Magic Reserves Meeting, Wednesday Afternoon (After Classes)

[glacial_queen]

The Reserves were kind of fidgety today. Karla, at least, was filled with a kind of nervous energy that made it hard to keep still. This would be a nice break from her current state of constant near-exhaustion, if it hadn't come with all kinds of, well, emotional distractions. The kind that made it hard to concentrate.

Mostly--since we're all being honest here--because her libido was racing along faster than a NASCAR driver. And she didn't even get that reference.

"Hi everyone," she said, waving around a table filled with pastries and teas. Sorry, Raven. Comfort food won out over healthy eating today. Especially anything that might be...suggestively shaped. "Sorry for not being around--in a useful shape--for the past few meetings. I got into some trouble that I then dragged a lot of other people into."

Okaaaay. She hadn't meant to quite put it like that.

"Today, we're going to talk about some of our strengths and weakness, either individually or as a group. We want to make sure that our meetings are useful to people and you all have a reason to come back week after week. More than that, we want to make sure you all feel comfortable and capable of handling yourselves in an invasion because, well, we've seen more than enough death recently and have no desire to add your name to the casualty list."

Randomly dark. She must be more distracted than she thought. Maybe someone else should jump in and bail her out bail her out?

"And not just powers," Dolf interjected quickly. He was going to be working this week through a nearly omnipresent blush; it was a miracle he had any blood left at all to do anything else with. "Also how to organise, how to talk to each other. I know some languages, I know how to bandage people and take care of them. Some of them. Sometimes. A lot of people die no matter what you do, sometimes there's nothing you can do, sometimes they get sick and they die, and you never know enough--"

He was rambling. He shut up very quickly.

Distracted? So was Raven as she contemplated the overly honest conversation she'd had after class with Lady Ghanima and Max and tried not to contemplate Karla too much. Well, thinking about how to keep her safe and healthy, that was fine. Any other thoughts, like how her blonde hair was shimmering like gold in the sunlight, not so much. And Tara was also right there and looking so very pretty today. And she was just now really noticing that Dolf was very cute, too. Azar help her if she looked out at the members of the Reserves. If Jono showed up today she was going to be done.

Wait, meeting. Yes. "If there are certain areas where many people feel they could benefit from instruction, we can hold meetings on those topics," she said. "And also pair up people who have a strength to counter someone else's perceived weakness, either for learning purposes or when we are protecting the island."

Tara had, if she was honest, been having a hard time paying attention to what the other leaders said. Her eyes kept falling on the gold of Karla's hair, or how Raven filled out her dress, or how Dolf really had the cutest accent if she thought about it ... Oh. It was her turn to talk.

"Don't be afraid to admit where you're weak," she said. "We can't -- we can't get stronger if we don't start from knowing what we don't know. And we're all young. There's a lot we don't know yet."

Karla was thinking how the smile Raven had given her earlier were making her knees a little weak, but was pretty sure that's not what she was supposed to be talking about. "Right, so yeah. If there's anything you want to talk about--or talk to us about--today's the day to do it. We're all here for you."

It was probably best not to ask how they were volunteering to 'be there' for you. They might answer.

[Written with the fabulous swordsandsoccer, trigons_child, and life_inshadow. Go make out while you wait for the OCD is up an ready!]

Comments

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

"I am very frightened of myself sometimes," Raven said, moving one hand to brush her fingers against his cheek, then to cup against his bandages. "But before I decided to learn to experience emotions, Karla had a vision that my friends would give me strength if I would allow them to. And you make me very strong."

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

The fingers against his cheek had Jono half-closing his eyes for a moment. And then her hand had moved to the bandages, and had he been capable of sighing, odds were high that he would have.

//A little higher, if you don't mind? I can't feel anything at all, there.// Ah, honesty. Thank you for that amazing timing. //I'm... actually glad to hear that. That yer friends, that we help you with that...//

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

"Of course," Raven said, slipping her hand higher and rubbing her thumb across his cheekbone. "I just wanted to show you that I am not afraid to touch you there. Or anywhere." She didn't exactly mean it in a dirty way, though the way the island was making her feel at the moment....

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

Oh, that was nice. Hello again, Raven's hand. Jono was going to stand there and not be terribly adverse to your rubbing against his face, now.

//I'm afraid of being touched there,// he admitted, though his tone was almost idle, all the same. //Which I know I shouldn't be. I'm better with th'flame than I was a couple of years ago. I have enough control of it to keep from burning anybody. But...//

He shrugged. Fear didn't have to be entirely rational, either.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

"Perhaps we can help each other with our fears," Raven said. "You are not afraid of me, and I am not afraid of you." Her hand left his check just for a moment, long enough to press flat against his chest, before returning to his face so she could touch skin to skin.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

His gaze followed that hand, too, watching her like a hawk. Again, not because he didn't trust Raven (though Gayle sticking her hands inside his chest that one time really hadn't made getting over that particular fear any easier), but because somewhere in the back of his mind, he was still half expecting everything that touched him to suddenly catch fire.

//It won't be easy,// he cautioned, running the back of one finger gently along her cheek. //I'm a bit of a stubborn plonker, at th'best of times.//

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

"I had noticed that already," Raven said with an easy smile. "And that has never driven me away."

She sighed softly as he touched her cheek. It felt like the island was wreaking even more havoc on her hormones now, and every time Jono touched her she had to struggle with a strong surge of physical desire.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

Oh, Jonothon knew all about struggling with physical desires, Raven. But don't get him started on that topic, or he might never shut up about it. There were just some things you realized you were going to have to do without, once you found yourself on fire from nose to navel, after all.

//Which, I suppose, makes you just that much more stubborn than I am, mm?//

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

Please, do not underestimate the resourcefulness and creativity of residents of Fandom. Or horny empaths.

"Yes," she decided. "I am much more stubborn than you. Or just very patient when I know the difficulty is worth it. Because I know you are worth it."

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

This narrative would like to note that it found the statements of Raven's narrative to be especially awesome when coupled with what Raven was saying, right there. This narrative is apparently also twelve.

//Patience. Stubbornness. Takes a bit of one to make the other, I think.//

Ladies and gentlemen, the world presented as Jonothon saw it.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

This narrative couldn't give a damn about patience and stubbornness and would rather just grab the above narrative and drag it off somewhere private to have its wicked, wicked way with it.

"They do seem to work hand in hand," Raven said. "Perhaps we are well matched that way."

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

Rrowr.

//Now all we need t'do is keep on one another until th'sense falls out,// Jono replied, letting his hand wander over her cheek for a moment more before running his fingers through her hair.

Because that wasn't forward at all.

//We should do--// He had no idea what it was that they should do. Or, rather, he had plenty of ideas, and none of them were even remotely appropriate. //Something.//

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

Please note Raven was not complaining at all.

"Something," she repeated breathlessly, gazing into Jono's eyes. She had plenty of ideas, too, thank you very much, Fandom, but wasn't at all sure about the appropriateness of any of them.

She managed to tear her eyes away and glanced around them. "Should we go somewhere more private?"

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

//Let's.//

Oh, yeah. Jono hadn't even had to pause to think about that reply. But thinking seemed kind of overrated, at this point, didn't it? Or... something.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

Raven smiled and slipped her hand into his. "Where?" she said. "My room is empty -- Diana left Fandom so I am alone now." She wasn't terribly fond of being lonely.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

//There, then.// Jono really couldn't think of any place more private than that, after all. He still had a roommate. Who was going to hang a sock on the doorknob later on, though he was not yet aware of that fact. //Much better than here for...//

Spit out the right word, Jonothon. You can do it!

//Talking.//

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

"Talking," Raven said, though her tone was making just that one word sound a little dirty. "It will be pleasant to not be alone. And even more so that it is you there."

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

Well, in all fairness, it was entirely possible to talk while being dirty. Or to talk dirty. Or to just be dirty and forget about talking altogether, and maybe do a little talking later on, and...

...

Yes.

//I don't want to be alone, either.// He squeezed her hand a little. //And yer more pleasant company than most. By far. I wish I could kiss you back.//

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

"Just imagine it and I will feel it," Raven said. "Like I can make you feel my kiss."

Sometimes being an empath was awesome.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

Oh, Raven. Jono was totally going to get ideas about the things that he could imagine, at this rate.

//It's just that simple?//

Oh, yes. Ideas.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

"Oh, yes," Raven said, nodding with a smile as she imagined some of the things she'd really really been wanting to feel since Fandom started with the sex-pollen. Well, and a few times even without it, too. "If you can imagine how something feels strongly enough, I can experience it as well with my gifts."

Like Kennedy and her tongue stud. That was still making her squirm a little.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

Resist, Jono. Resist. Resist. Resist. Resist. A lot of this was just the island being insane, and your picking up on it, and... And...

Yeah, no, he was pulling her into his arms, pressing his forehead against hers if only so that he could feel something too, and picturing one hell of a kiss right about now, complete with tongue. And, for good measure, some of that nibbling that he'd attempted to explain to her once upon a time.

The upside to being a telepath imagining a kiss like that in the direction of an empath? Was that he could back up that thinking with a bit of psi-projecting, in turn.

Uh... enjoy!

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

It was a good thing Jono was holding her, because Raven's knees went weak at the kiss. She wound her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. And when the nibbling started she couldn't help but make a soft moan. Support for that type of cannibalism was definitely in order, yes.

She had enough presence of mind to send him the sensation of her kissing him back, more intense than the first time since it was being fueled by what he was making her feel.

There was a bit of a danger of getting caught in an empathic feedback loop now.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[furnaceface]

Oh, it would only get to that point if Jonothon's legs managed to not give out underneath him, too. Between her fingers, and that moan, and that intensified kiss of hers, and, of course, Fandom being Fandom...

So far, they were both still standing up. It was a miracle!

Let's see how long it lasts, now that Jonothon's hands are going their own ways, with one knotting into a handful of Raven's clothing, and the other wandering its way down her back, with a bit of 'there is no way you can possibly be too close to me right now' pressure pulling her closer to him still.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[trigons_child]

Standing was rapidly going to become more and more difficult. Lying down, however, was giving Raven all sorts of ideas, ideas that were definitely sending little shivers of want through her and consequently into the kiss she was sending him.

She pressed harder against him, turning her head slightly so she could press physical kisses along the top edge of his bandages to go with the empathic ones.