An Afternoon Adventure (Naomi)

[Nero Czan]

Nero had the decency to turn his back once he realised the situation, and couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping his lips. "I see. I guess it's only natural after all." His smirk slid across his face as he followed suit. Leaving his clothes piled on his knapsack, he got a running start, and made a pretty smooth dive into the lake, albeit with a little splash. He arose out of the water, smiling for a moment as he took in the cool feeling of refreshment. It had indeed been a while since he took a dip, let alone one like this. He refocused as he smirk came back, and swam over to Naomi. Nevertheless, still caught off guard a bit, he kept about an arm's length distance from her, to avoid any 'temptation'. "So, was this your plan all along?" He found a nice ledge underwater, and propped himself up on it, letting his chest come out and glisten in the golden sunlight. His smile from earlier had returned, somehow touched by the grace of Caihya. His eyes looked right into hers, although with some effort. His body ached to go and wrap her in his arms and kiss her, yet, there was something about the moment that just urged him to take in the air around him, and relax, while he could. "I have to be honest though." He chuckled as he scratched behind his head, "This did take me by surprise. I guess I've had such a long string of bad luck, I'm not sure how to expect a surprise that ISN'T trying to kill me." He laughed at his own past, as he had long learned how to. It was a lot easier to deal with things if you learned to laugh in the face of danger. Then again some people find that stupid, but Eh, it's a tradeoff. "But I think I'll enjoy this little trip before some god throws yet another plot twist on my life." With a playful smirk, and a devilish look in his eyes, he gently hopped off the rock, and swam out to circle Naomi, chuckling as he briskly tickled her sides, the feel of her warm skin through the cold water invigorating his body and soul. "Still cold?" He smirked as he swerved to her side and gazed once more into her luscious eyes.

[Naomi]

Naomi watched him with a smile, eying him carefully as he swam around her to prop up underwater. She waded out a few more feet, staying far enough to feel comfortable. She shrugged, rolling her eyes playfully. "No, it wasn't my plan!" she giggled, splashing him with water. "You're the one that brought us to a lake!" Her eyes wandered along the surface of the lake for a moment, turning back to him when he spoke. She looked him over, taking in the form of his chest. She felt her heart quicken and her head become almost light. A grin overtook her face, silly and cheerful. "You thought I was going to kill you?" Naomi tilted her head, smirking. "I think you could snap me in half with your legs." She chuckled, shaking her head. She wasn't really sure if he was referring to her or their trek through the woods, but...eh, she didn't worry about it. They were relaxing, after all. Naomi's eyes widened in surprise as he came close to her, circling around her and tickled her sides. Her first yelp was followed by laughter as she tried to swim away from his touch, blushing at his close proximity. Then again, she had known that this would happen; after all, being naked in the water is an easy way to imply a desire. Too bad she wasn't quite sure what to do... At his question, she looked up at him, smiling. Her mind was nervous, unsure if what she had done was right. It had been leading him on, obviously, but...well, she was twenty-two and deeply wanted to feel the love of a man. Her body found this man a perfect mate, her mind had been estatic to learn that he also loved nature, life, and adventures. But...was she willing to really give something so precious to him if he asked? Her mind churned over that thought, unable to reason correctly as her cheeks began to flush. If she kissed him now, she would seem a hypocrite: only a little while before she had explained she wouldn't do anything until the 'second' date. Was a kiss really anything, though? After a moment's thought, she reached forward in the water and drew herself close, reaching up to plant a short kiss on his lips. Hell, she was young. She had plenty time to learn.

[Nero Czan]

Nero was once again caught off guard. He hoped he wasn't making a habit of it, and sure they were being flirty, but he had not expected her to make the first move. He smirked as she pulled back, before he wrapped an arm around to cradle the back of her head as he planted his own kiss, one full of experience, passion, and a bit of tongue. As he let go a few moments later, his mouth subconsciously licking the salt-water (and saliva) from his lips, he felt something else give rise, for once, he was here with an attractive woman, stark naked, and felt no true feelings of lust, it was something else... There was something about her innocence and personality that just made him want to cradle her in his arms, and spend hours laying in the sun. It was a Romantic scene indeed. One that could've came straight out of a novel. In a matter of seconds, one thing triggered Nero's mind, and his thoughts flew at the speed of sound. A stray shadow rushed under the canopy, a good distance away. His face still maintaining his cheery facade, he reviewed the possibilities. At that distance, he could've easily seen a deer's shadow, blown afar by the angle of the sun. The beasts don't usually hunt in the twilight hours anyways, and he knew this from hours of study. Despite this aching feeling in this stomach, his disregarded his paranoia. Of course, Here I am expecting a disaster. Enough is Enough. He let himself forget it, and the tingling euphoria of the swim and flesh returned to him. He smirked as his mind returned to reality. His arms remained around her, unable to release her warm flesh, refusing to let go. Her rosy cheeks and coy expression were adorable, even if they might be hiding some other feeling. He shook off his thoughts and slowly began let go, ready to give her any distance she wanted. He had had his selfish time. I'll let her make the next move. With a smirk across his face, he made one last move towards her, and quaintly licked her lips before pulling back, his hands behind his head, and his smirk as devilish as ever.

[Naomi]

When she pulled back, she wasn't too sure on how Nero would react. One, he could return the kiss. Two, he could back off. To her approval, he took the first route and gave Naomi a kiss so passionate that, to her, it was almost a sign from the Gods. Her body caught fire, cheeks smoldering when she felt his arm wrap around her. She leaned into the kiss, bringing her hands up to drape on his arms, feeling his skin almost desperately. Naomi almost felt betrayed when he withdrew, aching for more. Her fear was gone. She began to feel him let go of her, arms retreating. Her smile faltered and drooped into a pout, eyebrows lowering in sudden sadness. In retaliation to his smirk, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, thin body pressing to his. She felt his skin and, to her, it was electrifying, amazing. Naomi drew her head back and looked into his eyes, returning the smirk he had. "Well, you've seen me naked," she said matter-of-factly. "You've felt my kiss...and I've felt yours. I think that's quite enough for the first date, hmm?" Hoping to have put him on the aggressive, she withdrew and made her way toward the lakeside tree. "I think we'd better get back to Endrykas. It's getting late. Many folk are afraid of the night here, it seems."

[Nero Czan]

Nero was in heaven. This had to be the best he had felt, just from a hug. Her skin had a tingling feeling that sent a shiver of ecstasy up his spine as it pushed against him, her breasts tight against his chest. He almost took her right in that moment. But he was enjoying this game, never before had he such a challenge of will before. If she wanted to play, she would learn she's playing with an expert. Looking down upon her devilish face, he saw it. He saw that lust that he himself was feeling. The game was on. He returned her grin, and with nonchalantly said, "Well, technically, I haven't 'seen' you naked..." as one of his arms reached around and gave her ass a tight squeeze. "But I think I got the gist of it." As she slowly swam back towards the majestic tree, he grabbed her hand from under the water, and pulled her once again tight against him, his lips creating a seamless link with hers for a moment. "Let me help you there, mi lady." He dipped underwater for a moment, careful of the shallow depth, and, wrapping one arm under her legs and another around her back, rose up carrying her in his arms, cradling his treasure. "We wouldn't want you to slip and what not." His smirk betrayed his casual reasoning, but by this point it was all too obvious anyways. It was actually more of a taunt now. He walked carefully to the shade under the tree, although the setting sun and all but eliminated it. As their bodies rose out of the waters, he couldn't stop himself from passing a glance at her dripping body. "Okay. Now i've seen you naked." He chuckled at the scene. He hadn't had this kind of fun in ages. He couldn't imagine what would happen on a second date... In his merriment the anxiety had returned. He refused to let it show, but there was definitely something out there, waiting. He carefully reviewed the options, and tried to think of someway to avoid a confrontation with god-knows-what. Shaking his mental cage once more, he returned to reality, refusing to give her an advantage in this duel. He strode up to the tree, and gently set her down against the tree, using the leather pack as a cushion against the hard and aged bark. He popped a seat next to her, and wrapping an arm around her shoulder, smiled at her beautiful face, content with seeing that and only that. His hair was a wet mess, still dripping from his play. The sun was still high enough to work on drying his skin, which was still readjusting from the chilled water. He ran the fingers of one hand through her hair, it's silkiness still somewhat remaining, replaced for the most part by the slipperiness of the lake. As his fingers slid through, they landed on her cheek, which he caressingly stroke before laying it back on her shoulder. "So, do you Always do this on your first date?" He smirked tauntingly at her, eager to forget all else in order to remain in that moment.

[Naomi]

Naomi gasped, eyes widening in surprise as she felt him squeeze her backside, something she had never had the pleasure of feeling. It instantly set her body ablaze, her skin electrified, her face blushing. The sides of her lips turned up into a smirk and she gave him another peck on the lips. However, her swim to shore had been halted. Being pulling back, Naomi giggled at his kiss and allowed the man to fully bring her into his arms. She yelped as she felt her legs rise up over his arm, surprised. Her exclamation immediately shifted to laughter, body shaking with a fit of chuckles. When they rose out of the water, she made no move to cover her form. Instead, she looked up at him and laid a kiss upon his chin. "Yes," she agreed. "Now you've seen me naked." When he set her down against the tree, she brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She looked him over, taking in his form, and smiled with genuine happiness. Her wavy hair fell against her back, slick with water. Her pale skin had begun to dry out in the darkening air, leaving her open to shivers. At his touch, she scooted closer to him and drew back her head to gaze at his face lovingly. "To tell the truth, I haven't ever done this sort of thing," she admitted, giving a sheepish smile. "I'm fairly quiet, to tell the truth, and...well, I never thought I'd do this with someone I don't really know." She shrugged. "But I like you. A lot, actually. And I'm young, so I have plenty of time to learn from mistakes-" she brought up her hand to rest a finger on his lower lip "-but you aren't a mistake, right?" Leaning over, Naomi planted a soft, but caring, kiss on his lips, slipping a tongue across his lower lip once she moved her finger. Pulling back, she winked at him. "I'd love to get to know you more, Nero." She then glanced over to the horizon. "But we should get back, don't you think?"

[Nero Czan]

Nero chuckled, gazing down upon her seemingly angelic face, "Never? You seem so good at it. I guess some people are just born with the looks, along with the talent." He smirked as he caressed her shoulder. "Anyways, I'll do my best to avoid making this a mistake. My day-to-day is not the safest routine after all. There's only so much luck you can have while meditating in a jungle full of beasties." He chuckled, covering his shiver as a breeze blew through the trees. "It is getting a bit late..." He stood, pushing himself off of the rough bark behind him. Before he got to his feet, he ran a couple fingers down the side of her body, mapping out the curves of the warm and damp skin. He turned and smirked playfully as he started to unroll his clothes, which had gotten a bit damp by someone's behind. He chuckled and complacently began to throw on his pants. As he turned to face her once more, his mind went numb. All of his prior thoughts and emotions were frozen, stored, and replaced. The expression that overtook him was of another kind, a stern professionalism, and a warriors demeanor. Without a second thought he reached into his bag and retrieved his gauntlets, strapping them on without regard for comfort. His voice was a somber tone, one void of all emotions except for a perverse sense of caring. Of protecting what he could not bear to lose. Nero had trained himself to be a strong enough fighter so that his pain would not be repeated a second time. He would not lose anymore. He would not cry anymore. He would not mourn anymore. In a quick motion, he pulled out his cloak and wound it several times over his exposed right arm, serving as a sort of improvised padding. He gave Naomi a swift glance, but was unable to keep his macho expression. A deep sincerity penetrated his gaze, but he quickly shook it off. "Don't do anything to attract their attention.." He managed to force a smirk, both physically and mentally, as he added, "Oh, and, Sorry 'bout this. Here we were having a lovely evening weren't we? I'll have to make it up to you sometime." With a charismatic wink, he turned back to his foe, and all of the cheery attitude that is his usual character, diminished, replaced by the disciplined artist, borne from hours upon hours of training and meditation. A devilish grin slid across his face as he cracked his knuckles, his torso still gleaming in the fallen sunlight. "Bah, Two Zith? I would've brought my nice clothes if I had known we were having a party!" All of this was part of the psychological aspect of his training, whether fighting a battle in the real world, or only in his mind. With those words he dashed out towards his enemies, who rose from their cautious perches, eager to take up the challenge.

[Naomi]

Smiling at him, she nodded and moved towards her own clothing, which were at the very foot of the tree. Throwing her linen tunic over her head, she poked her head out of the top, followed by her dripping hair. It was in that moment that she looked at Nero and saw that his expression had changed. It was serious and almost threatening in comparison to his earlier playful smirks. She watched him reach into his bag and strap on his gauntlets, confusion flashing across her face. Turning her head to look at what had his attention, her mouth dropped. "Oh," she breathed, unable to believe what she saw. Her heart quickened and her face drained of all color due to fear. Quickly moving to rest farther behind the tree, she peered out to watch two Zith, both male, gaze at both her and Nero. They seemed to be related, if that was possible. Both had darker fur, though whether it was dark gray or black was up to debate in the dark. Their hair was long and black, hanging down to their chests in silky waves. They were both extremely tall, towering at...Naomi wasn't sure. All she knew was that there were two Zith in the trees, naked and ready to kill. She turned her gaze back to Nero, eyes widening. Seriously? "Don't get killed," she pleaded. But that was it. She wasn't sure there was anything she could do to help. Standing, she remained behind the tree and looked out to watch the ensuing battle, feeling completely helpless. The feeling immediately fled once she realized that she could keep an eye on their enemies. Focusing her sight on the battlefield, she watched as each aura, two for the Zith and one for Nero, lit up dimly. "Bah, Two Zith? I would've brought my nice clothes if I had known we were having a party!" At his exclamation, the Zith seemed to tilt their heads, as if interested. When Nero dashed, they rose, dropping from the trees before spreading their wings. Flying towards him, they split up in order to flank him from both his left and right, speeding at him from an angle. As they neared, they watched him eagerly, squeaking something incriminating. The two Zith brought up their hands, ready to slash him along his torso or impale his chest with their claws, hoping to dodge any blow he might throw. A fairly plain technique, but useful at their speed.

[Nero Czan]

Nero kept his straight run, pushing his speed to the limits. The farther he could go before they got within melee, the shallower their angles. His quick glances kept both beasts in sight, ready for the slightest opportunity. That came when he saw that one of the beasts had grown too eager and began charging. Nero smirked as he skidded to a stop, thankful for the soft grass. He swiftly changed his course and gave another dead run towards the closer of the duo. Hopefully the distance would give him just enough time to dispatch this one before the other could join. That allowed one, maybe two hits. Joy. As he entered swiping range, the monstrous beak roared as his razor-like claws came down. Nero managed to see it in advance from his change in stance, but these things are so damn fast. His sidestep to the right saved him any debilitating blow, but his left arm grew red, a shallow scratch appearing down it. My turn. Nero did not waste a moment. As the beast's arm fell further, following through his semi-missed attack, he quickly grabbed the arm, which he saw as a weapon, and with his spiked gauntlet, and a chambered punch, 'disarmed' his foe. Both parties back-stepped swiftly, as if a referee had rung a bell. Nero had taken longer than expected although. Popping the severed arm into his left hand, he quickly brought up his right arm in a high blocking stance, as claws gripped tightly on it. His eyes making contact with this new foe's, his smirked, and with his padded arm occupying it's arms, he used his new weapon to attack wide, and almost severing, gashes in him, exposing the bones in his wrists, and creating a shallow slice through his soft chest. It was incredible how easily these guys cut through themselves, to Nero's luck. As the second Zith pulled away, screaming in pain, Nero let loose his improvised armor, and saw that it at least stopped some of the slash. After he dropped his right arm from it's guard, he winced in pain, and realized that he would not be able to do another move like before. Hoping to have frightened the second one out of his mind, and into a retreat, he focused himself back on the first. He tossed the severed arm to the side, and, stained in blood and carrying calm eyes, took an artistic fighting stance. With his usual and taunting smirk, he issued another tease, "So, That all you have to give me? I'm disappointed." It was tricky masking the pain. The breeze irritated the long cut along his left arm, and the punctures on his right were giving him lightning bolts up his spinal cord. His breathing had become hoarse, he had lost the ability to fight with one of his arms. But they have lost three of theirs, so technically, I think I'm winning... His mind grew serious once more as he reminded himself of their other pair of claws, but it was of no matter. Kicking was his specialty, and they wanted to test that claim, let them try.

[Naomi]

Naomi winced as she watched the beginnings of the fight, covering her mouth to silence her gasps. She had read that these creatures could hear a heartbeat and her thudding heart in her ears only served to multiply her fear. If the other Zith even looked her way, she knew it would be over for her. However, it seemed perfectly intent on watching Nero, flapping its wings in confusion as he changed direction. With a monstrous rumble, it reared and shot towards the man. She almost called out, noting that Nero was still occupied with the first creature. Her throat stopped the noise and swallowed it, causing her stomach to rise. She turned her viewpoint to watch him sever the beast's arm. That did it. She choked, nearly hurling her beer onto the ground next to the tree. Naomi fought the reflex and swallowed, tasting bile. Her mouth was still covered by her hand, helping to disappate any noise. Well, she thought. "There goes any thought of being a warrior. Reluctantly, she returned her gaze onto the battlefield and once again focused her mind, hoping to read the auras of the Zith creatures and Nero. She read for life. The first one was wounded, most likely dying. His aura was dim and faltering, flickering brightly. His will to live was almost admirable. Looking at Nero's, she saw that his was not as bright, probably from being wounded. Frowning, she glanced at the final Zith. The creature's aura was also flickering, though Naomi couldn't tell in the dark light. Perhaps she had missed something. However, both of the creature's aura showed telltale sign of oncoming death, especially without medical treatment. The Zith who had lost his arm had fallen to the ground, snarling and screaming in pain. The other continued to move forward toward Nero, now filled with the lust of vengeance. In less than a second, the Zith jumped and let loose his wings with a deep shriek. Using his legs to propel his body, he shot at Nero and attempted to tackle him, ready to sink his back claws into the man's belly if he succeeded. Teeth gnashing, he approached the martial artist with such speed that it seemed a flash.