Log Date:
        2/10, 2/15, 2/17, 2/19/98

Log Cast:
        Shenneret Veery, Paul Nighman

Log Intro:
        The two humans and three Mandalorians trekking through the wilds of
the planet Mandalore have come across an unexpected boon of a campsite --
a clearing in the midst of the jungles, complete with two hot springs,
and enough space to comfortably accommodate their tents. But there's an
oddity about the site -- a strange statue of a Mandalorian female, a figure
that seems to have no business in the middle of the jungle.
        For Shenner, however, the allure of the hot pools, not to mention
the puzzle of the statue, is not nearly so enticing as the opportunity to
inhale a dinner and collapse into her tent. She is barely cognizant of
the activities of the others in the party as they set up their own tents,
consume their own dinners, and set the watches for the night... indeed,
it's all Shen can do to stay conscious long enough to eat, and even that
is done under the watchful eye of Dane Noth. Once she finishes her food,
the girl is promptly gently urged off to bed, and it's there that Shenner
remains as the night proceeds along to third watch....

----------
_She is exhausted, her arms and legs as heavy as if they were crafted from
  stone. She's lost the others... and she stumbles blindly through the jungle,
  desperately trying to summon up the breath to call out for Paul, who is
  nowhere in sight. All her gear is gone. She is lost. Around here is nothing
  but menacing shadowed undergrowth, punctuated with the noises of
  creatures... and she's not sure which would scare her more, if she could see
  what makes those noises, or if they stay concealed, waiting to spring out
  when her back is turned. Frantic, she runs...._
.... and within Shenner's tent, the girl stirs uneasily, the only external
  sign of her dreaming the turning of the foot she's had stuck out the front
  of her tent ever since she crawled in to collapse.

Staring out about the encampment, Paul doesn't notice Shen's slight distress,
  his eyes intent on the surrounding woods. It's been quiet for the first few
  watches, and it's certainly been quiet for his. Tired muscles have been
  pleading with him for just one last soak ... and his hazel gaze flitters
  over toward the pool thoughtfully .... consideringly.

_'Where are you going, human girl?' He appears out of nowhere -- Urio'kosh,
  smilng disdainfully, his eyes glinting palely silver-green against the
  surrounding darkness. 'You really don't think you'll be able to find him, do
  you, puny little human child? When he has been claimed by Mandalore
  herself?'_

_-I have to find him, I have to, I have to...- She doesn't know whether she
  speaks this aloud or only thinks it; regardless, she throws herself past the
  smirking Mandalorian, only to find looming up out of the jungle a stone
  marker, etched with strange characters, a basin at the bottom. She
  recoils... but the knowledge that she has to open the marker, to find Paul,
  seizes her. She has no choice but to slit open her arm, to let it bleed in
  the basin, to let the thirsty stone drink her lifeblood until she is reeling
  and grey-faced. Finally, the stone opens, and--_
"Aaaaaaah!" Shen doesn't exactly scream, as she scrambles involuntarily
  backwards out of her tent. But it's a more than audible sound. The girl
  erupts into view feet first and almost instanteously flips herself over in
  her haste, winding up scrabbling along on her backside and palms, wildly.

Head jerking abruptly to Shen's tent, Paul's first assumption is that there is
  something -in- her tent to make the girl recoil so badly. Jumping down from
  his perch, Paul dashes over, pulling Shen back from the tent somewhat,
  leveling his blaster at the interior as he shines a light inside, searching
  for whatever bit or alerted her. "You okay? Did something bite you or did
  you just feel it??" Hazel eyes are narrowed in concentration as it scans for
  danger, no matter how small.

Shenner is white-faced and sweating, and she shoots a wild stare up at Paul as
  he appears at her side. Relief makes her unable to do more than think,
  blankly, _Paul..._ It takes her a few moments to realize that he'd spoken,
  and then she gasps out huskily, "N... no... I-I don't think... I... I'm
  okay..."

Making a careful search of the tent anyway, the Corellian turns up nothing. He
  sits back on his haunches then, turning his head to consider the girl at his
  side. Her features pinched and her face pale, Paul comes about to the next
  reasonable realization. "Bad dream?" he queries, laying a gentle hand on her
  arm.

Shenner manages to get herself into something resembling a reasonable sitting
  position, though she's got one arm wrapped around herself and the other hand
  lifted, buried in her hair. Suddenly shy of revealing too much to Paul --
  _can't let him worry_ -- she looks up to try to meet his gaze, to try to
  smile a little. "Yeah... musta been... I-I'm okay..."

Considering her for a moment, Paul merely nods, not wishing to discomfit her
  any further by probing. Rising up, he walks over toward the heating unit
  which he started up on his shift, pouring some hot tea into a cup before
  bringin it over to Shen. "Here," he offers, leaning down with the lightly
  steaming mug.

"Thanks," Shen croaks, disjointed memory of what she'd been dreaming jarring
  uncomfortably with a potent need to throw herself into Paul's arms, making
  her grab at the cup and start gulping at the contents, never mind how hot
  they are. She closes her eyes, trying to calm herself down, to will her
  trembling to subside; her face still looks pinched and drawn, nevertheless.

Crouching next to her, Paul considers her tensed frame for a moment. Good
  thing the tea had been on for awhile ... not too hot any longer, else she
  would have scalded her tongue. "Things are pretty quiet," he informs her in
  reassuring tones. "Has been all night, cept for your, well, 'cept for you
  waking." His gaze shifts down and away as he reconsiders his thoughts for a
  moment, recalling the fact that she rebuffed him the last time he was
  affectionate toward her ... with good cause of course. However, it makes him
  wonder if suggesting the pool might not be the wisest course of action.

Disheveled, dirty, and pale, Shenner sits there gulping tea. She looks up long
  enough to smile weakly at Paul, but she can't hide the involuntarily flicker
  of her gaze to the shadowed undergrowth surrounding the campsite. "That's...
  good," she rasps out hoarsely. "N-nobody told me if I need to take a watch,
  anything I can do?"

Considering her for a moment, Paul finally nods. "Yeah .... I was just about
  to take a dip in the hot spring. Care to keep me company?" She's dirty,
  probably sore as all hell, and completely freaked out. Something warm and
  soothing like a bath would be good for the girl, and damn the potential
  consequences. "Besides," he adds, to give his suggestion more usefullness,
  "two pairs of eyes is better than one."

"Uh... okay..." Shenner gulps down the last of her tea, and peers unsurely
  past Paul at the pools. Then, she plasters on another tremulous crooked
  smile, and blurts, "It's... okay to sit in those?"

Paul Nighman says "The bottom one is pretty hot, but perfectly safe," he
  assures her readily, a lopsided smile replying to her crooked one. Rising
  up, Paul climbs up to the lower pool, reaching in with one hand to test the
  temperature. It's dropped a little with nightfall, he notices with a
  satisfied grunt. "In fact, the minerals are actually good for you," he
  murmurs without thinking. "They soften the skin, purify in a way." He begins
  to strip down, his eyes raising to scan the perimeter as he does so."

Shenner gets warily to her feet, casting another nervous look around her
  before moving to Paul's side, by the pool. "Yeah?" she murmurs gruffly,
  peering down into the steaming water. "H-how come there's... hot water, way
  out here in the middle o' nowhere...?"

Removing his clothes casually, Paul explains. "Well, most planets have a
  molten core. Certain areas of that core rise closer to the surface than
  others. In some areas, it rises up high enough to heat underground water. A
  hot spring is when hot underground water rises up to the surface to create
  heated pools. It brings with it a large number of nutrients that it's heat
  has managed to leach out of the surrounding rocks and earth. That's why," he
  notes, sniffing the air, "it smells like sulphur around here."

"Oh," mumbles Shenner, her eyes drawn to the sight of Paul's bare torso, or at
  least its outline in the darkness. "I was... wonderin'..."

"It will feel marvelous," he assures her, eliminating the rest of his clothes
  and piling them up neatly on a nearby rock. Slipping into the steaming
  water, he sighs audibly with pleasure. "Your muscles will thank you Shen,"
  he cajoles, water sloshing slightly as he moves about in the small pool.

This means... she has to take her clothes off, doesn't it? Shenner casts
  another nervous glance behind her -- this time at the tents of their fellow
  travellers, rather than the surrounding jungle. Then, hesitantly, she starts
  unbuttoning her shirt.

Shenner's shirt comes off, and then her boots and pants, as the girl hunkers
  down at the poolside -- perhaps thinking that if she isn't standing, she's
  less obvious. She keeps her gaze shyly down, nevertheless, while more and
  more of her slim pale form is revealed; finally, timidly, she sticks her
  toes into the water, and hisses in soft startlement.

Paul studiously does not watch Shenner undress. He knows himself well enough
  to know that would be unwise at best. He does his best to allow his gaze to
  wander along the edge of the woods or closes his eyes in "relaxation" now
  and again. However, occasionally, he looks toward Shen through slitted eyes,
  watching the slight light slip along her outline and curves.

And at last, she's venturing into the pool, the second foot following the
  first, then the rest of her. As Shen sinks down into the water, she breathes
  out in a fervent whisper, "Gods and a month of restdays...!" The girl trails
  off into a husky gasp as the heated pool relays the impossible to her flesh
  -- that she is, in fact, sitting in hot water in the middle of a jungle, in
  the middle of the night.

There is a warm rich chuckle from Paul at her amazed and delighted reaction.
  Shifting through the water, Paul lays a hand on her shoulder, turning Shen
  slightly. Reaching up with his other hand he begins to rub into her tightly
  clenched muscles, using the heat of the water and the gentle pressure of his
  palm and fingers to ease them.

The pool does more to Shen, too. A score of small pains flare up along her
  body, starting at the soles of her feet and working their way up through
  calves and knees and thighs left aching by hours and hours of walking.
  Caught off guard by the sensations, she doesn't see Paul coming until he's
  reached for her shoulders. By then she's started to tremble in reaction, and
  she can't keep herself from uttering a single tiny whimper.

Uncertain of her reaction, Paul leans forward close to her ear. "Shen ... are
  you alright?" he queries. His hands rub gently but insistently, working at
  the knots roiling beneath the surface.

Her head has bowed, and the shoulders Paul is rubbing are shaking palpably
  beneath his grasp. "I-I... dunno," she mumbles.

Hands slow and stop, concern rising at her obvious trembling. Pulling her
  gently against himself, Paul simply holds Shen close, hands and arms
  reassuring. "Relax ... tell every muscle in your body, one at a time, to
  stop strugging and relax," he whispers against her brow, brows winging down
  in worry.

Not sure whether she's trembling more from the nightmare or from the
  temperature of the water, Shen lets out another small whimper as Paul's arms
  go round her. "'Msorry," she mumbles. "I'll be okay..." As she speaks,
  though, she turns her cheek round to his shoulder and lifts her hand up to
  his other one, still shaking.

Trying to be a pillar of strength and comfort, Paul rubs her arms and back
  reassuringly up and down. He tucks her head against his shoulder
  encouragingly, his head dropping low to peer down into her features. "Hey
  ... it's okay ... I'm the one who should be sorry."

It's quite obvious the girl is craving that offered comforted and strength;
  willingly, she huddles against the Corellian, tremors still occasionally
  wracking her shoulders, but slowly beginning to subside. Her eyes fly open,
  though. "Not your fault," she whispers roughly.

Shrugging, Paul isn't about to get in an arguement over this. He knows where
  the blame rests in this case ... squarely on his own shoulders. No further
  discussion of this fact is necessary. Sighing softly, his breath rustles the
  loose tendrils about Shen's face, but he simply holds her slim figure close
  to his own, the hot water swirling about them. As if belatedly recalling
  that he -is- on duty, Paul raises his head and gaze, scanning about warily.

_He's worryin', dammit,_ Shen thinks tiredly, and does the first thing that
  leaps into her mind; she turns about slightly, slipping her arms around
  Paul, and hugs him silently, trying to relay some kind of assurance through
  her contact. She's not sure exactly what kind -- she knows only that she
  wants Paul to not feel guilty about her presence, to be strong and capable,
  and to make him proud of her.

Paul returns the hug, reassured by it fractionally, dropping an innocent kiss
  to her shoulder before drawing back slightly. He reaches up for some soap.
  There is a brief moment where he considers offering to lather her up ... but
  that brings up other memories ... innappropriate ones considering their
  circumstances. Instead he hands her the bar of glycerin, mumuring, "Ah, if
  you want to clean up ...."

Shen straightens, forcing the memory of the nightmare to the back of her head.
  _He doesn't need to know about that...._ And she smiles sheepishly, before
  the soap is offered, and then she blinks. "You, ah, is it okay, to get soap
  in the water here?"

Smiling at her environmental concern ... or is it more of a chemical reaction
  one?, Paul nods as he offers her the bar. "Yeah ... it's very mild, won't
  hurt anything ... or make anything blow up," he teases lightly, hazel eyes
  twinkling lightly with amusement.

Shen's mouth quirks a little, dimly visible in the darkness. She murmurs,
  "Okay... I guess I could use it..." And she reaches for the bar, her hand
  momentarily closing around Paul's as she does so.

His fingers brush hers as the draws the soap from him. "I think we both need
  it ... well, needed it in my case," he murmurs softly, since he already
  cleaned himself up earlier this evening. "The Mands don't seem to get
  dirty," he notes in lightly annoyed tones, as if offended by the fact that
  they remain practically untouched by their experiences. Even Urio, without
  the armor of the other two, seems practically pristine in comparison.

"Yeah, I guess it's just us puny little humans that get dirty," Shen mumbles,
  then smirks at herself, trying to lighten the comment by wanly smiling. She
  takes the soap, reluctantly drawing her hand away from Paul, and begins
  cautiously scrubbing at herself, dropping her gaze down from the Corellian.

Paul shifts his gaze away from Shenner as her hands pass over her body, his
  reaction a little more Corellian than he would like right now. Turning
  slightly he lays one arm along the edge of rock, looking down at the
  encampment for awhile before up and out about the area. Finally he looks
  straight up at the sky, stars twinkling there with a wonderful sense of
  normality.

Shenner appears to have not noticed the stars yet. She focuses intently on
  washing, her gaze uncharacteristically shyly lowered, her brow crinkled in
  her silence. The water _does_ feel wonderful, but she still trembles every
  so often as the heat soaks into her aching muscles... and the fleeting
  contact with Paul brings a lump to her throat by its cessation. _Don't think
  about it... just wash..._

Paul makes the mistake of glancing back down to Shen, noticing her lowered
  gaze and about to point out the stars ... but it goes no farther than that.
  His throat goes a little dry and he finds that he cannot help but watch her
  for an unwise moment, nerves prickling at the sight and the memories of soap
  and water and Shen. The water sloshes a bit as he shifts in the pool,
  looking back up again into the sky. After all ... she is still very close to
  him ... the pool just isn't that large.

Shenner peeks up as the water splashes lightly against her, very aware of Paul
  moving, even as she focuses on sitting upright in the pool's middle. The
  more the water soaks against her skin, the softer the pains and aches
  become, blurring together into a general heaviness; more than once, her
  eyelids flicker a little. "It's... different like this," she murmurs.

Eyes drifting back toward the redhead cautiously, Paul queries in dark
  rumbling tones, "What's different?"

"The jungle," she answers back in a whisper, dropping her gaze again. Scrub
  scrub scrub. Her face is lathered up now, and she works on washing her arms
  next. She has to shift every so often where she sits, and her brow crinkles
  at the strange feel of wet warm rock beneath her.

Brows raise and drop, still uncertain of the context. Is it different
  -bathing- because it's the jungle ... different between them because it's
  the jungle, or just ... different? Probing doesn't seem the wisest course of
  action, and sitting on his hands does at the moment. They seem to have an
  irresistable urge to draw her close to himself. I mean after all, they're
  essentially alone, in a hot spring, under a late night starry sky .... in
  the jungle. The Corellian swallows hard. _Bright move idiot_

Shenner notes Paul's silence, and sighs uneasily to herself. She pauses, then
  splashes her face clean and moves on quietly to trying to lather her feet,
  lifting each up out of the water in turn. The pull on her muscles makes her
  bite her lip, and she finally pauses again, glancing skyward... and it's
  then that she catches her breath.

"Pretty, huh?" Paul rasps huskily, gazing up at the stars as well. Maybe it
  will help get his mind off of other things.

"I ain't... I've never... _seen_..." The girl trails off, sitting there
  motionless with the soap held unconsciously against the hollow of her
  throat. And she hasn't, really; on none of the small handful of planets
  she's visited has she ever been anywhere far enough away from light and
  civilization to see a sky like _this_. Awestruck, Shenner stares up at the
  firmament, the darkness of the enclosing jungle suddenly forgotten.

There are so many stars that even if the constellations were familiar, they
  could not be discerned from all of the tiny lights that fill the sky. "This
  is perhaps part of why I do what I do ... go to where I go," Paul murmurs in
  kind. "There is something about the worlds of this universe, their unsullied
  beauty, that is lost in overly civilized and developed planets." The
  Corellian's voice has gone soft with the introspection.

"It's... like... you could just reach out and touch... go right up into
  space..." Shenner doesn't finish the reverently uttered thought; she simply
  sits there, gaze lifted skyward, turning liquid in the starlight. There's a
  strange kind of consolation for the redhead, seeing a sky like that. A balm,
  for her frayed spirit.

There doesn't seem to be anything else to say. That pretty well sums it up.
  Instead, Paul holds the silence, honoring the arch of sky above them
  perhaps. Setting into the pool comfortably, he watches the ever so slow
  shift of the moon and planets and stars, watching as the occasional meteor
  strikes the surface of the atmosphere, creating a "shooting star" and hoping
  that it -is- a meteor and not some hapless passing ship that wandered too
  close to Mandalorian security ships.

Shen doesn't know how long she sits there gazing, wide-eyed; her moment,
  however, is broken, as she feels herself tipping slightly forward. The water
  _is_ quite warm... and it's starting to make its impact on the girl, tilting
  her ever so slightly off-balance.

The small slosh makes Paul look over, cursing lightly. "Sorry ... you're
  probably dehyrdating," he notes, reaching over for the canteen he brough up
  with them. "Here," he offers, removing the cap and passing it over. He
  considers Shen for a moment before suggesting, "You probably shouldn't stay
  in too long ... you're still tired and need to rest."

As Paul reaches for the canteen, Shen loses her grip on the soap, and it drops
  into the pool with a soft *sploosh*; the girl involuntarily puts both her
  hands down to steady herself, and she freezes. One hand's touched down on
  rock, but the other on Paul's leg. She looks up, startled, and then hastily
  lifts her hands again to take the canteen, murmuring, "Uh... okay..."

Startled by her touch, Paul's eyes rest of Shen's for a moment, knowing that
  it was an accident ... and in such a small pool, well it's only natural.
  Peering down into the water, he tries to spot the soap, but it is invisible
  in the mineral rich heated water. His hands begin to scout about carefully
  as he glances over at Shen with a sheepish smile. "It's gotta be here
  somewhere ..." It is inevitable that he brushes against the girl from time
  to time with hands or arms.

Shenner bobs her head mutely, gulping down a few scant mouthfuls of water,
  trying not to drink too much. "I... let me help... uhm... where's the cap
  for this thing?" She holds out the canteen, unwilling to spill it, and not
  trusting the way her arms are trembling, just a little.

"No no, don't bother," Paul murmurs, one hand brushing across Shen's calf on
  the elusive trail of the soap, which is realizes is sort of floating
  somewhere in the middle of the water, rather than sinking to the bottom.
  "The cap is over on the rock between where I was," he replies distractedly.
  He feels the soap slip through his hand, making the mistake of squeezing it
  a little too hard. "Drat."

Shenner ohs soundlessly, and tries to shift, then, to scoot around Paul and
  reach for the canteen cap.

Finally capturing the soap, Paul sits back, not realizing that Shen is behind
  him and lets out of soft "eeep" of surprise, turning and holding the soap up
  like a trophy. He stares at Shen for a moment before noting, "This is
  ridiculous ..."

"I... uhm... yeah... I guess I should get out...?" Shen has managed to lay the
  canteen aside, but now, she sits there, staring up at Paul, making no move
  to... well... move.

Making this particular idiot move, fully cognizant of its stupidity, Paul
  shifts over, dropping the soap to one side of the pool before drawing close
  to Shen. His hand drops to her waist and before he can caution himself
  against it yet again, he dips his head to hers, the other hand catching the
  nape of her neck as he presses his mouth against her lips.

Barely audibly, Shenner gasps, then loses herself in the kiss, her damp arms
  curling around Paul's equally damp back.

Pulling her against him, Shen's complete response is a welcome change from her
  last reaction .... and no more sensible than Paul's. Sinking down lower in
  the water, he brings her with him, her mouth sweet and cold in comparison to
  the heated jungle and the heated water. The press of her slight figure
  causes more heat to rise, the Corellian doing his utmost to keep things
  light. _This can't go anywhere ... it's just a respite for the two of us ...
  just for a moment ...._

Eventually, they have to part for air, but when they do, Shen doesn't go very
  far, her mouth drawing back only enough to let her draw breath. Woozy,
  dazed, the girl clings to Paul tightly. _A rest,_ she thinks, the thought of
  curling up in Paul's arms and laying her head on his shoulder powerfully
  enticing. _Just for a moment..._

Gazing down at her tempting mouth, Paul's gaze ranges over Shen's delicate
  features, made all the more so by the stresses of the previous day. Her eyes
  are practically closed, and look none to focused. Reining himself in, Paul
  settles her carefully on his lap, dropping a kiss to her brow and settling
  himself into a mode of self denial. "That was probably unwise," he notes
  soberly. "But damn ... it felt good."

Shenner blinks a few times, and looks up foggily at the Corellian, weariness
  beginning to wrestle with an unmistakable yearning in her eyes. "Yes," she
  whispers.

That sounds suspiciously like more than just a mere agreement, Paul's hazel
  depths flaring slightly, his hands about her body tightening. His own figure
  tightens slightly, one hand reaching up to stroke along the line of her
  cheek and jaw. "Yes what?" he probes in deep brandy colored tones.

"It felt really good," Shenner murmurs hoarsely. That's all she manages to get
  out, though. She leans forward and does indeed rest her head on his
  shoulder, arms holding him close. Now that the pool has begun to relax
  tension from her muscles, the girl has begun to tremble in general
  reaction... though whether it's to her nightmare, Paul's proximity, the
  soothing warmth of the water, the journey in general, or all of them
  combined is difficult to say.

Holding her shuddering form against him, Paul frowns fretfully at her helpless
  reaction to whatever stress is affecting the poor girl. He isn't so vain to
  think she's trembling because of him, and the other options are less
  appealing but more likely. Taking one last careful look around, Paul allows
  himself to sink a little lower into the heated water, pouring the hot liquid
  over her shoulders and back in a soothing gesture.

To tell him, or not to tell him? Shenner lets out a shuddering sigh at the
  splash of that water down her backside, and inwardly, she hesitates. _What
  could I say to make him feel any less crappy for bringing me along?_
  Finally, though, she breathes out against the skin of his neck, "Paul...?"

Oblivious to her dilema of conscience, Paul has allowed his eyes to drift shut
  for a moment. They snap open guiltily at her voice. _You're -supposed- to be
  on watch_ he reminds himself, his eyes scanning the forest's edge carefully.
  "Hmmmmm-mmm?"

"I just wanted to tell you..." Shenner considers sitting up, but then thinks
  better of it, craving the intimacy of resting there with her cheek against
  Paul's shoulder and his arms around for a few seconds more. And at any rate,
  she's not sure she can meet his gaze without wanting to kiss him again.
  "This... trip's kickin' my ass, but I'd rather be here with you... than
  anywhere else in the galaxy...." Her voice comes out husky, still.

Her words are no simple confession, even if it has been simply stated. Taking
  a deep breath, Paul finds that he needs to take a minute for all of the
  conflicting emotions to settle down within the pit of his stomach. First out
  of Metheda's Box is pride - a certain amount of swelling to the ego that she
  would rather be in one of the Seven Hell's, essentially, than anywhere else.
  That is closely followed by fear - the fact that this trip is kicking her
  ass, and to be quite honest, it probably hasn't even -started- yet. Trailing
  close behind is guilt - the unpleasant realization that she is there
  -solely- because of him, and that essentially anything that happens to her
  along the way is to some extent going to be his responsibility and fault.
  But like the heroine of that particular myth, Paul slams down the lid before
  the last two weaknesses can slip free ... love and hope. Blinking, Paul
  presses a gentle hand to the nape of Shen's neck, his other palm cupping her
  cheek as he dips his head to press his lips to her brow. "Thanks," he
  replies simply, unable to share the sentiment exactly, but grateful for her
  attempts at reassurance.

The girl's arms squeeze round Paul's torso, briefly, firmly. And she's silent
  for several moments, before she whispers huskily, "I guess.... I better get
  out...?"

"If you're feeling cooked," he murmurs against her hair. "Yeah, sure. Whatever
  you want." He manages to keep the wince on his face out of his voice.
  Clearly his response was inadequate, but to say any more would be either
  revealing, or damaging.

_What I want..._ Shenner bites her lip for a moment, unable to keep herself
  from thinking that what she _wants_ is to curl up with Paul's arms around
  her and sleep for several hours. What she wants, however, is not what she's
  getting. Still, she straightens up a little, enough to brush her lips across
  Paul's jawline. If she found his answer inadequate, it doesn't show in her
  face as she pulls back a moment, her eyes full and liquid, her features
  touched by the starlight.

_Is that her answer?_ he wonders uncertainly, looking deeply into those dark
  emerald eyes, his own hazel gaze flickering back and forth between them.
  Rough stubble greets her lips, the hair growing there having had more of a
  chance lately to claim it's stake.

Shenner smiles valiantly, if lopsidedly. There's only a touch of wistfulness
  in her voice as she murmurs, "I, uh... I'll letcha get back to your watch..."

Nodding cautiously, somberly, Paul waits for the girl to disentagle herself
  from him. He is wary of moving her away himself, not trusting himself to lay
  his hands upon her more than he needs to, and unwilling to simply put her
  aside.

Tentatively, Shenner rises, beginning to look slightly scattered as she
  manages to make it to her feet in the pool, standing there before Paul. Her
  hands brace against his shoulders, as if she needs the support, and she
  wobbles a little as she starts clambering out of the pool.

Keeping a certain degree of emotional distance about him, Paul offers Shen
  physical support as she needs it. When she makes it clear of the pool, he
  points out the towels that he brought up with him. "Use one of those," he
  notes. "Just wrap yourself in it and dry off ... put something fresh on for
  the rest of the trip. You can at least start the day off a little refreshed
  for a change of pace." He offers her an easy smile and then climbs out of
  the pool himself, picking up a towel and drying himself off before wrapping
  the fabric about his waist.

Shen meets that smile, again valiantly, but she quickly drops her gaze as she
  wraps the towel around her. Now free of Paul -- she'd pulled her hands off
  his shoulders only at the last possible second -- and standing there at the
  pool's edge, she says brightly, "Ain't got much fresh with me, really, both
  my shirts want a wash, but well hey..."

Nodding, Paul shrugs with a wry smile as he finishes drying himself off,
  slipping on some cleaner clothes. "Well, I guess you can pick the lesser of
  the two evils then," he teases lightly, his gaze resting on Shen for a
  moment before scanning around the perimeter again, eyes watchful and wary as
  they try to penetrate the darkness of the surrounding jungle.

Shenner dries herself off, keeping her gaze lowered -- she feels acutely
  vulnerable out of the pool now, and despite the relative warmth of the jungle
  night, she quickly seeks the added covering of her clothing. "Um, yeah," she
  answers, striving to maintain that bright tone as she tugs on her trousers.
  "I guess. I guess I, ah, better let you get back to your watch..."

Not noticing her discomfit, Paul glances down at his chrono thoughtfully,
  noting that he has about half an hour left. "Yeah, you should get as much
  sleep as you can," he adds in agreement, rising up and waiting to escort
  Shen back down to the camp below them. He gathers up their belongings - wet
  towels, extra clothes, soap, and so on.

The girl doesn't say much else as she traverses the camp, though as she nears
  her tent, she does slow a little, eying the little shelter with a flicker of
  trepidation. Sleep. The thought of returning to sleep... and dreams... is
  less than enticing, and it takes her a moment's effort to school her
  features into what she hopes is an adequately calm expression. Turning to
  Paul, then, she suggests, "Hey, uh, I'll help you put those away, hang the
  towels up, maybe...?"

"Where?" he jokes, glancing about at the open area and the insanely dense
  growth that surrounds it. "I'll just lay them out on some rocks. They'll dry
  enough by morning." He whips one out, settling it over one large rock before
  clambering over to another large rock and placing the towel over that one.
  "Just hope it doesn't rain," he murmurs with a smirk. Glancing back at Shen
  he leans down and raps his knuckles against a boulder. "Knock on rock."

Shenner manages a crooked grin, then casts a brief uneasy glance at her tent
  before flicking her gaze back up to the Corellian. "Uh, yeah, well... good
  night?"

"Night Shen, sweet dreams," he murmurs unconciously, his eyes returning to his
  task at hand. Once that is settled, he straightens up and climbs up till he
  finds a rock that is both comfortable and at a strategic position. He holds
  his blaster lightly against one thigh, waving down at Shen with his other
  free hand.

_That's that, then,_ Shenner sighs to herself. Good-nights exchanged, all the
  girl can do is to turn back to her tent -- swiftly, so that Paul doesn't see
  her expression falling -- crawl back within, and hope that whatever it was
  that lurked in the nightmare that awoke her won't be making a return visit.
  Without another word, she vanishes into her tent.

[To be continued...]