I find Bav working in the library, still translating the texts of books from other languages he knew to Jakeshan. He didn't seem to notice me, nor did Amara, Calire, and Marco, who sat with him, helping.
They could translate most of the common words found in a handful of languages from Earth, but still needed help with words that did not translate or were, what did Bav call it again? Slang? I think that was the word...
My thoughts drift for a moment as I watch them hard at work, stopping only to drink from a glass, refill an inkwell, or inquire about a word that they would add to a translation text they were working on. I watched as Bav concentrated on copying his texts, his tongue caught between his front teeth as he thought about something.
"If you have time to spy on others working, you have time to be training."
"BLESSED ELEMENTS!" I jump and turn, lowering my body, throwing a fist out which Veyr blocks, chuckling.
"You nearly scared the life out of me!" I growled at Veyr, standing back up straight from my defensive stance I had taken.
"Maybe you should be more aware of your environment. Then you would have noticed me walking up to you, and to clarify, I walked casually to you." Veyr leans back against the bookcase, crossing his arms casually with a cocked brow.
I harumph, sticking my tongue out at him, before turning back to the table where everyone is watching us with strained lipped smiles, holding back their laughter. Bav is holding his chin so that his mouth is covered to try and hide the smile that is evident in his eyes. I point at him and then motion for him to follow me, not saying a word as I turned around to leave. Before I pass Veyr, I stick my tongue back out at him with a sneer.
Stifled giggles and cat calls of, "Uh oh.... Bavarthos... What did you do?" They teased him as he followed me out. As soon as we get around the corner, I pull him to me and kiss him fiercely. Bav returns the kiss, but breaks it with a smile on his face.
"What is this for?" He asks, stroking my face, "Not that I am complaining, but this is new for my wife to attract my attention in such a manner."
I smirk, kissing his lips again, "Ready to pack a bag and explore the wilds of the nether space with me?"
He pulls back, his eyes scanning my face like he didn't hear me correctly. "What.. well..." His flustered words have my my smile dropping.
"Did you not want to spend some quality time together before we must go back? Before you leave me for who knows how long?" I push myself from his arms, suddenly feeling disappointed in his reaction.
He grabs me by the waist and next thing I know, we are in our room. He goes to our wardrobe and opens it up, pulling out clothes and other items. He grabs a few things from the bathroom and pauses at the look I am currently giving him.
"Oh Rakara, you can't be serious? If I start making love to you, we will never make it out of this bedroom." Bav sighs, placing the items into a small bag on the bed.
I chuckle, and let him know as I walk towards him, "You assumed I was thinking about that, but you are wrong. I was merely surprised and amused at how quickly you are packing to go. It is a rather pleasant feeling, knowing you are just as excited as I am for this trip." I take his cheeks in my hands and pull him closer for a quick chaste kiss.
"I'll go grab the camping equipment I found in my mothers old room. Then we can go to the kitchen and pack some food items." I suggest as I step away from him.
"Are your clothes packed and ready then?" He asked, not letting me pull away from him any farther.
Nodding, I inform him, "They're ready in my mothers old room. I'm taking the dresses that I can get around, with the pants underneath. I want to try them out before I take them back with me. If you're ready, you could snap us there?"
"Just a moment, dear." Bav turned and gathered his stuff into his bag and took my hand before snapping us to my mothers old room.
Getting to work, I quickly grabbed my pack with extra clothes, camping equipment, our tent, and sleeping rolls. Bav took and attached the tent and his bed roll to his pack, before taking the cooking pan and kettle to place them in his bag to lighten my load. Once done, I was fidgeting with excitement. I have never had the opportunity to go camping, it's always been something I've read about in books, but never experienced.
"Ready to head out?" I ask, unable to calm my self or prevent the smile that lit up my face.
"Food?" Bav reminded me.
"Yes, oh, how silly of me. Yes, we need food." I blush, reaching for his hand so we can go to the kitchen.
We pack some dried fruit, bread, cheese, and spices, but then sat back and discussed what else we should bring. We're debating on bringing some dried meat when Soot's comes walking in with something in his hands.
"Oh good, you two haven't left yet. I was thinking that you two would appreciate taking these fishing rods and net with you, so you could catch your meat. There's plenty of fresh fruit in the orchards and plenty of edible items in the forest, so it's just meat you need to worry about." He extends his hands out with the poles and a small bag, which Bav takes from him with a smile.
"Thank you, Soot's. We appreciate it." Bav says adding these items to his bag as I look at Soot's who seems embarrassed at the moment.
Soot's shuffles his feet before sighing, like he was building up the confidence to say something.
"Well, I think we're ready then, Kara darling." Bav informs me as he put the pack on his back.
"Yes, shall we get going then?" I glance at Soot's, "If there is nothing else you care to say, Soot's?" I ask raising a brow at him.
"Yeah... Here, take this." He pulls out a piece of rolled leather, that he opens up to show us. "This is a map of the surrounding mountain ranges and forest, all the way to the ocean waters. The Dragosvellierians live in the areas marked with the black stars, and we are the here." He points to a circle with two rings crisscrossing over it. "There's a few landmarks on there, plus all the rivers. Just stay away from the blue dot areas. Those areas belong to the Dragosvellierians and contain their private groves. There's some caves up in the mountains that are the perfect size for a stay, near a river and there's a hot spring in the cave next to the river. Great for relaxing in after a hard day of trekking through the woods."
Soot's rolls the map back up, places it in the pocket of my bag and walks out of the kitchen, not saying anything else.
"Thank you!" I call out, knowing he heard me as I turn to Bav. Soot's still confused me, sometimes, but I could see he was trying to form a familial bond with me. In his own way.
"His actions speak louder than his words do, dear." Bav rubs my arm, knowing what's running through my mind at the moment.
I turn, a thoughtful smile on my face as I look to meet his eyes, "I am aware my dear. I noticed the pattern with how he is. He wants to dote on me, but I believe he's against forming too deep a bond. I'm assuming that I remind him too much of my mother and it reopens his old wounds on his heart."
I take Bav's hand and motion to the stairs that will take us outside, "Shall we get going?"