A Master and His Canvas (Warning: Mature Content)

[Jaycy Ashleana]

Great minds think alike, the sudden thought brought a wicked grin to his face as he returned her kiss, wrapped arms sliding underneath her shirt. She'd have long since figured out his addiction to the touch of her skin, whether it be the firmer, toned reaches or the softer, more sensitive places. Both were quite adored by his travelling fingertips. The taste of her lips and tongue was the only thing keeping her shirt on at all, as he couldn't bring himself to break the kiss even for a moment. Not yet. Slow, careful backward steps led them toward the couch, as the 'bed table' was currently covered with swords.

She never came with the bomber jacket, that was one less thing for either of them to deal with. She also left without any of those strips of cloth; mayhap she was driven in some way. She didn't think he'd complain, though. As they walked, she snuck both hands under the waistband of his pants, pressing fingers into his skin. The hands then moved inward, under the pants, to meet where the zipper was. They wiggled, tickling, then withdrew so she could unzip the pants, unbutton them, and push them down off his hips as they walked. The kiss ... she too refused to pull back from it, making little whimpering sounds deep within her throat as it intensified.

As always, he wore nothing underneath, and the moment his pants hit the floor he was naked as the day he was born, save the few adornments he almost never removed. "Mmm..." Accidental or not... probably not... he rubbed against her a few times along the way, obviously frustrated by the denim that separated them. As they reached the couch, he could no longer resist the urge to get that bothersome shirt out of the way, and if she couldn't let go of his lips, Vorn would rend it from her body instead.

She could let go; she did let go ... even if it was reluctant. She allowed him to pull off the shirt and expose her upper body. But then, close enough to the couch she took him by his now-bared hips and turned him about before lightly pushing him back to get him settled down on the couch as she stood over him, panting slightly.

Vorn's eyes, as always, drifted over her body as he seized the waist of her jeans, unbuttoning, and unzipping... but he paused before he went any further. Those black eyes burned as they met green and gold, and three simple words carried the weight of the world itself: "I love you."

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise; she didn't expect it said before and in the heat of the moment she certainly didn't expect him to stop to do it ... and they made her freeze. Freeze, and inwardly melt. "Oh, love," she breathed. It was the way he said it; the timing and the tone. And it made her completely forget her plan, her intent ... to kneel before him and take him into her mouth before they joined more intimately. But with those words came a subtle shift. She reached for his hands with both of hers, to take them and squeeze them before releasing. Then she leaned down, to remove her boots and then slide the jeans down her legs herself. Like him, there was nothing underneath - and that was nothing unusual. She kicked them off, then moved forward a step. Within his reach, she waited for him to pull her down, either into his lap or next to him so he could gently lay over her.

In his lap is exactly where he wanted her, and he pulled her gently to straddle him, but not quite enough for their hips to meet. They had all night, and something in her tone had changed his intent as well. He would adore and treasure her tonight, every inch of skin, every little sound, every loving touch. There were no more words, his lips sought hers out in a tender kiss, one arm wrapped around her and the other buried in her hair to press her to his mouth just so.

She leaned forward, settling squarely on him, pressing breasts to his chest - though not hard, not tight against him, but lightly. Indeed, no more words were needed; their moods and bodies aligned as swiftly as a thought. She explored his mouth, gently tasting, tongue peeking out through opened lips, seeking his. Her hands came up to rest on his shoulders, turning in toward his neck.

Vorn yielded contently to every motion, every advance, melting into her body in every way he was capable. While he would most certainly take his time, he could wait no longer. Shifting his hips beneath her, he sought to make good the promise of the first of two things they'd decided to do tonight... and it could be quite some time before it was time to give thought to the next.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

She stretched a moment, then resumed her contented curled position atop him. They remained on the couch, Vorn stretched out carelessly beneath her. His arm curled around her back, lightly holding her onto his chest, the hand of his other blindly tracing the outline of his work on her skin. She turned her head into his chest, nuzzling lightly. "Mmm." Her breathing was slowly returning to normal, tiny shudders occasionally coursing through her. "Ah, love." Those three important words hung on her lips but she didn't release them. She didn't need to; the warmth, the feeling were plain enough.

Her head, her lips out of his reach, Vorn's hand that traced her side found a hand to bring to his lips, a series of soft kisses laid to her fingertips. "...y'asked me what I wanted, love... what I truly wanted..." He spoke softly, between the occupation of his lips, "...this." Not just the sex... although it had been much more than just sex for some time now... but the content, the closeness, the euphoria. The love that poured from one to the other and back, as sure as the pulsing of the blood through their veins. "...this is all I've wanted... since th'night I laid eyes on ya."

"Mm?" It was a question without actual words and she lifted her head to peer at him. Her hand curled lightly at the kisses, and she offered him a small smile. "You've wanted this since the dancing lesson?" She teased gently, "I'd have sworn all you wanted was my body that night and you didn't want anything more until, oh, a week later." She chuckled, then the smile faded as she made her admission. "I didn't want this with you; but I knew very quickly I couldn't avoid it. And I don't regret it."

His brows quirked, face twisting somewhat, but he pushed away the thoughts that came. "Mmm... no, that's not quite right. It was th'night o'th'dance. When y'broke yer rule an' kissed me. I've 'ad many a lover, an' not one... ever kissed me like that." The drilling, searching look met her gaze again then. "Even then, was it only th'lust? It felt like... more." A gentle, reassuring stroke of her cheek came with the question, hoping to reassure her that there was no wrong answer.

Her eyes flitted closed for a second and she turned to kiss the caressing hand before she looked toward him again. "If it was only lust I wouldn't have kissed you." Lust, she could control. "No, I knew it was more the night you told me you were mine - the bonfire." She stretched, to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

His eyes closed for a moment, and while the burning question still would not silence itself, he first took the moment to simply bask in this. Happiness had never come easily to him, and now that he'd found it, he'd not easily let go. Still, he had to ask. That hand was stroking, reassuring, before the words even came; again, there was no wrong answer. "Why didn't y'want this?" His voice was low, even, and untempered as he spoke, and his eyes were soft and full of adoration. It was a fragile question, and he poured every ounce of energy into letting her know he would not reject her, no matter what the answer may be.

"Because I didn't want to see either of us hurt." Because of what she'd known him to be - a free spirit who'd never be tied to another, emotionally or otherwise; because of Psly and Kel. "Casual relationships, bedpartners, they're one thing. To share the heart deeply, though..." she trailed off, turning her eyes down and away from him before returning to meet his black gaze. She offered him a slight smile, once more kissing the same corner of his mouth. "No matter why, I'm all the happier that it did happen." As long as she could make it work and not cause damage.

"I'll make y'this promise, love. I'll do whatever's within m'power t'never, ever, hurt you. Nothin' in m'life has made me so happy as I've been with you, an' I never want it t'end." He couldn't promise it would never happen, but he would damn sure try as hard as he could to prevent it. With the last of his words, his eyes closed as fingers drifted to and fro through her hair, reveling in her warmth, her touch, her everything. The thought eventually would occur to them that they were supposed to do something else tonight, but for now, he was content. More so than he'd ever been. He would leave it to Jaycy to take them to their next destination.

A finger was brought to his lips, so-gently quieting him. "No promises needed, Vorn, unless it's a promise to talk to each other if we ever do hurt the other." That was so much like her request to talk to her, ask her before getting upset about something. But now it was meant to go both ways. "And that, I promise." Her finger swept over his lips, then she scooted up his chest to grace him with a proper kiss, short though it was. She watched him a moment, then smiled once more. "I saw Lilli last night, by the way." Her cheeks flushed, slightly. "She asked me if you were being nice. And somehow everything she said turned my thoughts to you, and made me blush in front of her.” After a moment, she remembered something else. "And she said her mother is in town already."

[Jaycy Ashleana]

"Y'really think o'me so?" He returned that kiss, then grinned slightly at the rest. "I knew she was on 'er way... after all, sh'sent me t'get th'dirt on Lilli's big ol' scaly lover... an' I never gave 'er th'news. I promised I'd let Lilli do it 'erself." Then, with a patently mischievous quirk, he couldn't help but ask, "...so what did y'tell 'er about me bein'... nice?"

"I don't think you'd want to. But it's just the nature of people, aye? I trust you enough to think you wouldn't and don't look for it to happen, and I love you enough to not just walk away if it does." She stated one last piece, then shifted completely to the second subject. "I told her you were; that you were absolutely delightful and I loved you. She didn't seem to note the last part." Then, she grinned herself. "She also told me you were supposed to spy for her mother - and I said it seemed you'd been very busy lately, mayhap too busy to tell her mother anything of note."

"Yeah, I've been a bit busy, haven't I?" He grinned, laying another soft kiss to her forehead. "S'pose I just wasn't cut out for th'spyin game, eh?" It took a moment before the other detail she'd told Lilli actually clicked in his mind. "Y'told 'er y'love me..." The rest didn't seem to matter, and he couldn't have cared less that Lilli may have glossed over it; it was the thought itself that played Vorn's strings like a harp. It seemed to strike him deeply, and he pressed a spellbound kiss to her lips. For some reason it was truly significant, although he made no attempt to explain it. His cradling arm simply squeezed her a little tighter for a moment through that kiss before his eyes closed and he laid his head back in silence.

She didn't return the kiss, brows furrowing, but she didn't deny him such either. "I tried to keep it lighter, so she wouldn't immediately understand what had happened if you didn't want her to know. Should I not have said it at all?" She tensed slightly on top of him, not quite understanding his reaction, wondering if she'd done something wrong.

"Oh, by th'nine, no, no..." Shaking his head, he touched a fingertip to her lips. The gesture and the warmth of his smile that followed would likely answer the question better than words ever could, but still he would try to answer. It was difficult, and he searched hard for the words, fumbling his way through. "Love... I just..." A soft laugh escaped him despite his best efforts to stifle it. "It's quite the opposite, Jaycy. I'm hon'red y'd say such t'm'family. More than hon'red. I don't..." Of course, when he needed them most, words just failed him. "...I wish I could explain it... but please believe me when I say y'did nothin' wrong." Vorn was completely sputtering at this point, but driven into the red by the desperate need to relieve her tension. "Nothin' at all."

She relaxed, and pursed her lips to kiss that fingertip so gently against them. "I believe you," she assured quietly, to still his need for more words. "I'd say it honestly if they asked - even at the risk of ruining your reputation by feeling the need to add that it's mutual." She ducked her head, kissing his chest - right over that blade-ringed star. Then, she shifted, legs extending, until she was laying on her stomach on his chest rather than on her side curled on him. "Are you hungry?" The second of three options; it was very likely that it was too late for the first option - the tattoo - so that left food or remaining where they were.

"I could eat..." He licked his lips in a completely ridiculous, exaggerated manner that jokingly suggested food wasn't part of the equation. The thought did give him pause, however. Obviously they'd need to eat at some point, but this place beneath her was truly heaven on earth. Do I really want to move? Ever again?

She gave a truly overdramatic sigh, then chuckled and made to slide off of him. "Alright. Somewhere out, or come back here?"

Before she slid away, he made every attempt to catch her in his arms, his eyes filled with that deep, penetrating gaze once more. Should she not resist, he kissed her once more, his eyes closing, embrace tightening, a deep, living thing like the kiss that night in the alley. It was meant to catch her off guard, meant to send a message. He knew no other way to show her how much tonight meant to him.

She didn't resist, of course, turning back and into his arms. His goal accomplished, she gave a little meep of surprise in the kiss ... and then surrendered to it. Hands came up, both of them, and alternately tangled in his hair and smoothed it down, as much as they could with him laying down. As the night in the alley, her heart went with that kiss; how much he meant to her was what she hoped to convey. A part of her wouldn't stop reinforcing the words she'd said all the times previous until he stopped questioning his place with her. She tried to tell him, show him, that she understood, too.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

It would last a while, but when finally they came up for air, Vorn only smiled and slowly released her. Reluctantly, of course, as it always was when he had her like this, but not like before tonight. He knew there would be many more nights like this. "Alright love, let's feed ya... wouldn't want y'wastin' away on me."

A soft sigh at the end. Her hands slowly withdrew from his hair, down his neck. She then slid off him, stepping back a pace to give him room to sit and then stand. Her hands extended to help him in the process, too. "I could say the same about you." She grinned slightly. "If I had to, I could go a few days without food ... as long as I hunted at the end of it." She shrugged slightly. "What are you hungry for?"

"Besides me," she added quickly.

A slight pull at her hands teased at pulling her back down, but he grinned and was standing in the blink of an eye, fully dressed... or as much so as he ever truly was... still eyeing her naked body. "...damn, y'took th'best special off th'menu... an' nothin' else looks near as appetizin'..."

She rolled her eyes, chuckling, and turned to find her own clothes. Luckily they hadn't been ripped to shreds. Gathering the shirt and jeans, she swiftly donned them. "You're insatiable. If I hadn't learned it firsthand, I wouldn't have believed it when you made a comment to Alenka about dancing but a few moments before coming to the lesson." She slanted him a teasing look, taking up her boots and tugging them on. "Now be helpful and answer the question." She made a face at him, playful.

"Why's ev'ryone always callin' me that?" He snickered, shaking his head. "An'... well, yer gonna laugh at this, but most o'm'food comes from th'caravan or th'inn." He certainly didn't keep any here. "Other than th'sidewalk stands, I don't know o'much. Why don't y'take me somewhere? I've never been on yer motor--" He shook his head then, realizing she hadn't driven it. "Hmm. Somethin' nearby then, 'less y'like th'wind tearin' at ya like a demon. 's not easy carryin' one at m'speed..."

"Just no damn pizza. 's'all I've had two damn days in a row," he laughed, lifting the couch slightly to reveal four empty boxes he'd shoved underneath.

She grinned, gaze darting toward the boxes and then back to him. "I could have the bike come here, if you want to wait a few minutes." Ah, the benefits to having a tech-savvy man in her life; she'd finally learned the joys of automated things. "Or we can walk around and pick something that strikes our fancy?" She offered in the alternative. "I don't necessarily feel like losing all my skin from you carrying me." Her grin widened a fraction.

"Oh hell no," there was that inflection again, along with a slick grin. "Yer skin's way too precious, love." Fingertips slid through her hair to trace thin lines down the side of her neck as he spoke. "Walkin' it is." From his closet he produced an old black shirt that was missing all its buttons, throwing it on along with his boots, then he was at her side once again, offering his arm. "Shall we?"

"Oh, good, now I can look somewhere besides your chest," she quipped with the donning of the black shirt. She slid an arm through his, then reached across herself to rest her other hand on it. "Lead on, love." An unconscious echo of an earlier night. "I almost only want dessert. Something .... sweet." She chuckled, taking the first step toward the door even though she'd indicated for him to lead.

Behind him he shut the door almost as an afterthought; it was an abandoned building, after all. Setting off into the night, he was without much direction, more enjoying the walk itself than thinking of any particular destination. "Hm, y'know, I got t'thinkin... when were y'wantin' t'take that ride on th'boat?" The prospect had already turned into something special in his mind, even if only for the whirlwind of a night that surrounded her offer. Absent-minded as usual, he'd already forgotten they were supposed to be looking for food. She'd probably have to keep an eye out for something and just yank him over.

"Ship, Vorn," she corrected with a chuckle. "Not boat." It was something almost every real captain would likely have said in response to their pride and joy being called a 'boat.' "How about next Thursday?" She glanced over as they walked, gently stroking his arm in one an idle, thoughtless gesture. It was simply one of affection, the need for contact more prevalent than the need for him. The glance was a quick one, then she returned to her perusal of their surroundings.

"M'apologies, love," he smiled. "...an' I'd love that. Who'd all be comin' along?" Again, idle curiosity, although there was no keeping back that tiny hint to his voice that hoped it would just be the two of them. It was something he'd never say aloud, of course. Unfortunately, the thought snowballed once it started, and his expression quirked and smirked as he started imagining such things as Jaycy's mates, or Lilli and Z'ev making out on the deck, or who knows what else.

Another glance toward him; a curious one. "Do you want someone else to come with us?" She'd caught the hint in his tone, but his question seemed odd so she felt she had to put voice to it. She'd never thought of bringing anyone but him until that moment. "Well, I suppose I should say besides the crew, I mean." Steadily walking, slow but not pausing, she leaned a little into the arm - into his side - not touching but just seeking to get a little closer.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

Shit... Vorn blinked, eyes daring about like a trapped animal. Was it a loaded question? He couldn't tell, and for a long moment he chewed on his lip, wondering if this was a question that did have a wrong answer. No more secrets... His own damn voice hit him again, and forced him to spit out the truth and hope like hell it was what she wanted to hear. "Errr... no... I was just... hoping it would be just th'two of us..." His gaze to her was hopeful and nervous at the same time.

"Mmm." She smiled over to him. "That's all I had planned; just the two of us." And the crew. "I'd have said otherwise earlier, when I offered." She patted his arm gently, falling into quiet for a moment. "Though ... on a similar topic ..." she started, carefully. "Kel, at some point, would like to see you, talk to you." Her voice remained gentle; she took care not to tense so near him, to stay relaxed.

His mouth opened and clamped shut immediately. Again, that trapped animal expression. I... fuck, what do I say... "...why?" He managed after a very awkward silence. To his credit, it was at least a legitimate question, as he had no idea why the woman would ever want to see him again after that night.

"At the very least, to apologize. And also to get to know you better, I believe." Her steps slowed further, coming gently to a halt. "Ice cream?" She motioned toward the nearby shop sign, tilting her head toward him. She hadn't been kidding when she said she wanted something sweet.

"She's got nothin' t'apologize for," he sighed, shaking his head. "I fucked up an' it nearly cost us each other, an' I want nothin' more than t'put it b'hind us, love." He didn't address the second part, and thanked the discovery of the ice cream shop for the opportunity to sidestep it further. "Hmm... I wonder if they got th'mint one with th'liquor in it."

"So would I, but would it really be behind us if we don't face what's happened already?" A shrewd glance toward him. "What would you do if she and I were in the Inn and you came in? Or if we were there, and she came in?" She pulled away from his arm, gently, so that she could open the shop door. It was, luckily, one of those shops that never closed. With a little grin, she gallantly swept her arm toward the inside, motioning for him to precede her.

"...I thought we faced it, quite well, love." That much was honest. The alley... the kiss... the night in the bath... "It never was about her, y'know..." It was a bizarre feeling he dealt with, one he couldn't quite define. It wasn't jealousy anymore. Not after she'd bared his heart to him... not after those three words she greeted him with tonight. Once again, he struggled with words. "Y'told me there's a place in yer world for me... an' y've made me believe it. I truly do, Jaycy. I love you." A gentle caress of the hands that held his emphasized his speech as he stepped into the shop. "But... they... yer mates... they're another part o'it entirely. It seems like oil an' water. That's not th'part o'yer world for me t'be stickin' my fingers in." His eyes sank to the floor, as he wasn't even sure himself if that made any sense, and hadn't a clue as to how he could clear the mud.

She sighed softly, shaking her head a little. "Ah, love," escaped with her sigh, and she stepped a moment behind him into the shop. "We all live in the same city." Keeping them separate isn't going to be as easy as you anticipate. She left it at that, though, turning her gaze toward the sullen teenage demon draped across the counter. The kid - if he could be called that - looked up at the entering pair and simply stared. Jaycy chuckled, sidling closer.

"Oh, I've no crazy delusions o'livin' in a bubble, love... but is it..." This time he didn't struggle with the words, he just chose them carefully. He was quite aware that he walked on eggshells. "Is it wrong o'me t'want ya t'm'self... when yer with me?" He took a deep breath then, steadying himself. "I made y'th'promise I'd not intrude upon yer life w'yer mates, an' I intend t'keep t'it... it's just that somethin' in m'head..." Damn, I'm just digging my own grave here... "I should shut up..."

"Chocolate, please, two scoops in a bowl. With whipped cream." She placed her order with the blue-skinned boy, the cast a glance toward Vorn pointedly. Ice cream took priority ... or mayhap it was simply to get the kid moving and out of such easy listening range. The demon waited several seconds, staring, then finally hauled himself off the counter to comply. Satisfied, she turned to Vorn once more.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

"No, it's not wrong of you at all. I can say I've no doubt I'd feel the same. But I'd never think for you to ignore your other lovers if they happened where we were. Nor would I want you to specifically ignore me if you were with another one." She lifted her free hand to stall a protest. "I know, love, that you implied I would always come first before someone else, but I don't always want to come first. Sometimes I'd just want to give you a kiss and then have you enjoy your evening without it being ruined because I came." She sighed. "I fear that if I'm with them, you'd never come near me."

"If I stay away when yer with th'others... it's not 'cause..." Frustrated, he buried a hand in his hair with a deep sigh. "I... just don't want t'put m'self in that place. I don't want t'intrude... yer time with them is precious t'ya. I just don't feel like it's m'place."

"...an' if y'caught me w'another woman... I'd do what I always do... I'd introduce ya, maybe give y'a kiss, an' she an' I'd finish our time t'gether... provided she didn't run off on me when she saw I's in love with someone else."

The lad thumped the ordered bowl of ice cream on the counter and started expectantly at Vorn. He still hadn't said a word, of course. Talons tapped against the granite tunelessly as he waited, clearly ready for them to be done and gone. Jaycy shook her head once more. "Trust me to say when you're intruding or not, aye? Because one of the things Kel wants to tell you is that she wouldn't intrude on our time together." Both of them silly, and me caught in the middle. "Are you ordering, or are we sharing?"

"Besides," she added. "You may even find new friends if you give them a chance for themselves."

A glance at the card gave him the slightest of a smile; they did indeed have just what he was looking for. "An' after eight, heavy on th'schnapps, an' sorry for th'wait." Back to Jaycy, he sighed softly, defeated. "I'll... try, love. It just... seems... bizarre." In truth, he was having a difficult time understanding why this was important to her, and it showed. When he saw her and Kel together, their thoughts bleeding into one another, constantly in each other's arms, he felt like an outsider. "If y'could tell me... why's it that y'want this? I won't fight y'on it... I just want t'understand."

The blue-skinned demon lad dropped Vorn's ice cream next to Jaycy's scoops on the counter. The small woman moved forward, digging into her jeans and pulling forth several coins. Those, she passed to the boy and then tugged both bowls closer, picking them up and then turning to offer Vorn's to him with a slight smile. She tilted her head toward a table, grabbed two spoons, then made her way to the indicated spot. Carefully she set the bowl down, sat, and took a bite while she waited for him to join her. Her eyes rolled back into her head a little with the bite, and she licked her lips. "Mmm."

Vorn followed, bowl in hand, but was too preoccupied to pay it much mind. Instead, he was looking for answers. He was always simple... in his mind, in his life, in his words and even in his art, although the results were often spectacular, his methods were always simple. Jaycy's latest notion, while he wouldn't outright reject it, was quite the monkey wrench. Not only did it break the simplicity, but it went against a premise that he held by quite firmly – if it ain't broke, don't fix it. In silence, he awaited an answer, still hopeful that she'd find a way to let this go.

She took one more bite, savoring it a moment before turning her gaze toward him. She offered a gentle, soft smile - a reassuring smile, she hoped. It faded, though, as she resumed the discussion. "I ... not too long ago ... knew people in a similar situation. Two women cared for each other, wanted each other. But one was already in a relationship. The man didn't mind the woman having others, but the third part .... she didn't want to interfere. So she stayed away; every time she saw them together, the other two, she would shrink back and avoid them. She was miserable. The partnered woman, too, was miserable because she saw this other woman less and less and the other woman kept backing away, saying she didn't want to interfere with the partners and their time together."

Brows crinkling and crumpling, Vorn shook his head. "That sounds like a diff'rent situation alt'gether, love... hell, 's like she spent so much time with th'one that th'other was left out. 's that what yer plannin' t'do?" He was beyond confused now, idly stirring the ice cream before him, his eyes never leaving hers.

She sighed, lips turning down. She seemed to be struggling for words; looking for the right way to explain her concerns. "No, I'm not. But on the other hand, I don't want to feel like we're confined to your studio, or can't share time in the Inn because one of them might walk in." She paused, taking another bite as she tried to figure out what she needed to say. "I don't want her to feel like she has to stay away because I'm with you, and I don't want you to feel you should stay away because I'm with her. Does that make some sense?"

[Jaycy Ashleana]

"It does, love. It does." His own thoughts were collected with a deep breath. "I told y'I'm done bein' jealous. I didn't know that night, but I do now." Another pause. If I only had th'words, I could make 'er understand... "An' o'course we don't have t'be confined t'th'studio... hell, we're out here now..." Frustration was setting in, not with her, but with himself. Why can't I just say it... "An' no... I don't want 'er t'feel that way either... I just..." Fuck... fuck fuck fuck! "I don't know what th'hell I'm tryin' t'say. I feel it, I know it, I just don't have th'damn words..." Head sinking into his hands once again, he gave a weak, ragged sigh of resignation, completely oblivious of the melting cream before him.

"Vorn," she beseeched quietly, setting down her spoon and reaching for one of his hands, leaning forward - almost into her bowl of ice cream, but not quite. She didn't notice. "Vorn, love... look at me, please?" She sighed yet again, finding herself without the words she needed. "Neither of us have the words. There may not be words we can say. We never expected this, couldn't prepare for it ... and honestly we're going to just take things as they come. I'm not asking you to be her friend. I'm not asking you to force yourself to be around her when she's with me, or at all. I'm just ..." She shook her head slowly. "... trying to keep us all from ending up miserable and hating each other because it hurts."

He brought his eyes up to meet hers, how could he not after she'd so urgently bid him? Listening intently, every inflection of every word registering deeply, Vorn kept silent for quite the long moment after she'd finished. "...an' honestly, love... I feel th'best way we can do that... is t'keep it simple. Don't try t'mix th'oil an' th'water, 'cause it never works. I'll always be here. Whenever y'want me, an' I won't drift away. But yer time with them's just as important, an' 's not m'place. Y'know I'm right, Jaycy. We do this right an' no one gets hurt. An' y'll always know I love you."

"If we're out in th'inn, an' I see y'with Kel, or Psly, or... anyone, for that matter," he shrugged, more or less indicating that he wouldn't judge her even if she had fifty men and women lined up at the door, "I'll not turn 'round and disappear, but... I'm also not gonna bury m'self in yer arms an' d'mand yer attention... 'cause that's not m'time." He realized too late, of course, the veiled accusation he'd made, and clenched his teeth, wishing he could take it back. "Fuck... I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." His head slumped once more. I just can't do anything right t'night...

Green-gold met black for a long moment before she acquiesced to his first words, offering a slight nod. Then, though, he continued, and she sighed. He may have said too much, but she did understand ... to a degree, at least. When she answered, however, her words were slightly more firm than any other tone she's had with him. "When we're in public, when I'm in public, I won't turn away from her if she demands my attention when I'm with you. But..." She paused, then continued, emphasizing every word, "... if I've said it's your time or that I was going home with you, I will not ignore you or forget you or even go back on that. I won't turn her away; I wouldn't push you away if you wanted to come hold me while I talked to her. You promised to trust me on that." Another pause, then she asked, "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No... damn it, no." Why do I keep fuckin' this up? "I'm sorry, I shouldn'ta said that... at least not like I did. I... just need t'shut up. Nothin' I say comes out right. I trust you. I believe you. Can y'do th'same for me? Can y'trust that I'll do whatever I can t'make sure no one gets hurt?"

"Aye, I can." She said almost immediately, and sincerely, seeking his hand with hers, expression softening. "I trust you, Vorn. We'll work things out." Somehow. I hope. She attempted another reassuring smile. "One day at a time, aye?" You're worth it. "Your ice cream is melting." Her smile grew, almost imperceptibly.

Damn the ice cream. In a flash, he'd rounded the table and was right next to her, kneeling slightly to look into her eyes, point blank. "I promse y'love. This'll work. I've never been s'certain o'anythin' in m'life." A hand reached up to brush against her cheek as he spoke, while the other took the one she'd offered with a soft squeeze. "All y'have t'do is believe."

"I believe it, Vorn." She said carefully, meeting his gaze. She didn't seem to react to the contact because she didn't want him to realize how aware of it she was, how attuned to it and how much it would distract her. If she allowed herself to be distracted, he might be too and she needed him to focus on her words. "It'll work, and that's why I mentioned your ice cream. You don't need to keep convincing me," she pointed out gently. "Really. I just want to enjoy the night with you, now."

[Jaycy Ashleana]

Of course, it was impulsive, but so was almost everything Vorn ever did. This time, however, her words settled differently. One last caress, and a kiss to her forehead, and he was back around the table. "...an' yea... it melted, but it's pretty damn good this way," he grinned, taking up the bowl and drinking from it. Greenish blue dripped from the corners of his mouth, but by the time he set the bowl down it was half gone, and the mess was easily enough taken care of with a wipe of his sleeve.

She rolled her eyes, but grinned at him. "That's messy and gross, love," she chided teasingly. Then she took another few bites of her own ice cream, eyes rolling back a little in her head. Yes, she did have a thing for chocolate. She took another spoonful but offered it toward him, brow lifting in silent question.

A poorly feigned pout quickly gave way to a playful smirk. "Y'make that sound like a bad thing, love... I thought th'messy an' gross was part o'm'charm..." Spooning up a bit of what was still solid after all his stirring, he returned the gesture, leaning forward as he did so. "I'll show y'mine if y'show me yers?" It was too silly, but he couldn't resist. This night needed some levity.

Her gaze flicked to the spoon he was extending to her. "I don't want to see, I want to taste." A playful lick of her lips, then she leaned forward, mouth opening, to take the spoon inside and curl her lips around the utensil. She pulled back from it, swallowed, then tongue darted out to the corner of her mouth. Her brow rose in challenge. Beat that.

Instead of taking her spoon into his mouth, his tongue flicked at it from a hundred directions at once, taking what she offered one neat piece at a time, until the spoon was clean and shining, save for a tiny bit at the end. One last flick of his tongue at the bottom of the spoon sent that last little bit flying, right onto her lips, and she'd feel him quite sensuously lick it from her... but even a trained eye would have had the most difficult time imaginable noticing that he'd ever even left his seat. His innocent smile practically painted a halo over his head.

She groaned, dropping the spoon into her bowl. "Wrong on so many levels," she mock-scowled at him. "You may have won the battle, Vorn, but the war ..." She suddenly grinned again, amusement lighting up her eyes. She took up the spoon and had another bite, then pointed with it toward the strips of cloth around his arms. "Why do you wear them? I know where they came from, obviously, and how you feel about the person you got them from .... but why wear them?" Curiosity reigned with the lightened mood.

"I'd damn sure hope y'd know where they came from," Vorn snickered, but it gave way quickly to a more thoughtful expression. It was obvious even he didn't know for sure. "I dunno, just seemed like th'thing t'do. 's like a piece o'ya t'carry 'round w'me. A beautiful memory."

A pause, and he continued, his eyes drifting off into space as he put his thoughts together. "Th'things I wear... they're 'bout survivin'. Makin' it through, Vorn against th'world. Then... y'came along..." His gaze centered on hers then, "...an' reminded me there's more t'life. 's kinda an odd thing t'wear, true... but it makes me think o'you, no matter where y'are, an' how y'gave me somethin' I never had b'fore."

A faint flush crossed her cheeks, and she ducked her head a moment before smiling at him. "Aye, a very beautiful one. Several, actually, though mayhaps the first two were the best." She finished her last bite of ice cream, sneaking a glance to see if anything remained in his bowl, listening at his words ... though they made her pause, and reach her free hand for his. "Thank you," she said simply, for the high compliment. "I'm glad I could give you something, as you've given me so much."

"Do you have a phone?" She asked after a moment, shifting subjects.

His brow quirked at that. "Errr, no... I don't. Had one a couple times, but never really used th'damn thing... ended up tossin' 'em. When y'get 'round like I do, y'don't really need one anyway. Who would y'be callin' at this hour anyway?" He still, of course, took the offered hand in both of his, softly stroking even as the gears in his mind were hard at work to figure out who would even answer this time of night.

She grinned, just a little. "Only you. I keep one, only for emergencies. We'd had it in case I needed to talk to Neo about Kel and he wasn't right there. I was going to give you that way to reach me, but since you don't have one..." She trailed off, chuckling, and then reached with her free hand into the pocket of her jeans. "... I have something else."

A moment later she withdrew a crystal; almost a transparent pale yellow. It was short, cylindrical, with a blunt point at each end. Silver wires curled around it, making a cage should he ever want to add a chain to it to wear. "No matter where you are, just whisper into this and I'll hear you, and we can talk." She paused, then added as she offered him the crystal in the open palm of her free hand, "... of course, if I'm sleeping or too busy or something's wrong I won't answer; it's like a phone in that regard."

[Jaycy Ashleana]

Slowly, he took the crystal, examining it for a long moment before his eyes drifted back to the green and gold he'd come to adore. "Is this... are y'sure?" His other hand clasped hers warmly, but the question was clear: The one-way nature of things is something I can live with, and happily. Are you sure you want to open this door? This time, however, he would take her answer, one way or another, and trust it.

She may have understood the words in the unspoken question, but she didn't seem to understand the meaning behind them. Her brows furrowed with confusion and she canted her head to the side. "Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"'cause th'time may come... when I 'call' ya... an wanna do more than talk..." His version of showing up unannounced at the studio, perhaps? It was something, until now, he'd considered completely off-limits.

"Why do you think I'm giving you a way to contact me?" The brows remained furrowed - she seemed truly confused as to why he needed to ask that question. "As I said, love, it has the same properties as a phone. I can either just not answer, if I'm busy, or I can tell you I can't come. But I'd like you to be able to find me whenever, and... if you want more than just talking...." She tilted her head the other way. "... I'd like you to be able to, and to actually assert enough to tell me."

"I just wanted t'be sure, love." He took her hand to his lips and softly kissed her fingertips. "'s always been you that's come t'me, an' until now I'd always thought y'meant t'keep it that way." It was quite clear he was touched by it. "...y'just... I wasn't expectin'..." Shut up, Vorn. He did just that, and kissed her fingertips once again, securing the crystal to the thong around his neck for now, until he could have Kazon make a chain for it.

"We're equals," she pointed out. "I don't take what I wouldn't give." She leaned up, and well in, to deliver a soft kiss and reassure him before fingers reached out to sweep over his lips. "Are you ready to go, or do you want something else? I think the boy at the counter wants to be left alone." If the scowl on the lad's face was any indication....

"Let's leave 'im be, shall we?" Vorn stood, making his way around the table to her with a smile. "...an' y'got any particular destination in mind?" A smirking glance was wasted on the blue kid, who'd already turned his back on them. He spoke no more of the crystal or the matter of contacting her; she'd said all that needed to be said, and his relentlessly stupid questions and foolish insecurities had done enough for one night.

She pushed to her feet, taking care to push in the chair. The bowls, at least, she left on the table for the lad to take care of. Her hand reached for his again as she looked up. "No, as long as I get a little more time with you. I need to go home in a few hours." No, she wasn't staying all night and she wanted to make sure he knew that. She wouldn't need to be home by a completely specific time, though. "Any ideas?"

"Only a few hours..." And then... when will I see you again? The question was unspoken, but he just couldn't keep it out of his voice. He knew it would most likely be sooner than later, but staring down such a deadline put the singular purpose into his mind and body that was hard to resist even when he knew he had all night. "...Oh, I've an idea..."

"Only a few more tonight, aye." At the very latest, Thursday, but I plan to be in your arms much sooner than that ... even if for nothing more than a kiss hello. She stepped an inch closer, allowing their bodies to touch. A mischievous glint flared to life in her eyes. "... an idea? Do tell."

"If y'press me, I won't even wait till we get back t'th'studio..." Oh, it was a promise, and so was the deep kiss that followed, the arm slipping around her, the hand pulling her thigh up around his waist, and the absolutely invasive tongue that sought to give her own a performance right here in the street. Suddenly releasing, however, he pulled his lips just far enough away that he could speak, "...or I could just bore y'with my guitar playin'..."

She moaned at the release, and tightened her leg around him, "pressing." She thrust her pelvis into his, but not hard, taunting him, daring him to follow through with his promise. "Or I could have both," she murmured in response. "Fuck me, love." Need, gods, that kiss turned her on like a light and she wanted him right then, no preliminaries, no waiting, no fooling. "Push me against a wall, pull down my jeans," ... or tear them off ... "... and fuck me."

"Your wish..." In that moment, before she could even finish saying it the second time, clothes flew away in pieces. "...is my..." Right there against the wall of the ice cream shop, just feet away from the door, neither wore anything but their boots. "...command." Vorn's hands gripped her thighs around him, almost roughly, and a devouring kiss started at her lips, but broke away to taste the skin of her neck, so he wouldn't muffle what would become an effort to see just how much of the city he could wake up with her screams.

(( Adapted from live play, 5/21/10. ))

[Jaycy Ashleana]

A Day Trip

At the third slip in Dockside, there stood a two-masted schooner, its side facing to the dock and held in place by a thick, winding rope around an equally stolid post. Its cream fore- and aft- sails remained furled in the very early Thursday dawn. Despite the early hour, workers in a mostly brown uniform of pants and vest scuttled over the desk, busying themselves for the coming trip. Several others hefted barrels and bales of supplies up the gangplank, the wooden causeway bouncing just so with every heavy step. Panels low on the side of the ship remained closed. A simple spike was the only bow decoration; there was no mermaid to lead the way on this ship. There was no indication of identity on the side of the ship; for all intents and purposes it was as plain as could be.

Jaycy leaned against that anchoring post, dressed much more for the adventure of the day. A cream open-necked shirt fluttered about her, the full sleeves billowing in the early morning breeze. Loose brown breeches covered her legs, tucked carefully into calf-length brown leather boots. She didn't wear a hat, though - her silver-streaked hair was simply braided.

Vorn knew a shady operation when he saw it, having been involved in more than his share. He appeared behind Jaycy in complete silence, but a sudden whisper in her ear would announce his arrival. "Well, sh's nice, but quite plain." There was no judgment in his words; he knew the lack of features that could be positively identified was an important one. That much he conveyed in his tone. "Someday y'll 'ave t'tell me what y'do on it when yer not takin' me out for a ride..."

"Does sh'even 'ave a name?"

The suddenness of the grin was the only indication of surprise at his approach - she'd been expecting at least that. She voice was casually normal; it seemed she didn't feel she needed to hide anything. "She's called the Tyger, love. And I'll tell you now what she does - she trades in exotic and unique goods that are hard to procure." She straightened and turned to face him, a palm pressing into the post and a brow quirking. "Good morning. Are you ready?"

His kiss came first, and although he made directly for her lips, it was a soft greeting. The warmth was there as always, but they had plenty of time for that. "Hmm, exotic goods?" His curiosity picked up at that. "Y'wouldn' by any chance 'ave some high grade opium?" If it wasn't long since obvious, his drug of choice and his prolific use of it was far from a source of shame or embarrassment. "...an' o'course I'm ready." He grinned, gazing about.

"Mm." She touched his cheek with the greeting, lingering on her tiptoes before stepping back with a smile, and sliding her hand into his. "No, no opium." At least currently. Of course it was something she could ... procure ... if needed, but she tended not to traffick in drugs. "Cmon." She turned about once more, tugging lightly on him and taking those steps toward the 'plank. The line of men had slowed, and she only needed to wait a moment before leading him up onto it and to the edge of the ship. At the apex of the 'plank, though, she stopped. "Captain, permission t' come aboard," she called loudly. A burly, bearded man - dressed exactly as the small woman - peered down from the wheel, squinting. He scrutinized them, then grinned down at them. "Aye, Jaycy! Bring yer landrat on!" Jaycy peeked back at Vorn, twinkled, and then stepped onto the deck.

More ideas came to mind as well, although he had his doubts as to what else Jaycy would have access to, and he was having trouble remembering the list of things Mel needed before it would be worth the risk of running the blockade on 334-K13. 400 kilograms of opium, I'm still nearly 100 short. Victor said he can provide nanomachines. As many antibiotics as we can possibly find. Diazepam. What else...

At her gesture, the list he'd been trying to assemble just fell out of his head. His glance cut to the captain with a slight smirk. "Who y'callin' a landrat? Hah. I spent m'share on th'seas!" Meanwhile, his hand slipped around Jaycy's waist, giving her a soft squeeze. "I like yer captain already."

She tugged him off to the side, leaning against him as the last of the crew came aboard and the 'plank was withdrawn onto the deck. "That's Senirsh. I found him a few months ago, was going to make him my new first ... but then I decided it was better to stay off the ship and let him take over. So here he is. Just a warning, though, he'll put you to work." Speaking of work, a hand left on shore unwound the thick braided rope from its post and heaved it up toward the deck. Jaycy stepped forward quickly to assist them in pulling it in.

Senirsh, meanwhile, called down to the hand. "We'll be back'n th' night, Fas." The land-bound hand saluted the captain and then spun and jaunted off into the morning crowd. Senirsh plodded down the stairs leading from the wheelhouse level to the main deck, hands moving to his belt as he peered at Vorn more closely. "Y'ain't nothin' but a landrat 'til I see wrong, lad." He chuckled, and extended his hand. "Welcome 'board."

"Y'll see soon 'nough then," Vorn grinned with a firm handshake. "'an I thank ya." To them both, he offered a glance in turn, the obvious coming to mind immediately. "How 'bout th'grand tour, then? 's been a while since I been on an ol' kinda ship like this, on th'seas." he admitted. "Most o'm'time on a ship these days has been in th'stars."

[Jaycy Ashleana]

Jaycy grunted, pulling the last bit of rope onto the deck. Her shoulder slumped a moment, then she grinned at the men she'd assisted. "Aye, a grand tour. Such as it is. Y'want to, or shall I, Captain?" Senirsh released his hard grip on Vorn's hand after a short shake and twisted his gut to peer at the woman. "I'll do it, wench. Ya got work." He gave a double blink - the man's wink - and she stuck out her tongue in return. The Captain once more faced Vorn, grunting and grumbling all the way - even though it was a short turn of his upper body. "C'mon, then, lad." He spun about and began his thudding steps toward the aft end of the deck.

"Ya'll be wit' the lass soon 'nough 'gain. If she survives real labor." His words floated behind him, and laughter followed. Jaycy shook her head, winked at Vorn, then turned to scamper along the deck and help them get sailing.

Blowing a kiss to Jaycy before following the Captain, Vorn was struck by an idea that should have been quite obvious. "Hell, y'sure y'don't need some 'elp w'that? Y'ain't seen fast work till y'seen me." For a slight demonstration, he suddenly walked to the man's other side, then back again without missing a stride. "...I guess sh' didn't tell y'bout m'lil' 'gift'."

The ship groaned as it pushed forward and away from its home dock, propelled by several men with long poles thrust into the water. Senirsh threw open a single, gilded door. It stood underneath the stairs leading to the wheel and next to a set of double doors, settled much in the same style. Stained-glass windows - nude merwomen, in fact - adorned the dark maroon doors. "'s th' Capn's quarts." He explained with a sweeping wave of his hand to the set of double doors. "Down here's everythin' else." He passed through the single door, not bothering to look behind him as he talked and descended into the first level below. "We don't make y'work th' first time, lad. 's only iffn' y'come back." He chuckled heartily and stepped into a hall so narrow his bulk scraped against both sides of wooden walls.

"Fair 'nough. An' I'll be glad t'do anythin' but swab th'deck," He grinned, still following. A quite approving gaze strayed to the stained glass. "Y'know I met a mermaid once. Sh'was a different kinda one though. When sh'got dry, sh'had legs... then y'throw 'er back in th'water an' 'er fishytail came back." It was a pleasant memory, and one he was only too happy to share, laughing with the telling as his eyes followed Senirsh's gestures. "I's fuckin' 'er an' we fell int'th'water. Her legs started scalin' up, an' if I hadn't m'speed, I'd not've been able t'get 'er back away from th'beach an' dry 'er off fast enough."

"Iff'n y'manage t'make it back, landrat, 's all ya'll be doin'. I'll make surea't." He paused and twisted, seemingly until he was completely facing the other way, to grin at the lanky bladecatcher. "An' if I ain't fucked 'er ma I'd say y're fulla shit, lad." He laughed, long and loud, the baritone sound echoing all the way down the hallway. He torqued again and began the work of passing his girth down the path. At the first set of doors, he waved into the open space right, "chart room..." then left, "Jaycy's squat." that particular room was larger than any regular guest cabin on a ship, and it was well appointed. Of course, most of the space was taken up by the bed - there was little more than room for a chair and desk set and small bolted bookshelf. There were almost no personal touches except for hints of color splash in the way of blankets and pillows. Sen didn't linger in the way but rather continued toward the fore, to get out of the way and allow Vorn the chance to peer into both rooms.

"Hah!" Vorn smirked. "How drunk did y'ave t'get 'er first?" He paused for a moment to give Jaycy's room in particular a good look. Hmm... I'll have 'er on that bed or I'm a feld horn. Of course, the thought was well concealed, and his expression never changed as he picked up the pace a little to catch back up with the captain. "'s a damn nice ship y'got here."

"Not as drunk as it took y't'get th' wench updeck," Sen retorted with a smirk tossed over his shoulder. He may have been friendly, but he wasn't seeming to give the man any quarter or hint of being impressed. The earlier mention - and showing - of Vorn's gift went completely ignored, in fact. It was as if the man had seen it all. "Thank y', though th' credit goes mostly t'Jaycy. She owns 'er." The Captain didn't even pause at the next set of doors but rather waved at them as he went. To the right open door and to the left closed door he said one thing. "Landrats." Guest quarters, he meant. There was a little snort after his word, though, as if he was glad when they didn't intrude on his space.

The open right door allowed him to view a truly tiny, sparse cabin. The bed was small, a double, but still took most of the room. Mere inches were left on either side for passengers to maneuver in. There was a tiny desk near the door, but just enough out of the way to allow it to move. The door itself was simply a solid plank of wood, like all the others on his level. The left was an exact mirror of that room.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

"Hah, y'wish... hell, I've never seen 'er drink." He took the jibe in stride, grinning the entire way. "...an' yea, sh'told me sh'used t'run things 'erself but 'er life got a lil' complicated." Vorn himself hadn't helped too much in that regard, but he'd not take back a single moment. "'bout th'landrats, y'carryin' 'em somewhere?" Honestly, he wasn't too concerned with the details of their work, but he was always curious, especially since ideas were already starting to form in his head as to how he could possibly get Jaycy and her ship involved in his own dabblings.

"Pleasure cruises 'round the sea." Sen's dry remark showed the truth in his loyalty to the ship's mistress; he'd reveal nothing about the nature of the work on the ship if Jaycy hadn't revealed it. That answer also, on no uncertain terms, implied that Sen knew exactly what Vorn was to Jaycy and what was likely to happen on that particular day trip. What Sen's tone didn't convey, however, was judgment. The woman's choices were her own and he liked the pleasures of casual bedroom play himself. A third set of doors gave him pause once more, and he looked into the left. "Cubby." A pantry, really, though it wasn't large. In fact, it wasn't in reality much larger than either of the two guest rooms. He grunted to the right, "galley."

That was a long, cramped space and two thin young rascals hunched over a table, chopping citrus. Near the door, a metallic-seeming open cabinet waited, spanning from floor to ceiling of the level. It contained several boxes at the bottom - the cabinet was almost certainly a pulley-based elevator system for galley supplies. The lads looked up briefly and then returned to their work, finding no one of interest.

"Heh... well, a job's a job," he shrugged, although his tone seemed to imply that he could read between the lines quite well. "An' who doesn't like a good 'pleasure cruise' from time t'time, eh?" A mischievous grin stole his lips for a brief moment. As always, Vorn's response mirrored the absence of judgment.

"'zactly." He chuckled again, girth giggling in the shaking laughter. His demeanor relaxed again; Vorn hadn't pressed and so the comraderie could return. "Ain't nothin' like it, iff'n ya're t'sea folk. Next rooms're officers bunks, an' sh*thole." There were only doors on the left for the rest of the hallway. He kept walking past them; Vorn could stop and look as he willed. Only one officers' room was open, and the bladecatcher could spy the dual hammocks suspended on one side of a room that was as small as the guest quarters. On the other side of the room was a desk and two large built-in lockers. The "sh*thole" door was closed and Sen didn't bother to open it on his way by. It was likely, though, that the officers nearest that room were vigilant about ensuring its cleanliness. The hallway opened suddenly at the end, to another ledge surrounding a set of stairs. "Iff'n y'wanna go down, y're on y'own." He wouldn't fit, bluntly. "'s crew squats an' cargo." And the guns.

"Naw, ain't none o'm'business what yer carryin', 'less I got stock in it." Simple, matter-of-fact. It had always been his policy, even when he'd lent his aid to Melinda. Besides, poking around in the ship's hold would only delay the pleasure part of this cruise. After all, that's why he was here in the first place, although the tour had certainly been worth it.

He nodded; there was even an approving glint to his brown eyes as his palm swung forward to clap Vorn on the shoulder. "Good man, landrat. 's t'ship. I'll be updeck." He didn't wait for Vorn to start down the long hallway before moving himself. For someone so massive and so tightly spaced, the Captain moved quickly.

After a simple nod, Vorn disappeared back through the halls, a blur of motion with the occasional deft sidestep or spin to avoid crew and passengers at work. His only stop on his way back to the deck was just outside Jaycy's room, where he stood in the doorway for a long moment. After all, she'd been to his home many times and had seen how he lived, the things he kept. In many ways she knew him much better than he knew her. To this day he'd still not so much as set foot in her house... hell, he didn't even know where it was. Eventually, however, he shook his head and made his way back out to find her. Sh'said t'trust 'er. One o'these days sh'll show me 'er life. Until then, I'll take it as it comes. His pace after that was a slow, deliberate one, gathering his thoughts as he continued on.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

Jaycy was on the deck, and as promised, she was actually hard at work. The tour hadn't taken too long and the ship was barely out of the docks' reach. The current took them further down the coast, slowly, and the crew worked swiftly to unfurl those cream sails. Jaycy was middeck, up in the riggings, tossing down lines toward the waiting hands below. She didn't immediately spot Vorn in her concentration of the dance of balancing among the ropes on that thin beam. Senirsh meandered among the crew, surveying the goings on. He happened to turn, though, and hollered. "ey, landrat. Don't make 'er fall!" He swiveled a hand up to point at the spot Jaycy was clinging to. Jaycy froze for a moment, and waved down to him, her hand curling tight around the rope she held. "Be down in a second," she yelled, to send the words down the length of the mast.

"Oh, we'd all be throwin' snowballs in th'nine b'fore I'd let somethin' happen t'her." Still, he took a few steps back, leaning against the railing, watching her at work. "Sh'looks... quite happy t'be here," he remarked with a soft smile to no one in particular.

Sen cast another approving look toward the bladecatcher before hollering upward, "'s alright, wench!" He chuckled, sending his gut fluttering, and moved off to his work. Jaycy merely lifted her hand in response and then went back to work. It was, honestly, more than a second before she came down, though. She continued to help for several more minutes until the last sail was loose and beginning to catch the wind. Finally finished, though, she snagged a thick braid of rope and slid down quickly. The observant person would have seen a shine of silver over the whole of her hands in the fast-growing dawn. After landing, however, the hint of silver was gone and hands remained as they were expected to be. Sweating, grinning wide, she made her way toward Vorn. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the braid mussed and loose in her exertions.

Reaching up to find that strand, Vorn grinned quite suggestively. "Yer pretty damn hot when y'work yerself up like that." Then again, when had not seen her as such? "I can tell y'love bein' out here. 's in yer eyes, yer voice..." Already he was quite thankful for this trip, and it was just beginning. "Y'sure there's nothin' I can help y'with? Or is th'workin' done?"

Her head canted toward the hand even as one of her own came up, to dance fingertips over his wrist for a moment, lightly. Then her palm, flesh soft and unmarred from any rope burns, swept up his forearm to the elbow. "We're done, love, except to enjoy the day." And each other. She turned her head toward his palm impulsively, pressing a swift kiss to it before peering up at him with rounded, dancing green-golds. "Unless you consider drawing my bath work ... then there's something you can help with." She paused, then suggested, "unless you'd like to give us a reason to both need a bath..." Her brows lifted as her eyes sought his dark ones. The sunrise, beautifully clear, was lost on her as the man had her entire attention.

"Oh, y'tempt me so..." It wasn't a complaint, no, not in the least. His other arm slipped around her waist and he leaned down to give her a soft, deep kiss. Of course, he couldn't have cared less who may have been watching. If the crew didn't know why this stranger had been brought aboard, they would now. He pulled back soon after, however, to give her a playfully inquisitive eye. "That all d'pends, love... would y'rather get dirty, get clean, an' get dirty again? Or should we get dirty while we're gettin' clean, perhaps?" His grin turned wicked then as he remembered the other night in the shower. 'Clean' had been the last thing on his mind.

A few of the crew did indeed notice, and whistle. They were the old grizzled hands, men and women who served under the woman for years before the new Captain's rise. The Captain himself shook his head with a chuckle. The woman in question, she returned the kiss, pushing up and toward him to try and keep the contact. However, she didn't fight too hard and instead dropped back on booted feet, licking her lips in the suggestions. "It sounds like no matter what we're getting dirty after we get clean," she fairly purred. "What about getting dirty, then getting dirty while we get clean, then getting dirty again?" She laughed at her own impish idea, waggling her brows playfully.

"Did I ever tell you I love how y'think?" Quite aware of the audience, he let his hand casually slide down to rest on the curve her arse without so much as batting an eyelash. "'course, y'got a bit o'a head start on me. I guess y'll just have t'get me extra dirty t'keep up, hmm?" His grin only widened at the thoughts that provoked. "...an' I've had th'tour, but somethin' tells me y'got a lot more y'can show me..."

"No, you haven't." She dipped her chin, peering up at him through her lashes and offering her most coy smile. She didn't step any closer to him, but rather seemed to follow his lead - his game - by sliding her own hand down his stomach, over the skin between the unbuttoned edges. It dipped even lower, slowly, below his waist. Over the pants, she loosely cupped him in that space between them. Her thumb brushed oh-so-lightly over the length of him through the fabric. She kept her eyes on him, watching the reaction, her words the merest whisper so as to not distract him from her ministrations. "mayhap I can, if you're ready..."

[Jaycy Ashleana]

His eyes closed for a moment, fingers giving her rear end a firm squeeze as he took a slow, deep breath. When they opened again, his black gaze was quite intense. "Y'know th'rule, love... y'play w'me, I'll play w'you. An' don't think for a moment I won't make y'squeal right here in front o'yer crew..." It wasn't a threat; Vorn never made threats - only promises. "...an' y'know I'm always ready."

She inched in, not wanting to physically connect with him beyond their hands, but to fill him with her presence by being so near. The palm of her hand pressed in, along him, and thumb and index finger pinched the lightest bit at the tip, rolling between them. Suddenly, abruptly, she stepped to the side and away from him completely. With a devious laugh, she moved for the double doors beneath the stairs - the Captain's quarters.

"I'ma make y'pay for that," Vorn muttered, stalking after her, his face slightly flushed from the teasing. Oh, and he would. "...an' y'll pay dearly." Just as she reached the doors, he was upon her, arms wrapped around from behind, whispering in her ear. "Have y'ever wanted it s'bad it hurt?"

The twitch of a gently pointed ear was the only indication that she heard the mutterings; the smirk didn't grow wider nor did she laugh again. She stopped short at the feel of his arms encircling her, and she leaned back into him. A light shudder took her at the puff of breath on her ear from his whispering. One hand snuck back, behind, aiming blindly for his rear end, to cup and pull him into her back. "Oh, aye, Vorn, I have," she breathed. "Whenever I even think your name." Slightly she tilted her head back, seeking to lay eyes on his face, meet his gaze.

Taken aback, his hands stopped for a moment, tilting his head just right to accommodate her seeking eyes. So accustomed to her teasing ways and her twisting of words, his first reaction was sarcasm. "...you just live t'fuck w'me, don't ya?" Shaking his head, rolling his eyes, he slowly released her to open the door. None of this diminished his desire in the least, and that very fact seemed to almost frustrate him. Damn th'woman... sh's always got th'upper hand on me. The thought never even crossed his mind that she may have actually meant it.

She didn't immediately move for the door; instead she slowly turned, fighting to find his gaze again. Her words were murmured but still emphatic, stressed. "every. single. Time." Green-gold eyes shifted toward the doors and her body followed. She swiftly moved forward, opening the left one and stepping through. From the other side she half-turned, lifting a brow over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"

He followed, still shaking his head. ...always pushin' m'fuckin' buttons... Then again, it was one of many things he'd come to love about her. Still, somewhere in his head, he made the oath to himself: One o'these days, I'll find a way t'get 'er. One o'these days. It was a particular blessing that Kel wasn't here on a day like this, because his thoughts were flying this way and that, completely unchecked. "Lead th'way, love." One o'these days...

She took his hand and tugged him through the door and past her before releasing him. Her other hand pulled the door closed. A moment later, she stepped forward, snagged the unbuttoned edges of his white shirt and fisted her hands in the fabric. With a strength belied by her size, she pushed him roughly against the wall. "It hurts. Make me pay if you want, but I need you inside me." She yanked down on his shirt, to pull him down roughly, and set a burning, deep kiss on him.

Wide eyes regarded her with pure, unabated shock, arms hanging limply at his sides. She'd been aggressive before, but this was... different. Very different. Outside the ice cream parlor she'd toyed with him a while before finally speaking the two words that must be obeyed. Yet, what he felt then, her need, her desire, was nothing like this. Her kiss fell upon frozen, lifeless lips as he just stared. For perhaps the first time of life, it was lust that spoke as the voice of reason, yelling frantically in the back of his mind, Hey! Stupid! Rip her clothes off and take her! ...but for this moment, even that voice was too distant.

She fell back, suddenly stunned herself. A few stumbling steps away and she simply stared at him, as if he were some alien creature set in the bladecatcher's body. What had she done? Her arms wrapped around her midsection, crossed, and she shrank. Already clinging linen shirt pressed light against her chest, highlighting the band of cloth around her chest.

Her sudden reaction had him blinking and shaking his head to dispel the shock, although one only ended up replacing another. "Jaycy? ...what's wrong?" As she shrank down he moved almost too fast, heating the air around him, bending slightly to meet her eyes. "...I'm so sorry... y'just... y'shocked me... I..." Oh no... not again...

"I told you I needed you," she let out in a shuddering breath, looking up. "It hurts me too."

A tentative, trembling hand reached out to her; he was truly afraid that after this she'd slap him away. "...I never knew... Jaycy... I'm sorry." Deep breath. "Y'always... play w'me... twist me 'round yer fingers... I never..." For this moment, he truly, truly envied the mind link she shared with Kel and Psly... if she could only tap into his mind she'd understand... but words failed him completely.

Rather than push him away figuratively or literally, she took his hand at the wrist and set it at her hip. "I don't play when you ask me how much I need you." She stepped forward, intent on pushing him back toward the wall. "I need you." Another step forward. "Now you've made me pay." Even if not in the way he'd intended. Another step, close to the wall. "Now take me. End both of our hurts." She cast a glance around the room, eying for a second the Captain's desk and then his couch. Swiftly dismissing them, she turned back to the man in front of her. Even she had a limit to how much she'd abuse Sen's quarters. "Please?"

The words hit him hard. All this time he'd honestly believed himself a plaything. Loved, yes... and most definitely wanted... but never truly needed. Perhaps that's what love is... One fingertip touched her lips as the other on her hip slid into her shirt, needing skin, not fabric to feel as he spoke. "You never have t'ask, love." A flurry of motion followed, clothes flying, boots smacking loudly against the wall, all while a starving, devouring kiss met her lips.

She let him take care of their clothes, wriggling about to facilitate their loss with a minimum of damage, instead choosing to push him against the wall once more after he removed everything but her shirt. It was perhaps less rough than last time - she was holding herself back just a little given his earlier reaction - but still an aggressive and demanding gesture. It allowed the kiss to be broken long enough to lose that shirt and then she was back in, plundering his mouth in the second kiss, silently ordering him with it to show her how much he needed her.

[Jaycy Ashleana]

The rug in the Captain's quarters proved an adequate covering for the floor near the wall they'd fallen from. Jaycy lay flat on her back, legs weakly shifting up and down, knees wide, panting. Her arms came up in a distinctly feline stretch of satiation, and her back arched toward the ceiling. "mmmm." For the moment she seemed content, lazy. She looked over to him, then rolled onto her side, reaching to bring him closer.

"You've... changed, love." Curling an arm around her, Vorn pressed an almost too-gentle kiss to her lips; a day to night contrast from their ferocious play before. "Somethin's changed... y've never been quite like that." His eyes seemed to search through her green and gold as if he'd find an answer somewhere in there, but there was no judgment or discontent - quite the opposite. He was spellbound by how deeply she had opened up to him... but as always, he was inquisitive. "Why?"

Her leg lifted over his and curled, bringing his lower body more in alignment with hers, fitting against her. She reached up, too, to wind a black strand around her finger gently. "Changed? I don't know. I don't think I've changed ... mayhap I just don't think I need to be as quiet as I was." Her fingers left their exploration of his hair to trace over his jaw. "I'm less - slightly less - afraid to tell you how much I need you, how much you affect me." She smiled, slightly. "Like I told you before and you didn't believe me."

Shaking his head, Vorn smirked, twisting a lock of her hair between his fingers. "It wasn't that I didn't... believe y'love... I just... thought y'were fuckin' w'me. Like y'always do..." So much for his intuition. "T'be 'onest... y'blew m'mind." His eyes sank down after that, almost shamefully. "I thought it... I mean..." Here I go talking again. "...I'ma shut up b'fore I dig m'self a hole an' look like a dumbass."

She shifted a little, closer, and brushed a kiss over his chin. "I am not, was not, fucking with you." One arm pillowing her head, she danced fingertips down his side, absently. "That may be the best idea," she gently agreed. "I only fuck with you when I want you to make love to me. I don't fuck with your emotions; with how I feel about you. I try to be honest. It's only to fair to you. I love you. I need you." Mayhap it wasn't something she said to him enough; she made a note to try and make sure to change that.

He took her advice and remained silent, at least for a while. It was all he could do, as the warmth from both her body wrapped around him and her words that flowed into him were quite near enough to overload him altogether. Head craning to settle into the crook of her neck, Vorn left a trail of kisses toward her ear, where he finally broke the silence with a low, low whisper. "...an' m'life used t'be so simple..." The word was almost alien now. It was an admission, a confession, and a blissful resignation all at once. Not only had he fallen into a web, but he had come to enjoy the sense of entanglement, and dearly, fiercely love the spider.

She moaned softly at the trail he'd made, and the words that passed so softly over her ear. It seemed the satiation was very temporary, and her body was already responding to him once more. "I'm not going to apologize." Palm slid down his hip, then back and over his arse, settling where it joined his leg. "Nor am I letting you go so it can be simple again." She squeezed, then slowly relaxed. "Life not simple is more full. I wouldn't change any of this for anything."

Shaking his head, his arm around her tightened reassuringly. "Never." Her hands that drifted over his skin seemed to leave electricity in their wake, hairs standing on end, and for just a moment, he was tempted... so tempted. But she'd been quite specific on the order of things. "Now now, love. Y'already got us dirty... I believe clean was next on th'schedule?" Snickering, he was of course quite aware that they'd be quite dirty in the process. "B'sides, I been wantin' t'take a bath with y'ever since th'day at m'studio... I won't be losin' that chance a second time."

Her head tilted back, just for a moment, and she allowed her eyes to close. she was tempted, truly and sorely tempted. "Ah, but we still have the whole day, love. If we were going to spend all of it in here we might as well have stayed home." Nevermind the gentle sway of the ship as it cut through the water, or the fresh salty air that permeated everywhere. "Are you hungry, yet?"

At the mention of food, Vorn's memory drifted back to his time aboard the Constance, where he lived mostly on canned rations and the horrid spinefish of Yaital's oceans. "Eh... what d'ya have t'eat?" He asked tentatively, trying to keep from offending her while working to construct some excuse that wouldn’t embarrass him, just in case.

"I think I'd asked for some salmon and a salad, so I'd assume that." She gave him the slightest of quizzical looks. She'd never served on a ship with rations; she'd always been 'just' a captain aboard this ship and it was one that was designed for shorter trips - thus they much more often had access to real, edible food. "There's likely other things, too, if you want. We just stocked her this morning, before we left."