Tents and Teradins

[Riamah]

That kiss lingered on and their bodies touched almost head to toe. At the earlier revelation, she did not fully know what her own feelings were. Ra only knew what was in front of her and in her mind.

No longer a stranger to passion, she conveyed this to Vulps. He was right, they probably wouldn't make it back to the tent right now. At least they could get out of the water though. With that thought when it felt right she started to move to the grass at the side of the lake. No irritating sand here to get into areas where there shouldn't be any.

With a sense of care they laid on the grass and even though she did not know how to do it, Lya was silent in her mind for the moment.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Falling with Ra into the cushions of Grass, Vulpesen lost himself in her. It was a risky thing to declare one's love, even when prompted. And despite what many thought, he wasn't one to take risks lightly, often weighting all options t take the safest course of action. That being said, sometimes one simply had to take a leap of faith, and if such a leap proved fruitful, the reward could often prove greater than one could imagine. Time lost all sense, and in the force he held nothing back, allowing everything to be seen as he got lost in the moment...

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

Eventually all things come to an end and this time did. Hours or days, it made little difference, but Ra didn't think it had been too very long. She felt it was the same day and knew there were more to come.

"It's going to take me a...a bit to understand fully. I do think with your help though, this will become clear."

Not moving at all, she a​lmost wanted her life to remain as it was with him. She didn't keep anything from him either and was entirely open. Easy to read for once and fully herself. A woman that was alone in her life and actually scared of being that way forever.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Tangled up in the grass at the shore of the pond, Vulpesen smiled brightly as he listened to Ra, his tail wagging beside them. "Well, I'm not going anywhere." Thinking back, they hadn't really set a time on the length of their little vacation. Vulpesen knew how to live off the land, and with the force, he was certain that if any supplies ran out, he'd easily replenish them. And for more complex comforts, he could always call in something from the city.

"I think our vacation here's off to a good start. What about you?" With a lopsided grin, he pulled her in for a kiss, his arm wrapped the middle of her back. Somewhere, he could sense that Ace and company had wandered into the forest, using Shadow as their protection while they explored and offered the pair a bit of privacy. While Vulpesen and Ace had trained themselves to sense each other over massive distances, one of the benefits of being new to the bond was that Ra and Lyra could be afforded some time alone, if they simply walked far enough.

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

Laying on the grass was an interesting sensation. Coming from a world with no plant life and never been one with nature really...this was new. Oddly comfortable, it was also helpful that Vulps was there. His presence added to that feeling.

Chuckling at his words about not going anywhere, she kept that smile on when he asked about the start of the vacation. Resting her head on her arms she looked at him with her eyes sparkling.

"I can't think of a better way."

 

[Vulpesen]

With their first bit of fun done, Vulpesen noticed that their shadows were growing long across the ground as the sun touched the tips of the trees. Eventually, the sun would sink lower into the first night, leaving the pair to look up at the stars. Ever since he was young, Vulpesen had been fascinated with their beauty, often finding the most remote places he could, just to get a clear view of the galaxy above him. Funny how one of life's great pleasures can be enhanced so much when shared with a gorgeous woman.

As the sun rose on the the next morning, Vulpesen let out a groan as the light touched his eyelids. He wasn't really a morning person, but as his golden eyes opened in their attempts to outshine the morning sun, he found himself graced with the view of Ra, once more laying beside him, a sight that caused his blanket to shuffle as his tail wagged beneath it. "Good morning, beautiful."

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

Ra noticed something...while preperation for camping had taken them a short time to get everything together, it seemed that almost each time she visited Veradune, they ended up in eaach other's arms very quickly.

The previous night had passed in comfortable company and companionship. Quiet conversation about the stars and dreams and even mutually shared pasts of being merchants.

Turning over to look at him as he spoke, she was pretty much wide awake, bright eyed and bushy tailed...if she had a tail.

"Sleep well? I certainly did."

 

[Vulpesen]

Good to hear. Stretching out a bit, Vulpesen groaned as he heard a chorus of clicks and cracks coming from his bones and joints. He had gotten used to his soft bed at home, but he still enjoyed sleeping on a tent floor with only the grass below and a few blankets as cushion. There was something different about the kinks that one got in their muscles and bones after such a night. It wasn't persistent or painful. It simply waited to be released, and when it was, the feeling was heavenly. His stretching continued for a few more moments and his hands bared their claws while his tail flicked out to meet the day, shaking out a bit with the fur fluffing up. Them all at once, he recoiled back into himself and sat up, once again looking back to Ra. "So, anything you'd like to do today?"

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

She joined him in that stretch, but it wasn't quite as large for her. Maybe it was bone structure or size, she didn't know. Either way, it was a great feeling. Lya had slept around her head as much as possible and looked at them as they came to their senses.

"How about some food? I'm starved. Also no clue what there is to do. Appears to be a nice day out right now at least. I would like to learn that blocking technique though at some point."

Lya did a little huff and fluffed her tail, but she was curious about the game mentioned before.

 

[Vulpesen]

As soon as food was mentioned, Vulpesen heard his stomach rumble. Funny how even after years of being a zorren, he still hadn't gotten completely used to eating in the morning. "Yeah, food sounds great." Reaching into his pack, Vulpesen pulled out several ration packs, as well as a canteen. Breakfast in the woods wasn't the most glamorous thing, but it was necessary. Dinner however, was often freshly cooked. "And I'm sure Ace and I can offer y'all a few pointers."
[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

Thankful he had brought food, Ra accepted the ration bar. It might not be much, but it would get the job done. Keep hunger away for a few hours at least. She was comfortable and almost wished this could last forever. Maybe not the whole camping thing, but away part. Without worries or troubles. She knew it wouldn't so figured she would just enjoy it for as long as possible.

"Is this the same for everybody? The connection and having to figure out how to keep them out?"

Reaching out to Lya, she pet her companion to make up for any hurt feelings and smiled as she looked at her.

 

[Vulpesen]

"I'm sure that some keep the bond open, particularly when the Ashlans bond with something like an Ysalimiri. But you and I can lead dangerous lives. People are always shooting at me, and you've had a price on your head. Before we learned to block eachother out, Ace felt every shot that burned itself into my arms and legs. So it's not always about privacy. Sometimes it's about survival and sanity." Vulpesen's face turned a little red as something occurred to him. "Lyra might have a bit of practice with blocking since she lived in the conclave, but there is a chance she felt everything yesterday. Or at least, got a few images." Sitting up fully, Vulpesen turned to face Ra as he sat in the tent with her, explaining how the bond worked.
[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

What he pointed out wasn't something Ra had known or thought of. To have her pain shared wasn't something she would have known to be possible. Glad to not have that bond when she had to go into hiding, Lya would not have liked what happened.

When he blushed a little and then said she probably picked up on the day before, she chuckled a little. In the past, it would likely have turned her red, but Ra had changed a bit. Still awkward at times, but getting over much of that.

"I don't think she minded though."

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"Well, it certainly offered a distraction." Vulpesen took another bite of his rations. Larger than most, it was made for the Zorren appetite, designed to keep up with his rapid metabolism. "In any case, I don't think learning to block her out will be too difficult. Lyra will have a head start since she grew up like this.But Ace and I can help impart the ideas of how its done."

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

Laughing and shaking her head slightly, Ra continued to eat the bar provided for her. She didn't actually notice the size difference, but that might be because she didn't often eat them and they had skipped dinner the night before. So was really hungry.

"It shouldn't be, but it'll be fun to do it."

She was a very stubborn person but that didn't mean anything in her mental capabilities. So this might take her longer than it would Lya.
​
[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

Wolfing down the rest of his breakfast, Vulpesen moved to a kneeling position, his hands in his lap while Ace's blue form, having been a sentry throughout the night, moved into the tent to join them. "Sorry pal. I promise you'll get some sleep soon." Ace had long ago become a sort of last defense for his bondmate, staying up through the night to ensure that none snuck up on his companion. While he was usually rested up for such watches, yesterday's excitement with Lyra and Shadow had obviously had an effect. No doubt he would be asleep throughout the day after this brief stint of training. "No time like the present."

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

"Wouldn't it be easier to break through when they are tired?"

​She watched as the sleepy Ace came into the tent and wandered into Vulps' waiting hands.

"Hey I know you two have yours worked out well enough. I don't with her. So how are you going to use your relationship you have with him as an example?"

Truly confused, she looked between Lya, Ace and Vulps.

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

"It certainly is, but we're not trying to break through, only teach basic blocking." Reaching out, Vulpesen let a trickle of the force clow from him and into Ace, rejuvenating his friend at least a bit before he continued. "We can't really show you how to block. But we can explain it. Its' amazing how many things get lost i translation when you're restricted to using words. Thankfully, we don't have that problem. So if you just relax for a moment and focus your thoughts on Lya. This should go fairly fast. "

Giving Ra a moment to do this, Vulpesen would then send his thoughts through the link. He was bound to Ace, making him the only ashlan he could communicate with. But while Vulps was stuck with only Ace in his head, all Ashlans could speak to each other. As soon as the images and ideas flowed from his mind into Ace's, the wolf would pass the message onto Lya who could in turn send it to Ra. In moments, an entire process could be placed into her mind. Ideas of retreating back while building a wall. The image of the doors on either side of a tunnel being shut. To use words would have been clumsy, and would likely required quite a bit of explaining to get across. But in this way, it was almost as if Ra could experience Vulpesen's process first hand, feeding directly from his experience.

[member="Riamah"]

 

[Riamah]

"Oh I see."

And that was about all​ she was able to get out before the message was quickly passed along. His request for her to focus on Lya was done pretty much right away since they were so close and the bond was still new.

It was the concept only and would take practice to get all the kinks worked out fully. Until then their mind spaces would be shared all the time.

"Can dreams come across? Like if either of us have a nightmare or something?"

[member="Vulpesen"]

 

[Vulpesen]

With the example shown, Vulpesen retreated back to himself, allowing Ra to practice on her own, or voice questions like the one she posed to him soon after. "Ace and I have peered into each other's dreams. But we've noticed some sort of natural wall that lies between us and our thoughts in such a state. It's likely there to help us sleep when we want. Still, if you ever want to watch a very trippy holofilm, you can always peer into Lya's head at midnight."

[member="Riamah"]