Jessica gives a small lift of her brow as she cocks her head to glance up at Yan Sun, looking unamused at her unwillingness to play along. Drawing in a breath she shifts against the rock and turns her gaze back out towards the ocean. "...The last time I am here, I am always wondering what is on the other side. It seemed-... far..." she says as she studies the waves crashing against the stacks of rock in - stone pillars that jut out of
#EdgeOfTheWorld – November 4, 2019
the ocean towards the sky- in the distance. It was a long time ago, back when the ocean seemed never ending and the scope of the larger galaxy was almost incomprehensible to her and a chance at returning to Earth seemed like the answer to all of their problems. Back when she could still dream about a better life that might await her and her brother on the other side of all of this water even if they never made it back to Earth.
Before she knew what was on the other side: The other side is no different from this one. Corporations taking advantage of people who struggle to survive. Groups killing one another over territory and resources. "...And now? Now I nearly die on Rakhana. I fucked in a truck on a planet made of ice." a small, tired smirk tugs at the corner of her mouth as she continues to distantly watch the ocean. She sniffs at the air as the
start of what's sure to be a cold begins to make itself known. All of this cold and wet weather was bound to have an effect eventually. "And soon? Earth." she continues, leaning a little heavier against her arm as she considers it. The dream. The goal she's had her entire life. It feels so much more hollow now than when she was here the first time. "...Martin would be sooo jealous." she adds fondly.
Yan Sun lets out a soft, muted snicker, causing her shoulder to move a little. Her arm wraps around Jessica's waist again, giving her a light squeeze and lingering there as she looks out across the ocean - it'd be easy to mistake for never-ending if she hadn't seen it from above. She presses her lips against the top of Jessica's head. "You're becoming a real galactic traveler, huh?" The mention of Martin has left her voice soft and cautious,
Jessica seems to take Yan Sun's comment as sincere, nodding a bit against her. "Mmm." she confirms. "Will be nice to finally leave this shithole for good." she adds in a mutter, though it lacks a bit of that confident edge that her words often carry when she speaks so dismissively about Aite. Perhaps it's all a bit dulled by the fact that the day is finally approaching that she can leave. It's real. Not just talk anymore. And while
she'd never admit it, it's terrifying. But, as per usual, she doesn't allow herself to dwell on that too much. Instead, she shifts against Yan Sun to peer up at her. "My ass is sore from always sitting in that fucking truck, so we will stay here for one more night and leave tomorrow." she suggests.
Yan Sun frowns slightly at Jessica's muttering, not seeming to find her words all that convincing. She considers saying something, but Jessica speaks up again before she can decide. The suggestion prompts a small nod. "Okay. Whatever you want." she agrees softly, looking down at her energy drink for a moment before taking a sip. This whole trip was Jessica's idea after all. The tent might not be her favorite place to sleep, but she's getting
used to it, and if there's a chance this'll help Jessica process things she's certainly not going to cut that short.
Jessica gives a few small nods. "We should probably change the power cell before we leave, too." she suggests. Their current one isn't dead, but it's getting close. On top of powering the truck, they've been relying on it to recharge their equipment as well. Omni-tools, heater, lantern and such. Leaving it until the last second to die out on them, forcing them to change it in the freezing cold while the sun is setting so they have heat
for the night probably wouldn't be the smartest of moves. "Since you say that you are knowing how-..." she continues with a shrug, harkening back to their discussion with Kirill when she was trying to convince him to let them use his truck, "...this is your job today."
Yan Sun snickers quietly, nodding. "Swap power cell, cook dinner." she lists. "I think I can figure that out." she says, mustering as much confidence as she can manage as her gaze travels the waves again, drawing in a deep breath. "It's, uh... it's a bit bigger than anything I've worked with before, but... should be the same principle. Uhm... hopefully."
Jessica cocks an eyebrow as she watches Yan Sun, her response not exactly inspiring confidence. "If you fuck it up and get us stuck in the middle of nowhere and we run out of food you are going to get eated-..." she furrows her brow as she recalls their previous conversation and quickly corrects herself, "...eaten! And not in the good way, slut!" she threatens.
Yan Sun shoots Jessica an indignant look. "I can do it! It's just swapping a power cell on a stupid truck!" she insists. "How hard can it be?"
Jessica gives a roll of her eyes as she tilts her head back out towards the ocean. "Mmm. I am going to remember that you say this..." she mutters, shifting slightly against Yan Sun to get comfortable atop the stone seat they've claimed.
December 15th. Early afternoon. The behemoth-of-a-vehicle has proven to be a little more complicated than a typical power cell swap. Much like the rest of the truck, the internal components and everything under the hood seems to be custom built and replacing the power cell requires plenty of components to be removed to get at it. On a planet where assholes stripping expensive parts and stealing power cells is a real concern, it's an inelegant
but necessary solution. It's a time-consuming process pulling it all apart, but Kirill's toolbox in the back of the truck provides everything needed to get the job done. Thankfully the rain hasn't started yet today, but the sky is only getting darker so it's probably not going to be long before it starts coming down. Waves gently crash against the cliffside and their fire continues to crackle, doing little to stave off the wet chill that seems
Jessica has kept herself busy with equally important things. Drinking and taking a whole lot of pictures of their surroundings. She's currently at the cliff's edge near the rock they sat at, omni-tool in hand as she snaps some photos of the stone formations along the coast down below.
Yan Sun quickly realized, to her dismay, that changing the power cell was going to be a lot more work than she had anticipated, and she ended up spending a decent chunk of time just studying the clunky, cobbled-together internals of Kirill's truck. While Yan Sun is very much not a mechanic, she has her fair share of experience pulling things apart and putting them back together, and she's not a quitter! By the time afternoon has come she's
Yan Sun elbows deep in the guts of the hulking vehicle, jacket discarded and the sleeves of her hoodie pulled up to spare them from the engine grease that now coats her arms. She's had to construct a makeshift stepladder from a couple of crates to be able to work comfortably. The already complicated process has been slowed by her lack of experience and the foreign nature of the rugged, custom-built vehicle, but she's pushed onward, and the
Yan Sun fresh power cell has finally been slotted in. She's currently in the process of replacing the removed components that currently lie scattered on top of the engine, aided by the enhanced vision modes of her cybernetic eye and a stored snapshot of every component's placement before she started taking things apart.
Jessica's presence is given away by the sound of footfalls as she begins taking pictures of Yan Sun at work. "Is verrry easy, yes kitty cat?" she asks in a mocking tone. "Is why it only takes you a week to do it, mmm?" she hums through her smug grin, brown eye affixed to the interface of her omni-tool.
Yan Sun is leaned forward, half-buried under the hood of the truck when Jessica makes her presence known, causing her head to shoot up and bump against the hood with a painful-sounding 'Donk!', prompting a wince. She rubs the back of her head as she looks around for Jessica, inadvertently getting engine grease in her hair. "This is literally the first time I've ever done this! And the insides of this thing doesn't exactly follow any
Yan Sun standards. I think I'm doing pretty okay! You wanna take over?" she says while gesturing with the multi-tool in her other hand, the pain of hitting her head amplifying her frustration a bit.
Jessica snorts loudly as Yan Sun's head collides with the hood and the telltale sound of another picture being taken sounds out. 'Click!' Sniffing loudly, she continues to watch Yan Sun through the viewfinder on her holographic display. Yan Sun's frustration doesn't seem to anger her. There's only annoying amusement on her face. "Mmm..." she hums, forehead wrinkling in thought as if considering Yan Sun's disingenuous offer, "I already
Jessica put up the tent. And get the fire going. AND make breakfast while you are sleeping for all of the day. So... I am thinking that I will let you do this." she says. But she can't just leave it at that. Not when there's opportunity to push Yan Sun's buttons. "I would have been done in ten minutes, though." she brags before deciding the occasion might require a little bit of humbleness given Yan Sun's obvious frustration.
Jessica She's nothing if not sympathetic. So, shrugging to herself, she adds, "Maybe fifteen." 'Click!'
Yan Sun 's frustration deflates as a bit of guilt surfaces despite the transparency of what Jessica is doing, but it returns in full force with the final additions, letting out a heavy sigh and pointedly ignoring Jessica as she turns her attention back to the engine with an annoyed expression, grabbing another component. While it's been an interesting challenge to swap the power cell she's not exactly one to get her hands dirty very often
Yan Sun and she doesn't really like doing so. The cold and uncomfortable working position doesn't help either.
Jessica continues to hover, the occasional 'Click!' sounding out while Yan Sun works. "Is kind of sexy." she adds after a bit of silence. "Getting all dirty and putting together the-... the shit-..." she settles on when the words don't find her, nodding her head towards Yan Sun's work as she does. "You should show tits." she adds in a continued attempt at annoying her as she watches through the glow of her omni-tool for a good
Yan Sun ignores the clicking of the camera, focusing on her work with a furrowed brow. Another part slots back into place, and she fastens it. Jessica's comments cause her to pause where she is for a moment, looking down at the engine, arms buried in machinery as a hint of a grin tugs at the corner of her mouth, her annoyance melting away despite her best effort to keep it. Jessica's suggestion causes a snort to slip out, her grin
Yan Sun manifesting for a moment as she reaches over to shove Jessica's omni-tool away, no doubt getting some grease on her too. "You have enough pictures of my boobs..." she mutters, a bit of embarrassment trailing the words, quickly causing her to grab another part and turn her attention back to the engine.
Jessica takes a stumbled step back as she's shoved, restrained snicker slipping out. The grease doesn't seem to bother her. The trip has put her clothes through their paces and everything she has wore has a healthy dusting of dirt or mud, so what harm is a little grease on top? "There are never enough pictures for your boobs." she says, teetering in place on one foot before regaining her footing. Rather than continuing to hover beside
Yan Sun, she moves over to the side of the truck, near the front wheel well and begins to climb atop it so she can get a few pictures with the engine itself in frame. Thankfully the truck's hulking wheels mean a large wheel well, so it's practically a step.
Yan Sun can't help the slight blush that follows Jessica's words. She offers no comment as the picture-taking resumes, focusing on her work, letting augmented vision guide her as she shoves the part she grabbed into place with a quiet grunt of effort and starts to secure it. It doesn't seem like there's too much left before she's done.
Jessica seems to get the shots she wanted and finally lowers her omni-tool, glow dissipating as the device is stowed away in her pocket. She shifts around, using the wheelwell as a makeshift footstool for one boot as she sits on the edge of the hood's opening, one leg brought up beside her while she watches Yan Sun. "You are really slow, you know this?" she continues to taunt through her grin, another sniffle close behind her words.
Yan Sun shoots Jessica an unamused look, the only response she gets a raised middle finger before Yan Sun returns her attention to the engine, continuing to put parts back into place.
Jessica's grin only widens and she's quick to return the gesture as she touches the tip of her tongue to the underside of her front teeth. Thankfully, silence sets in while Yan Sun finishes up and Jessica stops watching her every move, instead turning her attention out to the distance. To the coast that continues unevenly, cutting further in to the landscape in places before extending deeper towards the ocean in others. When it seems
like Yan Sun is finishing up, she shoots a glance her way. "I will make sure it still turns on." she offers before hopping off of the truck, though the way she says it sounds less like she's trying to be helpful and more like she's expecting the worst. Maybe hoping for the worst is a better way to put it since it'd give her more opportunities to poke at Yan Sun. Which, as should be obvious by now, is her favorite hobby.
Yan Sun 's work speeds up once Jessica stops interrupting her, and soon enough she's done, looking the engine over one final time and comparing it to her snapshot before stepping back with a satisfied nod, taking a couple of steps to the side and glancing Jessica's way as she waits a little anxiously to see if she's succeeded.
Jessica climbs up into the cab of the truck, leaving the driver's side door open as she attempts to start it up. To Jessica's dismay, the powerful engine roars to life, the truck vibrating in place. Jessica frowns as she peers out the driver's side door to Yan Sun, looking like she just lost a bet. She gives it a few moments to make sure it stays on but eventually has no choice but to admit that Yan Sun was able to pull it off. As the
engine dies out she climbs back out of the cab, shutting the door before looking Yan Sun over and giving a small shrug of her shoulders. "Is not like it is hard, kitty cat. I am only surprised that it takes you so long." she muses, smug smirk beginning to return to her face.
Yan Sun gains a big, proud grin when the truck turns on successfully, practically beaming, hands on her hip (leaving grease on her hoodie) as she watches the rumbling truck. Job well done. Jessica's words cause her to glance her way and stick her tongue out. "Screw you." she says light-heartedly, too pleased with her success for Jessica's complaining to affect her.
Jessica meanders over towards her, hands moving to Yan Sun's sides. "You are still needing to make dinner, kitty cat." she reminds, her smirk widening, "So there is still time for you to get us killed."
Yan Sun 's smile softens as she watches Jessica approach, although the reminder that there's still cooking to be done causes her shoulders to drop. "Yeah..." she sighs, looking down at her arms. "I, uh... I'm gonna need to clean up a bit before I get started." she comments, scrunching up her nose at the engine grease.
Jessica idly runs her hands up and down Yan Sun's sides. The statement prompts her to turn her attention down to the thick coat of grease on Yan Sun's arms. "Mmm." she hums, grabbing Yan Sun's right wrist with her left hand and lifting it up to examine it. Using her thumb, she smudges a bit of the grease on Yan Sun's palm, spreading it out in a small circle. "This shit is all over your arms." she muses before meeting Yan Sun's eyes
again. Lifting her left hand up, she uses her thumb to non-chalantly smudge a line of grease up the bridge of Yan Sun's nose, annoying smile returning to her face. "Is on your nose, too, kitty cat." she comments while holding back a snicker, as if Yan Sun might not be aware.
Yan Sun 's lips turn into a thin line as her expression turns incredibly unamused. She wordlessly lifts her hand and runs it across Jessica's face, staring her down.
Jessica's eyes go wide as she gets a taste of her own medicine, immediately taking a step back. It does a good job of corking that laughter that was on the verge of escaping. Mouth agape, she merely she stares at Yan Sun, single, brown eye blinking. "You fucking bitch!" she exclaims. "I'm going to-..." she stammers, gaze dropping as she seems to scamper for a way to retaliate. "I am going to kick your ass!" she threatens as she jolts
forward, hands shooting towards Yan Sun's wrists in an attempt at gaining control of the weaponized grease.
Yan Sun quickly slips from Jessica's grasp, jumping back with a fit of laughter and bolting across camp. "You started it!" she exclaims through a giggle as she makes her escape.
Jessica bolts after Yan Sun without so much as a pause. "And I am going to end it by throwing you off the cliff!" she continues to threaten, boots sinking into the mud a little with each step. "Stop running! Is only going to make me hit you harder when I catch you!" she warns.
Yan Sun isn't exactly a proficient runner at the best of times, and she's hardly at her peak right now. A stiff body and muddy ground makes for a slow attempted escape, and it probably wouldn't be all that hard for Jessica to catch her. Maybe her success with the power cell has instilled her with misplaced confidence, or maybe she just doesn't care, because the laughter continues.
Jessica juxtaposed against Yan Sun, is quite athletic. After an early near-spill when her boot slips across some muddied rock- forcing her to plant a hand against the ground to keep from falling- she makes up good time in gaining ground on the fleeing woman. "You are dead, slut!" she warns, though the smile is audible in her voice even as she continues to hurl threats. Lowering her shoulder as she catches up, she wraps her arms around
Yan Sun lets out a surprised 'Eep!' as she suddenly finds herself lifted off the ground, feet no longer finding any purchase. She's half laughter and half startled noises as she squirms in Jessica's arms.
Jessica plants her feet, arms wrapped tightly around Yan Sun's torso. "Stop-... gah! Wiggling!" she demands as she tries to keep hold of Yan Sun without toppling over. By now, her own laughter has joined in with Yan Sun's as she takes a few stomped steps towards the cliff. "I am-... I am going to-..." she grunts, struggling to speak, walk through the muddy terrain, and control the unruly woman in her arms at the same time, "...throw
Yan Sun 's squirming lessens a bit as laughter takes the upper hand, but when she realizes where Jessica is headed her eyes widen and she starts to struggle again. "No-... stop-..." she manages amid laughter which turns more and more nervous, hands prying at Jessica's arms. "Nononononotfunnystop!"
Jessica seems to have the opposite reaction. The more nervous Yan Sun's complaints become, the more amused she grows. "Is your own fault!" she shouts, "What I am always saying to you?! Mmm?! Do not fuck with me! Now you-... you are-... going off the cliff!" Holding on to the flailing woman is no easy task as she continues to stomp through the mud and rock towards the cliff's edge. She doesn't make it very far, however, when the
squirming becomes too much and one wrong step on some particularly slick ground sends her backwards, bringing Yan Sun with her. Eyes wide, the surprised noise that emanates from her- something between a gasp and a shriek- is only broken by the loud 'THWAP!' of their bodies colliding with wet, muddy ground. On the bright side, it has caused her to release her grip on Yan Sun.
Yan Sun lets out a similarly startled noise as she suddenly finds herself falling backwards. She lands mostly on top of Jessica, and hard enough to knock the air out of her no doubt. Her left hand, which has flailed out to try and break her fall, ends up gripping a fistful of mud, while her right has Jessica's thigh in a vice grip. She just stares up at the gray sky, eyes wide and holding her breath.
Jessica does everything in her power- which isn't much due to her positioning- to mitigate the fall and the impact of the woman crashing on top of her, twisting as they're on the way down. That subtle, breathless stinging shoots from her back to her stomach as she lays on the muddy ground, shifting to her side a bit and bringing her knees up reflexively in response to the sharp pain. She sucks air in between her teeth and stares blankly
towards the sky, the shock of the sudden spill silencing her. For a number of moments she lays perfectly still, as if it'll hurt less if she doesn't move, but eventually a sudden bout of laughter just erupts from her. It's immediately cut short by another pained breath and she winces through the stinging and brings her left hand up to her stomach. "You-... you bitch!" she grunts through choked laughter. "You make me fall!"
Yan Sun bursts into laughter shortly after Jessica, the pained noises of the woman beneath her doing nothing to halt it. "Serves you right!" she says through her laughter as she rolls off of Jessica, her jeans too getting coated in mud below the knees as she sits next to her. "Urrgh..." she complains, caught between amusement and dismay as she eyes her own muddy hand with a grimace.
Jessica remains laying, still trying to catch her breath. Her right arm is freed when Yan Sun sits up, hand caked in mud. Her head lulls to the side, frown crossing her lips as she realizes just how dirty she is now, too. She doesn't seem to share that same amusement in Yan Sun's words. She lazily swings her right hand up to give Yan Sun a firm swat on the right cheek, leaving a streak of thick mud across it. That seems to bring the
smile back to her face, causing her left hand to shoot up to her mouth to muffle another bout of laughter.
Yan Sun flinches as she's slapped with a palmful of mud, another disgusted grimace crossing her face when she realizes what just happened, trying with limited success to wipe her cheek against her hoodie. "What the hell?!" she exclaims, eyebrows furrowing. There's a split-second of consideration, and then she retaliates in kind, covering Jessica's face with her mud-soaked left hand and twisting.
Jessica winces, eyes shutting tightly as she catches sight of the incoming hand just a moment too late. She brings both hands up in an attempt at swatting the hand away and defending herself from any further attacks, tilting her face away from Yan Sun. "Even" she exclaims, "Even! We are-... Fucking-... stop, you bitch! We are the same now!" she shouts as she attempts to twist away from the muddy hand, amusement slipping back into her
tone, resulting in a tired, wheezing laugh when she's finally able to get her hands up between her head and Yan Sun's hand.
Yan Sun relents at Jessica's shouting, her hand withdrawing with a solemn nod. "Even." she agrees, struggling and soon failing to contain a final bit of laughter, ending in a heavy sigh as a hopeless grimace settles onto her face and she looks down at herself and realizes just how dirty she is. Remembering that the nearest shower is also several days of travel away causes a groan to slip out, just looking down at the mud and grease through
Jessica hazards a glance Yan Sun's way when she agrees, hands still up in front of her face, ready to fight back any sneaky mud attacks. Back still against the dirty ground she looks up at Yan Sun. The words that follow cause her grin to re-emerge as she merely studies Yan Sun. "Mmm. I hate you, too, kitty cat." she says softly. Lovingly, even. A substitute for things she just can't bring herself to say. Her muddy right hand seeks out
Yan Sun lets out a soft, exasperated snort, Jessica's tone causing her dismay to ease a little. She watches the hand on her thigh for a little, resigned to the mud by now, a small, drained smile crossing her lips. The silence is broken with another heavy sigh as she slowly staggers onto her feet, gripping Jessica's hand in her own as she does to help pull her up with a grunt of effort. "Come on..."
Jessica plants one hand against the ground as she grips Yan Sun's with her other and rises to her feet. Once up, she dusts at her pantleg with her hand, less to try and clear the mud from her clothes- that would be a futile effort- and more in an attempt at cleaning off her hand. She draws in a deep breath as she looks Yan Sun over, satisfied grin on her face, confident that, at the very least, she made Yan Sun regret wiping grease on
Yan Sun looks Jessica over, and then looks down at herself again as she too wipes her palm against her pants with yet another grimace, her stance stiff and awkward. "I can't believe you-... urgh... what do we do now?" she asks, sounding less-than-thrilled about their current state. She's lived her whole life with easy access to showers and laundry services, and she's definitely never had the displeasure of being coated in mud.
Jessica doesn't look nearly as bothered at the outcome as Yan Sun. She's not exactly happy about being covered in mud, but, eh, it's just mud. Yan Sun's obvious frustration garners another snicker. "I don't fucking know..." she mutters, gaze dropping down to her pants and the mud plastered across them. Drawing in a sigh she turns her attention back to Yan Sun with a shrug. "Water jug and towels?" she suggests. "Is better than just
staying like this, yes?" Of course they don't have the luxury of a wide open space of the abandoned prefab this time. So strip down and wash up around the fire and risk freezing to death or manage the cluttered tent while they clean up seems to be the only options.
Yan Sun looks over her own awkwardly extended arms, eyebrows furrowed as she listens to Jessica. "Greeeat..." she mutters, not exactly sounding enthused by the idea. Washing up with a jug of water and some towels sounds a whole lot less appealing without the relative coziness and shelter of the prefab. As she feels the cold, wet pantlegs of her jeans stick to her skin she comes to the conclusion that camping actually sucks. Her clothes all
already smelled of smoke, but now they're covered in mud and grease too, and to her own surprise she suddenly finds herself missing her room, wishing she could spend half an hour in the oversized shower before sinking into the massive, luxuriously soft bed instead of washing up with wet rags in the cold and sleeping in a cramped tent with little to dampen the hard ground underneath.
Jessica cocks an eyebrow as she studies Yan Sun. "Or... I can just throw you into the ocean." she offers with a small shrug, nodding back towards the cliff. "Is your choice." Bathing out of a jug is never a pleasant experience. Cold water. Reusing towels that aren't quite clean anyway, so you never really get clean. You just get 'not as dirty'. But she's been on a fair number of long trips with Kirill during her stay at the Gorge.
She's no stranger to making stops on the side of the road to pour a bit of water over her head and wipe down with a rag when she got a little too ripe, so it doesn't seem to dampen her mood nearly as badly as it does Yan Sun's. "Stop being a pussy."
Yan Sun lets out an annoyed sigh as Jessica calls her out. "Yeah, I'm such a pussy for not liking being covered in mud in the middle of nowhere and having to wash up in the cold with a wet rag!" she snaps, surprising herself a little. A scowl accompanies the words as her frustration over Jessica's never-ending jabs and prods and comments bubbles to the surface. "I'm not used to this stuff, Jessica! I'm not used to living out of a truck,
or-, or having to go pee outside in the freezing cold with a bunch of animals around, or tinkering with a giant engine, or making fires, or ANY of this shit! I know I'm spoiled and a 'pussy' or whatever!" she exclaims, blinking against the sudden wetness in her eyes as embarrassment and guilt mixes with the frustration. "I'm doing my best, okay?! I really am!"
Jessica furrows her brow, a bit taken aback by Yan Sun's sudden, seemingly out-of-nowhere, defensiveness. At first, a scowl of her own crosses her features as she listens to Yan Sun ramble on and on, jaw clenched and one hand on her hip as she waits for Yan Sun to shut up so she can fire back. But the glassiness in Yan Sun's eyes that starts to show through near the tail end of her rant causes Jessica to hesitate. Maybe it's the
emotional rollercoaster they've been through over the past few days. Or just the sheer exhaustion of the trip as a whole taking its toll. Whatever the case may be, she bites her tongue, expression softening as her brown eye scans back and forth between Yan Sun's. She lets out a deep breath as she takes a step closer, hands moving to Yan Sun's hips. She doesn't say anything at first, lips sucked in as she studies the shorter
woman. "I am-... you know that I am only fucking with you, kitty cat..." she offers in place of an apology.
Yan Sun meets her gaze at first, but soon she looks down, embarrassment taking the upper hand as Jessica steps closer. She sucks in her lips and licks them as she looks down at their muddy boots. The tension slowly deflates from her body after Jessica speaks, and after a moment's silence she nods a couple of times, an awkward look on her face as she glances up at Jessica again. "I-... yeah." she replies with another nod, looking to her
Jessica continues to study Yan Sun, thumbs idly brushing against her sides. "Mmm." she hums before going quiet and allowing the sound of the crashing water down below fill the silence for a few moments. It's easy for Jessica to forget just how different their lives have been. Hell, she hardly has any understanding at what sort of life Yan Sun has lived. Not really. She's spent nearly her entire life in Adrasteia which is a far cry
from the high rises of Hong Kong. Jessica hasn't had the luxury of a life that allows her to be soft. Before her time in the Gorge, most of this camping stuff was new to her, too. But she adapted. Because that's what it takes to survive on Aite. "You are a pussy, though." she offers, the grin returning to her face. As always, she's just overflowing with sympathy.
Yan Sun shifts a little awkwardly in place, looking down at Jessica's arm, her hand coming to rest idly against it. "Yeah... guess so..." she mumbles quietly, a shrug accompanying the words as she looks up at Jessica again, forcing a faint smile into place to cover her shame over complaining about things that don't even seem to faze Jessica. Over having, even for just a moment, wanted to be at home in her room instead of here in the Aitian
Jessica shifts a step closer, widening her stance to do so as she peers down at Yan Sun. Her arms slide a bit deeper around Yan Sun as she does, hands coming to rest on her lower back. Tilting her head downward, she runs the tip of her nose along the bridge of Yan Sun's, inadvertently transferring some of the grease onto her own nose in the process without realizing it. She presses a brief, quick peck against Yan Sun's lips. Then a
second before creating a little space between them. "Okay, I need to get out of these fucking clothes. Water jug. Rags. Towels." she lists aloud before giving Yan Sun a hard slap on the ass and releasing her grip on her. "Go."
Yan Sun 's spirits seem to lift a little as Jessica nuzzles her, the gentle gesture bringing out a faint hint of a smile and causing her to lean a little more towards her in turn. She barely has a chance to nod in response to the instructions before the slap causes her to jump slightly in place, letting out a surprised noise. A smile creeps across her lips and she's quick to nod at the 'Go', stepping back and shooting Jessica another look