Responsibility

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Her laughter would echo down the corridor as Kaile sped up. Hearing his voice pick up an octave as he repeated the question, a bit of concern in his voice as the would be threat of one tiny Bobo potentially biting him, was enough to brighten the mood.

"I don't know Asmus!' she sang out over her shoulder.

"But I know he has a fascination with earlobes!"

Just then, Bobo gave Asmus a rather toothy grin again.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus was quite fond of his ears, so he reboubled his efforts to fuss the small lizard. He couldn't hear a nose, but could feel a low vibration from the lizard at his placation.

They stepped into his small, cramped cabin. It looked more spacious now the bed sheets had been moved from the floor and Kaile's things - few as they were - tidied away.

"Right," he said more to himself than to Kaile. It was shortly followed by "Oi."

Bobo had decided to explore his hair and ended up in a tangled knot. Asmus very carefully started to extract the ysamlir.

"Well that was silly wasn't it," he said as he finally removed the explorer. He received a withering stare by way of response. "Going back in your tube or coming with us?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile gave an abrupt burst of laughter as Asmus carefully went through removing the tiny Ysalamir from his hair. Pausing in her search for gathering her tools, Kaile came to a stop beside Asmus and went reaching up to gently pluck Bobo from his hands.

"That happened to me more than a few times back when I first found him," she admitted, giving the tiny reptile a caress. The dampening of the Force once again numbed her senses, prompting a faint flinch that was barely noticeable upon her heart-shaped face.

"If'n won't take long, then he can come with us," Kaile said, bringing Bobo up to plant a small kiss along the right side of his cheek.

"I just don't want him away from it more than an hour or so..." another little nuzzle and the wiggle of her nose against him.

"He'll start to get sick."

 

[Asmus Janes]

@Asmus Janes

Asmus made a soft hum as he considered this. A conundrum.

"The work probably won't take an hour," he admitted. "But I was planning on keeping out from under the crew's feet for a little longer."

Yeah...thinly veiled.

"If he could do with a run out he can come along, we can always take him back. Wouldnt want to deprive him of that and leave him alone if he wants to stay out."

Asmus offered a small shrug, leaving the decision to Kaile. He suspected a broken sensor anyway. He'd trawled the net and couldn't find any functional symptoms that matched what was coming from the vehicle's HUMS.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

"Then I reckon he'll be fine." Kaile said, flashing him a small smile. Perching Bobo upon her shoulder, she gave him one last caress along his jaw then left him be. Once again upon his throne, Bobo stretched out his forearms and puffed up his chest. Yeah, now I'm back where I belong, he might have said.

Meanwhile, Kaile took a small hairband and began threading her fingers through her hair. "So it wouldn't take too long." She fingercombed her hair up into a messy ponytail, with tendrils of the fine strawberry blonde hair falling along the sides of her face to flank it.

Plopping upon the bed, she stretched a hand to take her bag. Pulling the straps off, she went digging for her tools.

"Ya'll ever consider having pets in here?" she asked him, considering how he seemed to be interested in Bobo some.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus watched the way she pulled her hair back and out the way. He did this far more carefully than the gesture deserved, committing it to memory. She didn't treat her own hair particularly well, not as he did. But he still memories the way her fingers worked their way through it. Simple things. Simple things he would miss.

"Nah, I did bring that up once. Didn't go down well with Kairon. Best offer I could get was a droid, but that's not the same."

Asmus smiled warmly, tucking his own back behind his ears, perhaps subconsciously mirroring her. "Give me a call in a few days after you're settled at your new place and job yeah?" he asked.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Hearing him say that made her hands slow. Perhaps he'd think it would be cause she 'd pulled out her hydro spanner from her satchel, but it was really because she couldn't quite answer that.

Or more aptly, how to answer it.

"That 'pends on just where they'll be sendin' me, I reckon." she figured it was an honest of an answer as she could give. Denon was a big place, but if she gave the illusion that she had no real clue where her travels will take her... he might take that as an answer and leave it at that.

However, something about his expression said that he just might not. Kaile knew that he'd figure out that wasn't a real answer. He had been looking for some form of reassurance. But honestly, Kaile didn't know if she had any to give.

Why did he have to ask that?

Truth be told, after what had happened with Kurt, the lies, and the dodging was becoming more difficult for her. Normally it hadn't been. It had all been a game. Something fun to play. She could be anyone, from anywhere. Start over wherever she wanted on the Alliance credit.

Funny how her fluttering to and fro finally caught up to her. She'd lingered too long with Kurt, and that had all sent everything tumbling out of control. In her mind, she hadn't done anything wrong up until then.

Now she was beginning to question it all. Lonely is as lonely does, and Kurt made her realize just how lonely being an espion had to be. Attachments complicated things. The four days with Asmus... well, as she swallowed hard, were a sort of complication Kaile hadn't ever experienced before. Truth be told, she was still going through the ups and downs of the emotional rollercoaster of leaving Kurt to really point down where she was at, much the less where whatever Asmus and she'd done meant.

If it did at all, the more rational voice inside her head told her. While another simply echoed a pang of hurt that told another story instead.

"Might end up moving from spot to spot. Tends to be that way with how I work." Truth; fudged up and certainly far simpler than the more complex context really meant.

Bobo took the opportune time to scurry from one of Kaile's shoulders to the next, drawing her attention and a break in the small bit of tension therein. At least for now.

"Alright you, no need to get all fussy. Gonna take you with," she told him, giving the lizard one last caress.

Glancing up at Asmus, she gave him a weak smile, "Ready?" she asked, moving to stand. Maybe if they got going, he wouldn't ask her more questions. High hopes, perhaps, cause to be truthsome, Kaile wasn't sure how long under her current strain she'd be able to dodge any more coming her way.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Yeah, sure," Asmus replied. But there was nothing assured about the smile that found his lips. His eyes darted down, brows furrowed, before they came back up to meet Kaile's.

She'd dodged these questions so many times now. It wasn't hard to make a call. He was starting to hear shades of excuses he'd made in the past. But this didn't feel like a quick dalliance.

Or did it? Was this how the other side felt? Was this how Sheena had felt when he'd promised 'to try and find the time to call'? If it was that, then Kaile was a far better liar than he was. They'd both expressed concerns they were taking advantage of each other, they'd both found something unexpected. He hoped.

Was she scared she was putting him at risk? Was she being chased? She was so reticent to speak of anything really. His heart fluttered, and not in a good way.

Asmus turned for the door and tried to silence his thoughts. His brain was wrapping itself up in knot he would never be able to untie. That wasn't how he lived his life. Enjoy now, no whyfors or whatifs.

He took her free hand a little too tightly. How had he fallen for someone so quickly. As they walked around the corridor he looked down on her and this time the flutter was the pleasant kind. Nothing like this, never before. It would be an awful thing if these hours were the last of it.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

He wasn’t buying it.

Kaile could tell just from his body language. She didn’t even need to see it in his eyes, and even when she did, it only made her feel all the worse.

I’m sorry, Asmus. the thought would echo in her mind, expressing itself upon her face. The tightening of his hand upon her own only prompted her to squeeze his in turn.

Please don’t ask. she silently cried in her mind, finding that she didn't want to lie to him. Yet knowing all along that she couldn’t give him anymore. It wouldn't be right. He was young, he didn’t know what all this was. Kaile’s mind was trying to rationalize things, but deep inside, a voice thought all of that as empty and hollow.

Who am I trying to convince?

The answer to that question remained unanswered, and Kaile drew her gaze away to focus towards the direction of the engineering room. Bobo could always tell when Kaile was off her mark, and he gave her neck a little nuzzle. With a ghost of a smile, Kaile gave a slight dip and nuzzle back.

“So sensors right?” she began, trying to fill the silence.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

This time Asmus was glad of the reprieve. If they worked he could clear his mind. Perhaps he could almost reset and try and at least enjoy their last few hours.

"Right, so the secondary conduit goes behind panels D1 to D4. We'll divert the flow away from it and check it out. Pretty simple, either the conduit needs repair or replacement or the sensors have been reporting incorrectly."

As he had tried to memorise her features and body language he rather shamelessly watched her head up the ladder before him. That was, until a green face appeared at the back of her neck and gave him a accusing glare. He looked away, instead picturing their frantic return from the laundry machine and the way she'd looked back at him over her shoulder.

"I bet it's the sensor though, I reckon we have a spare."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Climbing on up, Kaile moved to the side to allow Asmus to follow on up after her. "Alright then," a half smile perked up at the right corner of her mouth. Bobo in the meantime, had seen just where Asmus' wandering eyes had settled and he was still giving the scoundrel the eye. Nevermind all the knocking that the two had already done. But who was to question the mind of a protective miniature Ysalamir?

"Well, I ain't too familiar with sort of boat." she told him, gesturing for him to take the lead. "But I can catch up fine once you show me where the panels are at." she assured him.

"If'n it's the sensor, then it won't be too bad." this was easier to do now. Simple work conversation. No questioning gazes or probing queries. At least, that was what Kaile was telling herself.

"So what happened to your last mech? Can't just be the Capt'n that does all your work." she asked. Safe topic right?

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Ah, Jack. Drunk her own bodyweight each week but she was pretty handy with a hydrospanner. Decided to move on a couple of years back. Kairon knows the ship well enough."

He was desperately trying not to ask any more questions, but it felt like a pit was opening up deep in his stomach. He pushed his darker thoughts aside. Look on the bright side of things right.

As they left the bridge his hand grasped her waist once more, but strayed lower and slipped into the back pocket of her trousers.

"You have to fix broken down ships often?" he asked.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile was vividly aware of the drift of Asmus’ hand as it strayed from the perch of her waist and lower over that ample curve. When his hand tucked in her back pocket, Kaile couldn’t help the memory of the night prior when he’d done the same without the barrier of curves.

A bit of heat ran down her face and over her chest. Temperature picked up a bit. Swallowing hard, she told herself to just focus on what he said.

“Oh.. Ah… off and on.” she told him, both now heading down to engineering. The pulse on her neck fluttered for a bit, and she kept her gaze forward. Things were so much easier months ago, Kaile told herself. Now her thoughts were all jumbled.

“I tend to help out more with upgrades or boosts.” like with the Messa. Kurt and Kaile had pretty much made it into the fastest ship in the ‘Verse -- or so Kaile had claimed rather proudly. How would Kurt be now?

Shifting her weight, they came across the first hatch. Moving in first, she ducked her head to make sure she wasn't gonna knock herself on her forehead. Bobo took advantage of the close proximity of Asmus to skitter over towards the shoulder closest to the scoundrel.

The wary stare down continued..

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Asmus gave the reptile a broad smile. "You are quite defensive of your owner aren't you little man?" he asked, a hand coming up to scratch behind the chin. Instead of the usual turn into the fuss he steadfastly refused to react, holding that stare.

"I'm not going to hurt her," Asmus said. "Had quite the opposite planned," he added with a gentle squeeze of the other hand.

"Barely enough room for us to walk side by side down the spine of the ship," Asmus replied. "Makes me think if the rediculous way I managed to sneak you onto the ship. Damn you must have thought me a fool."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

“He can be.” Kaile smiled, shaking her head at the tiny lizard. Scooping him up in her palm with her free hand, she brought him back up and set him on her shoulder.

“Be nice.” she told Bobo, who gave a little huff in a pout. None the less, he settled down, somewhat appeased. Kaile on the other hand, became a bit more pink at the squeeze. Thankfully, the mention of the sneaking around managed to remind her of that night.

Wow, that seemed to long ago. She could barely recall bits of it, but from what Kaile did, she remembered how jovial Asmus had been.

“No…” she began, shaking her head. Her hair made a slight swoosh with her ponytail. “Not ridiculous.” she added quietly, and a ghost of a smile lingered over her lips in memory.

“You made me laugh.”

The hum of the engines and hyperdrive grew louder with every step now. They’d have to talk a bit louder to hear each other.

That is, if hearing was what was required in the immediate future.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"You looked like you needed cheering up," Asmus replied with an astonishing heartfelt honesty. He opened his mouth and closed it again before adding: "I'm not sorry I made things so complicated. Not at all."

He had been considering saying the opposite before he realised it was an outright lie. He'd never imagined back than that he'd end up falling so far for her. He'd only intended to try and act the hero, get her off that station. Maybe a little tumble on the way of course, nothing serious. At the time he'd felt he was doing the right thing, quite selflessly. He could recall that through the haze.

"It's almost hard to think back over the last few days. It all blends together. But I picture you when I met you and it doesn't feel like it does now."

Coming to a halt he slapped one hand against the wall ahead of her and pulled the other loose to take her waist. Her framed her against the wall in a gesture that would be echoed years down the line.

There was a glint of that curiosity in those jade eyes. The fire that she stoked burnen bright in their depths. "I'll always be glad I found you there," he said, suddenly feeling the need to make the admission. There was a soft smile on his face as he traced her features with his eyes, still trying to engrave them on his mind.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Kaile wasn't expecting him to move so fast. With her training and background, it was hard to get the upper hand with her. Yet Asmus had managed to box her in, pulling in close enough for her to see the gold flecks in his eyes.

Bobo wasn't too happy about the situation, but Kaile didn't give any notice to his scurrying. No, instead she felt the back of her head press against the cool bulkhead, a curious contrast to the heat radiating from Asmus' body. Palms flat against his chest, fingers curling in an itch to touch him again.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her pulse fluttered at her throat again. He was doing it again. Staring at her like that, feeling him trace over her features with his eyes as if they were the tips of his fingers. A well of emotion rose within Kaile's breast, and it was just so hard to breathe.

I'll always be glad I fond you there.

"Me too." her hoarse whisper cut between them.

For all the dodging of questions, she seemed to have given him, in this Asmus would be certain.

Kaile meant it.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

A smile spread across his face, from lips to eyes. He looked away, then back to her and gave a curt nod. He could see everything in her expression, her body language. His mind would start conjuring scenario's before to long, but in this moment the truth was laid bare before him.

Bobo was summarily ignored as the distance between them evaporated. At the edge of contact he held still, eyes locked on hers, lips barely brushing. His intention had been a quick kiss, but he felt his own weight press down upon her before he could stop himself.

Asmus tugged on her lower lip as he forced himself away before he lost himself completely. His own lower lip faintly trembled as it felt like lifting a mountain to push a against the bulkhead to seperate from her. How he wanted to give in, to lose track of where Asmus ended and kaile started.

"Okay," he sighed. Work first, a secluded engineering Bay after. A shift of green. Bobo had given up and tucked himself into her hair. "Okay," he repeated.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Asmus Janes"]

Okay.

There it was again. Only that with it came the sense of urgency. To hold on to, to grasp just a little while longer.

Maybe that was why Kaile's fingers curled tight against Asmus' shirt. Perhaps that is why she found herself tugging him back down, angling herself up to kiss him again. Not in lust, but just a necessity. As if she could just have a few more seconds, just a little bit more she could hold on to.

It was foolish really. The Lorrdian knew that. But when her mouth caught his and she breathed him in, it was just so easy to get lost. To sink oneself in that connection that Kaile knew hinged on an ever-decreasing time limit.

 

[Asmus Janes]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

A small noise of surprise escaped him before he was pulled back. His left hand slapped noisily against the bulkhead, fingers splayed. As their lips met those fingers relaxed, the arm sliding down until it rested against her shoulder and his hand stroked her hair.

Kaile would feel his lips tense into a smile against the kiss. He'd felt a small bobo-head-shaped-object bobbing back against that hand. He pulled away for just a second, amusement dancing in his eyes, to adjust his position and move his hand back against the bulkhead.

There was no amusement as he fell back down, a sharp intake of breath right before he turned his head aside to kiss her deeply. Every sense was overwhelmed by her . He pressed himself to her body, feeling her melt against him as she was enclosed by him.

Thoughts of malfunctioning conduits evaporated.