Firefly (private)
Viv mentally prepared herself after forty five minutes of simple yoga moves. Simple as in easy intermediate, but her agility was better than normal. Yoga helped her relax, when pot wasn't readily available...like now. Long story short, Viv was going to try the firefly pose.
'Ok.' She squatted with her feet a little less than shoulder distance apart. Tilting her pelvis forward, she brought her trunk between her legs. Keeping her trunk low, she straightened her legs enough to lift her pelvis to about knee height.
'Oh...for the love of...pickles...' Bringing her left upper arm and shoulder as far as possible underneath the back of her left thigh just above the knee, Viv placed her left hand on the ground at the outside edge of her foot, fingers pointing forward. She repeat these actions on the other side.
Viv took a deep breath and lifted herself off the grass by carefully shifting her center of gravity. Pressing her hands into the grass, Viv slowly began to rock her weight back, off her feet and onto her hands. She winced as she tried to keep her inner thighs as high on her arms as possible.
'Oh...fuck...me.'
This was suppose to strengthen her inner thigh muscles and back torso, what with her spine injury decades ago from Vigo, the benefits were worth the struggle. Viv held the position longer than the recommended fifteen seconds, right up until she heard the LT clear his throat behind her.
Red and Charlie stood on the edge of the deck with LT as they watched Vivienne go through her yoga positions. LT looked at both the men and did not hide his laughter. They stared at her as she moved this way and that, finally into what he was fairly certain was called the Firefly position. Yoga was very beneficial for physical therapy, regaining flexibility and strengthening muscles, but Vivienne gave new meaning to the myth of yoga instructors and gymnasts that men incorporated into their fantasies.
'I think I love her.'
'I know I do.'
LT winced and half turned away, trying not to laugh hard. 'How long have you two been watching her?'
'Thirty minutes.' Both Red and Charlie said in unison.
LT looked back over at Vivienne as she held the advanced position without a tremor, although he could hear her grunting. She was wearing black yoga pants that left little to be imagined, along with a fitted white tank top and was barefoot. She was on the grass, balancing her entire weight on her hands, and admittedly LT was impressed. Stepping off the deck, he started to walk toward her in his BDU pants, jacket, and boots.
'Don't bother her!' Charlie said in a hushed whisper.
Turning back LT gave them a hard look, 'Go away.'
Muttering, both men sighed and walked off as they looked over their shoulders. Red managing to bump into a table.
LT walked the thirty feet or so through the grass and stood behind her, trying not to break her concentration, but did clear his throat to get her attention.
'Ma'am?'
Vivienne took a deep breath and answered. 'Lieutenant! Give me two seconds, if you would.'
'Of course. Need help?' LT watched as Vivienne spread her legs out into a larger V and began to roll her hips, rotating her legs up, straight back, and finally into a hand stand. She gracefully bent her legs forward and walked out of the hand stand with nary a sound.
LT raised his eyebrows in surprise and heard Charlie and Red gasp behind him. He waved them away with his hand behind his back. Shaking his head, he put his hands into his pockets and slouched into an easy stance.
'Most women use sexual appeal right off the bat, but you...' he shook his head, 'you managed to catch their attention with a smile and then throw in the sex as an after thought.'
LT was never this candid, never, but there was something about Vivienne that made him suspicious. He'd be impressed with her, he had no doubt of that, had he not been in involved with Carol who could do that move AND was still human. LT was definitely appreciative of what he had.
'You look a lot like...' she started before he interrupted.
'The Commander? I get that a lot.'
'No, I was going to say your grandfather, Duncan. I've seen pictures of your father, though. The hot gene be strong with you Jamesons.'
LT narrowed his eyes at her and then straightened his pose. Viv watched as he transitioned from charming Jameson to professional Hammerthynn in two seconds and realized that she was looking at the next Commander of the Pipers, despite being not near old enough for the position. LT had the best of both worlds: the Jamesons and the Hammerthynns. With a sigh she plopped herself down on the dry grass, squinting up at him as he stood against the sun with the Den as a backdrop. She patted the grass in front of her.
LT undid the buttons of his jacket and slipped it off, revealing the standard black under-armor shirt and inverted A torso. LT was about twenty years younger than Viv, but looked maybe ten years apart. Everything about this man was youth, duty, and physical prowess. Viv could not help but watch his arms flex as folded his jacket and laid it on the ground to the left of her, then lowered himself slowly in front of her. He kept his knees up but his ankles crossed as he settled comfortably with his arms on top of his legs.
Viv grabbed her ankles and rocked forward, smiling at him. 'I don't like using sex. It's common.' She shook her head unhappily. 'But, boobs are boobs and it is what it is. They're handy. But that's not why I asked you to join me out here this morning.'
It had been several days since speaking to Charlie and Brig in the dining area. The Commander had made himself scarce, even when she dropped her review of Charlie on his desk. Charlie, on the other hand, might have enjoyed their conversation a little more than what would be appropriate, but he was adorable and his smile was undeniably sexy, so she let that go. The plan to start from the bottom and then interview to the top had been abandoned, and she decided to just go with whomever was available. The LT though, he intrigued Viv and she wanted to talk to him just out of simple curiosity.
'You want to discuss the Commander and the Beta, I take it.' LT said as his easy smile faded.
Viv made a face and half shrugged. 'Eventually, sure. Actually I was wondering if you had any questions for me?'
'You'd answer them?'
Viv held her arms out and gave him a huge smile. 'I am an open book, Lieutenant.'
'Fitting in ok?' The pack had given her a wide berth, not by orders but just by nature. He wasn't sure why, but he suspected his Uncle and Beta knew.
With a sigh she shrugged again, 'Wow, you jumped right in there, huh. Fitting in as well as any outsider could be.'
'But you're part of the pack.'
'Well...not...exactly.'
LT was confused. 'How can someone so close to two of the more powerful families in the pack...not be part of it?'
Viviene pursed her lips and looked off to the side, her eyes wide with suedo-embarrassment.
'How do you know Elder Hammerthynn?'
'Vigo Hammerthynn raised me.'
'No he didn't.'
The LT wasn't stupid, either. Public knowledge of her outside the Elders was close to nothing. Even Brig had no idea who or what she was before her appearance in Nachton. LT was right and wrong; Vigo certainly did raise her, it's just that no one seemed to notice he had since his heart resembled a fist sized piece of coal and was as black as one.
'Well, he certainly had something to do with the manner in which I was raised, if not also for the reason.'
'I don't understand what you mean,' he said with a confused look.
'Vigo killed my family, along with the Beta.'
So, he must have.
LT opened his mouth and then closed it slowly. He searched her face, watching her reaction to his own. He had been watching Vivienne with the other Pipers; how she gauged their reactions and her line of question or lack thereof. Charlie had told LT, in great detail, what they had talked about in their brief lunch meeting. LT watched the tapes of her arrival and read the report of her meeting with the Alpha. The Beta knew her and his distrust of her was apparent. His Uncle on the other hand - LT saw the attraction between them as they acted out their disdain for each other, but it wasn't like his Uncle to hide his attraction to a female. His eyes narrowed at her as his conclusions just caused more questions.
'You're not Kadzait, are you.' It wasn't a question, more like a dare.
Viv shook her head. 'You are smarter than the Elders give you credit for, Lothias. No, not by your standards am I Kadzait.'
That made more sense, LT thought to himself. He worked through the connotations of her statement out loud.
'My Uncle and the Beta aren't as close as they once were - because of the Alpha.' Viv's eyebrows perked as her mouth slowly opened. LT paused and then said, 'They were expecting Vigo, but he sent you instead. And instead of focusing in on the Beta...you're evaluating the entire team. My Uncle is not happy about that.'
LT leaned in closer, whispering in a conspiratorial voice, 'You know about my parents, don't you?'
'Yes, I do,' she said mimicking his pose.
'That's why my uncle is so angry. Not because the Beta had an affair with our old Alpha's wife, but because Hammer went with my Uncle to kill the man that lured my mother away from my father. Just as Hammer had done to the Alpha.' LT lifted his hand off his knee and pointed at her.
'You're here because of the rift between them, not because of the Alpha and his heritage. You're here to make sure the families aren't torn apart by them.'
Viv looked at him as she bit her bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth. They leaned into each other as he worked out her secret. Still, he was missing something.
'I still don't understand why Vigo would care about the Beta and my Uncle's friendship.'
LT reached out and took her hand, standing easily on his own power. 'Who are you? Really?'
Viv winked at him. 'Does it really matter? As long as things go back to the way they were? I trust you can keep this revelation to yourself?'
LT nodded, but then changed the subject. 'The Commander...he's changed.'
'Has he?' Viv squinted up into the sky as the sun passed noon and made its way westward in the sky. 'I wouldn't know.' She looked back at the LT who was looking at her with a knowing grin.
'Have a girlfriend, LT?' The blush on his cheeks made her chuckle softly. 'Did that sound like a come on? I really wasn't trying.' She rolled her eyes. 'Not really hard, at least.'
Nodding, LT looked away and kicked at the grass like a little boy. 'I do.'
'Tell me about her?' Viv encircled her arm around his left one and turned him toward the forest on the edge of the Den's clearing. Together they walked, Viv listening intently to the LT and the LT talking endlessly about his girl Carol.
Thus ending her interview with one Lothias Jameson, son of David, nephew of Brian.
((OOC Viv and LT out))
Continues - Tinta Roja