Log edited with Logedit 2.6.9pl on Thu Aug 21 11:11:02 PDT 1997 Logged by Shenner Log Date: 8/19/97, 8/20/97 Log Cast: Shenneret Veery, Shikh Cthon, Paul Nighman Log Intro: For Shenner and Paul, completing their mission to get V'ez-tcha refugees off Tatooine and out of harm's way has proven unexpectedly difficult, what with a rendevous with the NR ship _Deliverance_ on Ithor so that Admiral Ackbar could discuss Paul's news about the ambush on Jessalyn and Luke... and _another_ message, after that, warning Paul that the _Deliverance_ was possibly infected with a parasite that could have placed the _Hawk's Wing_ and its captain and passengers at risk. Unfortunately, this second message hadn't reached Paul till after he'd gotten into Corellia's orbit... so he was forced to turn the ship around and fly her all the way back to Sluis Van to make sure that the vessel and everyone aboard her were free of any infection. Now, the _Hawk's Wing_ has reached Corellia a second time.... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Rubbing her eyes blearily, Shenner comes stumbling out of the captain's quarters, looking around the ship. The passengers are gone, she realizes; _we've landed. Holy suns, what time is it?_ Shikh_Cthon snores quietly from one of the couches, his arm visible, hand draped over the back. The ship is eeriely quiet, only Shikh remaining in sight, asleep on one of the couches. A nearby chrono indicates that it is 7:23 am, Coronet time, which must mean that it is about midnight in Mos Eisley. Paul is nowhere in sight, but some body must have eaten as there are dishes lying in the sink. A glance at her chrono tells her it's early morning -- but that's Caspar time, and, disgruntledly, she tries to remember what the time difference is between that world and Corellia before the wall chrono catches her eye and saves her the trouble. Pausing to reset her own chrono, the girl then sweeps her gaze around the ship; finding Shikh, she pauses a moment, and moves to him, uncertainly. Shikh_Cthon doesn't stir, obviously, his security instincts have settled significantly since Etti. Shen's first instinct is to study the young man's face, to try to see if she can in fact tell that he'd broken his nose. After a moment, she decides that she cannot, though to her, Shikh appears to have definitely picked up some weathering. _That_ doesn't surprise her -- after all, he's been on Tatooine. But what does surprise her all over again is the notion that he'd chased across the galaxy looking for her, and she murmurs at him, "What the kark were you thinkin'?" Shikh_Cthon, no surprise, remains dead to the world, giving Shen all the time she wants to pose rhetorical questions at him, and to reason out her own confused mind. The girl lingers there, studying him longly for a few minutes; then, shaking her head as if to clear it, she glances around again. No sign of Kuxli... and no sign of Paul either, for that matter. Flicking a last half-smile at Shikh, she turns to scope the rest of the ship for Paul. The first place she picks, and most logical really, is the cockpit. After all, that's where the Corellian has spent most of the past 24 hours or so. Sitting in the pilot's chair, one arm holding his head propped up and facing down, the Corellian looks like he's dozed off upright. _Aww..._ Shenner creeps into the cockpit, calling softly, "Paul?", before she draws near him, hoping not to startle him. No such luck, the man snaps up abruptly at the sound of her voice, but it is clear by the relative clarity of his expression that he was not asleep after all. The hazel eyes are suspiciously red, the Corellian's clothes outrageously rumpled, his normal 5 o'clock being to look more like an 9:30 at this point. With one hand he reaches forward, shutting off a vid screen in front of him. A ragged raspy voice greets the girl as she enters. "Hey Shen ... whatcha doing up, eh?" He reaches out again for his mug - now the twenty-third - and takes a deep draught, feeling his stomach shudder in reaction. "I oughtta ask you the same thing," Shen says, her brow crinkling at Paul's general state of dishevelment. "How long we been landed?" Running his hands through his hair a few times, Paul blinks and thinks for a moment, deliberately changing mental gears. "I'd say we've been down for maybe five hours?" he hazards a guess. "I haven't really been paying attention anymore," he admits gruffly. The girl frowns at this, then comes to Paul's side and asks him point-blank, "Then... why ain't you been to bed?" The Corellian considers the truth and the evasion and after a moment decides to stick to the evasion. "I had to deal with deboarding everyone," he explains, "and then I had to get in touch with Kairne to confirm our rendevous point and timing and such. That proved to be more difficult that I had hoped it would be ... and then I got ... well I had something come up that I had to deal with." Reaching up to rub at his slightly bloodshot eyes, Paul murmurs, "Can't sleep ... gotta make sure that everything is under control." "Well, _is_ everything under control?" Shenner asks, sitting down in the co-pilot's seat, studying Paul anxiously. _He looks like hell, even worse than... no, I can't let him get sick again!_ Glancing over at the vid screen as if his father were sitting there, his eyes hot and emotional, Paul mutters darkly, "We're kind of in a holding pattern right now ... I'll know more later ... hopefully." Closing his eyes in an exaggerated blink, he clears his mind and banks his emotions. _You knew this would happen_ he reminds himself harshly, smothering the small child within him that only wants to scream, _This is -why- you live ... lived the life you lived ... best learn that lesson all over again boy_ he caustically critiques. Shenner flicks a glance between Paul and the screen, frowning, not liking what she's sensing although she can't identify it. "Well... why don't you get some rest, and I can keep an eye on things if you want...." Although there is no good reason to be so adamant, Paul sits determinedly in the pilot's seat as if he was now merely a permanent extension of it. "I need to wait ... " he counters almost petulantly. Rising to stand at Paul's side, Shen leans forward, hesitating only a moment before lifting a hand to his stubbled cheek. "Paul... hey... I can wait for yah..." Tensing slightly at the touch, his emotions raw whether he wants to admit it or not, it takes a moment before he can relax. Taking a deep breath, he hazards a look up toward Shen's face. "I ... I can't sleep Shen," he confesses raggedly. "My mind won't let me .... not with any degree of peace." Shen's hand immediately freezes at the tensing beneath it, and she lifts her palm up, but only a hairsbreadth away. Her face under Paul's risked regard is full of both confusion and concern, and she wrestles with the question of asking what happened -- something clearly has. Thoughts flash through her head about the possibility of his father having contacted him... news of his ship or Marcus... news of Jessalyn or Luke... and as that third thought sinks in, the concern in the girl's green eyes grows. She finally says, "You're gonna make yourself sick if you stay up much longer..." _You're scaring her you dolt!_ he chides himself, and taking a deep breath he forcibly relaxes, offering her a simple childish smile, the one a little boy might show his mother while hiding his brand new mud-soaked-from-jumping-in-forbidden-puddles shoes. "I've been eating 'n stuff," he retaliates, "Really Shen, I'm just tired, but I'm not sick ... I would tell you if I was sick." _Not_ pointing out that the _last_ time Paul had done no such thing, Shenner lifts the hand hovering just over Paul's cheek up to smooth his hair back from his brow. "Well, you're gonna be a wreck if you stay up much longer," she maintains. "If there's anything you gotta wait for, I'll keep an eye on your messages, okay?" The idea of sleeping, with everything that is on his mind, does not sit well with Paul. The desperate urge to sleep competes with the panic of missing some crucial piece of information or what else sleep might bring with it. He holds the mug between his hands as if it were a talisman, able to ward off sleep at will. A swath of sun streaked golden brown hair drops over his brow, long enough now to obscure his eyes. Biting his lip for a moment, Paul pushes up out of the pilot's seat, one hand releasing the sacred mug to catch against the control board as the sudden movement causes his head to rush. "Whoa...! Whoa, Paul, steady...!" _Dammit, I -knew- he'd make himself a wreck, what the hell happened?_ Shen, frowning now, reaches to grasp the Corellian's nearer arm. "Where you goin'?" Straightening up readily, the quick spell past, Paul turns toward Shenner, assuring her in quiet and somber tones, "I'm fine Shen ... just stood up too fast is all." Peering down at his mug, he swishes to contents about. "I'm going to pour this out," he informs her, uncertain as of yet whether that means that he's just going to refill it and come back, or if he'll just collapse after all. People aren't supposed to get dizzy just standing up. This makes Shen frown, but only a moment; she does, however, keep her expression somehow simultaneously firm and concerned, as she says, "Then you go lay down, okay?" She keeps hold of Paul's arm, intending to hang onto it till she secures that promise. "Mmmm-mmmm," is his very non-committal reply, neither a yes or a no. He does, however, start to head for the hatch before her grasp on his arm stops him. Gazing quizzically back at her, he mumbles, "You coming with?" _Damn._ Then, "Yeah," brightly. Shen gestures at the cockpit hatch. "After you." Forging his way through the hatchway, Paul trudges, albeit quietly once he spots the snoozing Shikh, to the kitchen. He pours out the mug, then reaches up and fills a glass with water, which he drinks about half of. Putting the glass back down, he considers the now empty pot for about a minute. Reaching upward he pulls down the ingredients to start a fresh brew up. Shen's brow wrinkles in consternation. Paul, she tells herself, does _not_ need more coffee... but what can she do to get him to go to sleep? It's not like she could haul out her blaster and stun him with it, after all -- but... _Hey._ The redheaded girl casts a surreptitious glance off to the captain's quarters, then steps to Paul's side and reaches for his arm, staying him. "Hey... why don't you let me do that, huh?" That gets a suspicious stare, as he knows damn well that the girl wants him in bed, and not for any of the better reasons. "S'okay," he mumbles, "Almost done." He reaches absently to drain the rest of his water, setting the glass back down on the counter. "If you wanna do something, I guess you could get me another glass of water?" he suggests, the dehydration from all the caffiene finally getting to him. "Sure thing, Paul," she says simply, taking the glass and reaching around to the miniscule sink to fill it up. Humming idly to himself, Paul watches the pot fill up ... too slowly for his tastes, but getting there. Shenner places the refilled glass on the counter near Paul, then lifts a hand to clasp his shoulder and murmur, "I'll be right back." She slips off, aiming for the ship's refresher. And if on the way back, she might happen to slip into the captain's quarters and fetch (say) her datapad, and (oh, for example) something else out of her medikit, well, hey. Nodding, Paul picks up the glass, draining it readily. "Okay," he murmurs, glad that the girl has gotten off of her insistent kick for him to sleep. He reaches for a fresh mug. Shen actually does go to the refresher -- she hadn't when she got up, and it's good to take a moment to wash her face and brush her teeth. Only after that does she slip into Paul's quarters, casting a look over her shoulder to make sure he isn't looking her way; once within, she moves quietly to her medikit, flicks it open, and begins scanning its contents. _Must be somethin' in here... medicated cream... bacta patches... the thermometer.. there!_ Shen spies a pair of tiny boxed vials, her eye caught by 'valerian', as that leaps out of her memory of the lecture Paul had given her on everything in the kit and what its uses are. Next to it she spies the Quiatrine, and she frowns a moment, pausing as she tries to decide -- which one? Trying to be as quiet as she can, she opens each box and ferrets out the leaflet instructions, printed in both Basic and Bocce, to skim them. The instructions are rather vague, obviously designed for someone who already has some rudimentary understandings of medical procedures and purposes. One thing is clear though - Valerian is a mild herbal sedative, good for calming nerves and the like. The Quiatrine is noted for sleep sedation for patients who are in physical duress or as a pre-dosage before major medical work is performed. _Bloody karkin' hell,_ Shen curses to herself, thinking hard, thinking fast. A relaxant vs. a sedative whose instructions make it sound like it's good for knocking banthas over -- which one? _But he's been up two days -- surely it shouldn't take much..._ Finally settling on the valerian, and hoping that Paul's exhausted body will get the hint if she can only get him to relax just slightly, she slips the vial into a pocket, closes the medikit and stows it away again, then grabs her datapad and a couple of holodiscs and re-emerges into the main part of the ship. The Corellian isn't in the kitchen or the main deck, which leaves only two other possibilities .... Suspecting the cockpit, Shen heads there, calling out Paul's name as she enters. "Hey...?" His feet propped up on the control panel, the mug of freshly steaming coffee between his two hands, and his face in a book to his right, glasses on to help with the strain on his eyes, Paul flicks his head about, smiling wanly and then turning back to the book. "Hey there." The girl smiles crookedly. "You okay in here?" Paul takes a moment, putting down the mug and removing his glasses with the flick of one hand. "Yeah, sure, no problems," he replies lightly, determined to cover his exhaustion no matter what. He pockets the glasses in his shirt breast pocket and pulls the book onto his lap. "What's up?" "Just wanted to know if you need anything... I dunno. Food... me." She blushes a bit, but smiles a bit more, as if first surprised that she'd say such a thing, but promptly determined to let it stand. By the look on his face, Paul is -definitely- surprised by her comment. The book is closed and he just blinks at her for a moment, before a wicked grin slips across his face. He drops the book to the floor and winks at her suggestively. "Well, then, come closer little girl," he rasps in jest. Shenner blushes again, but she does set her datapad and discs down on the co-pilot's seat en route to Paul, and that smile she's wearing broadens slightly. "This close enough for yah?" she murmurs, beside him now. "Closer," is the Corellian's rough reply, his eyes bright with more than exhaustion. In his mind he can hear his voice echoing Shikh's ... _We -are- close._ It occurs to Shenner to wonder, _What the -kark- are you doing?_ at herself, but immediately on the heels of that comes the wondering whether this might not accomplish her goal as well as her other option... though she immediately squelches the happy little voice within her that pipes _And besides, I can be close to Paul!_ Shyly, but keeping her eyes on his, she slips into his lap, looping an arm back around his neck. "This close enough?" Slipping his arms about her waist and pulling her even closer, fusing their torsos together, Paul murmurs softly in her ear, "Almost." "How about this," she whispers... and then she kisses him, tenderly, but with a confidence she hasn't shown before. Getting the hang of it, perhaps. That too is unexpected, and an easing balm on Paul's frayed nerves and churned up emotions. One hand travels up to clasp the back of Shen's head, holding her to the kiss. Using his mouth to answer her question without words, Paul delves into the kiss, his response definitely an affirmative one. _His mouth's coffee-flavored,_ Shen thinks absently, when she at last decides to come up for air. The thought causes a small pang within her, as she wonders exactly how much coffee Paul's guzzled down and whether like the last time, he'll get so exhausted he can't see.... with an effort, though, she channels her concern out of her voice and into her arms, holding Paul close, and pulling out of the kiss only so far as is necessary to drop smaller and lighter ones around his jawline and neck. Sighing softly, Paul's hands begin to roam, caressing the back of Shen's neck, running up and down the length of her torso and legs. "I'm all rough," he protests softly, not wanting to scratch her, but not wanting to stop either ... "It's okay," Shen murmurs back, and to prove it, she drops another line of kisses along that stubbled jaw, and begins drawing the line around to encircle his entire face. One of her own hands begins to knead softly at the flesh beneath it, beginning the work of coaxing tenseness out of that muscle in Paul's shoulder. His eyes flutter shut for a moment, struck by the incongruous clash of relaxation and stimulation. His palm drops to one thigh, impressing its heat there for a moment as he drags Shen even closer. Reaching for her head with one hand, he pulls her back fractionally, looking into her forest green eyes. His mouth starts to open to say something ... only it catches in his throat, the flavor of the words clearly startling him. Instead, he pulls Shen close again, kissing her with an uncharacteristically needy and desperate edge. Startled in turn, Shenner has time enough only to think, _What?_ before her lips are engulfed. But the edge to Paul's kiss is apparent even to her inexperienced senses, and her immediate followup thought is, _He needs me._ That is more than enough for her to wrap her arms close and snug about him, and to answer that kiss as best she's able. Holding her tightly, Paul commandeers Shen's lips, the sharp edge shifting subtly to a different kind of need. After a long moment, he pulls back, his eyes touching on Shen's features, unable to settle anywhere in particular. He knows what he wants ... what he wants to ask her, but after what's happened between them lately, and where things are going, and with Shikh .... the words don't come. Swallowing hard, Paul closes his eyes, pulling her close again and just holding her, waiting for the burning need to pass like a flash fire. Shen takes in his kiss, his expression, and his embrace, finding herself thinking that whatever instinct had led her to do this seems to be holding up. Hoping it'll continue to do so, she says nothing; to speak, it seems to her, would somehow damage the rapport between them. Instead, she simply holds the Corellian, keeping one arm curled tightly around him while she brings the other hand up to stroke through his hair. doing her level best to relay _It's all right_ through her touch. Her fingers and grip assure Paul that she didn't understand his unspoken need, which is for the best, he notes in a small logical faction of his mind. He concentrates instead on breathing, keeping his eyes closed, his hands gentle and still. _This too shall pass,_ he reminds himself, and waits patiently for it to do so. Shenner drops a few more kisses along Paul's jawline... and a couple back by his ear... before sitting up enough to look into his face, her head quirked a little. With the shift in the feel of his body against her, something says to her that she can go ahead and ask huskily, "Now what?" "Bed," he rumbles in a molasses-rich voice, not certain exactly what she is asking him or with what intent, but knowing that the answer is the same regardless. Either she'll be there with him, and sleep will occur at some later point, or he will go alone, in which case he will reinstate his personal barriers, for everyone's benefit, and brave the dangers of rest as best he can. Either way, it's a risky proposition. The girl doesn't move quite yet, her gaze lingering on Paul's worn face. Evidently his ragged appearance makes no difference to her, for she brings her hand down to caress his cheek, drinking in his features, her own still slightly flushed, mouth softened. "Can... I come with?" The smoldering embers spark brightly at that gentle fan of a request. Hazel eyes grow dark and burning. No spoken assent is given, actions speaking louder in this case. Gathering Shen close to him, Paul stands up, holding her in his arms. Touching those sore lips gently with his own in a clearly restrained kiss, Paul makes for the hatchway, abandoning console, book, and mug without a second glance. [And later....] Shenner has slept but lightly; she'd gotten in a good long nap while Paul had been landing the ship on Corellia, and now, it's simply been enough to linger next to Paul's warm, sleeping form. Not surprisingly, he'd dropped off shortly after -- well, he'd dropped off, and the girl has contented herself with drowsing beside him, massaging what bits of him she can reach, hoping it might help him sleep better. He's a mess, but at least he's a sleeping mess. After finally and somewhat reluctantly dropping off to sleep, the Corellian has been as still as stone. Although the lines of strain are still apparent, they are softer now than before. The man looks positively piratical with his stubbled face, touseled hair, and naked torso ... he would probably look more so if he were clutching a dagger instead of a pillow. Mess or not, Shenner has remained at Paul's side, and now, she sits up a little, smiling to herself. Not only does Paul need a shave, he's increasingly in need of a haircut; Shen, however, doesn't mind. She lifts a hand to run it through his hair, brushing it back out of his face, rubbing gently at his brow and temple. That he is not liable to notice is fine -- this is exactly how Shenner wants it. A small smile curls his lips, a gentle sigh breaking the air. It's as if her touch were the catalyst, but his eyes flicker back and forth beneath closed lids, dreaming. He pulls the pillow to him slightly more. Pleased to see him smiling in his sleep, Shenner keeps up her tender ministrations, playing with his hair for a while, and thinking to herself, _Just sleep, k'chaiya._ She lingers over the Corellian word, tasting the still unfamiliar flavor of it, but deciding she likes it -- at least in the safety of her own thoughts. For a moment, the smile lasts ... but then it fades, being replaced with something more pained. His features and form tightening beneath Shen's hands inexplicably. Most distressing though, is that after a few moments of this, there is a slight, but clear leak of tears from his eyes, his jaw clenching spasmodically. Perhaps it's her voice, or perhaps it is something else entirely, but the muscles beneath her release, the tension seeping from them gradually. For a few minutes, it seems that whatever it was that happened has passed. His face relaxes and stills, his body slumps ... Concerned, Shenner sits up fully now, reaching to caress Paul's brow again. Suspecting dreams, and probably of whatever it was that had been bothering him in the cockpit, the girl simply keeps up that soft stroking, thinking to try to lull him back into slumber. She can't keep herself from leaning quietly over and murmuring softly, "Shhh...." Her touch goes unnoticed, the dream holding him tightly captive. The dramatic increase in eye motion is the first hint, then the Corellian thrashes violently to one side then the other, and with a final jerk upright, his eyes opening halfway along the journey, Paul cries out sharply, with anger and despair, "Jessalyn!!" _That_ makes Shenner reel back in startlement, her mind blanking for a moment or two as her mind fails to produce for her an appropriate reply. Three beats pass; in the first, Shen thinks, _He was dreaming about Jess?_ In the second, _Wait... he was dreaming about Jess while sleeping with me?_ And with an effort, she wrestles down the pang that results from that thought, as the third one strikes: _Does this mean he found out something else happened to her?_ Swallowing hard, Shenner reaches for Paul's shoulders, saying softly, "Paul? Hey?" A shudder wracks his frame, aftermath from the retched dream. Paul tosses off the confining blankets. Rubbing his face hard, he feels the moisture there, scrubbing at it in annoyance and embarrassment. The details of the dream are vivid in his memory, the bitter flavor of the nightmare still sharp. He realizes belatedly that his hands are shaking and he stares at them in surprise mingled with disgust for a moment before turning to consider the redhead at his side. "Shen." She doesn't quite reach to embrace him, though she desperately wants to; unsure whether he wishes it, Shen simply keeps a hand lifted to him, ready to hug him if she sees any sign that it would be welcome. "You okay?" she asks softly. Shaking his head yes works for only a moment, but the dream has a tenacious hold on his emotions and his fears, snapping and biting like a rabid krethna. Taking a deep and stabilizing breath doesn't help, and the assenting nod turns to its opposite, shaking his head no without being able to stop himself from doing so. _...._ Troubled by the sight of Paul like this, Shenner lifts her hands to his shoulders, but lightly. Her mind wrestles with wondering if Paul _wants_ her to see him like this, and finally she tells him, "I'll leave if you need me to..." _But I'll stay if you need me to, too,_ add her hands, clasping his shoulders, once. There was once a time when Paul would have gotten up and left, when her words would have had him nodding in assent. Now something has changed, the strangely subtle internal switch that went off when he took her to bed this morning. Other than Luke and Jessalyn's safe return, there is nothing that he wants more than Shen's reassuring presence. Drawing himself together carefully, willing the tremor in his hands to stay, he murmurs softly to Shen, "Don't go." Another pang, but this one warmer and softer, twinges across Shenner's chest. Promising in a whisper, "I won't," she slides her arms around him, and leans forward to place her cheek against one of his bare shoulders. Raising his now steady palms up, Paul clasps Shen's arms, bowing his head over them. Her touch, the weight of her figure against him, acts like an anchor to the real world, the dream one fragmenting gradually to leave a bitter aftertaste in his memory, a stain on his conscience. Pressing his lips to one of her forearms, Paul mumbles against it, "It's alright ... I'm okay ... it was just a dream ...." The girl's only reply is a gentle hug, and a kiss placed against the back of Paul's bowed neck. Then she nuzzles her cheek against his shoulder again, perhaps as a child might do, comforting a smaller sibling, or a frightened pet. The gesture is unfamiliar to Paul, yet his soul recognizes its intent. Rubbing his rough cheek against her soft arm, he merely allows the contact to reverberate within him. He finally shifts, softly, turning in her grasp. Shen keeps her arms in place, lightly wrapped around the man; herself, she keeps held back just enough to study him for a cue or two. A small smile is offered, an expression conveying simply, _I'm here..._ The hazel eyes are still tainted with whatever grim dream woke him, but they are also warm and loving. Reaching with one hand, Paul draws his fingers along the side of her cheek in mute thanks. His other arm shifts to support behind him, and slowly, he levers himself back down to the mattress. Shenner's smile widens a little at that contact, and holds, as she waits for Paul to settle himself down again; then, she slides down beside him, staying close. Lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, Paul concentrates on breathing before turning on his side, facing Shen. He pulls a pillow securely under his head, his gaze oddly shy as he can't seem to meet the girl's eyes directly."I'm so tired," he murmurs helplessly, meaning far more than just his current physical state. For lack of a better focusing point, his eyes flutter shut. "C'mere," Shen whispers in reply, slipping an arm in under his pillowed head, laying down a track to be followed to her slender shoulder. Her other hand comes up to stroke along Paul's cheek. Shifting obediently closer, Paul loops his right arm loosely over Shen's waist. His left hand, beneath the pillow, finds Shen's hand, grasping it gently. A deep breath in and then out punctuates his actions. The girl quietly scoots closer still, till Paul can, if he chooses, nestle in against her shoulder rather than the pillow now beneath them both. Her free hand keeps rubbing along the side of his head, "Sleep," she advises, her voice soft and low. The offer of her shoulder is again new and unexpected ... and accepted. The Corellian dips his head against Shen, silent. The brush of his eyelashes tell Shen that his eyes have opened and again shut. The arm about her waist holds her close, and soon, exhaustion and need overtaking him, Paul's breathing evens and slows, his arm growing more and more weighted. Bearing the weight of that limb gladly, Shenner kisses the top of Paul's brow, and murmurs again, "Sleep." _Sleep, Paul... love... k'chaiya._ The girl smiles sheepishly to herself, but heartened by Paul's responses to the overtures she's made, she adds to herself, _Doing the right thing!_ A second surge of relief comes from knowing she hadn't had to try to use the valerian; the man she holds, she's sure, would have been infuriated. It is enough for her that he sleeps. Content, she holds him close and lets that word _k'chaiya_ carry the song she'd crafted around it through her thoughts. But only when she knows Paul is safely asleep does she hum it aloud. [End log.]