timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

[ she opens her mouth to repeat it —- Llewellyn —- but her tongue gets tied around the syllables fairly quickly, and she decides to give up on that one. ]

We may just have to break that promise.

[ she decides as she curls closer to him, grinning to herself as his arm circles around her snugly, sighing comfortably. it has to be almost four in the morning by now . . . ]

I am sure he will be okay. His feelings will not be hurt that badly.

Frankly, he might not remember it come morning.

[ Kaz had quite a bit to drink, but he's pretty sure Nina and Jesper had outdone everyone else. And somehow they'll be fine in the morning, they usually are. Ugh. ]

Let's get some sleep, tomorrow we'll have to start thinking about packing. [ He says sleepily, tilting his head to press his lips to her forehead. Today was just the first day of a number of weeks that'll be the meaning of wedded bliss. At least he's pretty sure. ]

You are not going to be up before noon.

[ she says knowingly, letting her eyes close at the kiss to her forehead. Inej isn’t entirely certain she’ll be up any earlier, but she does know packing is likely not happening tomorrow.

but she soon relaxes, murmuring a quiet good night and an I love you before she drifts off to sleep. ]

Mm.

[ Oh hey, the past however many hours have finally caught up to him because words are difficult. He murmurs love you in response and feels the pull of sleep.

And then not much else until morning swings around. When Inej gets up, his consciousness surfaces as it sometimes does. He thinks he asks her a question, though how clear it comes out, he isn't exactly sure. Because then he's dropping back to sleep. At least until the sun shines in a bit more fully, enough to fall across his face. He groans, turns over, and then feels the insistent pounding of his head.

Ah. There's Nina's hellish alcohol striking with a vengeance.

Carefully, he drags himself out of bed to the bathroom, working up the energy to at least wash his face. Standing up for too long is just not a great idea though, so he ends up flopped back in bed. Away from the sunny spot, which means he's in the middle of said bed, comforter haphazardly draped over himself.

Inej, as usual, seems to have gotten up and about. He thinks he can hear her in the kitchen, but he doesn't have the energy yet to investigate. ]

[ unlike her beloved friends, inej tries her best to drink water throughout the evening while she drinks. so when she does wake up, her hangover isn't as severe as it could be. so when she gets up, kaz mumbles something that is honestly indecipherable, and inej decides she needs to make breakfast.

so she gets up and shrugs into a loose white robe to go to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast. she hears some movement in the bedroom, but it soon ends. likely back to bed.

she arranges the food (which is just eggs in a basket with a bit of ham on the side) and coffee onto a tray, carefully balancing it as she walks back to their room. she sets the tray on the bedside table, arching her eyebrows at the sight of kaz in the middle of their bed, seemingly avoiding the sun on his face.

what a child. ]

Good morning.

[ she says, amused, stepping around the bed to move to the curtain, to tug them a bit more closed so he can have some respite. ]

Drink coffee and come back to life, please.

[ He doesn't hear her come in at first, too preoccupied with avoiding as much light as possible, an arm thrown across his eyes to block the filtered brightness. It's not until he hears the tray being set down and the curtains drawn that he hazards a peek.

Ok, not too bad. Though he winces as he sits up, head immediately complaining from the change. ]

Morning. [ And honestly it is a good one, despite the pounding headache. He even flashes her a small smile when she asks him to come back to life, reaching for the aforementioned coffee. ]

I don't know how you manage to get up so early all the time. [ On normal days it's baffling enough. Today is a pure mystery, one he lightly ponders as he sips his drink, enjoying how hot it is. A few sips and he feels slightly less hazy, though that probably has less to do with the coffee and more to do with the fact that he's sitting up. Whatever. ]

I drink water.

[ as she takes her own cup of coffee, settling down onto the bed to rest against his leg, crossing her legs underneath herself, letting the robe drape over her legs. ]

You look slightly less dead than I expected. [ she manages to say it fondly enough, as she sips her coffee. her hair is still loosely curled from the wedding, falling around her shoulders -- she should really jump in the shower, but feeding kaz before he got into a vile mood took precedence. ] Regretting your choices?

[ aside from marrying her, obviously. ]

[ Ah, well. There she is, smarter than the rest of them as usual. ]

Really? I feel fairly dead. [ This headache is no joke. Still, he is up, which is something. About halfway through his coffee he finally starts in on the eggs and toast, which have an almost immediate effect at helping relieve some of the worst pangs. That could also be wishful thinking.

Or maybe he was hungrier than he thought, on top of the hangover. Not the best combination. ]

A minor regret. [ In the grand scheme of things. Glancing over at her, he twirls a loose curl around his finger, smiling a bit when he lets it go and it bounces. It's cute like this, though he's biased and likes her hair no matter how she chooses to wear it. ] Some other choices are not regrettable, ever.

[ the corner of her mouth tugs upward, at the idle playing with her hair, and inej sips her coffee a bit more, letting kaz eat a little bit before she leans over to collect her plate to start on her own breakfast. ]

Ah, good, you have no morning-after regret for most of the decisions you made yesterday.

[ amused, as she takes a bite out of her toast. she teases, but she knows in her heart that kaz would never take back most of what happened yesterday. -- maybe whatever toxic ravkan liquor nina had him drink, but that's about it. ]

At least we have nowhere to be, today.

[ inej is quietly glad she declined the whole post-wedding breakfast idea that had been floated around by more than one wedding planner. neither of them would have made it. ]

How anyone manages to do a breakfast after that, I've no idea.

[ Then again, most others are a little more preoccupied with the right way to do things. Neither of them are the type to care much about tradition.

He thinks the rest of their friends are probably thankful they didn't have to be up so early either. Jesper, at least, isn't a morning person. Then again, he does shake off his hangovers easier and is willing to go to most social events. So that's a bit of an impasse.

Either way, they'll find time to get their close friends together before they leave Kerch. For now he just enjoys his breakfast. When he finishes, he gently leans his shoulder against Inej's, sipping the rest of his coffee.

They've already been doing a similar dance over the past however many years, but it just feels different. After all, he'd promised forever, yesterday. Turning his head, he brushes a light kiss to her temple. ]

Want me to start a bath for you? [ She did, after all, have to deal with breakfast. ]

[ she finishes her breakfast pretty easily, humming to herself in agreement, at the comment about breakfast. she had considered it if only to have more time spent with her family, but . . . she likes this better, now that she's on the other side of a night of partying.

the kiss to her temple brings out a small smile, and inej puts the plate back on the bedside table to finish her coffee. ]

Mmm . . . that sounds nice.

[ truthfully, it sounds divine. and as inej finishes her coffee, she settles in next to him a bit more, resting her head on his shoulder. ]

You would wake up more if you took a shower.

[ and probably feel better, honestly. ]

We both need to be functional to start packing.

[ She speaks the truth—he probably would feel more awake if he took a shower. And the hot water would help relieve whatever tension he managed to gain in the middle of the night. Being drunk seemed to do that to a person.

First though, he loops his arm around her waist, pulling her a bit more snug. He leans his cheek against her hair and lets out a quiet, content sigh. ]

Yeah, alright. [ If he doesn't move now, he's going to be tempted to roll right back over. And they really do have some packing to get to.

Reluctantly, he pulls himself away from her side and finishes his coffee, setting it on the tray. Then he's carefully making his way to the bathroom, starting the water running and checking to make sure it's the right temperature before he lets the tub fill. When he comes back out, he grabs a change of clothes and looks over at her. ]

I can clean up here, go enjoy your volcanic water.

[ his arm around her waist feels lovely, and inej is contemplating a nap when he decides to go draw her a bath. and she stretches, lifting her arms over her head with a satisfying yawn as he goes to do as he says.

when he comes back, inej pushes herself up out of bed, making her way over to him to tug him into a gentle kiss, grinning a little. ]

It is not volcanic water.

[ as she nudges him away, so he can go change, ducking into the bathroom. ]

It is a normal temperature for normal people who enjoy a normal bath.

[ unlike kaz, the weirdo. and she leaves the door slightly ajar as she steps inside. keen to enjoy her bath, inej is quick to shed her robe and slip into the water, sinking in with a comfortable sigh. ]

[ (It's basically volcanic water).

Eventually, the two of them do wash up and start with some basic packing. Deciding what was essential and what could stay for the time being—a process that takes longer than expected. The rest of the week they pick at it in between meeting up with Nina before she heads off to her next assignment and checking in with Inej's parents before they go back to Ravka. Jesper and Wylan have them over for dinner and Kaz puts out a minor scuffle at the club before he hands the reins back over to Anika.

The days practically fly by, as does the trip to Novyi Zem. They're graced by stable weather and good winds the whole way there. Their first night checked in, they don't do much aside from order in and go right to bed—sure, they'd gotten rest on the ship, but it wasn't always the most restful. When morning arrives, it sees them both much more awake and less travel worn, enough to venture out for breakfast and after, to the beach. Where they do manage to set up an umbrella, so he doesn't try to make lobsters jealous.

All in all, it's not bad. ]

How's the water? [ He asks, as she comes back up from dipping her feet in. Kaz isn't certain he'll actually make it in, but he's curious all the same. ]

[ the sun is absolutely divine. she had been quick to change into a bathing suit and a cover up; the benefit of having a private beach is, well, no one is there. generally speaking, anyway. there's another couple a ways down the beach, another guest at the hotel, probably. but no one else in sight. and so inej is dressed in a white loose overshirt and a sun hat, with her bathing suit underneath.

she hadn't asked kaz if he wanted to come down with her to the water, when she walked to test it, knowing that his relationship with such a thing can still be tenuous at best. but the ocean feels wonderful, cool and refreshing after walking along the hot sand. and she considers taking a swim when she decides to walk back up to kaz, grinning a little as she adjusts her hat. ]

It feels nice.

[ warmly, as she ducks underneath the umbrella to sit next to him, careful not to get too much sand on the blanket they've set out. there are chairs nearby that they could drag toward the umbrella, but ah well. ]

It's cool, but not cold. Perfect for swimming.

[ which she may do in a moment or two, but first, she leans over to kiss his cheek, amused. ]

Is the umbrella to your satisfaction?

[ She grins when he squints up at her, the sun blotting out the details of her expression. But then she's settling down and he reaches over to straighten the tail of the ribbon on her hat. Her outfit is definitely in the realm of cute and he's torn between just admiring it or giving in and touching her.

Thankfully, she solves the problem. Partially. Because she leans in for a kiss and that lets him put a hand at the small of her back, under the shirt she has over top. She hasn't been in the sun very long but she's already warm from it and he tilts his head down to nuzzle her shoulder. ]

Looks pretty calm, should be good to float about in.

[ As he's quite sure she will. ]

I haven't burnt to a crisp yet, so I think it's doing its job. [ Honestly, it's pretty opaque, casting a deep shadow all around his little spot. ]

[ she hums to herself at his assessment of the water, and inej leans against him easily at the hand to her back, resting her head on his shoulder. ]

Burning to a crisp would ruin your vacation a little early, I think.

[ as she reaches up to take off her hat, so she can make herself a little more comfortable, stretching out her legs. ]

It is beautiful, though, the water. It's a clear blue.

[ Kaz adjusts his weight, allowing Inej to lean against him more. It's peaceful, listening to the ocean lap at the edge of the shore, a soft breeze coming in off the water. The sound is different than the rustle of the harbor. Deeper, less choppy.

Less gulls, certainly, though the devilish animals are still present. They seem to mind their own business, though. Not like the ones by the docks, who're intent on nicking food from passerby's fingers. ]

Just a bit. [ He really doesn't want to have to deal with sunburn if he can help it.

She points out the color and really, it's the first thing he'd noticed; nothing like the brackish green-brown surrounding Kerch. Would it make it any clearer, then? Seeing the harbor floor is an impossibility, probably for the best, but maybe not here. ]

You give it a run for its money, in case you were wondering.

[ she tilts her head back a little to look at him, her nose wrinkling at his (admittedly very good) line, a lazy grin appearing. ]

What a compliment.

[ amused, letting her head drop again to look at the water, the waves lapping against the sand rhythmically.

she supposes if she would be compared to anything, it would be the sea. calm and even-tempered on the surface, without knowing anything underneath. wild and untamed. dangerous.

not a bad line, all things considered. ]

I should have worn the blue one. [ inej muses to herself, as she watches the water. picking out a swimsuit had been an ordeal, mostly because she's never really purchased one before. and she had been daring, mostly due to the privacy of their locale. she had settled on yellow, feeling bright and cheery, to celebrate. but: ] The blue one is the perfect match to the water, here.

[ The compliment is much deeper; she could be as dangerous as the water before them. A placid seeming surface and a fierce undercurrent. If one wasn't careful, they were bound to be swept up in it.

Most of the time, that went poorly for them.

As for him, well, he ended swept up in a different manner altogether. It's why he has a difficult time pulling his gaze away from her—that is, when he doesn't have to. The nice thing about this place being so tucked away is he doesn't have to worry about being so open with his looks or words.

Or his touch, for that matter. He traces the pattern near the hem of her shirt, two fingers resting right on her thigh. ]

We're here for a while, the blue will have its turn. [ Besides: ] You can make the sun jealous today.

[ Frankly, the sun should be jealous of her every day but he keeps that to himself. ]

You are on a roll, today.

[ with a laugh, as she looks over at him, eyes bright with amusement. it's not often, that they can just be. even though they live together and have for some time, there's always work. and ketterdam, ketterdam never really allows anyone to rest.

here, there is literally nothing to do but relax. and swim, and enjoy the sun. eat food and drink whatever they please. which is the point, she supposes, of a honeymoon.

his fingers trace around the hem of her shirt on her thigh, and she idly considers taking her shirt off and angling herself so she can lay next to him while also being in the sun. but first, she leans over to kiss him gently, tone warm. ]

But you are going to run out of lines if you use them all on the first day.

[ just saying. ]

[ Ah, his favorite sound. He grins in response, face lighting up with it. There's no worry that someone will see. Or if they do, he doubts they'll ever meet them again.

Not like he hides his happiness from her in Ketterdam, but it could sometimes be reserved, in public. He's never gotten comfortable with showing too much of himself when there's a chance it could be seen by someone other than her. Or one of their close friends. Strangers and acquaintances didn't have that privilege. ]

Hmm, maybe. Then I'll have to resort to an awestruck vocabulary. Single words only, like "pretty".

[ It sounds ridiculous coming out of his mouth. Even if he'll never admit she's gotten to him enough on occasion that his mind could only process in such a way. ]

Pretty.

[ she repeats, arching her eyebrows, her tone dubious, though there’s the faint hint of amusement in her expression.

and while he does that, inej shifts to sit up a bit straighter, so she can tug off the overshirt. feeling warm in the sun, and content to just lay there and soak up the sunshine. she pushes her hair out of her face once she takes off the cover up, folding it neatly, before adding: ]

I think I prefer the lines.

Edited 2020-09-09 00:11 (UTC)

It is the truth.

[ There was something else he was going to say alongside it, though she does that thing. That thing where she gets him to stop talking, though he isn't sure that was her entire intention.

Still, she succeeds in it, as she pulls off the white blouse, leaving her just in her two piece and her long undone hair. He feels a mix of things as she settles in the sun. One is the familiar skip-beat of his pulse. The one he associates with simply loving Inej.

And then of course, there's the creeping warmth under his skin as his gaze drops to her exposed stomach. Which shouldn't have so much of an effect on him, considering he's seen her naked almost every day this past year. But yet.

Well fuck, what was he saying? ]

Um. Yeah?

[ he stops arguing the point, and inej is about to roll onto her stomach to lay down when she notices he’s agreeing to . . . what?

she arches her eyebrows a bit further, at that, before she decides to settle back to lay down on her back, sighing to herself at the feeling of warmth. ]

Single word vocabulary, hm?

[ amused, closing her eyes. ]

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