Sunburns & Hyperdrive Troubles

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt took the glass without hesitation, sipping on the water and rinsing his mouth before spitting out the mass of now soured sand that had been contaminating his tongue. There was an instant sense of relief as the tiny particles that had been scratching at his tongue and gums were washed away. He let out a sigh, then continued the process twice more, ensuring that all of the sand was eventually washed completely out and leaving him feeling slightly more refreshed.

"You better." Kurt said with a frumping expression. "Sand tastes awful."

He teased her. "Maybe you should try some."

That was only a joke of course.

Maybe.

His eyes darted away from Kaile and towards the ocean again, his lips putting to the glass one more time as he took a long drink and swigged the water back. A loud gasp pulled from him, The Courier finding satisfaction and refreshment. Briefly he wondered if they would have enough water to last the week. His father had yet to install the new recycler and normally The Messa only had enough water for two or three weeks, it had been sometime since he'd refilled it.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

“I’ll think I’ll pass.” Kaile would say wryly, reaching down to ruffle the back of Kurt’s hair. Sand went scattering down his back, and she gave a short laugh as her hands came down to brush it off. She went over his broad shoulders, skimming over the tanned skin. Being from Tatooine, he was well used to the sun.

“Come on.. let’s go for a swim,” she nodded out towards the water, where the crashing waves would meet the beach.

“I’ll even hold your hand.” she told him with a wink, a wide grin splitting her face in two

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt looked up at her. "I don't know how to swim."

He said it so dead pan that it might have been a joke, but it wasn't.

Kurt had never learned how to swim, had never been taught. On Tatooine there wasn't really much call for swimming lessons, and in the navy? Well his instructor had said if he landed in the middle of an ocean he was probably fucked anyway so why did it matter. It was a harsh way of thinking, but a very pragmatic one that Kurt appreciated. Shifting slightly he shrugged. There was no shame in him for that, after all there were many things that he could do that most swimmers couldn't.

"Never learned." He became slightly more sheepish. "Sorry."

The Courier would of course go into the ocean, and slowly he stood with her hands still upon him, he just wouldn't be swimming.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


Honestly.

That didn’t surprise her. A thought crossed over Kaile’s brow as she thought on that. Biting her lower lip, she considered. It wouldn’t be tooo bad. Not too hard.

If anything maybe they could find a quieter cove…

“I can teach you.”

The offer came floating beside the pilot from the young woman who had often offered to show him much. Her eyes were wide, but serious. She meant it.

“We can find a calmer cove, and I can teach you.”

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt shrugged. It would be a lie to say that the idea didn't appeal to him. He realized that swimming was an important skill, and the few times he'd been around a pool or a river he had always wanted to try, but there was something...humiliating about the experience that he couldn't quite get over, but this was Kaile. Kaile was his best friend, if someone was going to do it, then it would probably be her.

"Alright." He said hesitantly. "Before we leave."

Shifting slightly Kurt looked at the ocean that was behind them.

"Not today though. Too stressful." With all that happened already today...the adventures they'd had, he figured that it was time they relaxed a bit and just let go, not add to the stress that they had already experienced earlier.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


He said okay!

That by far made her ecstatic. The feeling went bubbling up her and she just couldn’t contain herself. Reaching over, she threw her arms around him, pressing herself close.

“Okay! You won’t regret it!” she said with a broad grin, energy thrumming throughout her body from head to toe. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks pink. This was great!

She might have been a bit too excited compared to the more somber tone Kurt expressed, but for Kaile this meant something. It was a step into learning a skill he wasn’t too comfortable with. That he trusted her enough to allow her to teach him meant the ‘verse to her.

Taking a step back, she flashed him a wink,, “Okay… we can just be in the edge today. “ she brought her hands down, curling at the hem of her shirt. “But first…” The fabric went sailing over her head and onto the sand.

“I hate getting my clothes wet.” she teased, unbuttoning her shorts and dropping the zipper. Hooking her thumbs along the waistband, she slid them down. They puddled at her feet, where she used her good toe to swing it over to where her shirt was.

“Ready?” she grinned up at him

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt had already divested himself of his clothing, his jeans having been thrown away and his underwear being tossed along with them. The warm air of the planet seemed to gust alongside the shore, pushing against the beach at the same time as the waves from the ocean did. There was no hesitation on his part to enter the water. Kurt wasn't afraid of it like some might have been, he knew that as long as he kept his feet at least somewhat stable and remained in the shallow end he'd be fine.

The water lapped at his feet, curling around his toes and reaching up his legs.

He wondered briefly if it was always this way, this comforting. Water in such mass quantities was something that he'd only ever really dreamed of as a kid, an ocean, heck even a lake, was completely unheard of on Tatooine. If he told his younger self that one day he'd learn to swim? It likely would have earned him a scoff and the roll of an eye.

"Warm." Kurt said as he began to pass deeper into the water.

The beach seemed to fold around them, stretching out into a neat little cove and reaching to either side.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile was a splasher.

She went in with giddy enthusiasm and a whoop! Salt spray went in all different directions, her pert bottom moving along as she wadded in. The water was indeed warm, but there was still the initial shock of it. Again, the wild gesture of her hands by her chest, along with the hilarious expression of “ohmystars!”

Goosebumps ran down her body and flesh pebbled. Not to be out done by a bit of sea water, Kaile knew that the best method of handling the situation was to just go for it.

So she did.

In the next wave, Kaile dove right in. Her body curved under the water, feeling the push of the sea as the wave road to meet the shore. She swam, arms combing wide until she breached the surface. Her laugh echoed along with the rolling of waves. Wet hands came up as she bobbed in the water, rubbing the extra saltwater from her eyes.

“Oh it is pretty warm!” she yelled out to Kurt, slicking her hair back. As the wave receded, water went trickling down her shoulders and chest, tiny silver rivulets until the water lingered at about waist level.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt didn't dive in like Kaile, mostly because he would probably drown.

Instead The Courier wandered just deep enough so the water was nearly up to his waist, then, instead of jumping, he sat down. It was almost an instant rush as he became submerged in the water,a feeling of weightlessness, calm, and peace that he couldn't quite have described even if someone had asked him. Kurt allowed himself to land in the sandy bottom of the water, his eyes falling closed as his fingers dug into the fine grit and relaxation poured over him.

This was nice.

Almost perfect.

He wondered what it would have been life if Tatooine still had oceans like this, if the sandy deserts and the harsh rainless days would not have been so bad. Some assumed that Tatooine hadn't always been what it was now, but Kurt...Kurt didn't know. He loved his homeworld, but this...

This was something else.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile gave a giggle. Watching Kurt just plop down on the water, his shoulders and head just above the water line. He was an adorable sight. She would join him in a bit, but for now...

For now it was about stretching her legs and really enjoying the ocean. With a joyful sigh, the Lorrdian sank herself in the water. Diving in, she swam towards the depths. There was something magical about it all. That feeling of weightlessness. Underwater, she opened her eyes. While she couldn't quite see so clearly, she could still see well enough to keep track of where she was going.

Her hair came undone from her ponytail, and as she swam, it would fan out behind her and around her face. A few bubbles escaped her mouth, and she gave a closed mouth smile.

There was such a relaxing silence here. Off in the distance, Kaile would catch the colourful flecks and flashes of fish. Small kelp forests would sway to and fro as the waves rolled over head. She could hold her breath for some time, but unless she used the Force to aid her, she had her limit.

A thought came to mind at just how far she could hold it without tapping into it.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt just sat within the water.

It would have been nice to follow Kaile out into deeper bits of the cove, swim along with the fishes and dive down into the depths, but he didn't need it. The Courier was happy simply sitting here, smiling, looking like a fool with his eyes closed. No one could disturb him here, no one could wrest him from where he was, and most importantly no one could catch him. If only for a moment, if only for half a milisecond, Kurt felt like it was okay not to run.

He supposed that was the benefit of Paradise.

The courier wondered if it would ever be the same in the future, or if this was just another passing fancy that struck him now. The thought was a sad one, but he quickly pulled it away from his mind as he began to settle within the bottom of the cove. The current pushed at him, waves pulling and pressing against his chest.

This was nice.

It was relaxing.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

A few more meters of swimming. The burning in her lungs would start to build. Circling back, she floated under the water for a moment. It was odd. She was alone out here, but she didn't really feel like it. Maybe it was because Kurt was sitting by the shore. Or maybe it was because she was finally settling in. The worry and the stress of the previous two weeks had taken a toll on the Lorrdian. One could see in the weight she lost, in how it took a bit more for her smile to return.

Step by step, Kaile was coming into her own. The past year had led to several discoveries, much of those thanks to Kurt. What else would the next week bring? The next month? Things were changing. She could feel it. It was a time of change. For a brief moment, there was a shaft of fear within her heart. Thinking about the future and where that would place her wasn't ever really a consideration she ever had. Mainly because her life had been one mission after the next.

Now she had someone else in her life. Someone to be concerned over, that she cared about. One who was working alongside her now for the Alliance. He was her responsibility. That had some serious considerations and consequences with how things could unfold.

It troubled her.

Sinking down onto the bottom, her bare feet would touch sand. Staring up into the rippling surface, Kaile waited a few more seconds. Waited until her lungs protested and burned. Then when she couldn't take it any longer, she kicked off with all her might and shot herself up to the surface.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He wiggled his toes.

His mind had emptied of all thought.

His body was entirely relaxed.

And everything was perfection.

Kurt wasn't hungry, thirsty, or wanting. He seemed to have hit a certain type of nirvana. A place where he was perfectly content and happy, a place where no one could question him and he could question no one. It was perfect really, a serene sort of calm that could only come with the lapping of the waves against the sands, the sound of the wind rushing by his ears, and the seabirds in the distance. A deep sigh escaped him, his body relaxing even more.

Yeah.

He could get used to this.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

A gasp for breath ripped from Kaile's throat as she breached the surface anew. Air filled her lungs, and she quickly sank back down before she managed to bob her way up. Hands slipped her wet hair and water away from her face. Eyes would blink rapidly, taking everything in. The sun glinted over the surface of the water, catching in her eyes.

Finding her orientation to the shore, Kaile would wade in the water for a few moments. She found Kurt, still in the same spot relaxing. The corner of her mouth drew up, a dimple flashed. Slowly, the Lorrdian began the swim back over towards the courier. This time around, there was no wild splashing. No energetic whoop or cry of delight. Instead, Kaile rode the waves, coming to to a slow half crawl as the sandy bank met her feet.

She slid herself up quietly beside him, a lap of water as she sat herself down. Palms sank into soft sand, long legs stretching out in front of her.

It was nice.

This was nice.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He felt the lap of waves as Kaile found her way over back towards him, the small pick up of water sloshing about him and against his chest even as she came to a halt right besides him. He didn't feel the need to say anything, didn't feel the need to quip or joke, didn't even want to say a single word. That was perhaps odd for him, but in that moment he was happy enough to simply stay silent, to simply listen, watch, and observe the ocean around them.

This was a happy moment.

A good moment.

A moment that they severely needed after the events of the past few weeks. Perhaps that was why people went on these kinds of vacations, why they felt the need to get away. Kurt and Kaile had stuck themselves into the middle of paradise, had folded themselves into something that in this galaxy was utterly unique and almost unheard of.

True peace.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Glancing over at Kurt, Kaile could only just smile.

He had such an expression of utter peace. Of relaxation. In her time with Kurt, she'd never seen him truly with such a relaxed expression, as if all his worries had floated away with the sea.

It warmed her heart. It made her happy. Content. Yes, content. No other desire but to see him continue so. There was a selfish desire to reach out and hold his hand, to share in the moment with him. However, it warred with the knowledge that perhaps this was for himself alone. To enjoy that moment.

I'm just glad to be here with him, the thought would float in her mind. No other ambition than that. If he so wanted to invite her to join in that, he would say so himself. Otherwise, she was glad to simply sit her beside him, the waves lapping up around them.

A soft breeze blew, and Kaile shut her eyes to lift her face to it. The warmth of the sun and the caress of the wind kissed her face.

In a galaxy that was in the throes of war, here, with Kurt, she was at peace.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Eventually the two of them had left the expanse of the ocean, heading back towards The Messa and holing themselves up within the warmth of the ship. The air here in paradise mostly remained the same, humid and hot enough to make one think that their skin was sticking to the air itself, Kurt found it to be rather pleasant.

The one flaw about his home had always been the dryness of the desert.

He himself had gotten used to it ages ago, knowing full well that his skin and lips could handle the lack of moisture in the air, but it also meant that Tatooine often got beyond cold at night. It was not uncommon for frost to form within the desert, but here, here on this island, the warmth seemed to stick. It was nice, the ability to talk out into the night and not be bundled in three different layers of clothing.

It made him feel oddly safe.

Calm.

"Whats for food?" Kurt asked silently as he leaned against the support strut of The Messa's landing ramp.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


“Curry.”

Kaile’s answer followed the sound of a bucket being set between her legs from her mini excursion. In it were fresh sand clams, a few shrimp she managed to catch, and a large flat fish. She had a fresh coconut, and earlier, she had nabbed a few palm fronds.

One thing that being a waitress in several different diners and dives gave as a perk, was the ability to scrounge up a good menu option with what she could find. They had plenty of spices, rice, and a few dry goods. But with a little bit of fresh food, Kaile would be able to make a decent seafood curry.

“Think you can make the rice while I take care of the rest?” Kaile would offer to Kurt as an option, wiping the streak of sand of her cheek with one hand. Collecting what she could took the better part of a few hours. Cleaning the fish, clams, and prepping the coconut likely one more.

She plopped herself down on her seat. It was better to take care of this outside in the beach than inside the ship. Fish and clams didn’t quite make the neatest or the best smelling of scenarios.

Beside her was a large bowl, and in her hand she had one of her multipurpose hand tools. Grabbing one washed clam, she began to shuck.

“Shouldn’t take me too long.” she assured him, flashing him a smile.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Rice?

That was easy enough, they had bought a Rice Maker way back on one of the junk worlds that they had visited. The thing was old, and it took about twenty minutes to make a single cup of rice, but it managed to make that cup of rice to utter perfection each and every single time. Kurt loved that thing, especially since Rice was cheap and the two of them could eat it plenty of different ways as to not get entirely sick of it. Shifting slightly, letting his gaze linger for a moment more Kurt turned into the ship.

"Sure." He said as he stepped back onto The Messa and headed into the kitchen.

The rice maker, luckily, had survived the great hyperspace solution, and within a moments time Kurt had managed to scoop up the small machine and put in two cups of rice. The plug was frayed and the wires inside were barely contained by a smattering of electric tape, but the little machine beeped into life as he plugged it in. A wide smile pulled on his face as he watched the tiny digital elephant dance across the display before quickly turning into a timer.

"How are you doing?" Kurt said as he wandered over to where she sat. "With everything I mean?"

He had never asked her that before, but apparently now was the right time.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


The question came out of the blue.

Kaile didn’t expect it.

Maybe it was a good thing too that he had gone back up into the ship. Out here, he wouldn’t be able to see her pause. Wouldn’t see her hands slow in between shucking a clam.

How am I doing?

The only thing she could say was the truth.

“I don’t know.” her voice would float over, quiet and contemplative. Brown hair fell forward as she lowered her head, brown eyes resting upon the pale white bivalve in her hand. A swipe ran in between the clam to pop it open. The slippery meat was neatly deposited into her bowl, while the shells were cast out to the side. Kaile didn’t know how she was doing. She was still figuring out things. Going through her emotions.

“I think I’m okay.” she began, hesitating a bit. Maybe it was easier because he couldn’t see her. Couldn’t read the confusion that ran across her face. The way her knee slowly began to shake. Or see how the bit of anxiety she felt bled through her gestures.


“But then I don’t.” another clam. A firm grip, the puncture, swipe, pop, and shuck.