Private Tales Of Sand & Dragonfire

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Afternoon Visitations
Rheinhard took her hand briefly, and Chaceledon kissed her forehead. “Well, I suppose we’d best get something for lunch. Some tea and whatever we packed.” he said. Their tent was set up, and he wouldn’t mind a small luncheon. He needed to speak with Seteta, and apologize to her anyway. He needed to be a bit more aware of how the Inizae operated. He needed a crash course in what exactly her Muti would be expecting.

Rheinhard snorted. “I will be back.” He told Seteta. Nestor being alone in my head is driving me mad. He admitted, and it was true. He almost rathered five or six men awake; they kept each other occupied rather than himself. Brade and Aron may be good company for this crowd. Some of the more nonviolent Volkers.

What he really needed was to blow off some steam. He headed into the rockier parts of the sands just outside of camp. Rheinhard stepped carefully around the rocks, flaring his nostrils and inhaling scents on the wind. Rheinhard caught the old smells of chuma, and began following the trail. He startled a large male from the rocks, and lunged after it.

A thrown knife caught the animal in the rear leg, and Rheinhard pounced. He seized the chuma by the throat in his teeth, his hands keeping those rear spurs at bay, and squeezed down. He shook his prey violently, bashing its skull against the rocks until it was still.
 
Seteta squeezed Rheinhard's hand when he took hers. Let me talk with Chaceledon, and then I'll wake whoever you'd like. Except Klaus, but I think we both know that's a bad idea here. If he truly did encounter Muti in the past... Seteta shuddered, and leaned into Chaceledon's warmth. The thought of Klaus could make a chill come over her, even midday in the desert.

"We'll see you soon," Seteta said as Rheinhard stepped away. "Let me know when you're headed back and I'll make sure there won't be another incident like earlier."

She stretched up and softly kissed Chaceledon, then led him back to their tent. She let him make tea (again) while she dug through the food supplies. There was dried fruit and cured meats, and some cheese and bread that was just on the verge of going stale, and she set those out on a tray.

"Do you want to eat in here, or outside?" she asked.

Chaceledon
 
Chaceledon helped her make up her platter, and helped carry it outside. He set out some cushions for her, and settled the tea into the warm sand. He poured her a cup, then himself. It was green tea this time, a little more earthy and less perfume. “Rheinhard is off hunting, I wager? He hasn’t been in a fight in weeks. It’s surprising he hasn’t left the house before now.” he said with a wry smile, taking a sip of tea.

Rheinhard cut the spurs off the chuma, eliminating the foot at the hock so he could preserve the meat without contaminating it. He threw the animal over one shoulder. I am headed back. I have gotten a chuma. He told Seteta. He paused. There were tracks here that weren’t from an animal. He tucked the chuma away carefully under a rock, and began following it. Humans. Not elves. One, likely out hunting himself but far too close to camp for his liking.

It was another few hours before Rheinhard returned, and it was with two kills this time. He stayed along the outskirts of the camp. Seteta, if you would please come get the chuma? He asked her, and laid the young woman he’d killed out on the sand. This was for him.
 
Seteta settled on the cushions and smiled as she took her cup of tea.

"Yes," she answered as she sipped. "I think he's feeling a little out of place right now."

She picked up a few dried fruits and some cheese and slowly chewed them as she took a few moments to think. Eventually she sighed, took another sip of tea, and looked over at Chaceledon.

"I'm sorry about how everything happened earlier," she said. "It sometimes feels like there are a lot of secrets in the tribe. It's done so that if someone is taken by Persian, or any other group that wishes to exploit the Inizae, that they don't know everything. I assume that's why I wasn't even told of Persian before I left.

"I had no idea that muti had encountered one of the Volkers before." She reached up and rubbed at her forehead with her thumb. "If I had, I would have kept Rheinhard outside the camp until I could talk to her first."

Another swallow of tea. A bite of bread. She pushed some of the food toward Chaceledon as she thought. "Earlier, to get muti to calm down and listen to me, I vouched for Rheinhard with my own life. If someone says this to you--their actions will be judged at the cost of your blood--that's what it means.

"She took out some of that frustration on you, I think, with the fixation on the teacups. When muti's upset she becomes nitpicky about odd details."

Seteta swallowed the last of her tea, set the cup on the platter, and laid back on the cushions, letting the sunlight soak into her as her eyes closed.

"There's three phases to marriage among the Inizae," Seteta began speaking once more, though her voice was hushed as she relaxed. "We're in the first. If we were both Inizae, then our families would do this in coordination: laying out tests and challenges to see how compatible we are. There is no allotted time for the first phase, it can take as long as the families feel necessary. The second phase is a betrothal ceremony. There is a feast, and each of the families presents gifts to the future bride and groom. That is also when the ritual begins, for childbearing. The wedding is always a fortnight after that, and we're not allowed to live together or... copulate during that time."

Seteta cracked her eyes open and squinted over at Chaceledon. "I didn't expect muti to throw you headlong into the first challenge. Especially since my parents haven't arrived yet."

Chaceledon
 
Chaceledon considered her words. “You would be making that pledge anyway whether you realized it or not. You’re bound by the Well. If the Well’s owner dies, so does Rheinhard, and vice versa.” he pointed out. “But if your Muti had encountered Klaus…and lived? I’d have the same reaction.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “She certainly had me pinned. I’ve never done any sort of…dishwashing. The only reason I learned to launder my own clothes is that everyone else would do it wrong. I couldn’t bear it. Other than that everything else has always been done by servants.” The dragon sighed and pulled his hair over one shoulder, starting to braid the length of it. If he wasn’t getting a bath anytime soon he wasn’t going to be caught dead with frizzy hair. He listened. Well, the first phase sounded aggravating, but he could understand it. Dragons did a similar dance when families were considering a pairing. It was more of a merger than anything.

The second he was also okay with, as long as they didn’t expect him to gorge himself. The last…fourteen days without being able to live together or have sex? He blinked. “Surely not.” he said in surprise. “Fourteen days without my head between your legs? I’ll go mad.” They could barely have breakfast without climbing back into bed. How was he supposed to last fourteen days? He nibbled at a cracker. “Real sex, or can I still taste you? That doesn’t count, does it?”

He sighed and tossed the braid back over his shoulder. “You know I’d walk across a frozen lake barefoot for you, koiros. If this is what it’ll take to have a clutch with you, I’m with you all the way. Even if my balls will be the color of the ocean when we’re done with the two weeks.”
 
Seteta sat back up, twisting around to stare at Chaceledon. "I knew that he would die if I did, but I didn't know it went the other way around. Is that only if he's killed or if he dies a natural death as well?"

Rheinhard was... not young. She didn't think he was ancient with one foot in the grave, but... he certainly wouldn't live the one to two more centuries that she likely would. But... would some of her long life pass to him, perhaps? She wasn't entirely sure how this bond with the Well worked yet. The wraith had been undead, but she was long-lived.

She was the first living steward of the Well, other than the time Chaceledon said he'd tried to take it. She was the first female to control it as well. Next time she went in to work with Nestor, she needed to find out more about what he'd studied. What the spell did, as much as possible.

She laughed softly when he mentioned the dishes, though. "It was less about washing dishes and more about seeing a task through from start to finish," she explained. "The tribe is very tightly knit. We have to be for survival. We have to be able to trust each other, that when someone says they will do something, it will be done. In many situations, leaving something half-finished might be the difference between life and death.

"We have servants, and very rarely slaves. But no matter one's station among the Inizae, we all know how to cook. How to clean up after ourselves. How to hunt and find water, and forage for the meager offerings of the desert. Even if muti was taking out some frustration on you about Rheinhard's presence... you failed that first challenge. It will come up again, though not necessarily in the same way."

Seteta giggled but squirmed a little, her thighs rubbing together as his words brought vivid memories to mind. "I... don't fully know," she sighed. "It's something to do with the ritual to make childbearing happen. We'll be able to find out more when it gets closer to that time. And we will be able to see each other and spend time together."

Then she grinned widely. "But I guess, in the meantime, we'll have to take full advantage of our freedoms."

Chaceledon
 
Chaceledon looked a bit sad. “Natural death as well. His life is artificially extended by the Well, and you can repair quite a lot of the damage, but you’ll have to find a new host for the Well soon. He and I both knew when we escaped his time would be short, twenty or thirty years at most. As strong as the spell is, it can’t make a human immortal. Its…not the best responsibility of the steward, but at least now he’s got a voice in the process.” he kissed her cheek. “He’s fine. No sense worrying about it until you need to.”

He thought about his tests, and they made sense at least. If he didn’t see a task through it could hurt the tribe, but neither was Seteta going to be living in a damn tent. Nor would they be for the foreseeable future. Next time they visited he would be sure to bring servants. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He would have to try harder if he was going to make up lost ground with Muti.

When the discussion turned to childbearing, he perked up a bit. “On that subject…I want to have children with you. But only when you’re ready. With dragons, we don’t ever ask the women to use protection. Dragons have such fertility issues that were a bit afraid of messing with any cycles. So I would have to start taking measures. We can have a child when you’re ready.”
 
It... was something Seteta didn't really want to think about. To find a new host... she would have to condemn a poor woman to death.

"I'd rather find a way to undo the spell entirely," she confessed. "To let Rheinhard live his remaining years as a normal human... as much as possible, anyway."

She smiled when Chaceledon began to talk of children, though, and she shifted closer to him, reaching up to gently touch his face.

"I don't mind having children right away," she answered. "Since Abtati have such shorter lives compared to other elves... and the fact that we can't have children at all until we've bonded with a mate... we don't usually put it off or take precautions either."

Chaceledon
 
Chaceledon considered it. Breaking the spell entirely wasn’t something that could be done lightly. All the men in the Well would need to agree, and it would likely be one of the riskier things she’d done. He pushed the thought away and drew closer to her. He kissed her, cradling her neck in his hand. “Good… I want to start our lives together. I want children with you. However a dragon and Abtati cross ends up working out.” he chuckled.

Rheinhard pushed open the tent and set the dead chuma down, along with several broken down packages wrapped in his shirt. “The chuma is for the tribe. The others for me.” He told Seteta, grabbing a cloth to wipe his hands free of blood.

Chaceledon gave him an irritated look. “In our tent?”

“I don’t have the storage space in mine and Hassani is nervous around dead humans.” Rheinhard replied.
 
Seteta met Chaceledon's kiss with tenderness. "I just hope our children will be strong and healthy," she said. "No matter which of us they are more like."

She stood then and gathered up the platter and tea cups, and showed Chaceledon how to wash everything while wasting as little water as possible after she'd put the remaining food away. She was just about ready to tug Chaceledon toward the bedding with a sly smirk on her face when Rheinhard swooped in.

Seteta grimaced at the sight and smell of blood, then scowled as Rheinhard dumped the chuma and the other packages inside.

"I was about to head out to you like you asked," she said, picking up the dead chuma by the ears. "And we are not keeping the rest of that in our tent. Or anyone's tent."

Seteta retrieved a sharp knife, then headed out of the tent.

"Follow me, and bring all that with you," she told Rheinhard. "Do you want to smoke it or store it?

"You can come if you want," Seteta told Chaceledon. "Or you can find Hassani and Keket and let them know muti will be hosting dinner tonight."

Chaceledon
 
“Smoking it would keep longer in this heat.” Rheinhard pointed out, picking up the rest of his rations. He eyed Seteta. He could feel what her plans had been for the evening and it definitely had not involved coming out to fetch a dead chuma. Chaceledon sighed and went to find Hassani and Keket, inspecting his nails as he walked for any damage from washing the cups. He better not have chipped anything.

He cleared his throat approaching Keket. “Mesi will be hosting dinner tonight, if you’d like to come.” he said politely. He was trying out Abtati, and he spoke it a bit awkwardly, and too slowly.

Rheinhard followed Seteta. “Nestor would like to study the Abtati, with your permission. It could be useful but there is no guarantee he will not be offensive. You know how he is.”
 
"I'll make a smoking pit for you, then, and show you where to find why you need for it," Seteta said, and had the decency to blush at Rheinhard's silent scrutiny but otherwise ignored the matter.

If he was going to barge into tent unannounced then he was going to have to deal with a few white lies now and then.

When he asked about Nestor, she shrugged. "I don't see why not," Seteta answered. "It's not like he can do much with the information. And I doubt he can offend anyone more than Chaceledon already has." She couldn't help but snicker a little as she finished.

She led him back outside the camp, closer to the entrance of the underground springs. Some trees and shrubs grew nearby, thanks to the underground waters, and she pointed out ones that the Inizae used for smoking meats.

As Rheinhard gathered what he wanted, Seteta knelt and pressed her hands to the earth. A moment later, a wide, shallow pit scooped itself out of the earth. The sand was soft enough that he could make a smoking rack from green branches and secure it over a fire by poking the branches into the sides of the pit, though he'd have to use palm fronds to cover the meat and keep the smoke in to cure it.

Seteta helped him with getting it all set up, then sat in the shade nearby as she skinned the chuma.

"Did you at least make it look like your kill was done by a wild animal?" she asked. "In case someone comes looking for them?"


Keket grinned and squealed as Chaceledon relayed the invitation. "Mesi is Seteta's muti," she told Hassani. "Her mother's mother.

"Is that what the commotion was earlier?" Keket asked Chaceledon. "Mesi's arrival?"

Chaceledon
 
“No. I put the head on a stick, with the cheeks and tongue removed. If anyone wishes to look for the assailant, they are likely suicidal. She was alone, with no combat training, and the nearest town is a week’s journey from here. I buried the offal I have no intention of using.” Rheinhard said, hacking off branches from the nearby shrubs and staking out the pit. He was meticulous, and rearranged them several times until he had the sticks, fire, and fronds exactly where he wanted them. The meat he laid out methodically. Calves, arms separated into upper and lower, two sets of ribs, tenderloin, liver and heart.

He covered the meat with generous helpings of the palm fronds, and helped her skin the chuma. “Nestor has also found the memory of Klaus encountering your Mesi, if you desire to see it.” He looked at her. He wasn’t expecting an affirmative answer, but it was there.

Muti. A word that meant little to Hassani. His mother’s mother had been bid for slaughter years ago, and with Persian’s rules there was little contact between them. Chaceledon winced slightly. “Yes, a bit. Her Muti recognized Rheinhard for what he was, and it was fairly tense. All better now…I hope.”
 
Seteta sighed. "Not all the Kaliti here are from towns. Many of them are nomadic tribes similar to us. To leave any part of her behind so blatantly would make our presence in the area obvious, and some might view it as a declaration of war.

"But we don't make things like that a habit... so perhaps they won't connect it to our presence."

The chuma's hide was too battered to tan, so Seteta buried it, then braided some palm leaves together to make rope so she didn't have to carry the carcass back with her bare hands. "We'll roast it whole," she told Rheinhard.

When he told her that Nestor had found the memory of her muti, Seteta sat back on her heels with a sigh.

"I think I'd like to hear her side of the story first," she answered after a few moments of silence, "so I know what to expect."


Keket quirked her head curiously at the phrase recognized Rheinhard for what he was, but didn't miss the way Hassani stilled.

"What, exactly, is Rheinhard?" Keket asked cautiously. "Most of us can sense the strange aura coming off him, but we can't make sense of it."

Chaceledon
 
“The Kaliti have hunted your kind for a long time. It is time they felt the same fear. If you truly want revenge, we can unleash Klaus on them. You have the weapons to prevent your people being bullied, Seteta. Do not hesitate to use them. It is why I am here.” Rheinhard told her. “There is no side to the story. Persian was drunk, Oor gets sadistic when he is drunk, they got Klaus drunk and unleashed him on a night hunt among your people. His enebriation is likely why more didn’t die. He was wrong to do it, and not even Nestor consents to hunting people for sport.”

Rheinhard tied the ropes around the carcass, under the elbows and back through the neck and chest cavities.

Chaceledon shook his head. “He is Seteta’s and my son, and that is all you really need to know about him for the moment. Just don’t touch him, and I wouldn’t recommend picking a fight with him. He’s quiet, and shy. He’s promised to be on his best behavior…though given the way he was watching some of your young men I wish he wouldn’t be so well behaved.”
 
With each word Rheinhard spoke, Seteta's eyebrows rose higher and higher.

"Some things are forbidden to the Inizae by Abtatu," she said at last. "You should not speak of revenge again. We will not be unleashing Klaus on anyone. Ever."

She sighed and leaned over to press a kiss to Rheinhard's forehead. "If we have need, though, I will not hesitate to ask for your aid."

When he relayed what had happened when Klaus attacked her people, though, she shook her head. "I think that is a memory I'd prefer not to see, then, if it was only senseless violence."

As Rheinhard tied up the chuma carcass for her, Seteta went and retrieved a pail of water from the cave entrance to the underground springs.

"We wash any blood and bodily fluids off outside the spring," she explained as she used it to clean her hands, "to not contaminate the water source. You're welcome to go and bathe while you wait on your meat. I'll take the chuma back to Mesi, and I can let you know when dinner is ready."

She picked up the chuma, holding it away from her body to not soil her clothes. "You can let me know then if you're joining us or not."


"Seteta's mut won't settle for that answer," Keket cautioned. "But for now I'll trust you and her."

Hassani knew more, though. Of that she was certain. She would pry some of it out of him later.

Keket did grin slyly, though, as Chaceledon ranted his frustrations.

"I had a feeling his persuasions went that way. Do you know what he likes? Delicate men? Strong, buff ones that could throw him over their shoulder?"

Chaceledon
 
Rheinhard stood still to let her kiss his forehead, and nodded. “I will join you, to buffer yourself and Chaceledon. It will do me no good to hide on the outskirts making folk nervous.” He told her. He took the pail and washed his hands and arms, but he would have to wash the rest of himself as well. He was content to let blood flake off his body, but it wasn’t presentable for dinner and Chaceledon would make a fuss.

When Seteta was gone he felt more comfortable stripping down, washing his clothes in the bucket, and hanging them up to dry while he bathed himself. It was easier to just upturn it over his head.

Chaceledon nodded. “I know she won’t and I’m expecting Mesi to tell her.” he sighed. “But thank you for trusting me and Seteta. As for the other matter…I’m not quite sure what his tastes are. He’s been forbidden that all his life. I’d wager something strong and muscular. He doesn’t tolerate weakness in anything else, I’d doubt he’d appreciate a partner who couldn’t stand on his own two feet.”

He grinned. “Have anyone with a sense of romance, a tolerance for stubbornness, and a godly sense of patience in mind?”
 
Catching up with a Friend
Mesi was resting when Seteta dropped the chuma off with the cook, and she was slightly grateful to just get in and out quickly. It was late afternoon and while it was the cooler part of the year, the temperature could still be quite warm until the sun was going down. Most Inizae rested during the hottest part of the day.

As she approached Keket's tent, Seteta paused outside the door and grinned as she listened.

"I do believe romantic, tolerance for stubbornness, and godly amounts of patience describe most of the Inizae," Seteta laughed as she stepped inside.

"Trying to matchmake for Rheinhard, sehejib?" she murmured, twining her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss.

Keket snorted. "Seteta's right about that. But... I might know some males who would be able to handle them. When we have our big feast, make sure to point out anyone who's caught his eye."

"We should go bathe soon," Seteta murmured when she pulled away from the kiss. "Muti will expect us clean and tidy."

She turned to Hassani then, plunking down at the table and reaching for one of Keket's sweets. "How's your Abtat coming along?" she asked. "If Keket is becoming annoying, just get up and leave. It won't hurt her feeling."

Keket threw a pastry at her, and Seteta caught it with a grin.

"While we're here..." Seteta glanced up at Chaceledon for a moment as she spoke with Keket. "Did you bring your supplies? I want to take care of a few more things."

Chaceledon
 
Chaceledon smiled and kissed Seteta, winding his arms around her. “If he’s occupied with a mate of his own, he’ll stop coming into our tent to throw carrion on the floor.” he mumbled against her lips. “Mustn’t let him know, though. He’d be angry with me for interfering.” He nodded to Keket. He would keep an eye out for anyone Rheinhard watched. His son was subtle, but Chaceledon was observant.

If Keket had a few men in mind, that was hopeful. “If you’ve got a man in mind…he could always approach Rheinhard and see what happens. He’s not the best conversationalist, but he’ll try for a handsome face.” Chaceledon looked relieved at the idea of a bath. Thank the gods. A nice long soak in the spring. He couldn’t wait!

Hassani smiled weakly. “Picking up bits here and there. It’s not an easy language to learn, but then again neither was Floimish. I’m enjoying learning from Miss Keket but I do think I need a break.”

Chaceledon waved a hand. “Of course I brought supplies, I wouldn’t be caught dead without them. Why do you think I brought ten bags?”
 
Seteta chuckled. "If he walks in on us a few more times like he did at your estate, he'll probably stop," she smirked.

"I'll talk to some men," Keket grinned, patting the empty spot on the rug next to her, and held out a plate of sweets. "Come, sit and chat for a bit."

Seteta reached over and patted Hassani's hand. "Go rest," she told him. "It's hotter than you're used to out here as well, and thinking can be hard at this time of day."

Chaceledon waved a hand. “Of course I brought supplies, I wouldn’t be caught dead without them. Why do you think I brought ten bags?”

"Not you," Seteta giggled. "Keket."

Seteta turned her head and ran a finger along the gold rings lining her right ear, then faced him again and pointed at her nose. "Supplies for more of these." She tapped her finger to her left eyebrow and the center of her lip. "I've been planning on more for a while. There are some others I was thinking of too, but letting them heal would probably try your patience too much right now."

Chaceledon
 
Hassani bowed, thanked Keket, and left to curl up in his tent. He had quite a lot to think about, and practice on his own. Chaceledon sat down, eyeing Seteta as she talked about more facial piercings. From the sound of it, other more exotic piercings as well. He touched her cheek and tilted her head, eyeing her jewelry.

“Pity I don’t have my wire and some small stones with me. I could make you some enviable jewelry.” Chaceledon said with a smile. He ignored the sweets. Much too much fat and sugar for his tastes. “Perhaps I should get another, just to watch mother implode.”

The dragon shifted, curling around the tent’s perimeter and coiling his tail fondly around Seteta. He kept his size manageable, and the head that settled into her lap was the size of a large dog. So, Keket. I know Seteta summoned the lot of you from different parts of the desert. What were you up to when she called?
 
Seteta happily leaned into Chaceledon's touch, let him gently tilt her head so he could look at her piercings. "There's plenty of time for you to make me whatever jewelry you'd like," she said, switching back to Abtat now that Hassani had left. She hadn't wanted to be rude and exclude him from the conversation earlier.

She snorted when he mentioned getting another piercing. "Does she even know about the one you already have?" Seteta asked curiously, reaching for the plate of sweets Chaceledon ignored, popping one into her mouth.

Keket's eyes roamed curiously over Chaceledon's form, though she gave a delighted gasp as he shifted into his dragon form. Seteta rolled her eyes s his tail coiled around her. When he settled his head in her lap, though, she smiled fondly and began to gently comb her fingers through his mane.

So, Keket. I know Seteta summoned the lot of you from different parts of the desert. What were you up to when she called?

"Oh, I was just making my way between places," Keket answered. "I have a regular route I make for the piercing business. I'm popular enough to be let through even in places where the Kaliti like to keep Abtati out."

Keket gestured at Chaceledon then.

"What does he have, besides the ear lobes?" Keket asked curiously, propping her elbows in the table as she leaned forward, her eyes following the length of Chaceledon's dragon body around the tent. "Gods, you two must be pretty when you're fucking. You have, right? When he's in that form?"

Seteta bit her bottom lip, a shiver tracing down her spine as she blushed and nodded. Chaceledon would feel her squirm slightly as heat swirled through her belly as she remembered the morning of her birthday.

Keket tutted lightly, reaching over with a sly grin to tug Seteta's lip out from her teeth. "You can't do that if you're going to pierce it."

Seteta cleared her throat and reached for some pastries. "I don't know what he has is called," Seteta said in response to Keket's earlier question. She laid out several pastries in a rather phallic shape on the table and indicated where the piercing was.

"I bet that's fun to play with," Keket snickered.

Chaceledon
 
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Of course she doesn’t, am I mad? Chaceledon chuckled, and began a rumbling purr in her lap. He loved how her fingers wove through his mane, a smile playing on his reptilian features. He could smell that little bolt of arousal, no doubt recalling her birthday. What a treat it had been for both of them. It’s called a lorum piercing. Or at least that’s what the man who gave it to me told me. I’ve only really tried my hand at piercing when Aron wanted to get an earring. Lasted only about a week before someone ripped it out of his ear during a boxing match. I was livid.

Chaceledon smirked and flicked an ear. I wouldn’t mind another. Perhaps my brow or nose. If you get a lip, Seteta, you’ll be too swollen to speak at dinner.

Rheinhard made his way back to camp. The majority of the smoked meat he stored in his tent with oil cloths he had taken along with them. A chunk of it he cut into strips, and settled in the camp to watch the goings on. Particularly to watch the men, even though Nestor’s running commentary on his tastes grated on his nerves. It was no secret the poisoner held no affections for either sex.
 
"We can't have both of us with sore lips at the same time," Seteta said. "And I wouldn't do it right now anyway. Keket needs time to prep her things and make the proper pieces." Her eyes flickered back to her friend. "A day or two right?"

Keket nodded. "How do... physical objects work, with your transformation?" she asked Chaceledon. "I'm honestly not sure how to do a piercing on you that won't rip out."

Seteta quietly eyed Chaceledon as he purred in her lap. Her hands wandered down his face and muzzle from his mane. "You could get a matching one like I have," she said, tapping lightly at the front of his nose. "But a brow would look very nice on your face, too. But is right now the best time to challenge your mother? She's barely accepting me as it is."

As they chatted and visited a little more, Seteta found herself relaxed in a way that she hadn't been for a while. Her lover with her, a good friend, and family nearby... she still couldn't believe how long Chaceledon had lasted without most of those things.

Eventually, just as the shadows began to grow long, she felt Rheinhard come back to the camp, and laughed softly to herself as she realized just how he was spending his down time.

"We should go bathe," she told Chaceledon. "Muti will be calling us for dinner soon. Rheinhard's back and he's... watching."

Chaceledon
 
Baths and Play
Chaceledon cracked open an eye, and rolled lazily onto his back. He kept his declawed forepaws tucked up against his body, but his rear legs spread wider so Keket could see. There was nothing immediately obvious; a tightly closed genital slit. With dragons everything tucks up rather neatly. If you pierced my brow, you’d just have to do it in dragon form. A brow on a human is just a fleshy mound anyway. Chaceledon said cheekily. He flopped his rear legs to one side, leaving the upper part of his body and chest open to belly rubs. It also put him within easy nuzzling range between her legs.

He was content to lay there, be petted and chat while they waited for dinner. He lifted his head and stretched like a cat, his coils lifting up and bunching as he flexed his muscles. He snaked his head out of the tent for a moment to look at Rheinhard, who was peacefully chewing on a bit of tendon and wrapping the hilt of his blade in it for better grip. He didn’t miss the looks he was giving to some younger Inizae.

You might want to wake Aron or Aluid. Someone to give him a bit of a cheerleader. Nestor is rather vicious.

Chaceledon uncoiled enough to walk out of the tent, in the hoppy little run he had to do with such a long body. He looked at Rheinhard, then back at Seteta. He was excited to bathe. He hurried to his tent and grabbed his toiletries bag in his mouth. He bounded toward the spring, and Rheinhard hid a smile watching him bounce by.

He must be happy, he’s willing to look ridiculous. He mentioned to Seteta. You may want to catch him before he leaps into the water and starts perfuming himself.

Chaceledon leapt up off the ground and did a little wiggle in the air, kicking his rear legs out to the side, before resuming his bouncing run. His head bobbed like a chicken, his short legs moving quickly to compensate for his size. His long tail rapidly moved in a figure 8, keeping him on balance. He wanted to bathe among clear waters, and swim naturally. Rheinhard thought he looked like a weasel. A happy, scaled weasel.
 
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