Janius' response was to nod. He did so for several seconds, blinking back a glaze on his eyes. His brow knit and he took a quick breath. "After all this time..." He cleared his throat to try and keep his voice level. "After how they treated me when I was young, hearing it..." He raised his brow and smiled at Kaleeth. He was holding back tears that had been stored for a long time. "It's nice. It's a relief."

"Come on, we just..." Rhazii caught his tongue, flustered. He lowered his voice and craned his head down to mimic Julan's whisper. "We just talked, had lunch, and played a board game." He shot a glance at Julan. "And...kissed for a bit." He shot a hand up. "But-it-was-nothing-bad! Nothing that...you know, would infect her or anything. Look, please just don't tell mother and father?"

[hr]
Still catching her breath, Lunise stood with her jaw dropped and her eyes focussed. Meesei's words brought a bright flush to her face and a quickness to her breath. Her heart thumped against Meesei's chest at a gallop.

"You talk too much." Lunise pressed her lips against Meesei's, inhaling a deep draft of her scent. It took considerable willpower for her to break the kiss. "We will be here all night if we do not return now." She closed her mouth and swallowed.

Lunise looked off to the side, where Meesei's neatly folded dress and shoes sat next to the scattered articles of Lunise's thrown uniform. "Here, I will help you," Lunise said, finally stepping away to pick up Meesei's clothing. Garment by garment, she dressed her. Lunise's words were spoken with sincerity, though the way Meesei was dressed held an air of care and affection. For those few minutes, the usual adversarial and acerbic side of Lunise was replaced by uncharacteristic nurture. She gave Meesei one last kiss on the neck and the side of the head before she saw to her own coverings.

Lunise cast small smiles to return Meesei's looks. "You owe me a set of undergarments," she mentioned while pulling on the first article.