Numair pulled on the reigns and Spots slowed, obediently. He dismounted and felt that the word 'ooze' what more appropriate for the motion. The air hung heavy with moisture around him; the heatwave that had plagued them for the last two days showed no signs of letting up. Numair fed Spots an apple from his pocket, thanking the poor beast for carrying him in such unfavorable conditions.
He didn't see Daine at camp but took the time to tend to his mount before looking for his friend-not wanting to face her wrath if she didn't find Spots condition up to her standards. He was contented to find his four-legged friends breathing returning to normal by the time he was done brushing him down, though less amused to see how much hair had become stuck to his sweat-soaked shirt. He grumbled and pulled it off, throwing it on top of his pack. He didn't bother with another, knowing it would become just as soaked in a matter of minutes.
For one of the first times since the young dragonet had tumbled into his life he was glad Kit had stayed with T'Kaa. Though Daine teased him about being picky, he secretly thought the young dragon had the highest standards of the three of them and that she would have been miserable in such heat. He moved across the clearing, giving Cloud a wide berth considering how much vulnerable skin he had exposed to her, and moved over the forest rise.
As he moved through the foliage the sounds of cicadas began to give way to the soft trickling of the nearby stream where is emptied into the pond.
"Daine?" He called, relieved to be moving down the slope as opposed to up.
"Over here." Her voice was faint, but he was able to follow the sound around a rocky outcropping that concealed a deep part of the pond.
"No word from-" He stopped, blushing furiously. Daine leaned over a boulder, head resting against her forearms as she fed seeds to a family of chipmunks. She was bare, tanned skin of her sides and back visible to him in the glaring sunlight down to where her hips met the surface of the water which, thankfully, concealed the rest of her form. "Sorry," he faltered, averting his gaze.
"Still no word?" She sighed, shoulders tensing and glancing at him. They had been camped in one spot for a week not with no word from their contact.
"Afraid not." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We can talk about it at camp. I didn't realize you were indisposed," he glanced at her, "you could have warned me." He felt a lecture about decency forming on the tip of his tongue, but she waved him off.
"You've seen me naked a hundred times. Besides, it's too hot for clothes." She stretched her arms out across the rock and rested her cheek against it. Out of seeds, the chipmunks scattered back to the cover of the forest, forming a tiny stampede over Numair's boots as they went.
"I don't think the frequency really affects the respectability of the situation," he chided but was once again cut off by her sigh.
"I don't want to be respectable, I want to not die of the heat. Besides, you're one to talk," she lifted her head and raised an eyebrow in his direction, gaze travelling down his chest before rising to his face once more.
He blushed, having forgotten his own state of undress. "That's different, I don't have-" he waved his hand at her, "stuff."
"Breasts?" She asked, barely restraining her mirth, "or a-"
"Breasts, yes," he cut her off quickly, face burning. "Or both." he groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I will see you at camp, Daine."
"Relax, there's not another two-legger for miles. Just get in."
"What?" He was taken aback by how casual the request was.
"Get in. You're only going to get tired and cranky if you can't cool off, and it's not like there's anything else we need to do today." She shrugged and he averted his eyes as the motion exposed the tops of her breasts for a brief moment.
He looked out over the pond-suddenly acutely aware of how good it would feel to get any respite from the hot, sticky summer air. He swallowed, trying to think of all the reasons he knew he should have to not join her. There were many. He was sure of it. "With you?" He asked, finally.
"It's an entire pond, Numair. You don't have to sit on my lap." He could practically feel her roll her eyes at him, and sighed.
"This is really not-"
"Appropriate," she mimicked him, deadpanning. She dropped the mocking tone and smiled at him, "It's not, but it is practical. I won't tell if you don't," she winked at him and he dropped his head into his hands, exasperated and hot.
"Daine," he groaned. A faint wind disturbed the air-not enough to bring any real relief, but enough to tease at the comfort that was available to him.
"Numair," she raised her eyebrows, "relax." She lowered herself into the water, disappearing from view as she submerged before resurfacing several feet away. She did make it look refreshing.
He looked around them, part of him expecting the court gossips to spring from behind a tree, and contemplated his options. Tapping his foot he glanced at her, trying to remember all of the boundaries he had spent years cultivating, and all of the lines that were important left uncrossed.
"Fine," he unhooked his belt, "but for Mithros' sake turn around while I get in."