Jessamin's Cot
The privacy screen around this cot is made up of wholecloth quilted panels, each bearing intricate trapunto knotwork and floral designs. Dragons in flight are prominently featured, as are various tropical flowers and fruits. On the cot itself is draped a patchwork quilt that in times past might have been known as Grandmother's Flower Garden. The 'flowers' are in various shades of plum, burgundy, rose, and goldenrod, each with centers of the brightest sunny yellow. The background is raven's wing black, while the 'paths' between each block are a startling emerald green. The fabrics themselves are solid in color, or lightly mottled. At the head of the cot are three black pillows, each worked with the Circle of Violets pattern applique'd to the center; each is finished with amethyst piping. At the foot of the cot is a spare quilt and a clothing press, both simple in design. To one side is a small table with space for a candle, light, or small glow basket. To the other side is a natural hardwood quilting hoop on a stand, where the occupant can work on stitchery of all kinds should they choose.
Jessamin hums softly as she perches on the side of her cot, the hardwood quilting hoop pulled up close and attached to its stand. In it is a simple quilt made of brightly colored fabric squares, looking more as if it is meant for hard use by a child than any sort of fancywork. But all the same, Jessamin is taking care with her stitches, working knotwork patterns into the center of each square, like the Celtic knotwork of old Earth. Her flits are all perched on the cot around her, chirruping amongst themselves.
M'nol's flits enter before he does, chirruping happily and settling alongside Jessa's, stressing whatever surfaces they're settled on. M'nol's entrance is a little slower and he gives Jessa a half-hearted wave, "Hey, Jess… I'm sorry I missed you leaving… I… I wanted to talk to you for a little bit…"
Jessamin looks up, a little bit surprised by the entrance of so many flits; there's scarcely a space to sit down now, with her cot covered in more flizzen than fabric! She chuckles softly, looking up to see their humanpet entering. Her expression falls a bit, seeing something of a spark gone from her 'little brother'. "If you can find a spot, have a seat. What's going on?"
M'nol settles onto a nearby patch of floor and sighs, "I was taking a package to Ista and there was a flight… Farry didn't win, but I still woke up next to someone… neither of us even remember what happened… and I promised Phy I wouldn't." He slumps a little, "I don't know what to do…"
Jessamin shoots M'nol a sympathetic look, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder lightly. "Have you told her yet?"
M'nol shakes his head, "I haven't had the chance… she's been out with Fetch learning more about herbalism from him. That's why Bloodstone was lecturing me when you showed up before… and I don't know how… doesn't seem right to just say, 'oh, Phy… by the way… I accidentally deflowered a lesbian… you mind?'"
Jessamin shakes her head, letting out a soft sigh; with much disgruntled chittering in her direction, she pushes some of the many flizzen aside to make a spot for M'nol on the bed. "Well… there's two options. One, you could keep it to yourself and take your chances. Two, you could take her aside and tell her. There's no easy way to handle the second option, but at least it will be out in the open."
M'nol moves to the opened spot and sighs, "I'm gonna tell her, I'm just not sure how… I'm so afraid she'll leave, but I know that if I don't and she finds out on her own it'll be even worse."
Jessamin hugs M'nol, rocking lightly back and forth. "Then you know what you have to do. Nobody can help you do it. But I can be here to listen when you need it."
M'nol lets her hold him as he'd held the unfortunate girl only a few days before, "I do… I just feel like I've betrayed her and myself… and hurt Izarra, too… and Faraeth thinks it's /funny/!"
Jessamin arcs an eyebrow, looking at M'nol in disbelief. "You're joking, right? This is hurting you, and Faraeth thinks it's funny?" Her expression darkens, and one could almost see steam coming out of her ears. "I know he's young, but he can't be all that insensitive, can he?"
M'nol manages half a smile for her righteous indignation, "He's upset that I'm upset, but he also thinks I'm worrying too much… I think his exact words were 'you were chasing. I was chasing. You caught. I'm glad for you.'" He sighs and shakes his head, "Dragons have a simpler view of sex than humans do, I think."
Jessamin rolls her eyes and manages a small laugh. "Mating flights happen. But if this is something you promised Phy that you'd avoid, it might be better to come clean. Errr…." Turning beet red, she coughs lightly. "Bad pun. Sorry!"
M'nol grins, "I left the sheets for the cleaning staff… didn't want to own up that visibly." His eyes glaze over a bit, staring off into space, "The poor girl was /terrified/ and neither of us remembered how we ended up there… but something definitely happened… first times are kind of obvious…"
Jessamin says "At least for women, they are." Shaking her head, she glances at M'nol with a bemused expression. "This is the last conversation I thought I'd be having with you. First you up and Impress, then you discover the joy of being with a woman. And I could never have pictured you in this situation at all… it's just not you. You're no womanizer."
M'nol nods, "I know… I have no clue what happened and neither does she… she wasn't even /in/ the flight… she was just nearby… part of me wonders if it was a setup…"
Jessamin smiles wryly. "I wasn't even in a flight, either, but when dragons rise, so do the passions of most anybody in the vicinity. That's what happened with my first time, a few Turns ago… before even going to Xanadu."
M'nol nods, "I've just always been able to remember before… remember the flight through Farry's eyes… the after whatever it might've been… but this is just… /blank/… it's weird."
Jessamin raises an eyebrow. "So Farry rose, but there was no connection this time? That -is- strange. Is there anything that he was able to tell you?"
M'nol shrugs, "I don't know… there's /always/ a connection, it's like I can't remember it. Farry said it was a green flight and well flown. won by a blue he didn't know… and then when he came back I was abed and he didn't want to interrupt… he said I enjoyed it…" Unlike most, he doesn't look particularly pleased about this last fact, as if not enjoying it would somehow make it alright.
Jessamin hugs M'nol again, humming a soft, wordless tune for a few minutes. It's a little while before she speaks again, her brows furrowed in thought the whole while. "Well… it's not going to be easy, but I'd consider telling Phylicia the same things you just told me. Especially if there's a point where you blanked out. That's rather worrisome."
M'nol nods, sighing again, "I'll tell her everything, I have to. I'm less scared of telling her than of it happening again. Some poor innocent bystander not even /seeking/ a man's touch and I… I…"
Jessamin says "So it's the loss of control that scares you, as much as possibly hurting Phy?"
M'nol nods slowly, staring at his hands, "It hurts to know that I'll have hurt Phy, but I love her and I'm nearly sure she'll forgive me once… but to know that I lost myself… that I don't even know how or why… that my /dragon/ doesn't even know… that's scary in a whole different way."
Jessamin nods slowly. "It's something I can't even imagine. I'd talk to her, not just as your beloved, but ask for help from a Healer's perspective as well. Something about this just is not adding up."
M'nol nods again, his eyes still focused somewhere between his hands and the floor, "I will… I'm even considering talking to /another/ healer before I talk to her… see what they think…" He blinks twice, then adds quietly, "What did these hands do?"
Jessamin says "Good idea. Get an impartial opinion." She sighs softly, her eyes misting over as she witnesses M'nol's pain. All she can do is squeeze his hands gently and whisper, "I don't know what they did. But I can't see them causing harm, or Farry would never have chosen you on the Sands that day. You've got a resource I might never know, in his support. Lean on him, and your friends."
M'nol clenches his hands into fists and nods, "I will… I'll go talk to a healer not at Xanadu and see what they think. Dragons don't impress to crazy people, so something else must be going on." There's a distant bugle and M'nol smiles, "Farry says thanks for setting me straight."
Jessamin says "Hey, what are big sisters for?" There's that impish grin, and a playful twinkle in her eyes. "Speaking of that big brown lug, when was the last time he went for a good, long swim? Might be worth it to see if the weather's good."
M'nol nods, "'Swhy I came to you first, Jess." He pauses, thinking for a moment, "I bathed and oiled him right after the… thing… but I don't think he's gone swimming in quite a while
Jessamin says "Maybe a swim would help clear both your heads. Why do you think I always spent so much time down by the beach when I was in Xanadu?"
M'nol nods, "I used to swim a lot when Farry was still little… guess I just got out of the habit…" He thinks for a minute, then asks, "Would you like to show us the beach here?"
Jessamin 's jaw drops, and her eyes go wide in an expression of surprise. "You can't mean to tell me you haven't seen the lagoon here? Shards, M'nol, you've got to get out more!" Laughing, she gets to her feet, almost tripping over one of their flits in her haste to get to the clothing press at the end of her bed. "Whoops… clumsy today, aren't I?"
M'nol chuckles, "Oh… I've seen it… the day that Orla's queen rose… so I was a little distracted. I think I have my swimtrunks in Farry's bag, though… and yeah, a little clumsy, but that's not unusual."
Jessamin reaches over the foot of her bed to thump M'nol lightly upside the head, laughing. "You're terrible, you know that? Come on, get your swim trunks and I'll meet you out by the lagoon."
M'nol nods and chuckles, "Okay, I will. Whadda ya want me to do if I /can't/ find 'em?"
Jessamin coughs, turning bright red. "Probably something I shouldn't see, even if it's possible to get away with swimming in the nude sometimes."
M'nol chuckles, "Probably right about that. And I don't want to show it off, anyway."