Responsibility

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile’s throat worked at what she saw cross over his angular features, what she saw within the depths of his bright green eyes. That small coil twisted in her belly and she nibbled on her bottom lip again. Cheeks turning pink, the Lorrdian was unsure of what to say, this was new to her. She’d never had anyone look at her quite like that, and it was terrifying as much as it sent shivers down her spine.

“I know.” the two words broke the silence amidst the hum of the air recycler. Swathed in the distant rays of the sun, she gave a slight nod. I know -- but what did that even mean? Blinking once, she let her thumb skim across his cheek. It was her way of telling him that she believed what he said.

A half crooked smile crept over her lips. “Okay.” following his line of sight, her hands coming down from his face to settle upon her lap.

“What is it?”

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

A warmth settled inside him in at that gentle touch and her reassuring words. He held the hand that touched his cheek for a moment and then helped ease her around so she could side straddle his lap and look out the viewscreen with him.

He flicked two switches and the lights went out and the consoles dimmed. A gentle nudge on the controls and he turned the ship away from the red giant. The canopy of stars came to life, a vast blanket of fixed specks in every direction. The brightest of them were not white, but a rainbow of colours from rusty red to brilliant blue. Asmus was nervous, visibly so. Nervous that she would find him foolish for what he was about to explain.

“See, back on Eriadu the sky is fixed. Other than bright Tarastra and the other planets in the system nothing will change for a million years. My father used to teach me the names of the constellations, loved staying up to make me recite them, showed me the nearby galaxies through a telescope.” His voice was hushed, matching the darkness they found themselves in.

“Now we've done this cluster run a lot,” he said with a wave of his hand to encapsulate the sky, so bright from the tightly packed, nearby stars. “So many uninhabited systems, it's a little maze we can weave through unnoticed by plotting the right course.”

He paused, eyes full of childish wonder as he slowly turned his head to take the whole view in. “This is the only other sky I know. In my head I have my own constellations here. I had the computer show me how what I perceive here related to the three-dee map I know to navigate. That pair there…” he said, as he moved his face beside hers and pointed to a pair. One was deep amber, the other pale violet. “...is a real close pair on the sky, but not a bound binary. We slip right between them, keeping to the smooth regional maxima in the gravitational field for plain sailing, but where no one would expect us to fly.”

He shifted away from her, looked back at her features. A touch of a button and they were once again in the light of the red giant. The little light turned green. “This is my sky, and my sky only. Back on Eriadu it was fixed, but here…” he gently grasped the back of her hand, his delicate fingers weaving between hers. He coaxed her towards the hyperdrive lever, placing both their hands upon it.

“I'm not fixed to one pattern here. One touch and we can change the stars in an instant.” One firm press and the ship leapt into hyperspace. “Never the same, wherever we land.”
He hoped she understood. She’d seemed confused that he hadn’t stayed on Eriadu, followed the path laid out for him by others. He hoped she appreciated him sharing his little secret with her. It was Asmus who predicted the time each journey would take, so Kairon had never known he’d stolen twenty minutes from him now and again.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

He wanted to soar.

Kaile now understood why he didn’t want to go back home. While he did miss parts of it, he didn’t want to stay still. Stay stagnant. He enjoyed being the one to see the flux in the heavens, the way that it all the patterns were fluid. Out here in the black, he was in control.

Kaile could respect that.

There was a nervousness to his features, a bit of an anxiety. There was so much more behind what Asmus attempted to portray. He was brilliant. Smarter than a whip. Talked in ways that revealed he was far more educated and full of smarts that she ever would be.

Her mind recalled that moment yesterday when he conducted all the hyperspace calculations by hand. Without a thought, just did so as if he were merely counting off a grocery list. Made her more aware of Asmus than the typical facet she’d seen him -- and it was one he rarely showed too.

Kaile could tell that by the subtle nervous nuances that ran over his face, how his hand had given just a slight anxious flex over her own. It was inviting her into a part of him he normally kept quiet. There was an appreciation in that. She knew what that must have took, and in the wake of everything that had happened with Kurt… made her all the more anxious to show him that.

So drawing her hand back up to cup his cheek, she gently tugged him down. Her lips found themselves pressed to his cheek, and she gave him a faint nuzzle thereafter.

“That was beautiful Asmus.” she told him, her voice a breathy whisper by his ear.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus leaned his head into that kiss, savouring the affection. He didn't turn towards her, didn't quite trust himself not to get carried away again just yet. Inch by inch he eased back against the chair. She would see a lot of the anxiety simply melt away from his expression. His touch gently guided her to settle down against his chest in that position that had already become familiar. A light oscillation in his next breath in would reveal even more how scared he'd been that she would have found him ridiculous.

He cared what she thought. For Asmus that was exceedingly rare. All part of the confusing little ball of twine he was trying to untangle to fathom what had tangled up his thoughts and feelings. For now, there was silence. He grunted and shifted he comfortable perch for just a moment to flick a switch and dim the viewscreen.

"Better," he quietly murmured. One hand across her lap, one around her back, both remained still, content. With lids half closed his shoulders did a little shuffle as he found the most comfortable position and became quite motionless.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Much like two Nexu cubs, Kaile also joined in the slight wiggle and shift to find a comfortable spot. Asmus was by no means the bulky muscular type, but she managed to fit her curves against his walls and found a perch for her head to rest along his shoulder. Her right simply continued to hold his hand, those slender digits slipping between the sensitive valleys of his fingers.

A quiet, contemplative silence fell over them, her left hand coming to rest just over his chest. The faint lubdub of his heart a steady beat under her palm. As if worn out by the holocoaster of emotions of the last twenty four hours on top of the frightful week, Kaile expelled a long sigh, fanning bits of Asmus’ hair. It was a conscious reminder to herself every few seconds to not let her hand wander. The desire was still there, but smothered in this fluffy white blanket of warmth. One she didn’t quite mind at all.

Blinking slowly, the espion attempted to make sense of things, but as soon as she began it just all seemed to overwhelm her. Things were already confusing with Kurt. That hurt and betrayed expression on his face was still seared in the back of her mind. Unknowingly, her fingers began to tremble again. That memory powerful enough to get her anxious again.

“What’s your favorite constellation?” she asked, needing to get her mind off of things she rather not dwell about. Not now. It seemed a bit … wrong.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus did a little wiggle of his head as he considered that. "On Eriadu we have this one called Watchkeeper. It sits above the treasure. The Watchkeeper looks sort of like a human with a great bow in his hands. The treasure is is this tightly packed sort of pile shaped constellation of twinkly stars. It's actually some of the core. Funny thing is, one of those stars is actually Coruscant Prime. It's name from prehyperspace Eriadu was Fillieth. But I always found it quite funny that it ended up being the jewel in the treasure of the Watchkeeper."

Thinking her cold, he switched his grip to her other hand and gently cupped it. "What about you? From which planets do you know constellations?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

Lids fell in contemplation. Thinking back, there wasn’t really a ‘home’ for her to have a fix point of. The Rebellion was a series of secret hideouts and shadow ports all along the ‘verse. At first she never really bothered by it all. Much like how Asmus enjoyed traveling from port to port, Kaile was in short a ‘drifter colony bum’. Even as a little girl, from her earliest memories, Dantooine was no more than a few months time.

But I do remember one.

“Ith'ril Eventide.” her voice would float over in a husky murmur, a half reminiscent state that lulled the mind and gave the young woman the momentary oblivion she craved.

“You could see it off Dina.” she’d elaborate, the hand upon his chest arching up as if to paint the empty space in front of them with the intricate brushstrokes of delicate fingers.

“I remember how bright it was at dusk. As if someone had taken a brush and scattered the image of a bow and arrow pointed north.” Her forefinger traced the shape of the bow, remembering the placement of those distant stars. For a moment it took her back. Back to when she was eight years old on top of the hanger mound, starting up into ether into the heavens beyond.

Slowly, her fingers curled inward.

“That was long ago though….”


[member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"I wonder..." he said slowly, turning to regard her. "There are billions of stars right? And from each one of those a different view. There must be one constellation out there that I'd find the most interesting. That many combinations there must be some that look just like real things, like a TIE fighter on an X-Wing," he quietly mused.

Thinking about it he often didn't look up when he was at a new spaceport. There was too much going on at ground level usually. "Think I'll make that a 'thing'. Each time I stop off I'll take a few minutes to stop and have a look. Things go so slow when we're in the deep blue, sometimes I want things to go fast when we stop off.

"Not this time," he added quietly. No this time the journey would be over too soon. She'd see a subtle crease across his brow as he considered that.

 

[Kaile Vera]

A low half chuckle would rumble against him, a tongue in cheek murmur following, “Reckon that is life. Things feel as if you’re burning lines in the sky when all one wants is to freeze time. Then in others feels like you’re slogging through mud went all ones wants to do is go.”

Her chocolate brown gaze caught the furrow, and the contemplative expression thereafter. “We could always play cards if you like.” she told him, thinking that perhaps spending time on the Quin for so long would find him bored again.

“Or find something else to do?” although if she recalled correctly, there were all manner of chores and duties to do still.



[member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Yeah, we can play some cards. In a minute," he said with a subtle shift of his shoulders. He squeezed her gently. "This is one of those I'd like to hold onto."

There was a pause and he shifted his arm to find a more comfortable position around her. He would quite happily sit here, even in silence, for a few hours he decided. "That's those two stars I pointed out," he said as a warning hologram appeared showing two mass shadows. "Passing one of them alone wouldn't be safe at this distance, but we ride the knife edge between them."

"Once we're in the clear we can play a game in the galley and get a snack.

 

[Kaile Vera]

Kaile’s torso rose a bit, curiosity as much as interest in her gaze. Her eyes would widen, observing the two large mass shadows on the holographic display as the warning would beep. Fingers drew up to tuck her bangs behind her ears, revealing their soft shells and the round unpierced lobes.

A slight furrow rose over her forehead for a moment, before turning towards the dark haired pilot, “And you calculated the path by hand?” came her query, as if to confirm it. The blanket slid down her arm, settling by her elbow then, her face half cast in that muted cerulean silhouette with the viewscreen up.

[member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Oh force no! I put the parameters in, coded it up and checked the computer had it all worked out. We are literally on the razor's edge on this path. One wrong digit and we'd find ourselves dragged towards one of those stars."

The screen changed again, the display winking out. "Well, we're already through of course. Still mind boggling just how fast hyperspace travel is when you try and think about it. Makes you feel a little small."

Asmus turned down to look at her, smiling faintly. He immediately undid her work by starting to run his hand through her hair again. Though he did at least try and keep it back behind her ears. "Why don't we go get the oils washed out of these before cargo checks?" he asked. They were nearly out in the clear after all.

 

[Kaile Vera]

“Hey!” Her hands immediately went to attempt to block off his attack, only to be too late. With the oil in her hair, it made it all the more easier for it to muse up into wavy tendrils, a few stray hairs sticking up at the crown of her head as if a nerf had decided she’d been a rather delectable salt lick.

A flush of sheepish concern rose over her cheeks, and she attempted a finger comb to smooth out the slightly tangled mess. “Is it that bad?” she’d ask, sitting up as both hands tried to make herself more presentable, each arch and lift a subtle mammaquatia of the Lorrdian female.

“Reckons that’s what happens when I don’t hit the sonic first thing,” she added with a half embarrassed quirk of the corner of her lips, figuring that after all that, she probably wasn’t the best smelling thing in the ‘verse.

“I can hit the sonic after this,” she shook her head, not wanting to bother. “No need to trouble yourself.”

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus laughed a little. He utterly failed at not picturing the display she'd put on leaving the sonic last time. Less than a day ago; things had changed a great deal in such a short space of time.

"Kaile," he said brightly. "I know you're being polite, but it's fine. If I offer something I've already weighed up how much bother it'll be. After all I'm really very lazy."

His eyes drifted from hers towards the console, taking a roundabout route across her curves. The console readings had changed. They were free of the cluster and on a straight path through open space.

He flicked on the comm. "Kairon, we're free. Going to take twenty then check the cargo."

"Good stuff."

Asmus turned back to Kaile a twinkle in his emerald eyes." Besides, come on, having a sonic is nowhere near as nice as having someone wash your hair!"

 

[Kaile Vera]

Pearly white teeth would nibble at the middle of her lip. Well…

“To be truthsome I ain’t ever had anyone wash my hair before,” she would admit, retracting her fingers from her hair and letting them fall upon her lap. Just as quickly, she gave a small scratch of her cheek with one short, neat nail.

Seeing as they were getting up and all, Kaile took it as to get a moving. With a slight shift, she slid her legs off of Asmus, setting the bottom of her boots upon the deck. Her hands went reaching for the blanket, not wanting it to fall to the floor again. Didn’t matter if it had before, but the espion was quite concerned not to dirty it up more than it needed to. A step back would allow for the scoundrel to get up, and due to habit of being in the service industry, began to fold the length of fabric into a neat and manageable size.

“And you ain’t lazy, Asmus.” she told him straight out, contradicting his claim. She’d watched him enough to note that much. “Just some things you don’t feel as if it's challenging ‘nuff to bother.”

It followed on with a small incline as if agreeing with a thought, “Or want folk ‘spectin’ too much out of you when you very well can.”

She met his gaze as she saw right through him, genuinely complimenting him for what she saw him as. ”You’re all kinds of smart. Far more than any others I know...”

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Ah...heh..." Standing and facing her, one hand rubbed the back of his neck as a warm blush spread up the base of his neck and over his cheeks. He was looking back at her with a foolish lopsided grin. Her words made him indescribably happy, but also unable to describe anything with words.

He took the blanket from her and slid it back into its place behind a console. "Thank you," he said earnestly, finding his voice. "I'm glad you think that."

Perhaps he should have returned a complement, but he decided such things were best saved until they were delivered in a heartfelt manner. Not thrown back as tokens. Well, at least not until you were old and married to and bandied such things about as habit, he supposed.

"It's nice, trust me," he said, returning to familiar territory as they stepped out of the cockpit and into the galley. "We can shut the door and you can let Bobo out for another few minutes if you'd like." There was still a gentle tingle that danced around his chest at her description of him. Stripped out of his shell, she'd actually found something she liked. He grabbed a glass of water in the galley and quickly downed it. Then he headed for the ladder down to the cabins.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]


With Asmus heading off to the galley, that left Kaile more time to make it down to the cabins. In her mind she replayed the last few minutes, thinking about the expression on Asmus’s face after she’d told him what she’d deduced just from watching him. Maybe I said too much?

Worry made her nibble her lower lip again. “Can’t just say what you read off people, silly.” chiding herself. She’d forgotten how being able to read people’s bodies made folk uncomfortable, a bit uneasy. A small sigh and a rake of her fingers through her hair brushed it away from her face. Once in front of Asmus’s cabin, the door hissed open.

“Hey Bobo,” she’d give a half smile over towards the tiny lizard perched under the light where she left him. He had this lazy eyed look about him, as if barely recognizing her presence due to being in this content state. Coming up next to him, Kaile braced herself for the wooizness and the slight wall of nausea she had every time she got too close.

“You doing alright there?” her finger went stroking over the crown of his green head and along his spine. It was an amusing sight to see how his muscles reacted to the touch, like a tiny little wave flexing just under the caress. His answer was just a half hooded stare, which prompted a chuckle out of her.

“Take that as a yes.”

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

There was a rattle as Asmus pushed a reclining, wheelie chair into the room. With a white towel draped over one shoulder he pushed the chair, back first, towards the far wall.

"Hey again Bobo," he called in a friendly manner. He pulled on a small handle against the wall and a basin slid out. Asmus turned on the tap and checked the temperature, knowing it would take a while to warm up. From a drawer he pulled out to work black bottles. Unisex smells and despite her hair being slightly finer than his own they would suit it reasonably well.

"Come, sit."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

“Well...that was fast,” she said with wide-eyed amusement. It was a rather curious little set up as Kaile watched him set everything up.

“Just sit?” at the affirmative, she carefully set herself down as instructed. A slight perk of her brows and she would perch her arms along the arm rest. She had a bit of a confused and curious expression upon her heart-shaped face, watching him move and not quite sure what she was supposed to do.

I’m I going to get all wet?

The logistics of it all appeared a bit odd. Granted, she never even washed her hair over a basin before. Water was expensive, more so on a ship. Don’t even get her started when she was dirtside; rare it was to even have water showers. They were a mite bit extra on the rent.

“... Should I take off my shirt?” it wasn’t said with the intention to tantalize, her fingers giving a slight gesture wave as if unsure just what to do then. She was figuring might be better than to chance it getting wet.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"No, it's fine," Asmus replied. He took the towel off his shoulder and wrapped it around the back of her neck. Perhaps that was a little selfish as she might very well get a damp collar, but he wasn't quite ready to trust his hands.

A tug on a lever and the chair was slowly reclined back last far as it went, leaving Kaile looking up at the ceiling. He'd cut a shallow semicircle from the front of the basin to do this, but it wasn't quite the same as what they had at a salon. He carefully maneuvered her back. He bunched up her long hair to get it all in the basin, making sure the rolled up towel gave her something comfortable to lean her neck on.

The tap was on a hose and he pulled it up and tested the water on his hands again. "How's that for temperature?" he asked, moving the stream over her scalp.