Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

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Slarti
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Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> "I believe there are just a few more boxes," Sebastian said, keeping a wary eye on the robot as it was slowly unpacking one of those boxes in his new workroom.

<Jessica> "I'll get them... assuming there's not too many for me to see over if I pick them all up," Jess gave a smile and started for the stairs.

<Shaw> "Are you certain? I can do it." He looked away from the robot to Jess.

<Jessica> "I can manage... Sebastian, I can pick up and throw a car..." she leaned and gave him a soft kiss, "Boxes are a lot less tricky to balance."

<Shaw> "Of course, that's not what I meant," he chuckled, catching the back of her head for a moment to return the kiss. "Enjoy your cartage career." He let go of her with a smirk and a swat to the rear.

<Jessica> She yelped and giggled at the swat before disappearing down the stairs, taking all the shortcuts via the holes in various parts of the floor to get to the basement level faster. She piled up the last remaining boxes and lifted them off the floor, unable to see her feet, she had to hope there was nothing in her way as she headed back to the stairs.

<Jessica> On her way to the stairs, she did walk into something and tried to guess where the edge of it was to go around it until the clicking sound made her pause. It only happened once, like the flicking of a switch but nothing else seemed to happen... at least nothing she could see though the boxes were obscuring her view somewhat.

<Shaw> "Careful with that, you clockwork oaf," he chided the robot, though his tone wasn't harsh. His mood was far too good over the last week to be rude - even to a robot. Oh, how Monet would laugh. Sebastian crouched beside his creation and helped the robot relocate some delicate circuitry to its new home. "This could be your little brother."

<Shaw> The robot's burbling response sounded confused and it made him smile. Opening his mouth to explain, a wave of something overcame him. Looking around, he frowned, but he felt nothing amiss from Jessica.

<Jessica> Slowly she lowered the boxes and peered over the top of them, green eyes scanning the room. Something wasn't right, the air hummed with electricity, the hair on the back of her neck rising from the effect of that particular frequency. With caution, she lowered the boxes to the floor to find what she'd brushed against and turn it off.

<Shaw> Shaking off the feeling, Sebastian got up to move the empty box and retrieve his coffee. "Well, it wouldn't be accurate to call you 'the thing from the basement' any longer," he told the robot, sipping his coffee. "Unless you choose to reside there, with Broo." He gave the robot a toothy smile, but felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.

<Shaw> Wary again, he looked over his shoulder. Nothing.

<Jessica> There was a small device leaning against the wall that caught her attention and she moved over to it, lifting it from the wonky position there was another quiet click... and then the lights went out.

<Shaw> Freezing in position for a moment, he tried to listen. "Check the security system," he ordered the robot, not noticing it didn't respond. Sebastian was already halfway out the door. Jess?

<Jessica> Something's weird... She released the device she'd found and straightened up, charging a venomblast for some light but it didn't help her situation. There were no walls around her, no sign of the boxes. Where are we?

<Shaw> What do you mean, where are we? The source of her confusion became immediately apparent when the space just outside his new workroom seemed to expand. His footsteps echoed and he turned in a complete circle. The wall and doorway that should be behind him was gone.

<Jessica> I'm scared... Can you see me? She flared the light stronger, raising her hand.

<Shaw> Turning in another circle, he swore - in French, because it seemed apropros. No. Did you hear me? He started walking, choosing a random direction, and his footsteps again echoed. Wait, he squinted. There was a light, perhaps. He started toward it.

<Jessica> I don't know... It was hard to hear much of anything over the sound of her heart hammering in her chest. She needed to calm down. She stayed where she was, turning on the spot in the hopes that he'd appear.

<Shaw> The light consolidated into a pinpoint, seeming to get further from him rather than closer. He'd already traveled far too far for them to be in their home. The light brightened, extending almost instantly into a long, bright line of blue fire. This startled him more than anything else and he shouted in surprise, nearly losing his own footing and splashing the coffee he'd forgotten he had in his hand.

<Jessica> Jess felt the jolt of surprise through their link and her own light went out, leaving her alone in the darkness and still very fearful of the vast expanse of nothing all around her. She peered into the black, straining her eyes to try and see something until a light suddenly went on near her feet in a thin blue line, another running parallel to it a few feet to her other side. She stepped quickly away from what she assumed was the edge of a thin path.

<Shaw> Lines of blue light winked into existence all around him, even beneath his feet, and he found himself jumping away from one. He felt his own shock echoed back at him and tried to calm down, for Jess' sake if nothing else. Are you seeing lines of light?

<Jessica> Yes... what's going on? She watched the lines of light forming structures ahead of her, I don't like this...

<Shaw> I... don't know. He cast a suspicious glance at the cup still in his hand and gave it a sniff. Had he been drugged?

<Jessica> I... I think there are buildings... I'm going to make for the tallest one I can find and wait for you there... She took a steadying breath and pushed both hands through her hair.

<Shaw> Buildings? He wasn't certain what he was seeing, frankly, and after slowly squatting to the floor to set down the cup, he closed his eyes. Concentrating for a moment, he opened them again. Still there. Some of the lines seemed to have shifted, however.

<Shaw> Koibito, he began, knowing she wouldn't like this. You can't be drugged, but I can...

<Jessica> I don't think drugs could take us out of our house anyway... She made a start for the structures she could see, lifting into the air.

<Shaw> Yes, but this could easily all be in my mind... and could be affecting you. The glow cast an eerie light and he thought he could make out structures of some sort. He closed his eyes again and shook his head. I'm closing the link.

<Jessica> Jess stopped where she was, shaking her head even though he couldn't see her. Please don't... She didn't want to be alone in this place.

<Shaw> If that releases you from this... hallucination, then you can help me, love. He bowed his head at her pleading.

<Jessica> What if it's not in your head? I'm scared, Sebastian, I don't want to be alone... She descended back to the ground, afraid to move any further in case she moved out if his limited range while they were disconnected.

<Shaw> I don't want you to be alone, love. He stood, looking around again and marking what looked to be the tallest building to him and projected its image to her. This? However, if this was a shared hallucination, he could be feeding it...

<Jessica> Yes, that one... You better be there... She tried to calm herself down and held on to the ray of hope that it was an hallucination and she'd be back in their house any moment.

<Shaw> He started toward it, though distance was impossible to tell here. Just for a moment, I promise. Unable to resist giving her a reassuring mental caress, he severed the link and raised his shielding.

<Jessica> She tried very hard not to panic when their link was shut down and she was alone, finding herself still in this place of strange blue lights and an electric hum. She took another steadying breath before starting towards the building again, only succeeding in taking a few steps before she felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck and the world went black once more.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by steyn »

Now remember, if you die in a hologram, you die in real life.

Next time, follow the lines painted on the floor, Broo did that for a reason, so that people don't accidentally activate his inventions with their toes. They also glow in the dark for quicker escape routes ^_^
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> Standing perfectly still and alone at the intersection of several lines, Sebastian pushed the limits of his telepathic gifts. He strained to detect foreign minds, to feel the underlying reality in this very unreal situation. Then, he tried to simply force his way through, willing himself to return to their home. It hurt, and he clapped his hands to the sides of his head, grinding his palms into his ears and temples.

<Shaw> This is not real, he told himself, still tightly shielded. This cannot be real. This will not be real. Sebastian's abilities weren't meant for this kind of strain, but he still pushed outward, trying to force his will upon their surroundings - to bring order to this chaos.

<Shaw> He was not Xavier or Rachel, or Monet, or even that young one - Jean Grey. All Sebastian had was his force of will, stretching his abilities to their breaking point. And, so, they broke.

<Shaw> The scream echoed across the empty place, bouncing from the surfaces of eerie light-clad structures. He fell, unable to brace himself, insensible by the time his head rebounded off the hard floor.

<Jessica> Jess awoke shackled against a wall with a small number of other people who seemed to be being scanned by a man. She glanced to the others, realising several things at once. One that they were all disfigured in some way, two that they appeared to be terrified of the outcome of this scanning and three that they did not appear to be made of flesh or anything else organic.

<Jessica> The scanning person was moving along the line away from her so she assumed she was in the clear from whatever it was and looked out of a window towards their apparent destination. At least it was near to the tall building she'd been looking for.

<Shaw> He felt as if he'd acquired a particularly horrible hangover, and at first could not bring himself to open his eyes. He was sitting up, and could feel his arms twisted behind his back and bound at the wrist. Groaning, his first coherent thought was not again.

<Jessica> She heard the groan and pulled her attention away from the window, looking to the other end of the row of people she saw Sebastian and felt a wave of relief wash over her. She wasn't alone anymore.

<Shaw> Sebastian had yet to open his eyes, and certainly wasn't opening his shielding yet. Listening through the throbbing pain in his head, he sniffed, coughed, tasted blood. Struggling to sit more upright, he spit. A disgusted huff from someone to his left confirmed his assessment he wasn't alone.

<Jessica> The man with the scanner raised an eyebrow and skipped the next few people on the line to scan Sebastian and dub him 'user'. The vessel they were in slowed down and seemed to land on something whereupon small holes opened beneath the feet of several of the 'prisoners' and sent them down shoots - Jess included. She let out a yelp of surprise.

<Shaw> It would appear he needed to open his eyes now, and when he did there was a ...thing... standing over him with a scanner. Staring this humanoid down, he startled a bit when the man's pupils whirred as a camera focused. The now-familiar glow flared in the iris and Sebastian was fairly certain this wasn't a hallucination.

<Shaw> From his peripheral vision he saw others shackled in a line stretching to both sides of him. Some were most definitely not human, and possibly not even robot. Cyborg didn't even cover this blend. His study ended when holes began to open beneath some of the prisoners. He saw her for only a fraction of a second before Jess was sucked down a hole with a short scream.

<Shaw> "No! No no no!" Sebastian fought against the restraints and as he still had his abilities he felt the material give. It snapped and he dove for the man with the camera eyes the second before a portal opened beneath them, sucking them both into darkness.

<Jessica> Jess found herself in another dark room with glowing lines spreading out from where she stood. She blinked as the floor beneath her lit up bright white in rings radiating from her to the edges of the room where four women seemed to wake up and step out of tubes approaching her. Silently they worked, using lasers to cut off her clothing methodically before replacing it with material that felt rather like the x-men uniforms.

<Jessica> When they were finished one of them fixed a disc to the back of her uniform and then they all left her facing a door to return to their tubes. Jess stood where she was, utterly confused about what was going on and decidedly petrified of what lay beyond that door.

<Shaw> Sebastian's landing into one of these rooms was far from graceful, as he was grappling with a cyborg. They both crashed into the floor, still fighting for dominance, and Sebastian felt his own speed and strength grow as the battle dragged on. He hadn't even seen the four rather suggestively clad women until they were upon him.

<Jessica> The door opened and Jess moved cautiously forward into a small glass elevator, turning quickly when the door closed behind her and looking for another way out as the chanting from hundreds, maybe thousands, of people started.

<Shaw> For future reference, he would have to look out for a blasted paralytic beam. Once the cyborg and two of the women corralled him into the center of the room, the beam held him in place as he was stripped. Luckily he wasn't wearing a suit today, but he'd liked these jeans nonetheless. What replaced his clothing was... impossible.

<Shaw> The second he could move, he tackled the cybernetic man yet again. This time, he made quick work of pummeling the creature until it ...just dissolved. Shocked, he found he had an oddly shaped object in his hand. It was all that seemed to remain, and he pocketed it.

<Shaw> He spun in place to handle the women, but they were nowhere to be seen. No, he amended. They'd gone into alcoves in the walls and into a dormancy mode. "Christ." Ahead of him, a door opened and he approached. Jessica?

<Jessica> Sebastian! The desperation she felt traveling over their link as the transparent cube she was in lifted into the air with no visible cables or anything to carry it to its destination. What is going on?!

<Shaw> I have no idea. Clearly this isn't a hallucination, so at the moment I'm at a loss. He projected his surroundings to her as he entered this elevator from bad science fiction. In fact, this entire scenario reminded him of something... something he'd once seen.

<Jessica> I'm there too...

<Jessica> Her cube stopped opposite another cube with one of the people from the transport vessel inside. They pulled their disc from behind their back and it glowed brightly in their hand. They seemed to be anticipating a fight judging by their stance so Jessica mirrored their movements.

<Shaw> His elevator stopped and acquired more strange people in strange cubes, and this was when he realized there was something on his back. He watched the others and reached, tentatively. Fascinating. It glowed. His eyebrow went up.

<Jessica> The person opposite Jessica threw the disc towards her, hard. Instinctively, she jumped up out of the way and adhered herself to the ceiling, watching the disc bounce off the wall behind her and returning to the hand of the one that threw it. Looking to the side where there was another cube she saw a disk hit another person and they shattered into tiny pieces. Ouch.

<Shaw> His logical mind was having problems processing this, especially when he actually looked at himself. He was glowing as well. Christ. Distracted from the impossible wardrobe change, he looked around at this massive space - the glowing cubes, the strange elevator, spectators?

<Shaw> Sensing her reaction, he looked around to see if he could locate her. Alright, love? Bouncing the disc against his thigh, he froze when he saw one of the duels carried out in a cube adjacent. He swore.

<Jessica> I'm fine... I don't think they expect people to be able to stick to ceiling so score one for the mutant genes.... Don't get hit by one of those discs though, it looks painful... and permanent... She dodged another throw of the disc and threw her own at her opponent.

<Shaw> I saw. He was still looking for her, but he had to dive to save his own skin, rolling away from the disc that shot toward him. Whatever is going on here, I suggest we search for the door.

<Jessica> I think we left the door behind, there's just these cube things.... She caught her disc but threw it again, quickly, watching it bounce off the side and the back wall before hitting her opponent in the back. She winced a little as it disintegrated.

<Shaw> Were these real people? Trapped like them in... whatever this was? It wasn't organic, clearly, but some sort of technological -- his musing was cut short when he dodged the disc again, only to find the floor opened up beneath him.

<Jessica> Jess clung to her cube as it moved again, taking her around the ring to another opponent. I don't like this game...

<Shaw> No. As his fight with the scanner man had given him a boost, he decided to take the offensive. Before he simply disintegrated this helmeted foe, he was going to find out what he was. Vaulting out of the hatch, he raced across the space, weaving away from the disc as it sped toward him and aiming his own at the disc instead of the man.

<Shaw> Without looking back, he tackled the man to the floor.

<Jessica> Jess neatly avoided her new opponent's attacks even as bits of the cube were erased by impacts from the disc. Being able to stick herself to the walls and ceiling was helpful and not a tactic they were familiar with but she didn't want to destroy another one so she was determined to stick to the avoidance tactic.

<Shaw> The man struggled, but like his first battle the movements were stiff and mechanical. He knocked the helmet off and the eyes were blank. Reaching into the mind, it was equally so. After a hard punch, he twisted and caught his disc as it returned to him, then stabbed the man and watched him dissolve.

<Jessica> Are we fighting or running because I'm running out of floor and the guy that's throwing frisbees at me looks pissed....

<Shaw> They're not real. Now alone in the cube, he used the time to examine the space and gave the wall a whack with the disc. Part of the wall disintegrated. He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day, he recited with a smirk.

<Jessica> Running and living it is then... she let go her hold on the ceiling and dropped through a hole in the floor, climbing then on the outside of the cube and scanning them for Sebastian. I'll come and pick you up.

<Shaw> As he had no clinging abilities, he stopped destroying the wall and glanced toward the ceiling, debating if it was too high for him to catch an edge and climb out.

<Jessica> Finding her target box, she flew the shortcut and landed on the side of it, crawling around to one of the holes in the bottom, "Someone call a cab?"

<Shaw> "Fancy seeing you here." He saw her head pop in and quickly met her, pausing to give her a kiss before he dropped out the hole and trusted her to catch him.

<Jessica> Catch him, she did, "Which way would you like to go? Because they all look full of crazy to me...."

<Shaw> "I have no idea, love." He wrapped his arms around her securely. "I'm still fairly convinced this is a hallucination. Otherwise, it seems to be some form of... virtual reality? Far beyond anything I've seen other than the hard light technology of the Danger Room, but I've not been doing anything like this let alone in our home."

<Jessica> "Well, you're not the only one that lives there..." She frowned, "Okay so I think we'll stick to the plan of the tallest building at least then we can get the lay of the land...."

<Shaw> Broo had crossed his mind, but he'd hoped... "Right, so did you see anything... strange - strike that, stranger than usual - your brother could have been working on when you were downstairs?" He tried to look around, but the landscape was entirely built of light and shapes. "Tallest building it is."

<Shaw> That was when the claxons sounded. "That can't be good."

<Jessica> "... Probably not," She started them towards the building as fast as she could manage while dodging the cubes. "And I think I did knock something over... it made kind of a clicking noise..."

<Shaw> "Well," he started, looking around since there was little else he could do while she flew. "I'm certainly impressed with his programming skill, unless it kills us."

<Jessica> "I will be impressed even then... that's what proud big sisters do, right?"

<Shaw> He gave her a doubtful look, then a smirk. "I will haunt him."

<Jessica> "He'd love that, a new thing to study and everything...." She threw him a grin as they neared their destination.

<Shaw> "In theory, there should be a failsafe if it's an advanced training program." He craned his neck to check the area before they landed. "In theory."

<Jessica> "Broo has built things he doesn't remember what they do or how he built them..." She reminded him gently, looking around too but not taking her arm from around him.

<Shaw> "I know. That's what worries me." He wasn't inclined to let go of her, either, though after he'd looked around he looked at something more pleasant - her. "Well, aside from the optical effects, I can't say I disapprove of this look overmuch."

<Jessica> Jess looked down at herself, "I haven't worn anything this tight in a long time...."

<Shaw> "I know," he said again, his tone entirely appreciative.

<Jessica> "I'm not entirely sure I should be wearing something this tight..." She shifted uncomfortably.

<Shaw> The corner of his mouth twitched and then quirked up and he met her eyes and shifted to run both hands down her sides and over her curves.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Jessica> She sighed, "I really should probably get back into training.... we can get on that when we're out of whatever this is..."

<Shaw> "I would be more than happy to help, as you well know." Now he was half fondling and half actually inspecting the uniform, since it was far better to look at hers than at his own. "These are... interesting. They certainly feel real." He punctuated this announcement with a pinch to her ass.

<Jessica> She yelped at the pinch, "Hey... I don't hear any outside noises, either... I mean there's all this electrical hum stuff that's... distracting," she wrinkled her nose, "But there's nothing beyond that..."

<Shaw> Now that she'd mentioned it, he turned his head to listen as well. "You're right. That hum is quite pervasive." Sebastian was still idly tracing his fingers over the lines of light on her skin-tight armored suit while he thought. "There are a couple of simple possibilities in this scenario. If it's like your old DR, we're still in our own home, though that seems implausible."

<Shaw> "The idea that somehow your brother has sucked us into a pocket dimension of his own design seems just as ludicrous, yet there it is."

<Jessica> "Oh God... his teleportation thing... what if he did break spacetime?"

<Shaw> "Frankly, if he did, he'll be the first insect to win the Nobel Prize for science, and I may be very jealous." He was joking, to attempt to keep himself and Jessica from panicking, but he was worried. Moving away from her, he approached the edge of the building - which like everything else seemed to be entirely built of light.

<Jessica> "Well, if we don't get out of here we'll probably never know if he did...." She sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. "At least Sharky'll get fed...."

<Shaw> "We'll get out," he assured her, glancing back over his shoulder at her. Holding out his hand, he wriggled his fingers to encourage her to join him.

<Jessica> She went over to him, sliding her arms around his waist, "I know we will... but when?"

<Shaw> "Hopefully before we require water, or food, unless we don't require those here." Sebastian had considered the option they were both lying unconscious in their home with the robot and Sharky hovering over them.

<Jessica> "I hope not... it's kind of crappy if we do... is there even food here? Or water?"

<Shaw> "Not that I've seen, although I haven't been closely inspecting everything, considering." He pulled her closer and quickly kissed her temple. Throughout their conversation, he hadn't realized the humming was growing louder.

<Jessica> "Guess we should try to find that out... as soon as we're not wanted fugitives anyway..." She gave him a squeeze.

<Shaw> "I'm not sure how to relieve that either, other than by escaping." He leaned into her and returned the comfort.

<Jessica> "Better get moving then... I would suggest that way where the lights stop, we can hide better... probably."

<Shaw> "This is rather without cover," he sighed, propping a foot on the ledge to look down. That's when he noticed the line of light moving toward the building.

<Jessica> Jess followed his gaze, "Well, looks like we'll have company soon so we should get going...."

<Shaw> "Well, I shall leave it to you to lead us on, because, although nature granted me many gifts, flying wasn't one of them. Pity, that." He turned back to her with a smirk and shrug.

<Jessica> "That's okay, you make up for it by having a really big... brain." She grinned, slipping her arm around his waist and securing her hold before lifting them into the air.

<Shaw> "That is rather large as well, isn't it?" Returning the grin, he held onto her and nuzzled into her hair for a moment before concerning himself with whatever was after them now.

<Jessica> Jess happened to glance down at the line of light that was turning around, "I'm not sure I can fly faster than that is going...."

<Shaw> "Perhaps then," he mused, securing his arms more tightly around her, "We should look for what we perceive is the edge of this reality construct. If that doesn't help, we're going to have to try to look for some sort of control panel."

<Jessica> "I really really hope there's a control panel..." She was glad for her enhanced strength and stamina but it was hard to fly at her top speed with the extra weight and the somewhat less aerodynamic passenger.

<Shaw> His thoughts were interrupted by a whining hum that arose far closer than the cycles below. Twisting to look over his shoulder, he swore. "Jess-"

<Shaw> "I would suggest we abscond with one of the inhabitants but I'm not sure they'd know anything, as they seem to be blank constructs." Sebastian had been watching the lines of light beneath them, and was able to make out motorcycles of some variety. The design seemed to be based on racing bikes, but far bulkier... and brighter.

<Jessica> "What?" She turned at the same time, "Woah shit! I can't fly faster than I am already!"

<Shaw> "Evasive maneuvers?" He didn't want to squirm much to distract her from flying, but he tried to keep an eye on incoming. Planes. They were planes. Though probably more appropriately jets. The things were of varying sizes and lit in different colors, but there were at least three he could see and they were most definitely in pursuit.

<Jessica> "The best evasive maneuver I could manage at this speed would be to just drop out of the air.... or try and get on top of one somehow but I'm not sure we want them to get that close... do we want them to get that close?" The edge of the lights was entirely too far away for her liking.

<Shaw> "Right." He licked his lips and looked again. They were catching up quickly. "Drop me off," he let go to point with one arm to a tall building. "There. Circle back to bring them around and let me do the rest."

<Jessica> "I don't like this plan...." She turned for the building in question anyway.

<Shaw> We won't be separated, not for long, and not here.

<Jessica> Setting him down, she kissed him softly, "Be careful..."

<Shaw> "Of course; you be careful." He returned the kiss and brushed his forehead against hers, sending her his reassurance. Then, he dropped back and waited, thinking.

<Jessica> "Careful would be easier if I didn't have to avoid planes..." Jess muttered to herself turning back towards the planes and moving into visibility again so she could lead them in the right direction.

<Shaw> Sebastian watched her go, then dropped into a crouch to locate some cover. His plan was ill-advised, but it was better than hiding or being taken. At least this would be on his own terms.

<Jessica> Once she was sure they were focused on her she turned back towards the building, the planes were coming up on her fast so she knew they'd have no trouble keeping up with her as she led them on a close arc to the building and prayed Sebastian knew what he was doing.

<Shaw> He was praying that as well as he edged closer to the ledge behind the scant cover of some sort of projection that looked almost like a chimney made of light. It wasn't as if this ridiculous suit he wore was geared toward stealth. The disc which seemed to be the only form of weaponry in this place was in his hand.

<Jessica> She stuck herself to the side of the building out of the line of sight of the planes, knowing they'd follow her in the arc right into Sebastian's ambush.

<Shaw> One was a two-seat contraption looking almost like a Cessna, the others were one-man gliders. Weighing his options, and before he could too far contemplate the possibility of a messy death, Sebastian sprinted straight for the ledge of the building and leaped.

<Jessica> Rather than aiming at the top of the things like Sebastian, Jess went for the underneath, sticking herself to it and getting a feel for the weight of it with gentle pushes to the wing on the wrong side of the turn.

<Shaw> He landed hard, the impact simultaneously knocking the air from his lungs and giving him a jolt of energy. The surface was slippery, of course, and the motion and wind made this hard, especially when the sole flier of the glider noticed he was there and freed his own disc. Sebastian gave the pilot a savage, toothy smile.

<Jessica> It wasn't that hard to move it... She pulled down on the wing closest to the building which made it turn sharply, the pilot didn't react fast enough and the wing hit the building. Jess abandoned her taxi and flew away from the impact.

<Shaw> Braining the pilot proved the easy part. Trying to figure out how to fly this thing and avoid the other glider that Jess apparently had disabled. It crashed into a building and exploded into a shower of liquid light.

<Jessica> Jess found a convenient perch on another glider and waved at the pilot befor punching them in the face a little harder than she meant to and pulling a face as they collapsed into pixels. The glider nosedived.

<Shaw> Struggling himself, he saw Jess dip out of sight. "Jessie!"

<Jessica> Jess grabbed for the flight controls that the former pilot had been utilising and pulled up as fast as she could to right the glider, "I'm okay!"

<Shaw> He caught his breath, and righted his own glider, realizing it was a rather ugly glowing blood orange color. Right. Now... we either commandeer or remove the threat of the other jet and... This was where the plan broke down, other than that he saw more of those light cycles training in on them on the ground. More jets couldn't be far behind.

<Jessica> I'm still liking the plan of going for the black space... I'm going to jam the controls and abandon my ride. I'll be right with you. Pulling a few wires that didn't look too vital, she managed to rig something up to keep the jet thing flying in a straightish line.

<Shaw> Aim for that one, he indicated the leader of the pack and stayed close, tinkering with controls. Ah, that's how that worked... Fascinating.

<Jessica> Aim for it with what? My fist or the glider thing? She climbed back up on top of the glider so she could push the wings down to turn it.

<Shaw> The glider, he responded, looking up at her and now alarmed she may try to punch out a plane.

<Jessica> Okay... one sec... She pushed down on one of the wings to turn it in the right direction and stayed on it to make sure she could correct the course of it if the other jet attempted evasive maneuvers. She waited until the last possible moment before she jumped off of it, ran the length of the other jet and off the other end.

<Shaw> There was little he could do but wince, keep in mind she could fly, and cover her escape.

<Jessica> Jess managed a rather elegant swan dive from the back of the jet before it groaned and nosedived itself. She dropped quickly to avoid the falling debris and adjusting her course into safety, taking a pit stop on the side of a building to let the dust settle.

<Shaw> He couldn't see her when the two vehicles shattered into bright blooms like fireworks. Through their link he knew she was unharmed, so he skirted the edge of the debris field to meet her.

<Jessica> That was kind of fun... there's something wrong with me, isn't there? She flew back up, adhering herself to the underside of the jet and crawling around the wing to grin at him.

<Shaw> "No," he laughed, catching sight of her. "I was just considering the possibilities of taking this bit of theoretical engineering home with us, so not at all." He held out his hand to her, keeping one eye on the horizon.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Jessica> "Oooh, sounds like a fun plan!" she took his hand, climbing in beside him. "Cozy."

<Shaw> "Quite," he agreed with a laugh. Increasing the speed, he turned down an alleyway, turned again, jumped a building, then reset course for the blackness. "That should buy us a bit of time."

<Jessica> Jess sighed with relief to be out of immediate danger for the time being. "So... this place is.... very shiny."

<Shaw> "It is quite fun, isn't it?" He laughed as the glider righted itself, streaking toward the black edge.

<Shaw> "Mmm. A land built entirely of neon light structures. It's a variation on the Danger Room technology, that much is for certain. Perhaps the design wasn't complete, which would explain the unpolished nature of so much of the constructs." He tipped a wing and attempted a roll.

<Jessica> "It is! We should steal planes more often."

<Shaw> "I never learned to fly my own, we should remedy that as well." He looked over his shoulder. "We could do without this light trail, however fetching it may appear." Similar light trails were starting to appear on the horizon behind them, and on the streets below.

<Jessica> "Maybe there's a switch...." she looked around the cockpit while he kept an eye on their tail and the space ahead of them.

<Shaw> "That would be particularly useful when we leave the ... well, for lack of better term, city. There's no cover out there, only blackness. It appears endless, but let's hope not." He paused, thinking as they rocketed closer. "Unless of course it simply is the end of the simulation..."

<Jessica> "Oh let's hope that's not an invisible wall!" Jess didn't want to go splat.

<Shaw> "If it is, there's certainly the illusion it continues beyond the line of demarcation." Thinking about this splat thing himself now, he fetched the disc from behind his back and pushed himself up enough to get enough leverage to throw it straight at the line of blackness.

<Jessica> "Are you sure you want to throw that? What if you don't get it back and it's important?" Jess shifted in her seat, "I can go on ahead if you slow down..."

<Shaw> "Do you think it's really important beyond being a weapon?" He relaxed minutely to look at her in question.

<Jessica> "Everyone has one... even the people that weren't trying to kill us in their freaky thunderdome... They wouldn't all have one if they weren't important for something... right?"

<Shaw> With a minute shrug, he slowed the plane down enough to get a better look. Those sirens were wailing behind them again, making him want to get a move on.

<Jessica> Jess climbed out of the cockpit again and moved out along the wing, "Turn when I say...."

<Shaw> Sebastian gave her a wry salute and stowed his disc for the time being to follow her instruction.

<Jessica> Jess counted down in her head to time the move to get them as close to the potential wall as she dared, "Turn now."

<Shaw> The small glider banked as she asked and he then had the problem of trying not to crash whilst seeing what she was doing.

<Jessica> Very carefully, Jess reached out a hand towards the space and almost lost her balance at the limit of her reach when she looked down to see if she was over the line. "No wall! We're good!"

<Shaw> "Fantastic. Get back over here then." He checked their back trail again.

<Jessica> "You know I can just stick to this thing and I'll be fine even if you fly upside down, right?" She smirked, strolling back along the wing to the cockpit.

<Shaw> "Humor me, love." His feelings on whether this program had a failsafe was about fifty-fifty, so he was attempting to be somewhat cautious.

<Jessica> "I'm humouring you right now," she kissed his cheek as she rejoined him.

<Shaw> "Well, I'm honored," he deadpanned. They looped back to rocket toward the black space and broke through the almost visible barrier. Instantly, the seemingly solid machine holding them aloft exploded into liquid light and Sebastian found himself falling, swearing, twisting. He looked up trying to locate Jess and wondering how far he could fall and survive the impact.

<Jessica> Jess didn't leave much time for him to think on that, twisting in the air herself and diving after him. She caught him around the waist and halted their descent, "Well that was unexpected."

<Shaw> "I quite liked that thing as well!" He looked up at the shower of light that was still raining down onto them, then at Jess. "Thank you, Koibito."

<Jessica> "You're welcome.... but, despite the lack of a ride, I think this bodes well for us."

<Shaw> "Most certainly," he observed, as a block away a pursuing light cycle hit the barrier and exploded just as spectactularly.

<Jessica> "Great. Now what?" She looked around at the vast rocky-appearing expanse ahead of them.

<Shaw> "Well, first," Sebastian grabbed Jessica and spun her around, soundly kissing her.

<Jessica> She wrapped her arms around him, returning the kiss and smiling into it, pushing her fingers up into his hair.

<Shaw> With the adrenaline coursing through his system, he was very tempted to continue, especially when he spotted the light bloom of another cycle and then a plane hitting the barrier. They were safe.

<Jessica> She was more than happy to go along with that when a soft hiss ahead of them drew her attention. She broke the kiss off to look in the direction of the sound.

<Shaw> On alert, he positioned himself between her and the source of the noise - whatever it was. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness now and he thought he detected a faint glow.

<Jessica> "There's something over there.... don't think it's hostile..."

<Shaw> "Well it can't be the same as these other..." he trailed off, skulking closer and weaving through the dark, rough terrain to a small outcropping. "Huh."

<Jessica> Jess followed him, stopping just behind his shoulder, "What do you suppose it is?"

<Shaw> "I've no idea." Sebastian circled it, then touched it, his fingers finding an indention on the surface.

<Jessica> Jess ignited a venomblast in her hand and held it past him to shed some light onto the object in question.

<Shaw> He sucked in a surprised breath. He knew that shape. "Well, well.." Standing, he searched the skin-tight outfit for where he'd secreted the... whatever it was. Finding the object, he held it up to show Jessica. "I took this from one of the constructs, as he dissolved."

<Jessica> Jess wrinkled her nose, "Well... looks like it'll fit..."

<Shaw> "Oh, most certainly, but the question of the day is whether we want to make use of it." Sebastian sighed and shifted his weight, tapping the thing against his thigh and watching the play of light across the ridiculous clothing he wore. "While we're ostensibly safe here... there's nothing here."

<Jessica> "We can't stay here forever... there's nowhere to go..." she chewed her lip, "And we still have our disc things..."

<Shaw> "Thank heaven for that," he said dryly, noticing there were cycles coming toward them from the other side of the dark barrier. "If this allows them to reach us, kindly give me a lift, yes? No more separations." After blowing out a breath, he set the misshapen object into its cradle.

<Jessica> "I will do what I can, I promise." She closed her free hand on his upper arm just in case of surprises but she got more than she bargained for as the podium lit up and sank slowly into the ground... and so did all the other rocks. "What happening...?"

<Shaw> He couldn't hide his uneasiness and reached for her, wrapping his arms around her tightly the second before another of those paralytic light beams seemed to fix them to the spot. There was only the barest moment for them to stare into one another's eyes in shock. The world around them winked out.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Jessica> When the lights came back on they were stood in a small room. The glass door in front of them showed the room beyond filled with hundreds of the black and orange clad beings that had been chasing them before. At the far end of that room, high up in a tower was a white light.

<Shaw> "Lovely." He let his head fall forward and rested against hers, looking warily out into the room. "I wonder how high they can throw those discs?"

<Jessica> "Well... maybe we can try the stealthy option? Maybe?" Assuming alarms didn't go off or something when the door was opened.

<Shaw> "I am entirely for that option, yes." He frowned. "I'm not built for stealth."

<Jessica> "Well then it's a good thing I'm here because I am." She gave him a smile, "Hell, I was trained for it."

<Shaw> "Lead on, then, love." He returned her smile and caught her hand, kissing the back of her fingers as he stepped smoothly away.

<Jessica> She moved up to the door to peer through the glass and check for patrols. Once she was sure it was safe to leave the room, she hit the control to open the door and slipped out, heading for the nearest cover - a stack of crates.

<Shaw> Sebastian at least could be quick when he liked, so he followed, well aware he likely would be noticed and need to resort to his own specialty of brute force.

<Jessica> Jess crouched behind the crates and took another peek to watch the patrols, counting in her head to see how much time there was to run to the next spot of relative safety. It was a long way away.

<Shaw> He was looking at something else entirely - primarily how these glowing drones were all busily completing tasks and working to maintain pieces of suspiciously militarized equipment. As the holder of most US government military contracts, Sebastian knew military equipment when he saw it.

<Jessica> Jess bolted for the next safe point when her counting signaled it was safe to do so, sliding into position behind another stack of crates and using her ability to stick to the floor to slow herself to a complete stop before she came out the other side.

<Shaw> Noticing the movement, he watched her dart to her next hiding place with a sour expression. What if this isn't your brother at all? What if this is her?

<Jessica> All the more reason to get out of here as fast as possible. She looked for the next location to run to.

<Shaw> His brooding on this point was interrupted by a figure coming around the crates. It was female, and this gave him a long moment of pause, his fingers tightening around the disc in his right hand.

<Jessica> Jess felt the jolt of surprise over their link, Are you alright? She dropped back behind the crates she was using as cover to wait for a response.

<Shaw> She's not real, he assured himself, bringing the disc around before the construct rose an alarm. Not real, not real, not another mark on his already tarnished soul. Its eyes still widened in the moment before it dissolved.

<Jessica> No alarms sounded so Jess breathed a silent sigh of relief and looked back out from behind her crates. I'm going to have to go up the wall I think... they're not looking this way anyway.

<Shaw> Unable to answer, he sank lower behind the crates. Yes, alright, he sighed, glancing at her for a moment and then looking at the room again. Be careful.

<Jessica> Of course I'll be careful. You be careful. She kept low to the ground as she made for the wall, leaping up more than twice her own height before sticking herself to it.

<Shaw> Sensing her, he turned to watch. This irritating squeamishness needed to stop.

<Jessica> She pressed herself close to the wall as she crawled along it, keeping an eye on the room behind her while she made her way to the next potential hiding spot. God, there's so many of them....

<Shaw> Yes... and as another was heading his way, Sebastian edged to the other side of the stack of crates.

<Jessica> I'll see if I can get all the way up there and then come back for you... or something. She did worry that the room would change again and leave Sebastian behind if they weren't together for whatever it was.

<Shaw> He dissolved this one without batting an eye, and realized he needed to move for better cover. Do what you must. There was no way to ensure the way was clear, not really, but he tried and then dashed for the stack of crates Jessica had made it to so easily.

<Jessica> I just hope I don't end up leaving you behind or something... she chewed her lip as she crawled around the room towards the point of white light.

<Shaw> This would certainly not be his first choice either. If he was seen, there may not be much to be left behind, since he had no way of knowing if he too would dissolve if hit with one of those discs.

<Jessica> She carefully skirted the room high up on the wall until she found the window to the room that held the white light. There was another disc hovering there but it seemed heavily guarded. Damn it. This is going to get dicey....

<Shaw> I could provide a distraction? If he survived the experience, that is.

<Jessica> There are guards in the room with the thing... I don't know if they'll come out - there's enough other guys down here... She ducked out of the way when one of the guards turned towards the window. What do you think we should do?

<Shaw> As if he knew, since he was cowering behind a crate. If we think that room is our destination, then does there appear to be a way to block it off? If those guards are removed it would do us no good if we're flooded from below.

<Jessica> Hang on... She carefully peeked through the window again, There's a door in there which... makes sense because I'm sure you're not supposed to get in through the window... so maybe...

<Shaw> He checked the stability of the crates and pulled himself up on one to get a better perspective on this room she was casing. If there was a door, it came out somewhere, and if it came out to this floor, well, surely there was enough junk here to block it for a time. And you don't see any other potential exits?

<Jessica> Other than the window? Nope... She ducked back out of sight of the occupants in the room again.

<Shaw> Right. Any ideas? He had one, but she wouldn't like it, and neither did he, frankly. He flattened himself on the crate and ran his tongue over his teeth, thinking.

<Jessica> I could dive through the window and grab it then run for it.... That seemed like the fastest option anyway.

<Shaw> Run for it, to where? He twisted onto his back and looked up at her, then studied the ceiling above her. It truly looked like a giant hangar of some sort.

<Jessica> Well I was thinking first back to you and then we could figure out that part?

<Shaw> His gaze tracked back to her and he raised an eyebrow. Well, yes, I would prefer you don't fly off and leave me here, love, he smirked.

<Jessica> Of course you would and so would I. She had another peek through the window, Okay, I'm going to make my move when they're looking the other way again....

<Shaw> He sent her his acknowledgment and rolled back over, checking his immediate area and preparing to watch her back as best he could from down here.

<Jessica> Jess steeled herself and left the wall, breaking through the window and taking down the guards between her and the disc as fast as she could. More discs were thrown at her but they weren't expecting retaliation in the form of venom blasts. She snatched the disc from its spot, hovering serenely in a pool of light, and bolted for the window again.

<Shaw> As expected, this started a swarm of bodies toward what he presumed was the doorway and - stairs, elevator? - to the upper levels. He aimed his own disc and threw it at the leader of the pack headed that way.

<Jessica> Jess scanned the crowd for Sebastian and found him, flying as low as she dared until she reached him where she dropped her height further to pick him up.

<Shaw> The disc returned to him and distracted by catching it and checking for Jessica, he missed the figure that threw a disc and blindsided him.

<Jessica> "Sebastian!" Jess caught the thrown disc and threw it right at the head of the offending simulated(?) person. "Are you alright?" She landed beside him, taking up a defensive position.

<Shaw> "I didn't explode into pixels, but Christ." He checked his side and the burned, cleanly sliced material of the uniform, right under a plate of body armor. What was surprising to him was the sight of blood beneath the burned material. He clapped a hand over it. "Let's get out of here."

<Jessica> Jess deflected a thrown disc with her stolen one and wrapped her other arm around Sebastian's waist. "Hold on tight." She flew straight up then away as fast as she could to a patch of what appeared to be sky.

<Shaw> He winced, but took the opportunity to check below. Of course, he saw a volley of discs headed their way, but it seemed she was traveling fast enough to avoid them. Surreptitiously, he pulled his hand from his side and made a face at the blood on his fingers.

<Jessica> Once out of the hangar type area, Jess circled around and landed them on the roof reasoning they probably wouldn't be looked for there. "Let me see..."

<Shaw> Knowing it wouldn't do any good to argue, he removed his hand again, wiping it on his leg.

<Jessica> "Crap, that's deep..." Jess bit her lip, looking up at him. "We need something to wrap it with... if only they hadn't lasered off all my clothes...."

<Shaw> "That's both a pleasant and alarming mental image." He hissed as her poking made the wound throb. "We don't have anything - it'll just have to wait. Or..." he nodded at the glowing disc.

<Jessica> "I was thinking that... it's going to hurt..." she gave him an apologetic look.
<Shaw> "Yeah. Do it." He met her eyes and nodded, trying and failing not to tense up in anticipation.
<Jessica> Jess had to push back her desire to hesitate and held the glowing disc against the wound. There was a disturbing hissing sound.

<Shaw> Sebastian made a sound under any other circumstance he would regret and tried not to either crumple or strike out at her.

<Jessica> "I'm sorry!" She withdrew the disk to check the bleeding had stopped.

<Shaw> "I know," he hissed out between gritted teeth and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Did that take care of it?"

<Jessica> "I... I think so...." she had another look, "Seems to have stopped... but I don't like your chances of it not getting infected..."

<Shaw> "Wonderful." He tried to move, carefully, and regretted it. "I plan to have words with your brother when we get out of here." Sighing, he closed his eyes. "So what did we get for our trouble?"

<Jessica> "Another disc thing..." She held it up, "Though I'm not sure what we're supposed to do with it..." Whatever it was she wanted to be out of there fast to get Sebastian's injury looked at properly.

<Shaw> He gave it a withering look and moved slowly toward the edge of the building to get a look at the landscape. Yet more strange, lighted cityscape stretched out below them.

<Jessica> Jess looked across the top of the building, scanning the horizon. In the distance there was another bright light and she frowned as she looked at it.

<Shaw> Before he had time to follow her line of sight, he looked over the edge of the building. Their pursuers were swarming out.

<Jessica> "I think we're supposed to go that way..." she pointed to the light.

<Shaw> He nodded, pressing his hand to his side again.

<Jessica> "Are you going to be okay?" she wondered if it would be a better idea to steal one of the flying contraptions.

<Shaw> "I'll live, but clearly we don't want to get hit by those things." Frankly, he was dizzy, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

<Jessica> "I wasn't planning on it... got rid of the scar and I don't want another to replace it." She gave him a small smile, "If they catch up to us, we'll steal their ride but we're going thattaway." She pointed to the light in the distance.

<Shaw> He nodded, half listening and searching for something to lean against that wouldn't be too obvious. Unfortunately this insane light-landscape had little in the way of convenient rooftop air conditioning units.

<Jessica> Jess slid an arm around him and coaxed him to lean on her, "Cross your fingers that we make it to the light unmolested..."

<Shaw> "That sounds familiar as well..." He decided to lean on her, since she was conveniently located. "Has the humming gotten louder?"

<Jessica> "Little bit... I might have to put you down if it gets much louder..."

<Shaw> "Perhaps we'd best get going then." He nodded, turning to look at the jets on the horizon.

<Jessica> "Yep, hang on tight..." she lifted them into the air and set off as fast as she could carry them both towards the light.

<Shaw> Though he had suggested it, Sebastian was taken a little off guard and swore softly when she picked him up.

<Jessica> "Sorry! Did that hurt you?" She winced a little in sympathy, "I can try carrying you a different way..."

<Shaw> "No, it's fine... I can't feel it as much now," which as soon as he said it he realized it was a bad sign.

<Jessica> Jess bit her lip but decided not to freak out about that right now. "Well let me know if you're uncomfortable..."

<Shaw> He tightened his arms around her and nodded, deciding he would stop distracting her.

<Jessica> She secured her hold on him and dropped their altitude a fair way to hopefully drop below the visible horizon of the pilots.

<Shaw> By now, he was fairly certain the humming was only getting louder in his head, the white noise drowning out most others.

<Jessica> The point of light was getting bigger so they were getting closer and at a reasonable speed. She glanced over at him, "You still okay? Talk to me..."

<Shaw> Hanging onto consciousness by tooth and nail, he squeezed her to let her know he heard her.

<Jessica> She wished she could fly faster, she needed to fly faster. "Don't pass out." She wasn't designed to fly this fast over this distance and it was getting painful but she refused to slow down.

<Shaw> "Not if I can help it." For one, he knew he would be even more of a burden on her if he was entirely dead weight. His side felt... odd, and he wished he dared let go long enough to see if he was bleeding again.

<Jessica> "There soon..." she could see ground ahead of the light, like a floating island. She just needed to get them that far and then she could have a sit down for a minute or two.

<Shaw> A sudden move had him hissing with pain and he reached for his side before thinking of the repercussions.

<Jessica> Jess let out a shout of surprise which turned somewhat apologetic as she pretty much dropped Sebastian on the hard rock that was still a significant distance below them. Her hands covered her mouth as she lowered herself to the ground, "I'm so sorry!"

<Shaw> If anything, the jolt brought him back to himself, once he pushed himself up enough to roll onto his back. He reached for his face to feel his nose was still in its proper place.

<Jessica> "Are you okay?" Jess approached him with some caution, glancing in the direction of the jets.

<Shaw> "We're here, wherever here is, so it's an improvement." He knew he was still shocky, but he took advantage of the energy to stand, though he staggered somewhat. After pressing a hand to his side, he saw the blood on his fingers again. Right.

<Shaw> "Let's go," he nodded up at the light.

<Jessica> She nodded and went to him to help support him again, "It's not that far... it looks like there's just these rocks and a bridge and that's it...."

<Shaw> He accepted the support without any hesitation and looked behind them. Those jets were closing, and far below there were strange light trails from more cycles and vehicles.

<Jessica> They weren't the only things, Jess saw vague shadows moving in the light. "Crap... Sebastian... wait here and hold this..." she passed him the disc and moved to help him sit on one of the rocks.

<Shaw> Finally realizing she was herding him, he took the disc and looked beyond her toward the light. "Jess... be careful."

<Jessica> "Don't worry... I'm faster than they are and they don't expect people to fly or zap." She gave him a smile and leaned to give him a quick kiss. "Just stay safe."
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> "Of course." He watched her go, expression troubled. Shifting his weight, he rested his wrist on his leg and stared at the disc in his hand. After a moment, he sucked his teeth and checked the blood flow from his freshly retorn and badly cauterized wound.

<Jessica> Jess did a quick count from what she could see and lifted into the air, swiftly taking out two with a throw of her disc and one with a well placed venom blast. There were a lot of them but her reflexes were better, though she wished she wasn't so tired from all the flying.

<Shaw> Despite his better judgment, Sebastian stood. He composed himself for a moment, then spun and punched one of the rock walls with his bloodied hand. Pummeling the stone threw neon sparks, much to his surprise, but he kept on.

<Jessica> Employing the disc from her back and her venomblasts, Jess hit their attackers from all angles and altitudes, the bridge providing excellent cover when she needed it and being a useful spot from which to ambush groups.

<Shaw> He could hear the sounds of battle from the bridge area and took off after her, sprinting to catch up and ignoring the pain. Knowing he would do her no good if he distracted her, he watched and debated how to cover her should she need it.

<Jessica> If she was honest with herself, she'd missed this a lot. She was tired from the flight but the adrenaline in her system was keeping her going for the time being. The more people she had to take down though, the less likely she'd be able to sustain this level of activity but Sebastian was hurt somewhere behind her and she wanted to make sure they didn't make it worse.

<Shaw> Jess was efficient, he had to give her that, and he admired her smooth movements. However, she didn't have eyes in the back of her head, and engaged with one opponent, she didn't immediately see one flanking her. Breaking cover, he darted across the bridge for a better angle and exchanged the disc from the room for the one on his back to eliminate the threat to her.

<Jessica> She turned just in time to see her would-be attacker dissolve into a pile of glowing pixels as the disc sliced through it in a wide arc. She looked past it to find the source, a small frown creasing her brow when her eyes landed on Sebastian. There wasn't much time to dwell on that, however, as she had to turn and parry an attack from one who seemed to be using the disc as more of a dagger.

<Shaw> Well, he was in trouble now, he thought with a smirk at her expression. He caught the disc on its return and ignored the stab in his side, following in her wake to keep an eye on her and provide backup. Sebastian wanted to join her, but he knew he would likely just distract her.

<Jessica> Another parried attack was followed with a venomblast which stunned the creature long enough for her to stab it in the chest with her own disc. She did seem to be distracting them enough to draw them away from the source of the light, however, which was good. Go to the center of the light, I'll meet you there!

<Shaw> While he didn't like her acting has his protector, it was practical, and he did appreciate it. He supposed his male pride could take a back seat for the moment. So, he sprinted past her up the bridge toward the light. The end of the bridge wasn't unguarded, unfortunately.

<Jessica> Jess picked up one of the people she was distracting and threw it at the rest, knocking several down and effectively blocking their path for the moment. Satisfied that this would provide enough time, she sprinted towards Sebastian at the other end of the bridge.

<Shaw> Sebastian was busy. The guard stepped out from concealment and threw his disc. With not enough time to duck it, he dove for the figure instead, tackling him and sending them both to the ground.

<Jessica> Still running, Jess grabbed the disc from the air, sliding to a stop beside them both and holding the disc at the felled guard's neck. "What part of 'wait here' was difficult to understand?"

<Shaw> He grinned up at Jess, shoving the guard into the disc and marveling at the explosion of pixels that showered over him. "Well," he started, sitting up slowly. "I'm not good at waiting, and here is now here, yes?"

<Jessica> "You're injured, I was hoping you wouldn't go and make it worse..." she sighed, holding a hand out to help him up after replacing her disc on her back. She threw the stolen one to one side.

<Shaw> "In theory," he said, accepting her hand up and making an effort not to slip in his own blood on the floor. "In theory, exerting my abilities should make it better, not worse." He took a deep breath and hid his pain from her in the link. "It will be alright. Let's see what we've got."

<Jessica> "You're bleeding again, how is this better than it was?" She sighed, sliding an arm around him. "Let's hope this gets us home somehow..."

<Shaw> "I've been bleeding again for a while, love." Ever since she dropped him, in fact, not that he was going to share that tidbit. "Hope springs eternal," he said drily, turning his head to kiss her cheek as they started toward the center of this strange little brightly lit island.

<Jessica> "Give me the disc thing... we might have to put it somewhere..." She cast her eyes over the area, there didn't seem to be a podium thing this time.

<Shaw> He reached behind him and pulled the disc from the slot on the back of his uniform. "Frankly, I'm again leaning toward all this being some sort of hallucination..."

<Jessica> "Does that mean we're hallucinating that you might be bleeding to death right now or is that a separate issue?" Jess accepted the disc and waved it around a little, watching the glow intensify and fade as it changed heights. "Hmm...." she held it up.

<Shaw> "Hmmumph." It was about as committed as he could get to a response right now. His rush of energy was fading and shock's hold on him was returning. If it was really shock. He was serious about doubting the status of reality.

<Jessica> Jess closed her eyes as the light got too bright to watch, turning her face towards Sebastian's shoulder. Something was happening.

<Shaw> "...that's interesting..." He looked up at the searing light anyway, though he then quickly looked away, closing his eyes. The light still burned through his lids and he hissed, turning to hold Jess tightly.

<Jessica> When the light died, Jess opened her eyes with some caution to find them, of all places, on the roof of their house. She wondered vaguely what the neighbours would think. "Oh thank God..."

<Shaw> A moment later, Sebastian opened his eyes and blew out a relieved breath. "So... must have been your brother after all..."

<Jessica> "Yes.... and I will be having words with him at the nearest available opportunity about booby-trapping our house." She looked him over, "Are you alright?"

<Shaw> "Been better." He didn't dare let go of her for fear of falling off the roof, but he did look down. Immediately, he regretted it. His hip and leg were sticky with blood, smears covering the material of the - uniform? "How... we still have..." Weakly, he gestured at both their outfits with one hand.

<Jessica> "Yeah, I know... but I think we have bigger problems..." Jess helped him over to the window in the cupola, "Let's get you inside and take a look at you..."

<Shaw> He nodded and let her lead him. The buzzing in his ears was back and this time there was no doubt it was in his head, as it brought the graying of his vision with it. "So does that mean we could have theoretically brought home one of those cycles?"

<Jessica> "I have no idea... we might not have been able to carry it that far?" She climbed carefully in after him and started to help him down the stairs.

<Shaw> The stairs looked inviting, and he thumped down on the top step, leaning against the wall. "Pity, that. I quite liked the glow," he mumbled. He gave her a faint smile, then the comforting numbness that'd been beckoning him for a while enveloped him and he slumped.

<Jessica> Jess yelped and caught him quickly, hurrying back down the stairs and to the car. Emergencies called for the crazy doctor.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by steyn »

Hey, they're back in the real world... or are they... :eeevil
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> "This is the quickest way, and if we hadn't dallied so long we could have had everything set up before dark," he said, shifting the weight of the equipment bag on his shoulder. It was heavy, but that didn't bother him - he was just impatient. He and Hope had worked hard on this little project, and they were overdue for a field trial.

<Shaw> Sebastian looked down the dark hall of one of the last untouched buildings on campus. It only made sense to test potentially unstable equipment in one of those, despite the lack of a coffee machine.

<Jessica> "If you call eating lunch dallying..." Jess rolled her eyes a little, clicking on her flashlight and shining it down the hall, "Wonder what happened to the other generator."

<Hope> "Totally dallying," Hope snarked, making her way down the hallway. "Ghosts probably broke the generator."

<Shaw> "Right. Well, so long as there's enough power for these, I don't really care if the Headless Horseman galloped over the main generator." He jostled the bag again. "If we split up, we can get these set up within a half-hour, I would guess."

<Jessica> "Yeah, sounds like a good idea..." she nodded, "Where do you want me to start?"

<Shaw> "You can fly..." He pointed upward and gave her a slightly evil smile.

<Hope> Hope smirked at that. "Nice... and very helpful."

<Jessica> "Okay then, I can do that." She offered a smile in return and lifted into the air to make a start.

<Shaw> He decided not to nag if she remembered the instructions and turned to look at Hope. "I suppose I could be a gentleman and take the basement."

<Hope> "You're a gentleman?!" She asked in mock surprise, grinning at him. "That's be great. I'll head that way," she nodded in the direction they were headed.

<Shaw> "When it suits me," he smirked, then gave her a mocking bow and turned to head for the stairs.

<Hope> Hope smirked back and clicked her own flashlight to shine it down the hallway. "Well this was a great idea..." She sighed and took the first few steps.

<Jessica> "Just no one get eaten by molemen or possessed or something..." Jess put the flashlight between her teeth after that so she could secure the first piece of equipment.

<Hope> "Watch out for Mothmen!" Hope called back to them as she went to her first stop.

<Shaw> Hearing Jessica's commentary through their link, he chuckled, already on his way down the stairs as Hope's voice echoed down the hall. It wasn't until he reached the bottom that he clicked on his flashlight and shined the beam around. Right.

<Jessica> First one set, Jess moved along the wall to attach the next one. So... it's echoey and dark down here... anyone else already creeped out?

<Shaw> Don't be ridiculous, he sent, since the three of them could hear one another just fine through his telepathy, both borrowed and natural. Of course, it was utter bravado, since the basement was both creepy and wet, and he rounded a corner to discover a skeletal chair set in the middle of the hall facing him, as if it'd waited for years for this opportunity.

<Hope> Watch out Jess. The ghosts are after you! OooOOooOOooo! She laughed to herself, setting up the equipment at a station.

<Jessica> It's okay, all the spiders are on my side. She smiled to herself, then frowned at the wall as it was arguing with her about having something attached to it.

<Hope> You can keep all those spiders to yourself. Hope moved on to her next setup point.

<Shaw> Likely because Jess had mentioned spiders, he walked through a web and found himself flailing.

<Jessica> Jess felt the jolt over their link and paused in her swearing at the wall, You okay, Sebastian?

<Shaw> He paused, trying to regain his dignity. ....yes. The reply was almost sheepish and he swatted at the web one more time before deciding to set up there out of spite.

<Jessica> She was probably more worried about him than she should be, given recent events, so she felt a great deal more relief than usual for the reply.

<Hope> Hope glanced in their directions, despite the fact that she couldn't see them. Weirdos. She shook her head and got busy on the next station.

<Shaw> A half hour later, as predicted, the setup was complete. Scattered across all floors of the old building, they had erected a network of hard light hologram projectors, for want of a better term. Sebastian was still in the far reaches of the basement, next to an industrial refrigerator that gave him some unpleasant flashbacks to last year.

<Shaw> He was waiting for the signal that final setup upstairs was complete, so he walked to the metal door, his feet scuffing against the grit and debris on the tile floor. Hooking one finger around the hanger, he pulled the door open and instantly let go, moving back. The wave of stench was impressive. Mold and old... food, he hoped. Curious, he flashed the light inside but was unable to see much before the door swung closed on its own.

<Jessica> The echoing bang from the closing door startled Jess and she fumbled her flashlight, dropping it and watching it bounce and roll away from her and wincing at the crack of the shattering plastic that protected the bulb. A moment later, it went out. "Damn it!"

<Shaw> It was his turn to be concerned. "Everything alright, love?" His voice echoed across the empty rooms of the basement and through their link.

<Hope> "Perfectly fine," Hope teased as she caught up to Sebastian. "Got all yours set up?"

<Jessica> I dropped the flashlight and it broke because they're not designed to fall ten feet... She ignited a venomblast to light her way instead.

<Shaw> He swore and spun around to face Hope. How had he not heard her coming?

<Jessica> The surprise hit Jess over their link and made her shout.

<Hope> The smirk was obvious on her face. "Boo?"

<Shaw> "Boo indeed." He flashed the light over Hope from head to toe, then went back to flash her eyes with an answering smirk. Sorry. A Stark ambushed me. Shall we meet you or can you find us?

<Jessica> I think I can find you... stay where you are and I'll come down.... She lowered herself to the floor and headed along the hallway to the stairwell.

<Shaw> We'll be here. He flashed her again and then turned back around. Waiting. Was the door to that cold room that far open a moment ago?

<Jessica> You're actually going to wait this time? She was only half joking.

<Shaw> His lips quirked up. I resent that. I was merely concerned about your well being. Checking to be sure Hope was still there, he edged back toward the cooler door.

<Hope> Hope rolled her eyes and looked for something not creepy to sit on. "Think she can find us?"
<Jessica> Well I was concerned about yours too... she pointed out delicately as she bent to pick up the flashlight.

<Shaw> "Of course. Likely she can hear us, even without benefit of this," he said, tapping his temple. Moving to one side of the metal door, he shined the light through the crack again. Had it rebounded open when he'd dropped it? There was nothing much to be seen through the crack.

<Shaw> I know, he added, somewhat apologetically, looking up at the ceiling toward her position. Finally, he leaned against the wall beside the door and flashed Hope again.

<Hope> "Let's test that theory. HELLO OUT THERE?!" She called, hoping Jess wasn't too close yet. She'd be pissed at her.

<Jessica> The echoing shout at such a surprisingly loud volume made Jess drop the flashlight again, "Seriously?!"

<Shaw> "Christ, Hope! She's not the only one with enhanced hearing!" He dropped his own light, barely stopping himself from covering his ears.

<Hope> "You two are perfect for each other. Overly dramatic! Shit."

<Shaw> His light didn't go out, but it did roll across the uneven floor, coming to a rest under a crooked table. "I wouldn't cast stones, Little Stark."

<Hope> "But I have such good aim," she smirked, moving to retrieve his flashlight for him.

<Jessica> She snatched the flashlight up this time and hurried towards the stairs before anything else happened. The sounds of her own footsteps bouncing off the walls in an unsettling fashion.

<Shaw> Before he could make his smartass response, he heard the door beside him squeak. He eyed it in the darkness, taking a step backward and away.

<Jessica> On her way past the generator, Jess flicked the switch to turn everything they'd just hooked up on as she assumed they were both done setting up if they had time to scare the crap out of her.

<Shaw> "Oh!" While his duck and shout was hardly his finest moment, he didn't care - the green starscape of laser points flared into life throughout the basement corridors.

<Hope> It was Hope's turn to scream and drop her flashlight as the lights came on.

<Jessica> The scream may have pleased Jess a little more than it would have usually and she smiled to herself on the way down the stairs to the basement level.

<Shaw> They didn't strictly need their flashlights now, but he was willing to confess the white light was more reassuring than the green pinpoints now coloring Hope and all the crumbling walls.

<Shaw> And that door.

<Shaw> Which was now wide open.

<Jessica> "Heeeeello?" Jess called when she reached the bottom of the stairs, "I need a direction to walk in..."

<Shaw> "Over here," he said, though he had to stop and clear his throat halfway through. He couldn't take his eyes off that door.

<Hope> Hope picked up her flashlight and smoothed herself over, pretending nothing had happened.

<Jessica> Everything alright? The tone concerned her a little as she made her way along the hall towards the sound of his voice and the movement.

<Shaw> I believe so, it's just a little unnerving. He glanced at Hope and moved over beside her to pick up his own flashlight. I think even Little Stark feels it.

<Jessica> The creepy haunted basement vibe? This is why I didn't want to come down here. You realise it's worse because we get distant sounds from the other buildings, right? Having abandoned her broken flashlight by the generator, she was using a venomblast for better light, the green glow indistinguishable from the lasers.

<Hope> "Don't know what your're talking about. I'm perfectly wonderful."

<Shaw> "Really?" He moved behind Hope and gave her a shove toward the open metal door. "Go check that out then. That door wasn't open before you dropped your light."

<Jessica> Jess followed the voices to the door behind him, "Boo?"

<Hope> The redhead straightened herself up, gripping her flashlight. "Alright then you big chicken." She took a step just as Jess came through the door. "Son of a bitch!" She jumped, shining the light on Jess.

<Shaw> His low chuckle echoed around the room.

<Shaw> And another echo answered, from somewhere.

<Jessica> Jess laughed at Hope's reaction, "Ha! Got you again! Serves you right."

<Hope> "Next time, I'm screaming." She warned. "And go check out that door over there. See what's behind it. You have the venomy light thing."

<Shaw> Sebastian was now occupied shining his light behind Jess and ducked out the door to inspect the hall. All was quiet, and green.

<Jessica> "Are you seriously scared of the dark empty room behind the door? Honestly, the pair of you..." Jess shook her head, moving to pass Hope and glancing at Sebastian as she did.

<Hope> "Course not. Your light is brighter!" Hope grinned at her, edging closer to Sebastian.

<Jessica> "You forget I have perfect pitch and can hear the anxiety in your voice?" She strode over toward the door, flaring the light brighter and raising her hand.

<Hope> Hope rolled her eyes at Jess and pointed her light at the door.

<Shaw> Coming back into their corridor, he frowned at Jess, but when he noticed Hope moving closer he couldn't pass up a golden opportunity. Sebastian reached and lightly brushed his fingers over the back of her bare arm.

<Hope> Hope jumped and whacked Shaw at the same time, whether it was him or not!

<Shaw> He considered feigning innocence but in the end just laughed.

<Hope> "Sooo not funny." Hope crossed her arms.

<Shaw> "You would have done the same, or worse," he said, but was distracted as Jess moved to that dreaded door. "Love, you don't need to..."

<Jessica> "Can't see anything in here?" Jess looked over her shoulder at them. "Maybe it was a draught?"

<Shaw> "Maybe it was a draught?" The words echoed from behind him and Hope, from somewhere down the hall.

<Hope> Hope slowly turned toward that sound. "Whaaaaaaat was that?"

<Jessica> Jess raised an eyebrow, turning her expression towards Sebastian, "Okay that was creepy."

<Shaw> "I would say it's the equipment, although we haven't activated the program yet..." He swung the light around and stepped back into the hall.

<Hope> "Maybe so..." Hope shifted her weight uncertainly.

<Shaw> His footsteps echoed and he swore he heard an extra echo, followed by steps that were most definitely not his own. "Or there's someone here." His fear forgotten, Sebastian gave chase down the hall.

<Jessica> Jess had seen enough movies to know that was bad, "Sebastian!" She threw a look at Hope before hurrying after him.

<Hope> Like hell was she staying behind. Hope gave chase!

<Shaw> He rounded a corner, the light of his flashlight bouncing wildly off the walls, floor and ceiling and blending with the green laser lights.

<Shaw> Pausing for only a moment, he saw a flash in his peripheral vision and turned toward it, then bolted down that corridor.

<Jessica> Jess reabsorbed the charge in her hand to avoid accidental shocking of either her or Hope while they ran after Sebastian. But the place was a labyrinth of tunnels and with all the echoes she lost him, coming to a stop at a crossroad. "Sebastian?!"

<Hope> Unfortunately, Hope was not quite able to stop in time. She slammed into Jess. "Shit!"

<Shaw> After another turn, he slipped in a slimy puddle on the crumbling floor. He managed to stay on his feet, but only by slamming bodily into the brick wall. The flashlight case cracked when it hit the wall, the impact knocking it from his hand and into the puddle.

<Jessica> Jess yelped, almost falling over with the force of the impact, flailing a little and turning to face her. "Which way did he go?!"

<Hope> "How should I know?! I was following you."

<Jessica> "You have powers of cheating, access something useful!"

<Shaw> The impact gave him a small jolt of energy, and motivation to carry on the chase even without the flashlight, which was flickering crazedly in the puddle. Squinting into the dark and hearing nothing beyond his own harsh breaths and the distant sounds of Hope and Jess, he saw something race across the hall and into a room.

<Hope> Hope shot Jess a look. "Can't you hear him?"

<Jessica> "I can hear him all over the place, there's too many echoes down here.... Why are you wasting time?"

<Shaw> Angry that someone was messing with them - likely that albino brat - he caught the edge of the doorframe and swung himself into the pitch-black room. "Mister MacDuibh, I would suggest you cease this and reveal yourself."

<Hope> "You act like he's in danger. We're in the basement. At school. I think he's fine. Try calling him? Or I don't know, use your mind powers with him?"

<Jessica> "Yeah and this school has a giant fucking target painted on it. He could be in danger for all we know and my phone doesn't get service down here." She took a breath and tried to concentrate, Sebastian!

<Hope> "No but your crazy meter does. Chill out! Shit." Hope rolled her eyes and picked a hallway to go down.

<Jessica> "Don't leave me on my own!" Jess ran after her.

<Hope> "Then keep up!" What was with her?! She was acting like Sebastian was about to die.

<Shaw> He was surrounded by moving, hissing shadows, and it could only be Aodhfionn or Cassandra. "Stop this," he hissed. "Stop it now!" Unsure which way to turn, a shadow brushed against his leg and he spun, just as another swiped at his face. The touches felt like searingly cold wings.

<Jessica> She was overreacting, she knew she was, but she couldn't help it.

<Shaw> Another clear male voice arose from the hall behind Jessica and Hope. "And where do you live, Simon?"

<Jessica> That was an entirely unexpected thing and Jess couldn't help the almost instantly cut off scream that resulted from the voice as she span on her heel to see where it came from, igniting a venom blast.

<Shaw> Sebastian had heard the voice, too, and now more than ever was convinced someone was toying with him. Jessie? He backed up a few steps, bumping into a wall, and stayed there, trying to determine where he was in the darkness.

<Jessica> There was no one behind her and she turned back to Hope to see if she was alright, in time to register the footsteps that were headed away from her and echoing off the walls. Well great. Hope left me alone!

<Shaw> She did? Closing his eyes to focus, he tried to reach her and though he got a sense of general annoyance, she didn't respond. Another cold wind whipped down the hall, ruffling his hair. "Stop this," he repeated and forced himself to take a deep breath. Perhaps he could reach the minds of whoever was with them down here?

<Jessica> Yep. There was a voice - a really really creepy voice - right behind us and I turned to look and when I looked back she'd legged it.... And she wasn't freaking out about it... well maybe a little bit.

<Shaw> He could feel her freaking out, there was no doubt about that. Sebastian wasn't ready to break the link again to try to use his limited telepathy further. He didn't have the chance. The sing-song voice he heard to his immediate left wiped all rational thought from his mind in very short order and he shouted in surprise and ducked sideways.

<Jessica> The shout echoed down the long corridors and did nothing to make her feel better. Can you get to the stairwell? I can meet you there....

<Shaw> Looking around in the pitch darkness, he debated if he could retrace his steps. Perhaps. It's a plan, at any rate. He reached out a hand in the darkness toward the source of the voice, which was whispering quietly now. "Cassandra?" He could only hope.

<Jessica> Okay, just hurry... Jess turned for the direction of the stairs, hand held high and venomblast charge lighting her way.

<Shaw> I'll do my best. So, he had no light, no idea of how far he'd run, and no idea of how to get back to Jessica, or Hope, for that matter. And he wasn't alone. "I assure you, if you're not Cassandra or Aodhfionn, you will live to regret this. Of course, if you are you will also live to regret this, but that's neither here nor there..."

<Jessica> Jess hurried for the stairs but didn't run for fear of tripping in the darkness and wanting to keep the only light she had steady. Once or twice she could have sworn she heard someone behind her again but, just as before, there was no one when she turned to look.

<Shaw> "....I live..." said a voice in the darkness, echoing behind both Jessica and Sebastian at once. He shouted again, startled by both the voice and another rush of cold air, and fought down panic.

<Jessica> Jess turned again, also letting out a surprised cry and picking up Sebastian's panic. She felt behind her and took a step or two back until she found a wall to stand against. "Who's there?"

<Shaw> That had sounded like yet another voice, and for the first time, he saw something - a flash in the darkness and a shine that almost looked like it could have come from eyes. "Now I have you," he muttered, barreling toward it.

<Jessica> She increased the charge in her hand to brighten the light (though her reserves were suffering); there was nothing there. Again. "Ooooh this is so far beyond funny...." she was going to beat whoever was responsible for this senseless the first chance she got.

<Shaw> Of course, there was nothing there. Frustrated, enraged, he roared and punched the wall.

<Jessica> And Jess screamed as the fist came through the brick and plaster inches from her head. She scrambled away from the wall and to the one opposite, the charge in her hand crackling as she tried to restrain herself.

<Shaw> He felt Jessica's shock at the same time he heard the scream but it took him a moment to realize he was the cause, and then another to realize his hand was stuck. Flexing his fist, he finally pulled himself free and bent to look through the hole, unable to see anything but the glow of her venom blast. "Jess?"

<Jessica> Jess tried to pull herself together, though her voice shook, "Sebastian?" she lowered the light enough to reveal her face and dimmed the glow of her venomblast.

<Shaw> "Yes..." He winced, crouching further to see. "Sorry about that."

<Jessica> She went back to the hole in the wall, peering though it at him. "Stay there, I'll come round...."

<Shaw> "Are you sure? Love, you're at the stairs - you should go up and I'll come around." The whispering voice behind him giggled.

<Jessica> "Do you have a light with you?" It was more of a challenge than a question and she started along the hall towards the doorway to his location before he could answer.

<Shaw> Which was a good thing, since he wasn't inclined to answer. Sebastian spun around, but of course nothing was there. This place is haunted.

<Jessica> Don't be silly, ghosts don't exist. I thought we agreed on that in Japan? She found the door and all but ran to him, hugging him tightly with the arm that was not providing light.

<Shaw> "We shouldn't exist either, yet we do." He exhaled a long, relieved sigh and held her, unwilling to let go. Down the hall, another sighing giggle echoed. "I live."

<Jessica> Jess' hold on him tightened unconsciously. "Okay, I'm all for getting the hell out of here right now and we can philosophise later..."

<Shaw> "Right, agreed. I didn't program any of this, and I'm sure Hope didn't either, and if this is your brother again, I'm going to throttle him, familial ties be damned." He spun them in place, putting himself between her and the... whatever it was.

<Jessica> "Well no one programed Danger either and look what happened..." she chewed her lip, slipping her right hand into his left and raising her left to shed light on the area ahead of them.

<Shaw> "Right." That hadn't actually occurred to him before. "Damn." Casting another long look into the darkness, he ran his tongue over his teeth and nodded. "So, this way, yes?"

<Jessica> She nodded, giving his hand a squeeze, "It's not that far..."

<Shaw> "I live in the weak and the wounded." The voice echoed down the hall behind them and hurried their steps.

<Jessica> "Notfunnynotfunnynotfunny!" The stairs were in sight, thankfully.

<Shaw> Surprisingly, he had the temptation to open his mind to the building, to see if there was really anything there. Not so surprisingly, he resisted. "I'm going to send someone else to pick up this equipment..."

<Jessica> "Good idea. I nominate Hope because she abandoned me." She started up the stairs ahead of him, the daylight at the top making her feel a lot safer already.

<Shaw> "Fuck," he swore, stopping on the stairs. "If she's still down here, we can't leave her."

<Jessica> "She'll find her own way out or we can send someone else down to find her." Jess gave his hand a tug, she wasn't going to let go but she wasn't about to follow him back down there either.

<Shaw> He couldn't argue with that line of reasoning - wasn't Drake supposed to be keeping her out of trouble? "I just need to be sure - she's..." Sebastian decided he didn't want to articulate his attachment to Hope. "A moment."

<Jessica> "She's fine! She can access any power in the building and, if that doesn't work, she has a gigantic ego to hide behind." She bit her lip and glanced up the stairs before looking back at him.

<Shaw> Pulled between Jessica's hand and his duty to Hope, he leaned against the railing and closed his eyes in an attempt to reach her.

<Shaw> "Doc?"

<Jessica> It took every ounce of her willpower not to bolt up the stairs but her grip on Sebastian's hand tightened significantly.

<Shaw> The voice made his eyes pop open and he looked up at Jessica.

<Jessica> "Now can we go?"

<Shaw> He only hesitated for a moment. "Yes." Sebastian jumped up the stairs to join her and threatened to overtake her, only to pick her up so they could move faster.

<Jessica> Jess clung to him, the charge leaving her hand so that she could hold on tighter. She would be avoiding the basement level for some time.

<Shaw> When they reached the ground floor, however, things didn't improve much, since the green lights of the holographic projection grid met them as soon as Sebastian cleared the staircase. "...right."

<Jessica> "We just have to get to the doors to the outside or a window." She wriggled to be put down now.

<Shaw> Wriggling, no matter the cause, was still entertaining. "Don't run," he warned, putting her down but not letting go until he was sure she would stay with him.

<Jessica> "I'm not going to run unless you do," she promised, taking his hand again.

<Shaw> He smiled at her, though it was wan, and he wound his arm around her waist. The green pinpoints of light distorted her features.

<Jessica> "Maybe we could try going up another level?"

<Shaw> "Well, then we'd have to fly out a window..." He looked around the corner.

<Shaw> I live in the weak and the wounded, doc."

<Shaw> "But if you're agreeable to that..."

<Jessica> "The faster the better..." She practically ran up the next flight of stairs.

<Shaw> "...ghosts don't exist, yeah?" His hand still in hers, he kept up.

<Jessica> "Of course not. This is just some bad code... I blame Hope for that too." The light of day greeted them at the next floor and Jess breathed a sigh of relief.

<Shaw> "Bad code." He was willing to accept that, and met her eyes with a faint smile. "Let's get out of here, then."

<Jessica> She smiled back, going to the nearest window with him before flying them both out of it and down toward the carpark. "I don't know about you, but I really need a pick-me-up right now."

<Shaw> "Are you asking to go bar hopping, love?" Sebastian's feet hit the lot, the impact rattling his bones.

<Jessica> "Alcohol doesn't work on me... I was thinking cake... but we can get both, if you like?" She headed straight for the car.

<Shaw> His decision made for him, Sebastian decided he was more than alright with it. "Both is good, so long as it's far from here."
Slarti
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Jessica> Jess had not been in the room that long but she already loved it - it was beautiful. Abandoning her luggage, she went straight to the bed and flopped face-first onto it. "I don't know if it's the travel exhaustion or the mattress but this bed is so comfy I don't think I can get up again."

<Shaw> Sebastian smiled at her beeline to the bed and stopped the bellhop at the door. After a healthy tip for both now and later, he dismissed the man and locked the door. Then, he pulled his own lock from an interior pocket of his suit jacket and secured it as well.

<Shaw> Satisfied, he dropped the rest of their luggage next to the bed and opened the pet carrier. Then, he launched himself onto the bed with no regard to his suit and wriggled his way over to Jess. "Perfect. We need not move for a month now."

<Jessica> "Awesome... why is sitting on your ass all day so exhausting?" She managed to find enough energy to turn her head so she could look at him and not just mumble into the duvet.

<Shaw> "I've long suspected the airlines pump sedatives through the ventilation system in an attempt to keep passengers docile." However, since they'd taken his private jet, this likely wasn't the answer. "Or that they should. For us, however, I suspect the last week and our reinstatement in the Mile High Club did the trick."

<Jessica> "Mmhmm, very likely... speaking of which, we should probably find the energy to shower somewhere..."

<Shaw> "Oh, I don't know." He sidled closer, draping his arm over her loosely. "This bed is quite nice. Soft. Perhaps a tad too clingy. I hope it has enough spring to it." Sebastian gave her a friendly leer and pulled her to him, wrapping a leg over hers and burying his face in her hair against her neck. "God, I love the way you smell right now. Who needs showers?"

<Jessica> She laughed, snuggling into him, "I would like a shower before we go exploring... but I suppose we could make the most of the time before that."

<Shaw> "We should - we should investigate our new abode." He kissed her neck, nibbling and licking his way to her earlobe, her jawline. Pulling back, he brought up a hand and smoothed back her hair to cup her face and give her a soft kiss.

<Jessica> She returned the kiss, sliding her arms around him and shifting to press herself against him. Okay, let's try out the bed and then we can try out the shower.

<Shaw> He groaned into her mouth. It is true we have plenty of time to explore... Briefly he deepened the kiss, tasting her, then nipped her lower lip. "Many things, yes?"

<Jessica> "All the things," she agreed, leaning in to kiss him again and shifting her hips against his.

<Shaw> Rolling her beneath him, he grinned, his hand roving down her side and over her hip. He smoothed his palm over her thigh and hooked the back of her knee to bring her leg over his hip. That certainly covers a lot.

<Jessica> We're on vacation - I intend to make the most of it... don't you? She used the leg he'd helpfully positioned to pull him back against her.

<Shaw> Oh, absolutely. They were still making up for lost time, after all. He pressed his hips against her, moving slowly to tease her. Breaking the kiss, he nuzzled her throat, licking her skin.

<Jessica> She slid her other leg out from beneath him and curled it around him, leaning her head back into the sheets and closing her eyes.

<Shaw> He fully opened their connection, sharing his feelings and sensations with her.

<Jessica> Taking that as a hint while her own sensations bled over the link to him, Jess decided to help him off with his clothes.

<Shaw> Sebastian shed his suit jacket, impatient now with her desire compounding his own. Her clothes were easy enough, and he ran his hand over her hip to find the seam of her panties. With a twist of his wrist the fabric ripped and he smirked.

<Jessica> "If you keep this up we'll have to go lingerie shopping while we're here," she murmured, returning the smirk as she unbuttoned his shirt.

<Shaw> "I see no down side to that, love," he mumbled, taking more care with the shoulder strap of her dress and brassiere. Now that she was bare, he found a better occupation for his mouth.

<Jessica> "Of course you don't..." she giggled, shaking her head a little before letting out a soft moan of pleasure at where his mouth was occupied.

<Shaw> Sebastian was completely oblivious to everything in the room other than the squirming woman beneath him, especially when he felt her hands at his belt. Unfortunately, there was another occupant in the room, who only now had formed into a long, cylindrical shape and slithered from his carrier and under the bed.

<Jessica> Likewise, Jessica was unconcerned with anything going on inside or outside the room that didn't involve her and her fiance. That was until the shapeless blob of living metal pulled itself together and climbed up onto the bed where it formed into its usual corgi shape to start yapping excitedly after dropping its ball at Sebastian's elbow.

<Shaw> He jumped and swore, twisting to glare at the creature for a long moment. Finally, he laughed and dropped his forehead onto Jess' breastbone, shaking his head.

<Jessica> Jess groaned a little, rolling her head to look at her pet, "Sharky, you have the worst possible timing." She picked up the ball and gave it a throw for him, watching him dive off the bed to chase after it.

<Shaw> Turning his head and resting it on her chest, he watched the pet scamper after the ball, overshoot it, flip over, then catch it and roll onto his back, all four legs kicking.

<Jessica> "... That is just too cute." Jess smiled, watching Sharky roll around as she lifted a hand to idly run her fingers through Sebastian's hair.

<Shaw> "Yeah," he admitted, tone casual. "He's grown on me. I haven't had the urge to punt him for weeks now." The petting was pleasant as well and his need for her subsided somewhat as he worked his hands beneath her back to embrace her.

<Jessica> She laughed, "Well that's reassuring." She lifted her head to press a kiss into his hair, "He's not going anywhere."

<Shaw> "Good." He closed his eyes and squeezed her. "He's much less fuss than a conventional dog. Sheds less." There were a few moments of quiet as he let his thoughts drift. "I wonder how he would react to children?"

<Jessica> "Hard to know... but he's good with commands so I guess he'd be easy to train to be good... he's kind of programmed to protect so...."

<Shaw> "And as he's programmed to protect you above all, I suppose as part of you our child would apply."

<Jessica> "I would hope so... but I've been teaching him about helping friends too, he recognises people... maybe we can see how he is around Ripley sometime... I'm sure Bobby won't mind the break."

<Shaw> "He accepts me, I suppose." He chuckled, pushing his head against the fingers in his hair. "Sharky, not Drake. But yes, that's a rather good idea, if you'd like to watch the child for Drake and Guthrie sometime." Of course, he'd been testing the waters to a degree, and the ease with which she suggested a trial run with a child made him feel rather warm and pleasant.

<Jessica> "Bobby accepts you too," Jess pointed out, teasing a little, "I think he's at least half sure you're not a robot now."

<Shaw> "A robot?" He wasn't really interested, but his tone was amused.

<Jessica> "Sure you're all scary and grr emotionless all the time.... apparently. I mean, that's not my experience of you but everyone else is scared of you."

<Shaw> "As they should be," he said, sounding entirely unconvincing as he relaxed on his Jess pillow.

<Jessica> She giggled, sliding her arms around him, "Mmhmm... but I know you're just a big squishy marshmallow on the inside."

<Shaw> "Luckily, it's too much effort to have you killed for that insult, wench." He shifted a little, but smirked to himself and rolled his hips into hers. "Not so squishy after all."

<Jessica> That made her laugh again and give him a small zap to the shoulder, "Baaaaaad."

<Shaw> "Oh yes," he groaned, turning his head to kiss the swell of her breast.

<Jessica> "Shall we get in the shower, then? Might stop Sharky interrupting...."

<Shaw> He took his time answering, instead planting wet kisses across her chest. Eventually, he pushed himself up and sat back on his haunches, watching her while he unbuckled his belt.

<Jessica> "Is that a yes or a no? It's hard to tell..." she let her eyes wander over him while she waited for the response.

<Shaw> She would have to wait a while since he finished unbuttoning his shirt and untied his tie, sliding it free from his collar with a hiss. He smirked.

<Jessica> Jess propped herself up on her elbows, cocking her head on one side, "I'm going to zap you again if you don't answer me."

<Shaw> The smirk cracked into a predatory grin and he stretched the tie between his hands, then looped it over one, between his thumb and forefinger, as he leaned back down to catch her lips for a kiss. His palms brushed over her arms, urging them over her head.

<Jessica> Jess lay back down, watching his face as she complied with the unspoken instruction.

<Shaw> Pleased, he wrapped the tie around her wrists loosely and met her eyes.

<Jessica> "Now what are you planning to do with me?" The amused smirk played on her lips.

<Shaw> He raised an eyebrow and slid down her body.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> Hearing the skittering behind him, Sebastian turned away from the breathtaking view from their balcony. Sharky was back with his ever-present ball. "I suppose your mistress banned you from the bathroom, yes?" Coffee in hand, he pulled out one of the patio chairs and sat, wriggling the fingers of his free hand to beckon the pet.

<Shaw> Obediently, Sharky trotted over and flipped the ball into the air. Sebastian caught it. "Clever boy." The sound of the ocean just yards away was relaxing, and he tossed the ball to the silver creature. Sharky bounced up on his hind legs and caught it, giving the ball a couple gnaws before tossing his head and sending it back.

<Jessica> Jess had indeed banned Sharky from the bathroom as it was difficult to shower and dress when you had to watch where you were putting your feet in case of a dog or a ball ending up under one of them. Now that she had the room to herself it didn't take so long to do either of those things and she was soon joining Sebastian on the balcony to let the warmth of the sun finish drying her hair.

<Shaw> His own hair had already dried, probably not in the best fashion, since he could feel the ocean breeze tugging it. Tossing the ball back to the pet, he reached over and picked up a mug, holding it up to Jess with a small smile.

<Jessica> She smiled back, taking the seat beside him before accepting the drink. "Thank you..." she settled back into the chair and looked out at the view, "Wow... just, wow..."

<Shaw> "I know. It's beautiful." He sipped his coffee and breathed in the ocean air. "I thought Japan was my favorite place in this world, but so far Hawaii is giving it stiff competition." Reaching over to her, he watched Jess from the corner of his eye. "Although, there's a possibility the charm is entirely the company."

<Jessica> She took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "The right company does certainly make everything much better."

<Shaw> "That it does." He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers.

<Jessica> "So... what shall we do next? I think one of the things should definitely be taking a walk along the beach."

<Shaw> "Oh, most definitely, and we should do that sooner rather than later." Keeping her hand, he sipped his coffee. "In fact, perhaps now would be a good time?"

<Jessica> "I'm okay with now... at least once I've finished my tea." She took a sip, raising her eyebrows at him over the rim of her mug.

<Shaw> "Oh, of course," he smirked. "Priorities."

<Jessica> "Mmhmm," she nodded, relaxing back into the chair again and looking out at the water. "It's going to be so strange to not have to worry about any of the crap that goes on at school for a few weeks."

<Shaw> "Agreed." He squeezed her hand and let it go, sipping his coffee once before he placed it on the table and regarded Sharky for a moment. Clicking his tongue with a jerk of his head, he gained a lap dog and his ball. "Of course, after our recent experience home was rather less relaxing as well."

<Jessica> "Yeeeeeah it's a good thing we don't have to worry about boobytraps here... at least I hope we don't... does Broo know what hotel we were going to stay in?"

<Shaw> "Oh, no, absolutely not." He was still not best pleased with the little bug boy. "I triple encrypted the information, and I've rerouted my cell phone signal through three corporate offices and my assistant." Looking up from wrestling the dog he grinned, as sharklike as the pet. "We are off the grid."

<Jessica> "I love you so much," she leaned over to give him a kiss. That was a weight off.

<Shaw> "Thank you," he returned the kiss, catching the back of her head to linger for a moment, until Sharky yapped impatiently. "I considered assigning us aliases, but I thought that might go a step too far." Cocking his head, he considered this.

<Jessica> She laughed, "We'll hold that in reserve."

<Shaw> "Indeed," he nodded, fussing with the dog and letting it gnaw his hand. "It could also complicate matters should we decide to file any paperwork."

<Jessica> Jess had been part way through a sip and choked on it. Once she recovered she stared at him, "What, here?"

<Shaw> He looked over at her and gave her a slow, innocent (as much so as he could manage) blink.

<Jessica> She stared at him for a few moments longer while she tried to work out how she felt about that idea. "Okay."

<Shaw> Unsure how to interpret her tone, he watched her curiously, looking away when Sharky nudged his hand.

<Jessica> "I think it's a good idea," she elaborated, "Let's do it."

<Shaw> He stopped petting and turned his head to stare at her. "Really?"

<Jessica> "Yes, really... planning things is needlessly complicated and when we wait bad things happen so why not?"

<Shaw> "I quite like the idea of wedding and honeymoon in one." He hadn't expected her to agree quite so readily.

<Jessica> "I can't imagine a more beautiful place to get married..." she smiled at him.

<Shaw> "Agreed." The idea, which had been fairly nebulous before as he tested the waters, was blossoming into a dream made reality. "I'm certain I could bribe a judge to marry us on the beach, or we could locate an officiant on call."

<Jessica> "Sounds like a plan... or half a plan. Tomorrow I will go shopping."

<Shaw> "We should check on the filing requirements tomorrow as well." It really was half a plan, and he smiled at her brightly, in complete disbelief.

<Jessica> "Yay! But my shopping trip will be solo or so help me I will have Sharky lie in wait for you."

<Shaw> "Alright, since you make such a convincing argument," he laughed, expression sobering again after a moment. I love you. Yes, you know this, but...I... His smile this time was slight.

<Jessica> But what? She turned in her seat to face him, head cocked on one side and tea held in her lap.

<Shaw> I'm still not terribly good at expressing myself... not honestly, not like this. He took her hand again, kissing it. I'm just happy. So very happy. Closing his eyes with his lips pressed to her skin, he let her feel what he did.

<Jessica> Sebastian, I love you whether you're comfortable with expressing it as openly as you think you should or not. You don't need to apologise for not being good at something... especially not when it doesn't matter. I know how you feel, that's the main thing. She set her tea to one side and abandoned her seat to wrap him into a hug.

<Shaw> He urged her into his lap and held her and for once was without words altogether.

<Jessica> She smiled, holding onto him just as tightly for a long time in silence before finally breaking it. "Shall we go for that walk now?"

<Shaw> "Yes, absolutely." Gathering her up, he jumped out of the chair.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> "I'm afraid we'll have to serve ourselves," he said with a smile, reaching for the champagne waiting in its iced bucket beside the table.

<Shaw> Sebastian let go of Jessica's hand only to pull out the chair of the intimate table set for two. His money hadn't gone to waste - the privacy of this cove had been guaranteed and the small campsite set up for them was beautiful. Lit only by torches set into the sand and the candles on the table, even the sand had been raked.

<Jessica> "I think we can manage to do that," she smiled, sitting herself down and scrunching her bare toes into the sand. "Or we can let Sharky do it, he's good at presenting things."

<Shaw> "Yes," he admitted with a chuckle, and looked down at his hand as he popped the cork from the bottle. On cue, Sharky scampered across the sand to one of the torches, ready to investigate.

<Jessica> "And he looks so adorable in that suit!" She couldn't help the glance at her own hand where there were now two rings instead of just one.

<Shaw> "The suit is still ridiculous." This time, he laughed, shaking his head. "I suppose I should just be happy it doesn't match mine." He poured her champagne and because he hadn't missed her glance he picked up her hand and kissed the knuckle just above her rings, his eyes meeting hers while his lips lingered.

<Jessica> She smiled, "I was tempted..." she lifted her free hand to touch his cheek.

<Shaw> "Well I'm glad you resisted." Sebastian turned his head to brush his lips and nose against her hand. The bottle of champagne was forgotten for a moment and he leaned in to kiss her.

<Jessica> She leaned in to return the kiss, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the sea breeze and the sound of the waves.

<Shaw> When they broke apart, he released her hand to brush his fingertips over her hair, finding one of the colorful tropical flowers carefully woven into the newly-blonde strands. "My beautiful bride," he whispered with a smile.

<Shaw> It hadn't taken long, really, to put together yet another wedding. This one - performed on the beach just a quarter-mile from this spot - had gone much more smoothly than the last.

<Jessica> "My wonderful husband," her smile grew brighter. "I'm glad we did this."

<Shaw> "So am I." He returned the smile and remembered the bottle in his hand, moving to pour his own tall flute of champagne. A chair had been placed across from hers, but he decided that was too far and dragged it partway around the table, shedding his silver grey tuxedo jacket before he joined her. "Better."

<Jessica> She laughed a little, glancing down when Sharky climbed up into her lap and took a seat there, "Of course, we'll have to do everything all over again when we get back because people will be pissed."

<Shaw> Sebastian picked up his glass and gave her a look that said exactly what he thought of this.

<Jessica> "I know, I know... but imagine what will happen when we tell Paige she got all excited and planny for nothing."

<Shaw> "She'll want to measure you again." His gaze traveled over her simple white dress. It was lovely, and flowing, with a beaded bit accenting one of his favorite features. He let his attention settle there for a moment before he smirked and his eyes flicked to her face. "I could offer to do it instead."

<Jessica> She laughed a little, "Well it'd be a less uncomfortable experience this time... either way." She picked up her glass and raised it toward him.

<Shaw> He extended his glass and clinked them lightly. "I would be quite comfortable watching," he said, taking a sip and savoring it. "Or, assisting. Whatever makes you more comfortable, of course."

<Jessica> "I'd rather you be the one to do it if you're going to make it sound that dirty." She smirked, taking a sip of her drink. It tasted nice which meant it was probably ridiculously expensive. "Do you know what I really like about going on holiday with you?"

<Shaw> "My private jet?" He watched her over the rim of the glass.

<Jessica> "No... although that is fun." She grinned, "I like not being afraid of the bill."

<Shaw> His loud laugh caused a bird to break cover and squawk indignantly in the jungle behind them. Sharky perked up and looked over Jessica's shoulder into the shadows of the trees. "Well, koibito, what's mine is yours now."

<Jessica> "Hooray for us!" She smiled, wrapping an arm around Sharky to cuddle him so he didn't feel left out of the celebrations.

<Shaw> "Careful," he chuckled, inspecting his own new piece of jewelry. "You'll make me think you did marry me only for my fortune."

<Jessica> She laughed softly, shaking her head, "Never just for that."

<Shaw> "There is my enormous ...portfolio," he mused into his glass, finding he was far too entertained by his own terrible jokes.

<Jessica> She laughed again, prodding him under the table with her bare foot. "You're forgetting one very important thing."

<Shaw> "Oh, no, I haven't forgotten the assets you bring to our partnership." He relaxed into the chair and gave her a playful leer.

<Jessica> She shook her head, giving him a tiny zap to his hand. "I love you."

<Shaw> "And I love you." He hissed and shook his hand, but as usual the zap did more to excite him than anything else. "Perhaps you should save that for later."

<Jessica> "Why? There's no one else here." She gave him a playful grin before hiding it behind a sip of her drink.

<Shaw> "Well," he said, drawing out the word, "you are correct, and I'm quite tempted, but fish only keeps so long." He reached to the tightly covered tray in the center of the table and lifted the silver dome. "I thought Japanese would be fitting."

<Jessica> "Ooooh you do spoil me so much." She leaned to give him a hug.

<Shaw> "I do try." Sebastian took the chance to steal a kiss before serving her grilled salmon.

<Jessica> "You don't have to, you know - you're stuck with me now."

<Shaw> "Why would you think I would be inclined to stop?" He served himself as well, pausing to sip his champagne before picking up another, smaller tray and setting it on the sand. Not needing a second invitation, Sharky scampered to his own dinner.

<Jessica> "I don't know... you know I have this thing where I think I don't deserve nice things," she poked her tongue out at him.

<Shaw> "Lucky for you I'm not nice," he responded, flashing his best predator's smile over the glass.

<Jessica> She giggled, "You are nice... but only to me."

<Shaw> "Only to you," he agreed, setting aside his glass to pick up his chopsticks with a tiny smirk.

<Jessica> She picked up her own, "Just as well... might get jealous if you started to be nice to someone else."

<Shaw> He picked out a bite of the salmon and savored it, taking his time before he answered. "You'll never have cause for that."

<Jessica> "I know... I trust you," she smiled at him, "I trust you more than I trust anyone."

<Shaw> "I confess you know where all the bodies are buried."

<Jessica> "That's how it should be... no secrets between us. We've both been through hell so we deserve to give each other a break... besides, I like our adventures."

<Shaw> "No, no secrets," he said softly and took another bite. "Some adventures are more... stimulating than others." A wave lapped against the beach as the tide slowly rose. "And I could do without your brother's assistance in giving us excitement," he added with a laugh.

<Jessica> "Oh God, me too," she laughed, "But he's not here so let's make our own adventure."

<Shaw> "And what would you like to do, my dear Mrs. Shaw?" He tilted his head at the unfamiliar name, getting used to the sound, and pointed at her plate with his chopsticks. "Eat."

<Jessica> "I'm eating! I'm eating!" She had a few quick bites to prove her point. "Let's explore more of this lovely place tomorrow."

<Shaw> He chuckled and took a bite of his own. "I think that's an excellent idea. There is supposed to be a waterfall a couple of miles inland, up the mountain." Gesturing to the treeline again, he glanced back at it.

<Jessica> "Oooh! Now we have to go! It'll be horribly loud but I bet it's beautiful."

<Shaw> "Well then, we have our plan for tomorrow, don't we?" He turned back and flashed her a grin, then looked out over the water. The sun was setting, and the colors shined and reflected off the surf.

<Jessica> "So we do," she smiled again, following his gaze to the sea. She couldn't have planned a better day.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Jessica> Waking up in a bed on the beach was certainly a unique experience and she was glad for the curtains drawn all around them to block the heat of the sun somewhat. The weather was beautiful as ever and she was rather looking forward to the walk around the island that they had planned.

<Shaw> What was even more unique was the slow, swaying movement of the bed when Sebastian opened his eyes and looked up through the gauzy cover over the intricately carved and very solid wood frame. He was warm, content, satisfied, and he rolled his head to the side and reached for the source of his contentment.

<Jessica> She smiled, rolling over to face him and wrapping an arm around him. "Good morning..."

<Shaw> "Ohayou," he whispered, voice still rough from sleep. He nuzzled closer to her, pressing his forehead to hers. "Or, aloha kakahiaka, considering that while we're in Rome..."

<Jessica> She laughed softly, tilting her head to brush a kiss across his lips, "I love you."

<Shaw> "E hoomau maua kealoha." He dragged himself closer, pressing his body to hers. His mouth open, he teased her in the kiss, his tongue flicking along the seam of her lips.

<Jessica> She smiled, lifting a leg over his and deepening the kiss. I suppose we're in no hurry so we may as well make the most of this fun suspended bed...

<Shaw> He groaned happily and slid his hand over her hip to pull her in tight. It is quite the bed, isn't it? Mustering the energy to roll on top of Jess, he shifted his weight back and forth to encourage the bed to swing.

<Jessica> She giggled as the bed started to swing, "It's way too much fun..."

<Shaw> "It really is, and surprisingly strong, as we proved convincingly last night, yes?" Sebastian hovered over her, rocking to maintain the movement. The wood of the structure creaked softly, but remained strong.

<Jessica> "Mmhmm... maybe we should get one for home..." she slid her arms around his shoulders to pull him close to her again.

<Shaw> He didn't need a second of encouragement to settle himself between her thighs, reaching up to tangle his fingers in her hair. "Or just take this one home..."

<Jessica> [Time passes]

<Jessica> Bath time in the Pacific Ocean was certainly more refreshing than any shower though she could have done without the sand sticking all over her right after she'd washed it off. Fortunately the sun dried it up so she could brush it away, "Well, one thing's for sure, we're going to have great skin when we get home."

<Shaw> Sebastian came up for air, shaking his head to fling the water from his face. He slicked his hair back, watching Jess with open pleasure. Finding his feet beneath him and digging his toes into the sand, he stretched. "We certainly are. I'm tan - actually tan and that hasn't happened in, dare I say, fifteen years? And you, my lovely Jessie..." He got lost watching the water droplets in her blonde curls.

<Jessica> "Am going to burn if I stand out here any longer without putting anything on." She went back to the bed and sat down on it, rummaging for the sun cream.

<Shaw> "Yes... we can't have that. I would be honored to bathe you in your fluid of choice." He managed to keep his tone completely innocent as he rose from the ocean and walked slowly toward the bed and their small cache of supplies. The air was drying his bare skin quickly, and picking up strands of his hair to twist it into an unruly mop.

<Jessica> She laughed, flinging some sand at his midsection as he got closer. "Awful!"

<Shaw> "Tsk, I was just offering to help you with your sunscreen." He sat carefully on the edge of the swinging bed, then kicked off to set it in motion. It really was entertaining.

<Jessica> Jess eeped, losing her balance perched as she was to apply the sunscreen. "Hey!"

<Shaw> He laughed and caught her. "I'm sorry, love," though he sounded not at all sorry.

<Jessica> "Lies!" she reached to tickle him and, failing that having an effect, she let small static charges erupt from her fingertips.

<Shaw> Resisting the tickling paid off - though he first yelped, then growled, tackling her to the sheets.

<Jessica> She giggled, wrapping all four limbs around him and pulling him into a kiss.

<Shaw> He tilted his head to deepen the kiss, but the lure of her warm, salty skin was too much and he moved to her neck, sucking and licking. "I'm not certain we're going to make it far from the bed today, love."

<Jessica> She smiled, "I probably wouldn't complain... but I do still want to explore the place a little..." she lifted her hands, dragging her fingers slowly up his back and over his shoulders before moving them around to his front then up into his hair. "But we don't have to go right this second..."

<Shaw> "Mmm, well that's good, since I do believe we've started something..." Sebastian was slowly working his way downward, and when the bed stopped swaying he huffed and kicked the post, shooting her a fast grin before getting back to his work.

<Jessica> [Time passes... again XD]

<Jessica> Jess looked up into the trees as they walked in the approximate direction of the waterfall. Once they were closer it would be easier to find it with their enhanced hearing but for now she wasn't focusing on the sounds of rushing water but of all the native wildlife instead.

<Shaw> Sebastian shouldered the small pack and caught the giant leaf Jess displaced on the trail. Of course, with this leaf's movement, some sort of flying insect the size of his hand buzzed out of its hiding space and he ducked it, thankful she was ahead of him.

<Jessica> She glanced over her shoulder at the noise, "The best part about my mutation is I have nothing to fear from exploring - I can get bitten or stung by anything and be perfectly fine." Maybe that was whey she liked bugs so much.

<Shaw> "I'm afraid I don't have the same advantage, so you'll forgive me if I'm a bit more cautious," he said, catching up with her and taking her hand. "We don't want you to be a widow before the end of the honeymoon."

<Jessica> "I would definitely prefer that." She gave his hand a squeeze.

<Shaw> He lifted her hand and kissed it, then looked around at the dense jungle. "It is beautiful, truly."

<Jessica> "It really is... I could do this for a living easy." She nodded to herself.

<Shaw> "What's that? Explore jungles?" He looked at her curiously.

<Jessica> "Mmhmm, looking for new bugs or whatever... or studying the ones we already know about."

<Shaw> "Well, there's no reason you couldn't take courses, at a real university, I mean. Not to cast too many aspersions on Xavier's, but..." he smirked.

<Jessica> "There's not many opportunities for bug lovers there, I know... I've been thinking about it... maybe do a correspondence course or something...."

<Shaw> "A correspondence course?" He looked at her askance.

<Jessica> She nodded, "I don't want to move away or something to go to a different college..."

<Shaw> "Surely the biology departments at Boston University or the University of Massachusetts at Boston would be a good starting place." Speaking of insects, he spotted another rather large one and let go of her hand to step off the trail and take a look.

<Jessica> "Maybe... I want to look around though... see which schools are the most prestigious so I can get the best qualification going..."

<Shaw> "Understandable." He dropped to his haunches to inspect the insect and since he knew this one wouldn't kill him he picked it up and placed it in the palm of his hand. "So, what's this, then?"

<Jessica> "You know what that is - everyone knows rhino beetles..." she moved over to him and bent to look more closely at the bug in question.

<Shaw> "I suppose I can see the appeal of insects - they're fascinatingly alien, and some of their methods of locomotion are quite efficient." He moved the beetle closer for her inspection. "Moreso than our two-legged awkward gait, as much as I appreciate watching a lady sway in a good pair of stilettos."

<Jessica> "They are very cool," she glanced up at him with a smile. "Everything about them is so... perfect and methodical and well put together."

<Shaw> He smirked, casting his glance over her - even lovely sweating in her hiking clothes. "Indeed."

<Jessica> "Let's put this little guy back though... probably terrified." She carefully scooped the bug up and gently placed it back from where Sebastian had plucked it.

<Shaw> This made him briefly debate attempting to touch the bug with his telepathy. "One wonders what they do feel."

<Jessica> "I'm willing to bet hungry, horny and terrified every moment of their tiny lives." She straightened up.

<Shaw> "Ah, so not so different from us after all." He rose as well, sliding his arm around her to lead her back to the trail.

<Jessica> She giggled, "Nope, not at all... especially after today."

<Shaw> "Although, let's hope we can avoid terror today." All bets were off if a snake slithered across his path, however.

<Jessica> "Yes, let's." She slid an arm around his waist, "And we can find a waterfall and enjoy the view and the deafness."

<Shaw> "A GPS would have been helpful, I suppose," he laughed as they moved further down the trail. "Of course, you could locate it fairly easily." Sebastian gestured to the clear blue sky, barely visible through the green ceiling of the forest. "I suppose that's cheating."

<Jessica> "It is cheating... and you and I could find it just as easily as each other if we concentrated long enough."

<Shaw> "Sounds do seem to carry a little oddly, and there's a lot to filter. Birdcalls and such."

<Jessica> "Would you rather I cheated or we go on an adventure?"

<Shaw> "No," he laughed pausing to wade into the jungle again. "I like to think I'm the adventurous sort."

<Jessica> "Yay!" She caught up to hug him briefly.

<Shaw> He returned the hug, breathing her in, but let go to pursue his target. "I do believe I read somewhere it's illegal to do this, but, well..." Locating a bloom to his liking, Sebastian picked her a brilliant pink flower and tucked it into her hair above her ear.

<Jessica> "Well it's not the worst law to break I suppose..." she smiled at him and took his hand again.

<Viper> Her chosen shade of green provided excellent cover in the leafy forest as she followed the couple in the shadows and the noises of the wildlife masked the sound of her feet. Viper paused to watch them together, looking for the perfect time to make her entrance.

<Shaw> They picked their way along the trail for a while, each silently enjoying the other's company. He stole glances at her, eyes drawn to her blonde hair. "Will you leave it, this time?"

<Jessica> She gave him a questioning look, "Leave what?"

<Shaw> "Your hair." He smiled slightly. "I know you did it for the wedding, but I do so love it blonde. Perhaps for a while at least?"

<Jessica> "At least until the end of the holidays... After that, I don't know..." she gave a half shrug, "I don't always feel like myself when my hair is blonde... I dyed it for so long. Trying to hide..."

<Shaw> "Surely you've got no reason to hide anymore." He hoped not, at any rate.

<Jessica> "I don't know... sometimes I feel completely safe... but I still wake in the night and wonder if that's not an illusion..." She squeezed his hand. "So much of our lives seem to be balanced on a knife edge just waiting for us to take a step in the wrong direction."

<Shaw> He was quiet for a time, knowing how she felt. "I'll do my best to keep you safe, to keep us both safe, but you know that. We should have all the time in the world, but circumstance has proven that's not true, time and time again." Raising her hand to his mouth, he kissed it again, his eyes falling this time to his ring.

<Jessica> "Well at least we're having fun." She smiled at him, "Enjoy life while we're living it."

<Viper> "There is too much emphasis on enjoyment and not enough on vigilance these days." Viper stepped out onto the path behind them.

<Shaw> He knew that voice. This wasn't happening - that was the only conclusion he could make. Sebastian felt the blood drain from his face and spun, pulling Jess behind him. This was impossible...

<Viper> "Oh relax, Sebastian. I'm not here to kill you - either of you. I wanted to offer my sincerest congratulations." She smiled.

<Jessica> The smile was not at all reassuring and Jess closed her hands on the fabric of Sebastian's shirt as she hid, shaking, behind him.

<Shaw> He could feel her, and her terror was adding to his own, amplified through their link. "Thank you, duly noted.” He drew himself up. “You're not taking her." Though he had no weapons but himself, foolishly thinking they were safe.

<Viper> She laughed, shaking her head, "It's so adorable that you think you could stop me if I really tried to do that." She took a couple of casual steps toward them.

<Shaw> Tensing, he forced himself not to back up, instead straightening to his full height. "Your games are tiresome. What devil's pact I must make to keep you away from us?"

<Viper> "Why on Earth would I agree to do that? It is much more beneficial to me to keep you all close... also it is fun." She picked a flower that protruded over the path and gave it a sniff. "I have no intention of hurting you. Does that make you feel better?"

<Shaw> "What on earth is the possible benefit?" No intention of hurting them - he was itching to hurt her, if he could. Love, you should be ready to run if you must.

<Viper> "Who can say?" She smirked, tossing the flower to one side, "I like to keep my options open, you never know when having mutants to scare in the wrong direction could prove useful."

<Jessica> Not without you. She released the hold on him with one hand, sliding it carefully around his waist.

<Shaw> Weighing his options, he knew there weren't many. That's probably a better plan than mine. After all, a self-sacrifice would only leave Jess alone and unprotected. "You claim to be so interested in Jessica's well being - to be her family - but if you cared one iota you would let her be happy, you would leave her alone."

<Viper> "If I left her to her own devices she would self destruct. You know that as well as I do." She leaned to one side a small way to try and catch Jessica's eye, "You are a magnet for trouble. All of you, for that matter."

<Jessica> Jess refused to look at her, keeping her eyes fixed on the patch of ground she could see over Sebastian's shoulder.

<Shaw> He sneered at her. "You've made you point, now go." Keeping the effect of her words from the link was difficult.

<Viper> "I don't think I'm quite ready to leave yet. I was very disappointed to not receive an invitation to either of your weddings. Insulted, even. You're fortunate I decided I didn't care this morning or we would be having a very different conversation."

<Shaw> "Oh, well, forgive me if I don't consider my wife's kidnapper and torturer a valued guest."

<Viper> "I never tortured Jessica. I helped her, didn't I?" She tried again to speak directly to Jessica. "I fixed her mutation problem and removed the evidence of that terrible accident, gifted her a protector and I see you still have it."

<Shaw> "Oh, yes, but your benevolence is just a bit marred by the fact you kidnapped her to get her under your influence, then lied to her to keep her there." He took her hand at his waist, locking their fingers together.

<Viper> "Yes, yes, 'the wrong thing done for the right reasons is still the wrong thing.'" She rolled her eyes, waving the comment away, "But you can't tell me you aren't a little grateful."

<Jessica> "I am grateful," Jess remained hidden behind Sebastian, her voice quiet and strained. "If that's all you wanted to hear, please leave now."

<Shaw> "There's truth in that, as I've had cause to learn. A little learning would do you no harm." He stroked his thumb over her fingers. "There, you've heard her confession, not at all coerced, now do as the lady asks."

<Viper> "I have had more time to learn everything about life than you could imagine, Sebastian. Perhaps you should learn some things yourself, one or two." She turned her back to them to start back down the path. "We are all mutants, Mr and Mrs Shaw. We are on the same side."

<Shaw> "I have," he said quietly, watching her go and wishing he'd brought his father's gun on this little adventure.

<Jessica> Jess relaxed noticeably once Viper had walked out of sight into the trees. "It's never going to be over, is it?"

<Shaw> "Not until the threat is removed." He turned to hold her, stroking her back to calm her. "Her point in this exercise, of course, was to let us know she could find us anywhere. Such hubris leaves a technological trail, one that can be followed when we're not in a jungle... trying to pick up the pieces of a lovely day."

<Jessica> "I already knew she could do that... she didn't need to show me... and what did she mean by that anyway? We're all on the same side? How can we be after what she did?" She wrapped her arms around him and held onto him tightly.

<Shaw> "Mind games, love. She's trying to manipulate us." No doubt listening raptly to every word we say this very moment. He hunched his shoulders as if to protect her with a physical shell, lowering his head to press his forehead to hers. She hopes to convince us to convince ourselves we're all somehow in league with her... in agreement with her agenda, and therefor culpable for her crimes.

<Jessica> I think we should cheat and find that waterfall now...

<Shaw> That sounds like a splendid plan.

<Jessica> She managed a faltering smile, tightening her hold on him and lifting them both into the air. Waterfall and a swim and then you can get drunk and I'll take a bubble bath and we'll both feel better.

<Shaw> Perhaps I'll get drunk and take a bubble bath with you. If only we'd brought bubble bath to use in the waterfall. He wrapped his arms around her and attempted a smile to lighten the mood, though it came out more than a little crooked.

<Jessica> I'm sure that would be classed as some kind of environmental terrorism... She managed a small smile back but she couldn't help dwelling on the words Viper had spoken.

<Shaw> Sensing her distraction, he sighed and looked for the waterfall.

<Jessica> She tightened her hold on him a little, glad at least that it had only been words she'd thrown at them and not a grenade.

<Shaw> Over the shock now, he was just getting more angry.

<Jessica> Spotting the waterfall, Jess took them to it and set them down, grateful for the telepathy because of the noise of the water. I'm sure I'd appreciate this more if I wasn't so shaken up....

<Shaw> It is beautiful. Sebastian didn't step away from her, instead pulling her closer and pressing his lips to her forehead.

<Jessica> She closed her eyes, burrowing into him and breathing him in. I'm kind of annoyed... we took a vacation to get away from her crap.

<Shaw> This made him chuckle. Are you reading my mind?

<Jessica> No, that's your trick... She nuzzled him a little, blowing out a breath and straightening up. But it's nice to know I'm not the only one that thinks this is ridiculous.

<Shaw> He smiled and moved away from her just enough to let his hand trail down her arm to hers. It's utterly ridiculous, and I refuse to let her ruin this. Ruin us. He lead her further along the trail to the falls. I'm debating to whom I should sell my soul to get her to fuck off. A glance and a smirk let her know he was joking – mostly.

<Jessica> She laughed a little, shaking her head, Careful, if you sold it to the highest bidder she might be the winner and then we'd really be screwed.

<Shaw> That would defeat the purpose just a tad, wouldn't it? His tone was light as he moved to the edge of the trail and looked down the length of the falls.

<Jessica> She followed, keeping close to his side, Somewhat, yes. She glanced at him and offered a smile, We'll think of something better...

<Shaw> We'll have to, as I continue to fail to see her properly assassinated. He gave her a predatory flash of teeth.

<Jessica> And we can't intimidate her - she's crazy. She let go of his hand and slipped her feet out of her shoes.

<Shaw> Perhaps I should set your brother on the task. Reaching the bank, he bent down to test the waters with his hand. If I weren't afraid of drowning, I would consider riding the falls to the bottom, he sent, grinning up at her.

<Jessica> Chicken, she grinned back, reaching to unzip her dress. And no to the other thing. We're not getting Broo involved. We're not even telling him we saw her.

<Shaw> Sebastian's eyebrows rose. "Oh, chicken is it?" He pulled off his shirt.

<Jessica> She let her dress fall to a heap on top of her shoes and stepped out of it, moving to a point for a cleaner route to dive down.

<Shaw> He paused in undressing himself to watch Jess appreciatively.

<Jessica> She laughed, motioning for him to get on with it. After all, it wasn't fair that he had something to look at and she didn't.

<Shaw> Slowly, he stood and dropped trou, then spread his arms to encourage her inspection.

<Jessica> She laughed at the gesture, shaking her head and stepping close to him again to slide her arms around his waist. It's moments like this that remind me just how much I love you.

<Shaw> Or parts of me, anyway. Sebastian wrapped his arms around her, meeting her eyes with a smirk.

<Jessica> She laughed again, leaning in to kiss him, All the parts.

<Shaw> I'm quite fond of your parts as well. Leaning into the kiss, he began a thorough assessment of a few of his favorites.

<Jessica> She grinned into the kiss, pressing her forehead to his and stepping back a little. Don't try to distract me...

<Shaw> He tsked. But I believe I'm quite good at it. However, he let her go, then turned and dove into the water with little concern for what could be in his way.

<Jessica> She watched where he'd landed and made sure to jump far enough out that she wouldn't land on top of him before turning into a dive.

<Shaw> Breaking water, he shook his hair back from his eyes and searched for her, just in time to see her vanish beneath the surface.

<Jessica> She swam beneath the water, circling round with the momentum of the dive and finding his legs to give them a swift yank before she swam up to the surface herself.

<Shaw> Yelping, he sucked in water and flailed, then righted himself and went after her.

<Jessica> She laughed and swam away, confident in her speed enough that she turned and splashed water at him before diving back beneath the surface.

<Shaw> While he was fast, he wasn't faster than her in the water, so he gave up the chase and dove beneath the surface.

<Jessica> She swam back up to take a breath and swept her hair out of her face, treading water and waiting for him to reappear.

<Shaw> The water was surprisingly clear, though he supposed he shouldn't be surprised in this paradise. So, he just didn't surface for a while, moving deeper to investigate the bottom.

<Jessica> After a short while, Jess decided she was bored of waiting and dived to go looking for him.

<Shaw> The bottom was rocky, with very little silt due to the current. A colorful fish darted past.

<Jessica> She swam down to him, tapping his shoulder to get his attention.

<Shaw> Jerking in place, he turned and grabbed her leg.

<Jessica> She grinned, a cloud of bubbles going up with the giggle.

<Shaw> His own air was rapidly running out, but he had time to grin in return and kiss her.

<Jessica> She kissed him back, swimming them both up to the surface.

<Shaw> Once they reached the surface, he broke the kiss to get some much-needed air.

<Jessica> She smiled at him, arms around his shoulders, "So... what shall we do now?"

<Shaw> "Well, we just got here..." He kicked, propelling them closer to the falls. "We could take the plunge," he teased.

<Jessica> It was very loud and on the edge of painful with her enhanced healing but she smiled through it, "What are we plunging into?"

<Shaw> "We've already taken the big one, I suppose." He smirked at her, tipping his head toward the edge of the fall. "What's one more?"

<Jessica> She smiled, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze, "It's not the height that bothers me or the water... it's the noise."

<Shaw> "It is loud, but what was it you said? Chicken?" He reached up to cup her head, covering both ears, and feinted toward the edge.

<Jessica> "I'm not scared!" she protested, "I just don't want to burst my eardrums or get a migraine because I'm immune to pain medication." She pouted.

<Shaw> Amused by her overreaction, he shifted his hands and kissed her forehead, then let go to kick away from her. Catching the glint of his new wedding band on his own hand, he wondered if it was more or less durable than him on a possible trip to the bottom.

<Jessica> She had the feeling he was going to go over the falls without her but she didn't mind so much - she was in some respects easier to injure and harder to repair and she'd had enough injuries in the last year to keep her going for a while.

<Shaw> "I would like to see the bottom, one way or the other." He scanned the edge of the cliff.

<Jessica> "Go on then, whatever way you'd like. I'll join you down there but I'll keep my distance from the noise."

<Shaw> Sebastian grinned. "Of course, if I need resuscitation, I'm entirely at your mercy." He gave her a wink and dove under the water.

<Jessica> As long as he didn't require zapping, Jess thought to herself as she lifted into the air and headed for the bank to collect their clothes before she followed him down.

<Shaw> He had to admit, the free fall through the thundering water was exhilarating, the landing, however, hurt. Not that he didn't enjoy it, and the surge of power that came with it. His efforts to stretch out into a more graceful dive limited most of the impact, although it was still more than enough to kill most anyone else.

<Jessica> She gave the falls themselves a wide berth, following the trail down to the pool at the bottom.

<Shaw> Managing to avoid literally breaking himself - barely - on a large jutting boulder, he climbed onto the outcropping and let the water beat down upon him. It was by far the most violent shower he'd ever experienced - he loved it.

<Jessica> Leaving their clothing somewhere convenient, Jess dove into the pool from a rock, coming up to the surface again fairly quickly as her senses felt a little overwhelmed by the noise of the waterfall.

<Shaw> He turned slowly in place, arms up, accepting the water's pounding fury. It felt incredible, like a drug, like sex - like the highest vibration of energy he'd felt in this lifetime. Reaching a rather meditative state - of all things - Sebastian couldn't deny the obscene sounds of enjoyment he made.

<Jessica> Once her ears had adjusted as much as they were going to, Jess managed to pick out the sounds of Sebastian. Do I need to bitch slap a waterfall?

<Shaw> She is giving me what I need, he laughed, opening his eyes and turning to locate her. Instantly, he checked his ring and was relieved it was still in place.

<Jessica> Oh yeah? I see how it is. You should be glad my hands aren't dry.

<Shaw> His laugh was loud enough for her to hear over the pounding falls and he moved along the stone and dove into the pool.

<Jessica> She waited for him to resurface, swimming over to shallower water and raking her fingers through her hair to slick it back.

<Shaw> He practically zipped through the water, enjoying the enhanced speed he only experienced when he'd really overindulged. Circling his prey, Sebastian exploded from the water behind her in an uncoordinated tackle.

<Jessica> Jess shrieked and flailed as she was tackled back into the water, laughing as she turned and wrapped her arms around him.

<Shaw> "And now, I have you at my mercy!" He laughed at his own preposterousness as he wrestled her in the water, creating a charybdis of flailing limbs, water, and squeals.

<Jessica> Jess giggled, squirming in his arms, "Maybe that's only what I want you to think!"

<Shaw> "Aha! Your devious purposes revealed at last!" Her weight overbalanced him and he dropped them both backward into the water. "You've married, whisked me off to an isolated area, now I expect you'll-" Sebastian choked on a mouthful of water from her flailing, but managed to get out his final words. "-eat me, starting with the head!"

<Jessica> She laughed, wrapping all four limbs around him and using her flight powers to keep them afloat. "You should be so lucky," she muttered into his ear.

<Shaw> "I confess I didn't think through that particular double entendre," he chuckled, treading water to assist her and pulling her close.

<Jessica> She giggled again, tilting her head to catch his lips with her own.

<Shaw> Sebastian pushed her hair back from her face, threading his fingers into it to cup the back of her head. He kept the kiss light, teasing, playful, and punctuated with a nip to her lower lip.

<Jessica> She smiled at him, pressing her forehead to his when they broke apart, "This is nice."

<Shaw> "More than." He brushed her nose with his own. "It's sheer perfection. It's not a way I had ever envisioned having a wedding, but I wouldn't have it any other way now. This has been..." Losing words, he just smiled at her, expression open and gentle.

<Jessica> She didn't need him to finish the sentence with the feelings filtering over their link and she smiled again, cuddling him and pressing her face against his neck.

<Shaw> The backwash of her emotions were overwhelming, so he just held her tighter.
Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
Nightscrawlearth Character: :icey :phoenix

Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

Post by Slarti »

<Shaw> Sebastian shifted the rental car into park. To say the vehicle handled well in the not-so-fantastically maintained roads of this volcanic tourist trap was the understatement of the year. "Whoever ordered this vehicle for us had best appreciate I'm in a good mood." He leaned back against the headrest and rolled his head to the side to smile at Jessica.

<Jessica> Jess giggled, "Oh come on, it's part of the authentic touristy experience. It's fun!" She leaned over to kiss him.

<Shaw> "Oh, that it is." He moved quickly to catch the back of her head and linger. "I do love this place, but promise me the moment I consider buying a Hawaiian shirt you will tell me it's time to go."

<Jessica> "Oh, no worries there. I will never forgive you if you make me walk next to you while you wear one of those... but maybe we should get one for Broo?"

<Shaw> He gave her another quick kiss and a somewhat more evil grin. "Yes."

<Jessica> "Yay!" She grinned back and opened the door to get out of the car after unclipping her seatbelt, "I love that you let me be evil."

<Shaw> Snickering to himself, he unfolded himself from the too-small vehicle and stretched, pocketing the keys. Someone deserved at least a demotion for this car. "Perhaps if we find a particularly hideous one we can get the owner to part with it and save a shopping trip."

<Jessica> "But souvenir shopping is part of the fun! How else would I find Godzilla plushies to give to people?"

<Shaw> He laughed and took her hand. "Or, considering, we could always take back some lovely lava rock." Leaning closer as they walked, he smirked. "Perhaps we could send some to Sarkissian, along with the requisite curse of Pele."

<Jessica> "If only we could gift wrap a whole volcano...." she rolled her eyes, "When we get back to civilisation, we should do something about her... I mean... okay sending me flowers wasn't the worst idea she ever had but that's where it starts and I don't want to end up being kidnapped by her again."

<Shaw> "No, she'll not do that again. She'd best not try." His mood already darkened just by the thought, he instead slid his arm around her to pull her close to his side. "I was only half joking about whom I need to find to take care of that particular problem."

<Jessica> "You know, I bet it wouldn't even be that hard if I helped - I could just pretend I wanted to meet up with her or something. She's clearly some kind of obsessed with me... which is way too creepy." She put her arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze, glancing up at him to flash him a smile.

<Shaw> He returned the smile and the squeeze, but shook his head. "I don't want you near her. She's already been far too close." Their encounter with Viper was days ago now, but it still disturbed him - which of course was the woman's intent.

<Jessica> "You know there's no point in trying to keep her from me, right? She knows where we live she could show up any time." She shook her own head, "Don't worry about it... she's no threat to me... at least not in the normal sense of the word."

<Shaw> "Anything that could take you from me is very much a threat," he said quietly.

<Jessica> "You are failing to see my point in using me as bait but let's worry about that later and focus on the more imminent threat of an active volcano! Tourist stuff! Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and hurried up the path, pulling him along with her.

<Shaw> If anything was sure to improve his mood, her excitement was it. She only had to drag him for a moment, then he caught up and lead her around a large group of tiny Japanese tourists. Some of the men were wearing some rather loud shirts, and he couldn't help pointedly glancing their way, then giving Jess a knowing look and a grin.

<Jessica> Jess giggled into his shoulder and nodded to a blue and orange shirt because she figured it'd clash nicely on Broo.

<Shaw> His eyebrows rose and he stifled a chuckle. The amusement over that shirt was cut short when one of the visitors in a vivid purple and blue number stepped directly in front of them for a few moments as he lined up to take a photo of his group. It was also a contender.

<Jessica> Jess eeped as they almost collided with the man but quickly burst into another round of giggles when she saw that one.

<Shaw> Of course the tall giggling blonde was also an attraction and the man turned and took a photo of her as well, then smiled and waved before rejoining his friends.

<Jessica> Jess wasn't sure how she felt about having her picture taken by a total stranger and glanced at Sebastian to check whether she should be paranoid or not.

<Shaw> He'd been watching the man with narrowed eyes himself, then felt Jessica's gaze and concern. After a brief consideration, he shrugged and urged them on at a slightly faster pace.

<Jessica> "So..." she whispered when they were a bit away, "If that ends up on Google, how long do you think it'll be before we get people calling to freak out about us eloping?"

<Shaw> "They won't be able to reach us without going through about four of my assistants," he responded with a grin.

<Jessica> "Hope is that resourceful." Jess reminded him, "Volcano is less scary than that prospect."

<Shaw> "True, and Tony is incapable of keeping a secret without the secret service." He laughed softly, but his attention was soon captured by what appeared to be a puff of smoke over the ridge behind her. "Speaking of the volcano..."

<Jessica> Jess turned to follow his gaze, "Ooooh! I like to think there's a dragon under there."

<Shaw> "You're not far off." He watched for just a moment, then grinned at her and took her hand to climb the hill to the railing.

<Jessica> "Dragons are way cooler than hot rocks." She pointed out, following him closely and keeping hold of his hand.

<Shaw> "Most definitely, although they're more than hot." The path led to the crest of a ridge, and improbably, steam wafted from the side of the hill, filtering through the greenery. "Steam tubes... they should market them as an exclusive spa treatment - it might pay off the national debt."

<Jessica> "They should! We could sell that idea to Tony when we get back - it might distract him from the eloping melodrama because you know he'd make it all about him."

<Shaw> "Well," he said, looking at her from the corner of his eye, "I do believe Hope was holding out her namesake that I would lead Tony down the aisle instead of you."

<Jessica> "...." Jess stared at him for a long moment while that filtered through before laughing hard.

<Shaw> Sebastian laughed as well, sliding his arm around her for an embrace as they watched the steam rise. Occasionally, you could feel bursts of moist heat from the vents. It was a tad unsettling. "...you don't think I'd make a lovely first lady?"

<Jessica> "Pfft, Tony would be the lady. He's way more diva than you."

<Shaw> "I do believe I could handle the presidency. We've already solved the national debt, after all."

<Jessica> "We could solve all the world's problems in one afternoon... what would we do for the rest of the term?"

<Shaw> His slow, predatory grin spread across his face. "I do believe we could find something."

<Jessica> "Ooooh I'm liking this plan more and more." She stepped closer to him sliding her arms around his waist.

<Shaw> "Except I believe it started with me marrying Tony, and that's..." He winced and shook his head. "As much as I'm sure it will break his heart, I'm afraid he's just not my type." In demonstration, he nuzzled her cheek.

<Jessica> "Well lucky me... and I'm sure he'd be open to a third in the relationship so you wouldn't have to give me up entirely.... and if he wasn't I could fix that which is totally non-related to how we'd solve the world's problems...." she gave him her best innocent look. She was good at those.

<Shaw> She really was not. His head tipped sideways and he pursed his lips as he studied her. "Well, if you're of the mind to have a more open relationship, I'm sure I could offer some alternatives to Tony Stark..." Looking past her, his gaze unfocused in consideration of this. "Perhaps that Danvers woman..."

<Jessica> "Noooooo nothing with boobs." She wrinkled her nose, then smacked him, "And no other teachers!"

<Shaw> "Nothing says Miss Kincaid must always have her breasts - as fascinatingly reflective as those are - but if you say no teachers..."

<Jessica> Jess pulled another face, "Nothing that defaults to having boobs either. I don't like women like that...." She shook it off.

<Shaw> "Well, I'm afraid we've reached an impasse then." He sighed sadly. "Tony and I haven't quite shared everything, and I'm certainly not sharing you." Laughing, he shook his head at the conversation.

<Jessica> "That's okay, we don't need Tony to make it work." She leaned in to kiss him, "Too much of a diva anyway."

<Shaw> "Hope shall have to live with the disappointment." After stealing another kiss, he trailed his hand down her arm to take hers and stroll further down the path. After all, the Japanese were catching up.

<Jessica> "We should never tell her about this conversation... well all the bits about you are fine..." She remembered vividly Hope's reaction when she thought she'd slept with Tony.

<Shaw> "Koibito, I don't want to recall this conversation, never mind telling Hope."

<Jessica> She laughed then, cuddling into him as they walked, "Then we're agreed - what is spoken of in Hawaii, stays in Hawaii."

<Shaw> "Most definitely," he agreed with a smile. They climbed the trail, admiring the lush plant life and birds that flitted across the path. Occasionally, other tourists would pass them by, but none were threatening, and none were Sarkissian, thankfully.

<Jessica> She was at ease again, the surprise arrival of Viper pushed way back into the back of her mind once more. "We should get ice cream."

<Shaw> He burst into a short, surprised laugh. "That's random, love. I'm afraid we're likely out of luck until we leave - or find a gift shop at the very least."

<Jessica> "I know, I'm just saying... later... or something." She gave a shrug, "I like ice cream."

<Shaw> "Ice cream it is, then." He smiled, warmed by her cheer. Though, it wasn't all her cheer, since they were approaching the fields of lava rock.

<Jessica> "Yay! I'm enjoying this eloping thing, it's way less stressful than planning everything. Why doesn't everyone do that?"

<Shaw> "I'm not sure," he said, laughter in his tone. "I thought most women looked forward to planning their wedding, and all the fuss and pomp and circumstance?"

<Jessica> "What in the history of me leads you to believe I'm anything like most women?"

<Shaw> "I know you didn't expect to have the opportunity, but you have... and you've known I wanted to marry you for some time." reaching the strangely-formed, smooth ropes of black rock, they left the trail to pick their way through.

<Jessica> "I know but I've never been in a place where I've had to plan ahead.... I'm not very good at it."

<Shaw> Jumping across a small crevice in the lava rock, he held out his hand to her, knowing she didn't really need any assistance. "We'll have to work on that, yeah?"

<Jessica> She took his hand, following his steps, "Yeah... and we will... but with something less stressful than a wedding."

<Shaw> "I've never particularly understood why weddings are supposed to be so stressful," he said with a laugh.

<Jessica> "That's because you don't have to organise anything."

<Shaw> "I could have. I do own and operate a multi-national corporation, love." He gave her a cocky smirk and stepped across another pile of black rock. "Though admittedly, my involvement has been more hands-off as of late. I've been a bit distracted."

<Jessica> "You pay people to organise for you... maybe I should do that.... I could hire Viper...."

<Shaw> "Ha, no." He gave her a flat look. "I could have hired a planner."

<Jessica> "She's good at planning things," Jess pointed out, "And at least we'd know where she was... but okay, if you insist." She poked her tongue out at him.

<Shaw> "Remind me never to allow you to hire people." After a moment's consideration, he returned the gesture, then caught her wrist and pulled her against him to steal a kiss.

<Jessica> She giggled, sliding her arms around his shoulders as she returned the kiss. I'd be awesome at hiring people!

<Shaw> The skeptical noise he made was entirely inside their heads, but he kissed her again with a smile.

<Jessica> I'm a lie detector, you know I'd be good at it. She kissed him back again.

<Shaw> Well, perhaps I'll keep you in reserve as my secret weapon. Ending their exchange with a kiss to her forehead, he stooped and picked up one of the shiny black rocks to inspect it.

<Jessica> "That sounds like a plan," She grinned, "Bring me into the office sometime to test your employees."

<Shaw> "It's a bit of a double test, I suppose, as they're also fired if they attempt to seduce you." He looked up at her and bounced the rock on the flat of his palm.

<Jessica> She laughed, shaking her head, "We could probably get rid of anyone you didn't like that way...."

<Shaw> "I would be in trouble then, as there's a good many of them I don't like, but so long as they're competent and I can trust I've instilled the proper fear in them..." This time, his smile took on its more familiar sinister air and he straightened, lightly tossing her the stone.

<Jessica> "Well you know where I am when you find someone you really want to get rid of," She gave him a tiny zap.

<Shaw> His eyes narrowed and he hissed playfully. "Careful, I'll throw you in the volcano."

<Jessica> Laughing she gave him another, "I'd like to see you try!"

<Shaw> "I could give it a shot." Eyes sliding closed, he groaned.

<Jessica> "Except we both know you'll get distracted before we get that far..." she added a couple more zaps for good measure.

<Shaw> With a rather pornographic moan this time, Sebastian moved in quickly to capture her. "Much more of that, we'll have to locate someplace more private sooner rather than later."

<Jessica> She laughed, curling into him and nuzzling his neck, "I'll try to restrain myself."

<Shaw> "Only for now." He tipped his head back to enjoy her attention, and the sunlight on his face.

<Jessica> "Come on, let's go and look for dragons," she pressed a kiss to his neck and straightened up again.

<Shaw> "Mmm, and perhaps once we locate that dragon we can sneak off the beaten path." He gave her a grin. "It's a tad easier here than it would have been at that most-depressing Pearl Harbor memorial."

<Jessica> "Oh yeah, definitely. There's no trees out at sea." She nodded sagely, "And all those windows..."

<Shaw> "And, I suppose, even I would be hard-pressed to perform when poised above a watery grave such as that," he said with a mockingly dramatic sigh and a hand over his heart.

<Jessica> She giggled at the melodrama and took the hand from his chest to hold while they continued their walk. "You're ridiculous today and I love it."

<Shaw> "I told you, I'm in a good mood, love." He squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

<Jessica> She returned the smile, bumping him with her shoulder, "I'm glad you're happy... I am too."

<Shaw> "Quite right to be," he squeezed her hand as they crested another hill, this one with a spectacular view of the valley below them - and more steam.

<Jessica> "Heeeey we're gaining on that dragon!" She returned the squeeze, "And I guess the view is nice too...."

<Shaw> "It's lovely, but I wonder how much of a stir we'd create if you flew to the volcano?" He laughed. "That would most certainly end up on the internet."

<Jessica> "Hmmm.... is that a suggestion?" She eyed him mischievously.

<Shaw> "It most certainly is, you dense wench," he grinned.

<Jessica> "Ooooh and now you're insulting me. I might just have to drop you when we get there." She wrapped her arms around him.

<Shaw> "Well now, that's not the definition of hot that I prefer for myself." He was still grinning as he held onto her tightly. "In the vernacular, of course."

<Jessica> She laughed, lifting them both into the air - the cries of amazement and the shuffling of clothing to retrieve cameras told her that the Japanese tourists had caught up with them. "Hmm, I wonder if 'dropped into a volcano' is covered on any insurance policy... you know, for cellphones and stuff... or people..." she gave him a not-so-innocent grin.

<Shaw> Laughing with delight himself, he pressed his cheek to hers. "It's not covered under mine, I can tell you that, and I haven't had time to list you as beneficiary on my life insurance, so you'd be out of luck there."

<Jessica> "Darn, I'll just have to come up with another way to bump you off. Maybe Broo will accidentally help me with another of his surprise gifts," she joked.

<Shaw> "Oh, he might at that," he said, tone light and contemplative. "I'll have to keep an eye on the both of you, won't I?"

<Jessica> "Naturally... oh, and Sharky - he's my minion." She nodded sagely to this revelation.

<Shaw> "That's why the little silver devil is always underfoot! Trying to trip me down a tiger pit no doubt." He'd always been a bit in awe of flying abilities, and envious if he were honest with himself, so this was a fantastic experience for him.

<Jessica> "Of course! He does as I please." She giggled, enjoying the ridiculousness of the conversation.

<Shaw> I'm entirely outnumbered then, aren't I? We'll have to work on that."

<Jessica> "Pfft, if you mean kids they'll all be on my side too."

<Shaw> "I can purchase their loyalty."

<Jessica> "You can't buy loyalty, that's crazy talk!"

<Shaw> That made him laugh sharply. "Then I know a great many crazy people."

<Jessica> "You do! ... Wait. I'm not one of them, right?"

<Shaw> Sebastian looked down at the ground below, and the gathering tourists, then met her eyes with a grin. "No, not at all."

<Jessica> She eyed him suspiciously, "I'm not sure I believe you. I think you're just saying that so I don't feed you to the dragon."

<Shaw> "Now why would I do that?" His best turn at innocence wasn't award-worthy. "And you're all bluff anyway - you'd miss me if I was gone."

<Jessica> "Yeah... that's the only downside of the plan." She paused to think for a moment then added; "And I'd miss all the sex."

<Shaw> "At last, my true worth to you is revealed," he said sadly, letting his hand wander since they were out of sight from the other tourists now - at least somewhat. Enough.

<Jessica> She giggled, "Caaaareful, I might actually accidentally drop you."

<Shaw> "I shouldn't be surprised, you've done it before." He gave her a pinch and a grin.

<Jessica> She squeaked, "One time!" She tightened her hold on him a little.

<Shaw> He looked down, realized the ground was starting to look a little... hot. "Hmmm. Yes, let's not have a repeat performance after all," he laughed, looping his arm back around her to take in the landscape.

<Jessica> "Well I think we found where the dragon is." She eyed the molten rock ahead of their flightpath, "I think we should land or it'll get really hot..."

<Shaw> Nodding toward a ridge that didn't appear to be red-hot or smoking, he shrugged. "I'm no geologist, but that appears to be away from the current lava flow... we're clearly well inside the area where they prefer for tourists not to wander," he added with a chuckle.

<Jessica> "Well good, no more crazy short people with loud shirts and cameras." She headed for the ridge to set them both down.

<Shaw> "Thank the heavens for that," he said, making sure he had his footing on the hard, smooth rock. "It's clearly much safer here. I should feel right at home with all the hellfire and brimstone, yes?"

<Jessica> "Oh yeah, definitely." She nodded along.

<Shaw> Sebastian didn't want to let her get far, so he slid his arm around her waist, eyes still on the quite active volcano in the middle distance.

<Jessica> "It's kind of fascinating to watch...."

<Shaw> "It really is," he said after a few moments of quiet between them. "I've not gotten far beyond 'aloha' in learning the language here - and a few choice phrases," he said, shooting her a smirk. "But I read that 'kilauea' means 'spewing,' which admittedly isn't the most poetic of names for such a beautiful and deadly place."

<Jessica> "Well not poetic in English... but fitting." She leaned against him, sliding an arm around his waist. "It's certainly doing that a lot."

<Shaw> "Oh, it certainly is." There were, in fact, geysers of molten rock shooting and arcing into the sky, and it was definitely hotter here - a drier, more intense heat than the normal tropical afternoon. "I also read the goddess Pele lives in this crater."

<Jessica> "She a dragon?" Jess glanced at him briefly to throw him a grin before her attention was again drawn by the molten rock.

<Shaw> "It would appear so." He laughed and watched the show, his hand sliding over her hip to tug her closer.

<Jessica> "I can get behind a dragon." She obliged by stepping closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder.

<Shaw> His mouth twitched. "I feel like I should be able to turn that into an innuendo, but I can't quite grasp it. Ahem."

<Jessica> She laughed, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

<Shaw> "I'm going to blame the heat," he nodded, squinting into the sunlight.

<Jessica> "Shall we go look for that ice cream now before I get hypnotised by the lava?"

<Shaw> "Ice cream sounds refreshing," he agreed, perhaps a little too brightly.

<Jessica> "Okidoki." She lifted them into the air again, deciding to fly a bit faster back towards the car because there was ice cream in her future.

<Shaw> "Now, I can think of several wonderful things to do with ice cream in this heat..." he started, pressing himself close to nibble at her earlobe as they lifted off.

<Jessica> "Mmhmm, I bet you can... but let's save that for when we've actually got the ice cream, yeah?"

<Shaw> "I'm just making mental note," he said, punctuating his commentary with a few well placed nips. "Of areas I would like to explore." A lick. "You know, when we get there."

<Jessica> "You're going to make me fly into a tree... or some Japanese people." She adjusted her hold enough to give him a small zap.
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

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<Shaw> The patio of their suite at the resort had become Sebastian's favorite place to lounge and take care of those work duties he absolutely couldn't ignore - even during his honeymoon. Today, they were mostly complete, and he was sipping a glass of wine and looking at a news site.

<Shaw> Not surprisingly, President Stark was always near the top of the headlines. He was already smirking as he read the article, and set his tablet aside to locate his phone. Finding Tony's direct line quickly, he chuckled to himself and took a long sip of wine as he waited.

<Tony> "Please don't misunderstand, sir, the people love your... relaxed attitude, especially our younger voters." As one adviser trailed off, another took it upon himself to interrupt the ensuing silence by speaking up instead. "Which doesn't mean your approval ratings couldn't do better among other demographics."

<Tony> Tony Stark looked from one speaker to the next, his gaze growing a little more weary each time he did that. They had been at this the whole morning, the pack of his public relations team beleaguering his office, yapping away while each of them hoped someone else would have the guts to finally get their point across.

<Tony> As amusing as it was to watch, it was also tiring, so the buzzing in his jacket promised a welcome distraction. It was rare enough that someone used his personal number, which wasn't known to many people. Silencing his visitors by holding up a finger, Tony reached into his pocket to see who his saviour was.

<Tony> Studying the caller ID, the president weighed his options, trying to find the least painful one. Making a face, he took the call and wordlessly turned his chair, until its back faced his visitors. "Good morning, honey, what can I do for you?" he asked, crossing his legs.

<Shaw> "Sweetheart!" he greeted with a smirk, deciding Tony must be attempting to aggravate someone - possibly him - and willing to play along. "Well, I'm jealous, of course. It seems you've been very busy." He looked up to see Jessica looking at him questioningly and grinned. "And naughty, of course. Have you given Rhodey heart failure with your antics?"

<Jessica> Jess grinned back, picking up her own glass of wine and looking for Sharky. When she couldn't see him, she got up to go look for him inside their suite.

<Tony> "I promise I'm working on it," Tony replied, a smile on his lips as he looked out of the large window behind his desk. "And you know, just the usual. You can probably read about it in today's newspaper, even though they always make everything I say and do seem more important than it really is."

<Shaw> "Oh, yes, I read all about it," he laughed, taking a sip of his wine and looking out over the ocean. "Well, isn't that just how you like it? Nothing needs regular feeding more than a Stark ego, right?"

<Tony> "Just be wary to feed it after midnight, that's when it's most hungry." Tony laughed at his own remark, before remembering the presence of his entourage. Looking over his shoulder, the President gave his advisers a stern look. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd excuse me for a moment."

<Tony> "We'll postpone this discussion until after lunch." He sent them on their way with a well practised smile. "I'm afraid this cannot wait. Important diplomatic talks with the Russians, you understand."

<Jessica> Jess leaned to peer out at Sebastian, eyebrow raised, "Is he drunk? Since when are we Russian?"

<Shaw> "Oh, we have an audience? Why should I not be surprised?" He stifled a snort and shrugged one shoulder at Jessica. Likely. "Da, you capitalist scum. We will never bow to your Western aggressions. I could say it in Russian if that would make it a more authentic experience for you."

<Tony> Waiting until the door clicked shut, Tony reclined back in his luxurious chair once he had the presidential office to himself again. "Please don't," he replied with a chuckle. "Now, normally I'd say you better have a good reason to just call me on my private line at this time, but you got me out of this dreadful meeting... so, thanks for that."

<Shaw> "You're quite welcome," he said, swirling the wine in his glass and watching the play of light. "But now I'm quite hurt - I need a good reason to call one of my oldest friends? Tsk, tsk, perhaps that Stark ego does need a bit of a crash diet."

<Tony> "Perhaps it does - it's getting fatter just by me sitting in this chair." He laughed again. "So am I to believe you called me only for a friendly chat? Not that I wouldn't appreciate it, but I know you a little too well to believe that."

<Shaw> "Do you now? I could have simply called to check in on my favorite commander in chief, or to suggest you keep a better eye on your wayward daughter." He leaned sideways, looking for Jessica before he heard her moving inside.

<Jessica> Jess found Sharky under the bed and tangled in some discarded underwear.

<Tony> "Please tell me it's not about Hope again." Tony closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Despite the time of day, he debated heading for the minibar. "What's with the girl this time? At least you sound too happy for her to be hurt again. Oh god, she killed someone, right? I knew this would happen one day."

<Shaw> "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if she did, frankly. She might start with that idiotic new male toy of hers. Have you met that one yet?" He clucked his tongue in disapproval. "But no, I have news of a more personal nature."

<Tony> That caused Tony to pause, his eyebrows arching up in a look of surprise. "I thought I already gave you the number of my urologist."

<Shaw> He grinned, stifling the reaction with another sip of wine. "I'm married."

<Tony> Another pause followed, even longer than the first. "Damn, you almost got me there," Tony said with a laugh. "It's way too early to shock your old pal like that. No, seriously, what's the matter?"

<Jessica> Jess' laughter rang out from the other room and she hurried back outside to listen more closely, Sharky at her heels.

<Shaw> "I'm in Hawaii," he said, leaning to look at Jessica with a grin. He may as well enjoy this, after all. "It's earlier here than it is there."

<Tony> "Well, I still hope you're joking, because otherwise that would mean you got married and I wasn't invited." Tony checked his organizer to make sure it wasn't April and he missed it.

<Jessica> "You can be invited to the next one?" Jess offered, sitting herself down in Sebastian's lap.

<Shaw> "See, we'll have another, just for you," he chuckled, shifting closer to Jess to rest his cheek against her shoulder. After a moment, his grin grew larger and he handed her the phone. "Say hello to the president, Mrs. Shaw."

<Jessica> Jess took the phone and stole a sip of Sebastian's drink because she couldn't reach her own. "Hello, Mr President."

<Tony> "Good morning, Mrs. Shaw," Tony replied in a jovial tone, catching his grinning reflection in the oval office window. "I'd love to extend my congratulations, but unfortunately I know Sebastian very well, so I'm not sure if I shouldn't offer my condolences instead."

<Jessica> "I'm sure you don't know him as well as I do. Congratulations will be fine," she gave Sebastian a smile, "I hope you're not too offended that we did it without you - we left a whole lot of other people out too, including my brother so you're in good company."

<Shaw> He watched Jess, the smile still on his face, wondering when Tony would manage to hit on her or say something outrageously inappropriate.

<Tony> "I don't know, failing to invite one of your oldest friends, who also happens to be the president of this great nation... I mean, this is a serious transgression we're talking about here." Tony almost managed to keep a straight face.

<Tony> "However, I might be willing to forgive Sebastian under one condition." A smirk moved the edge of his mouth.

<Jessica> "Hmm.... better tell me what that is then so we can avoid jail time."

<Shaw> Ah, there we go, right on cue. "You can't borrow her," he said toward the phone, then tilted his head at Tony's surprising suggestion.

<Tony> "I get to congratulate the two of you in person," Tony said and leaned back in his chair with a wide grin on his face.

<Jessica> Jess raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sebastian, "Well our calendar's wide open. How's yours?"

<Tony> Turning the heavy chair around, Tony picked up the small electronic pad on his desk to check his schedule. "Nothing that couldn't be rearranged," he replied, deleting a number of entries with his thumb. "How does lunch sound to you? You said you're in Hawaii? I know the perfect place serving excellent seafood."

<Jessica> "You want to come down here today?" Jess looked at Sebastian. "Were we going to do anything today?"

<Shaw> "No?" He was accustomed to Tony's mercurial tendencies, but he had to say even he was surprised.

<Jessica> "We can do today... text Sebastian the address, I don't have a pen handy and I don't want to get up."

<Shaw> Sebastian suppressed a chortle at her bossiness.

<Tony> Arching an eyebrow, Tony couldn't suppress a chuckle. "I'm starting to think I felt sorry for the wrong person," he replied. "And why don't I simply pick you up at the place you're staying? The place I've had in mind is tricky to reach by land, anyway."

<Shaw> "What have you got up your sleeve, Tony?" He was starting to get suspicious.

<Jessica> "Never a problem when you can fly," She passed Sebastian back the phone, "I think Sharky wants to play so I'm going to run down to the beach with him."

<Shaw> "Sharky, by the way, is our dog," he explained as he took the phone back. “After a fashion, at any rate. Close enough.”

<Tony> "Oh good, for a moment I thought you kept yourself a pet shark." Tony typed something on the small pad as he spoke. "And why do you think I've got anything up my sleeve? Can't I just be a good friend who puts his friend's wedding above his boring desk job?"

<Tony> "Besides, I've been looking for an opportunity to take the Air Force One for a spin and see if the modifications I've suggested have been installed according to my specifications."

<Jessica> Jess rolled her eyes and shook her head, bending to press a quick kiss to Sebastian's lips before she headed to the beach with the excited silver corgi.

<Shaw> "Did you upgrade the bar?" He paused to exchange kisses with his new wife and grinned at her fondly, and watched her go even more fondly. "I've always thought you had an abysmal selection, considering. And if you're going to be entertaining high-level Russian officials such as ourselves, you really need the finest available."

<Tony> "The old bar was the first thing to go, and even though one of the meeting rooms had to go to make room for it, the new version is walk-in." Tony grinned to himself. "And I was hoping to count on the expertise of your wife when it comes to testing the new pole I've had installed, as well."

<Shaw> "Noooo. No, no, no. What did I say? There will be no salivation over my wife, not even from you," he said, his tone light. "I'll be more than happy to help you with the bar, however, and if we partake enough you know you'll try the pole yourself."

<Tony> "Fortunately, I have no memory of the last time we did that, and I owe it to my campaign team that the pictures actually earned me votes instead of prematurely ending my run for office." Tony frowned to himself. "I still wonder how I managed to tie my tie that accurately. It's hard enough when I do it around my neck..."

<Shaw> "The voters have respect for a well-executed windsor knot, especially when applied there." He laughed. "Particularly among certain demographics."

<Tony> "As I always say, there's no excuse for bad style, even with your pants down." Tony nodded, then looked down at the response his digital gadget gave him. "If I leave now, I can be at your place before noon your time, and escape my public relations team that's probably still besieging my office."

<Shaw> "And how do you plan to distract them and escape? Should I stay tuned to CNN for live coverage?" He checked the time on his own tablet, doing that mental math and finding himself very curious indeed about these upgrades to Air Force One.

<Tony> "Leave that to me," Tony assured his friend. "You were right about one thing, after all. I always have a trick or two up my sleeve."
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Re: Summer 2017: Jess and Shaw

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