For the longest time, all Solange was aware of was the deliciously soft pillow against her cheek. So long gone and exhausted from her previous activities, the woman had succumb to the allure of sleep, grateful for the well deserved rest she received. But as the time slowly spanned, every inch of Solange became aware of the strong ache that claimed her form, and the sensation of overwhelming heaviness that pulled at her eyes and made her sink further into the mattress and furs.

Yet there was no escaping the dawn of awakening. Solange wanted to, she wanted to hide away in her dreams, to bury herself in the safety of lucidity, but even she could not force sleep upon herself forever. Wake up. You've slept long enough, and it's evening now.

The mental snip was enough for Solange to snarl back. Tsunath had succeeded. With a yawn, the goldrider could not help but stretch out only to feel the sharp points along her body, bruising along various points of her that made her inhale sharply. Just what in... Solange was about to snap at N'ko, but as she turned her head to face the sharding man, her eyes fell on a lighter form that clearly did not belong to her lover. She reared back at the sight before her, before panicked fingers grasped at her furs to cover herself from him.

As wide, bulging black eyes regarded this man, and terror pulled at her mouth, frightened and confused thoughts ran through her mind. What had happened? Why was he here? What had she done?

We flew, the gold rumbled proudly back into her rider. And fly well we did.

Fly? ... Solange's half dazed mind had to rake through her pile of memories to suddenly remember the why. Tsunath had risen. So who was this man who laid the same claim upon her body so aggressively as his beast had claimed her own?

Sionnath, was Tsunath's smug answer.

And where are N'ko and Volcath? her mind reached to Tsunath desperately as she began to panic. Solange was fearful of how N'ko had taken all of this. The discussion had come up several times, but shards and shells talking about it and having it actually happen were two different matters entirely. And the man, all Solange could do was look to him, too overwhelmed to wake the bronzerider, and dreading the moment when he would do it himself.

I'li had been pretty heavily asleep, even when Solange woke and panicked when she had seen him, I'li had remained asleep for at least a few moments longer. Like her, he had needed to sleep off post Flight exhaustion; though it was likely she may have needed it more. I'li was not known for being the gentlest to his Flight partners, he got so caught up in the heat of the lust and need that his regards for how harsh he may have been never occurred to him until the morning after.

However, it was inevitable for I'li to wake up, and Sionnath's own mental prodding of his rider helped wake the large man up. His brown eyes opened and blinked a few times as he realized this wasn't his weyr, these weren't his furs. In those moments of wakeful haze, he wasn't sure why he wasn't in his weyr. However, it didn't take long for him to recognize the feeling and those lust blurred memories made sense. Flight, yes, Sionnath had Flown Tsunath. He remembered now, and the puzzle pieces fell together in his mind to answer any internal questions.

Finally, the large bronzerider moved, shifting to sit up on the bed as he covered his mouth for a yawn, then scratched the back of his neck. He could feel a bit of tightness in a few of his muscles, most likely from his Flight induced exertions, but nothing that really bothered him much and wouldn't be there for more than a day at the most.

Finally, the man looked over to Solange, realizing she was here. Well, of course she would be here, it was her weyr after all, though he might have expected her to leave before he woke. I'li had had a few greenriders do the same, and he wouldn't have been offended, especially considering that, if memory served him right, Solange was weyrmated. Even so, he nodded a tired greeting to the woman as he finished waking up.

"Hope you slept ok,"� he said for lack of anything else to say. If he was reading her expression right, she looked like she wasn't necessarily pleased to see him in here, in her bed, although the way she covered herself was really what gave that hint to I'li. "I apologize if I hurt you,"� he added, a courtesy he often gave to his Flight partners.

It was impossible not to flinch when the man moved to sit up in bed. A suspicious gaze settled on him, watching him wearily. How he could be so casual about this, Solange did not know. All she could do was look to I'li in astonishment. Was this how it was supposed to be. Thank you Solange for the comfort of your bed and the warmth of your body. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm tired worn and hungry. Those were the words Solange braced herself for. Considering his demeanor as he awoke, she doubted she would hear anything else other than a polite thank you and an excuse to leave.

So it should have come as no surprise, at least to the newly made Weyrwoman herself that all she could do was silently nod her head to his first remark. Her eyes continued to remain locked on him, and her lips pressed together. To be honest, she was at a loss over what to do or say next.

He beat her to the point, and she could not help but scoff at the question. The sound was startling even to her though, and she promptly covered her mouth as the dread and apology over her slight insult peered from her eyes. The woman did not dare speak, fearful of what embarrassing or careless things she might say, and instead could only nod once more to his remark, though a nod was hardly a proper response.

I'li couldn't help but eye the new Weyrwoman a bit when she scoffed. Although he wondered if the sound hadn't actually been intended based on how she covered her mouth and looked at him. So, he just gave a nod after she nodded. As far as I'li knew, Solange had never been through this before, at least not Flight lust and sex. She seemed to show that she wasn't used to it, but then again, it could have just been her personality. After all, not everyone particularly liked that about being a dragonrider. For I'li, it was just part of the job, something that he had to go through for the sake of his dragon, and in this case, the sake of the Weyr. That thought combined with his usual quiet and almost stoic nature probably made I'li come off as cold.

"I'll get some clothes on,"� he decided, looking around to find where at least his pants had been discarded before he got up to retrieve them, not thinking at all about if Solange would prefer the man keep himself covered or not. "If you want I can get some food brought up for you. I believe you have a weyrmate already, so I don't intend on overstaying my welcome if you'd prefer I leave right away, Weyrwoman Solange."

N'ko wasn't too sure what exactly he'd done with his day. Everything before mid-afternoon was at best a blur and at worst, completely missing, as was his shirt. Flight lust was not an unfamiliar sensation to the bronze rider, and the results of loosing a flight were hardly new to him, though Volcath would like to have the world believe otherwise. But he wasn't used to being unable to return to his own weyr while under the effects of his dragons desires. He wasn't sure what he'd done during the those hours that he didn't quite remember. He had a strong suspicion he may have bedded someone, but his clearest memory was of wandering the halls, so he wasn't completely sure., which made finding his missing shirt somewhat difficult.

As the light began to fade from the skies, N'ko's patience faded along with it. He'd tried to be polite, to give the new weyrleader time to get out of the weyr, but he'd be damned before he was going to spend the night away from his weyrmate, especially not after this morning. Knowing that Solange was sure to hungry, for there'd been no calls for food to be brought up and Tsunath had risen before their morning meal, N'ko had managed to talk the cooks into putting together a tray of food and let him take it up to her.

"Food wont be necessary." The young man's voice was cold as he walked into the weyr on the tail end of I'li's words, setting down the tray he'd been carrying. "Now, new Weyrleader or not, I suggest you get dressed and get out of my weyr"

Solange was just about to speak, to politely decline the offer for food, but before she could, her weyrmate had entered into the apartment. Her initial reaction was lift the furs she already used to cover her body from I'li. It felt as though she had been caught committing the worst treason she could possibly imagine against N'ko's heart. A dozen apologies formed on her tongue as she heard N'ko's growling words to the man. She stood to her feet, all the while hiding against the furs, and quickly moved to N'ko's side. Already she was sorry, even if she hardly had a say in it. But as she neared him, it suddenly dawned on her. Where was his shirt?

Stepping closer her eyes scanned his form, the confusion marring her features. The sight of him half dressed, the fact Tsunath had risen, Volcath had chased and lost, and the fact that she herself had been preoccupied immediately set her gut churning over the worst thoughts that suddenly sprung into her mind. She wished she could have buried those thoughts, imagines of him tangled with anyone but her. It was already bad enough to her that she had to let another man claim her, but it was even worse to think that N'ko could not control himself the one time she desperately needed him to.

The room suddenly felt so small, especially as the scents of her own shame wafted passed her, or was it N'ko she smelled. Solange did not want to know. She felt soiled, and wanted nothing more than to escape that room. Staying there was no longer an option. "Excuse me," the hurried courtesy muffled escaped her before she ducked passed the the curtains into the retreat of the bathing room.

It would have been a lie to say I'li hadn't been somewhat surprised by N'ko's sudden entrance. However, it wouldn't be the first time I'li had been kicked out of a weyr by a displeased weyrmate after a Flight. Not everyone could just easily accept it, and I'li respected that. Although he idly thought that the growling words really weren't necessary. But then again, N'ko might not have realized that for I'li, it had only been Flight, nothing more. However, when he saw that the other bronzerider was missing his shirt, the new Weyrleader could easily guess what happened with him. "As I said, I didn't intend on overstaying my welcome," he said with a nod to N'ko.

I'li glanced over toward Solange as she moved, the man getting his clothes from the floor and dressing himself as quickly as he could without outright rushing. He didn't like to rush. Soon however, he had his pants, shirt and boots on, holding his jacket in his hand as he made his way to the door that N'ko had come in from. He nodded respectfully to the other bronzerider.

I'li happened to hear Solange's words and saw her appear to retreat. For a moment, I'li stood, at the door, hand on the knob. He looked at N'ko, and realized how young both of them were. No wonder that they felt differently than he did about this. I'li had gone through Flights and flight sex for fifteen turns or so now, he had long since gotten used to this part of being a dragonrider. There was a difference in age and experience here that he hadn't realized until just that moment.

"It will be ok. You two love each other. That's what's important," he offered, though he was sure that his words wouldn't really be appreciated. However, after saying that, the new Weyrleader opened the door and moved to make his quiet exit.

N'ko was a little surprised by I'li's willingness to leave. He'd been expecting to walk in and have to deal with a man who didn't want to leave. He'd been fearing having to deal with someone who wanted to take Solange away from him, to have a more than working relationship with the weyrwoman. It was hard enough on him to know that Solange, being who she was, would try and keep it all to herself. In his experience, sharing and relying on others, wasn't always her strong point.

He watched the older bronze rider leave. "Thankyou" He said softly as the man walked out the door. N'ko turned away as the man closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath, trying to center himself, before he pushed aside the curtains and walked into the bathing room "Solange?" He called his weyrmate's name softly, looking over the room for where she was.

The furs were discarded on the ground, while Solange herself had sunk into the warm pool to soak her aching muscles and to dull the pain of the sharp bruising. She felt soiled by what she had done, and the guilt haunted her. At the time she knew she wanted to, and had a feeling she might have even enjoyed herself. Afterwards, however, she hated herself for every moment of it. Solange needed to wash away her sin, to cleanse herself of the sordid affair... but what about N'ko?

Oh, by the egg the woman did not know if she was ready to ask that question of her lover just yet. Not while she still heard the voices just outside of the curtain, but once the door closed, Solange knew what was about to happen. The moment N'ko called for her, Solange found she could not bare to look at him. To look at him was to remind herself of the possibility of what had happened. Yet she had to know. She knew the answer, but she needed to hear it from him.

"Were-" she stopped herself, not knowing if she was about to ask the right question. Once set on her words she asked once more. "Where's your shirt, N'ko?" It was a pass aggressive question to corner him into telling her the entire truth, and she knew the answer already. She just wanted to hear it from his own mouth.

And still, she could not looked at him.

Spying her in the water, N'ko quickly stripped and made to join her. He was only part way in when she asked her question. The bronze rider paused watching her for a long before before admitting quietly "I don't know". N'ko didn't know what was worse, knowing that the she had been with another, or the uncertainty about what he himself had done. He couldn't blame her for what had happened. As much as he didn't like the thought of her being with anyone but himself, Tsunath's need to mate couldn't be denied.

Slowly he finished his decent into the pool, settling next to her, but not touching her, uncertain if she'd be welcoming of the physical closeness which he wanted right now. "I don't remember much of today" He told her, voice soft "I don't know where my shirt is, or if I even had one on when I left here. I don't know what I did today, where I've been, nothing. I have, bits and pieces, mostly foggy memories of wandering the hallways and the bowl. The first thing I can clearly remember of today, is late afternoon, wandering into the kitchen because I was hungry"

Slowly he reached out to her "Please look at me Love. I'm not trying to make excuses Sol. I genuinely don't know what's happened to me today"

Though she could not understand the reason behind it, the fact that he did not know only served to unsettle her further, and when he felt his fingers grace her shoulder, naturally she pulled away. Still feeling dirty and, for a lack of a better word, violated... Solange did not want to be touched. It was not that she had not expected this moment, for she knew very well what was going to happen, but no amount of talking or training could have prepared her for it.

And once again her confusion surfaced to the point that it boiled over into anger. "What do you mean you don't know!" she hissed at her weyrmate, finally turning to face him, her lips snarling though the look in her eyes pleaded with him to tell her. To her it was obvious. He had to know. "How can you not know when you've had sex? The signs don't just disappear, N'ko, they stay until you do something about it. Like bathe, and if you bathed, then for what other reason did you have to do that?" Solange's words where on the verge of calling him a liar, but she did not dare. She just wanted to know the truth rather than be protected from it.

"So just tell me... because I need to know..." it was a double edged sword. She knew N'ko could hold back from flight lust when he lost, she had seen him do it though she knew it was a struggle. So if he gave in the one time she desperately needed him not to, the one time she could not be with him... She could not even bring herself to that conclusion without making her stomach twist. She was already disgusted with herself, already struggled when N'ko was with another when Volcath was successful. But for him to be with another when the bronze had lost... the thought of him tangled with someone who had taken advantage of him, man who the Weyr knew was weyrmated, was revolting. It disgusted her, and was even more of a violation to her than I'li and their unknowing tangled affair ever could be.

She had no choice, I'li had no choice. But N'ko... through the fog of lust that control and choice existed, and if he was with someone... who ever that someone was had full choice and should have known better. THEY were not intoxicated and influenced by flight lust like she, I'li, and N'ko were. THEY should have known better than to bed a Weyrmated man. THEY had the choice to decline. And in the end THEY were the the true guilty offender. Oh by the love of Faranth, if that person existed they had better run and hide, for she was already thinking of the hundred things she would do to make them suffer. If there was any justice in the world THEY would suffer.

So lost in the fury of her inner rage, Solange was unaware that her fists were clenching so tightly that her sharp nails had dug into her palm and drawn blood.

Solange pulled away from him and N'ko's hands curled into helpless fists. "Because I don't know" He snapped at her, his own frustration at the situation boiling over for a moment. As soon as the words had left his mouth, N'ko's anger seemed to collapse in on itself, leaving the man feeling hollow and brittle as Solange demanded an answer he didn't have. "I don't know" He repeated softly "I don't know what I did"

There was a pained look in his eyes as his gaze met Solange's for a moment before he looked away, unable to maintain eye contact with her. "Sol. I can't give you the answers you want. Faranth knows I wish I could, I wish I knew what the hell I've done." His shoulders slumped and he ran a wet hand through his hair, making it stick up at odd angles. "I don't remember enough. I don't think I've slept it off yet. I know I didn't go looking for anyone. But if someone came looking for me..." He shook his head, not wanting to finish that thought.

"Solange" N'ko reached out, cupping her cheek "What ever happened to me, what happened between you and I'li because of Tsunath and Sionnath, that doesn't change the most important thing. You are my weyrmate. I love you. Not anyone else. You" He leaned in "You are mine" He whispered the words to her before he pressed his lips against hers.

His answer did little to sooth her, and only made her blood boil further. All she could think of were the what ifs, thoughts that became obsessions until her insides churned. An ugly side of the woman had been reared in this moment, that part of her who guarded their relationship so fiercely. It was her last stance to hold onto what holdbred values she had left, and once again the thought of someone daring to take advantage of N'ko in such a state, her Weyrmate in such a state, caused her fists to clench and her nails to embed further into her palms. Such a horrendous crime was no better than someone taking advantage of a known weyrmated or married man if he were drunk and they were sober. It was such a vile act that Solange knew she could never and would never forgive.

Her entire being was trembling when N'ko reached up to her, cupping her face gently. She could not help but cry as he spoke. Her fears and frustrations had come to a peak, the deepest dread within her shaking at the thought that she had lost him, and the disgust with herself of what such fears made her think, made her wish upon another. And yet still those horrid thoughts remained, wishing nothing but the worst upon the phantom who she feared had haunted N'ko in that state of lust intoxicated vulnerability that he could not remember.

The kiss he gave her was one she needed desperately, and by the end she desperately parted to utter her profound apologies. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, N'ko..." Solange had no right to verbally assault him as she had, and yet still that inner demon remained, lurking just under the surface. It was calm for now, allowing Solange to return to herself and to seek what comfort she could, but Thread would fall tenfolds if she ever meant the phantom who dared to covet her lover when he did not have the will power to say no.

Fearing the green eyed beast that lurked within her, Solange looked to N'ko, realizing a cold hard truth. "If... you ever find out..." She shook her head, and she could not help but turn away shamefully, abandoning one cheek from his hand only to press the other into his opposing palm. "I don't think I should know, anymore. Just... don't tell me please... I don't..." she stopped herself, not even wanting to say it, though inside she managed to confess her fear. I'll hurt that wher of a bastard if they did anything to you, N'ko, her thoughts uttered what her words failed to say.

"Shhhh" N'ko reached out and pulled Solange into his arms "It's okay love" He told her quietly, pressing soft kisses to her cheeks. He wasn't sure if he'd rather know or not know if he was in her position, but he would never have that choice so he tried not to dwell on it. He'd always know who won her flights.

"Now" He looked down at the woman in his arms, a grin curving his lips "How about we get you clean huh?"