PM to join Fancy A Walk? [Ife]

[Graham Whipmane]

Graham couldn't help a small, amused smile as he watched Ife. Despite her jesting the stakes weren't exactly fair. How can I even the odds? He wondered, nodding sagely at her excuse. Or at least more fun, distract her, help her loosen up...

"Wait here." He said suddenly, turning to jog back to Cato's side and rummage around in his the Yvas bags. "I swear I had some left... Where are they-- Ah! Here we go!" He crowed in success, pulling free a small bundle of barbed fishing arrows. He turned, grinning excitedly as he hurried back to Ife's side. "Have you ever tried Bow Fishing?" He asked, holding out half of the arrows for her to take, toeing off his boots at the same time. Graham bent to roll the legs of his pants up to his knees, beckoning for Ife to do the same.

"It takes a bit to get the hang off, but once you do it's almost easier than hunting rabbits." He explained, wading right into the clear water. The fish nearby darted away immediately, but Graham could see them lurking deeper in, and knew that it would only be a short while before the fish would make their way back into the warm shallows where they knew they were safe from other aquatic predators. He waited until Ife joined him before nocking the arrow. "The hardest part is getting the aiming right." He continued. "The water distorts our view, so while it seems like your aim is perfect, it's really an inch or so shy of the target, depending on the depth of the water. I find it easier to aim slightly above the fish, though even that is hit and miss sometimes." Graham laughed, though he was careful not to move; the fish were edging closer. "Literally. I'm still working out a foolproof technique, but it's still fun, especially in the hotter weather."

"Here we go." He murmured as the first fish swam close enough. Graham drew back on the bow, taking a long moment to level his aim, the streamline fletching tickling his cheek. The fish was swimming slowly and cautiously, which made it easier, and Graham was confident that he would him his target, he loosed the arrow. The arrow entered the water with barely a ripple, and pierced the fish through the tail. "I've noticed there's more chance of saving the arrow too, even when you miss." He added, quickly shouldering his bow and bending to pull the fish from the water before it caused a panic amongst the others gathering closer.

The other fish darted again as he reached down into the water, though he was careful enough that they only darted to the side instead of further out, which conveniently positioned them perfectly before Ife. "Have a go." He murmured, reaching over to squeeze her arm with his fish free hand, and smile in encouragement.

[Ife]

Ife watched with a keen eagerness as Graham turned and marched away from her, returning to their horses and rifling through his yvas bag. Her curiosity sparked even more when he came back, grinning widely. "Bow fishing?" She repeated, crinkling her nose. If her oblivious reaction had not made it clear enough, Ife subsequently confirmed "Nope, not at all."

She dutifully mimicked him as he rolled up the legs of his britches. After yanking up the skirt of her dress, she tucked and tied it to one side, revealing her pale calves and knees. There small heart-shaped birthmark on the anklebone of her right foot.

Despite the brightness of the sun, the water was colder than she had expected, and Ife gasped and winced as she paddled in the shallows after her companion. The silt and sand beneath her feet made for difficult walking, as if she was wading through treacle. Underwater shadows of fish darted away from the pair, and Ife gave Graham a sceptical look. She was about to accuse him of pranking her when he spoke again, knocking an arrow and readying his aim. She listened intently, her eyes darting from Graham's face to the smooth lake.

By the time he concluded his lesson, the fish had returned and now surrounded them both. Ife twirled her head around slowly - careful not to shift her legs - to look at the various shapes and colours of fish that lingered below the waterline. One brushed past her leg, smooth and cold. She gasped delightedly and shivered at the strange sensation.

Her eyes remained fixated on the male as he took a shot. She was incredibly impressed to see his arrow fly through the air, hit the water, and piece the fish's tail. It was a cleaner kill than she had expected. "Very impressive." she crooned, genuinely captivated with his impressive ability. "Do you have any more talents to show me?" She was all too aware of the underlying implications of her question: Ife even allowed herself to wink at him teasingly.

Flirtations aside, she accepted his bow and notched the barbed arrow after briefly examining it. She notched the arrow and twisted around in search of the small shoal. The fish twisted and swam amongst themselves, making the selection of Ife's target a particular challenge. Even then, she was careful to not aim the arrowhead directly at the fish, but instead above it as Graham had earlier suggested.

Once again she pulled back the arrow, inhaled slightly, and let the arrow fly. It hit the water smoothly and buried itself into the silt at the bottom. The fish burst away, panicked and disappearing into deeper waters. "Well, it's certainly not easy." She mused with a growing smile as she stooped down the retrieve his arrow. Her movement were slow, despite the fact that the fish had not yet returned to the shallows. "You win this round, Whipmane."

But Ife was not about to admit defeat that easily. As she extended her arm to return his bow and arrow, the redhead scooped up a handful of water with her free hand and delivered it right into the side of his head. Her rebellious action was accompanied by another delighted giggle.

[Graham Whipmane]

Graham was rather impressed with himself as well, if he was being honest. During his previous hunting trip he had been successful just as many times as he had been unsuccessful, and he was glad he hadn't made a fool out of himself after prattling on like he was an expert. He couldn't help the satisfied smirk that spread over his face at her praise, and he felt his eyebrows raise in surprise as she even went as far as to shoot him a wink. "Hmm..." He murmured thoughtfully, allowing his gaze to slip down her slender frame appreciatively. "I'm sure i could think of a few talents." He all but growled, eyes snapping back up to lock with the young womans. Royce is going to kill me when he finds out about this. A small, sane part of his mind whispered, though it was quickly silenced and pushed to the back to fret over later.

Graham watched carefully as Ife took her shot, interested in how she would do and if he had explained the technique clearly. He wasn't used to teaching others how he went about certain things, and most of the time when he even tried, he would simply be unable to put the explanation into words that made any sense. "You were close for your first try, and the stakes weren't exactly even." He said, shrugging. He turned and tossed the fish back to shore, where it landed with a wet squelch, before turning to reach for the offered bow. Before he even registered what Ife was doing with her free hand, the water had hit him in the face like an icy slap. Graham yelped, spine snapping straight in surprise as he blinked owlishly at Ife for a moment. Just as quickly as it had come, his surprise passed, and he rushed toward the giggling woman with a playful yell, water kicking up all around him as he forced his way through the water.

He grabbed the smaller woman around the waist, hoisting her up and bounding a few steps deeper into the lake. "You started this!" He laughed loudly, before tipping her backward into the waist-high water, submerging them both for an icy cold, body-shocking moment. He kept a hand on her waist, making sure to pull her back up to the surface with him.

[Ife]

The redhead squirmed and writhed in the male's grasp, trying to escape but in reality enjoying the sudden closeness. Her arms instinctively looped around his neck for balance and support, but Ife kept them there for further intimacy. His chest was firm against hers, and warm as well. In that first tick of their contact, Ife found herself deliriously happy.

She did not, however, appreciate the icy water that she was suddenly dipped into. Ife was submerged into the coldness; her hair flowered around her at all like swaths of red silk. She gasped at the last second and scrunched her eyes closed, her entire body stiff with the shock and strange sensation of weightless. As her torso and head dipped back, Ife's legs bent upwards to counterbalance herself, entwining into Graham's and searching for something to grip onto.

The world beneath the water was alien and quiet. She felt strangely weightless, as if she so no longer existed. But Ife did not panic: she could still feel Graham's hands on her back and her leg remained wrapped around his thighs. And with his hold came another type of support, something that made Ife relax and exhale, sending a stream of bubbles from her mouth and nose.

She felt a shift in her body, and Ife broke through the water surface to erupt back into the real, dry world. She was unsurprisingly soaking: her hair plastered onto her face and neck, her purple dress slightly transparent and clinging. After gasping for her breath, the redhead found herself erupt in more helpless giggles. Her arms were still around Graham's neck, her legs still entwined into his. Her dunk into the cold water had washed away Ife's doubt and earlier self-consciousness. When she spoke next, her fingers traced lightly on the back of Graham's neck. "Fine, you win. I started this, but you've finished it. Is there any prize you'd like to request?"

And then, brazenly obvious but no longer caring, Ife pressed herself ever so lightly against him.

[Graham Whipmane]

He wondered for a moment if she'd be angry. His sisters would have been nothing short of murderous if he had done such a thing to them. Shyke. I wished I'd thought of that first. He thought to himself as Ife surfaced, gasping for breath and blinking water from her eyes. She was soaked, and Graham wasn't much better off, the only dry patch left being his back, though he could feel water soaking from Ife's arms around his neck into the fabric of his shirt. Graham shivered, both at the cold of the lake and the feel of her body pressed so close. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. He thought wryly, an amused smile curling his lips at the thought. Submerged up to the waist with icy cold water, at the same time a beautiful woman wraps herself around me? The gods do care for my dignity after all.

He hummed happily as she traced patterns into his skin, and he relaxed his tensed muscles, though not his grip on Ife, and instead pulled her closer until they were touching from their ankles all the way up to the press of their chests. Graham could feel every curve of the woman's body, the beat of her heart and the rise and fall of her breathing. His own heart was thundering along, and for a moment he thought it might stop altogether if she were to pull away.

Should I be doing this? He wondered to himself, feeling slightly guilty as he gazed down at Ife. Is this a stupid idea? Probably. He worried, such a beautiful young woman, it could only end in heart ache. But who's to say it won't end for the better? Petch, I'll have plenty of time to regret it later anyway.

"A request, hmm?" He murmured lightly, his words all but catching in his throat as he watched a drop of water drip from her thick lashes and trace a path over the smooth skin of her cheek. "Now that's a hard one to decide." He continued, voice dropping to a whisper as his eyes locking with her own. "There's so much I want of you."

Despite his doubts and worries, Graham found it was true. She most definitely wasn't the little Baby Bird she had been. She'd matured without him even noticing, and she was no longer just his best friends little sister. She was stunning, but he found himself wanting more than her touch or her body. He wanted her company, her mind and thoughts, her strength.

"A kiss then?" He whispered, barely daring to breath.

[Ife]

He was no longer Graham, the friend of her eldest brother. The male's entire identity had changed right before Ife's very eyes. No more was he just the good-looking young man who had once accompanied Royce in their boyish days out. He was an entire being on his own now, a man that she found herself lusting after and whose company and body she wanted to share.

All doubts were dropped, all worries vanished. There was now a strange sureness in Ife that made her no longer wonder whether what she was doing was right or wrong. She was a primal being now, ruled by her urges and her body rather her mind or conscience.

His request, even for something as simple as a kiss, sent shivers down her spine. So there it was: the confirmation she had been hunting for since those first few lasting glances shared between them earlier that day. Ife's gasp caught in her throat and she suddenly found herself gleefully short of breath. Heart pounding, she allowed herself the tiniest of smirks before she eventually nodded. There was no way she could ever deny him a kiss, or anything for that matter.

"Well, it would be rude not to." She breathed, before tilting her neck to brush her lips to his. That first kiss was light and completely innocent. In truth the quickness and lightness of it all did not fully reflect the hot desires she felt. So when she pulled away, barely by a quarter inch, Ife did so for only a tick before pressing her lips against his yet again, this time with more pressure and more lustful want. Both of Ife's hands slid down to Graham's shoulders, pulling the male closer towards her: she was greedy for that contact and closeness.

In this watery world of the lake, they were not longer two people connected by a protective older brother and an eight-year age gap. Instead they were just two people together, bought together by coincidence or destiny -- she still wasn't sure which.

Ife pulled suddenly away from that second kiss, breathless and smiling. After the tiniest of bashful glanced, she placed her lips beside the male's ear and finally breathed out those three words she had been struggling to accept all afternoon: "I want you."

[Graham Whipmane]

Graham hummed at the first touch of Ife's lips, tightening his arms around her. It felt so good, so right, to be able to hold her, touch her, kiss her. He slid a hand up her back to slip his fingers into the wet strands of her hair, now blood red instead of the usual scarlet.

A part of him wanted to fall to his knees there and then, to beg for her hand and her love. Instead he pressed a kiss to her cheek, then her jaw, and finally the side her neck. He pressed his cheek to her skin, his hand sliding from her hair and down her back, over the curve of her hips before retracing the path once again.

As much as Graham wanted to take Ife back to his tent and never let her out again, he knew he couldn't. He had too much respect and fondness for her family, not to mention he was fairly certain her father would murder him if he were to bundle his youngest child up and disappear with her. It was clear that they had much to discuss, but it could wait until later, at the very least until they were dry, warm and back in Endrykas.

"We should start heading back." He murmured reluctantly against the smooth skin of her neck. The sun was nearly kissing the horizon, and a cool wind was starting to pick up, causing goose bumps to break out across Graham's arms. It'd be just my luck for her to catch her death of a cold and die. He thought morbidly to himself, rubbing his hand up and down her slender back a few times before stepping away, instantly missing the closeness.

He studied her for a moment, eyes darting over her face in search of any sign of regret. Finding none he darted back in to press another kiss to her lips, lingering just a moment before he pulled away again, dropping his hand to thread his fingers with her own.

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Graham Whipmane

Experience

• Organisation: 1
• Animal Husbandry: 1
• Land Navigation: 1
• Rhetoric: 4
• Socialisation: 5
• Observation: 5
• Flirting: 5
• Logic: 3
• Riding, Horse: 1
• Tracking: 1
• Running: 1
• Hunting: 1
• Fishing: 1
• Teaching: 1
• Weapon, Shortbow: 1
• Bodybuilding: 1
• Swimming: 1

Lore

• Royce Windstride: Ife's brother
• Graham: Concerned with settling down
• Endrykas: City Layout
• Royce Windstride: Expecting his first child
• Ife: All grown up
• Rhetoric: Straight to the point
• Ife: A love of birds
• Ife: Baby Bird
• Ife: A falconer
• Running: A steady jog
• Fishing: Bow fishing
• Bow Fishing: Basics
• Ife: Interested in more

Ife

Experience

• Animal Husbandry: 1
• Observation: 5
• Socialisation: 5
• Organisation: 1
• Flirting: 5
• Logic: 4
• Philosophy: 2
• Rhetoric: 2
• Riding, Horse: 1
• Stealth: 1
• Hunting: 1
• Subterfuge: 1
• Weapon, Shortbow: 2
• Fishing: 1
• Swimming: 1
• Seduction: 1

Lore

• Animal Husbandry: Feeding a baby falcon
• Royce: Expecting his first child
• Graham: All grown up
• Graham: The Eternal Bachelor
• Cheva Mark: A mark of Marriage
• Royce: First born, loyal, protective
• Flirting: Warm smiles and girlish giggles
• Johanna: Graham's sister
• Graham: The hunter
• Graham: Wants to join The Watch
• Graham: Wants to travel
• Fishing: Bow fishing
• Bow Fishing: Basics
• Graham: A strong, warm body

Notes

*Ridiculously smug smirk* D'aw, look at that, Baby Bird and The Eternal Bachelor. You better be good to her MR. G or its genital warts for you! (LOL). In all seriousness though, great thread you two, lots of skills covered and I found it kept me interested right the way through until the end. Ife you have a beautiful writing style, and G you're pretty good yourself. I'm not big on a lot internal thought but it really worked in this thread. Great work, enjoy the rewards.

Tips and Tricks for next time: Horse riding skill, you need to do a bit more other than just mention that they are riding if you want the points. Actively steering and controlling the animal's direction, speed, movement, etc.