Miss Me?

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He had no doubt about that. This place was huge, and if they were going to get anywhere they would be best to set off now. After finishing his stretching Kurt pulled himself up and headed directly for a small gap within the foliage. There was no path, not really, something that Kurt decided was a good sign. He doubted they would find any trace of real civlization here, but a part of him still remembered that bunker that he and Kaile had discovered on that unknown world. There had been no sign of anything there, no real display of anything close to civilization, and it was the same story here.

Would Jamie and him find something like that?

Part of him hoped not, that wasn't exactly the most pleasant memory. Sure it had been fun at first, but things had quickly turned out to be far more...stressful than either he or Kaile would have liked. "Careful, lots of vines on the ground."

The forest had grown fast and quickly, spread all over the place. Kurt wasn't too surprised by that, but the ground seemed to be littered with vines, roots, and half a dozen over turned trees. Perhaps it had stormed recently, with enough strength to cause some of the forest to fall down. The Pilot moved carefully, placing his feet in key positions so he didn't end up tripping over and falling on his face. As they moved into the forest more of the sunlight became blocked out, the dense canopy keeping out the light while trapping the heat.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

No sooner had Kurt mentioned the vines on the ground than Jamie found herself tripped up by one of the thicker ones that overlapped another, catching her foot at heel and toe to send her stumbling forward. "Wo-oah!" She exclaimed as she fell into Kurt, her hands bracing against his back and shoulders in an attempt to halt herself from falling entirely to the grassy ground below.

Catching her balance she let out a small laugh and a quiet "Oops." A bit of red flashed on her face, embarrassment showing. If nothing else the girl was a mess when it came to careful footing. Accident prone her parents used to call her. It seemed as though she never quite outgrew the ability to trip up whenever possible.

Readjusting her pack she brushed herself off and made sure to keep one eye on the ground as she walked beside him, her other on the path ahead so not to walk into a tree or anything else. Navigating was getting a little more difficult with the fading rays of sunlight to guide them. The thickness of the trees above made the passage of light slim, while the temperatures made things stuffy and humid.

"How's things with Kaile anyway?" Jamie had left that subject alone since the beginning, not wanting to put Kurt in an awkward situation, but that wasn't to say she wasn't curious or somewhat jealous that the other girl actually spent quite a bit more time with him than she. Now seemed as good a time as any to at least make a passing gesture of curiosity.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He half turned to her and smiled, his hand bracing against her stomach and her lower back to help her stand upright. Kurt looked her in the eye for a moment, as if trying to make sure she wasn't going to fall over again any minute. "You sure you don't want me to carry you?"

Kurt grinned at her.

"Wouldn't be any trouble." His fingers gently drummed against her stomach, amusement in his voice. "You wouldn't fall over so much."

The pilot grinned for a moment more, then half turned away into the direction that they had been heading. he could swear that he caught a glimpse of light in the direction, perhaps a break in the canopy or something. Kurt couldn't make it out for sure, and it was at this time that he once again wished he had a probe droid or something of that nature, it certainly would have made the task simpler. A sight escaped his lips for a moment, then he turned his attention back to Jamie.

"Good I think." He mused for a moment. "I think she met someone while she was off The Messa."

Jamie would of course know about the brief time that Kurt and Kaile had been separated from one another, though she wouldn't know exactly why, that was Kaile's secret and not something that Kurt was willing to share. "She seems a bit...wayward."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Carry me?" One eyebrow raised, as if she were offended at the proposal, her hands falling to her hips as she paused in her stride and stared at the man. "You think I can't handle a little walk through the grass hmm?" Jamie held the pose for a long moment as Kurt spoke of Kaile. "I see." She said quietly. The blonde took a few quickened steps toward Kurt once he turned away before jumping up and wrapping both legs around his waist, arms around his neck.

"Since you offered." She said sweetly, kissing his cheek. "She seems wayward? How so?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt managed to wrap his arms around Jamie just as she jumped up on him, his feet nearly went out from beneath him, though somehow he managed to miraculously catch himself and half stumble into a tree. His shoulder struck the heavy wood, creating a slight thunk noise. His breath hitched for half a second, though he managed to catch half a lung of air as Jamie pressed her lips against the scruff that was against his cheek. A smile spread across his lips, arms looping back around himself as his hands slowly fell down her lower back and to the curves of her rear.

"I am very kind." He said as his fingers flexed.

Jamie was a tiny thing really, at least compared to him. Holding her like this was actually rather easy, and soon he managed to push himself off from the tree and slide his arms beneath her legs, pinning her in place slightly so that she wouldn't go sliding about.

"Dunno." Kurt said quietly. "Not an expert, but she just seems like she misses something."

Maybe that was just paranoia, but he knew Kaile pretty well.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie's legs flared in Kurt's grasp, rising her body as she made a low gasp the moment he flexed his fingers beneath her rear. The blonde shot a glare to Kurt, a knowing look in contrast to his own words of being very kind. "Mhm." She said sharply, before digging her knees into his sides a bit.

"She misses something?" Adjusting her position a bit so she could look directly at Kurt she pressed the question further. "What do you mean?" It was entirely possible she figured that his friend missed home, or family, or not living on a ship, but it seemed odd that for someone who shared such a small living space with someone for quite some time that he wasn't quite sure what was going on with her.

"Did you ask her what it was that was bothering her?"

Jamie was fully aware that Kurt wasn't the best at inserting himself into emotional conversation, at least, not ones that were of the serious type, so to her it felt entirely possible that maybe he was just giving Kaile the time she needed and hadn't wanted to bother her with it. But that was surely a problem if she was looking for someone to talk to and he was neglecting that part of their friendship!

There's gotta be something more...

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt maneuvered through the forest, taking careful measure not to fall flat on his face and make a fool out of himself. He stepped on the roots and carefully moved over the vines, watching where his feet where and every now and again stealing a glance up at where they were actually going. This was actually a lot easier than he had thought it would be, though it was quickly getting to be rather hot. The jungle, though keeping out a lot of the sun's light, was trapping humidity and hot air, causing a muggy sensation to form around the two adventurers.

"No." Kurt admitted.

He had never really been good at talking about his feelings, or other peoples feelings.

"I figured she would come to me if she needed to talk." That really was a safe assumption, especially given how their friendship had worked, but perhaps this time Kaile wanted to be prompted. Or maybe it was something she didn't want to talk about at all. "I dunno."

That may have sounded silly, but it was just his way of thinking. Up ahead the light became brighter, the forest parting into a clearing.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"You ever think maybe she is waiting for you to ask her what's wrong? To kind of show her that you're aware and there for her?"

Not everyone always felt the confidence to speak about their problems, whether mental or physical in nature, with other people simply because they felt it was placing unnecessary burden on others, or worse, airing out one's dirty laundry to disinterested parties. That was something Jamie could understand and even relate to at times. Her own family rarely appeared overly interested in her seemingly small life issues. In turn that atmosphere prompted the blonde to lock away those feelings from her parents to avoid sounding like a childish complainer.

"She might want to talk about it, but she might also not want to trouble you with her problem unless you genuinely want to know. Otherwise to her it might sound like she's just being over dramatic, or needy." Jamie shrugged, her eyes wandering about the Jungle as beads of sweat began to gather on her forehead from the trapped humidity and heat beneath the canopy towering overhead. "She's gotta know you're not the most...emotionally engaged person in the galaxy." A sudden itch on the back of her neck prompted her to quickly slap her hand against the irritation, catching a dastardly insect on a mission to extract a sample of blood from her. "That doesn't mean she doesn't want to talk to someone close to her though, you know?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I guess you're right." She probably was. Kaile knew exactly what kind of person was, and given what kind of person she was the idea that she simply didn't want to bother him wasn't entirely out of the question. He frowned slightly, shifting the weight of Jamie on his back for a moment before continuing to trudge through the jungle. The vines on the ground had grown thicker, those hanging from the canopy had become more abundant, and seemingly the trees had grown taller.

The piloted looked about for a moment, slowing as they reached the light of the clearing.

He wondered for a moment when the last time was that anyone actually stepped foot on this island, if this pace was even worth coming to. Even on planets like Spira there were places that no one went to, mostly because they didn't see anything of value. He shrugged internally, then stepped through the wooded hall into the clearing.

As he stepped into the clearing everything before them almost immediately came into view. The glare of light reflecting from a small pool of water, the sun shining down, the abundant grass that seemed to spread out all across the opening in the center of the jungle. Kurt let out a slight gasp, stunned by the display of natural beauty.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie let the subject die as they continued walking, the terrain becoming noticeably more difficult the further in they traversed. Manipulating her lower lip she blew a puff of cool air upwards in an attempt to cool herself down, as well as rid her face of the now moistened locks of yellowish hair that draped into her line of sight. She could feel the slippery moisture that ran down the back of her neck, beads of sweat collecting just above the strap that held together either side of her top. Her chest, pressed against Kurt's back also felt rather sticky, as if the two had somehow become joined. The man's arms felt damp as he held tightly on to her legs. Knowing he was likely even warmer than she, the girl slipped herself down and off of his back as they made it to the clearing.

"Woah..." She said, entirely speechless as she stepped around and beside Kurt. "It's...Incredible!"

There was a measure of disbelief to her voice, as if she wondered what she was looking at was in fact real and not some type of mirage, or illusion. The blonde's hand took hold of Kurt's, intertwining fingers with one another before pulling him along towards the small pool of water. Eagerly she shouted as her pace quickened into almost a jog. "Come on! I want to take a few pictures of us and this place!"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt followed along in a small trot, his footsteps again falling more carefully then Jamie's. He was acutely aware that the clearing was beautiful, but he also felt like there was something...off about it. The Pilot couldn't quite pin what it was, nor could he tell exactly where the feeling was coming from in the first place, but Kurt just felt like something was wrong. He frowned for a moment, following along with Jamie at every step and moving.

When they reached the small pool he began to peer around.

"Weird." He said more to himself than her. An odd prickling sensation ran across his neck, his hand coming up to smack the spot where it had originated. He pulled back and found a large bug in his hand, a look of disgust tugging at his face as he looked at the creature.

"This is why I hate the jungle." His hand wiped on his pants. "Giant bugs and stupid amounts of heat. I swear, we're gonna stick to the beach with anywhere we live."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie turned, her face some silly combination of confused and sarcastic as she stared at Kurt. "You hate the jungle because it's hot?" Her eyes narrowed, feet taking the girl a step closer to her boyfriend. "You lived on a DESERT PLANET your entire life!" Flailing her arms to accentuate her point in an overly exaggerated manner she continued to berate him. "Where things like a Sarlaac eat people! And Tuskans take people hostage!" Bringing her arms down she showcased the jungle around them, the wonderful scenery and landscape. "And here we have this lush jungle and crystal clear water to ourselves, and you're gonna complain about a bug?" The blonde poked his tummy as she attacked his masculinity.

"Are you afraid of bugs, Kurt Meyer? Bugs?!" It was completely impossible for the girl to conceal her grin any further. The blonde's lips parted, revealing her tongue firmly held between two rows of teeth in a last ditch effort to contain her laughter before finally breaking her silence and erupting into a fit of giggles. "The fearless racer and pilot, afraid of some bugs in the woods!"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Tatooine has dry heat." Kurt began to argue. "It's not this muggy, stick to your skin, awful, horrible mess of sweat."

He was used to Tatooine heat, it was dry, arid, even pleasant at the worst of times. On Tatooine you could go outside and if you were properly dressed you wouldn't sweat an ounce, in a place like this? Well it was just a mess of heat and grossness. Not to mention the bugs! The things were the size of his palm. He had seen Krayt Dragons and even Sand Demons before, but these things were an entirely different story. He frowned slightly, shifting and moving closer to Jamie as though he were about to pounce on her.

"I'm not afraid of bugs, I simply find them to be annoying." That was the truth of it.

His face broke out into a smile.

"Besides, how would you feel if you saw one of those things crawl onto your pillow at night." He reached out and crawled his fingers across her stomach like a spider. "Just inching over you!"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde swatted his hand away with a look of disgust on her face. "That's different!" She debated, "We're outside, not inside sleeping!"
Jamie shook her head, the bound locks of blonde hair bouncing from side to side in the balled up bun she had going on. "Heat is hot no matter how you cut it. Besides, there's water all around us. If you're too hot you can just jump in the water! In a desert there's almost no water. If you need it, you may as well just say your goodbyes and die right there!"

Stepping carefully over the moss and vines along the ground so not to trip up was almost an art. Making way toward the large pool of water Jamie motioned for Kurt to follow her. It was clear where she was going by the pep in her step. "Come on, you sweaty, hot mess. Let's cool you down so you don't melt away before we get too far in."

Kurt would see the hint of mischief in her expression. A moment and a few hand motions later, the top she'd had on would sail the short distance to his feet. With one hand covering herself the other would gesture with the index finger for Kurt to come along.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Well...at least that he could agree to. A wide smirk crossed his face as she began to tempt him, the small bit of cloth floating to the ground and her fingers slowly covering her to give him but a glimpse. He began to step after her, losing focus somewhat on where the vines on the ground lay but finding that he was far too enthralled with Jamie to even really care. As he moved forward Kurt began to shed himself of the belt around his waist, pulling the blaster away and dropping it onto one of the larger vines.

He did the same with his shirt, letting it fall on top of his blaster. "Well, only because you insist."

His steps quickened, and then suddenly Kurt broke out into a run.

The Pilot rushed towards his girlfriend, his arms spreading and then suddenly catching her in an embrace. He pulled her from her feet and scooped her from the ground, rushing forward and jumping as soon as he reached the edge of the pool of water.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie took a step or two backward as Kurt rushed full sprint towards her. All he would hear as he grabbed hold of her and lifted her before jumping into the water would be a fit of laughter pouring from her lips as she wrapped her arms around him to hold on. The second the two hit the water a massive splash echoed from the water and through the jungle, the pool itself sending huge ripples and waves in all directions. Beneath the water she opened her eyes, flinching at first from the sudden change of air to water. Finding Kurt's face she pressed her hands against either cheek and her lips against his, holding as long as she could before having to surface.

The fish that shared the water with them were vibrant, eye catching creatures. Spira had such intense wildlife, making it all the more beautiful to see. Admittedly it may have been even more beautiful than Naboo, despite Jamie's best efforts to maintain that home-world pride. When the two finally came up she laughed once more, wiping the water away from her face, her legs swaying beneath the water to keep herself floating. Her hands fell over Kurt's shoulders and she kissed his cheek. "A little better now?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled, kissing her cheek in return and slowly trailing his lips lower.

"I suppose." His words were a whisper, his fingers slowly lacing onto her hips and pulling her closer. She pressed against his chest, his lips parting against her neck for half a moment before he spoke again, this time a little louder so she would hear him over the slight splashing of their bodies moving through the waters. "Would you want to live here?"

It was something he had been thinking about lately, since the bunker.

He knew that Jamie wasn't really suited for the life he lead, he knew that Kaile wasn't either, most of all he knew that he couldn't keep it up forever. The Messa was the fastest ship in the galaxy, it was his way of being on the run, but more and more as of late he came to know that he couldn't run forever. Jamie had said that to him, Kaile had too. The truth of it was that they were right, but one couldn't just come to a full stop from a sprint.

You had to slow down first.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The feeling of Kurt's lips against her neck made her tremble ever so slightly, her teeth lightly clicked tops against bottoms. He had become incredibly adept at evoking a certain type of ecstasy from her that was impossible to achieve by any other means. How he managed it she wasn't quite certain, but it was as if he knew exactly how she worked even more so than she knew herself. Nails dug themselves into Kurt's shoulders, a breath escaped her as she made a first attempt to say something in return, though nothing came out. Instead she simply stared into his eyes, her own reflecting cast from his accompanied by the water that surrounded the two.

"I..." Did she want to live here? She hadn't quite thought of it, though the idea of it was certainly entertaining. Spira was hardly short of being aesthetically perfect. It had everything she'd personally dreamed of. This was something she hadn't quite ever thought of before, nor had the need of thinking about. Living someplace other than Naboo hadn't been at the forefront of her mind until now. "This place is wonderful." She started, "I just wonder if it might lose some of its' magic if I lived here. But..." She gave Kurt a genuinely pleased smile, "I'd go wherever you want."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Wherever he wanted. Truthfully it was an answer that he had feared. Kurt had never truly thought about where he wanted to live, or even what he wanted to do. Tatooine was his home, would always be his home of sorts, but he knew that wasn't really an option anymore. As much as he loved that ball of dirt he realized long ago that it was not the center of the galaxy, nor was it even close. He knew that he wouldn't be happ yliving there anymore, the simple life of a moisture farmer.

That wasn't for him.

It wasn't for Jamie either. She would be unhappy on Tatooine, and not just because of the heat. He smiled slightly, a scenario running through his head for a moment before he finally managed to bring himself back to reality. His lips pressed against hers. "Maybe not Spira."

This place was a bit too active for him.

Tourists of all shapes and sizes visited Spira, from the Empire to the Republic they all wanted to see a little slice of paradise. That was what Spira represented after all, paradise. In truth, Kurt wanted something in between, he wanted activity, but not a party every night.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Joining them in the pool of water were dozens of curious schooling fish of vibrant dashing colors. Jamie smiled as she watched them curiously inspect both she and Kurt before going back to their business of doing whatever it was that fish did when uninterrupted by humans abruptly crashing into their world. It was then she reached up and loosened the bit of material that held her hair atop her head, allowing it to fall to her shoulders to shake the caught droplets of water free.

"Maybe not Spira." She agreed. "Perhaps something with changing seasons. Not too populated though, the idea of a city-world like Coruscant gives me anxiety. I don't think I would do well in a place where I can't escape the populace. But I also don't want to be entirely alone either."

The blonde wrapped her legs around Kurt's waist, locking them together behind him. Drawing her face close to his shaded the two behind wet locks of hair as she pressed her lips against his once more. The only sounds that could be discerned were the ripples of water, the sound of Jamie's voice thrumming with pleasure, and the odd silence surrounding them.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]