Nothing is Easy (Finished)

[ruma]

Ruma headed back to her room after visiting with her king and her slave. Not a long visit, but one she enjoyed. It was important to see Merik every so often, remind him that he is loved. Especially nowadays, where he seemed so on edge.

She settled back in and got back to work. She was beginning to run preliminary trials on her new airship model. She had to scrap the last one after she realized the plating wasn't holding against any of her high energy levels. It just shook too much to be entirely stable. But this new design, utilizing energy for flotation instead of a fuel thruster, might work a lot better. So far the energy required for flight was at about 40 percent of the previous model. Still needed plenty of energy, but energy she could provide.

"OK, let's see what happens at 120." She flipped a few knobs and the small model airship began to float again. The knob on the dirigible part of the ship was turned up higher and airship began to accelerate. Ruma turned the knob back down to normal levels and pumped her fist. It was working! Something of this magnitude was actually beginning to work. She was quite excited for this triumph.

[Jin Reno]

It took a bit of work and traveling around, but at last Jin was able to find the baths of the fortress, and he quickly slipped in to use it, washing himself down and cleaning the cut in his forehead. Lisa also joined him for a small part of the bath, Jin washing down her shell and making it shine lightly. Next was a small bandage around his head, just twice around to keep it from getting dirty again, and satisfied with this, he slipped into his pants, put his clothes into his bag, and left the baths.

Now he was lost again. Jin swore there needed to be maps of the interiors of the fortress so this wouldn't happen so much, but there was a feeling he might of been one of the first confused. However, after finding his way back to the sparring area, he was able to find the path back toward Ruma's room. Several Gerudo seemed a bit distracted by his wondering through the fortress, being a man, strong, and shirtless probably did something to them. However, Jin was really just focused on one thing.

What the hell was going to happen between him and Ruma when he got back to the room? Where they going to do what Merik had described? Was it something that both Merik and Kotone wanted to happen, more for Ruma then anything else? It was all so confusing, but Jin just tried to keep his head straight, suddenly finding himself at the door to the room. With a deep breath, he knocked on the door. "Mistress Ruma, may I enter?" He said, politely.

[ruma]

Ruma heard a knock on the door, followed by Jin's voice. So he had finally returned from the baths. She tensed up slightly, also wondering what was going to happen. Kotone seemed to really be pushing for this to happen. Well she wasn't going to let this hang over them like a dark cloud.

"Door's unlocked Jin" she called to him. To her, it was just as much his room as hers now. She may be his owner, his mistress, but she didn't really feel it. She deflated the airship's flotation and put it down among her other projects. It was about time she started the full-scale design anyway. She went over to her table, setting the helmet down, remembering how Kotone made her hair look and doing her best to copy that.

[Jin Reno]

The door was unlocked and she was inviting him in. Most of his clothes in his bag, Lisa at his feet, and his forehead bandaged with wrap, he opened the door and walked in. He looked over at Ruma, her helmet off as she messed with her hair. Jin gave her a smile and a wave as he and Lisa walked in, and put his stuff off to the side.

"So... what were you up too while waiting for me, anything fun?" Jin asked, looking over at the bookshelf with her plans and the table in the room. As he looked around, he realized he'd probably have to make a place for himself sometime in the future to store objects that he might find or simply come across during adventures.

He looked down at Lisa, only now realizing the small but dark bruise above where his rib was cracked. The source of the pain was from Merik's hit in their sparing match earlier. He had forgotten to wrap his chest up for the cracked rib, and there was nothing he could do to hide them now.

[ruma]

Ruma was busy with herself while Jin walked in. She wanted to make sure Kotone's advice didn't go to waste.

"Oh not much, talked with Kotone, I was working on my...eep!" She turned around while speaking to find his ribs exposed and his forehead bandaged. She rushed over to him with concern. "By the goddess, are you ok? Oooh, I knew I shouldn't have let you just free spar with anyone. Now look what happened. I'm so sorry, come on let's get you to bed." She took him by the hand and led him over to her bed. Of course, she was weak and he could easily resist if he felt he was fine. Then again, he probably wasn't going to disobey the orders of his mistress.

[Jin Reno]

When she eeped, looking at his body, Jin couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. Granted, he had a feeling her response was about his current condition, but this was the first time he really ever thought about how his torso might look to others.

"I'm fine... just got hit a few times with Merik, but I got him back just as bad. At least my face still looks good." He said, trying to joke away the sadness he felt for making her worry so. She led him to the bed and he just followed her, not wanting to make her feel worse.

"Don't worry about me... it'll heal up in no time, I promise." Jin said, now more trying to convince himself more then anything, never having anyone treat him so nice before. Strange that by being a slave, he was being treated better then he had ever been before.

Yet, he know felt as if he had done something bad, and due to it, she was blaming herself. "It wasn't your fault, I could of just refused to do anything..." He said softly, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to hide not just the bruise but all the scar he had, though his arms still had scars themselves.

[ruma]

Ruma helped him lay down on the bed, making sure not to reinjure his wounds. She felt bad, over time he would probably learn of her survivor's guilt.

She shook her hand and put her hands up. "I know, I know. You'll heal, but, I can't help but worry. I feel like I'm supposed to care for you or something, and by letting you get hurt I'm not doing my job." She climbed into the bed with him, laying by his side with a concerned look in her eyes. "But you're strong. I shouldn't worry. I'll just..." she cuddled up close to Jin, moved his hands away and put her head on his chest. "You're warm again. How are you always so warm?" She was reminded of what Kotone told her earlier. Soon, sister, soon.

[Jin Reno]

"I think its actually opposite in most cases." Jin said, trying to console Ruma any way he could think of. "I am the servant and the male... a lot of times that pretty much means I have to protect you... plus, I am good at protecting." Jin added, giving her a softly, slightly forced smile, hoping she would calm down somewhat.

When she started to lay against him once more, Jin couldn't help but blush a bit again. "Ah... I don't know... I just am warm... it's how I am." He said, his head starting to get fuzzy again due to the contact. Jin didn't want her to see his numerous wounds, but there wasn't much he could do to stop her as she moved his hands away.

Next she rested against him more, her head on his chest and he tentatively wrapped his arms around her, resting one on her back and the other stroking her hair softly. "Sorry I worried you... and sorry about how I look." He added, not sure why he felt like he had to apologize for the scars.

[ruma]

Ruma giggled on his chest, which felt funny. She liked the feeling and did it again just for fun. "Well, you don't have to protect me. Really, I think we should just make sure the other one isn't doing anything reckless." To an observer it was clear she just didn't want to lose him. But Ruma was still learning about how relationships like this one worked, and so didn't have the right words right now.

She actually wasn't bothered by his scars. "The scars are nice. The sign of many great stories, my mother would say." She pulled Jin closer, memories of her mother surfacing again. "I've seen enough scars from camp to get used to them." She was starting to tear up, something she did often when her mother was brought up.

She then picked her head up and used her shirt to wipe off the tears starting to form around her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths and settled back down slowly. She was sitting up, above Jin as she looked into his eyes. She began to make a move toward kissing him, but stopped, not sure.

[Jin Reno]

Jin blinked when she giggled against his chest twice, the feeling strange and a little bit ticklish, but he was more confused by the actions. "I think the one with the three shields should try to protect the great Inventor." Jin said, smiling at her and stroking her hair softly.

"I just wish they had great stories, or at least certain ones had stories I could remember..." Jin said softly, his fingers trailing across the Y shaped scar on his face. "You ok? Did I upset you?" He asked worriedly, seeing her tearing up a little bit, holding her against his body.

He watched as she seemed to recover, though still a bit worried for her, trying to figure out what he said that was wrong. It only took a moment for her to scramble his thoughts once more, as she slowly came toward him. When she stopped though, Jin reached up, his hand sliding up the back of her neck into her hair and pulling her close.

For a moment nothing seemed to exist as his lips touched hers.

[ruma]

"I miss mother. That's all. I get sad when I think of her." She would have continued to feel sad, but something happened that immediately alleviated her sadness.

Ruma felt a world of tension lift off of her as he brought her towards him, experiencing their first kiss together, and for her, overall. She wrapped her arms around him and reveled in the feel of it. It lasted for an eternity, and when it finally broke off she was speechless. She was propped up with her hands, and just stayed there, above Jin, beaming.

Eventually she gathered herself, and was able to speak again. "Jin. She almost sighed his name. "I was so worried you didn't feel the same way. But now..." she ran a hand through her hair and began to laugh in disbelief. So he felt the same way. She sat up on the bed, both hands now in her hair, her facial expression making it clear she was stunned.

[Jin Reno]

The kiss was something so much more amazing then he thought it could of ever been. The sensation of their lips sent shivers through his body, making him almost crave more, but whens he pulled back, he allowed the kiss to break. His hand still rested on the back of her head, gently scratching it, a smile on his face.

"I wasn't even sure I did... first time I felt something like this... it was all... just so new." He said to her, slightly in disbelief that it happened. Jin still blushed though, and when she laughed he was just a bit confused, but glad that she still seemed happy about the whole thing.

[ruma]

Ruma was still sitting up as the sensations began to hit her. So this was what Kotone was talking about. He was red, but not upset. So she was right after all, he did like her, and this proved it.

"Well this is a surprise. I thought I was crazy to have feelings for you, but now...it feels so natural." She lunged at him, hugging him tightly, being careful to avoid his problem spots. A moment passed and she went in for another kiss, keeping it going much longer than last time. The feeling was nothing short of amazing, and she didn't want it to stop. But she couldn't help but wonder. If this was so amazing, what would the later feelings be like?

[Jin Reno]

"Sometimes things like this just fit." Jin said softly, quoting a line form a book he had read, holding her against his body and smiling at her. The second kiss caught him off guard for a moment, but when the moment passed he returned the kiss with the same fever.

When it broke off, her gently stroked her back and rested a hand on the back of her head, cuddling with her some. "I have to say... kissing is pretty nice." He said, smiling down at Ruma. "Who knows how things would have turned out if I never went on that little boating trip. "

[ruma]

Ruma took the cuddling as a gesture of affection, which it was. She ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "I agree. I must say this is turning out incredibly well. Why don't we...experiment a little. Run some tests?" She ran a finger over some of his scars. She always liked having people rub her, the feel of other people was tingly, very nice.

"I don't want to think about what ifs anymore. Let's just focus on now." She looked at him, a fire in her eyes that only came while she was working on her projects. Now she had one more project to work on, and this one might be her toughest yet.

[Jin Reno]

Jin smiled and enjoyed the feeling of her hand through his hair and laid there with her for a moment. "Tests? Experiment? What are you talking about Ruma?" Jin asked, looking at her, a little caught off guard. He shivering a bit as her finger ran over his scars, watching her with soft, yet curious eyes. It felt good, her thin fingers against his body.

Jin wasn't sure what was going on in Ruma's head, but he just watched her without doing much more then rubbing her back. "This is nice though, just holding each other like this." Jin said with a smile.

[ruma]

Ruma wasn't sure how to proceed. She was told this was going to be a smooth process, that Jin would be in agreement. She was also told to just go for it. She decided to hold back for the moment, and just cuddle with Jin until her mind could figure out what it wanted.

"Never you mind. Let's just cuddle for a while." She was a very touchy-feely person, and having that with someone she was into made it feel so much better. She laid her head down, next to his, smiling. This new world she had just entered was amazing. It was surprising how Merik could be in such a bad mood if women did this with him. Little did she know of course, but she knew her king well. After all, they were family.

[Jin Reno]

Jin smiled and gave her a little peck on her nose. "That's fine with me... cuddling so far has been nice." Jin said, holding her against him and just staring into her eyes. "Mind if I ask you something?" He asked, rubbing her back and looking at her. He was a curious person after all, and there was something about her that made him wonder a little bit.

[ruma]

Ruma was feeling a lot less stress right now. The cuddling made her feel so much better. She snuggled up close to Jin, forgetting that the world might be falling apart around them.

"Of course Jin. Ask away." She liked questions. They led to knowing more stuff. And she didn't want to keep anything hidden from Jin. It wasn't like she had any skeletons in her closet. She didn't even have a closet to keep them in.

[Jin Reno]

Jin took a deep breath and, after ignoring the doubt in his mind, he spoke his question to her, softly.

"What was your family like?"

She didn't know much about him. She wouldn't understand his question to her, at least not right away. Jin wanted to know more about her as well, more about the life he had been forced into due to a choice he had made.

Mostly, he wanted to have someone he could confide with and who felt the could do the same.