See Me After Class (Sablerose)

[Sablerose]

Calla did not bother to hide her laugh. "A little bit of both. Druids tend to...well, we walk a lot. I have a horse, but I spent most of my training with very, very sore feet and legs. One of my first lessons was how to handle cramps and stiff muscles with whatever was at hand."

She stretched, as the mention of stiffness reminded her that with all the work she had given Toph, she had forgotten to keep herself from growing sore. "Part of my massage skill came from my mentor. And let me tell you, his massages made me ache even more. At least until I understood how they worked. I learned to adapt some of his methods with a little less force where possible." She patted Toph on the back, and casually kept her hand there. "Glad you enjoyed it, Chipmunk. Sorry it took so long, though. You really were pretty tight."

[Toph Bei Fong]

Toph scooted closer to Calla reflexively. "Being tough all the time has its draw backs," Toph admitted with a sigh. "I'm guess I'm just used to having to be ready to fight at a moment's notice. Tensed and ready to strike decisively. Like a mongoose. Its like I know the war is over up here," she tapped her forehead. "But the rest of me..." she shrugged her shoulders.

Toph lowered her hand to the floor and rubbed it, then frowned. "Feels like you've got a few knots yourself, Sunshine. I'd be happy to return the favor if you'd like. My hands arent as soft as yours, and I may not have been trained, but still... I'd like to give it a shot."

[Sablerose]

Placing a hand on one of Toph's shoulders, Calla said "Don't worry about it. It'll take time for you get unwind. But in the meantime, I'm more than happy to have helped." Then, with Toph offer of a return massage, Calla's eyes brightened quite a bit. "I have to admit that the various incidents today have left me a bit wound up. I'd appreciate the return favor."

She lay down on her stomach, pillowing her head on her arms. "Whenever you're ready, please."

[Toph Bei Fong]

Toph had to squash a a sudden - and powerful - urge to straddle Calla's waist to reach her back. Here this woman was being a genuine friend to her as well as student and teacher, and she was having such impure thoughts just because she was sweet, kind and effectively naked to Toph's 'vision'.

I'm turning into some kinda sex maniac. Toph thought. A gay sex maniac. No wonder men think about sex all the time, women are just so damn tempting even when they arent trying!

But the worry was still somewhere bellow her. Calla had been really good at what she had done, and Toph tried not to let her own issues undo it. She scooted close to the other woman, folded her legs under her, and rubbed her knee against the floor.

Her hands may not be as skilled as Calla's and they were certainly rougher, but she did have an advantage in being able to 'see' just where the worst tension was with her earthsight. She stated at her shoulders attacking the knots there with firm pressure, letting up as they began to relax under her attention.

"You know," Toph said after a while. The chemise Calla wore slipped under her fingers in a frustratingly interesting way, and Toph really wnated to be rid of it, but that would end badly. If 'badly' meant 'with hot sex'. "I'm actually kinda of jealous of you. You're unsure of how to blend these two parts of who you are , druid and future queen, but you're trying to figure it out. I've just been wandering since the war ended living like a sellsword. A hot sell-sword sure," she added at a feeble attempt at humor, " but still a glorified mercenary. "I just cant seem to stay in one place. Whenever i do..." she trialed off. "Well, I just cant. Hell this is the longest I've ever been in one place."

Toph's hands were working their way down Calla's back, not as smoothly as Calll's own message had been, but her focus was spot on as she worked each knot loose. "I'm not trying to figure my future out at all. Its always the next town, the next kingdom, the next job. And whenever I try to sit down and think it out, when I ask myself 'what do you want?" I can't come up with anything beyond the next fight, the next bottle the next bed with the next evening companion. And even that last part has gotten confusing."

Toph had reached Calla's hips., and she frowned, playing back what she had said. "Great, now I'm whining on top of everything else."

[Sablerose]

Calla sighed and winced, as Toph found the areas that Calla had not even considered an issue with her tightness. What Toph lacked in gentleness and finesse, she certainly made up for in persistence and thoroughness. But the Druid had to admit that it felt damned good. She rarely let herself indulge in such luxuries, even as a Royal Princess. She could have, but the Druid in her frowned on it. Living plainly (most of the time, at least) was what she preferred. Yet every now and then...Gods, she began to realize what she was missing!

"Not whining, Toph," she said quietly but firmly. "Talking to someone who cares. Believe it or not, there's a difference. From the sound of it, you've been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders and your soul. You've been trying to unburden yourself, without turning into a burden as well. So, it's easier to walk away."

She shifted slightly, turning to face Toph. "Well, Chipmunk, you're not getting away that easily with me. You're both a teacher and a student. But you're also a friend. And as a friend, you should be able to talk to me, to let go of some of those burdens. I'm not saying give me all your secrets. But if...when you need to talk, feel free to let me know what's on your mind. Or even Greystreak." She giggled. "Though he might sound like he's giving a lecture to a child, believe it or not, he does care about you."

She turned a bit more, meeting Toph's eyes. "As do I."

[Toph Bei Fong]

Eye contact. Toph had heard of it course, but had never experienced it for herself. She wasn't entirely sure she was experiencing it now. She was still quite blind, surrounded by a dark world of shapes and feelings and a single glowing woman. Technically nothing had changed. And yet, everything had changed. She fixed her gaze on Calla's shimmering form, and her eyes, ever sightless window dressing on her face, nevertheless underwent the physiological reaction of focusing on Calla's physical face.

It was, in this moment of eye contact, that Toph knew the princess meant what she said. Not that she had ever suspected her of lying, but there was a Truth in her words, when she said she cared, that caught Toph flatfooted. Of course, a lot of people said they cared. Some might actually believe it when they said it. But this was different. It was...more?

Toph opened her mouth. What she almost said would have gone something like: I cant sleep for more than a few hours anymore. Every time I close my eyes, I'm back in the war and my feet are burned and she's chasing me through a forest and I cant 'see' and if she catches me she'll kill me but not before making me beg for it first and I can't find Cera. Cera, who loved me from the beginning but I was too busy telling myself that I wasn't gay to notice while I was breaking her heart, then I betray her memory by sleeping with the frist woman I meet who treats me nice and gets me drunk, and I would sleep with you to in a second if i thought you'd say yes and Gaia-damn it, do you have to be so wise and kind and understanding and look so good naked?

Toph closed her mouth before she could say anything of the sort. There was a pause, and when she opened in again she said simply, "Can I stay here tonight?"

[Sablerose]

At first, Calla thought she might have gone too far, too fast. That she liked Toph, there was no doubt. That she respected her was also certain. That she was confused as to which was more important -her feelings for the blind woman or her willingness to respect her space, emotionally and physically- was also of no less uncertainty.

And now, she was asking to stay the night.

"Of course," Calla answered, with only the briefest of pauses. In that pause, though, she had felt her world shift. The smile on her face was broad, and, if some were to see her truly at the moment, one would say that she was actually looking rather silly. That would have made no difference to the Druid, though.

"Umm, I'm not sure how you would want to do this. I mean, you're welcome to the bed. And technically, it's large enough to the two of us. But I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you want me to, I can take one of the chairs here." Please, please don't want me to!

[Toph Bei Fong]

"Yeah, like I'm going to kick you out of you own bed in your own room," Toph replied, with a flick of her braid over her shoulder. "We can share the bed. Fair warning though: I'm told I hog the covers."

Toph smirked at that, but it soon faded. "Hey, you know its alright to say no," she added haltingly. "I felt your heart skip a beat before you answered, and there was a pause...and your smile seems awfully wide... am I making you uncomfortable?"

((man, my posts suck lately...))

[Sablerose]

((I'm just glad to see you post. To quote your namesake 'I miss the love' ;D))

It was time for honesty, Calla thought. Or at least, a bit more honesty. Calla tamed her smile a tad, now only aware of how it might have appeared. Then, gingerly, she took one of Toph's hands and placed it on her chest. "Yes, you do, but not in a bad way." She sighed and met Toph's eyes again. "Look, I'm not really good at these things, Toph. For all that I might have been trained in some diplomacy, having to explain my own feelings isn't always easy. Truth be told, I find you fascinating, both as an individual and as a woman. It's not simply because you don't let your blindness stop you. Hell, it's probably shaped much of what you are that I like. It's because I find that you're a far deeper person than you let on sometimes."

She shook her head as she tried to figure out what to say. Flowery words. Poetry. Quotes from romantic plays she had seen. All these and more drifted through her mind, as she tried to find a way to put it all in words. Then, she decided that, given who she was speaking with, to toss that all aside and go for bluntness. "Toph, I like you, I'm attracted to you and I have absolutely no problem with you sharing my bed this evening." Then, she gave a nervous laugh. "So long as you leave me with some of the covers."

[Toph Bei Fong]

"No promises," was Toph's initial reply, smile and all. Then she stated to reach out with her free hand, paused, half pulled it back, then finished stretching it t out to cup Calla's cheek.

"Calla..." she began. Then with a huff that blew upward at her bangs, she went on. "Look, I'm trying not to be Ms. Emotional Baggage here, but lets face it, I got issues. Some old, some new. I'll work them out eventually, I always do. Haven't backed down from a flight yet, I'm not about to start now. And the only reason I'm even bringing this up is..." another huff, at her bangs, "look I like you too. Like, likeyou. You're smart and cultured and not afraid to get your hands dirty and your'e wise enough to know you dont know everything, but driven enough to try and find out more. And it doesn't hurt that your beautiful. I like talking with you. It feels like home. And yes, damn it, I'm attracted to you too.

"But here's the thing, where I come from... that just isn't done. Women aren't supposed to be attracted to other women. And I never questioned that until... just recently. So I'm being a bit selfish here. I want to spend the night because I like how I feel now, with you. I think I'd actually be able to sleep though the night for once. And there's is a very vocal part of me that would love for a bit more to happen tonight... but the rest of me thinks too much of you to even go there while I'm still working out these feelings. Its like, if anything like that is gonna happen, I want to be because we want it to, not because I'm just in the middle of confused sexual experiment number 2.

Toph's thumb caressed Calla's cheek. "I really like being your friend, and teacher, and student, but not all my feelings for you are what you'd call chaste. So we can both be comfortably unconformable tonight."

[Sablerose]

Lifting her hand from to stroke Toph's cheek, Calla responded. "I'm not asking for any more than you want to give, Toph. I enjoy being your friend and teacher. As for your student, we'll see." She grinned. "But I suspect that you're going to be good as a teacher. But first and foremost, I want your friendship, and I want your respect. Everything else can come from that, and I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want more with you tonight.

"As for an attraction to women, I've had a couple of partners of both genders. Men have something to give physically, but women often seem capable of both physical and emotional support in a way that I find far more preferable. It's been my personal belief, though, that it's hard enough to find love in this world. If the person who you find it with is of the same gender, what difference should it make, so long as it's mutual?

"That said, I could not, and will not, make you do anything that you're not comfortable with. If you stay and feel that you want nothing more than friendship from this point on, I will find a way to work with that. If you wish this relationship to go further, we can work at that as well. This is about us, not just me or you."

[Toph Bei Fong]

At first, Toph resisted the urge to lean into Calla's hand. At first.

"Is it weird," she asked. "That knowing we want the same thing... but are both willing to wait a bit for it... actually makes me feel better about the whole thing?"

Toph leaned back out of Call's touch, removing her own hand from the others fave as well before standing up. "Just sleep tonight, and a world of possibilities for later. When I'm a little less screwed up."

She offered her hand to Calla to help her up. "I'm serious about the blankets though. Honestly, you might want to wear socks, case your feet get cold easy."

[Sablerose]

"I'm willing to wait as well, Chipmunk," Calla said quietly but sincerely. "But you're right. Tonight, we'll keep it platonic. Anything that does come later, comes later.

"As for the blanket situation, I've slept outdoors in not much more than this as part of my training. Granted, I didn't like it too much then, but dealing with cold is not as big a problem." Chuckling, she added "Just in case, though, I'll grab an extra blanket."

As she approached the room's sizable wardrobe, she stopped suddenly as a thought came to her. "Umm, we have one more thing we need to figure out before we set up the bed. Normally, Greystreak sleeps on the that pallet there." She pointed to a comfortable-looking setup which showed obvious wolf fur on the multiple blankets. "Now, I don't think he'll have a real problem if we ask him to sleep somewhere else for the night, but I think we should let him know before he returns. Or do you think it wouldn't bother you if he slept in the room? It might be awkward, but he's likely to stay out of our heads, if that's something else you're worried about.

"So, which would you prefer? Grey in for the night or out?"

[Toph Bei Fong]

Once they were both on their feet, Toph stared to pull the shoulder wrap of her sari off her shoulder. By the time Calla had turned back around to ask about Greystreak, Toph was standing in her cropped blouse, midriff exposed, and working on undoing the pleats for the bottom half of the outfit.

"Right. Greystreak," Toph said absently. She was still looking toward Calla as she worked -- looking down really wouldn't help -- but her attention was focused on her fingers, feeling her way around her waist to undo the various pleats. As she went, she folded the train of fabric into a neat bundle.

"Well, I'm not going to kick him out of his room," she said finally. "As long as he doesn't go teasing me for staying over," she added. The sari was, by now, in neat bundle in her arms, and she stood before Calla in her cropped blouse and ankle-length petticoat. "I'm not sure I could take that just now." she added in a lower voice.

[Sablerose]

I respect you too much to tease in such things, Baroness, Grey replied in a quiet voice. Oh, and don't worry. I wasn't reading your thought. I was actually on my way back and could hear some of what had been said. I have no problem sleeping out of the room tonight, you two.

"Are you sure, you old wolf?" Calla asked.

Please! I've spent more than a few nights out in the woods when we were back in Laurelmoon, on my own volition. I am still a wolf in form, and as much as I do enjoy civilization, I am quite capable of sleeping in the wild. Besides, I've had more than a few invites by some of the staff to stay overnight and tell them many a tale of life as a familiar. And there was this rather attractive brunette...

"I don't think we need to know any more, thank you. And...thanks."

Think nothing of it. The young lady works in the kitchen staff, and she's promised me first shot at some of the bacon after it's cooked. Now, you two run along and get some sleep. Or whatever. Calla could almost 'feel' the wink in the mind, and she suspected that Toph could feel the same. And, Toph, we're both here for you if you need us. With that, I bid you both 'Good night'.

Calla felt the link shut down to its lowest state. At that level, neither party would be able to receive even the most basic of thoughts accidentally; it would take an active 'push' of thought to open it up again. "It seems that it's going to be just you and I." And for the first time, Calla could see Toph in her undergarments. Though the sari was lovely, the woman underneath was more so. "You're very beautiful, Toph."