Yan Sun lets out an embarrassed half-laugh, half-sniffle when, to her surprise, Jessica offers gentle comforting instead of teasing. Her eyes fall and then close for a moment after the kiss, and then she, drunkenly and quite awkwardly starts to shift to lie next to Jessica, pulling another pillow over from their plentiful, stolen supply, and propping it up against the crate to add to the ones already there. She throws the unoccupied half of
#EdgeOfTheWorld – October 25, 2019
the unzipped sleeping bag over them before she curls up close to her, left arm wrapped around her midsection and left leg nestled between Jessica's. Finally her head comes to rest against her chest. She doesn't say anything during her clumsy readjustment, and it's not entirely clear what happened to the bottle of beer that she had in her hands.
Jessica shifts lazily in place to accommodate Yan Sun's awkward shifting. She's far too drunk to be concerned over the beer that's sure to be one more stain on Kirill's tent. When Yan Sun's shuffling comes to a stop, she lays her left arm across Yan Sun as she, too, shifts a little to get more comfortable. A bit of that usual edge she wears so proudly seems to have been dulled by a day filled with heavy emotions and a night of
much-needed physical exertion. There's a few soft pitters against the roof of the tent as another round of rainfall begins to head their way from off the coast. She tilts her head back against the hardened crate, the pillow between her and the crate thankfully creating a soft, cushioned barrier as the music fills the gap of silence. She finds her drunken mind wandering. Dwelling on Yan Sun's admission. On the hollow, confusing
pit that she feels in her stomach any time she thinks about it. On the obvious guilt and sadness that the woman in her arms carries over her family. On her own family who are never far from her thoughts. It causes her to hold Yan Sun a little tighter.
Yan Sun makes the slightest of adjustments when Jessica's arms tighten around her, her own arm squeezing her in response, relieved after tears are narrowly averted. Her head tilts to plant a lazy kiss against Jessica's chest before she returns to resting in silence, focusing on the warmth of Jessica's body and the faint sounds of fresh rainfall as her mind drifts back from the past to the present. To Jessica. To everything that's happened in
Yan Sun the last months. To everything that's been said during this trip. To how much the woman she's curled up to means to her. To the fact that she said it aloud and she didn't run off or laugh in her face. They're still leaving, together and that's enough to make her heart skip a beat and cause her to press tighter against her. She wills herself not to dwell on the future, or Jessica's painful past. Her hazy, drunken thoughts remain in
Yan Sun the present, letting herself believe it's all going to be alright as she just lies there, enjoying Jessica's presence.
Jessica listens to the music in silence, eyes shutting as the rain begins to pick up once again. It's a comforting sound. Helps to take her drunken mind off troubled thoughts. Like the brother that she traveled half way across the world just for the chance of feeling even slightly closer to him. An endeavor that turned out about as well as everything in her life has. Or the fact that she's preparing to leave behind the only home she's
Jessica ever known to fly across the galaxy with a woman that she has absolutely nothing to offer but utter disappointment. Of-... "Your nipples are hard, kitty cat." she mutters drunkenly as her hand caresses across Yan Sun's chest aimlessly, tired smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
Yan Sun lets out a tired, muffled snort of laughter, jostling Jessica a little as a small, warm smile spreads across her lips and she cuddles up closer, left hand shifting to grasp Jessica's, bringing it higher up and pressing her lips softly against her knuckles, holding it firmly in place with her own as she closes her eyes and listens to the rain.
December 15th. The night passes without incident. At some point in the night, the music was shut off. The raining eventually came to a stop as well, but the pair were well into a deep sleep by that time. Rest sorely needed by both of them after the sort of day they had. Jessica is nowhere to be seen by the time Yan Sun awakens but there's the faint sound of crackling fire coming from outside. The tent is zipped up to keep the heat from getting
Yan Sun blinks a couple of times after her eyes open, eyebrows furrowing as she tries to orient herself. She remains frozen in her sleeping position for a moment, sprawled out with half her face against the arm pinned under her head, which she's apparently drooled on a little. Eww. She wipes it on the pillow with a grimace before sitting up and looking around. Tent. Wilderness. Aite. Right. She'd just barely gotten used to waking up in the
Yan Sun Respite room when they left, the tent is still an unfamiliar experience, and the headache doesn't help in sorting through her thoughts. Yesterday had been intense, but as is often the case, sleep makes it feel oddly distant. Emotional state reset over the course of the night. There's no heaviness in her heart right now. Her back is a little stiff from the hard sleeping surface, and she does a half-hearted sitting stretch, and then she
Yan Sun tastes her mouth, eliciting another grimace. She'd dozed off before getting ready for bed. The sound of a fire inspires her to start getting dressed, as does the fact that she'd really like to brush her teeth and go for a pee. It's a slow process, feeling a little groggy and half-asleep. Top, check, pants check, socks... searching... searching... check! Underwear... oh no. She retrieves another pair from her bag after some digging,
Yan Sun grabbing her toiletry bag as well. Finally, boots and jacket go on and she unzips the entrance.
The grey sky outside hints that it's probably going to be another rainy day. That seems to be the norm out this way. Unending rain. The kind that leaves a constant chill that sets into the bones. Still, the temperature is quite the upgrade from the snowy tundra back east. It's at least tolerable without layers of winter gear. The night's rain has left the ground wet. Soft patches of mud and wild grass dot the area around their campsite. The
view is... something. Water as far as the eye can see, gently crashing against stacks of grey rock that jut out of the water along the coast. It's much louder and more noticeable without the cover of rain or music hiding it away. Outcroppings of mossy rocks and untamed shrubs line the cliff's edge all along the coast. The cliff itself- which is only about 20 or 30 feet from the tent- is a straight drop. Probably a few hundred foot drop. Jessica
has got a fire going in the firepit and the cooler is set beside it. Atop the cooler she seems to have reused Mallory's container to fill with the breakfast she's prepared. More slightly-dry scrambled eggs and a cut of carashan meat that seems to have been cooked over the open flame. Maybe a little too cooked, but edible enough.
Jessica is near the edge of the cliff, seated on a large rock, one boot propped up on the edge of it as she watches the ocean. She's already nursing a beer to help fight back the hangover from the previous night. She's dressed in her olive green cargo pants and white thermal shirt, the bottoms of her pants and her boots caked with mud. Her winter jacket is on, but unzipped. As she hears the tent open she casts a glance back. "Lazy
Jessica bitch!" she calls back in place of your typical 'good morning', her tone as tired and unenthusiastic as she looks.
Yan Sun blinks against the daylight despite the overcast sky, a displeased grimace on her face as she steps out of the tent. The wet splotch of the mud isn't particularly the most inviting welcome. Jessica's greeting elicits a quiet grumble and an extended middle finger as she immediately heads off to do her business, sparing Jessica, and the spectacular environment, no attention. She's back soon enough, and trudges over to the cooler to
Yan Sun grab an energy drink, favoring that over a beer for clearing her head and dulling her hangover. A small smile crosses her lips upon spotting the breakfast and she's quick to grab the container before slowly making her way towards Jessica. It's only when she starts to get closer that she starts to take in their surroundings, her steps slowing as her gaze wanders, looking out at the towering cliffs and listening to the crashing waves.
Jessica returns the gesture, raising her arm high into the air as she sweeps her middle finger back and forth at Yan Sun from across the way. She briefly shifts her attention back to Yan Sun when she finally joins her by the cliff's edge. Her exclamation is met with a small snort as Jessica turns her gaze back out towards the water, one hand wrapped around the neck of the beer rested against her knee. "Mmm." she hums. She tilts back her
beer, slugging back the little that remains in her bottle before cocking her arm back and whipping the bottle out to sea. Classy. It hurdles end over end before it's swallowed up by a swell of white water down below, not even coming close to her unrealistic goal of smashing it against one of the distant stacks of rock.
Yan Sun just shakes her head at Jessica's littering before joining her on the rock, taking a long sip from her energy drink before digging into the breakfast, eager to get some food in her belly. She doesn't really say anything, too focused on fueling up with some food and caffeine. The plain breakfast doesn't seem to bother her. Between her hunger and the fact that it was both warmish and prepared for her when she woke up, it's quite
Jessica leans back, planting an elbow against the large rock to prop herself up. She has already eaten, unwilling to wait for Yan Sun to get up when a growling stomach is concerned, but she still takes a few bites for herself, reaching over and using her bare hands to pluck a few globs of eggs out of the container. Her clothes are looking a little worse for wear. Frayed edges around the hem of her shirt and the start of a tear in the
knee of her pants. There's a gentle breeze. It's sure to grow uncomfortable once the next storm rolls through but, for now, it's rather pleasant if a bit chilly. "While you are being lazy and sleeping, I am making a fire." Pouring far too much lighter fluid onto it and setting it ablaze. "I am making breakfast." Jamming a haunch of meat onto the end of her dirty blade and holding it over said blazing fire. "And you are
just-..." she gives a loud, nasally, obnoxious snore as she looks to Yan Sun and reaches over for another bit of eggs.
Yan Sun furrows her eyebrows as Jessica snatches some of her breakfast away with her bare hands, shooting her a sidelong, perturbed look, but her words, and an increasingly full belly keeps frustration at bay and causes a small smile to cross her lips. "Thank you." she says, her tone amused. The container rests in her lap as her right arm wraps around Jessica's waist briefly, giving her a squeeze and leaning in to press a quick kiss against
her cheek, smile widening into a grin, darting across Jessica's face for a moment before she returns her attention to her food.
Jessica gives a fond roll of her eyes when Yan Sun kisses her. "You are making dinner." she warns. "Is the least that you can do after the fucking that I give to you last night." After a moment's pause she adds, "And no fucking noodles!"
Yan Sun nearly chokes on a bite of food, coughing a couple of times as the unanticipated crudeness catches her off-guard. Her cheeks heat up a little as memories of the previous night fill her mind, far too easily flustered when no longer in the relaxed and intimate aftermath. "I can-... I can do that." she stutters after swallowing, nodding in an attempt at feigning confidence in her non-existent cooking ability and offering no comment at
Jessica falls silent as she simply watches waves against the distant cliffs that continue down the coast. Eyelids still heavy from an exhaustion that a handful of hours of sleep just couldn't quite fully expel, she tilts her head, pressing it against Yan Sun's arm. "What you are thinking is across the water? Mmm?" she asks, turning her eyes back out towards the ocean.
Yan Sun isn't exactly a morning person, and she remains on the sluggish side as she joins Jessica in watching the ocean, but between the energy drink - of which she takes another sip - the breakfast, and getting to sleep in it's a pleasant sluggishness. Her body is stiff and sore after sleeping in the tent and the exertion that preceded it. "Mm... more land?" she suggests after just admiring the view for a bit. A questioning eyebrow raise
accompanies the words, a hint of amusement on her lips as her gaze turns to Jessica, although it turns to soft affection as she studies the side of her face. There's butterflies in her stomach as she remembers what was said the evening before. The feeling is laced with an inescapable sadness because of everything that surrounds it. Heavy emotions. So heavy. But right now it's the good parts that are at the forefront of her mind, the