Starting off on a new foot <Earth Kingdom>

[tali]

Tali smiled a bit at the boy and hummed thoughtfully still a small shiver rippled up her spine when he brought up the sleeping arrangements again, it didn't look like it would rain but it wouldn't be the first time she was wrong while camping, In fact the first couple nights on the road she'd been awakened by rain drenching her, all her things and her bed roll, personal frets aside if he was offering she could accept, it didn't make it any less awkward though. Near by Shu-zu's ostrich horse nibbled in grass tethered to a tree, she checked the line and finding it secure looked back to the tent with her stomach doing little flops. Why did this seem like a bigger deal than sharing a room with Sunil? She'd all but jumped on that offer but he seemed like a nice guy and a possible friend but he was going the other way. Shu-zu was also a nice guy, it didn't make too much sense.

Shrugging it off she moved over to her bag and after having made sure the boy was in the tent she tugged off her pants folding them and placing them in her bag soon followed by the yellow sash about her waist and then the white hair tie keeping her long chocolate hair in a braid. With her comb she ran it through a few times then retrieved her bed roll. Conceivably the ten was big, she didn't take up much room and she doubted that he would. There would be plenty of space between them, if he was a dangerous guy she would have noticed earlier, after all, she was a good judge of character, at least she felt she was.

Barefoot for the moment Tali did her best to slip quietly into the tent setting her bag near the door and rolling out her bed near the other side of the tent. As she was smoothing out the sheets a little crack opened in the tent flap and in waddled Fu the little kiwi who'd seen fit to follow them down the road, making a spot for himself he settled next to Tali's pillow curling into something akin to a sphere of feathers, an amused smile graced Tali's face at this act.

Without more then a light ruffle of sheets Tali crawled into bed snuggling onto her side looking at Fu and consequentially facing Shu-zu's side of the tent, she snaked a hand out and stroked the little kiwi with a rumbling purr in his chest as a result. With little more than a soft sigh she closed her eyes starting to settle into sleep.

[shuzu]

Shu-zu let his head fall against the pillow, and sure enough, the world around him was harder and harder to hold on to. He had a vague realization of Tali coming into the tent, but anything after that was a dark blur as he slipped into sleep.

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The morning came rather gently for Shu-zu, the world slowly becoming more clear before him with each blink. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the small bird, Fu, rustling around in Tali's bedroll. It was one of the first perceptions he got from the morning groggyness, somewhat ignoring all else for the moment.

He was not looking forward to another day of riding, but it couldn't be helped. At least they would be in a town by night-time, and they wouldn't have to sleep in this tent again. His eyes closed again, and the information that Tali's bedroll was empty gave his mind way to the fact that she must be outside packing up.

He figured he may as well rise and shine, and start the day well, but as he opened his eyes fully, what a surprise he got.

[tali]

As was usual for her sleep came quickly, but she didn't exactly rest the way most people did, half the night was spent tossing and turning, somehow she'd kicked off her covers and being cold she groped about looking for something warm, once she found it she curled her body up to the source of heat and allowed herself to finally physically settle though her mind had been long since dreaming.

When the lights of morning strung through the cracks in the tent flap Tali had turned her head away, nestling her cheek into Shu-zu's chest absent mindedly. Her hand was laid over his body gently embracing him with her leg twined in with his. She was slumbering rather peacefully, with her long brown hair over her shoulders and back, her bangs gently rested in her face and her lips parted just enough to breath through in the even motions of sleep.

As the individual she was resting next to, partially on top of began to shift Tali clung to her sleep attempting to remain in dream land despite her bodies intentions of waking up. Sighing gently she turned her head so it was face down on his chest, she was groggy and rather disoriented as she began to wake up, first her eyes open then her mind set to recalling the previous nights events, but why wasn't she in her bed roll? Shock set in and very slowly she looked up from the man's chest. This morning was turning out rather interesting.

[shuzu]

Words were not things that came to Shu-zu's mind. Thoughts, implications, and notions, all those came easily enough, along with the obligatory confusion and shock. But words? No, words seemed to be on vacation far away. He was now fully awake, to be sure, and he felt the weight of the girl on his left half, mainly on his leg and arm, and all he could do was attempt to shift his limbs a bit.

He felt his face begin to heat once his eyes met hers; he had never been, unintentionally, that is, in a position like this. Like any person his age, he had had the occasional fling, but this was downright unexpected. His mind was racing now, until he looked more closely at her facial features. She was surprised too. She was shocked, and obviously, groggy, just as he was.

Why in the world is she so surprised...? Shu-zu's mind was still trudging through the mental blocks that came with awakening, so he wasn't able to process all of this at once. He turned his head and cleared his throat quickly, before sputtering out, "What... are you doing?"

[tali]

Her mouth gaped like a little fish on the shore of a river, she was practically prey to her own circumstances as it was. She had never truly intended to wind up in this position and surely there was some reasoning behind their current arrangement but in the midst of her minds attempt to wake up, logic was far from her line of thought. Though looking at him he was as confused as she was if not more so, but as her cheeks took on a slightly pinkish shade it wasn't much surprise that she sat up with a start and turned her back to him the pink turning into a dark crimson.

" G-good morning!" Tali chirped back at him awkwardly shuffling her way over to her bed roll and quickly snagging both her sash and her pant, scooping up her shoes on the way out of the tent. It wasn't like she dislike Shu-zu but when it came to such awkward things she needed space and running out of the tent seemed like a good idea at the time anyway, least things become worse than they were. With in seconds she pulled on the brown baggy pants and secured the yellow wide band around her waist.

A step or two and her shoes were on and fretting her hands were running through her chocolaty brown hair trying to ignore the fact that moments ago she was in a rather compromising position with a stranger! Perhaps she should put her energies towards something more fruitful like getting breakfast, so in a fog of embarrassment and delirium she started tending the all but extinguished embers in the fire pit they'd made.