{{let the waves___C R A S H D O W N

[Poe]

Bryce shook his head, trying not to growl out the next words. "Tali, god--" he cut himself off from the curse words that were ready to flow from his lips. "No one can replace the way you make the kids in the camp smile. No one can replace you with the stories you tell and how you weave them into the children's lives. No one can replace how you can heal a person's wound or broken heart..." He sighed. "They need you. We need you. I need you, Tali!" There. He said it. "You aren't allowed to give up your life, too many people need you." His thumb continued to stroke her fingers, and his eyes blazed a blue fire when he looked down at her, telling her he was telling the truth.
Of course it irritated him! She was worth so much, how could she not see that? How could he make her see that? Could he at all? Or was it a lost cause? Damn, he hoped not.

"So why do you work there?" He demanded. "You shouldn't work there if you're getting hurt! And you don't need Florence to experience the real world." A harsh chuckle fell from his lips. "That school is the farthest thing from the "real world" as you can get, hun. If you want the real world come to the city with me and let me show you how people really live, and suffer, and love, and work. The real world isn't Florence Academy. Florence Academy simply wants to be the real world." He looked back down at her hand that he was still stroking with his thumb, trying not to grin at her red, red face. "And, Natalya," he added sternly, "you should just quit. You're a hard worker, not only do I know that from experience but I can see it from your hands. If they don't want you, or don't care if you are hurt then you need to just quit. I mean, you can't seriously think that this is okay, can you?" He asked, meaning her hands.

He was so relieved when she agreed to come home with him, back to camp with him, that he almost missed her next words. Stay with him? How could he say no? A smile spread across his face. "I'm glad you've finally come to your senses," he teased lightly, about her agreeing to come back home. "Of course I'll stay with you Tali," he said sincerely. "It would be an honor."
For him it would.

Bryce, too, looked up when Salem punched Clyde in the stomach. Calmly, he listened to the two girls squabble, and then looked down at Tali when she said thank you.
He added his two cents.
"I won't be able to thank you enough Clyde, for what you did." He looked at Salem, nodding toward Clyde. "You have a truly amazing friend, you know?" With a little chuckle he watched Salem go red in the face when she learned what had happened.


Salem whirled to face Clyde. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?!" She demanded, face red in embarrassment. "If you'd just said something then I wouldn't have had to hit you, but now I have, and, oh god..." Salem shook her head in anger and looked back up at Clyde.
"Yeah, I probably deserve to be punched for that... Sorry Clyde..." She bit her lip, pulling her hat off and letting her brown hair tumble down her back.
Reaching into the back pocket of her pants, she pulled out several clips, piling her hair onto the top of her head, the pins stuck between her teeth, eyes drilled on Clyde in case she decided to hit her in revenge.
Would Clyde do that?
Uhm.
Duh.

"I'm glad you're all right," Salem said, looking at Tali, eyes still apologetic. "I'm glad my friend was here to help you. I guess I just worry to much." Still, what was she doing in the water, in NOVEMBER?

[justjenn]

Clyde's eyes narrowed and she watched Salem whirl around. By this time she had draped the blanket over her shoulders, arms folded across her chest and tilted her head. Giving a slightly bitter smile and nodding with the apologize.

"You wouldn't shut up! That's why I was asking you if you'd finished."

She couldn't help but smirk smugly as she was watched, glancing at Tali.

"Just...Clyde." She said curtly. Any form of a title before that seemed to disgust her. "That's it. If you want to thank me, Just call me Clyde."

She then shifted her gray eyes back to Salem's face, almost rolling them in the process but refraining from doing so.
"Glad I'm alright after you sucker-punched me." She pointed out. Dragging a hand through her damp hair and looking back at Bryce.
"No big deal. Infact, Forget I did anything."

[bunny]

"Tali, god--"

See? See! This was why she kept most of her 'real' thoughts to herself. Though she was known for saying the truth and saying it often without thinking and editing her comments to be more appealing, her most personal thoughts were usually locked up tightly so that none could be seriously offended or frustrated by them. Bryce was probably tired of hearing her complain and grumble about her low self-esteem.

"No one can replace the way you make the kids in the camp smile. No one can replace you with the stories you tell and how you weave them into the children's lives. No one can replace how you can heal a person's wound or broken heart..."

That... That wasn't the response she was expecting at all. Then again, this was Bryce. This was the amazingly wonderful Bryce. It was obvious that he'd still be exceptionally kind to her even in his anger. Natalya felt to be a fool, especially since she had made an exclamation earlier to not say anymore on the subject. What did she do right afterwards?

"They need you. We need you. I need you, Tali! You aren't allowed to give up your life, too many people need you."

He... needed her? Nothing in her self-esteem could explain away that statement as just being nice, and so, she ignored it. Or tried to, at least. Her face which had just started to cool down instantly returned to its dark red color from before. His thumb continued to stroke the fingers on her hand, and she watched the movement for a while, probably liking him so close more than she should. Natalya was sure she naturally irritated him, but there was such an urge in her body to be and remain close to him for as long as possible.

After a moment or two, her eyes drifted from his hand down the outline of his arm, across his chest and up to his face and those blue eyes that originally made her stomach turn after just breaking the surface. Now... her stomach was affected again. This time, a colony of butterflies all went up from their flowers at once, tickling her with their thin, membrane wings. Wanting to make the emotion reflected in them be affections nearly consumed her, intent on shattering her persistent argument that he hated her. No. No. Stop. But. No. I like you, Bryce.

"So why do you work there? You shouldn't work there if you're getting hurt! And you don't need Florence to experience the real world. That school is the farthest thing from the "real world" as you can get, hun. If you want the real world come to the city with me and let me show you how people really live, and suffer, and love, and work. The real world isn't Florence Academy. Florence Academy simply wants to be the real world."

She winced slightly at his tone and words. Perhaps he was right. She knew little of anything outside Florence's and her camp. Sometimes the students would tell her how large the world was, and it blew her mind every time. Some of the customers of hers were foreigners and speak in languages she had never heard before. (Those encounters taught her she had a natural knack for languages too.) To... Natalya couldn't quit and end it. There were people she made friends with... how thin that friendship was was debatable. But her main reason was that if she took this horrible job, no one else would. It'd keep them from the emotional stress. It'd keep them happier somewhere else.

"I..." She couldn't tell him her reason, so Natalya avoided the suggestion. Instead, she continued to blush up a storm and stammer, "I can love at camp just fine, Bryce."

"And, Natalya," he added sternly, "you should just quit. You're a hard worker, not only do I know that from experience but I can see it from your hands. If they don't want you, or don't care if you are hurt then you need to just quit. I mean, you can't seriously think that this is okay, can you?"

Again, she wanted to skip over the suggestion and her feelings on the subject. Everything in her personality was compeling her to blurt out the first things that came to mind. Er, almost everything. The small sane part of her was trying to reason Natalya into shutting up. "It is okay," she whispered despite her last reasoning to shut up about her self worth. In an effort to distract him from that statement, Natalya brought something else up tentatively related. "How's your job coming along?"

His smile was warmly welcomed after she murmured the above statement, so Natalya went with it quickly, offering a small one in return before looking away to assess the newest arrival and Clyde. She'd seen the former at times but nothing more than that. As for her savior, it was the first time Natalya laid eyes on the girl, but it was not the last, though, since she was determined to repay her at some point. Her hand closed around Bryce's as he spoke. "An honor?" a small laugh came at the tail of that comment. "I feel the same."

"Just...Clyde.That's it. If you want to thank me, Just call me Clyde... No big deal. Infact, Forget I did anything."

Those two lines were contradictory. "Clyde, then... should I stop bringing it up? You, er, just said I could thank you." Oh dear. There was that speaking before thinking thing. What she said to Bryce had come after an internal struggle. What she said to Clyde was the first thing that came to mind. Whoops. Ah, well. Even if it ticked Clyde off and made her make a snipey comment that seemed likely to come, Natalya's view on her sainthood would not be diminished.

Gods, that girl is annoying.
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[Poe]

ooc:
I'm having issues and can't think, so this is all you get right now. =P

It was tiring to hear her talk about her low self-esteem simply because she was such a wonderful, beautiful person. How could she not see how amazing she was to him? How much he cared about her and how much she meant to him? Didn't he show that well enough? Or was that the problem? That he didn't show it at all? All right, well, he'd just have to work on that without being too... over the top, because he knew he could be sometimes, and he didn't want her thinking that... Thinking that he was too clingy therefore making her not like him at all.
He'd just have to work on it, is all.

She didn't reply to what he'd said, which stung just a bit. She didn't need him in return, perhaps? Or was that her low self-esteem at work again, telling her that what he was saying was just a lie to make her feel good about herself and that he didn't really mean it? Well, it wasn't... And she had sure as hell not think that it was.
But how could he prove it to her? How could he prove to her that their camp needed her, and that he needed her? That Florence didn't need her like they did. But how could he prove that?

Well, (because poe is simply bored of making him think like this) he'd have to think on that later.

He didn't look directly at her when she answered, probably because he wasn't sure exactly who she was talking about or what exactly she meant by she could love just fine. He shrugged finally. "I'm sure you can," he said softly, glancing down at her, trying to figure her out by just looking into her eyes, letting him look at her like he would look at any other person that approached him...
He'd never done that with her yet. Never just actually opened his eyes and therefore opening her soul. Never just seen her for who she might happen to be like that... And he probably never, ever would... At least, that's what he'd thought before. When doing that with strangers it was okay, you didn't feel like you were betraying some one or their secrets, so it was a shamefaced move to be doing this now when she was so vulnerable.
It took him a minute to find himself in that state, and when he looked at her again he blinked. He couldn't see her differently. He'd have to investigate that one, but for now he simply smiled at her, hoping she wasn't too afraid still from the water.

"It is not," he said stubbornly, still arguing about her job at Florence. "Let some else take the job, you don't need to be getting hurt some place that you should feel at least a little bit safe," he said. Bryce wasn't thinking all that much about his words as he let them spill out of his mouth, but he didn't care. Why should he have to watch his words right now anyway? Didn't she trust him enough, at least?
Giving a sideways glance he shook his head. "Don't try to change to subject. But it is still is as boring as ever," he said with a laugh. "Still nothing new to do... Maybe something will come up one of these days..."

"It is an honor to be asked to sleep next to a young woman as beautiful as you," he said softly. "It should be an honor to sleep next to a pig as smelly as me," he said lightly, teasing himself more than he was teasing her. Leaning down slightly he kissed her cheek, his lips brushing across her skin softly. "So please don't say that it is the same," he laughed gently, then looked up to watch Salem and Clyde, his eyes light as he watched.

Salem was arguing with her when Bryce looked up, but really, when was that any different.
"Clyde, when do I ever shut up?!" She shook her head in exasperation. "And I didn't think to wait for an explanation, but once again, do I ever have patience enough to wait?" She glared at her friend, but really, it was a friendly glare. She was sorry that she hurt Clyde, she shouldn't have... But she did. And that was a large mistake... Clyde would probably attempt to poison her in her sleep that night.
Well.
Attempt being the key word, there.

At her next words, Salem pouted slightly. "Well if you hadn't jumped in the lake at all then I wouldn't have sucker punched you, duh," she said simply, shaking her head.

[justjenn]

Officially sick of the situation; Whether it be the pair on the ground cuddling and cooing over each other, the bitter wind that licked at her bare, anesthetized skin, or the aggravating nag and whine of her friend-And even perhaps a combination of everything-, she changed her goal for that moment to leaving the lake. Trying not to let the desire for the change of scenery enter her voice, she looked down at the water-logged gypsy, contemplating her words for a minute. After a long moment, she did nothing but elevate her shoulders in the infamous shrug.

“Whatever. It wasn’t that big of a deal, it was nothing.” The words only left Clyde’s lips once they’d passed through her mind a few times, recycling the thought to ensure she didn’t come off as too big of a jackass to the girl whom had just flirted with death. It’d been a long enough day minus any snappy little comebacks that she might have produced.

Clawing a hand through her hair at Salem’s words, she scoffed, Even though it slowly twisted into a snicker.

“Your logic defies me.” She said simply, shaking her head and walking past Salem, making a beeline for the building and the warmth, intent on getting there without any help. Stiffly walking down the trail, bare feet crunching the leaves and sticks under them. She rolled her eyes, wondering if Salem would come bouncing up to nag her.


ooc:// Then Clyde was out. Boohyah. No more crap posts. –poofs out-

[bunny]

It was her first try at alluding to her crush, and it seemed he didn't care. Eye contact hadn't been made, and her only answer, at first, was a shrug. Did that mean her censure had been correct, and she had misinterpreted the emotions behind the line "I need you?" Gods, that would be completely mortifying for him. Natalya could eventually deal with anything; it was something she forced herself to do. Bryce? It would make being so close to her uncomfortable.

"I'm sure you can."

If you'd love me back, came the silent thought as he finally looked back down at her. Her eyes had originally been averted, but, sensing the movement, they looked back to find his again. Goodness, it felt like Natalya would be red for the rest of her life. Couldn't, like, she learn not to blush? Her mother and aunt didn't, and neither did her father and uncle. For a while, it was assumed she was the only plagued to have her emotions play like actors on her face until Callie displayed the similar trait. Poor thing. It, er, wasn't always the best thing to have to cope with. Natalya leaned her face more into his chest to try and hide most of it while still keeping some eye contact. "I know I can... I do."

"It is not. Let some else take the job, you don't need to be getting hurt some place that you should feel at least a little bit safe."

Natalya nodded absently, tuning out his arguments. It didn't matter if she got hurt, honestly, most of the injuries ocurred because she was incredibly clumsy and absent-minded. It wasn't Florence's fault she knocked into tables or broke vases that she'd later cut herself on cleaning up. It was just... the building was so stuff with fancy items that Natalya wasn't use to manuevering around them in order to do her job. And then, the students weren't often her allies in thne endeavor.... But. No. She couldn't think of that right now, or Bryce might get to her enough that she'd quit if they didn't fire her from not showing back up.

"Don't try to change to subject. But it is still is as boring as ever. Still nothing new to do... Maybe something will come up one of these days..."

"That's good," she murmured after he laughed before her head snapped at the next statement. "No. No. No. I don't want anything to happen because then you might get hurt or something. And, I, er, don't want you to get hurt." Hypocritial? Maybe, but Natalya didn't really see that. To her, her life was expendable, but no one else's was. It wasn't as if his job was particularly normal either. Creatures that had a slight advantage over him? If he got hurt, Natalya didn't think she'd be able to hold herself together. If anyone got hurt... Ever. It wasn't a thought she liked to dwell on.

"It is an honor to be asked to sleep next to a young woman as beautiful as you. It should be an honor to sleep next to a pig as smelly as me, so please don't say that it is the same,"

Natalya giggled at that slightly, eliciting a cough that lasted a moment. He was ridiculous to think that. If Bryce was a pig, then he was a human-like, handsome, endearing pig that would turn every other girl to bestiality on the spot. Feeling his lips against her skin caused Natalya to jerk her head around so that his lips slid all the way to the corner of her mouth, and, despite feeling self-conscious, her lip lifted into a small smile. After leaning her head against his cheek for a moment, the young woman moved to untangle herself from his lap and attempt to stand up. Pushing off from the ground, it soon became apparent that she wasn't in the best shape to move. Her foot slipped slightly as her head reeled which resulted in the loss of her balance. AND her chest still hurt, just to top it all off.
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[Poe]

Salem rolled her eyes, bounding away after Clyde, doing exactly as Clyde expeceted. Nagging.

Bryce was stroking her hair, watching the blush storm across her face, and he smiled. God, one of the many things he loved about her was how human she was in that aspect. How she could just blush and let the world know how she was feeling, and at the same time, blush even more because she was blushing. He continued to stroke her hair, fighting the urge to kiss her on the mouth as she buried her face in his chest, her eyes still peeking up at him as she tried, and, well, failed to hide her red face. Pushing the thought of her lips on his to the back of his mind he looked down at her. "You do, hm? May I ask, Natalya, whom do you love?" Thinking about what he'd just asked, he mentally kicked himself. Damn, that wasn't the nicest thing to ask a girl. Or the most polite thing. He started to stutter over his next words. "Ju-just so I can make sure that... that... that he's good enough for you, of course!" He added quickly, and so he could kick the ass of his competitor.

Bryce's blue eyes watched her tune out his arguments, and an exasperated sigh escaped his lips, his eyes rolling toward the sky before he looked back down at her. Moving carefully she he didn't hurt her, he adjusted so he was sitting more or less in front of her. Taking her shoulders in his hands, he looked carefully into her eyes, inches from her. "Now, Natalya," he breathed. "I don't want you hurt, or I'll make you quit your job." He knew he couldn't do that, but he could get her fired. Bryce had his ways of making people (especially pretty girls like her) late. Now, however, he kissed the corner of her mouth, as if sealing his words, his vow, with this kiss. When he pulled back he looked at her carefully, wondering if she'd felt anything at all from that. Anything? Maybe? Forcing himself not to bite his lip, he moved again so she was back to the original position, liking her in his lap a little bit too much.

"Now, now Tali that isn't fair!" He said, laughing at her next words. Yes, she was being hypocritical. "If I am not allowed to get hurt, than neither are you. Take it or leave it." He stuck out his hand like he was making a deal, hoping his voice and his words sounded the least bit important. He reached up to claw a hand through his hair. Yes, the creatures did have a slight advantage over him, but not too big of one. Promise. He'd bet his life on it.

Which probably wasn't wise.

His smile came back to life at her giggle, and it quickly became a look of concern when she started to cough. "Is there... anything I can do?" He asked, but it quickly became apparent there was not. So he sat back, letting the coughing fit subside until he was able to talk again.
Like before, he found his lips at the corner of her mouth, which he slid further over her lips, savoring that one single moment before he jumped back, his own face now red as a cherry. "So-sorry," he mumbled, looking away from her, waiting for her hand to slap down on his cheek. (That would only cause more redness, to top it off). Instead, however, she started to stand up. He jumped up to help her, hoping she wasn't getting up because she was angry with him. Biting down on his lip he put his arm out behind her, catching her when she lost her balance. "Tali, if you don't hate me too much for that, can I help you? Carry you, maybe? I don't think you're... uhm... ready to walk, quite yet."

God.

He was such a pansy.

[bunny]

Ridiculous, it was. Blushing wasn't something she particularly enjoyed even if it seemed to please Bryce or something. Her eyes caught the forming smile which added to her mortification. For a moment, it surprised her that she was more concerned about her ability to show everyone how embarrassed she was than the fact that she half-tried to commit suicide. Was there something mentally wrong with her to make such a leap in such a short time? Or... or was it that she was with him and that any time she'd have spent contemplating her sanity was now focused on keeping herself from looking more and more like someone he should avoid?

"You do, hm? May I ask, Natalya, whom do you love? Ju-just so I can make sure that... that... that he's good enough for you, of course!"

She blinked rapidly at the question. When Natalya had admitted to it, she hadn't expected he'd be interested enough to ask who it was she'd been considering. Well, this was unexpected. Erm. The honest answer was obviously the one to which she couldn't admit. Lying, however, wasn't something she was accostumed to doing. So, with her eyes focused on his chest, Natalya mumbled his name between a haze of nonsensical words. Whether or not he wanted to pursue that was up to him. If he'd concentrated hard enough, perhaps the object of her affections would get that it was his name she was terrified to utter.

And then he went on about why she should quit, and Natalya recited poems and songs in her head until he seemed finished. She was halfway through the second song when, without warning, her new position was facing her facing him. Her teeth snapped together before she could comment on something that might not be appropriate for the subject and let her eyes flicker to his face before looking away. The hands on her shoulders were unexpectedly warm, causing her to look up at him again and falter at the intense expression.

"Now, Natalya, I don't want you hurt, or I'll make you quit your job."

Wha-- What did he mean by that? Before she could even take in the threat behind those words, she found a slight pressure just beside her lips and froze. Did- Did- Did he just kiss her? Was he aiming for there, or did she somehow miss her chance at doing what she always wanted to do? her hand twitched to hold his face there, but she didn't. Natalya simply looked down, letting her half-dried hair fall as a curtain to hide her face. "I'm not quitting. I'll go in early tomorrow to make up for things... Stay late too..."

"Now, now Tali that isn't fair! If I am not allowed to get hurt, than neither are you. Take it or leave it."

Oh, well, Natalya didn't find that fair. He couldn't twist things around like that. Eyeing his hand, her face twisted into frown as she eyed it from his lap, seeing as he was moving her around like a child or a doll. Her teeth snapped together to keep from saying something he wouldn't like. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out and batted his away before they could lock around each other. Her eyes read his for a long moment before looking away. "Stay safe. I like visiting you..."

His question was waved away while she coughed. It was nothing and so she didn't worry as it finally trailed off to nothing. Her eyes studied his face in case he became anxious. So, he'd convinced her that her well-being mattered to him which was a mind-blowing epiphany that she still severely doubted. Then, once again, his lips found her face and moved until he was kissing her. Her first kiss was with Bryce. Wow. Despite her timid appearances, her first thought was to grip his face and return it with little experience, but her doubt won out, leaving her limp in his touch. Her lips parted slightly as he pulled back to breathe out. With her eyes barely registering his color and her ears deaf, Natalya stood with little thought to what reaction he was expecting. Thousands of thoughts raced through her head. Thousands of possibilities until she stumbled again, caught by his arm.

"Tali, if you don't hate me too much for that, can I help you? Carry you, maybe? I don't think you're... uhm... ready to walk, quite yet."

He thought she hated him? It almost caused Natalya to do something remotely like scoffing. One of her hands reached out to grasp his arm and turn her around. Not wasting a moment so that she knew for sure she had enough energy, the young woman leaned onto the balls of her feet to press her lips against his. One hand pressed against his cheek to keep herself from falling, while the other remained on his arm. Kissing was a foreign activity to her, and, all too quickly, Natalya pulled away, tingling slightly. Hiding her eyes under her eyelashes, a murmur came as the only indicator of her reaction. "I like you."
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[Poe]

He'd gotten no reaction, which he'd soon learn would happen twice. Half of him wanted to lift her chin with a finger and kiss her again, and another half wanted to forget that he had done anything and had not just humiliated himself by kissing her. Of course, the past couldn't easily be undone.
Not quitting?! Good god, this girl had guts. Still, Bryce couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Not if I can help it," he muttered under his breath, still remembering her wish that he lay next to her while she slept. Well, it wasn't like he'd really do anything. In fact, he'd do nothing to her while she slept. Except... maybe watch her. She was sure to look peaceful, and he wasn't going to miss out on that. "Well, I guess if you insist..." He wasn't winning, there was a point when he should back down. "But then I get to come and visit you. I don't want anymore crazy lake jumping, okay?" Hell, if she was going to work all day then he had to come and see her at least once, especially if she wasn't going to come visit him at "his" cave... That was enough to cause him to pout.

He'd seen her eye his hand like it was some sort of snake or Tali-eating vine, and he cursed himself for handling her like that. However, the next thing she did made him laugh in his head. "Alright, I'll stay safe, but you have to too. I like you visiting me." He paused for a moment, watching her, head tilted to the side. "What else were you going to say, Tali?" He asked. "You don't have to hide things from me..." He'd seen her snap her teeth together, which had made him laugh. Bryce did hate that she wasn't telling him something- but was she trying to keep him safe from hearing something he wouldn't like?
Sadly, he could see that.
And he really didn't want it.

Once again he was disappointed and humiliated as she simply stared at him, almost blankly. She said nothing about his red face which was quickly returning to its normal color. She said nothing about his stuttered apologies. She did nothing except stand up, and stumble, completely and totally ignoring him.
So she really did love someone else. Someone back at the camp. The words she'd muttered before were not lies like Bryce had hoped they were, even though he could barely make out the name. He was sure she was just embarrassed- like most girls can be- and so he did not pursue the matter. That could only make things worse. So, like the gentleman he was, Bryce dropped the subject- and now it would come back to haunt him. Would she tell her secret love what he'd done? And would this man come and slit his throat while he was asleep? Self-consciencely he reached to touch his throat, swallowing hard.

And then.

Out of nowhere...

Her lips were pressed against his under her own free will, a soft hand was on his arm and on his cheek. She was kissing him. Tali was kissing him. Natalya, the woman he dreamed of, was kissing him!
And because of this strange realization, he was kissing her back, his arms snaking around her waist, pulling her as close as their bodies would allow, totally consumed in the kiss.

And all too quickly, it was over.

He let her pull back, his arms still around her middle, and his eyes trying to look straight into hers as she looked down. The fateful words that left her lips made his heart stop in its tracks before returning at the speed of a galloping horse. Carefully, keeping control of his movements, and hoping they weren't jerky, he tilted her chin up with one finger. "Natalya, I like you too."
Bryce's voice was no more than a whisper as he leaned over to kiss her cheek lightly.

[bunny]

"Not if I can help it. Well, I guess if you insist... But then I get to come and visit you. I don't want anymore crazy lake jumping, okay?"

Her body tensed at the first sentence, trying to understand what exactly he planned to do if she continued to work at Florence's after tomorrow. Instantly, however, Natalya immediately relaxed at his next sentences. Having misinterpreted his words, she replied, laughing, "Right. A guy with a very large sword could, er, stop me from getting here..."

In the same breath, she answered his question despite the fact that it was probably rhetorical. "And, I'll saving swimming for the summer. Though, you might want to tag along in case I get in over my head."

That was her indirect, nonchalant way of asking him to spend more time with her besides today. Perhaps in the future? After today... after the novelty of her visits wore off, would Bryce want to see her again? Talk to her again? Hold her in his lap like this? Or were her romantic thoughts unfounded? Finding it wise to remove her thoughts from him, Natalya, again, began reciting poems in her head. Her thoughts flashed to gardens and children and anything else that could exclude him from making her face red. Anything... Anything... No. All she saw was his face. The happy expression in his eyes.

"What else were you going to say, Tali? You don't have to hide things from me..."

Natalya shook her head at the question, finding the answer more embarrassing to utter than denying his request. Beaming up at him to soothe any hard feelings for denying him, her hand moved to stroke his. “It was nothing important, Bryce. I just have a hard time keeping my thoughts to myself. I didn’t want to blurt it because it was the first thought that came to mind.” End of discussion. Not even Poe was going to know what had gone through her head. That might be because even Bunny doesn’t know, but that’s beside the point.

Then, as her lips pushed against him insistently, she found that he wasn’t opposed to the activity at all. In fact, right before she pulled away, her body registered his arm pinning her to his body. That feeling, more than anything else caused her to shake. Kissing was still new to her. Bryce was her first real kiss, and she had never had any desire to lean forward and kiss him before now. This strange… This urge to continue was almost too compelling to suppress. More self-control than she realized was needed to keep from making a fool of herself.

If things weren’t bad enough, the simple touch of his fingers to her chin was enough to send her heart into an erratic rhythm. The words, an echo of hers, struck her heart until it broke in two. There was no choice. Natalya had run out of options so quickly. The hand that had been resting on his arm moved effortlessly to the other side of his face. Willing to leave herself open for rejection, the young woman pushed onto the balls of her feet and tried to continue the kiss she broke.

I really like you.

[Poe]

With a chuckle, Bryce nodded. "Actually, I could," he said lightly. "If I was thinking about it..." He shrugged. "But I wouldn't threaten you like that." He looked at her seriously. "I can promise you that, Tali. I would never threat or hurt you." She meant too much to him. Too much to have to hurt her in any way. With a deep breath he rested his chin on the top of her head for a moment, simply thinking about her. It was futile to keep his mind off of her. He'd given up on that a long, long time ago...

Bryce looked down at her, grinning. "Glad to hear it," he said at her promise to keep all swimming in the summer. Tag along? Uhm. Duh. Of course he would. "I'd love to play lifeguard," he said brightly. And, of course, maybe see or do other things with her... But he wasn't going to push it.
And hey! You cannot hate him for being a little bit lustful about a pretty girl like her... He was only a guy after all. One that hadn't had physical contact like this in who knows how long.
(And no, Ara doesn't count because she was totally asking for it, and was [/i]totally[/i] using him. So. End of story. Don't bring it up).

She was saying something, he could hear his name in her words, but otherwise they fell on deaf ears. She could have just told him she hated him and he wouldn't have heard. He was too blissfully happy that she'd kissed him like she had. That she'd said she'd liked him. So all the words she said fell on ears that just weren't open to listening to what she was saying. But perhaps he'd get a wake up call soon enough.

Once again, she was kissing him, her lips pressed against his, continuing that first kiss. All he wanted now was to pull her as close as possible and never let go. Ever.
Okay, possessive, much?
So he knew he'd have to let go sooner or later, but it was nice to think that maybe this could last forever... He would like that, actually.
But he kissed her back non-the-less, his hands running up her back, one cupping her neck, the other sliding back down. His eyes had slid closed, enjoying the feeling of warmth she had against his skin.
Tali, sweetheart, I don't think you realize how long he's (or myself, Poe) has been waiting for this.

If only he could answer that single thought that she thunk (is that a word?). He continued to kiss her instead, pulling back slowly, resting his forehead on hers, eyes opening to look at her. He played with her damp hair for a moment, a smile on his face. Leaning forward he kissed her lips gently, moving the hand that played with her hair to stroke the side of her face. He murmured something indistinct.[/size]

[bunny]

He couldn't hear her as she talked. Natalya didn't notice he couldn't hear. Not that she was still talking. Her mind was completely consumed by the kiss, focusing on moving her lips with his. Sigismund has said she was a terrible kisser. Was that so? Bryce didn't seem to mind as he pulled her dripping body closer to his. It was as if he truly liked her back. If that was so... she was willing to embarrass herself. Stroking his cheek gently, Natalya tried to distract herself as he finally pulled away to break the kiss. She had been resistant, but not enough so to try and force him into another.

He leaned his forehead against hers, and the blush returned all along her cheeks and neck. It was... Natalya didn't know if she was ready to open her eyes yet. To see him staring back at her with whatever emotion was cast in his eyes. Her fingertips moved down his neck from his cheek to the hand playing with her hair and grasped it. Holding his hand in hers was comforting, helping to slow the insane speed of her heartbeats. It was all too much to be true. Trying to kill herself had ended in kissing the one person she ever wanted to kiss.

"Oh god," were the first words out of her mouth, eyes still closed to his face. She sucked in breaths faster like when Sigismund had tried to suffocate her. But, that was the wrong reaction. Bryce had done nothing to keep her from breathing evenly... Why was he moving? Natalya finally pulled her face from his and opened her eyes, glancing down to see if he was walking or something. No. He seemed to be standing still...

"Bryce." Her legs were shaking. Continuing to try and breathe, Natalya let go of his hand to throw her arms around his neck as tightly as she could. Maybe she hadn't recovered as quickly as she had assumed. The shaking in her legs increased. Her eyes flickered to his face for a moment. Her stomach reeled at the sight of his eyes, blue like water. Natalya let her eyes fall closed. "Bryce..." it came out raspier this time. "I... need to lie down. Don't... leave me?"
[/size]