Private Heaven for the Sinner

[Amea Virou]

The sunset hugged the horizon as warm breezes swept across an almost abandoned beach. The monotonous drone of winds soared through the sand-covered border between the beach’s crystal clear waters and its pearly white sands. Every now and again a wave crashed into shore and then slowly crept back out again, leaving behind it a sensation of calm as Amea wrapped her fingers around her drink.

It had been little less than two weeks now since she had seen an old memory of herself get shot to death before her very own eyes. Two weeks had passed since she had been knocked to the ground and struggled for her life, forced to realize that for however brief the moment had been when she could have gotten everything that she had lost back, it was already gone by the time she could have made a decision.

For the first few days she cried. For the next few she tried to bury herself in work, and once a certain threshold had passed her by she had been forced by Evelyn to accept that she was in need of a breather. And that was how she had ended up here. A thug and a murderer, bound to a reclining wooden chair as she waited for her girlfriend to come back with something to eat.

Relaxation and recuperation did not come easy. Too many potential eyes, too many potential potentialities that needed to be seen to. Paranoia was just a state of mind for her by this point. Only one place was ever truly safe, and they had parked it in a spaceport with the express purpose of not having access to it.

Amea’s fingers fidgeted with the strap that clung to her shoulder. If this was to let things go and to process them, then she had either been doing it from the start or never done it in the first place. Familiar footfalls hissed through the sands behind her.

“You know a shot of spice, mixed with a fifth of near-inbred homebrew would be able to do all of this in less than half the time, right?” Amea 'joked' and looked up at Evelyn as she tried to force Amea to continue this journey into the calmer side of life. “Are you sure the ship is safe?”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn had already spent a good amount of time planning this. But then Amea was forced to face off against the literal physical visage of her past life. After those events, the Echani had sped up her plans to drag her girlfriend onto a vacation.

She didn’t spring the news immediately, instead focusing on just simply being with Amea after that night. Even with the source of her nightmares dead, it still brought the brunette to a standstill. But Evelyn knew better, and after the first few days Amea threw herself into work, in whatever they could get their hands on.

A focus to distract from what had happened. Ever the type to be active, rather than moping around. It reminded Evelyn of when she found Amea again, after the Jedi enclave. But she supposed it was a testament to how things had changed between them. As it wasn’t too difficult to convince Amea to go on vacation.

The very idea of it seemed to bewilder her girlfriend. Why would they want to do that, to distract themselves? They could easily do that by just working. But Evelyn had grown accustomed to Amea’s deflections, and how to be convincing.

Plus a trick or two up her sleeves.

And here I was ‘mea. Thinking you’d like to see me in a swimsuit…

Evelyn knew of her girlfriend’s paranoia, and had admittedly shared it to some degree these days. So the Echani rented out a nice little beachside house for them, and them only. It was a fair distance away from the main tourist areas, though Evelyn fully intended for them to enjoy the local festivities during their stay.

She walked down the path between the house and beach, chuckling at Amea’s question.

“Because we’ve done that far too much in the past, gotta change it up now and then.” Evelyn leaned down to give Amea a small kiss, knowing the brunette was likely to retort with something, ‘well we can just choose a different drink’.

The Echani moved around, placing the tray of food on the table between their respective wooden recliners. Evelyn slid down onto hers, sighing contently as she felt the warm breeze against her skin.

“The ship will be safe, the spaceport is secure and even then, anyone who dared attempt to get onboard will be met with the numerous security measures we’ve added.” Evelyn leaned over to pick out some fruit from the table, only to be interrupted at the sound of a childish huff nearby. The Echani looked over, and couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

Just ahead of them on the beach was Hoshi, sitting in the sand with his arms crossed together. The little creature had spent the past several hours learning the art of sandcastle building, and his latest attempt had just collapsed into itself.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

“Well, we can ju-” Amea tried but came to a slow stop as her lips interlocked with Evelyn’s for just a moment. A subconscious clock began to tick down as if she had come to expect something to break the moment in half, but there was nothing there to take away from it. Where there had been intent to make a smug remark there was now a measure of confusion instead as Amea raised her brow. “Hm.”

A warm breeze rolled over her exposed thigh and carried with it a comfort that made her want to slump back into her seat. The tray that Evelyn had brought was left alone for the moment as she shifted around to lie on her side and merely look as the Echani picked something to eat.

“Pretty sure we’d have to stand trial for war crimes if anyone tried to steal it.” She huffed a chuckle and grabbed a smaller piece of fruit of her own. A thoughtful frown quickly followed suit. “I… am joking.”

“I shouldn’t be joking this away.” Amea scolded herself and shook her head. “It’s just…”

“You know…”

A coping mechanism?

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

The Echani’s attention shifted back to Amea, watching her with a knowing, understanding look in her eyes. “A coping mechanism?” Evelyn nodded her head in agreement, taking a moment to plop a small bit of fruit into her mouth. “Joking about things is perfectly normal, some people just use humour as a means of helping.”

Evelyn fell silent in thought, leaning over slightly to grab another bite. Hand waving above the bowls like some kind of claw machine. Seconds passed until she finally plucked something up, and settled back into her chair.

“It reminds me of this story my grandma told me…” Evelyn drifted off as she bit into her new piece of fruit, pulling out the stem in the same action. “Apparently, when her grandma passed away; the then still acting Head of the family, it was a whole thing. Two funerals, one public and one private. The public one was your standard stuff, but the private one, well it was slightly different.”

Evelyn got a bit more comfortable, resting her head against the headrest and looked directly at Amea.

“Despite the fact my great-great-grandma came across as cold and harsh, she apparently loved a good prank. So a lot of the private service was of family joking and recounting stories of those times.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

There was something very soft in the way that Amea’s frown seemed to almost mellow out as Evelyn finished her sentence. Her eyes wandered up to meet with the Echani woman’s gaze before she pursed her lips and gave a shy, almost timid smile.

“Tchh-yeah.” She exhaled and looked back up again. “I know, I know. I guess I’m just as normal as everyone else.”

As Evelyn began her story, Amea grabbed one of the fruits and gave her full attention to it. Echani funerals and a penchant for mischief. Had Amea not known any better she’d say the latter of them ran in her blood.

“Okay, so, wait… You’re not saying I should have a funeral or something, right? Are you?

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Fortunately, Evelyn had managed a sip of her drink before she began to laugh lightly.

“No no, I was just providing an example. That humour is a perfectly normal response to something serious, some find more comfort in that.” Another sip, and the Echani placed her drink back down. “Better than just getting blackout drunk. Which yes, I’m sure we’ll be doing plenty of that while we're here...though hopefully avoiding the blackout part.”

Internally however, the word ‘funeral’ sunk into Evelyn’s thoughts. As technically they had been to one, in a manner of speaking. Two weeks ago they had seen to the burying of Amea’s past. Once Amea had regained her bearings, they went about throwing the body over the nearest ledge and down into the undercity.

Wasn’t your typical funeral, nor was it exactly dignified. But it was what Amea wanted at the time, to a point of refusing to go anywhere until she had seen to it. It wasn’t until after that, until they were back on the ship and into hyperspace, that the adrenaline had finally hit zero and it all came crashing back down, emotionally and mentally.

Evelyn’s thoughts were interrupted by noticing a certain little Shinri as he made his way back towards them.

“Ah, looks like someone has given up on their sandcastle endeavours.” The Echani couldn’t help but smile at the sight, especially when Hoshi let out a small childish huff. He reached the table between their chairs, and clambered up onto it. “Don’t worry Hoshi, I’m sure you’ll master it by the time we leave.”

Evelyn reached over, brushing off some sand atop Hoshi’s head. Meanwhile, the small creature in question was staring at the food, namely the selection of fruit.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

“Oh.” Amea said with a sudden spark of realization behind her eyes, her back slowly leaning back into her seat with a relieved sigh. Getting that corpse back from the undercity would have been a nightmare and a half by now, and she wasn’t just thinking about the decomposition either. “I mean, blackout drunk works but I’d rather not. Not right now.”

Her eyes set on the approaching Shinri with a smile, she hadn’t expected him to quit quite so soon. Still, when things just don’t go your way — well, they don’t go your way. What more was there to it? The acceptance of forfeit hadn’t come easy for Amea, but once it had taken root there was no denying that there was something a lot simpler with just letting things go.

Well, as long as they didn’t come back around to bite you that is…

“Hey bud,” Amea said and reached out to pat him on the head and give him a scratch behind the ear. “Yeah, don’t you worry about it. There’s always the others’ castles, if you get bored you can always—”

And in that moment she saw Evelyn’s warning shots as they fired from her eyes.

“Respect those, and maybe ask to help?”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

As the words began to leave Amea’s lips, Evelyn’s gaze snapped towards her. Though the small warning look was replaced seconds later with a chuckle and a shake of her head. If there was one thing that highlighted their personalities, it was how they were with Hoshi. Where Amea would throw caution to the wind; or go smash up some sandcastles in this instance. Evelyn would try and play peacekeeper, and suggest some co-operation.

Honestly though? She wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Echani smiled as she shuffled over to lay on her back, soaking in the last rays of the setting sun, but the late evening chill was beginning to stir. She opened her eyes again and glanced over at Amea. Whose focus was currently occupied by Hoshi.

Part of Evelyn wanted to ask how she was, but she had been asking that repeatedly since that night. During the first week, the Echani had practically stuck with Amea’s side, ensuring she was all right.

As she felt her mind begin to slip down a path she didn’t quite like, Evelyn reached over to the table and picked up the datapad.

“So, we’ve got the ‘Welcoming Concert’ later tonight, but do you have any thoughts on what we should do tomorrow?”

When Evelyn had gone about finding a suitable vacation, she surprisingly found a number of ‘Resort Planets.’ Literal holiday resorts that spanned the entire planet. It had initially surprised the Echani, but it quickly wore off. Of course those types of things existed in the galaxy.

The one she had picked came with a whole virtual brochure that went into detail on the various activities available, and there was a lot.

“For example, they have a ‘Couples Adventure’ over at one of the larger jungle islands. Promises a ‘day of exciting adventure. Where you and your partner can take part in a number of activities, with other like minded couples.’”

She gave Amea a look, knowing between them neither had a great preference for always relaxing. At some point they were going to want a little excitement, though this time without the threat of being killed.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

“The concert I can endure,” Amea spoke with a grin. “The other couples,” Her head shook. “Not so much.”

As they sat up there was a moment of silence. Amea found herself lost in her thoughts again as she stared into Evelyn’s eyes and beyond. Eventually she snapped back into it the brown-colored oceans that she loved. A weak smile spread on her lips as she stood up from her seat.

“I have another idea about what we could do, but it wouldn’t include any other couple…” She said, her voice a low hum as she leaned in against Evelyn to place a kiss against her cheek. “Probably more fun too…”

From behind Evelyn’s back she could see Hoshi scrunch his nose and grimace at what he was seeing. For a moment longer her eyes remained on the little shinri before she exhaled with a small laughter as she separated from her lover.

“But then, maybe that can wait until the kid is asleep.”

Kid? Hoshi did not like that one!

“We can at the very least attend that welcoming ceremony. Get an idea for what regular couples are like.” Amea left the words hanging for a bit before she shook her head again. “Just don’t get any ideas about us becoming like them just yet, yeah?”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn chuckled at Amea’s words, agreeing completely. There had been a number of times in the past, where they had just remained to the side somewhere and simply watched. Small back and forth chatter, commenting on couples that walked past, went into a nearby restaurant, etc.

That particular question had stirred within the Echani’s mind every now and then. Whether they were a ‘normal couple’ so to speak. Neither of them were the type to go on a romantic dinner as a date, rather opting to get into some kind of mischief instead. Be it by their own doing or happenstance.

But Evelyn always brushed it off. Not one to really put much belief in black and white definitions. What mattered to her, was that they were both happy.

She stared back at Amea, a smile on her face. Noticing the look in her girlfriend’s eyes until she suddenly snapped back to reality. There was a particular look in the brunette’s gaze now, and Evelyn couldn’t help but raise a curious eyebrow.

The Echani’s smile shifted into a grin as she stood up, quickly clueing in to what Amea was suggesting. “Oh, is that so?” She leaned in to return the kiss, a hand reaching up to the brunette’s side. Only for Amea to suddenly burst into a small bout of laughter.

Evelyn didn’t even need to look to know Hoshi had made a face. She laughed quietly, hand slipping down take Amea’s into hers. The Echani turned to glance at the Shinri, who had now turned in a huff at being called a kid. She looked at Amea and smirked, giving her another raised eyebrow in response to her words.

One look to the right, to where they were staying during their vacation. A house.

One look to the left, to where Hoshi was presently sitting. A kid.

Evelyn returned her gaze to Amea, giving her a knowing look. It seemed they had incidentally fallen into some parts that made them a ‘normal couple’. A moment later the Echani laughed lightly, placing a small kiss on her girlfriend’s lips.

“Come on, let’s head inside. We should probably get changed for tonight. Plus, I can cook us a proper meal, I feel we’re going to need the energy.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

As those lips brushed against hers, as the brief moment passed, Amea looked on in confusion as Evelyn laughed. Her eyes darted from side to side in tow of where she had been looking but found nothing to laugh about except Hoshi’s indignant pout. Evelyn pushed past her and Amea quickly followed by her side, one hand in her hand, the other held to her forehead as she blocked the last few remaining moments of sunset from blinding her, and as they stepped into the comfort of their home she couldn’t help but smile at how calm it all seemed to be.

“This is…” She exhaled with a chuckle. “Still such a stark contrast to where you found me.” Amea spoke under her breath and turned around with a smile, her confidence waning for a moment as she glanced at the most amazing person she had ever known. “I love you, Evelyn. I—” She felt the grin tug at the corners of her lips as if she didn’t quite believe she was about to say what she was about to say. “I don’t know where I’d be if I had never met you.”

“What you have done, for me, in these last few days, and the fact that you have been there for me… I can never repay you for that, and— and I hope you’re okay with that.” She grabbed a hold of the Echani woman’s other hand. “And— I…” She closed her eyes. “I know I said I didn’t want to be like the other couples, but… That’s a lie. At least, for now.” Amea managed a laugh. “We’re too good at what we do to just quit now. But eventually, at some point in the future, I would like to have a place like this. ”

“I, uh… My past may be a lie, but my future with you is nothing but the truth.”

A brief moment before Amea tilted her head to the side with a grimace.

“That sounded better in my head.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

“Perhaps, but what’s important is that it came from the heart.” Evelyn grinned at Amea, mirth clear in the eyes at matching her girlfriend’s corniness with her own. She always found these moments adorable and precious. But equally knew these moments were important to Amea, she was stepping out of her comfort zone. Evelyn knew that even now after all the time they had spent together, it was still difficult for Amea to not just recoil back into her shell.

The fact she was continuously taking steps forward made Evelyn proud, each and every time.

Evelyn knew that Amea didn’t have those kinds of memories. Of the past, of having a family around you, loving and caring. It wasn’t a familiar sensation to her, thus Evelyn had made it her mission to ensure her future was full of it.

“I know, there’s no payment needed. Having you in my life is more than enough.” Again, the Echani’s lips cracked into a small grin. With her girlfriend’s hands in her own, she gave them a reassuring squeeze. For both Amea and herself. “I’ve never really been one to believe in fate, or any of that kind of stuff but…” Evelyn paused as she stared into Amea’s eyes, getting lost in them for a few moments.

“But I got damn lucky you answered that distress call.” The Echani had no idea what would’ve happened if she hadn’t. Even if she had managed to get out of the mess she had found herself in, everyone she had known was dead. Adrift in space, with no one and no plans on what to do next.

Not to mention likely having to kill her way to an escape…

“And we’re in total agreement there, I don’t see us stopping anytime soon. Hell, I’m sure we won’t fully be done once we do decide to settle.” Evelyn smiled again, looking around at their temporary home. She looked at Amea again planting a kiss on her lips, before pulling her into a hug.

“I love you too, Amea.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

It was a tender moment that she wanted to last forever. Amea felt Evelyn’s head rest against her body just like Amea did the same. Each breath that passed was a sweeping breeze of tranquility that calmed an otherwise stormy sea of emotions. Her arms had gently reached up to wrap around Evelyn’s waist and shoulders to feel as much of her as possible before finally she was taken back into reality again.

“I guess that we were both in the right place at the right time, then.” She grinned before she gave her girlfriend yet another long kiss. They separated and the moment was allowed to last. Forehead to forehead, nose to nose as if they were about to merge.

Amea could stay like this forever, but she also knew that such a thing wasn’t possible.

And besides that she was hungry.

“Come on,” She whispered and gave Evelyn one last kiss on the cheek. “I’ll help you with the food.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Moments like these were what Evelyn cherished the most. Just being able to have the one she loved in her arms, in a place they both called home. Didn’t matter if it was a temporary one like this, or their ship. Whether Amea was, that was home.

Her grandparents had always said how important it was to have these moments, to remember them. The loss of her parents had been a prime example of that, remembering only a scant few memories where everything was good and peaceful.

Part of the Echani’s mind told her to cherish these times with Amea especially. Their lifestyle was not a stable one. But Evelyn knew she didn’t particularly care, not for as long as she had Amea with her.

And even if something did happen to either of them, there was no doubt the other would stop at nothing to get them back.

“Hmm, I think I’ll cook one of your favourites.” Evelyn smiled as she disappeared into the kitchen with her girlfriend in tow.

Later that night…

With their stomachs full, and a change of clothing, the duo found themselves travelling along the beachside to where the main resort area was located. A sight that wasn’t exactly difficult to miss, due to the large hotel complex that made up the majority of the space. But within the main court area, a stage had been erected and there was already a pretty packed crowd before it.

Evelyn gave Amea’s hand a squeeze, before leading them into the courtyard and picking a spot along the crowd’s outskirts. The general feel for the place was lowkey and local. No crazy neon lights or signs, not glitz and glamour. Just simplicity at its finest.

After a minute or two had passed, a male Twi’lek strolled up onto the stage. He introduced himself before beginning to welcome everyone, rolling through a mixture of different languages, eventually arriving on Galactic Basic.

“Welcome, welcome everyone to the Meridian Resort! Tonight is but a simple start to a wonderful weekend away. So please, mingle with your fellow guests, drink, dance and enjoy the music!” With a clap of the Twi’lek’s hands, the large curtains behind him were pulled aside revealing what appeared to be a local band.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

There was something uncomfortable at looking at the other couples as they stood in line, waiting to be corralled into the initiation ritual of this ‘vacation’ thing. Amea wasn’t one to get self-conscious, but the sight of all the others made her hesitate for a moment. Was she the weird one here? Was she good enough for Evelyn to be here? They all looked positively normal, almost like the most boring things since cheese toast, and here she was like a piri piri in an all tomato soup with the scars across her body to show for it.

Her grip on Evelyn’s hand tightened for a moment. And yet without uttering a single word, just a returned squeeze of her own, the Echani helped ease Amea out of it. The fear was still there, but far more muted than before.

“Will we end up like them?” Amea whispered as she looked at the seemingly exasperated couple before them, no doubt enjoying their first escape from YEARS of taking care of one child or the other. As she looked over her shoulder she saw another who were clearly on some sort of last ditch effort to fix it all. “They’re all looking at me, Evelyn.” Amea whispered and pushed into her girlfriend’s side. “Aren’t they?”

“I don’t belong here.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

She felt Amea grow more tense at her side, sounding more concerned by the second. Evelyn immediately turned so she was in front of her girlfriend. Her right hand still holding one of Amea’s, the Echani’s remaining free hand cupped the side of her girlfriend’s face.

“Amea, look at me. It’s alright love.” She leaned in to give her a small comforting kiss. “They’re not looking at you, fairly certain they’re too self-absorbed in themselves right now.” Evelyn chuckled, trying to ease the tension.

“I highly doubt that even after many years, we’d end up like them. We’re too damn stubborn. Likely still going about the galaxy when we’re old and grey haired.” Evelyn smiled, gently caressing the side of Amea’s face.

“One day in the future we’ll have a fixed home somewhere in the galaxy, but I have a feeling we’re not going to end up like some regular ol’ boring couple.” Evelyn pulled away after that, returning to the position she had been in before, but held Amea close to her.

“If you’re feeling uncomfortable Amea, we can go back to our place. I can put on some music and we can drink and dance the night away.”

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

She hated this feeling of vulnerability. A brief lifetime of taking lives, stealing for thrills, and seeking one rush after the other, and Amea was afraid of societal norms. The anger blended with the shame that blended with embarrassment until she wasn’t sure which emotion it was that caused her red to turn red as her girlfriend cupped her cheek. What she did know however was that the emotion that caused her lips to crack into a queasy smile despite it all was one of utter joy.

“We are, aren’t we?” She exhaled with a chuckle as she rested her cheek against Evelyn. “I think— I think I would like to do that. Just you, me, and the moonlight. An open fire, the slow movement of the waves as we drink to ourselves and the future.”

She was positively lost in the fantasy already.

“Cheek to cheek as the rhythm carries us from side to side,” Amea began to sway herself, blissfully unaware of the others just then. “No-one to think or care or worry about other than maybe a tired shinri.”

“One small, quiet pitstop among the stars. A respite from the terror and uncertainty of the great big void. Just you and me in a perfect moment.”

Evelyn Shaw

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn smiled as she followed Amea’s movements, gently swaying side to side together. The sounds around them seemed to fade out, the crowd nearby being drowned out. She simply listened to Amea as she quietly spoke, drawing from the moment of peace between them.

“That sounds lovely…” Evelyn murmured, closing her eyes to imagine the scene. Though one that could be easily made a reality. One day the balance of always being on the move would tip to the other side, but that day won’t be any time soon. “But first, how about we grab some of the free drinks, aye?”

She pulled away a bit, enough to look at Amea and flash a grin. “Just gimme a signal when you want to bail.”

With that they carved their way along the crowd outskirts, until they arrived at the bar. Taking up a couple seats, they spent the next bit of time just watching and commenting on the various couples. It was an amusing game as they downed some of the free drinks on offer, as the band shifted through songs. Eventually though, said band began to shift in tone as the songs became more intimate and romantic. And then the lead singer spoke, making an announcement...

Evelyn didn’t even need to know the signal when it happened. Without missing a beat, Amea slipped into a faux-drunken act. The Echani wasn’t fooled, she had seen just how much the brunette could handle her alcohol. But Evelyn followed along, trying her damndest to not laugh as she helped her girlfriend back to the entrance.

It was only when they were out, and a fair distance away that the Echani allowed herself to burst into laughter.

“My god Amea, that...I can’t.” Evelyn laughed, almost nearing a point of wheezing. “Should win a HoloMovie Award for that acting.” She teased, finally breaking from her laughing fit into giggles.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

“An-zhen, I wash like, buddy, wif if no wha i’ feemsh like.” Amea hiccuped. Drunks hiccuped. Her arm wrapped around one very uncomfortable couple. “Oh mang, yu guish wiv hav the mosh ameizh priddy chillren. Ve galaffy vill luv demm…”

Then came the fake tears. “I will neverv…” Her eyes glosseened as Evelyn came by to grab Amea out of there. “I AM JULIET OF FAMRY KIIRONAVSHIVAFF OF DAYGROWBAW! YUV ALL BE WONDERFOO! I UMM BOW TO GEH SLEEP, WOO!”

By the time they had gotten out of earshot from the rest of the couples Amea dropped the act and quickly wrapped her arms around Evelyn to pull her closer.

“An actress is only ever as good as her supporting crew.” Amea mocked an esteemed thespian pose before she entered the embrace again to kiss Evelyn on the cheek. “What a bunch of wrecks.” She sighed. “No way we’ll ever end up like that. We’re way too interesting for that.”

She separated and began to lead them down the boardwalk back home.

“I mean, did you see the ones in the back? They looked scared out of their minds.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

The Echani laughed again, hugging Amea close to her. Her whole body was shaking even in her girlfriend’s embrace. Evelyn’s cheeks burned red at the compliment, but it was replaced with another laugh at the pose Amea made.

“Damn right we are, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Evelyn smiled as Amea took the lead along the broadwalk. The Echani chuckled, shaking her head at the brunette’s comment.

“I’d bet you they thought you were on spice or something, going to attack them at any moment.”

Once they arrived back home, Hoshi almost immediately made an appearance. The small Shinri had a look of confusion, presumably due to the fact they were back so early. Evelyn teased him, questioning if he had plans other than just sleeping while they were gone. Hoshi let out a grumble, and went back to sleep.

“You grab the drinks, I will sort out the fire and music.”

Evelyn disappeared back outside, though only to the front patio. There, she set up the enclosed fire pit, feeding it enough to get a decent flame going. It was deciding on the music that took up the most time. Setting up a portable player, and flicking through their playlists to find the right one.

In fact she was still undecided about it when Amea came outside.

Amea Virou​