Book 7 - New Dragons

aimi lay panting in the sawdust watching Brax crawling over with a grin on his face "let's call it a draw, what do you say? Raimi" Raimi chuckled wiping the blood from under her nose from where his elbow had accidentally caught her "a draw till next time, I'm just out of shape" Brax laughed "that's as good an excuse as any, I was going to use it my self" Raimi laughed and sat up with a groan, Brax grinned "why do you think I'm not moving yet" Raimi chuckled "you better start moving soon or you'll be so stiff you won't be able to walk tomorrow" Brax grinned "that's what the hot oil pool and a few good pints of ale are for." Raimi stood up and put out her hand to Brax, pulling him up "I don't have either and I'm not exactly sure what ale is but my bathing pool will work just fine for getting out the kinks." Brax stared at Raimi in shock "you've never had ale?" Raimi chucked seeing the look on his face "I don't know if I have or not, it's a name I've never heard before" Brax groaned stretching his back "well then let's go have a pint or two and find out."

Brand and Revanche looked up from the account books they had been going over, Natalie carrying a tray with some snacks on it, Bitsy with a tea tray, the two laughing and giggling. Brand raised an eyebrow "well which one came crawling out first?" Natalie laughed "neither they called it a draw, their both staggering to the house now, I think heading for the oil pool, I heard Brax say something about a pint of ale." Bitsy grinned "Keebler is pouting because on a draw he can't collect on bets, he was sure Brax was going to get pounded into the ground and had put all his money on Raimi." Brand laughed "who did you have your money on?" Bitsy chuckled "Raimi of course, we girls have to stick together." Natalie laughed pointing out the window, Brax and Raimi walking like two old crippled people, helping each other up the back steps chuckling at each other. Brand noticed Revanche frowning fiercely down at the books but said nothing with Natalie and Bitsy in the room.

Brax shoved a tankard into Raimi's hand "drink up" taking a long swallow of his own letting out a long sigh, Raimi took a small sip then grinned widely "it's mead, that's what we called it, I haven't had any in years and years" with a deep Mmmmmmmmm of pleasure she took a drink. Brax grinned "there's plenty where that came from" starting to strip off his clothes, Raimi turned her back "ummmmm isn't that against your rules or something, or is it just women who can't do it?" Brax slipping into the hot oil sighed "do what?" Raimi drinking her ale with her back still turned shrugged "undress down to nothing in front of people." Brax chortled "I don't care about rules, I wanted to get my body in this oil before I got too stiff, you better do the same." Raimi shook her head "that's ok I'll wait until I get home." Brax took a long swallow of his ale and chuckled "if your worried about me bothering ya, don't, I don't care for women in that way, I prefer my little man, who better get his butt home soon." Raimi shook her head "I just don't like being naked in front of people, I'm fine drinking my mead." Brax chuckled "I only see one person here but suit yourself, what do you think of our ale?" Raimi laying on her stomach her head hanging over the bathing pool washing her face grinned "I think it tastes almost as good as our mead." Pulling off her boots and socks Raimi dove into the bathing pool, swimming back and forth, she laughed "so much for rules, now they can tell me I shouldn't be swimming in my clothes" going to the side of the pool she took a drink of her ale then went back to swimming laps. Brax groaned just watching her "you're going to tire yourself out doing that." Raimi laughed "I do it twice a day, you should try it sometime." Brax groaned again.

Staggering down the hall sloshing with each step Raimi giggled, her boots under her arm as she went looking for Bitsy. Natalie came out of the library and started to chuckle watching Raimi, her boots kept dropping, each time one fell she would stare down at it like "how did that happen" then bend over to pick it up almost falling over. Raimi seeing Natalie giggled and grinned sloshing towards her "I think it's time to go home, can you pop me over there, I really need to figure out that popping thing." Looking down Raimi giggled "here Hellhound you carry them" she said dropping the boots in front of Hellhound who had been busy lapping up the puddle of water at her feet. Natalie started laughing, Bitsy looking over her shoulder giggled "should we offer her a cup of coffee or just go put her to bed?" Natalie grinned "I think she is past coffee." Revanche stepped past his mother and Bitsy, with a frown he looked at Raimi just shaking his head "you're a mess." Raimi frowned back at him "well dragon boy, I maybe a mess but I'm a clothed mess, so don't go frowning at me." Staggering a little Raimi called Hellhound who was sitting wagging his tail her boots in his mouth and headed for the front door. Natalie and Bitsy looked at each other then at Raimi and Revanche. Raimi jerking open the door almost fell out and down the steps, with a giggle she grabbed the door frame "look out Hellhound it's a drop down." With a loud sigh Revanche walked over "you can't go home in this state, you're too drunk." Raimi glowered at him "oh yes I can" taking an exaggerated step out the door, with a giggle she said to Hellhound "you take the lead, I don't remember what direction it's in." With a shriek Raimi went slipping and sliding down the stairs. Revanche ran down the stairs "are you all right?" he quickly asked. Natalie, Bitsy, now joined by Brand stood up at the top of the stairs watching with interest. Raimi glowered at Revanche "this is all your fault" glowering back. He growled "it's not my fault you drank too much, that's your own fault." Raimi snapped "yes it is, it's your fault I was wrestling with Brax." A fierce frown on his face Revanche snapped back "now your blaming me for getting pummeled into the ground?" Pulling herself up by the stair railing Raimi glowered "I did NOT get pummeled! All I was doing was taking Renlock's suggestion and getting used to being touched by a male, so I would be able to let YOU touch me dragon boy." Revanche snarled "don't blame your personal problems on me and you looked pretty pummeled from where I was standing." Brand leaned down and whispered to Natalie and Bitsy "am I wrong or did the implications of what she just said fly right over his head?" Both of them nodded with a sigh "Natalie, Rav really needs to have a talk with that boy and get his head out of the account books for awhile." Raimi sniffled "I was not pummeled, I'm going home!" Before Revanche could say another word Natalie went rushing down the stairs "I'll take you home dea.r" Revanche snapped "pour her into bed where she belongs, Mother." Raimi glared "like you would know huh." Natalie gave Revanche a "will you be quiet" look and took Raimi and Hellhound home.

Natalie got the soggy wet clothes off Raimi, not finding any of the night gowns that she had sent over, she dressed Raimi in a cool sleeveless cotton nightdress, dried her hair a little bit more and suggested she climb into bed. A sniffling Raimi shook her head "I'm going to go feed Hellhound he needs his supper." Natalie rolled her eyes and went to hang Raimi's clothes up to dry in the pool room, going back into the kitchen she found Raimi on her hands and knees under the table "that's my chicken Hell not yours, give it back!" Natalie laughed "I'll get you something to eat Raimi, let Hellhound have the chicken, you don't want it now anyway." Raimi crawling out from under the table grinned "I know but it's the principle of the thing." Natalie put a bowl of soup and some bread and butter on the table for Raimi "here you are, you'll probably feel better if you eat a little something." Raimi sat down staring at the bowl of soup "I don't know why Rev doesn't like me anymore, he used to come over and talk through the window, now he doesn't come around anymore and if he does it's only to get upset with me." Raimi sighed then shrugged "oh well I don't care if he comes around or not anymore he can just rot in his ink." Raimi sniffled as she ate her soup "that's not fair, it was my fault I just didn't know the rules that's all but just because the rules are different here doesn't mean I'm going to change" Raimi muttered belligerently. Natalie not quite sure exactly what Raimi was talking about chuckled "I don't think anyone is expecting you to change Raimi, you're enjoyably unique just the way you are." Raimi laid her head on the table and started to cry "that's just it I need to change and I'm scared, but today I proved to myself I can at least try to make a stab at it." Natalie handed Raimi a napkin "what do you need to change, and why are you scared?" Raimi wiped her eyes and blew her nose "I'm scared Natalie, really scared to try and let a male touch me and that's what I need to change, I'm trying, I'm really trying, I don't want to spend the rest of my life scared." Raimi blew her nose again "that's not me, a scared Raimi isn't me!" Natalie smiled kindly "well dear I don't think now is the time to try and work out problems like that, why don't you go to bed and tomorrow we can talk." Natalie got Raimi into bed, waited for Hellhound to come back inside, made sure everything was put away then went home.

Natalie sighed and sat down in her favorite chair rubbing her temples, Rav watched her for a moment then got up and stood behind the chair rubbing her neck and shoulders "is the unusually warm weather getting to you too? Revanche came in a short while ago snorting flames left and right." Natalie shook her head "I admit the weather is getting me down but something has come up and I'm really not all that sure what to do about it if anything, once again the clucking mother hen." Gently rubbing her temples with his fingers Rav purred soothingly "why don't you tell me about it." Natalie told Rav about what had happened at Brand's and what Raimi had said at her cottage. Rav chuckled picking Natalie up and sitting down setting her in his lap "even if Raimi can't find a way to deal with her sexual problems, I for one am glad to see the fur fly between the two of them, even before Chloe's death Revanche was sinking into a dull staid middle aged accountants life and he is still a young healthy man, he needs more then numbers in his life, remember the young man who played his way across Europe, remember the Italian dragoness, he used to laugh, have fun, fly soaring with a dragons roar, neither of us have seen or heard that in a long time. Since he has been home he has relaxed, loosened up started to smile and laugh, some of the boyhood mischief coming out again from time to time like that hound he gave Raimi." Natalie sighed nodding she knew he was right "darling he is trying so hard to ignore her sexually he even missed the pointed statement about wanting him to touch her." Rav blinked "he missed that?" Natalie nodded, Rav grinned "then we'll just have to work it into the supper conversation won't we." Nedra purred quietly in Rav's ear "my ohhh sooo sweet muffin just don't allow him to go to her cottage this night for Nedra shall be with the ohhh sooo tipsy one trying to lessen her fears." Rav chuckled and gave Natalie a kiss "care for a cool swim before dinner?" Natalie Mmmmmm'd at the thought.