"A Happy Awakening"

Log Date:
	4/14/02
	[NOTE: This is a backscene, which takes place IC after "A Night for
Revelations", roleplayed in late March 2002.]

Log Cast:
	Vardeus, Tiana

Log Intro:
	The elves had known it long before either of them, and truth be told
the crew had begun to suspect as well the depth of feeling between their
Captain and their Second. But it's taken an innocent question from the 
Briarholt healer Starwind to make Vardeus and Tiana finally acknowledge --
at least to themselves -- the attraction each carries for the other. It's
taken Kephissa's devious but well-intentioned encouragement to get Tiana to
become willing to admit it to _Vardeus_; for Vardeus, it's taken Raven of
the Raft Holt, who's grown to treat the human Captain almost as a son and
who is eager to see Vardeus claim the woman he obviously wants for his mate.
	Thusly encouraged, Vardeus Alirreus and Tiana Pagonis have at last
confessed their feelings to one another... and discovered, much to their
mutual wonderment, that they are not only in love with one another but
betrothed as well. For Tiana's true name is Tyra Yfantis, and she is the
very Tyra to whom Vardeus pledged himself in Vrae.
	Overjoyed, the two have slept the night in one another's arms. As
they begin to wake the next morning, it's to find themselves in a much more
hopeful world....

----------
For the first time in a very long time, Vardeus Alirreus sleeps a peaceful 
  sleep.
He is not entirely unbothered by dreams; there are still the wisps of guilt 
  about the fate of his vessel and the souls of crewmates lost haunting the 
  innermost recesses of his thoughts. But a great deal of the private turmoil 
  he has undergone has slipped away -- and taken with it much of the fretful 
  tension that has chased rest away from his slumber. Therefore he sleeps, his 
  body and mind taking the chance to replenish their natural strength... while 
  even in sleep, his senses focus upon the soft curved warmth he cradles close 
  in his arms. It is unaccustomed, this warmth, but blissfully welcome. Strong 
  muscled arms remain tenderly looped about it, while he keep his face nuzzled 
  in against the enticingly scented, disheveled tresses against his cheek. 
  Content, he breathes in their scent with each breath he takes.
Content, Vardeus sleeps.

Much like the snoozing captain, Tiana Pagonis also enjoys the first good 
  night's sleep since the _Windrider_ was swept off course several months ago. 
  No bad dreams have haunted her sleep for once and she smiles as awareness 
  begins to return to her slumbering mind.
She wriggles closer to Vardeus enjoying the warmth of his embrace and the 
  solidity of his sleeping form. She moves her head just a bit, nuzzling 
  against his shoulder though she has yet to open her eyes. She's just not 
  that ready to wake up.. just in case she's dreamed all of it after all.

It is anyone's guess which of them is the more exhausted; after all, the 
  entire crew of the _Windrider_, every last man and woman of the ones who 
  have managed to survive, have suffered deprivation in one form or another. 
  Loathe to leave the seductive pull of the first honest sleep he's claimed in 
  months, Vardeus nevertheless slowly grows aware of the increasing light 
  beyond the little lean-to that has been built to give Tiana a modicum of 
  privacy, of the distant impressions of voices of crewmates rising with the 
  sun. Is it his watch yet? No, can't be. They'd call him, surely, if it were 
  his watch. A low rumbled groan of protest at the strengthening day slips out 
  of him, before he nuzzles deeper into his second's arms. Sleep is 
  seductive... and the arms of Tiana more so.

Tiana reflexively tightens her one-armed hold around Vardeus's chest as he 
  shifts in his sleep. She is faced with a growing awareness of the sounds of 
  the encampment coming to life as well and silently protests the thought of 
  it being time to rise so soon. She does note the sound of footsteps that 
  approach the entrance of her leanto, even notes the feel of sunlight as it 
  falls across her shoulder before it's gone again, accompanied by the hurried 
  footsteps of whichever person or elf it was that poked their head inside. 
  She sighs then and cracks one jade hued eye open. She smiles as the first 
  thought that crosses her mind is a joyful one .oO(Thank the Skymother! It 
  wasn't a dream.)

Whoever it is that checks upon the Captain and the Second, they escape 
  Vardeus' notice entirely. "((G'way,))" he mumbles slurrily, though the 
  shadow is long gone, and his protest is as much for the encroaching day as 
  for anyone who might think of breaking the spell of delicious warmth and 
  slumber that has pulled him in.
He's there, though. Large and warm, his chest rising and falling with the deep 
  rhythm of his breathing, and each inhalation punctuated by a scratchy, tiny 
  purr-like sound as he snores faintly into Tiana's fiery hair.

Tiana smiles as she snuggles against Vardeus. She doesn't feel compelled to 
  voice a thought especially since Vardeus already said her exact thought 
  anyway. She tips her head a bit to peer up at his slumbering visage and 
  giggles at the small snores coming from him. She quickly bites off the 
  giggle as her expression becomes more serious and she lifts her hand to 
  brush a wisp of hair from his face with a gentle touch.

He's gotten thinner still, each of his features chiseled in sharp relief 
  without a trace of extraneous flesh to soften them; there are tiny lines at 
  the corners of his eyes, too, and etched into the rugged planes of his 
  cheeks. And yet, so deeply immersed in drowsing, Vardeus has lost most of 
  the strain that's haunted his expression for so long. He might almost again 
  be the carefree young man he'd been back in Shalros; he might almost be a 
  boy.
His hair, too, has gotten longer. There's more of it to get in the way of his 
  countenance, more of it to escape the nominal confinement of a leather thong 
  he still seems to try to favor; on the other hand, as has been borne out by 
  his observable habits ever since his return, he's apparently tried to pay at 
  least some attention to shaving. The whiskers he's sporting are the product 
  of mere days, rather than weeks or months.
At the gentle brushing of fingers against his face, Vardeus draws in the sort 
  of sigh a small sleeping child might make... save that it is a good octave 
  and a half deeper in his voice than it would be in any child's. His head 
  turns slightly, towards that hand, though his eyes remain firmly shut.

Tiana smiles as Vardeus turns his head toward her touch. Slowly, she runs the 
  tips of her fingers along the side of his face as if tracing the line to the 
  point of his jaw. Her heart thrills at the soft sigh that escapes him. She 
  shifts a bit more and lifts her head from his shoulder so that she might get 
  an even better look at his sleeping face though the wild tumble of her hair 
  does get in the way as it falls over one eye.

Some small voice in a corner of the Captain's sleeping mind begins to 
  complain, unhappy that the treasured, warm softness that has lain against 
  his shoulder is moving. This is Bad, says the small voice, and it prompts 
  him to murmur sleepfully, unintelligibly, and ever so slightly tighten the 
  hold of his brawny arms against the Warmth. Can't let it get away!
On the other hand, something that feels marvelous is touching his face, and 
  this causes the murmur that escapes him to trail off into another breathy 
  little rumble. That touch, reports another small voice in another corner of 
  his mind, is a Good Thing. Good Thing on the port bow, sailor! Turn your 
  face to the Good Thing!

AS his arms tighten about her, Tiana's smile broadens as yet another trill of 
  happiness flutters through her. She lays her hand against Vardeus's face, 
  cupping his cheek as he turns his head a bit further into her touch. She 
  notices the murmuring but, has no idea what he's saying; it might as well be 
  Elfish since he's muttering anyway. The tone of the murmuring is pleasant 
  though so she shifts yet again, putting her face very close to his and 
  whispers in his ear, "((Good morning, mi caro.))"

A Good Thing, indeed. Vardeus leans his face into that caressing palm, and the 
  opposite side of his mouth begins to curl upward in a loose, crooked smile. 
  His eyes remain closed, though, and only at the affectionate whisper into 
  his ear does he seem to begin to rouse. "((Mmmm... wha?))" His lashes 
  flutter, but unveil only half of the ocean-colored gaze beneath them, and 
  what they reveal is still blurred with sleep. But it is enough for the 
  Captain to register who is with him, and on the very bottom of his range he 
  rumbles out dreamily, "((Ticha. Mmm.))" His arms pull a trifle tighter, his 
  smile a trifle larger, and his eyes flutter shut.

Tiana giggles again as she watche Vardeus deny wakefulness a bit longer. She 
  moves her hand away from his face to wipe the last vestiges of sleep from 
  her own, then rests her arm on his chest before dropping her chin to her 
  forearm, resting a bit of her own weight atop his chest. She wriggles into a 
  more comfortable position and watches him for a moment, "((Will you sleep 
  the day away, then?))" she asks in a teasing voice.

"((Nae m'watch,))" is the Captain's mumbled reply. As Tiana moves, so too does 
  he subtly shift beneath her, unthinkingly remolding his form to best lie 
  against her own. His Shalrotian accent as thick as honey, betraying his 
  humble origins for all his usual efforts to modulate it into something more 
  refined, he adds groggily, "((Sae warm. Dinnae gae. S'good.))" And like a 
  boy tugging his favorite blanket to him, he snuggles up tighter against the 
  feminine form he holds.

Tiana chuckles and reaches up with the hand that had been pinned beneath her 
  side to tug lightly at that stubborn lock of hair that seems to keep fining 
  its way into his face. "((Who said anything about the watch?))" she asks 
  punctuating the question with a giddy giggle. She cuddles against him and 
  sighs, "((I'm not going anywhere, mi caro... Not without you, anyway.))" She 
  says that last in the barest of whispers.

The simple fact that Tiana is continuing to talk to him slowly permeates 
  Vardeus' consciousness, slyly preventing him from returning to true sleep. 
  One drowsy eye comes half-open again, once more brought into better view as 
  his hair is gently brushed out of its way; once again, he gets a sleepy 
  impression of her shining eyes so very close to him, and her countenance 
  with an unaccustomed glow of joy suffusing it. _Tiana,_ his brain finally 
  reports in, and his eyes flutter open a little wider, though his gaze is 
  still unfocused. A small questioning noise sounds somewhere in the back of 
  his throat, even as the sleepier portions of his awareness argue that this 
  situation does not require thought. One arm looped low about the small of 
  her back, the other along her shoulderblades, he simultaneously presses her 
  closer against him while his body presses the opposite direction. She is 
  here, she is close; where is the thought required here? And yet, he's 
  blinking, disoriented, as memory of What Has Been and evidence of What Is 
  Now do not quite properly mesh in his thoughts.

Tiana practically purrs as she's pressed even closer to Vardeus. She smiles as 
  she stretches up just a bit and gently nibbles at his point of his chin, 
  "((I think we've been discovered, carus,))" she says with a hint of laughter 
  bubbling in her voice. She pulls back just enough so that she can watch 
  Vardeus as he slowly comes back to the land of wakefulness. Strange but, 
  every nuance of his waking fascinates her, nearly as much as the man himself 
  does. The hand that was tugging at the lock of his hair begins to toy with 
  the sun-gilt strands as she watches the shadows and hints of sunlight play 
  through them as well.

The Captain keeps blinking, half of him still doggedly clinging to the 
  delightful sensation of being curled up against his second's warm, willing 
  form, the other inexorably lumbering towards consciousness. It's the 
  nibbling against his chin that finally manages to make him connect enough 
  thoughts for more coherent speech -- though it's a tenuous connection at 
  best, for the nibbling as well as the fingers in his hair are at the very 
  same time threatening to chase off all thought entirely. "((Dis... 
  covered... wait, I've... we've....))" Owlishly he blinks several times more, 
  and at last focuses muzzily upon laughing green eyes. "((I wasnae 
  dreamin',))" he breathes.

Tiana titters at Vardeus's bit of incoherent sputtering then shakes her head, 
  "((Nae, 'twas not a dream..))" she says doing a very bad immitation of 
  Vard's accent. She stops twirling his hair long enough to push her own out 
  of her face so she can better view him. She then nods her head, "((Aye, 
  we've been discovered, though I'm not quite certain who it was that poked 
  their head in here.))"

Now it's Vardeus' turn to bring up a hand, whose fingers he touches 
  tentatively to Tiana's cheek, as though he cannot quite believe that the 
  woman he holds is real. Though his gaze is still heavy and languid, 
  awareness dawns within it, and a profound tenderness begins to sweep across 
  his features. "((A... man could get t' likin' wakin' up in sech a 
  fashion,))" he rasps, low and soft and reverent.

Tiana tips her head toward that hand and smiles as she lets her eyes slip shut 
  for the briefest of moments to better enjoy the gentle caress. Her eyes 
  flutter back open at his words and she turns her head to place a tender kiss 
  in the center of his palm, "((A woman could get to liking it as well,))" she 
  murmurs in a tone that's very much akin to a sensual purr.

Vardeus' lopsided smile begins to quirk into being, though his low rumbled 
  murmur remains rather droll, and his eyes extremely earnest. And extremely 
  intent, their alertness growing to match the rising of the day somewhere out 
  there beyond the confines of the little lean-to. "((Maybe we should be after 
  tryin' it again,))" he suggests huskily. "((So's t' determine whether 
  t'would be wise t' make a habit of it.))"

Tiana purses her lips thoughtfully for a moment but, her all too serious 
  facade quickly crumbles as she giggles and dips her head in a nod, "((That 
  sounds like a wonderful idea to me.))" She sighs then, a soft, contented 
  sound as she shifts just a bit, snuggling herself closer to the great, 
  hulking male that holds the strings to her heart. Suddenly, she halts her 
  movements and she stiffens slightly but, that is gone in an instant as she 
  fastens a wide-eyed gaze filled with excitement on her love's face, "((I 
  just remembered.. I have something for you,))" she says as she starts to 
  scrabble out of his embrace and from under the covers.

This time Vardeus' blinking is caused by surprise rather than a struggle to 
  wake up, and though he lets out another little groan of dismay as she pulls 
  out of his arms, he makes no other immediate move to let her go. Still, 
  though, his hands linger, and the Captain finds himself growing perceptibly 
  more conscious of the way she'd lain against him and the way his hands fit 
  against her now. "((What's that then?))" he rumbles, bemusedly, though more 
  of his mind is now upon the sheer reality of Tiana's presence at his side, 
  rather than any particular actions she might be doing.

Tiana grins mischeviously and drops a kiss on the tip of Vardeus's nose before 
  she skitters over to a small cabinet, obviously scavanged from the 
  _Windrider_. She opens it quickly and takes out something that's been 
  carefully wrapped in a length of cloth, then skitters back over to his side 
  and sits down, with her hip and thigh pressed close against him as if some 
  part of her must always be in contact with him, lest he disappear before her 
  very eyes. She sets the cloth wrapped item on his chest and simply grins at 
  him.

All right, now it's official, he's curious. Vardeus watches Tiana fetch her 
  surprise, and by the time she returns to him he's reluctantly yielded his 
  desire to keep him beside her to a wondering on what exactly she's brought 
  him. But as soon as he sees the shape of the thing, everything else is 
  forgotten. As soon as he feels its weight against his chest, a newborn hope 
  within him gains strength. Both his hands come up, with the same sort of 
  startled, reverent wonder with which he'd touched his fire-haired beloved, 
  and as he slowly levers himself up into a sitting position, pulling aside 
  the cloth at the same time, he lets out another tiny noise. This one, it 
  seems, is one of joy. And that can only be joy in the gaze he returns to 
  Tiana, a gaze gone full and profoundly moved. A man so big as he might not 
  be thought to cradle an object so gently -- but then again, the lyre is his 
  most treasured possession. "((Ye saved it,))" he blurts, marvelling.

Tiana watches hope dawn in Vardeus's eyes to quickly be replaced by joy as he 
  unwraps the lyre she has kept safe from the weather since the untimely 
  ending of their journey. She smiles as she watches him cradle the precious 
  instrument and nods her head, "((I had to,))" she replies. After a moment's 
  pause she adds, "((I couldn't bear the thought of having nothing to remember 
  you by if the sea had claimed you.. and I couldn't bear the thought of you 
  not having it if you somehow managed to survive.))" With that said, she 
  lowers her gaze to her hands which are loosely clasped in her lap.

For a long moment, Vardeus can't think of a single word to say -- but that 
  doesn't stop him from shifting his beloved lyre into one arm's hold, while 
  he frees up the other to seize Tiana and embrace her, pulling her back 
  against his side with a grip that relays the strength of his feeling along 
  with the strength of his limb. Only then does he manage to murmur, 
  unsteadily, "((I'm... nae even sae good a bard as Arnos... an' ye saved it 
  for me. Thinkin' on me, even then?))"

Tiana allows herself to be pulled into that embrace and slips her arms around 
  Vardeus's neck as she lifts her gaze to meet his. "((Aye,))" she replies in 
  a soft whisper, "((I think I've loved you from the moment I first saw 
  you.))" She smiles and rests her forehead against his as she adds, "((And 
  you don't sing like a wailing bean sidhe.... I only said that to get you to 
  stop that particular song.))"

The Captain starts to giggle softly -- and that's the only word for it, 
  really, that boyish laugh of his, incongrous against the gravelly rumble of 
  his speaking voice. "((I-I didnae think ye liked me singin'!))" he exclaims. 
  And then that tenderness swells across his expression again, a sunburst 
  breaking through dissipating clouds. "((I've loved ye since I saw ye 
  climbin' up the riggin',))" he whispers.

Tiana can't help but smile at that giggle and she adds her own to the laughter 
  at his admission of thinking she didn't like to hear him sing, "((Oh, I like 
  your singing just fine, I just didn't like hearing of the fair maiden with 
  her love lost to another.))" She sighs then and drops her head to his 
  shoulder, "((Then I am glad I ran from my family...))" That last is stated 
  in a whisper as well.

Very gently, Vardeus reaches over to lay the lyre aside, reluctant though he 
  is to part contact with it; just as gently, he wraps that arm about Tiana 
  gain, for he is just as reluctant not to maintain as much contact with *her* 
  as he possibly can. Turning his face down so that he can inhale the scent of 
  that brilliant hair once again, he murmurs, "((Then... I'm hopin' I 
  shouldnae fear t' ask ye proper, to yer face this time... if ye'll have me 
  t' husband?))"

Tiana lifts her head from Vardeus's shoulder as a smile begins to spread, 
  slowly like the dawning of the sun, across her face. She lets out a little 
  squeal of joy, "((Aye... Aye, I'll have you as my husband.))" Her voice and 
  expression are filled with a mingling of joy and wonder as she revels in the 
  knowledge that he still wants her as a wife after all they've been through.. 
  after all the shenanagans she's pulled on him.. he still wants her to wife.

To this, there can be no reply save an incandescant smile -- and a dip of 
  Vardeus' shaggy head down to claim Tiana's mouth for his own, to seal the 
  promise between them of what will come. Slow to waking though he might have 
  been, there is no trace now of languor in the kiss he proffers forth. And 
  even now his breath is still quivering with traces of laughter, for when he 
  breaks for air he giggles huskily into his second's ear, "((Good... f'r wee 
  Raven'll never let me hear th' end of it if we didnae wed, after all th' way 
  she's been after me to speak t' ye...!))"

Tiana rturns the kiss with equal fervor as her arms tighten around his neck. 
  Her curiosity is peaked at the giggle that bursts from Vardeus even as their 
  kiss ends. A fiery brow quirks upward in curiosity as he tells her that the 
  wee lass is the one that she must be grateful to. She pulls back just enough 
  to look Vardeus in the eye and asks, "((I had heard that the wee folk were 
  asking you if Kephissa was me.. Did you speak so much of me then?))" Call it 
  a female thing but, she's been dying to know the answer to that one ever 
  since Keph mentioned it.

The joy in Vardeus' rugged face doesn't diminish, even while his smile turns 
  to a sheepish grin. "((Apparently,))" he admits, willing to do so in the 
  privacy and safety of his beloved's arms. "((I, ah... called f'r ye, she 
  told me. In me sleep, when they first found me.))"

Tiana smiles her own sheepish smile and blushes just a bit as she cuddles 
  closer still to the man she holds dear. "((I calld for you, too..))" she 
  admits then worries her lower lip with her teeth giving her own expression a 
  sheepish cast.

Gently, Vardeus begins running his hand through Tiana's tresses, grinning down 
  into her eyes. "((I think I must ha' alarmed poor Maerro, th' lad was sure I 
  was right outta me head... I was, ah, a wee bit banged up, I was. But I... 
  didnae sleep well, among th' Little People. They told me I called f'r ye. 
  More than once. They kenned it, before I did... how much I needed ye.))"

Tiana has to focus to keep her mind on Vardeus's words as the feeling of his 
  hand running through her hair sends tiny, electric jolts of sensation 
  coursing from her head to her toes. She shivers softly as she smiles up at 
  him, "((I think Arnos may have realized the same of me but, he was either 
  too kind or too scared to mention it in the light of day.))" She chuckles 
  softly as she trails a fingertip over the skin at the base of Vardeus's 
  neck, unconciously tracing a pattern of spirals on his spine.

"((Me lovely fierce stormcat,))" Vardeus breathes -- and again, his voice 
  quivers a little, tilted ever so slightly off kilter by the attentions back 
  there at the base of his neck, where his skin is surprisingly soft beneath 
  the wild honey-brown waves of his hair. "((If ye keep that up... the crew's 
  nae goin' t' see much of us for a while longer yet...!))"

Tiana blushes at the odd assortments of endearments that tumble from her 
  Captain's lips. It takes her a moment to realize what it is that he's 
  referring to but, when she does her face turns three shades of red and her 
  hand stills as a quiver of sudden nervousness courses through her. "((I... I 
  didn't realize.. ))" she starts to stammer but doesn't finish as her gaze is 
  caught by those ocean blue eyes of his.

She _doesn't_, does she? Vardeus draws in the softest of breaths, finding 
  himself entranced all over again by the realization that Tiana's been all 
  unknowing of the havoc she's been wreaking on his system. How shall he 
  enlighten her? One lean thumb comes up to trace along her lower lip, while 
  he murmurs, voice utterly earnest, gaze intent and boring down into the 
  emerald one that meets it, "((Ye didnae ken... how ye're firin' me blood, 
  Ticha-love?))"

Tiana's gaze is just as ernest, even if there is some shyness within it. Her 
  cheeks flare with color yet again as she slowly shakes her head, "((No...))" 
  she replies with a voice sounding slightly worried. In truth, it does worry 
  her that her lack of knowledge of what happens between men and women might 
  make Vardeus change his mind about her. She draws a steadying breath and 
  adds in a voice that's more a nervous squeak than anything else, "((I.. I 
  wanted to wait..))"

And fire his blood she has. He can feel the need for her surging through him, 
  dispelling all last traces of sleep from his frame, and he lets out a 
  hoarse, shuddering sigh at her last unnerved words. But change his mind 
  about her? Vardeus would just as soon lop off a hand -- and that, even when 
  he's only just now regained his beloved lyre. Blue eyes a-smolder, and yet 
  simultaneously somehow gentling at Tiana's admission, the Captain contents 
  himself with a certain subtle, sly shifting of his hips... just enough to 
  press just a bit closer still to his abruptly timorous love, and give her a 
  hint of what he has to offer her whenever she wishes to claim it. "((Then 
  we'll wait,))" he pledges. "((And we'll have a weddin', ye an' I, an' as 
  grand a feastin' as we can make... an' I'll put flowers upon yer bed...!))"

Tiana's own body is filled with need though she's not exactly certain of what 
  to do to satisfy it. She gets an idea of that as Vardeus shifts 
  ever-so-subtly. Her eyes widen just a bit and an expression of mixed 
  surprise, shock and even a hint of curiosity flashes across her features in 
  an almost amusing fashion. She can't turn any redder but, one gets the 
  impression that if she could, her face would outshine her hair in coloration 
  for that single moment. Her heart flutters crazily within her as she casts a 
  shy glance downward then quickly lifts her gaze back to his face with a bit 
  of a giggle that makes her sound more like a girl than a woman grown. His 
  words catch her attention then and she smiles at the understanding and 
  patience that Vardeus exhibits with her. She sighs softly and leans in to 
  kiss him, "((Each moment since we figured out who each other was has made me 
  more glad that I love you, carus.))"

As he watches Tiana's realization bloom, Vardeus' own expression is pure 
  deviltry -- and yet, the tenderness and patience remain. There's time 
  enough, he tells himself sternly, to wed the one he wants for wife and wed 
  her right. "((Glad I am t' hear it, and it's gladder I am t' love ye,))" he 
  murmurs back, before giving rein to at least a _little_ bit of the mischief. 
  "((But does this mean I should be after claimin' me own bedroll till we're 
  wed, eh?))"

Tiana notes the glimmer of mischief in his eyes and arches a brow at it but, 
  she's quickly distracted by the heartwarming admission. At the question, she 
  straightens and a slightly affronted look skitters into her eyes, "((I told 
  you you were welcome to share mine as long as you like but, if mine don't 
  suit you then fine. I'll just have to share yours.))"

Laughter bubbles up out of him, warm and rich and gravelly, and he punctuates 
  it with a flurry of kisses all along his second's brow and cheek. "((Then 
  it's here we'll sleep--))" Mischief subsides, replaced by seriousness, 
  though it's still in a high good humor. "((And it's a gentleman I'll be f'r 
  ye, me love. Till our time comes. Till then...))" And with that, Vardeus 
  glances out reluctantly over his shoulder, though he consoles himself with 
  the thought that there is much pride to be taken, once the crew is let into 
  the knowledge of the wonder that has transpired between the two that command 
  them all. "((I guess we should be gettin' up, aye? And if someone's already 
  discovered us... we'll be wantin' t' tell the crew.))"

Tiana laughs and returns the kisses with ones of her own as she can place 
  them, that is. She nods her head, happy to know that he'll be sharing her 
  bedroll again at the next sunset since that means she won't have to figure 
  out where he's hidden his own. She giggles then at his next words, "((It's 
  quite likely that we won't have to say a word.. only to answer a lot of 
  questions and bear quite a few glances.))"

Wryly, fondly, gamely, the Captain beams upon his second, and then tosses a 
  nod in the direction of the waiting day -- and the crew who no doubt is 
  already gossiping massively about where their returned leader has spent the 
  night. "((Ready to take a stab at it then, me love?))" he challenges.

Tiana grins right back at him, and though there is a bit of a giggle coloring 
  her voice, the words she speaks are no less sincere, "((I think I can face 
  anything so long as I'm with you.))"

[End log.]