Gravity

[Asmus Janes]

“Not much,” he countered with a small shrug. His hand came up to run back through his hair. He relaxed back onto the couch, his left elbow brushing against her shins as he settled. He only turned to her briefly before looking back to the view of stars. That vivid memory, those words he’d spoken. She had looked at him differently after that.

Still looking out into the inky black, his lips curved up into a smile. “None of the poignant questions about the past that have been swirling around my head, no serious talk. Just the view, the music, beer and…”

He turned back towards her and stole the packet, bringing it up close so he could read it in the darkness. “Some trail mix apparently.” Setting down his beer, he took a small handful and threw them back. Asmus passed the packet back. This time his had came to rest upon her knee.

“But I’ll go if you want.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile found her breath catching when Asmus ran his hand through his hair, and yes, she knew it was as thick as it looked. The itch on her fingers as they gave a twitch reinforced it all the more. When his hand brushed her thigh to pass over her trail mix, Kaile’s throat bobbed and she gingerly went reaching out for the half empty package.

Part of her delighted that he was here. Even the warm spot where they barely touched seemed to sizzle, as if the nerves there couldn’t help but tingle at his presence. That he came here, regardless of the consequences to see her also made her flush a bit.

That he made it clear he wasn’t going to delve into the past was the cincher, and Kaile would be lying to herself if she said she wanted him to go.

“No questions?...” the espion asked tentatively, pearly white teeth flashing under the halflight as she bit the corner of her lip. There was a vulnerability there as their gazes locked.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“No questions,” he affirmed softly. At least not today. He shuffled from side to side as he worked his way back into a comfortable position. His long legs stretched out across the floor and he let his head hang back.

He brought up his bottle of beer and took a small swig. An audible sigh escaped his lips as he thought back to carrying beer up and down the ladder to the galley. Along with Bobo. The face the ysalmiri had pulled when he'd been passed to Asmus to be carted up on his shoulder.

The grin that appeared on his face seemed at odds with the situation.

“I bet we're kept away from this deck so no one realises how much better your observation room is. Ours is about the size of a fishbowl!” Asmus took another swig of beer, keeping his eyes on the stars. His left hand still rested on her knee, though he'd half expected her to ask him to remove it. Nothing seemed certain at the moment.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


She didn’t tell him to move. Instead her toes gave a slight wiggle. Funny, how much smaller the acceleration couch seemed to be with him draped across half of it. He had long legs that casually outstretched as he made himself comfortable. How easy he was able to do that while her heart fluttered at her throat.

He still had that lackadaisical air about him. A quick mental count reminded her that the Wraith Squadron Leader would barely be in his mid-twenties. Goodness, in comparison… Well, time did that she supposed.

“Maybe,” she began, her voice gathering in strength the more she spoke. “Reckon it is cleaner here.” it was an attempt to joke. One followed by the quick sip of her beer. It wasn’t too hoppy, rather crisp. A frown of bemusement followed.

“Where did you even get the beer?” she inquired, holding it up to try and read any signage she could find under the halflight. Her eyes gave a squint, thumb sliding across the surface of the bottle.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Ah and we said no questions…” Asmus turned to watch Kaile for a few seconds before he broke. “We snuck some aboard at the last stop. Sometimes when I’m keeping a low profile waiting to meet a contact I stop into a shop. And I wangled an extra storage locker. Afraid I can only keep a few cold at a time though.”

His hand slipped down, just resting in the groove where her thigh muscle met her knee. The problem with turning to face her was that it was hard to stop. Asmus had only intended to meet her gaze whilst he spoke, instead he ended up tracing down from her eyes back down to her knee.

The changes he saw were more subtle than those he'd been through. She'd been slender before, almost too skinny for her frame. Now she had more of an athletic tone. It was as he pictured the view of the changes she'd already afforded him that his eyes snapped back to the view. A touch of colour went to his cheeks and not from the beer.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“You know what I meant…”[/SIZE] Kaile managed to quip back, a bit more volume to her voice. But she had to hide the twitch of a smirk that threatened to bloom at the tease. Granted, it waned at the end at the sensation of having his hand drift. Really, it was innocent enough, but it distracted her. It made her think of other possibilities where that hand might go. Ironically, at the top of that list was just the sensation of having Asmus cafune her hair.

“So you still maintain your ol’ smuggling ways then.” she followed shortly after, flexing her calves. Another wiggle of her toes barely had her feet slide a little bit closer to him, so that they were tucked just against his thigh. Perpendicular to each other, Kaile had the full view of his profile when he wasn’t turning his face away. Whatever flush that came to brighten his features were lost in the dim glow of hyperspace and stars.
The song changed. This time it was Audiostar, ‘Like a Stone.’ The deep tenor of the lead singer's voice a lulling sound as he sang his classic ballad. Full of pain and full of longing.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Old habits,” Asmus said quietly. Old habits indeed. His thoughts weren't far from hers; he was thinking how much more comfortable it would be with her around the other way with her back to his chest. She was barely getting used to him being in the same room, no need to push his luck.

Another swig and he was down to half a bottle of beer. He raised it up to the light and gave it an accusatory glare.

“Should have found more hiding holes down in deck E,” he said, revealing one of the locations he'd been stashing personal goods.

His index finger tapped against her knee to the beat. When the chorus started he couldn't help but sing along softly. That was a deep net to trawl up old memories. Memories of Kaile slowly starting to laugh and smile again despite the pain.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile couldn’t say much of anything then. Not when Asmus began to sing. The Lorrdian was enthralled by it, even if it was barely whisper soft. She stared at him for a few moments before she caught herself, flushing only to focus on her beer as well. Barely had a sip of it and he was already well on his way with his own.

Needing a bit of liquid courage, Kaile took a larger swig this time around. The alcohol bubbled down to her belly, coating her mouth in that familiar taste.

“Get too many and then someone will start findin’ them for themselves.” the brunette added, bangs falling forward to tickle the tips of her lashes. It was surreal having him here. More so with him painted in the cerulean light of hyperspace. It brought her back to the Quin. To where they both sat under the cover of that blanket and watched the stars.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Yes indeed,” he said. “Chad has tried to tail me a few times to find ‘em. Sorry by the way,” he added, turning slowly to face her again. “Ain't got any better at singing I'm afraid,” he said with a shake of his head.

It didn't stop him. He continued singing softly to the next chorus. As his voice tailed off, he turned to regard her once more. She was watching him carefully again. But of course she was.

“Bit hard to accept this is real,” he said before taking another swing. “Bet you enjoy what downtime you get though.”

The subject was changed quickly again, his cowardice winning out. Perhaps a mix of things: the fear of trying to tackle what this was and the promise to steer clear of the past. In truth, he doubted she was keeping the past to the back of her mind regardless of the conversation. He couldn't.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


“I don’t mind.” Kaile admitted quietly, eyes glazing over a bit to stare just past his shoulder to the the viewport. Another hesitant bite of her lip. He had spoken aloud what she’d been thinking. Lorrdian she may be, but even her immense skill at reading folk couldn’t allow her to read his mind. And the skills sets that allowed her to use the Force to do just that just was...wrong.

The song was nearing its end. Turning her attention back to her datapad, Kaile set the trail mix aside. Free hand went to pick up the flat rectangle, only to offer it up to the pilot.

“Reckon you know the playlist better than me.” an olive branch of sorts, as the espion held it out to him. As for her down time. Well, that was much of a blur if she was being honest. Kaile did her best to not have downtime, and when she did it wasn’t anything grand. Missions to work against the First Order had grown over the last few years, and the bulk of her time had been to place herself in a position that could gather intel. It wasn’t just Yum Bunnies restaurants anymore; Kaile had to be a First Order citizen or officer.

It left little time for considering just who she was compared to who she had to be.

“A bit,” a casual shrug of a shoulder. It wasn’t much of a lie. There were some good times here and there. It just wasn’t her focus anymore.

“Just do what I can here and there.”

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus found himself looking down at his lap. He'd broached another dangerous subject it seemed. Or at least brushed past one.

“Throw yourself into the work huh?” he said, in a tone that made it clear it was rhetorical, to draw a line under the subject. She'd always been defensive on talking about herself and now he knew that had been for several reasons. Whatever had happened between her and Kurt and her professional training.

For some reason, when he spoke about himself she had always listened attentively. There was a rhythm to good storytelling, one he had learned over time. Though mostly for rather shallow reasons. Right now be didn't feel like talking about himself. He just wanted to hold her and enjoy a comfortable silence. But failing that…

“What do we have here? Oh… I shouldn't…”

But he did. Asmus tapped a button to queue the next song and slid the datapad down beside him. As the current song faded out, he snapped his head towards her dramatically. His expression shifted into an exaggerated, dramatic, expression.

“I try to discover…”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The sudden shift into a dramatic expression and song elicited a snort giggle from Kaile. It was more of a squeak snort, one that made her eyes crinkle and her lips twitch, almost as if biting back the laugh that was threatening to bubble out of her mouth.

“You’re right.. You’re singin’ ain’t no better.” Kaile managed to tease, the subject concerning how she threw herself into her work or the rhyme and reason why left behind. No questions… and no serious talk. Asmus would feel the slight shudder of her body as her laugh would wane, down to the tiny wiggle of her toes against his thigh again and the slight rock of her left knee as it began to sway left to right.

Kaile hadn’t missed how he’d ducked his head earlier in response to her reply. Or how he kept avoiding her gaze when he wasn’t trying to drink her in. Every time he did so it sent flutters in her belly, tiny flip flops that seemed to course through like lightning.

His body was mostly in shadow, profiled by the half light of the viewport behind him. It made it a little bit harder to read Asmus, to see his expressions or the subtle nuances of his face. Whereas Kaile was sitting towards the light. There was no hiding for her there.

Not as her expression softened the longer he would sing. Her eyes getting all misty in remembrance. How the memories rose and melded past with present. The song they had sung in that ventilation shaft on the Quinn. What she had felt then. The way he’d hovered over her and she’d end up pushing the strands of inky black hair that flopped over her face.

It was funny, you see. Perhaps a bit unfair.

Funny how a four-day chunk of your life could feel like the only part that ever mattered.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus had to stop singing. Seeing the laugh try to escape brought such a smile to his lips he simply couldn't sing through it. If you could approximate his warble to singing.

Turning towards her, he canted his head to lean it against the back of the chair. He threw her a lopsided smile.

“Come round this way?” he asked. That hand on her thigh reached out towards her and gestured for her to twist about. “Can put something on the datapad to watch for a bit?”

That smile wavered slightly as he watched for her reaction. Such a simple thing to ask of someone: to lean closer to watch a show. Yet nothing mattered more to him that what she did next. Nothing he wanted more than her cuddled in, just for a little while. Their dance on that first night had been so frantic. Then, exhausted, they had drifted straight off. The next morning he'd been rather curtly dismissed. There had been no time to appreciate the simple act of holding her close.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Ah,decisions. .

Why did he have to look at her like that? Even with his face in the shadows, Kaile could still see the little boy smile shining down at he. Tempting. Oh so tempting.

A part of her wondered how many times had he done the same before? With age came a certain bit of experience when it came to that rascal charm. It was easy to picture him doing so, and at the same time it curled her belly thinking about it.

At least until she caught the slight wobble on the corner of his lips. The hint of insecurity. Asmus wore his heart and emotions on his sleeve, there was no guile there. Admonishing herself silently for such a train of thought, Kaile swung back her attention to the request.

Truth be told, she could think of nothing better. In her mind she could already recall the strength of his arms as they wrapped around her. The heat that radiated from his body. Even the memory of his scent tickled her nose, eliciting another curl of her fingers by her lap. It was tempting. Ever so tempting.

Just a little bit, a voice inside her head encouraged. Another warned her that it likely wasn't the best idea at all. If she did, she'd find herself sinking against him and never letting go. That wasn't feasible, and in her mind after years of telling herself she was doing the right thing, it made it all the more harder to simply let go.

“Likely not the best idea if the Captain were to come by…” She began hesitantly, visibly fighting with herself with that answer. Asmus would at the very least see that the Lorrdian was struggling between longing and trying to keep her distance with that.

 

[Asmus Janes]

Asmus remained silent for a few seconds, waiting to see if she would make the decision herself. She was quite visibly torn. The finger that had been tapping to the beat drummed out a quick staccato beat that had nothing to do with the music.

He forced a reassuring smile onto his lips. “Not the best idea, not the worst idea. Besides, he’ll be on the bridge ‘til we come out at the edge of the Yuntai Cluster. Just for a little while. Please?”

The way the last word spoken would have revealed everything if Kaile hadn’t already read it from his expression. It was just sitting together and watching a show, but it meant far too much to Asmus. He shifted his weight to his right, letting go of her knee so she could swivel around.

He turned to face the observation window again, leaving her to make this decision on her own. He had to do that.. When the ship was in danger he knew that a quadranium blast screen would fall and cut off the view. He didn’t want to be blocked off from the experience he craved; he wanted Kaile to stay.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Please.

There was an echo of the past in that. When she'd been at her lowest and craved physical connection. Someone tangible to hold close and feel a measure of comfort in. The only difference being that it turned from an anonymous someone to simply Asmus.

That hadn't changed.

He was her weakness. The chink in her armor. The single part of her existence she so desperately wanted to hold close but told herself she shouldn't. Ahh, but she was only human. And she longed to just be simply held in his arms again, even if it was just for a little bit.

“...okay.” the single word of acquiesce floated between them. A low quivering sound that followed the small shift of weight as the espion carefully gave a small scoot forward and began to swivel around.

 

[Asmus Janes]

No epsion skills or lorrdian abilities were required to read his reaction. There was a content little grin as he shifted around. With his right hand he wedged the bottle of beer between his thigh and the lip of the accelerator couch. His left arm didn’t wrap across her shoulder, though he considered it. Instead it let it lay out across the chair as she laid her back across his chest. He could smell her hair, she was so close, a reassuring warm weight against him.

Again, he resisted moving his head close to hers. He kept leant back so he could watch the datapad over her shoulder. A moment of weakness followed. His right hand came up to gently rest against her shoulder, just for a second.

“What did you want to watch?” he asked softly, his voice to close to her ear. “Just one episode of something. Our planning meeting is early tomorrow.”

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

It was hard to contain the shiver that ran down her spine. Kaile’s eyes closed at the timbre of his voice by the shell of her ear, as if his words were sinking into every open pore. Her tongue went raking across her bottom lip, and she breathed him in. Musky, a bit of salt. As if he’d been exercising profusely but too busy to bother or not caring to shower. Kaile didn’t mind it.

“Umm..” the brunette began, trying her best to pull her mind from the sensation of his chest at her back, at the warmth that radiated from him. Tucking her beer bottle between her thighs for a moment, Kaile took her datapad and forced herself to concentrate on the list of holoflicks.
“Could watch why-vee nine twenty-nine’s first episode…” was her suggestion. If anything, the space opera series had a good mix of comedy and adventure. And who didn’t enjoy YV929? At least that was what she was telling herself as her body ended up sinking closer to the brush of his hand, goosebumps rising across her skin with every fan of his breath by her ear.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Sounds perfect,” he said. That’ll do, he meant. They could have sat in silence and watched the stars or had a marathon of all the worst trashy soaps Mal made Kairon watch for all Asmus cared. It was a thinly veiled plot to get her in close.

His left arm slipped down to rest on her shoulder comfortably. “The problem is how hard it is to stop watching this when you’ve started. Ah yes, that’s the proper first episode as well,” he said as he looked over her shoulder. The temptation was there to snuggle in tighter, nuzzle into the crook of her neck. He managed to resist.

Asmus made no move to check the time, taking another swig of beer instead. At the end of the show he could figure out whether he should stay or go.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


“Yeah..” Kaile barely managed to breathe out, feeling the tickle of her hair against her jaw and neck with every fan of his breath. Half distracted, the Lorrdian carefully used her index finger to select the episode. Adjusting the volume, Kaile tried her best to not think of the fact that Asmus was cradling her in a half embrace. That they were here in the observation room getting ready to watch a simple episode of one of her favorite series.

It was so surreal. Almost made her want to pinch herself to test if it was real. But the weight of his arm on her shoulder and the slight thump thump of his heart at her back told her it was.
“Just gotta maximize this thing.” watching a holofilm from her datapad likely wasn’t the best viewing experience. Not with the small screen. Not that she was really paying attention as the familiar melody began to play. So there they were, sitting on the acceleration couch watching YV-929. It did nothing to quell the butterflies in her stomach, but at least she finally remembered to breathe.