Responsibility

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

“Haha, right” it went to show that Kaile was notably amused by his sudden shift. “I suppose it was merely acquired then?” came her small tease, taking the datapad to review environmental pod Besh-Nine.

Every now and then, she stole glances over to the scoundrel. Observing others had always been a pleasure for her. This was no different - save the individual in question. The Lorrdian couldn’t quite well place him in any particular category. More importantly, there were the rather odd, conflicting belly twists and thoughts when it came to Asmus.

Both equally strange and a bit frightening.

“So do you have any brothers or sisters?” she’d ask, glancing back up to the console to review the temperature.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Fell into our hands! Well, it fell into my Uncle’s hands and his dashing nephew came as part of the package. No siblings myself though I have quite the collection of awful cousins,” he said.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]This was, he decided, in many ways like the difference between being on a planet and watching it from a distance. When you had your feet on the ground you got caught up in it all: the smells, the tastes, the climate, the cultures. It was only when you left and looked back at the world that could could see it all, could reflect on it. When he was close to Kaile he lost himself in moments, now just being on the far side of the room was enough to take a breath and reflect. Yet he learned nothing. To understand what he felt would require a baseline of comparison. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]This was all very strange, confusing and enticing. All that he was certain of was that he didn’t like being on the next row of containers from her. The struggle to maintain self control seemed a small price to pay for being in contact again. He yearned for her touch again. Asmus had felt the base desire to be physically close before, but in an entirely different manner. More primal, less...foggy. Perhaps he needed more distance before he worked this all out. That rather sadly made him reflect that half the galaxy would separate them soon. Too late for consideration then. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Normal, normal, normal,” he mumbled to himself. The upbeat music helped him stay on the task at hand. The sooner they were done the better. “You have any close friends?” he asked. She’d already said she had no family back home, but oddly this felt an even more personal question. [/SIZE]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Twelve cousins! That thought alone was a bit mind-boggling. Made her wonder if it was something like having the rest of the Rebellion kids about? The tidbit that he was an only child also brought another level of understanding. More so on how he’d explained earlier about his parents and why he’d chosen to explore the ‘Verse for a bit.

The following question shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. Well, no surprise wasn’t the right word. It felt more like being plunged into a pool of ice water.

Reality.

Asmus had managed to craft the past twenty-four hours a sort of a safety-net. A nice little warm blanket of sorts that snuggled Kaile into this heady, fuzzy-minded cocoon; one she was still trying to figure out for herself. Bringing up the inquiry if she had any close friends was akin to pulling off the bacta patch off a raw wound, and by the stiffening of her spine and her sudden silence, it showed.

Her fingers would tighten around the datapad, white pin pressure marks upon the pads as the image of Kurt bloomed in her mind. His little boy smile. His jokes. The way he’d muse her hair and hold her close. The podrace across the Jundland Wastes and racing nature itself. Then it flashed forward towards his betrayed expression, the hurt in his blue eyes, and how he’d simply… walked away.

A knot in her throat grew and her vision became blurry, tears stinging the membrane. Blinking rapidly, Kaile took a deep breath. With an almost intense focus, the young woman stared straight ahead at the environmental pod in front of her.


“No. Not anymore.” she attempted a light tone, but even she couldn’t stop the slight crack at the end.

“You should pick out the other three songs… The second one is almost done!” changing subjects quickly.

 

[Asmus Janes]

“Good point, I’ll go searching soon!” he said as he checked off the next couple of containers. They were making good progress. If their progress was too good, questions would be asked on why this usually took him so long. Right now he was more concerned about Kaile.

Not anymore. That sounded ominous. He turned to regard Kaile, but she was keeping her face away from him. Should I ask more? What do I do? Asmus was really out of his depth here. Had something truly harrowing happened to Kaile when they picked her up? Had she lost people in that plague? Asmus took a deep breath. She’d quickly moved onto another topic. He could do the same. If she wanted to talk about something, she would.

A thought occurred to him on what they could do to pass a little time. “Do you know...how to ballroom dance?” he asked.

 

[Kaile Vera]

“Hmm?” she didn’t quite turn to face him quite yet. Her belly still felt a bit out of sorts and she had that nagging feeling she was going to get all gloomy again. Melancholy would linger for a moment, and she let her fingers drum upon the datapad.

Ballroom dancing?

Blinking rapidly, she took a deep breath, his question prompting a brief reprieve. “Ballroom dancin’?” Her brows drew together in mild confusion. A few seconds later, she peered over towards the direction his voice had come from.

“Well I can hold my own with a doozi-do, but no -- no ballroom dancin’.” that brought up the reminder that he was another sort of level than her in that. He came from money, and that conversation they had earlier about balls and all the festivities came rearing back in her mind. The memory of how excited he’d been discussing the clothes managed to bring back a ghost of her smile.

“Ain’t had to learn before.” she elaborated, moving onto the next pod.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Well then, on account of me promising to invite you to a ball one day, I declare it the most pressing matter of the moment!” he said. His thought process on the matter was very simple. Something had upset her. He was woefully incapable of sorting those problems out. Yet he did seem to be able to make her smile from time to time. And he so very much enjoyed the sight of a smile which spread all the way to her eyes. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Rather than queuing three new songs, he sorted for something in particular after checking off the next container. “No, no, no, aha!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]He turned to look up to the speaker as the song he’d set to repeat came on. With a wry grin he put his datapad down and cross the distance between them. Before she could protest his arm would be around her waist, the other hand moving to snatch the datapad from her grip. If she’d let him, he’d steer her out towards the middle of the floor space and show her how to start. [/SIZE]

 

[Kaile Vera]

“This one is -- Wh-what are you doing?!” Kaile managed with a bemused exclamation, a short laugh escaping as the rascal whisked her away. Wide, brown eyes would gape up at him, and she’d glance back at the pods over her shoulders.

“But we ain’t done yet!” she’d object, but it was with a half-heart. Shuffling to the middle of the cargo hold, Asmus brought her to a halt. There Kaile would watch him from under raised brows, hooking her thumbs into the back pockets of her pants in a mild state of wariness.

“You’ll end up with your uncle yellin’ at you,” she’d warn, but it was more in a half tease, rocking on her feet. Her bangs fell forward over her right brow, the blow-dried straight hair still feathering along her heart-shaped face and brushing her shoulders.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Asmus tilted his head from side as if considering the implications of this. Either Kairon had lined up more work on account of both of them pulling their weight, or they’d have extra free time. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Twins! Move container four forwards five feet!” He called. His lips twisted with mischief as the Twins went stomping towards the container by the door. It would block the door, forcing Kairon to knock. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“The waltz is so easy,” he started. “When I get to take you dress shopping and to a merchant balls you’ll find it’s pretty popular. Box steps are pretty easy, we’ll start there.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Taking a few steps back he led with the left and showed her the basic steps going round in a simple square. He loudly counted “One, two, three,” as he went. “See easy!” He said as he closed the gap between them. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“So my hand goes here so I can lead and you rest your arm on my shoulder like...so,” he said. His right hand found the position just below the shoulder blade whilst he used his other to place her arm on his. Then his left grasped her right and held it out. “There we go,” he said, though she would hear his voice waver slightly as their eyes met again as he realised how it made her feel to be this close again. Lid on it. That’s what he’d said. It also occurred to him that she’d said she would stay with him later. Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Right then. Ignore the music and just do it slowly for now. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]One…[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]”[/SIZE]

 

[Kaile Vera]

Being a Lorrdian meant that it was easy to mimic and pick up on new skills as long as Kaile had time to observe. The longer time spent studying, the more on point she would be. While Kaile did have a natural affinity with rhythm, ballroom dancing was still a subject she’d never quite broached before.

Not that she wasn’t willing to learn.

Head down, she followed the line of his steps. It was a little awkward at first, as she wasn’t quite sure of the distance. Mid two, her chest went bumping against his, prompting her to lift her head and give him a slight sheepish wince. “Sorry…”

Fingers would tighten along his own, flexing upon his shoulder with a subtle nervous press. She was close enough to see the yellow flecks in his eyes. Close enough to see the slight hint of the widening of his pupils as he met her gaze.

That pink tip of her tongue went sweeping over the fullness of her lower lip. “Okay.. so... “ she slid her foot back, his went forward.. and another brief stumble as she mixed up her steps.

Bright pink soon rose hotly upon her cheeks.

“...gonna need to watch a bit more…”

 

[Asmus Janes]

[SIZE=14.6667px]He made an absent minded little “Mmm,” as a first response. He had to break eye contact to concentrate and what exactly it was that she had said. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” he said, coming to a halt. “No need to apologise. Your hair looks nice like this by the way.” Inside his own head he questioned the need to add that statement. Unfortunately when he lost himself in her eyes, it seemed he was prone to blurt things out. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]He adjusted his hands a little, taking a slightly firmer grip. “Just relax and let me lead,” he said, feeling a slight flutter deep in his belly as he caught her eye again. “Keep your eyes on my right shoulder and just feel how I try and direct you through our touch.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]“Aaaand....[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]One…”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px] he said, this time focussing a little more and leading her through the steps. He left a slight gap between starting to move and actually placing his foot so she had time to react. [/SIZE]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Now the flush that lingered upon her face had nothing to do with the missteps of the waltz. Asmus had an ability of making her feel pretty and at the same time a bit self-conscious. There were bits that made her painfully aware she lacked in social graces that he was familiar with. That made her normally confidante self waver a bit, so it was with no surprise she stumbled and stepped on his right toe.

"Sorry!" she took a step back, the strings of the song unaware nor paying particular attention to the lack of skill one of the pair would show. Her face fell and the straight wave of that burnished copper hair fell over her face, a blessing for the young woman who wanted to hide her embarrassment at her silly mistakes. You are better at this, she told herself, biting the middle of her lower lip as she took a deep breath.

All you can manage to say is 'okay' or 'sorry!'. That was rather mortifying and Kaile mentally would bemoan for certain that Asmus would think her a fool

"I...I can do better." She promised, stammering a bit in her attempt to buckle up and do what she needed to do. "Back, side, side..."

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"I'm in no rush, take your time," Asmus said slowly. He allowed her to dictate the pace for a while, almost as if he followed the start of the step, then lead it through to completion. "See, no problem!" he said as they started to trace out a simple square.

He looked up to her again. "We'll just keep doing this until we can match the tempo," he explained. "Once we get freely moving it's almost like...ahem," he didn't finished that though, eyes suddenly singing one of the nearby containers distinctly interesting. "You need to react to each others movements as you find your path across the floor. Once we've got this I'll show you how to turn and we'll be away!" he said with a broad grin. She'd feel a subtle shift in his hand on her back, as if his fingers wanted to go moving across her again but were held firm by his arm.

 

[Kaile Vera]

He makes me nervous.

Her hand began to feel a little bit bit damp, and she had to fight the urge to pull it away to wipe it at her thigh. It was a combination of her emotions, the past week, and the bit of confusion that made her feel all out of sorts. As an espion, as a Lorrdian really, this should be simple. It was just a basic box step, but it felt as if it was more than that.

Thankfully, Asmus showed tremendous patience. Even offered a joke or two that upturned the corners of her lips. It would relax her, all the more when she caught him averting his gaze and felt the welcoming press and flex of his hand at her back.

React to movements. Okay… Okay. Well there was one way to do it but...

“Then… don’t mind if I-- well.” There was a brief intake of breath, then Asmus would feel the press of soft curves against him. She shut her eyes, feeling the warmth of his body start to permeate through their clothes.

“Close your eyes, please….” she whispered nervously, melting next to him. The issue was she was overthinking it. She had to stop doing that. So if she could just focus on his movements so she could react...

This was going to sound awkward. Twin blooms of heat colored her cheeks.

“...need to... sense you.” and she couldn’t focus well when he’d look at her like that. As if all he wanted to do was simply kiss her.

[member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Okay."

Damnit. Stop saying 'okay' back!

His reply had been ever so quiet and he slowly closed his eyes as instructed. The issue now was that at some point he was going to have to let go again. It was a few moments before he realised that, far from showing her how to dance, he was simply savouring the sensation of her pressed up against him again.

"Right then, aaand...one..."

Again he started to move gradually as he led her back through the opening step.

 

[Kaile Vera]

".. two..." Kaile said in a shy drawl, feeling the shift of his musculature against her own. With her eyes closed, the Lorrdian was able to focus. All of the other four senses flared into hypersensitivity. The flex of his arm, the press of his hand at her back, the guide of his body as an extension of her own. At her cheeks she felt the brush of her hair, light tickles that were reminiscent to the fluttering butterfly wings in her belly.

"Three..." no stumble. Just a sweep through the opening step. Back, side, side, back. The steps were slower than normal, Asmus allowing Kaile time to feel him lead. A complete sweep of the box step was completed shortly without a stumble. It was easier this way, without having to look at him.

Granted, having him pressed against her like so tempted to also distract her. Thankfully, she was still a bit nervous enough to not let that take over her mind.

[member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus was walking a knife edge. Focus too carefully on her and he'd almost certain lose the rhythm, take his thoughts elsewhere to avoid thinking about her and again he'd likely stumble. Instead he kept his mind very much focussed on his feet. They were easy. He kept increasing the rhythm until they were in time with the song.

Now the interesting part. Should he stop and show her more or just see if she could follow? He decided on the latter, because otherwise he'd have to peel her off him and he just didn't have the willpower for that.

"Right, this time we could to keep in a straight line," he explained as they went around the box. "So instead of coming back towards me, you step back on your left. Ready?"

He gradually slowed the tempo to half time so she had time to react. The way she moved with him was really underlining the point that he'd nearly made before. Stop that thought there, he instructed himself.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"] slowed his tempo, and Kaile took a breath, chest rising in anticipation.

"Okay." that was said a bit too breathlessly for her taste, and her face bloomed a brighter pink. Thankfully, his eyes were closed so he wouldn't be able to see her embarrassment at not only saying it like a ninny but also continuing on with the 'okay' theme. For all that he had done and knowing how briliant he was, Kaile found herself quite put out at trying to show she had smarts of her own. That it included a vocabulary with more than just 'okay' in it. It was a silly thing to be concerned over, but she did.

A need to impress.

His fingers gave a slight flexing press at her back, as if anxious himself. The Lorrdian brought her focus to her feet and the tells of his body. Here came the shift. Kaile held her breath.

... Step back, then the follow through.

A smile cut her face in two at that.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Brilliant. And back and slide...together. Back and slide and together. And now I need to open my eyes so I don't waltz you into a durasteel container..."

Opening his eyes slowly, he drew them to a halt before they hit metal. The song faded out only to start up again.

"So a turn is dead simple. Once we've got that we can pretty much do a basic waltz," he said, taking a series of rather shallow breaths that had nothing to do with the extortion of dancing. "I'll go back this time and just feel for the turn on the second step," he said. He drew her back towards him and very, very slowly used his hands to steer her, allowing her time to place the second step with him.


On the bridge Kairon decided to check their progress. On the manifest he noticed they'd got pretty far. That meant that either Asmus was paying attention or the girl - who seemed to be sending his nephew all kinds do of silly - had been coerced into helping out. However, it seemed they'd stopped. Flicking the screen to the cargo bay camera elicited a drawn out sigh. Kairon shook his head, but couldn't find the self control not to quietly chuckle to himself. He'd go and interrupt them if Asmus didn't get back on with his work soon.

 

[Kaile Vera]

"'Kay," dangit! There was a visible grimace as she did it again! Only thing was that her accent came out all airy with a twang. Her palm was starting to feel a bit damp again.

"... feel the turn," she whispered under her breath. Her eyes were still tightly shut. Can't open them. Nope. Can't. Just focus on the steps Kaile girl, just focus. Of course when he drew her in, there went her breath as it crushed her breasts against his chest and nestled her tight again. Her heart fluttered at her throat. Just feel the turn, feel the --

His hands would guide her, and as the second step came, the Lorrdian reacted in turn to the subtle encouragement. He swept her into the slow turn, and for a brief moment, there was just a slight hint of light-headedness with it. It might have been cause her eyes were closed. Could have been that she finally took a breath of air. Or more aptly, all Kaile would be able to breathe in this distance was the scent of Asmus's shampoo and feel the heat of his body. Her heart began to pound and there was a half thought of trepidation that surely he could hear it as well.

"Feels kinda floaty..." her voice would float over to him, her fingers tightening at his shoulder.

[member="Asmus Janes"]

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"It does yes. That's exactly it, floating together across the floor," he said slowly. She felt tense against him and he could well work out why. Without thinking his hand someone managed to draw her even closer on the next reverse step and turn. She'd feel his fingers give a gentle squeeze of her right as they finished the next turn. Slowly he'd try and build the pace through each turn until they were at the pace of the music.

"Just follow my lead and we'll go floating then," he said quietly, warm breath across the nape of her neck. Asmus had no particular steps in mind, but would simply lead her through turns as they carved a path across the cargo bay floor.