Kieran tried his best to keep his eyes from bulging out of his head once he realized what Aura was trying to suggest. [i]’You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,’[/i] he thought to himself. His mind raced to think of how he could best sneak her into Port Apex, and the very thought gave him sharp pangs of anxiety. He’d had to get past the Port Boys, which was going to be an issue all on its own with how shitty the men of the port could be, but even beyond that, beyond paying off anyone who saw them, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. His home was terrible. An amalgamation of whatever he could find within a few containers. Nothing even close to creature comforts. But...he knew they had to do it. After the party, “Sada” was going to be public enemy number #1. And he knew that he would need to contact AA before they tracked him down themselves, endangering them both. Tonight and tomorrow he would spend the time sorting out a cover story and next steps. But for now, there was a more pressing problem. He needed to get them out of here, and quickly. He watched as Aura turned to hurl over the boat and wrap herself up. He tried not to watch too closely. It was uncomfortable, watching someone unravel. But he knew he would have done the same had he been in her position. She was now a fugitive, and he needed to do what he could to protect her. So, instead of watching, he occupied himself with the engine block. Taking the jumpers and making a few adjustments, he pulled hard on the pull cord, once, then twice, then-- [i][u]WHIRRRRRRRRRR[/u][/I] The engine roared fiercely into the night, before settling to idle at a lower speed. He could feel the boast jostle beneath them--a good sign--and knew that the engine was moving the propeller. They were mobile. [i]“So, what do you say? It’d only be for a few days.”[/i] He turned away from the engine block and back to her. “Until we know what the fallout is from this, I agree. You need to lay low. Let's get moving." -- Kieran occupied himself with the rudder as the boat buoyed and bounced its way through the choppy waters of the sound. Above them, moonlight reflected several-fold. As Kieran took a wide berth away from the shores of Apex, the light meant that the two could see all of Apex in this one, simple light. The city looked more dead than alive out here. The towering retrograde buildings in the heart of downtown had half-fallen--leaving jagged peaks and imposing pikes to rise from the earth. Even still, behind the city, he could see the distant peaks of a more natural kind. The mountains that surrounded and seemed to consume Apex. Cutting it off from...whatever it may be beyond. “My Dad told me once that our family had come from the other side of those mountains,” he thought aloud. “I wonder what’s there now...” He glanced to Aura before quickly realizing those thoughts had been said aloud and turned away to avoid discussing it further. Luckily, the port was quickly approaching, and it was time to get ashore. Once a few hundred feet from shore, Kieran killed the engine and let the ship slowly float towards one of the many deserted docks on the north end of Port Apex. He knew that in the shadows, many of the Port Boys and others would likely be watching. Tomorrow, he’d have to venture out to see who knew what, who and told whom. Once the ship docked, he helped Aura off of the boat and onto the rocky shoreline. As he did, he could see her injured foot--and it wasn’t looking great. “Here,” he said, moving to her opposite side, “don’t put much weight on it.” He slipped an arm around her and helped her cross the short walk to his home a few hundred feet down the shore. He opened the door to reveal the same home he had known for years--spacious enough, given it was four shipping containers connected together, yet still small enough to where the entire space could fit in a single field of vision. He helped Aura to the bed--a rather large tarp over makeshift betting and some blankets pawned off from a client--and moved to the furnace. “Sorry for the mess,” he said quietly, [i]Why did he feel so embarrassed?[/i] He quickly started a fire and warmed up the cold space, before moving to his water tank and pulling together two pints of water. He brought one over to Aura. “It’s not much of a place, but I made it myself,” he continued. “It may not be all that grand, but it’s home.” He sat down on the floor a few feet away--a comfortable conversing distance, plus, he had no real seating in here other than the bed--and finally, took a deep breath. They were safe, for now. “We should get something for that foot,” he noted. Kieran was quickly beginning to realize he had a good deal of anxiety brewing in his chest. Strangers came and went--and he was very comfortable conversing with a whole host of them throughout a day. But Aura was much more than that at this point. And he hadn’t spoken with anyone he actually cared about in years, and now, suddenly, he and Aura were bound together. It had happened so quickly he hadn't realized how quickly he had come to trust her. He suddenly felt aware of the fact and tried not to think on it too much. “And I’ll see what clean clothes I have that’ll fit.” He felt another pang of anxiety. Perhaps if he could focus on fixing whatever issue was in front of them, it would go away. Still, it was a nice feeling, in a way. Maybe these next few days wouldn’t be so bad after all.