Continuing the Search

[Armaud Eden]

~~~

As if she'd ever give up chips. Maybe if Hoth ever unfroze.

She noticed how at ease Armaud was around the fire and cooking. In the wild in general. She imagined she looked similar flying or doing anything in space. A low chuckle escaped her throat. "Judgy huh?" It was hard for her to picture that stern man in any way. But she'd been a part of his life for a flicker of a second.

Brows rose at the mention of the bet, though. Fingers slid the knife back into her boot. Firelit blues flickered in Armaud's direction.

"Only ONE crystal?" She huffed, jiggling the inside of her pocket that was full of them. "If you promise it's shallow enough to stand, I'll take your bet. And raise you one of the daggers we found in the workshop," hand extended, a broad smile on the explorer's face.

~~~

"Mhhm..." He uttered in response to Relit being judgy. "He once chastised me for seeing someone without being committed in a formal sense. I would never have thought Zelosians were so traditional but they have these weird superstitions, so maybe that goes hand in hand..."

He laughed outright at her jiggling her pockets, only to be taken back by how quickly she took to the bet. Feigning shock, he spritz the stone with a bit more seasoning. "I don't know. I was quite fond of those daggers." He smiled as he turned to look at her.

"If that's what it takes to get you into some water..." He held his hands over the stone before wiping them off on his shirt, then offered it for a shake. "I'll take it."

He imagined he'd appreciate her company in the hot springs for more than anything they found in the workshop. For...reasons.

Except for the bow and quiver. He was a little more fond of those than he was comfortable admitting.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Apparently, I should've held out for more," she smirked and shook his hand, index finger of other hand coming up to point in his direction as she gripped his fingers. "Remember. Must be standing depth."

She released her grip.

And the whole committed thing? Well. Best not to touch that with a twelve-foot loading ladder, though she was keenly aware of the warm metal ring pressing against her chest beneath the v-neck of her shirt. The girl wasn't sure if she was ready for commitment nor really knew what it looked like in a formal sense. And from the sound of it, Armaud was too much of a free spirit. Maybe they were both from the same wanderlust cut of cloth.

"Smells about done," attention turned to the fish. "I spose I should have you cook every night from now on. You'll have to do with one hot plate on the ship, though."

 

[Armaud Eden]

Standing depth. That felt like a good deal of wiggle room. He considered whether tippy toe standing depth counted and since it was a vague statement, he automatically assumed it counted. And he shrugged in response. "Fine, standing depth." It wasn't a lie but it was out of his control. He didn't manage the healing spas.

"I mean..." He stated as he used his knife to cut into the fish, making sure it was properly flaky. Content with it, he placed a piece in his mouth - suspended from the end of the knife. "What are you, like five foot nothing? Standing depth is four and a half feet then?"

He shrugged again as he dead panned the comment, knowing full well that she was a bit taller than that. Looking up towards the broken canopy of the forest, eyeing the still constellations of dying and dead stars, he smirked. "That's doable I guess."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Armaud Eden]

double post

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Heyheyhey. I am a respectable height. Thank you. Very. Much," reaching across, she picked at the fish, snagging a piece with her fingers. Hot, hot, hot. She rested it on the palm of her fingerless glove and brought it up to her mouth, blowing gently.

"Better be doable." She grumbled and tossed the cooled piece of fish in her mouth, munching quietly.

"Not bad. Guess that means you're hired as the ship's cook."

 

[Armaud Eden]

He blew on a piece of potato as he munched on it, taking another flake of fish in his hands.

"Respectable..." He smirked as she shook his head. She was right though, the fish was decent.

"Don't blame me for the flavor, that's all swamp water." He said with a smile, almost sarcastically. "You are what you eat...that's what they say, I think." He turned slowly to Kins. "I guess that makes you a bag of potato chips."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

She pffffft'd. "Well," she nabbed a potato and with her free hand, poked him in the shoulder. "Better a bag of chips than a swampy fish, berries, and roots." Grin stretched from ear to ear. She popped the potato in her mouth. Looking around at the campsite, she turned back to Armaud.

"You bring your high school lover out here?"

There was a smirk all over her face.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He smiled in response to the question, wondering if that would have come up. It was easy as fishing, just a matter of putting the bait out.

"I..." He stopped and picked at some fish. "Ya know I can't recall."

He towards her, narrowed his eyes, and then shifted towards the fire. "Odd."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Eyes that seemed too big for her face rolled. "You, my friend, are such a tease." Laughing once, she finished off her fish, picking out the bones before she swallowed. She nabbed another potato, blowing on it gently in her hand. The firefight lit the steam as it lazily rolled up from the hot surface toward the constellations above.

"Pibs must be very worried right about now. I'll have to comm the ship soon."

She may have nibbled at the line but slipped the hook.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Very much a tease.

"Does he actually get worried..." Maud stopped and looked towards the woman, munching on the remains of a herb encrusted potato. "Is it a he or...does Pibs have a gender?"

Maud wasn't sure how all of that worked.

"Seems odd to me..."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Shoulders rolled in a shrug. "I dunno. I spose I lean more toward a he. Wires were a bit crossed when I got him. Whatever personality protocols he has seem to change the more I have him. They say spacers always seem to pick the droids that work with their personalities. Guess I got lucky."

Of course, with how much that droid sassed her.

"Or unlucky," the girl smirked.

Popping another potato in her mouth, she stood.

"I'll be in the hut," squinting, she walked carefully back toward the small orange glow of the other fire. Last thing she needed was another fall.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Lucky...they did both seem to have attitude, which maybe helped with cohesiveness when operating the ship. Maud wouldn't know all too much about that sort of thing. He picked up creatures, here and there, when he traveled to various planets. But at the end of the day, they were temporary companions at best. Maybe he was helping them out of a tough spot or maybe he was simply trying to engage the environment.

The reasons always varied.

"Hmm." He uttered as she stood up, heading back towards the hut. He gave her space and time to make her way, emerald view following her to watch her gait. Once the fire had died down enough, he kicked some dirt on to it to finalize the suffocation. And moved back towards the hut.

Pulling out a blanket from underneath the bed, he sat down on the floor next to it, and covered himself. The fire was still burning warmly within the hut, helping to offset the slight chill rolling off the still waters.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

A series of urgent beeps was spewed from the end of her comm as Armaud plopped himself on the floor. Kinsey sat cross-legged on the bed. Kinsey's brows knit together. Lips drew thin.

"Stay alert. We'll figure something out. We always do."

The girl flipped the comm closed.

"Looks like they've posted a guard at our ship," she wondered if one of the locals bought by the First Order had seen them in town. Or perhaps going out to the homestead before Relit pulled his stint. His sacrifice. They were reported now.

"I'm not worried about it. No one can keep me from getting on my ship." A roguish grin eased across her face. A dark brow lofted on white skin.

"You sleeping on the floor?"

 

[Armaud Eden]

He didn't like the way this was all sounding. As much as he liked the planet, what with it being his home and all, he didn't much enjoy the idea of being stuck beneath the oppressive thumb of the First Order. He had no stake in the fight between the long gone alliance and the Empire, but they had forced his uncle to burn the grove down. To abandon the town and his home. These soldiers killed the good people of Baron's Hed, all in the name of order.

Just didn't make that much sense to him.

"Yeah, that's not surprising..." He knew she'd find a way to get it back. After all, this wasn't even remotely close to the empires capital. There could only be so much left to maintain the moon of a nearly useless planet. His green eyes moved from the earthen floor of the hut to Kins, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Well..." Crash Web, 2.0?

"You need to be comfortable, heal up from that hit..." He pointed sheepishly to her forehead from the covers of his blanket. "I didn't want to presume anything..."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Hand instinctively went to the back of her head, gently pressing against the krayt dragon-egg sized bump still there. She gave him a funny look. "Who are you again?" She dead panned, then laughed.

"Whelp. Seeing as you have the only blanket, I say you get up here and share. Don't you know us space girls are used to sharing tight quarters? Unless you'd prefer to be on the ground. But no promises the blanket won't be stolen at some point."

A crooked grin flashed in his direction.

Legs unfurled and she scooched over.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He wouldn't know all that much about space girls. As far as he could recall, she was the first female he had known to actually live in a space colony as opposed to living on a planet. Like a regular person. The smile that formed at the question of who he was persisted through the small exchange, though the fact that there was an economy of one blanket within the hut really showed his capacity for planning.

Or maybe it was his plan all along. As if he planned anything.

"Well I guess since you put it that way..." He was polite enough to not take off his shirt, crawling into bed next to her. Fluffing out the blanket, he took a deep breath as he smashed the pillow with the back of his head. "There, that's better." He smirked as he propped his hand between his head and pillow, looking at the rudimentary slats running across the ceiling. Above it was caked clay and thatch.

And it smelled of the woods and smoke, embers slowly crackling.

"Were the quarters super tight? Like more so than your ship?"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

She eased down next to him, curling slightly into his chest, lying on her side. Free hand tigged at the blanket so that it was securely over her form. Her vest, boots, tool belt, and jacket were off. Shredded earlier. Perhaps if she'd kept the layers on, she wouldn't have needed the blanket. But this was much more comfortable.

That shoulder/chest of his still made a decent pillow. Not like she'd ever tell him, though. And his body was basically a heating pad.

"It was tight," she sighed against him, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. "My folks collected a lot of things. Some would say hoarders, actually."

A ghost of a smile on her lips.

"There was barely any room to move around within the small space we had. So maybe more cramped but in a different way."

So, not packed with warm bodies, per say.

"Can't imagine growing up in a place like this. All this space. Room to endlessly run. It's so....different."

 

[Armaud Eden]

He hummed thoughtfully, as if he could understand the sort of life she lived. But he couldn't, he was sure he wouldn't be the same person he was today if he had grown up the way she had. Either he would have died scratching at the walls, or he just simply would have been different.

It hurt his head to think about. Of course, not concussion level of hurt.

"It is..." He fidgeted and adjusted, consequently pulling her closer, as she moved the blanket about. He was glad for the cool air that passed occasionally through the open windows in the wall, providing a mild current. He had designed it in that fashion so that he would remain connected, even when sheltered, but the overhanging roof would prevent any sort of rain from getting in. It wasn't as if Sulon was well known for the strong winds and side ways rain storms.

But it did happen on occasion and the moon would have celebrated it. If everyone worth anything hadn't died trying to defend it.

"Even as you describe it. All cramped and confined...it sounds like a cold place." He imagined it was always hard to get warm in space, even when it wasn't really the case.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

She laughed against him. "It's not as bad as you're making it sound. Folk were close and learned to work well together through conflict. Not like you could run off if you were forked at someone."

Yeah, forked. Spacer terminology that one.

"And while we had close quarters, the verse was our playground. Well. I spose you could run off for a space walk but had to come back eventfully. Dax stayed out once for hours when Pops brought in another load of space junk that took over our closet of a room." Oxygen running out and all that. Head tilted, so she could look up at his face. Blues followed his jawline and stopped at a smudge that blended with freckles and beard.

Reaching out, she gently ran her thumb against the spot without thinking much of the gesture.

"You got something...maybe ash from the fire."

 

[Armaud Eden]

Forked at someone. He had to assume that either entailed being angry or being attracted to someone. Context was a rough when he had never really lived in space.

“Not too big a fan of space…” Not space in terms of spatially. But in terms of the vacuum of it, the darkness and the cold. “I don't like being confined to supplied air.” If he thought about it, space ships would have bothered him for the same reason. But the claustrophobia was easier to set in when the confinement was more obvious.

His eyes moved down to her finger as she rubbed his beard, working the ash out. It was a fairly common thing when there were no mirrors around and the glass of the water came with the risk of falling in. Though he never had anyone to tell him or help him manage. And he wasn't going to complain about it.
“I never brought her here…I never brought anyone here.”

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]