Vidkun Trost:Creek Conversation

OOC: I'm viewing Valeria as confident to a point as a cover for perhaps not being sure of her self. Vidkun is straining to keep himself reserved and failing wildly.

. . .

Pausing to ask for directions, an old man out for an evening stroll knows exactly where they mean and points them down the right path. West of the main road through the village, at the end of the northernmost lane-Thrush Lane, a small stream of water trickles down from the hills, flowing slowly to the north, where presumably it will meet another brook or river and eventually reach Lake Tarsis.

To Vidkun’s chagrin, they are not alone. A young mother is trying to wash her two rambunctious children, whose seem to be trying to avoid their bath by splashing all the water from the creek. Valeria stifles a laugh and shrugs when her eyes meet Vidkun’s.

“Seems to be the spot for getting clean,” she says. “I guess that’s why we came, after all…”

Leaving her pack on the ground, she strips down as much as decency will allow, and steps into the water without hesitation. Walking out until the water is waist high, she dives in and swims toward the fall, leaving Vidkun watching from the bank with the bottle of wine and mugs in his hands.

After a few moments of just looking at Valeria, his jaw slackly working but not saying anything. Vidkun lets out the most relaxed laugh Valeria has ever heard from him. Carefully he sets down the mugs and the bottle, and then quickly undresses to his breeks. However, as Valeria watches, Vidkun laughs yet again and splatter crawls to the children and starts splashing with them and smiling with glee. Glancing at the bedraggled mother, and waiting for her puzzled glance of approval, Vidkun seems to be playing stalking sea monster with the little ones. Within a few minutes he seems to have completely outdone them in moisture displacement while somehow managing to get the giggling squirmies scrubbed from head to toe.

Gentle with the brush, profuse with the play, Valeria sees a strange joy in Vidkuns eyes. Not the passion of war, though she has seen that in him. Not even the thrill of the hunt when he rode pell mell to Othan's aid agaist three bandits. His look seems to be deeper than happiness...struggling to identify it...to label it...the word dawns on her.

"Contentment"

Vidkun looks down as the boy-child tossles his hair. Lifting the boy up and kissing his head, Vidkun hands the boy to his mother. "This viscious sea beast has been tamed, your highness." He announces regally. Lifting the little girl up onto his back, he adds. "This one, however, needs special treatment! Perhaps salting and pickling? Or maybe just tickling her feet?" Which he proceeds to do to squeals of delightful protest.

As the children allow themselves to be dried a bit before running off back home, Vidkun bows to the mother. "Happy to be of service, m'lady. However, as you may see, I have my own Queen to serve and hopefully she feels my presence sorely missed."

As he swims to Valeria she can see his splashing was not all in effect. While not likely to drown he seems to not be nearly as comfortable in the water as she.

Smiling at him, she says. "You seem to have done that before?"

"What?" he asks. "Gape at a beautiful woman as she dips into a tranquil stream? No, sorry. My life has been dreadfully short of beautiful nypmhs and swimming in cold streams, while exhilirating, is a bit out of my normal habit."

Nodding to the family that has just left, she says. "Bathe a squealing child. Most men I know would have just held them underwater until they quit fussing and then wrung them out with their bare hands." She paused for a moment and looked at his chest. Tanned a bit, scarred a lot, he seemed oddly not the type to coddle an infant.

Vidkun looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "This?" He asked. Sticking his finger under the double looped necklace he wore, with the ring attached, he repeated. "This? It is, to me, the most important thing I have. And something I have been meaning to talk to you about, if you like."

Shaking her head and clearing out her reverie, Valeria nods. "Um...yes..." Then she caught sight of what Vidkun held up; it was a largish gold ring. Large as in man sized, and not bejeweled at all. Taking a slight breath to give herself a moment, she said. "Is that a ring of vows?" Cocking her head to one side she added "Is there a Madame Trost we should be talking about?"

Vidkuns jaw moved once...twice..."not"...he licked his lips..."yet"...

Eyes a bit wide, Valeria struggled to change the subject. "So, um, where did you learn to bath squealing sea monsters?"

"Frieden and her twins, Georg the fourth and Glenda." Vidkun smiled as his gaze softened. "Georg the third, Holy Warrior of Renown, mighty peer of what is left of the realm, was frightend of his own children. He could battle a dozen armed soldiers at once but his knees started to shake every time he tried to play with his kids." Laughing quietly, Vidkun said. "A good man, Geord the older. We assume he went off and got himself killed by some fell creature instead of trying to suffer through Frieden's wrath at being left alone with the kids."

Valeria raised an accusing eyebrow as she pointed a finger at Vidkun. "And young dashing Vidkun sought to gain the attention of the beautiful Frieden by caring for her children?"

Looking a bit confused, Vidkun smiled and then chuckled. Gentely taking her hand and kissing it as a courtier might, he half bowed and replied. "No, Lady Valeria. Frieden, or more properly The Lady Dame Aunty Frieden, was my mother's middle older sister. I am one of the youngest of my siblings, as was both my mother and my father. Thus I must admit to only being a dozen or so years older than Georg the fourth and the charming Glenda. Though Aunt Frieden was not much older then than I am now, at the time she seemed to be quite...aged."

Valeria hadn't moved her hand. Blushing, she looked at it. "You promised not to start anything."

Opening his hand and letting her move her own if she wished, Vidkun shrugged. "If I am to be accused of such crimes, my Lady, then it is but naught to so deeply enjoy that of which I am accused."

Her eyes meet his for an almost uncomfortably moment. Abruptly, she leans in and kisses Vidkun on the cheek. Then, her face breaking out into a slightly awkward grin, pushes away from him mischievously and swims further out into the creek.

“Can you swim?” she asks. “I find nothing stirs one's appetites like a good bout in the water. And I'm not quite hungry yet.”

Vidkun smiles as he looks at Valeria. "Actually.." he says, then hesitates. In doing so, is lost. As the graceful twilight wraps them together, Vikdun edges towards Valeria. While his body gets ready to attempt to swim his voice seems to drown in emotion. "You assume my hunger can be sated, Valeria? I am a man and you are a beautiful woman. That hunger yearns, yes." Lowering himself deeper into the stream Vidkun hears the pattering of the waterfall playing off the beating of his heart. "But I am a proud son of a loving family, Valeria. Every time I say your name, Valeria, I wish that I could be talking to my mother about how wonderful you are. When I say your name, Valeria, I hear others whispering their praise of you. The hunger of seeing you look at me as a woman looks at her man; that hunger will never die lest you yourself cruelly slay it."

His shoulders sagging in defeat, Vidkun knew he had lost the battle against his own passion. He washed the salt-water out of his eyes by diving under the clear, cool, mountain stream. Awkwardly swimming to where he can see Valeria, he stays underwater, holding his breath. There are few physical skills he excells at, but Vidkun's now broken resolve needs mending. "Perhaps I will stay here long enough to drown my misery." He thought to himself. Yet looking at Valeria through the last vestiges of light he cannot find this miserable at all. As his lungs start to constrict and the fire buurns his throat, Vidkun smiles and continues to push himself. Drifting slowly, closer to Valeria, letting the deathly cold and the scorching pain clear his mind, Vidkun gently caresses Valeria as he slowly arcs to the surface.

Breaking through, gasping, inhaling deeply, Vidkun stands shakily and unconsciously reaches out to Valeria for stability. Laughing merrily, he pointed out. "That is my one talent in the water, besides making lots of splashes." Laughing again, free of restricted airflow, free of unshared expectations, free at last, Vidkun dives back into the water and swims underneath as far as he can. Pulling himself along the bottom by rocks and long dead limbs, he returns close to where he began.

"We were talking of appetites, Valeria? You seem to be unsure." Spreading his arms wide and bowing gracefully, he added. "I am yours to command, my lady. How may I serve? Perhaps closer to hear your whispered wish?" With that he dove back in yet again but this time paddle splashed his way to her. Crouching down, she cannot see his face as he wickedly smiled and said "Perhaps my lady is afraid to jump in?" right before he wrapped his arms around her and launched them both backwards into the deepest part of the water.