One of Niven Ai's twin moons. It is a habitable planet, made so by the diligent tending of Ai Orr during her long mourning period. It is dominated by a gigantic stadium formed entirely of willing nature, one in which Ai had planned to build a monument to her father before his vivification.

---

Niven Ai
Helantri Deru
Istan Aiga

---

Dewei appears not far from Ai's signature, and looks around, a bit confused on everything. Still, he's eager to see her. Just-restored, he hopes and expects that she'll be ecstatic.

Only if fairy-dancing in a wildly changing landscape of exploding colors in flora counts. Ai's laughter echoes all over the valley in which Dewei appears as she leaps from bloom to bloom, spinning corkscrews and singing nonsense songs. Her attire has changed again, something more appropriate to a half-goddess... a weightless silver one-piece suit dripping with golden lace and threaded over in a thousand shades of violet, her hair pulled back, her eyes aglow... yup. She might be feeling better.

Dewei's eyes shine a bit at that...he finally smiles again. It's absolutely impossible to not be swept up with her mood. It's absolutely overwhelming. He seats himself quietly and just watches, very comfortable in that realm of absolute, fulfilled contentment that makes leading a painful, risky, dangerous life worth it.

Ai continues for a moment once she realizes Dewei is there, but alters her direction so that she's gradually approaching him.

"Dance with me, Dewei!" If this is a request, there is no intimation of it.

"I...hehm...can't dance, Miss Ai," Dewei admits after a moment, grinning. "You're much better at it, I'm sure." Excuse? You bet. He isn't the extroverted sibling, after all.

Ai spins all the way to the ground just in front of him, eyes gleaming wildly in their new shade of freak. "Neither can I," she assures him, "other than to leap around and flail. But if you aren't afraid to take my hand," she presents it, "then I think I could dance for both of us. Besides, I want to show you the stadium."

"Well..." he laughs nervously, and hesitates. Smiles, though, and then takes her hand, face hot.

"Relax." She pulls him to his feet. "I have no intention of coming onto you, or making you feel uncomfortable. I just want to share this feeling with you. You gave it to me, you know." And she leaps up with him, dragging him by the hand to continue her bloom-hopping, tossing him at one point only to catch his hand again before he gets where he's going. She flips and turns and glides with him, moving bit by bit over the crest of the hills beyond this impossibly green valley.

"Look," she orders him once they rise above the ridge line, "that's the stadium."

Dewei's grinning by the time they get there, though. He has to admit...that was fun. Insanely so, actually. He doesn't let himself go often enough. Looks out over the stadium as he catches his breath. "It's lovely, Miss Ai."

"Is it?" She looks over the stands, all grown with flower-chairs like the ones she'd made for Tel and Fel and Muscles way back.  It has an almost uniform shade of blue to it, mixed with green of course, but is hardly overpowering. "Hey, Dewei..." she vanishes, reappearing in moment in the air a few feet in front of him. "When was the last time you played tag?"

He grins broadly. "The last time my aunt had a punch-filled water gun." Wrinkles his nose at the memory. "Spot had one with green dye in it."

Ai grins right back. "Want to play with me? I have no water gun, but I could improvise if you like." She looks down to the field below, where an entire grove of marsh plants are blooming before her eyes.

"Well...sure. That sounds like fun." Dewei has to laugh at the prospect. He's really quite relaxed, considering how stiff-collar he often tends. "So who's 'it'?"

"Must you ask?" And Ai drops like a stone, heading down to the thick tangles of the marsh below. She hopes to lead him a merry chase, but then, he is half cat-mutt. He is probably quicker than she.

Dewei grins. Gives her a few moments' head start, counting in his head, and then springs off after her.

Ai has an ulterior motive. She turns and twists, rocketing through the marsh plants before finally diving downwards into a very small hole, just large enough for a large human to enter. She knows the trail by heart, and turns only once before emerging into a tremendous underground spring. The mineral scent is earthy and delicious, and the jewels sticking out of the walls do a fine job of reflecting the one light she has set up down there. She lands neatly, summons a flower chair, and sits facing the entrance, all in one swift motion. Then she has nothing to do but wait for Dewei.

Dewei's only a few seconds behind. His auxilliary senses do a fine job telling him when to twist and turn through the virtual maze, and only hits somehing once...leaving him hoping Ai hadn't seen, of course. He skids to a stop in mid-air, all but tumbling over her. Then does, unable to get his balance fully, though he manages to tumble over her and not actually touch her. "Ehm...hi. You know, you stink at this game." He grins, and sits up to brush off his jacket.

"Oh?" The flower chair turns so that she can look at him. "You have yet to tag me, though. And I owe you something, but... I will leave it up to you when to take it." She blushes a bit, remembering a promise she'd made to him a while ago. "What do you think of my hiding place?"

His cheeks colour a little...but, thankfully, that's not that visible in this light. He looks around, making sure that he's aware of what he's agreeing with before he actually does...not something he's always good about doing where Ai is concerned. So, this time, he means it. "It's...truly lovely, Miss Ai. This must be a lovely place to just relax and take some quiet respite from everything else."

"It was a nice place to be during the early days of light sensitivity, mostly." Another flower chair breaks the stone, popping up for Dewei to sit. "Sit with me. Are you thirsty?"

Dewei smiles, and nods. "Thank you, Miss Ai." He gets up from where he'd so gracefully seated himself on the ground, and sits in the chair...though gingerly, at first, afraid of breaking it. "And..yes, a little."

The chair holds firmly beneath him, of course. A bloom opens near his hand, a flower-cup full of the nectar Ai had served for her visitors the first time. "Have you spoken to Ting recently? I meant to ask earlier, but I was sort of... bleeding everywhere."

Dewei smiles at her for the drink, but she speaks before he can thank her, so he nods. "Yes, this morning. She's doing well...she's planning to visit in the next couple of days, actually. As early as today."

"Good! I was hoping to have a word with her, as wel. I know that she trains with the Yeliuran Derrias, but... what about you?" Her fingertips run idly around her empty flower cup, for the sake of having something to do with her hands. Nice things to have, those, and she isn't taking them for granted at this point. "What are you going to do with yourself?"

"Really...I'm not sure, to be honest." Dewei shakes his head, though a smile touches his lips when he accidentally catches sight of her hands, having sensed them on her mind. Looks back up to her face. "Healing my father occupied my goals for the future for a very long time. It was the first thing I was really driven to do. Now...I don't know. However happily, that goal is gone."

"If I may give you a piece of advice, Dewei... find something, anything, to get into. I sat for ages just... gardening, really, and I regret it immensely." She nods, lets her fingertip cease on the rim of the flower. "You don't strike me as a Guardian, as your mother was. Or a Derrias, but neither does Ting."

Dewei nods thoughtfully. "Yes...I do need to. The Guardians...they're just...kind of there. Although my mother's one and could take charge of the whole lot of them at a word, and the other guy in charge is practically an uncle...I have trouble taking them seriously. They don't do that much, and the group is too far beneath my--our--power levels. The Derrias...no. Just knowing how they treated my mother and her brother for so long...I wouldn't be comfortable with it. Ting's more forgiving than I am."

He looks over at Ai after a moment. Smiles. "But...yeah. You're right. I do need to figure something out, reasonably soon. I'm just thinking aloud, not pushing aside advice."

"Well..." Ai crosses her legs, a perfectly decent gesture as she is not skirt or gown-clad. "Surely you must have interests other than sorcery. May I pry into you a bit?" She blinks. "Knowing who my father is, I should clarify 'figuratively'."

He grins at her for the 'pry' comment. Then, just thinks. "Well...most of my focus has always been magic. But I love study in general, I do. Histories, politics a little. But, despite what that sounds like...I don't think I want to be as isolated as my mother. I mean, I know her life, and I think she's finally arrived at a good place for her, but it's not a good one for me. I like people. Not like my sister, necessarily, in that I have to interact with everyone heavily, but...being around them. Especially when they don't know who I am, or, more accurately, whose son I am. Just...being out there."

"You could organize a library, you know." Ai nods. "A great one, truly galactic. Though I doubt there would be much excitement in that."

"Well...not insomuch, but it would be worthwhile, anyway." Dewei ponders this. Something else draws from it. Looks back to Ai. "But...on that note, you weren't nearly as idle for so long as you make it sound. You built the stadium here, for one thing. It's about to be used for a big tournament that a lot of peopl will no doubt enjoy. That's something."

Ai laughs, her musical tone restored beautifully. "True, Dewei. Should we, perhaps, get back and await dear Ting's arrival? She must know about it as well."

Dewei smiles, nods, and stands up, offering her a hand up. "That sounds like a plan, Miss Ai. I have a feeling she's going to arrive soon, anyway."

Ai accepts it, of course. "Such a gentleman," she chuckles in her mocking little way. "Would you like to transport us, or should I?"

"You have a better idea of where we need to go, so that's probably simplest."

"Alright. Oh, Dewei?" Ai squeezes his hand. "Thank you again. You'll have to tell me the story of curing me." Her eyes close, but she isn't teleporting yet. She's waiting, and wondering if he realizes it.

He isn't actually aware that she's waiting...for anything. He likes people, but he's not good with them.

Even so...after a moment, he leans forward, and kisses her lightly. Then, very red but smiling, he closes his eyes. "I...will do that, Miss Ai."

Ai smiles, eyes still closed. "Next time," she quietly tells him, "relax a little. This will be on the test." She chuckles softly, and her energies spark just enough to send them both back towards Helantri Deru.

---

Much later, Dewei appears not far from Ai and approaches her, alert to who and what's around with quiet interest.

Ai is standing at the gates of her stadium, dressed formally in a very professional grey pantsuit. In a semicircle around her there are two humanoids, a trio of insect-like centaurs, a short man in a blue hat, a pair of identical human girls who move, speak, and act in unison, and of course the obligatory gigantic hairy sasquatch freak.

"There he is." Ai waves. "Dewei! Come say hi!"

Dewei waves in return, and smiles at the other contestants. Bows politely when he's near enough. "It's a pleasure to make all your acquaintences."

"Introductions are in order," Ai nods. She takes a step over, loops her arm around Dewei's. "This is Dewei Tiono, a friend of mine who only recently rescued me from an eternity as a lich. Dewei, these are Azir," a humanoid raises his hand, "the magician, Molo the acrobat, Juli and Juni, Storch, Imzit, Zurzil, and Zezev, and the big guy is Bon."

He's smiling at their looped arms, pleased though trying to not read too far into it. Well...he'd already said the formal part. So, he just bows his head again to the company in acknowledgement. "Hi."

"Dewei is not very verbose. Smart, though! Alright, everyone, since you are all going to participate in this test run of the..." Ai looks at the short guy, Molo. "What were we calling this again, Emperor?"

"The Orr Cup," he nods, "the final vote came in this morning." Ai blushes, but goes on.

"The Orr Cup, you will all be expected to promote goodwill by being examples to your homeworlds, species, whatever. Now, as I understand it, our limited roster means that each athlete will be able to compete in as many events as he or she wishes. Magic, psychic powers, and so forth are generally frowned upon if they provide too much of an edge. One of the other competitors is a slip mage, for example, and essentially teleport across a finish line. Dewei here could do that as well. We will handle that sort of thing on a case by case basis, and if nothing else, my father has a way to even the playing field." She looks to Dewei. Whispers. "You are so cute. Do you want to say anything to them? Or questions?"

His ears colour just a little, but he thinks a moment. "Well, I am curious to know which events we can hope to see everyone en..."

"Ooo...funky-looking group. Hiiiiyee!"

Dewei blinks. Fingers find the bridge of his nose, ears pressing back just the littlest bit. Oh, lord. He knows his sister's "drunk" voice a mile away.

Ai grins, her lips spreading gradually into a full blown smile. "This is Ting, everyone," she laughs, "she will be plaiyng as well." She goes through the motions of introducing them. Ting seems of exceptional interst to Zezel, whose mandible open and close as if she is sniffing for something around her.

"Hmm..." Ting points at Molo, and grins. "I know you! You're all important-like!" Looks over at Zezel and pats his mandible. Laughs. "Nice to meet you too, handsome. Goin' my way, then?"

"Ehm, Ting..." Dewei cuts in, quietly... "maybe we could get you sobered up really quickly, so that you can remember the introductions a bit better...?"

Ting grins before turning to look at her brother. "Tsk! I can remember just fine. And besides, baby brother..." here her grin turns fang-baring broad. She's faster, in ways, drunk. Much less coordinated, but still faster. Dewei can only eep and distangle himself from Ai's arm just barely enough before Ting springs backward, pounces him to the ground and ends in a handstands on his shoulders, and laughs a tingly, excited laugh. "...You'd have to catch me first!" She laughs again, springs off of him, and ends up far back and high in the air, just daring him to follow.

Dewei groans inwardly at the social mess of it all...but then, he's also worried Ting's going to hurt herself, so it's not over just yet.

Zezel clacks her mandibles, getting the attention of the other two insectoids, who clack likewise. 

Ai blinks. "Oh shit."

Molo tilts his head. "Cover! They smell the alcohol!"

And the three workers leap up and take off after Ting, buzzing excitedly. The twins hit the dirt, the sasquatch chases them, and the magician disappears into his own cape. Ai grabs for Dewei's hands.

"Get up! We have to catch her double quick!"

Dewei half-accepts the help, but mostly jumps to his feet. "What's wrong?" It's asked quickly.

"Those are Lepidopterids. On their homeworld alcohols are incredibly prominent in vines and plants, and they use them for sustenance. Because of the games they haven't been allowed any in some time, and... well. They'll bite her." Ai looks up. "Our lives are a circus," she points out.

"Things blow up at circuses?" Dewei inquires a half-second before springing after Ting.

The elder twin, meanwhile, doesn't know when to leave well enough alone, and is having a tremendous time baiting the workers. Makes funny face once. Stops on a turret, feigning catching her breath, and then springs straight up into the air with blinding speed as soon as they get close.

"Imminent death" is nowhere near her mindset. She's laughing almost to the point she really does have to stop and catch her breath.

Ai vanishes, attempting to reappear where she can catch Ai's shoulders. A very peculiar flower with a bitter, turpentine scent, blooms in her hand. The smell will repulse the bug-creatures, if she can catch the raving Serinian hybrid.

Ting grins. Zips back, and just phases through Ai, and laughs delightedly. "Oh, so you do want to play! I'd move, though. They're really into it." She snickers, then zips away to get some distance away from the bugs.

Dewei grabs her from behind. Half an instant later, he goes flying over her shoulder and she whaps him into a wall. "Hiya!"

Dewei's eyes are a bit crossed, hand to his head from where he'd splatted on the ground. "Ow. I didn't know you knew that throw."

"Yup!"

By now the insectoid's sharpened inner mandibles are exposed, and they are practically frenzied. Ting's escape has gotten their attention completely, and they chase with the full intention of crippling her so that they can get at the precious alcohol she seems to have.

Ai growls when Ting goes through her. "This is why I do not drink." She holds out her hands, lets her fingertips move in the air. "Dewei," she calls, her breath misting in front of her, "it is about to get cold."

"Oh?" He inquires as he climbs back to his feet. Takes a deep breath. Springs again, ends up right behind Ting, this time takes her to the ground. Gently, but...not quite as much as before.

"Hey!"

Ai's rune-lines bind together, flashing from pink to gray at an utterance. Sheets of icy rain pour over the stadium area, cold enough that Ai herself feels frozen to the bone in only a few seconds. The insectoids stall in the air a moment, and then dive for shelter only seconds before their bodies go into natural hibernation, like a fly in the freezer.

Dewei is busily apologizing, but only as he sets his hand to either side of his sister's head sets to quickly removing the alcohol and its effects, sitting on Ting's chest all the while. His teeth are chattering a little.

The haze from the alcohol clears as it's neutralized. The smell and all lingering traces begin to quickly dissipate as well. Ting wrinkles her nose at her brother. "You're heavy, and I lost my buzz." She's amused, though.

Ai lowers her hands. She's shivering mightily, having never been a fan of temperature extremes, even after the chill in the air lifts. 

"Everyone," she calls to the athletic's commission members, "go home. We will get everything straightened out..."

In a fairly organized mess the others gather themselves into a spell circle Ai crafted to get them there, the sasquatch carrying the three hibernating insectoids along with him. Of all, he seemed the most at home just now.

"Is Ting alright," Ai inquires as they leave, "other than about to be goddess slapped?"

"Hey Ai?" Ting inquires before Dewei can respond, as her brother helps her up.

The goddess reaches up to knock on an icecicle off her nose.  "Listening," she answers, only lightly sardonic.

"Your tournament's already fun." Ting snickers.

Ai's face goes inscrutable. She's just had a mockery made of her first visitors outside of Felina and her cohorts in ages, and her father's side of her blood boils over it. "I will have to invite them back another day. Ambassadors from their planets, the lot of them, representing dozens of others each." She shakes her head, fighting against her sharper side as hard as she can. "I need to repair the damage that blizzard caused. If you'll excuse me."

Ting scritches her hair. She doesn't know what Ai's deal is. She can't think of anything she'd done wrong. "Well, I can help?"

"Oh, it does not require extra hands," Ai assures her, having more or less gotten herself back under control. "Ting, you must forgive me. I had hoped to show those people a place where they could trust things would go well. Instead I was forced to freeze us all half to death to stop alcohol-mad insect creatures from biting a drunken kitty-girl. It simply annoys me that I have lost face in front of them."

"Oh, I don't think so." Ting shrugs. "Things always go wrong, it's the way things are. But you proved you can handle it. That means more. Um...yup!" She grins. She's smarter than she looks. Not that that takes much.

Ai's lip twitches. Rationale she does not need right now. "Then try to revive the stadium seats. The plants are not frost-hardy. If you still wish to help that is."

"Okay!" And she trots off that way.

Dewei s horrified, and not sure what to say. Finally. "Ehm...are you all right, Miss Ai?" He ventures concernedly, walking towards her.

"Fine, Dewei, fine." She shrugs a little bit. "I just wanted to make a good impression. When I failed, I... well. I am my father's daughter." Disappointment seems burned into her darkened eyes, but still she smiles. "Do you suppose it will matter?"

"This incident? Maybe, but I doubt it. Ting wasn't the only one amused once the smoke cleared." He grins a little. He's not referring to himself. Yay psychics.

"I see..." Ai crosses her arms. "Alright. I will not hold it against Ting. You, on the other hand, are to be punished. Take me somewhere. Anywhere. As soon as you feel up to it, of course."

Dewei blinks, thrown for a loop. But, then something occurs to him. He mock-sighs. "I've no choice but to take punishment as best I can." He offers her an arm.

Ai chuckles her dry, Moornish chuckle. "Silly boy." The reaches for it, but pauses. "Ting," she calls, "I am borrowing Dewei for a bit!" And then she takes it. "Right."

Dewei grins, and nods. "Right." And then they vanish to a place called Rosen Flame.

---

They appear outside of a certain little hidey-hole...one of the very first places Dewei and Ai had connected in a special way. The half-serinian smiles. "It's been awhile since we've been here, I think."

"You remembered it..." That, in and of itself, deserves her admiration. He is such a sweet boy, such an indirect romantic... it is no wonder that she feels so for him. "Find us a seat," she near-whispers, "and I will tell you a story."

Dewei smiles, and nods. Ai's chairs are still in place...he refreshes those as they approach--he's not nearly as good as Ai, but is very well versed in life and light type magics--and sits down.

Ai ignores her chair, and lowers herself gingerly across his lap, as promised. She loops her arm around his shoulder and smiles at him, her cheeks slightly pink from so much close contact so quickly.

"On Earth," she begins, "there were people who knew of a World Tree. Their Tree had nine planes of existence... it was a big one, even by Yggdrasil standards. It was only the second ever grown. At the top of this Yggdrasil, a race of 'gods' lived, interfering with mortal lives as they saw fit." Ai leans her head against Dewei's quite abruptly. "That would be us."

Dewei laughs softly. "Yay for meddling?" He's thrilled at the proximity, though.

"Well... what I mean, is that we would not have to do anything we did not want to. We could help them along as we saw fit. We could mingle with them. But most of all we could inspire them as the divine." Ai hesitates just a moment. "Do... is this something you would enjoy, Dewei?"

"I'm not sure," Dewei admits. "It seems like a lot to be responsible for, but..." his expression brightens just a little. "If it would make you happy, Ai, I think it's definitely something to be done."

Ai shifts on his lap a little bit, so that she can look him more closely in the eye.

"Dewei," she begins, in a much serious tone than she usually employs, "there are hundreds of ways you could make me happy. I want to know if this is something that would make you happy."

He starts to answer, then hesitates...taking a few moments to think. "Well...I just had never thought about anything like that, Ai. I admit to being a little thunderstruck, but...sitting alongside you, at the top of something so beautiful and beside it as well..." he smiles, and nods. "I don't know that it would be possible to not be happy in that."

That is an exquisite answer. "Are you trying to make me swoon, Dewei?" She lays her head back upon his shoulder, idly toying with his hair. "We won't be separated from your family.  Passage back and forth is not impossible for us, since it is basically just a dimensional barrier. Mara-Kuru can teach you if you don't already know."

Maybe he is. Dewei just smiles at Ai, and shifts to set an arm gently around her shoulders. "Mother drilled safely passing the Barrier into our heads as soon as we had enough power harnessed to manage," he assures Ai, grinning. "Improperly sealed holes led to some very unpleasant training sessions on the home front."

Ai grimaces a little. "Oh, I can imagine. Father tried passing through the barrier that way once, and... well. He was ugly for a day afterward." She's losing focus on their conversation. Internally the sprightly goddess is torn... whether to ask him to take her and speak with Orrin and Felina, or whether to stay here, and risk advancing further than either might be willing to go just yet, is a choice she is not prepared to make.

Dewei, for his part, is content where they are. Quite content, actually. He grins at her a little. "And I'm sure waxing analytical about what went wrong."

The goddess grins at him, a pixie's grin. "When he came out, his nose was flat, and his hair was blue." She touches his hair, and honks his nose.

Dewei wrinkles his nose. "That doesn't sound pleasant!" he laughs. Grins at Ai, and catches her wrist from further nose-honking. Although, all told, she could likely overpower him if she really, really wanted to. "Much unlike this, you understand."

Her gaze settles upon his hand, wrapped around her wrist. "It wasn't. This... this is." She finds her voice wavering, quivering a bit in her chest. "You don't think me too forward, do you...?"

His smile softens. He releases her wrist. "Of course not, Ai...well. One of us has to be." He laughs softly, and kisses her temple. Blushes just a little, but not too much.

It heartens her that he takes initiative now and again. And she wants him so badly, to be a permanent fixture in her life, to hold her like this without the awkward complexity of the early stages of a relationship.

"Good," she smiles at him, blushing as well as he, "then... you won't mind if I tell you that I... well." Smiles evilly. "I'll tell you when we plant the tree." She leans closer, wondering how long he can hold out.

He's actually...still okay. Red, but okay. Smiles warmly at her. "I'll look forward to it, Ai."

She hugs him innocently. he's good. "Let's go speak with your family, Dewei. Unless you want to stay here a little longer...?" Her tone suggests that she would like nothing better, but she knows this is getting too serious too fast.

Dewei grins at her. He senses the mixed feelings, but..thinks, trying to figure out what would make her happiest. "Well...my mom's off and about somewhere, and I think my father's still in bed." She had gotten him out of bed, after all.

"Ah... so we have some time until then." Ai feels like she's burning inside, for once in a good way. "I'm afraid if we stay like this I will not be able to keep myself off of you. Let's do something...?"

Dewei smiles at her. "Well, since I'm awake now...did you have any ideas?" He has a few, but...eh. Instigating a make-out session is just not in him. He...well. Wouldn't know what to do anyway.

"Well. I need to get changed, for one. These are my bedclothes." Furry and warm, though. "Would you like to help?" She means pick an outfit, but it occurs to her that the statement is ambiguous, so she leaves it as is. She has been alone in a palace for more than a millenium, in general... and by now, starved for contact.

Dewei grins. The blush is pretty much fixed there by now, so no change in that department. "Tempting, but I should probably leave that to your devices." He laughs sheepishly. "Besides, womens' clothes are a great and frightening mystery."

The goddess sits up straight on his lap, a bemused smirk on her face. "You are sweet. Alright... meet me outside my house in twenty minutes?"

"Sure. I can grab a quick shower, myself, that way. I'm sure it would be appreciated." The halfbreed smirks. It's his dad's smirk.

She very nearly invites herself to go with him. Fights it off... its too fast, and not like her.

"I love you the way you are," she admits, the fire in her cheeks blazing bright. "But feel free."

Dewei smils, and blushes a bit at that. "Well, may be a good idea anyway, just so that you're not the goddess hanging out with the derlict. Any more than usual, of course." He grins.

"You don't give yourself enough credit. Now kiss me, and go, so we may meet again sooner." Ai shifts to make her lips more readily available, giggling softly. "Now."

Dewei grins at her. "No room for question, huh? I feel so abused." He kisses her without further complaint.

She stays there for some time, relaxing the longer their lips connect. She would remain there forever, if she could. At last, though, she pulls slowly back, starstruck and quiet as she gazes upon him.

Dewei opens his eyes after a moment, and smiles softly at her. "I don't suppose you'd rather just hang out here awhile?"

Ai cuddles back up without a second's hesitation. "Dewei... are you suggesting something?" Please, oh please be suggesting something.

Dewei's cheeks just darken a touch, though. Of course he's not. Isn't? Doesn't think he is? Probably more the later. Wishing and actually suggesting are different. He grins sheepishly at Ai. "Well...it occurs to me that it's hard to motivate myself to leave and get ready for the day, when it can't possibly offer anything better than this moment right here."

She could melt right there. And it's such a line!

"Let me decide that," she winks, "the day and I are far from finished with you." She rises from his lap, offering her hands to help him up. "Go shower. Today will be ours, alright?"

Dewei smiles, and takes her hands to get up. "It's plan, then. See? I knew you were sitting there pondering my need to shower." He grins teasingly at her.

She blushes brightly, squeezes his hands. "Oh no, Dewei, I... was just pondering our need to shower." She begins to fade, slowly though, as she wants to see his reaction.

The other halfdumen just smiles, and waves. "See you in twenty, then."

And she vanishes, a smile set on her face.