| Why Did You Jump? |
| Summary: | Saffron and Kamron do one last cliff-diving jump. |
| Date: | 12 June 2012 |
| Related Logs: | Learning to Fly |
| Players: |
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| The Rocky Coves, Terricks Roost |
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| The cliffs near the Roost. |
| June 12, 289 |
Colors of ochre and crimson ignite the ruffles of waves and streak colors across the skies. The east is darkening and there is a spattering of stars starting to peek through. Much of the picnic has been collected and hauled back to the Four Eagles Tower, and without a doubt much of the nobles have dissipated. Saffron has remained at the cove, perched on an weathered log to watch the sunset. She hums something soft under her breath, a dirge of some sort. Her dress has long been dried and she has returned to an acceptable state. She had tirelessly combed her fingers through the lengths of red hair to work out the tangles, and it now is soft and flowing about her shoulders with the slightest whisper of wind. Not standing too far off, picking over a bit if bread, is Punbah; he is talking at his shoes with the maid whom he had helped earlier at the picnic, and she is replying in earnest at her own shoes.
Kamron returns to the little cove with two cups in his hands as the party breaks up behind him. He has his boots back on, and his clothing his dried, crusted with salt, and been softened again through movement. Rocks shift under his feet as he steps down toward the water's edge. As he nears the Banefort, he speaks up, although his voice is quiet, "You never made it back with the rest, My Lady. Are you doing alright?"
Her fingertip softly traces the spiral engraved in the sea shell in her lap, and she seems quite oblivious to his approach until his voice touches her ears. She smiles up toward him, resting her hands together with the shell sandwiched between her palms. "I'm fine, honest, Ser Kamron," she replies softly as she scoots over on log to make room for him to sit and join her. "I don't know…" She glances over her shoulder briefly before she looks back up at him. "The sun has made me tired, perhaps, but I wanted to take a moment for myself. But, I will invite you to join me… of course." She even scoots down the log a bit to make ample room for him.
Kamron nods his head slowly, accepting the reassurance without further question. He moves over to settle down on the log alongside her, not close enough to touch legs, but certainly not at the far end. Offering out first one cup and then the other, he inquires with a tiny grin, "Wine, cider?" The latter would be non-alcoholic. "It was certainly an… interesting day. I hope it wasn't too exciting for you. I think everyone has been worn out a bit."
"Cider," Saffron requests as she holds out her hand to take the second cup. That shell is still held within her opposite hand. There is a quiet moment from the young woman as she sips at the apply brew, her eyes half closed for a moment as it cools her mouth. It has indeed been a long day, and the sun has pinked the skin of her nose and upper cheeks. She lifts her brows a moment at his assessment of the day, and she smiles softly to him. "Oh, the day was perfectly exciting, Ser Kamron. It was good to feel a bit of exhilaration and freedom. And I haven't taken a swim in so long." There is almost a whine in her voice with that last sentence, but it is good natured. She looks at him now, tilting her head. "Did you have fun?"
Kamron brings the second cup back around to offer it out, taking a sip of the wine himself. A little laughter rises to his lips after he swallows, "I rather enjoyed jumping, but I do wish the rescue hadn't been necessary." The 'not that I minded some parts of it' is unspoken, but quite clearly, the second rescue has utterly eclipsed the first in his mind. "You do know that Four Eagles is," he twists to point up toward the Keep that's just out of sight, "right there, My Lady." A soft chuckle adds to his voice, "And you could come down here any time with Punbah, Timmen, and a maid."
"I'm so… embarrassed by that," Saffron admits as she presses the cup against her opposite cheek. "I've never once felt so unsure of my own abilities, I admit… I should have foregone the shift." Her tone suggests she does not at all think this is an inappropriate thing. "I jumped perfectly safe without it." Then she looks over toward him, and then to the Tower, and back again with a smirk. "You say that like I have handfuls of time to spend swimming… I should make more time for it though," she murmurs the last bit of that as she lifts the cup to her lips, taking another sip. "Everything is moving so fast," she assesses quietly. "I'm expecting Timmen to return any day now with a letter from my father."
Kamron starts to shake his head at Saffron's words, and then another laugh bubbles up his throat at the mention of jumping without a shift, "You know… you could have also jumped alone instead of all three of you together, My Lady." There's a light teasing tone to his voice, "And then you could have stayed in your shift." As if that wasn't going to be bad enough, "But you were able to get back up to the surface before I even got there." So he did look to her first. Her mention of the letter draws his eyebrows up, "And do you have any more ideas on who the letter might name, Lady Saffron?" That last is spoken into his cup as he raises it to his lips.
"I could have," Saffron agrees with a small ghost of amusement in her eyes. "But we were assuming it would have been just us Ladies, not some spying Lords ready to peek around the bluff." She grins playfully to him then, nudging at his shoulder with hers briefly. She glances over her shoulder to Punbah, who is still talking with the maid, especially now that Kamron is here. Kamron has Morla's Seal of Approval, and therefore isn't a concern. With a sigh, she settles her gaze on the sunset. "The name of my husband," she says simply as she regards the contents of the cup. "Can I tell you something, Kamron?" She inquires softly, almost at a whisper.
Kamron snorts softly at the rather unfair description of his actions and those of Sers Kittridge and Martyn, rocking easily with the nudge on his shoulder. "The name of your betrothed-to-be." Still, he lets that sit without further comment, taking another sip of his wine and glancing from sunset to woman with sunset hair. "I hope you can tell me most anything, Lady Saffron." The words are quiet, as is the grin that follows, "I usually try to make sure that I can trust my friends with most anything."
"I want this one to stick," Saffron confesses as she continues to look at the cider swirling in her glass. "Its not that I don't want a husband. In fact, I feel like I've been… waiting in the marital rafters so to speak since my sister died. Ser Etin, Lord Walden, and now… whoever this mystery man is. I haven't even really… unpacked anything since I left Stonebridge." She smiles wanely over to him. "But today… thank you so much for today, Ser Kamron." Then she admits with a laugh, pausing only take another sip of her cider. "I would have liked a third jump, though."
Kamron raises his eyebrows at the admission, chuckling softly and taking another drink of his wine, nearly finishing up. "I image it's been difficult, My Lady. But will you ever be able to settle down and relax until you've at least found a place you can unpack." At the thanks, the knight reaches over with his right hand, resting it on her forearm for a moment, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. And I'm very glad that you're okay." The words are quiet, as simple and heartfelt as his smile. "There will always be time for another leap later, My Lady."
"I don't think I could stand it if I unpacked, only hear news that in a handful of weeks, I'll be having to pack again for wherever my new betrothed is from," Saffron retorts in a dry tone, giving him an arched look. It is softened however by the simple touch to her forearm, and she subconsciously reaches to touch his own hand. The shell is left in her lap. She meets his smile with a soft one of hers, and she holds his eyes for a long moment. With a tilt of her head, she looks past him to the cliff she had jumped from with the other ladies. Something passes over those pale, steel-blue eyes. "Jump with me," she says abruptly, her fingers curling under his hand to hold it in a gentle, but firm grip.
Kamron nods his head slowly at the word, then glances down at where her hand has touched his own, and she makes that request. He blinks, surprised and a bit at a loss. It's pretty clear that he wants to go, but his head turns back toward where Punbah and the maid are almost speaking. And then her hand curls around his, and he leans forward, toeing his boots loose. no words are spoken, and theoretically, none are necessary.
Saffron looks as if she has been preparing to argue it with him, give him every possible excuse and reasoning that he should do it. But then he's toeing off his boots, and she starts to smile with the full power of her dimples. Her shoes are far easier to pull off her feet. The precious gift of the spiral shell is tucked into one of her slippers so it won't be lost, and she draws herself up to her bare feet as she grabs his hand once more, intent on maintaining the wordlessness as she pulls him onto his feet. Punbah is still engaged with the maid, but as the two start to move, he blinks over to them.
Kamron shrugs one shoulder a little helplessly at Punbah, pulling off his boots and setting them carefully down before he allows his hand to be recaptured, "Overcoming fear, Master Punbah." The word are quiet, and he gestures up the rocky little path to the shorter of the diving places, "One more jump. Have a towel ready?" And then he's turning to follow the young lady, his bare feet sure and careful on the rocks and dirt. He ascends after the Banefort, returning to wordlessness if not silences.
"I, oh," Punbah blinks after them. "Of course, Milord." He glances to the maid, who is looking wide-eyed at the guard. Hastily, the pair head back to where some of the picnic supplies are still being gathered up to secure a towel. Saffron does not break that holy vow of silence as they scale the rocks. She releases his hand only to ease her navigation. In this early evening, there is a soft breeze that runs across the cliffs with the last bit of the day's warmth. Her lovely blue dress ruffles about her feet as she moves. Once she comes to the launching point of the cliff, she turns to face him with a small smile on her lips. She offers him her hand once more, palm up and fingers relaxed.
Kamron squeezes Saffron's hand a moment as the guard and maid duck off, stopping the pair of them well within sight of the others. He raises one finger to beg a moment, looking back to where Punbah and the Terrick girl have gone. Once they're in sight again and returning, then he drops his hand, bows his head, and gestures for her to precede him once more. When they arrive at the summit, he looks out over the water, then back to her, a grin quirking his lips. His hand extends to take hers, wrapping his fingers around her hand. It's a silent statement of, 'ready.'
Punbah is looking a touch nervous, but what else is he suppose to do but hope that Mistress Morla doesn't find out. Both guard and maid return with towels, and they look up at the cliff almost beseechingly. There on the summit, Saffron is squeezing the fingers of the Mallister knight in equal reply to readiness. She takes one step back, and then (hopefully with him instride), she darts forward to run straight off the cliff with a leap, hand-in-hand with the knight. There is a laugh in her throat even before she goes off the edge, and it quickly turns into an earnest whoop!
Kamron matches Saffron step for step toward the edge, leaping out into space over the water. He laughs as well, although he doesn't have time to scream out like he did with the higher jump. Instead, his laughter rises up, ceasing just in time to grab in a quick breath and cross his legs before they hit the water. As the chilled and still cooling sea passes over their heads he finally releases her hand, letting himself sink down and then sweeing his arms down and kicking with his feet to drive himself back to the surface — and just a little away from the Banefort girl, so they do not tangle their limbs.
There is a splash, and the water closes in over her head. There is a moment where she actually relishes in the cooler, darker waters. The sun hovers just at the horizon, offering them as much light as she can muster as they move about this other world. As he drives himself back toward the surface, she grabs onto his shirt with nimple and sure hands — knowing where he is regardless of the slight fog in her eyes. Wordless now because of the water, she looks at him through the haze. Bubbles escape her nose, but she is holding her breath steadily. There, with just a foot or two of water above their heads, she pulls him close and in a fleeting moment empowered solely by this world beyond worlds, she presses her lips to his. (Of course, as long as he doesn't resist) She will blame it later on the adrenaline.
Kamron loses some air when her hands grasp onto his shirt. Something must be wrong, and so he reaches out, putting his hands under her ribcage. He starts to lift, and then her lips touch his. His feet stop kicking, and he rocks as the waves pass them. His hands tighten at her sides, lips pressed tightly together to hold air in — and to keep from diving deeper into that kiss. He lingers there for a long moment, and then he kicks his feet again and shoves upward, trying to drive her up to the surface.
There is a shiver that passes through her, but she's not sure if its just due to the cooling waters. As they break the surface, Saffron tips her chin from his as she holds to his chest. Her hair clings to her throat and face, forelocks plastered to her brow. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whispers hastily. She has her eyes averted a bit, her feet kicking gently to help tread the water there in the wake of their drop.
Kamron sweeps his arms up and out, pulling himself to the surface. He takes in a deep breath, one hand staying at her elbow, the other sweeping out to help them tread water. There's a bit of red in his cheeks, either a blush or a flush, and his eyes are closed. He opens his mouth to respond, has to clear his throat, and then whispers, "No… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" he stops there, then shifts aside slightly, his hand going from her elbow to her shoulderblade to guide her back toward the shore, "You'll catch a chill." Not that he's likely to at the moment, with his lips and brain alike burning.
"You didn't," Saffron says in an abrupt moment of anger. "I did. You did nothing." There is something strangely accusatory in her tone — accusatory and embarrassed. His brain and lips might be burning due to the kiss, but hers now burn with something she cannot quite understand. She allows him to guide her to shore, but the moment she can get her own feet under her and on ground, she is moving rapidly as if to give them both space. The water is to her knees before she can hardly hold in the thoughts swirling around in her head. She turns on him suddenly, now that she needn't worry about their drowning. "Why did you even jump with me?" She demands.
Kamron reaches out to catch her arm as she sloshes off, glancing past her to the shoreline to see if Punbah and the maid have started down to meet them yet. Keeping his voice low, his first ridiculous impulse is to fire back, "Yes I did, I was kiss — " Yeah, that's not going to help. At least it's not going to help him. Looking down, and suddenly dropping his hand from her arm, he responds, "I wanted to hear you laugh again." The admission is barely more than a whisper, nearly lost in the idle wash of waves over the rocky shore.
"Why?" Saffron almost begs him as she steps after his retreat, even if its just his hand. "Why do you want such things? Why do you do anything? Its not like we're trying… its not like you want to…" Then she lets out a frustrated noise, something akin to a growl. "You confuse me," she announces a bit loudly. "You confuse me at every step. One moment, I swear you want something, that you almost yearn for it. And then the next, you push me away." And just because everything is so ill-fated, Punbah is peeking his way down to the cove to make sure no one has drowned.
Kamron opens his mouth as Saffron rants on, but before he can respond, there's Punbah. He forces a normal smile onto his face, helped by the fading sun spreading across half his face and leaving the other in shadow. "Master Punbah." His voice might be a little tight in his throat, but he clears it away quickly. "You've got towels for us?" A slightly strained laugh rises to his lips, "It's getting a little cold now that the sun's nearly down." He looks back to Saffron sidelong, his left hand clenching tight at his side.
Anger is burning in her eyes even as Punbah continues to warily approach. He knows Saffron all too well, and he looks at her worriedly before he glances back toward Kamron. He holds up his towels, though his attempt at a smile is hardly worth the effort as the firey look he is given from Saffron causes him to pale a bit. "Don't," she says to Kamron as she storms from the surf. "Just don't." And she steps up to snatch the towel out of Punbah's grasp. She buries her face into it as she continues to walk, past the guard.
Kamron watches Saffron explode, letting the anger wash over him as his own frustration and anger builds within. Bottling that sort of emotion up may be bad in the long run, but apparently, he's of the opinion that it's better than shouting about other emotions and desires still ricocheting around in his brain. Closing his eyes for a long moment, Kam breathes out, then gives Punbah a sympathetic look, "Just leave my towel and see her back safe to Four Eagles." His word are tight, his own frustration and anger not far below the surface.
Punbah stands there, looking completely lost for a moment as he watches Saffron start to take off at a run up toward the Green. She would be okay, its not that far, and he seems as though he has something he wants to say to Kamron Mallister. "Of course, sah," is all he manages as he offers out the towel to the knight. "Shall I tell her you'll look in on her tomorrow?" There is almost a suggestion there.
Kamron waves the towel off, "Leave it up there by my boots, if you would. It appears that I'm not done swimming yet." Mostly because he can't exactly hit anything around here without hurting himself and he needs to work off some anger. "I'll look in on her, but she can cool down before she knows that." The knight scrapes his hands back through his hair, starting to turn away, then stopping and adding, "Thank you, Master Punbah." And then he's turning fully away, sloshing out a few paces and then diving out into the cool waters of the cove.
Puffing out his cheek as he goes, Punbah deposits the towel on the log with a passing gesture. He notices the slippers she has left behind for sure, but he doesn't move to grab them. He remembers that story he overheard Lady Saffron telling to the younger girls — the one about the Lady who looses a slipper at the dance. Sure, there's two slippers there, but he doesn't imagine that taking one and leaving the other would be terribly keen. He trudges along after where Saffron has fled.
Kamron swims for another ten or fifteen minutes, until it's starting to get a bit too dark to be out at sea. And then he hauls himself out, finds the towel and his boots — and the slippers and seashell. He stares at them for a long moment as he's drying off and pulling his boots back on, then he gathers them up and squelches back up to the keep. Come morning, the pair of slippers will be sitting in the hall outside Saffron's apartments in Four Eagles, with the shell carefully balanced atop them.
