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 Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:52 am
Mele was engrossed with her work, a little earlier than she normally would have been, perhaps, but she had been trying to get a certain hazy, drunken evening's antics out of her head. How embarrassing. On all fronts. Not only did she manage to make a fool of herself in Colby's House, which had to have gotten back to the Wicked Witch herself, but she then demanded to be carried home like an inpertinant brat who's only form of thanks was a ridiculous attempt to grope her and then a prompt ability to fall asleep as soon as she hit the mattress, which she had clearly asked Gunn to join her on.
What a ridiculous series of events she engaged in.
Deciding she actually didn't like the plate she was working on at the current moment at all, she collapsed her hands together and brought all the clay back to a disgusting, wet lump on her wheel. Not even remotely caring that her hands were full of wet, gray clay, she put her head in her hands and balanced her elbows on her knees: effectively getting herself ridiculously dirty and smearing soft clay all over her forehead, temples, and hair.
Of course, Mele was probably caught up in her recollection of the night due to the fact that Gunnwale would be around any moment with that week's load of clay. One entire week had gone by, as the two hadn't had much of a chance to talk the second market day, but here they were again.
The Vhaid was, in fact, already on property, unloading the blocks to their customary resting place. A form-fitting white tunic, partially unlaced, exposed her bare arms to the sun. It was a hot afternoon, but the work felt good to her muscles. Gunn didn't usually bother Mele in her studio, not when she was only dropping off clay, and didn't really plan to deviate from their usual routine today. That is, other than the book she'd brought into town for the Olplyn. But that would come later, she still had quite a bit of clay to get through.
Mele stood, and wandered around her studio, completely at a lack of ability and interest in her work. Not even Hielk had been able to inspire moments of... a lack of inspiration, as it were. The jivvin was quite alone in her head and, she assumed, her studio and the area around it, so it shouldn't have been too surprising when she nearly fainted as she walked out of the small building.
Of course, it was the day before Market. The day Gunn came around with her clay and sand for the week. And she should have thought ahead a bit more in what she wanted to wear and what was appropriate to greet company in. Clearly not finding amusement with how unreasonably undressed she was, in her shorts, worn in and well above what she considered appropriate, and a tight, form fitting shirt that left not too much to the imagination. And since today was shaping up to be oh-so good, all of the baggy aprons she usually kept around were in a basket, waiting to be washed. Inside her house.
"Ah." Wonderful, inspiring words to live by and surely an enticing greeting.
"Ho, Miss Mele." It was as friendly a greeting as usual and as Gunn glanced up from the clay, she didn't give any outward sign that Mele was covered in rapidly drying clay, or that she was rather underdressed. Nor did she mention the previous week's misadventure. "You are well?"
Straightening, a blue palm went to the small of her back in a stretch, bright gaze meeting the younger jivviness's eyes. "I've something for you, if you'll wait but a moment." Moving around the other side of the cart, she dug in a satchel until an old, worn [but marvelously upkept] book. It was clearly nautical in nature and the inside jacket had the signature of Gunnwale Tatum I, followed by the handwriting up a child beneath that said only Gunn II. "The book I mentioned? Your nephew did indeed earn it with his help last week."
"I'm not exactly- I mean. Uh. I'm kind of, you see. Let's go inside, yeah?" She was gesturing somewhat nervously to herself and her relative amount of clay versus skin showing at that point and it seemed the mud was winning.
"I don't want to get clay on it." She finally mumbled, and led the way towards the only other building for a bit of a ways. The brunette quickly marched up the stairs of her wrap-around porch that she had built with her dad when she had decided to move into the home, and her new flowers were growing nicely along the trellises. She waited a moment for Gunn to come in behind her before she mounted the stairs that led to her neat apartment she lived in. And really, she probably should have given Gunn the opportunity to go up first because, in all actuality, every time she moved either of her legs to start on the next stair, her shorts rode up just the smallest amount. Smaller than was necessary, at best.
Unaware of the situation, she flushed a bit and asked if she could get Gunn anything to drink as she nodded towards the small kitchen table and began to wash her hands and lower arms in the sink.
[Eh. I got bored. We'll finish it soon, I imagine.]
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Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:57 pm
[Indu came home. She read my mind. We did more, but I don't think we're done yet. Hahhhh.]
"That would be lovely. Anything is fine, Miss Mele." Gunn had quietly followed the younger female, gentle hands holding the book as if it was important to her, which it very much was. Gunn, however, didn't watch her climb the stairs, instead having her gaze caught by the flowers. A fingertip gently touched the new plants and her voice was cheerful. "I see these are coming in well. An excellent choice."
Finally glancing up from her thoughts, the Vhaid spotted Mele at the top of the stairs and blinked before joining her up above, Generally, Gunn stuck to the downstairs, as she'd really had no reason to go up. Well. Then again, she'd had a reason in the last week, when she'd deposited the drowsy Olplyn into her bed for the night.
She peered into her ice box to see if there was anything slightly appropriate for this hour of the day, the way her week had been going. And she found a nice, summery ale. That would go nicely. Pouring out liquid enough for both of the jivvinesses in her favourite glasses, long leaning towards the thinner, with a bit of a geometric pattern pressed into the glass, and the yellow colour of the alcohol reflected back into the shade of the glass, blue, well enough.
"It should be cool, but did you want some ice too?" Nerves made her stutter through the first phrase before she steeled herself for the conversation that needed to occur between the two of them.
Before sitting and settling at the table, the ceramicist opened the windows that looked out over the front of the porch and a breeze filtered into the kitchen, only separated from the living space to the left with a thin partition. The flowers currently growing up her porch helped flavour and scent the air flow and Mele took a moment to smell the air before she sat down and took a short gulp of the ale.
"I wanted to apologize, for last week. And, you know, falling asleep. And jumping on you. And my behavior in general. It was abhorrent and I'll make sure that it doesn't happen again and I hope that it won't affect any future business between us." Eyes cast down at the table, the younger Olplyn let her words come out in a rush and sucked a breath in before she glanced up.
Gunn's slow swallows of ale were leisurely and she nodded at the flavor, obviously appreciating the draught. Someone had probably traded it to the Olplyn for some pottery, and it had been a fair deal. While Mele worked her way through an obviously prepared apology, the Vhaid took the opportunity to watch her face, their eyes locking the moment the ceramicist looked up.
"Miss Mele, our business transactions are quite separate from our interpersonal relations. Do not worry over that." Really, in all the years Gunn had been a part of the village, if she let hook ups interfere with business, well... She would be in quite a tangle. Her response, however, didn't shed much light on her feelings about the situation.
"That's a relief. To know that business is kept apart from-" The Olplyn frowned for a moment before quirking an eyebrow up and trying to determine something that Gunn had probably purposely left out. "And what exactly is the nature of those interpersonal relations? In your opinion, I mean?"
Perhaps it was the ale, again, and perhaps it was a week of hermitage and deep thinking that caused the unnatural boldness to her words. Her usually quiet demeanor was shunned to the closet in her mind and some of her Olplyn traits came the the surface abruptly while she crossed her arms over her chest.
Brows rose and Gunn, as usual, refused to be baited. She spent time around all of the ranks, and liked each one for different qualities. She was no stranger to this sort of stubborn behavior. "That is entirely up to you, Miss Mele." After all, she was the one who avoided company. Gunnwale came all the way into the village to get it, herself. She wasn't the type to deny that she enjoyed others.
Lifting her glass, she touched it to the younger jivviness's. "A fine ale." Another slow, steady drink. To think, some Olplyns found her easy-going ways infuriating [read: Colby].
Standing from the table with a bit of a huff, the female stopped herself before she lost her temper and walked towards the sink. Something she and Colby had in common was their temper. Slow, steady, and then rip-roaring. Similar to a fire. And, well, she rather preferred not to work when she was working through some sort of funk that would invariably affect her for the next period of time. Some of her best work was the result of such a flair in her temper, but it was very rare for her to find any sort of creative ability.
Mele stopped before she started to pace and turned around, leaning against the sink with her lower back and crossing her arms over her chest again. She mulled the phrase around in her head and decided that she hadn't had enough to drink to start the sort of fight she really wanted and could later blame on the alcohol. Her fingernails were digging into her palms as she pulled her fingers into fists and Mele wasn't really in the mood to play. Or, perhaps she was, really.
A smirk slowly changed the features on her face and the Olplyn pushed off of the counter behind her. Her arms uncrossed themselves and her brown eyes glittered as she walked around the kitchen until she stood behind Gunn, and leaned down over the back of the chair, her mouth parallel with the older Vhaid's ear.
"Somehow, I get the feeling it isn't quite up to me."
"You are, of course, correct, Miss Mele. However, I have already made up my mind."
Gunn had already made the decision to engage in sexual encounters with the Olplyn, if the younger jivviness showed interest, which she had. However, the nautical Vhaid wasn't going to make the first move, as she was used to relationships changing their nature repeatedly, but Mele was not. It would have to be something the ceramicist desired enough to reach for.
Gunnwale didn't move from her seat, her only obvious physical response another swallow of ale, finishing off the glass and setting it on the table with a quiet 'thunk'.
Leaning in, the brown jivviness let a bit of a smirk grace her features and waited a beat before she responded to Gunn. "Still thirsty? I'm leaning towards the.... hungry side, but that is just me." Purring and breathing hot air near Gunn's ear, Mele reached an arm over the Vhaid's shoulder as if to embrace her, but then picked up the mug and moved entirely away to the other side of the kitchen. Swinging her hips probably more than she usually would, the female glanced over her shoulder with the same, snarky smirk on her features and raised one of her brows.
"Ale, again?"
Gunn turned to watch Mele, her stormy eyes amused, though her expression remained neutral as she spoke, slow and calm. "I'll take whatever you give me, with pleasure."
The dark jivviness pushed back her chair, getting to her feet to lean against Mele's counter. She'd always disliked being seated while those around her stood. Call it a matter of courtesy. It was clear that Mele was playing a game, and that Gunn either didn't know, or care about, the rules.
Not even knowing where it came from, she burst out laughing. Big, deep, belly laughs that wouldn't go away, no matter how hard she bit her tongue. And that just made it worse. Having to put down the bottle of ale and lean against the counter, she tried to hurry the process but kept laughing. Like a lunatic, she told herself in her head. Eventually she simply collapsed and sat on the floor, before laying down and finally finishing her laughter.
Glancing up to where the older jivviness stood, she put her arms behind her head and simply looked up. "I'm no good at playing games. That was horrible." Grinning a bit, she didn't even move from the floor while she spoke, simply closing her eyes.
Silent, always quiet when observing, Gunn waited for Mele's laughter to pass, and once the Olplyn had dropped down the the floor she shifted, crouching before Mele and waiting for her to open her eyes. A smile, and her soft, rough voice was soothing. "Then let's not play a game."
Besides the fact that the sailor invariably won most games due to her patience [unless it was one of Cole's games of luck] and it really wasn't at all fair to Mele. "Just tell me what you want."
Mele mused to herself for several long moments before she decided how to answer that question. Still figuring the answer out while she spoke, the brunette gazed up at Gunn while she spoke. "A partner. I'm tired of being alone in this big house by myself. Someone to fall asleep with at night. Long term. Maybe a brood within a few years... or a decade," she muttered.
"I'm older than plenty of other jivvins that have settled down and mated with someone else. Someone to bring home to my family and shut them all up." She added the last part with a bit of a scowl, thinking of her mother and how much she seemed to think it was necessary for Mele to have little monster-children to run around after.
"I want some stability and to be able to rely on someone other than myself. To settle down. To bring me out of my shell, a bit, too." Shrugging her shoulder, the female made sure she kept her eyes straight on Gunn for any reaction.
"I'm sure Miss Colby has a plethora of suitable broodmates for you." Gunn's voice was wry, though her blank expression made it hard to tell if she was joking or not as she examined Mele's face. The two were friends, yes, of sorts, but they were not the type to have heart-to-hearts. If Mele was just asking for advice or a sympathizer, she would've spoken to Cole.
Which meant she was asking for something specific from Gunn. Perhaps she could stay on the nights she was in town? Mele had already been relying on Gunn for her livelihood for decades, as she provided her clay.
"The lake is beautiful this time of year," she offered, before deciding to go further. "Miss Mele, I am as reliable as the tide." The stark contrast of her white grin against her dark skin spoke of the apparent paradox in her statement, however she knew that the tide invariably came in and out on schedule each day. She would not suggest herself as some perfect match, however they were both looking for some of the same things. Gunn, herself, had been thinking of children. Perhaps fostering, as she had no particular urge to procreate.
[HRMMMMM. I wonder what's going on heeeereeee.]
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 9:05 pm
About to work up a serious temper at the first statement, Mele shut her mouth when Gunn continued and waited until the Vhaid had finished speaking to formulate any type of response. The younger Olplyn sat up with her back against some sort of cabinet, and let her legs curl up against her stomach.
"I'm sure she does. I'm just not interested in them. I don't like them, or at least I haven't put forth to like whatever traits I saw. I don't know why, but they just... rub me the wrong way. I like my house, but I also like the quiet. Someone else who doesn't necessarily fill up all of the quiet. Someone steady. That pulls me in."
Clamming up a bit, the younger jivviness shrugged her shoulders and glanced up with big brown eyes.
"Have you found someone like that, Miss Mele?" A gentle question, one of encouragement, and Gunn didn't shift from her position, forearms resting on her knees as she met the Olplyn's gaze without reservations. She was patient, as she'd always been, waiting for the ceramicist to say whatever it was she was struggling with. They both had things to do, but if there was one thing Gunn had learned over the years, it was that there was always time to listen and connect.
Mele had a fire that the Vhaid couldn't help but appreciate, but along with it came a certain quiet love of silence, the way life's changes came and went. That was something she didn't run into on a consistent basis very often, and that she enjoyed.
"Mmn." Not sure what she was doing, the brunette shifted where Gunn hadn't and found herself on her knees in front of the fisherwoman in one smooth movement. Pausing a moment, Mele extended a hand from where it rested on her thighs and let it wrap itself around the side of her neck while the rest of her body gravitated inwards. Less than two inches away from the dark Vhaid's mouth, the ceramicist stopped and waited for some sort of positive reaction before she moved in the final space and pressed her lips softly, carefully against Gunnwale's.
Gunn's respose was a slight inhale, leaning in just barely to close the distance between them. It'd been a long time coming and the Vhaid dropped down onto her knees as well, leaving her bright palms pressed to her own thighs to stop herself from touching. She knew what she wanted, and so it was up to the more hesitant Mele to decide where things went.
Still, she did indeed have those wants, and when they began to separate, she let another lingering kiss follow the first.
Only coming up for air, the jivviness was thrilled when Gunn responded, and after sucking in a short, necessary breath, Mele let her other hand slowly find it's way into Gunn's short hair. She wasn't so good at making the first move, but she rather enjoyed the fact that Gunn was interested in more than just a simple kiss. And by the gods, so was she. Hardly conscious of the way her body was moving, Mele was simply concerned that whatever was going on between the two of them might stop and that wasn't in her primary interest. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been properly kissed on the mouth. Decades, probably.
Stradling the Vhaid's knees more than anything else, the brunette let a small, higher pitched noise sound in the back of her throat. Insistent and questioning, she let her tongue slowly slide out of her mouth and across the other female's lips.
--------------
Not having moved far, Mele was curled up against the slightly warmer body to her left, using Gunn's shoulder as a place to rest her head while one of her arms was thrown over her torso, resting just under the Vhaid's breasts while a finger traced lazy circles across her skin. Both were naked, on the floor of her kitchen, and probably could attest to the fact that neither of them were particularly comfortable. Or at least more comfortable than they would have been on her bed. But really, Mele wasn't about to make a comment. She doubted that she particularly could move in any graceful fashion, at that.
Eventually, she opened her eyes and licked both of her lips before resituating herself against Gunnwale.
"So," she started, and then decided against her statement, changing her mind last minute, "we can move, if you prefer."
As Mele shifted, Gunn took the opportunity to stretch her long body, shifting onto her side to hold the Olplyn closer to her as she listened to her talk. Most of their lovemaking hadn't involved much speech, which didn't bother her in the slightest, nor did the hard floor. She had spent many hours lying on the deck on her boat, after all.
Before she could respond to Mele's offer, an impatient knock on the door cut through their lazy atmosphere. An almost playful smile touched the corner of Gunn's mouth and she mumbled, mouth against Mele's shoulder, apparently unconcerned.
"That must be Miss Colby. She said she'd be coming by later, but I must've forgotten to mention it." And she had, considering the distraction Mele had provided the past two hours.
Mele knew that the only person that could possibly ruin this moment for her was Colby. Gods. Damned. Colby. Hair probably mussed to the point of question, the female burrowed her head into Gunn's side and pretended that if they were quiet enough, Colby would just wander off to search for her elsewhere. By her worried and irritated muttering under her breath, it was probable that the dark colored female on her side could ascertain as much.
"Go away, you meddling, unnecessary, cranky old..."
A rough chuckle came from the dark Vhaid and she let a bright palm trail down the younger jivviness's back before sitting up and reaching for her trousers. They were smoothly pulled on, followed by her tunic, and she glanced at Mele, clearly amused.
"Be careful, she has a way of hearing such things. I'll answer the door, Mele." The casual statement, lacking the title she usually put before the ceramicist's name was a clear sign of affection and Gunn was quickly on her way.
"Miss Colby," Her soft voice held a hint of humor, "A pleasure. Do come in?"
Cole's purr could be heard, sharply observant but not pushy. "Answering Mele's door now, are we? Interesting, Gunnwale. Where is she?"
"Upstairs. May I get you a drink while you wait?" A low laugh shared between the two, and Cole asserted that a nice wine would be acceptable.
Mele was hiding. In her bedroom. Half dressed with an ear pressed against the floor so that she could vaguely hear the conversation going on almost directly below her. She had barely allowed Gunn to descend the stairs before she collected her clothing and snuck into her room. Really, she wanted to hide under the bed, but since Gunn hadn't promptly told stupid Colby to turn her interupting a** around and go away, she supposed that she needed to come out and play host. Maybe she could punch Colby, while she was at it.
Grumbling to herself, the tanned jivviness ran a brush through her mussed hair and braided it quickly over her shoulder. Mele tugged some clothing on and paused for a moment before she emerged from her room and greeted the most irksome person she knew, who happened to be sitting at her table, monopolizing her... Monopolizing Gunn. Slapping a fake smile onto her face, the female laced her fingers together to stop her from strangling someone.
"Colby, nice of you to drop by. Two visits in one week- I'm starting to think you're interested in more than just my pottery."
Cole's cool gaze snapped to Mele the moment she had entered the room, her calculating gaze scanning her and making quick observations before she smiled, slowly, near-dangerously. "Oh, Mele, don't be silly, you know you're one of my favorites."
Her darker gaze moved to Gunn's paler one and her smile grew. "Imagine that, really, two of my favorite, anti-social jivvins in one place." Letting the statement linger as Gunnwale returned her smile, the tall Vhaid pulling out a chair for Mele to sit in and looking completely unruffled, Cole let out a genuinely amused laugh.
"I came to pick some things up, and also to give you some advice."
Trying to appear as cool as a cucumber, Mele flushed at the final statement. Okay, she really wasn't really sure what was going on, over her head, but she wasn't enjoying one minute of it. "Your glasses are finished, by the way. I intended to tell you earlier, or bring them around, but I've been busy, so." Blushing up to her ears once more, she glanced up with big, innocent eyes towards Colby.
"More wine?" She stood to pull a wine glass out of her cupboard and poured herself a rather full glass, taking the moment away from the spotlight to calm herself before she brought the bottle (one of hers, she thought, proudly) to the table for either of the other guests.
Colby's smile was satisfied, as if her curiosities had been indulged [which they had, Mele's blush all but gave away what had been keeping her 'busy' this afternoon] and she nodded to have her glass partially filled once more. A slow sip and she continued, her tone surprisingly friendly.
"In that case, there's nothing stopping you from taking some time off from your studio."
Gunn quietly raised an eyebrow at that, joining them at the table. She leaned slightly back on the legs of her chair, arms folded across her chest, though she didn't appear surprised.
"Erm. To do..what, exactly?" Both curious and exceptionally hesitant for any of the ideas Colby just happened to come up with, spur of the moment, Mele similarly leaned back in her chair- both to become more comfortable and to create some more distance between her and the GameHouse owner. Sometimes, Colby flat out scared Mele, despite any respect or mutual admiration that they shared.
Glancing over at Gunn to see what her reaction was, the mere movement of her eyes caused Mele's cheeks to go pink. Again. And she tried, not well, mind you, to cover up the reaction with a sip of her wine. That she managed to swallow miraculously, without choking.
Gunn's expression didn't change throughout the conversation, as if she already knew what was going to be said, and she simply let her eyes move from Colby to Mele as the redhead explained, sultry voice only slightly teasing. "I posed a question to Gunnwale, which she, of course, helpfully answered. It occurred to me that it would be... Educational and helpful to you if you were to see the site of your clay source, to remove some yourself."
She waved a hand. "I know how involved you artful types get. Gunnwale, the dear, said she'd be willing to show you the ropes."
The Vhaid nodded, simply to affirm that the discussion had indeed happened.
Mele looked between the two females seated at her kitchen table and almost had to laugh. This was just short of ridiculous. Colby was.. giving her an excuse to disappear off the map for however long she liked, leave her work behind, and call it... educational.
"That would be.." Extraordinary; fabulous; wonderful; perfect; "Good. Nice, I mean..." Trailing off, she waved her hand and moved the direction of her gaze towards the table, hoping both parties would understand what she was incapable of vocalizing at that exact moment.
Glancing back up at Gunn, she nodded, hardly controlling her ability to breathe properly. "I'd like that."
[DUNN. DUNN. DUUUUUHNNN. Haha. I think we have a bit left.]
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:35 am
Gunn nodded again, an action directed solely to Mele, in contrast to the passing nod Colby made, flapping her hand briefly as she finished her wine and got to her feet. "Gunnwale and I have a few things to discuss before she heads out of town tomorrow, so I'm afraid I must steal her away."
Gunn followed suit, one bright palm gently squeezing Mele's shoulder. "I'll come round later if you don't mind, to tell you what you'll need for the lake."
Mele nodded, still trying to figure out what had just been dumped in her lap. It was practically like a hurricane had just swept through her little corner in the world and she was left adrift. Or maybe she was just being dramatic. She responded positively to Gunn and silently showed both of her guests out the door, leaning in to kiss Gunn on the cheek quietly in a moment when Colby seemed to have her attention directed elsewhere.
Closing the door behind the pair, Mele stood with her back against it and sunk to the floor.
"I suppose I need to deliver some commissions, this afternoon..." She mumbled to herself, giggling.
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