“Oh-“ Seri squeaks softly, taken aback and swaying on the spot. Her knees tremble, and it’s all she can do to stop herself sinking and taking Nami with her. But the embrace feels just so right, and she returns it tenderly, nestling in against her. Her hand rises, brushing over Nami’s tentacle tresses - uncertain, and then with more focus, as she murmurs soft reassurances. She can feel herself melting more and more, the warmth and the softness between them seeming to absorb her - and her tiredness with it.
Nami’s breaths come more easily as she sinks into the embrace. There is a little tremor of panic as she wonders if she’s gone too far, yet everything she can sense tells her that Seri needed this too. Seri’s hand brushing her head sends tingles down through her, soothing the ache inside. If only they could stay like this forever… Distantly, though, she knows she’s still in danger of falling asleep like this. They probably both are. She wills her legs to support her, to prepare to steer them in the direction of a bed. “Um – we should still lie down,” she mumbles, “or sit, or s’mthng…”
“Yh.” Seri vocalises - just about. “Yeah. Uh, this way?” She follows Nami’s cue, separating just enough to move them in a sort of walking embrace. She manages to find her way to Nami’s cabin and, without much grace, slumps atop the bed. She’s aiming to sit, but in the process, she can’t stop herself flopping back heavily, dragging Nami down beside her. Seri lets out a sound somewhere between an exhausted sob and a choked giggle, followed by a groan as the bedding below saps the last of her strength. She fumbles for Nami’s hand, managing to turn onto her side, watching the blue-skinned woman with bleary eyes. “This… this works, right?”
The woman narrowed her eyes, as Olena spoke. For a moment, she did not speak, just looked at the rebel, with fire in her eyes. Olena waited for a moment, but soon she realised, that the young woman had no intention of answering her questions.
Olena thought back to the direction the girl had been running. Could there have been a reason to it or had she taken off in a random direction? Recognizing that she wasn't going to get an answer, the rebel stood up. "Dew! Come in here and find somewhere to hide this one. I want her restrained long enough for us to get a head start before she can snitch," the vixen called out as she wandered over to her prisoner... Before wrapping an arm around her neck behind and squeezed. Constricting the flow of blood to the brain, she only held the choke long enough to render her victim unconscious, before letting go and leaving the local to Dew to imprison. With this episode finally behind the group, Olena would go help Trask move Jackie out of the building. "Let's get going. We're going to find something worth a damn before we head back."
A long, relieved sight leaves Nami as she settles on the bed – her bed, her room, her ship. Safe. The last of the day’s fevered energy draining away as she lets herself finally relax. She manages to half-focus on the pink face in front of hers, indistinct but so beautiful before her tired eyes. She gently squeezes Seri’s hand, feeling that lovely warmth, the sheer comfort of companionship. For all the recent horrors, having her here is a lifeline, proof that some good has come of it all – enough that the rest, for the moment, can fade away. “This works,” she murmurs in agreement. “Thank you…”
Seri begins to draw in her legs, but stops short of dragging her boots over Nami’s bedding. She’s aching to kick them off, but even now she can’t help but fight paranoid thoughts that she’s overstaying her welcome. “I could’ve done that a little… little more gracefully…” she trails off with a soft squeak of a yawn. Fingers interlaced, she finds herself stroking her thumb against Nami’s hand. She tucks her free arm under her head, scooting a little closer, in danger of losing herself in those tired, soulful dark eyes. “You don’t mind if…” she stops, swallows. “Can I stay with you, Nami? Please.”
