Trying a Picnic Again (D4 MA)

[Davelyn Sand]

He put an arm around her. "Kaliya... thank you."

[Kaliya Redding]

She fought down the surge of irrational panic. He had done nothing to hurt her, she had no reason to flee like a timid bunny. I am not that stupid little rabbit anymore! Folding her hands in her lap Kaliya sat quietly and waited to see what happened next.

[Davelyn Sand]

"You know, I rode Aunt Avella's sand steed a few times when I first started. His name was Chestnut. Never understood why because he was gray colored. He was a beautiful horse, powerful and fast like Perlera. When I was riding it was like being the wind. I became obsessed with riding because of him. I miss him a lot." He smiles softly at her. "Did you learn on Perlera?"

[Kaliya Redding]

Shaking her head, "no, Perrlerra's only seven. I learrnt to rride on Seashell, mama's favourrite. Seashell is similarr in colourr to Perrlerra, but less gold, morre the kind of crream of the inside of a spirral shell."

[Davelyn Sand]

He takes up his cup of wine for a sip as she tells him about Seashell. "Your mother taught you then? How old when you started?"

[Kaliya Redding]

"My sisterr taught me," Kaliya paused, "I have thrree sisterrs, two arre olderr, and a little brrother. A few yearrs ago, my little sisterr married the man I was betrrothed to. Mama taught Ella to rride, and she taught myself and Darrion."

[Davelyn Sand]

"So I have Ella to thank for losing that race yesterday, teaching you how to ride so well. I'll have to thank her for giving you the skills to beat Qitam."

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya shook her head, "that honourr goes to Perrlerra, it is herr speed and agility that allowed herr to outpace Qitam," she glanced up at the Sand Steed, who appeared to be dozing in the muted midday sun. "It was cerrtainly nothing I did, and definitely nothing like you and Qitam."

[Davelyn Sand]

"would you like it to be? I would be happy to teach you some techniques." He smiles at her, one of his hands taking one of hers. He sets it palm up on his knee and intertwines his fingers.

[Kaliya Redding]

She allowed the contact without comment. "I do not think Perrlerra would be much of a student. She is quite set in herr ways."

[Davelyn Sand]

He chuckles at that. "I can imagine, but the offer will still stand if you ever want to take me up on it. What else do you have going on today?"

[Kaliya Redding]

"Verry little, in fact. I thought I might drrop in on maesterr Oswell at some point. My day starrted earrly, I have attended to what I needed to."

[Davelyn Sand]

"Ah, Maester Oswell. I spoke with him at the lists a few days ago. Said he was going to talk with Lord Cedric, as he knows him from his previous life before becoming a maester. Haven't spoken with him to see if that happened or how it went. I will have to catch up with him sometime. He seems a bit more easygoing than Maester Endrew."

[Kaliya Redding]

"He is cerrtainly less rreprressed than I have come to expect of his type, and verry skilled."

[Davelyn Sand]

He smiles at her pleasantly, happily. "Frrom what I gatherr he is a skilled healerr," he replies with a nod, the thought that the old man might be skilled at more intimate things not crossing his mind. "He is out therre everry day to carre forr the knights afterr the jousts. I'm cerrtain that whateverr you need help with he'll be knowledgeable about. And do you have plans forr tomorrow?"

[Kaliya Redding]

She murmured her agreement, "he tended to my wrrist afterr one of the brrutes bullying that Dorrnish girrl grrabbed me so savagely." And then he tended to so much morre.

"Tomorrow? Otherr than the Conclave and the joust, I have no commitments," this wasn't entirely true, but even if she'd trusted Davelyn as freely as he did her, and even if she spoke her mind as openly, some cards still needed to be played close to the chest.

[Davelyn Sand]

"Oh? You can attend the conclave if you arren't a maesterr?" he says with a bit of surrpise. "Had I known..."

He seems to lose his train of thought with this epiphany he granted her. But eventually he turns back. He reaches for the chicken once again, offering a bit to her. After he takes some for himself he sets it down. "By the way, because I haven't said it even though I thought it earrlierr. I love yourr drress. It rreminds me of home."

[Kaliya Redding]

"We werre perrmitted today, I am not cerrtain that tomorrow will be allowed. But it was most inforrmative."

She took a piece of the chicken and popped it into her mouth. Smiling, "thank you, though I had a hell of a time convincing the seamstrress that it would work. The embrroiderry I did myself."

[Davelyn Sand]

"You did it yourself? You have extremely skilled hands Kaliya. It's beautiful work," he says with a wide smile. "And the seamstress should have known better to question your fashion sense. I don't think I've seen a single one of your dresses that isn't stunning. But I think this one is my favorite precisely because it reminds me of home."

[Kaliya Redding]

"While you men arre off sparring and trraining, we ladies arre embrroiderring and making lace and otherr frrivilous things. I should best be good at it," the design was a simple one, interlocking swirls and scrolls, worked in a darker thread.

[Davelyn Sand]

"Well if you'd like to join me for some sparring and training I'd welcome the chance to show you to wield a spear in the Dornish style." He squeezes her to him a bit. "A Dornish woman is stronger than these northern women anyway. The women of Dorne are the real reason it took so long to bring us into their fold and took so many of their armies to do so. As much as I am a son of Nymeria you are her daughter."

[Kaliya Redding]

Raising an eyebrow, "I thought I was alrready rratherr good with the spearr," Kaliya smirked. But, as he finishes speaking, she nestles against him in a gesture that appeared to be affection, "Nymerros," she purred softly.

[Davelyn Sand]

It felt nice for her to come in closer like that. It warmed his heart. "You arre good at many things Kaliya. I'm still quite taken with yourr skill at embrroiderry. I look forrwarrd to seeing otherr such examples. I am guessing that with the numberr of drresses I've had the good fortune to see so farr, I can expect to see morre. Is that a fairr assessment to get my hopes up forr?"

[Kaliya Redding]

"Arre you surre it is my embrroiderry you arre looking at," she teased, reaching up to stroke the line of his jaw. An attrractive jaw it is, too, but the gesture isn't lustful, despite her words. "One drress forr everry day," she promised, "though I suspect I know which one you shall like best."

[Davelyn Sand]

"Well then, if you think you know my taste in dresses so well, how about we put that to the test?" he says with a playfulness to his voice. "Clearly you know I prefer this one of all I've seen so far. But I have not seen the rest. I will keep my opinions on where I might rate the remainder of them to myself. On the final day of the tourney I'll write down the one I like best and you write down which you believe I'll say. Then we'll exchange them and find out. What do you say?"