[Flame]

Ijaat wasn’t normally a very…social person, as it was, so agreeing to this ‘outing’ was somewhat out-of-character for him. Rosie, on the other hand, seemed nothing short of overjoyed that he’d consented to join her, although what reasons she had for wanting to hang around someone like him for this long were lost upon him. Her companion and translator though, made it quite clear where it stood on the matter, and to avoid any confusion, confirmed it with a less-than-gentle whack of its long tail against his greaves. One of Ijaat’s concerns was that the creature might just decide, on a whim, to stop translating…which could make an already awkward situation even more agonizing. He just hoped that, at least for the rest of tonight, it would comply with its mistress’s wishes.

Ijaat was once again taken by surprise when Rosie grabbed him by the hand and began to tow him through the crowd between them and the door. Over his initial surprise, he followed along placidly, letting her lead him wherever it was that she had in mind. If the crowd didn’t part for the little woman trying to work her way through, they certainly did when they saw the company that she kept; anyone who tried to get in the way promptly earned a stern look, and so their trip to the door remained relatively uneventful. Ijaat held the door for Rosie before being tugged along behind her, out into the balmy, if somewhat cool night.

Relieved to be out of the oppressive crowd inside the cantina, Ijaat sighed lightly, watching Rosie’s hands fly as she signed away. “Indeed,” he agreed. “I’ll leave that decision up to you, as you’re probably much more familiar with this part of town than I am,” he finished with a small, rare smile. He figured he might as well make the best of this situation as he could, seeing as he was committed to it already as it was. After all, there was no sense in ruining a perfectly good night, now was there?

[MillietheWarrior]

Rosie grinned brightly; she was happy at least, that he was agreeing to go somewhere with her. Were the falls appropriate? Honestly, they were for young lovers to sit and gaze at and engage in other…activities near. Rosie didn’t think they were all that romantic; the falls were just an amazing creation of nature and they deserved to be admired. Well, she could only hope that he, as an out-of-towner, had no idea about who actually went to the falls, and what they went there for. Her hands began to sing rapidly, and she smiled as she bounced ahead of him, her hair lightly moving against her shoulders, swinging back and forth.

‘Oh good. Then the falls it is then. You know, sometimes, the fireflies come out at night, and they light up the falls and the water around them. It’s rather lovely. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.’ She turned to look over her shoulder, catching his smile and mimicking it with one of her own. Teacup grumbled as he followed along beside it’s mistress; it was watching her out of the corner of it’s eye, easily translating everything she signed so that Ijaat wasn’t kept out of the loop. It would never dare to simply stop translating in the middle of a conversation. It loved it’s mistress, despite her strange tendencies, and didn’t want to maker things more awkward or uncomfortable for her if it could help it.

Rosie’s hands had begun to sign away once more, and she slowed her pace so she was walking in step with Ijaat as they began to walk, though it was considerably difficult, since his legs were longer than hers. ‘I like your smile. Let me guess-’ she said sweetly. ‘-you don’t smile often, hm? Well, you should. It’s nice.’ She nodded resolutely as she reached out to tug on his elbow and guide him along. ‘It’s this way,’ she signed with one hand, tilting her head to look up at him; he was so much taller than her it was almost ridiculous. She felt tiny compared to him. ‘Soooo…you’ve never been here before, or what?’

[9/9]

[Flame]

Luckily for Rosie, Ijaat wasn’t particularly familiar with this town; the only times he’d ever visited had been due to the call of duty. Plus, he hardly ever wandered beyond the bar – after all, it was hard to collect gossip and garner information anywhere else really. So, in all practicality, Rosie could take him anywhere she wanted to, and he’d be none the wiser as to where they were going. What was life without a little adventure though? After all, the young woman seemed like pleasant enough company as opposed to the usual crowd he got stuck with (not by choice, but by profession), and considering all she’d been through in the short few minutes they’d been acquainted, the least he could do was be a gentleman, if only to make up for the less-than-savory behavior of her three earlier ‘suitors’, if they could be called that.

To be completely honest, Ijaat had never been the kind of person to stop and admire the scenery; he never seemed to get the chance to, and frankly, it wasn’t on his list of priorities. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to get a glance at how ‘normal’ people spent their time, he thought to himself as Rosie happily signed away, filling him in on the general gist of their destination. “That sounds…lovely,” he finally replied, sounding a little awkward due to the fact that he wasn’t accustomed to addressing places (or anything, for that matter) with such…‘sentimental’ adjectives. His tone was genuine though as he addressed her, sounding milder than he had for a while.

At Rosie’s comment about his smile, he seemed a little bashful, clearly unaccustomed to such statements. He did, however, recognize it as a compliment, and as a reward, Rosie was granted another such smile, this one slightly bolder than the last. “Well, in my line of work, an intimidating look works wonders over pleasantries. Then again, I suppose my job doesn’t exactly fall under the category of ‘typical lifetime career goals’ either.” Ijaat shrugged indifferently. As Rosie tugged him along by the elbow, he shortened his stride to match hers so that she wouldn’t have to hurry to keep up with his longer gait. “I’ve been in the neighborhood only once or twice before, and even then, only on business. I’ve heard of the falls nearby, but haven’t actually learned anything about them until you came along.” He cast a sidelong glance at her. “Is there something that I should know, before we pay a visit?”

[MillietheWarrior]

Rosie’s eyes darted quickly back to him when he spoke; he still sounded so awkward. It made her wonder if he ever got to go out at all. She was determined to draw him into conversations until he was no longer awkward sounding, and he became comfortable around her. She hated when people felt awkward around her. It was always the same reason: she was mute. It made it hard for them to hold conversations with her without that air of awkwardness and hesitancy about them. She knew Ijaat wasn’t acting awkward because of her, but it still bothered her. She smiled lightly, and tilted her head, keeping one hand on his elbow while the other signed her words away.

‘Perhaps if you smiled at them more often, they would be a bit more confused, and would have absolutely no idea what you were going to do.’ Although the idea of hunting someone for profit didn’t sit well with her, she wasn’t about to preach to him about his lifestyle choice, for a few reasons; one, she knew nothing about him. Maybe it was a family business, or he had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, or perhaps he enjoyed his work. Two; she never made assumptions about anyone, and she tried her hardest to stick with that moral. It was a good one to have. And three; despite his career choice, he was a very nice man, a gentleman, she’d say. Who was she to lecture him on what he did and didn’t do? Besides, it might ruin his time with her.

‘Or maybe not. After all, if you went around smiling at everyone, I wouldn’t feel that special, now would I?’ she said, her mouth opening slightly to reveal a smile of pearly white teeth.  She wished she could laugh; perhaps then he would know she was just joking. She silently thanked him for shortening his stride, glad she didn’t have to jog to keep up with him. Her hand remained a steady and constant pressure on his elbow, as if she was reluctant to let go of him for fear of losing her new companion. ‘Glad I could teach you something new,’ she signed, tilting her head slightly. ‘But ah…well…The, uh, falls are a place where young lovers usually go.’

She seemed suddenly flustered, and frowned, shaking her head. ‘Not to say that we are- I just…well, I just like the falls. I don’t think it’s fair that people associate them only with ‘young love’ and all that. I mean, I think they’re pretty, and yeah, I can see why they’re romantic and everything, but honestly. Anyone should be able to see them without the worry of being stereotyped and…’ She glanced at him, aware that she had been rambling nervously. ‘And…I’m just going to stop now. But-but don’t think I’m taking you here to like…jump you or something,’ she continued with a blush. ‘If your uncomfortable coming with me, your free to leave whenever you like…’

[10/10]

[Flame]

Ijaat kept his gait to an easy, rambling pace as he followed his companion’s lead, his step naturally falling into rhythm with hers as they leisurely made their way towards the falls. Rosie seemed determined to draw him into conversation; it wasn’t that he didn’t want to chat with her, it was just that his social skills were rather on the rusty side from lack of use, although he consciously made an effort to put the young woman at ease in his presence. She was the type of person who seemed to exude an aura of kindness, innocence, and compassion, a complete 180 from what the bounty hunter was used to dealing with on a regular basis. While it was considerably out-of-the-norm for him, he was somewhat surprised to find that he wasn’t opposed to her company; he just had to get over the initial discomfiture of allowing her to break down his self-imposed social barriers.

The young man chuckled lightly at Rosie’s suggestion; it was true, he had yet to see a constantly cheerful bounty hunter, so he could see how wearing a perpetual smile could be…offsetting, to say the least. “True,” he said thoughtfully, “although I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I went around with a smile permanently plastered to my face. Not to mention the fact that it would feel somewhat absurd.” He shrugged with mock hopelessness. “I guess you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” She did bring up a good point though; Ijaat did not generally make a habit of grinning at everyone who passed him on the street, nor did he always grace those that called themselves his ‘friends’ with the gesture either. There just seemed to be something about this young woman’s quiet, warm, and open demeanor that naturally elicited a response in kind from the otherwise taciturn and somewhat impassive man who she’d just happened to take up company with.

“The, uh, falls are a place where young lovers usually go.”
Oh. It took Ijaat a moment to comprehend exactly what Rosie had just said, and he had to consciously urge himself to keep moving, otherwise, he probably would have frozen stock-still with surprise mid-step. He mentally winced at the thought of how things could get even more awkward from this point. He was in the process of trying to think up how to make a speedy getaway when he happened to catch on to the embarrassment in his companion’s voice (or rather, the jittery and sudden self-consciousness of her hand) as she tried to smooth out the unexpected bump in the proverbial road. Ijaat almost breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that his misunderstanding had been simply that; just a misunderstanding. He should have known that Rosie hadn’t meant what he’d thought she meant, right from the get-go. Briefly, he gently laid his free hand over the one that was still frantically signing away, his soothing way of ‘shushing’ her. “Hey, no worries,” he said, his voice calming as he fixed his sapphire gaze on hers to make sure that he conveyed his meaning across to her. After all, she seemed so flustered, and a flustered Rosie certainly made for a much more awkward Rosie. “I know what you meant, so there’s no need to feel so embarrassed about it.” A little less hesitantly than the last time, he offered another small smile, this one more warm and reassuring in quality, and he lifted his hand from hers once again, assured that she wouldn’t go rambling off again. “Plus, I don’t exactly take you to be the ‘jumpy’ type…not to mention the fact that I’m not exactly your typical ‘jumpable’ guy.” His smile widened slightly into a grin. “All things considered, I think we’re pretty safe,” he ended with a quiet chuckle, encouraging Rosie forward once again with a soft tug of his elbow.

[MillietheWarrior]

Rosie kept her eyes studiously on her feet, not even bothering to look up when she felt Teacup’s eyes on her. The Rabbot was hypersensitive when it came to her moods and emotions, and it was well aware that she was nervous and embarrassed. It wasn’t exactly sure why, although it figured it had something to do with the falls. Teacup didn’t see what the big deal was; the two of them often visited the falls together when Rosie had time off work. She was entranced by them, spending hours and hours staring at the falls or chasing the fireflies with happy abandon. Although Teacup couldn’t imagine the falls ever making her unhappy, it did see the way her eyes would stray to every couple that passed her, or the way she’d turn away when she saw them holding hands. Although human emotions and peculiarities escaped it, it had a good idea of why the public shows of affection bothered her; she was lonely.

But Teacup was content with their life, and would do nothing to jeopardize the happy peace it had found with Rosie. So it made no attempt to try and help her remedy the situation, and in fact, made it a bit more difficult for anyone to get close to her. While seeing her sad hurt the Rabbot, it was also too possessive and stubborn to allow anyone else to be around her for long. Ijaat was already testing the limits of it’s patience, and it was just biding it’s time before it could show him a piece of it’s mind and force him to leave. Rosie, meanwhile, had glanced up at Ijaat in blatant surprise when she felt his hand close over her own. No one had ever touched her before, especially not her hands. She imagined it was some weird way of distancing themselves from her, while still allowing her to ‘speak’ to them if she needed it. But no one had ever done that, and it certainly threw her for a loop.

Her shoulders slumped slightly, body relaxing as the tenseness and the embarrassment she’d be feeling from what she was sure would be a swift rejection from this strange man began to melt away. Her eyes met his, and she stared up at him curiously, before a bright smile lit up her face. He was certainly full of surprises. She continued moving forward, pulled along by his arm in hers. ‘Oh good,’ she signed away again. ‘For a minute there, I was sure you’d freak out and run.’ She shook her head, still smiling, and if she could have laughed, she would have. ‘And besides…I think if I tried to jump you, I’d be stopped by a wall of armor,’ she said with another shake of her head and smile. She didn’t exactly realize what she’d said until she said it, and her cheeks lit up in embarrassment.

She was saved from having to try and take back what she’d said by their arrival at the falls. She could see the small lights of the fireflies as they darted and zipped about. The manicured lawn glistened with mist from the falls, and there were a few tall, darkened trees littering the edges, creating a very darkened, if not romantic atmosphere. Of course, Rosie didn’t see it this way; with the light from the fireflies dancing on the water, all she saw was beauty. The romantic feel and the intimate setting was lost on the young woman, and she gently broke her hold on Ijaat to hurry forward and stand at the edge of the water. ‘See?’ she sighed, turning back to him. Teacup sat at her feet, batting at a bug every now and again when one got too close.

‘I told you it was beautiful. And we’re in luck; no one else is here. It’s always nicer to appreciate the beauty when you don’t have to worry about someone kissing their significant other right beside you.’ She snorted, shaking her head as a firefly landed in her hair. She glanced at it, craning her neck as it crawled along the ivory curls, before shrugging. ‘What do you think? Pretty, huh? Definitely makes you wanna come back here, doesn’t it?’ She referred to his nomadic ways; maybe if he liked something here well enough, he’d come back to see it. It would be nice to have at least one friend.

[11/11]

((Her muse is so fickel...one minute she says nothing, the next, I get a good couple of paragraphs out of her. XD Sorry for the wait~ -Snugs-))

[Flame]

Ijaat could see his companion visibly relax at his reassurance, and he was silently glad that they understood each other flawlessly on a fundamental level. When she flashed that warm, brilliant smile at him once more, clearly over her momentary awkwardness, he found himself inadvertently returning the gesture, and expression which he was surprised to find came almost naturally to him when he was around her. He couldn’t help but marvel at how happy Rosie seemed all the time; how could a person keep such an optimistic outlook on life when there was so much chaos, ugliness, and destruction around them daily? Perhaps she had a way of tuning all that negativity out, or perhaps she had been sheltered from the horror that occurred outside of her life. Ijaat was somewhat surprised to find that he naturally wanted to protect the innocent, sweet young woman from whatever harm the world might throw at her, that he wanted to shelter the purity that was now so hard to find in a world corrupted by violence and greed.

He shook off the strange sensation as Rosie picked up the conversation once more. “I’m not really one of those ‘freak out and run’ people, as far as I know,” he replied with a chuckle, although her second comment rather threw him a little. He figured though, that the best way to deal with it was simply to let it slide instead of directing attention towards it by making a big deal out of it. He could tell by the blush that suddenly colored Rosie’s cheeks that that would probably be the worst thing to do, in this situation. He did, however, vaguely wonder if his armor could stop someone from ‘jumping’ him if they had a mind to, but mentally smacked himself and ousted the thought almost instantaneously, wondering where in the world that stray notion had come from.

Luckily for him, he was saved face when the falls happened to come into view at that moment, and his companion darted ahead happily to beckon him towards the waterside. He followed her over, coming to a stop on the bank beside her, his gaze roving over the scenery that engulfed him, almost overwhelmed by immense majesty of the panorama around him. He was not the kind of guy who made a habit of going out to look at scenery; he generally didn’t have the luxury of that kind of time on his hands, but there was no way that any person could come to the falls and not be awestruck by its grandeur. The whole vista seemed to exude an aura of serenity, peace, beauty, and something that that Ijaat just couldn’t place his finger on.

For several long moments, he was silent, drinking in the scene around him. “Yes…it is beautiful indeed,” he murmured softly. Rosie’s words caused him to start slightly, as if suddenly awoken from a semi-conscious trance, and he glanced down at her, his expression uncharacteristically mild. For this moment, it was as if all of his worries had been washed away, as if the steady flow of the water swept away everything but the here and now. His gaze was curious as he regarded his much smaller companion, as if he were asking a question solely with his eyes. “Do you not have a significant other?” As soon as the words had left his mouth, he instantaneously wished that he could take them back. His mind seemed intent on blindsiding him with questions that, had he been given a moment to think about, he would otherwise have refrained from asking. If anything, it was definitely an awkward query, and he did not want to disturb the fragile tranquility between them with uncomfortable questions. Nonetheless, he couldn’t take it back, now that he’d asked it, and he just hoped that Rosie wouldn’t take it too badly. Subconsciously though, something said that he had to know the answer to that question, although for what purposes, he truthfully did not know. Somewhat embarrassed, he chose to plow on, hoping that the little ‘bump in the road’ could be overlooked; he didn’t want the evening to end quite yet. “Indeed…this is definitely a sight worth coming back for,” he replied to her last question with a small smile. It would be nice to be able to see the falls again in the future, and he would not be against visiting Rosie as well; there was just something about her character that he felt drew him back to this place, although he attributed it to the fact that he was concerned for her welfare, and would like to know that she was she was still doing alright.

[MillietheWarrior]

Teacup, to say the least, was not impressed by Ijaat’s close proximity to his mistress. The Rabbot sat beside her, tail waving angrily behind it as it ignored the fireflies in favor of glaring at Ijaat. It’s ears laid back against it’s head, eyes narrowing in silent annoyance. Who did this weird armored man think he was? What gave him the right to get so close to Rosie? For goodness sake, he hadn’t even known her for more than an hour, and already he acted like he owned the woman…or at least, that was how Teacup saw it. Reality was much different that the Rabbot’s perception of their relationship, but that didn’t stop it from glaring jealously up at the Mando from the other side of it’s mistress.

Rosie seemed oblivious to it’s ill feelings towards Ijaat. She remained at his side in comfortable silence, amazed at how easily they could stand there and not feel completely awkward. She let loose a small sigh, her shoulders sinking slightly as she stared out over the water. The fireflies danced across the surface, reflected like tiny, glowing stars on the rippling waves. When she’d gone out for a bit of fun that night, she honestly hadn’t imagined ending up here, or meeting Ijaat. Who could anticipate meeting a six foot something man in armor? Rosie had to admit, he was intimidating, and she knew that if she’d been anyone else, she probably would’ve done her best to avoid him. But Rosie didn’t judge based on looks; all that armor could be hiding a kind and gentle heart.

And here she was, standing on the bank of a very romantic place (Although she was trying very hard not to think of it that way) beside him, sharing a scene she had visited countless times on her own. It was strange not to be alone this time, but she welcomed the strangeness. She watched Ijaat out of the corner of her eye, taking in his silent reaction to the beauty surrounding them. He was silent for a very long time, and Rosie wondered if he was startled by the scene, or if he was simply soaking it in. Maybe he’d never seen anything like this before; she certainly couldn’t think of anywhere else a place like this might exist. But then, he was probably well traveled, so perhaps he’d seen better. Maybe he was unimpressed, and he didn’t want to say anything and was unwilling to hurt her feelings with his observations.

However, when he spoke, Rosie let out the tense breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, and turned to regard him fully with a bright, happy smile. ‘See? I told you,’ she signed, hands moving so quickly that anyone who hadn’t been paying close enough attention might’ve missed it. His next question, however, startled her, and one hand dropped to the side, while the other rested over her heart in her surprise. That was…unexpected….Well, that was very unexpected. Where had that question come from? She supposed she might’ve brought it on herself with her talk of ‘significant others’ and ‘kissing’ at the falls, but she hadn’t expected him to do much but laugh and agree. She felt a blush rise unbidden to her cheeks, and lowered her head only slightly, hoping her hair would be enough to hide her embarrassment.

‘No,’ she sighed, hands hesitating almost as if she wasn’t sure what to say. ‘I don’t. I’m a little…different. Men find it difficult to get used to the idea that I can’t talk, and that I have to have a translator just to have a conversation with them. It makes dating uncomfortable and awkward. So-’ She shrugged, her hands stilling for a moment. ‘-I don’t. But I…suppose I don’t mind. I mean, it makes coming to the falls a little depressing, but I get along just fine on my own…’ She tilted her head, her final words sounding almost like a question than an answer, as if she wasn’t sure if she was right when she’d said that. Did she really get along fine on her own? It was a matter of opinion, she supposed. She’d rather not dwell on that now; she’d have plenty of time later to mull it over, when she was…alone.

‘So,’ she finally said carefully, after a short silence had stretched between them. ‘Does this mean you’ll be coming back at some point?’ Her cheeks heated up only slightly, but she was confident that the slight darkness around them would keep it from being visible. Meanwhile, Teacup had lifted itself up and away from Rosie’s side. It was still able to catch her signing, and was happy to translate, but it was not happy about the direction the conversation was taking. Nor was it inclined to allow Ijaat to stand too close to Rosie for too much longer. Subtly, it moved around to the other side of Ijaat, keeping it’s movements quiet and discreet. It even managed to subdue the growling it had started up a few moments into their conversation as it settled itself on Ijaat’s free side. It sat there for a moment, ears craning back and forth, before it gave a mighty sweep of it’s massive tail, aimed to land square in the back of Ijaat’s knees. This would teach him to talk to it’s mistress.

[12/12]

[Flame]

Like Rosie, Ijaat was also currently ignorant of the animosity Teacup felt towards him, despite the fact that it had been keeping up a low, steady growl throughout the duration of their conversation. His mind was currently elsewhere and not on the Rabbot, as it had been deemed as not being an immediate danger to either himself or Rosie, and judging by the faithfulness and accuracy of its translation, he felt no suspicion whatsoever towards it. That was a mistake which he’d come to regret in the very near future, but for now, he remained blissfully oblivious to what was to come.

Ijaat almost immediately regretted putting Rosie on the hotspot with his rather personal question, but although he would have taken it back in a heartbeat if he could to spare her the discomfort, he found that he was, in fact, curious as to what her answer was. He attributed it to the instinctive protectiveness which had arisen within him upon meeting the kindhearted young woman; he felt the need to watch out for her while she was in his company. She seemed like the kind of person who looked for the good in all people, regardless of whether or not it was there, and he had no doubt that there were people out there would not hesitate to take advantage of that. “Well, maybe it was just the luck of the draw and you happened to meet only ‘uncomfortable and awkward’ men,” he said reasonably, choosing to act as if he hadn’t noticed her embarrassment. “Perhaps it’s just me, but personally, I like ‘different’.” He shrugged a shoulder offhandedly, glancing over at Rosie. “I mean, I’ve seen a lot of people in my time, and to be entirely honest, you’re probably the least awkward person I’ve gotten to talking to. That’s saying something, considering I generally don’t even bother with talking to most people.”

He chuckled lightly, sounding a little self-conscious, but that was mostly due to the fact that he wasn’t used to being this open with anyone, let alone a complete stranger. He’d only known Rosie for a few hours, but he felt as if she were a friend whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, yet could still confide everything in. For him, a bounty hunter, a man who was used to being a ‘lone wolf’, this was rather out of character, but although he was still playing it somewhat on the safe side, he couldn’t complain about feeling comfortable and almost at home for once in his life. After all, he didn’t really have much of a home to speak of, so these circumstances were few and far between.

A subtle change in Rosie’s ‘speech’ caused Ijaat to glance curiously at her, breaking his gaze from the spectacle before them for a moment. “Indeed? It doesn’t sound as if you’re entirely convinced of that yourself, are you?” His tone was gentler this time as he regarded his companion; he was far from being an expert when it came to women, but it wasn’t difficult to tell when something wasn’t quite right. Suddenly he shook his head, looking somewhat abashed as he pulled his gaze back to the falls, feeling as though his cheeks were on fire. “I’m sorry, I was out of line; it wasn’t my place to ask.”

Luckily after a brief pause, Rosie moved away from the subject, and Ijaat breathed a silent sigh of relief. However, before he had the chance to reply, he felt his knees suddenly give out from under him as a heavy object crashed into the back of his legs, and with a short exclamation of surprise, he tumbled headfirst into the picturesque lake which he had been admiring just a few moments earlier. It turned out that Teacup had seized the opportunity to take a swipe at him, and due to the fact that he’d been somewhat distracted at the time, he hadn’t seen the ‘attack’ coming. To his dismay, as soon as he hit the water, he sank like a rock, thanks to the weight of all the metal he was currently cocooned in. If he’d had his helmet on at the time, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but without that airtight seal, the water quickly flooded his entire suit, bogging him down. After a moment, he quickly gave up trying to swim back to the surface (he achieved nothing more than hovering in place in the water) and instead, chose to try and pull off his armor piece by piece; a task which turned out to be quite a struggle, as it was near impossible to see anything in the murky darkness of the water. All the while, he silently grumbled to himself about the Rabbot, imagining all the different types of retribution he could have upon it although he knew full well that it had amnesty from his wrath, if only because it provided the sole form of communication between himself and Rosie. Nonetheless, it did soothe his hurt dignity, even if only marginally so.

[MillietheWarrior]

Rosie didn’t even have time to answer any of Ijaat’s questions. His concern and his words were touching, and she felt her heart swell unexpectedly. It confused her; she’d never visited the falls with anyone, nor had anyone ever made her feel so…secure. Was this the strange magic of the falls? Or was she just imagining things? She shook her head; she was imagining things. She was just lonely, that was all. She was grasping desperately at the first man to actually look past her disability and treat her with dignity and kindness. She would be an idiot if she thought he actually cared about her beyond anything other than a friend; besides, hadn’t they only just met?

Yet Rosie couldn’t deny the strange connection she felt with him. He was a good man with a good heart, no matter how many layers of armor he tried to hide under it. He had a gruff voice, and he was almost a foot taller than her, with big, expressive blue eyes. He might’ve looked like a walking tower of danger and intimidation to others, but to her, he looked like nothing more than a simple, ordinary man, who’d never had a chance to really express his feelings. She imagined feelings and emotions were dangerous for someone like him; a bounty hunter with attachments was a bounty hunter with weakness. As strange as it was, Rosie silently wished she was one of his attachments.

Maybe it was a stupid and selfish wish; after all, if she was, there was a chance that she could be used to hurt him. But that didn’t stop her from imagining it. No, it was probably stupid. She doubted she’d ever even see him again; they were acquaintances. She couldn’t even say if she could call him a ‘friend’ even if she dearly wished to. In a few hours, he’d be gone, and she’d be left alone once more to ponder and remember the strange man in armor who had swept into her life and changed her way of thinking in a matter of moments. She lifted her hands, smiling over at him as if to reply, when she suddenly found he was gone.

Her eyes went wide, blinking frantically when he cried out and tumbled forward into the water. Her gaze instantly narrowed and riveted on Teacup, who had flattened it’s ears in a sheepish expression and slunk a few feet away. But Rosie was too concerned with Ijaat to punish the Rabbot for it‘s wrongdoing; she dropped to her knees on the bank, wishing fervently that she could call out to him. She knew, even if she tired, he wouldn’t hear her. After a few moments, she began to panic; he wasn’t surfacing, and the bubbles were beginning to become fewer and far between. With a deep breath, she hauled her shirt over her head and shimmied out of her pants and shoes, leaving her clad in what looked remarkably similar to a pair of boy shorts and a wife beater, as she dove into the water.

She hit with a resounding splash, and sank to the bottom, where she found a very irate Ijaat currently trying to remove his armor and get back to the surface; it wasn’t going too well. It was awkward, and difficult for him, and the water was too dark for him to see clearly. But Rosie had swam here many times, and she didn’t need any light to see what she was going to have to do. She moved as close as possible to him, hands reaching out as her fingers deftly found the armor clasps and began unhooking them one by one; it was a long and slow process. He had many plates and many clasps, and she had to search to find them all, a fact which left her very embarrassed and panicky.

After a few moments, only half the armor was removed, and she was beginning to run out of air. She shot back up to the surface and took a deep breath, before diving back down. Hesitating, she wondered if the old movies about divers and swimmers were right, and, praying they were, she reached forward to drag his head to hers and pressed her lips to his. It was for air, she reminded herself, purely for air, nothing else. She studiously kept to that notion even as she drew back and quickly unclasped what remained of his armor before returning to the surface and hoping dearly he couldn’t see the dark red that stained her cheeks.

[13/13]

[Flame]

This was certainly a situation which Ijaat had never been placed in before, and at this rate, he’d never have to deal with another like this in the future, if only because he’d probably be dead before it could happen to him again. Having sunken to the bottom of the lake after diverting his efforts from swimming to removing the armor that was anchoring him down, he could hardly see a thing, due to the fact that the only light down here was the weak, barely existent moonlight which managed to filter down through the dark, inky water. He was having some issues with trying to remove the many separate plates which made up the entirety of his suit; despite the fact that his armor was essentially part of him, and he knew it well, inside and out, it was still tricky to work with in almost complete darkness, turning the normally effortless task of taking it off into a struggle against time.

Judging by how much progress he’d made, regarding the removal of his armor, in comparison to how much longer he could hold his breath under the pressure of having the whole lake over his head, he knew subconsciously that there was no way he could get it all off in time. However, he was born a survivor, and it wasn’t in his nature simply to give up in the face of hopelessness; if anything, he’d go down fighting (which seemed like a very likely end, right about now). Just when he was beginning to think that there was no chance whatsoever of him making it out of this situation alive, he felt something brush against him in the water. He started, casting about for whatever it was that had bumped into him. Well, wasn’t that just great. Maybe Rosie had forgotten to tell him about some species of man-eating creature that happened to call this lake home. If that was the case, then on the bright side, he wouldn’t have to wait and suffer through the process of drowning. Silver lining, right?

However, his gaze caught sight of a flash of white, and to his great surprise, the figure before him resolved itself into the form of Rosie, her long hair waving in the gentle current. She deftly began to help unclasp the plates of armor still weighing him down, and flashing her a quick, grateful glance, he set about finishing what he had begun, glad, not only for her help, but simply for her presence. Despite the fact that he was shedding armor much faster with her aid, after a few moments, Ijaat could feel the first pangs of oxygen-deprivation. Without a word or sign of any sort, Rosie pushed away from the lake bottom and towards the surface; perhaps she knew a lost case when she saw one. Her return once again caught him by surprise, but even that paled in the face of the shock he received next. Completely out of the blue, she grabbed him, pressing her lips against his, unexpectedly warm in contrast to the cool water which encompassed them. Too many thoughts flew through his mind without fully registering in that moment, but he was suddenly aware of the fact that his brain’s incessant screaming for air had subsided considerably as the young woman once again drew away from him. Frozen in shock for a moment, he suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing, and quickly helped to unfasten the last few pieces of his armor. Finally free of its confines, he struck out for the surface in Rosie’s wake.

His dark head breaking free of the surface, he sucked in great lungfuls of air, suddenly appreciative of just how much oxygen there was. As his pulse and breathing gradually slowed back to normal though, he was aware of the fact that a hot blush currently colored his cheeks, accompanied by a strange mixture of giddy elation and disappointment. He couldn’t quite place why he felt either of the two emotions, but he knew that they were somehow tied into what had just happened below the surface of the water. Glancing around, he found Rosie nearby, and made his way over to her, making a conscious effort to shove his own embarrassment aside, knowing that it would only further embarrass her. He didn’t need the moonlight to know that her face was currently just as flushed as his.

Coming to a stop and treading water just a foot or two away from her, he favored her with a warm, genuine smile of appreciation. “Thanks for your help; I fancy I’d be permanently swimming with the fish right now if it hadn’t been for you.” There was warmth in his voice and eyes as he glanced over at Rosie, but beneath that, there was an undercurrent of something else as well, something that even he couldn’t exactly place. He certainly wasn’t used to being rescued, especially not by someone like her, and right now, he was completely out of any sort of playing field that was even vaguely familiar to him. For now, he chose to move on, for lack of any better ideas, but he knew that this was something he’d dwell upon in depth soon. “I suppose I should probably go back down there and fetch my armor before some creature decides to make off with it.”

[MillietheWarrior]

Rosie’s feet churned beneath the surface of the water, her arms waving rhythmically to keep her afloat as she waited for Ijaat to make his way over to her. She willed the red in her cheeks to disappear completely before he caught sight of it, but knew he was probably well aware of the level of her embarrassment. She smiled nervously at him, inclining her head in a faint gesture of ‘your welcome,’ before she turned and swam back to shore. She didn’t miss the strange look in his eyes, or the hammering of her own heart in response to his gaze.

She pulled herself up onto the soft grass, shivering as the cool air hit her bare skin and wet clothing. It would be one heck of a cold walk home, that was for sure. She’d be lucky if she didn’t catch a cold; but right now, however, she was more concerned with Ijaat. He’d practically just suffered a near death experience; that couldn’t be healthy. She was a little worried that he’d be shaking, upset, or freaking out, but he seemed rather calm and collected. Rosie turned her head to see Teacup sitting on the shore just beside her, ears drooping as it cast anxious glances from the corner of it’s eyes at her. She frowned, and reached out a hand, motioning for it to come and sit beside her. She was grateful for the warmth of it’s large body and fur as it pressed against her side happily, purring it’s apologies as it settled on her lap and beside her.

She lifted one hand and signed, knowing that Teacup would be able to translate for Ijaat no matter where he was or how far away he was. ‘Not a problem. I couldn’t just let you drown down there, especially since it would’ve been my fault…or, well, Teacup’s fault, but I’d have been an accessory to murder.’ She let out a silent laugh, then pressed her lips together in a thin line. Wait, he wanted to go back down there? Armor was not worth risking your life twice. What if he got stuck on something, or the armor weighed him down again? Rosie bit her lip, looking torn between staying on the shore, wrapped in the warmth of Teacup, or jumping back in to keep him from doing something stupid.  

Her worry over him won out, and she sighed again before slipping back into the water, much to Teacup’s annoyance. ‘I don’t know if that’s a good idea. You could’ve died. What if something bad happens to you? There’ no creatures around these parts of the falls, but there could be other things. I don’t want you to get hurt. Why don’t you let me go down and get the armor?’ She swam closer to him, her body gliding easily through the water, her hair floating on the surface like an ivory halo. She tilted her head when she reached him, wishing she could speak without the use of her hands. She traded water only a few inches from him, before lifting one hand from the water and pointing down; she sunk a little beneath the surface, gulping in a lungful of air as she quickly resumed treading water with both arms and legs. She certainly hoped he figured out what she was asking; it was difficult to try and sign when you needed your arms to stay above water.

[14/14]

[Flame]

Ijaat watched as Rosie slipped through the water towards the shore, clambering up onto the bank where Teacup awaited her, soon climbing into her lap as she once again took up signing. He, on the other hand, elected to remain where he was, worried that if he moved too far from where he had fallen in earlier, he wouldn’t be able to find his now-scattered armor again. He found had to try and concentrate single-mindedly on the simple task of remaining afloat as he watched her sign; there was something about the way her wet clothes clung closely against her figure that was rather distracting, something that had never happened to him before, and that confused him to no end. However, he quickly squashed down the unbidden thoughts, both worried and afraid of them. As a man of his occupation, he knew full well the dangers it could pose to anyone he was associated with, and that even just being here right now with Rosie could potentially be a danger to her well-being. Of all the people he had ever met in his life, she was the last person whom he would ever want to see come to harm, and if anything did happen to her, he knew that he’d only blame himself.

Her words in his head shook him out of his thoughts, and he refocused on her again, just realizing (with an embarrassed blush) that he’d been staring silently at her for the past minute or two. He chuckled lightly, trying to keep from sounding as flustered as he felt. “Well, you probably could have. It would have saved quite a few people a lot of effort at least.” He laughed, but mentally smacked himself. That probably wasn’t a joke that Rosie would much appreciate, if what he knew about her so far was anything to judge by. Go figure; he’d never really been a smooth talker, whether with women or otherwise.

His gaze remained fixed on Rosie as she slid back into the water, slowly gliding back over towards him. “That may be true, but it’s not much different from how I normally live my life as it is. Nothing new.” Well, besides the fact that he’d just met and been saved from death by a young woman much smaller and less ‘well-trained’ than himself. Other than that, it had been just another ordinary day in the life of a bounty hunter. Ijaat quickly realized that it was becoming rather difficult for Rosie to both support herself in the water and use her hands to talk at the same time. Also, he wasn’t about to let her risk her own safety for the sake of his armor either, and so after a brief moment’s hesitation, he extended an arm towards her, carefully encircling her tiny waist and tugging her gently towards him until her slight form was pressed snugly against his so that he supported both their weights, leaving her hands free to sign. He had the distinct feeling that Teacup would disapprove of this, but quite frankly, he didn’t particularly care at the moment. Gazing down at her, he couldn’t deny, as hard as he tried, that the warmth of her body pressed against his was both comfortable and decidedly hard to ignore.

Ijaat mentally shook himself once again. “No, no…I couldn’t put you at risk for the sake of my armor,” he replied, shaking his head. He smiled lightly at her, hoping that she would listen to him and not do anything reckless for his sake. “Plus,” he added with a chuckle, “you could at least leave me with an ounce of pride to call my own.”

[MillietheWarrior]

Rosie scowled at Ijaat from just above the surface of the water, her hair like a halo of white floating around her face. She glided a little closer to him in the water, but didn’t dare move too close for fear of invading his personal space. The water lapped at her shoulders and cheeks as she stared at him. She didn’t appreciate the joke, and she hoped the look on her face was eloquent enough to convey that message, when her words were unable to be used. His stare, however, was starting to make her a little uncomfortable. She hadn’t missed the look he’d leveled her with when she’d slid out of the water. Maybe it was one of the reasons she’d slid back in; it disturbed her, but not in an uncomfortable way.

She found she almost…liked the look. She was a bit flattered by it, but that didn’t stop the blush from rising up in her cheeks when she thought about it. Rosie was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice the subtle shift in the water as Ijaat’s arm reached out to curl around her waist. If she could have made a noise, she would have, but instead, she found herself pressed against his side, supported in the water by his strong arms. A very loud and noticeable growling came from the shore, where Teacup was pacing back and forth frantically, unwilling to enter the water, but desiring to tear Ijaat’s hair out if it could.

Rosie glanced quickly at her companion, than back to Ijaat, who’s face was only a few inches from her own. She lifted her hands, ignoring the droplets of water that splashed down into the pool, and signed almost nervously. ‘T-thank you…but-but you don’t have to um…do…this? You know, hold me and all.’ It sounded strange when she said it, but Rosie couldn’t deny that a shiver was racing up her spine at the contact, and that she did, in fact, want him to ‘hold her.’ ‘It’s, uh, probably hard for you to…keep us both above water…’

She blushed furiously, and turned to gaze into the dark water, as if staring at it hard enough might help her find the missing armor. ‘It’s mostly my fault that’s it’s even down there. If you hadn’t come with me today, none of this wouldn’t have happen. I’m really, really sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to come with me; then you’d still have your nice armor, and you’d still have-’ She blinked, looking faintly pained, and then lowered her gaze. ‘-your pride too. Let me help you get your armor, and then we can pretend none of this ever happened.’

[15/15]

[Flame]

Even though she couldn’t speak, Ijaat understood the look which Rosie was now giving him perfectly well. Clearly, she didn’t seem to like how offhandedly he treated his own life, but in reality, he wasn’t as flippant as he might have come off as. “Sorry,” he said meekly, feeling the need to explain, if only to put her at ease again. “That’s not how I meant for it to come across. You see, when you live like I do, joking about things like that makes the job seem a little less dark and heavy, if you know what I mean.” He shrugged lightly, something much easier said than done in the water. “Keeps a person optimistic.” For someone who really didn’t talk very much on a regular basis, it seemed that Rosie had done quite a thorough job of cracking his seemingly impenetrable exterior of silence, which seemed to have sloughed off with the pieces of his armor which now lay at the bottom of the lake.

When Ijaat pulled Rosie against himself so that she wouldn’t have to worry about having to support her body in the water while signing, the incessant (and much less than friendly) growling which erupted from on shore didn’t pass him by unnoticed. Well, what they said was true; revenge was indeed sweet, and the Rabbot’s frustration (he didn’t dare think any farther beyond that) was repayment enough for the trouble that the little creature had put him through. Glancing down at the woman in his arms, he couldn’t help but notice her uneasiness, and he loosened his hold just a little, tight enough to keep her from slipping deeper into the water, yet gently enough to be comfortable. Nonetheless, despite his attempts to make the embrace seem as objective and impersonal as possible, there was no ignoring the way her body melded against his as he held her, her warmth seeping through the taut, skintight fabric of his bodysuit.

“Well, of course I don’t have to,” he replied with a quiet chuckle, letting his gaze settle on hers. “If I want to be a terribly impolite gentleman, that is. Now, how’re we supposed to hold a civil conversation if you can’t talk without drowning?” Amusement glimmered in his eyes as he regarded her, still stolidly ignoring Teacup’s verbal protests. “Of course, that’s unless this makes you feel uncomfortable, in which case I’d be happy to give you your personal space back.” Well, ‘happy’ might be pushing it a little…‘willing’ seemed to be a little less fitting, at least from his perspective. He wouldn’t impose himself upon her if she preferred that he didn’t. “As for me, it’s no trouble. When you spend as much of your life running as I do, it makes treading water a piece of cake.”

However, what she said next managed to surprise him into silence for a moment as he listened, a tiny frown furrowing his brow as he heard what she had to say. Did she really think that he regretted meeting her? That he would rather put this all behind him and simply forget that it had ever happened? He found that that implied assumption hurt, and he searched her eyes, wondering if that was what she really believed to be true. “Whoa there. Now hold on just a minute. Do you really think that I wish none of this had happened?” He paused for a moment, letting her mull over his question. “I, for one, am glad and honored that you invited me along tonight. If you hadn’t, I might never have seen these falls, rescued a damsel in distress, and decided to go for a swim, all in one night.” He chuckled, knowing that her self-esteem needed a little reassuring. “After all, the armor will be fine after it’s given a chance to dry out, and I’m sure a little lost pride could only do me good.” Reaching over, he gently lifted her chin with a finger until her gaze met his once again. “Plus, I never would have met you then, would I? And that would be the greatest regret of all.” It wasn't every day that he met someone who he actually wanted to talk to and interact with, and it was even rare to find a person who actually wanted to spend time with someone, well...like him. Something about this young woman made her special, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she couldn't speak. It wasn't something he could quite place, but he knew that more likely than not, he'd never meet another person quite like her.