Private Please Do Not Feed the Trees

[Ishani Dinn]

He didn’t want to talk about his name. She didn’t want to talk about her meds. Although at this point, she was finding that she didn’t really want to talk at all. Her eyes were on his smiling mouth again, though not because she was too frightened to meet his gaze.

“Well, if you made it, that makes it fancy by default,” she said… and almost cracked up at how husky it sounded. No use pretending she didn’t know what was happening to her now. “I can take an IOU, though. If you want to make something special...”

She started to lean forward a little more, pushing herself up to meet his height. The thought crossed her mind again about how abrupt all of this was, and she slowed down. Every piece of advice she’d ever heard said that what she was feeling now was bullchit that would pass in a moment, leaving regret in its wake. Hormone-driven, shallow lust that led to hook-ups, one-night stands, and other things she’d always found gross and degrading. Be careful, or you’ll get burned.

But she just wanted a kiss. Just one kiss. Come on. What was one little kiss?

Assuming he didn’t pull away—hence why she took her time, to give him plenty of opportunity to move—she pressed her lips to his for a millisecond in the lamest peck since… since kisses were invented, probably. It almost came across as accidental, like she’d started to get up and had accidentally bumped into his face. Oops. Didn’t mean to lock lips with you there, friendo.

Once it happened, she froze. That… was not how she had wanted it to turn out. Oh man. Now what? She stared at Thesh, hoping for a reaction, something that would signal what she should do. Back up, apologize, roll away down the slope of the hill crying, try again?

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Now she was buttering him up... He felt his heart skip a beat all the same.​

​

Thesh had never really taken time to establish more than a general friendship with those around him. He'd always been nose-deep in a book, or lost in thought, or working on a project, or attending a lesson, or lost on some backwater planet which had him fighting for survival. He'd never really taken the time.​

​

But here, on this unknown world, with only the trio of moons and the speckled star-lit sky, he had nothing but time. There were no distractions, save the girl in front of him. He had felt drawn to her since the trio had accosted them in the forest, since she'd kicked Bendik; it might have earned her a busted nose, but she'd been resilient, she'd stood up for herself in the face of poor odds. He couldn't really give more of a reason for it than that.​

​

He might have walked away, left her to her own devices. But not now.​

​

His gaze shifted down slightly, briefly glancing over her lips before lifting back to settle upon her eyes. His chest fluttered as she leaned up and in, his mind began to race faster than he could ever recall it doing so before, countless thoughts passed by in mere seconds, milliseconds.​

​

It wasn't a lingering kiss. It was over before he even realized it had happened, leaving the air between them heavy. All of those thoughts were gone now, dispersed almost immediately until only a calm chill settled over him. He half expected the sensations he'd been feeling to fade, for this all to have been little more than curiosity. He'd never experienced this before, even a kiss so brief and fleeting as the one they'd shared. He'd never sought it out, never been in a situation wherein it could happen.​

​

But it didn't fade.​

​

Slowly, enough that she could pull back if she wanted, he lifted a hand back to her cheek and slowly leaned in. He brought his lips gently to hers, allowing them to linger a little longer this time. Gentle, some might even argue timid, but sincere. His thumb took a moment to flex against her cheek.​

​

That was, provided she didn't pull away. If she did, well then he'd respect it. And things would return to how they had been.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

An insecure part of her had assumed he would just sit there, put off by her half-assed smooch. But when he leaned in for another, her breath caught.

He kissed me back? He kissed me back! What! What is happening?!

Pull away? Not on her life. Her arms, which had been hanging limply at her sides, wrapped around his neck, fingers knotting in his hair. The open journal prevented her, or else she would’ve climbed into his lap for better leverage. His thumb moving against her cheek prompted her to eagerly open her mouth against his and… uh, maybe getting tongue involved wasn’t such a good idea during a first kiss. Last thing she needed right now was for either of them to gag or bite each other on accident.

Ishani was catastrophizing in the middle of her first kiss, running through all the ways it could go wrong when she should’ve been enjoying it. Thesh, she realized, didn’t seem to know what he was doing either, was probably just as surprised as she was that it was even happening, and would probably be just fine with taking things slow. So she did, lingering there for as long as she could, letting him take the lead. Her reluctance revolved around a fear that she was going too far too fast for the comparatively cautious boy. At least, he seemed cautious at first...

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Her hesitance seemed to shatter as he leaned in to kiss her; she was a ball of anxiety, same as he, and in that moment he could practically hear the gears whirring in her brain. He could feel the tension she felt as though it were his own. He realized soon after that it did in fact match his own. His heartbeat raced and hers did too, he could feel it at her throat when his fingers moved to cup her cheek.​

​

He pulled back just a touch, enough that he could open his eyes and look at her to make sure all was well, though he knew he was being stupid for doing so. She had looped her arms around his neck, and as he leaned back in to resolidify the kiss her fingers found their way into his hair. All was well, he didn't have to look at her to know that.​

​

His free hand moved to knock aside the notebook, so that he could shift his body some, so that she wasn't just lingering over him. That didn't seem comfortable, after all. He couldn't quite shut off his brain, as much as he willed it to just shut up. There was an urgency behind their actions, as that immediate rush spiked, but soon enough they seemed to settle into it. To slow and take their time. ​

​

That hand which had done little more than move a book now rose and settled upon the small of her back, and he himself moved to properly sit up rather than remain slumped against the tree. His breathing was heavier than it had been. ​

​

As much as he tried to let himself relax into the moment, to enjoy it for what it was, he couldn't help but retain a nagging thought in the back of his mind; he didn't want to ruin what was looking to be a promising friendship, didn't want her to wake up with regrets when the sun shone on their little spot atop the hill.​

​

"Ish," he breathed, gently pulling back enough to speak but still holding himself close, his lips mere inches from hers. He didn't know what to say though, how to say it without utterly ruining the moment. He swallowed back some of his doubts, allowed the cool chill in the air to clear some of the fog from his mind. Even then he found himself reluctant to put an end to it.​

​

It was just a kiss, right? There was nothing wrong with that.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

There went the journal as Thesh sat up and she settled in on top of him. It was all a rush and a whirl to Ishani now, her kisses turning greedy. When he pulled away, she made a noise like a whine and almost chased him down again, the hound set upon prey, determined to catch him and keep him now that she had him…

He said her name, as breathless as she, but his tone was uneasy. It was enough to make her hesitate, to inject cold reason into her desire-fevered brain. Did Thesh… not want this? Did she…? No. They both wanted it. But this wasn’t about what they wanted.

This was a bad idea. She was unwilling to admit it was true, but the thought crossed her mind. Now that she was thinking instead of just feeling, this moment seemed like a freak accident, the result of a perfect storm. Crazy circumstances had brought them together, given them a shared experience, and they just happened to find each other attractive. Looked at from this detached perspective, it was actually rather disturbing. Or, no… it was just irresponsible. Horny teenagers being horny teenagers. She used to tell herself she was better than this, but the reality was all that was holding her back was her lack of confidence, the belief that she’d never have a chance to be tested anyway.

Though her hands were still on his shoulders, Ishani slid off his lap and sank onto the grass, suddenly hyper aware of the position she had left Thesh in. If they kept going, he probably would have carried her off back into the shelter of that dinky little tarp tent and… well, what else were they going to do, just sit here and make out all night in full view of the animals and the Sith overseers that were monitoring their progress? She glanced up at the sky, making a face. She hadn’t even thought about them.

“Thesh, how old are you?” she asked suddenly, the motive behind her question probably obvious. She was eighteen, almost nineteen. They had just met today and she hadn’t bothered to ask his age. For all she knew, he could be much younger, and oh man, did she really not want to go to jail for this.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Despite his best efforts, he had in fact ruined the moment.​

​

Brought them tumbling right back down to reality.​

​

She seemed as reluctant as he was to end it. He knew that this wasn't the way most acted, you didn't just meet someone then decide you wanted to kiss them. At least, that was what he thought. But what did he know? What if that was how it worked? Attraction was precisely that, was it not? Did it develop over time, or did you know right away? It was all so confusing, truth be told.​

​

Perhaps it was adrenaline, perhaps it was the fact that they'd fought off a bunch of goons, and both been hurt in the ensuing struggle, each felt concern for the other. Perhaps the perfume was still... no. No it wasn't Blush. He knew that much.​

​

When she returned herself to the grass he let out a slightly deflated sigh and settled his head back against the tree trunk. "I'm sorry," he muttered, before she could speak, "I just... I don't want you to, uh.. regret it?" Whatever it was. He didn't think he'd have gone any further, didn't know how to proceed with such, but even a kiss could be regretted could it not? Bleh. He felt sure he wouldn't regret it.​

​

Then her question came. He realized almost immediately that it was something they should have mentioned sooner. It was a testament, really, to how unexpected this whole thing had been. "Nineteen," he said, "I think I just turned nineteen." He couldn't be too sure, of course, there weren't exactly detailed records concerning his date of birth or his age. He was a slave, they didn't care so long as they had a general ballpark to work with.​

​

"What.. What about you?"​

​

Feth it all felt so silly, finding this out now. His hand reached out, lingering near one of her own; he waited though, hesitated until she answered. As much as he wanted to show her that his attraction was genuine he needed to know the answer first. Because it would drastically change things depending on what she said.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

She exhaled in relief and even chuckled a little at his answer. Nineteen. Not seventeen, not sixteen, not fifteen, Force forbid. In fact, he was the older one here. “I’m almost nineteen. Still got a few months to go. We’re all good.”

Thesh looked unhappy. Disappointed. Anxious. But still hopeful. She wanted to buoy that hope.

“Hey, I don’t regret it,” she said. “I’m the one who kissed you first, remember? I just… don’t know what I’m doing, or what the boundaries are. Even if it’s just a kiss.” She took his hand. “But if it’s okay with you, and we’re on even ground… then I guess it’s all right. Just as long as we don’t push it any further… at least, not yet.”

Even now, she was questioning whether or not she was being a prude, a wuss, or the complete opposite—a horn dog sorely lacking in self-control, projecting her own issues onto him. She pointed upward with her free hand. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this out here in the open anyway, where we’re supposedly being watched.” Next she gestured to the tarp. “Also, it’s getting late, and you haven’t slept. Uh, I mean—I don’t mean anything by that... Just, can we go inside? I feel very exposed out here.”

She was laughing as she said it, trying to reassure him, but she sensed that talking was just making it worse, more confusing and uncomfortable. So she shut up, leaned forward and kissed him again—which seemed like the best reassurance she could offer. Look, see, I’ll do it again!...

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He blew hot air in relief as she almost mirrored his response, and nodded his head slowly. Good... That was good. The last thing he needed was for either of their first time to be the wrong time, to land them in poodoo. With that he took her hand in his, and for a moment did little more than close his eyes and enjoy the moment. More so when she next spoke and reassured him.​

​

One eye opened and he pinned her with his gaze, before a small smile played over his previously anxious expression. "That makes two of us," he said when she mentioned not knowing how things were supposed to be played out, where the limits lay. "There's no rush... I'd rather take it slow and enjoy it than rush and regret it... Right?" He supposed she felt the same way, she'd suggested it after all. Then again talking about it at all felt a little weird. Almost... clinical?​

​

But at least they had their boundaries set. That was probably an important thing.​

​

Her next statement had him following her gaze to the sky, and a frown quickly overtook everything else. Chit. How could he be so stupid as to forget they were being watched? Somehow it had completely slipped his mind. They'd seen their little scuffle with the other three then, too? Chit, chit, chit... "Yeah, let's get ou-" The kiss was a welcome break in the tension, and he smiled into it. Kissed her back for a couple of seconds before pulling away and staring at her.​

​

"I'd rather them not watch..." he grumbled, gesturing with his head toward the tarp. "Come on, you should try and get a little more shut-eye too. Or you can sit watch... Either way..." He picked up his journal, replaced it to his pack, and then gently moved said pack into the cover of the tarp. Then he shuffled his way under there too, reaching out to take her hand and pull her along also.​

​

No more strange Sith watching them.​

​

Though deep down he couldn't help but wonder if the tarp would really do much to keep them at bay.​

​

Ishani Dinn​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani followed Thesh into the makeshift shelter. It was as if his touch had electrified her; she felt like she was floating, giggly, high on life.

She flopped down beside Thesh, hardly feeling how hard the ground was beneath her, and ran her fingers through his hair. Her thoughts were racing. There were things she wanted to talk about, and things she wanted to do, and above all she really just wanted to keep kissing him, but she didn’t want to keep him awake all night. All of it could wait until tomorrow and the days after.

The tarp likely wasn’t much cover from the Sith watchers, true, but she felt a little less vulnerable beneath it. Dark cloth obscured the light of the three heavenly bodies in the night sky. The movement of her hand through his hair slowed as she started to nod off again, eventually falling completely still...

She awoke just before dawn to the sound of the tarp rustling. Sitting up, she blinked just in time for one end of the tent to collapse. “Uh...” she began. “Hello?”

The only response was a whuffling sound. She breathed a sigh of relief, then stiffened. It was just an animal rather than another acolyte looking to steal from them, but said animal might be looking to make a meal out of them.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He pulled her close once they were beneath the tarp, and held her while she drifted; the sensation was enough to also make him sleepy, and soon enough the both of them were lost to whatever strange dreams held sway over their night.​

​

Typically it took him much longer to fall asleep. Usually he'd toss and turn all night, but the simple act of ensuring that another was able to rest seemed to trump that. The weight of her on his one arm, which wrapped around her shoulder and held her close, must have helped too. He was out like a light before he could realize it was happening.​

​

Her voice was ultimately what woke him. The rustling was what had him sit upright quickly, though. His eyes darted to the end of the tarp which had drooped down, and he reached for one of the weapons he often carried. Fingers curled around the small dagger, a staple really, and he lifted a finger to his lips. Slowly he made his way toward the end of the tarp which was still upright, and he slipped out into the morning in search of whatever was lurking nearby...​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani stared at Thesh as he put a finger to his lips and darted out, then scrambled after him, trying to be as quiet as possible.

The creature which had stumbled upon their camp could best be described as a three-eyed bear. Upon spotting people, it froze in place, staring them down. A series of jagged horns crowned its head, sharpened by scraping them against trees. When nothing happened, it turned its face toward the tarp, nose to the cloth as it sniffed. Probably after their rations.

Without any weapons of her own, Ishani stayed close to Thesh. She was silent, wondering what exactly he would do, wanting to see him in action again, but also more than a little concerned. It was a big bear-thing, with very sharp horns.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Upon seeing that which stood there, nosing at the edge of the tarp, all he could do was temporarily stand and stare. A three-eyed-bear... Who'd have expected such a thing. With a crown of horns no less.​

​

He retained a hold of the dagger, though somewhere in the back of his mind a voice called out in protest of such. Right now it had done them no real harm, and even now it was more curious about what lay inside their make-shift tent than the pair of them directly. ​

​

So he loosened his hold of the blade, allowed it to return to place upon his belt, and took one slow step forward. Both hands raised, in a show of peace, as he did his best to mimic Melydia Gold and the way she had always been with creatures. She had a way with them, and usually it turned out in her favour. He was no beastmaster, but he could try surely. Try to do something other than mutilate the poor thing.​

​

"Easy," he breathed, as the bear-creature turned to look upon him with the step he took, "It's okay... Won't hurt you... Easy now..." The more he spoke, the more conviction lay beneath the words themselves. The Force flared around him, reaching out with tendrils that were wispy as fog. It wasn't something which came naturally to him, he had to focus every single step of the way, but he tried.​

​

Tried to calm the beast... Tried to handle the situation without needless bloodshed.​

​

He might have been a Sith, but certainly he tried to be anything but cruel.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani watched with bated breath as Thesh sheathed his blade, then started forward, trying to placate the three-eyed bear. It wasn’t something she would’ve done, but then she didn’t know how experienced he was with this sort of thing. For all she knew, he might do it all the time.

The creature was fixated on the boy as he drew near, arms out. Dark lips pulled back to expose sharp teeth as it growled, hopefully slowing Thesh’s approach, if not stopping him in his tracks. Ishani cringed, then felt a jab of danger sense.

“Watch out!”

The beast reared up on its hind legs, then barreled forward.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Welp. So much for that plan.​

​

He shifted at the last moment, taking a large stride to the side and turning his body in order to avoid the barreling bear. If not for Ishani's warning he might not have done so in time, his own senses did not pick up on the danger until shortly after she had spoken. In moments such as these, every tiny second counted and his blunder could have cost him dearly.​

​

Still, despite the change in circumstances, he found himself unwilling to reach for the blade. For now its attention was on him, and as long as that happened he'd seek alternative methods. If that changed though, if it looked instead toward the girl...​

​

Well there was a reason he carried more deadly weapons.​

​

He reached to his belt, to a small pouch which lay there, and clasped his fingers around something which lay within it. When the bear inevitably turned back toward him he threw a handful of the contents toward it, and what looked to be nothing more than sand was scattered upon the wind. The air shifted again, the Force swirling around them, and the fine mist of sand pooled together within the air and drifted toward the creature, like a wisp of smoke.​

​

In fact it seemed as though it targeted the creatures eyes in particular.​

​

Only now did he reach for his weapon, fingers sliding over the blade and curling around its hilt. If his plan worked the creature would be blinded for some time, but that didn't make it any less deadly.​

​

Some would argue a cornered animal was all the more dangerous, after all.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Thesh got out of the way in time. Ishani barely had a chance to sigh in relief before she had to evade the beast herself, leaping to the side.

A puff of dust drifted by on the air. Ishani shielded her eyes with her hand, but she needn’t have bothered. The Force swirled the dust, carrying it away from her and toward the animal.

The bear-thing roared, pitching its head from side to side as if trying to shake the sand off. Its movements became more violent, horns scraping the ground as it lowered its head and pawed at its eyes. Ishani tried to put more distance between her and it, but the creature seemed to sense her presence and started to rise, assuming a threatening stance once more despite its blindness. She froze.

It growled and sniffed the air, pawing at the ground, then swung its horned head wildly, lunging forward as if to impale something. Its crown of horns met only empty air, but empty air rather too close for comfort. Ishani gave in to the urge to flee, remembering to zigzag as she heard it stomping along behind her.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Blinded.​

​

The beast was blinded.​

​

The problem was it was no longer targeting him. Nope, it had turned its sights - or more likely hearing - to Ishani and Thesh simply could not allow for that to be a thing.​

​

"HEY!" he yelled, hoping to garner some of its attention, "HEY, OVER HERE!"​

​

To emphasize his point he unsheathed his blade and loosed it in the direction of the bear, hoping it would stick into its hide and force it to turn toward him as a result. Once more he drew upon the Force to keep the aim steady, and deep down he could only hope it didn't move too wildly. The last thing he needed was for the blade to truly miss.​

​

Though the nature of the blade meant he'd at least get a second chance at it.​

​

"It can't see you Ish, try and use that to your advantage..." But he wasn't the one being stared down by a beast. Who knew what was going through her head in that moment.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

The blade struck its mark, burying itself in the creature’s side. Ishani heard Thesh yelling and sensed the beast’s attention shift away from her. She wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or really, really worried.

In her haste to get away, she had wound up almost on the opposite side of the hill from Thesh. Angered, the animal tried to muster a charge at the boy, but blinded and now wounded, it was more an act of desperation than a true attack. Maybe that made it more dangerous.

Either way, Ishani saw her chance. She called upon the Force, pleading with it to work for her just this once. She pushed the beast forward, intent on having it sail past Thesh and down the hill.

It worked—although by that we mean that the bear-thing was lifted off the ground by the telekinetic blast and thrown down the hill, landing seconds later with a teeth-grinding thud and rolling the rest of the way to the bottom. Ishani crossed the top of the hill to Thesh. "Are you okay?" she asked, laughing nervously. "Or am I going to have to knock myself out again healing you up?"

Peering down the slope, she saw the bear get up, shake itself off, stumble a little, then bound off into the woods. She was a bit surprised it had survived that fall, but clearly it was a hardy thing.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

It was over almost as quickly as it began, and left him feeling rather haggard; adrenaline had fueled him in those initial moments when he'd been roused from his sleep so suddenly, but now that it waned all that remained was the exhaustion he still felt, the aches in his back from sleeping on the ground, and relief that it was over.​

​

Ishani sent the beast flying down the hill where it struck earth and rolled the rest of the way down. He stared after it, felt the hilt of his dagger return to his hand when it got too far, and only when it ran off into the forest did he finally turn to look at the girl.​

​

"That was awesome," he breathed, "You just threw it like it was nothing!" The Force could work in miraculous, mysterious ways, he knew that much, but still. Why hadn't he thought of that? She crossed the hill toward him, and he couldn't help but smirk to her comments. Yes, relief was truly working its way through his body.​

​

"I'm fine, I'm fine, didn't even touch me. Are you alright?"​

​

He dropped down into a seated position in the grass, and waited for his racing heart to slow once more. His gaze lifted to peer at her, though he had to squint his eyes some due to the morning light. It was strange to be looking up at her, not down, from his place on the ground she seemed like a giant towering over him.​

​

Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Thesh’s praise made her blush for what must have been the umpteenth time in the past twenty-four hours. It was a pleasant feeling, one that she basked in, clasping her hands in front of her and smiling. Now that she thought about it, she supposed it was something of an achievement, making a three-eyed horned bear fly.

“I have my moments, I guess.”

He was all right. All was well, almost as if nothing had even happened. The sun was just beginning to rise. Kneeling down and squinting up at her, Thesh was caught in the glow of the first rays, turning his hair red-gold. Beneath lowered lashes, his eyes were a blue million miles. She successfully resisted the urge to pounce on him—in his current state, prematurely awoken by adrenaline, she’d probably knock the poor boy flat. Not that she wouldn’t enjoy being on top of him in the grass.

“I’m fine. Uh, well—” She glanced back at the half-collapsed tarp. “Unless that thing comes back with an army to pillage our camp… wanna go back to bed?” She wasn’t sure if she could go back to sleep after all that, but he might. He looked pretty put out.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He couldn't keep a goofy grin from his lips at the sight of her once again blushing. Last time it was because she'd been flustered, and under the influence of Blush he'd told her as much. Now that influence was well and truly gone, but he still felt the same. Didn't need to say it this time though, he was sure she knew.​

​

Once she assured him she was fine he followed her gaze toward the fallen tarp. It wouldn't be too difficult to set it back up thankfully, but that was somewhat beside the point. They had a couple of options before them, decisions he didn't wish to make by himself. So he lightly reached out to try and tug her down into the grass with him. Provided he was successful, he looped an arm around her shoulder and stared at the wreckage of their camp.​

​

"Nah, I'm good without. Unless you're tired." He was tired, it was obvious he was, but he also knew that if he gave it a little more time he'd be ready to face the day. That grogginess would wear off soon, especially if they found some water. Then he could splash his face and cool down.​

​

"What do you want to do? Do you want to stay here, risk it coming back, or move camp? I don't mind either way. It's nice to have this sightline, and we could always set up precautions in case he comes-a-sniffin' again."​

​

Ishani Dinn​