Aftermath (Rugs, Charlie)

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

[This thread is a sequel taking place immediately after "Take Me Away"]

A gloved green hand pulled back on the lever, and the stars seen through Unfortunate Tease's canopy streaked into the familiar view of hyperspace once again, signifying safety as they made their way back towards the Core again, only a few days away from Coruscant, the destination she'd chosen for its easy coordinates of 0,0,0 as much as its proximity. Also because it was a safe choice for a place to go, and the meeting place of the galaxy where they could see Asyr back to his ship.

Ervisa Therani wasn't looking forward to that moment.

They'd just barely managed to escape the clutches of vicious pirates thanks to a lot of guts on her part, some skill, and a lot of luck. Or the Force. At this point in her life the Mirialan woman wasn't sure which was dominating her life. Go back far enough and she had unshakeable faith in the Force, with a certainty everything would work out right. Good guys win. Bad guys lose. Everyone makes it home. And then she'd lost her Padawan and things hadn't seemed so certain.

Reality was grey. Not black and white. But she was done fighting a black and white struggle. She was done being a Jedi, and she'd grown to place a lot more faith in luck. It had been so-so for a long time now. But now?

Now she had confidence it would serve her well.

Asyr Yevor had come back into her life at the most unexpected of times, and that meant the match she'd been gnawing at in her mind was a sure thing, was meant to be. Their actions were building a special destiny. Something special existed between them, a bond she could almost sense. He was a part of her life that had grown in prominence, that had been magnified in his absence.

She'd fallen in love for the first time.

The lithe Mirialan woman slid out of the pilot's seat and walked back out of the cockpit and headed for the common room, where she'd left Asyr. She came to a stop just outside the door and took a deep breath before she entered, gathering herself.

She'd go in there. She'd give him a kiss. She'd sit with him on the sofa, rest her head on his shoulder. Then when the moment was right, she'd find some way to express her feelings for him. She'd use simple but honest words, and he'd hear them. He could share them. Then she'd find some way to spend time with him, to build a future together. She could go with him to his ship and his crew maybe. Or maybe the two of them could leave everything behind and forge a new path ahead on Coruscant.

She was positively giddy with anticipation as she keyed open the door. Ervisa positively beamed as she crossed the room to the couch, sliding into a seat next to the Echani man and promptly reached out to hold his face as she locked lips with him, running a hand through the snowy hair she adored.

At long last she pulled away from him and opened her eyes again. They sparkled magnificently in the light, vibrant blue flecks dancing across her grey irises. It was for him. Despite the bruises on his pale flesh, despite the minor cuts from the fights, he was still beautiful.

She lowered her head to rest on his shoulder as she rubbed his chest with one gloved hand, whispering soft words to him.

"I missed you."

[Rugs]

Blessed quiet.

Asyr was sitting in a common area on the Unfortunate Tease, arms spread out across the couch and head resting lightly against the back. The whole of his body was at ease. His chest rose and fell in time with each calm, easy breath. His long legs sprawled out on the floor in front of him.

Suffice to say, Asyr Yevor was a content man at the moment. It showed in the gentle curving up of his lips, in spite of the bruising that colored his milky skin. The bruising didn't really both him. He was a fighter, born and raised. Bruises and a few cuts were nothing.

Besides, after all the trouble he'd just been through nothing short of the ship falling apart as it came out of hyperspace could bother him.

He wore only his shirt. His jacket was back in the little room he'd been allowed to stay in until he could get back to the Bohemian. For a time, after he'd cleaned himself up, he'd just been going about with shirt unzipped, leaving his chest and chiseled stomach bare, but he'd decided some sort of proper decorum was in order, and so now his shirt was zipped, if only part way up his chest.

Perhaps he would change that a later on, though. There were women aplenty on the ship, and if anything, his body deserved to be on display. But those were thoughts for later. He'd had his first round of sex almost as soon as they were back off that damn pirate ship. So for now, he was satisfied to simply sit and be content in his newly-regained freedom.

Flitch was on a countertop a few feet behind him. The little draconic droid was curled up, tail resting over his muzzle, and 'sleeping.' He'd already sent a message back to the Bohemian, and more specifically, Lordura. A response would come eventually, but until then, he, like his owner, was content to enjoy a bit of down time. Though Asyr's original kidnapping was not forgotten. Ever since setting foot on the Tease, Flitch had warily observed each and every person that came near to Asyr. Friendly or not, he kept an eye on them. Part of his duty was to keep Asyr safe, after all. He'd failed that by allowing him to be taken.

Failure was unacceptable. But Flitch, like Asyr, was adaptable. They would both learn from their mistakes and ensure they didn't happen again.

Or Flitch would, at least.

His sensors picked up the sound of motion near the door. He raised his head, looking over to the portal that led up to the cockpit, where the soft sounds were coming from. It was that green-skinned woman. Ervisa. Flitch lowered his head again, but his photoreceptors followed her as she walked across the room.

Not that Asyr didn't hear the sounds of her approach. His body was relaxed and his eyes closed, but he wasn't sleeping. Just relaxing.

As she walked across the room, Asyr cracked an eye and looked at her. Ervisa... he thought, smiling gently.

He could still remember the shock he'd felt when his rescuer back on that star-blasted ship had turned out to be Ervisa. Of all the people it could have been, it was her, the woman he'd thought he'd never see again. As if that hadn't been enough, Morwyn was with her; apparently they crewed together.

After the initial surprise had worn off a bit--it was still wearing off even now--Asyr couldn't help but think the next few days or weeks or however long it was before he as reunited with his rightful crew would be wonderful. Morwyn and Ervisa, here in one place with him. What more could he ask for? They'd have to share him, of course, but there was more than enough of this Echani to go around...

Just that moment, Ervisa settled down next to him on the couch. She promptly took his face in her hands, and pressed her lips to his. It was enough to get his eyes open and bring him back to the present, chuckling in his smooth baritone once she broke away and laid her head on his broad shoulder.

"I missed you," she said softly, rubbing his solid chest. Asyr smiled and kissed the top of her forehead.

"Glad to know I was missed," he said lightly, mirthfully. It was hard not to be in a bad mood, with the way he'd lucked out. "I missed you too. Never thought I'd see you again, t'be honest." Asyr chuckled softly at that, looking down at her with a hint of that sly, boyish smile she'd probably come to recognize as his own. "But here you are, bustin' me outta prison cells and givin' me a ride on your ship."

Asyr chuckled again, as he leaned his head back against the couch again and looked up at the metal ceiling. For a moment he was quiet, listening to the steady, gentle thrum of the engines. "Maybe there's somethin' to that fate business after all, eh?"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa smiled sheepishly as he mentioned fate, feeling her heart in her throat. Here he was, mentioning just precisely what she was thinking about. That made her optimistic even as it made her nervous. What she was discussing today was big, huge in fact. For her to talk about love of a non-physical nature was unprecedented, unheard of. But here in the room with him she was of two minds.

On the hand she wanted to be intimate with him, here and now. She had needs. He had what she wanted. But on the other hand, she wanted to bond with him on a deeper level, to build off of what they shared before.

She could still remember Cato Neimoidia clearly, perfectly well in fact, an island in the middle of a great many drunken binges and pleasures, one that stood out for a simple reason. Since leaving the Jedi Order, he was the first person she'd ever discussed her reasons with. He had a better knowledge of the real Ervisa Therani than any other person in the galaxy, save for her Jedi master possibly, if he was still alive.

She'd discussed the belief that actions shaped destiny with him then, suggesting he'd be part of her destiny. And oh how right she'd been. Even he could say that now, mention fate.

"Destiny," She said softly as she rubbed his stomach with a gloved hand. "Somehow I knew I'd see you again..."

Ervisa wasn't a highly self-conscious woman, but this new emotion in her was bringing something new about, a nervous side of her, a side that wanted, no, needed acceptance. There were words she needed to hear from him. Words she had to have faith would come.

She closed her grey eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and starting what was likely to be the longest consecutive grouping of words for her in the past decade.

"Asyr..." She swallowed after his name, heart beating fast now. "I'm not a fancy woman, not like nobility you might remember. It's hard for me to come up with the right things to say, and it's harder still for me to express what I want to say. I'm not used to- to emotions, and feelings, and talking about them. But I don't know if I'll ever get this chance again, this opportunity I have right here and right now."

One hand strayed to the tip of her braid and she nervously rolled it around her fingers, playing with it as she avoided eye contact with Asyr, fearful of any looks that might not be welcome. Fearing feedback.

"You- You know me better than anyone else, and I think I grew to know you. When I mentioned destiny, I was serious. I think, I know, our destinies are intertwined together. I met you again because it was meant to be that way, because this opportunity was given to me for a reason. There's no easy way to say this Asyr. You might think I'm crazy or stupid, and maybe you're right, but I love you. I think I have since the moment I looked at you in that bar, I just didn't know it until you were gone. And I don't want to lose you again..."

Ervisa finally turned herself to look into his eyes, and she looked at him with a sublime look that managed to be a dozen things at once, emotions playing out on her face. Hope for what she desired. Fear of rejection. An almost childlike innocence was on her almost-sharp features, and it was clear that this was her very first love.

And could just as easily be her very last.

[Rugs]

"Destiny. Somehow I knew I'd see you again..."

Asyr chuckled briefly as Ervisa rubbed his stomach. "Yeah," he admitted, "so you did. Though I wish the circumstances woulda been a bit better." But they could've been worse. At least they were both in good health, a few nicks and bruises aside, and with a few days' worth of travel left until they hit Coruscant, there was bound to be some good sex.

And he was alive, and free. That was good too, though he wasn't exactly looking forward to explaining the details of how he'd been caught to Lordura; no doubt he'd probably be the butt of a few jokes once he rejoined with his rightful crew, but that was a burden he was willing to bear.

He noticed Ervisa's hand stopped moving across his ridged stomach and looked down at her. She seemed to be considering something, with eyes closed. Ervisa?

Then she started speaking. She said a lot, and most of her words found away to be surprising, flattering, and a little scary all at once.

What it really boiled down to was that she was making a confession of love. Or, he thought it was love. No, she said it. Can't mistake that...

"Well..." he said, for once faltering as his mind churned for words. It wasn't that he'd never heard someone make a similar confession--it happened every now and then, when some broads thought a few nights of being charmed and good sex meant he was honestly, romantically interested in them. Those were easy to blow off, even if they demanded a certain careful touch to keep moods from going sour.

This, though... this was different.

Ervisa--dear, independent Ervisa--was about the last person he'd expected that kind of confession from, and she was serious, Force help him. That or she's playin' a real good joke on me.

With a smile, he leaned back and chuckled to himself, projecting an air of casual calm, even if he still wasn't entirely sure how to handle this. "You really did miss me, didn't you?" He smiled at her, that same friendly, almost boyish smile he so often used for her. "Well listen, I'm glad to see you too, and I'm... honored, I guess you could call it, that you feel the way you do 'bout me, but..."

He shifted a bit, putting an arm around her shoulders and holding her gently against his side. The tips of his fingers trailed lightly along the surface of the green skin on her arm; he could feel firm, supple muscle beneath it.

"How about we just take it easy for right now, hm? After all, we just got back together. How 'bout we just have a good time and enjoy each other for some of these days we have and we can worry about figuring destiny out later?"

It was hard to find a way to push the subject aside without flat-out rejecting her. He liked Ervisa--she was pretty, they gelled well together, and sex with her was good. But love? Love was something else, something much more complicated. Love was something he wasn't sure he was looking for.

Love was painful.

"So?" He smiled at her, using his other hand to gently adjust a lost bang of ebony hair near her face. "That sound alright?"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

As Asyr started to talk, a hopeful smile crept onto Ervisa's green lips. After all, he seemed calm. He had the winning smile she found so attractive etched onto his handsome face, and everything seemed perfectly all right. She kept her hand on his firm body and her eyes softened a little, the edge being taken off.

And everything changed with one word.

But.

She didn't even have to hear the other words. In fact, she heard them without really registering them. She knew what 'but' meant. She knew it all too well. You're a great person but, your record is exemplary but... There were so many, and they all meant no. It was a softer way of saying it, but it still felt like a slap to the face.

It stung.

Ervisa stood up and took a few steps away, folding her arms up and hanging her head as she avoided eye contact. Her whole body felt hot, in a bad way. Her face was flushed, and she could feel tears forming. Never before had she poured out so much of herself, and so futilely. It was... humiliating. It felt like every time when as a Youngling she'd been called up by the instructor for discipline, every time her master had looked at her with disappointment, and every time she'd ever said something wrong all rolled up into a single experience. She was mortified.

"I, I- uh..." Ervisa mumbled through a slightly choked voice as she tried to prevent herself from crying.

"You... Don't love me." She looked at him with watery grey eyes before promptly looking back at the wall again. "It serves me right for being honest..." She whispered with her back to him.

Her life, since the loss of her Padawan leaner, had been a curious mixture of lies and moments of truth, moments where she admitted something important about herself. The death of her Padawan was always the truth that came back to haunt her, while she'd long since forgotten her other faults. Now she realized that being honest about her feelings hurt just as bad.

If she'd ignored them, or hid them away somehow... She could have tried not forming attachments, the Jedi way. But somehow she'd just been so certain. Cato Neimodia had been perfect, a pristine moment in her memory. Everything in that one day had been perfect. Joy, laughter, amazing sex, and an emotional bond. She'd shared her story with him for the first time, and he'd shared his with her. Surely he must have felt the connection between them too? Been moved by it too?

But no. But.

And she'd just succeeded in making a fool of herself by admitting love.

The Mirialan woman struggled with her breathing, trying hard to retain a shred of dignity in her defeat, in her failure, by not shaking with sobs. Tears slid down her emerald cheeks though, and she avoided looking at him. It would be too painful, and just humiliate her more.

"That's okay." She said in her bravest voice, a slight tremor in it. What could she do? Nothing besides cry. "It's fine."

[Rugs]

Asyr bit back the urge to sigh. "Ervisa..." What the hell is wrong with you? He was completely dumbfounded, and stared after her for a long moment while she stood there, staring at the wall. Of course he couldn't say what he was thinking, not without making matters worse, but her reaction was entirely unexpected.

To say the least.

Ervisa, as he knew her was a strong woman, and more than just physically so. Ervisa, as he knew her, was a free spirit and independent. Life was short, love was free. That was his philosophy, and he thought that she was someone who saw on the same level as him.

So what, in the name of his uncle's gods, was this?

Can't keep yourself outta trouble, can ya, Asyr? He rubbed the back of his neck and stood up. Somewhere in the past minute and a half, there'd been a severe error in communication between them. Maybe the problem went back farther than that, to that first meeting.

Either way, they had a problem, and now he had to do what he could to fix it, before things got worse. He liked Ervisa, for more than just her looks or the intimacy they shared. He liked her as a friend, much in the same way he liked Kailani as a friend.

Now he just had to show her that, had to let her know that love was something that didn't come easily to him, after he lost Osana.

But that wasn't any reason to let something move between them, was it?

Finally, he allowed himself a small, quiet sigh and began to approach her. "Ervisa... listen."

He stopped a pace or two behind her. Close enough to reach out and touch, but far enough to give her room. "Love is something that's... hard for me to find. I found it once, and my heart still hurts because of it.

"I like you, Ervisa. I enjoy being with you. But love...?" He sighed very softly, trying to think of how to say what he was feeling. "Love is something I need time for. That's something that needs time to grow."

This wasn't at all how he envisioned spending his newly rediscovered freedom. He'd thought he'd have some time to relax, catch up on things, smoke a few cigars. Probably have sex with someone. But not this.

Two quiet steps closed the distance between them, and Asyr would, if Ervisa allowed him, put his arms around her gently from behind, bringing his hands together easily in front of her stomach. He dropped his voice to something more personal. "But who knows what the future will bring? You said it's destiny that will bring us together, right? Why force destiny?"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa squeezed her eyes shut and focused on breath control. It was all she could do, her heart had sunk so much. This was like a dream that had turned into a nightmare. No, that wasn't right. It was a dream she'd woken up from, only to find that her hopes were gone with the dawn and her worries were all still alive, magnified even. She hadn't thought it was possible to feel this way.

It was as if life was mocking her hope. Reality was tainted and twisted now.

Asyr was speaking, but his words were hardly registering. She was completely sober, and her senses were sharp. She could sense what he was feeling, that he didn't want her. And after hearing the truth nothing seemed right. The room seemed oppressively small, the lights too dim, and the air too still. She felt trapped, and her instinct was to run, to just leave and go as far away as possible, to hide her humiliating rejection.

His arms rested around her waist now, hands clasped over her flat stomach. A touch that might have been exhilarating under other circumstances was, instead, completely numb. He might as well have been the cushion of a chair brushed up against her.

He spoke words of destiny, but it didn't help her. "No" was written all over him, and the rejection was, to her mind, categorical. Ervisa didn't handle much nuance or subtlety; she never had. But on this she felt fully justified in her despair. If he didn't love her, he didn't love her. If he didn't feel even a core bond the way she did, there was no hope for him. Rejection was rejection, and she knew when she wasn't wanted.

Hot tears slid down her cheeks again, and with a surprising strength she shoved aside the pale hands resting on her stomach. Brown leather boots carried her away from him and briskly out the door. Wordlessly she keyed open the door to her quarters and keyed it shut again, activating the lock.

With a shaking hand she pulled a lock of raven hair off her face, and then promptly rifled through her footlocker in a desperate search for the only companionship she'd ever been able to rely on.

She found the half-empty bottle of gin, and screwed off the cap. Raising it to her lips, she let the fiery liquid wash down her throat, gulping as much of it as she could stomach. She drained it all in a single gulp before throwing it against the wall. It smashed into a pile of glass shards.

In silence she threw herself down onto her bunk and buried her face in the pillow. And cried.

[Rugs]

Asyr sincerely hoped that Ervisa would listen to his words, that she'd understand the truth in them. It wasn't that he didn't feel any sort of bond between them--he did, but things like that took time. Love was not an easy thing, and as much as he liked her as a friend and companion, fools rushed in, as the saying went.

Anticipation held his breath in the moment of silence that hung after he finished speaking. He felt a shudder move through her body, felt her stomach contract as more tears began to flow. And then...

Then she pushed his hands away and ran from him.

Asyr let her go, dumbfounded. Was what he'd said really that bad? It hadn't been a denial; he hadn't pushed her away. All he wanted to do was wait and see, let things develop on their own. If love was there, it would blossom in its own time.

"Guess that wasn't enough," he said blankly. It was amazing, how easily his mood had been ruined. Part of him wanted to chase after her, but no, she could have time to herself. Maybe she'd come to her senses.

With another exasperated sigh, he pulled the zipper on his shirt down from where it was partway up his chest, letting himself feel the cool air of the ship on his skin again.

Then he sat down on the couch again, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and tried to relax.

[Charlie Sharper]

Morwynn let the hot water wash over her. She let out a sigh as she let the water wash over her face. The a large bruise had formed where the pirate had struck her; she silent cursed his lineage as she felt the dull pain in her cheek. After a long shower, she finished washing herself and turned off the water. After that she used lotion and wrapped a towel around her body and her hair, then opened the door and stepped out in to the cold hallway.

As she walked toward her room she saw Ervisa running down the hallway. She seemed distressed but before Morwynn could say anything to her, Ervisa closed the door and the distinct sound of the lock could be heard. Morwynn continued to walk down the hallway, thinking that the Mirialan would talk to Morwynn when and if she wanted, but still she worried about her friend.

The pair had grown close over their time together on the Tease, well, at least Morwynn felt so. Morwynn worried about her and hoped that she was ok. There wasn't much that the Mirialan couldn't handle, she had saved Morwynn's life on two occasions, but Ervisa wouldn't even bat an eye when Morwynn thanked her, just a quirky remark and then she'd be off to the next thing that caught her attention. Morwynn felt that she was a very singular woman, quirky, but still a very special woman.

Morwynn was startled out of her thoughts by a crash of glass in Ervisa's room. She went to knock on the door and she heard crying inside. Zeltrons are known to be intuitive of other's feeling and Morwynn was no exception. She could feel that while Ervisa was sad and hurt but not the kind of hurt that was physical, though that might be wishful thinking. She decided to let it go either way.

Morwynn realized she must have run from the lounge so she headed toward the crew area. She peeked her head in and saw Asyr, the man that she had spent a night with on Zeltros, a fact she had yet to announce to the rest the crew. She felt like it was only a matter of time before they all found out, so she was only delaying the inevitable, but still she didn't tell anyone the circumstances that they had met under. She wasn't exactly ashamed or anything, but at the same time she didn't think all too fondly on the night she let go of all her baggage. It was a wonderful night, but she wasn't that person, not the kind that anyone would want, and she could only maintain that false personality so long. She was damaged goods, just one of the many there were in this crap hill of a 'Verse.

She walked over past Asyr and looked at him as she passed. He was an extremely handsome individual, she had to admit, his strong jaw and leanly muscled stomach. "Hey Asyr." She said in passing, attempting to make it seem as if she wasn't interested as she headed for her room on the other side of the hallway.

[Rugs]

Asyr sat, head tilted back and eyes closed, his mind muddled as he tried to make sense of the situation.

The problem was, nothing made sense.

Was saying to wait really that bad? He sighed, shook his head, and tried to relax. Ervisa was grounded. She had her issues, like everyone else, but she knew how to get through them. Maybe something else was on her mind.

When did her student die? Maybe that's what it is...

No, probably not. Something was assuredly wrong, but it was hard to believe the woman's sudden emotional meltdown was sparked only by Asyr's response. It's not like I even denied her...

Asyr sighed again. They'd figure it out. Eventually. Somehow. For now, it was just best to leave the woman be, though he'd hoped to be doing something a bit more intimate...

As he sat, he heard the soft sound of footfalls coming from deeper in the ship; in the direction of Ervisa's room, even, but he wasn't that stupid. The door hadn't opened, and she was probably still crying into her pillow or whatever it was she'd sequestered herself away in there to do.

Whoever it was--either Pala or Morwyn--got closer, and Asyr's nose picked up the faint scent of fragranced soap. He cracked an eye open and saw a flash of rosy skin and a white towel.

"Hey Asyr."

Morwyn. That brought a smile to his face. He had good memories of the night he'd met her. For more reasons than the obvious.

"Morwyn," he said, sitting up on the couch and looking after her. She was easy on the eyes. Just like last time he'd seen her. Even more with the towel being the only thing on her.

"Gonna go by so fast?" He asked, chuckling softly. "Been a while."

[Charlie Sharper]

(OOC: Feel free to laugh at the awkwardity!)

Morwynn stopped in her tracks, her ears grew slightly hot. She looked back at Asyr, he looked good....-As always- She thought. That jaw line, the chiseled stomach, and that was only the skin she could see...Her face began to turn a slight shade of purple. Her gaze went to the ground. "Ummmm....Yes...Awhile..Yeah, it has been awhile I mean." Her mind went back to that night,

There was a distinct yet nearly unnoticeable smell in the air, she couldn't help it, not when she was nervous, not like now. -Why am I nervous?!! I've re-attached limbs, grafted flesh, sown up wounds as big as a human head...She could handle one silver haired...sculpture...of a man....-

The air grew a little thicker, most probably wouldn't even notice, but as the same time they would know it too. She told herself she was fine, it just was the air mixture or the recent attempt to enslave her, but again, the purple-ish hue on her cheeks told her otherwise.

She suddenly felt like she was wearing too little. She turned away from him again, slowly scooting toward the exit on the other side of the room, she was so close, yet so far from her room.

She looked back at Asyr. "Umm...How are those bruises healing?" She asked not making eye contact for a bit, instead looking up at the ceiling, feeling the sudden urge to know how many tiles were there.

"Well, I outta run, it's a bit drafty in here." She said before realizing the obviousness and stupidity of the statement.

[Rugs]

"Aye, it has, hasn't it?" Asyr asked innocently, nodding in agreement. "Glad to see you've been well, though."

He smiled wryly at her, eyes flashing with a boyish amusement. "Haven't gotten any more trouble from jealous fellows, have you?"

The memory of the night made him smile, softly, subtly. Now he wished they could be back on Zeltros once more, enjoying a night out together. It was better than trying to figure out if Ervisa'd been hit over the head while they were breaking out of the slavers' ship.

What is wrong with her, anyway?

Probably best to figure it out later.

With a sigh, and then a chuckle at the way Morwyn blushed, he tipped his head against the back of the sofa, shrugging slightly. "The bruises? Ah well, they're bruises. Got more than I'd like but they'll be alright..."

He glanced at her out of the corner of an eye. To his surprise, she'd turned away from him and scampered over to the other side of the room.

"Well, I outta run," she said. "It's a bit drafty in here."

"Yeah, it is a bit more comfortable in the rooms isn't it?" Asyr answered easily. Amusement colored the edge of his voice as he sat up again. He didn't want her to just leave too, and some company would be nice, especially with Ervisa being so... od.

"Say, Morwyn," he called after her, "I don't suppose I could bother you to take a look at me? Well, my bruises, I mean..." He glanced briefly back at Ervisa's door, then looked at Morwyn again. "Doesn't have to be in here, if you'd prefer somewhere else..."

[Charlie Sharper]

Morwynn couldn't help the sigh of relief as she began to walk toward her room. "Yeah, it is a bit more comfortable in the rooms isn't it?" She heard over her shoulder, "Yeah," She said outloud "More comfortable..." She said under her breath. She continued to walk, silently hoping that Asyr wasn't watching her walk away, fearing that single towel she wore might be showing a bit more of her then she would have liked.

-Home free- She thought for a second, but her relief fled as she heard Asyr's voice, "Say, Morwynn, I don't suppose I could bother you to take a look at me? Well, my bruises, I mean..."

Morwynn just about stopped cold in her tracks, before turning back to face Asyr. "Uhmmm..." There was a long pause before he added "Doesn't have to be in here, if you'd prefer somewhere else..." She looked at Ervisa's door and then back at Asyr.

Several things flashed through her mind ranging from Ervisa's sudden outburst, which might have had something to do with Asyr in the common room, to that night on Zeltros.

After a long and awkward pause, her doctoring instincts won out, "Okay..." She said finally, before adding, "How about the med bay." Half of her silently hoped that he wouldn't say what the other half hoped he would. Her cheeks grew purple again as she looked at Asyr and thoughts ran through her head.

[Rugs]

"Uhmmm..."

Well that wasn't something he was sure he wanted to hear. The long silence that followed was deafening.

Looking at Morwyn, reading her body language--a simple thing for him to do--Asyr could see that she likely understood there was more to his request than just taking a look at some unremarkable bruising left over from his capture and imprisonment. He could see her weighing things in her mind, probably trying to figure out why Ervisa was locked up her room doing Force only knew what. Honestly, her guess was as good as his.

And it didn't really take much to guess why Asyr Yevor, of all people, would ask her to inspect his body privately, with just the two of them together. While she was practically naked.

Perhaps today just wasn't going to be Asyr's day. Maybe he'd be better served going to an empty room and doing one of his daily workouts and running through some of his forms. That would help to relax the mind and mayb-

"Okay..." Morwyn finally said. Asyr lifted a brow slightly and nodded. He'd almost expected her to politely decline, but he sure wans't going to complain.

"How about the med bay."

Asyr nodded once and smoothly rose to his feet. "Makes sense to me." He looked to her, noticing she was blushing, and gave her a subtle, disarming smile.

"Shall I lead?" He allowed a courteous moment for response, and proceeded to lead on, not there was much of a walk for them to go on. It'd only take a moment to get over there.

And then... Then he'd just have to keep making things up as he went along.

"You're really too kind," he said half-teasingly as they reached the med bay. It wasn't the largest, but it was comfortable enough for two. Asyr took a seat for himself and pulled off his shirt, knowing it would have to come off anyway.

Then his powdery eyes looked at Morwyn and he nodded, smiling subtly. "So just tell me what to do, doc."

[Charlie Sharper]

"Makes sense to me. Shall I lead?" Asyr said. Morwynn tried desperately to switch to doctor mode, thinking that profesionalism would force the thoughts that continued to play in her mind. "Sure." When Asyr turned she followed him, but looked briefly at her door, weighing her options. -Keep following him or run away...- She thought to herself; she didn't run.

As they walked to the med-bay, images and memories of the night flashed back into the Zeltron's mind, despite her attempts to clear her thoughts. She looked back down the hall, silently regretting her earlier choice. She wanted to turn now and head back but she couldn't, she had gone to far, -It would be awkward to just turn around now...- she told herself, hoping that it was true.

"You're really too kind," Asyr said as they reached the med-bay, Morwynn said nothing to that, too busy telling herself that it was just an examination. Asyr took no time in removing his shirt as he sat down on the exam table. Morwynn looked at the bruise for a moment before realizing she was slightly staring and quickly turned toward the cabinets. She began looking for something she had to find, what it was, she couldn't say, but it had to be found.

"So just tell me what to do, doc." Morwynn looked back at him as he said those words. "Umm...Just sit there, I'll get something for the bruises." She looked back in time to see the dermacream, which she grabbed then walked over to the Echani and extended her hand that held the cream out, trying not to stare again. "Just put some of this on the bruises and they should heal right up." The words came from her mouth only slightly quick, but in her mind she might as well said it in in a single breath. She scolded herself for being so nervous, she was completely different that night on Zeltros. Of course that was when they were just two strangers that would never see each other again on some strange planet, not two sudden shipmates that lived in Morwynn's home.