vision

[calescent]

Kiri's up early the next morning, restless with various low-level simmering concerns, and wanders out of her room.

Comments

[free_flowing]

"Well, y'know. If you want. I won't be offended if you'd rather stick to imagination."

[salt_of_the]

"Backing out of your tantalizing offer, huh?"

[free_flowing]

"Nope. You can absolutely still see me naked if you want to."

[salt_of_the]

"Right, where in this big old house of yours is suitable?"

[free_flowing]

"Lots of places! Of which," he says, "my room is probably the prettiest, and it's also right up these stairs."

[salt_of_the]

"All right then. Can I leave Mud in your kierten?"

[free_flowing]

"Sure."

[salt_of_the]

"All right. Stay put, Mud."

Mud sits and wags.

Patience smiles at Loel.

[free_flowing]

Loel grins at Patience!

And leads her up to his room, which has a breathtakingly gorgeous view of the Marisi River. His kierten had windows just as big looking in the same direction, but it's even better from the third floor.

[salt_of_the]

"Ooh, view. Of the outdoors, for the time being."

[free_flowing]

"For the time being," Loel agrees, and then he starts taking off his clothes.

[salt_of_the]

Patience flounces gracefully into a chair and supervises this process approvingly.

[free_flowing]

When he's done, he grins at her. "So how do I compare to imaginary me?"

[salt_of_the]

"Faaaaavorably. Much less fuzziness around the edges."

[free_flowing]

"Good!" he says, laughing.

[salt_of_the]

"This just something you were cool with because you lived in Thiyec or what, anyway?"

[free_flowing]

"Well, it's the kind of thing I'm cool with," he says, laughing. "But that doesn't mean I'm not also flirting with you."

[salt_of_the]

"Suspected that, wanted to check, also flirting if you were curious."

[free_flowing]

"I suspected that! I'm glad," he says. "You're fun to flirt with."

[salt_of_the]

"Am I? I was worried I was doing it wrong."

[free_flowing]

He giggles. "Is there such a thing?"

[salt_of_the]

"Search me."

[free_flowing]

He giggles harder.

[salt_of_the]

Patience laughs too.

[free_flowing]

And then he finds a chair to flop into, close to hers. Hopefully she won't mind about the slight reduction in the view.

"So now that you've seen me naked, anything else you wanna do with me?"