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RESPITE WATERFALL POOL - MIDDAY
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Nesseth floats about on his back in the pool, the sun warming his scales wherever they breach the surface of the water. He's currently not wearing a single thing, having decided with Erika to just do a bit of skinny-dipping together since they were alone on a nice walk out towards the waterfall... among other activities.
Erika surfaces from a dive, splashing water everywhere while her mane covers her face: "Prrf! No new plants down there this time. Ah well!"
Nesseth laughs a bit as he shifts and floats upright again when Erika surfaces nearby. He shields his face from the splashing water and grins. "Maybe next time, hm? When was the last time you got to check underwater here, anyway?"
Erika shrugs, then peels some of her hair off from her face: "Don't remember. Been a while." She hums: "But you know, never know when a new specimen pops up, so gotta keep ones' eyes open."
Nesseth hums and nods as he floats closer to Erika and gives her a warm hug. "Mmh, yeah, just like that plant in the garden. All kinds of new things pop up all the time."
Erika giggles: "Must be something in the water. In which case, does that makes us a strange new species?"
Nesseth chuckles as he floats back a little. "Maybe? Probably would need to change a bit more permanently than we've had so far to really count, though, I figure."
Erika sticks her tongue out: "Let's at least get out of the water first. I don't actually know if I could swim on all fours."
Nesseth smiles in amusement. "I know for sure I wouldn't be able to. But yeah, we could probably catch some sun to warm back up a bit."
Erika swims in place for a moment, nodding: "Sleeping in the sun sounds honestly pretty great right now." She slowly makes her way to the edge of the pool: "Or sleeping with you."
Nesseth swims with Erika to the side of the pool. As he draws close again, he sneaks a kiss on Erika's cheek. "So we can get a bit of both done here at the waterfall. No worries about being ambushed, either."
Erika giggles at the kiss: "Hopefully not, this close to town. And if one of the guards find us, you can just shoo them away."
Nesseth nods. "Exactly. Besides, it's quiet enough that we'll probably hear folks coming up along the trail from a ways out. Wouldn't be too hard to make them go elsewhere."
Erika smirks: "Unless we're fast asleep. But at least a guard is somewhat unlikely to eat my backpack."
Nesseth laughs quietly. "I mean, if a guard decided to raid your backpack while I'm sleeping right next to you, they'd best be starving, or they'd have to patrol the runoffs for a month."
Erika giggles: "Well, you're the lieutenant so I'll believe you." She finally climbs up from the water and very unceremoniously flops onto the dry grass, laughing as she does.
Nesseth hoists himself out of the water as well, though he takes a moment to shake some of the water off of his scales before he goes to join Erika on the grass. "But we don't have anything to worry about. Ahh~... there we go. Nice and warm in the sun~"
Erika shifts onto her side, leaning on her arm as she shamelessly admires Nesseth's clothes-less form: "I can think of many worse ways to spend an afternoon. Like that one time I got stuck in a tree I thought I could climb into."
Nesseth turns his head to the side with a smile, also rather shameless as he eyes up Erika's form in turn. "You know... I'm still curious about that whole incident. I'm guessing you saw something up in the tree?"
Erika hums as she glances at the one of the nearby trees as she thinks: "Think so. Some windswept herb or something, don't really remember. Just remember staying up there til I was rescued." She blushes at the memory.
Nesseth smirks playfully as he leans forward and teases the tip of his tongue against Erika's nose for a moment. "It looked easier going up, I bet. At least we were able to get you back down without any trouble."
Erika giggles: "W-well, yeah. Note to self, leave climbing to more able people. Which is really almost everyone."
Nesseth shrugs a little and chuckles. "I dunno, you've got the legs for climbing. But, well... hooves probably don't work out so well for that, even if you've got some amazing legs~"
Erika sticks her tongue out: "Actually, hooves work just fine for climbing, it's really my height combined with all the branches that makes it hard."
Nesseth hums curiously at that. "Really? I would figure you being so tall would make it easier to climb?"
Erika turns to lie on her back, giving a sort of half-shrug: "Well, yeah, but with all the branches getting in the way it's really not. Cliffsides have less proddy outgrowths that get in the way."
Nesseth nods as he rolls over a bit more onto his side to look at Erika. "Fair enough. You've got a better grasp on that sort of thing than me, by far."
Erika hums: "Experience or stubborness? You decide."
Nesseth smiles at the okapi. "Both, maybe? Being stubborn isn't always a bad thing."
Erika giggles: "Maybe not. It's gotten us both in and out of trouble."
Nesseth winks as he lazily drapes his tail over Erika's legs. "Mostly out of trouble, I like to think. We've got mischievousness to get us into trouble."
Erika smiles as she closes her eyes: "Sure, if you want to get all technical on me. Either way, it's us getting into and out of stuff." She pauses, blinking her eyes open again: "...I'm not sure if I meant that innuendo."
Nesseth laughs a bit as he folds one arm under his head as a makeshift pillow, and his other hand reaches over to gently grab onto Erika's hand. "It was a good one, though, either way." He leans over for a moment and kisses the okapi on the cheek again, "Catch you on the other side of our nap, then?"
Erika laughs as she closes her eyes: "Sounds like a plan. See you then, love~."
Nesseth hums as he scoots just a bit closer and lets his eyes drift shut. "See you in a bit, dear~"
Erika leans on Nesseth for a good sleep. Best lizzert for sleeperies.