timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

[ 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. ]

[ Caught in the act and there's no hiding it. Not from her, anyway. She just knows him too well at this point.

Still, a little color finds its way to his face at being called out. Though he recovers and gives her a small smile, bordering on sheepish. ]

Can't help it sometimes. [ She just. Does things to him. Years ago, he hated it, how much it felt like it was a loss of control. Now he just knows it's part of being around Inej. And well, letting himself actually feel things has sort of helped.

Turning to face her, he hands her one of the rolled up towels from nearby. ]

Here. [ That'll be more comfortable. Whenever she re-situates, he idly braids a small section of her hair, the process always a bit soothing. ]

Never thought I'd see Novyi Zem.

[ she smiles a little at the comment and the feeling of kaz’s fingers against her hair, braiding a loose lock.

the towel-pillow is definitely more comfortable, and she sighs. ]

I never thought I would be married.

[ she says lazily, letting her arms rest against her sides, stretching her legs into the sun. ]

Life is full of surprises.

Neither did I.

[ It seemed like such a fleeting possibility. One he hadn't even considered, mostly because he figured he might be dead before he ever found someone. If he found anyone at all; it's not like he'd endeared himself to people.

Nor did he go out of his way to try to be flirtatious. Despite plenty of women trying their hardest. Then again, he hadn't ever noticed. Too focused on business.

And yet somehow, here they both are. On a beautiful beach, married, and a whole future ahead of them. Kaz grabs the other towel and lies on his stomach next to her, still quite in the shade, reaching out briefly to brush a loose lock of hair away from her face. The sand under the blanket is warm and he thinks he could probably nap like this. ]

You were the best one.

[ he lays down, and inej glances over at him as he brushes the piece of hair out of the way. she smiles a little, at his comment, and she soon rolls over onto her stomach, scooting a bit closer to press her lips against his temple. ]

I would be here with no one else but you.

[ she settles in for a nap, and for the next few hours, they lazily hang out on the beach. she does go swimming and spends some time talking to two shu women who are also there on vacation. it gives her a chance to practice her shu (which is still not Great, but getting there) and gain insight into what restaurants are good and which are to be avoided.

later in the evening, kaz spends their walk back to their hotel grumbling about too much sun. and freckles, of all things. which causes much eye-rolling in inej, as they slowly meander their way back to the room. they have dinner reservations at a place on the beach. intended to be very romantic, probably. so, as inej artfully reminds him, kaz should suck it up.

as they let themselves into the gated area by the pool and he still is frowning at himself as he looks at his arms, inej lets her eyes wander to the pool. and in her head, she calculates how much pressure it would take to knock him off balance to drop him in the pool.

( he hasn't had a bad reaction to just water in a long time. and inej knows he can swim. and a pool is not the ocean, it's clearly defined and you can see the bottom and is not something that could remind him of that period of his life. )

so, as kaz continues to frown at his arms to determine if he's going to suddenly have a resurgence of freckles, inej shifts her weight to essentially hip-check him off balance, to send him directly into the (lovely, clean, delightful) pool with an ungraceful splash. ]

[ He's never napped on a beach before. Though he certainly sees the appeal after this afternoon; the sand is warm under the blanket and the sound of the ocean is a soothing white noise. He drifts in and out of consciousness comfortably, usually when Inej moves, turning so she doesn't get too dark on one side or taking a dip in the water. At some point, he makes more headway on the book he's been picking at. And even dares to stick his feet in the water, though he doesn't go further than up to his ankles. The water is much clearer than Kerch's murky harbor but something about the pull of the current is still worrisome.

Of course he spends just a minute too long in the sun while enjoying the ocean. Which means he ends up with freckling across his face and shoulders, all down his forearms. It makes him rather self conscious, something he grumbles about after they've packed up and started to head back to the hotel. He's not exactly surly but he is vaguely annoyed.

Inej rewards such behavior as she should: not at all and by gently shoving him into the pool as they pass. There is no graceful way to flail. Or to sputter, which he does when he resurfaces with a surprised gasp. ]

Inej! [ Wow??? Rude??? He swims awkwardly to the ledge, cane still in hand. ] What was that for?

[ the sight of a bedraggled kaz brekker protesting and sputtering causes her to burst into laughter, but inej soon stoops down to his level near the edge of the pool, grinning like the cheshire cat.

if it were literally anyone else, they might face dirtyhands' wrath. almost certainly the removal of teeth. but inej has always had far more leeway than most. and now that he's agreed to love her until the end of their days . . . well, that's free license to shove him into a pool, she thinks. ]

To cool you off, from your extraordinarily long time in the sun today.

[ with another laugh, as she holds out her hands. ]

Let me see the cane, the ladder is right over there.

[ If she were anyone else, he'd be furious. There would be threats made and followed through, possibly a cane swung in their general direction.

However, Inej is Inej. And while he glowers at her at first, he can't help the smile that starts to work its way onto his mouth. Rude as hell. How is he supposed to be mad at her when she's so clearly delighted? ]

Oh, I see. [ He drawls, amusement poking through. Well, he supposes he deserved this since he did spend some time complaining about it.

She asks for his cane and he passes it up. Though whenever she grabs it, he's going to get his revenge and tug her directly into the pool with him. ]

[ inej is a fairly strong person. but she's relaxed, and grinning, and honestly is expecting kaz to just do as he's told. she should have known better, at that smile, but she's pulled off balance fairly quickly when he yanks the cane back toward him, and she winds up in the pool with a splash.

she surfaces quickly with a sputter of her own, her hair plastered all over her face. though unlike kaz, she isn't glowering -- instead, she sends a splash of water directly into his face with a swing of her arm, with a laugh. ]

Brat.

[ now her cover up is sopping wet and clinging and not comfortable to swim in at all, what a mess. and she pushes the hair out of her face. ]

This is going to take hours to dry, and we have a dinner reservation.

[ as if she cares, but now her hair is a giant sopping wet mess. ]

[ Had she been prepared at all for him to get his revenge, he doubts he would've been able to pull her off balance. Not only is she strong but she knows how to counter balance her weight. Specifically so she isn't pulled off her feet, as she would have to worry about in a fight with someone bigger than her.

Which is basically everyone she's ever fought.

So, it is satisfying to see her land in the water with a splash and come up grinning. Her hair is sticking to her face like a curtain and he laughs as she tries to tame it in some water. She splashes at him and he turns quickly, avoiding most of it getting in his face. When he turns back to her he's smirking, clearly satisfied. ]

Dry it enough and I'll pin it up, problem solved. [ Obviously!!! Kaz sets his cane on the ledge and hoists himself out of the pool, peeling off his extremely wet over shirt and wringing it out. ]

[ the comment earns a roll of her eyes, and inej swims to the side of the pool to pull herself up onto the ledge. her oversized shirt-turned-cover-up is all but useless, now, see-through and clinging to her form.

-- though, really, kaz had the same problem, which she notices with some satisfaction. though he removes the shirt, which is oddly annoying. it looked good the way it was.

her, though -- ]

Problem solved.

[ she repeats incredulously, as she tries to wring out the bottom of the shirt. what a bother!!! ]

I don't think you've solved any problems, you've only created them.

[ but it's clear she's not actually annoyed, as she gets to her feet, stepping out of her sandals to shake the water out of them. what a punk. ]

[ Oblivious as usual, he doesn't note her pointed look when he had the shirt on. Despite his own gaze dropping to where her blouse clings to her curves. Being white means it's relatively see through. Which shouldn't matter because again, he's seen her completely naked, but it still does things to him as he watches her wring the bottom of her shirt out. ]

First of all, you started this. [ He says, grinning as she shakes her sandals free of water. ]

Optional solution: we skip dinner and do other things instead. [ Kaz that isn't really a solve!!! ]

You deserved it.

[ she regrets nothing!! and she soon slips her sandals back on before shifting her attention to her hair, trying to wring out the water. and she's about to suggest that they head back to their room when he decides to . . . well, be himself.

she rolls her eyes, clearly exasperated with his apparent one track mind. what an infant!! ]

If your "other things" include a cold shower, then I think that sounds like a plan.

[ so there, before she stops wringing out her hair to hold out her hands, so she can help him up. if he needs it, anyway. ]

And as I think you have had enough swimming for today, we should probably go to dinner.

[ It was worth a shot, though he suspected that was going to be her answer. Alas. ]

Alright, alright. [ Truthfully, he does want to wash off, despite the dip in the pool. It still feels like he's got sand all over. Between his cane and taking hold of her hand, he manages to get back on his feet, slinging his wet shirt over one shoulder as they head back to the room.

Once back, he does help Inej braid and pin her hair up, so it's not just a damp mess all down her back. It looks good with the dress she wears, leaving her shoulders mostly bared, the slope of which his eyes keep coming back to throughout dinner. The weather here is warmer so he does without the vest or tie, rolling up his sleeves and unbuttoning the top button on his shirt. Dinner is an outside affair, which means there's at least a cool breeze the drifts up off the ocean on occasion.

Inej, getting her revenge, does make him sit through several courses, including dessert. Which he steals berries from, because he's wholly uninterested in the cake concoction she's clearly enjoying. By the time she's done, he wants nothing more than to kiss her. Though he keeps it to a hand on her knee and a kiss to her cheek. At least until they've finished and settled the check. Then he sets his hand at the small of her back while they walk, taking it slow and enjoying the quiet night. ]

Strange, hearing almost nothing. [ Ketterdam is always loud. And even on her ship, there's the dull roar of the waves echoing off the wood. The creak of boards and rigging or the occasional snore coming from where the crew slept. Here, there's barely anyone. It's relaxing. ]

[ she quietly loves it when he dresses down . . . or as "dressed down" as kaz brekker ever gets. this is pretty close to perfect, honestly. especially as they meander their way back to their room, his hand against her back. ]

It's nice, isn't it?

[ warmly, as she looks up at him with a slight upward tug of the corner of her mouth. he looks calm and relaxed, which is often a rarity. and she supposes it's the same for her. it's rare they can just be. ]

It's so quiet, and peaceful . . . I feel like we are the only ones here.

[ they did pay for the ridiculously expensive honeymoon suite which is essentially their own little villa, but. whatever. ]

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