. She'd found the pool. Curious, and a bit grateful, she entered the room, gently closing the door behind her. The water glittered with the small inset lights in the ceiling above, from the gentle lapping of the water. The room was empty, which surprised her slightly with the number of people that lived in the manor. It almost always surprised her at how...unoccupied the place was.
Impulsiveness was not one of her usual traits, but the gentle ache across shoulders and down thighs, had her feet traveling across the floor to the deeper end of the pool.
Her fingers caught the tiny straps of the dress she was wearing, causing the soft purple fabric to slide from her body to pool at her feet. Bending she picked the dress up from the floor and folded it neatly, placing it on a nearby lounging chair.
With a childish little smile she took three running steps and dived into the sparkling water, wearing only the small triangles of white lace that were her panties.
With a soft laugh she emerged from the water at the opposite end of the pool and began to take a slow lazy lap around the edge of water
She seemed to be enjoying herself; Amir appreciated that even if he wasn't able to share in it. Eventually he edged a little closer, seating himself on one of the low-slung poolside chairs and waiting patiently for Dana to open her eyes.
Her maker had never asked her to keep her appearance in a certain way, nor her dress, or anything else about her person, so it concerned her that she would make such a choice for Amir. Was her heart becoming more attached than she wanted it to? Wanting to speak with him, she sat up in the water, and opened her eyes.
A soft squeak escaped her, as her thoughts had manifested themselves on a chair next to the pool. "Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear, or in this case think of him."
With a soft grin on her face she propelled herself across the pool. Stopping at the edge, she put her arms on the smooth concrete, resting her chin in the crook they made, strangely not wanting to touch the object of such desire in her heart. It was suddenly vexing to be within her own mind.
"So I'm the devil, am I?"
He tilted his head at Dana, wondering what train of thought had brought her to such a conclusion.
"Not a label I'm unfamiliar with, but usually I know what I've done to deserve it."
As was often the case with Dana, his smile was genuine, his dark eyes twinkling with impish mischief, crinkling at the corners as he skimmed them over her face. She looked pretty there in the water, leaning up on the lip of the pool, her long hair spread out around her. It was a tempting sight, but very little was tempting enough to get him to submerge himself in the water. For once, he actually gave the notion serious consideration. He could swim, of course, but he found it neither pleasant nor desirable.
"Maybe it's something I've yet to do?" He quirked an eyebrow up at Dana and waited expectantly.
"Mmm, I was thinking of you, and you appeared. Does that not make you a devil?"
Lifting her head, she grinned at him. She could get out of the water, but she was not yet ready to close the distance between them. She was going to leave it to him to do so.
His voice softened as he spoke; Amir wasn't exactly immune to the fact that Dana was charmingly, and mostly nakedly, peering up at him from the gently lapping water. he shifted uncomfortably on the lounge chair, not really willing to get much closer to the water. Floating upon it was one thing. Walking a few feet into the shallow end was another. It looked deep enough where she was, though...
Amir huffed a sigh. Ignoring his own discomfort he addressed Dana's statement. "What were you thinking, then?"
It wasn't their normal conversation. Amir didn't normally pry, and usually left Dana to say or not say what she wanted to. He enjoyed her company, though, and in the interest of knowing her better and vice versa, he didn't think she'd mind the gently probing question.
Dana was not unaware of the fact that Amir was actually asking her a question, instead of leaving her to decide whether to expound or not. How delightful.
"It occurred to me that I was making choices about myself with consideration of what you would think. It had me a bit perplexed and so I was going to seek you out to talk with you of it, and here you are. As though my thoughts called you to me."
"You shouldn't make your decisions based on my opinion," he said slowly, "but it flatters me that you do. All the same I like you as you are, because you are who you are. You could paint your face purple and... well, I guess you'd be Dana - just purpler."
He smiled at her, oddly warmed by the fact that his opinion meant that much to her. And yet, it went against his grain to accept that someone like Dana should try to change. Hypocritical of him, to encourage her independence and yet desire to change those outside of the Clan, but he supposed that was a part of his makeup too.
"I know, Amir, but I find it happening just the same. So far nothing life changing has come up, only little things. I am not adverse to the occurrence, it is simply new and I wanted to hear your opinion. And now I have."
She found the urge to touch had become irresistible. Her hand slipped up and trailed a damp line across Amir's wrist, before returning to it's place in the pretzel of her arms.
He shifted again, still uncomfortable so close to the deep water of the pool. He hadn't thought to bring anything to swim in because he didn't intend to get in. Therefore, it was in his best interests to get Dana out if he wanted to spend any time with her.
"You can hear my opinion any time you like," he said wryly. "I've never been accused of hesitating to express it." He offered her a twisted, half-sheepish smile. If she was who she was, well, he was himself too. She didn't seem to mind his quirks either. They suited each other well, and if they ever ceased to be lovers he imagined they'd probably go on just fine as friends. It was a good thought. Amir didn't keep many people close to him, but he liked Dana being there.
"Are you planning to stay in there until you evolve gills?" he asked her, his manner teasing. "Because I'm definitely not dressed to join you."
She hadn't asked for his company either, but Amir figured it was safe to assume certain things.
In response to his question she moved her arms to push back a bit and look down into the water at herself. Looking back up, she smiled. "I didn't come dressed for swimming either, but I seem to have found a way around it."
Laughing she pushed away from the side and with a few strong strokes had herself at the ladder several feet away. With little effort she pulled herself into the cooler air of the room. Impulsiveness has a rather many downsides. In this instance she had no towel and she was not about to put her dress on her wet body. Well, Amir had wanted her out of the water, he could solve the problem for her. With a crooked little grin she stood where she was, letting the gentle shiver travel her body as her hair dripped down her back.
As she stood there, giving an appealing little shiver, he closed the gap between them and took her into his arms without regard for her wetness. Looking the short distance down at her with mock gravity.
"I won't lie, I do like you better without a purple face." His lips twitched up a bit at the corners.
He rubbed her back and snuggled her close, then looked around, peering over her shoulder. "Do you really not have anything to wear?" He grinned at the idea. Well, at least he wasn't the only impulsive one in this pairing.
Motioning for her to stay put, he went snooping into the few cabinets around the enclosed room. "Aha." Victoriously, he held aloft his find, a soft fluffy white towel, and spread it out to indicate that Dana should come be wrapped up in it, if that was her desire.
"Then I am most glad that purple is not my favorite of colors. What do you think of green?"
Snickering softly she snuggled closer not really caring that she was soaking the front of him. "I came here dressed, but I'm a bit wet to be putting my clothes back on."
With a lifted eyebrow she watched him rummage about in the cabinets. His exclamation made her grin, and the grin turned into a smile as he held the towel out for her. It did not take anymore encouragement than that, to get her across the room and into the soft cuccoon of the towel and Amir's arms.
"Mmm, perfect."
"There," he said, stepping back just a bit to admire his handiwork. Having left the matter to lapse into silence for a few moments he smiled his soft smile once more.
"I like this much better than green, too."
It was a night for patience, so instead of drawing Dana close and doing what was most desirable he picked up her discarded dress and folded it neatly, then located anything else that looked like it belonged to her.
"Shall we find you something more suitable to wear?" he asked. It was a baited question; clearly, they could simply get rid of the remainder of her clothing, scant as it was.
"That would be delightful." Checking that the towel was firmly tucked around her body, she took Amir by the hand and with a small grin lead him from the humid room.
After a few mental calculations, she decided that her room was closest and took them there. On one of her many shopping journeys she'd purchased a small lamp in the shape of a Chinese dragon that glowed a soft jade when turned on. She'd put a cooler burning tiny CFL in it and left it on when she left the room each night. It's soft ethereal light met them when she opened the door.
"I'm sure I can find something in here."
He lifted an eyebrow at her, wondering if she was being subtle. "I'm sure, too. This is your room, isn't it?"
He moved further inside, scanning the small, cozy area. "If not they certainly have similar tastes."
Making sure the door was shut behind them he turned back to Dana and closed the short distance between them. If what she had in mind was physical, for the moment, he wouldn't stop her. They were discovering they were more than capable of passing a lazy morning together, even if he was a little less than amiable when he first awoke. Dana seemed to take it in stride.
He slid his arms around her waist, ignoring the wet towel, and lowered his mouth to her neck, tasting her soft skin touched with the chlorinated pool water. When she shivered again he looked her in the eyes.
"You're not still cold, are you?"
"Yes, it's mine"
Chuckling, her hands went to his arms as his encircled her waist, became a soft moan as his lips touched her. A delightful little shiver traveled her body, making her smile.
"Not really."
Dana's hands moved up around his neck, and as she pulled herself up to his face, the movement dislodged her towel. The shiver down her back was the result of cold this time and made her chuckle. She pressed herself to him seeking warmth, but the cold damp of Amir's shirt caused a soft squeak and a bit of giggling.
"Perhaps we should get out our wet things."
He watched the towel fall to the floor in a damp heap and spread his hands across Dana's bare back as she shivered again. "Liar," he said with a grin and a soft, wicked smile.
He kissed her soundly, making a soft noise of approval at her suggestion that they rid themselves of their clothing. With some urgency he tugged at his shirt, breaking away from her lips just long enough to pull it over his head and add it to the towel on the floor.
Tugging Dana closer still, he lifted her and rested her against him, holding her one-armed while his left hand took care of his jeans and he kicked off his shoes. All the while his mouth never left her skin and he worked intently to hear her soft sighs and moans, carefully brushing each of the sensitive spots he was coming to know.
Amir wasn't oblivious to the flushing heat on his own skin or the lack of disassociation that had always accompanied his previous trysts. There was no room for that with Dana. He couldn't say, exactly, that he was in love, but his emotions were far more involved with this fairy-like little Clanmate than he'd anticipated. Amir was used to separating "need" and "want," but the two seemed to constantly intertwine with Dana, and so far he couldn't see any reason to prevent that, so with typical impulsiveness, he dove into those waters to see what happened.
His lips sent little trails of fire along her skin, as she exchanged nibbles and kisses with him. Her hands went to the little ribbon that held the two triangles of lace against her skin. She wasn't going to be able to get them off like this, so she broke the ribbon at it's binding and pulled the fabric from between them.
A moan escaped her as the heated skin of her most intimate place, touched the heated skin of Amir's torso.
The bed seemed very far away; Amir was content to hold Dana for some time, tasting and touching. He readjusted her, lifting her and resettling her tightly against him, sighing softly as their bodies locked together. He bent and brushed his lips over her small breasts, tracing his way across them, exploring the peaks and valleys of her delicate collarbones, smoothing his hands over the soft, silky contours of her slender back.
In the dim, verdant light of the small room Amir started to gain an inkling of what Dana had been talking about earlier, but the revelation of such a thing was buried in the sensation of overwhelming warmth and pleasure as they joined. It was put on the mental backburner to be explored later. Right now there was only room for her, and Amir paid far more attention to Dana's pleasure than he had ever done with any lover as he finally moved to her bed and laid her upon it, looking down at her for a long moment before rejoining her.
She was not adverse to being gently, almost reverently laid upon the bed, as it gave her head a moment to clear as she smiled up at her lover, and whatever else Amir was becoming to her.
As he moved back onto the bed she held her hands out to him, touching him as soon as he brought himself near to her. This craving for him, was not healthy, but she did not mind at the moment, nor did she wish to delve into such disturbing thoughts while his nimble hands began to move over her again. And they were completely removed from her as those amazing fingers did things she could not describe if her life depended on it.
Her mind was lost in a swirl of color and emotion when he finally rose above her and joined their bodies in the most ancient of ways. She would happily remain here with Amir for time untold and was oddly not disturbed by the thought.