Responsibility

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Yeah, there was no way that I'll be able to out jump Mai, Kaile mused. The Feline was built for doing just that. With a little jog, the Lorrdian female came to a stop right back at the starting center. There was already a faint sheen of sweat over her face. Little flyaways of hair would fan and feather out of her messy topknot and cling to her flushed cheeks.

Yet what was more poignant was that there wasn't a trace of that earlier melancholy. Instead, Kaile was smiling. There was a bounce to her step. If Asmus had intended this to distract Kaile, it worked.

Mai gave a proper heckle. Which in turn Kaile said, "Oh I don't know. I'm full of a few tricks."

The ball was cast into the air and, as expected, Mai jumped at it. Kaile immediately went sprinting past for Kairon. The Lorrdian was picking up bits and pieces of the game. On what she was supposed to do. A visual and tactile learner, this was the best way for her to do it.

With her spry nature, she moved back and forth and side to side to block Kairon from attempting to get the ball should Mai toss it at him. Granted, that left Asmus free to challenge the feline if he so desired.

Oh this was getting good!

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Caught out by the manoeuvre, Mai had already committed to slapping it back to Kairon. The ball fell neatly for Kaile who was clearly more agile than the Captain.

Asmus meanwhile had cut his path to go right past Mai, where he 'gently' made shoulder to shoulder contact. The feline was sent stumbling and delayed from rejoining the game. Small penance for the elbow she'd given Asmus' guest earlier, but it brought a wry smile to his face.

He held both hands before him as he ran forwards, making it clear he was open for the pass. Kairon could either check his run, or block Kaile from closing for the shot herself, not both.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile gave a small spin, keeping her back to the old Captain much to his discontent. Granted, her small sized and faster reflexes allowed her to get the slight bit of advantage.

"Asmus!" Kaile shouted, her hands sending the ball sailing over to his direction. Breathing heavy, the Lorrdian went running forward. The premise, from what she could understand, as to make oneself as available as possible to allow passing by working together. Then they would be able to bring the ball towards the goal in order to score.

She was getting the hang of it, moving quickly back and forth as she attempted to keep Kairon back from rushing Asmus.

"Go, go, go!"

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus didn't much like his angle on the shot as he took the ball, so he started to cut back in. Two steps and he bounced it off the ground. His subconscious warned him as he saw the colourful flash of the Cathar in his periphery. Kairon picked a course of action and left Kaile to block his shot.

With both of them coming for him, Asmus dropped the ball onto the top of his foot again. He kicked it under Kairon's waving arms to hit the wall just above the net. But a goal wasn't his aim, he was hoping the deflection would sit up nearly for Kaile to snatch it and take a shot.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Whatever form of Higher being was on team 'Scoundrel & Perky's' side. Kaile, seeing and opening, went darting forward as the ball deflected against the rim. Her tiny form went surging forward, muscles bunching then stretching as she gave a jump.

The ball stung her hands as she caught it, heart thundering in her ears. Almost. Almost... landing on the ground, Kaile ran a few more steps then surged herself up again, tossing the ball right at the hoop with a flick of her wrist.

Comeoncomeoncomeon!

Kaile held her breath. Time slowed. Seconds ticked by and it felt as if she couldn't breathe.

It sailed over head in a perfect arch. To the amazement of all, it neatly fell through the hoop, scoring them another point.

Kaile let out a whoop of victory, jumping up with both feet in the air, arms pumping in joy.

Ohmygoddnes! I made it!

That was all that went through her mind. No sorrow. No melancholy. Just the adrenaline of a minor victory thanks to Asmus's care.

It had been what she desperately needed. Something to keep her mind busy.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

At some point the score had been forgotten. So when Kairon announced they were done, they returned to that most hallowed of traditions: next score wins.

A little shimmy from the remarkably spry Kaile that left a huffing Kairon in her wake and the final basket was made. 'Scoundrel and Perky' did a victory dance that consisted of Asmus carrying her on his back and running circles around the losing team whilst she threw her hands in the air.

"Alright, alright," Kairon said, shaking his head and laughing. "I'm going to grab a nap. You change up and see the ship through the Valino Cluster and call me up when we're within thirty minutes of the meeting point.

Asmus nodded. The cluster was a tightly wound collection of stars just below the Galactic disk. Off the beaten path and tricky to navigate, with no habitable worlds or mines. Perfect for a clandestine exchange of goods.

Mai had already huffed and headed for the free weights in the corner of the room. Sweat running down his face, Asmus ran his fingers through his hair and turned to Kaile.

"Enjoy that?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


Enjoy it?

Kaile couldn't stop her giddy bouncing. Her eyes were a bright honey hue, her face flushed with sweat. Her hair was a lopsided mess, with her topknot half on and half losing tendrils of hair that clung to her sticky cheeks and neck. This wasn't even including the ample amount of musk lingering about her after such a work out.

However, there was no denying the joy in her expression. The warmth in her eyes. Or the widest grin that split her face in two. Kaile radiated an energetic and jubilant glow, all the more emphasized by the sweep of her arms as she jumped up in place as she gushed, "Yes! Oh my stars that was so much fun!"

She couldn't help herself. It was Kaile after all. Again, in her giddy bounce she latched herself to Asmus in an enthusiastic hug, radiating a measure of cheerfulness rarely ever seen in anyone else. Least of all the somber girl the scoundrel was more used to.

"That was great! I can't believe I managed to score!" again the bouncing on the toes, her eyebrows arching high. "More than once too!"

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Yeah, you picked that up real quick. If we play again on the trip we'll make sure to keep score. I'm sure we were giving them a thrashing before Kairon 'lost count'," he said, chest heaving. He walked over to another cubby hole that had a pile of hand towels inside on account of the gym in the hold.

He threw one in Kaile's direction whilst she wasn't looking, hoping to surprise her by getting it over her head. He briefly towelled his neck and head.

"Keep my company up front?" he asked as his feet started to lead him towards the exit.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

The towel would flop right over Kaile's head, half covering her face with the well worn terry cloth. It wasn't the softest towel, but it was clean. Kaile gave a chuckle, tugging the square of fabric from her face, dragging her bangs to fall over her eyes. She blew out a hot puff of hair, blowing out her cheeks and sending her bangs flying away from her eyes.

"Okay," she was in an agreeable mood, practically half skipping as she followed Asmus along to the exit. She took a large breath, letting it fill her lungs and expand her chest. Lids closed for a second, enjoying the sensation. After a moment she snapped her lids open, still in a good mood. Exhaling, she shot a wide grin over to the scoundrel.

"That was fun." her voice softened, as did her expression in memory. "The most I've had in a while." she brought the towel up, wiping her face of the sweat.

"Thank you," Kaile told Asmus, walking down into the corridor with him as they left the cargohold.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus brain flipped in an instant. Most of it had been devoted to pondering what made a sweaty mess of a woman quite so attractive, but that line of thought evaporated as he heard something just underneath the surface of her tone. It was almost relief.

"That's okay," he said earnestly. His hand snaked around her waist and gave her a brief squeeze against his side as they walked. It was just a bit of ball, but that, the tomfoolery, the stories, they all seemed to lift her spirits a little higher. He tried not to dwell on what might have left her so blue. It didn't matter, he'd been down in the dumps and needing a distraction before.

He found himself...concerned on her behalf. Asmus wasn't always one for paying much heed to the feelings of others. He wasn't cruel by any stretch, just tended not to think too much before he acted.

"We can play some music in the cockpit he announced. We can break decorum and let the copilot choose the selection," he said as he reached the ladder down to the crew quarters. "Right, gonna clean up and change and get in the chair."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"] would find Kaile would lean her head against his shoulder when he brought her close for that momentary squeeze. It was nice. He was nice. It was all just, nice.

A pretty generic description, but for Kaile, that was enough. It was a small portion of the day where she was at a good spot. She was good. It was good. It was just a little bit more brighter.

His joke about music selection and the copilot prompted a twitch at the corner of her lips. "Mmm... how magnanimous of you." Kaile would tease him, prompting a small punch at his shoulder at that. It wasn't meant to harm as much as silly horseplay.

Her nose crinkled. Sniffing herself, she had to agree that getting cleaned up was definitely first on the list. "Yeah, gonna need to hit the refresher." her foot stepped on the first rung, then she climbed down to the crews quarters.

"I'm all sweaty in places that should not be sweaty." came her quip, amused at herself.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Look, just don't announce that Asmus Janes, pilot of the notorious Quintessence, allowed you to pick the tunes from the co chair. There are rules that should not be broken in certain circles!" he said, wagging his finger and beaming at her.

"Yeah me too, if we leave the cockpit humming Kairon will have a hiss fit," he said, bundling up his clothes and quickly turning and heading back out of his room. He aimed to get there first and vanish into a cubicle. If she was going to strip straight into the laundry machines again he'd spend another ten minutes convincing his hands to stop shaking.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Before Kaile could ask Asmus a question, he had already left the cabin and flounced off to the refresher. That... was fast, she mused to herself, a bit bemused. Maybe he really wanted to get washed up fairly quickly.

Kaile could only shrug. Searching through her bag, she found a fresh set of clothes. Taking those along with the other dirty clothes she had worn earlier, the Lorrdian female slipped out of Asmus' cabin. Padding her way over to the refreshers, she began to hum a soft tune. It was a lullaby, the melodic sound lightly resonating within the corridor.

It was as much warning as Asmus would get. Hopefully, he would be in a cubicle prior to her arrival. Otherwise, he would find himself subject to yet another 'waste not, want not' moment of cleanliness from Kaile.

""Oh hey did you want a snack?" she asked as she came in, moving over towards the laundry machines to set her clean and dirty clothes down.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus hadn't moved quite that quickly so as Kaile entered the refresher room, she'd get a view of a pert - of rather pale - rear as it vanished into the far cubicle

"Yeah," Asmus called "Always starving after a chuck about." There was a low hum as his sonic was turned on. His hands pulled his hair back over his head and he titled his face to face the ceiling. His mind turned to some of the tricky equations he'd been battling in his coursework to avoid it wondering back earlier in the day.

"Tell you what, I'll get a brew on and we can have some coffee or tea and biscuits at the helm?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"You should add some sun to the goods, Asmus," her tease would float over the hum of the sonic. A chuckle would follow shortly after.

"It never hurts." her voice muffled in the shift and sail of sweaty clothing. Tossing the dirty clothing into the laundry, Kaile called out "Are there any biscuits?" she asked, flexing one foot and then the other.

"I can make some too." she would add, reaching up to tug the hairband out of her hair. A shake of her head and the thick mass fell over her bare shoulders. A bit was damp at around her temples due to the sweat. She took a lock of it and took a sniff.

Yup, refresher.

The door of the secondary cubicle snapped open, allowing the Lorrdian to step inside. Swinging it shut behind her, it would lock with a soft click.

"Or tea, if you want tea."

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

A low chuckle came from his refresher. "Actually I suggested we get a tanning bed put somewhere once. Suggest it to Kairon when you see him. Honestly his expression will be priceless," Asmus called back. He was only mildly put out that she'd decided to comment on his bright white cheeks. He stood stock still, arms by his sides and enjoyed the buzzing sensation all across his skin. His muscles ached from the game; he'd put in a lot more effort than usual on account of their guest.

"Actually a cup of tea sounds really good. But also I could really do with a bottle of water. We've got a fair few biscuits, we'll grab a plate of them."

Lids half closed and he let out a long breath through his nose.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"Mmm... reckon with as much as we were runnin' about, that makes sense." Her forefinger depressed the on switch, allowing the pulsing vibrations start to flow over her. Under the gentle pulses, Kaile gave a sigh. It wasn't a water shower, but it none the less felt great. Sonic showers to her were like tiny little mini massages, allowing for one's body to feel a bit more relaxed, a bit less tense.

"... sonic showers are great, but reckon nothing beats a good sanisteam." she mentioned with a throaty voice. Shutting her eyes, Kaile simply stood under the sonic waves for a moment. Both forearms went bracing against the wall, her head tucked in against it.

She wasn't going to stay long like so, but for now, it was nice to simply lean against the wall and enjoy the vibrations against her skin from the sonic shower.

"The hot springs on Sullust are amazing too."

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Really? I should visit those when we go there next. Tend to stick to the military bases though," he called. He hadn't even realised that. Well that was something he was certainly going to visit the next time they hauled some weapons in the Alliance's direction. He was so used to the sonic that he didn't much bemoan the lack of something less perfunctory.

"Kairon actually had a hot water shower installed in his quarters," Asmus said. "For some reason these never got upgraded though..."

Enjoying the shower and the conversation, his plan to have a speedy clean and move on had drifted from his thoughts.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"Mmhm," her voice floated over, a bit half sleepy and seemingly content. "They aren't far from the main base. A few are underground near the calderas. They even have little mudbaths." Kaile was in sleepy storymode, it was easy to tell. Perhaps the game had tuckered her out a bit more than expected?

"There are also really nice Sullustan bathhouses. You can get in pretty cheap when you pay ahead, or know someone who wouldn't mind." both hands drew up, threading through her hair by her temples. Fanning it around her shoulders, she ruffled it a bit to allow the sonic waves to thoroughly cleanse it. About thirty more seconds and she'd be done.

"I once spent twelve hours for just twelve credits!"

That was a bit of a proud moment for the agent.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Thirty

"Oh I hadn't realised that. I'll slip off to them next time. If Kairon lets me do the schedule, I'll add in a little bit of contingency time," Asmus mused.

Twenty five

"I think I'd be nothing by prune after twelve hours!" Then again, he could happily go for an all-day pampering session. Mudbaths, a facial, alternating hot springs and cold showers.

Twenty

A long slow breath out and he felt some of the tension in his muscles fade. He was acutely aware of a pulsing ache in his calves and thighs. His shoulders were mildly sore from the amount of time spent holding the ball high over his head as Kairon tried to block the next pass or shot. Not to mention the one side from being clattered to the ground by his uncle.

Fifteen

Lids fell completely closed and in his mind he replayed one of his favourite moments of Togruta ball. Jarrick had thrown him a long pass and in desperation he had volleyed it with his left foot. It had sailed neatly through the hoop without even touching the ring. He was well aware that it had been mostly luck, but had refused to shut up about it for a few days.

Ten

That train of thought led to the destination of that voyage: Zeltron. He'd repeated the story to a few strangers that day. If there was one thing he had in common with that culture, it was a relaxed attitude to...oh crap.

Five

There was a click as he unlocked his cubicle and stepped out into the room outside. His bundle of clothes was just outside the door and he just had time to replace on item of clothing.