The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Finally. Artisuren reached down and took Laurius's good hand. Desperation trilled through his nerves as they finally made contact. He'd barely touched the man since Laurius sacrificed his blood to retrieve him from the dagger. He wasn't aware that the lack of contact bothered him until their fingers met.

With near-frantic urgency, he pulled the man to his feet so they stood chest to chest. The position was practically an embrace. His master's body felt too light and too hot, but he was whole. Ren's heart pounded. "You didn't like it when Thvoros carried you," he said. "How should I move you?"

[Emora Deen]

Laurius swallowed as he stood pressed against the being’s chest. He could feel the rattle of Ren’s heart against his sternum. “I don’t like feeling helpless,” Laurius said. “I didn’t like being off my feet. Just… help me walk to the shade.” Laurius looped an arm over Ren’s shoulder.

[Soran Nightblade]

Artisuren swallowed as the sides of their bodies touched. He bent his knees a bit so he didn't put the man too off balance with his height, and walked him to the edge of the trees. He helped the man sit on the ground next to a mossy boulder. "I saw fresh water from the treetops. When Thvoros returns, I should be able to go retrieve some in the spent shells."

The sound of something moving in the brush made him look sharply over his shoulder. The the bright daylight in front of them, it was hard to adjust when looking into the denser forested area. "Maybe that's one of those tusked creatures," he muttered to himself.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius looked curiously at the jungle forest. “If you mean a boar, be careful. They’ve gored many a hunter. Poor tempers and no patience, those things.”

Laurius relaxed against the rock, surprised at how much cooler it felt against his back. He almost shivered at the difference.

“If you wanted to go look for water, we’ll be fine here. Nothing much can happen but a good nap.” Laurius was already fading a little now that he was comfortable in the shadow of the trees. “…or you could let me use that lap of yours as a pillow.”

[Soran Nightblade]

"You literally just told me the animals here could gore you," Artisuren said crossly. He crossed his arms and dropped to a seat next to the man. His long legs stretched out in front of him, leaving his lap free. "Go ahead and sleep," he offered, looking stubbornly away.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius chuckled and slid down onto his back, resting his head on Artisuren’s legs and staring up at the canopy of strange leaves above their heads. “You are too tense, Ren,” he said, and maybe it was the bloodless talking, but Laurius felt more than relaxed. He yawned and shut his eyes, listening to the waves crash rhythmically against the shore. “We made it to land. There is food and water. If we had to have vengeful sorceress sink a ship, at least we’re marooned on paradise.”

[Soran Nightblade]

"The sun melted your damn mind," Ren muttered. But a part of him was delighted when Laurius described being stuck together like a paradise. It felt good to feel the man's head on his thighs. It was such a vulnerable gesture. Kishva had never rested against him like this.

He pressed his long fingers to his master's forehead. It was hard to tell if his high temperature was from exposure or infection. Maybe Thvoros would bring water. He let his hand rest lightly over the side of Laurius's neck, and held still so the man could sleep.

"I suppose this is nice," he acknowledged. He felt wanted. Trusted.

[Emora Deen]

“Very,” Laurius murmured before nodding off.

Across the way, Tenara began to gather driftwood and pile it on the beach. She worked unnecessarily hard, but she needed to be doing something. She needed to feel useful. She needed to feel discomfort.

So she set herself to piling wood in the hopes of making a large fire for others to see—in the hopes others from their doomed ship might find safety.

When she ran out of wood on the beach, she ventured into the edge of the forest, dragging out huge logs and branches to stack. She worked until her chaffed hands burned, and she lost track of time.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havitharon paused his brisk hiking pace to look up at the dark smoke curling into the sky.

"Looks like they got a smoke signal goin'," Lee panted from behind him. The man was not as athletic or long-limbed as his hiking partner, and he was red-faced from trying to keep up.

"Smoke signal?"

"Yeah. A fire. So someone can find us."

Havi released a bit of the anxiety that had rushed in on him. He might be the most able-bodied of the group right now, but he was by far the least shipwreck-savvy. Apparently, looking at sketches in books alone did not a survivalist make. He'd been dependent on Lee to identify what was edible around the island, but at least it had been a successful hunt. Lee had removed his shirt to use as a sack, and Havi had all he could carry bundled in his arms. Ten minutes later, the pair returned to the landing site. A large fire was burning on the sandy beach, and the rest of the survivors were resting in the shade of the tree line nearby.

"Where is Tenara?" Havi murmured, scanning for his Yurivis.

"Hell if I know. I'm settin' this crap down," Lee grumbled and trudged toward where Merry and Tabetha were weaving palm fronds in the shade.

Havi finally spotted Tenara dragging a log out of the woods further down the shore. Havi set his load down and jogged out to meet her on the sand. He lifted the log from the opposite side and began carrying it with her toward her pile. "The island has a lot of resources," he greeted.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara trudged ahead of Havi, but smiled back at him as he gathered the end of the log to help. “I’m glad. I’m also glad Lee behaved himself. I was…” she paused, glancing off at the pirate. “I was worried he’d hurt you.“

When they made it back to the others, Tenara dropped her end of the log and rested her raw hands on her knees for a second, taking a deep breath. She’d worked all afternoon with an empty belly, and was just starting to feel lightheaded from it. She went to Havi, and curled her shaking arms around his waist and hugged her face to his chest. She could have fallen asleep right there, resting against him. “I could eat the entire island…” she murmured against his skin.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. His breath caught only slightly as his ribs reminded him of their displeasure. "Then I will feed it to you," he said. He didn't try to correct her for working herself to exhaustion. Her reaction when he asked her to conserve her magic had made him wary of upsetting her any further. She seemed to need to do what she was doing, even though he didn't understand it.

He led her back to where the others were resting. Artisuren's green eyes met his warily as they approached, as if daring him to say something about the position he was in with Laurius. Havi just let his gaze slide off the pair, not interested in figuring out their dynamic at the moment. He went instead to where the kitchen girls were sitting. Lee had plunked down next to them, and both women had edged a few feet further away to avoid him.

Havi guided Tenara next to the girls before standing before his hiking partner. "Your knife," Havi said, holding his palm out to Lee.

The pirate grimaced. "I ain't born yesterday."

"If we could afford to lose you, I would already have killed you," Havitharon stated in a tone that gave Lee every confidence it was the truth. The man slapped the knife into Havi's waiting hand. Havi took one of the drained coconuts and dragged the knife through it as if it were a canteloupe and not a stiff, woody rind. Within a few minutes, he'd carved the fruit into sections and cut the white flesh into cubes. He left half for the others to share and took the rest, sitting beside Tenara. He cut her a piece and held it out to her, hoping to feed her.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara smiled at the fruit Havi offered her, and for a second, imagined they were on a trip, just the two of them, enjoying a day at her family’s beach house. She inclined her head towards him, and pinched the fruit with her teeth, taking it gently and covering her mouth as she retreated to keep it from falling. For the first time in days, her eyes held that vibrant happy glimmer.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi opened his eyes slowly to the sound of rain pattering on the grass roof of their makeshift shelter. Tenara was nestled close at his side, and the small lean-to was just sufficient to keep them relatively dry. The others slept in pairs under similar structures a few yards apart, except Lee, who was using the overturned boat nearby. Rain squalls were common since they'd arrived, but at least they usually passed quickly. The palm roofs the kitchen girls had woven had held up well enough that no one had grown ill.

It seemed like he was the first one up. Havi propped himself up on one elbow and glanced out at the fire. The signal had grown weak in the night. He slid carefully out from beneath his Yurivis to avoid disturbing her and trekked to the wood pile they kept beneath the boat.

"Damn rain," Lee grunted at him as he reached into the man's hideout.

"You need the sleep," Havi noted as he grabbed some dry wood and carried it off toward the dwindling fire. Lee was the only one who was more injured now than when they'd arrived. He had broken his ankle their second day here. He wasn't good for much since then, and being an invalid at their mercy had altered his attitude from threatening to reclusive.

Havi stacked the fire high enough to keep it running through the storm and watched while the flamed picked up, sending plumes of steam and smoke up into the gray sky. He went to the tree where they'd hung their food to keep it from the boars, and retrieved enough food to distribute to everyone for breakfast. He left some with the kitchen girls, who were half away and mumbled a sleepy thank you. Artisuren and Laurius's tent was quiet, and he could just make out their presence behind the leaves. He set their food on the empty shell at the edge of the dwelling and pushed it inside. Then he brought some to Lee and finally returned to their own shelter to dry off. Like the others at this stage of their adventure, he was mostly nude, so soggy clothing wasn't a huge concern. Fabric had been too useful a resource in making their camp and transporting materials, and it was hot here anyway.

He leaned against the rock that formed the support for their lean-to and looked out at the gray mist of the sea. When it rained and the visibility was low like this, he sometimes imagined the rest of the world didn't even exist. The ocean just ended in nothingness. Watching it made him stretch his jaw in a rare unguarded yawn.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara cracked an eye open at the low rumble of thunder in the air, spotting Havitharon near the narrow entrance of their shelter. She rose from their banana leaf bed, adjusting the thin sleeve of the slip that had become her only source of clothing since offering her dress to the cause. She slipped up behind him, twining her arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his spine. "Another rainy morning," she sighed, resting her forehead against his back as her fingers spread wide over his chest and abs. She pulled him backward gently. "Come back to bed. There's nothing to do when it's like this."

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi leaned into her touch and sprawled onto his side facing her. He pressed a wild blueberry to her lips, gold eyes sparkling at her. Everyone here could easily see into one another's shelters, but when the rain blended the sounds around them, they often gave in to the temptation to flirt.