getting repeatedly punched in the face with FRESH AIR

[inthirds]

WHO: Terra und Zel
WHERE: The Alps!!!
WHEN: July; whenever we freakin' feel like gosh
WARNINGS: I don't know like anything about Switzerland besides Alps and Deutsch and Ricola commercials
SUMMARY: VACATION, NATCH
FORMAT: no

Comments

[speedofnaked]

A second, a few hours; they were practically the same thing. The passing of either out here was of little concern to anyone. While Zelgadis had claimed the task of something at least moderately productive, Terra instead took to roaming more of the open 'wild' of the land. There was nothing quite like it in her own world, despite the number of mountain regions she'd seen and crossed. The lively greens of the thick trees seemed more intense than any she'd seen before, the birds louder, the sky clearer and bluer than she expected possible

[inthirds]

Not too close. Zelgadis' ears were attuned to the sound of footfalls, and amid so much foliage, there was no real hope for stealth, sleep or no. He stirred, arms crossed tightly in his propped-up position, neck stiff for lack of movement. He made a tired, grunting noise, fidgeting as he tilted his head slightly to give his ear a better angle in the direction of the intrusion. Even half-asleep, he could draw conclusions...Terra. Or...Lina, or one of the others...who knew?

[speedofnaked]

Maybe next time she would try floating.

His stirring and small amount of noise didn't halt her steps, but did slow down her already leisurely pace. After all, she had no real goal aside from this: letting herself plop down on the thick summer grass beside him, content.

"Hey," was all the greeting she gave, smiling up toward the blue sky.

[inthirds]

"Mmh."

He had the energy to crack an eyelid half-open, squinting against the sun trying to poke in from behind his hair. A needless thing, considering the blocked view. And anyway, he could hear and smell just fine.

"Hi," he croaked in a whisper, still dry from sleeping.

[speedofnaked]

While he was working up the energy to get his eyes open, Terra let hers fall closed, relaxed, enjoying the song of birds and the soft wind in the trees. She let them fill the silence between them, her thoughts drifting. It was good to get away from the heavy loudness of the City; to stop worrying, at least for a little while, about what new and dangerous thing would come her way. No sudden attempts on her life, no disappearances, no inexplicable curses, no suddenly lost memories...

And without a true goal for their journey--for they weren't seeking out some foe to destroy, nor were they escaping some pursuer--it was easier for her to focus on the important thing: her feelings. There were many of them, especially as far as Zelgadis was concerned. Like always, Terra wasn't sure she understood them.

"Sleep well?"

[inthirds]

"Nyeah." Zelgadis dug the heel of his palm into an eye, holding place as he stretched until he heard joints popping. He let out a loud exhale, forcing himself to sit up straight to do the same for his neck and back, sore from poor sleeping posture.

With his hand shading his view, he craned his neck and peered upward blearily. "It's already past midday..."

[speedofnaked]

She nodded with a bit of a hum, shifting over on the grass to give him more room for all that stretching and cracking. "Has been for a while now," she teased, watching his movements. It wasn't like they were in any hurry to go anywhere.

[inthirds]

"For as long as it is normally," he countered lamely, dryly, as if that made his oversleeping any better. He exhaled long and slow again, rubbing at the back of his neck to little avail.

[speedofnaked]

Terra, of course, continued to be completely unsympathetic. "So, how'd 'fishing' go?"

[inthirds]

He colored faintly at that, making a slightly sour face. "I haven't gotten around to it yet. But I will. You're not hungry right now anyway," he hopes, "are you?"

[speedofnaked]

"No," she confirmed. "Just curious." The more expressive he got, the more Terra paid attention to the way his mouth bent or his eyes averted. It was hard to look for bags under his eyes when they were already lined in thick, dark stone. "Did you get any sleep last night?" she finally asked, her tone a little more serious. "I fell asleep before you did, and you were up way before I was."

[inthirds]

In the air of being chastised, Zelgadis had a tendency to send his gaze downward to his left, regardless of what was or wasn't there to be gazed at. Only for a second or two, usually, before looking back over or...in the general area.

"It's fine," he assured in a mutter that was more a childish excuse than assurance. "I wasn't tired anyway."

[speedofnaked]

The effort of holding back laughter was a great one, and though she managed to avoid giggling, it didn't stop her smile from crinkling up the skin at the corners of her eyes for a brief moment.

"That's okay." Even her voice she managed to keep mostly even; this wasn't a time she wanted him to think she was making fun of him (even if she sort of was). "There's no hurry."

As if to prove her point, Terra twisted where she sat in the grass, moving to lean against his shoulder.

[inthirds]

Zelgadis knew well enough to sit still and not get to fidgeting when she was thinking on drawing up so close; he couldn't know what was best for him to do or move to without asking outright, which was too embarrassing to do (obviously!), so he simply let his arm drop away from his neck and bend as naturally as it wished to from where he sat.

"No," he agreed, and he was relieved of that. He was free to be only anxious in that schoolboyish way of nerves, because she really was too ridiculously attractive already, not without her face getting that look it did when she was stifling a laugh. "This place doesn't seem too desperate for attention as to be a danger every five seconds..."

[speedofnaked]

When Terra finally settled somewhere mostly comfortable, they were side to side: shorter than he, it wasn't too much trouble to get her shoulder under and between his arm and his torso. Her hand lay with little regard on the long, matted grass.

Though Zelgadis was only part golem, his body had no yield, and leaning against him was almost exactly like pressing against a statue. A statue with moveable joints, sure, but all the same. The tingle of magic she felt radiating from him, almost but nothing like body heat, was something of a boon. It didn't erase the discomfort that stone enforced, but it put her at ease.

"It's quiet," she agreed. "I don't think... I've ever been anywhere as calm as this. Even in my own world..."

They hadn't been attacked by bears even once.

[inthirds]

Once she'd settled, his wrist twisted enough to let his hand curl around her side and hold place there. Something like that...it was probably better he couldn't wholly feel it all, or he'd find himself overwhelmed nearly all the time. There was still a great deal of him that still had trouble believing he was so lucky to have something like this, rather than just nothing but troubles and things to grumble about (not that there wasn't plenty of that on the side).

"There's parts of the continent like this," Zelgadis said, tilting his head up a bit to peer skyward. "If you get far enough from the towns or cities and stay away from bandit territory. But there's usually something around to cause problems. Trolls or something else wandering around. It's never so carefree."