A Mouth that Praises and a Hand that Kills.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"Okay." Leyla cleared her throat, letting him brace himself against the wall as she knelt next to him, working quickly to wash him down as gently and efficiently as possible. "Right," she sighed, looking up at him. "Let's get you dried off, dressed, and lying down again." As much as she loved the chance to feel him up, she didn't want him to faint on her.

[Undefined Affections]

Once the shower was over and done with, Ravid carefully stepped out onto the slippery floor and braced himself against the sink counter. He was dripping wet, and his undershorts stuck to him like a second skin, almost see through so that nothing was left to the imagination. He panted from the exertions, but accepted a towel and helped Leyla dry him off.

"Thank you for your help." She didn't have to do it.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

Leyla's thin clothes were just as transparent, and she shivered in the cold, but she focused on rubbing him dry and handing him his suit before she took a towel for herself, wrapping it around herself snugly, clearing her throat. "Of course," she answered, quietly. She had tried not to stare, as hard as that was. "Maybe.. Maybe you should go lie down for awhile." He'd probably overexerted himself, standing for so long.

[Undefined Affections]

Rather than put his suit back on, Ravid folded it up and placed it on the sink counter. He was dry enough, and still a little warm, so he made his way into the room as quickly as he could and climbed into bed, wrapping all of his blankets around his nearly bare body. Once his head rested against his pillow, he felt better. His head didn't pound, and the nausea slowly went away.

He smiled weakly at Leyla.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

Quietly, Leyla set a bottle of water next to his cot, in case he was thirsty. She smiled back at him a little- at least he wasn't acting so awkwardly around her today. Turning her back, she stripped off the wet camisole and put on a dry one, toweling her hair roughly until it was mostly dry. "If you need anything, just let me know," she said finally, tossing the towel onto her bed. Grabbing more dry clothes, she stepped into the bathroom briefly to change, then came out and began her sit-up routine.

[Undefined Affections]

"I will." Ravid promised quietly as his eyes closed. The sounds of Leyla moving about soothed him. The background noise seemed to lull him into a deep sleep. He hadn't slept very well after waking up in the medical bay, but now he found it easily. Hopefully, by the next time he woke, he wouldn't be in any pain, and Kyle would tell him that he didn't need to be monitored any longer.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

Kit hadn't seen Eli since their argument the day before, and she didn't know how to go about approaching him. In the end, she walked quietly back into the control room. Picking up her sketchbook, she carefully pulled out a page- just one page- and slid it under his door. It was too late to take it back now. She stared at the closed door for a moment, then shook her head, going down to the shower room.

The page she had taken was a drawing of one of her favorite photos from the slideshow, of her and Eli shortly after they'd started dating. They were young, and happy. Carefree. Stupid, maybe, but it was beginning love, and when she looked at herself in that photograph, she saw something in her eyes that she connected with now. Maybe it would remind him.

[Undefined Affections]

Eli stared at the drawing for a long time. He remembered that photograph well, and he wasn't surprised to see how well Kit had captured them both on this small piece of paper. She'd even captured the emotions in their smiles and eyes. He sighed. He knew what she was trying to say...

He waited a good while until finally standing from his bed and leaving the room, drawing in hand. He walked down the hall and caught Kit coming out of the shower room, hair still damp. "Kit." he called.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"..Hi." Kit glanced at him quietly, not sure what he was going to say. She'd put herself out there, and the ball was in his court, now, so to speak. She didn't know what to expect. As she draped her towel over her arms, her eyes fell on the drawing in his hand. What was going on in his head? All she could do was wait.

[Undefined Affections]

When Eli reached Kit, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up in a strong, protective embrace. He didn't squeeze too tightly lest he snap her in half. But he did hold her close, pressing his face into her neck. At the moment, he couldn't form the words he'd thought to tell her. He just...didn't want to lose her from opening his big mouth.

So he held her tight, not thinking of how he looked, only about how he felt about his wife.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

That hadn't been what she'd been expecting, but Kit curled her arms around his neck to hold him in response, closing her eyes. This, then, was an apology- and a better one than she had imagined. They could understand each other. She was falling in love with this man, but she had only known him for a couple of weeks, really, and for her, this was happening fast. For him... Well, it couldn't be fast enough, because he had been stuck in their past.

[Undefined Affections]

Eli stood there for a good while, just holding his wife close. Although he was old at the moment, he had enough strength to keep her off her feet. He was aged, not helpless or weak. "Kit, I-" He faltered, finding he couldn't say anything that would do any justice. All he could do was show her that he understood, that he was here for her, with his actions.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"I know." Kit stopped him, shaking her head softly and loosening her grip on his neck, sliding down against him until her feet hit the floor again. "Thank you." Leaning up, she brushed her lips against his boldly, if a little chastely. As long as he was understanding, as long as he didn't expect more of her than she could give at the time, they would be just fine.

[Undefined Affections]

Eli held still as Kit kissed him. He hadn't expected it, but he didn't push her away for it. Instead, he just gave her a chaste kiss back, feeling better about this. He looked down at her, eyes full of understanding. Then his eyes fell to the drawing in his hand. "I'm keeping this. Might frame it." He nodded before reaching out to take her hand in his.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"If I'd known that, I might've spent more time on it," Kit smiled, but she was very pleased that he liked it so well. "We're going to be alright," she promised him again. It wasn't the first time that she had said as much, but she felt like it bore repeating, especially now. There was something special about him. His lips felt right against hers, but she didn't quite know how.