Private Please Do Not Feed the Trees

[Ishani Dinn]

Arc was okay, although he had turned white as a sheet and seemed content to just lie there a while. Ish cupped some of the river water to get the rest of the sand out of her mouth, then looked back up from where they had fallen. A sensation like a spear impaled her through her gut when she saw how high up it was, and she burst into nervous laughter, clutching her fist against her temple.

She turned back to Arcturus, lying prone on the riverbank with his eyes closed. Her gaze was drawn to the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, then back up his throat to his face. She swallowed, the gradual decrease of adrenaline making her giddy, among other things. The wheels in her head turned, turned, turned… and the machinery of her mind churned out only one conclusion. She had to kiss him. For the… fifth time? In the past twelve hours. They were alive, it’s a celebration, all right?

Anyway, it wasn’t a super passionate kiss. More of a gentle peck, a little nibble against his lips. She kissed his forehead, too, and his chin, then rested her head against his chest. And instantly regretted it, because there was wet sand smeared against his chest. Grumbling, she sat up to wipe off the front of her shirt, then eyed him with concern. "You okay there, babe?"

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The dip in and release of adrenaline hit him harder than he had initially realized. His limbs felt rather heavy, his skin clammy, but he'd managed to get his breathing back under control so he knew that with time he'd be fine. It reminded him of when he'd first returned to civilization though, those first few weeks were hell when he was trying to get back on track, up his weight while also working on stamina. There were stars and blackspots in his gaze all the time back then, as his blood pressure worked to regulate itself once more.​

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He hadn't felt that way in a while though. It was strange to experience it now. Then again, they hadn't exactly eaten yet had they? That was rather stupid of them. When his head stopped reeling he'd insist on taking some time out to do exactly that.​

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When Ish laughed her nervous laugh he peeked open just one eye, but without turning his head he couldn't actually see her. The eye closed again once he was satisfied she was okay. Soon enough she was laying down next to him, she lay a few kisses upon him, and then settled down with her head on his chest. He began to move an arm, up to stroke her back, but she got back up too quickly for him to do so.​

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"I'm fine," he told her, only a half-truth but he knew that given a little bit more time he really would be, "Blood pressure just dropped is all. Are you?" He reached out a hand, and tried to pull her back down to where she'd previously lay her head. What was a little sand among friends? Or, well, whatever they were.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Yeah, I’m ok—ay, hey!” His hand grabbed her shirt and tugged her back down toward him. With a yelp and a grin, she settled on his chest again, shivering with pleasure as he stroked her back. Maybe she wasn’t the only clingy one here after all. “Well, aren’t you starved for affection,” she said, booping him on the nose. “Or maybe now that you’ve had a taste, you want more and more?”

Speaking of being starved, had they eaten? Nope. No wonder why Arc looked like he was about to pass out. “I want food,” she said. “I have, uh, rations—but it’s not rations rations, it’s the good stuff.” Remaining within reach of Arcturus, she rummaged around in her (waterproof, ‘cause she’s smart) bag, rustling plastic containers around. “It’s the stuff where you have to heat up water and mix it together. We have plenty of water, as you can see, and we can just singe some twigs with your lightsaber to make a fire, and then we have food. Yes!”

All of this was accompanied by some noodly arm-waving. She was borderline loopy from low blood sugar and the subsiding adrenaline rush, but at least she was talking somewhat coherently.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Utterly starved" he declared with a pout, once more peeking open an eye and this time turning his head to look at her. He loosened up his hold as she sat up and rummaged for food, though his hand continued to rub against her back. "Good idea, food is good... I forgot we hadn't eaten. Damned 3-eyed-bear..."​

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Talking more than he had been, he was definitely beginning to feel a teensy bit better. Not enough to immediately sit upright and help out though, he'd have to ease into that. "The lightsaber'll just burn through it, won't work the way you want it to. But I have a waterproof firestarter in my bag."​

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With a slight huff due to the apparent effort it took he rolled onto his side so that he could properly access the satchel and rummaged through to find it. It was one of those cool metal flint starters, that could be used in any weather. An essential tool, honestly. The sort that really came in clutch.​

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"Here, I'll uh... I'll find sticks..." Okay so maybe he wasn't all that great, as he tried to sit upright and his head swam, blurring his words slightly. But if he didn't work through it he'd probably end up just lying there all day. He couldn't let it get the better of him, so he slowly but surely pushed up to his feet. They needed dry sticks, he doubted they'd find such right here next to the water.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani went slightly pink. "Oh yeah, lightsabers vaporize stuff... blade made of pure plasma... right, heh."

As Arcturus got up to look for dry sticks, Ishani looked around and remembered where they were. Why were they still sitting on a wet riverbank, anyway? She leaped to her feet, grabbing their bags, and scurried after him.

There was more forest up ahead—endless forest on this planet, it seemed—and once they reached the edge of it, she started scanning the ground for dry twigs.

“You should sit down and let me look for ‘em,” she said, gesturing vaguely. He seemed pretty out of it, staggering along. The way he was walking reminded her of a newborn fawn, those wobbling, uncertain steps on their long thin legs, like they were on stilts. It was sort of cute, but also worrisome. If the wibbly-wobbling continued, she would go over to him, take his arms, and deposit him on a fallen log with a grin and a pat on the shoulder before going off to gather a bundle of sticks. Which wasn’t hard—the forest is the best place to get wood, after all.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Well, if you do that... Then what am I gonna do?"​

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He stooped down some to pick up a couple of sticks he'd already happened across, then glanced around and saw a tree which was looking rather worse for wear. The bark was already coming off in shreds, pieces of it lay upon the ground in fibrous clumps. He picked some of that up too; it would make good kindling.​

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The pile he was building didn't get particularly big before Ishani put a stop to his pottering about, and led him to a log instead where he was bade to sit. He did so rather reluctantly, though he ended up sliding off the log itself and sitting with his back to it instead. It allowed him something of a support for his back. He closed his eyes again and simply sat there, enjoying the feel of the breeze which came through the trees. It was brisk and bracing and helped to clear his head some.​

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One eye peeked open, and he looked at the trees around them somewhat suspiciously. None of them seemed to be moving though.​

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That was hopefully a good sign.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“You’re going to sit down and chill. Stop running around like you’re a superhero.”

Much like him, she checked to see if any of the trees were alive. Nothing. This part of the forest was suitably noisy, which was all the proof she needed.

Once she had all the sticks gathered, she reached for his fire starter, then laughed. “I keep looking over at you to find you winking one eye. Is that a nervous tic?” She looked down at the starter. “Uh… how does this thing work?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"It's not cold enough to chill," he muttered under his breath, though he did as he was bid all the same and just remained in place. He ran his fingers through the grass he was sat upon, and waited for her to finish collecting bits and pieces.​

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Soon enough she was ready to start a fire. He shifted some so that he was properly sat upright, and turned his attention her way. Both eyes were now properly open. "Nervous tic? Nah, I just didn't have the energy for both..."​

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Sometimes eyes just needed resting, what could he say?​

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"It's a two-parter," he explained, pushing up off the ground to move toward her. He reached out, and placed a hand over hers so that he could show her how it was done. One piece pulled free from the main body, a long 'matchstick'. It was actually bulkier than a matchstick, but whatever, it served that same purpose. "There's oil on the inside, which gets onto this piece," he lightly gestured with the piece that broke away from the rest, "Then you strike it against this edge here..."​

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He showed her once, then removed his hand from hers and allowed her to carry on herself. "The end will ignite, then you can place the flame into the kindling." His eyes drifted to the pile of sticks. "The bark I got will work, it can be shredded. You see how it's all fibrous on one side?"​

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Thesh let out a long sigh, he was feeling better already though he always enjoyed talking through things like this. It was invigorating, he loved to impart what little knowledge he had. Even if it was as simple as how to make use of a firestarter.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

His quip drew a laugh that was almost a cackle from her. “‘It’s not cold enough to chill’,” she mocked playfully, deepening her voice as much as she could muster. “You’re lucky I don’t carry around cryo weapons, or I'd make it cold just to get you to sit still.”

She fell silent as he explained the mechanics of the fire starter. Succeeding on her second try, she lit the pile and got a fire going, then rustled around in her bag for the foodstuffs. Arcturus seemed a bit perked up now; if she weren’t busy trying to make lunch (dinner?), she would’ve been tempted to climb into his lap.

“So, Arc...” Her hands didn’t stop moving as she tried to make conversation, pouring water from her flask into a container and setting it up over the fire. She wasn’t really sure what to talk about, but figured if she got him started on alchemy she wouldn’t have to do much work. “Are you working on any projects right now?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Her mocking repetition of his grumbled statement brought about a mock-pout upon his lips. Laughter was infectious though, and soon that softened up into a chuckle of his own that settled into a smirk. It was good to hear her laugh. After the chaos they'd just experienced, weren't they due such?​

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The fire was started pretty soon after, the lit kindling placed into a tall stack of sticks. Tall so that more air could circulate through it. He'd learned his lesson in trying to make dingy little fires before, they tended to splutter out before they began.​

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Ish set about heating up some water, and Thesh returned to the ground though this time closer to the fire than the log. He watched her, and pondered the question she sent his way.​

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"I'm always working on something," he informed her, reaching for his satchel as he did so, "I have some ideas for new types of sand - I know, I know, hardly an alchemical feat, but I enjoy them - and there are a few Nether tricks I want to test out. Mostly right now I'm working on more theoretical plans than tangible projects." That was likely a boring subject to have to listen to though, so he shrugged.​

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"What about you? What's next on the perfume agenda?"​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Apart from being hilarious, that pout of his did funny things to her. The temptation to go over to him rose to a fever pitch. With little to do while she waited for the water to boil, she caved, standing up and walking around the fire to join him on the other side.

“No no no, we’re talking about you, not me,” she insisted. In truth, she had no clue what she was going to do next. “What do you mean, Nether tricks? You mean the Netherworld?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

When she walked around to join him he reached out and gently tugged her to the ground so that she could sit with him. Water took time to heat up, especially over an open flame like this. They were close enough that they could keep an eye on it. No harm no foul.​

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"Psht, why me? Me's boring." A glimmer of excitement peeked within him all the same as she queried what he'd meant by the Nether.​

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"Yeah!" he exclaimed, as though that was the most obvious thing in the world. Why wouldn't he be talking about the Netherworld? It took him a few more moments to remember that not everyone had traversed the depths of relative hell. Most wouldn't consider it an option, much less do so gleefully.​

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"When I got back my mind was abuzz with possibility. Well, first it wanted to recover but after that! I dabbled a little then too, but I've been to preoccupied to work on more." He wondered if it was worth telling her his ideas aloud. Was that stupid? Did she even really care? Nah he had to stop thinking like that. Thesh smiled.​

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"Okay so, there are little pockets that you can tap into. Theoretically an infinite amount, I don't think anyone's ever tested it. So I had this idea... Tattoos imbued with the Force, that act as a conduit to access said pockets. Bound to them in a way. Make them capable of calling specific objects. Weapons, that sort of thing. They're kept safe in Netherspace, then pulled through to Realspace. Returned a similar way when you're done with them."​

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He lifted a hand, rubbed at his chin in thought, then shrugged.​

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"I've done it on a far smaller scale, used a vial marked with a bunch of runes on the inside to achieve a similar effect. A mini pocket into the Netherrealm, to hold..." Well, she didn't need to know about Alina's anima-drinking habits. Probably didn't even know who Alina was. "Difference is, this time the vessel would be well... Skin I guess? I haven't thought through the full specifications of course. Just a thought!"​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“You’re not boring—”

Her eyes widened a little at his exclamation. Even the birds stopped chirping for a moment, confused by the screaming redhead in their midst.

“You’ve been to the Netherworld? Wha… how? How did you get back?”

She listened to his idea, propping her head on her hands, a smile spreading across her face. Tattoos and pocket dimensions, oh my.

“That is the sexiest thing I have ever heard.” She didn’t know a lot about the Netherworld, but it sounded fething awesome. “As long as there’s nothing to worry about in the Netherworld pocket dimensions, and it doesn’t, I dunno, damage the skin somehow, I can see you pulling it off.” She leaned toward him, gaze fixed in fascination. “What else you got in that crazy head of yours?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

A deep blush rose up within his cheeks; he certainly hadn't meant to shout. His excitement at discussing such things simply took ahold, and now he was left feeling rather foolish.​

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Ish didn't seem bothered though. If anything she was intrigued, hanging on his every word. He wasn't used to that, most brushed his projects off as mere childsplay, something silly and ultimately not worth the time he invested in them. She seemed genuinely interested.​

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"Yeah, I've been once. Helped bring someone back from the dead." He couldn't recall the last time he'd spoken about it. Had he spoken about it? Except with Noelle Varanin of course but she had been there too. Theirs was more a survivor's tale than him simply throwing around that information for the fun of it. He hadn't intentionally meant to mention it here either, it was simply the honest truth as to what he was working on. Or hoping to work on.​

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He'd quite forgotten that it wasn't a usual place to traverse.​

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"I wasn't alone, there was a whole group of us. We had someone with us who remained near one of the exit ports, and they helped us find our way back out when we were done. It was pretty cool until we reached the Dreaming Dark." He shuddered as he recalled that place. Almost pulled a face, but refrained. "Almost wish I'd seen more of it. Though I'm not in any rush to go back there again."​

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"Wait, that's sexy?" he inquired, genuinely surprised by her reaction to it all. "Wouldn't damage the skin any more than a regular tattoo would, I reckon," of course he was speculating at this point. One thing Thesh did not like to do was speculate... "Maybe some minor expedited corruption? But I mean, we're Sith. What we do with Alchemy already expedites corruption. Not like I'd have Jedi lining up for Nether-tats."​

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He met her gaze with a coy, almost sheepish grin.​

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"Crazy am I? I have plenty cooking up, but most are hard to put into words."​

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For a second a thoughtful look entered his gaze. Then he leaned forward and kissed her.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Aw, now he was blushing!

“You… brought someone back from the dead? You mean like really—literally? Not just necromancy where you bring back a zombie? A whole group of people went into the freaking Netherworld? Where was I when all this happened?” Easy: she didn’t exist yet. Of course, in reality she probably hadn’t come to the academy at that point. After all, Arcturus had been training for much longer than she’d been with the Sith. Most of his life, if she had to guess. “What’s the Dreaming Dark?”

His bewildered reaction made her giggle. “Yeah, it’s sexy. I use that word a lot, though. It’s, uh, anything I like that is also cool. Like you. You keep getting sexier by the minute.”

As for the tattoos, she shrugged. “I was more thinking that having a portal to the Netherworld effectively attached to your flesh might be dangerous, y’know, but I don’t know how this stuff works. Unless you want to teach me...”

"Crazy am I? I have plenty cooking up, but most are hard to put into words."

She opened her mouth to reply with something along the lines of “try me”, when he silenced her with his lips. Momentary surprise faded fast as she melted into the kiss. She tried to avoid kicking the fire on accident, but not much else was on her mind as she coiled around him, drawing him closer as she gently slipped her tongue into his mouth.

What? She said it was a bad idea to try tongue-wrestling during her first kiss. This was, like, her sixth or seventh. She had plenty of experience points wracked up from sucking face over the past twelve hours to afford an upgrade.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

His blush deepened.​

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"I, well, yeah... I mean I was only a small cog in the machine but yeah. A legitimate person. I think they had to have a clone body ready for her on the realspace side of things, but yeah..."​

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As she questioned the Dreaming Dark though the colour seemed to drain from him entirely. He gulped, and looked away.​

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"The Dreaming Dark's probably the worst place in there, it saps away your will, your memories, everything. The fact that Spencer survived it at all is telling of the kind of woman she is, most souls don't make it back out when they enter." Many souls who entered from their congregation didn't make it back out the other side either. Noelle had almost succumbed to it; she'd almost been left behind, by her own mothers. The reminder of that still stung. He was glad he went back for her, he was glad she got out of there alive.​

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"Oh," he said in regards to how the tattoos might work, "It's not the netherworld proper, just a small pocket of it..." It was difficult to explain, in truth, mindboggling really, but the anima in Alina's pendant wasn't just flowing through the rivers of the netherrealm, it was stored in a specific region of it. A region that solely housed it. "It would probably end up being one tattoo per item, I'm not sure I could swing it any other way given the nature of, well, skin."​

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Maybe he could figure it out to be more than that one of these days, but for now... Well...​

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Their kiss was far more intimate than he had been expecting. He wasn't sure how to respond, so he sort of followed her example. He leaned her back softly into the grass, keeping a mental watch over the fire to ensure neither got too close to it, and raised a hand up to cup her cheek. His heart beat something fierce, pounding against his chest so hard he felt breathless.​

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They were alive, and he wasn't sure they should have been given the chaos of their day so far. That was exhilarating, she was exhilarating...​

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Ishani Dinn​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani still didn’t know who Spencer was, or much about the mysterious Dreaming Dark, but she didn’t particularly care at the moment. Arcturus was on top of her, his tongue tangling with hers. Finally! She’d always wanted to try this with somebody. The two weren’t quite playing hockey with each other’s tonsils yet, but it was a start.

His heart was thudding away in his chest, discernible even through the fabric of his shirt, and there was a lot less reluctance in the way he touched her. Things were getting hot and heavy between them. Now, good Chaldean girls are taught to pull away before it goes too far, but, well… Ishani trusted Arcturus, and he really was starved for affection. She was all too eager to cater to that revealed need, giving him more and more, measuring it out based on what made him gasp and pant. The kiss turned sloppy, almost gluttonous.

Which isn’t to say she was all give, no take. Her hands slid down the length of his torso until they curved around his backside, giving it a slight, tentative squeeze. For such a skinny guy, he sure had plenty back there to—

The water was boiling over… foaming up over the rim… fire was flickering… Hello? Hey, you rotten kids! Quit mating with your mouths, you’re going to ruin dinner!

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

The water was a Force-damned tease.​

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It bubbled and boiled over loudly, demanding the attention of the two of them. Which sucked, because for once he was utterly oblivious to most everything around him save it and the girl he was entangled with. For once his brain had learned how to shut off, and he was acting on pure instinct and desire alone. It felt good to have no worries, it felt good to succumb to the moment.​

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But the moment wasn't long enough. And the rolling boil of the water brought it all tumbling right back. Chit. They were being watched.​

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Hastily, but gentle enough as to not hurt or alarm her, he pulled back. A slight growl of frustration left him as he did so, he most definitely did not want to stop, but reality hit him like a freight ship. He was shaking as he leaned back and sat in the grass. His breathing was erratic, his skin had a light sheen of sweat to it, and his cheeks were bright red and flustered.​

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It took him a few more seconds to remember what had stopped him in the first place. Oh yeah, the fire. He shuffled toward it without a word, pulled the pot away from the embers, and then sighed heavily.​

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"They better not be able to see us through the trees," he grumbled, tone half joking half serious. A frown overtook his expression, though he supposed it was for the best. They had only just met, teenage emotions boiled over as quickly as the water had and they couldn't let the heat of the moment make them do something foolish.​

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Not now, at least.​

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For all he knew when the ship returned to pick them up he'd never see her again. And then what? No... He swallowed a lump in his throat, then set the pot down and turned to face her. Force was she beautiful in this light though, she was as flushed as he felt. If he could have blushed any more he might have, but he was red enough thank you very much.​

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Force... He was losing his head with this one.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Interrupted by boiling water? Seriously?! Come on!

Ishani groaned as he pulled away from her, even going so far as to flop back on the grass, red-faced and fuming with thwarted lust and petty annoyance. A truly terrifying combination. All that was missing was the flailing, and she’d look much like a child having a tantrum.

Was she even actually hungry anymore?... okay, yeah, she could go for something to fill her empty stomach. Sitting up with a sigh, she grabbed a bag containing a mixture of something edible, carelessly tore it open and dumped the contents into the pot as soon as he set it down. She fumbled around for something to stir it with, then felt him staring at her with what could only be termed “bedroom eyes”.

“I assume you liked it when I grabbed your ass?” she asked, unable to resist the overwhelming urge to ruin the moment with a stupid comment, if only to see if she could make him smile. Might help to diffuse the tension, too. “I mean this in the best way possible, but I feel like someone stuck a vacuum hose to my mouth at full suction. I hope we can still eat.”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

A mischievous smirk was the only response she got to her inquiries; while Ishani tended to the food, Thesh set about smothering the fire with some of the dirt, hoping to keep the smoke at a minimum, so that they could keep from attracting too much attention. That they had even lit a fire was dangerous enough, he could only hope that the trees had done a dutiful job dispersing the smoke and keeping them from being tracked.​

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"Well I'm revenous," he assured her, settling down into the grass beside her now that the fire was dealt with, "I have no worries about whether or not I can eat." His cheeks were still aglow but his heart had begun to settle now. He let out a light sigh, and glanced up through the treetops to the sky beyond while their lunch was finished up. His stomach grumbled loudly; yeah, definitely ready to eat.​

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When she handed him his portion of the meal he immediately tucked in, satiating that hunger as quickly as he could muster and earning himself a small stomach ache as a result. Worth it, though. Definitely worth it. She was right, this stuff was better than the regular rations he was used to eating when out and about. There was something especially nice about having a warm meal, it was almost like they were camping. Well, they were camping. But almost as though they weren't in any danger.​

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Which they were.​

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"Where do you want to try next?" he inquired, once he'd eaten all there was to eat, "We tried hill, cave..." Surely there was somewhere safe on this world they could hide out at when night fell.​

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Ishani Dinn ​