The Adventures of a Healer and a Viking: Pirates, Part II

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"He-ey!" She yelped as she went airborne, catching a glimpse of a jungle beyond a sandy beach. Sunlight filtered through its thick foliage of lush greens and exotic plants.

Her attention quickly focused back on manbun as she crashed against him.

And for the first time in a long time, she laughed against his chest and into his beard. His fingers tickled on her hips, pressing into the fabric of her pants. She felt as light as she just had when he lifted her up.

For the moment, they were safe. Maybe still marooned. She didn't know if the island was inhabited. But they weren't stranded in the middle of the ocean. No one was shooting at them. And she welled with hope. Maybe she'd find answers about what happened to her.

Nothing would be the same again but maybe she could move forward and make this work.

"We...hit land," body stopped trembling with laughter as she stilled against him. Something was jabbing into her right ribs. Hand drifted down and plucked whatever it was from his coat.

A rogue chocolate that must've fallen in and stayed put from their little adventure. Now THAT was miracle. She held it up, arching her back a bit so she could look him in the eyes.

"You've been holding out on me."

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

”Not on purpose.” Val was actually pretty sure that he couldn’t even eat chocolate.

Most guards and cocoas came from some sort of plant, and that meant they lacked the proteins and other enzymes that he actually needed to digest it. It was an unfortunate truth, and not one that he had shared with Taheera, mostly because it would have ruined the earlier moment they had had on the starships.

”Better save it though.” He doubted they were anywhere civilized. ”No telling how long we’re going to be…”

He strained, attempting to get a look out the window. ”Wherever we are.”

They still had no idea where they actually were.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

She snorted as he tried to look out the window with his grasp still around her hips. She pocketed the chocolate. "Come on, big guy."

She could be the optimistic one for a change.

She squirmed and wiggled, attempting to lift herself up and away from manbun. "Let's go exploring."

If successful, she'd grab some rations and a few of the flight suits and wiggle her way out of the top of the pod. If not, she give him a peck on the lips and use that distraction to get to where she was headed.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He let her go, allowing her to scoop up the rations and run off and out of the escape pod. For a moment after he simply stayed there, collecting himself and ignoring the slight pinch of hunger that was still with him. The rations hadn’t been filling enough, and he hoped that they would be able to find something...well that wouldn’t leave him starving.

After another minute or two passed Val finally stood.


He followed her up and out of the Escape pod, pulling off his thick armorweave jacket as he did so, tossing it into the pod. He frowned for a moment and then looked about, a sigh escaping him. His fingers gripped the underside of the pod, and then slowly he began to drag it backwards. Water sloshed as he pulled the Pod back up and onto the beach.


”There.” The pod would serve as shelter for them if they found nothing else.


”Wait!” He called to Taheera. ”We have no idea what’s out there.”


Or who, theirs wasn’t the only pod that made it off the Destroyer.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

The Mirialan was to the tree-line of the wider beach when he started yelling. What was he doing? They might not be alone out here and he was going to give their position away.

That man.

She couldn't make out what he was saying, so she turned and waved to him, giving him the shush sign on her lips before turning and disappearing behind one of the jungle trees with thick vines circling its base. Taking the extra flight suit, she ripped the fabric up here and there. With a waggle of her hips, she began to shimmy off the pirate woman's pants.

She'd made capris and a tank top from the suit, which she began to shrug on, over the pair of bright neon-pink panties. Bright pink for a pirate captain? Who would've thought?

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

Val caught her wiggling. ”Well that’s a pleasant sight.”

He said from behind her, a wide grin on his face.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it before...wait had he? Well practically anyway. It didn’t really matter. He’d had no idea that she was back here undressing, and in fact she’d actually waved for him to come over...or something, he hadn’t really been sure. His eyesight was somewhat better, but he still couldn’t see across an entire beach to make out her facial expression.

Thus, clearly he was innocent.

Sometimes happy little coincidences just happened in this galaxy, not he, nor anyone else could control it. So his eyes simply wandered over...what was no Taheera, a wry grin plastered on his face.

Bright pink for a Pirate Captain, who would have guessed?

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Cheeks turned about the same pink hue as her undergarments. "Val!" She yelped and spun, staggering back.

Hands gripped the hem of her pants. She staggered like a drunken ballerina before gravity took over. Fabric went up and over the curve of her hips as she tilted, landing on her back in the sand and undergrowth.

"Stars," myrtle-ellipses shot manbun an accusatory look. "You frexing scared me." Purplish lips blew strands of chestnut hair and sand away from her mouth as she sputtered. Hips wiggled the rest of the way into the fabric as she looked up at him, securing the clothing around her waist.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He checked whether or not she was actually okay before saying anything, mostly because he hadn’t intended on scaring her, nor had he intended on sending her tumbling to the ground. When she spoke and admonished him for peeking he quickly figured out that she was alright, he smiled slightly as he wandered over to her.

She wiggled within the sand, pulling up the makeshift pants the rest of the way before he reached her.

”No reason to do that, I think.” He leaned down over her with that same, winning grin. Under normal circumstance she was quite a bit bigger than her, like this...well it was easy to say that he absolutely towered over her. One would have to wonder whether or not Val did yoga, given how far he was bending to actually look her in the eye.

”I quite like the pink.” His smile continued. ”Goes nice with the green.”

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Breath caught a little in her throat as he towered over her. There was something about his eyes. Hand came up to her cheeks.

"Stop, you're making me blush."

Pink tongue came out and a hand came up to lightly whack his chest to push his lumbering form aside so she could sit up. "And I bet you do," she tsked him with a grin on her tattooed face. "And don't get any ideas about throwing me over your shoulder this time."

Sand trickled down her hair and makeshift shirt as she sat up, fingers going to massage the spreading soreness in her lower back.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He moved aside so that she could get sit up, though he still watched her.

The beach they were on was relatively empty, and from what he could see there was no smoke rising from anywhere nearby in the jungle. Those two made him think that they were alone on this island, but that would make sense given that they’d taken more than a day to drift onto shore here. He frowned for a moment and glanced towards the escape pod.

He wondered briefly where the others had landed, whether or not they’d end up in the ocean too or on some landmass. It could all depend, the slightest factors usually changed everything about where an escape pod landed.

His head shook as he decided not to worry about it, eyes slowly wandering back to Taheera.

Val watched quietly as she slowly began to run her hands over herself, massaging her back in the tight flight suit. He considered for a second, and then leaned in close to her. ”Trust me, none of the ideas I had consisted of throwing you over my shoulder.”

He smirked.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Eyes widened. Fingers froze behind her. Mouth dropped.

"Val!"

She wondered briefly that if she blushed enough, would the tattoos on her face just fall off? Still, she couldn't deny the quickening of her heart when he...

Focus. Jedi, remember?

Must be this stupid new body. She tried not to think about it. Or the close proximity of his lips. Or that they were pretty much in paradise sans holodeck. Or those mixed, fruity drinks. With those little umbrellas that the Jawas handed out.

"Must you be so close?"

The crack in her tone was betraying.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

”I must.” Val said as he leaned in just a bit closer, squatting down beside her as his hand slowly floated onto her hip and across her belly. ”How else would I get my point across?”

Perhaps it was the sun.

Perhaps it was the environment they were in, the rush of what they had accomplished yesterday, or perhaps it was simply a long time coming, Val didn’t know. His fingers gently slid over her exposed skin, coaxing ever so slightly. There wasn’t a lot else to think about, they were stranded in paradise, and it didn’t matter if they explored today...or tomorrow.

That was how he saw it anyway.

He could see the goosebumps slowly prickle over her skin, her cheeks flush and her chest rising and falling just a bit faster.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

His touch was like the ignition switch to a thermal detonator. Her lips found his and this time, she blushed at her own eagerness. Lips kissed along his jaw and then back to his lips. The beard tickled against her face and she smiled.

Hands wrapped around him. He was like a solid pillar. Or tree. Something like that, unmoving.

"But remember," she was worried her heart would escape from her throat, "I don't want to be on your throw-away list. We're supposed to be friends. Deal?"

Fingers went to tug at the hem of his shirt. Ha. Friends. But she meant it. She didn't want to be just another one of his one night stands. She still didn't want that.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He wouldn’t just throw her away. That wasn’t like him. Sure he had one night stands, but most of them, all of them, went into it knowing exactly what they would get in the end. A part of him was unsure of his, he didn’t know what would happen with Taheera, didn’t know what would happen at all, but he could keep his promise.

He would keep his promise.

”Deal.” He said with a smile, his hands slowly floating over her and pressing her down into the sands. His fingers were gently, but rough, commanding. The tight flightsuit was quickly stripped away, his lips pressing against her neck, teeth scraping gently against her skin.

There was no hesitation on his part, and surprisingly, none on hers.

There was no telling where this would lead them.

No telling what would happen, but that was part of the fun. The excitement rushed through the both of them, her cheeks flushing, and a broad grin on his face.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Late evening turned to night and night to early morning. When her eyes fluttered open, the sun wasn't even up yet, just the light on the horizon. Her green form was entangled in Val's arms.

And sand was frexing everywhere.

By the sound of his breathing, he was still in a deep sleep. Lips came up and brushed lightly against his cheek. Then, she slipped free. She didn't want to wake him and she did her best not to. Feet padded quietly in the sand as she wandered down to the water's edge and began wading in to get some of that sand off.

Makeshift clothes were in a pile on the beach. She frowned. They'd have to find freshwater soon. This stuff would only make her skin salty, itchy, and dry. Not to mention, they needed it to survive. They didn't have big rations to begin with.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

It wouldn’t be long before she would hear tiny splashes behind her.

The waves lapped up onto the beach just as the sun began to crest on the horizon, a bright orange bulb that burned hot enough to reflect off of the water. Val slowly wandered up behind Taheera, steps sinking into the mud as he wandered towards her. For a brief few seconds her head swiveled to make sure it really was him, though by that time he’d already reached her.

Thick arms slowly went wrapping around her lithe green form.

His hands slowly floated over her, lips pressing against her neck as the waves crashed against them.

Val smiled slightly and then looked up towards the distant sun. There was nothing but ocean on the horizon, no ships, no other islands, nothing. He wondered briefly if this world was even populated, or if like so many others in the galaxy it sat as an empty paradise filled with hidden wonders and treasure.

He supposed they would find out.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

Squinting away from the sun, she half-turned in Val's arms and let her tattooed cheek rest on his chest. Waves lapped against the mid-point of her back. The mirialan stayed like that in silence, stealing a quiet moment.

She'd never had many of those and she wanted to cover this one a little longer, especially after yesterday. She wanted to feel like herself. Feel alive. Know that she wasn't completely changed just because she was in a new body.

Green-palms rested against Val's sides. Taking a breath of the salty, morning air, she finally looked up at his dueling colored orbs. "We should go explore. Find some fresh water and see if anyone else is here."

What if they were stranded for weeks? Longer?

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

She was right. They had to find fresh water. Food wouldn’t be an issue, he could already see fish swimming around nearby them, thinking they were some kind of new coral or rockface. Water however was important. Even he couldn’t survive very long without water, an unfortunate fact that meant they would have to spend most of the day scrounging.

”I’m not sure if we want to find someone else.” He said quietly. One had to remember what had been in those other escape pods; Pirates. They weren’t liable to be friendly, or trustworthy, or...well anything that Val and Taheera would want to deal with over the next few days.

”Water first.” He said as he quietly kissed her neck. ”Then we can deal with everything else.”

His fingers flexed slightly on her hips. ”We have shelter if a storm happens, but I’d like to pull the pod onto the beach a little more just in ace.”

The metal Escape Pod would be far better than anything else the could find or construct.

 

[Taheera Sollo]

[member="Valkyrien Aurelios"]

"And we'll want to pull it closer to the jungle line. The beach is too exposed," she pointed out. She could easily stay entwined with Val in the warm ocean waters for the next hour. But they had to move. With some reluctance, she untangled herself from his grasp.

"Let's get going before we get pruny," she smirked then dove into the water, paddling the short distance to shore. Clothes went back on. A hand ran through wet chestnut-strands of hair.

Of course, she was talking to a man who could pull an entire escape pod by himself. And he thought she was extraordinary. While he worked on the pod, she began preparing two packs full of some rations and empty water bottles. They'd need them. Myrtle-ellipses scanned the jungle line.

"I should start out alone," she mused quietly. "After all, I still look like one of them."

She was referring to the pirates. If they ran into any...they wouldn't have a clue.

 

[Valkyrien Aurelios]

[member="Taheera Sollo"]

He didn’t like it, but she had a point. Taheera, still looked like the Pirate Queen...or Captain, he wasn’t really sure which. If any of them saw her on her own they would be liable to be friendly to her, maybe even follow her orders. If Val went with her? That wasn’t so likely. He doubted that any of them would assume she had captured him, their size difference made that hard to believe.

”Alright.” Val said as he followed her onto the shore, unlike her he didn’t immediately go for his clothes. It was clear that he didn’t like the thought of her going along. ”Break a branch every now and again.”

He told her as he glanced towards the jungle, clearly in no hurry to get dressed. ”I’ll follow after I get that thing into the jungle a bit.”

It would be tough even for him, but there was some rope inside of one of the panels and he could use that as leverage around some of the bigger trees. That should give Taheera enough time to explore a little bit, and when he went to follow her he would hopefully find her already at a freshwater spring or something of the sort.

So he hoped anyway.