La paz llegará, el amor siempre vivirá—No me ames, mas quedate otro dia

[candor1]

WHO: Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Bodhi Rook, Finnick Odair (independent threads)
WHERE: Cabin 56, the woods, the spring, wherever else happens
WHEN: Feb 6 through now. "Ten days in the [new] life".
OPEN TO: Jyn, Cassian, Bodhi and Finnick
Quick apology for what a first-love middleschooler I've been being IC and OOC, with me neglecting and Cassian unable to gear shift at all away from Jyn! (Turns out we're super OTP, quelle surprise) Thanks for forebearance, and sorry, guys…!
This might help with moving back into the rest of the game from that first obsessed flush of her arrival. Mainly prompts for kestreldawn and I to multithread several CR developments in a single post, rather than a slew of logs.
WARNINGS: PTSD (both helping and triggering one another—and worrying about that), exchanging war/life/traumatic stories, issues they haven't thought about in decades resurfacing 'cause this is so new and everything's getting unlocked, smut (though surprisingly happy/healthy), treating physical injury (possible self-harm convo), reproductive choices, panic attacks
STATUS: Open

1. the next moment (Jyn and Cassian in their cabin)

2. that night (same)

3. in the next few days (Finnick and Cassian at the spring)

4. in days following (Bodhi, Jyn and Cassian TBD)

5. today (Jyn and Cassian, cabin and forest)

Comments

[candor1]

He grinned. And swept her up into his arms into a classic romantic holovid carrying hold. "I'm saying… we've had hard lives with too few luxuries or pleasures… and it would be my extreme pleasure, for you, to do something about that.

"…And that you stink."

Though in acknowledgement that so did he, he turned her to bury her face under his arm.

[kestreldawn]

A trill of laughter escapes her at the sudden move, and she presses a hand to her forehead the way she's seen in the holovids and holodramas, pretending to be swooning or dizzy or some such nonsense. She never really understood any of it. The other hand holds onto his shoulder.

She lets out a shout of protest and feigned disgust as she tries to wriggle herself free, putting on a good show of sputtering and coughing and gasping for air (in between laughs, of course).

"At least I don't smell as badly as you do!"

[candor1]

"You can measure that, can you?" he retorted teasingly, starting them on their trip back upstairs. "You didn't seem to mind earlier."

[kestreldawn]

"You also hadn't shoved my face squarely into your armpit, either," Jyn quickly quips back, following behind him. "It's hardly fair to compare the two events."

[candor1]

He made a face. "If you're going to be graphic…" They'd reached the staircase. He debated a moment on setting her down, then instead slung her over his shoulder to ascend.

[kestreldawn]

"If you think that's graphic, I can keep going. Make it worse, even," Jyn states rather matter-of-factly, as though speaking of nothing more than sterile data. "Yes, I can talk about everything in excruciating deta-- HEY!" She puts up a good fight (however half-hearted it really is) when she lobs her over his shoulder like a sack of grain. She even throws in a few purposefully gentle taps of her fist against his back. "I can walk myself, you know!"

[candor1]

"No, no," he said, wincing grinningly under the assault. "Now I'm curious. I'll do the walking while you start describing things in excruciating 'detahey'."

[kestreldawn]

"You know what I meant!" Jyn continues to protest, putting on a very good display of huffing, puffing, sighing, grunting, and squirming - not enough to risk being dropped, but enough to at least appear very unhappy at being reduced to a bratty child. "What, do you want me to describe the smell of your body odor? I don't think there've been words invented yet to describe it," she teases, eventually resigning herself and flopping like a dead body.

[candor1]

"I'd hoped there would be more compelling things to dissect with humiliating clarity, but clearly I have to work harder…" They reached the upper level and he deposited her ceremonially on her feet just inside the lav door. Gave her a cheeky grin. And ducked, if necessary.

[kestreldawn]

"I could always start calling you Captain Bantha if that makes you happy," she retorts playfully, giving his arm a light punch after she's placed down. But as soon as she's made the contact, she's leaning over and pressing her lips to his cheek - even play fighting, with no violent or ill intent, feels a little too much like the real thing. Her kiss is an act of contrition, a reminder (though she doubts he needs it) that she's still on his side. Lips by his ear, she adds, "Actually, I like the way you smell, even when you're dirty." Her hand searches his out, squeezes it affectionately.

[candor1]

At the Bantha joke, he abjectly failed to suppress an expulsion of air, carrying surprised laughter and incredulity. "Um… I can think of about four ways to take that, two of which I guess could be flattering…"

1. something to do with smelliness /2. something to do with smashing into things /3. something to do with riding experience /4. something (patently inaccurate) to do with anatomy

The punch hadn't wounded, but he senses her feelings and drops his own flippancy to match her, knowing what she felt and not wanting her to; smoothing his arm around her and kissing her too.

He returned the squeeze of her hand, smiling at what she said. "In that case," he murmured back, tone breathy and low as if he were about to say something incredibly romantic, "we should probably have you tested for nerve damage."

[kestreldawn]

"Well, the secret of the truth dies with me - so I'll leave you to come to your own conclusion of what I meant." Her shoulders rise and lift lazily, the glint in her eyes one of coyness and adoration, warmed and intensified by the a quiet hum of appreciation at the touch of his lips to her cheek.

It's her turn to fail miserably at biting back the laugh that bursts through her lips, free hand rising to cover her mouth and stifle the sound. She jabs him in the ribs with her finger - first once, then twice, then a third time.

"So that's the explanation of it, is it? Nerve-damage?" Her eyes go wide, heel of her hand tapping to her temple lightly as though having an epiphany. "I can't believe it! Suddenly, it all makes sense."

[candor1]

…Oh, no, he can't keep bantering, she's too adorable. He kisses her again. Though in moving against her, remembers to keep them shuffling gradually toward the bathtub. One of them bumps against it with the back of their knees. They both nearly fall over and into it. They catch themselves. Laughing, he reaches down to turn on the water. And as the tub fills, returns his attention to kissing her and moving his hands inside her clothes to begin loosening and pushing them off of her.

[kestreldawn]

"Are you sure it's this tub that's the goal? I feel like it's all just a cover to get my clothes off," Jyn teases against his lips, helping him along by shrugging the garments from her body into a crumpled heap around her feet. Her hands follow his, mirroring his movements - only on his body, instead of hers. "Not that I'm complaining."

[candor1]

He laughs and, against her hands, theatrically shrugs. "We could wash the clothes while we're still wearing them," he said, "but then I think we'll just end up more quickly bathing in mud…" Though his pleasurable shiver at her hands finding his skin agrees with her final sentiment.

[kestreldawn]

"I've bathed in worse, probably." It's strange - and wonderful - to feel so relaxed, so comfortable in her naked skin in front of another person. She'd been naked in front of others before, as she'd explained, but it was only to go swimming - it was never sexual in nature. To have that added, and to still feel comfortable - not only with herself, but with him too, forces the corners of her lips to curl.

She eyes the water level of the tub, twists the tap once it's reached the proper height. She tentatively dips her fingers in and feels the warmth of the water, and her skin immediately speckles itself in goosebumps. She dips her fingers lower and splashes him with a bit of the water.

"Feel all right to you?"

[candor1]

"Needs some improvement," said Cassian. "I think it's missing something."

With a quick lunge, he's caught her up once more in his arms. This time, keeping her upright, pressed against him, as he lifts her clear of the tub then and lowers her into the water. And, not caring that he's causing some of it to overflow onto the floor, rolled himself in after and onto her.

"There," he murmured, running his hands frictionlessly over her body under the surface in the warmth, snaking his arms around her, and leaning in to rest his face into her hair.

[kestreldawn]

"Really? What's it - AH! WAIT, NO!" Jyn weakly protests, not really meaning the words themselves but more taken by the suddenness of his actions. She lets out a screech of delight at being lifted from the ground, legs wiggling against his grip, before laughing loudly at being submerged in the warm water. She latches onto him as soon as he's fallen in after her. "How do you say, 'very much' in Yaval?"

[candor1]

If her tone hadn't been so plainly delighted, he would have put her down at once at any protest. He's a little relieved, regardless, at her writhe of pleasure once immersed.

"Muy mucho," he supplies, using the alliteration to tingle against her hair.

[kestreldawn]

"Muy mucho .. er, better," Jyn blurts with a shy laugh and shake of her head. "Horrific grammar, but hopefully the message is still the same." Even with the wonderfully warm embrace of the water compounded by his arms, there's a shiver that runs down his spine at the brush of his lips. She hopes, somewhere in the depths of her, that it never goes away.

[candor1]

"Mucho mejor, then," Cassian provided in a laugh. He slid to adjust their position in the tub, tilting his face to kiss her again as he did.

And while he still didn't believe in any religious nonsense, and did not want to turn their current lack of knowledge into somesuch (which was what most of it boiled down to in his prejudice)… there was still an element of not wanting to tempt fate with hubris, wanting to demonstrate how much he appreciated and wanted to keep what was given.

And murmured to whatever Captors or Observers or Gods might be there, "Muchas gracias por darnos esto. Por favor, permítanos quedarnos juntos."

CLOSED

[kestreldawn]