Yun' dream consisted of nothing but inky blackness, punctuated by the occasional, alien-sounding sequence of clicks. If she'd try to move, she'd find herself completely paralyzed. Something would brush against her side, and she'd feel something wrapping around her waist. Something put its rubbery hands on her temples, and two red pinpricks of light appeared before her, hovering just ahead of her vision. They narrowed, and she'd feel tentacles coil around her throat and cup the back of her head. In front of her, a bleeding, faintly glowing and pulsating human brain was held aloft by two more tentacles. A faint, cackling laugh was heard, before the dream was over.
She'd wake up in a comfortable looking bed, in a homely-enough cottage. There was all kinds of things lying around, and there was all kinds of living amenities. Most of the furniture was carved from woods native to the jungles of Kunata, and amonsgt it all, there was a young man, sitting on a stool and tending to a spit-roast of fish. Hanging on a wall was a painting of an old man. The same old man that she encountered before she witnessed the horrors in the jungle. The young man glanced behind him, revealing his deep blue eyes, dark hair, and handsome face. "Oh, you're awake!" He said in Kunatan, and he slowly stood up. "Are you all right? I found you passed out in the jungle. You brushed against some Sightweed, and it looked like you saw some nasty stuff. You were muttering about giants and octopus-men." He explained, raising his hands harmlessly.
If she looked around, she'd notice her equipment propped up against the wall by the door. She was still in the clothes she passed out in. She had a peculiar rash on her right arm, presumably from the Sightweed she bumped into.
Yun bolted upright in a cold sweat, her heart pounding in her chest and both hands going to her throat, because it was so vivid, so vivid she could still feel the tentacles wrapped around her. Panting, she looked around wildly, expecting to be in that horrible, dark place still, expecting to see tentacles wrapped around her waist--but all she saw was a cozy room that looked...
Perfectly normal.
Just a dream... she thought with relief, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. But she still felt shaky and alarmed, and even more so because she was in a place she didn't recognize! Searching around the room in confusion, she caught sight of a young man who had noticed her awakening. She jerked in alarm, surprised--even though that made no sense, she was in a house, of course there'd be someone here!--but then relaxed again, because this man was human. And he looked perfectly normal. Just human. Even attractive!
Er. Not that that was relevant.
"Oh..." she said when he explained, and sighed again, practically wilting as she sat back against the pillows. "Yeah...wow. Yeah, I'm okay...I think. Ugh, I just had some pretty weird dreams, but...I guess you probably already know that?" She grimaced. How embarrassing, that she was talking in her sleep.
"Oh man. I just remember it was storming really bad and it was dark and...I guess that's when it happened. The Sightweed, I mean. I mean, I guess, I was brushing against a lot of stuff, it's a jungle, after all. I didn't even know about Sightweed. But I've never really been over here, and...wow. This is really embarrassing, but--hey."
Sitting up a little straighter, she pointed at the painting, a chill going down her spine. "He was there last night, too!"
The young man glanced at the painting. "My grandfather?" He said with a bit of surprise as he glanced towards it. "He died two years ago... He brought me out into this jungle to escape his psychotic wife." The young man said in a slightly ramble-y tone. "I mean, he was a wizard and stuff, he taught me a few things...anyways, wizards leave powerful energies behind when they die... So it must have been a mix of that and the Sightweed." He explained, a genuinely confused tone to his voice. The young man was also a bit awkward, but in kind of a cute way. It was obvious he wasn't used to seeing people, let alone women. He stepped over to a stool next to the bed, and sat down on it. "You need to rest here for a bit, maybe a day or two. You had a lot of Sightweed in your system, so you're going to be a bit weak, and you might be hallucinating every once in a while as the poison flushes from your system" he added, and patted her lightly on the shoulder before standing up. His hands felt like they buzzed with energy, and they just felt so indescribably positive on the skin.
He looked over to the fish on the spit, and he extended an arm. After some strain, the stick with two nicely cleaned and perfectly cooked snappers floated over to him, and then he snapped the stick in two and handed one of them to Yun. "What's your name?" He said as he took a bite of his salmon.
A chill raced down Yun's spine at that, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. The old man was dead? Dead for two years? Oh goddess, maybe she had seen a ghost after all! She had been on the verge of panic when the man offered a reasonable explanation that made her relax. A little.
She didn't like the idea of having more hallucinations, though. But his touch put her at ease, so when he patted her shoulder, some of the worry drained out with it.
Some.
"That many days? Aw man...my mentor's gonna kill me," she groaned, raking her hands through her bangs. But she knew he was right, for she still felt horribly woozy, and when she moved her head, the world kept moving. Ugh. "Man...I mean, I guess I've got no choice, if that's okay with you. Name's Yun by the..."
She trailed off, because that was when he levitated the skewer. She stared, eyes wide, not sure if that was a hallucination or not.
(Posted from tablet, pardon any wejrd errors. xD
"Mine's Han..." He started, and he noticed she was staring. "You must have missed the details. I told you my grandfather taught me some tricks. Nothing major though." He said, and he waved the salmon from side to side in front of Yun. "You going to eat it or not?" He asked, a worried expression growing on his face.
Somewhere in the immaterium, there was a very pleased puppet-master. Sure, he meant nothing but well for the woman he was determined to help, but the altercation with the barbarian had left Kruz'Iik slightly drained. He dared not mention that Yun was woozy because he had...taken some things for himself, but he only drew a little sustenance from her.
"Huh? Oh. Oh, yeah. Of course!" Yun said, snapping out of her daze and taking the skewer he held. She had zoned out a bit there, legitimately worried that she was still seeing things. Right. Taught him some things. Like levitation. Thank Inima, she wasn't going crazy after all!
"Sorry, I guess I'm still a little jumpy, heh." Maybe eating would settle her nerves a bit. It had been a while since she'd eaten; since yesterday morning, actually.
Taking a large bite of fish, she chewed and gulped it down. "Hey, this is pretty good, thanks! Oh, right, what were you saying? Your name?"
"Han. That's my name." He said in between bites. "Thanks for the compliment. Now I know that my fish is actually good. I've never really...well...met people." He said, stopping his chewing to look at Yun. "I think you're the first person I've seen around here since Grandfather died, and even then, we never really talked to people." Han said, and resumed eating his fish. he stopped again, seemingly lost in thought. He glanced awkwardly at her a few more times. He looked like he had some words at the tip of his tongue, but they didn't seem to want to come out. "So, you're a training warrior? I mean, you mentioned something about a mentor, and I assume that's your gear over there..." He rambled again. he was nervously twirling the fish in his hands.
Yun nodded. "Mhmm, that's mine! Warrior in training, yup. I was supposed to meet my mentor in town, but of course I had to go and take the 'shortcut'," she said with a slight pout. "Which of course means I'm now gonna be way later. Would've worked if not for some stupid plant..."
She spit a piece of bone out into her hand and took another bite. "So, uh...Han. You don't ever go into the city or anything? How come?"
It was pretty obvious he was the awkward type that didn't get out much. He kept looking at her like he didn't know what to make of her! And in some ways, that made her kind of sad, because that sounded awfully lonely, if he'd really been on his own without his grandfather all this time.
(Ignore this derp)
"No, I don't. Grandfather took me from there to begin with, to get away from his psychotic wife. He told me if I go back, she'll find me, although I reckon if I wait for long enough it'll be safe." He said. He looked behind him, noticed the fire was starting to smolder, and got up. It took him a few tries, but he eventually got a burst of water out of his hand, extinguishing the fire and dimming the light inside the hut a little. Some light still poured in from the windows.
Kruz'Iik needed to get closer. He needed to go deeper. He yearned for it.
Han walked back to the stool from the fire. His movements had an indescribably hypnotic property to them, and the way he navigated the hut was completely different to the way a city-dweller would. "Say, maybe when you get a bit better, you can teach me a few things? Like self defense?" He suggested, and his eyes seemed to light up with curiosity.
Yun cracked a little grin at that, watching him extinguish the sparks--and this time she didn't panic as he used his magic, but rather watched curiously, as she hadn't seen much of that. "She must be some scary old bat, huh? To keep you outta town and so secluded so long?"
She followed his movements and arched an eyebrow. "That why ya wanna learn self defense? You're afraid she'd do something to you or something? 'Cause I mean, yeah! I could show ya some stuff, easy. If you wanna come with me, that is! I really gotta go like as soon as I feel well enough, 'cause Kuan, she's...well, she's kinda a hardass."
Yun looked at him with a lopsided smile. "So yeah! If you wanna tag along, I can show you some moves. Promise I won't let some crazy old lady getcha. I can take her, I bet."
Han's face lit up. "Really? Thank you!" He said as he excitedly put his hands on Yun's shoulders again. Again came the flush of positiveness. In fact, it seemed to be giving her strength. He immediately pulled away from her, and entered what could only be described as a makeshift martial arts pose, throwing a few out of form punches. He stopped himself immediately after, awkwardly straightening out and returning his hands to his side, a sheepish smile on his face. "I always wanted to learn, but Grandfather didn't know any fighting, and he didn't dare let me stray near the city. He told me the only fighting I needed was magic, and spent his time training me in that." He explained, grabbing his forearm and rubbing it nervously. "Say...do you...um..." He trailed off, searching for appropriate words. "Do...do you have a boyfriend?" he finally asked, his face flushing with red.
Kruz'Iik had set the bait, now it was time to see if the fish would bite.
Yun's cheeks puffed out with the effort it took not to laugh. He was so excited, like a puppy she'd just thrown a bone! Excited and...and his stance was all wrong, his punches sloppy. She found herself silently critiquing him and realizing that, oh man...she had promised him something that was going to take a lot of work on her end! Man. Did she look that ridiculous when she first started?
And yet, ridiculous as he looked, it was all kinda...
Cute.
Realizing she was staring without really hearing what he was saying, her shoulders still tingling warmly where his hands had been, she focused back in--just in time to hear his question.
Her cheeks flushed hotly, red traveling clear up to her ears.
"Huh?" Had he just...? Suddenly, Yun was quite interested in looking everywhere but at him. "I...uh...well...no. I mean, uh, I haven't really..." She scratched the back of her neck. "I don't even got a betrothed, I was just...kinda...always doing warrior stuff and--why?"
Kruz'Iik smiled, and laughed, a laugh that entered the small pocket dimension he had created just for Yun as a breeze. The fish was biting.
Han looked so red, he might just burst into flames at any moment. He opened his mouth, but nothing but silence came out. After finding his tongue, he spoke up again. "it's just that...oh, goddesses, preserve me...you're...kind of really cute." he said, shocked at the bluntness of his own statements. He needed to stop speaking. He was embarrassing himself in front of Grandfather. He glanced towards the painting, then to the floor, and then out the window, and then his eyes locked onto Yun again. Somewhere out in the jungle outside the cottage, a bird sounded off. It made a series of rhythmic clicking noises punctuated with tweets and whistles.
"W-what...?" Yun's eyes went wide and, if possible, her face grew even redder, her heart beating faster. She wanted to melt into the bed with embarrassment! She'd been called a lot of things in her life, but never cute.
Or rather, she'd never been called cute in a way that was genuine and not patronizing. And not by a really cute guy!
She drew her legs up to her chest and hugged them, kind of wishing she could hide, because none of her training had prepared her for how to deal with these sorts of feelings and the panic and confusion and weird fluttering that came with it. "You've...haha, you've gotta be joking. That's a joke, right?"
Han chose to keep quite for a few seconds, collecting his thoughts as he waved his hand towards the stool by her bed. It moved back a foot, and he sat down on it, running his fingers through his hair. "Would I have any reason to joke about that? Why...why would I joke about that?" he asked. This confused him greatly. Why would she be turning down a compliment?
"No, it's not a joke." He said, directing his eyes towards hers.
"I dunno..." Yun admitted, mumbling into her knees. That was kind of a rude thing to say, huh? "I guess 'cause I'm used to hearing it as a joke? Eheh...wow...uh..."
She looked away as he looked at her, feeling uncharacteristically shy. "I guess 'cause, uh...you're really cute too, so, uh..."
Now, it was time for Han to flush up. He sucked in some air, his cheeks getting even redder than before. Back at the small fire, a flame sparked up. "You...you...really?" He exclaimed, the uncontained excitement in his voice coming back. "I...I've never really..." He trailed off, wringing his hands together.
Yun looked away from him and stared at the closest wall. "It's what I just said, isn't it?" she mumbled, face burning, before she looked back at him.
"Look, all I'm saying is it's really flattering to be called cute by someone who's also, um, attractive!"
"Feeling's mutual I suppose..." He said, cracking a smile. He marveled at the sheer amount of awkwardness in the air, so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Honestly, he never really planned this far ahead, and it was plain to see in his face. "I know this is all a bit sudden, and we're complete strangers and all..." He said, pausing for a moment to find the right words. "But I'll be damned!" He suddenly exclaimed, a surge of bravery pushing him onwards. He leaned forwards in the stool, and his hand returned to her shoulder. "After spending my entire life with only one other person, I wasn't going to let this chance just...go." He explained. There was a burning feeling in his heart, a feeling he couldn't shake.
Han's sudden intensity took Yun off guard and she jolted in surprise as he leaned forward and touched her shoulder. She met his eyes, searching his face as he spoke so excitedly, his words all over the place in a way she couldn't keep up with! Her heart beat faster, skin warming under his hand.
"Wait, Han! What chance? What are ya talking about?" And then, hazarding a guess, she swallowed hard and said, "Um, do you mean...the training? The self defense training?"
Han's face remained still and intense. His eyes locked onto Yun's, the intensity in them burning almost tangibly. His face was still bright read. "I'm...I'm not talking about the self defense"
(Short post is short)
"You're...not?" Maybe she should have clued in to what he meant, but Yun's mind had chosen that moment to go utterly blank.
Kruz'Iik was at a loss for words. He sensed much confusion in her head, so much so he decided to take action.
Han remained locked wih her eyes, his sharp eyes piercing her being. "I...I have a different curriculum in mind." He said, his hand remaining on her shoulder. Her shoulder would start to feel good, great actually. Like it was recovering with his touch. In the back of her mind, there would be something urging her towards him.
Yun couldn't help but shiver under his touch, her breath catching in her throat as she looked at him. Oh, Inima. She thought she had an inkling, but...but really? Her? How could this be? This kind of thing didn't happen to her!
Swallowing hard, she leaned forward a little. "Y-yeah?"
Han mentally winced. This was it, he supposed. He had already taken this too far to turn back now. "Something a...little more intensive." He said, bracing himself. Kruz'Iik pulled on the strings, and smiled. He smiled, even though it was physically impossible for him. He could get used to this, being a god and all. He had been poking around in Yun's memories enough to know her life. He could recreate it all for her, except he'd be her own personal god, the Inima she prayed to. It was a tempting prospect. For now, he had some interesting strings to pull.
Han went in for the kiss. He didn't care, he didn't want to care, he just wanted somebody to love him.
He was kissing her. He was kissing her, he was kissing her, he was kissing her!
Yun's eyes went side and her hands fluttered up to his shoulders, grabbing onto them in her surprise, and she gripped him hard as her belly fluttered with a sensation that was half panic, half excitement, because she'd never been kissed before. And he was kissing her! And oh, his lips felt soft and warm against hers, and he smelled really nice this close...
He hands loosened on his shoulders and her eyes closed, and before she knew it she was leaning into him, returning the kiss shyly before she finally pulled back, her dark skin flushed.
"Oh...wow...I..." She touched her fingers to her lips. "Whoa."
Han pulled back as well, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Did he really just do that? Did he...he did! In his mind, a thousand and one things were going on all at once, but through some divine providence, there was something driving him onwards, like a proud mentor slapping him on the shoulder and telling him to keep up the good work. He remained silent, taking in the moment.
Kruz'Iik paused as well. He knew what he was going to do now. Yun was still young, and she would live a long life. He was intent on it. Han would be his avatar to learn one of the most elusive concepts known to Illithids.
How the primitives ran their families.
He started humming a tune to himself, a flat, alien tune that resonated throughout the blackness he was surrounded in. Outside Han's cottage, an odd wind blew.
Han went back in for another kiss, this time his courage bolstered and hands sure. He moved his hands down Yun's arms, gently grabbing her by the elbows. There was an energy slowly building inside of him, and his hands felt increasingly charged.
Pulled in for another kiss, Yun kissed him back, even as her mind raced. It felt good, his lips on hers, and his hands were warm, and it was amazing and exciting to be kissed and desired, something she had never experienced before. And yet, the new rush of physical sensations and emotions confused her, because this was going awfully fast, and she'd only just met him! Her body liked it, and her mind was curious to see what all the fuss was about--but then there was that other part of her, the part that was worrying because of how fast this was going, and because she didn't know him, and because she didn't know what she was doing.
Pulling back again, she gave a little gasp, breathless from their kiss and lips slightly swollen.
"Han...whoa...slow down," she breathed.
Han stopped as soon as Yun pulled away. He was surprised that he reacted so quickly, and that he still even had control of himself during this whole thing. Sure, he barely knew her, but...but it was his chance! His chance to leave this cottage behind and return to civilization with somebody that cared for him that wasn't his grandfather.
"...What's wrong?" He asked. He had an idea of what the answer would be, but he wanted to be sure.
Yun took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I just...don't wanna go too fast?"
Now that she mentioned it, he was taking things a bit too quickly. "Sorry, I...I got a bit worked up." He said with a chuckle. It didn't really matter to him, though. He was content to look into her eyes instead. Now that they slowed down, he didn't notice that his hands had moved down to her hips. He was frozen as he decided whether he should move them from there or not.
Yun let out a sigh of relief and laughed, shaking her head. "It's okay. I guess I kinda did, too," she said, her heart still pounding in her chest. Finally, she had some time to think, now that his lips were no longer on hers!
"It's just, y'know, I just met you! And I still don't feel that great..." Though, granted, his touch had an odd effect on her, making her feel more energized.
Speaking of touch, she glanced down as realized his hands were on her hips, and cleared her throat awkwardly.
Han retracted his hands when Yun cleared her throat. "Oh! yeah, you're not well and stuff..." He said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "I should probably get working on a remedy or something..." He continued, standing up off of the stool. And it was back to awkwardness. It kind of was impossible to look at Yun the same way now. Every time he glanced at her, he would quickly retreat his gaze. He walked over to a counter, and started rummaging through containers filled with herbs. "Why don't you stand up and stretch or something? It'll do you wonders." He suggested, and continued looking for herbs.
"Good idea!" Yun said, for she had been sitting for quite some time, and asleep for longer; getting up and moving would likely do her good.
Stretching her arms over her head, Yun slid out of the bed and groaned when she stood upright, her muscles all tense and sore from inactivity. She bent a leg and grabbed it by the ankle, balancing on one foot for a few seconds before moving to the next, trying to work out some of the stiffness. Then she held her arms out and twisted at the waist, groaning a little as her muscles ached in protest.
But it felt good, and it also gave her a distraction, because now she found she couldn't look at Han without blushing. Jeez...
"You can make a remedy?" she said as she moved through her stretches; she had only planned on doing a few to loosen up, but now she had fallen into her routine and begun the standard ones she did before a practice.
Han looked back at Yun, shrugging. "It's mostly a general remedy. Puts life back into a tired body. should restore your energy until you fully recover." He said, his eyes lingering on her for more than he would have liked. He turned back to his herbalism. He took up some Rosehip and Ginseng, and started grinding them down into a powder. He poured this powder into a pail of water, and hung it over the fire. He snapped his fingers a few times, and a small flame appeared in his hand. He flung it into the dead campfire, and it sprung to life again. He went back to the containers, procured some Rosemary and Gotu Kola leaves, and sprinkled them into the water. He took a long cooking spoon from the table and started idly stirring the mixture. He had nothing better to do at the moment, so he found himself looking at Yun as he stirred.
"Sounds like it probably tastes horrid," Yun remarked as she went through her stretches. "Anything healthy tastes horrible." And she wrinkled her nose at that, not looking forward to this remedy even though she knew it would benefit her.
Finishing up her stretches, she dropped down into a back-bend to give her spine a good stretch and, upside-down, she noticed he was staring at her. She grinned, watching him. "Heh. Ya look like a bat like this."
Han chuckled. "Look like a bat, do I?" He said, and he hissed at her. His animal noises were surprisingly sophisticated, but he owed that to his method of survival. Nothing could kill him if it couldn't find him, or though he was something else. He looked back at the small pail of remedy, and noticed it was bubbling slightly, but not boiling. He went over to it, and took a spoonful of the herbal tea into his mouth. It was slightly bitter, with a hint of ginger in it. The sip immediately snapped him fully awake. He had been tending to Yun since he found her in the middle of the night.
He took a small clay cup, filled it, and walked over to Yun. "Here you go, one of Grandfather's favorite recipes. It improves the circulation, sharpens the mind, and takes away the aches and pains." He said, holding the cup out to her.
Yun laughed when he hiss and almost fell over, but she held the pose stubbornly for another count of ten before she kicked off the ground and flipped gracefully back onto her feet. Straightening up and rolling her shoulders, she grinned at him. "Yeah, you make a pretty good bat! You just need some wings. And fur, I guess, but that'd be kinda weird."
Wow, way to go, Yun. This guy had kissed her and and now she was making stupid, awkward, childish jokes!
She accepted the cup that he brought to her and sniffed it cautiously. "Hmm...well, it doesn't smell terrible," she said, and blew on the steaming surface before taking a sip. It was indeed a bit bitter, but whoa...she blinked in surprise, feeling a rush of warmth and energy spreading through her limbs, and that was enough to get her to drink more of it.
"Jeez...you weren't kidding about this stuff!" she said between sips.
"Yeah, turns out this bat's had a few years to practice his herbalism." He said, his eyes staying on her.
Kruz'Iik made a mental note to try some of that tea later.
"Anyways, I...uh...about what happened five minutes ago..." He started. No, Han! Don't make it awkward! DON'T MAKE IT AWKWARD! a voice cried out in his head, sounding surprisingly like his grandfather. "I...I think we have something, you know?" He said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. DAMN IT, HAN!
Oh goodness. And they were right back to being awkward! But what could she expect? They had kissed, after all. Twice!
Yun plopped back onto the bed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I...well...we had kisses?"
"Yeah, yeah we did..." Han said, idly sipping his herbal brew. The blush was slowly coming back. he returned to the stool by the bed, sitting down and staring into the lightly steaming cup of tea. he looked at himself, swirling around in the cup and distorting every time a floating leaf passed by. He suddenly had a very bad idea.
"I don't suppose we could...uh..." He trailed off, and his eyes momentarily shot towards the painting of his grandfather. "...Kiss some more?" He asked. He had stared down tigers, scared off bears, and fought off wolves, yet forming those three words was the single hardest thing he ever had to do.
Yun's pulse kicked up a notch. Those first two kisses had been impulsive, something Han did to her while she reciprocated. And it had been, strangely, a little less embarrassing when Han had made the decision for the both of them. But asking her if she wanted to try kissing again, giving her the option? It brought a fresh blush to her cheeks, and she felt that she had been blushing so much this morning her head might eventually pop!
"Um..." It was so confusing, her head spinning. He was cute, and she'd liked the kisses, liked his warmth and scent, but it was all so sudden, so fast, when she'd only just met him. Yet her body liked it, even as her head couldn't figure out what she wanted and her mind wrestled with myriad thoughts.
Did she like him? Or did she just like kissing him? And why was her mind racing, thinking about her old friend, Mei? Why would she think about her now?
Yun rubbed her face. She had to get Mei out of her head; she didn't like thinking about her, because something told her those thoughts were dangerous.
"I...sure?" she said with a shy smile. "If ya wanna...?"
Han kept his eyes on her as she was apparently wracked with thought. He tried to get a read on her, but he couldn't. When she spoke up with her answer he released an internal sigh of relief. He wasn't sure whether to take another sip to get his heart going again, or to sit there and absorb the gravity of the moment.
He raised a hand, and placed it on the back of Yun's neck.
He went in for the kiss.
He went in for the kiss, and Yun leaned in to meet him, closing her eyes and pressing her lips to his and forcing the thoughts from her head. Her hands went to his shoulders, gripping him as she braced against him. Part of her mind screamed, what are you doing? but the other part enjoyed the attention, because Han was giving her something no one else had, and he made her feel kind of...special.
Beautiful.
Han didn't let up, if anything, he started getting worked up again. His hand remained on the back of her neck, and the other one planted itself on her back, as he answered her pressing against him with his own.
It was everything he always hoped for, really. A beautiful warrior to come and whisk him away from the wilderness and give him the strength to move on. So what if she was a stranger? So what if it meant the possibility of running into his wicked grandmother? He didn't care. With Yun, he believed he could take on the world.
Kruz'Iik purred with delight. His own little puppet show, just for him. By design, humans were susceptible to emotion, and he was taking a few mental notes about this.
Yun felt a little clumsy in the kiss, because she didn't actually know what she was doing, only what felt right. Thankfully, Han didn't seem to mind her inexperience, because he was equally inexperienced. Pulling back after a moment to draw a breath (she kind of forgot to breathe when their mouths were together, even though her nose was free!) and brushed a little hair from her face and looked up at him.
"Um...is that okay? I know I'm probably not very good," she said with a sheepish smile.
Han returned her sheepish smile with one of his own. "Best I ever had." He said, a genuine smile on his lips. His breathing was a little more controlled, as he had remembered he still had a functioning noise. In one swift movement, he moved from the stool to sit down on the bed with her, the hand caressing her neck moving up her arm to gently close around one of the hands she had on his shoulder. He leaned back in, ready for more.
Yun laughed and flashed a crooked grin. "Aren't I the only you've ever had?" she asked, shoulders twitching a little because his hand felt ticklish on her neck.
But then he moved, coming to sit beside her and covering her hand with his own and she went to kiss him again--but accidentally went in a little too fast and ended up ramming their noses together.
Han failed to immediately pull back as Yun bumped into his nose, releasing a surprised Mmph! before he pulled away, his face scrunched up in a mixture of slight pain and a desire to not burst into laughter. He couldn't contain it. He let out a string of stifled chuckles. "I think you're the one that needs to slow down a bit, Yun." He said with a chuckle, the hand on her back moving back down to her hip.
"Sorry!" Yun giggled, rubbing her nose sorely. "Y'okay? Jeez, and you just said I was the best you ever had. Spoke too soon, maybe?"
"It's going to take more than a nose-bump to make me take that back." han said, resting his forehead against hers and rubbing his nose against hers playfully before going in for another kiss.
Caught up in the moment, some of her fears and doubts began to melt away as he nuzzled against her, and once again his lips were on hers. It was easy to forget things when she could only focus on touch, and it was nice to feel wanted, to be viewed as more than just a girl with a sword. She hadn't realized until Han that she had been rather lonely, traveling with just her mentor for the last few months, away from people her own age, away from Mei--Mei, who had gone away overseas anyway--and before she knew it her arms were around Han's neck as she lightly clung to him, as she got swept up in the idea of him, and as her confused emotions battled with the signals her body and teenage hormones were sending up.
Experimentally, she nibbled lightly on his lip, her breathing growing a bit heavier, and some part of her brain telling her this was wrong while her body told her it was right.
Kruz'Iik was reveling. He had a direct line to both their brains, and the mental signals they were sending out brought waves of pleasure through his body. He tightened the strings, inserted himself into Han's mind. Han paused for a moment, completely unaware that his creator had just entered his subconscious. He felt focused, focused on nobody but Yun. His hands started moving, caressing her. He was suddenly made aware of her state, unexpectedly conscious as to the gravity of the situation. Then, something happened.
Something clicked inside him, like someone had taken his brain and switched it into a different setting. He heard a brief burst of clicking, and felt like something was coiling around his brain. This didn't bother him, in fact, it felt good.
Damn good.
Han pushed against yun with more intensity, his senses and mind washing away from him.
"Mmf!" Yun made a surprised sound when Han grew more intense, body shivering at his caresses, and she clung harder to him as he pushed back against her--because she she felt about to go off balance. She managed to steady herself before the momentum could send them toppling backwards onto the bed.
Her hands tangled in his hair, her cheeks flushed, and after a moment she broke the kiss and peered up at him, breathing heavily through parted lips and surprised as he went from awkward to forward.
When Yun broke the kiss, Han looked at her, his chest slightly heaving in time with his breaths. "I'm going to go back with you, Yun. I've lived in this jungle for long enough." He said, cupping her head with one of his hands, which were now absolutely charged with whatever built up magic made them feel so good.
Yun couldn't help but lean into his hand, the sensation absolutely electric while her body craved more of it. She leaned against his chest, her cheek nestling against his neck as she tried to catch her breath.
"Yeah...? Good. 'Cause ya should. It's not good being out here, all alone, y'know. And I can teach you stuff, so you don't gotta be afraid. Not of anyone."
"Now that you're here, I think I'm never going to be afraid again..." He said, rubbing his thumb against the back of her head. He embraced her, resting his head on the top of hers.
Yun's grin turned embarrassed, but she hid it against his chest. He, uh, he didn't need to know about how she'd wound up in the jungle. Or about her particular phobias. Yeah. That was way embarrassing. Better to let him believe she was fearless or something, because she liked this, liked feeling like some big, bad protector.
"Heh, yeah. I got your back. Old ladies don't got nothin' on me."
Han remained quiet, content to hold her against him, slowly caressing her. He felt like he was a passenger in his own body, that his actions were no longer his own.
Noticing his quiet after a moment, Yun peered up at him and poked him lightly on the nose. "Hey," she said. "You're being awful quiet. Whatcha thinkin'?"
Yun talking snapped Han out of the short daze he was in. "I was thinking about what I was going to pack..." He mumbled idly, stroking Yun's hair. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the cup of tea he had left on the stool. He squinted and made an odd face at it, and it slowly floated over, where he sipped from it without using hands. It floated down next to Yun's head and it shook enticingly. "Want some?" He asked, glancing out the window. It was getting late.
Kruz'Iik reformed in the immaterium, once again looming over the small shed floating in nothingness, invisible to the occupants. The girl was...tantalizing. He'd never encountered a specimen like her, and this greatly interested him. He leaned forwards and looked into the window, where Han was looking. Of course, all Han saw out the window were trees and the afternoon light, and not a giant octopus eye glaring back at him.
Yun stared at the tea floating in front of her face and then looked at Han, one eyebrow lifting. "That's not a hallucination, right?" she joked before she reached up and grabbed it out of the air.
She didn't really trust herself to be as suave as Han. She could just picture herself spilling the tea all down her front! Nah, she trusted her own hands better--and only then barely. It kind of amazed even her that she could be so graceful when it came to acrobatics and combat, yet often ended up with crumbs down her shirt when she ate.
She took a sip and licked her lips after. "Hey, that's pretty good. What is it?"
Han looked down at the cup. "Nothing much, just some powdered ginseng and rosehip, with some gotu-kola and rosemary leaves sprinkled in." He explained proudly. They were pretty common plants around here. "It's the same brew I gave you, but if you let it sit for a bit it does tend to taste better, huh?" He asked, and took another sip for himself. "Well, you need to sit tight for a bit, I've got to check on my garden. Unless of course, you want to come with?" He asked invitingly, and planted a quick kiss on her lips before standing up, setting the cup back down on the stool.
"Whoa, that's the same stuff?" Yun said, blinking. "Jeez. You shoulda given it to me after it sat! You just wanted to see a sour face, didn't you?"
She stuck her tongue out at him. Granted, he probably just wanted to get the remedy in her, but it was far more fun to give him a hard time about it.
When he rose to his feet, she followed after him, feeling significantly better than she had when she first awoke. "I'll come," she said. "I could use the fresh air. Besides, someone's gotta come along and protect ya from all the horrors of the outdoors!"
Han chuckled at Yun's desire to protect him from the natural world. It wasn't the wildlife he was afraid of, it was people. But all that didn't matter now. He stepped outside, revealing a dazzling scene. In front of the cottage, there was a cascading waterfall, that fell straight into a natural spring, which led off into the jungle as a small stream. A mere twenty feet away, at the water's edge, sat an old fishing pole, propped up against a chair. Han took a moment to breathe it all in, the smell of clean water, fresh dew that remained from the rains, and the faint smell of herbs. He grabbed Yun's hand, and started to lead her around the side, to a small garden that had all sorts of herbs and vegetables growing in it. There was even grapes and a few other kinds of fruits present.
Outside, it was breathtaking, and Yun took in the wondrous sights as she she breathed deeply of the earthy, rain-scented air.
And that waterfall sure looked fun, too. She'd have to find out later if there were rocks at the bottom and if the water below was deep.
"Man...you may be isolated, but your grandfather sure knew how to pick a location," she said as Han lead her to the garden, her stomach rumbling with the scent of fruit. "This place is...man. It's beautiful. Heh, not at all what I was picturing last night!"
"Can't say I feel any different. Whenever I feel down, I always come out here. Sometimes, I go diving off the waterfall." He casually mentioned, and knelt down, placing a hand on the ground. His hand started glowing a healthy green, and he stayed like that for a few seconds. "Hmm...needs some water..." He muttered, and he started rubbing his hands. He suddenly thrust them forwards, fingers spread out, and they sprayed out a light haze water vapor, which blanketed the ground of the garden.
He stood back up, dusted off the dirt on his knee, and seemd in thought. He looked at the grapes and he got an idea. "Hey..." He started, wrapping his arm around Yun's waist. "I've got some wine. Want some?" He asked, squeezing her lightly.
"Heeey. Get out of my head!" Yun said with a laugh. "I was just thinkin' that, wondering if you could jump off that without dying. Hehe, maybe we can give it a go before we go!" Because really, that waterfall was just begging for it.
She hung back to watch him work, content to observe and take in the scenery, and when he returned to her and mentioned the wine...
She gaped at him. "You make your own wine? Really? Jeez. Well, honestly, I think right now I'm more interested in eating those grapes than drinking 'em," she said, "But I won't say no to it, either, especially if it's homemade stuff! Just, ya know...if we can have some food to go with it? I don't wanna be a pain, I just haven't eaten since like...sometime early yesterday."
But she did like wine, and Kuan took it with most of her meals, where she could, which meant Yun usually got some, too. It tasted much better than the rice wine she'd always had before that!
Han chuckled. "I've got plenty of food lying around. Oh...maybe I can make a stew using some of that leftover salmon...and some other stuff..." He trailed off, and idly scratched his neck. He looked at the sky again, at the sun which was approaching the horizon. He realized it'd be his last sunset here, the final red sun over paradise. "We should eat some dinner, and then go diving off the waterfall." He suggested.
Yun lifted her eyebrow as she looked at Han sidelong. "Wine after jumping down the waterfall?" she asked with a smirk. "'Cause I'm gonna say no wine before we do that. I don't want either of us cracking our fool heads."
Han looked dumbfounded for a moment. Wow, he really was an idiot. "Good thing you remembered. How about...Dinner, then waterfall, then wine? I want to wait for it to get dark, because the spring gets really pretty after nightfall." He mentioned.
With a chuckle, Yun gave him a light, playful punch in the shoulder. "You got it, man! See? It works out. It should be dark by the time we're done eating."
Grabbing his arm, she started to tug him back toward his home. "So, whatcha got for us?"
Han looked at her, thought evident in his eyes. "I dunno, how hungry are you? Do you want food now, or can you wait?
"I can wait. I mean I'm hungry, but I'm not 'I'm gonna start gnawing on your arm' hungry yet, don't worry!" Yun paused. "Though your arm does look pretty meaty..."
"Does it?" He asked with a smile as pushed the door open. He pulled back one of the sleeves on his robe to display the fairly muscular arms one earns from surviving in the wilderness by himself. He shook his arm so his sleeve fell back down.
He closed the door, and the entire cabin became a tad bit too dark to properly walk around in. He had forgotten it was late afternoon for a moment. he raised his arms, and clapped twice. In response, a multitude of candles lit up, illuminating the interior.
He put his hands together, a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm...how about...some salmon lettuce wraps?" He asked.
"Sounds good to me," Yun said, and flopped onto the bed again. "I'm easy! Also, have I ever told you how neat that is, that you can do that? With the magic and stuff?"
She kicked off her sandals so she could sit cross-legged on the bed and watched Han work, elbow propped on her knee and chin resting on her hand. "D'ya need help or anything?"
"No, I don't think you have." Han said, smiling as he walked back over to the kitchen counter. "Grandfather taught me everything I know, although he didn't finish before he died. He could do so much more than the little tricks I know." Han said wistfully, glancing over to the painting again. He went to a rack where varying preserved filets of fish were hanging, and he took down three salmon filets, laying them down on the table.
"Help?..Um..." He said, in thought as he stood straight up and placed a hand on his chin. "Why don't you separate some lettuce leaves? There's some heads in that basket." He said, pointing his thumb to a basket filled with a variety of different vegetables.
Rising to her feet and nudging past Han, Yun pulled a head of lettuce from the basket and began to peel the leaves apart.
"Kinda funny how they call these heads, huh?" she asked. "A little morbid, too. Like I'm peeling the skin off a poor lettuce head..."
Pulling one leaf down but leaving it attached, she turned to face Han and moved the leaf like a flap in time to her words, voice deepened. "Help me, Han! Don't let her flay me!"
Han laughed, and picked up one of the salmon filets, wriggling it as he spoke. "Don't trust that madman! He's gutted me!" He said in a falsetto, before laying it back down on the table and cutting it to pieces, making sounds like "argh" and "blergh" with every cut. He extended his hand, waiting for a leaf.
Grinning wickedly, Yun peeled off the lettuce's 'mouth' with an exaggerated, "Noooooo!" before handing it to Han.
"...We're messed up."
"Pretty much..." was all he could say in reply before putting the chopped up salmon in the lettuce, wrapping the lettuce up into a ball around it and putting on a skewer.he then started the process again, and pulled down another filet. He started cutting it up again, when a question struck him. "So...What part of Kunata you from?" he asked.
"Oh! I'm from Suna," Yun said as she peeled some more lettuce for Han. "So I was actually heading back home when, uhm...well, you know what happened. The moral of the story is stick to the roads, 'cause shortcuts are never as short as they seem."
"Suna?" Han said as he wrapped up the newest pile of salmon choppings. "I'm from Suna as well!" He said, skewering the wrap. He picked up both skewers, and set them above the fireplace. He snapped his fingers a few times, and a dim fire sprang up. The intent was to slowly cook the wraps, so the lettuce could stay crunchy enough and the salmon could get nice and moist inside the lettuce. He begun to clear the very same table they had prepared the food on, scraping the leftover salmon bits into a bucket labeled "bait" and returning the lettuce head to the basket.
Yun took a seat at the table as it was cleared, and started to lean her elbows on it until she remembered salmon had been prepped on it. She didn't really want to put her elbows in salmon juice!
"Oh yeah? What part? D'ya remember much about it?"
"Don't really remember much. Grandfather and...grandmother were wealthy, so I do remember we had a fairly nice house." He started, and rubbed his hands together, and they started glowing white. "As soon as Grandfather saw I had magic in my blood, he took me away. Grandmother wanted to turn me into something like a doctor or a merchant, wanted to suppress my gift." He continued, and thrust his hands towards the table. A faint white beam struck the table, All the salmon juices and extraneous fluids vanished, leaving a clean looking tabletop.
He went to sit down, and noticed his hands were still glowing. "Woops...must've put a little too much juice into it..." He commented, and looked around for a bit before his eyes locked onto Yun. His mouth twisted into a playful, mischevous grin. "Looks like you're a bit dirty, Yun. Gonna have to clean you up." He said, raising his hands again.
"Why would she want something so boring for you instead?" Yun asked, watching as he cleaned the table with light. That was...amazing. To not have to worry about producing your own fire, your own light, and to just...be able to blink away dirt! Goddess, doing chores as a kid would have been so much easier with a gift like that!
Though when he turned to her and raised his hands, Yun saw his mischievous grin and started. "Whoa, me? Uhhh..." She glanced at his hands. "Is that safe? On people, I mean? It doesn't hurt or anything? What's it feel like?"
Magic, in general, was something she had very little experience with.
"Course it is! I've done it to myself tons of times!" Han said, and he thrust his hands forwards, the beam shooting towards Yun. It hit her, and she would feel a tickish, warm feeling before it faded away almost immediately. If she looked at herself, she'd notice she was clean. Spotless, actually, as if she'd gone to one of those bathhouses only the obscenely rich could afford, and got the most expensive spa treatment they had. "Unfortunately, that's all it's good for. Chores. It's why I've taken up fishing and gardening instead of hunting and gathering. I'm not going to be able to clean a tiger to death." He said with a laugh, and sat down, leaning one arm on the table.
"I never understood why she wanted a boring job for me. Grandfather said she hated mages, thought it was the family curse or something like that. She treated me terribly, like I was a freak..." Han said, extending a hand and gently covering one of Yun's with it. His hand was still buzzing with leftover energy.
Yun couldn't help but squirm when the beam hit her, the feeling ticklish and different, but not unpleasant. But soon it was done, and out of curiosity she looked down at herself--and found both her skin and her clothes clean. Ludicrously clean, actually!
She didn't even smell bad anymore!
"Wow," she said, examining her nails, the dirt beneath which had been removed as well. "That's still really handy! To not have to worry about messes, or even a stain on your clothes. Gosh, I could use something like that. Then maybe Kuan wouldn't get on my case all the time for the state of my clothes or bed. In any case, Han..."
She looked up at him and smiled, her hand tingling under his. "I don't think you're a freak. I think that's really neat! It even feels neat!"
Han smiled, rubbing the back of his head. He waggled his fingers at the fire pit, and both wraps floated off of the skewers and towards them. They hovered in the air until Han picked both of them out of it, and he handed one to Yun. He took a bite out of his, and the happiness was clear on his face. They had come out perfectly, with the lettuce serving as a cool yet crunchy shell for the warm, juicy salmon inside. "Mmm, my last dinner here would be my best..." He commented.
"Your last?" Yun said as she took one of the skewers and blew lightly on it to cool it. "Who said that? Ya can always come back, y'know! I mean, it's your granddad's house! With your garden and everything!"
She took a bite of the wrap and sighed happily as the warm juices hit her tongue and the lettuce crunched pleasantly. Inima, it was good. It might be because she was ravenously hungry, but it was also most likely just because Han was a genuinely good cook. And, admittedly, it had been a while since she'd had something home-cooked, something that wasn't just tavern slop.
She swallowed it down and grinned. "Jeez, this is super good. Thanks! But oh, yeah, what I was saying--" She took another bite, speaking as she chewed. Manners had never been her strong point. "--Ya can always visit here. Suna can't be that far away! I was s'pposed to make it there long before dark, after all. So it doesn't gotta be forever."
Then she paused, swallowing down another bite and licking juice from her fingers. "Unless ya want it to be, of course."
"Well, I know I can come back, but why would I? I've spent my entire life here in this jungle, alone. I can start a new garden, anyways." He said, taking another bite out of his wrap. "Suna's pretty far away from here, actually. Day and a half's walk, seeing as how you got turned around and went stumbling through the forest screaming about giants. " He added, and leaned back in his chair.
He finished off his wrap, and patted his belly. "Oh, I needed that..." He muttered, swallowing down the last of the salmon as a pleased smile stretched across his face.
Yun's cheeks colored at that.
"Oh...right..." she muttered, and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Heh...yeah. That sightweed's some awfully potent stuff. You'll have to point it out to me so I don't have another fun encounter. Would've been nice if Kuan had warned me about that stuff," she added in a grumble. She had a feeling she was never going to live this down. Giants and octopus people? Seriously? Goddess.
She finished up her wrap in a few more unrefined bites, but at least had the decency to cover her mouth when she burped. With a wide grin, she winked at him. "Compliments to the chef!"
"I'll be sure to pass it to him." Han said with a grin of his own, returning her wink with one of his own. "Gods, I'm just about set to hit that waterfall. How about you?" He asked, and started taking off his heavy robe.
Once it was off, it was clear the robe didn't compliment his physique at all. He was toned, with a physique all rugged jungle survivors dreamed they had. Under the robe, he was wearing a baggy pair of cloth shorts. "Ah, feels so good to have that off..." He muttered.
With a happy grin, Yun hopped to her feet. "Am I ready? Hah, I was born ready for that!" she said, and had been about to say more, but that was when Han shed his robe.
And Yun stared.
Sure, she'd joked about his meaty arms, and when he'd shown them off they had been quite strong, but...she was not expecting all that! Her eyes went wide and she found herself staring, her own hands frozen at the hem of her shirt.
Blinking slowly, she finally managed to pry her eyes away from his chest and abdomen and back to his face. "And...why do ya wear a big ol' robe again?"
"Keeps the rain, bugs, and animal claws off of me. You'd be surprised, but this robe goes a long way." He said, motioning to it. He noticed she was staring, and crossed his arms, giving her a look that just screamed Oh, you!
Secretly, Han hoped that he wouldn't stare like a half-witted mule when she took her own clothing off.
Noticing his look, Yun snorted a laugh and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Oh, shhh! That was a way more literal answer than I was lookin' for," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
And then, realizing she was just sort of standing there with her hands still gripping the bottom of her shirt, she blinked. Oh. Right. They were undressing. For the waterfall.
With a shake of her head and a wry grin, she stripped her shirt off and tossed it onto the bed. Then came her belted sash, which joined her shirt, and then came her loose breeches, leaving her standing there in a pair of close fitting cloth shorts and a breast-band that supported but didn't bind. Yun wasn't particularly modest when it came to her own body; there was little privacy among the other trainees, and skin was skin.
And she was quite fit, her muscles lean and compact, from the training she did daily.
Smiling at Han, she put her hands on her hips. "Ready?"
Well, Han was half right. He wasn't staring like a half-witted mule, he was staring like a mule with zero wits period. By some act of divine mercy, his jaw didn't fall through the earth and end up on the other side of the planet.
"Uh..."
His eyes snagged onto her body like it was a fishhook, although for someone who'd never seen a woman until Yun, he was doing alright. He had to give himself a two-second crash course on how words worked in order to formulate something coherent.
"Ready as I'll ever be." He said, straightening up and walking over to the door, opening it up and stepping out into the cool night air.
Yun couldn't help but laugh at Han's speechlessness--and blush a little, as well. While she didn't care about nudity in general, it was a little different to have someone look at her like that, in a way that was decidedly not platonic. But, determined to play it cool, Yun followed along after Han and nudged him with her elbow as she passed by him.
"Haha, jeez, Han! You're actin' like you've never seen a girl before!"
Han shot Yun a dirty look. One hell of a joke that was. "Ha ha, very funny, Yun." He said, looking towards the waterfall. There was a small ladder that led up to the top, constructed by Han's grandfather before he died. It was set into the stone, and magically reinforced so it wouldn't buckle. "Lemme show you how it's done." Han said, and raced off towards the ladder, swiftly scaling it.
Soon, he found himself at the top of the waterfall, toes at the edge. "Watch this!" He said, and bent his legs before placing his arms straight ahead of him. He took a deep breath, and jumped off, hitting the water hands first like a clam diver jumping off of his boat. He emerged at the surface, and brushed his wet hair back, cracking a smile. "Your turn, Yun!"
And off Han went, executing a perfect dive like a champ. Yun gave a whoop and applauded when he surfaced, and raced to the ladder to scale it quickly. "That was pretty good!" she said as she reached the top and moved for the edge.
"But allow me to show you how a warrior does it!"
And as she stood at the edge looking down, she drew in a deep breath. The truth was, Yun wasn't so great with heights. Oh, it was fine once she jumped, and then she'd want to do it again, but it was always that first time that got her. But she'd always jump despite her nerves, because that was what a warrior did. After all, being brave wasn't about being fearless, as Kuan had told her once. It was about being afraid and acting despite it.
And so, with a wide grin down at Han, Yun backed up several paces before she took a running leap off the edge, tucking her knees to her chest and curling her arms around her legs as she plummeted with a delighted shout. "Here I come!"
She hit the water beside him with a huge splash, then surfaced and spit out a fountain of water at him, laughing. Her hair had come out of its usual bun and fell around her shoulders, and she tread water beside him, beaming. "How'd ya like that?"
Han started clapping his hands when Yun splashed down, laughing as he did so. When she spit water at him, however, oh it was on. "Bit of a splasher, are you? Two can play at that!" He said, and he thrust his hands forward, attempting to tickled the daylights out of her.
"WAH!" Yun let out a shrieking laugh when Han tickled her, having been too slow to react, and she thrashed in the water, taking in a mouthful in the process and winding up doing some combination of laughing and choking. She grabbed onto his arms so she didn't sink, and struggled to try to pin them so he couldn't tickle her.
"Not fair! SO not fair! I'm gonna getcha for that!"
Han laughed, and spread his arms wide, allowing himself to be pinned that way. If Yun was still holding on, they'd come chest to chest. "There's something you're forgetting, love." Han said, leaning his neck forwards to plant a kiss on Yun's lips.
"You might be a warrior, but I'm a damn wizard." He said as he smiled evilly, and his hands started glowing. He begun thrashing his fingers like he was tickling someone, and Yun would feel it. He was manipulating the water around her to continue tickling her, despite her having his arms restrained.
"If ya think kissing me's gonna--HAN!"
Yun burst into shrieking laughter as he started to tickle her without touching her, fingers digging into his arms as she squirmed and thrashed, and after a moment she shoved off from him and started to swim away from him in the hopes of escaping.
Han continued laughing, giving chase by paddling forwards with his legs as he tried to reach towards her and grab her around the waist.
Han easily caught her, for Yun was weak with laughter, and when he grabbed her she struggled all the more. It was a playful struggling, though, and a sort of struggling where she was content to let him win. If she had been struggling in earnest, she could have broken free and seriously hurt him, for even if he was bigger and more built, she had a list of disarming (and often painful) tactics up her metaphorical sleeves.
And so she let him win, because in this, it was more fun being captured.
"Ah! Help!" she cried, still cracking up. "Unhand me, you beast!"
Han pulled Yun in closer, wrapping one arm around her waist and holding onto one of her legs by the thigh with the other. He was surprised how easily he caught her, but he immediately figured out why. He knew he was no slouch when it came to physical strength, but she was a warrior, and he was sure she knew some counterholds and other things like that. She must have let him, which worked equally as well to Han.
He growled like a tiger, baring his teeth at her in an attempt to look fierce. "Never! You're mine, now!" He said in the deepest voce he could muster, and resumed the tickling with his still-charged hands.
"Noooo!" And once again, Yun found herself breathless with laughter, and though she thrashed, she made sure to keep it controlled--because her instinct was to break free with an elbow to his face, but that would have kind of ruined their fun. This wasn't the rough play she did with the other trainees, or a sparring session, but something entirely different, and she kept that firmly in mind.
Instead, she kicked her leg free and twisted around in his grip to face him, and with a devilish grin she thrust her hands under his arms and began to tickle him back.
Han took back what he said about counterholds. He was so occupied with keeping her with him, he didn't notice her slipping her arms under his to get at his sides. He sucked in some breath to see if he could try and hold in his laughter, but he couldn't. His grip on her tightened as he let out a string of stifled laughs, causing him to break his concentration and for the magic stored up in his hands, to dissipate into the water.
Han decided to make this into a game of endurance. As she tickled him, he looked at her with the straightest face he could muster, and resumed his own assault, pressing her to him as he tickled under her own arm with one hand and her belly with the other.
Yun's belly and sides were especially ticklish, so when Han went for that, she bucked in surprise and let out a squeal, and just about kneed him out of sheer reflex. Instead, she just hit his shoulder playfully, her own attempts at tickling him weakening as he resumed his assault.
"Ahhh! No fair! How--ehehe! How're ya so stone-faced?!" She gave it one last attempt, fingers assaulting his hips and belly and hoping to find a sensitive spot, but soon she was breathless from laughter and gave him another weak slap on the shoulder.
"Ah! Okay! Okay! I give! Uncle!"
As soon as Yun gave up, Han stopped, releasing the breath he had been holding in, although he was still holding her. "It's all about endurance, and finding the right spot to tickle. I can tell you where I'm ticklish, but it'll cost you a kiss." He said, giving her a sly smile.
Arms looping around Han's neck, Yun leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. When she pulled back, she was grinning mischievously.
"Pay up, buster."
Han smile, and placed a hand at the base of Yun's neck. "There, and..." he paused as he moved his arm down to touch the inside of her knee. "...there." He stated, and his smile remained.
"Oh yeah?" Yun murmured, her fingers playing with the hair at the base of his neck and eyes hooded. And then, quite abruptly, her fingers tightened in his hair and she tugged his head to the side--careful not to hurt him--and leaned forward so she could press her lips to his neck and blow him a huge, wet raspberry.
Han remained still as she did whatever she was doing. When she put her lips on his neck, he visibly shuddered as the sensation hit his brain. When she blew the raspberry, still would've been the last word one could use to describe him. He writhed, laughing uncontrollably but managing to keep himself afloat.
Yun blew a second raspberry, but had to stop because his laughter was infectious, and soon she had dissolved into giggles against his neck. Pulling back a little so she could look at him, she grinned like a fox and tossed her wet hair over her shoulder.
"Heh. Silly. Ya never give away your weaknesses!"
"I didn't give them away. I sold them for a fair price." He stated, and leaned in to return the favor, kissing Yun on the neck for a few moments, followed up with a sloppy raspberry of his own.
The neck kisses took Yun off guard and had her squirming in a different way, and she grabbed onto his shoulders reflexively and let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a moan before she could help it. She rolled her shoulders, the sensation ticklish but nice, and her pulse quickening a little while she tried to process how exactly to handle it--
And then he went and blew a raspberry.
Surprised, she yelped and kicked him, hard, and then her eyes flew open in alarm. "Han! I'm sorry!"
Han grunted when she kicked him, but it didn't hurt that much. Fortunately, she only kicked him in the thigh, and the fact that they were in water somewhat diminished the force. It's probably bruise later, but he was fine. He pulled back rapidly, hissing between his teeth, but quickly putting a smile back on his face. He laughed a bit, and stroked one of Yun's cheeks.
"It's okay, didn't even hurt that much." He stated, and went back to kissing her neck.
Yun breathed a sigh of relief when he said he was unhurt, and made a mental note to be more careful. Leaning into his hand, she opened her mouth to say something--but cut off when he began to kiss her again, her breath hitching and hands going back to his shoulders. For a second, she almost forgot to keep treading water but remembered when she began to sink.
She tilted her head a little, eyes closing. "That's kinda nice..." she murmured, and cracked an eye open. "You're not gearin' up for another raspberry, are ya?"
"Naw, we're even now..." He muttered into her ear, continuing to kiss her neck. He was kind of holding Yun up, making sure she didn't sink as he kissed her. He finally pulled away, breathing heavily. "Gods, I could do that for ages..." He commented.
By the time Han was done, Yun was trembling in his arms. Not because of anything bad, which was what she found odd, but because he was doing everything right. Her breath came a little quicker and when he stopped, her dark skin was flushed. She stared at him, her mind working, because she wasn't sure how to process what he'd just done to her. It felt wonderful, and when he spoke, she couldn't agree more--she didn't want him to stop.
And it was that thought that scared her a little, because she wanted him to keep going, but was also nervous of where it might lead. Intimacy was not something she was used to, and the feelings flooding her were new and strange.
"Wow...yeah..." she agreed, taking in a deep breath. "Though maybe not for ages. I think I'd go crazy..."
Han held onto Yun, slightly shuddering himself. Intimacy felt like a foreign concept to him, but somehow, he could tell he was pushing all of the right buttons, like it was programmed into him. Sure, he felt strange that all of this was coming naturally, but when he kissed her, it was like the strangeness was gone, like he was fulfilling his purpose.
That's when the feeling emerged.
The urge. It started consuming him, setting his brain into a whole other gear.
"You know, part of me wants to skip to that wine..." He suggested, passing a thumb over the area he had been kissing up until that point.
Yun shivered under his thumb, relaxing again, her arms still around him. "Heh, all tuckered out now, are ya?" she teased, and glanced upward at the canopy above them and the stars peeking through the gaps. A light wind blew and she shivered again.
"It's pretty out here...but it is getting kinda cold..." Giving him one last quick peck, Yun pushed off from him began to swim backwards toward the shore. "Sure! Wine ain't a bad idea! Race ya back!"
"Race? You're on!" Han yelled excitedly, and immediately started power swimming towards shore with the skill and grace of someone who'd done a lot of swimming in their life. He clambered up onto shore, and started running towards the cottage, rubbing his hands together as he went to charge up the cleaning beam.
Yun hit the shore and scrambled up it, slipping a little on mud, and then she was off, bare feet pounding the earth as she raced after Han. She was smaller than him, but she was fast and had stamina, and before long she had caught up to him and was trying to swerve around him.
Han glanced at his side, and noticed Yun was catching up to him. He knew he was fast, but he didn't doubt that she was probably faster, given her athletic disposition. They were halfway to the cottage now, and Han had the niggling feeling he might lose. He didn't want to go too fast, since he might fall, so he decided to let Yun pass him, make it seem like he wasn't the best sprinter. And the view wasn't too bad, either.
With a triumphant laugh, Yun passed Han and breezed on ahead of him, and she didn't stop until she reached the cottage door.
Spinning around to face Han, she thrust both fists in the air in victory. "I win!"
Han reached the door a full second after Yun, coming to a stop and leaning against the cottage. "You sure did, love." He said, taking deep breaths to get his heart slowed down again. He thrusted one of his arms towards her, and hit her with a cleaning beam, which dried her off, but left the pleasant smell of natural spring water. Han did the same to himself, and approached Yun. "Remind me to reward you later." He said with a smile, and stepped back inside the cottage.
He spread his arms wide, and let out a groan as he stretched. He blasted the table with another cleaning spell, and approached a trap door that was set into the floor. Lifting it open, he rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. A glass bottle, sealed and filled with homemade wine, and some clay mugs.
Love. That was the second time Han had called her that, and while she'd thought it just a slip of the tongue the first time, the second time she really noticed it. But she didn't remark on it, because she wasn't sure how to handle it. She'd known Han a day, and they'd kissed and stuff, and had fun, and she liked him, but...love? It was way too soon for that. Inima, she didn't even know what they were--or even what she wanted them to be.
But she was probably thinking way too deeply about what was probably just an offhand remark.
Cleaned up and magic-dried, she brushed it aside and put a grin back on as she headed in after Han and took a seat at the table as he fetched the wine. "So ya made that, huh?" Yun asked, hardly looking winded at all as she lounged in her seat. "Man, you'll sure be fine in Suna. Ya won't have any problems finding work! Seems ya can do pretty much anything."
"Yeah, grandfather did a good job teaching me all kinds of skills. Even though he hoped I'd never return because of my grandmother, he taught me about money and life in the city, knowing I'd probably return anyways." Han explained, sitting down and popping the cork off of the wine. He took a few whiffs of it, and smiled. He poured it into a mug, and passed it to Yun.
"Bet you've never had wine produced from a mix of wild berries and grapes." Han said, and poured himself a mug, taking a sip. The wine was excellent, and had an exotic tasting fruity element to it from the jungle berries.
"Never," Yun admitted as Han poured her a cup. She picked it up and lightly smelled it, taking in the fruity aroma. "Truth be told, I've only really had cheap rice wine. Kuan ain't a big spender. Oh, that's my mentor, by the way. Forget if I've mentioned her."
Taking a sip of the wine, Yun's eyes closed in enjoyment as the fruity notes hit her tongue, and Inima help her, it was way better than rice wine. This stuff was sweet, almost like drinking candy! Well, alcoholic candy, for it definitely had that alcohol flavor she usually just tolerated and accepted when it came to the cheap stuff.
"Daaaamn," she said. "This stuff is dangerous." With a laugh, she took another sip. "This is the sorta stuff that'll getcha in trouble!"
"You're telling me. I got into plenty of trouble swiping this stuff from Grandfather" Han said, and took another sip, releasing a pleased sigh. Han felt like he should mention that this wine was also magically treated, and a hell of a lot more potent than it let on, but those details sat at the back of his mind, and stayed right there. He tried to muster up the capability to speak them, but as soon as he thought of telling Yun, something pulled the thought out of his head, and replaced it with a new one. "Say, this bottle's kind of old..." He said, glancing towards the half-empty bottle. He could already feel a buzz snaking its way up his mind. "...Reckon we should finish it?" He said, putting on a devilish smile of his own.
Yun laughed at that, finding Han's naivete kinda cute. "That's not the kinda trouble I was talkin' about," she said with a sly grin. "But I reckon you've never seen the tavern brawls I have!"
Okay, so she wasn't any less naive.
She finished off her cup before she realized it, having downed it quicker than she knew she should, but it was deceptively good, which made it go down easy, and easy to forget it was alcoholic and not just tangy juice. Besides, what was the harm, anyway? The most she was worried about here with Han was a bad headache and an upset stomach in the morning, and even that wasn't really on her mind at all as the alcohol began to chase away common sense.
Starting to feel pleasantly buzzed, she leaned an elbow on the table and regarded the bottle. Then, with another laugh, she shrugged. "Why not? No sense letting it go to waste," she said, and held her cup out for more.
Han reached to the bottle, and poured Yun another glass, followed by refilling his own. As his thoughts slipped from him, his intangible puppeteer's tentacles coiled tighter and tighter around his mind. When he lifted his cup, he hesitated for a few moments, before he took another sip. "I've been meaning to ask, Yun. Do you...do you think we could have something, you and me?"
And there it was. The question Yun wasn't sure how to answer.
She took another swig of wine for some liquid courage.
"Maybe? Don't get me wrong, Han, I like you, but...we just met, too. Y'know? And I don't, uh...I don't wanna go too fast on this." She took another sip, staring at the table. "Might've already failed that part..."
She cleared her throat. "'Cause it's been fun and all, but...truth be told, I don't really know what I'm doing, and...I don't wanna end up hurting you or anything."
"I feel the same, Yun. I'm running on pure instinct, here, and I want to slow down, but I...I can't" Han said, looking up at her eyes and taking a swig out of his cup. When he put it down, he blinked a few times. Shit, is there something wrong with this batch? This is the strongest bottle I've ever had... he thought. There was also something else, a different kind of warmth that had just started to emerge. It wasn't the warmth that would come when one was drunk, it was different. Almost like a urge
Kruz'Iik observed the situation, standing by the table but completely invisible and intangible to the two sitting at it. He slowly lifted his hands away from their cups, small tendrils of thought connecting his head to both of theirs. He had just applied some aphrodisiacs to the wine, interested to see how this experiment would go.
"Okay, but I gotta slow down, and, uhm, you, too. We hardly know each other, Han! I know I...didn't really help stuff, and I don't have any regrets, but...we should slow down. Get to know each other. I can't really say anything yet 'cause...this is kinda new...and I think I need to think..."
Erk. The word poured out, and she wasn't sure they made sense; the wine couldn't have helped. But as Han admitted to not being able to slow, that made her want to speed down that much more. She felt confused--and the wine couldn't have helped that, either. Still, she took another sip, because she needed it.
Only adding to the confusion was the sudden memory of his lips on her neck, and the flash of curiosity she'd felt in that moment--curious as to where it could have left if she'd not stopped him. Her face flushed at the intrusive thought, and the images that accompanied it, and she took another quick drink to try to chase it away, which was probably a bad idea, because it just made her feel warmer.
"...we can talk about it on the way to Suna" Han muttered. He wanted to put his glass down, but he found he couldn't. Instead he raised it up to his lips and sipped some more, visibly shuddering as the drink traveled down his throat. there's something wrong with me, what's wrong with me? What's happening? he thought, his inner voice coming out as panicked.
Nothing. You are fine. Think about Yun and relax. another voice piped up, almost too powerful for him to comprehend. Yet, he obeyed, immediately forgetting why as he suddenly decided to sit back and contemplate all the times him and Yun kissed. They were, quite literally, the best memories of his life at the moment. He also realized he was burning with warmth, his cheeks having flushed a while ago. His mind started sending him ways to make the uncomfortable warmth go away, but he tried to shake them away. No, too fast...too fast he thought, but to no avail. They just came back stronger.
"We...I...Fuck, why's it so hot in here?" Han said with a laugh. "Warm enough to start a fire here..."
"Haha, yeah, it kinda is..." Yun agreed, passing a hand over her forehead and setting her cup down. "Weird." Especially considering they were wearing barely anything at all.
She might have been more concerned about that if she wasn't feeling so good, but with the alcohol and other things flowing through her blood, she didn't really have it in her to worry. Instead, she just laughed. "I think I'll just blame you," she said, resting her elbows on the table and smirking at Han. "Ya make me all warm."
Han chuckled. "Guess I could say the same about you, Love. Just lookin' at you's making me sweat off the salmon we ate earlier." He said, and leaned across the small table to kiss Yun.
Leaning a little further so Han could reach her, Yun kissed him back, and had a brief thought that maybe she shouldn't--at least not until she figured out her thoughts, and maybe not while she was giddy with drink. But his lips felt nice, and maybe it was the salmon, but he tasted good, too. And while the only knowledge she had of kissing was what she'd done with Han, she soon found herself reaching across the table so she could cup Han's cheek and deepen the kiss--even if her attempt was sloppy from a combination of alcohol and inexperience.
I should stop, she thought through the haze. What had she said about slowing down? But while her mind screamed one thing, her body whispered something else entirely.
Han was drunk with fire and love as she returned his efforts. Her lips were so soft, and they tasted like the wine. The candles in the room went from dim illumination to burning lights as the flames on them grew in intensity. There was a small voice in his mind, screaming at him to stop, to remember what they had talked about five minutes ago, but it was silenced with chilling efficiency by his puppeteer, who was now starting to work his strings into Yun.
Why couldn't she stop? It was like she was outside herself, watching herself do these things despite the protests in her head. But everything was a mess of confusion, and she felt heady with wine and kisses, and all she could smell was wine and the spring water on Han's body.
It wasn't long before Yun was panting against Han's lips, her body flushed and warm and her heart pounding like she'd been running, but she'd only been sitting there. She tried to will herself to pull away, but for some reason, she couldn't, and she didn't know what she was doing, or why the few things she was wearing felt uncomfortable. She tried to make sense of her thoughts--this isn't normal--but it seemed they slipped away as quickly as she tried to grasp them.
"Han...we...we gotta stop," Yun breathed against his lips as she kissed his mouth and jaw. "We gotta...but...but I think want you."
That wasn't what she'd meant to say, and yet she kissed him hard before she could take the words back.
Kruz'Iik swayed and clicked where he stood, his skin flushing pink in time with Han's heartbeat. The input coming from both Han and Yun was every bit as pleasurable to the Ilithid as the kissing was to them, if not more.
Han found leaning over the table to kiss too uncomfortable, and slowly stood up, pulling Yun up with him. His hands clasped around her hips, and his mouth would kiss her neck in between the moments their lips were together. "I want...Want you too, Yun...But I can't stop..." He muttered against her neck.
Kruz'Iik snapped his fingers, and with that, Han became engaged again, hands beginning to wander again.
This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, Yun's mind said, even as she moaned against Han's mouth, fingers digging into his shoulders. And when he moved to kiss her neck, she tilted her head to expose more of it to him. Inima, that felt amazing, his hands and lips sending a nervous, excited fluttering through her belly as she pressed against him, her own hands traveling down his bare back.
It was hard to think, so hard to think, and...
She caught sight of the bed behind Han, and her nerves jumped, some small lick of sense igniting her brain.
Mustering up what little strength she had left, she gripped his shoulders and pushed him back. "Han, no...no, the wine...!" she breathed, heart racing like a frightened rabbit. She took a step backwards and just about stumbled over the chair, but something was wrong, and she was afraid--knew--that there would be a point of no return, and it was fast approaching. She grabbed onto the chair, panting. "Something's not right!"
Han was motionless as Yun pulled away. He extended an arm towards her, but he stopped himself. Something was wrong. "The wine?" He asked, a little worked up but otherwise his usual self. What they were doing had him in ecstasy, and it bothered him a little that it was over so abruptly, but he didn't let this get to him. He looked towards the bottle, and walked towards him. He smelled it a bit, and had a puzzled look on his face. Maybe he didn't notice because they were out of their wits, but it smelled slightly of ozone.
"Must have been a bad batch. It's magically treated so it doesn't go bad, but i guess I must've cast the spell wrong a few weeks ago..." He said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. He put on a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
Yun rubbed her temples, which were starting to hurt. Not from the wine, not this soon, but from her own jumbled thoughts--and the realization of what could have happened, and how easily. She still felt hot and uncomfortable and now embarrassed, realizing what had slipped out of her mouth--I want you. Goddess.
She took a shaky breath, still feeling funny and not trusting herself to get closer to Han. It was still hard to think; her thoughts felt thick, like they were coming to her through a gel, and they were all frighteningly single-minded, because her body was still aching for his.
"I'm...gonna go take a walk," she managed to get out, and turned quickly, slipping out of the hut. A walk, and maybe a dip in the water to cool off, because her skin felt strange and she felt hot, and if she stayed around him any longer, she might not be able to stop next time.
Han nodded, and watched Yun go outside. He sat back down at the table to think, brushing aside the dirty thoughts his mind threw at him. He glanced over to the bed, still breathless. The fact that their latest session almost ended up there scared him. He was scared that despite his inexperience in these matters, how level his head was, and how knowledgeable he was towards the implications of what they did.
Not even a minute had passed since she left, and already he was missing her. To pass the time, he took the wine bottle, and calmly poured its contents into the fire, extinguishing it. The candles were back to normal, and he leaned back in his chair.
That was when he noticed it.
He found that he couldn't move anymore, and he felt something smooth and rubbery lay itself on its shoulder and coil around his throat. He felt a hand clasp around the back of his head, and found himself unable to feel anything anymore. And with that, it was over.
He lurched forwards in his seat, having completely forgotten about what just happened. He figured that he must have caught himself falling asleep, and leaned back. He looked at his robe, and got up to pour himself a mug of water.
Yun lost track of time. She headed down to the water and took another dip, sitting in the shallow part near the shore so that it only came up to her waist. It was cold now, or maybe it just was in contrast to her skin, but it felt nice--and the cold helped chase away some of her more hot-blooded thoughts.
She ran her hands through her hair and drew in deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, but her head still felt funny. Ugh. Kuan had warned her that alcohol could make you lose yourself--and boy, was she ever right. But she just hadn't thought...
Goddess, how embarrassing. What must Han think of her, sending all those contrary signals? She needed to just...stop. It was fun at first, their flirting and kissing, because she'd never really done that before and the attention was new and nice, and Han was cute. But...she couldn't keep doing that. Not until she knew her own mind. Otherwise, one or both of them was going to wind up hurt--and might already feel that way.
Yun wiped her eyes, having not realized that she'd been crying--goddess, was she an emotional drunk? Ugh. The moon had moved across the sky while she'd been sitting there, and she'd been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't really felt the passage of time.
She'd also been a bit too drunk and upset to feel fear.
But as the booze wore off a little, she realized, abruptly, where she was. Outside. In the dark. Alone, with just the sounds of night critters all around her.
She could have stayed out longer if a new kind of fear hadn't gripped her just then, as the dark closed in around her and the memory of giants and octopus creatures danced in her head. It was even worse since she was still horribly tipsy.
Splashing to her feet as it hit her like a brick, Yun turned and bolted back up to the cottage, and by the time she reached the door she was panting and her hands and knees were covered in mud, not because she was winded, but just because she was frightened by imaginary things and had slipped several times in her drunkenness. She slipped inside the door and slammed it behind her, then leaned back against it in relief. Stupid, stupid, to have that sort of a fear, especially since it kept her from avoiding the other thing that had her spooked.
She looked at Han, still dripping water, and took a deep breath. "Er, sorry."
Han looked behind him, half surprised by Yun's sudden entrance. Han had been standing at the counter, drinking what was possibly the world's longest mug of water. He turned around with a jolt, and spilled some of the water in his mug onto the floor. When he saw it was her, he relaxed a bit. "Jeez, is there a tiger out there or something?" He said with a laugh, and held his hand into a fist before thrusting it towards her and firing one of his cleaning beams at her.
"Listen...I'm sorry about what happened...I..." He started, but the words fell away from him. Not because they were being filtered through Kruz'Iik's mind, but because he literally did not know what to say. "...It's just that..." he continued, and he looked at her, a single tear streaming from one of his eyes. "It's just that I'm so damn lonely out here." He said as he turned away from Yun, refilling his cup of water.
Yun let out a breath and rubbed her temples. "Han, it's not your fault. I'm half to blame," she said, and went to the chair to slump down onto it, elbows on the table. She felt a little more clear-headed than before, but still off balance and funny, as alcohol was wont to do. She began to massage her head.
"And anyway, tomorrow, ya don't gotta be lonely anymore. Right?"
"Yeah, suppose I don't. It'll take some getting used to...all the people I mean..." He said. He came to a gut-wrenching realization. It was going to get awkward again, and it would only be a matter of time until their next burst of hot-blooded kissing. Swallowing the rock that had taken up residence in his throat, he walked over to the table, and sat down again, nervously wringing his hands together. He sipped from his water, and held the cup out to Yun.
"Want some?"
Yun eyed the offered cup and then looked back at Han. "If it doesn't got anything funny in it...sure!"
Han narrowed his eyes. "You're never going to let me live this down. It's just water, Yun. Just. Water." He said, and chuckled, before sliding the mug over to her.
With a snort, Yun accepted the water and took a sip. "Sorry, didn't mean that as a dig. Just figured I'd be safe," she said, and before long she'd gulped down the cup. It helped her head a little; the wine had made her a little dehydrated, and she could feel it in her throbbing head. Morning was not going to be fun.
"Ugh. Well, guess after this we can both agree no more alcohol, huh?"
"Well, no more of this stuff. I'll take some bottles with us to sell, though. I can probably make a killing." He said, and took his cup back from Yun, only to find it empty. He frowned, and he looked back to his water pail, which seemed so far away. He didn't feel like getting up, so he just sat there.
Han glanced out the window. He saw it was midnight, and realized just how tired he was. "Reckon we should get some sleep. You can have the bed, I'll find somewhere else to sleep..."
"Okay, no more drinkin' it. Selling it's fine!" Yun said, and pinched the bridge of her nose. Yeah, tomorrow was definitely going to be fun.
So as soon as Han suggested bed, Yun was more than ready for that. She was exhausted, and still felt off, and sleep would at least save her from more awkward conversations. With a nod, she climbed slowly to her feet, still a bit dizzy. "Good idea. I'm kinda beat," she said, rubbing at her eyes.
"Sorry to be like...hoggin' your bed and all. Um, I don't need all the blankets or pillows. You can take a bunch of 'em or..." She shrugged. "Or I could take the floor. It's your bed, Han. I already stole it one night, and I'm pretty used to sleepin' rough, to be honest."
"I don't think you understand, Yun. There's enough space on it for the both of us, but...I...I didn't think you'd want to share it. Go ahead and have it, Yun. Sheets and all. I can use my robe as a blanket." He explained, and grabbed his robe. He stood there for a few moments, before starting to look around for somewhere he could sleep.
Yun's cheeks colored. "Um, yeah. Sorry, Han, but it's one to a bed, no matter how big," she said, and made her way over to it. She grabbed up her clothes and slipped them back on over her underclothes, suddenly feeling a bit shy--which was odd, because she was never shy about skin.
She crawled into bed as soon as she was done, yanking back the covers and slipping between the sheets. "Ya sure ya don't need an pillows or blankets or anything, though? Just 'cause you're on the ground don't mean you gotta be uncomfortable."
Han looked hesitant for a moment, before sighing, and then suddenly chuckling. "Pillow would be pretty nice, actually..." He said, and walked over to take one of the two pillows for the bed. He couldn't help but feel frustrated, like he had totally blown it. Maybe they shouldn't have drunk the wine...
"Anyways, if you need anything, I'll be close by. If you decide to get up, please watch your step, alright?" He asked, and he walked to the other side of the cottage directly across from the bed, and took the corner for his own, bundling himself up in his robe and magically turning the candles off, plunging the cottage into darkness.
With one pillow gone, Yun fluffed up the remaining one and nestled down into it, closing her eyes as the hut plunged into darkness and pulling the covers to her chin. She still felt a little guilty for taking his bed; after all, she was probably more used to sleeping on the ground than he was. But, on the flip side...if it took them a while to get to Suna, he'd have to get used to the ground sooner rather than later!
Besides, it would be rude to argue with an act of hospitality.
In any case, the wine had made her sleepy, so it wasn't long after shutting her eyes that she felt herself slipping away. "I should be okay," she murmured, voice fading toward the end. "G'night, Han."
Hopefully neither of them felt too horrible in the morning.
As Yun slipped off into the blackness of sleep, something felt wrong. In the inky blackness of her dream, returned the all-too familiar alien clicking, followed by the tightening around her waist and the feeling that there was things slithering all over her. As before, she couldn't move or speak. The two hateful red points returned, but this time they didn't illuminate a brain. They illuminated Kruz'Iik's face, revealing themselves to be his eyes. kruz'Iik chuckled, a diabolical sounding laugh that bounced around in her mind and grated at the terrain of her emotions. She'd feel hands on her temples, and if she glanced downards, she'd notice she was absolutely covered in tentacles, which felt at her body and tried to get under her clothing.
Kruz'Iik reared his head backwards, and his facial tentacles spread apart, revealing his lamprey mouth, out of which came his beak. He lunged forwards, his beak shooting for her cranium, and then she'd wake up.
It was the middle of the night, and even awake, she'd feel almost horribly cold, like her sheets were doing nothing for her. There was some heat, however. It was coming from Han, who was sleeping a few feet away from the bed. It would appear the magic in his blood kept him comfortable.
After a restless sleep of tossing and turning fitfully, Yun came awake screaming and bolted upright in bed, sweat beaded on her forehead and sticking her hair to her face. Her breath came in quick pants, the blankets clutched to her chest in a white-knuckled grip. But even though she was sweating, she also found herself shivering; the room felt horribly cold for some reason, and the sweat dampening her clothes only made her colder as it cooled.
It took her a few fretful moments to get oriented, for the room was illuminated only by moonlight, but after a few seconds she recognized her surroundings. She was in the hut, in Han's bed, and there were no tentacles covering her, no horrible beaks trying to rip off her face. She shuddered and ran her hands over her face. It felt so real, like she could still feel the rubbery appendages. Goddess, when would she stop having those nightmares? How long did the Sightweed last?
Her heart still hammered uncontrollably in her chest and she couldn't stop shivering no matter how tightly she pulled the covers about her. And after that, there was no way she was going back to sleep anytime soon. The shadows around her took on anthropomorphic shapes, and the noises outside--night birds and frogs--became horrible, lurking monsters.
It was hard to breathe. As silly as she knew it was, it felt like that creature was in the room with them somewhere, somehow.
"H-Han?"
Han bolted upright when Yun woke up screaming. Immediately, images of some wild beast that may have found its way into the cottage shot into his mind. Was it a leopard? a cougar?! A small flame burst to life in his hands, illuminating himself and a small part of the cottage. He waved it around for a few moments, scanning for any possible threats, but saw nothing.
Then, he heard her say his name. He turned his head to look at her on the bed. Even in the darkness, he could see the sweat glinting off of her skin. Another nightmare, he reckoned. He unwrapped himself from his robe, and stood up to walk towards Yun. "What's wrong, another nightmare?" He asked, sitting down on the bed.
Yun shook her head numbly, still shivering.
"Could you, um...I don't wanna inconvenience ya, but d'ya mind like, just...stayin' with me a bit?"
Han looked at Yun for a few moments, before nodding. "Of course I don't mind, Yun." He said softly, and placed one of his warm hands on her shoulder. "What did you see?"
Yun shuddered and shook her head. "Ugh, Han...it's so dumb. But I saw...er..." Yeah, it sounded so ridiculous. She glanced over at Han and grimaced.
"Look, it was more of the same ol' weirdness. Don't laugh, but it was about the stupid octopus person again, and he was gettin' real feely with those tentacles and tryin' to eat my face." She gave a full-body shudder at that one, a sort of all over wiggle, complete with hand flailing, like someone had slipped ice down her back.
"Goddess, how long does the Sightweed stay in your system, anyhow?"
Han listened, and shook his head worriedly. "It's different for everybody, but it should be gone soon. It must have gotten all over your system, seeing as how you went running and screaming through the jungle." Han explained, and gave her a comforting smile. "I'll stay here as long as you need me to, Yun." He added, blinking his eyes a few times. He was tired as all hell, but he'd resolved to make sure Yun was alright, and this extended to making sure she wasn't kept awake all night by her nightmares.
"Yeah...that's true," Yun said, and nudged Han with her elbow. "Ya sure like to remind me of all my runnin' and screamin'. Never gonna give that down, am I?"
Shivering, cold, and tired, she scooted closer to him, drawn by his warmth, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Seriously, though. Octopus people. Like, why? Of all the things..."
Han shrugged. "Well, it is how I met you. Can't exactly forget that" He said, chuckling slightly. He found himself staring at the moon. Curiously enough, it looked a little bit like an eye tonight. When she asked about the octopus people, Han found himself wordless. "Beats me. I ran into a bush of the stuff once, and was jumping at shadows for an entire week. Kept seeing mischievous little gnomes everywhere." He said, and leaned his head on top of Yun's, idly resting one of his hands on her knee.
"...Gnomes?" Yun repeated, and tried, unsuccessfully, not to laugh. "Okay, that makes me feel a little better. How can ya be afraid of gnomes? They're so ugly they're cute!"
And then she grinned. "Plus they're small enough to kick in the face. Gnomes, huh? Maybe I should buy a pointy hat and chase ya around!"
"I dunno, I guess it's the fact that the little bastards could get everywhere. In my field, in the waters of the spring, hell, even in my robe at times." He retold, stifling a small chuckle. Han, although he didn't really notice, found himself tensing up again. He massaged his throat for a few seconds, feeling an odd, tightening sensation.
Kruz'Iik's form loomed over them from behind, again completely intangible to their mundane senses. The two chords of surface thoughts and feelings were once again linked to his mind, and he made an effort to slowly pick through Yun's mind, curiously observing every little detail.
A fear of the dark?
interesting...
Outside the cottage's window, dark clouds floated into view, promising a cold, rainy night. They slowly covered up the moon, plunging the cottage into near pitch-black lighting. From one corner of the cottage, by the fire pit, Yun would hear some movement.
"Okay, yeah, that's pretty creepy," Yun said, though she was still grinning at the image. "And I guess I can't give ya too much hassle for it 'cause--"
The cottage grew darker, the moonlight abruptly gone, but Yun had only just begun to notice that when a sudden noise near the hearth made her jump. She gasped, grabbed onto Han, and pulled her feet up so they were off the floor as though she was afraid of being grabbed by something beneath the bed. "Whatwasthat?!"
Han nearly jumped in surprise as Yun pressed herself to him, apparently spooked by something. "What was what? I didn't hear anything." He said, protectively placing an arm around Yun. He held up his hand, and a small light balled up in it. It illuminated the cottage for a few brief seconds, revealing the source of noise to be a small mouse rummaging through the ashes. "It's just a mouse, you scaredy-cat." Han said, relaxing the arm he was using to shield her.
However, it didn't end there for her. The feeling being touched by slithering appendages would return, except it was faint, almost subliminal. her subconscious barely picked it up as it is, which made the sensation all the more disturbing. Then, there was the characteristic tight feeling around her wrists and waist.
"J-just a mouse. Okay. Right. Of course..." Yun said, but she was not comforted. Her teeth chattered lightly, partly from cold and partly from fear, and she pressed closer to Han and his warmth, though honestly, she wasn't sure how that would help! If something dangerous really were coming their way, she was the one with any fighting experience here!
Boy, what an impression she was making, quivering in the dark like a coward.
And then came the strange, faint sensation of being touched, of something tightening around her limbs. It was faint, like the feeling of waking up from an intense dream while the memories of sounds and sensations still lingered, but it was there, and it was there enough that the shape of a chair in the dark began to take form in her mind. It began to look like a figure, and her pulse picked up.
"I-I think I'm having a hallucination," she whispered, and gripped Han's hand tight enough to hurt, without meaning to. "Can you turn the light on? Please?"
Han cupped Yun's hand in his hands, forcing her vision onto his face, which was visible just ahead of her. The moment he laid his hands on her neck, the tightness around it disappeared. "That won't do any good. It's all in your head, Yun." He said. "You need to focus on me. Focus. This is the climax of it all. FOCUS." He said.
There was a slowly building static in her hearing, and the shadows were roiling and twisting around her. Kruz'Iik, having sufficiently softened her mind over the course of the day, was now going for the final stages.
He intended to put strings on her as well, to violate her mind like he violated her body in her dreams.
Yun was breathing heavily as she fixed her eyes on Han's face, her own eyes wide with panic. Her hearing was going weird now, and the shadows seemed to be alive, and no matter how she stared at Han's face, she could still see them out of the corners of her eyes. Worse, they seemed to press closer, to be trying to cover Han, too.
It was hard not to look at that and stay focused on Han.
"All in my head," she repeated like a mantra. "It's not real."
Lightning flashed and thunder followed, and she squeaked in alarm and grabbed onto Han's wrists to have something solid to hold onto. Her whole body trembled. "Totally fake! Not real! Okay, I'm focusing, Han! How long am I s'pposed to focus? How long's this last? Please tell me it's almost over!"
Han was slightly starting to panic. It was clear she was in the final stages of Sightweed purge, but she was absolutely losing it. His eyes glanced around, the sheer excitement of the moment forcing him into a mild sweat, although it was nothing to the bullets Yun was sweating at the moment. He needed something to pacify her. He glanced around for something, but his eyes kept falling back onto her face, and onto her lips.
Well...He could try that...it was so jarring, it might just work.
Kruz'Iik smiled, taking up the second set of strings in his other hand. With an alien glee only madmen and other Ilithids could understand, he tightened his grip on the string, and pulled them together.
Han went in for the kiss, in a last-ditch attempt to snap her out of it, and as soon as their lips would meet, the odd feelings would recede, and the world would go blissfully quiet again.
Yun was still in the middle of a panic attack when, suddenly, Han kissed her.
And for a split second she wanted to shove him away, to snap at him, because was this really the time? She was freaking out and he decides to kiss her? Anger boiled up under the fear and then she did grab his shoulders and pull away from him. She opened her mouth, about ready to tell him off--
But then she realized that everything had stopped, that it no longer felt like things were crawling over her skin. That she was no longer seeing things.
Yun let out a shuddering sigh and rubbed her arms, which were tingling with the memory of that imaginary assault.
"I...I think it stopped..."
Han smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I had no other choice. When someone peaks like you did, they have to be jarred out of it." He explained. "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" He asked, giving her a sheepish grin.
Kruz'Iik was now seated at the table, picking through Yun's memories. Nothing really interesting, just a whole lot of mental filler (Stuff like conversations and daily routines). He decided he was done with information gathering for tonight, and would make sure Yun had a restful night's sleep.
"Jarred, eh?" Yun shook her head and reached up to push her sweaty bangs from her face. She felt gross, her clothes damp, and that didn't help in making her feel warmer. "It sure worked, in any case. Course I forgive ya."
She slumped forward a little, face resting in her hands. Now that it had passed, she just felt drained, mentally and physically, like that attack--or whatever it was--had used up whatever strength she'd had left. She closed her eyes, for they felt heavy and burned a little, and took a few slow breaths to calm her heart, which was still racing.
"Is it over? Are there gonna be more attacks?"
Han took a moment to wrap an arm protectively around her, making an attempt to fix her now wild, damp hair with his other hand. "You're sweating like an animal, so you've probably got all of it out of your system." Han idly muttered.
The cold started to subside, and that's when Han noticed that he was getting a bit damp just touching Yun. "Gods, Yun. You're drenched!" He said with a chuckle. In one hand, he prepared the cleaning spell, and then cast it on her. After that was done, he stood up. "You want some water?" He asked.
"Heh, yeah...it's kinda gross, eh?" Yun said, her smile both sheepish and exhausted. She felt better once he'd dried her, though, and when he moved and stood up, she let herself flop over sideways onto the bed.
"Water'd probably be a good idea. I guess I lost a lot there," she murmured, eyes closing. She felt like she could sleep for the next week, solid. "Ugh. Next sightweed I see, I'm burnin' it."
Han chuckled. "Well, I hear it's twice as potent when you burn it." He said, and went to the back of the shack to where he stored his water. He poured Yun a cup from a clay jug, and brought it over to her, sitting back down on the bed.
"Sightweed's not all bad, though. Did you know the powdered seeds can cure migraines? or that if you carefully extract the juices from the stems, it acts as a painkiller and disinfectant that you can slather on wounds?" He said, idly stroking her shoulder.
Yun propped herself up on an elbow so she could take the cup and gulp it down. Wiping her lips off on the back of her hand, she gave Han a tired look.
"Wonder what poor sod was the first person crazy enough to figure all that out," she said, letting herself flop back over again. "Anyway, forget the burnin'. Decided that's a bad idea."
"That poor bum was Grandfather. That man knew every herb from one end of Kunata to the other. I guess it came with the territory of being a mage." Han mentioned. He stood up from the bed, and stretched his arms.
"Well, I reckon we should get back to sleep now, Yun. We've got quite a ways to go, and I'd like to get an early start on tomorrow." He said.
Before Han could get too far, Yun reached up and grabbed at his arm. "Um, Han?" she asked, not really looking at him, because she already felt dumb for what she was about to ask.
"Ya think ya can maybe like...stay?" She grimaced as she said it. It was so dumb, this fear of the dark, and she knew it, but right then--and after everything she'd hallucinated--the idea of him being on the other side of the room was...petrifying. She didn't want to be alone. Even now, even exhausted, she wasn't sure how well she'd sleep.
It had all felt so real.
"'Cause, like ya said, there's room, and all."
Han stopped, carefully considering his reply. In any other circumstance, he would've immediately accepted, but given their history for sudden bouts of passion, he hesitated, although in the dark it just looked like he was carefully moving around. But, as it always did, the hesitation seemed to just drop out of his mind like a fish organ discarded by a dockworker.
"After something like that, I wouldn't dream of being alone either. Scoot over." He muttered, eyes practically closing themselves before he rapidly opened them. Once Yun moved over so he could enter, he'd slip himself in and under the sheets, quickly making himself comfortable.
Once Han was in bed, Yun turned over onto her side to put her back to him. After what she'd just gone through, amorous thoughts were the furthest thing from her mind--but she figured it couldn't hurt to be safe. Still, just the slight heat radiating from his body, and his weight on the mattress, calmed her, because she wasn't alone in the dark, the hallucinations were over, and she just felt...safer with another body close by.
It wasn't so unusual, either, for her friends had often shared beds. She and Kuan had even bunked up together to preserve body heat. So having him there was comforting, familiar...
Even if it was a little different, because he was a boy, and she was used to sharing with girls.
She cuddled deeper into the blankets. "Thanks," she said on a yawn, eyes drifting shut. "Sleep well, alright?"
(Long post goooooooooo)
Han couldn't surpress the light laughter that came through. "I'd say the same thing to you, Yun. We're leaving early tomorrow, so try to keep Giants off the mind, eh?" He said. Han didn't roll to face away from her, but that was only because he slept on his back, not on his side. With one arm on his chest and another hanging off the side of the bed, he closed his eyes to sleep, and quickly dosed off.
A few hours after both of them were in a deep sleep, a tall, shadowy figure suddenly and silently materialized in the cabin. Kruz'Iik had to reduce his size so he could fit in the cabin, so he wasn't at his full stature. Nevertheless, his head still brushed against the cieling as he silently walked over to the bed. He shrunk down even further to a more human size, and loomed over Yun, glowing red eyes casting a soft, crimson glow on her face.
He stepped forward, and like a ghost he ignored the physical matter of the bed and occupants as he stood in between them. He raised his clawed hands, and wispy tendrils of pure thought rose from both their heads. With all the delicateness of a weaver, he brought them together. That night, they'd have pleasant dreams about each other.
And with that, he faded away almost as suddenly as he had appeared.
That morning, Han would be awake before Yun, having silently slipped out of bed to begin preparing breakfast. In one pot he was preparing egg and vegetable stew, and in a second, smaller one his signature herbal tea.
Yun woke to the scent of cooking food, and when she sat up, she found that she was alone. But not really, for the home was small, and Han was just a short distance away preparing something in a pot that smelled utterly delicious. Her stomach grumbled, and she yawned, stretched, and pushed her messy hair out of her face.
With a sleepy smile, she waved at Han. "Mornin'," she said, and her words slurred a little as she yawned again. She wiped some of the sleep from her eyes with her fists and leaned over the side of the bed to grab a ribbon from her traveling bag.
"That smells pretty damned fantastic," she said as she ran her fingers through her hair and gathered it back into its usual bun. "Whatcha makin'?"
Han looked over to Yun, and smiled warmly. "I see you finally got you much needed rest. Yesterday was...stressful to say the least." He commented, and paused in his stirring to pick up an egg, using an old cooking trick to remove the yolk using only his hands and promptly toss it into the cooking pot.
"As for what I'm making, just some good 'ol fashioned egg and veggie stew. Eggs for protein. broccoli heads and carrots for that morning energy boost." He explained, lifting the spoon from the pot to add some more chopped carrots.
"It'll be a bit more 'till it's finished, but at least the tea's ready." He added, and two cups floated from the counter and stopped by the smaller cooking pot with tea in it. The ladle shuddered for a few seconds before filling each cup, and coming to rest inside the pot again.
One cup floated next to Han, while the other slowly floated towards Yun.
Stressful? That was putting it lightly. Yun didn't even want to think about it.
Oh well! That was what tea was good for! Relaxation and all that!
Taking the floating cup of tea (weird how she'd just gotten used to that at this point), she blew on it lightly and took a small sip. "Thanks," she told Han, turning so she could sit at the bed's edge. "Guess we're gonna need the energy today, eh? For that big trip we're settin' out on. Ya nervous?"
Han seemed to think for a few moments, before leaning on the cooking spit and crossing his arms. He was wearing the lower part of his robe, with the upper part tied around his waist. It was more for comfort than anything else.
"Nervous? Not in the way I should be, at least." Han started, glancing back to check the pot, noticing that the breakfast stew was now bubbling lightly. He smiled, knowing breakfast was only a few minutes away. "The journey's not what worries me, it's the destination, but I'm sure you'll help me survive in the city." He said, and pulled a chair over to him to sit down on it.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Han said, and motioned towards the door. At the door, there were two packs, one Yun's, one Han's. "I took the liberty of packing some dried veggies in both our bags. It's not much, but it should keep us from feeling hungry for the next two days."
Yun tried not to laugh at that, and bit her lip to keep it in. Dried veggies weren't going to go very far over the course of two days!
"Ah, it might be a good idea to pack some rice, cheese, and bread, too," she suggested with a grin. "The veggies are good! But they ain't gonna last long. Two days is a lot more than it sounds like when you're doin' a lot of walkin' and travelin'. We'll need stuff that's gonna keep us full longer."
A little rice went a long way, and it was easy enough to boil over a fire. It plumped up nicely, too, which meant you didn't have to carry much of it to have a few good meals. "I could help, ya know. I've done this a lot! But yeah, I wouldn't worry so much 'bout the destination. You'll be fiiiine. And Kuan's gonna be there, too, and she can help out!"
"I think you're forgetting that I live in a cottage in the middle of the jungle, Yun." Han said with a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "Grain doesn't grow in the jungle, so I don't have any seeds for it, I obviously don't have a cow, and I've got no space in this clearing for a rice paddy." He said, lifting fingers as if to count out the reasons why he couldn't supply these things.
"I was sure I packed quite a few dried veggies in both our packs, and I'll be taking the rest of my preservable food supplies on a separate rucksack as well for the city. We can always open those bags if you're feeling that hungry." Unbeknownst to Han, who had subsisted on a rationed diet for most of the life he could remember, people raised in towns and cities tended to get by on significantly more food per day than he did.
He looked back at the pot, and smiled. "Soup's ready." he said, anticipation in his voice all to palpable as he reached for his wooden serving spoon and floated two bowls over to himself. He held the bowls and the spoon served soup into both of them. He walked over to the table, and set Yun's bowl of soup down on it and sat down to begin consuming his, drinking it from the bowl, stopping every once in a while to levitate a vegetable out and pop it in his mouth.
"Oh...true..." Yun said, wilting a little. Of course he didn't have those things. Made sense! But damn. That just meant it was going to be a miserable few days--for Yun, at least, who was used to bigger meals with significantly more substance!
Guess she better gorge herself now!
Accepting the soup he set down for her, she blew the steam off the surface and then went to sipping it, carefully so as not to burn her tongue. "Inima, this is good! Hey, maybe ya should boil some eggs, yeah? If ya got more. We could take those. Oh, also, uh..."
Swallowing down another gulp of soup, she looked at Han. "I forgot to tell ya, but you miiiight wanna be careful with your magic stuff. I think it's really neat! But city folk, they might get...uncomfortable."
"Sorry to say, but those were the last of my eggs. I gather them from the wild bird nests scattered around here. I could collect some more on the way, but I don't think we'll have enough water to spare on the way." Han said, sipping on his soup.
When Yun brought up using his magic in the city, Han's expression darkened a bit. "Yeah, I suppose I will have to watch out. If the way you reacted was anything to go by, people in the cities aren't going to take too kindly to it." He said, a piece of carrot floating idly in front of his mouth.
Reaching out, Yun plucked the floating carrot from the air. "Maybe ya should start practicing," she said, and held the carrot out to him. "Y'know, get an early start? I just worry about ya slippin' up or something. Not that they'll lynch ya or anything! Uh, not that I know of? But stuff like that, it's really not common."
She took another long gulp of soup and was sad to find it was almost gone. "Probably another reason your old man ran out here, eh?"
Han nodded in agreement, before leaning forward and plucking the carrot out of Yun's hand with his teeth.
"Just maybe. Living out here in the wilderness would allow him to research in peace. Come to think of it..." He started and a small box floated over to the table from one of the corners of the cottage. "All I have left of him are these notes. I know he studied something big, something revolutionary. I don't know if I should keep them, or burn them for safety..."
"Umm..." Yun glanced at the box as he floated it over, thinking that Han was already doing a poor job of practicing being normal! Hopefully he wouldn't mess up so badly in town; he seemed to do the floaty thing without even thinking about it, probably because he'd been able to do it like that his whole life.
"Ya mean like...dangerous stuff?"
"Dangerous? No, nothing like that. My father studied these things called "Ley-lines". Supposedly, they're these massive, invisible conduits of magical energy that travel in straight lines across the world, and form this sort of grid. He believed these would revolutionize the way we do, well, everything. He died before he could make any real breakthroughs, though, and left me with this big 'ol box full of notes" Han said, and patted it.
Quickly, though, he stood up and shrugged. "Perhaps I'll just leave it all here. Sorry to worry you with something so trivial, Yun." He said, and stood up, finishing his soup with a hearty chug. "You ready to go? We should get a head start before the heat and the insects set in."
"Oh, I'm ready when you are," Yun said, and followed Han's lead by gulping down the rest of her soup. Waste not, especially since they were apparently going to be eating lean for a bit here! Ugh, that was gonna bite.
Setting the bowl down, she rose to her feet. "Heh, like, I'm literally ready 'cause...I'm already packed!" she said, motioning to her bag. She had already been traveling and hadn't had much on her. It was Han that was making the big move.
She stretched her arms behind her back and bent backwards until her spine crackled. "Anyhow, guess leavin' that box can't hurt. And if ya ever need it or somethin', ya can always come back. Not like ya have to leave this place forever, right? Two days ain't that big a walk."
Han chuckled.
"Good point, Yun." Han, and set about putting everything back where it was. He walked up to the door, put on his rucksack and put the duffel bag over his shoulder, tying it off so he wouldn't have to worry about it falling off. At first he grunted with the weight, but then he started using his telekinesis to slightly lighten the load on his back.
"After you, Yun." Han said, and gestured to the door.
Yun snatched up her own bag and tossed it over her shoulder, then she headed out the door and into the humid jungle air.
"Blech...it feels so gross out today," Yun said with a frown, and paused to set down her bag so she could strip off her over-shirt, leaving herself clothed in her chest wrap and short pants. She picked her bag back up and swiped her bangs back from her face.
"Must be 'cause of all the rain. Heh, we sure picked a great day to get movin'! We'll have to make sure we stick close to water, 'cause despite all this wet, it sucks the moisture right outta your body before ya know it."
"One step ahead of ya there, Yun. We're following the stream as far as we can. Now, we are going to have to pass through a spiritually active zone, but that should be around the second day's morning if we don't get held up by the weather." Han rambled as he stepped out of the cottage behind her.
He turned around, and waved a hand in front of the cottage, his palm glowing brightly for a few moments. "There. All sealed up." He said, and made to start walking, but suddenly stopped, and lightly grabbed Yun's arm. "Don't go walking into anymore Sightweed, alright? I just barely managed to save you from breaking down last night." He said, a smile on his face but genuine concern and worry in his eyes.
After that, he set off, waving for Yun to follow.
"Ya know, speakin' of sightweed, what's it even look like?" Yun asked as she took off after Han. "I should probably know that so I don't go traipsin' into it again! Oh! And, uh..."
Sightweed was scary shit, but something Han said before that had her far more worried. She figured she'd mention the sightweed first, though. You know. Play it cool. Like what Han said wasn't pretty much her number one panic-inducing fear, even one step above a fear of the dark.
"Whatcha mean by 'spiritually active zone', exactly...?" She fell into step beside him, shoulders back and spine straight, and looked straight ahead at the jungle before them. "Like, ghosts and shit?"
Please, please, please just let him mean that there were like...temples. You know, spirituality and religion and whatnot. A place of pilgrimages and worshipers or something!
Not literal spirits!
"Sightweed looks like a fern, except the veins in the leaves seem to shift colors. It's easy to spot if you're careful." Han explained as he walked. As Yun posed her second question, Han glanced around. He was already alert, and his eyes were scanning the jungle ahead of them from left to right. He had his robe on, but the hood pulled down, so he could look around better.
"Well, there was a battle in this forest long ago. Small stones mark the border of the battlefield. Going around it would lengthen our journey by at least three more days because of the land around it. But you shouldn't worry about it. The spirits there are old, tired warriors. They'll ignore us if we ignore them." He said, placing a comforting hand on Yun's shoulder.
Behind them, a small, black bird landed on the roof of Han's cottage. It kept its red-tinted eyes locked on the two as they walked off into the forest, before taking off.
"Uh...huh..." Yun said, her steps slowing a little as they walked and her posture growing stiffer with every word Han spoke. "Ya said that's on the second day? Uh, second as in tomorrow morning or the day after?"
She really needed to mentally prepare herself for that! That was hours away--days, even!--but already her mind was racing and heart was pounding, palms growing clammy at the thought. "And they're totally harmless? Not that I'm nervous or nothin'! They're ghosts, right? What harm can ghosts do? Hah!"
Suddenly, Han stopped.
"Oh, you're kidding me!" he said as he started up again, looking back at Yun with a look of pure disbelief. "You're afraid of spirits, aren't you! Don't worry about it, Yun. I'll protect you from the nasty harmless spirits we'll see tomorrow morning." He said, returning his sight to the path ahead.
(By the way, let me know when you want to time-lapse)
[OOC: I'm fine with it anytime! 8D]
"I'm not afraid! Who said anything about bein' afraid?! They're just ghosts, right? Can't do nothin'!" Yun said, a bit more defensively than she'd intended as her cheeks flushed with shame. Gah! Some mighty warrior she was. Han couldn't even fight, and now he was offering to protect her!
Goddess!
She hung her head and glowered. "I'm not scared. It'll be fine. Just, y'know, they ain't my favorite thing..."
Han smiled, placed his hand on her fartger shoulder, pulling her in for a light, one-armed hug.
"It's alright to be afraid, but you shouldn't worry. I've been to the area before." He said, before confinuing onwards.
(T-T-T-T-T-T-TIMELAPSE!)
---------------------------------
It had been nearly half a day since they set out from the cottage, and it had been a fairly uneventful journey thus-far. Han had tried to pass the time with conversations, but that wouldn't help with the sheer boredom of just trudging through the jungle in the afternoon.
Suddenly, the worst happened.
A bright flash came from the sky above, mostly obscured by the jungle's thick canopy, followed a few seconds afterwards by the sound of thunder. All went quiet, before it started to absolutely pour. Another small tropical storm, like the one that accompanied Yun when she got lost.
"Shit!" Han yelled, pulling his hood up as the sudden sheets upon sheets of rain obscured vision.
For Yun, tromping through the humid jungle for half a day was nothing. In fact, she could have kept going, and she was pretty impressed that Han was holding up as well as he was, considering how soft and sheltered he was. Still, used to it or not, it wasn't a pleasant trip, either. Yun much preferred village life, with people and beds and...
Not a million insects trying to drain her dry!
Taking off her overshirt had saved her from the heat, true, but now it wasn't just her arms and legs getting chewed on. Her back and belly had also fallen victim, and as they walked, she scratched vigorously at her skin.
"I haaaate buuugs!" she moaned, head tipped back to the sky as though speaking to Inima Herself. "Goddess! Why didja have to make bugs?! What do they even do?! Argh!"
And she was still complaining when the first flash came, and the thunder followed.
It was the thunder that made her shriek and latch onto Han's arm.
The ran was close behind, warm, tropical rain that soon had her drenched. And, unlike Han, she didn't have a hood.
Not that it mattered, she thought bitterly. She'd already been wet with sweat and humidity, what was a little rain?
A little rain that reminded her quite a lot of what had happened when she'd gotten lost.
Still squeezing onto Han's arm, Yun flinched when another flash streaked the sky, followed by another crackling rumble. "We should find shelter!" she said over the drum of rain. "Ain't good to be in lightning, surrounded by all these trees! That's just askin' for trouble!"
"I'm already on it. Give me a few-" Han started, interrupted by a panicked deer crashing through the underbrush a dozen feet ahead of them, visible only for a few milliseconds before it was lost in the vegetation once more. Han scanned the surrounding jungle, opening his robe and protectively pulling Yun in to somewhat help shelter her from the rain.
"There!" Han yelled, pointing towards a massive tree with equally giant roots that jutted out of the ground. There was a small cubby hole formed by the roots. Quickly, he moved over there, Yun in tow. The cubby hole wasn't perfect, but the ground was dry enough to sit in.
"Well, hell of a start we've got here." Han said, and started taking off his robe. He offered it to Yun, since he himself had remained relatively dry. The outside of the robe was soaked, of course, but a magical treatment kept the inside dry.
Yun just about screamed bloody murder when that deer came crashing through, but she spared Han's ears with a hand clapped over her mouth. Oh. Just a deer! Haha! Of course it was a deer and not, you know, a giant or anything!
But the storm had her all twitchy, because it was a storm that got her into this whole mess. Not that she regretted it! She'd found Han, after all! But she'd like to not repeat the sightweed debacle, thanks!
Willing her heart to stop racing, she ducked into Han's robe and moved quickly with him, nestling into the cubby with him and pressing close against him for warmth. Han had remained mostly dry, but Yun was soaked through and through, skin slick with rain, clothes heavy with it (not that she was wearing much), and hair dripping. Poor Han was soon not as dry as he'd been.
"Guess it's fitting. Stormed when I got here, stormed when I leave. Maybe it's a sign. Like...the jungle's tryin' to keep me here." She paused, grimaced. "Er, that went creepy fast. Forget I said that, that's--"
Lightning flashed again, and Yun flinched, and then gasped and huddled closer when thunder clashed seconds after.
Han flinched when Yun pressed her soaked, cold body against his, but he relaxed soon after. He slipped his arms out of the sleeves of his voluminous robe, and used his magic to more or less hold it as closed as it could go, wrapping them in it's comforting warmth. He left his arm around her, and pulled her in even tighter.
"Pretty big coincidence..." Han mumbled, leaning his head against Yun's. Despite the fact that his hair was now wet, it was more comfortable than trying to lean his head against the root structure they were taking shelter in.
"So..." Han started, staring out at the jungle through the opening in the cubby. He shifted his vision to Yun, lifting his head so he could look a her as he spoke. "...About last night...I know it's an awkward subject...but while we're stuck in these roots, we might as well address the elephant in the room." He said, hoping she'd know just exactly what he was talking about.
"Er..." Yun's cheeks colored, but she turned her head to look up at Han before looking back away awkwardly.
"Kinda a lotta things happened last night so you're gonna have to tell me which elephant we're talkin' about."
"Well, we might as well address the whole herd. You and me, we've definitely got something between the two of us, but..."
Gods above...
The awkwardness was practically palpable
"...look, what I'm trying to get at is that you and me both agreed to get to know each other better before we...well...uh...we made a decision. I just don't know what to think after last night..."
Oh.
That.
Of course it was about that, but Yun had decided to make him bring it up first, just in case she brought it up and that wasn't what he was talking about. Because then she'd just feel dumb. Now, she just felt awkward. Foolish. This was new territory, and she wasn't all that good with boys. She'd always been around other girls.
Scratching the back of her neck and running her fingers through her wet hair, Yun kept her eyes averted. "Uh, well, the wine was kinda...it had a lot to do with that, so..."
With a sigh, she looked up at Han. "Like, I ain't sure what I feel. I know I like ya. And I like kissin' ya, and I know my body like your body. And I know it's way too early for me to call it love or anything like that. Though I know ya don't need love to kiss and all, just..."
And she flushed again. "I can't say I know much about the other stuff. Except that babies happen, and I know babies are a blessin' and all, but I can't be much of a Warrior with a baby."
"Babies!?" Han asked, suddenly jerking his head backwards.
"Slow down there, Yun. Nobody said anything about a baby. But I suppose you're right about those things. Maybe that's what this storm was for, hmm? Our own little shelter from the storm. Seeing as how we've got some time, what say you tell me your story? You've already heard mine, I think it's your turn." He said, a look of curiosity in his eyes.
He was damp, but just like the night before, his inner magic meant he constantly exuded a comforting warmth.
"Oh. Uh. I just mean to say, uh..." Were they talking about the same thing here? Or maybe Han, sheltered here as he was, didn't know? Flustered, Yun shook her head. "Never mind that! Anyway, my story, huh?"
Good subject change!
She frowned thoughtfully, trying to think. To her, there wasn't much to tell, and she figured her life was pretty boring.
"Ain't much to tell, I don't think. I grew up on one of the smaller isles, and was born to the Warrior caste. So this has always been in my blood! Started learnin' the ways early on, mostly spent a lotta time with the other girls. There's boys, too, of course! Just my group ended up all girl. Anyway, now I've been movin' up in my training and have moved on from the group learnin' and onto one-on-one. My mentor's Kuan! Ya wouldn't know her. She's good, but she's got a stick up her ass."
Yun waved a hand. "Ah, you'll meet her soon enough. I was supposed to meet her in the city. I expect she's gonna ream me out for bein' days late."
Han appeared puzzled at the last bit of her story "Why would Yuan punish you for something that was out of your control? Wouldn't she be thankful that you arrived safely despite very nearly dying out there?" He asked, a perplexed look on his face. Still, he shook his head, as if dismissing his own questions. "Nevermind, who am I to ask? It's probably a warrior thing." He said, breaking his eyes away from Yun's as he once again stared out into the jungle.
"So...what were you doing away from your mentor? Where you on some kind of secret mission?!" He asked excitedly.
Yun looked away guiltily, and decided not to mention that Kuan would be irritated because Yun had gotten lost in the first place--because she had decided to take a short cut instead of following Kuan's specific instructions like she should have. An accident was one thing; disobeying orders was another. If she had listened, she wouldn't have gotten lost.
It was such a basic principle--obey your superiors--and she'd messed up bad.
Instead, she decided to answer his last question, shrugging away the shame and flashing him a grin. "I wish! But actually, Kuan was the one on the secret mission! She got called away, and I had to stay behind to, uh...wait for a shipment. Stuff Kuan wanted." She nudged her pack with her foot. "Anyway, she told me to head to the city once it came in, and meet her there. She figured it could be a nice little exercise, since we'd been joined at the hip so long."
Han's disappointment was visible, but it quickly subsided. "Oh, well maybe you'll be called next time!" Han said, giving Yun a reassuring squeeze. He hadn't seen what it was inside the package, since he had just wrapped the dried vegetables and tossed them in.
"Well, you definitely got your exercise." He added, and leaned his head back against Yun.
Yun chuckled at that, shaking her head. "You're tellin' me!" she said, and curled in closer to Han, hoping to absorb some of his dryness. "More exercise than I actually wanted. And it's gonna be right back to work when I get back. No rest for the weary and all that."
"You know, my training wasn't so different. Grandfather was on me like mosquitoes to an elephant. Learning the magic wasn't even the hard part. I remember this one time I had to learn how to flawlesslt distinguish poison berries from the edible ones...with a blindfold on. A month and tons of barfing later, I finally got it right." Han reminisced, responding to Yun's increased curling by making himself more open.
"What's the toughest thing Kuan ever made you do?"
Yun gawked at Han. "Couldn't that kill ya? If ya ate the wrong berry? That sounds crazy! What's that even got to do with magic? Sheesh. After that, my toughest thing doesn't sound that tough...though we got blindfolds in common, at least."
She gave a little shrug. "Toughest thing is probably when Kuan makes me spar her blindfolded. Worst is when she's feeling particularly crazy and like...makes me balance on a plank placed across a stream. Blindfolded. And fight her. Ya stay on, or ya fall in and get wet. It's supposed to teach balance and coordination or somethin', but it's real tough. I ain't knocked her in yet, but I've gotten plenty wet."
(Short post, I choose you!)
"That sounds pretty hard. I'd never be able to do something like that." Han commented, a bit short for words. "I hope this storm doesn't take up the rest of the day..." He added, and sighed.
Yun gave Han a playful nudge in the ribs. "Ya can't say you'd never be able to if you've never tried. Besides, it ain't like I just went from total newbie to fightin' blindfolded on a plank! I've been trainin' all my life. A good mentor only tests ya with what she thinks ya can handle. I can handle that."
She grinned. "Poisoned berries, though? Ya got me there. Ya couldn't pay me enough to try that!"
Han laughed. "lucky you, I didn't have a choice. It's saved my life a couple times, though, so I can't really complain." Han said, squirming slightly from the nudge to the ribs.
"So, when we get to Suna, you think you know any place where I can find work? Maybe the warriors have an opening for a herbalist?" Han asked, the hand that was around Yun starting to play with her wet hair slightly. It was more of a bored move than anything else.
"That could actually work," Yun said, leaning her head into his hand and closing her eyes. That was pretty much the best thing ever, having someone play with your hair.
"We get banged up enough, so someone who knows a thing or two about herbs and medicine? That ain't a bad person to keep around. Though..."
Blinking at a sudden thought, she glanced at Han. "What's your caste, anyhow?"
Han paused in the hair-play for only a second, but he resumed, sometimes even twirling wet clumps of strands around his index finger.
"My...caste?" Han asked, obviously having no idea what she meant by that. "Is that, like, my birth or something? Because I was born into a wealthy family..." He trailed off.
Yun pursed her lips. How to explain this? She actually wasn't sure. Sure, she was as familiar with it as any Thanati, but her knowledge was passive, intrinsic. Trying to actually explain it was like...trying to figure out how to explain color to a blind person.
"Uhhh...it's like...your place in society," she said, screwing up her face in thought. "Like, I was born to the Temple caste, and my family's warriors and always has been, so I knew right away I'd be a warrior, too. 'Cause everyone before me was, and everyone after will be. Make sense?"
"Oh..." Came Han's reply. "I don't quite know, then." He said, breaking the stare out towards the jungle before returning his vision to Yun. Suddenly, he became concerned. "Wait, is being casteless a bad thing?!"
Yun scratched her head at that one.
"I ain't never even met someone that's casteless!" she said, scrunching up her face in thought. "'Cept maybe Untouchables, but not even they're casteless, so I don't...know. But ya said your folks were rich?"
"Yeah, I remember that I used to live in a big house by the wharf...is there a Merchant caste or something like that? I might be in there..." Han said, trying to piece together whatever caste he might be in.
"Yes! There is!" Yun said, perking up. "Commerce. That makes sense! So ya think you were a merchant or somethin'?"
"Well, that's my guess. Hell of a job I did living up to my Caste, eh?" He asked with a laugh before he finally stopped playing with Yun's hair, his hand returning to her shoulder.
"That's not really your fault. Ain't your fault ya got dragged out here to live like a hermit."
Lightning flashed again, and Yun flinched and curled in closer to Han, closing her eyes and tensing in anticipation, because the thunder wouldn't be far behind. "I hope this storm finishes fast!"
"Hopefully..." Came Han's reply, before he was interrupted a might crack of thunder. Even he flinched slightly as the thundering shook the earth itself. He too curled himself a bit towards her, since now that the warm rain on them had started to cool, and it was starting to get cold.
"We're definitely losing the rest of the day. We shouldn't walk at night, so I think we might be setting up camp here."
"Guess it'll be more than a few days before we get to Suna," Yun said, her breath hitching and body flinching when thunder roared. She bit back a whimper and clenched her eyes shut, her body thrumming with tension. "I'm missing your bed already."
"Me too. I don't think I need to tell you how comfy it is compared to these roots." Han said, and started comfortingly caressing her hair again, this time because he noticed that Yun appeared to be scared of the lightning storm. He decided to make no mention of this, as he believed this to be a natural fear, having seen more than his fair share of tropical storm and coming to respect the fear and awe they command.
"Don't worry, Love. We'll make it." He said, deciding to keep it simple.
"I know. I just hope Kuan doesn't think I'm dead or somethin'!" Yun said with a groan, resting her head against Han's shoulder. She shivered a little, partly from tension, but a little from cold, and pressed closer to Han for his body heat.
"Think it's safe to stay under this tree? 'Cause, y'know, lightning?"
"Don't worry, we're safe under these roots." Han said, leaning his head against Yun. Something in the back of his head told him he was safe under this tree. He hadn't even pondered how unnaturally large it was until that point, and as soon as the thought creeped into his head, it was gone, replaced with more thoughts about Yun.
Kruz'Iik had been a spectator for long enough
"You know, this isn't that bad, when you think about it. The storm's a bit romantic looking when you're not drenched in it."
Yun barked a laugh at that. "Yeah, when you're indoors, watchin' from your window, and it's not rainin' death down on everything."
Meaning the lightning.
She grimaced. "And when you're not sittin' in your own puddle of mud. Ugh." Okay, so being wet and scared out here was starting to make her cranky. But she just couldn't believe one jungle storm wasn't enough!
"Don't fret, I'm here to keep you warm." Han said, following up his words with a light squeeze. "It sounds like somebody needs some cheering up. Got any ideas?" He asked, before suddenly coming up with something.
"Oh! listen, we're already soaked, and we're chilling to the bone outside of the warm rain. What say you to a little rain dancing?"
"Rain dancing?"
Yun turned her head to look at Han, one corner of her lips twitching into a lopsided smile. It was true, they couldn't get any wetter and sitting here just meant sitting in their own puddle of damp misery. Moving around would probably do them good, get their blood flowing and warm them up. But...
She snorted a laugh. "I can't dance."
"What, you think the man who was raised in the jungle can?" Han said with a laugh, and stood up into a crouch, leaving the protective cover of the massive tree.
The rain felt good on his skin, and it was always better to be warm and soaked than cold and damp.
He held an arm out to Yun, a smile on his face. "I guess we can always teach each other, eh?
With a wry smile, Yun grasped his hand and pulled herself to her feet and out into the steady downpour.
"So, the two people who can't dance are gonna teach each other how to dance," she said, shaking her head and scattering droplets of water. "We're sure gonna make a pretty sight! Guess it ain't too much different from fightin', in a sense...the movements and all, uh..."
She took Han's hands. "Uh. I've seen people do this with fans. I only got a metal one. Guess that wouldn't work too hot, huh?"
"A metal fan? Why not a fan made of cloth or paper? That doesn't sound like it'd be any good to fan with." Han said, a slightly perplexed look on his face as his robes were starting to get soaked again.
"So, I'm going off of some very early memories here, but I think I remember some of the basics of dancing..." Han started, looking down at the muddy ground to make sure his feet were in the right places. "...But you lived in the city, surely you've seen people dance before?"
"Of course I've seen people dance. Don't mean I know how to do it!" Yun said, watching her own feet. "To me it just looks like a buncha silly whirlin' around, so I guess...uh..."
She pulled Han further out into the muddy path, and started to turn them in a circular motion, still watching the ground so she didn't step on Han's feet. "Like this? Kinda? Haha, this feels silly."
"Well, dancing isn't supposed to feel serious, so I guess that means we're doing something right." Han said, moving along wit Yun. His jungle upbringing meant he didn't need to watch his feet as much as Yun, since confidence in where you stepped was almost as important as finding food.
"Let's see if we can't make this better, step by step." Han said, searching through his memories. He moved his hands into a more proper dancing position, with one hand on Yun's back. "you think you can spin in this mud?"
Yun laughed, feeling ridiculous but also quite enjoying it. "Only one way to find out, eh?" she said, and then lifted their hands and went for a spin.
But the mud was thick and slippery, and her foot slipped out from under her. With a yelp, she grabbed onto Han for support, and in the process wound up knocking them both down and into the mud with a splash.
Han tried to get his footing back, but his foot only slipped upwards. With a surprised yelp, he toppled backwards into the mud, unwillingly pulling Yun along with him and leaving her on top of him. After the initial shock, came laughter.
Yun was laughing uncontrollably, all gross and covered in mud and uncomfortable, but unable to care about it because this was so hilarious! "Guess we know the answer to that now, huh?" she giggled, and lifted a hand to press it against Han's cheek, leaving behind a muddy hand print.
"What are y-ack!" Han said, surprised when his face was plastered with mud. Without hesitating, he took one of his outstretched hands resting in the mud, and scooped up a decent amount. He reached up and did the same thing to Yun, except with considerably more mud.
"Ahhh, ew!" Yun squealed as mud squelched against her face and slid down her cheek and neck. "You butt! I didn't put that much on you!"
Yet.
She grabbed a handful of the stuff and swiftly pancaked it onto his head and smooshed it into his hair, making sure to get it good and caked on there.
Undeterred, Han brought up his other hand, mashing some mud into Yun's hair as well. To supplement this, he suddenly rolled over, intent on getting Yun's back in the mud and turning the tables.
Yun let out another yelp as the tabled were turned, and she was flipped onto her back. She cringed as mud seeped down the back of her pants and got all up in her shirt and down her neck, and as the back of her head got squished down into the stuff. Flailing, she grabbed a handful of mud and smashed it into Han's face.
"This is disgustin'!"
"You started it!" Han said, his words mixed in with laughter. At this point, he was covered in so much mud, that he barely minded Yun adding more. "Enough! stappit!" he laughed, trying to get a grip on her elbows so he could get her to stop flailing around.
"No, you!" Yun laughed while trying, and failing, to keep her mouth closed so she didn't get any mud in it. She tried to go in and flip him over, but the mud was slippery and her feet kept sliding out from under her, making it difficult to do a maneuver that would normally be so easy.
"We're probably covered in so much animal poo!"
In order to keep Yun in place, Han allowed himself to apply some of his weight onto he. "I'll stop if you stop. Truce?" He asked, and a small glob of mud rose from the ground to float idly by his head.
Yun's eyes followed the glob, and she gave Han a look. "Is that a threat, bucko?"
Han smirked, leaning in close, until their faces were inches away. "It's a promise."
Yun leaned up abruptly and licked the one clean patch on his cheek, making sure to add extra slobber. "Nyaaaaah."
(I think this might be the first time I've had both an IC and OOC reaction of "wat")
Well, that was certainly unexpected. The sheer spontaneous nature of Yun's lick left Han confused, and the mudball wavered in the air before splatting down onto the ground unceremoniously. Han was vulnerable now, Yun had a chance to turn the tables.
[I have done my job. 8D]
The second Han dropped his guard, Yun broke his hold on her and, in a couple swift movements, flipped him onto his back and promptly straddled him, with her knees pinning his elbows to the muddy ground. It was a miracle she managed that, too, even to her--because she was dying with laughter.
"Ahahaha! Ya shoulda seen your face!" she laughed, clutching at her sides. "That was too easy!"
It all happened so quickly, Han could only get out a few half-sputtered curses before he found himself on his back again. Still, he was determined to get out of this.
"Well played, Yun, but once again, you seem to have forgotten I'm a wizard!" He said, and opened one of his palms...
...only to have some sparks come out.
"...heh..." He said, and then started to futilely struggle against Yun's technique. It didn't really matter how slippery they both were with mud, since Yun had her knees down tight on his elbows. "I swear, as soon as I get out of this, you're going to regret it!"
"Oooooh! I'm so scared, big powerful wizard gonna get me!" Yun said with a smirk, shifting her weight here and there to adjust as he struggled. "Threatenin' to give me what for ain't really much incentive for me to letcha go free, just so you know. Buuuut!"
Her grin turned devious as she reached over and plucked something out of the mud from beside his head. "I might be willin' to let ya go if you admit I win!"
And then she dangled an earthworm over him, leaving it to his imagination to figure out what she planned on doing with it.
Han looked at the worm, and back at Yun. "I'll never break." He said defiantly. He was still thinking of ways he could get out, but his robe didn't leave him with much flexibility. Not to mention he was all bogged down with mud and water.
Again, he tried his magic, and got a little bit of mud to quiver before it settled down again. He was getting somewhere, he just needed to hang in there.
"Ya won't, will ya?" Yun asked, making her voice as ominous as she could--which wasn't much at all. Her voice didn't go deep very well.
Leaning over him, she slowly began to lower the worm toward his face, and then brushing the wriggling, wet thing against his ear. "Break! Break! Give up while you can!"
"It's going to take more than that. I was raised in a jungle, I won't be so easily beaten." He said, and finally started to feel his magic come back to him. Just a little longer...
"Are ya tellin' me to escalate this? Okay, then!"
Lifting the worm, she pressed it to his lips. "Open wiiiide! Or give up!"
Han sealed his lips, enduring the sensation of having a wriggling worm sliding on your mouth just long enough.
He bent his elbows up as far as they could go, and started jerking and jittering his fingers towards Yun. She'd immediately know what he was doing, it was the same trick he had performed while they went swimming.
A telekinetic tickle assault.
"AHH!" Yun let out a sudden shriek, her body jerking and twitching as she tried to defend against invisible fingers. She burst into laughter and, suddenly helplessly boneless, toppled sideways off of Han to roll around in the mud, gasping for air and cackling uncontrollably.
"NOT FAIR! SO NOT FAIR! THAT'S CHEATING, YA BUTT!"
"You tried to make me eat a worm! There is no forgiveness for that!" Han yelled, using Yun's moment of weakness to get this impromptu mud wrestling session back in his corner. Keeping the pressure on her sides, he got onto his feet. His tickles came in bursts, with plenty of space between bursts for Yun to catch her breath.
"You--ahaha! You practically told me to!" Yun yelped between bursts of laughter, clutching at her sides and struggling to catch her breath, without success. When he let up in his tickling, she made an attempt to rise, but it was a false alarm and soon it became apparent he was only spacing the tickling apart. She collapsed back into the mud, laughing helplessly.
Hans, a little tired himself from all the excitement, let up on his assault rather mercifully. After a moment of just standing there, he let himself drop onto the mud next to Yun, releasing a tired sigh as he put an arm around her. "Hell of a dance, eh?" He said in a tired voice.
Yun flopped backwards into the mud, wheezing breathlessly. She gave Han a tired look, then burst into fresh laughter. He looked terrible, like some monster, all covered in dripping mud with an earthworm clinging to the front of his shirt, where she'd dropped it when he'd started up his attack.
"Ya look disgustin'!"
"You're quite the model of cleanliness yourself." Han rebuked. Yun looked like some kind of swamp monster she-devil, with her clothing clinging tightly to her form. The storm had slowed down from a downpour into a steady rain at some point during their "dance". He reached up to his chest, plucked the worm up between two fingers, and discarded it. Not really sure what to do now, Han just kinda leaned his head over and gave Yun a quick, "heat of the moment" kiss.
For a second, Yun was caught off guard by the kiss, if only because she didn't feel particularly kissable at the moment. She startled, but once she realized what was happening she relaxed again, and turned into the kiss. Placing a dirty hand on his cheek, she kissed him back tenderly, and finally pulled back with a playful smile. "You're gonna get mud in your mouth if you're not careful, Han."
"I've already got a little mud in my mouth." He said matter-of-factly. "So, when we get to the city, we're going to show those people how to really dance. I mean, what we just did there was pretty darn graceful."
"Maybe we could start a new trend," Yun said with a grin, wiping her mud-caked hair from her face. "Did you know that there's rich people that go to fancy baths where they sit around with mud all over themselves? They say it's healthy for their skin or something."
Han released a chuckle. "Well, then I guess we're going to have the healthiest skin in town." He said, and wiped off his face as best he could with the inside of his sleeve.
"I could do without the worms, though," Yun said, and started to rise to her feet, trying not to slip. She held her arms out away from her sides, dripping mud and water. "Guess it's good it's rainin'. Maybe if we stand here long enough, it'll all wash away."
"Sounds great." Han said, standing up with a groan. He spread his arms like Yun, and stood for about a minute before laughing and dropping his arms. "I can't, it just feels so ridiculous." he said, and raised a hand towards Yun, firing a cleaning beam at her and then hitting himself with one. They no longer had mud, and for a moment, they were dry, before the rain wet them all over again. "Much better." Han sighed.
"We should probably try to get some sleep..." Han said, rubbing the back of his head and looking towards the small root grove where they initially took refuge from the storm.
"...I almost forgot ya could do that," Yun sheepishly admitted, sighing in relief as the sense of cleanliness rushed through her, and a momentary sense of warmth and dryness--until the rain soaked through again, leaving her wet, but still clean.
She looped an arm around Han's shoulders, pressing closer to him for warmth. Now that they weren't moving around, the wet was starting to seep into her muscles. It might not have been cold in the jungle; it was quite humid. But the wet was still chilly and uncomfortable after being in it for a while. "Guess we should. We gotta long trip ahead, yeah? Gotta say, though...heh...thanks."
She flashed Han a goofy grin. "We were actin' like such asses and I forgot to be scared of everything else."
Looping one of his own arms around Yun's waist, Han walked with her back to their little shelter. Stretching out a hand, he dried the earth underneath it, and a thin, translucent bubble surrounded it, some kind of barrier to keep the rain out.
He ducked down inside, and once they were both in, he'd reapply the cleaning spell, and open his so they could share it like a blanket.
Yun slipped down beside Han, and curled in close to him, happy for the warmth and dryness. Slipping her arm around his waist, she leaned her head onto his shoulder.
"I didn't know you could do this, either," she said, motioning to the barrier surrounding their little den. She yawned, sleepiness starting to catch up with her fast now that she was relaxing. "What can'tcha do? 'Cause if ya got--" She cut off with another yawn. "If ya got some sorta spell that can get us to Suna faster, that'd be amazin'."
"I wish." Han replied taking his arms out of his robe sleeves and using the magically insulated garment to wrap them in it's warmth, like a cloth cocoon of sorts. As Yun snuggled up to Han, Han did the same, putting his strong arms around her as he slowly nodded off.
"This is way more than good enough," Yun said, yawning again and letting her eyes drift shut as she snuggled up against him. Coiled up in that "cocoon" with Han, soon enough she was comfortably warm, and exhausted enough to ignore the roots poking her in weird places.
"Thanks for tonight," she murmured, her voice slowly fading, and it wasn't long after that her breath evened out, becoming soft and steady, as sleep took hold.
For what seemed like the first time in ages, Yun would finally have a full night's rest. No crazy dreams, no mad hallucinations. There were no more accommodations that needed to be made for Kruz'Iik and his strings. Although his role had become mostly that of an observer, he was still very much invested in this experiment of his. He had fully made himself into a metaphysical being, discarding his organic body so he would be more able to subtly affect their world.
So tonight, nothing but pleasant dreams and peaceful slumber for her. This would be the last time he manipulated her dreams.
He would also make sure Yun would wake up before Han. In his sleep, Han's hand had inadvertently come to fall on the upper part of her leg, but he could hardly be blamed for it. The poor guy was still out cold.
Sometime during the night, the rain subsided. Now, at morning, it was just an occasional, light misting. The clouds had parted, as well, letting sunlight filter down through the trees, light glittering and reflecting off the droplets hanging off leaves. It was a gorgeous sight, made all the more beautiful by the colors of sunrise.
It wasn't the light that woke Yun, but the noisy group of parrots that decided to flock into the trees above them, squawking and arguing. With a light groan, Yun cracked her eyes open and stretched her neck, which popped. Her sleep had been surprisingly deep, though it was obvious she hadn't moved much during the night, because her muscles felt stiff and sore.
Stretching her back and rolling her shoulders, she shifted a bit where she sat to give her numb bottom some relief, and then noticed the slight weight on her thigh. Glancing down, she saw Han's hand was resting there, and gave a look back up at his face, noting he was asleep. Gently, she reached down to take his hand and moved it, carefully, to her knee instead.
When Yun moved Han's hand, he stirred a little bit, but didn't wake up. The part of his face that had spent the entire night nestled against her shoulder was flushed red. The other hand that had started the night off looped around her waist was now lying limply on the ground. Needless to say, that appendage was going to almost as asleep as Han himself.
No response. Yun gave his shoulder a light poke. "Han? Hey, Han, wake up!" She wanted to move, wanted to get up and stretch, but she couldn't do that until he was awake, too. She wasn't about to wriggle out from under him and have him topple over or something!
"mph-eh, wha...Oh, my arm's so asleep right now." Han muttered as he came to. His arm wasn't asleep, his arm may as well have been dead. He tried to move his arm, only to be rewarded with sharp needles of pain. "Wow, this sucks." He winced.
Yun winced sympathetically, and shifted forward to unpin his arm from behind her back. Then she turned and helped him move his arm, lifting it and moving it forward. "Oi, that's always the worst when that happens," she said, making a face. "Just gotta grin and bear it 'til your blood gets movin' again!"
Han hissed with the pain, nursing his sleeping arm. "Hate it when this happens." He said, and tried to lean forwards, only for a loud pop to escape from his back. "Oh, I needed that." Han murmured.
"Guess that's what we get for sleepin' on roots," Yun said with a wry smile as she stretched her own legs out in front of her and rolled her neck. "Oof. Can't wait 'til we get to town and can get an actual bed! I mean, we coulda arranged something more comfy if it weren't rainin' last night, so hopefully this next night will be better."
Bracing herself against the tree, she rose slowly to her feet. "Ughh...I feel like an old lady."
"Ugh, I'll never get used to it. I slept in the tope tree before, you know. I thought it was going to a novel, relaxing experience, but all I got for it was a sore everything and bugs in my robe." Han said, brushing a couple of ants off of his shoulder and exiting their little grove.
He stretched even more, leaning against the tree as he did so. releasing a big yawn, Han rubbed his eyes.
Yun laughed at that, as she stood against the tree and began to stretch out her legs, balancing on one leg with the other bent behind while she pulled gently on her ankle for a deeper stretch.
"Ahahaha. Even I know better than that, jungle boy! Anytime ya spend much time outdoors, it's bound to leave ya smelly and dirty and sore. Those folks who say nature's peaceful and all are full of it. Anyone who's actually done it knows that communin' with nature's some messy business."
(Wow, I just realized my last post was typo-palooza."Tope tree?" what the hell. That was supposed to be "top of a tree". I think SoTE ruined my post to spite me)
"That's the gist of it. Although, it can be really pretty at times." Han said, looking directly at Yun as he said those last few words.
Reaching under the roots, he procured their bags, which seemed to have survived through the storm perfectly intact. Strapping his own collection of bags to his back, Han stretched his arms one last time, but not before taking out one of those leftover lettuce-wraps. Taking a bite out of it, he smilled. "even with preserved fish meat, these are still damn good..."
[lololol it's all good! Damn you autocorrect? xD]
Yun dropped her eyes when Han said that, a little color rising in her cheeks. Was he...was that some sort of indirect complement? Or was she reading too much into that? She rubbed the back of her neck.
"Yeah, it is pretty, well, pretty! Despite the bugs and sightweed and ghosts and stuff." Though she'd seen no ghosts yet, but she knew they were there!
She collected her own rucksack and gave another long stretch, yawning, and then eyed Han's lettuce wrap. "Didn't happen to bring two of those, didja?"
"I packed you a couple." Han said, chewing slowly. "We should get going, the storm slowed us down by a good day. We should come across a river today, and the spirit woods tomorrow." Han explained, and waited for Yun.
A visible shudder ran through Yun, clear from her head to her toes. "Let's just make sure we hit the woods during the day," she said, face pale, before she went and dug into Han's pack for one of the wraps.
Pulling it out, she took a large bite of it as she walked, shaking off the thoughts of ghosts and nightmares. "Good thing there's a river on the way, though! I think I got mud in...unspeakable places."
"Guess my cleaning spell's not as thorough as I thought it was," Han muttered, silent for a good half-minute as he chewed.
"You know, the spirit woods aren't such a bad place. I've been there before, It's kind of serene, actually. "
[OOP. xD My bad. Thanks for rollin' with my derp! xDDD]
"Uh...serene...?" Yun said, giving Han a skeptical look.
"How's a buncha dead people and weird ghost things floatin' around in any sense serene? That sounds like a bloody nightmare!"
"Well, they're not exactly spooky ghost-type spirits. They're more like...calm, at-peace, one with nature sort of spirits. They don't even look like people, they look more like fae." Han explained.
He finished up his lettuce wrap, wiping his hands clean on the leaves of a still-wet fern as they passed it.
Yun made a face, not at all convinced.
"...That is, until they lure ya in and then spring their trap. Fae are pretty nasty critters, ya know that, right?"
And then she froze, blanching a little, and looked around the jungle as they walked. "Not that I mean any offense to any of ya! I'm sure not all fae are like that!"
"Oh, now you've done it," Han said, creeping closer to her.
"They're going to fill your pack with rocks and make off with your smallclothes! Oh, the horror!" Han said as he pretended to faint against her. Chuckling, he straightened himself back up.
"Trust me, I've been there before. Besides, I only said they looked like Fae to get across the point that they look harmless. Can you trust me on this one?"
With an exasperated laugh, Yun pushed Han off of her and slugged his shoulder playfully, though her cheeks had colored. Of course when he put it that way it sounded ridiculous!
"It ain't that I don't trust you!" she said, planting her free hand, the one not clutching her lettuce wrap, on her hip. "I just don't trust everything else!"
Han laughed as Yun pushed him off of her.
"I'll protect you, then!" he said, rubbing his slugged shoulder out of reflex.
"You'll protect me?" Yun laughed, and abruptly thrust her hands into his armpits to begin a tickle assault. "Who's the Warrior here, eh?"
Han was stunned by her sudden assault, unable to do nothing but squirm. His thick robe helped somewhat dampen the tickling.
"This again!?" he yelled, and he raised his arms, grabbing Yun's arms just above the elbow so he could at least try and keep her hands away from him.
"I don't know, is it the one afraid of fairies?" He retorted, sticking his tongue out at her.
Yun reached out to playfully grab his tongue before he could retract it. "I'm not scared of them," she corrected. "...I'm just nervous of what they can do."
And then she let go of his tongue and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Brat."
Han's cheeks reddened, and his grip on her elbows loosened.
"Don't be. I'll be there to make sure nothing happens."
He answered her kiss with one of his own, this time directed towards her lips.
"Super cool wizard, remember?"
"Super cool wizard," Yun agreed, and met his kiss.
"You keep away the freaky spirit bastards, and I'll keep away any livin' things that dare to mess with us."
"We make one heck of a team," Han said as he pulled away from her.
"We should really pick up the pace. We don't want to blow off another day, do we?" He said, and took Yun by the hand as he started to walk faster.
(Timelapse to river?)
[Time laaaapse!]
They reached the river several hours later, which was a welcome sight to Yun. Her water skin had fallen empty in the last twenty minutes, so this was a good opportunity to refill--and catch a breather.
Yun heard it before she saw it, and with a wide grin Han's way, she said, "Beat ya there!" before she took off at a run.
Smiling, Han ran alongside her. She might've been faster than him, but he was more comfortable with the terrain, so they were more or less neck-and-neck.
They reached the shore at roughly the same time, and were more than likely tied, buuut...
Didn't stop Yun from bragging.
"Beat ya!" she claimed, swinging her pack down onto the ground.
Han looked at her straight in the eyes, even as he set his own pack down. "Did not. It was a tie!" he retorted as he started to take the cap off of his water skin. It wasn't empty, but it could've done with some refilling.
"Was not! I beat you by like this much!" Yun said, holding her fingers an inch apart. "Which means I beat ya, and ya lost, so suck it!"
"I can't lose if it's a tie!" Han said, and thrust his waterskin towards her, intent on splashing her with the contents.
Yun reacted on impulse and lashed out fast, smacking the bottom of the waterskin up, and back at Han.
Han was sort of expecting to be countered, Yun being a warrior and all, so he managed to avoid getting water on his face, although his shoulder still got pretty wet.
Looking at her for a few moments, he chuckled. "Fine, you can have this round."
"Yesss!" Yun whooped, pumping a fist in the air. With a playful grin Han's way, she pat his soggy shoulder. Maybe she shouldn't brag too much.
"Maybe next time, bucko. We still got a long way to go, so...plenty of opportunities to regain your honor."
Grabbing his waterskin as well as hers, she headed for the water, knelt, and filled them both up before setting them aside. The water there was cool and clear with a quick current, enough that she knew it was good, clean source, but it wasn't too deep, either. Leaning over it, she splashed it onto her face to cool off.
Han stretched a bit in place, shooting a waywards glance towards Yun as she leaned over the river. He paused, wondering how easy it would be to just push her in. He dismissed the thought. Instead, he went to sit besides her, holding a hand out to the river. A ball of water rose out of it, and he started idly playing with it.
Yun watched the water ball move through the air, propping her elbow on her knee and resting her chin on her hand.
"Man, you're gonna make me all jealous," she said. "If I could do that, too, we could have basically the best water fight ever."
Han looked at her, laughing. It died down, and he dropped the ball of water. Stretching, he stood up, and started taking off his robe. "Gods, it's so hot. I'm taking a dip in the river. You game?"
"Tch, is water wet? Of course I'm game. May as well make the most of this break!" Yun said, rising to her feet to shed her clothes, down to her smallclothes. She folded them neatly and set them atop her pack, though she supposed it didn't matter much; Han could clean them.
Kicking off her sandals and letting down her hair, she didn't take her time going in the water. She knew it was going to be cold, so best to do it fast! With a deep breath, she rushed in, yelping as the water came up to her waist, and then quickly dunked her head under the water and game up, whipping her hair out of her face.
"Damn! That'll wake ya up!"
Han preferred to slowly wade into the water. He was much more used to the temperature of river water, so he didn't really mind it at all. As soon as it was deep enough, Han drew a deep breath, and threw himself into the water, swimming under the surface until he came up next to Yun.
"I never knew how much I needed this until I got it..."
"Haha, isn't that how it always is? So easy to take stuff for granted and all that!" Yun said, sinking down into the water until it covered her shoulders and sighing happily. She hadn't realized how warm and gross it was until the water was cooling her body temperature!
"Heh. Crazy as it is, I'm kinda gonna miss this spooky jungle," she said. "Gotta admit it's got it's pretty parts and perks. And it smells a lot fresher, too."
"You think you're going to miss it? Just think about me, I grew up in this jungle. And what kind of perks does a jungle have, anyways?" Han asked, floating closer to Yun.
"Well, like I said, it smells pretty good! And it's pretty! And it's quiet, doesn't have a lot of people all over the place gettin' up in your business, and ya can pretty well act like a bloody fool and not have anyone judge ya. It's a nice escape. Wouldn't wanna live here, but I'm city folk. Oh!"
Yun looked over at him with a grin. "It also had a pretty cool boy there."
Han chuckled lightly. "Yeah, there's nobody out here. Just me, you, and the animals. And hey, the animals don't judge. That night we spent in the rain, that's something you can only do in the jungle."
"I haven't had a good mud fight like that since I was a kid," Yun said. "And that's the first one I didn't get a whoopin' for, for tracking mud in the house. Overall, it's been fun."
Swimming backwards a little bit, she touched the ground and balanced on a mossy rock, careful not to slip. "The city's fun, too, though! I think you'll like it--though it might kinda be a shock at first, if this is all you're used to."
"Oh, believe me, I know it's going to be rough. All the people, all the noises. It's going to be hell for the first couple of weeks."
He raised an arm and pushed his hair back, stretching a bit more.
"But I know I'm going to be all right. You'll be there with me!"
"Of course!" Yun said, puffing out her chest. "I'll be your guide! And that means I can show ya all the fun stuff and cool sights in the city! Like, ya ever been to a play? Of course ya haven't! Ever been in a tea house? Nope! Ever visited a Maoin? Neither have I, but it sounds pretty neat!"
"I don't know what any of those are, but that all sounds great!" Han said excitedly, swimming up to Yun. He stood up so his torso would be out of the water, his body glistening. "What's a Maoin? Tell me!"
"Oh, the Maoin," Yun said, expression turning wistful. "They're supposed to be stunningly gorgeous. They're usually men, but there's women, too, and they're just...perfect. They're dancers and singers and performers and expert conversationalists, and people pay 'em for their time. Just to have a talk with 'em, maybe drink some tea, maybe perform a dance or play an instrument. They put on plays and stuff too, and they're just really, really smart and talented!"
She looked over at Han, none-too-subtly eying his body. She cleared her throat. "They're the stuff of legends, basically."
"Wow, they sound like pretty awesome people. "
Han crossed his arms, caught up thinking about these supposedly legendary people. They must be like gods, in order to have so many people clamoring and giving them payment just to talk!
"But, I bet they don't know how to make ropes out of vines, or how to scare off wandering tigers. I could teach the Maoin a thing or two," He said, playfully flexing.
Yun reached out and squeezed his bicep, laughing. "Then maybe, oh all powerful, awesome wizard, when we get into the city we can sign ya up! Though, you're a bit late to it now, but ya could probably wow them with your super awesome skills and make a good case!"
"You really think I can be a Maoin?" Han asked, his eyes lighting up with joy. He scooped Yun up by her waist, holding an open palm up to the sky. "The first jungle boy ever to turn into a Maoin!"
"AH!" Yun let out a squeal that quickly turned into laughter, and wriggled playfully in his grip. "Such a strong, mighty jungle boy!" she said, and pretended to swoon.
"Oh, all those other Maoin'll look like shriveled old men next to me!" Han guffawed, and actually hoisted Yun off of her feet. He leaned down so he could plant a kiss on her lips, smiling all the way.
Yun happily kissed him back, looping her arms around his neck and drawing him in close. She bent her knees to keep her feet off the ground, legs trailing in the water, and then pulled back so she could lean her forehead against his.
"You're certainly covered in the looks department!" she said, trailing her fingers through his wet hair. "You'll just hafta work on the whole grace and poise and manners stuff!"
Grace? Han had plenty of grace! What was that other thing she'd mentioned...
"Poise? Whuzzat?" He asked, sneaking in another kiss.
"Is it some kind of pose I'm supposed to hold?"
"No!" Yun laughed. "Not pose! Poise!" she said, overemphasizing the word.
"It's like...elegance."
"Elleegaaanceee..." Han slowly repeated, wrinkling his face as he thought. He allowed himself to sink back into the water, still cradling Yun in his arms. He started to play with her hair.
"Yeah, you're losing me here, Yun."
Reaching up, Yun pat Han on the cheek in a placating gesture.
"There, there. Don'tcha worry your head none. I'm sure your jungle boy charm will make up for your inelegance. Either way, ya can be my Maoin, 'kay?"
And then she leaned up and gave him another playful kiss.
"Always, Yun."
This time, Han made sure that kiss lasted. Halfway through it, however, he paused, pulling away. He had the face of a man who'd just put two and two together, and a sly grin worked its way across his face.
"Wait just a second here. Are you trying to say I'm uncivilized?" He asked, leaning in and narrowing his eyes.
"...Ummmmm..."
Looking up at Han, Yun flashed him her most innocent smile. "No?" she said, while nodding.
Han silently looked at her,with his narrowed eyes, before he chuckled. "I'll show you uncivilized!" Han growled. The arm that was supporting Yun's legs suddenly slipped away, and Han quickly and playfully squeezed her leg just below the buttock.
"A-AH!" Yun let out a surprised shriek that quickly gave way to laughter, because she was horribly ticklish, and that was no exception! She bucked and squirmed in his arms, but managed, by some miracle, not to kick him. "You fiend!"
"I'm gonna cook ya! Nice and slow over a fire!" He snarled, and pressed his mouth against her neck so he could blow a raspberry right onto that. "And then, I'm going to shrink your head, and put it on a stick!"
Somewhere in the flurry of motion, his hand had inadvertently gone from just below her butt to actually squeezing one of her buttocks.
"EW, HAN!" Yun giggled, shoving at him--but the effort was short-lived when he blew a raspberry on her neck, and she melted into helpless laughter. "Pahahaha! I-I said ya was UNCIVILIZED, not a bloody CANNIBAL, ya fool! There's a difference! Lemme go, ya savage ape--oh!"
She let out a surprised squeak when he squeezed her ass, and her cheeks flushed red. Whoa! When did that happen? "Ummmm!"
Han looked at her a bit weirdly, but it suddenly dawned on him where his hand was, and the surprise was visible on his face as his cheeks flushed just as red as Yun's. "OH CRAP! I'm sorry!" he said as he unceremoniously let her go, but seeing how he was sitting down, he just sort of haphazardly deposited her onto his lap.
"It was an accident, I swear! We...I just...I...Ah...Well...We were...And..."
"Calm down, calm down! I ain't angry or nothin'!" Yun said, his own mortification taking away some of her awkward embarrassment. Lacing her arms around his neck again, she kissed him on the cheek.
"Hard to keep track of where your hands are sometimes. Trust me, I know! Once when I was sparrin' with my friend, I full on grabbed her tit! Talk about awkward. Plus that shit hurts. Weren't no gentle grab! Like I said, we were sparrin'!" She grinned up at him, then leaned her head against his chest.
"Yours was a much nicer grab than that."
"...Oh..." Han said anxiously. "...Okay."
Knowing that Yun had messed up in a similar way somewhat helped to calm Han, who was still slightly pale. It felt good to know that he hadn't completely messed this up. From what he had gathered, Yun actually kind of...
...liked it?
Glancing around as if this was some sort of trap, Han relaxed a bit, resting one hand on Yun's knees and using the other to support her back.
"Soo...does this mean you're okay with that?"
Yun's blush came back full force at that question, and she turned her face into his neck to hide it. "Umm...er...I, uh...maybe?"
She paused, realizing that was a rather shoddy answer, and then cleared her throat. "I mean...sure. Yeah. Oiiii! I'm sorry I'm so bloody awkward! This stuff's all new to me! I mean, I know it ain't nothin' to be ashamed of, and Inima know, Inima is all about this stuff! It's just, y'know. New. Different. I guess new and different is kinda scary sometimes, but--wow. Alright! So ceasin' the ramblin' and gettin' to the point, sure, Han! I'm alright with ya touchin' the butt."
And then she let out a laugh, because that sounded so ridiculous even to her own ears. Wow. She was so fail at this.
Han looked at her in silence, before breaking into laughter of his own. "Wow, just...wow. That was pretty, uh, pretty smooth there," Han laughed. He fell silent again, and he found one of his hands slowly moving towards her butt.
Awkwardly, he placed a hand on it, and unsuccessfully tried to contain his blush. "Touchin' the butt, huh? It's definitely new for me, too. It's so...I don't know...It just feels...right" He rambled, as he slowly started to get more comfortable.
"I never claimed to be smooth! Ever!" Yun said, still hiding her face against his neck, and blushing harder when she felt his hand on her.
Her heart beat a little faster. It was kind of horribly embarrassing to admit she had those kinds of thoughts about Han, like...how did people usually go about even talking about that?! It wasn't the first time she'd felt that about him by any means, nor the first time she'd been curious to test the boundaries. It was also the first time she'd really had the chance to. Training and traveling and studying under Kuan had kept her too busy to think about anything else, and then there were always people around. There wasn't much privacy to be had.
She gave a little snort. "Feels right, huh? I woulda thought you'd say 'left'. It's my left cheek you're grabbin'."
Han looked down at Yun. He had no words for that, just an exasperated little exhalation from his nose and a roll of his eyes.
He couldn't help but feel that all of this was leading up to something. They were getting closer, and closer, and soon enough, that drive reappeared in Han, like something that had been programmed into him.
He lowered his head, his mouth hovering over her neck for a few moments before he began kissing it.
Yun's heartbeat quickened when she felt his breath on her neck, followed by his lips, and her grip on him tightened. It was a slightly ticklish sensation, but it also felt good, sending tingles down her spine, and she wondered how Han knew to do that. Then again, she supposed a lot of things were just innate.
She sucked in a breath and turned her head to the side, giving him more room to work, and closed her eyes. "That feels pretty nice," she admitted, biting her lip. "Just, um, no raspberries. Promise?"
Han could feel her shifting beneath him. He himself didn't quite know where he was coming up with this stuff, but it was just coming to him, as if he had this pool of instinct that he accessed once he got worked up enough.
"Promise," He whispered into her neck.
The hand that he had firmly planted on her left buttcheek started to work on it, gently kneading the flesh under the thumb. Han used his other hand to start exploring her back, passing a finger over the strap of her breast-wrap without disturbing it.
That felt really, really nice, pleasant chills racing up and down her spine as his fingers traveled over her back. Her breath caught and her body jerked a little, an involuntary reaction, as she arched under his hand and curled closer to Han like a cat. It was like having someone play with her hair, only instead of her head, it was her back--but it was the same intoxicating sensation, and her breath came out as more of an, "Mm..." that time.
Though it was hard to relax completely, because his other hand wasn't idle, and she couldn't help but squirm.
Arms looped around his neck, she pressed idle kisses against his collarbone as her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck.
As Yun began to respond more, and even began to return the effort, Han's breathing became sharper, and came slightly more frequently. It didn't help that every time she squirmed, she was rubbing herself against him.
Han's efforts at her neck grew more and more. At one point, he even lightly nipped her earlobe without even noticing it. His hand below the water's surface slid from her butt to her thigh, caressing it with his fingers.
Once more, his finger passed over the strap for her breast-wraps, except this time, it stopped to play with the release mechanism without actually triggering it, before moving on.
Yun's breathing hitched when Han nipped her earlobe, but heat rushed through her body at the sensations filling her, some new, and some familiar from when they'd rather...into it...before. But this time, Yun didn't stop him, even though she wondered if maybe she should. Things were heating up rather fast--but why shouldn't they? The only thing stopping her was her own nervous awkwardness over exploring new territory.
But once they got back into the city, they might not get much privacy after.
Her fingers danced along his back, imitating his caresses, and she instinctively pressed her legs together when his hand found her thigh, even as a thrill went through her, to be touched like that. Face flushed, and breath coming faster, she buried her face against the side of his neck, breath puffing just below his ear.
"I-I'm...I'm not sure what I'm doin'..." she admitted.
"I...don't think you're supposed to be..." Han murmured, feeling his own set of sensations when Yun's fingers started playing across his back. He released a shaky breath, not just from the stimuli he was receiving, but out of nerves as well. What if this was it? What if here, in this river, they...
He switched his mouth over to the other side of her neck, his own neck hot with her breath.
"Just...do what comes naturally...Forget about what you're ashamed...to do, there's...nobody out here to...judge."
His voice came in between kisses, breath heavy and hot as it washed over the previously unattended part of her neck.
The hand on her thigh hesitated when she closed her legs slightly, but once she relaxed again, it started moving up and down her thigh ever so slowly, on the border between outer and inner.
"O-okay," Yun breathed, hands trembling a little as they coasted down his back. She really, really wasn't sure what she was doing! And even though he said to just go with it, she couldn't help but over think, and curse her limited knowledge on the subject! Sure, she'd overheard her friends talk about this stuff--a few had personal experience--but even they hadn't shared the juicy details.
She was flying blind, and could taste her own ignorance. But Han, at least, seemed to have a more innate sense of what he was doing, because his caresses and kisses definitely felt amazing.
Leaning up suddenly, a hand on the back of his neck to draw him down, Yun kissed him on the mouth, nibbling gently on his bottom lip as her breath came out shakily through her nose. And it was then that she decided to be brave, to make a decisive decision, because as she held the kiss she reached around with her other hand and tugged loose the knot that held her bindings in place. They fell down between them, landing in Yun's lap, and Yun kissed him harder.
"Should we, uh...stay here, or...?"
Han let out a surprised mph! when Yun pulled his mouth away and into a kiss. Sure, she was haphazardly making her way through this experience, but she wasn't exactly doing a bad job herself. Han, to whom the concept of skin-on-skin contact was still pretty much novel, seemed to respond well enough to her efforts.
When she started nibbling on his lip, he sucked in a breath as the tiny, almost unreadable pricks jolted through him. It had sort of faded out around halfway through, but all of a sudden, Han was made aware again of the river water flowing past them, just deep enough for Han's waist to sit comfortably below the water.
Yun's pressure against his mouth intensified, and when she pulled away to speak, he opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity of having them closed. He looked just about ready to answer her question, when his eyeballs slowly started to roll downwards. "Uh..." He said, eyes shooting back up to her face like soldiers caught sleeping on duty. "I guess getting off this rocky riverbed would be nice."
Yun caught the way he looked down at her breasts, and the way he quickly looked back up, and her blush returned full force. ERK! Too much?! Had she gone too far? Did he not like them? Wait! Was this like...the first time he'd ever seen a woman's breasts? Oh Inima, what if it looked totally bizarre to him?!
Questions flooded through her mind (over thinking it, clearly!) and, insecure again, she grabbed up her bindings and held them to her chest. She swallowed back the rush of nerves.
"Y-yeah! Probably!" she agreed, feeling warm from Han's touches and her own embarrassment. She climbed off of his lap to give him space, biting her bottom lip.
"Er...should I, um...is this okay or should I, er, put this back on or...?"
Han, in his temporary moment of bewbs-induced distraction, could not (for the life of him!) figure out what he had done wrong. When she stood up off of his lap, he looked slightly confused, before he realized they were actually moving! Wait, no, he had suggested they move. Why was that so surprising to him then?
"Wait, what? No, don't put it back on, It's perfectly alright with me. No problems here." He said as he stood up out of the water, placing his hands on her hips. "That was my fault back there, I...I kind of panicked, I didn't know what to do at first, it's...It's all right."
Gods above, he really did just say that, didn't he?
Yun looked at Han, stopping when he stalled her, still covering her chest with the cloth as her face went through a gradient of expressions, from mortification to confusion to, finally, amusement. She listened to his babbling, eyebrows slowly rising, lips twitching.
He...panicked?
She burst into laughter then, not mocking laughter, but relieved, joyful, genuinely amused laughter. Raising a hand to her eyes, she wiped away tears of amusement and grinned up at Han. For some reason, his own awkward bumbling made her feel infinitely better about the situation. At least they were on even ground here, in that sense.
"Ya don't gotta panic. They ain't gonna bite ya," she said, and with a deep breath, she pulled the cloth away again.
Han looked at her as she laughed, a dumbfounded and confused look on his face. Finally, he caught on, and started laughing with her, resting his head on her shoulder. He started to rub her hips, and he brought his mouth up from her shoulder and back to her neck, trying to get his rhythm back. The hand that he would've used for her back slowly started testing the waters around her chest.
"I think here's good..." he murmured, and started lowering them down onto the soft grass
Yun settled down on the grass next to Han, leaning into his kisses and sliding her own hands along his slick, wet skin. It didn't take long for the fire to rekindle--neck kisses, as it turned out, really were a turn on for her!--but she still sucked in a surprised breath when she felt his hand move to her chest. He seemed uncertain about it, though, so in another bold move, Yun took his hand in hers and brought it to around to cup her small breast, her hand covering his. And then she smirked a little, still amused at the idea that he'd never really seen boobs before!
"Like I said," she murmured, a little breathless, and he could likely feel her heart beating fast beneath his hand, "they ain't gonna bite ya."
"Shush, I know that!" Han said into her neck, and sure enough, his hand started to move on her breast. He didn't want to admit this was the first time he'd seen a woman's breasts, even though this fact was as clear as day, but it's not like he didn't know what breasts were. He had an idea, animals had the same things.
After he'd gotten comfortable, he started to get more daring, lightly rubbing the top of her nipple with his thumb. The hand he kept on her thigh also resumed its motions, but this time it was more daring, slipping deeper into her inner thigh than it had ever gone before.
He brought his head up out of her neck and kissed her mouth, releasing a heated breath through his nose.
Yun started to laugh again, a nervous sound, but it was cut off when his hand began to move. Her nipple hardened beneath his thumb and she bit her lip to hold in a shaky breath, her hands tightening on him. It wasn't an intense kind of pleasure; it was subtle, but made sweet by the fact that he was doing things no one else had done, and that sent a thrill through her that had heat pooling between her legs. And it was made even worse as his other hand slipped between her legs, and this time, though she tensed with nerves, she didn't try to block him.
"Han..." She reached up to cup his face between her hands as she kissed him, her heart racing and belly fluttering with nerves. Nervousness warred with the new sensations he dragged up inside her, and with her own building need, but she turned toward him more and then pulled him down over her as she stretched out onto her back, the grass poking at her bare skin though she ignored that.
Between kisses she asked, "Are we...are we gonna...um...are ya okay with this?"
Han stopped, opening his eyes to look at Yun when she said his name. It was intoxication, feeling her skin against his, his lips on hers. It was something completely alien to him, yet...familiar. Natural. He was aware of her state, relishing every shudder. Why was all of this coming to him? Why was it so easy?
And then, Yun was on her back, and Han was on top of her. His nerves started acting up again, and he just wanted to freeze up, but he didn't. He kept his head this time. He lightly squeezed her nipple between his thumb and middle fingers
In response to her question, he kissed her again, pulling away only to speak. "Only if you are," he whispered, before returning to her neck. After a few moments, however, he got an idea, and his mouth moved down to her chest, and he hesitated for a second before he kissed her other breast, right on the nipple.
That got more of a reaction out of Yun, when Han lightly squeezed her nipple. She sucked in a sharp breath and had to bite her lip to hold back a whimper, and then his mouth was on her again, on her neck and moving lower, and her hands slid down his back and under the band of his smallclothes as she arched against his mouth. His lips found her breast and she shuddered, clinging tighter to him all the more.
"I--" She squirmed, unable to keep still beneath him but not quite sure what to do with all those new sensations, or even what she should really be doing with her hands. She sucked in another breath and fought hard to keep it from coming out a moan.
"I'm okay with this. Definitely," she breathed. "For someone who's never seen 'em, ya sure know how to--how to handle 'em."
Han chuckled lightly. "This right here-" He paused to kiss her breast again. "-Is me going out on a limb."
He continued to use his mouth on her breast, tensing up when her finger slipped under the band of his smallclothes. Oh, this was it, wasn't it? The hand on her thigh moved up, edging around the band of her smallclothes, even slipping under it and tugging lightly at them.
Suddenly, Han shifted his weight, and they flipped over. Yun would end up on top of him, and Han brought her down so he could continue.
The sudden change in positions made Yun gasp and, before she knew it, Han was beneath her and she was sprawled on top of him. She reached behind herself briefly to brush off the grass and leaves that were sticking to her skin, making a face--doing this in the grass probably wasn't ideal!--and then she lifted and adjusted herself so she wasn't awkwardly crushing him.
Throwing one leg over him, she straddled his hips and leaned down into him, capturing her mouth with his--and then her breath hitched again when she lowered her hips and felt something prodding between her legs, their smallclothes still separating them. Was that...Han? Her face heated, but that wasn't the only thing that grew hotter as, experimentally, she lightly rocked her hips to grind against him, and a full-body shudder went through her when his cock rubbed against her clit through the rough, wet fabric of their clothes. This time she did whimper, a needy sound as she did it again, slowly building the heat and hoping that felt good for him, too.
Han exhaled sharply through his nose, and his face (which had been a constant shade of red) actually managed to flush into a brighter shade. Had they just touched? Gods, they did! But it didn't stop there, oh no.
She started to rub herself against him, and Han glanced downwards, his grip on Yun tightening, as he laid there, slightly stunned by this new stimulus. It brought attention to just how tense he was down there. Seeing no other outlet for this energy that was building up inside of him, Han's hands went directly for Yun's ass, helping her aim her grinding as his kissing only intensified.
Yun was soon panting against him as he helped her move, her heart racing as she made small, muffled sounds against his mouth. They hadn't even gone all the way and already she could see what all the fuss was about, if it felt this good with their clothes still--mostly!--on. It was hard work, though, as she had to use muscles she wasn't used to using in this way, and move in ways she didn't normally move, and even for someone athletic like her, it soon became a bit tiring as her thighs started to burn--
And as the fabric started to chafe.
Breathing heavily, she came to a stop even though her body ached for more, the burning need within her hardly satisfied. She kissed Han again and pressed her forehead against his, her face flushed from exertion. "Sorry," she got out between breaths. "It just, um, started gettin' a little uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable?" Han asked, lips reaching out for a kiss out of reflex. It was then he'd noticed that she stopped, and he blinked a few times. Idly, he rubbed his hands up and down her thighs, slowly. "Well...maybe we could, uh...take the bottoms off, and...find a position that's more comfortable?" Han asked, and found himself glancing towards the river again.
If they got into the deeper waters, he bet moving around would be a lot easier.
"Oh, I mean--I just meant it was uh, gettin' kinda raw," Yun said, flushing. "From the--yeah."
She paused a moment, hesitating, and after another pause she tugged the knot that kept her bottoms on loose while she was still riding the high of pleasure, before she could lose her nerve. She shifted and fumbled a little to slip her other leg out of them, and then tossed them aside so they could join her chest wrap. Then she peered down at Han, finally naked, and took a deep breath.
"Welp. That takes care of that," she said, and again hesitated. She'd been naked in front of plenty of people before, and was definitely no prude about that, but it was very different in this circumstance, considering what this was building up to. And so again she froze, not quite sure how to proceed, though her body definitely knew what it wanted as a thrill went through her at the thought.
As Yun begun to strip off the remaining piece of her smallclothes, Han watched, and when she was done, he sat there for a few moments, just looking at her. Then, he realized it was his turn, and his eyes went wide as he realized what he needed to do. "My turn, I guess," He said with a smile.
Fighting past his nerves, he sat up to kiss Yun as she straddled him, moving is hands downwards so he could slip himself out of his own smallclothes.
After a few seconds that felt like hours, his smallclothes were off, and his already erect member (which was of considerably above average size) came to rest against her womanhood, pulsating eagerly. Han pulled away from her, his eyes looking into hers.
Mouth locked against Han's, Yun kissed him fiercely as he stripped, leaning down to stroke his face with her hands--and then she gasped against his mouth when she felt him press against her sex. Her heart skipped a beat, nerves mixing with excitement, and she looked back down at Han. Experimentally, she rocked her hips, letting him glide between her folds without entering her, her breath catching every time he passed over her clit.
Inima...if it felt wonderful just like this, what would it be like with him inside her? Heat built between her legs and she bit her lip with need, wanting him, all of him, but still hedging. "...So, uh, how do we wanna...?" There she went, over thinking things again, but this was all new terrain! And maybe it was her Warrior training kicking in where it shouldn't, but she liked being prepared and liked having a plan of attack! Thank Inima they were both fumbling through this. She knew the logistics of this process--the eel slips into the cave and all that--but...
Han felt really big, which was a little worrisome to her.
"Like, should I be on top, or shouldja be on top, or...?" Did it even matter one way or the other?
Han winced with the sudden pleasure, breath going shaky as Yun slid up and down his length. If he wasn't completely distracted by the sudden sensations and urges that had come galloping in out of nowhere, he might've been a little bit more eloquent with his reply.
"Uh..."
Of course, he knew how this process worked. Again, he'd seen animals performing the act, but for obvious reasons, that knowledge wasn't too applicable. But from the haze of confusion and desire, came an answer. "I think you on top, with me sitting up like this is all right for now, I think..."
He paused to lay his head against her collarbone, planting kisses as he made his way up to her neck. He pushed lightly against her, testing the entrance and teasing her with the prospect of entering. His hands stopped being idle, and they returned to work, this time on her thighs and ass. "We can always...switch if... that doesn't work out," He said, his words punctuated by the kisses he was giving her.
Yun nodded at that as she leaned into his kisses, very glad she wasn't the only one here that was all...ineloquent. But it was hard to make words when she just wanted to let her body do the talking, and it was hard to focus on much else with his lips on her neck and his cock sliding against her.
"Works for me," she said between panted breaths before, glancing down between them, she reached down and guided his cock until it was seated at her entrance. Then, feeling nervous and insecure again, she captured his mouth with her own and kissed him hard, eyes closed, as she started to press down against him.
She didn't get very far.
"Oh! Ow..." she said against his mouth, stopping before she'd even gotten the head inside her. She lifted up off of him again, wincing, and flashed Han an apologetic look. "Uh...hold on..."
She tried again, but once again had to stop. "Oh...jeez."
Han sucked in a breath of anticipation, tensing up as Yun lowered herself onto him and practically joined their faces with a heated kiss. Her hand felt so hot against his member as her fingers guided it into place. He felt her pussy pushing into his cock, and he sucked in even more air, this time through his nose.
Then, she stopped, and Han opened a single eye, releasing some air through his nose. "What's..." He paused when she tried again, grip on her thighs tightening. "...Wrong?"
"Sorry!" Yun said, flustered as she hesitated, and a little frustrated. Sure they'd had their hiccups, fumbling along, but really? "I'm trying, but it just, it kinda hurts."
"Is it supposed to?" He asked, still kissing her neck so the fire wouldn't go out again. He started moving his own hips, rubbing against her while she paused. "What if I tried? I think this is like one of those things that someone else has to do for you. It makes sense, actually..."
"Um, I dunno, maybe? One of my friends mentioned it sorta did for her, but the others didn't say nothin' about that," Yun said, starting to grow worried she was doing it wrong, or something was wrong with her. "Ya ain't no small thing, either. Uh. But yeah. Maybe. Ya can try, just go easy, alright?"
"Alright. Here I go," Han whispered into her neck, and reached down to orient himself for entry, rubbing his tip against her entrance a few times. Then, as he started to push in, he leaned in to softly kiss her, trying to keep her mind off the pain. His arms wrapped around her, weighing her down on top of him.
Yun was tense with nerves, and that tension didn't help here, nor had it let her get fully aroused. The false starts, over-thinking, and neither of them really knowing what they were doing certainly didn't help! Yun's grip tightened around Han's neck and she bit down on his lip when he began to push inside, her breath catching and then holding when she began to stretch around him, but then she had to break the kiss and tense her legs to keep from going any further with just the head inside.
"Ah, ow, okay!" she gasped, grimacing. "Is it in yet?! Inima, babies are supposed to come outta there!"
Han's breathing was accelerated as he pushed in and started to feel her around him. Gods, it was so tight! Even he was starting to have doubts. Was he too big? All these thoughts raced through his head, and continued until she stopped him. He looked at her, and then looked down.
"Just the tip, the rest is still out..." He said, looking back up at her. He pushed slightly, making no progress but surely stimulating her. "We need to keep going."
He started to push in again, and he brought his mouth to her breasts, licking, sucking, and kissing to try and dull her pain.
"That's it?" Yun breathed, because to her it felt an awful lot more of him than that! But then his mouth was on her breasts and he was pushing in again, and she tightened her grip on him, nails digging into his shoulders, and buried her face against his hair to muffle her whimper as her body adjusted to accommodate him.
But, blessedly, it didn't really get much worse after that initial penetration, though the pain was still sharp and stinging and unpleasant, and though his lips gave her something else to focus on, it didn't dull what was going on between her legs. But he was already inside her, so though part of her wanted to stop, the other reasoned that she should just get it over with at this point, so she held her breath and started to help him, slowly lowering onto him.
(Ah, the wonders of having plans that start late)
"Yeah, that's it," Han repeated, a little breathlessly. He couldn't help but to worry, Yun sounded like she was really hurting! But he resolved to continue. If they stopped now, all of this build up would have been for nothing, not to mention just stopping and going on with their day would cause them to reach a whole new level of awkwardness, the kind of awkwardness spoken about in legends.
As if she was reading his mind, she started lowering herself further onto him, and Han pushed in deeper in response. The sheer amounts of pleasure he was experiencing was playing hell on him, and he was finding it exceedingly harder to focus the deeper he went in. He just wanted to push himself all the way in, but he worried for Yun, and kept himself from acting on that desire.
It was a slow, arduous process for Yun, and she had to stop a couple times, but finally she reached the end when she came to sit completely in Han's lap, their bodies pressed flush together and his cock as deep as it would go. She slumped against him, her sweaty face pressed against his shoulder, and took in a few deep breaths, not really wanting to move now that she'd gotten there. He felt impossibly large to her, and her body ached, and this wasn't turning out at all how she'd imagined!
For Han, the process was definitely not as painful, but it was still stressful. He was sweaty, she was sweaty, and it pained him to see her like this. Yet, he had a feeling this was how it was supposed to be. Well, the first time, anyways.
Still, something sparked inside of him, and he took her face up in one of his hands. Han kissed her again, and he started to move back and forth. He only moved an inch backwards before going forwards again.
"Yun, is...am I...your first?"
"Y-yeah," Yun answered between hitched breaths as he started to move, and pressed a hard kiss to his mouth to mask her wince. She didn't want to be the wet blanket here, especially when they'd gotten this far! And despite the discomfort, there was something awe-inspiring and incredibly intimate about being connected to another person like this.
She sucked in another sharp breath, clutching him tighter. "Ain't it obvious? I...a-ah...I'd be a lot less dumb about this, otherwise!"
"Well, I-hah...It could...always be your second..." He said, and a breathless chuckle escaped him.
Well, that was pretty much a waste of breath
After a few moments, he noticed that his movements weren't really bothering her as much as he thought they would've, so he started moving more of his length in and out of her.
"I...I love you, Yun..."
Yun let out another hissed breath as he began to move more and buried her face against his shoulder, mouth pressed against his skin to muffle the small, pained cries he was drawing out of her. Inima, why on earth did people do this?! Well. Because it was supposed to feel good, obviously. Her one friend who'd had a rough first experience had mentioned it got much, much better with practice.
Her breath came fast, her body tense and tight around Han's, and while she couldn't say it felt good, it didn't feel as awful as before. Now she just felt stretched and sore and kind of chafed, and there was a lot of movement going on inside her which felt strange and new. She supposed they would, indeed, need a lot more practice, though it had felt good before he'd entered her, which seemed strange to her. But they would have time to figure it out. Right then, she just couldn't help but wonder how long this part would last.
Her hips jerked as Han thrust, her thighs pressing against him tighter, and she bit down on his shoulder to muffle her sounds as she clung to him harder. She heard his words, but right then she couldn't answer.
Han didn't seem all that comfortable as well, but he was leagues more comfortable than Yun was at this point. He felt constricted inside of her, as every movement brought equal amounts of discomfort and pleasure. Han didn't really know what his limits were, sexually. All this time in the forest alone, sure, he'd gotten
lonely at points and, well...
...but that was different!
Yun bit down on his shoulder, and he released a small gasp, but he didn't stop. In fact, he actually got bolder. He slipped a hand down to her sex, in order to help whichever way he could. He lightly rubbed the top of it, hoping that would bring her some pleasure.
--------------------------------
In the aether, something stirred. Something that had gone to sleep, and had left them alone for a good while now, satisfied with his experiment's progress. Kruz'Iik sensed something tumultuous in their minds, and soon, he'd be awake to observe their progress, and make interventions if necessary.
Yun let out a sudden, small gasp when she felt Han reach between her legs, and she couldn't help but rock her hips forward against his hand when his fingers brushed her clit. It was such a light, simple touch, but it brought with it a jolt of pleasure. Not enough to forget the discomfort, especially when the motion made him slide within her, but enough to remind her there was more to it than just pain.
She squirmed a little, gripping him tighter, and rocked against him again, hoping to encourage him to keep touching her there. "That...that feels kinda good," she breathed, her body and mind a little confused, trying to make sense of the mixed and very opposite sensations.
Yun started to rock against him, and Han looked at her a bit quizzically.
"Does it?" He asked, looking down to get a better view of what he was doing. Gods, the mere sight of him inside of her sent shudders down his spine. He was rather big, wasn't he? At least, compared to her?
He looked for whatever he could've brushed against down there that might've stimulated her so. There was a little bump, was that it?
He started to touch her there again, this time lending more attention to her clit.
"A-ah!" Surprised, Yun bucked a little, her breath coming out in a shuddering whoosh. Oh, now that was nice, making her shiver and tremble lightly, and making it a little hard for her to keep still. She pressed her face against Han's neck, her breath puffing out hotly against his skin. And this time, when she whimpered, it wasn't a whimper of pain. "Y-yeah, that. R-right there."
It was still uncomfortable, having him inside her, but as he stroked her and began to build up the pleasure between her legs, she also started to relax a little. With something else to focus on, some of the tension eased out of her muscles--including the ones gripping Han's cock. That alone made a big difference, for she had been so bunched up with nerves and the anticipation of pain that it had, ironically, only made it all the more uncomfortable.
But as she relaxed a little more, and moved her hips against his hand, she found it was getting a little easier.
Oh Han, you genius!
Han didn't really know what he'd found down there, but whatever it was, it was a gold mine. Yun seemed to love it to no end, and she pressed herself to him. His confidence returning to him, Han started kissing Yun's neck again. He even licked it a few times.
"Oh, you mean...Right. Here?" He asked her, laughing a little as he gave her clit a little squeeze between his fingers, before he resumed rubbing it with his thumb.
As Yun loosened up a bit for him, Han found conditions for himself much better. Now that she was loosened a bit, he was starting to feel proper pleasure, and he sped up a bit more, and started moving more of himself (almost half of his length, now!) in and out of her.
Yun couldn't answer his question with words, finding it hard to speak, but she certainly did answer with her body. She let out a muffled cry against his neck, surprised by the intensity of pleasure, and when he began to move within her more, she winced, but didn't try to flinch away from him. Her breath grew quicker, turning into breathless pants, and she even started to rock her hips, though she wasn't quite sure what she was doing, as it wasn't a motion that came naturally to her, so her timing was off.
The discomfort was growing more bearable, though, a thing that existed in the back of her mind that his magical fingers were making her ignore, if not forget, and with pleasure dulling the edge of the pain, she could start to focus on other sensations as well, like the feeling of him moving inside her. It was likely getting easier for him, as well, as arousal made her wetter--which eased away more of that uncomfortable friction for her, too.
Without even realizing it, Han lowered the hand that was supporting her back down to one of her cheeks, and he squeezed it as he used the leverage to help guide her movements. He grunted, biting his lip. "Yun, you're starting feel so good...Keep moving..." He muttered, kissing her just below her ear, since her mouth was buried into his neck.
The easier it got for Han, the faster he went. He knew that with Yun becoming looser and slicker at this rate, they'd be in full swing real soon.
Yun's breath caught when Han squeezed her ass and started to help her move, which definitely helped her figure out the right rhythm. She moved as he guided her, grateful she didn't have to flounder so much, as her breath started coming out in sharp gasps and muffled moans. The more Han moved, the better it began to feel, until the sensation of him thrusting inside her went from very uncomfortable, to slightly uncomfortable, to...actually feeling good.
Her mind was still racing, though, thinking about too many things at once, and likely over-thinking things still, as her body was assaulted with so many new and different sensations. Pleasure, pain, the burning in her thighs as she moved in a new way, Han's lips on her neck, his cock filling her, what this meant for them...
She let out a whimper, rocking her hips and leaning further into him, and let out another sharp gasp when the slightly new angle had him hitting her just the right way while his fingers worked on her. She shuddered, nails digging into him.
"Y...you are, too," she got out between pants. "I think--nnh. I think we're, ah, we're gonna have to switch soon, though."
"Sw--hah...switch?" Han looked puzzled, almost a little shocked, before his mind started functioning again. "Oh, thaht switch. Yeah, let's..."
Poor Han, he didn't really know what to think. Unlike Yun, Han seemed to be programmed, and he just noticed that he hadn't really given the gravity of the situation much thought, but...Gods! Everything was so new and strange, and the city would be so new and strange and, and...the thoughts slowly faded away again.
He gradually slowed down until, leaving himself inside of her. He'd just stopped, yet he wanted to start moving again, he didn't want this moment to leave them!
Moving himself forwards, Yun would end up on her back, and Han brought himself down to kiss her properly as he started to move again, with more power than before.
On her back then, Yun could finally give her legs a rest, and she clung to Han tightly as she wrapped her legs around his waist and locked them at the ankles. The position left her feeling a little vulnerable, and certainly not as in control as before, but all this moving and new sensations was exhausting so it was nice to let Han do the work!
Kissing him fiercely, her arms around his shoulders, she moaned into his mouth as he moved against her, more powerfully than before, but her muffled cries were no longer ones of pain. She tried to bite them back, though, not wanting him to think he was still hurting her--and also a little embarrassed by them and just not wanting to be loud! She gripped at his hair, breaking the kiss only so she could suck in air, and digging her nails into his back as she panted and bit her lip to hold in her cries.
Inima. So this was why people did this...
Han couldn't really tell why, but the pain spurred him, a bit like a horse. Oh, he wasn't going to lie, Yun was hurting him with those, but it actually felt...good? It let him know he was doing a good job, at least. Still...
"Yun...your, ngh...your nails..."
Why was she still moaning and whimpering? Was he still hurting her? Breaking their kiss, Han straightened up, adjusting Yun's rear so it'd collide with him more comfortable, and he slid his hands up her body towards her breasts, which he started to squeeze and play with again.
"Does...Does it still hurt? It sounds like...it."
"O-oh! Sorry!" Yun gasped, and loosened her grip on him so her fingers were pressing into him instead of her nails. She gripped him just as tightly though, holding on for dear life, but his question drew her back out and she blinked blankly for a moment before she registered his words.
"W...wha?" Oh! Yun's face, which was already flushed from passion and exertion, flushed a deeper shade and she clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle another whimper when he started to play with her breasts. Not risking opening her mouth just yet, she shook her head, and sucked in another breath through her nose.
"N-no. Barely nothin' now. Th-that ain't--mmh!" She bit her knuckle, eyes clenched shut. "That ain't pain."
Well, that was a relief. Han could breathe easier now, knowing that Yun was feeling the same feeling as him. That's what she was feeling, right? Or was it suppose to be different? Shaking these thoughts away, Han returned to the task at hand. Now that Yun's nails weren't constantly digging into him, Han seemed to relax much more now, as the pain had him constantly tensed up.
Confident that Yun wasn't hurting anymore, Han sped up, and was now moving at a speed most would consider "normal" for sex. He was also moving more of himself than ever before now, most of his length now moving in and out of her.
It was then, that Han started to feel something build up inside him. It was subtle, yet...he felt like he was starting to build up pressure.
More soft sounds escaped Yun, more muffled moans and whimpers as she held them back and kept her mouth covered. She found herself holding her breath at points to better keep silent, and came back up panting. She wasn't a very loud partner, too concerned with what animals (or maybe even other people!) noise might attract in the jungle, but her enjoyment was obvious in the way she clutched at Han, and squirmed beneath him, and the trembles going through her, and the way her breath hitched and shuddered.
And Han was moving faster and deeper, stroking new parts of her, and she held him tighter and squeezed him with her thighs, gasping. This felt wonderful, and though she wasn't feeling the building pressure Han was, she was certainly feeling pleasure the likes of which she'd never experienced before.
"Yun..." Han started, interrupted by a pant. He was starting to sweat from the effort, and even Han, who'd grown up climbing tree, crawling through underbrush, and squat walking through bushes, and for whom these motions and positions weren't completely alien, was starting to burn.
"It's okay to make n-noise...Yun..."
He pulled her up even closer to him, Han shuddering as he reached new depths with this angle. His hands left her breasts, and he placed them on either side of her head as he brought his torso down parallel with hers.
"I want to hear you..." He said, kissing her.
"Wha? Really?" Yun gasped against his mouth, her face flushing a hotter shade of crimson. He wanted to hear her?! Making those sounds?
"Nooo, i-it's--a-ah! It's embarrassin'." And even as she said it, she realized how ridiculous that sounded, to say something was embarrassing when she was buck naked in the middle of the jungle with Han thrusting between her spread legs. Her face burned redder, yet, strangely, the realization only excited her more, the forbidden factor of it all. Because technically, she shouldn't be doing this at all...
She gripped Han by the hair then and kissed him hard, and experimentally bucked her hips up into him when he thrust, sucking in another sharp breath to repress another moan at the sensation that caused. "W...what if somethin'--nnh! What if somethin' hears? Like a-ah! Like a...a bear or somethin'?"
Han fiercely kissed Yun in return, visibly shuddering every time she'd buck her hips against him. He laughed a little bit, and broke away from their kiss, only millimeters and a string of saliva separating their mouths.
"Embarra...ssing?" He repeated, and gave her a short kiss. For a moment, he rested his forehead on hers, and he had a nice, upside-down view of his cock going in and out of her. He reddened at the sight, mostly because he'd somehow let their actual actions fade away from him, wrapped up in the sensations of it all.
"We don't--Oh Gods, we don't need to worry...Animals don't like me. It's the magic..."
After that, he got back to pressing his lips against Yun's, and in a bold move, introduced his tongue to her mouth, trying to feel as much as possible.
...Huh. Come to think of it, Yun hadn't seen many animals since they'd started traveling.
But still! Some part of her found the idea very embarrassing, nonetheless! She wasn't completely ignorant; the quarters she shared with the other trainees didn't leave much room for privacy, and sometimes the girls sneaked in boys, or had fun with each other. She'd heard plenty! Han wanted to hear that?
Either way, it looked like he might get his wish, because Inima, it was getting more and more difficult to keep it inside!
She made a muffled sound of surprise as his tongue slipped into her mouth, but a second later and she sucked lightly on it, and stroked it with her own, so caught up in the heat of the moment that it just felt natural. She nibbled at his bottom lip and slid her hands down to grip his ass, urging him to move as she rocked her hips up against his, and as a subtle pressure began to build up inside her, a tingling warmth that spread from her groin clear to her toes with each powerful stroke of his cock, each press of his pelvis against her clit. She whimpered, and this time she tried not to repress it, and didn't repress the sharp little cry that followed.
"Oh...oh Inima, y-ya feel...ya feel really good now," she panted, and, feeling daring with the pain forgotten, added, "Ya...don't gotta be so careful now..."
Han's eyes shot open when Yun gripped his ass, a surprised mmph! escaping into her mouth. Well then... Han certainly knew what Yun meant about the whole ass grabbing incident now! Yet, he didn't recoil from it.
"Ya...don't gotta be so careful now..."
Han huffed some air out of his nose, and like the mighty jungle boy super awesome wizard Maoin he was, he began to really use his power, no longer holding himself back. He pushed himself deeper and faster, moving more of himself. There was something building up inside of him as well. Pressure, like something inside of him was fighting to get out.
"Yun..." He said, intoxicated with her kisses.
[His title gets longer and longer... xD]
The sudden shift to full tilt made Yun cry out, loud and unrestrained, before she could even think to try to stifle it. It surprised her and she clutched him tighter, her mouth falling open and head tilting back as yelping cries and moans escaped her, and she no longer even cared that she was being loud, hardly even realized she was doing it, because dear Inima, all she could focus on was the amazing, primal rush of sensation. She clawed lightly at his back and kissed his lips, his neck, his shoulder, whatever parts of him her mouth could reach, tasting sweat and salt but not caring, because he tasted sweet to her. She nipped at his ear, panting hotly against him.
They may have had a rough start, but they had certainly found their stride!
"O-oh goddess! Han!" she cried out, shifting her legs higher up on his back and gasping as the slight adjustment had him going deeper. Her thighs were getting bruised from his hip bones, but she hardly cared and hardly noticed, because whatever he was doing, he was stoking a growing fire deep within her, making her tremble and tense as it built.
[The Most Interesting Jungle Boy in The World]
"Yun!"
Her cries were sweet to him, each one an affirmation that he was doing everything right. Each little whimper, every time she tightened up against him, it spurred him. To think that an eternity ago, Han was reluctant to even go near her, let alone touch her!
He felt her legs shifting higher up his back, and he leaned backwards for a moment. He looped his arms beneath her knees, and came back down, maximizing how deep he could go. When he came back down, he found himself returning his mouth to her breasts, eagerly licking and kissing Yun's perspiration off of them.
Han adjusted them again, arms under her legs as he brought them up higher, and Yun was limber enough that the position was comfortable for her--
Though "comfortable" was probably the wrong word.
Yun let out a sound that was part squeal, part moan, and writhed beneath him, panting and breathless as she clawed helplessly at his shoulders and arched against him. If she had been afraid of being noisy before, that was a thing of the distant past. She cried out freely now, unable to help it as that adjustment had him reaching new depths and stroking her at just the right angle, and the pleasure was so intense she could do little but squirm as though trying to get away, though she would have killed him if he'd stopped!
"Oh gods!" she moaned, slipping into blasphemies as she called out to gods she didn't even worship, but Inima could suck it, and wasn't she doing Inima's work now, anyway? She thrust her hands into his hair as his mouth found her breasts, lips parted as she cried out to the sky. "H-Han! Han, don't stop, Inima help me, stay right there!"
And then the fire Han had been so busily stoking sparked and washed over her, and she cried out and clung to him tighter as her body trembled and sex tightened around him, leaving her utterly breathless and filled with warmth and unbelievable pleasure.
Voice muffled, Han pressed his mouth on top of one of her nipples as she seemed to reach a fever pitch. Even though Han had been bottling up his moans, this new angle brought them crawling out of his mouth, and they mixed with Yun's. Their voices pressed together and all mixed into one, just like them. Yun was clawing him again, but Han didn't care. No amount of pain could make him care at this point.
Suddenly, Yun tightened around him, and as her climax came crashing into her like a runaway carriage, so did Han's. For a brief moment, his puppet master took up the strings, and pulled him out, and Han's cock came to rest on Yun's pelvis, spurting out its glistening white contents onto her abdomen.
"O-oh..."
Breathing heavily, still all shivery and sensitive from her climax, Yun flushed red and stared down at the cooling mess on her belly. She'd felt him pull out, and had glanced down just in time to see what he was doing, and even if she hadn't seen it, she certainly would have felt that! Then she looked up at Han, blinked, and flopped back down with a light laugh.
"Wow. I didn't, uh...I didn't know it did that..." she murmured with a grin, pushing her hair back from her sweaty face. She felt heavy and sated and exhausted and wonderful, and though she also felt sore, especially between her legs...Inima...
That was amazing.
Han blinked a few times. He didn't know how it was possible to feel so drained yet so amazing at the same time, but he supposed nature had found a way. As the pleasure receded, he suddenly became aware of his body again. Aware of how sore he was going to be.
Glancing down at the spattering on Yun's belly, he chuckled. "Me neither... I wonder what it is..." He said breathlessly. Looking down at Yun, he suddenly smiled wildly. "You should try some," He chuckled jokingly.
Han flopped down besides her, staring up at the canopy. He wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her a bit closer to him.
"You wanna know something awesome? We've got two more days before we hit the city. Two more days to work out the kinks..."
"Wha? Yeah, sure! You first!" Yun laughed, and curled into Han as he wrapped an arm around her. With the pleasure receding, she was starting to feel the ache in her muscles and just how sticky she felt, and that her back must have a nice imprint of all the pebbles and grass in the ground, but she still couldn't be bothered to care just yet. They were close to the river, at least. That would make clean up easy.
Resting her head on his chest, she closed her eyes. "Mm, yeah, that sounds awesome by me," she agreed, draping her arm over his belly. "I'd say we did pretty good. Rough start, sure. But damn, what an endin', eh?"
She looked up at him, suddenly curious. "I dunno how ya did it, but seriously. Right at the end there, it felt like...like everything just built up and came crashin' down in just this intense wave. Like I felt it in my bloody toes! Everything felt great, once we got goin', but that was just...just so..." She didn't have words for it. "Was it like that for you, too?"
"What an ending..." Han repeated, resting his chin on Yun's head. He listened to her question, and nodded.
"Kind of. I mean, we've got different parts, so I'm sure it felt different for the both of us, but it was kinda like what you just said. Except it was less...all over, I think. More centered around the epicenter, you know what I mean. I felt really limp, too. Like I could just fall over backwards and die afterwards. I'm pretty sure I had to teach myself how to talk all over again."
"Really?" Yun laughed at that and kissed his shoulder. "That doesn't sound too fun, feelin' like you could die! I feel pretty great, myself."
She flashed him a cheeky grin. "Could probably go run a mile. Well. If my legs weren't so damned sore. And, uh...other things."
"Well, not die die! Like, drop dead asleep die. But yeah, I feel great. Greatest I've ever felt in my life."
He kissed the top of her head, and used a hand to lift her face up so he could gently kiss her lips.
"You'd best get unsore quick. We've still got a city to walk to!"
Reminded of the long trek ahead, Yun groaned against Han's lips. "Can't I just lay here for like the next few days?" she said, and dropped her head back down against his chest with a dramatic sigh.
"Besides, the soreness's your fault."
"My fault?" Han asked, and stretched his neck. "Is this jungle boy too mighty for you?" He teased. He gently moved her head off of his chest, and sat up with a groan. "We need to make it to the river, at least..."
"Tch! Hardly!" Yun laughed, and nipped his shoulder with her teeth. "Rawr! I think this city cat can handle ya."
Sitting up as well, she stretched and brushed leaves off her back, then rose to her feet slowly with a wince. Her legs wobbled a little, feeling all watery and weak, but she steadied herself and wrinkled her nose as she looked down at herself: all sweaty and dirty with Han's...release on her, and a little smear of blood on her thighs. She stared at that, blinking because it wasn't her moon time, and then shot Han a mock accusatory look.
"Jeez. Ya tried to break me, didn't ya? With that ol' battering ram of yours. Where the heck were ya hidin' that?"
Han stood up shortly aft Yun, having a bit of an easier time as she did, but still wobbly about in place for a few moments. "What?" He asked, not understanding her question at first. Then, his eyes trailed downwards. They shot wide open, and he gasped a little.
"Are...you okay?" He asked, looking down to his member to see that he had a smearing of blood in that area as well. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at her. "Well, my shorts are a bit baggy, so...I guess that's your answer."
"Tch, I'm fiiine. Like I said, kinda sore, but ain't no big deal," Yun said, stretching her arms over her head and popping her back. She grinned at him, noting his expression. "I'm just givin' ya a hard time, Han."
And hey, a little blood was nothing to her. She saw it every month!
Turning, she started to head for the river, her steps obviously a bit tentative. That had been one hell of a workout, that was for sure.
Han released a held breath, looking at Yun. "Jeez, don't scare me like that..." He muttered. He walked next to her, hand placed firmly on his back. Every time the ground was uneven, he'd stop, making sure he could navigate the terrain without pulling anything, and keep going.
"Oh, it's so close! But it's so far away at the same time!"
Yun laughed at that, reaching the river and starting to wade into it. "Aww, ya big baby! Don't tell me I wore ya out just from that!"
Han looked over at Yun, a mischievous glint in his eyes. As they both stepped into the water, he sighed as the cool liquid his his ankles. "Hey! I'm allowed to be sore too!" He said. "Besides, I was doing a lot of pushing at the end..."
Yun's cheeks darkened at that, and she promptly sank deeper into the water and started to wash away the remnants of their passion.
"Er. Point taken."
Han allowed himself to float onto his back, using his magic to keep him in place. Wait...
"Oh, I'm such a dummy, Yun! I totally forgot I had all this magic and stuff!"
He looked over to her.
"Imagine how much cooler it would've been!"
Yun tilted her head back to wet her hair. "What, gettin' clean? Sure, that's cool and all, but honestly, nothin' really beats a dip in the water."
"No, Yun. I know more magic than that..." Han said, mimicking a hurt tone. "Besides, I was talking about, you know, the whole mating thing. What's the name the city folk give it?"
Yun parted her hair from her eyes and looked at Han, eyebrows raised.
"Uh...ya mean sex?" she said slowly, and then added with a smirk. "Or fuckin'. That's the cruder word."
"Sex..."
Han rolled the word off his tongue, and he pursed his lips. "Bit of an odd word. I like the second version a bit better."
He looked to her, grinning. "In the jungle, we mate. Like the animals," He growled, baring his teeth playfully.
"Matin' sounds silly!" Yun snorted, splashing water at his face when he bared his teeth. "Dogs mate. Animals mate. We ain't animals. In the city, people have sex or fuck or make love. But lovemakin' just sounds silly to me. Way too corny."
"Lovemaking?" Han said with a confused look on his face. "Why would anyone need to make love? Wouldn't you be fuckin' if you're in love anyways?"
"Some people don't like usin' the dirty word so they use that instead! Plus, ya shouldn't say 'fuck' in polite company," Yun said with a nod.
"Good thing we ain't polite company."
Han laughed.
"Fuck fuck fuckitty fuckfuckfuck..." He said, and he floated himself a bit closer to Yun.
"Are we going to try something different next time? There's gotta be more ways to make the love than the two we tried out just now..."
Yun barked a laugh, slapping at the water. "Yeah, get it outta your system while ya can, jungle boy!" she said, and then blinked at his, head tilting.
Oh.
"Different...? Ya mean like, uh..." She motioned with her hand, fighting back another blush. Which felt so silly, all things considered! She wasn't normally blushy about shit, and was fine being naked around people, but being naked in this way was entirely new.
"Me on top, you on top...positions and all? Well, uh...yeah, I mean, why not?"
"What can I say, it's a funny word to sound off!" Han chortled, and the looked at Yun as she spoke. Was she still trying not to blush?
He reached out, and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"You know any? Positions, I mean. You're a flexible girl, you've got to know something..."
Pulled closer, Yun leaned against him, one arm around his shoulders.
"Well, yeah, but I ain't never done...this kinda stuff," she said, and lost the blush battle as her face heated, reminded of how close she was to him. "I guess...our imagination's the limit!"
And then she let out a snort and playfully bit his neck. "Could always do it like animals!" she joked.
Han shied away from her teeth, shuddering lightly.
"Good for us, then..." Han started, and he began playing with Yun's wet hair again. "I've got a pretty big...imagination."
"Oh?" Yun said, closing her eyes as Han played with her hair, for there was little in the world that felt better than that. Well. A few things. But it was wonderful nonetheless.
"Whatcha thinkin'?"
"Well, I haven't thought up of anything now, jeez..."
He looked up at the sky, and his eyes widened.
"Yun...Yun we totally need to get going!" He said, urgency in his voice.
"Oh! Crap!" Yun said with a jolt, having followed his gaze. She gave herself one last scrubbing before she pulled away from Han and waded back to the shore and came out trailing water.
"We probably lost what, an hour or so?" she asked as she wrung out her hair.
"Yeah, an hour at least!" Han replied, following after Yun. He rubbed his hands together, and they started glowing. "From the river, you can only see the sun around midday and the one or two hours near it, and it's freakin' gone now!"
Haphazardly, he gave both of them a magical drying down with his clean-beam, and started throwing his robe on.
Once she was dry, Yun started collecting her clothes from where she'd tossed them and yanking them back on. When she was dressed and her sandals laced, she twisted her hair and tied it back up into a bun.
"Aw, don't panic too much, Han! It just means we'll have to walk faster, that's all, and cut out some breaks," she said. "Besides, if we hadn't stopped, all that wouldn't have happened. That's worth it, don'tcha think?"
Han stopped himself, and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and placed his hands together, almost meditatively. He opened them, and he calmed down a bit.
"Okay. Yeah, you're right... More than worth the extra time we missed," He said as he strapped his giant pack back on, renewing the magic that kept it all from overburdening him.
"There! Much better!" Yun said, slapping Han on the back. "Now stretch those sore muscles and prepare to walk your ass off! And no whinin'. It was your idea, after all."
And she tossed him a teasing grin at that, one hand on her hip and the other lifting her own pack.
Han's heavy robe dulled the slap, but he got the intent. Releasing a couple breaths to pump himself up, he stretched his arms. "Okay, let's get going!" He called out, and looked over to a shallow sandbar going across the river. He began leading the way again, walking at an accelerated pace towards the sandbar.
Hefting her pack, Yun followed along, heading for the sandbar and keeping even with Han. Her muscles burned and ached, but she was good at blocking discomfort from her mind. She'd been on many long trips and hikes and been forced to challenge her body in sometimes uncomfortable ways, so this was nothing new to her! The reason for it, however, was.
"Y'okay, Han? Ya seem kinda nervous."
"Yeah, I'm a bit nervous..." He replied, and started easing his way across the sandbar.
"Just...thinking about the city and such. Are warriors allowed to have lovers?" He asked, glancing up the river.
"Whether they're officially allowed or not, it don't stop anyone. My friends sneaked lovers in all the time. We just put pillows over our heads and pretended not to know a thing."
Yun watched where she stepped, knowing that sandbars could sometimes be unstable, and followed along with Han.
"It ain't really that people aren't allowed, anyway. Nothin' like that. It's just, a lot of the time, the girl's already betrothed, y'know? They just ain't taken any vows yet, so nothin's official. So that can be sketchy, because it's kinda...cheatin', I guess. But havin' lovers and whatnot if ya ain't betrothed or anything? That's doin' Inima's will. So long as ya make babies."
Han nodded. Well, the nod was a courtesy, he'd understood very little of what Yun had just said, but he got the general meaning that it's okay, as long as you didn't take any vows. Whatever that meant.
"Who's this Inima you keep mentioning, anyways? She the queen or something?" Han asked.
Yun barked a laugh at that, tossing her head back. "The queen?! Inima, ya really have lived in a cave! No, no! She's the goddess. The goddess of rebirth and fertility and creation. She made everythin'! She's our true mother."
Still grinning, she added, "And we don't got a queen. We have a Maharani. Her name's Yiroa. Yiroa Ruan."
"Oh, that makes sense, I guess. Never really thought of it like that. Never had any need for gods out here. Just me, myself, and I," Han explained, glad to have reached the end of the sandbar. "So when people fuck, does Inima watch them and make sure they're doing a good job, or something? You seemed pretty concerned about that while we were fucking."
"...Wha...?"
Yun came to a stop at the end of the sandbar and stared at Han. Then she burst into raucous laughter that had her crumpling and sinking down into a crouch, her hands clutching at her side.
"N-no!" she choked out between fits of laughter. "I mean, sure, maybe! Ahahahaha! Inima's a goddess, She can watch what She wants! Maybe She was watchin' us have at it, but that ain't what I was worried about! Goddess! Thanks! I didn't wanna think about Her watchin' us doin' that!"
Han reddened up. Only now, he realized just how silly his question sounded.
"Well, if she was, and that's her thing, I bet she'd pretty glad we figured it out in the end," Han said, looking upwards. He waited for Yun to finish laughing.
"So, what's the difference between a Maha..." Han started. His tongue got all stumbled up on the word for a couple seconds.
"A mahawhatnow and a queen, anyways?"
Yun wiped tears from her eyes, still wheezing, when Han asked his next question.
And her laughter quickly died down at that because...
Huh.
She straightened back up again and brushed sand from her knees. "Um...I...I dunno, actually," she said, scratching her head. "Might be they're the same thing with different names?"
Han furrowed his eyebrows.
"Is she a big boss lady who tells everyone what to do?" He asked, scratching his head.
"She doesn't tell anyone what to do," Yun said with a laugh. "She's got rules you're supposed to follow, and holy women wrote Her words down centuries and centuries ago. But it's your choice whether ya listen or not, but ya should!"
[I just remembered, how's that Han/Yun art we talked about going? You decided to do it or not?]
Han bobbed his head side to side, frowning slightly.
"I guess there's some kind of difference, then. Is she really that old?" He asked, turning around so he could walk backwards and talk.
[I am gonna do it! 8D Once I can wrangle in my art block. |: ]
"She's older than anything!" Yun said, spreading her arms out wide. "Older than the oldest tree, older than the dirt itself, older than the stars. Ya can't put Her age in numbers, it's impossible! That's why ya should follow Her rules. She knows what She's talkin' about."
"Wow, that's..."
That's pretty damn old.
"...pretty incredible. Is she friends with Inima or something?"
[...*dies* WOW READING COMPREHENSION, WHERE DID IT GO. Just realized they were still talking about the Maharani, not Inima! *headdesk* XDDD]
"...Oh! Wait!" Something clicked in Yun's mind, and she burst out laughing again. "Oh, sorry! When ya said 'big boss lady', for some reason I thought ya meant Inima!"
Slapping her forehead, she shook her head. "Sorry, sorry! The Maharani, I ain't sure how old she is. I guess she's old. But, um..." She snickered. "Not that old! Goddess! If she heard me just now, I don't think she'd be too happy! She's kinda..."
Yun leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "Vain."
[Shh, it's okay child. It's okay...]
Han gave Yun a mocking look, and he smirked. "Did I rattle you around a bit too much back there?" Han asked, and gave Yun a nudge on the shoulder.
He glanced around.
"And why are you whispering? It's not like she can hear us. Can she?"
"Maybe a little," Yun said with a laugh, and cleared her throat.
"Anyhow, I'm whisperin' 'cause while there ain't no one around, ya never know! Besides, it ain't polite, talkin' about the Maharani like that. Plus it's like...supposed to be a big secret or somethin', that she goes to Flesh Sculptors and has work done."
She pressed a finger to her lips. "Never repeat that. Everyone knows, but we ain't supposed to."
Han placed a finger over his own lips.
"Gotcha," He said, and returned his eyes to where they were walking. Han couldn't control his curiosity, however.
"What's a Flesh Sculptor?"
"Damn. Ya really don't know anything! A Flesh Sculptor's what it sounds like! Someone that sculpts flesh. They can like...smooth out wrinkles, change the shape of your nose and other things. I've even heard stories about some that used their power to change their own faces, to take on other identities..."
Yun smiled and shook her head. "Most ain't that ominous, though. Mostly they just make people look good. Or patch up injuries, even deformities and scars."
"Oh. I had a feeling it was something like that..." He muttered.
"it's really not as weird or bad as it sounds," Yun said with a smile. "Most people use it for good things."
Han nodded.
"Name could be better. Pretty ominous sounding."
Han fell quiet. it looked like he was finished with questions, and he was back to travel mode. Walking and talking would only cause him to slip on something, eventually.
After a few moments, Yun fell quiet, too, and reserved her energy for walking briskly. They had an hour to make up, at least, and while Yun couldn't remember when Han said they would hit the spirit part of their journey, she remembered that timing was critical, and delays would mean hitting it at a time she wouldn't like.
Some time had passed, and a few breaks had been skipped, before Yun finally spoke up. "How are we doin' on time?"
Han was worried about the spirit woods. He didn't really consider it when he urged the both of them onwards. He didn't remember where they were, at least not exactly.
"It's gonna be dark pretty soon," Han said. "But we're making good time."
"Are we, uh...are we near the woods yet?" Yun asked, growing a little anxious.
"The woods I'm gonna hate?"
"Yeah, funny thing about tho--"
Suddenly, Han stopped in his tracks. In their path, stood a large stone marker, marked with all kinds of warnings and wards.
"...those..."
Yun came to a stop when Han did, her eyes falling on the marker. But even before she noticed all the things it said, it was Han's behavior that had her worrying.
"Han?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"
"Well, funny thing about the spirit woods, is that I didn't remember exactly where they were..."
He looked back at her, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Surprise?"
Yun froze, and didn't speak for a few moments as her mind translated his words into something her brain could understand and accept, despite its valiant efforts at rejecting the hell out of them.
"...You're sayin' we're here right now, aren'tcha."
Han nodded.
"This is one of the stones that marks the boundary," He explained.
"So we're gonna be goin' through the woods at night, is what you're sayin'."
"Either that, or we camp out here, at the edge of it. It's getting dark..."
"I'd rather that option!" Yun got out in a rush, seizing the opportunity. No way she was going in there at night. Noooo bloody way!
"I'm not goin' in there. Not while it's dark. Bad enough in the light, but at night, uh uh, you'd hafta knock me out and drag me in!"
Han chuckled a bit.
"Alright, alright. Settle down, we'll stay here, under..."
He looked around. Shit, there wasn't any natural shelter around here.
"Don't suppose you brought a bedroll or something, did you?"
Yun frowned and shook her head, setting her pack down on the ground. "Best I can do is I got a robe we can spread out. It's pretty big, but it's a little fancy so I'd prefer not, but..."
She eyed the area around them. "Eh. We can use it. I'd rather that than bein' uncomfortable. Kuan won't be happy, but oh well. I didn't pack a bedroll 'cause my trip was only supposed to take a couple hours. Until I got that bright idea to take a shortcut."
Han stopped her. "We can just use mine, then. I can use my magic to adjust its size, to a point," he said.
"We can probably fit inside it with no problems anyways, though. Depends how intimate you want it to be," He added with a grin.
Boom! Yun's blush came back full force.
"I'd saaay...intimacy ain't a problem anymore. We built that bridge and crossed it hours ago," she said with a wry grin. "Guess the real question is, how many hours of sleep d'ya want?"
Han smiled, and started to strip off his robe. He'd used it as a shelter before, it was actually rather easy for him to do so.
"Eh, I don't sleep that much anyways."
Yun chuckled at that and settled down on the ground as Han made preparations. She stretched out her legs and fished in her pack for her waterskin, and gulped water down. She'd hardly drank during the walk; she didn't want to stop when she didn't have to.
"I don't either," she said. "We're kept pretty busy. Warriors, I mean."
Nodding, Han laid his robe on the ground. With a few arm movements, it stood up, forming a sort of dome they could both sleep in. Walking up to it, Han pulled up the flap (which used to be Han's hood, and he beckoned her inside.
"After you, Yun."
The inside was comfortable enough, for a robe. At the top of the dome, there was a small light, so they wouldn't be cast in complete darkness the whole time. There was enough room for them to curl up together comfortably.
Getting to her feet, Yun brushed the dirt off her butt, unlaced her sandals, and slid inside the makeshift bedroll. It was still a little lumpy beneath her, because it wasn't like they were sleeping on cushions, but it was better than the dirt! She rolled over onto her side and pillowed her head on her arm, stretching out her sore legs.
"Inima, it feels nice to just lay down!" she said on a yawn, having not realized how tired she was until she'd stopped moving. She turned her head to look up at Han, a sudden thought striking.
"The spirits can't cross over, can they?"
"The ones that can can't come out this far. Don't worry!" He said, climbing in with her.
He let out a pleasant sigh as he laid down next to her. He didn't realize how much he needed this until he actually got it!
"We're safe in here, Yun."
Still, Yun shuddered at the thought and curled in more on herself. "And these spirits...are we gonna like...be able to see 'em from here? Or hear them?"
"Not during the day we're not. Yun..."
He wrapped an arm around her, and gave her a quick kiss, right on the base of her neck.
"Don't worry. You're safe with me."
"I ain't worried about the day. I'm worried about the night," Yun muttered, but calmed a little when he kissed her neck.
She brought her own arms up to hug his, and nestled in closer to him. "Okay."
Han laughed lightly. "If a spirit comes to chill our bones, I'll keep you warm."
"Promise? Ya won't let some soul-sucking ghoul come drink my energy or steal my blood or whatever it is these things do?" Yun asked, and didn't ask how he'd manage that, because she found the thought sweet.
"I promise, I won't let anything touch you."
He tightened the arm around her (which laid just under her breasts), giving her a momentary squeeze to drive his point home. He leaned in to kiss her, the small ball of light above them dimming slightly.
"Good," Yun murmured, and shut her eyes, not wanting to think about the dark or ghosts or anything spooky like that, and instead focusing her attention on the warmth of Han's body pressed against her back.
Han smiled against her neck, and shut his eyes as well. Sleep would come easily for him. He was way too tuckered to do anything else.
Sleep came surprisingly easily for Yun, too. It had been a busy day, one full of firsts. Though the spirits and the dark scared her, exhaustion--and the feel of Han's arms around him, his breath against her neck--won out even over fear.
It wasn't long before she was fast asleep and lightly snoring.
The night passed uneventful and dreamless. Perhaps it was the eldritch nature of their surroundings, but sleep would be nothing but darkness. Given, it was a pleasant sort of darkness, but darkness nonetheless.
When morning came, the light in their little robe dome brightened, in order to stir them awake. In his sleep, Han had pulled Yun closer to him, and his head rested lightly on her shoulder.
Yun furrowed her brow, clenching her closed eyes shut tighter and letting out a quiet groan as the light filtered through her eyelids. For a few moments she laid there, enjoying the sensation of Han's warm body against hers, before she finally stretched, yawned, and rolled over to face him.
Draping an arm around him, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Wakey wakey."
Han's face wrinkled up when Yun kissed his forehead, and he groaned.
"No..." He said, and he tightened his arms around her, rolling into his back. The action would leave Yun on top of him.
"...five more minutes..."
Yun let out a surprised squeak when Han rolled them over, and she adjusted herself so she was lightly straddling him instead of sprawled atop him. With a small laugh and a quick puff to blow her hair out of her eyes, she reached down and started poking at his ribs.
"No, now! The sun's up and shinin' and ya should be, too!"
Han groaned, and finally opened his eyes. "Blergh..." He grunted, before his eyes slowly wandered around her body. Suddenly, he sat up to give Yun a quick peck on the lips, before he patted her hip playfully. "Alright, fine."
Grinning triumphantly, Yun kissed him back and looped her arms lightly around his neck. "How'dja sleep, lazy bones?"
Han kissed her plenty in return, and idly laid his hands on her thighs. "Eh. For sleeping at the edge of the spirit woods? Pretty darn good, I'd say."
Yun grimaced, her eyes darting to the marker that lay just ahead. "...And I'd juuuust almost forgotten where we were."
Han glanced backwards, the marker visible through the entrance to the robe dome they were occupying. "Well, had to bring you crashing back down eventually," he chuckled. He moved his hands up to her sides.
"Remember what I said last night. Don't worry. Tell you what, the quicker we get through those woods, the quicker we can get to trying out new...positions. Deal?"
That thought warmed Yun's cheeks and brought on a little shiver and, suddenly conscious of the fact that she was straddling him (which before was simply a wrestling move, and now seemed kind of sexual!), and aware of his hands on her, she rolled off of him and stretched out beside him.
Right. Might want to actually get through the bloody woods before getting distracted again!
"Haha, deal," she said. "I'm just glad we're doin' it in the daylight."
Han chuckled lightly, finding it a little funny how it was so easy to elicit a blush from Yun. Then again, he also blushed lightly at the thought. This wouldn't be like last time...
Han laid there, next to her, and sighed.
"Well, I think actually getting up would help out..." He groaned, and he crawled out of the robe-dome, into the canopy-filtered daylight.
Yun crawled out after him and stretched, letting out a loud yawn. She stretched her arms over her head and then bent forward and touched the ground, working out the stiffness that came from sleeping on a hard surface. Unlike Han, though, she tended to wake easily and early, so she was wide awake and ready to go! But she was used to such schedules; if anything, this was sleeping in for her!
"It ain't that long a walk, is it? Gettin' through these woods, I mean. Are the ghosts and whatnot as active in the day?"
"No, not really. We'll be in there for most of the day, though. Should be peeking towards sunfall once we get out. Then, it's one more day until the city."
He looked over to her, and frowned.
"A few spirits are active at this time, but they're little more than harmless balls of light."
"Harmless balls of light," Yun repeated, and released a held breath. "Okay. Harmless balls of light. That doesn't sound too bad. I was thinkin' more like, y'know, spirits that looked like stuff. Like horse heads and things with one eye and sandals that kick ya when ya pass beneath their tree or sharp-teethed ghouls..."
She shuddered at the idea, rubbing away the goosebumps that sprouted on her arms. "I can handle balls of light. Just little balls like...like that glowy thing ya had in our makeshift tent, yeah?"
"Yep. Balls of light, Han affirmed. He reached down, and grabbed her hands, lightly rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs.
"Promise me you won't freak out, Yun. Freaking out in the spirit woods can be dangerous. You'll attract the wrong sort of attention."
"Uhhhh, if ya don't want me to freak out, don't tell me not to freak out," Yun said, starting to grow a little nervous. "'Cause then I start to wonder if I should be freakin' out, which starts to make me freak out."
Han's eyes widened, and he sputtered out a couple of words.
"Sorry! It's just... I worry too much sometimes."
He shook his head, and with a wave of his fingers, their shelter undid itself and flew back into his arms as his robe. Then, he started to put it back on.
"Just... Pretend I never said that, okay? You're a strong, brave warrior. You've got this."
Yun paused for a moment, nodding to herself, trying to accept his words and 'just forget about it', and for a few seconds she was successful.
But then she stepped closer to Han, looked around shiftily, and said, "Um, is there anything in there I should be worried about?"
Han chuckled a little bit. He placed a hand behind her head, and smiled.
"No, nothing at all. It's daytime, Yun. Like I said before, only balls of light during the day. They might try to talk to you, but a conversation's the most you'll get out of them."
"Okay," Yun said, her shoulders coming back down. They'd been hitching up more and more with budding anxiety. "Okay. Talkin's not bad. I can deal with chatty ghosts..."
"Good," Han said, patting her shoulders.
He grasped one of her hands tightly in his, and he started walking towards the marker, intent on pulling her along.
Yun resisted only for a moment before, with a deep breath that she held, she followed after Han.
And when just before they reached that marker, Yun closed her eyes, and crossed it with her eyes still tightly shut.
Han glanced back at Yun to see how she was doing, and smirked. Suddenly, he stopped to see if she'd bump into him.
"OOF!" Yun walked right into him, smacking her face against his back. Her eyes snapped open then and she reached up to rub her nose, which had suffered the brunt of that, her face scrunched up and eyes watering a little.
"Hey, why'd ya stop? What's up?" she said, her words coming out a worried rush, because maybe he'd stopped for a reason, like maybe he'd seen something.
"I stopped to tell you that you're going to trip over a root if you keep your eyes closed like that," He said with a mischievous little smirk, and rubbed his thumb on the bridge of her nose to soothe the pain a bit.
"Oh." And then Yun laughed, a sheepish sound. "Right. Well, that's okay, I've got reflexes like a fox! I bet I could navigate this place blind."
Han laughed, and shook his head.
"Come on then, foxy warrior. Let's get through this."
[What does the fox say?!]
With a nod, Yun took his hand again and started to walk, this time with her eyes open.
"I'm a brave, strong Warrior," she said to herself, like a mantra. "I ain't scared of no balls of light."
[*Assortment of vocalizations commonly associated with a stroke*]
An hour passed, and the closer they got to the center of it all, the thicker the jungle got. The air was cold, and the thick canopy kept the whole place in a perpetual dim. Han was holding a hand out in front of them as they walked, projecting a light field that kept the vegetation out of their faces.
"How you holding up, Yun?" He asked, looking back at her.
"Chilly," Yun said, hugging herself as they walked and trying to warm her arms. Her bare legs were freezing, too! Her casual dress was reeeally designed more for warmer weather, considering she was wearing long shorts and a cut-off shirt!
And she felt colder still for knowing that it was so cold because of spirit activity. At least, that's what she'd heard, that it got colder when a spirit was around.
This was a lot of cold.
And it was getting darker.
She swallowed hard, trying not to think about it, and failing. A bush rustled nearby and she jumped and squeaked, though it turned out to only be a bird.
Han jumped as well, mostly because Yun startled him, before he relaxed again, sighing. "Damn, Yun. You nearly startled my sandals off..." He said. He pulled her slightly closer, so she could get some of the magical warmth that radiated off of him.
"Sorry!" Yun said as she drew in closer, still feeling all jumpy. "Just, ya know. Way outta my comfort zone here. Are we almost through it?"
Han winced at her question. "Almost halfway through, if my memory serves me right," he said.
"The center's real pretty, though. We'll be passing straight through it."
"Pretty, huh?" Yun said, shivering as she looked around the jungle. "I like pretty. Pretty and not scary, that's always good."
"Can't really disagree with you on that," Han said, and he redirected his eyes to the jungle ahead.
They had gone maybe a few more yards when, out of the corner of her eye, Yun saw a flash of light. Tensing, she clutched Han's arm hard and turned her head to look, but the time she did, it was gone.
"Didja see that?"
"See what?" He asked, tracing her stare out into the jungle. Instinctively and protectively, he wrapped the arm she was clutching around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
"Did you spot a spirit?"
"Maybe? Probably! It was like a bright flash of blue..." Yun said, and then jumped again. "Ah! There!"
Because that was when the blue light appeared again, blinking in and out of the leaves, and was soon joined by a pink orb.
"Just...try and ignore them if you can," Han said, pulling Yun along.
"They're usually curious every time someone passes through."
"And they really don't do nothin', right? Just...watch and try to talk sometimes?" Han had already told her that, but it was nice to have some reassuring repetition!
"I don't mind that. S'long as they keep away. They can watch. That's fine. Just watchin'. Not stalkery at all..."
"That's right. Just watching and talking," Han said, and looked down at her. He cracked a smile, chuckling a bit. "If they do try to talk to you, it helps if you're not rude. Politely tell them we're in a rush, or we're just passing through, and they should leave you alone."
There were more glowing orbs gathering that Yun could see out of the corner of her eye, reds and golds and whites, but she pointedly avoided looking at them. She didn't want to give then the wrong idea!
Stay awaaaaay...
Yet as they walked, she couldn't help but notice that they were following, and more started to glow in the trees ahead of them, bringing with them a faint sound, like wind chimes.
"They, um...I guess they sound kinda pretty, at least..."
"Yeah, they do."
Han kept walking, also trying to avoid looking directly at the little balls of light.
"They're pretty active today. Must still be riled up from the storm..."
"Oh, is that what did it?" Yun kept close to Han and tried to keep her eyes on the path ahead of them. She couldn't help sneaking glances now and then, though, partially from curiosity and partially from anxiety. "I didn't think somethin' like that'd bother--ah!"
A pale blue light appeared right in front of Han then, blinking dimly and letting off a faint tinkling, musical sound.
"Well, it would've disturbed the forest, so it's only natural tha--"
Han stopped on a dime, tensing up for a few moments before he relaxed himself.
Hiss reaction to the ball of light appearing was mixed. He pulled Yun closer to him, making sure that she'd stop dead in her tracks. At the same time, though, he smiled warmly at the pale blue light ahead of them.
"Excuse me, honored spirit, but me and my partner are in a hurry. We are merely passing through your forest," Han said, and moved a few steps to the side so he could walk past it.
Yun did stop dead in her tracks, her heart hammering in her chest as she stared at the glowing little thing. It looked so harmless--but she didn't trust it!
But to her surprise, at Han's words, it moved to the side as well, to give them more room to pass, though as they walked, it followed them, blinking a bit more rapidly and bouncing in the air.
Yun couldn't help but watch it out of the corner of her as she pressed closer to Han. "Uhhh...what's it doin'?"
"Looks like it's tagging along..."
He glanced back at it, but ignored it for the most part. However disturbing it may be, these lesser spirits had a real disturbing tendency towards behaving like children.
"You gotta relax, Yun. Just... chill."
"I am 'chill'!" Yun hissed out between her teeth, though that thing was making her nervous, because more started to tag along with it, and a few popped up to flash in front of Han, flitting back and forth rapidly and blinking brightly.
"I just...don't really like this thing they're doin'..."
"Just hold out 'till we reach the center, okay? That place is always calm."
Han sped up, glancing around. Something wasn't right. Maybe the storm disturbed something important, not rattle up the spirits like he originally thought.
Yun was tense, but she followed Han and kept quiet, trying desperately to stay calm as he'd told her.
But then, as more spirits passed them, she heard something else over the musical tinkling they produced:
The rustling of leaves, and a faint grunting.
Yun froze and pulled Han to a stop with her. "Do you hear that?" she asked, her heart beating faster for a different reason now, because she might be wrong, but it sounded like boars.
And boars were nothing to joke around with.
Han stopped with her. Silently, he nodded.
"Sounds like boars."
Boars were dangerous, for sure, but they were also relatively easy to deal with, if you knew what you were doing. Han held a hand up to his chest, and he clenched his fingers into a fist. When he opened them, a small arc of lightning jumped from his index finger to his thumb.
Yun jolted, and stared at Han when he did his magic thing.
"Ack! Is that...is that a good idea? That ain't gonna upset the spirits, is it?" she got out in a worried whisper. Though, maybe that was what the spirits were upset about? Maybe they'd been trying to warn them?
"It shouldn't. This is just a little zap I've come up with to scare away any animals I run into. It's served me faithfully so far..."
He looked to her, and smiled, giving her his "don't worry!" eyes again.
Oi, she really had devolved into quite the worry wart! But she couldn't help it! Especially after her bad experiences with "seeing" things after the sightweed, ugh.
"Okay! And it'll work on big boars? I mean, I can fight them, sure, but if there's a lot, well, ya know they say boars will eat people?"
"Well, I've used it to scare off bears before, but by all means, Yun. Worst comes to worst, we'll be run up a tree..."
He gulped.
"But, that's if anything happens. We've got to keep moving quickly. The center's just up ahead. I can feel it!"
"Ya can climb trees, right, Jungle Boy?" Yun asked as she glanced up at the trees around them, already making mental notes on which ones would be easiest to climb. While she trusted Han, it was always good to be prepared!
But then, realizing the trees weren't where the danger was, she turned her attention back to the foliage around her, and as they walked, she could soon make out the sounds of more rustling and faint grunting--
And then, through the bushes far up ahead, she saw movement through the gaps between leaves. And through those gaps she could make out the large brown bodies and course hair of several foraging boars.
"There they are," she whispered, pointing.
"What kind of question's that? Of course I climb!" Han whispered back, narrowing his eyes. Looking ahead, he observed the boars.
"That's a good three or four of 'em...We can try to go around, but I'm not sure if that'd be the best idea, seeing how active the spirits are. We probably can't spook 'em off all at once, though. It won't be easy..."
He looked to Yun, smiling confidently. "You're the warrior here, what's your call?"
"Wha? My call?" Yun said, her eyes widening a bit.
"Aha. Yeah, sure, I'm an awesome warrior and all, but I deal with people! Gimme a person to fight and that's easy peasy! I know all the good spots to hit, how to execute a pin, how to use someone's weight and motion against 'em, how to read their body language and tells. I got all that. I don't know nothin' about animals. I ain't never even rode a horse."
...But wow. Saying all that sure made her feel like a wuss, especially in front of the guy she kind of really liked and wanted to impress? She was the fighter here! She was the strong one!
"But I reckon now's the time to learn," she added, and cracked her knuckles. A sudden hush fell over the boars at the sound, and Yun's breath caught when she realized they'd heard her. But they also had poor vision, and they were downwind, so after a moment, the boars continued their noisy foraging.
"I'm gonna say we...try and go around them. We'll have to stray off the path and cut through the woods a little, but that's probably okay, right? Or we can wait. See if they finish and move on." She looked over at Han, realizing none of that sounded particularly brave or outgoing, and puffed out her chest.
"Being a warrior ain't all about fightin'. Sometimes, it's about being patient. Knowin' when to fight, and when to be peaceful. That's all part of the teachings."
Han nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds good. I mean, the boars got here somehow, didn't they? I'm sure the woods are safe enough."
He was quite after that, mulling over their options. He reached out with an arm, and wrapped it around Yun. He sighed, eyes still planted firmly on the boars.
"Just a tip for fighting boars: Try and keep a tree between them and you. They're only dangerous if they have enough space to charge. Although, it shouldn't be that long of a fight. If I zap a couple of them, they'll probably run scared. Remember, animals don't like me too much."
With that, he kissed her, short and sweet. He was blushing when he pulled away from the quick peck, smiling sheepishly.
"For good luck."
Yun grinned back at Han, a light blush also darkening her cheeks, and it ridiculous to be blushing over something so simple and chaste after what they'd done the other day! And what they planned on doing if she didn't die of fright in these stupid woods.
And after a moment, she reached out and turned Han's face back to her so she could give him a more proper kiss, this one much longer and more tender than the quick peck. She smiled impishly when she was done, and winked. "If I get gored by a freakin' boar or soul sucked by a spirit, I want a real kiss before I go."
With that said, she slipped her hand down to grab his, then turned and lead them both off the path and into the woods, trying not to make too much noise. And once she thought they'd gone a safe enough distance out, she turned to head straight, hopefully following alongside the path.
Han blushed a bit deeper, but smiled afterwards.
Sure, given what they'd done, it seemed a bit ridiculous, but they were still fairly new to this whole thing. As a matter of fact, Han didn't think there'd ever be a time where he wouldn't blush.
Once they were off the road, Han corrected Yun's course so that they were walking parallel to the beaten bath.
"We can walk like this for five minutes, at most. After that, we're heading back to the path. From there, the center should only be ten minutes away, at most."
Yun had to let go of Han so she could climb over an old, fallen tree, all grown over and rotting. "Have ya been to the center many times?" she asked in a whisper, and once she was over it, she held her hand out to Han to help him over.
"Not really. I've been to the forest tons of times. There's a special root that grows here I use every once in a while. The center, I've only been there twi--"
He paused as the tree creaked under them, buckling slightly and threatening to give. It held, however, but it probably wasn't a good idea to stay on it for long.
"Twice. It's so pretty there, it's gotta be seen to be believed."
Yun gave Han a gentle tug, urging him over the tree. She didn't want him to get hurt! Not out in the middle of ghost infested nowhere!
"Why only twice?"
"Not much reason to go there. Only thing that grows there is grass. There isn't even any trees."
Once the initial caution of hearing the tree creak passed, Han was quick to get over the tree.
Yun gave him a strange look. "Only grass and no trees, but it's the most beautiful place?" she asked, a puzzled look on her face. "How's that work?"
"Well, it's got other things. It's got these pools of water, too. It's a lake, essentially, but it's super shallow. The deepest it goes is up to your waist. And it's dotted with these little grass islands."
He paused, thinking.
"You'll see."
"Is it safe to go in? The water, I mean? It's not like...special weird spirit water or anything like that?" Yun asked as she watched the ground for sightweed, not trusting this jungle at all.
"Actually, the funny thing about the center is that there's nothing there. No spirit activity, no nothin'. Place is calm and still, whole day 'round. I spent the night there once. I would've suggested we do the same, but I know you wouldn't have been all for it."
He glanced at Yun, finding it a little funny how she was so intent on watching the ground.
"Watching for Sightweed?"
"Yuuuup!" Yun said, her eyes still on the ground. "That stuff was awful, and the last thing I want's to get hopped up on sightweed in the middle of spirit forest. That would just be bad. Aren't you worried about that stuff at all?"
Han shook his head, motioning to his attire.
"Long robe, remember? One of the reasons I wear it is so any poisonous plants don't brush against me. If you're so worried about it, maybe this mighty Jungle Boy can carry you in his big, strong arms?" he teased, pulling one of his sleeves back to flex his arm.
Yun looked down at her bare legs and sandal-clad feet, then at Han, and she grinned.
"You're gonna regret that offer, 'cause uh, duh, the answer to that is 'yes'."
"Joke's on you! turns out I like having you in my arms. C'mere!"
With that, he snatched her up off of her feet, holding her to his chest as he cradled her. Laughing, he kissed her tenderly.
Yun laughed, but it was a muffled sound as she covered her mouth with a hand, not wanting to startle the boars, though maybe they were past them by now. She only moved her hand when Han came in for a kiss, and she threw her other arm around his neck to hold on tightly, feeling yet another damned blush come over her. Argh!
Because she liked this, but she really wasn't used to this! Not just the kissing and things, but little things like getting scooped up and carried. She was used to being the strong, tough one. And she liked that!
But it was also kind of nice to let go a little.
Once their long kiss was over, Han began moving again, eyes forwards. He had a feeling that Yun would be more used to carrying others than being carried herself, but he knew she liked it, too.
"Can't wait to get through this forest. After we're through, the city's only half a day away, short break included..."
"Thank Inima," Yun said as she relaxed in his arms, taking advantage of this short break! It felt nice to rest her feet and legs; her thighs were rather sore from yesterday's fun.
"I can't wait to have a bed again! And a huuuge meal..."
Han pouted at her, although it was clear he was just teasing her.
"Are you saying I'm not comfortable?"
After a few more steps, Han turned sharply to the left, so they were headed back to the path.
"I'm not gonna lie, though. A hot meal wouldn't kill me..."
"Oh, you're very comfy! But a bed don't get worn out," she said, and poked his cheek playfully. "You're strong, jungle boy, but ya can't carry me forever! Those arms are gonna start buuurnin'!"
Because though she was small, she was a bit on the tall end for a Thanati girl--and she was all muscle.
"Well, you better get rested up quick, then. Won't do you any good later if I'm all tuckered."
With that, Han leaned in slightly and stuck his tongue out at her.
Yun snapped her teeth together as though threatening to bite his tongue. "Then we'll just have to make sure ya get your rest at the center!"
Han smiled.
"Yeah, I guess we could go for a short swim or something. Just soak in the water..."
Suddenly, a devilish grin appeared on his face.
"...Do a little skinny dipping...
Yun gave Han a flat look. "In the middle of spirit ghost forest."
Han frowned lightly.
"I told you, there's nothing in the center! But fiiiine, if you're not down for it, I guess we can just rest for a bit."
"I'm not sayin' ya can't convince me," Yun said with a sly smile and a slight blush, looking away at the bushes around them.
"That's more like it!" Han chuckled, and he kissed one of her red cheeks a couple times.
The sounds of Han's legs rustling through the underbrush finally ceased, and they were back on the path. Han sighed with relief, glad to be back on track.
As soon as they were back on the path, Yun twisted a little to look behind them, looking for signs of the boars. "Think we lost the hogs?" she whispered, still holding on tight.
Han glanced behind them as well.
"They're plant-eaters, Yun. It's not like they're going to hunt us down. We'll be fine. Just a couple more minutes until the center."
"I knooow, but they might get all territorial or somethin'! Who knows!" Yun sheepishly said, and shifted a little in his arms. "Anyway, I'm probably good to walk now, now we're outta sightweed territory!"
"Alright. Back on the ground you go."
Han set her down onto her feet, keeping her steady with his hands in case she needed it.
Yun landed on her feet easily, without any need for Han's assistance, but she didn't say so. She appreciated the gesture for what it was, and took his hand again in hers. "So, we there yet? C'mon, it has to have been a couple minutes by--hey. Is that it?"
Because up ahead, she thought she could see a place where the jungle parted, making way for a tree-less space.
Han nodded, smiling widely.
"Yeah, that's it. Come on!" he said, excitement in his voice, and he took off towards the opening. Leading Yun through, Han motioned to the large grove ahead of them.
The place was dead still, yet the winds made the most pleasant sounds as they blew through the trees to disrupt the otherwise overwhelming silence of the place. From where they stood, solid ground only extended five more feet, until it opened up to an extremely shallow, perfectly clear lake. Like bumps and grooves on a tree's trunk, small islands of vibrant green grass disturbed the perfectly smooth water's surface.
On top of it all, the place smelled sweet, like a florist's shop. In front of them was a warning stone, set into the ground. It read "Those who come with peace in their hearts, will find peace here."
"Oh...oh wow," Yun breathed as she looked in wonder upon the scene before them, the water like glass with the little islands like emeralds embedded in the surface. It was breathtaking and serene, and the sight instantly made her forget her fear of the place. It even smelled wonderful, and as she inhaled the floral scent, she felt a little more relaxed, too, swept up in the beauty of the place.
"It's gorgeous, Han..." she said quietly, as she took a step forward to gaze into the water. She was almost afraid to touch it, afraid to disturb it, though as she watched a vibrant blue dragonfly lit on the water so gently it didn't even cause a ripple, its little legs delicately indenting the surface.
Han let her take the place in for a few moments. Despite already having seen it twice, the place still took his breath away every time.
After a bit, though, he approached Yun from behind, wrapping his arms around her and locking his hands at her abdomen. He rested his face on her neck, giving her a small kiss there.
"It's kind of tempting to just stay here, isn't it?" He whispered, afraid to disturb the silence.
"It is," Yun whispered back, a little chill going down her spine when he kissed her neck, and she reached up to hug his arms where they hugged her.
"We could, y'know," she added quietly. "At least for a little bit."
"Sounds good..."
He removed his face from her neck, resting his chin on her shoulder as he looked out towards the large grove. Idly, he uncrossed the fingers of his hands, and instead laid them flat against her abdomen, using that to pull her into him slightly.
"Maybe we could go for a swim?"
"And disturb the water?" Yun said as she leaned back against Han, still watching the scenery before her. "It seems almost wrong. It's so pretty and perfect!"
"It'll look even better with you in it," Han said as he offered her a cheesy grin and a soft kiss afterwards.
"But all things aside, the water looks real pretty when it ripples, too."
Yun barked a laugh at that, cheeks coloring from the flattery, and turned in his arms to press a playful kiss to his lips. "Okay, ya won me over," she said, and broke away from him.
Stooping down, she touched the water with her fingers to test the temperature, sending out a ripple that spread through the little lake. "Goddess, it's the perfect temperature, even."
"Yeah, this place is pretty much perfect in every way you can think of."
Han started to disrobe, taking his time so he could experience as much of the place as possible.
Following Han's lead, Yun was quick to slip off her shirt and short pants, and her smallclothes and chest band were soon to follow. And since she'd already disturbed the water, she saw no point in waiting as, with a grin Han's way, she turned and started to walk into the water.
It was wonderfully cool, but not too cold, and felt wonderful after a trek through balmy jungle. It wasn't deep, but it came up to her hips, and she wasted no time in ducking beneath the water and coming back up with a happy sigh.
"Okay, I take back everything I said about this place. Well...about the center, at least. The rest still sucks, but this is alright!"
Han finished undressing completely a few seconds after Yun, and followed her in, nodding.
"Yup. There's nothing quite like it, huh?" He asked rhetorically, and did the same as her, fully submerging himself for a few seconds before coming back up. He ran his fingers through his hair, before shaking it off.
Approaching Yun, he patted her on the hip.
"Let's go a bit deeper," Han suggested, taking her hand in his as he started to move closer to the center of the grove."
Gripping his hand tightly, Yun smiled up at him as she began to wade through the water with him, and soon it rose to her ribs. And as they walked, she couldn't help but steal looks at him, seeing his body in a whole new way since their union.
"I can't believe ya never came here more," she said as they went, and glanced away from Han to watch the water, spotting small, colorful fish schooling together and flitting away from them as they approached.
Han was stealing looks at Yun as well. Funnily enough, they never looked at each other at the same time, but Han was also stuck looking at her from a whole new perspective. Her that could be touched, experienced, rather than just looked at and wondered about. Sometimes, it was a bit hard to believe, even at this point, that they were together!
Han didn't realize her question at first, before he started.
"Oh! Uh, I never really had the time. I had a garden and a fishing hole back home to manage, so I couldn't be gone for too long."
"Aww...that's a shame," Yun said, as they drew close to to one of the islands in the grove's center. "But at least ya get to see it now! And maybe..."
She raised up onto her toes to lightly kiss his neck. "Maybe this time can be the most memorable visit."
Han shuddered a bit as she kissed his neck. As far as he could remember, he was the one who did that to her, not the other way around!
"Really?" he asked, playing along with her. He placed his hands on her hips, and returned her neck kiss with one of his own.
"And how do you plan on making it memorable?"
"Weeeell..." Yun started as she turned around to face him, sighing at the kiss and pressing her body into his. She looped her arms around his waist and moved her lips to his collarbone, lightly kissing, and rocked her hips against his. She knew she was blushing, and was surprised at her own boldness, but she couldn't help it. After her taste yesterday, despite its awkward start, she wanted more.
"I might have an idea," she said with a breathless laugh as she peered up at him with a small smile. "Guess!"
Han gave her a knowing look that screamed "Oh, you!". After that though, he placed a hand on his chin, although it was hard to keep a thoughtful expression with all the attention she was giving his neck. Han slowly began to harden up.
"Lemme guess. You can't wait until we get out of the forest," He said, and moved his hands to her ass, giving her a playful squeeze.
Yun felt him hardening against her, and she widened her stance so he could slip between her submerged thighs before she closed her legs again. She moved her hips slowly, trying to tease him, though the result was that she was teasing herself, as well. Her breath hitched when he squeezed her ass, but she only arched against him more, her hands sliding over his shoulders and down his back.
"Maaaaybe," she said, and pressed her lips to his chest. "Guess this seems a perfectly peaceful spot. I guess. But, y'know, if ya don't like it we could always wait!"
And with a teasing grin, she started to pull away from him.
No sooner had she gotten a few inches away, than Han pulled her back towards him.
"No, this is good. Perfectly fine. We couldn't have found a better place!" He said, face twitching with held in vocalizations as she used her thighs to tease him. He started to move his own hips as well, to make her own movements more impactful.
He kissed her, pulling her in close to him.
"It's probably better here anyways. It was probably gonna be muddy or something wherever we stopped to sleep anyways."
Yun grinned at that and melted back against him, her breath growing a little quicker as he began to move, too, little chills racing through her as her blood and body heated as he just scarcely slid against her sex. She bit her lip, already imagining what it would be like to have him in her again, and then she leaned up to kiss him back hard, lightly nibbling on his lips as she looped her arms around his neck to pull him down closer.
"Good," she murmured against his mouth, her heart pounding. "'Cause I really, really want ya."
Han kissed her for gods knew how long, but when he was done, he spoke up between winces.
"So, about those positions I'd said I'd come up with. I've got an idea. You know how you're real sensitive to fingers right here?" Han asked, slipping a hand down to tease at her womanhood. "Well, what if I used my mouth? I think it's worth a try. Whaddaya say?"
Yun jolted and shuddered, clinging to him harder and trembling, when he touched her clit, and though it was hard to tell while in the water, she was quite hot and wet. She let out a breathy moan, though her face burned at his question and she looked up at him in surprise, eyes wide.
"Y-your mouth?" she breathed, and ground her hips against his hand, wanting more. "Are...are ya sure? That's not...um...ya don't mind puttin' your mouth, uh...there?"
"Yun, I live in the jungle. I've eaten bugs and worms, for crying out loud..."
He pushed two of his fingers into her, dipping in for another short kiss.
"I'm sure I'll be fine."
Yun had no real answer for that, because she couldn't properly answer, her words cut off with a sharp cry when he slipped his fingers into her. She clutched him harder, whimpering with pleasure, and rocked on his fingers, loving how that felt but knowing it was only a taste of things to come.
"O-okay!" she managed to squeak out, quite happy to agree with anything right about now! And if he didn't mind, then why should she object?
"We...ah...we should prob'ly move to that island then..."
"Yeah. Come on!" Han said, pulling his fingers out of her and giving her as effective of a spank as he could manage with his hand underwater. For some reason, Han was super eager to try this out. Who knows? It might just be the best thing ever!
Yun shivered when he pulled his fingers free, and she gave a breathless laugh at his spank. His eagerness was rather infectious, and she couldn't deny that she was curious about this, as well. And so she waded through the water with him, glad for the weightlessness of it since her legs were wobbly, and climbed up the little grassy hill before Han--
Which gave him a rather nice view of everything, bent over as she was.
Han climbed up after Yun, and when he looked up, he stopped for a few seconds.
He released a sharp, flirty whistle.
"Would ya look at that..."
Yun jumped at his whistle, looked over her shoulder at Han, and then let out a laugh and hurried her way up the little hill, her body flushed.
"Haaaan!" she said, still laughing and wiping hair from her face, and it took all her willpower to resist trying to cover herself. But he'd seen everything already, and was going to be seeing more, so that seemed silly. Oi! It would probably take a while to shake the slight shyness.
Cresting the hill, she settled down on her knees at the top, the grass soft against her skin.
"Yuuuun!" Han mimicked, and soon enough, he was on top of that small hill with her. He sat down next to her, and was quiet for a few seconds.
"Alright. let's get to it, I suppose. How do you wanna do this? You want to get on you back, or...?"
"Er, well, that prob'ly makes the most sense, huh?" Yun said, still blushing deeply. She shifted a little and sat back on her bottom with her knees bent, leaning back on her hands, and with a shy look Han's way she spread her legs wide in invitation.
"Um. I mean. If that works for ya. Unless ya wanted to do somethin' different or..." She realized she was rambling a little and bit on her lip to stop the flow of words as she watched Han, her heart hammering with anticipation.
"Ssshhh..." Han whispered, and dropped down onto his belly, pulling her close towards him.
For a few moments, he hesitated. He just stared it, just a few centimeters from his face, not knowing where to start. Finally, he opened his mouth, and began testing her folds with his tongue.
Yun's face was on fire as Han just looked at her, her embarrassment growing until she wanted to squirm, wanted to close her legs because what if he didn't like it or thought it looked weird or or or!
But then she felt his hot breath against her, and then something else warm and wet, sliding against her folds, and her breath caught when she realized it was his tongue. And it all felt so risque, so forbidden and new to her, that it only excited her more, her breath coming out in short pants as she watched him even though he hadn't yet done much, her toes curling into the grass.
"O-oh..." she breathed, and clutched one hand to her chest, shivering. "I-is...is that okay...?"
Han looked up at Yun, a genuinely interested look on his face, and lips shining from her juices.
"It's actually...pretty good. I mean, it doesn't taste good, or bad, it just...I dunno..."
And with that, he got right back to it, pulling her in closer so he could use more of his mouth. He was going a bit deeper now, and trying out her clit with the tip of his tongue.
"How am I doing?" He asked, voice muffled.
Yun couldn't answer him at first, because that was when he found her clit, and the experience went from pleasurable to unbelievable. She cried out loudly, head tipped back, and her legs closed around Han's head, though not tightly--she couldn't help it, it felt so good she could hardly control herself. She trembled with pleasure, sharp whimpers and moans escaping her lips as the hand that was clutched to her chest found her own breast and lightly squeezed.
"O-oh, oh Inima, Han, that feels amazing," she managed to squeak out as his tongue bathed her clit. "R-right there...w-what you're doin', that's...oh goddess...!"
Her other hand curled into the grass, needing something to hold onto, and she bit her lip to try and hold in her cries as her whole body shuddered, that tight, familiar sensation building up within her.
Han caught on, and once he found his rhythm, there was no stopping him!
He began compounding what he was doing with a finger, and he tried something out. Sticking out the entirety of his tongue, he dragged the whole length of it over her clit, before going back down and trying to go as deep into her as he could with his tongue.
"H-Han!" Yun cried sharply, her hips bucking beneath him when he plunged his tongue into her, her breath catching in her throat. Reaching for him, she clutched at his hair, her breath ragged in her throat, and remembering his worry from the last time, how he'd worried over the sounds she'd made, she was quick to reassure him that these were the good kind!
"That feels so good," she gasped, and let herself fall onto her back, her arm shaking enough that she could no longer support herself. "Oh goddess...I...oh Han, I...I can't...!"
She was close, her entire body tensing up, her chest heaving with her breaths as she squirmed.
Han ws pretty ecstatic, although he couldn't really express it at the moment. Apparently, he was really freakin' good at this! He caught onto her incoming climax this time, having remembered the build up to it from last time.
Pressing her to him, Han redoubled his efforts yet again, trying to see if he could finish her off.
And as he redoubled his efforts, it was enough to push Yun over the edge, so suddenly and abruptly it made her let out a little scream.
And then her breath seized and her muscles clenched and tightened as she trembled uncontrollably, a sharp whimper escaping her as she arched up into him and her thighs clamped against his head. It was unbelievable, that full body wave of pleasure that crashed through her, sending warmth and tingles clear down to her toes.
Han rode her pleasure wave with her, giving her one last big lick as she hit her climax. When it was all over, he looked up at her, grinning. His face was all shiny and glistening with her juices, but he hardly noticed, nor cared.
He pushed himself up off the ground and pulled himself up so he could kiss her.
"I take it I did well?"
Yun kissed him back fiercely, tasting herself on his lips and tongue, and for some reason that just enticed her more, and she slid her hands up through his hair and held him to make the kiss last.
When she finally pulled away, she was breathless, and she let out a little laugh at his question. "Goddess, it was...you were amazin'," she said, her face flushed with heat and pleasure. "It was real intense, and...Inima, I can't even..."
She let out a breath, still feeling all shivery and warm, and she smiled up at him and tugged him closer. "It just made me want ya more," she said, biting her lip. "I...I wanna feel ya again..."
Han smiled, confidence hitting new levels as Yun expressed her experience.
"Say no more, love," he whispered, before blanketing her lips with a kiss as he moved himself up to test her entrance. He broke the kiss, the question visible on his eyes before he even spoke.
"Say, I kinda want to do it in the water..."
Yun was more than ready for him, her body on fire and craving more after that wonderful experience, and when he slipped between her legs and she felt him pressing against her, she was dripping with need. She clutched at him and raised her hips, trying to urge him inside her--
But then he broke the kiss, and she let out an impatient breath.
"In the water?" she repeated, then slowly sat up. "Sounds good! Wherever! Works for me! I just want ya, Han."
Han winced, knowing he'd stolen some of her wind from his own sails.
But she seemed perfectly okay with it, so who cared! Han gave her a quick kiss to appease her for a few moments. He was quick to get on his feet, and pulled her up so they could get in that water as soon as possible!
Pulled to her feet, Yun eagerly followed after Han as they went back down to the water, hopping off the little island and landing in the still, clear water with a splash.
It wasn't a very good landing, though, because her legs were still weak and shaky, so she ended up stumbling and falling face first into the water, and came up sputtering as it went up her nose.
Oh...
Wow.
Han rushed to help Yun up, concern on his face but a laugh struggling to fight its way out of his mouth.
"Woah, all right. Getting a bit too excited there, Yun. You okay?"
Yun snorted water out of her nose, then spat a small stream of water at Han in response.
"Ya can't hardly blame me for bein' excited...it's your fault..." she said with a blush.
"My fault? "
Han kissed her, holding her to him as he walked backwards towards the deep water.
"Have I found a way to sap your warrior prowess?"
"Um, yeah, when ya make my legs all wobbly like ya did..." Yun said with a breathless laugh as, soon, the water was coming up to her chest. She looked up at Han, curious as to how exactly he planned on making this work without drowning them!
When the water more or less reached Yun's chest, he stopped. He pulled her in close, his member coming to rest between her thighs as he kissed her neck. He found the sensation of cool water mixed with Yun's hot body to be great, and there was just something about the weightlessness of being in water that he found made this whole process a whole lot easier on the body.
"Don't worry about hiding your voice here, Yun. I want to hear you..."
Yun looked up at Han and shuddered when she felt him slip between her thighs. She gave a small nod, coloring a bit at his words, because even though they were well and truly alone here, the way he made her scream was...a little embarrassing! He was sure far quieter than she was! But maybe that was just because she'd always been taught control and discipline, and even if she'd failed that often, it was a little hard to just let go and be so vulnerable.
But she leaned into him, arms around his waist, and kissed his chest as she started to move her hips, feeling him slide teasingly through her folds and against her thighs, her breathing quickening. "'Kay," she whispered, biting her lip. "But how, ah...should I like, uh, wrap my legs around ya or...?"
She was too short compared to him for this to work standing, unless he bent way down!
"Well, yeah! You're super light in the water, so I'll just hold you up...likethis!"
Suddenly, his hands slipped under her buttocks and he pulled her up, leveling her out with him as he pushed her up against his chest. He seated himself against her entrance, grinning.
"How's that?"
Lifted up onto Han, Yun instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbed onto his shoulders for support, gasping when she felt his cock come to rest against her. She wriggled playfully against him, and tried to pull him closer with her legs.
"That's...that's good," she said, a little breathless.
Yun's leg pulling was met with some success, as Han pushed ever closer to penetration. He bit the corner of his lip, and pressed her chest to his as he leaned in for a kiss.
Then, while she was distracted by that, he entered, slow and steady. He broke the kiss as familiar yet still new sensations flooded through him, only to reignite the kiss with even more passion.
Yun's sharp, shuddering cry was muffled by their fierce kiss, and her legs tightened around Han's waist, squeezing him even as her sex squeezed his cock. There was a little pain at first, her body still getting used to being stretched this way, it was fast replaced with pleasure. She was more than ready for him, and still wonderfully sensitive from her climax, hyper aware of every inch of him.
And as he moved so slowly, she locked her legs around him at the ankles and bucked her hips forward to take him in even deeper, letting out another moan against his lips, her heart fluttering and body lightly trembling. Inima! Already it felt so much better than that first time...
"Oh, wow..." she gasped between hard kisses, and it felt impossible to hold still as instinct took over, telling her to move, and she began to grind her hips against him in long, circular motions that left her breathless.
Han shifted beneath her, as if his legs might give out, even with their relative weightless in the water. He held strong, however, and once he was in as deep as this position afforded, he began to move, without the timidness and uncertainty of the last time.
"Yun, Y--Ah...You feel so much better this time," Han half-moaned into her mouth before resuming the kissing.
"You, too," Yun managed to gasp out as he started to move, her fingers digging into his shoulders to hold on for dear life. "Ya feel really good, Han..."
She tangled a hand in his wet hair as he kissed her, and she couldn't help but cry out with his every thrust, this position leaving her rather at his mercy. All she could do was cling to him and enjoy the ride--and enjoy the ride she did, marveling at the sensation of him sliding inside her as the water splashed and rippled around them.
[BTW, did you see Han's profile? I sent you a link via PM. Whaddaya think?]
"I know I do!" Han chuckled, although the chuckles were broken up by more sounds of exertion. He dropped his head down to deliver a lightning quick kiss to Yun's neck.
"Couldn't of changed much from last time..."
This time held none of the awkwardness and sheer newness of the last time. It was a completely different experience altogether!
"Unwrap your legs from my waist, I--Ah, I wanna try something..."
It took Yun a couple dazed moments to realize what Han had said. Blinking up at him, her face flushed with pleasure, she unhooked her legs from around his waist, which left her supported only by her grip on his shoulders and his grip on her ass.
"Wh...whatcha gonna do?"
"You know...that...thing we did last time? Near the end? When Your legs were up on my shoulders?" Han asked, and he began to shift beneath her.
"Hold on tight."
Han paused. One after the other, he looped his arms beneath her knees, and hoping she'd hang on tight, he brought her legs up to his shoulders. Hopefully, this new position would be leagues better than their previous one!
It was, indeed, very good Yun was so flexible! For soon her legs were over his shoulders and he was buried deep inside her, impossibly deep like the day before, and it took her breath away as she clung to his neck.
"Oh," was all she managed to squeak out, far too overwhelmed by the powerful new sensations to articulate anything more than that!
Once Han was sure Yun was situated against him, he kissed one of the legs by his head, and began to thrust into her at a more brisk pace. He supplemented this by moving her back and forth against him with his arms, powerfully slamming her down onto him.
However, Han knew he couldn't keep this up forever.
So, ever so slowly, he began to move them, taking periodic steps whenever he could back towards the shallower water.
Oh, Inima!
The instant Han began to move, and began to lift and slam her down against him with wet slaps, it was all Yun could to do cling to him as she cried out in pleasure, her moans, yelps, and gasps filling the air as she arched and squirmed and clenched around his cock. He was filling her deeply, angled just right to thrust against a rather sensitive spot within her, and it felt so good, so amazing, that she hardly knew what to do with herself. She didn't even realize they were moving toward shallower water, her eyes shut tightly.
"H-Han!" she cried, digging her nails into his skin. "Oh goddess, Han!"
Han twitched beneath her nails.
"Ah, nails Yun. nails!" he said sharply, but he didn't stop. She just felt too damn good to stop! Gods, why didn't people just do this all the time? He couldn't even muster up the focus to think about that!
By the time they'd reached shallower waters, Han had slowed slightly, his fatigue starting to catch up to him. Stopping abruptly, he lowered himself down into the water, sitting down while he held her to him.
"Okay, your turn to do stuff. Feeling a bit knackered," Han said, even more breathless than he usually was.
As Han sat down in the water, it also gave Yun a precious moment to catch her breath. She hadn't been doing much of the work, but that position had put some strain on her muscles. Once Han was settled, Yun shifted a little on him so she was settled on her knees, her legs straddling him. He slipped out when she moved, but that was an easy enough fix, and she settled over him and guided his cock back inside her with a sharp gasp.
"O-okay," she agreed, and lowered herself on him until they were pressed flush together. Last time she had been on top, the experience had been rather unpleasant, but this time there was no pain. Still, how to move was not an intuitive thing, and so her first attempts at sliding up and down along him resulted in him slipping out again, so she pushed him back inside her and started to move more shallowly.
"I-is that okay?" she gasped, clutching at Han's shoulders.
"Perfect, Yun. Perfect..."
He placed his hands on her hips to help guide her movements. It seemed he even found pleasure in the parts where he slipped out, because it meant he'd penetrate her all over again, something he'd never tire of doing.
Perfect definitely described this whole scenario. To get to make love--or, as Han preferred, fuck--in this peaceful place, out in nature where no one would disturb them...it was wonderful. And as Han guided her with his hands on her hips, Yun started to find her rhythm, started to find that rocking back and forth on him worked better than trying to slide up and down him, and that when she took him deep and ground on him, it felt even better.
At first, her expression was tight, one of concentration as she figured things out, but soon she began to relax with pleasure, began to ride him in earnest, and soon her whimpers and moans filled the small clearing as she found just the right pace.
"Y-Yun, I..."
Han could feel himself getting closer. He sensed that slow build-up of pressure and pleasure, which almost seemed to rise up abruptly like a serpent from the water.
"I'm close, Yun..."
He pulled her in to kiss, and he began to speed up.
"Cl-close?" Yun repeated between gasps, blinking down at him, and it took a moment for her brain to catch up. And when it did, she flushed a deeper shade of red, remembering the mess he'd left on her belly.
But then he pulled her in for a kiss, and her mouth met his fiercely, tongue playing along his own lips and tongue as her teeth nibbled and playfully tugged his bottom lip. She only broke the kiss because she remembered his words, and didn't know how close was close, and she knew that he probably shouldn't put that stuff inside her...
Even if it was Inima's will.
Still moving her hips desperately against him, feeling her own release coming, if at a far slower pace than his, and gasped against his neck, "Should...should I...should I get off ya, so ya don't...um..."
It took Han a good few seconds to mull that question over, as he temporarily directed his eyes towards the water. He hadn't noticed it, but the water he'd set them down in was just above knee-deep!
"If you do, you're gonna...have to finish me with your hand, or somethin'..." he panted, able to hold himself off for now.
"Maybe... you could...return the favor and...use your mouth?" Han asked, a cheeky grin on his face despite how flustered he was.
"Oh." And Yun sucked in a breath at that idea, her face heating, but it seemed only fair, and why not? She had been a little curious, anyway...
Coming to a stop with Han still seated deep inside her, Yun bit her lip and looked away, oddly shy. "I could try that..."
With Yun's stop, Han's incoming climax waned further and further away. Although he was still inside her, his body burned to feel her moving again, filled with desperate want.
Han chuckled a bit.
"It can't be that hard. I mean, if I can do it, so can you!"
"True!" Yun said with a laugh, before, with a gasp, she lifted up off of Han.
"You're gonna have to get outta the water more if ya don't want me drownin', though," she said with a teasing grin.
Han tried to get up, but only slipped on the wet ground beneath him and landed on his rump again. There were no rocks in this small, shallow lake, so at least it didn't hurt. He stood up as well, and gave her a little peck as he began to walk back towards the small hill they stopped at earlier.
As soon as they were up the hill, Yun settled down on her knees in the grass and motioned for Han to sit, too. "I guess here works?"
"Yeah, I guess."
He laid back, resting himself on the single, large rock that sat at the top of the hill.
"Something tells me that next time, this stuff with the mouths comes first. I dunno, it's a guess. It all feels a bit out of order, doesn't it?"
He coughed a bit.
"We're learning, though. We'll get it down perfect next time around."
Yun burst out laughing at Han as she scooted close to him on her knees, positioning herself between his legs. She looked up at him with a wry expression, one eyebrow lifted.
"Honestly, I think you're overthinkin' this a bit, Han," she said as she slid her hands up his legs and over his thighs. "I ain't never heard anything about some order of operations. I don't think it really matters. Prob'ly as long as everyone feels good, ya ain't doin' it wrong."
She took his cock in hand then, seeing it up close for the first time, and blushed. She cleared her throat, and felt a bit hypocritical for worrying about doing this wrong after that speech! "Worryin' about perfection'll just stress ya out."
And then she licked him, tentatively, and watched his reactions as she did, tasting herself on him.
"Well, ye--aahhh..." Han sighed, interrupted by her lick. His leg twitched slightly. This kind of contact was very much different but in such a good way! He relaxed himself against the rock, chuckling lightly.
"Oh, that...that's good. Anyways, don't you mind me. This Jungle Boy's just a bit of a worry wort. But still, you gotta admit it's going to just be the best once we get this down."
"That I can agree with," Yun murmured, having paused to speak, before she went back to work, running her tongue over his length.
And then, deciding to be a bit adventurous, she slipped him past her lips and into her mouth, deciding that maybe he'd like to be inside her in a different way.
"Oh, that's...Different..."
He squirmed slightly, but somewhat settled himself down after a few seconds.
"Different in a good way, though."
Yun pulled away for a moment to catch a breath, and smiled awkwardly. She was glad she seemed to be doing something right! "Just...just tell me what feels good and what don't," she said. "Kinda makin' this up as I go!"
And then she dove right back to it, taking that response as a positive one, and drew him into her mouth again. He was large, so she had to stretch her mouth open quite a bit to fit him, but it wasn't uncomfortable. She didn't take him in deeply, focusing mostly on the head because she was a bit nervous of gagging, but she started to swirl her tongue around him and lightly suck, while her hand stroked what her mouth didn't cover.
Han gasped when she took him back in, gripping up a clump of grass and squeezing it in his hands. He extended a hand and rested it on the back of her head, closing his eyes as he did so.
"You're...you're pretty good, Yun..."
He cracked an eye open, just so he could watch her. He was blushing fiercely. For some reason, this seemed to be even more intimate than they'd been doing before!
"You know, I b--eehh...I bet that if I laid down on the grass, and you spun around and laid on my chest, I can do you while you do me."
Yun shivered when she felt his hand in her hair, his words making her feel far more confident about this, and when he looked at her she blushed hard, because she had been watching him!
His question, though, made her pause again, and then she drew him slowly from her mouth, sucking as she went, before releasing him with a small pop. "Oh...um...ya...ya wanna try that?"
And her blush darkened at the thought, because while the thought excited her, it also just sounded dirty--in a good way!
Han nodded.
"Get up here, then. I guess today's experimentation day!" Han chortled, passing a thumb over one of her darkened cheeks like he usually did. He patted his chest, and licked his lips enticingly.
Rising slowly, Yun climbed atop Han and then turned around so she was straddling his belly backwards, facing his feet. She scooted back a little, feeling awkward and was careful not to kick his head as she got settled on her hands and knees.
"Er...like this?"
Han pulled Yun back a couple more centimeters. To let her know her positioning was just right, he gave her sex a good, single lick, rubbing her buttocks slowly as he did so.
"Just like that, Yun."
Yun's hips jerked and she sucked in a breath. "O-oh...oh, good," she breathed, before she took his cock in hand again and gave him a teasing lick of her own. "This is...this is interestin'..."
And then she took him in her mouth again, and tried to focus on him, though it was a bit difficult with his hands caressing her and his breath against her!
"Yeah," Han said, voice muffled as he began to give her proper treatment with his tongue. It might've sounded weird, but Han really enjoyed Yun's flavor! He couldn't get enough of her folds nor juices.
"It's like fuckin', but not really..."
"Mhmm," Yun agreed, her breath coming out in quicker bursts as he really went to work. She squirmed, having trouble holding still, and wanted to rock against him in response--but tightened her legs. That was his face there! She didn't want to like...smother him or anything...
And it was while she tasted him that she learned that he produced his own fluids, though she wasn't sure if it was the same as what came out at the end. But she could taste his saltiness as she sucked on the tip and stroked him with her tongue, though she found she didn't mind it, and soon she took him in a little deeper, though not by much.
Han took a moment to gasp lightly, hands tightening down on her. He looped his arms around the tops of her thighs, and moved his tongue deeper into her. He could do this all day!
"Ah...Yun, your mouth..."
Idly, without even thinking about it, Han moved one of his hands down towards Yun's other hole, rimming around it with his thumb, just to explore that area.
It wasn't long before Yun was moaning around his cock, her hips squirming restlessly even as she worked on pleasing him, and small, muffled cries and squeals escaped her as his tongue wreaked havoc on her. Already she could feel the release she'd felt building when he was inside her returning and she whimpered, her body on fire, and she hoped she was making Han feel the same!
And then, somewhere during it, she felt Han's thumb touch her...
And she jumped in surprise, her breath catching. She slid him out of her mouth and glanced over her shoulder. "Errr, that's, um...the wrong place..."
"Okay, you don't like that. Never doing it again. Promise!" Han said, giving her a sheepish smile as his eyes poked out at her face from behind her ass.
"Sorry, just curious..."
Almost to make up for that, Han immediately returned to the task at hand. Yikes! That was pretty awkward...
"S'okay, silly," Yun said with a light laugh before she went back to his cock, though her face was flushed. It wasn't so much that she didn't like it as that...well, she didn't know if she liked it or not! She'd never exactly thought about it, nor did she even know that some people had sex that way. Oh, she'd heard men had sex together! But she'd never really stopped to think about how that worked. So, her only thought had been that maybe Han had just confused his holes somehow...
But soon the awkward moment had passed, and her mouth was on him again, and she gasped as Han kept pleasuring her. She tensed, hips rocking lightly, as she felt that wonderful tension building.
With Yun's climax coming yet again, Han's was fast on its way as well! He was on the brink when they stopped rutting in the water, and he was approaching that same brink now.
He began to move as well, timing his hips with the movements of Yun's head.
"Deeper, Yun! I'm--"
He cut himself off by smothering himself with her, not wanting to waste his breath.
Yun made a surprised noise when Han started to move, and she pressed a hand down on his hip to try to still him so he didn't accidentally choke her or trigger her gag reflex. She still couldn't take him very deeply, but she made the best of what she could reach, and took his cries as a good sign as she stroked him with her hand and swirled her tongue around the head, sucking gently, not really thinking about what happened when he climaxed, and--
And then Han really went at it, and Yun's breath caught and she cried out around him as she came, her knees shaking uncontrollably and pleasure washing over her as his tongue sent her over the edge.
Yun's method, although really not that impressive when put against the big picture, was enough to send Han over the edge as well. As far as he was concerned, she was doing everything perfectly!
When she stilled him with her hands, Han stopped, realizing quickly how bad of an idea it was to try and move inside of her, but he quickly lost himself in his own climax.
"Y-Yun, I--"
He didn't want to think about what it'd be like for her! Then again, at this point, he wasn't doing much thinking period.
...Welp.
She should have been expecting that.
But Yun wasn't, and when thick, hot something filled her mouth, salty and tangy, she jerked away from Han with a choked sound and covered her mouth as she spat it up, coughing rather ungracefully.
Han was dazed from the orgasmic rush, but after a few moments, he looked at her, eyes wide.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" he asked, stifling a few laughs. It was kind of funny, really. Hard not to giggle at something like that!
Yun looked over at Han, a sticky hand still in front of her now messy face, her nose wrinkled at the flavor. But then, when Han started to laugh, she snorted, and then her shoulders shook as she burst into giggles.
Lifting up, she swung her leg over him and came to sit on the grass beside him, still wheezing with laughter. "I'm fine!" she said, and wiped at her face with her other hand. "Just, uh, kinda forgot that was a thing that happened."
Han fell backwards laughing. Yun looked so icky that he just couldn't help it! Of course, it was a little bit flustering to know that the stuff all over her face came from, well...him, but the laughter helped dull that.
Han sat back up, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Today was just...we learned a lot. How does it taste, by the way? Is it, like...good?"
Yun snorted again at his question, and held her messy hand under his nose.
"Why don't ya find out?"
Han's nose wrinkled, and he frowned slightly. Damn him if he wasn't curious, though.
Slowly, he extended his tongue out, and poked at the mess on her hand, only to retract it.
"It's...weird. I don't really like it...what do you think?"
Yun was surprised when he actually did it, but hey! If he'd been willing to taste her, why not? She'd tasted herself on him.
She laughed at his conclusion and nodded in agreement, feeling a little better, because he'd said it, first! She hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings or anything. "Yeah, same," she said, but she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Doesn't mean I won't do it again, though, don't worry! That was...kinda fun."
"Was it? It didn't seem to exciting for you at first, that's why I came up with that double-thingy...whatever."
She leaned in to kiss his cheek, and Han wiped off a bit of the mess that she'd left.
"You should probably wash your face or something..."
"...Oh. Yeah. Prob'ly..." Yun said, clearing her throat. "Ya should prob'ly do the same, too."
With a lopsided grin, she rose to her feet, her legs a little wobbly after everything they'd done.
Han waited for his footing to steady a bit more before he stood up, and he led the way down to the water.
"No jumping this time, alright? The last thing I need is for you to faceplant like last time. It'd kill me."
"I didn't faceplant," Yun said with a sniff as she stepped, rather delicately and carefully, into the water. "That was a super secret special Warrior move. Very dangerous. It's a killer."
And then she dunked herself in the water and started scrubbing at her face.
"Yeah. Killer for the one using it."
Han allowed himself to flop backwards into the water in order to quickly submerge himself, and then coming back up into a float.
"You know, I wonder what fuckin' on a bed will be like. It must be so much better than the grass and rocks we've had so far..."
"Muuuuuch comfier, I imagine!" Yun said as she whipped her hair out of her face. "Bouncier, too, probably. Won't have to worry about bugs or gettin' dirt up your bum or layin' on a rock."
Then she paused, making a face. "But kinda less private, too, I guess."
Han shot her a sly grin.
"Well, maybe I'll just have to keep you quiet!"
He kissed her then, chuckling as he pulled away.
"I've found two ways to do that so far!"
Yun's face went red at that, and she splashed water at him in response, laughing. "Haaan!"
Again, Han mimicked her.
"Yuuun!" he chuckled, before motioning to himself, inviting her to float next to him.
"You know the wine we had before? The stuff that was kinda spoiled? Gods, could you imagine if we had that stuff now? e'd be having a whale of a time."
"Pffft, whatcha talkin' 'bout? I'm already havin' a whale of a time," Yun said, sticking out her tongue, as she started to wash herself more thoroughly.
"Hah, tell me about it. I can't think of anything I like more than being with you, Yun. I feel like you complete me, you know?"
Han gave off a cheesy grin.
"When we fuck, it's just...we're so connected, Yun. It's beautiful, just like you."
Yun blinked at him in surprise, then flushed a little red. "Ya...ya think I'm beautiful?"
Han nodded, the water around his head rippling and splashing lightly with each movement. He ceased floating, getting back to a seated position in the water.
"Of course I do, Yun! Come 'ere."
Han motioned towards himself, smiling.
Still a little surprised and flustered--but in a good way!--Yun waded over to him when he called her over. It wasn't that she thought she was ugly or anything! But she certainly wasn't used to thinking of herself as beautiful. She always figured she was pretty average and besides, she was a Warrior! Warriors were brawny and scrappy and tough! They weren't beautiful. Right?
"Heh, well, thanks! That's real sweet, Han."
Han grabbed her, and gently lowered her down so she was seated on one of his legs. Wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her so her back was up against his chest, Han kissed her cheek. He loved how warm the got when she blushed, it was something he'd never get over.
"Well, we're in love, aren't we? Isn't that what we're supposed to say to each other?"
Supposed to say? Yun's brow furrowed at his wording, and then she gave a small shrug and leaned back against him. She folded her arms over his, holding them against her belly.
"I dunno that you're supposed to say anything other than whatcha feel," she said, and nudged him lightly with her elbow, teasing him. She knew he meant it. "I don't think there's a real script to anything like this! The only thing that's scripted are the rituals and stuff."
"Well, I--"
Han cut off, blushing. He searched his mind, eyes darting about as if he'd find the answer in the water around them. When she nudged him though, he smiled, knowing his meaning hadn't been lost.
"Rituals?" he asked, and leaned his head over her shoulder so he could look into her eyes. His own were alight with curiosity and wonder.
"Like, spirit summonings and all that? Those must be so cool!"
"Not quite..." Yun said with a laugh, reminded once again that, though born and raised on Thanatos, he knew close to nothing about their culture!
"More like, y'know, weddings and stuff."
"Oh."
His smiled fell away, and he pouted slightly, sneaking in another kiss before he moved his head back behind her.
"Are those cool?"
"Ohhhh yeah!" Yun said, recalling the ones she'd participated in. "They're huuuge! The whole village gets involved. There's flowers everywhere! And lots of music and feasting and partying and it gets really loud and rowdy. Of course, the richer the families, the more elaborate they are, but even the small ones are wild! Well, except for the part where they do the marriage stuff. That's all quiet and serious, but still pretty."
"Wooooww..."
Han tried to lean back against something, but it was clear he remembered where they were halfway through, and quickly righted himself again. He was silent for a minute, obviously thinking as he rested his chin on Yun's shoulders.
"Maybe..." Han started, eyes rolling over to Yun, before they returned to the water.
"No, never mind. It's too soon..."
Yun let out a choked laugh. She had definitely caught where that was going!
"Uhhh, yeah, way too soon for anything like that!"
"I was just thinking!" Han replied, trying to cover his tracks.
"Besides, you've got warrior training to do. It's not like we'll have the time to get married, anyways."
Time...there was something with that word...
Han looked up.
"Oh, shit!"
"Yeeeah, my lifestyle kinda makes--whatwhat?!"
Yun just about flew out of Han's lap when he cursed, violently startling, because her first thought was that he'd seen something, like a ghost or demon! Her heart stopped and she grabbed his arm tightly, unable to see where he was looking since he was behind her.
"WHATISIT?!"
"Look!"
Han oriented Yun's head upwards. The sun was starting to peek away at the edges of the clearing.
"We've been here for way too long! We've gotta get goin'!"
"Oh goddess!" Yun gasped, when Han pointed her head in the right direction. With a jolt, she stood up off his lap.
"How long were we here?!"
It didn't feel like that long, but, well...time kind of stopped existing there for a bit.
"Shit, it couldn't have been more than an hour! Time flies, and all that!"
Han practically jumped up out of the water, right next to Yun. He didn't wait for her, instead opting to make a beeline towards their clothing.
Yun wrung the water from her hair as she followed Han back to the shore, and she stood dripping by her clothes, waiting for Han to do his magic drying...magic!
"That's not too bad though, right? Like, that won't throw us off that much...right?"
"Oh no, we're fine. We've gotta hurry along, though. No more fun until we're out of this forest!"
He started throwing his own clothing on, and spared a glance towards Yun, standing there as if waiting for something.
"Just get it on as quick as you can! We're going across the lake anyways. I'll dry us when we get to the other side!"
"Eugh. Put on clothes while wet?" Yun made a face, but after a pause she started to pull her clothes on anyway, even though the sensation of putting dry clothes on a wet body was never pleasant! The way they just stuck...ew, ew, ew.
But finally, she was dressed and her sandals were laced, and she was quick to hop back into the water--carefully!--because may as well!
"Alright! Let's go, slow-poke! I ain't gettin' stuck out in the bad part of the woods at night."
Funny enough, Han was waiting for Yun to finish getting dressed, anxiously holding onto the straps of his packs.
"Me the slowpoke? Whatever you say, Yun. Last one across is a rotten egg!"
With that, he sped past her, clambering down into the water. Han began the tedious process of wading across the lake, glancing behind him to see how Yun was doing.
Yun was much, much slower in the water. Especially after all their activity. Her thighs were burning after holding them open so long (hey, she was flexible, but she still wasn't used to those particular movements!), so she was slower, and quickly fell behind.
"Fine, I take it back! Ya got longer legs, anyway! No fair!"
[You know, it's taken me all this time to realize that Kruz'Iik isn't even in this thread anymore XD It begs the question, though: How much of this is orchestrated, hmm? Such an inception-y question!]
Whether it was Han's previous acclimation towards long periods of strenuous activity, or that he didn't really do that much during his and Yun's little "detours", the fact that he was considerably less sore remained.
Han slowed down, and put an arm around her so he could help her along.
[RPCEPTION!]
"Hah, thanks," Yun said as Han returned to her as they sloshed through the clear lake. "It's your fault I'm all slow! Ya wore me out."
"Good! That means I did a good job!"
They were approaching the deep middle, and Han hunched over to try and keep as much of his pack out of the water as he could.
"You need help here?"
In reply, Yun grabbed onto Han's shoulders and hopped up onto his back, arms around his neck and legs around his waist. She held on tightly and grinned into the back of his neck.
"I think I got it!"
Han stopped for a few seconds to adjust to the weight. At this moment, he was now carrying Yun, her packs, and his own packs. Although the water helped with the weight, it was clear he'd be moving a lot slower if they were on dry land.
"Good thing I'm so mighty. Gosh..."
As the water reached Han's chest, he began to lumber rather than walk, and he raised his arms to gently hold onto Yun's hands.
"For a strong warrior, you sure like being carried. I don't blame you, though. I'd want to be carried by me too."
Yun laughed at that and kissed the side of his neck.
"I said I'm a strong, mighty warrior!" she said. "I never said I wasn't lazy!"
"Well, lazybones, the next time we fuck, you're gonna be on top!" Han proclaimed, before shivering slightly beneath Yun's lips.
Yun sputtered out a laugh at that, still a little embarrassed about talking about the very thing they did, but then she playfully punched his shoulder. "Oh no! Ya act like that's a huge punishment or somethin'!"
Han stumbled as he himself broke into laughter again, but he maintained his balance.
"Well, I'm sure you'll change your tune when you've gotta do the work!" Han retorted, and looked back at her.
"Oh, my thighs burn!" He said in falsetto, a mildly accurate imitation of Yun's voice.
Yun punched him again, a little harder, but still not enough to hurt him. "Awwww, are ya complainin'? 'Cause, ya know, it's not like we gotta do that..."
"What? Don't get me wrong, Yun. I gotta have ya! Whenever I get the chance works, but we don't have the time or the energy."
He was quiet, before looking out in the direction they were going. They were halfway across the lake now, and Han spoke up.
"That was you, by the way. That voice I did. Don't know if you caught that."
"No way!" Yun laughed, shaking her head. "I so don't sound like that! My voice ain't that high!"
"Well, it's a joke for a reason..."
The water was starting to lower again, and Han jostled his shoulders a bit.
"Alright, this is is your stop. Off you go!"
"Awww, already? We're not even across the lake yet!" Yun said, tightening her hold on him instead of loosening it. "Or did I tucker you out, too?"
"Well, I'm carrying you, my bags, and your bags," Han said in a deadpan voice, looking back at Yun with pursed lips.
"But... If you want me to keep carrying you, It's gonna cost you later on!" He playfully teased, before he craned his head back and plopped a kiss on her cheek.
"This ride ain't free."
"Pffft, details," Yun said with a wave of her hand as Han listed all the things he carried. Secretly, however, she was quite impressed. He didn't even seem to be breathing all that heavily or anything! Her jungle boy was quite the beast, indeed.
She squeezed him a little, grinning into his kiss. "Oh yeah? What's the toll, then?"
Han narrowed his eyes, a mischievous grin on his face.
"Next time you suck me off, you've gotta swallow," Han said, a smug grin on his face.
Once again, Yun sputtered. "Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Han looked at her, a dead serious look on his face, before...before he began laughing.
"Of course not! Gosh, it's not that steep. For you, my lovely warrior, the rides are free!" He laughed, and began moving again.
Yun reached up and roughly ruffled his hair with both hands, making a big fat mess of it all. "Ya brat!" she said with a laugh, before she wrapped her arms around his neck again and flopped against his back.
Luckily for Han, he wouldn't be carrying her much further; her thighs were sore, and gripping his waist was a lot more effort than just walking and working out the soreness. With a shake of her head, she planted another kiss on the back of his neck.
"I wouldn't be opposed to it, ya know..." she said after a pause. "Tryin' it, I mean. If you'd like that..."
"It was more of a dare than anything else. Unless it means something to you, I don't really care what you do with my...uh...excretions."
Han's cheeks began to color up, and he became aware again of just how tightly she was pressing to him. The kiss on his neck didn't help much, either.
"besides, didn't you almost choke on it?"
And then it was Yun's turn to blush, reminded of her rather...ungraceful time back there.
"Errr, yeah," she said with an awkward laugh. "Yeah, good point! I just didn't want ya to think I thought ya were gross or anything."
"But it is gross, isn't it?" Han asked.
The water was back at Han's waist level, and now that there was nothing to help him support all the weight, his effort was quite visible now. His footsteps came in short, in both length and stride, to the point where he was almost shuffling along.
"I mean, I thought it was a little gross. It's all gooey and salty..."
"Well...kinda, I guess," Yun said, and unwrapped her legs from around Han once they were back on dry land. With another kiss, this one on his cheek, she let go of him and reached for her pack.
"I mean, it's more the texture that's...uh...hard to swallow," she said, and flashed a wide grin his way, quite obviously pleased with her pun!
[Wow, that pun...It might've actually hurt me...]
Han stopped dead in his track, eyes locked onto Yun. He didn't need to know what a pun was to know just how bad her little joke was. Regardless, he tried to ignore that, and carry on with the conversation.
"Why, is it sticky or something?"
[>_> *cough*]
Awww! He didn't like her joke?! Pah! She thought it was pretty darned clever, but everyone had to be a critic...
Yun gave a little shrug. "Not really? I mean it's like real thick, and warm, and there's kinda a lot of it?" She decided that was a better description of it than what she was actually thinking, because she didn't want Han to think she didn't want to do that to him again or that she was repulsed or anything! She found the whole thing pretty hot, it was just that part that would take some getting used to!
Han bobbed his head to the side, processing her answer. "I think I get it. Sorta..."
He looked at her, crossing his arms as he straightened up his back and stretched a bit.
"If you don't want it in your mouth, you could always, like...take it out. Oh, but then you might get some on your face. Hmm..."
Yun barked a laugh at that.
"I got it on my face anyway!" she said, poking him in the belly. "I mean, it's not that bad. It washes right off. I wouldn't want it in my eye or anything, but..."
"I imagine it'd sting a bit, since it's salty."
Han looked at her, shaking his head as he laughed. They were almost across the lake now. The water was up to Han's knees.
"Well, you didn't get that much on your face. I dunno if it's just me, but it just feels weird if it doesn't end up somewhere on you, you know what I mean? Like, if you were to aim it off to the side, then it's just...wasted."
Han shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm probably thinking way too deeply into what comes out of my dick when we fuck. Don't mind me."
Yun bit her lip, fighting to hold back her laughter, but she couldn't help it. She burst into giggles and grabbed onto Han's shoulder for support because yes, yes he was thinking an awful lot about where his junk wound up! But, she supposed, he was a boy. And boys were weird like that.
Rising up onto her toes, she kissed his cheek again. "Prob'ly," she agreed with a wide grin. "I mean, Inima ain't pleased with us already 'cause we ain't doing it right by her already, 'cause to her it's wasted if it ain't in me. But I say Inima can calm down 'cause I sure ain't ready for kids. So, I guess I know whatcha mean! Maybe that feelin's Inima being all irked at ya."
She pat his cheek. "I'll just make sure it lands somewhere on me and we can call it good, yeah? Like I said, I ain't all that fussed. It washes off."
Han nodded, and placed a hand on the small of Yun's back as he leaned down to give her a kiss of his own.
"That sounds good. Perfect, actually," he said, crossing his arms as he looked back out to the road ahead.
"I sure hope Inima isn't too pissed about the last two times. But I think we're slowly making it up to her. Heh...She must think we're so bad at this..."
Of course, Han wasn't aware that the concept of a deity wasn't meant to be taken so literally, but the idea of a magic woman in the sky watching couple have sex just...sort of...really intrigued him.
Yun snorted, biting back more laughter. "I...I'm not really sure Inima's keepin' score, Han..."
"Well, what does she do then?"
Han spared a glance skywards, snickering.
"Why does she care so much about about the white stuff?"
"Ummm, well, 'cause I guess that stuff must be your seed and it's like...supposed to help grow babies?" Yun said, floundering for an explanation.
"And Inima really likes babies. She wants everyone to have 'em. That's what sex's for, really, and she doesn't like it goin' to waste."
"So..."
Han scratched the bottom his chin to shoo off a mosquito that landed there.
"If I put my seed in you, you'll have a baby? How he hell does that work..."
"I dunno! It just does!" Yun said, throwing her hands up with a snort. "It's how it's worked since...well, since women've been spittin' out babies. I guess it just goes in the gal's belly and like...grows into a baby."
"That's...weird," Han said with a snicker.
At this point, they reached the other side of the lake, and Han began charging up his cleaning spell.
Stepping onto the shore and shaking water out of her sandals, Yun gave Han an odd look. "You...knew that, right? How babies're made?"
"Uh, no."
He blasted them both with the clean-beam.
"Grew up in the jungle, remember?"
"True, but, I mean, surely ya saw like animals and stuff have babies? Maybe?"
But maybe not, Yun thought after a moment. She'd seen domestic animals give birth, but how many times would someone see a wild animal in that state? Wild animals were pretty secretive about that, after all.
"Not really. I mean, I might've glimpsed some animals doin' it once, but I didn't stick around and take notes."
Han nudged Yun in the stomach, smiling widely.
"I ain't Inima."
Yun wrinkled her nose at that and shoved Han back. "Eww! I don't think Inima actually watches, Han! I mean, I dunno! But guh! I don't wanna think about some lady watchin' me!"
"How else would she know?" Han teased, lurching forwards and nudging her again. "Huh? Or does she just know?"
With every word, he got closer, smiling wider and wider, until he broke into laughter. He put his hands on Yun's hips, and kissed her.
"You know I'm just messin' with you, right?"
"Brat!" Yun laughed against his mouth, and she gave his bottom lip a sharp, playful nip in revenge. "I was just thinkin' ya seemed awful excited about this whole 'goddess watches us fuck' business and was startin' to question ya! Ya weirdo."
But she was grinning when she pulled back to look up at him, amusement in her eyes. "But ya did give me a lot to think about. Lotsa deep theological questions there. I'll be sure to ask a priestess about it."
Han gasped lightly, sucking in his bottom as he mockingly furrowed his eyebrows at Yun, but he quickly smiled afterwards.
"That'll be quite the discussion! Let me know when you do that, I want to watch."
Han motioned for them to get going, spurring Yun onwards with a quick little spank. "No more lollygaggin', love. We've gotta get going."
"Ya would wanna watch," Yun said, sticking out her tongue, before jolting with a laugh when he smacked her ass. But soon she'd hefted her pack to a more comfortable position and was on her way, falling into stride beside Han.
"Ya know, for all I was freakin' out, I gotta admit, this place isn't that bad. For bein' a scary, spooky, spirit woods place."
"Maybe..."
Han gripped Yun'd hand tenderly, ensconcing it in his own.
"Maybe when you have a free day or two, we can come out here. Spend the nights on one of the little islands. Just you, me, and Inima as our witness."
"You're really into the idea of Inima watchin' us, eh?" Yun teased, giving his hand a squeeze.
She kissed his cheek. "But that aside...I'd really, really like that."
"What can I say? I find it a little...thrilling, actually. But that's just me."
Han smiled, cheeks coloring slightly with her kiss.
"Well, then you gotta work extra hard, so this Kuan lady would give you a break, speaking of...Am I gonna have to meet her? Or are you gonna have to keep us secret, or what?"
"Thrillin'? Havin' some old lady watch? Really?" Yun said, and shook her head.
"Anyway, yeah, you'll meet Kuan. Though, uh...maybe we'll keep this on the down-low for a bit..."
"Yeah, I can understand why. You're late enough as it is, she'd probably get pretty mad if she found out we've been getting, uh...sidetracked," Han said sheepishly.
"She would be pretty irate, yeah!" Yun said with a grin. "But I don't think she'll be too mad about us, otherwise. Like, the whole part where I rescued ya from the jungle and brought ya to civilizaton and Inima? That sounds much better than...gettin' majorly sidetracked."
"But, you didn't resc--"
Han paused, eyes widening.
"Ooohhhh. But wait, how would that work?"
Yun's grin broadened when Han caught on.
"Oh, ya just got left in the jungle, abandoned by your family and dead grandfather, and I found ya! Ya were all alone and afraid and starvin', and I dragged ya out! Or if we wanna make it more excitin', I found ya up a tree, cornered by boars, and fought them off!"
She puffed out her chest. "I kinda like the last one."
"The first one doesn't work. Because, well...I'm not starved."
Han frowned slightly.
"The boar one can work, I guess, but if Kuan ever sees me do magic, or ever sees how strong I am, she's gonna come down on you."
He looked at Yun, and put an arm around her waist.
"Why don't we tell the truth? Well, partly the truth. You were forced off the road by a storm, got lost, and I saved you. How about that?"
"...All good points," Yun said with a cough, her cheeks coloring. Maybe Han was right--sometimes simpler was easier.
"She might wonder why it took so long since the storm's been over for a while now, but I mean...Iwas pretty messed up after that, so...guess that's not stretchin' the truth that far." And she looked at Han with a crooked grin.
"Certainly not as much as fightin' off boars, huh?"
"Well, we can always tell her you got really lost. I mean, you did get pretty lost. We could always say that I found you, say... a day after you got lost. That would make it a bit more believable, I think. And it'd make up for our lost time."
Han stretched, chuckling lightly.
"More time we're going to lose tonight, I presume?"
"Oh?" Yun gave Han a sly, knowing look.
"And how d'ya suppose we're gonna lose that time, huh?"
Han kissed Yun on the cheek, smiling widely as he did so.
"It ain't gonna be sleeping, that's for sure."
"No? Is it gonna be...star-gazin'? Oh! Or maybe doin' each other's hair!" Yun teased, playing innocent.
Han smirked and rolled his eyes. He looked back out to the path ahead of them, adjusting his pack.
"We'll be seein' stars, all right..."
"Maybe! Who gets to see the stars depends a lot on positionin', if ya know what I mean," Yun said, snickering at her own joke.
"Oh, just shush!" Han chortled, giving Yun a gentle, but stiff push.
"It won't matter what position I'm in, because you're the only star I need."
...What the?
How did he...?
How did he take her crude, immature joke and make it cute?!
"Aww..." Heat rushed to Yun's cheeks, and she pushed back against him, though it was just an excuse to wrap her arm around his waist and pull him closer as they walked. "That's pretty much the sweetest thing anyone's ever told me."
"Well, I'm glad to be the one to say it," Han said, almost as a boast.
He wrapped his own arm around her in quite the amorous fashion, and left a kiss on the top of her head.
"Maybe, if we make good time, we can find a spot that lets us see Suna in the distance. Wouldn't that be extra romantic?"
"It would be pretty beautiful, I think..." Yun said, and gave a sheepish smile. "I've never actually seen Suna from a distance at night. Y'know, not doin' well in the dark and all. But I guess I could handle it if you're there keepin' me good and distracted."
And she squeezed his waist a little at that.
"Yun, I think I'm always keeping you distracted. But that's alright, you distract me too!"
He blushed when she squeezed him again, but he slowly broke away.
"Come on. We're burning time again."
"Right!" Yun said, and pulled away from him as Han did. Touching seemed to lead to distractions all too easily!
"So how much longer, do ya think? Before we're outta here?"
"A few hours, at most. Dusk might catch us on the way out, but unless we really start faffing around, we shouldn't be in here when night hits."
He looked down at her.
"If we make it in time, we might be able to see the sun going down."
"In that case, serious business faces on. No 'faffin'' around, no funny business, no distractions, just straight on forward march!" Yun said as she put her words to action, walking briskly and with purpose, not wanting to risk getting stuck here when the sun went down!
Those little lights were...alright. Weird, but alright. But that was during the day. She didn't want to see what those cute orbs became when the sun went down.
"Okay!"
Han straightened up like a soldier, and marched alongside her. Very quickly, the put the serene lake behind them, and they were back into the spirit woods proper. A part of him was sad to leave that place behind (he had some really good memories from there, now!), but most of him was glad to be on the move again.
Once they were beyond the lake, Yun's confidence began to dissipate. Weird little lights or not, they were pretty creepy nonetheless, with their jingling bell sounds and...stalkerness. That, and while Yun could lead the way out since there was an obvious end to the peaceful, placid clearing, she didn't actually know where to go once they reached the woods.
That was Han's area, not hers. Her area was the one where she should have just stuck to the roads in the first place, since her sense of direction was, as she'd discovered...unrefined.
She slowed down and walked closer to Han and let him take the lead. But whatever nerves she had concerning this place, she knew one thing for certain:
She'd gladly come back to this clearing with Han.
And she was glad she'd gotten lost and strayed from the road in the first place.
Han, expecting Yun to give him the lead, quickly took Yun's hand and led her on, looking back to smile at her.
He didn't say anything, though. Words weren't necessary.
The spirits, of course, were naturally curious again. Why wouldn't they be? These two strangers just fucked in their lake!
Regardless, though, Han ignored them and led the way, and soon, they were back on a beaten path.
Hand in hand they walked, Yun a little quiet because she was, admittedly, sleepy. They'd done a lot of walking over the last few days! And their other activities did take it out of her. Honestly, she would have been happy to just roll over and sleep for a while after all that, but they were on a time limit!
It would be really nice when they could have those sorts of moments and not have to immediately run off somewhere.
Silly as it might be, she was just looking forward to being able to cuddle the guy afterwards!
It just so happened that Han was thinking along the same lines. However, it was he who took the initiative and brought it up. He tightened his hand around hers, squeezing it to get her attention.
"So, I was thinking..."
he looked to her, smiling.
"We're both a bit tired, but maybe if we take things a bit more slowly tonight, we can, I dunno...cuddle and stuff after?"
With a sudden, startled look, Yun gave Han's shoulder a playful shove.
"Hey! You! Get outta my head!" she said. "No, seriously, how the...that's freakin' creepy! I was thinkin' the exact same thing just now!"
And she reclaimed his hand and squeezed it, grinning. "But seriously, that sounds good to me. Not havin' to fuck and run, y'know?"
"Totally."
He nudged her right back with his elbow, watching her keenly.
"And I can't read minds. I'm not that good yet."
Yun arched her brows. "Yet?"
"Well, yeah."
Han offered her a grin.
"I'm always trying to teach myself how to do magic better. Grandfather gave me the beginning, no doubt, but apart from that, I'm mostly self-taught."
Yun paused, letting that sink in. She let the silence stretch a long, long moment, and then side-eyed him and scooted in closer.
"...Can ya learn how to read minds?"
Han took the opportunity of Yun scooting closer to get his arm around her even more.
"Well, I'm nowhere near that level yet, and there's a few things I want to learn before
that, but yeah. Sooner or later, I'm gonna figure it out."
He looked down at her, and his smile dropped a little. Something about the way she looked at him made him worry.
"Is...is there something wrong with that?"
"There's nothin' wrong with it, exactly..." Yun said, trying to decide how to phrase it, especially when Han looked so excited about it.
"It's just, well, it's a bit like snoopin'. Like, I mean, I ain't thinkin' anything I wouldn't mind ya knowin' or anything, but it's kinda uncomfortable, thinkin' someone could listen in on all your thoughts whenever they want."
She poked Han in the side. "I trust ya not to abuse it or anything, of course. But it seems like a thing ya should only use if someone's given ya permission, ya know? Something ya should be really careful about."
"Well, if you're not comfortable with it, I could always...you know, not learn how to do that. It's not like not learning it's gonna hold me back, or anything."
He leaned in to steal a kiss from her.
"I wouldn't ever want to be able to do something that would cause you to be nervous around me or something."
With a smile at that, Yun leaned up to kiss his cheek.
"It's just, it'd be a lotta power to be responsible for," she said. "I know you'd never do anything bad or what have ya, I just think ya gotta be careful, 'cause accidents happen. Ya know, be careful what ya dabble in. Some things could be real risky, even if you're being careful about it. Plus..."
She looked around at the forest surrounding them, as though to make sure they were truly alone.
"Lotsa people can be weird about magic. Remember to keep that all on the down-low, 'kay?"
"Well, I don't think I'm going to be getting much dabbling done in the city. Nowhere to test anything out, I'm gonna guess."
He rubbed his cheek where she kissed him. Not trying to wipe the kiss away, just rubbing his cheek out of boredom.
"I used to spend whole days slinging experimental spells at that waterfall by my cabin, or at the rock walls next to it. You know, a few days before you showed up, I was trying to learn how to shoot fireballs."
"Fireballs? That poor waterfall!" Yun laughed, and nudged Han in the side.
"Didja ever figure it out?"
"Well..."
Han winced playfully.
"We walked around the boars, didn't we?"
Yun burst into laughter and wrapped an arm around Han in a one-armed hug, giving him a tight squeeze.
"You'll get it, I'm sure!" she said. "Besides, fireballs are overrated. Your cleanin' spell, though? That's the best. That saves lives!"
"Explosions are never overrated," Han said, curling into her squeeze.
"Comes in real handy around the house, and...wait, where am I going to live?"
Han looked down at her. He wasn't really concerned, just curious.
"If I can get a job as herbalist for the warriors, will I be living with them?"
...That was a good question.
Yun had been so excited to bring Han back to Suna that she hadn't once considered the obvious: housing.
"Um..." She looked up at him, and cleared her throat. "Good question. But, er, that ain't a bad idea, actually. Like...I know we all get banged up enough, and findin' healers in these parts is pretty rough, so..."
She pat his arm in a reassuring gesture. "I'm sure it'll be fine! I can make a good case for ya, and you're good at what ya do, anyway! Ya know your stuff! So many herbalists and whatnot are just hacks, but you're legit and I can vouch!"
"Wow, thanks!" Han said excitedly, squeezing her a bit.
"Although, I don't want you getting bruised up on purpose just so you can see the doctor, all right?"
Yun's grin turned playfully wicked as she peered up at him.
"Nawwww, I wouldn't do that. I know I can visit the doctor wheneeever I want, and he'll make me feel good!" she said with a wink. "No bruising required!"
Han blushed pretty hard at that, but he grinned as well, giving her a quick kiss.
"I'm sure I can make time for some...appointments."
"I'll need a thorough examination, of course!" Yun added with a snicker, delighting in his blush. Hey, it was usually her getting all red-faced! It was nice to turn the tables now and then!
Han snickered along, shaking his head.
"Oh yeah, very through. Not a cranny left unchecked!"
And then Yun looked up at him, an impish look in her eyes, and narrowed them playfully at him. "Just be sure not to be quite so thorough on the other girls, eh?"
Han looked puzzled for a few moments.
"The other girls? What...Oh! Duh, yeah. The others."
He rubbed the back of his head.
"I won't! My services are reserved for you, and only you, love."
Yun squeezed him tighter at that before she let him go, a little extra bounce in her step. She wasn't really jealous, per se, or worried, really...but...
There were a lot of really, really pretty Warrior girls. Tons lots prettier than her.
And then there were the Maoin.
And, and, and the priestesses...
And maybe Han didn't realize it of himself, but he was smokin'. Like, there was no way they were going to walk anywhere without ladies checking him out.
It was a little intimidating to think that, and a little crazy to think he'd chosen her, but...she was the first woman he'd met! He could find someone else! It could happen!
But instead of spilling all her worries and insecurities onto him--because they were her insecurities to deal with, not his fault!--she just blushed at his words and smiled. "That's what I like to hear!"
There was a flash of something in Yun, something Han caught on to before she blushed and smiled. He didn't really make anything of it, as there were so many possibilities as to what that could mean.
"So wait, if I'm gonna be a herbalist for the warriors, then I'm not gonna try out to be a Maoin, right? Or can I be both?"
"Ya know what? Maoin are like super skilled in lotsa different things, so I say if ya wanna be a Maoin herbalist, ya be a Maoin herbalist! Now, your age might be an issue...Maoin usually start when they're like...children. But maybe ya could make a real good case."
Of course, Yun was also kind of talking out her ass. She really wasn't at all familiar with how Maoin worked.
"I bet I could. But is being a Maoin something that...I dunno...you have to stick around somewhere for? Like, is there a Maoin house or something where all the Maoin live, or is it more like a title?"
Han was curious about this indeed!
"Uhh...as far as I know, I think they all live in the same place? Like, they all train under the head Maoin, who's the head of the House, and who owns their contracts or somethin'. I think." Yun blinked, and this suddenly sounded like a terrible idea, the more she thought about it.
"So...er...actually, maybe ya shouldn't be a Maoin..."
"Ah, it's all right," Han started, and he gave Yun another squeeze as they walked.
"I didn't want to be cooped up there anyways. Besides, I think knowing I could've been one is great enough for me. It'll definitely give you something to brag about!"
"Tch! I don't even gotta brag about ya! Just havin' ya on my arm is braggin' in and of itself!"
She looked up at Han, giving him a light nudge. "I dunno if you're aware, being an isolated jungle boy and all, but you're a looker. Don't be alarmed when people stop and gape."
"A looker, huh?" Han asked, that damned blush rising back up onto his cheeks.
"Well, then feel free not to brag, if it's so obvious."
"Ohhhh? What? Will the braggin' make ya all embaaaarrassed?"
She reached up and poked one of his blushy cheeks as she said it, laughing. "Someone's all red!"
"Shaddaaaap!" Han said, gently swatting away Yun's hand.
Yun was relentless.
"Whaaat? Don't like hearin' how stunnin' ya are, my dear, sweet, wild jungle-Maoin boy? With your luscious locks and glistenin' muscles?"
"What? No, I do..."
Damn you, Yun!
He glowered playfully at her, and suddenly took her by the hips, stopping their walk.
"You're just beggin' for a kiss, ain't you?" he said, before locking lips with her.
Yun giggled against his lips and looped her arms around his neck to keep him there, to ensure she got a nice, long, and proper kiss out of this.
"Naaaah," she finally said against his mouth. "Beggin' would sound more like, 'Oh, please kiss me, Han! Kiss me hard and kiss me deep! Kiss me 'til I can't breathe!' Or somethin'. I dunno. Ain't the beggin' type."
"Isn't that what you want, though?" he mumbled, before he continued to kiss her.
"Mmmyeah," Yun murmured, raising onto her toes to make it easier on Han. When she paused for breath, she added, "But I didn't beg for it."
Han didn't respond until the kiss was well and done. He spoke as he caught his breath, face still a little flustered.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. You asked for it."
Rather unexpectedly for someone as soft-spoken and easygoing as Han, he gave her ass a firm grab.
"You'll be begging tonight, though."
Yun supposed that was a fitting revenge for all her teasing, because she flushed red and let out a soft squeak when Han grabbed her ass.
Still, she remained strong! Strong like warrior!
"Tch, warriors don't beg," she said, lifting her chin.
Han grinned with satisfaction as Yun went as red as a lobster, his revenge complete. He let her go, and resumed walking, crossing his arms.
"We'll see, Yun. We'll see..."
"Psh, as if," Yun said with a dismissive wave of her hand before she forged on ahead and fought to cool her blood.
And with all their silly bantering, she'd managed to completely forget to be afraid of the woods.
Han was quiet as he caught up to Yun, matching her accelerated pace with eagerness. When he finally came back to her side, he spoke.
"So, what does your mentor look like? Kuan was her name, right? Is she like...super grizzled and cool, or what?"
"Grizzled? Kuan?" Yun barked a laugh at that, trying to picture it!
"Pahaha, no. She's shorter than I am! Like, not by much, but still. She's kinda little. You'd never really know she could kick your butt five ways to next season. She's got muscle, though, and real bright blond hair that's pretty scruffy and her eyes are weird. Two colors! Um. Hrm. Don't ever repeat this, but she kinda looks like a boy, too. People sometimes mistake her for one."
"Two different colors?" Han asked, eyes going wide.
"Like, one...wow, that's pretty cool. And she's shorter than you? Wow, you're already kinda small," Han teased, patting the top of Yun's head.
"Seriously, am I like...abnormally tall or something?"
Yun swatted playfully at Han's hand.
"Er, to be honest, you're kinda different in a lot of ways, actually," she said, catching his hand instead of swatting it away and giving his knuckles a quick kiss.
"Yooou're...pretty tall, yeah! Ain't many folk tall as you, 'cept foreigners. Your hair's black, too! Ya don't really see that much, either. Darker eyes, too."
"Oh! I never told you!"
Han looked really excited now.
"Did you ever notice? No, I don't think you did! My eyes, they have this real cool thing you can only see if the light's right. Look!"
He leaned down so Yun could look into his eyes, and he put his hands over his brows to cast a shadow over them.
It would take some focusing to see, but there were bright blue streaks inside his otherwise dark eyes.
"It's the magic that does that. Isn't that rad?"
Yun leaned in to look into Han's eyes, feeling a little silly to be staring so intensely at him, and she squinted her own eyes. For a moment she saw nothing, so she leaned a little closer until their noses bumped--and then her eyes widened.
"Whooooa! Okay, that's awesome, and I stand by what I said--ain't no one's got eyes like that! Jeez. You and Kuan'll get along good, you and your pretty eyes! I'm jealous!"
Still studying his eyes, she smiled. "So your magic makes it that way? Like, ya weren't born with your eyes like that?"
[He has special eyes]
"I know, right? I discovered it in my reflection. It's pretty cool!"
He took the chance to nuzzle Yun, before leaning back up.
"I think the better I get, the bluer my eyes become. Eventually, they're just gonna be this really deep sort of blue, I suppose. Not complaining, though. I bet it'll look freakin' badass."
[SUPER SPESHUL]
"Your eyes already look really pretty," Yun said, and nuzzled noses with him before slipping in to steal a kiss. "And the way they are now, it's like...like you've got lightning in 'em or somethin'!"
"Wow...lightning..."
Although Yun stole a kiss from him, Han was more than content to keep giving, so he gave her another! In fact, he was feeling so generous, that after that kiss, he gave her yet another.
"We're really bad at this whole "not get distracted" business. Like...it's kind of funny."
At that reminder, Yun pulled away with a snort. "Well maybe we'd stop gettin' distracted if you'd stop distractin' us."
And she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Me?"
Han stuck his own tongue out, poking the tip of Yun's with it.
"Alright, yeah, you got me. Guilty as charged. No more, though! No more stops 'till nightfall. We gotta restrain ourselves, okay?" he said confidently as he straightened up, resuming the walk.
"You're tellin' that to me! I wasn't the one that started this one! I don't think...well, I'm gonna blame ya, anyway."
Yun folded her arms over her chest, a conscious effort to keep her hands off him and behave!
"Whoever breaks first loses, how 'bout that?"
"Sounds fun," Han said, stuffing his hands into his robe pockets. He grinned, shaking his head.
"And what happens to the loser?"
"I guess...that'll be the winner's choice!" Yun said with a mischievous smile.
Han barked a laugh at that.
"Well, then you're on, love."
Yun smiled smugly as she walked, side-stepping to put a little space between them as she strode purposely onward.
"Prepare to lose. If there's one thing warrior's got, it's discipline!"
"Hah! you underestimate my power!"
It was a decent enough bluff, he supposed. It was going to be hard for poor old Han. He quite literally couldn't get enough of Yun, and to have to restrain himself...
...yikes.
"Do I? 'Cause you've been doing an awful lotta cavin'!" Yun said with a teasing look his way.
"I think I'm estimatin' ya juuuust about right."
"Well, why wouldn't I be caving? You don't mind me touching or kissing you, so before, there wasn't really a reason not to cave."
He made it a point to ignore her teasing look, staring dead-on ahead. They were almost out of the woods at this point. Just a little bit longer before they could settle down for the dusk.
"Just you watch, I'll blow your expectations outta the water."
"Tch, we'll just see about that!" Yun said, and started to pick up her pace--
And then froze when more of those glowing, colorful orbs floated into existence, hovering in their path.
Cute and pretty as they were, they were still unnatural and unnerving to her! They chimed harmlessly, sounding like tinkling bells, but she was not tricked! They were spirits! She wasn't going to fall for it!
"Um...spirit guys? Hi. Uh...move please?"
Han froze as well, staring at the balls of light as they materialized to block the way. He held out his hand for Yun to take it, game be damned!
He swallowed, but he put on a smile, waving at the spirits.
"Hello, friends! We're just passing through. Almost out, actually. We're in a real big hurry, so we need to get going."
Yun was actually taking their game very seriously (she didn't like losing!) so when Han offered her his hand, she snapped her eyes down to it, then looked up at him as he tried to reason with the spirits.
"...So if I take your hand, which one of us is the loser, here?"
"Me, I think."
The spirits showed signs of budging, but it seemed they were pretty set on idling in that spot. Did they even notice they were there?
"I'm the one who put my hand out."
He glanced down at Yun.
"Although, is it really losing if I'm doing it protectively?"
"Uhm...maybe we can make an exception just this once," Yun said. "I think we're gettin' into a weird gray area! It'll only count if it goes further than hand holdin'!"
And so she took Han's hand and squeezed it tightly as she drew closer. "Um, seriously, they ain't dangerous, right?"
"No, they're...they're just restless. It's getting pretty close to night time. Come on, let's just go around them. I don't even think they've noticed us," Han said, and took a few steps off to the side.
He stopped dead in his tracks, however, when one of the spirits spoke up.
"Imbalance."
The cluster of spirits shifted about, all disappearing save for one.
"Life comes at a cost, yet creation doesn't. That which has been created is an offense."
The final spirit disappeared, and Han was still for a few moments.
"That...that was pretty weird. We should get going before they come back!"
"...Um. Weird don't cover it," Yun said when the last spirit faded away, her face pale as a cold sweat had broken out over her skin. Seeing them floating around was one thing. Hearing their little tinkling bells was weird, but manageable.
Hearing them talk?
That was another thing altogether.
Gripping Han's hand tighter, she pulled him into a brisk walk that desperately wanted to become a jog. "That was really freakin' creepy. What does that even mean? That's kinda really rude, actually! Seriously, what! Were they watchin'? Are they mad we ain't makin' babies or somethin'? Is that what's all imbalanced?!"
"I... I don't think that's what they meant..."
Fortunately for Yun, Han read her intent, and he started to jog.
"I mean, it talked about the difference between life and creation. I was too freaked to really pay attention," he said.
He looked down at Yun with a grin.
"Besides, I know it's amazing when we fuck, but I'm sure it's not altering the balance of nature or anything like that."
"Then what's that even mean?" Yun asked as she fell into a jog. "Was it just messing with us? Speaking weird spooky spirit nonsense? Ugh, whatever, let's just get outta here! If they start gettin' all weird and freaky just at dusk, I don't wanna see 'em at night!"
"Probably just some nonsense, yeah."
Han let go of Yun's hand so he could jog a bit easier.
"You're not gonna. We're close to getting out of here, just minutes away!"
"Thank Inima!" Yun said, and fell into a faster run, more than eager to book it out of this place and to safety!
Han sped up to keep up with her, using his longer stride so he wouldn't use up as much energy.
"Say, when we go to sleep, will I lose if I want to cuddle?"
Yun barked a laugh, hardly winded at all from their running.
"I think it's safe to say the bets are off once we're settled!"
"Oh, well in that case--"
Han paused to step nimbly over an overgrown root.
"--I think I wanna do more than cuddle."
"I'm well and truly shocked by that disclosure! Gasp!" Yun said with a laugh, as she hopped over the same root Han stepped over.
"I know right? Such a surprise!"
Han slowed down a bit as he laughed, but he quickly got back up to pace.
"I think we gotta make tonight the best one yet! It'll be our last night alone before we hit the city."
"Well, I mean, it gets better and better so I don't think that'll be a problem?" Yun said, shooting a look his way. "I just say we don't worry about makin' it better or whatnot. That's just a good way to put a lotta weird pressure on yourself. Just worry about havin' fun, is what I say!"
"Right. No worry-worting."
It was really hard for Han to not worry. He didn't really quite know the nuances yet, and that bothered him. He'd spent his whole life ironing out kinks, and now, he's got something else he needs to perfect!
All thoughts aside, though, Han picked up his speed, raising a finger to the path ahead. There was a break in the trees!
"Look! We're out!"
"YES!" Yun whooped, and wasted no time. Putting on an extra burst of speed, she bolted toward that gap as fast as her legs would carry her.
"Catch up, slow-poke!"
Laughing, Han sped up to match her speed, coming up besides her as his large strides and strong legs propelled him forwards.
It wasn't long at all before Yun burst through the gap in the trees and she spun around to face Han, not at all winded--but thoroughly relieved to be out of there.
"So that was one wild ride," she said, resting her hands on her knees. "Scary, then awesome, then scary again. Jeez."
Han bent his knees a bit, grinning widely.
"You can say that again. Although, I predict nothing but awesome for the future."
He looked off to the setting sun, his breathing slowing back down to a relaxed pace. Off in the distance, were the glittering lights of Suna.
"We're almost there, love. We should be in Suna tomorrow, if we don't sleep in that much."
"Guess that depends on how late ya keep me up, eh?" Yun said, and slapped Han playfully on the ass.
"Wha--Hey!"
Han rubbed his stricken asscheek, blushing furiously at that. He was a bout to make a crack at her when he remembered the game.
And he smiled.
"You lose, Yun! You gave in! And don't say you didn't, because you would've said I lost if I did the same!"
...Oh crap.
"W-wha?! I so did not! That was just...uh...that wasn't the same thing, that was jokin', that was...!"
But Han was right, and Yun's cheeks colored. Honestly, she'd kind of completely forgotten about the game...
"Dammit!"
"Ha! Han wins!" he proudly yelled, raising his fists up triumphantly as if he was a victorious gladiator. He lowered them to point at Yun with both hands, still grinning.
"In! Your! Face!"
He broke into laughter, taking Yun by the hips and planting a kiss smack on her lips, happy to be able to do that freely once more.
Yun rolled her eyes hard and folded her arms over her chest, feigning grumpiness and forcing a deep scowl onto her face.
"Yeah, yeah! Eat it up while you can! I can beatcha at anything else so I guess I'll let ya have this one! Yeah! I let ya win! So freakin' there!"
And when Han went to kiss her, she blew a raspberry at him instead--perfectly timed so he got that in his face instead of a kiss!
"Blach!"
Han wrinkled his face up when he got a mouthful of raspberry, and took a few steps back.
"You're just a sore loser! You didn't let me win! You blushed so hard! Stop trying to cover your ass and admit it!"
"Yeah, yeah! Whatever!" Yun said, waving Han away. "Fine, fine, ya win. Whether or not I let ya win is still up for debate..."
"There's no debate! You messed up, and now you're trying to save face. But fine, I guess we can just drop the issue. As the winner, I'm going to go ahead and say that you owe me a big old Suna dinner. How's that...sound."
Han trailed off as he slowed down, looking around.
"We should probably settle down to make camp. I just realized I'm starved."
"...Yeah, I was gonna say, that sounds really freakin' good and now I'm sad we ain't there yet," Yun said, rubbing her belly.
"Inima help me, tasty as your lettuce wraps are, I'm sooo done with dried fish and whatnot! Like, when we get to Suna, we're gettin' the works! I'm talkin' rice wine, hot noodle soup, dumplings, curry, sweet sticky rice with coconut ice cream..."
She licked her lips, her mouth watering.
[Just learned ice cream was invented in 3000 BC by the Chinese SO BAM! >8D]
[aww yiss, muthafuckin' IIIIICCCEEE CRRRREEEEEAAAAAMMMMMM. Also, YOU MADE ME HUNGRY, WHY]
"Shut! Up!"
Han covered Yun's mouth so she'd stop listing off foods.
"You're killing me here!" he said, and stopped walking. This seemed like as good a place as any, really. It even had that nice view of the distant city he hoped to get!
He knelt down and set down his packs. He straightened back up, glancing around.
"Dang, there's no dry grass around her. Can't make a fire. Guess we're sleepin' in the old robe dome again," He said as he began to strip off his robe.
[BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA]
"I'm killin' me here!" Yun said, realizing that had all kind of backfired on her. "I'm used to all that tasty stuff! And I've been out here, far from civilization...I'm a city girl, remember? And all we got out here's...dried fish. Eugh. Never gonna eat dried fish again, I swear."
Rubbing her sore shoulders, she gazed out at the city scape before them, at the flickering lights that lit up Suna.
"Still, for all my complainin', I gotta say, it sure is a nice view. The city looks real pretty from here," she said. "And deceptively quiet. Trust me, it's crazy once ya get there, but from here it looks all nice and peaceful. "
"Oh, I don't doubt it," Han said, and just stood there, watching the lights. So many emotions ran through his head. He didn't want to think about the millions of things that waited for him, yet that was all he could think about!
He shook his head, and finished stripping off his robe, flinging it back into the dome-shaped tent form with a few hand motions. He stretched, and then opened up the flap, inviting Yun to enter by giving his first attempt at bedroom eyes.
Yun caught Han's look, and she had to bite her lip hard to keep from laughing. She wasn't entirely successful; her breath came out in a sharp, "Pfffff!" sound before she ducked inside the makeshift tent.
"Y'know, somehow, ya do that real well in the moment, but I just..." She grinned up at him. "There's some things ya maybe shouldn't force?" she teased.
"Oh, hah hah. Shush. At least I tried, okay?"
Han dragged their packs in with him when he entered, and reached into his for the last of his packed food.
"Was it bad?"
"What?" Yun had settled down inside the makeshift tent, sitting cross-legged, and she looked up at Han--and could have laughed again, if she wasn't worried about upsetting him!
"Oh, silly," she said, rising up onto her knees and scooting over so she could give him a hug and a squeeze. "I'm just teasin' ya, ya know that, right?"
"Well, yeah, but you know how I get..." Han murmured, using the opportunity to give Yun a kiss. He broke away, however, before things got too amorous.
"As much as I'd love to skip dinner in favor of other activities, I think I'd pass out halfway through if I don't get something to eat."
"Hah! Oh, Han. Ya think I was gonna wrangle ya into that now? Seriously, I'm starvin', too."
Settling back down on her bottom, Yun leaned back on her hands. "What do we got? More dried fish?"
"Unless if you want some veggies, then yep. Should be the last of the dried fish."
Han found his, and began digging into it.
"Maybe when we hit the city, I can pick up on how to cook proper food."
Yun made a face, but she took the fish just the same, and stole some of the veggies to go along with it, though they were a little wilted now. Taking a bite of fish, she forced it down.
"I could teach ya, y'know," she said between chews. "How to cook."
"That'd be great. I mean, I already know, right? It's just the recipes that I need to find out."
Han, much more used to the texture and flavor than Yun, quickly downed his filet, and began helping himself to a carrot.
"But yeah, I bet the warriors will all love me. I can fix 'em, feed 'em..."
"Yeah, like I said, I'm gonna have to beat 'em off ya!" Yun teased, crunching on her own carrot.
"Maybe ya should be a priest. Lock ya up where you're safe!"
"Hah! Not me. You can't coop me up in a temple, I'm too wild!"
Han swallowed down some more carrot, before taking another bite.
"Only you can tame me, Yun."
"Awww yeah! Yun, the wild jungle boy tamer! That's got a nice ring to it," she said, and snorted a laugh.
"But it probably ain't something that should be stated outside the bedroom."
Han nearly choked on his carrot, but after a bit of a struggle he was able to wrangle it down his throat.
"Wouldn't exactly be the classiest thing ever," Han added.
"Noooope," Yun agreed, waggling her half-eaten carrot at him like a disapproving finger. "It'd earn ya more than just a few hard stares."
Han chuckled a bit more, before finishing off his carrot and patting his belly.
"Man, I needed that..."
"I could eat more," Yun said when she finished off her carrot. "I swear, I'm gonna eat my weight in rice when we get to Suna. Ya won't be able to get me out the door."
"You shouldn't stuff yourself," Han said. "You'll get all sluggish and stuff."
Han laid back, groaning as he set down his tired back. He smiled at Yun, enjoying the quiet for a few seconds.
"Come here, beautiful..."
With a smile at the compliment--Inima, he was so casually sweet!--Yun crawled over to Han and flopped down beside him, laying on her side and curling up against him. She threw an arm over his chest, absently caressing his skin as she cuddled a little closer.
"Excited about tomorrow?" she asked, as she leaned in to press a gentle kiss to his cheek.
"You betcha," Han said, and put his own arm around Yun, so she could rest her head on his bicep. He laid there with her for a bit, simply appreciating her presence, before he kissed her, other hand moving to caress her hip.
Yun curled into Han more when he opened up, and tilted her chin up to meet his kiss, sighing contentedly as he stroked her hip.
"Mmm," she said against his mouth, and licked his lips. "Fishy."
And then she giggled and moved in for a deeper kiss, wrapping her own arms around him and trailing one hand through his hair.
"Really?" Han mumbled into Yun's mouth. "Because I'm getting carrots, here."
Han pushed Yun into him ever so gently, so that they came chest-to-chest. He began to play with the seam of her clothing.
"Fishy carrots," Yun murmured, and when she felt Han prodding at her clothes, she pulled back briefly, but only so she could wriggle out of her shirt. Then she rolled back into him and pressed a kiss to his neck.
"It's gonna get hot and stuffy in here fast," she said against his skin.
"Mhmm."
Han raised a hand from Yun, and their dome undid itself, folding out like a letter while leaving them undisturbed. They had the stars above them now, with a crescent moon peaking on the horizon.
Left without a mouth to kiss, Han turned his attention to Yun's neck as well, using his other hand to feel her thigh as he ran his hands under her short skirt.
Well! That took care of that! Yun tilted her head back as he kissed her, and slid her leg between his as he caressed her thigh, shivering pleasantly beneath his touch and arching into him. She slid her own hands down his back, nails lightly dragging over him, and slipped her fingertips beneath the hem of his pants.
"It's such a pretty night," she sighed, leg sliding restlessly against his, because these light touches felt good and different, quite the contrast from their usual quick unions.
Han broke away to look up, and he nodded before getting back to business.
"Sure is..."
Han crossed his leg into Yun's, hooking the knee of the leg between his own with one of his. His hand finally came to her breast binding, and he teasingly tugged at it a few times before he actually undid it.
"Never gonna forget it..."
"Good," Yun said, and arched into him as soon as she was free, small breasts pressing against his chest as she began to move her hips against him, grinding teasingly against his groin, their clothing still separating them. She shivered at the sensation, hands tightening on him, and nibbled at his shoulder.
"You're wearin' too much."
"So are you," Han retorted, and shifted slightly so he could use both of his hands to pull down his breeches, breath catching once his member came to rest against Yun.
He began to play with the straps on Yun's small-clothes, and he slipped a hand beneath them so he could knead her clit with his thumb.
"Let's make this last..."
Yun jerked, first sucking in her breath when Han's slipped his hand beneath her clothes, and then letting out a shuddering whimper when he began to rub her clit. He'd find her already quite slick with arousal, having been anticipating this from the moment they'd laid down, and she pressed into his hand eagerly.
Which, of course, also made her aware of his cock resting between them, pressed against her belly.
Biting her lip to hold back a little moan--a force of habit, even though Han liked hearing them!--she reached down with one hand to grasp him, and slowly began to stroke him.
Han chuckled a bit, before blanketing Yun's mouth with a kiss.
"Wow, you're so wet already..."
He trailed off when Yun began to stroke him, gasping sharply at the initial contact. He got back to kissing her, and he started running his middle finger between her folds, teasing her a bit before slipping it in.
"So, who's going to be on top tonight?"
Yun blushed hard when he mentioned her wetness, and she captured his mouth again, tongue tasting him and teasingly exploring--before she let out a sharp gasp of her own when she felt his finger slip into her. She whimpered, tightening around his finger as her hips moved, for she knew this was only a small, torturous taste of what was soon to come.
"I...uh...wha?" Yun managed to get out, so distracted by what was happening to her--and what she wanted to happen--that she'd barely caught his question. She continued to stroke him, her thumb brushing along the tip, and clutched at his shoulders with her free hand.
"I...either one? I don't care, really. Me?" She leaned in to kiss his chest, then his clavicle. "I could be..."
For the only time she'd really been on top, it had been their first time--and a bit of a hot, painful mess. Now that they both had a better idea of how all this worked, she was curious to try it again.
"Okay..."
Han gripped her tighter, and rolled onto his back, leaving her on top of him. Throughout the entire movement, he never broke their kiss, and once Yun was deposited on top of him, he undid her smallclothes, and discarded them off to the side.
One kiss melted into the next as Yun kissed Han again and again, even with her smallclothes now absent, and she shifted her legs so she could straddle him. She kissed down from his lips to his jaw to his neck, moving her body down as she did so, until she felt Han's cock prodding at her bottom. She lifted then, and then lowered herself, but she didn't take him inside her just yet.
Instead, she started to slide against his length, letting him feel how hot and ready for him she was, gasping with pleasure each time he rubbed against her clit. It would be easy to take him inside her, slick as she was; sometimes when she moved, he prodded against her entrance, and she teased him a little by pressing until the head slid started to slide in. But then she lifted and continued to rock against him, her breath coming quicker, though the sly look on her face showed she knew exactly what she was doing.
Yun's teasing had Han's breath catching every time his tip slid across her, and he grinned up at her. Apparently, she had some special talents of her own!
"You temptress, you!" He said, placing his hands on her thighs and giving them a light squeeze. He didn't stop her, however. Things like this only extended their union.
Yun laughed breathlessly at that, but it turned into a low moan as she continued to rock against him.
"Are ya complainin'?" she teased, resting her hands on his chest for support, and then she bit her lip as she let him sink into her a little again as she rocked back, before lifting off of him yet again.
"Fuck no..."
Han looked up at Yun, seeing the stars behind her. His breath was taken away by the whole thing! He didn't know what to think.
"You look so beautiful with the stars behind you...if only you had my view."
"I dunno," Yun said between gasps, managing a small, flustered smile. "I've got a pretty gorgeous view, myself."
Her breath grew quicker, more shivery and uneven, just from grinding against him like that, and she began to realize very quickly that she might be tormenting herself more than she was torturing Han with this teasing!
"Haaah..."
Although Han wasn't being as reactive as Yun, this teasing was just as pleasurably agonizing for him as it was for her. Every time he caught on her opening, his heart threatened to leap out of chest, but every time so far, it had been a false alarm.
Han slid his hands from Yun's thighs to her sides, teasing at the edges of her breasts with his thumbs.
"You're killin' me here, Yun..."
"Am I?" Yun asked, and bit her lip to hold in a moan. Oh gods! He wasn't even inside her, and he already felt amazing, and she squirmed all the more at the thought of how much better he'd feel when he was.
Shivering, she leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to his lips to muffle yet another whimper. "There somethin' ya want...?" And she punctuated the question by letting him prod against her sex again, slipping him inside just a little before denying him entry.
He'd teased her earlier about making her beg. This was her revenge.
Han nipped Yun's lower lip, placing his hands on her back. He delayed his answer so he could kiss her more, before he broke a way with a lopsided smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but then Yun gave him the slip yet again, this time giving him an even longer taste before crushing him again.
"You want me to beg, don't you?" Han muttered.
Yun let out a breathy laugh as she continued her slow rocking, and nipped lightly at Han's ear.
"Maaaaaybe..."
"Then please..."
Han kissed whatever he could reach, which in this case was just below Yun's ear.
"In the name of all that's good, just let me in! Please...I can't take this teasing any more!"
Yun's grin turned very, very smug. She beamed proudly down at him and kissed him hard, tongue slipping between his lips, and let him suffer through two more slow, languid strokes--
But when he pressed against her that second time, she reached between them to hold him in place--and promptly began to slide down onto him, inch by inch, her breath catching and eyes fluttering closed as he filled her so completely.
"Oh goddess," she breathed as, finally, she reached bottom, sitting in his lap.
After Yun's torture, Han was both overjoyed and terrified. Overjoyed that she'd finally let him in, and terrified that the amazing experience he'd been having so far was only her teasing him.
Han choked on his breath, gripping the fabric of the unfurled robe dome as Yun slowly made them one. He laid there, helpless as Yun blew his mind yet again.
For a moment, Yun just savored the sensation, and how much better it felt this time around, now that she had a better idea of what she was doing. Then, slowly, she began to rock her hips, back and forth, leaning over Han as she moved so she could kiss the side of his neck.
"So, what were ya sayin' about beggin' again, hmmm?" she asked between heated breaths, and nibbled along the rim of his ear. "Wanna...ah...refresh my memory?"
Han scoffed breathlessly, managing to get his arms working again as he lifted up off the ground to get a soft grasp on Yun's ass. Although his face was currently frozen in a semi-slackjawed gape, the question could be seen processing in his eyes, even as he took Yun in.
"Uh...fuck..."
He took a hand off her ass to cradle her head as she nibbled his ear, passing his thumb over her cheek.
"I don't remember...I think--ah...damn it, I can't focus!"
"Should I stop so ya can remember?" Yun asked innocently, and then she did just that--she came to a stop, holding perfectly still as she straddled him--except to flex around him, tightening her sex around his cock. She didn't really know what she was doing, but it was fun to experiment, and fun to have him squirm.
But she wasn't really giving him much of a chance to focus and think as she started to trail wet kisses down from his ear and across his neck, gently sucking and nibbling the sensitive skin there.
It took Han's brain a few seconds to process that Yun had actually stopped, and even as she went still, Han attempted an awkward thrust upwards, which in his current position, translated into him nudging Yun upwards to no real effect.
Well, no effect for him. Yun could very well find his squirming amusing.
"Damn, you're torturing me..." Han managed to get out. Perhaps he should let Yun be on top more often...
"N-no...Please don't stop..."
"Yeeeah, see, if I remember right, ya said I was gonna be the one beggin'," Yun said with a smug smile as she placed a teasing, nibbling kiss to his collarbone, before lightly nipping his shoulder. "Guess who's talkin' now?"
And then, finally, she sat up straighter, her hands resting on Han's chest, before she took mercy on the both of them and began to move. Her motions were slow as she rocked her hips, grinding into his pelvis in a way that had her breath catching, and her eyes fluttered shut with pleasure as little, bitten back moans began to escape her lips.
Han's face, which was already red, only darkened further as he gulped sheepishly. He felt defeated, and even a little bit embarrassed!
"Yeah, yeah...just...shaddap..."
Han placed his hands back on Yun's hips as she resumed her movements, silently grateful for her mercy. They didn't linger there long, however, and soon he slid them up her abdomen to lightly grasp onto her breasts.
Yun's breath hitched when Han grabbed her breasts and she arched into his hands, gasping with pleasure as she rode him. She had gotten a better feel for how this position worked last time, and bliss made her a little bolder, a little more experimental as she tried other motions to see what felt best.
For a few moments, she rocked on him, but then, curious, she spread her legs wider--and gasped as she took him in even deeper, until he could go no further. Fingers curling against his chest, Yun began to move her hips in a circular, grinding motion that made her breath catch as Han's cock hit all the right places and her clit rubbed against him, their bodies growing slick where they were joined. She shuddered, crying out, amazed at what a difference such a simple adjustment could make, amazed at how good he felt.
"H-how is that?" she gasped out, cracking her eyes open to meet his eyes. "'Cause ya feel amazin' to me..."
Han's hands tightened down on Yun when she tried her little adjustment, and he stifled a moan of his own as she wrapped him up inside her to his entirety. Even then, he found the focus to drag his thumbs over her nipples. He smiled up at her, meeting her gaze with his half-opened eyes.
"Oh Gods...Absolute bliss, Yun..."
"Good," Yun breathed as she continued her slow grinding, through she gradually began to build speed as the heat built within her, the pleasure spiking and intensifying. Sweat beaded on her skin from a combination of exertion and the humid air, for being on top was definitely a lot more work, but wonderful sensations radiating through her and the way Han moaned only coaxed her onward.
And then she couldn't help it, she threw her head back and cried out sharply when Han began to tease her breasts, her nipples erect and sensitive with arousal. Inima! Panting for breath, she leaned back with her hands resting behind her on Han's legs and began to roll her hips, biting her lip with concentration and enjoyment as that shift in angle had him hitting some very sensitive spots--
And as it, unbeknownst to Yun, also gave Han a very good view of his cock sliding in and out of her.
Yun leaned backwards, meaning her breasts were now out of Han's reach. He slid his hands down her body, gripping he sides tightly so he could help her move, seeing that she was sweating from exertion.
Han cocked a grin at her. "See? It--oh...It ain't all happy on top, Yun," He said, miraculously managing to articulate those words despite the situation.
"You gotta work! Heh, ah..."
He trailed off, eyes caught on the action happening at his crotch. It felt strange, seeing it happen. It was a tad embarrassing, but the sight of his large member, slick with her juices and sliding in and out of her only served to turn him on even more.
He groaned and moaned a few more times, rolling his shoulders.
"Fuck, can't wait to do this on a bed..."
"Nngh, me too," Yun moaned, her skin flushed with heat and passion as she kept her hips rolling, guided by Han's hands. "Heh...you're not--ah--layin' on rocks, are--are ya?"
Cracking her eyes open, she looked at Han, and flushed a darker shade when she followed his gaze downward. She couldn't see what he could, but it was a bit obvious that he was watching where they were joined, and though she felt a momentary flash of embarrassment, it soon passed when she saw how into it he was.
...Inima.
Letting out a breathy moan, she started to ride him harder, staying tilted back like she was as she did and crying out each time she drove him into her. Reaching up with one hand, she slide it up over her belly and caressed her own breast, deciding that while he was watching, she may as well give him a show.
"No, a rock..." Han chuckled.
If it was multiple rocks, he might've been able to bear it, but when it was just one damn rock, it was pretty much unbearable.
Of course, he had Yun to keep him distracted.
When she began to ride him harder, Han's hands found her ass, and he squeezed it tightly as Yun's little shift in speed changed the tone of their union. His eyes wandered up to Yun playing with her own breast, and he smiled.
She felt a little silly at first, caressing herself like that, but Han's smile made her feel significantly less ridiculous. Sure, they'd been doing a lot of sexy stuff together, but Yun didn't really think of herself as sexy, and wasn't really sure she knew the first thing about being...seductive or whatever. So it was always pretty nice to get that feedback that she was doing something right, especially since she was making it up as she went!
She didn't play with herself for long, though, as she soon grew bashful and brought her hand back down to grab Han's leg again, even as he gripped her ass and made her suck in a breath. She was shivering, shuddering as little tremors of pleasure coursed through her, little tremors that Han could no doubt feel as they slowly built toward something bigger.
"I-if...if your back needs a break, just...haa...just lemme know," she gasped out before, finally, she leaned forward again, her hands on Han's shoulders, and began to bounce on him instead of grind, crying out each time he speared her as their bodies slapped wetly together.
"Don't worry about it," Han said as he kneaded the relatively tight flesh of her ass beneath his hands, squeezing and pushing.
"For you, I...I'll endure it," he continued.
And then, the unbelievable.
Despite what Yun thought of the situation, it got better. Han, now with his legs freed up, began to thrust up into Yun in time with her bouncing, increasing the magnitude with which they collided. They weren't the most complete thrusts (he was still lying down!) but they added that extra impact that took the experience to a whole new level.
"O-oh goddess!" Yun cried as Han began to thrust up in time to her own downward strokes, the added power of it making her dizzy as they slammed their bodies together. It was unbelievable, and soon Yun was crying out to the stars, sobbing with pleasure as she rode him with increasing vigor.
"H-Han...d-don't stop, I...I'm gonna...!"
And then, abruptly, the tension building within her broke.
She let out a sharp cry and collapsed down against him, unable to move for a few moments as her body shook and trembled beyond her control, and Han could no doubt feel her pulsing around him.
Han's arms wrapped around Yun as she fell against him, wasting no time in leaving kisses on her neck as she went limp with pleasure. Yun's walls puckered and squeezed down on him, threatening to draw him into his own climax.
Yet he managed to hold strong!
He gave Yun a few moments to collect herself, before he decided to take over. He rolled over, making sure Yun wouldn't have her back to any rocks as he laid her out and took his position on top.
Yun was still recovering when, suddenly, the world tilted and the night sky filled her vision. She gasped at the abrupt change, but then smiled up at Han, glad to get a break as her thighs were burning!
Tangling her hands in his hair, she pulled him down for a kiss, even as she spread her legs wider to take him in deep and give him more room to work. "Your turn to exercise," she teased between panted breaths, and nibbled on his bottom lip.
Han chuckled, letting the kiss go on to its fullest extent before he pushed himself all the way in, repeating the trick where he looped his arms beneath her knees and lifted her legs.
"If we keep going like this every night, we...ah...we're going to be pretty fit. Fitter than we are now, anyways," he teased, and began the assault.
He knew it wasn't likely to happen, but he was going to try and hold on, to see if he could make Yun climax a second time before he tuckered out.
Yun started to answer him, to make some quip in agreement, but instead she let out a sharp, yelping cry when Han really began to move, one hand flying up to tangle and twist in the blanket, right above her head, while the other clung to Han's shoulder for dear life.
"A-ah!" she cried, head thrown back, toes curled, and spine arching as she writhed helplessly beneath him, squirming wildly as though trying to escape, though escape was the last thing she wanted. The angle tilted her just right so every thrust went deep and hit some sensitive spot inside her that had her screaming and tightening around him, her body tense beneath the assault, but only because it felt bloody amazing.
She sobbed with pleasure, sucking in sharp breaths between her cries. "Oh my goddess, Han!"
Scratch that.
Although it sounded like he was doing a damn fine job, Han didn't think he'd be able to hold on that long, not with Yun tightening down on him like that! Every stroke was heaven, like he was breaking through barriers every time.
Not really capable of thinking of anything else to do, Han dipped down to sloppily kiss Yun, making sure to involve his tongue quite heavily.
Soon, Yun's screams were muffled by Han's mouth, and her hands shot up to cling to his shoulders as he lifted her legs up even higher when he leaned down, further tilting her hips--which only made her wilder. She clawed at his back, careful not to scratch too deeply, as raw cries tore from her throat, stifled by Han's lips and tongue. Each thrust pounded against that sensitive spot within her until she could do nothing but cling to him, surrendering completely.
And when she finally broke the kiss so she could breathe, her breath coming out fast, she couldn't help but scream her pleasure between breaths, no longer caring who or what heard, and too far gone to control herself.
With every inch of new depth Han reached, his breathing got shorter and shorter. It didn't help that Yun going buck wild beneath him was quite possibly the biggest turn-on in the history of ever. Part of him felt a bit bad for turning what was supposed to be their slow night into something with a lightning ending, but at least they'd be able to savor the aftermath this time around!
"F-Fuck, Yun!"
"I-I...I think that's, nngh...that's what you're doin' to me!" Yun managed to gasp out with a breathless laugh that turned into a squeal.
Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she buried her face against his neck and lightly bit him, their wild rutting bringing out something deep and primal within her--though not enough that she lost herself, because she didn't want to bite too hard! She panted against his neck, moaning and whimpering into his ear, her entire body thrumming with energy and trembling with pleasure.
"Oh...oh goddess, Han, harder!"
Han huffed some air out of his nose, unwittingly contributing to the primal, wild feel of the whole situation, and hissed pleasantly when Yun bit him, spurred on by the pain. Feeling brave and wild and adventurous, he clasped a hand around Yun's neck (although not hard enough to choke) and aggressively kissed her, nibbling on her lip and dancing his tongue across hers.
His pace and power increased as well, and at that point, he might as well have been trying to drive her into the ground.
Yun gasped when Han suddenly grabbed her about the throat, but to her own surprise, his sudden aggression only turned her on more, combined with the vicious pounding he was now giving her, like he was truly claiming her. Her eyes flew open and she screamed against his mouth at the intensity of it all, her nails scraping at him, and she knew she'd have bruised thighs later as their bodies slapped together audibly, but she didn't care.
Her thighs squeezed his sides and she thrashed beneath him, wanting more, wanting everything he had to give, wanting this moment to never end as he filled her again and again. Goddess! She was close, so unbelievably close, and she would have been screaming if his mouth didn't stop her--
Though she certainly gave it her best effort when his relentless assault tipped her over the edge.
She screamed against his lips and dug her nails into his back, her legs wrapping around his waist and locking at the ankles, as she exploded around him, her sex pulsing and body shaking as heat and pleasure flooded her with an intensity that stole her breath.
Han did it! Beyond his own expectations, he'd managed to hang on by the skin of his teeth! Although, he really didn't last much longer after that. It was a combination of Yun's orgasm and his own rapidly building pleasure that finally finished him off.
It was only by a thread that he managed to pull out as well. Yet, despite his preprogrammed nature, he was still only human, and humans made mistakes. His cock fired a spurt into Yun as it made its way out, with the rest finding its way onto her abdomen.
Han looked down at Yun, breathless as words failed him. So he didn't speak. He just let their moment, their oneness, sink in.
Panting and struggling to catch her breath like she'd just run a mile straight, Yun peered up at Han and flashed him a pleased grin as she flopped back onto his robe. Her whole body still felt warm and shivery and her skin was coated in a thin layer of perspiration that the cooler--but still warm--air outside was rapidly drying. With a soft laugh, she ran her hands through her hair and let out a deep sigh.
"...Wow. I know I say that a lot but...wow."
And right then, as she bathed in the afterglow and all its wonderful sensations, she didn't notice Han's mistake. She hardly even felt it when he came on her belly until it started to cool, since it was body temperature. For the moment, at least, she was blissfully oblivious.
Han attempted to stay on his knees, but he found himself unable. He fell forwards, landing next to Yun on his side as he struggled to catch his own breath.
"I don't think it gets much better than this," Han chuckled, and wrapped his arms around Yun to cuddle. He planted a kiss on her cheek, finding the taste of her sweat to be negligible in this state.
He looked at her, and began stroking her cheek.
"I love you, Yun."
Yun's smile turned oddly shy at that declaration, and she ducked her head and cuddled in closer, resting her cheek against his chest. "I...think I love ya, too?"
And then she laughed and hugged him, not caring that they were both sticky. "It's early to say, ya know? But I really like ya. And I'd be sad if I lost ya. And I wanna be with ya. So...maybe that's love?"
"Yeah, I think that is love. I mean--" Han planted a kiss on Yun's forehead.
"What else could it be? I don't think I'd know what to do if I didn't have you..."
"Beats me! This is all new to me, too," Yun said with a happy sigh, before she glanced down at the mess between them.
"Though, we should probably clean up before we get too comfy."
"Yeah..." Han said, but he didn't get upimmediately. He still wanted to bask in the feelings and sensations! With a groan, Han sat up, and reached for his backpack.
"We can use our waterskins, though make sure to drink your fill first."
Sitting up with a sigh, Yun reached for her waterskin, and fetched an old shirt from her travel bag. It was dirty anyway, so she could sacrifice it until they reached town tomorrow.
She drank deeply from the waterskin, then poured some water onto her sacrificial shirt and wiped away Han's drying mess on her belly. She folded it to a dry section and had been about to clean up between her legs--but then she froze and looked down between them.
It wasn't a lot, but right there on Han's robe--which was damp from their joining--was a milky spatter that hadn't come from her. And it shouldn't be there. He'd come on her belly...right?
Spreading her legs, she touched herself with her fingers and when she brought them away, that confirmed it. She knew what her own wetness felt like, and Han's had a very different texture and color. And it was that which covered her fingers.
"...Uh...Han...?"
Han was still lying down when Yun called his name. He was in the process of uncapping his water skin, his sweaty fingers fumbling for the top. He tilted his head up to look at her, curiosity in his eyes. Propping himself up on his elbows, he directed his gaze to the line of cum she'd stretched between her fingers.
He glanced around, unsure of what to think.
"Yun?"
"I...uh...you..."
Yun wiped her fingers off on her shirt, her heart beating fast. "I...I think ya missed, Han. By like a lot," she said, surprised at how calm she sounded even as her voice began to quaver with budding panic. Grabbing the shirt, she began to wipe herself dry as though erasing the evidence would make it not exist.
"Okay. It's okay. Really. It...it's not a lot. Not really. Maybe it's okay. Maybe it didn't go all the way in there. Or maybe I'm barren or somethin'! Or maybe it wasn't enough to do nothin'. Oh fuck, unless it is enough and it's already startin' to form a baby and I don't wanna be a mom yet! Shiiiit. Did I bring the thing?!"
Scrambling onto her knees, Yun dove to her travel bag and started to dig through it furiously.
"Woah, slow down, Yun!" Han said as he shot up onto his knees and grabbed her shoulders, trying to snap her out of that panicked state. Although he was just now beginning to realize the implications of what had happened, something inside of him allowed him to keep a more level head.
"Listen, it wasn't that much. It was probably just a single squirt as I was coming out. No way it went that deep, and no way it's enough, either. If it was enough, why would I produce so much? Think about it!"
"I dunno...but...what if all it takes is just a little? When ya scatter a handful of seeds, sure, not all of 'em make it and grow, but some do! They call that a man's seed for a reason, Han! Just, we gotta be more careful next time!" Yun said, and gently pulled from his grasp, but only so she could grab a tiny book from her bag and flip through it.
Taking a deep breath, she found the page she left off on and sighed. "My friend Mei gave me this stupid chart thing to track my moon cycles. Said she learned it from some healer lady. Apparently somehow ya can predict fertility? I dunno, I guess it ain't that dumb, it helped me prepare so I didn't mess up my clothes, but...ugh...I didn't care about the fertility part 'cause I didn't know I'd be havin' sex anytime soon! I forget how to map it, I...dammit."
"Well, I'm sure it doesn't literally work like seeds, Yun," Han mumbled. When she pulled away from him to look at her cycle book, he shuffled closer to her on his knees, and rested his hands on her waist as he peered over her shoulder.
"This Mei sounds like a pretty smart girl... What's a moon cycle, anyways?"
"Uhhhhhh..."
Yun stared at Han for a good moment. Of course he didn't know. Still, it was sort of jarring to remember that he'd never really been around other people, much less women, for pretty much all his life!
"It's, like...uh...well, so like, once every moon for like...almost a week, uh...us girls bleed. From down there." She motioned to her groin.
Han's head recoiled backwards, but it wasn't really out of disgust. His face held surprise, and perhaps a little curiosity.
"Like when we, uh... did it for the first time? Sounds like it hurts..."
He rested his chin on her shoulder, and hugged her a bit more.
"So, are you more likely to get pregnant when you're bleedin'? Less likely? How's it work?"
"Oh, Inima, no! Not at all like our first time!" Yun said with a laugh and gave Han a squeeze. "It, uh, it's a lot different. It don't hurt--like, it don't hurt down there, y'know? Nothin' tears or anything, and I've been doin' that since I was twelve. It's just sometimes, when you're bleedin' heavy, ya get all cramped up here."
She touched the area just below her navel and scrunched up her face. "Hurts like a bitch. Your lower back hurts, too, and your boobs. And I just wanna cry about everythin' even when I ain't hurtin' or sad, over stupid things that don't matter, 'cause every emotion feels more intense. It sucks," she concluded with a huff.
"Dunno what it has to do with babies, honestly. Except people say once ya start bleedin', it means you're officially a woman and your body's ready to make 'em." She paused and gave Han a look. "Er. Not that twelve-year-olds are poppin' out babies. It can happen, sure, but that's gross."
"...Oh."
Han supposed he could understand all that. Sheltered and naive as he was, the inner workings of women were quite possibly the things he knew the least of. He was always so worried that something natural was bad! He was so large, and Yun so much smaller compared to him, that he worried he could hurt her.
It was a silly notion, to be sure. Yun was a tough girl! It still didn't change his cautionary attitude, however.
He returned her squeeze, popping a kiss onto the side of her head, and shook his head at her last sentence.
"I don't think that's even possible, but whatever. We should get some sleep," he murmured, and kissed her again, properly this time.
"Big day tomorrow..."
"Yeeeeah...man. It's gonna be fun," Yun said with a tired grin. "And I mean that seriously. I'm excited for ya, and excited to show ya everything! It'll be like seein' it all over again through a fresh pair of eyes."
She leaned in and kissed his lips, let it linger for a moment too long to be chaste, and then grabbed her wet shirt and the waterskin again. She went another corner of it, and finished cleaning up between her legs. She was extra thorough this time, as though she could clean Han's seed from her that way, and her stomach clenched at the reminder. She hadn't figured out Mei's charts, and felt too tired to try to remember, and maybe part of her just didn't want to know how at risk she was, either. Like if she ignored it and pretended, she'd be safer. Though maybe Han was right, and it hadn't been enough to be a problem?
They'd just have to be extra careful this time--and Yun had a sinking feeling she'd be extra paranoid every time she felt a little extra hungry for a while, until she was certain her food babies weren't actual babies. Either way, there was nothing she could do about it now.
When she was done, she tossed the shirt aside and stretched out onto her side, facing Han, happy to stay naked so she could cuddle up to him good and proper. "Ya nervous?"
Han looked considerably less worried than Yun, although on the inside, he was just as terrified. He didn't think he was ready to be a father, and hoped the little that had made it inside of her wasn't enough. Why would it be?
If it was enough, wouldn't he just produce that amount? He was still standing by that logic, even if it didn't really make that much sense. It was better than just blindly hoping!
He laid down next to Yun, and put his arms around her, opening up so she could snuggle up against him so deliciously close.
"Kinda, yeah. But at least I'm not facing it alone, ya know? I'm sure it'll be fine."
"It'll be fine," Yun agreed with a yawn, resting her head against his shoulder and draping her arm across his belly. "I think you're gonna have a lot of fun. Bein' alone in that jungle couldn't have been all that excitin'."
"Yeah. But it gets better if you got someone with you," Han said, and he started to pet Yun's hair.
"Lots better."
"Mhmm," Yun agreed, already starting to grow heavy and sleepy the moment she shut her eyes. Han's hair-petting certainly didn't help!
"Yeah...it's a jungle of a different kind. But I won't letcha get lost."
"You'd better not!" Han teased. He stopped petting her for a brief moment, raising a hand in the air to redo the dome and seal them in darkness. He snuggled up closer to her, intertwining his legs with hers.
"I mean, you gotta keep me on a short leash, or I'll just wander about in all kinds of places."
"Pffffft. Ya sayin' ya want a literal leash, is that it?" Yun teased sleepily, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder.
"I don't know, can you handle me on a leash?" Han joked, and tightened his arm around her. He leaned the side of his head against hers, and closed his eyes.
"Damn, I'm just the perfect kind of tired y'know?"
"Yeeeah, I know whatcha mean," Yun said on a yawn, eyes shut as she started to feel herself fading. "Ya wore me out good."
A simple grunt of agreement was Han's reply as he quickly started to fall asleep.
"Night, love."
Yun murmured a response, groggily, that sounded like a mimicry of his own words. It wasn't long after that she was gone, her dreams mostly content--though she did have a few disturbing ones, no doubt the result of her own anxieties and fear of pregnancy.
As Yun faded, Han gave her short kiss, before he himself started to slip away. He slept pleasantly enough. If he had any negative, dreams, he didn't remember them. They were all concerned with the city, and meeting the warriors. Of times spent with Yun and their future.
Yun rose with the sun, feeling well-rested and perky, and after yawning and stretching and letting her eyes adjust to the light, she nimbly rolled over and onto Han.
Straddling him playfully, she captured his wrists in her hands and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Rise and shine, sunbeam!"
Han's face scrunched up as his sleep was disturbed, and his eyes cracked open. His eyes scanned her up and down, mostly because it kept him from looking at the sun. Frankly, he couldn't help but feel pretty aroused, mostly because he couldn't help but notice how she was straddling him.
"Five more minutes?"
Yun smirked and gave her hips a deliberate little wiggle, then slowly began to slide down his body. "Sure, if sleepin's how ya wanna spend those five minutes...go right on ahead."
Han raised his eyebrows, watching Yun slide downwards. He was too morning-hazy to think, and the blood rapidly draining from his brain didn't help.
He propped himself up onto his elbows.
"Well, I mean... Uh..."
Yun smiled at his floundering as she settled down between his thighs, and idly began to stroke his cock with one hand, her other hand caressing his thigh. "Go on."
"I'm too beat to do anything, but... er, you know I won't mind..."
Why were words so difficult? What was it about this situation? He squirmed a little when Yun grabbed him and began to stroke, but he settled back down fairly quickly.
"Are...you gonnna suck it?"
Yun's smile broadened to a grin. "Maaaaybe..." she said, and gave him a slow, playful lick up the side of his shaft. Her eyes met his.
"Should I?"
Of course she knew the answer to that, but it was way more fun to tease him and watch how flustered he got. Especially while he was all groggy like this.
Han's toes curled in when Yun licked his shaft, wincing a bit. Despite his tiredness, Han's cock was as hard as ever. A combination of morning wood and arousal made sure of that!
His response, however was surprisingly sharp.
"Yyes. Yep. You definitely should."
"I dunno," Yun said, pretending to mull it over seriously as she pressed a kiss to the tip. "Maybe I should let ya get your rest..."
"Well, I mean!"
Han shot up a bit higher, but quickly lowered himself back down.
"Uh... I mean, I'm not fully awake right now, but I think a little wake-me-up would go miles in helping out."
Yun didn't let Han finish that sentence before she began to slide him into her mouth, suckling on the tip and swirling her tongue around it while her hand stroked the rest. All the while she met his eyes, watching for his reaction.
Han bit down on his lip, watching her suckle his tip with great interest. He watched her work for a few more moments, before suddenly breaking into chuckles.
"Oh, man..."
Yun blinked, freezing. He was...laughing? Er...
Lifting her head and licking her lips, she shot him an inquisitive look, one eyebrow cocked. "Somethin' funny, wise guy?"
"No, I just... Yeah."
He shook his head, but his eyes quickly widened.
"Don't take it as a bad thing, though! Just remembered something funny, is all."
He reached across himself and put a hand on the top of Yun's head.
Yun didn't break eye contact. If anything, she only narrowed her eyes a bit more, suspicious-like. "Ya can't just say somethin' like that and leave out the details!"
Han nodded.
"Very true."
His words were flat and said quite quickly, like he was conceding a point.
"It was yesterday, when, uh... You got my stuff all over your face."
He threw his hands up.
"You're the one that wanted to know!"
Yun stared at Han, blinking several times at that--and then it was her turn to burst into laughter.
She rolled away from Han, hands clutching her belly, and giggled herself mad. It was just so ridiculous! Not only had that been an awkwardly hilarious moment, but for him to bring it up right when she was getting down to business? It was too much. Especially when she was trying to be all sly and sexy!
Han started laughing too, throwing his head back as he covered his face.
Han rolled over on top of her, kissing her playfully.
"I could go for a stretch, yeah..."
He poked her sex with his, shooting her a sly look.
Yun's laughter cut off abruptly when she felt his cock against her, and she sucked in a sharp breath instead and spread her legs wider so they were on either side of Han's hips. "Feelin' more awake now, eh?"
"I've come around to it, yeah..."
He dipped downwards to kiss her breasts, rolling over her nipples with his tongue.
Yun snorted a laugh that turned into a tiny gasp when he kissed and licked at her breasts, and she bucked her hips up in response, trying to take him inside her. Instead she just wound up grinding against him, but that still felt wonderful, and she whimpered and clutched at his arms as she rolled her hips against his.
"I dunno, maybe I wanna nap some more..."
Yun's little attempt to get him inside her wasn't missed by Han, who silently noted the motion. He reached between them, and oriented himself so that the next time she bucked up against him, his head made entry.
Once his head was in, pushing himself the rest of the way was a process that Han took deliberately slow in order to torture Yun.
Not about to be play this game (she liked it better when she was the tormenter!), Yun grabbed Han's hips tightly and bucked up to slide him in the rest of the way. She gasped as he filled her, all pleasure and no pain, and leaned up to capture his mouth with hers in a rough, needy kiss.
Maybe they shouldn't be doing this so soon after last night's catastrophe, but...Han was probably right. It was probably nothing to worry about! And right then, she was just a horny teenager that wanted to worry about the consequences later! Besides, they would be in the city soon--and she wanted to get her fill of him while she could, because it might be a while before she did again.
"Mmph!"
Of course, Han wanted to say that he expected this from her, but at the same time, he couldn't really complain. He had hormones too! And having been completely repressed up until a few days ago, he just couldn't get enough!
He returned her kiss with all the intensity he could muster, using one arm to support himself while the other grabbed the back of her head.
Once she'd made it clear that the slow route was not for this particular session, he just got right down to it, meeting her bucks with thrusts.
Yun gasped and cried out against Han's mouth as he got straight to it, her hands scrabbling at his shoulders and back and clutching tightly at him as she squirmed. She thrust her hands into his hair and held on, breaking the kiss to gasp for air and arch her back, loving how he felt and only wanting more.
"Y-ya don't...gotta worry 'bout hurtin' me no more," she panted out, just in case he was holding back. She nipped at his ear and moaned out, "Harder..."
Han wasn't holding back, but he wasn't going as hard or as fast as he was capable of. Really, he was just going at the pace he was most comfortable with, but if the lady says she wants it harder, who was he to deny her?
He planted both his hands on the ground, and cranked it up a few notches.
Crank it up he did. Yun's cries only increased as she threw her head back and wrapped her legs around his waist, hanging on for dear life as their hips slammed together again and again, her sex gripping him like a vice. For a guy that had only seen his first woman a few days ago, he caught on fast! Really fast. Of course, Yun was by no means an expert on the subject, but to her, he was damned good at what he did.
"Oh goddess, Han!" she gasped through her moans and bit at his shoulder.
In truth, Han didn't really see what was so hard about this! He did what came natural, and followed any requests, if Yun felt the need to pose them. Of course, his endurance and strength also helped the matter greatly.
He looped his arms underneath her, right at her back, and hefted her up so she was at a half-ride.
Yun clung to Han as he lifted her, legs squeezing him tightly as her hips still moved urgently against his, grinding powerfully into his thrusts. Inima, this felt amazing! And, she decided, it was a great way to wake up in the mornings.
"Oh, Han...! Oh Goddess, you're perfect!" she cried, and she bit at his neck in the heat of passion even as she whimpered for more.
Through the pleasure and the exertion, Han could only smile at Yun's compliment. His neck flinched away under her teeth, but the primal nature of the bite only made him fiercer.
With a quick, sudden twist, Yun gasped and maneuvered them both to flip Han onto his back. She pinned him down with a fierce kiss, hands grasping his wrists and small breasts dusting against his chest, and slid back onto him with a whimper as she began to move again, grinding hard.
Han's eyes shot wide open as his back hit the ground. He'd landed on a collection of rocks, but he hardly cared for the pain, or for the bruise he'd have later.
He broke one of her grips on his wrist, hand shooting to her ass to clap right onto the cheek and squeeze. He nipped her bottom lip, leaning into her kiss with the very same ferocity she was displaying.
Yun squeaked at the hard squeeze, bucking harder beneath his hand and keeping up the fierce kissing for several seconds longer as she enjoyed the heat and the sensation of their hearts beating in time. Finally, though, she broke the kiss with a playful nibble and sat up again so she could ride him properly, hips undulating and grinding, and when that became too much work she leaned back with her hands gripping his legs and gasped at the fresh wave of pleasure that little adjustment brought.
"Oh...oh goddess, Han..." she gasped, breathless as she slid back and forth on him, her eyes half closed and lips parted, cheeks flushed with exertion and passion. Her hands curled, tightening on his legs, and she shuddered around him and began to move quicker, more urgently, her muscles tensing. "I-I'm gettin' close..."
She leaned back, and holding her by the ass became impractical. Han's hands returned to her hips once again, adding the strength of his arms to her movements and causing her to crash against him with each movement.
Han nodded to acknowledge her words, but they barely registered. He was too focused on hanging on until Yun climaxed.
It was the fresh ferocity of his thrusts, timed just right and hitting just the right, very sensitive spot, that tipped Yun over the edge. Her breath caught, her body tensed, and she let out a long, throaty moan that turned into a whimper as she fell forward against Han's chest and trembled around and against him and clung on for dear life.
This time, Han pulled out successfully, just making sure that his seed went, well... anywhere else. Since they'd romped their way to the edge of the robe, he just shot his spurts out to the side, and then he ran out of steam.
Using his last vestiges of energy, he raised his arms and wrapped them around Yun. He kissed her forehead, and licked her sweat off of his lips.
"Gods... We sure made our last loud fuck count...:
Yun let out a breathless laugh as she curled against his chest and tucked her head beneath his chin. She was panting, all sweaty from exertion and the humidity of the day, and still felt all tingly and wonderful from their coupling.
"Sure did," she agreed, and cuddled in tighter. "Goddess, you're probably gonna hafta bloody gag me if we're gonna do anythin' in the city!"
Han laughed, hand placed confidently on her ass, almost as if he was claiming it as his own.
"I'm really tempted to just... go back to sleep..."
"That'd be niiiiice..." Yun said with a sigh as she laid her head down on Han's chest. "Buuuut...we'd probably better get movin' again."
She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh.
"Probably."
"Just five more minutes won't hurt. Let's enjoy this time we have together," Han said, and he stroked her hair.
"We gotta keep ourselves a secret, remember?"
"Pffff...don't remind me," Yun groaned. "That's gonna be tough enough already. Like, how do all those forbidden lovers from the legends do it?"
"Well, we know how they do it," Han said with a cheesy grin on his face.
"I guess we just gotta learn how to do it quickly and quietly. Either that, or meet in secret."
Yun muffled a laugh against Han's chest. "I...I was talkin' more like, how do lovers like...stay hidden and how can they stand to pretend they ain't interested in each other all the time 'cept when they're alone? Like, that must be torture!"
She lightly poked his chest. "Someone's still got his mind in the gutter."
"Well, can you blame me? It's like... Our favorite activity. Can just... Do it for days, you know?"
Han cleared his throat.
"We'll have to see how things play out. If what you said is true, and you're going to have to be fending women off of me, maybe you shouldn't, you know? Let them flirt, let them wink. They'll never suspect you."
"Oooh...now that'd be hard," Yun grumbled, frowning at the image that created. Then she leaned up and eyed Han.
"If I don't fend 'em off, will you?"
"I'll fend them off like they're a pack of wolves," Han said, kissing Yun to help assure her.
"They won't get to me."
"Hrm." Yun dropped her head back down and rested her chin on her arms, which she folded atop his chest.
"Then I guess I can pretend," she said. "Ain't gonna be easy, though, fakin' indifference."
"Alas," Han said, fake-sighing as he looked up to the dawn sky, and then back at Yun. he stroked her cheek, face containing nothing but warmth.
"You must be strong, my love. Contain yourself until we can meet in secret. Ours will be a fire we will kindle behind hooded furnace."
Han chuckled.
"It's from a book I read."
Yun snickered at his little dramatization and she sat up, but only so she could press her wrist to her brow in a mock swoon. "Oh! But without ya, my minutes feel like days! My days--like centuries! The garden of my heart withers without your seed!"
And then her cheeks puffed out with repressed laughter, right before she failed completely at containing it and collapsed against his chest with laughter.
"Okay, that last line could use a bit of improvement," Han snickered, but he fell silent after a bit. The only movement came from the gentle heaving of his strong chest, and the hand gently stroking her back.
"It's so easy to forget we're going to the city. We're so bad at this whole "going places" thing."
"Hmmm!" Yun narrowed her eyes playfully at Han. "Could it be that we're bad at this 'cause--and I'm just goin' out on a limb here, correct me if I'm wrong! Are we bad at this 'cause we maaaybe don't want it to be over yet?"
"Ugh, I could be here foreverrrr," Han murred, and he gave Yun a playful little kiss.
"It's gonna be pretty tough to beat the last few days."
Yun smirked at that. "That sounds like a challenge if I ever heard one."
"it should be."
Han laid in silence for a bit, before he tried to rise. As a result, he straightened the both of them out, with Yun coming to rest on his lap, legs straddling him.
"But we should probably get going, love."
And with that, he gave Yun a spank, motioning to the side with his head.
Yun gave a surprised laugh at the spank, but finally, with an exaggerated sigh of regret, she rose from Han's lap and gave a languid arms-over-the-head stretch. "I gueeeess, if we must," she said, and reached down to start gathering up her clothes.
"I'm not really ready but...Kuan's gonna kill me already, so...bah!"
Han shamelessly enjoyed the sight of Yun's body, biting his lip as he reacquainted her curves to his eyes.
"Well, maybe she won't kill you immediately. I mean, I'll be right there. It'd be awkward."
"Naaah. Then it'll just be a public execution. Good deterrent for other strays," Yun said with a nod, before she laughed and gave Han a look as she straightened again, clothes in hand.
"Ya don't think I mean she'll literally kill me, right?"
A moment of silence.
"No, of course not. That'd be silly."
He smirked, and gave Yun a punch in the elbow. He slipped on his clothing, and then threw on his robe, hitting himself with a cleaning ray.
"I was just playing along."
"Oh, good! Never know about ya, jungle boy," Yun teased as she finished dressing and tried to ignore a flash of discomfort, because she was still all wet between her legs. Which was excellent during things but now just felt gross.
She ignored it, though, and pulled her hair back up into a knot. "Welp. Guess we better get, huh? We've procrastinated enough. I guess."
"With you, I can't procrastinate enough," Han said, boldly leaning in to give her a hot kiss, only to resume putting his packs back on.
"Promise me that as soon as we get the chance, we'll do it on a bed."
Yun snorted and rolled her eyes at that. "What, a bed? I thoughtcha were a wild jungle boy, always doin' it in nature!"
"Yun, I sleep on a bed. Besides, I reckon there won't be much nature where we're going."
He smiled.
"We'll improvise."
"Nah, the city's a jungle of a different sort," Yun said. "But yeah, I figure...I mean, like, I ain't the only Warrior that's seein' someone. 'Cause, uh..."
She cleared her throat. "I know some of the girls sneak people in. Or...fool 'round with each other. They try and be quiet but...y'know..."
"I get it. They're quiet like you," Han teased, and finished packing up. He was so ready!
"Are we ready to go yet? I can't wait!"
"Hey!" Yun said, color blooming bright in her cheeks. "I can be quiet! I only wasn't 'cause ya said ya liked it!"
Embarrassed, she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, turning away to hide her blush as she started to lead the way.
"We'll see," Han said, and he followed after her, a very visible pep in his step.
"Were are we going first? The warrior... building... place, right? What's it called?"
"Ya mean the dojo?" Yun said, lips quirked in a smirk as she continued to lead the way. "Yup! That's where we're goin'. We'll head there and hope I don't get my ass kicked, and hope ya don't get mauled."
"Why would I get mauled?" Han asked, a puzzled look in his eye.
"By the girls, of course!" Yun said with a mock huff, before she tilted her head and squinted her eyes at him. "And prolly a coupla boys, too."
At the mention that other boys might want to "Maul" him as well as the girls, Han blushed something fierce.
"Wait, so other boys are gonna want to..."
He looked at her, and made a naughty motion with his fingers.
"Do that to me?"
Yun burst out into laughter at Han's expression--and his demonstration. She clapped a hand over her mouth quickly after, reminding herself that for all Han's intelligence, he was so, so sheltered.
"Uh huh," she finally said, still snickering. "I mean, it ain't like allowed or nothin', 'cause Inima says so, but boys can fancy boys and girls can fancy girls and I've heard rumors they do things together, so..." She grinned.
"Wow, that's... Okay, I guess."
Han looked towards the city, and then back at Yun.
"You're the only one for me," he said.
"Reeeally? So I don't have to worry 'boutcha leavin' me for some dashin' young man?" Yun asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"No, you're pretty safe from that," Han said. He leaned forwards to kiss her, and then gave her a spank.
"Let's get going."
Yun laughed and reached around to return Han's smack with a swift, sharp one of her own. Then she dodged out of the way in case he retaliated and turned to start leading the way, picking up her pace into a jog.
"C'mon, slow poke!"
Han did indeed retaliate, and he missed her ass by a hair's breadth as she dodged out of the way. He groaned with mock frustration, before jogging along after her.
"So, do you remember our cover story?"
"Uhhhhh..."
Yun slowed from a jog to a slow trot, her brow furrowing at his question.
"...Prooooobably..."
Another pause.
"...Not. Uh. Refresh my memory? I think all that fuckin' knocked my brains 'round too much."
"It's alright," Han said, and patted Yun on the head.
"Storm forced you off the road, you ran into Sightweed and got lost, I found you and guided you back to civilization once you recovered, and you convinced me to sign on as a herbalist and doctor for tbe Warriors."
He smirked at her.
"Maybe we should take it slow next time. Heaven forbid you get anything important fucked outta you."
Yun rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out Han with a loud, "Pfffft."
"A lot's happened in just a coupla days! Can ya blame me?" she said. "Alright, right, I got it this time for sure, though. I mean, it's like...actually not much of a story? That's actually kinda the truth. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, I got this."
And she grabbed Han's hand and tugged him along, marching toward the city sprawling out in the distance. Not much longer. And while she'd miss her time out here, and her freedom...
Damn was she looking forward to some real food.
"Woah, hey!" Han said, and let himself be tugged along like some kind of giant, magical dog. He was both excited and completely terrified at the same time. When he remembered he had Yun with him, though, things didn't seem so scary.
The thought of an actual bed brought a light flush to his cheeks.
"Jeez, you trying to rip my arm off?" Han joked as he kept pace with Yun, squeezing her hand tightly.
"I'm tryin' to get ya movin', slow-poke! If your arm rips off it's 'cause ya ain't goin' fast enough!"
Over the little ridge they went, and then down, following along a trail cutting through the jungle and leading straight into town--which, even from a distance, Yun could see was bustling, even if the distant shapes were tiny and blurry like ants.
Han let out an exasperated sigh (although it was more to tease her than anything else!) and he kept pace with her, walking alongside as they got closer and closer to the city.
"I ain't a slow-poke!" Han laughed.
"Sure are. I could beat ya at racin' most days, I'll bet," Yun said with a lift of her chin and a cocky grin.
Before long, though, the jungle gave way to the city proper, and Yun guided Han toward the city gates that were wide open, the road already crowded with carts and people from outside villages going in to sell at market. Yun wove her way between them, guiding Han by the elbow, and soon they were inside the beautiful city of Suna, with its buildings both ancient and new, and its rich plantlife that not even the city could keep out.
"Welcome to Suna, Han!"
"Well, I don't hear you complain about speed when we..."
Han trailed off as he took in the city, watching the bustle as people moved about every which way. He was right, in the sense that it was both awe-inspiring and scary, all at the same time. His elbow tightened around Yun's, and he smiled.
"...fuck."
He looked to her.
"We made it, love."
"Yuuuuup!" Yun chimed with a beaming grin, delighting in Han's fascination. Or was that maybe a little fear? She squeezed his arm.
"Little overwhelmed?"
"I mean, I had an idea in my head, but... It looks nothing like I thought at all," Han said, putting a hand on top of one of Yun's.
"It still kinda looks like a jungle!"
Realizing abruptly that they were almost holding hands, Yun gave a start and let go of him. "Sorry," she whispered. "Just, uh, just remembered we'd better start pretendin' we ain't, y'know. Together."
She folded her arms behind her back, feigning innocence, and began to walk again. "Yeah, city's kinda cray like a jungle. Not as quiet, though. Sure ain't quiet at the dojo, neither, most of the time, but you'll see. We'd better get there, they'll have food and stuff there, but much as I'd like to show ya around...I shouldn't keep Kuan waitin' much more."
"What? Oh!" Han said, and he started in quite a similar way, trying to make it look like they were just a pair of travellers, and not lovers.
Which was hard!
He looked to Yun as they walked.
"What's she gonna do? Kill you twice?"
"Probably!" Yun said, throwing up her hands. "There's some shady necromancer types on the loose out there somewhere so she could probably kill me, hire one to bring me back, then kill me again."
"Damn!"
Han laughed.
"I was thinking more along the lines that she'd find her way into the afterlife and kill you there, but I guess that works too!"
"Jeez, that's twisted! Makin' me double ghost dead! Where do double-dead ghosts go, anyway?"
"Uh..."
Han shrugged.
"Ghost-heaven?"
"Isn't heaven already ghost-heaven though?" Yun said, brow furrowed.
"Well, no," Han said.
"I meant like heaven for heaven. If you die and go to heaven, and then you get killed in heaven, you go to ghost-heaven, because it's heaven for ghosts that die."
"I never heard ya could get killed in the afterlife," Yun said with a worried frown. "If that happened, does that mean ya can't be reborn?"
"Honestly, Yun, I don't even know," Han said, and he shrugged.
"I mean, I'm just a wizard. But I'll look into it, my love," Han said.
"Guess I could always just ask a priestess," Yun muttered, scratching the back of her head. "Anyway, whatever! We're almost there! C'mon!"
And with a smile his way, she took off through the crowd, leading the way down the twisting streets--and toward the dojo, with its high, pointed roof and elaborate architecture.
"While you're at it, you can ask her if Inima watches people fuck," Han teased, but he didn't have time to laugh. Yun took off and he had to focus on keeping up with her, and before long, they were there, standing in front of the dojo.
"Wow, you train in there? It must be so cool."
Ew, ew, ew! Yun was happy for the subject change because she was most definitely NOT going to be asking that question, because she didn't want an answer and didn't want to think about it! Gross, gross, gross!
Standing before the dojo, Yun laughed at Han's question. "Cool? It's actually pretty stuffy in there normally." She took a deep breath.
"Alright. Guess it's time to just...get the awkward over with! C'mon!" she said, and once again dragged Han along by the hand--and in through the large, arched doorway.
Inside, there were several rows of young women, and a few young men, moving in formation through various stances with the bo staff, lead by an older woman in the front. And, of course, everyone stopped and looked when Yun and Han walked through the door.
Almost instinctively, Han shuffled a bit behind Yun once all those eyes turned to them. She was the familiar one here, and he felt a bit more secure like that anyways. It felt different from walking around in the city, because nobody really paid attention to you. Everybody was going on about their business, and even Han, with his incredibly sheltered life, could acclimate to that sort of crowd.
But having all those eyes just locked onto him made his tongue catch in his mouth, and all he could do was wave a small greeting towards the rest of the room, silently hoping Yun would speak up.
Han wasn't the only one with a frozen tongue. Because right then, Yun's never-ending mouth felt glued shut.
Because, of course, the woman leading those warriors through their stances just had to be Kuan, and the woman's two-toned eyes were right on her.
And though the woman never showed much on her face in terms of expression, Yun was close enough to her mentor to recognize the subtle signs that showed she was absolutely LIVID: the tightness around her mouth, the slight creases around her eyes, the way her hands tensed just the slightest bit around that staff as her posture grew just a bit straighter. Kuan stared at her a moment longer, unblinking, while Han was utterly no help at all since he was hiding behind her--when she should be the one hiding! And then, when Yun felt ready to shrink under that stare, Kuan turned back to her students.
"Pair up. Rotate sparring partners every three bouts," she called, before she turned back to Yun and Han--and strode toward them.
Yun pressed back against Han, knowing she was dead meat but knowing she was supposed to be the brave, tough warrior protector here! She couldn't run! She had to be brave and look death in the eye! She had to protect Han and--!
Kuan grabbed Yun by the front of her shirt and yanked her forward until they were eye to eye. "Explain yourself."
"I-I got lost in the jungle and um--"
"In the jungle? How? The road doesn't lead through the jungle."
"I-it was rainy so I took a shortcut and--"
Kuan heaved a sigh. "I specifically told you to take Oriko Road. That still doesn't explain being days late."
"I, um, I got into a mess with some Sightweed and er, Han..."
Kuan flicked a look to Han.
"He helped me...?"
Shit. She was forgetting everything in her panic.
Oh shit. This was the infamous Kuan that Yun had told him about! Han found the prospect of finally getting to meet her both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. At this moment, it was more terrifying than thrilling. However, Han saw that Yun was starting to slip, and he stepped up.
"There was a storm that day before I found her, and it must have forced her off of the road. She ran through a patch of Sightweed, and she must have wandered for a really long time before I found here. Had I not..."
Han trailed off, and looked to Yun, hoping the look on his face would say the rest.
"I helped her recover, a-and she offered for me to come with her. She said the warriors could use a proper herbalist and doctor."
Kuan looked about ready to lay into Yun something fierce when Han interrupted, and she fixed him with a sharp look, two-toned eyes narrowed. She listened to him speak, though, expression unchanging--but Yun noticed with some relief that her eyes seemed to soften a little toward the end.
Finally, Kuan let out a sigh and shook her head. It was Yun she was angry with, not this new boy, and if his story was true, then he may have just saved her protege's life.
"I see," was all she said, and she flicked another look at Yun that had the girl ducking her head. Yun didn't want her to figure out that there was a lot they weren't telling her, after all! "Very well. Then it seems I owe you my thanks, for saving my student's life."
She offered Han a small bow. "Thank you for seeing her home safely. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."
Han had to fight back a blush, but he foud himself capable of nodding without looking awkward, and he smiled at Kuan.
"Oh, she was no trouble at all," he said as he put a hand on Yun's shoulder.
"Really," Kuan said, less question and more skeptical statement. She had never known Yun to NOT be a handful. She flicked a look at Yun, who beamed back with puppy-dog innocence. The sort of puppy-dog innocence that made Kuan wonder just when she'd step into the mess, and where.
"That's good to hear. And you were looking to become an herbalist here?"
"Yes!" came Han's immediate reply. He stepped past Yun so he could speak to her more directly.
"I can set a bone, make healing powders, and make some really energizing herbal teas, among other things," he said, letting genuine excitement bleed into his "pitch."
"Yun told me the dojo had an opening?"
"We do," Kuan said, looking over at Yun and then back "Our current doctor is soon to retire. You can do all those thing? You look young."
"I was pretty much raised to do it," Han said, rubbing his head a bit sheepishly.
"I'm not from the city. I was raised out in the jungle by my grandfather."
Kuan gave a curious tilt of her head. "Hm." She glanced out at the other young practicing Warriors and then back to Han, considering.
"I suppose we could give you a trial period. I will have our current doctor test you to ensure you know the material."
"Thank you!" Han said, and he couldn't help but shoot Yun a triumphant smile.
"It means so much to me that you'll give me a shot. I won't disappoint!"
"Good," Kuan said with a nod of her head. "She's currently in the neighboring hut tending to Xuna. A sprained wrist, nothing serious," she added at Yun's worried look.
"Meet her there, and tell her Kuan sent you for evaluation. And as for you, miss..."
Yun grimaced as Kuan turned to look at her, face stony as ever. "I understand that you got lost, but that wouldn't have happened had you stuck to the road like I told you. You're on chamberpot duty for the week. Next time, maybe you'll do as you're instructed."
At Kuan's verdicts, Han gave Yun a short glance before patting her shoulder. Living in the jungle hadn't spared him from having to clean his grandfather's chamber pot once the old wizard started to deteriorate.
"I'll, er, take my leave. Should probably get evaluated," he said, and he started to walk.
"Come find me later, Yun. I can't wait to tell you how it goes!"
With a parting look Yun's way, Han went about locating the doctor.
Yun forced a smile Han's way and gave a miserable little wave. She was...really not looking forward to chamberpot duty.
But it was worth it.
Just next door, in the neighboring hut Kuan had pointed out, an elderly woman was currently kneeling on a bamboo mat next to a young Warrior a little older than Yun. The girl, Xuna, had her arm out for inspection as the woman examined her swollen wrist, wincing and sucking in her breath where the woman touched. The healer didn't notice Han, for her back was to him, but Xuna caught the movement and looked up in surprise, which drew the healer's attention, too.
She looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowing. "And who are you?"
"Neighboring" hut is what Han repeated to himself as he started in that direction, giving Yun a parting glance as he set off. It was a short walk, and he was able to find it easily, catching the smell of familiar herbs as he approached the door.
It was a short walk, barely even past ten seconds, but it felt a lot longer to Han, who was now fully alone, no Yun to introduce him, no woods to run away into.
He was in it now.
He stepped through the door, eyes locking onto the shapes of the healer and her patient. He knew better than to interrupt a healer when they were working.
Which is why he gave such a start when the healer spoke. It was just as he started to look around and marvel at the healer's room, eyes scanning over the collection of herbs and tools (Actual tools!), and his head snapped back to her upon hearing her voice.
"Oh! Er... I'm Han," he said, smiling a bit. He gave the young warrior a short nod to acknowledge her as well.
"I'm new."
He quickly corrected himself.
"New to the city, and this whole um, thing, and I'm a healer. Kuan sent me to get evaluated."
The woman eyed Han a moment longer, but her eyes softened at the mention of Kuan--which confirmed, to her, that at least he wasn't a complete and total stranger.
"Evaluated, hm?" she said. "Then I take it you heard I'm in need of a successor. Very well, then. Your timing is impeccable, lucky for you."
Gently, she released the girl's arm and stood, taking a step back and motioning to Xuna. "Diagnose and treat her."
Xuna snapped a look up at the woman and then at Han, alarmed. "But Master Ridhi--!"
"Calm yourself, Xuna. He'll be under my watch. I won't tolerate mistakes. Well, Han? Let's see what you know."
Han was a little struck by how quickly she'd handed it over to him, but it was only a moment's trepidation before he approached Xuna. He took a mental stock of what the healer (he presumed her name was Ridhi) had on her shelves and work area before he knelt down by Xuna, face friendly.
"Let me see your hand, if you don't mind," he said.
Once she'd permitted him to examine her hand, he'd gently pick her arm up so he could examine it. He had a hunch that a hurt hand in a training dojo was probably a training accident, but he didn't rule anything out as he looked over her lower arm and even her hands and fingers as he tested and examined. His eyes would flit from her hand to her face, gauging her reactions for a few moments before he spoke to Xuna.
"It's swollen, but not bruised. Did you take a bad fall?"
Xuna nodded at his question. "During practice sparring. Eta threw me, and I landed...wrong."
She looked down at her hand and then back up at Han, concern in her eyes. "Is it broken?"
[I'm getting some deja vu here]
"It's not likely that it's broken. Can you still move your fingers alright? Does it feel tight, or loose?" he asked, and he started feeling at the damaged flesh. He had a light touch, but was very well educated despite his isolated upbringing. He also had plenty of experience falling from trees, so he knew just about every kind of way to get hurt by falling.
He reached into his well of magical power just a little bit and skimmed his fingers over her wrist, reading just beneath the flesh to search for pulled muscles or cracks on the bones. he dared not use more power, as it would cause a visual effect.
[Bwahaha!]
Xuna wiggled her fingers at his question, wincing as she did. "I can move them, but it really hurts," she said, gritting her teeth as he felt at the swollen flesh. It felt tender and hot, but not excruciating. That was hopeful, right? "I guess it feels...tight? I dunno. Not loose. Just hurts a lot to move it. Goddess, it better not be broken. I have a tournament in a few days!"
"No, definitely not broken," Han was quick to say. His first instinct was to soothe and please so he put a hand on her shoulder and offered her a smile. Then, he went back to his work, feeling her forearms and wrist of her hurt arm a little more before humming thoughtfully.
"Feels stiff. And you've got some discoloration on the underside," he started, and he examined her fingers before looking up to meet Xuna's eyes.
"You definitely sprained it, though. I'm going to prepare some numbing salve for your hand and wrist and it needs to be bound until the swelling and pain recede," he said, and he stood to look about at Ridhi's collection of herbs and medical tools. He picked through it, gathering everything he needed and returning to Xuna.
As he mixed the salve in a mortar and pestle, he continued to speak.
"I'm also going to give you something to take. A tea mix made of herbs that'll help you deal with the pain," he continued.
"Sprained? No, no, it can't be sprained!" Xuna moaned, an expression close to despair darkening her features. "You don't understand, the tournament is in literally three days! I can't not go! I was gonna win this one!"
She stared down at her swollen wrist as though it was a nasty creature separate from her body. "How long? How long will it need to heal? Can I just...can I fight with it bound? Is there any way to speed this up? I have things I gotta do! I need something stronger than tea!"
Han was a little taken aback by Xuna's sudden objection to his diagnosis, and it showed in how a shocked look ran through those blue-streaked eyes of his. He'd paused in mixing the salve for her, but quickly resumed.
He let some of his subtle magic bleed into the pestle as he ground up the salve, repeating the alchemical incantations in his head. Han let her finish and nodded along, preferring to focus on his work. When she suggested fighting with it bound, he gave her a stern look as he sprinkled some wild seeds into the mixture.
"I didn't say it was a bad one, but fighting with an injured wrist means you could cause permanent damage," he said, quoting one of his dusty medical tomes word-for-word.
"And don't sneer at the tea. If you do what I tell you, it'll heal as fast as it can," Han chided. He finished the salve and lifted her arm op once again to start applying it.
He tried to meet her eyes, and he gave an honest shrug of his eyebrows.
"How does that sound?"