Indelible Ink (Jaeden)

[Kashik]

Her lips were warm and soft against his, and in her sleepiness it was more a nuzzle of her mouth against his than a real kiss but there was affection in it all the same. "Morning," she murmured, and her smile brightened as her eyes fluttered open and she caught sight of Jaeden's handsome face. "Mmmph. I need a bath," she laughed, though she sighed and nestled down against his side.

[Jaeden Kincade]

“You don’t need a bath,” Jaeden said with a reassuring inhale as he smelled her hair. “You still smell good, even after all that exercise yesterday.” Both of Jaeden’s arms then wrapped around her when she began nuzzling her. “If you insist on taking one though, I have a sponge that I brought with me from Syliras. I could help wash your back for you?” Jaeden said in a suggestive tone that lingered from last night. “Fortunado would likely warn us of any peepers out there too.” Jaeden said, motioning towards the entrance of the tent where Fortunado still stood, grazing on some of the grass. “Though I will have to take him for a run today. He looks a little bored.”

[Kashik]

That set her off in a flurry of giggles, and she looked at him like he was crazy. "Wash my back? What am I a child? No one's washed my back since I learned how to walk," she giggled, ruffling his hair. "And I may not smell, but I feel gross. And you owe me a shirt, sir. I'll not go walking back into the city with naught but my pants on," she said, giving him a mock-stern glare.

[Jaeden Kincade]

“Hrmm, I think you missed the point of me offering to wash your back.” Jaeden said with a smirk as he slid to the side of the tent and began slipping his pants on. Jaeden then slipped his boots on before standing up in tent, quirking a brow as he looked back at Kashik. “Oh, and what do you mean you feel gross?” Jaeden said as his hands fell to his waist. “So sleeping with me all of a sudden gives you moral regrets that you got to wash away now, eh?” “I see how it is.” Jaeden continued, firing back with the teases as he slipped outside of the tent. “And you’re right, I do owe you a shirt. Guess I’ll head into the market and pick you one up. Wouldn’t want my watching you bath to make your skin crawl or something.”

[Kashik]

She faked her affront at his comments, huffing as he teased her. "I didn't mean morally dirty, you horse's ass! I meant that I'm sticky from you sweating all over me," she yelled after him, grabbing up one of her boots and slinging it after him. Her laughter likely followed his steps, though, as she snuggled into the blankets and tried to convince herself it was time to get up. By the time he returned, Kashik was crouched in the stream and scrubbing vigorously at her curls with Jaeden's bar of soap. It seemed she'd raided his pack, for she had his towel lying on the ground beside her riding leathers. She didn't notice him, eyes shut tightly against any stray bubbles of soap - and she was singing, some haunting Pavi tune that settled around the campsite like morning fog. She paused to dunk her head, then started a jauntier song as she twisted the last of the water from her hair.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden paused for a moment, watching Kashik as she ran the soap through her hair, a heavy lather building as each stroke of her hand only built it further. He watched the shimmer of her skin, as the light of the sun bounced off the droplets that beaded down her back. The tune of her song as it carried in the wind towards Jaeden. Towards him, as he was up wind of Kashik. A slow smile spread across his lips as he set down Kashik’s new shirt, his free hand slowly reaching to the buckle of his pants. With the patience and stealth that the hunter in him had practiced from time to time, Jaeden managed to kick off his boots and slip off his pants with minimal noise. Minimal enough that it wouldn’t be heard by Kashik over the sound of her own voice as she sang. Jaeden hunched a little, slowly stepping lightly along the ground towards Kashik. He paused, turning his head as he saw Fortunado and the family of Prairie Dogs looking at him with odd expressions as their heads turned slightly. Jaeden simply rose his index finger to his lip, giving them the hush single before continuing to approach. He paused for a moment as Kashik dipped her head into the water, rinsing the soap in it clean. His smile remained as she began to wring the excess water from her hair, continuing to hum the song she had been singing previously. Finally, when he felt he was close enough, Jaeden let out a “Cheeeeeaaaaaaaaaaarrrrge!” loudly before wrapping his arms around Kashik from behind, tackling her into the waters of the stream before them. Both of them went underwater for a moment, but Jaeden hadn't noticed any of that as he felt a sting swelling in his nose, as that red crimson lingered from his nostrils as it floated through the current like ink.

[Kashik]

Perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea, sneaking up on a Drykas warrior from the deepest part of the Sea. Perhaps it wasn't the best move, throwing his arms around her and screaming while she was blinded by acres of wet curls and felt more exposed than usual. Perhaps his nose would looking more dashing now that it was crooked. When he grabbed her around the waist, she jumped at the indecipherable yelling, her brain unable to translate the Common word when she thought herself in danger. She lashed out instinctively, slammed the hard edge of her elbow into his nose with a sickening crunch. Then she had time only for a quick gasp of breath before she was underwater, and kicking her way to the surface. By the time broke into the air, flinging dark curls out of her face, she realized who exactly it was who'd "attacked" her, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Jaeden? Are you petching insane? Sweet gods, I think I broke it. Are you okay, you monsterous idiot?" she asked, treading water until she could get close enough to grab onto one of his shoulders to hold herself above water.

[Jaeden Kincade]

“Owwwwww, owwwwwwwwwwwww, owwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.” Jaeden said in a grumbling tone as the upper half of his body floated along the surface of the water. His body started trailing down stream for a moment as his hand reached up, grasping his nose. Blood continued to pour out of it, covering his lower face, neck and parts of his chest when the water of the stream wasn‘t washing it away.. To make matters worse, he found himself suddenly being dunked under water again when Kashik grabbed his shoulders to keep herself above water. Both of his feet thrashed for a moment as the pair fell beneath the surface of the water again before he found them being planted along the soft stream bed below. Jaeden’s head then rose above the water, coughing out a slight amount of water he had managed to inhale before his eyes snapped to Kashik, who was just pulling herself above water again, using Jaeden’s shoulders as leverage. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Jaeden said in reference to ducking him under the water as both of his hands formed a steeple along the bridge of his nose, pressing slightly and twisting cartilage as a muffled cracking sound echoed in his nose before another stream of blood leaked out when he straitened it. “Gah! Petching HELL!” Jaeden’s brow formed a knot as he slowly began pulling them both back to shore before he fell to his hands and knees. Blood continued to drip from his nose as water dripped from the rest of his body. He eventually fell to his back, grabbing a hand full of water as he splashed it along his face, washing away small smears of blood over his cheeks. “Shyke, I’m seeing stars in my vision now.” Jaeden simply grumbled as he slowly sat up, keeping his head tilted forward. His fingers slowly and lightly poked at his nose as slight hisses of pain slithered out from between his teeth. He simply remained silent for the most part, waiting for the bleeding to stop.

[Kashik]

"No, I didn't mean to..." she began, letting go of his shoulder immediately, but then she starting sputtering and floating away so she scrambled to catch his arm again. She visibly flinched when he snapped his nose back into place. "Gods, oh gods, I'm sorry," she breathed, holding onto him until she could feel the bottom (which was a while longer than him considering their height difference) and when she finally got to shore she coughed the last of the water out of her lungs and knelt beside him. When he sat up again, she crawled into his lap with no regard to their nakedness and took his face in her hands, pressing the calloused pads of her thumbs against the bridge of his nose. "Are you okay? Was it just your nose? I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting... it's the same way a grasslion got my brother at a watering hole. It's just instinct. Do you want me to get you a rag or something?"

[Jaeden Kincade]

“No, no, no.” Jaeden said as he waved his hand idly, turning his face to the side so as not to drip blood over both of them. “I snuck up on you, you broke my nose for it.” Jaeden said, his voice taking on that plugged nose sound as the bleeding began to slow. “I shouldn’t have done such, so we’ll call it a learning experience and say we’re even.” Jaeden wasn’t angry, or upset, or even annoyed, but rather just in a little pain. The frown on his features and tone of his voice could have been confused for annoyance however, but most doubt would have been removed as he slowly laid his hand down along Kashik’s shoulder, his eyes widening for a moment as he tried to chase the stars from his vision. “Ow. Not as bad as last time,” Jaeden muttered, feeling around his nose. “Shouldn’t take longer than a third of season to heal.”