Dynamic Tension (Salar)

[Ssedrasshadara]

Her skin seemed to be helping, much to her surprise. It managed to shrug off a number of grab attempts, but Sshadara was noticing something else. She inhaled deeply, and if she could have smiled then she would have. He seemed to be getting excited. She was brought back to the match when he got ahold her left wrist. Twisting sharply, she managed to release his grip but ended up locking their arms. She didn’t really know such a thing could happen, but her attention was garnered by his other arm before she could figure it out. She blocked his forearm with hers and they rolled, putting Salar on top. He was heavy, and his tail weighed on hers enough to prevent her from any drastic thrashing. Her face burned with embarrassment. She knew that she was pinned. She sighed and relaxed, allowing her head to rest on the ground. “I seem to need a teacher,” she said wryly. Salar looked distracted, and it wasn’t hard to figure out where his eyes were. Sshadara found herself wanting to smirk. Yes, she was immobile on the ground, but they were still in Zinrah and Salar was male. If she told him to get off of her then he would have to obey or risk punishment. However, while she was not averse to telling males what to do, the idea of asking Salar to remove himself from her personal space just wasn’t appealing. Even so, she still intended to exercise the authority of her gender, but judging by the scent flooding off of him in waves he probably wouldn’t mind. Moving slowly but firmly, she disentangled her arms and tail from his, leaning up until her head was next to his and her tongue flicked at his ear. “Follow.” She slid away, shifting as she did so, and within seconds disappeared into the crowd. She wasn’t truly concerned about losing him; her scent was fresh, and saturated as it was by both his arousal and her own it would most likely stick out like a sore thumb.

[Kara Sunderwater]

"We both do," he answered. It was not the ending that he wanted. It had been a fluke that he had rolled atop! Such was not a display of his strength! Inwardly, Salar cursed as his anger grew. Not at Sshadara, who had done her best, but at himself for such a poor display of his skill. But he would not let the anger control him or reveal itself. Then she had whispered a single command. "Follow" That surprised him. What did she intend now? To prolong and further the humiliation he felt? He was victor but what kind of victory was this? An unskilled opponent almost besting him. No, she was Sshadara and female Dhani. That pedigree alone meant that it was not his place to question her motives or commands. Only to obey. That was something Salar could do and had done since birth. Quietly and obediently, he slithered after Sshadara without a word. He ignored the jibes, the insults, the congratulations and the well-wishes. If the match was over, it certainly did not feel like it. This seemed, merely, to be an interlude between rounds. He watched the beginning of her shifting, admiring her snake form. But he remained in his Dhani form, unwilling to let go of the tension he felt in his muscles and his spirit. Even after he lost sight, he could smell her distinctly. "I hear and obey," he hissed.

[Ssedrasshadara]

As she left the thick of the crowd, Sshadara glanced behind her. She hadn’t really expected Salar to disobey her, but it never hurt to be sure. She noticed with surprise that he had not shifted into snake form, which had put more distance between them than she realized. He kept his gaze on his path resiliently, drawing her attentions to the sidelong glances and smirks directed at him, and she couldn’t help but feel a small flare of irritation on his behalf. He had won, hadn’t he? Well, no matter. She turned back to where she had been going and slithered out of the training gallery at a brisk pace. She felt tense, more than she was used to. She wanted to relax, and she knew as well as any Dahni that there was only one place in Zinrah that did that well. She smelled the water before she saw the steam, first a fine mist but billowing into thick clouds as she went deeper and deeper into the tunnels. She sniffed at the mouths of the small branching tunnels, leaving each behind until she found one that hadn’t been visited in a day at least. She took care to slide heavily on one wall and leave a solid scent trail for Salar to follow, but when the passage widened into a chamber she headed to the center. Sshadara absently shifted back to Dhani form as she descended into the pool at the center of the cave. It was warm but not scalding, and the steam here was present without being suffocating. There was enough space between the cave and the main passageway that nothing could be seen by passerby, and nothing would be heard unless it was incessantly loud, such as a scream or a large crash. Complete privacy was just one of the reasons that the steam baths were so loved by the denizens of Zinrah.

[Kara Sunderwater]

Salar followed quietly, obedient to the older female's wishes. To do otherwise was unthinkable. But as much as he tried not to, Salar could not help but wonder what Sshadara intended. Punishment for his attentions? If that was the case, he would take whatever she doled out. As she led him towards the steam baths, Salar began to wonder if the punishment required him to bathe her. That would be an odd punishment. Or perhaps, Sshadara wanted to bathe with him? Salar was still tense, even as he shifted into his snake form to enter the baths, the tension was only slightly eased. At the water's edge, he shifted into Dhani form. And waited silently, his muscles continued to be tense and unbending. She had summoned him for some purpose and he would wait for instructions.

[Ssedrasshadara]

The whisper of scales over stone alerted Sshadara to his approach, but she didn’t turn her head to look until his shadow danced over the walls of the tunnel. He slithered to the water’s edge and shifted, and Sshadara admired the view for a few moments before speaking. “Get in,” she said, gesturing to the water’s surface. She took a few seconds to settle more comfortably into the stone behind her. “Now, why do you think you are here? You act as if it were your own execution.”

[Kara Sunderwater]

"Someone with your captivating looks would make anyone tense. As for why I'm here," Salar said, "I think you've got some plan to get even with me. That or you're interested in me." He joined her in the water, letting the warmth seep into him for a while. Even in the water, Sshadara glowed and radiated beauty as if she was a candle flame. If Sshadara wanted to play games, then he would reciprocate. It was not often that he got to bandy words with such a female. Might as well savor the moment. "Would you like to tell me or shall I continue to sing about how much your beauty has distracted me since we met?"

[Ssedrasshadara]

Sshadara couldn’t help but be pleased. She was fully aware of how vain she was, but compliments always made her happy. Salar slipped into the pool and Sshadara waited. He had earned a bit of relaxation, and it was he who broke the silence first. “Hmm…” she pretended to sink deep into thought. While her torso remained in place, the lower half of her coils slowly began to move across the bottom of the pool until they met Salar’s. “I think I like your singing.”

[Kara Sunderwater]

Oh yes, she wanted to get even. Well, Salar refused to let her have it all her way. "Your scales are exquisitely smooth, telling of someone who is not often in harm's way. Your radiant beauty blinds me but your pet snake keeps most males away much better." He felt her tail touch hers and it made him relax and uncoil ever so slightly. "Your wrestling needs work but your touch is electrifying. In a contest of words, I am sure I'd lose since physical strength is one of my few endowments and your intellect is well-known. But, if that pet snake of yours was here, I'd crush him in my coils and take you for myself." Salar submerged a little into the water so that only his torso, arms and head were above water. Beneath the steaming water, his tail intertwined more around Sshadara's tail. "How was that song?"

[Ssedrasshadara]

One of the virtues of Zinrah was its openness; in such close quarters, modesty was nonexistent. Procreation was a concept that was as native to a child Dhani as hunting; something well-known that they would one day do themselves. Sshadara had casually passed by enough couples and snatched enough hearsay that she was fairly certain what was expected of her; nevertheless, she was nervous. Though she would kill every Myrian to walk the face of the planet before admitting that this was her first time, it was mere instinct governing her now. Sshadara’s inexperience didn’t cloud her ability to see the changing situation. She didn’t know what she had expected, but she didn’t think that is was this. It was supposed to be simple; Salar was a very large, well-built male, and from their match his strength was nothing small, while she was a cunning female with a penchant for personal care. The wrestling match was a test, and granted, she didn’t have nearly enough knowledge on the subject to gauge his skill, but she knew that he had solid abilities in the area. More than she did, anyway. But witty conversation wasn’t supposed to factor into an intimate encounter, was it? His tail twisted with hers farther as he finished. Though she noticed his brazen display of possessiveness, she found that she didn’t mind. Such a step outside of gender norm was a bit exciting. The rest of her length began to slide to his side of the pool, overlapping with his and creating the beginnings of a knot. She leaned forward and sank until only the top of her head, neck and shoulders touched the air, then moved in his direction with all the speed of a chameleon. Teasing him in her own little way. One clawed index finger on his stomach. Then a middle finger. Then the index finger above that. Slowly, her hand walked with two fingers up his body, over his chest and collar, and ending with a coy flick of his chin. “A fine song,” she hissed. “Sing another and see where that leads you.”

[Kara Sunderwater]

Sal hesitated, looking at Sshadara, her eyes, her fingers but nothing came to mind. All of this witty stuff was not his forte. Hadn't he just said that? Why was she driving him further into a corner? It had taken every ounce of his creativity to craft that last "song," though he had to admit, it would be a pretty bad one if put to music. Hadn't he just declared his intentions? But she was female and anything he said, she could order otherwise. This was an exercise in control... Salar could be strongest male but the smallest female would still be able to give him orders and expect him to obey. If strength determined worth, then the weakest female was still stronger than him. Sshadara's touch was still sending jolts of excited electricity to his brain. His instincts told to just take her, there and then, and impress upon her his raw strength. Like a war drum beating beside each ear, the scent of a helpless prey upon his nose, the taste of victory upon his tongue. "I have nothing else. I'm not that smart, Sshadara, to come up with so much prose. You're the smart one," he admitted, sagging his shoulders.