Sunburns & Hyperdrive Troubles

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt didn't answer her.

The small touch at her head stopped, the sound of his breathing slowed, and any conscious thought disappeared.

Kurt had fallen asleep.

The courier had been tired after the days activity, almost completely wiped out by all that they had done. There had been ups and downs, good food and even better tastes, but he could really only take so much. Kaile had the force to sustain her, to aid her and keep her going, Kurt didn't he only had what the human body gave him, not even a cup of Caf. So he had quite simply fallen asleep, the comfort of the couch grabbing him and pulling him in.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kurt's body would relax underneath her. The stroke of his fingers would wane. The rise and fall of his chest slow and steady. Curled up next to him, Kaile would slowly open her eyes. A small flutter, and a blink, and he appeared in her sights. There he sat, sinking against the couch, relaxing. She enjoyed watching him sleep at night. To hear him breathe by her side. And while sleep would coax in the back of her mind, there was no where else she would rather be.

A deep breath filled her lungs. A smile tugging at her lips. Nuzzling close, drawing tight, Kaile let the comfort of home and Kurt's presence encapsulate her. Her arm went wrapping around him, drawing him closer.

Within a few minutes, worn, weary, but feeling safe and sound, Kaile slept.

​

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[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt was the first one to wake up, no surprise there. He shifted slightly, his head snapping and his eyes pulling open to the sound of seabirds. The ocean rumbled outside, the gentle breeze pulling through the ship. His eyes winked a few times, individually blinking for a moment before they caught up with one another.

"Hey." Kurt said gently poking Kaile's nose. "Hey, wake up."

He poked again.

It seemed that they had left the ramp open last night, though apparently nothing had made its way into the ship while they slept. That was a good thing at the very least, though by the way this planet looked anyway he'd not really have to be worried about that anyway. "Morning time."

Kurt poked one more time.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile gave a slight grunt of protest. Her nose wiggled, turning her head to try and hide fro the persistent poke. A sleepy half scowl drew over the Lorrdian's heart-shaped face, and another half groan at the desire for more sleep rumbled from her mouth.

"lilbitmore." she mumbled out, curling close over to Kurt, snaking her arm around his waist as she pressed her face against his belly. Another nuzzle, another half sigh. Kaile, was never quite the morning person. Unless it dealt with having to look over Kurt -- much like his three day spice induced knock out. Otherwise, she was a cuddle bug. She enjoyed cuddling. If she could, she'd do it as much a possible. Didn't matter wear, as long as she could snuggle up.

Outside, the seagulls were landing where she had left the bits of clams and shrimp. The waves would lightly crash, and already the morning light rays of the sun would dance across their little section of paradise.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt let out a sigh.

It was always like this.

With both of them.

Kaile and Jamie were not morning people, they preferred laying in bed, cuddling, and simply being comfortable for as long as physically possible. Kurt couldn't blame them of course, he liked being under a warm blanket just as much as anyone else, but he also enjoyed being active. He liked getting things done, doing things, and he most certainly enjoyed the morning air that often came with the sunrise. It was something that he had developed on Tatooine, the habit of rising early.

On his homeworld doing as such was essential. As the dawn broke the air was the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold. If anyone wanted to do anything strenuous or something even remotely related to work they had to either do it at dawn, or dusk. Due to that Kurt had always been a morning person, one to get out of bed and actually get to it before anyone could tell him to do so. "No no."

He poked her nose again, buried as it was.

"Early Krayt Dragon catches the Bantha." He recounted the age old saying.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Another groan of protest, but Kurt was insistent with his nose boopping. Her face scrunched up anew, and just as she was about to curl up once more, the sudden dribble of his fingers went skimming across her side. She immediately gave a start, the ticklish sensation waking her up from her slumber than her favorite cup of chai.

"Okay! Okay!" She batted his hands away, giving a huff that blew her cheeks in sleepy indignation. She sat up in her start, with the pilot smirking down at her as if holding back his laughter. For good measure, she gave him a punch on his shoulder. "You'll get a different kind of wake up call if you keep that up!"

Kaile gave a yawn, the heel of her palm rubbing her right eye. Her hair was a mess. Her face slightly puffy with sleep.

It was early.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt managed to slip out and under from Kaile, rubbing his shoulder as he did so. His legs needing stretching, and the rest of him as well. Slowly he bent and pulled, trying to make himself slightly more limber. There was still an edge of youth in him, the ability to sleep on a sofa came as naturally to him as downing half a bottle of rum. Still though, it didn't hurt to stretch a little before the day got truly started. A yawn pierced through him, and then suddenly he felt awake.

"Shoulder probably hit the 'fresher." Kurt commented as he flounced out of the Messa and onto the ramp.

The cool sea breeze struck him almost immediately, the air being slightly colder than it had been yesterday.

He expected that would change as the day went on, the heat likely picking up again as the day went on. A smile pulled at his lips as he wandered onto the sands, his toes curling slightly in the beautiful white. His eyes set on the beach in front of him, eyebrows suddenly raising. "Kaile...Kaile come here."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Huh?" Her half yawn of attention was interrupted by her half sleepy tug of her shirt over her head. Her hair fell in a frump around her face. Blinking a bit, Kaile gave a frown. The tone of Kurt’s voice sounded rather alarmed. With a rolling gait, the Lorrdian redirected her stride towards the ramp.

“What’s wrong?” her inquisitive question, floated behind him. Concern was in her voice, the dark slash of her brows furrowing in confusion

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Nothings wrong." Kurt said as Kaile stepped up behind him. "But look."

Before them where yesterday there had been naught but ocean now stood a massive bridge of sand.

The water had receded, away from the cove, pulling out and away to reveal a mass of new land that stretched out and reached towards the other island that stood in the distance. The water lapped at the bridge, slowly pulling towards it even as it sat there. Kurt's eyebrows rose as he tried to see how far it went, wondering if it extended all the way to the other island. He shifted, running back onto the ship to retrieve a pair of macrobinoculars.

He returned, looking at the bridge with a frown. "Looks like the tides are rather strong here."

That was an understatement.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile’s eyes grew wide in shock, practically bulging from their sockets. Now this was a wake up call.

“My word…” the rasp of her whisper would fall between them. “Can you believe this?!” the half rumpled shirt she had brought up close to her chest after removing it shifted. Without further ado, she slipped it back on. This required a bit of investigation.

The fresher could wait.

Before Kurt could say anything, Kaile began to walk down the ramp. Bare feet kissed sand, and she went reaching back to tug the hair tie from her hair. She stuck it in between her mouth to hold. Messy brunette waves floated along her shoulders and flanked her face, which she quickly combed back with her fingers.


Glancing back at Kurt, big brown eyes would query, “Yuucomin?” her muffled voice asked.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Yeah, well wait." He pulled on Kaile's arm for a second as he turned on his heel and ran back into the ship. For a moment there was a crashing sound or two, the noise of rummaging and shifting of materials until a few seconds later Kurt emerged from the ship once again. There wasn't anything different about him, save for one thing and one thing alone.

Slung around his waist was a leather belt, from it on the right side hung a single holster filled with a WESTAR-34.

The belt was simple, and the weapon just the same. The normally chrome barrel was painted an odd mixture of orange and black, some of the paint having been chipped away, the handle, normally wooden the same chrome color was instead a wooden handle wrapped in thick black tape. "Okay, ready."

There was no way Kurt was going to a secluded jungle island without a gun.

No way in hell.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

He came down the ramp with such an expression of determination. It was enough to make her brows arch in curious wonder. It wasn’t to say there was a big shift in difference. Maybe it was because she was able to read him so clearly, see the flex of his jaw and the slight furrow of his brow. He wasn’t going to go exploring without making sure that they had some measure of protection.

Back on Bahrain, Kurt had undergone a similar change when Kaile had been kidnapped. She did not see how it had affected him then, what he had done until after. Yet this was a facet that Kaile knew Kurt could channel if required.

He caught up to her with his long stride, and she gave him an encouraging smile. “Gonna be my gun toting security?” she would tease him with a grin, giving him a slight poke at his side with a finger. Ambling along, they began their trek. Bare feet sank wet sand. The further along they went, the more wildlife they would see.

Along the side of the sand bridge were various tidepools. This wasn’t just sand, but algae encrusted rock with pools of life. There were sanddollars on the bank, scattered shells.

“I wonder how long this low tide last,” she mulled aloud “We could collect so much for food while it is low.” Kaile added.

Up ahead, the new uncharted island slowly grew larger as they drew near. One could see the distant trees, a bank of white sand. What they would not know is that it was far larger than they originally anticipated.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kaile joked, but Kurt was actually more than a decent shot.

In the academy he had scored within the ninety second percentile of marksmen. He was near perfect with a pistol, alright with a blaster rifle, and surprisingly excellent with a sniper. Kurt could use a gun, he just preferred never to do so. More often than not he left the old WESTAR back on The Messa. Accelerating things to violence by pulling out a blaster pistol was never a good idea, especially in most of the circles that Kurt tended to travel in.

"Of course." Kurt said. "Gotta protect the princess."

His thumb slipped over the handle of his pistol. "No worries ma'am, I got you."

Kurt's hand swept in and smacked Kaile on the rear, sending her walking forward towards the island. There was no telling what was over there, what beasts were lurking. Jungles were never places that one just wanted to walk into.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Her abrupt squeal of laughter would echo down the beach. She gave a slight skip and a hop, turning on the balls of her feet to start a backwards walk. It was one of her constant habits. That desire to always have the person she was with in her sights. It was much an ingrained desire as it was to read the full context of their actions.

Brown eyes would dance as she skipped back a bit, grinning devilishly. “My, such an attentive companion,” a cheeky grin shone him a dimple, her hair bobbing with every giddy step she took.

“Just how will I ever repay him for his faithful service?” came her coy quip. The sandy bank would widen as they came upon the new island. It was far larger than anticipated, with a thick growth of jungle. Water lapped at the stretch of yellow and further down to the right a reach of black sand could be seen.

Which normally meant some sort of volcanic activity - past or present.

“It’s bigger than I thought it would be,” Kaile murmured softly, glancing around. Further on through the thick jungle, they could see two twin peaks, with one flat, jagged top.

“How you wanna tackle this?” she turned to him, questioning. They were after all, a pilot and a former Yum Bunnies waitress

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt shrugged slightly as his eyes settled on the mountains before them. It would be no easy task to make their way inland, especially considering that they didn't know what lurked within the deepest parts of the island. He mused for a second, then looked back at the land bridge that lay behind them. They had no idea how long that would stay, no idea if it was for just the morning or if it would remain for the entire day. His eyes eventually settled on the beach and then the thicket of jungle.

"Let's walk along the beach until we find a clearing." They didn't exactly have the tools to cut their way through.

Setting off Kurt and Kaile began to wander along the side of the beach, Kurt taking careful watch along the lines of the jungle to look for a natural path of sorts. He found himself wishing that Kaile had a lightsaber. One of those things could come in real handy at the moment, slicing through the thick jungle with but half a thought and a traipse, it would have been rather nice. Though at this point it was a pipe dream.

"There." Kurt pointed just up ahead at a natural inlet. "A river I think."

A river that would come from inland, and likely a source on the mountains.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


“Huh.” Kaile would say in curiousity. As one prone to investigate things, Kaile quickened her step. Overhead, seagulls went soaring over them, their sqwaks echoing overhead. It was a river, a natural delta full of thickening reeds and seagrass. The water was shallower here, and off in the distance, a glistening dark pool of turquoise would reveal a plethora of colourful fish.

“I think there is a coral reef there.” she told him, heading towards the edge of the beach. Water gently licked at her toes. The bacta had done its job, bruising turning yellow and the cut healed through into a pale red line. Kaile gave a slight frown, turning from the bank over towards the inlet opening. It cut wide into a natural cove.

“I wonder if it is fresh.” they would have to follow along the edge of the river to find that out. There was more wildlife here. Off in the distance, she could see smaller critters drinking at the water’s edge.

“look!” Kaile suddenly said with a whisper of excitement, bounding over to the pilot to tug at his shirt. A finger would gesture at a rabbit sized animal. It was too far to discern what it was, but at least it was something.

Maybe even lunch.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt's hand almost automatically fell to his blaster pistol, though it only took him half a second to register that there was no one and nothing there that could hurt them. He smiled slightly, his eyes falling on Kaile more than the small rabbit things that seemed to be hopping about at the rivers edge.

"Food!" Kurt said with a grin.

They would have to eat something eventually, though oddly enough Kurt found that he wasn't yet hungry.

He had woken up to find a new mystery and something ahead of them to explore, there was excitement in that, and generally excitement made Kurt's hunger completely disappear. Shifting slightly on his feet, Kurt put his hand on the small of Kaile's back and pushed her forward. "Come on."

"Let's see what else we can find." The Courier urged. "Maybe we can find something bigger."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

His hand at the low of her back was all the encouragement she needed. Her entire face lit up. Clutching his arm, she waggled her brows. "What do you reckon we will find?" She waggled her brows in intrigue. Her feet would scatter a bit of sand in her half skip and walk.

"What if.. " a finger came up to lay vertical against her lips. There was an air of dramatic mystery in her voice. "What if we find the ancient ruins of... " Her arm swept wide, and she came to a halt to point out "....the great Rakata King, guardian of the extra spicy crunchy Nuna wing sauce!" she said it with such seriousness one was wont to wonder if she actually meant it.

It was only the glitter of impish humor in her eyes that said otherwise.

As they moved along, the small rabbitlike creature jerked its head up in wariness. It would bound off into the jungle in a spray of sand. Here, the jungle fronds would thicken. Broad, wide leaves of a vibrant green. More smaller creatures would scatter as they neared, and there were even a few blooms of purple and red.

"Ohh...," Kaile would murmur in awe. One was a big as her hand. Bounding over towards the vine, she gently plucked the violet tipped flower.

"Ain't that just pretty?" she asked the pilot, a note of whimsical awe in her voice.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt looked at the flower for a moment, musing on it for a moment. "Wait..."

He realized that picking up brightly colored things on a planet where they had no idea what anything was was a horrible idea.

"Put that down!" Kurt suddenly urged her. "We don't know if it's poisonous or if you're allergic!"

The flower really was pretty, beautiful, everything around them was. The island that they had been on previously had been a paradise, but this place...this was like the garden of Eden. It was like what the stories of old Tatooine were like. Many people claimed and clamored that his homeworld had once been a beautiful jungle, that it had been unattainable gorgeous before the world had been bombarded into nothing but ash and sand. Kurt had never believed it, but this...this place was something else.

"We have to be careful." Kurt urged her, though he couldn't help but eye the beauty around them.

This place was astonishing, it was beautiful, it was just so full of life that Kurt had to question whether or not they had stumbled upon something truly unique within the galaxy.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

He said that so abruptly that Kaile gave an abrupt start. Shoulders tucked in her small jump, the wonder she had moments before replaced by startled surprise. Fingers had twitched in the shock and the large flower fell from her hands. It fluttered to the ground, landing softly by her feet.

"I-" she stammered, a bit embarrassed as the pink flush of heat ran up her chest, neck and finally her face. "Sorry..." She added in a small voice. This was her biggest issue. How easily she became distracted when her attention became caught. Kaile enjoyed admiring things that were beautiful, could stay all day getting lost.

It could also easily get her hurt or killed. Kurt was right.

A caw of birds shot from the nearby brush. Only adding to her agitation. She bit her lower lip, taking a step back from the vine and the flower on the floor. A bit of her excitement had waned in her embarrassment and silly mistake.

"We should continue up river then," she suggested, gesturing for emphasis.