Arcfall

[Kira Talith]

The robe was folded in half then placed on top of a nearby rock. She gave a sigh of relief as at least a small breeze swept through the clearing, cooling her clammy skin off as the faint mist of the waterfall fell over them.

"Oh that feels good," she sighed out, only to glance at Calico through the thin slits of her eyes. Sometimes, she wasn't sure if it was because of his upbringing or simply because of his fancy armor that regulated all of his needs that made him think so. Then again, the Dreadguard were a curious curio. She wasn't able to feel them through the Force, and to be frank, men were an odd sentient to understand Force or not.

However, there were some basics when dealing with surviving out in an unfamiliar planet.

"Yeah, no fire is needed now, however, we don't just how long the daylight cycle of this planet is... much the less, what kind of wildlife bumps along in the night," she told him, explaining as she threaded her fingers through her hair --- well more like attempted. There were knots and gnarls. A leaf was plucked and sent fluttering into the air.

"We know a few things. It's humid. There is a river, swampland, and from what my earlier scan suggested, no actual settlements anywhere on this planet. " she said, starting to investigate around the treeline to find some dry kindling. "Fire by far, once nightfall hits, would be our best method of keeping warm, cooking food, and deterring any wildlife...." she managed to find some sticks, testing them out to see how green they were. This would do. She moved on, walking and talking, bending down every now and then as she picked up pieces of scattered wood from alongside the small pools of mangrove swampland.

"There have been planets that upon nightfall, temperatures drop below freezing, only to warm up come morning."

A glance went over towards his direction, humor lighting her eyes,"Not everyone has a fancy armor set that will regulate their body temperature and see them through the night, Calico."

 

[Revenchent]

Calico did not dare look up from that little niche in his armor. He had for a moment, stared, and forced his gaze back down to his boots. She made him uncomfortable in the oddest of ways. The Commando set his elbows on his knees, and his chin on his open palms.

"Alright, alright, we'll find some wood." He pushed up from his spot on the rocks, and distracted himself with finding sticks along side the petite Jedi. He stomped along the treeline a few feet away, grabbing up a stick here or there as he tried to put together a decent bundle.

"Forgive me." He tilted his head up slightly as he bent down to scoop up a small bundle. "The Army spoiled me." He gave a little half-smile, and resigned to his current task. It was far more productive than acting like an enamored teenager.

[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

An armful of sticks and kindling was in her arms, held against her chest, bits of mud smearing against the white of her thin under robes. She didn't seemed to mind however, her attention more focused on [member="Calico Tal'Verda"] 's body language.

A slight frown drew across her face as she slowly rose from her leaning position, setting down one last stick on top of her growing pile. He was avoiding her gaze, and the line of his body made it clear he felt uncomfortable. Was it again because of her summons? Well, right now they had other things to worry about; that could come later.

"I get why you didn't invite me over," she added, mentioning anew what he'd said earlier. "You have to protect your own. Just a bit crazy on just how quickly things seem to take a spin." she said, bending down to take another stick in her hand. He still seemed a bit off, so she went walking towards him.

The tip of the stick in her hand went rapping him against his shoulder, the sound a quick series of taps that echoed against the armor. A grin went at his direction, as she being her typical self, began to joke to put him at ease, "Hey don't worry about it... besides you can pay penance with finding food." she teased, moving past him to take her pile of wood towards the cavern.

"It's fine. I'm used to wandering about in no man's land with nothing but my saber and my horrible jokes!" she said over her shoulder, passing the threshold of stalactites over head. She set them down by the entrance, crouching down to organize the pile.

Her original investigation had brought a discovery of a subterranean stream with a pebbly beach meandering through. It wouldn't be the rushing river, but at least it would over a bit more privacy. From her initial walk through, there even seemed to be a small pool. The water would likely be cold, but at the very least it wouldn't be sluggish water. Small favors.

"We won't need that much right now, just enough for the night," she called out.

 

[Revenchent]

"Believe me, I would have given you a call beforehand if things had been stable."He responded as the stick hit his shoulder. He glanced up, and for the moment, his unease was gone. He grinned big and broad, and stood up to his full height. "Finding food is important. It's been awhile since I've hunted anyway. Should be some traps in my pack, minor stuff."


He held the bundle close to his chest as she made her way over toward their temporary home. The usual what-ifs began to take hold in the back of his mind. He defaulted to a rather simple way of being, focusing completely on the here and now. It kept his mind off things that would likely never happen, kept his emotions in check. The urge to spill his guts to the Jedi had crossed his mind more than a few times. It was happening right then as he stared at the woman, expression completely blank.

"And they are horrible." He teased, following a few meters after her. He deposited his stick next to her's, much less organized, and plopped down on the rocks. He took the moment to make sure the area was nice and tidy, and called back. "We should be alright. Don't take too long, you'll use up all the hot water."

Calico sighed contentedly at the tidy little space that was their camp. He decided to take the moment to be productive, and marched off into the area around their camp. It wasn't a huge area, but it held a clean water source, so some form of game was bound to come by. He decided which spots were more likely to have small animals traveling through, specifically by spots where the grass was slightly shorter or things were a bit uneven, and set small rope traps. Simple, archaic, and effective. "I set some basic traps. We won't catch anything big, but I doubt we'll need too." He called as he returned to the mouth of the cave.

[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

She began to organize the pile he set down next to her, an amused expression over her face. She gave a snort, "Unless you can boil water with your little blow torch, I think hot water is going to be in short supply."

Her laughter would follow him as he left, leaving the Jedi to organize what was left of the firewood for nightfall. Done with her task, she gave a quick nod, pleased with her productivity. A buzzing sound around her ear brought her back to the real issue at hand, as she waved another mosquito off.

You surely will win Galactic beauty queen Kira, she thought to herself with a wry grin, realizing that she looked an utter mess. The combination of sweat and humidity was already wreaking havoc. She could feel the grimey beads of sweat trail down from her neck and her chest.

Ugh! She needed to wash it all off.

A glance to her right brought back to attention the small pool she'd discovered earlier. Hmm.

A sudden thought filled her mind and she pondered the risks. She glanced around. It was really too good to resist. At the very least, she would have perhaps half an hour or so.

With the decision made, she crossed over towards the stream and where the pool of water collected. Sitting on the ground, she took off her boots. She wiggled her toes.

Ahh!... The ground was moist under her bare feet and it felt good to stretch her toes. Pushing herself into a standing position, she gave one last look around and made her way into the water. Kira shivered with pleasure as she stepped into the pool, slowly walking forward into the depths of the subterranean stream. The surface rippled, undulating around her thighs, molding the ivory robe to her warm flesh. Light reflected off the water, dancing over her stomach and her chest. Blonde hair fell long over her back, clinging to her neck and caressing her shoulders.

How wonderful, she thought as she cupped a handful of the water. Closing her eyes, she splashed her face with the refreshing liquid. A small sigh of pleasure escaped her lips, only to be caught by the tightness of the wet fabric along her slim frame. Shivering again, she reached down to the ties at her waist, and began to loosen the strings of her robe.

The risk of exposure didn't worry her, for her senses through the Force were sure to warn her of any prying eyes. Besides, she only wanted to loosen some of the ties to help her wash the sweat around her shoulders and upper chest. Or so she thought until she felt and heard the rustle of fabric slip from her right shoulder and slide down her arm...

Just as she heard Calico's voice behind her, "I set some basic traps. We won't catch anything big, but I doubt we'll need too."

Right. Dreadguard. One couldn't just track them through the Force.

Her eyes went wide, as she glanced over her shoulder at that direction, only to suddenly dip herself down into the water until it was at her neck level.

Beans!

 

[Revenchent]

I think I've got a handle on it for now.

Calico was running himself through his mental exercises. He had learned that focusing on the goal made the journey far less harsh. Sure, you could be slogging waist deep in bantha waist, but you'd have a nice warm bed awaiting you back at FleetOps in the end. Except there wasn't a FleetOps anymore, and that way of thinking quickly evaporated when Calico returned to the cave mouth.

She had been effectively shut out of his mind for the moment. His thoughts had drifted toward construction of the lifeship upon his return, and perhaps taking Keziah and the family off for some relaxation. These had all been dashed when he laid eyes on Kira.

His lips parted as words attempted to form, but all that escaped was a soft gasp. His now grimy face turned a faint shade of crimson. The worst part was, he stared. Embarrassed could not accurately describe the burning sensation in his chest right then. He'd intruded, and that was not the way to start the evening.

"Oh, kriff-...I mean shab. I-" He turned sharp on his heel, tripping on his own feet, and stumbled up against the cave wall, dropping the pieces of rope he'd had in his arms in the process. "I didn't--you--water--I didn't see--sorry!" The soldier pressed his hands over his eyes, and resigned to face the rocky wall. Frankly, Calico had no fething idea what was the appropriate way to handle this kind of situation.

[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

Well this was a rather awkward situation. It was only multiplied a thousandfold when Kira saw poor Calico spinning like a top as he in his embarrassed rush turned his large bulky body away from the Jedi.

Which only augmented the concern Kira felt as she instinctively shot up to her feet, water trailing down her saturated robes and skin as her hands went reaching out as if they would be able to stop him from falling.

“ Oh beans! Watch out!” Course, this didn’t work. Force dead Dreadguard and all.

Oh his body language gave all sorts of embarrassed and mortified emotes, from the stammer in his voice to the frantic flight response he gave.

“It’s fine! Really! Ohh!!..” another wince as she heard the ropes fall to the ground, the scattering of rocks and pebbles falling from the cave wall as his back went crashing against it, “ Watch out… for that… wall...” her shoulders gave a slight hunch as another loud echo went resonating throughout the cave as the former Grand Marshal of the Confederacy of Independent Systems freaked out over seeing a Jedi Master’s wet shoulder.

Ohhhhhhhhh boy.

Really, he was his own worst enemy, mused Kira, as she shook her head, the Force augmenting her speed to attempt to help Calico from knocking his head against the wall and knocking himself out.

Truth be told, it wasn’t like she was naked for goodness sakes! She mused to herself, not quite aware as her hands went reaching out to take a hold of his right arm to help him steady himself, that the white robes while modest in their covering were far more opaque than said modesty would allow.

"Watch your step!" she told him, trying to help but not realizing that he'd already had his hands to his face, blinding him from realizing just how slippery the damp ground is.

 

[Revenchent]

This wasn't something Calico had expected from the little trip out to Shiva. Sure, he'd expected a bit of awkwardness, and then the duo easing into conversation. Then the soldier could have spoken to her like a diplomat, and that would have certainly helped to push the petite Jedi out of his mind.

This is the opposite

"I'm watching." He mumbled aloud. The former Grand Marshal's feet caught on the uneven gravel. The small finger encircling around his arm were, at the very least, counter productive.

With the power of all of the galaxy's fan service, Calico lost his balance, toppling back. He hit the rocky floor with a thud, loose gravel sticking up into his back like little thorns. His arms flailed and latched unto the rock below, and to Kira's left ankle, his eyes flittering open.

" I-"

Poor Calco tried to find the right words, but they eluded him. He stared at Kira, who could have easily won a wet T-shirt contest, and pursed his lips. "Uhm..."

The intense crimson coloration of his face was a beacon that could be seen from space at this point.

[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

Murphy’s law. Or was it Tef’s law? Either way, there was a law out there in the galaxy that basically summed up this particular situation; anyway you cut it, not matter how bad, things could only get worse.

In this instance, things went south. Wayyyy south.

When Calico went crashing his back against the wall, everything seemed to suddenly slow into a sluggish crawl. Kira would look back on this as one of those slow-mo scenes in a holo-flick, where time just seems to slow to make the following series of events all the more amusing… or mortifying.

In this case, mortifying.

Kira, never one to really have much luck with balance, went lost said balance when Calico clipped her against the ankle. Arms went up, waving around, “Whoa.. whoaa…” came the suddenly panicked cries under her breath. She went left, right, and as she’d just about managed to regain her footing --- it went.

We’ll blame Calico’s continually slippery armored boots as they tried to find purchase against the ground when he fell.

She was going down. Someone yell ‘Timber!’ Because down went one soaked Jedi Master on all fours against Calico, her petite body crashing against his as her palms went smacking against the rough wall beside the Dreadguard’s head to break her fall. Pain shot up her arms as sharp rocks bit into the skin of her palms, one knee going to the right and smacking against his leg plate while the other found brief purchase before sliding under the slippery mud of the ground.

Gravity, as well as that lovely matter of every action causes an equal reaction came and went as she went sliding against him in a tangle of Kira Bean legs. Only that the encore of this particular venture dealt with a more up close and personal look at the humble hills and valleys that the soaking blonde had, her upper body hovering over him as gravity parted wet cloth.

 

[Revenchent]

A silent prayer went to whatever entity had created that galaxy that Calico was still wearing his armored leg plates. Otherwise, there would have been an issue. Not that this wasn't one. His lips remained pursed in silent surprise, dark eyes gaze drifting from the blonde's face down, down, down....

"Kira, I..." Calico found himself at a loss for words. The embarrassment was clear on his face, as was something else. She couldn't have just accidentally taken a bath before he'd arrived. It was certainly unlikely, in Calico's mind, that they would have accidentally ended up in a position like this.

He had need Kira Liadain out of his mind and out of his system. Now she was doing the exact same things that he had, in embarrassment and shame, wished to happen. Yes, he lived Keziah, but right now, that wasn't on the clone's mind. According to the advice he had been given, he needed to either push Kira as far away as humanly possible, or get it over with. He made a quick decision.

Calico blinked up at her, and took a chance. He had read the signs all wrong, of course. Any average soul could see that. Poor Calico didn't have that sense of sociability however, and thus, had assumed this to be some play at romance, the pitiful lad.

Calico leaned up slightly and pressed his lips to the Jedi's, paying no heed to how soaked she was.

It seemed the fanservice was powerful in these two.

[member="Kira Liadain"]

 

[Kira Talith]

Well, you could knock her over with a feather. Or in this case, two hundred pounds of Dreadguard. Shock was putting it lightly at what Kira felt at the touch of Calico's lips on hers.

There would be no closing of the eyes; no instead they grew wide as his face grew closer and warmth pressed against her mouth. Not quite the kind of reaction she was expecting, as she had just given a wince at the pain on her palms at the sharp rocks digging into her skin.

Never been kissed. That was Kira. Never been in any kind of relationship to be exact, much the less in such an awkward situation. Her mind had been on concern for Calico's well being and that he didn't crack his head against the wall --- not on lovey dovey moments and now THIS of all things.

But none of this actually went through her mind -- this was all in hindsight of course. No, her mind had turned to mush. She couldn't think, wide eyed with Calico pecking her on the lips. Such was her surprise that her arms went jerking back, which only ended up lowering her body into an even more awkward position as she slid down until the curve of her bottom sat herself down -- on him.

Oh stars, was Calico ever reading this wrong.