Closed And They Call it Puppy Love (Serrif)

[Gianne Basete]

7th Day of Fall, 512 AV Mid Morning The Sanctuary Her heart felt like a drum about to pound right out of her ribs and fall into the dirt. She'd caught her reflection this morning; she looked like a nervous wreck, which was right on the money. Gianne had woken early thanks to the jitters, then paced her room for a while, chanting a little manta to herself over and over. Don't say anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid. You're going to do something stupid. She'd thrown herself back onto her bed with a huff, burying her face in the pillow and tousling the sheets she'd just made. "This is going to be a disaster," she said to herself, her voice muffled by her pillow. But it was time to put on the big girl pants and go meet Serrif. Or put on the big girl pants then run instead. Of course, she didn't run. No, she eventually got back up, remade her bed, and finished getting dressed. Gianne had been sure that all of her clothes were washed and crisp, her boots and belt were cleaned and conditioned, and that her undergarments matched. Self confidence in a woman always started with matching underclothes. Her hair was brushed and done into a single braid lying over her shoulder, and her face was washed. That seemed like everything in the mental checklist. Now done, she slipped out of her room and walked up to the outdoor level of the Sanctuary. When doing her morning chores, she was beyond careful not to get dirty. Extra dust was wiped from her boots with an old scrap rag. She was to meet Serrif in the workroom when done, and she did just that. He wasn't there yet, which wasn't a surprise since it was so early, so she just took a seat. A bundle of nerves if there ever was one. Again that little mantra crept into her head, poking at her brain and making her sink lower and lower into her chair. I'm gonna' throw up. If she would've had gills, they'd be green.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

That had set this date up in advance, they had to set aside the time beforehand otherwise they would likely forget. Or one of them would forget and the other would remember, which would be much worse. Happenings around the Sanctuary were usual, he woke and went immediately to the clinic. There he checked to see what medicines had been used recently. One never knew when the night would bring in a few people to the clinic. And as such it was always good to check the medicine levels. Always waking early his body had become accustomed to the before morning break activities.

This busy work kept his mind off the thing he really wanted to concentrate on; every now and then his minds eye would focus again on Gianne. He couldn’t shake his attention off of her. She was…distractingly beautiful. He remembered almost every detail of her expressive and open face; how he loved to read it…her hazel eyes always gave her away. A smile crept across his face and he let out a gentle short laugh. Poor girl gave herself away at almost every turn. It was refreshing to have someone who didn’t hide themselves from you, but she was an enigma to him somewhat. But that was what tonight was for.

He wanted to know more about her, and answer any questions she had as well; because he knew that there were doubtlessly more to be had. He gathered himself as he moved about the clinic counting doses. He remembered how her skin felt to his touch, especially the soft gentle flesh of her face, on her red hot cheeks. She always seemed to be embarrassed around him; and honestly he was the same way. She had asked him to go with her to the city; he still kicked himself for not asking her first. However had he really been that blind to her? So blind that she had to make the move for him?

Thinking back to the isle yes…yes he was that blind to Gianne’s apparent attraction to him. Well; that needed to change if he was going to try and make this work between them or even begin to explore feelings for her. He would need to pay attention to her very closely. Little things would tell him everything he needed to know. Eventually the counting was done, and it was still early in the morning. He hadn’t donned on a shirt yet because there wasn’t much use for one this early in the morning. And as Kavala had urged him to do he was becoming more comfortable with himself. Little by little his skin was beginning to feel like his own.

“Well, let’s get this started.” Yes it was about time to get this started and see if he would turn this into a tragedy somehow. Every other relationship before this seemed to take an interesting turn for the worse. Determined to make this one better than all those combined he walked to his room and cleaned himself up some.

He hadn’t really been sweating any so he didn’t have to freshen up too much; which was a welcome difference from the usual. He would often find himself volunteered for random labor jobs around here. Like the random times when Kavala decided to expand some more turning the stone of the Sanctuary into sand. That was hard labor that still held a special place in his mind; because it was during these times that he was creating with her.

The temperature for him was comfortable outside, he really didn’t have any idea how long the two of them were going to stay in town. He assumed not very long because they would be needed back here at the Sanctuary as soon as possible, chaos had a way of showing up at the worst of times. So he wouldn’t need anything exceptionally warm, just something warm enough for the ride in; and possibly hang over Gianne’s shoulders if she got cold. His long fur cloak would be too much, but a standard black one would be just enough.

His leather satchel was thrown over his shoulder and he packed it with some coin as well as his riding gloves. He dressed with a short sleeved somewhat open top, what Kavala had suggested to him when she burned his bodysuit. It was black trimmed a little in green, nothing too fancy but it would accent his eyes nicely.

‘Calm down this will go fine’ He could feel his pulse heighten…why was he so nervous? It was Gianne! She wanted to be around him, she had asked for this. He ran his hand through his hair once to try and settle his nerves some.

He walked to the workroom…even the ground he covered felt different. Was he really that nervous? Ignoring that feeling he continued to walk to her and there she was sitting down waiting for him. Had she really been waiting for him?

“Have I kept you waiting?” He inquired hoping she hadn’t been waiting for him to get prepared too long. But he had in fact not prepared completely, as he was still missing any sign of footwear on his bare feet. Seemed he wasn’t the only one nervous.

[Gianne Basete]

She nearly lept out of her skin when Serrif spoke. She hadn't seen or heard him come in. The fingers inside her gloves were already sweaty and clammy from nerves, and she could feel a little perspiration on the back of her neck and between her breasts. Oh that's just petching great! Haven't gotten out the gates and I'm already roasting like a pig on a spit. Gianne stood quickly and had to grab the chair before her violent propulsion almost sent it clattering to the stone floor. Face flaming at her clumsiness, she pushed it back under the table she'd been waiting at. It screeched loudly in the silence. For the love of the Gods, Dira, kill me now. Is this a sign of how the day is going to go for me? Being an awkward mess? No answer from the all powerful beings above, of course. Taking a short breath to calm herself, she turned back to Serrif with a hesitant smile. "I don't really know how long I've been waiting. I was lost in thought the whole time. But don't worry, I know it wasn't long at all. I had a little morning work to do up top anyways, and I'm an early riser." Early to go to bed on top of that. She was one of very first to fall onto a pillow every night. Very few people wanted a riding lesson at dark. New horse men and women were skeptical about the lack of light. Gianne suddenly realized she'd fallen silent. Her hands fluttered uselessly as she looked around, making a strangled noise. Smooth. You might as well go jump off one of the domes in Riverfall, you idiot. She gulped and stopped her floundering, standing there awkwardly instead. Not an improvement. Then she noticed Serrif's satchel hanging over his shoulder. "I forgot my backpack!" she said a little too loudly, patting around her body as if that would magically make it appear. "I need to go get it," she garbled. "And I think you might need some shoes, too. I doubt you want to be up there barefoot. Might step on a nail." She was rambling, but at least moving. She jogged a little past him and hesitated, then said quickly, "Meet me outside our rooms." And then she was gone, sprinting down the hall like a rabbit being chased down by something with very big teeth. In her room, she slammed the door behind her and leaned against the cold wood. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she said over and over, pounding her head against the wood in unison with her woods. When the back of her head became too tender she stopped and rubbed it gingerly, frowning across the room at the far wall. "What are you doing? You're not a masochist, and he's just a man. Just because you've never been on a legitimate date doesn't mean you have to make a fool of yourself." "And I'm talking to myself. I must be going coocoo. Bet Serrif will reeeally think that's sexy." She steeled her nerves as much as she could with a few deep breaths. Seeing the fact that he'd forgotten shoes made her feel at least marginally better. Just act like this is any other day. Easier said than done, but she was going to try. At least she would quit acting like a fool who'd never been properly socialized. Gianne was sure to smooth her hair back in to place before retrieving her bag. She put money inside, as well as a couple peaches, one of her favorite kinds of fruit. Her knife was in her boot as usual, and she definitely didn't need any real weapons. It was a date, not a hunting escapade. On a side note she put the remnants of the loaf of bread inside that she'd gotten from the kitchen yesterday. Over half of it was left; plenty to share on top of the peaches. Not a meal, but a nice little sit down park snack. She went down the list and decided that was everything this time. Finally prepared, she left the room much more quietly than she'd entered after another deep, calming breath. I can do this.