+- World of Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum)
+-- Forum: Southern Pern (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Katila Outskirts (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=90)
+---- Forum: Western Forests (https://pern.second-pass.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=93)
+---- Thread: Friendship [Valerian] (/showthread.php?tid=239)
Friendship [Valerian] - E'si - 19.Feb.12
They were on opposite sides of the tree again, not because they were strangers, but because, well...
Erisi owned one side of the tree, and Valerian the other. Erisi had tried to overtake Valerian's position, but after an overly classy debate, had been removed to his own side. Erisi couldn't tell if he was sore over the loss or not, and decided that the best way to figure out how he felt was to play a few tunes. They were oddly coming out pleasant sounding, which indicated that Erisi really wasn't that upset about his loss. On the forest floor was a piece of parchment, where two different handwriting had scribbled crude words depicting a dragonrider's lifestyle. He was muttering said words along with the music of his guitar. He figured the happy-sounding music would counteract every insult that passed through his thin lips.
Erisi was dressed in his usual attire - which meant he was dressed nice despite spending the day outside in the forest. He had learned to wear brown pants when sitting on the ground. The weather was still warm enough that he could get away with wearing sandals and a short-sleeved shirt. A sash that was a cool blue was tied elegantly at his waist, the tail resting over a patch of moss that Erisi had narrowly avoided sitting his ass down on. The pair of Harpers had only been in the forest for a short time. Their trek had started earlier, with a basket laden with wine and meat rolls.
It was a sort of 'break'. But, then again, when weren't Valerian and Erisi leaving their duties early to have some free time to themselves? Erisi had done his work, so he considered himself free to go. Valerian was fine companionship to wander off with, anyways. They had an easy sort of friendship, one that wasn't bogged down with emotions and serious conversation like his friendship with Talian. Valerian was a nice... reprieve, a breath of fresh air for Erisi after struggling through Talian's torrent of emotions. He valued Talian, but it was clear that Erisi had never had to handle someone quite like the Healer.
"Did we really have to split the tree in half?" Erisi finally asked his friend.
Re: Friendship [Valerian] - V'ler - 20.Feb.12
“Mm,” Valerian’s elegant response came thanks to eating one of the remaining meat rolls that had helped sponsor their creativity for the day. It never did anyone well to work on an empty stomach and he felt when it came to writing that was doubly true. How could anyone focus on the task at hand, such as creating the mood to tell a romantic story, or the crushing defeat of an arrogant dragonrider in their case, when all that was on the mind was a rumbling stomach and what would be perfect to fill it with? The same could be said about the wine. It was a nice way to wash down the food but it also relaxed body and mind so the ideas could flow more easily and any reserves the topic could bring up weren’t nearly as pressing. That wasn’t to say he was drunk, far from it. Valerian wouldn’t even say he was pleasantly buzzed since he was always mindful of how much alcohol he consumed but he was content and relaxed.
It was nice being able to have such times where he could slip away from the weyr to day dream or work on some melodies that had been forming while he worked. It was even better to have a companion that enjoyed and understood the benefits of both whims which was why he didn’t mind sharing his time, or tree, with Erisi. They were extremely similar in attitude which made their friendship an easy one where both knew when the other would want company or to be alone. There wasn’t anything deep about the friendship but it wasn’t entirely shallow either as Valerian felt he had already proven once before by dragging Erisi away from a battle that could land him in trouble. Yet however their friendship was described by them or others, it was enough to keep them united against idiots and as partners in songs that would get them in trouble all while having a rare laugh in their strange situation.
Perhaps his whimsical take on their solidarity was why he was willing to relent and allow Erisi onto his, better, side of the tree. “You can come over here if you’re really that desperate for chances to gaze upon me.” He didn’t say he would do it without some sort of remark though.
Re: Friendship [Valerian] - E'si - 20.Feb.12
"Why are you giving in now?" The suspicion weighed heavily in Erisi's voice. But, he had every right to be mildly suspicious, since they had both stubbornly claimed rights to opposite sides of the tree. Perhaps the wine had finally seeped into Valerian's brain, making the man far more susceptible to the idea of sharing his side of the tree. Erisi couldn't look at his face to tell how much wine Valerian had consumed, though he had assumed simply that it wasn't enough. The man still spoke in crisp tones, and obviously wasn't weighed down in the slightest by any alcoholic drink. He still spoke with the natural arrogance of a Harper, so he was tipsy enough to share, but not tipsy enough for any real fun.
Ah, why did that thought cross his mind.
Erisi dismissed it, and made a small show of setting his guitar to the side and sticking the piece of parchment underneath a rock. He didn't want the paper to get carried away by a breeze - knowing his luck it would land at a dragonrider's feet, and by some miracle they would recognize Erisi's elegant handwriting. Actually, they probably wouldn't recognize it, and would just assume that it was him. "I see your face every day - that's not the view I'm interested in. I've stared at the same side of the forest for the better part of the day. I need a change of scenery." He made it around the large tree and took a seat next to Valerian, which took some effort in itself. The tree was large, but so large that it'd easily fit two young men at one side. "I honestly suspect that you just want to be graced by the beauty of my face."
Erisi refused to be uncomfortable, so he scooted next to Valerian so he could rest his back against the tree. Their closeness could have been considered awkward, if Erisi had let himself be bothered by it. "You know, this view isn't much better," he commented after a few moments of silence. It was true, Erisi really did not like to stop talking when he finally did get comfortable with someone.
Re: Friendship [Valerian] - V'ler - 20.Feb.12
“And this is the part where I say the view is much better now that you’re beside me,” Valerian rolled his eyes at a popular theme in ballads but grinned as Erisi joined him and tried to settle in. Their closeness didn’t bother him since he actually did like Erisi but if it was any number of the other Candidates, Valerian wouldn’t have given them the chance to even sit in the same area as him. With some of them, he didn’t even like breathing the same air but until their classes were over and Impressions had happened, he was stuck having to deal with the likes of the nose-picker, the hyper spastic kid, and the healer girl. Some days, it was tough being him.
He finished off the last sips of his share of the wine, saddened by how easily it was now going down which meant he was growing far more accustomed to life at the Weyr. Now that Erisi seemed comfortable with where he sat and not about to move in any way again, Valerian had his own urge to move around, which he did by sliding down a couple inches so his head was at level to Erisi’s shoulder. “Anyway, better breeze and more comfortable are why I like this side and not just anyone is invited to it either.” Perhaps the wine was relaxing him a tad too much or it was simply because it was Erisi and it felt okay to do it but whatever the reason, Valerian was soon resting his head against the other Harper’s upper arm. It had been a long day and his friend seemed far softer than the bark of the tree that had been propping him up most of the afternoon.
Re: Friendship [Valerian] - E'si - 22.Feb.12
Erisi was sure that Valerian was joking with that comment, but he'd accept the compliment anyways. A smug expression eased his blue eyes. The best kind of Erisi was a happy Erisi, and Valerian made it seem almost easy to keep the usually irritable Harper complacent. Erisi was easy to agitate, and was known for stirring up conflicts with not only other candidates, but dragonriders as well. With Valerian, it was almost as if the beast inside of Erisi had been tamed. Valerian had shown a knack already for distracting Erisi from his own anger. He knew how to deflect and refocus it elsewhere, so Erisi did not get himself in trouble. Of course, Valerian couldn't be around all the time.
So, trouble was always just around the corner for him.
"Ah, then that must make me a special guest," Erisi practically preened at the hidden compliment. In reality, he doubted that anyone came out here with Valerian to share the tree. But, he was happy to coax whatever compliments he could get out of the other Harper. Erisi was rather content in the moment, not at all bothered by their proximity, and certainly feeling good about himself after receiving a few subtle compliments. Valerian was playing to his ego, and, well, Erisi's ego liked to be played to.
Valerian's head was resting against his arm, and Erisi's brow made a slight crook at the gesture. He glanced down to the other Harper, trying to ignore a slight tick at the back of his mind. The itch had struck him a few times before, but he had discarded it in favor of friendship. Valerian didn't seem to show much interest one way or another, and for some reason Erisi couldn't properly gauge what Valerian liked. In the end, he had chosen to preserve the budding friendship, instead of putting his friend off by acting on the urge. It was hard to ignore now with Valerian leaning against him after having complimented him as well.
He figured that going in for the kill would either work out really well, or totally ruin the easy friendship they had initiated. This required a different approach, and if Erisi was turned away, then he'd recover fine and continue their merry friendship. "Do you want to make out?"
The only thing he could think was: Why not?
Re: Friendship [Valerian] - V'ler - 23.Feb.12
"Guess it does," Valerian had yet to bring anyone else to their tree since it was his place to get away from everyone else though lately it was used to write and spend time in a comfortable silence with Erisi. So he supposed the man-turned-pillow counted as someone special enough for his side of the tree and his attention in general. Thinking more on that subject, he supposed he could technically bring Talian or Allendris along with him but one liked to hide in books or his work and the other didn't particularly like getting dirty and no doubt would complain about the walk the entire way. So it wasn't worth finding out.
He was just starting to relax to the point where a nap seemed like a brilliant idea and since Erisi hadn't already shrugged him off, Valerian didn't see a point in moving or stopping his eyes from shutting. Then the Harper-pillow threw an interesting question his way. Do you want to make out? If anyone else had said that, Valerian would have wondered what prompted it, though he could see the way he had made their closeness a bit more intimate would give off that vibe, but this was Erisi. The man didn't need a lot of signals to jump on a chance for some action. But on the other hand, it seemed to Valerian he had been firmly placed in the 'friend zone' given that comment one night about how he could be a friend with someone and not have sex with them. At the time it was an odd form of flattery with a hint of disappointment for not ranking such attention though he stuck with the flattery way of thinking.
Now, however...
Do you want to make out?
Did he?
Valerian straightened and turned so he could properly take in Erisi, head tilting to the side to examine his friend in that view before a hand ran through his dark locks, stirring the mess of wavy lengths while brushing the strands from his face. They were friends and seemed to share everything else together since arriving at Katila and realizing they had an ally in each other so why not kissing? G'rem had encouraged them to experiment before the Hatching and Valerian had a little experience with women but nothing to his name when it came to men. Erisi seemed like the perfect guy to change that and not for his reputation but Valerian had laid some trust into their friendship.
"Sure." It was a simple answer to a simple question and he didn't think anything else needed to be said.
Re: Friendship [Valerian] - E'si - 23.Feb.12
Oh, huh.
For some reason, despite Valerian's easy-going personality, he did not expect such acceptance. There wasn't even exactly an eagerness to Valerian's tone. It was a thoughtful 'yes', but somehow he made it seem as if his interest was vague at best. Erisi couldn't decide if this irritated him, or made it more challenging. In the end, he decided that it was irritating, and thus challenging. There was a desire to earn a better response from his friend. Again, he assumed that coming on too strongly could be an issue. Valerian was willing, but Erisi couldn't gauge properly how eager he was to try it out. At least he wasn't a total virgin, or at least Erisi assumed he wasn't. Valerian wasn't a recluse - he had to get out enough to have some experience.
"Okay," it was a likewise simple answer. But, the way Erisi was staring at Valerian was not as simple. It was as if he were still judging how it was best to go about this. For a moment, he could even get lost in the handsomeness of Valerian's face. He had picked a pretty friend, which may have played a huge role subconsciously in sealing the deal of their friendship. Erisi had been considering making a move for a while, but had always decided against it. It had been a risk he wasn't willing to take, but taking that risk now had reaped huge rewards for him.
Kissing was one thing, but if Valerian knew Erisi... it wasn't going to stop at kissing. Erisi would press to get what he wanted, and either Valerian would cave or push him away.
And so, Erisi kissed him. It wasn't a soft build-up, Erisi didn't think that pretense was needed. His hands came to cup Valerian's face, keeping his chin tilted up to receive his kiss. Lips crushed against the Harper's, tongue and teeth clashing not in a needy display, but rather something else entirely. It was clear what he was doing. This was what he was offering, this was what he could do, and Valerian could either take it or leave it.
Re: Friendship [Valerian] - V'ler - 23.Feb.12
Valerian wasn’t quite sure what he wanted in that moment when lips met and Erisi’s offer had been made and realized. The first thing his mind came up with was that he was kissing one of his closest friends in the strange new world they had been swept to with the very obvious fact that said friend was male coming in as a close second. The third thought that came a fair bit after the first two was the one that encouraged him in the decision of accept the offering and counter or deny and run. It didn’t matter that Erisi was a man; the kiss felt good. His limited experience with women chimed in and the inevitable comparisons between the two sexes when it came to kissing sprang into action. He couldn’t remember the name of the pretty girl that he had finally given into the advances of but he could recall she had a talented mouth and Erisi was now proving he wasn’t so bad either. If his mind wasn’t currently working on staying active and alert while it sorted through the desires his friend created, Valerian was certain he would have silently chuckled to himself at Erisi reacting to hearing he ‘wasn’t so bad’ at working with his mouth.
Once the realization that he still hadn’t responded favourably, Valerian smirked, pulling back just enough to break contact and reply with a short, “okay,” whether it made any sense or not, he didn’t care. They were both men of words and knew how to wield them as weapons but they both seemed to have lost their eloquent touch since the question was asked. Valerian didn’t care as he decided to put his mouth to better use and kiss his friend back, giving as good as he was given. He had initially matched the intensity deciding that seemed reasonable but the longer they held contact, the more intrigued Valerian became, finding it was rather enjoyable to make out with a friend. It was comfortable, even, finding there wasn’t a pressure to hold back or keep up but to simply explore and have fun in the moment.
But to what he assumed would be Erisi’s surprise, Valerian did push the kiss on, craving more, as his hand suddenly proved as it found its way to his friend’s shirt, bunching material within his fist. If Erisi didn’t catch on to the rising interest in their make out time than he was a sharding dimglow and Valerian wasn’t sure he’d want to continue treating that level of intelligence with such an oral treatment when another more effective one could tear into the man.
TO BE CONTINUED...