Ask Nothing Gold Can Stay

His hair was freed and that gave Hannibal more leverage to press in, charging forward away from from the pool's edge until the boatman planted in place. The Jedi kept going forward, collapsing in skin on skin, his own desire and appreciation for this situation abundantly apparent. He did not have a hand free to wander elsewhere but Buffy's exploration was rewarded with a renewed vigor in what he was doing with the one that was occupied, grinning into the kiss for a moment before returning to taste more of him.

Large, bronze hands traveled down across scars from lightning, blades, flame, and blasterfire that he'd kept intact. They ran over muscles forged from training as an agile swordsman. Every inch had those twisting licthenburg patterns overtop, things he could follow all the way down until he found what he was sought. Hannibal exhaled into the kiss then and squeezed tightly in mirror beneath the water.

Breath mixed between the two of them, alcoholic tingles through his body paired with the heat of close contact and honed muscles that rippled and flexed in their intimate dance. Hannibal ground shamelessly up against him, getting his fill of the bronzed figurine built up no doubt by hard labour. He never stopped pushing forward and the boatman never moved from where he was, lost in their stilled contest until Buffy drew away from the kiss.

Hannibal's brows raised up and he grinned right back, pulling his hand back and almost entirely away with a very deliberate slowness as the boatman suggested a different location. His room was certainly large and probably a better place for this for numerous reasons, both because it wasn't full of water and it was where he kept certain other things on hand.

"That there is, big guy." His grin widened and took on a playful tone, head moving slightly. There was a soft thump as towels fell from a rack onto the floor.

"Mind drying me off? Afraid I don't have a free hand just now."

The other man didn’t need to be an empath to know there was fiery, burning desire there. Emryc felt the other man’s slicked, muscled torso against his own. He exhaled into his mouth again as the man refused to relent his forward press, allowing Emryc to feel much more of him. The man knew exactly what he was doing, certain ways he moved his hips causing Emryc to actually grin against his lips.

After Emryc spoke, the man pulled back in a very particular way that caused his jaw to tighten. The man was a hunter, and there were two dominating forces at work here. Emryc briefly had to wonder just how much the other man was willing to yield. He didn’t release him just yet, keeping his grip where it was, visualizing what he felt and lingering on that.

His other hand slid off the man’s waist to return to his own side. Sensitive ears picked up the soft thud of the towels and Emryc paused briefly as he considered the situation. His body shifted and reacted where he was held.

“Lead the way,” Emryc stated after a moment, jutting his chin forward to tell the man to do as he pleased as he released the man. If it was going to be a battle, there would be a back and forth between forward advance and guard. He trailed along however the man wanted to lead the way all the way to the edge of the pool for them to climb out.

As requested, the half Sephi drew a towel to his hand to dry off the other man. After a moment, he turned the man around to dry his hair and down his back. Emryc pressed against the man, tracing kisses along the top of a shoulder. A free hand slid down the side of his body, unobstructed by the missing limb.

“I don’t know what you look like from here,” He murmured softly as his kisses took him up closer to the man’s ear from behind. Through it all, Emryc still helpfully dried him, the towel traveling along the opposite side of his body.

@Mr. Teatime

Hannibal pulled a little more insistently and pressed out and away from the hand that held him until the moment when the boatman dropped his hand from the Jedi's hip. He kept his grip as he turned to walk back to the edge of the pool, climbing up the steps and over to the towels, steaming water dripping from the two men's bodies to the floor.

His emeralds watched as Buffy summoned the cloth to his hand and ran the towel over him to take off the water. Hannibal ran his fingers forward as the other man worked, his grip reversing and dropping lower when he was turned around to get the rest of him, attention briefly intensifying each time he successfully dried a new spot.

The boatman pressed in from behind and the Jedi turned slightly to the side so his hand slid to the side of a sculpted and tattooed thigh. Lips pressed down into his shoulder and a hand found a new side of him to explore, and he briefly wondered if he should've worn the prosthetic for all this, hindsight being what it was.

"Well, here," Hannibal answered playfully, finally letting go to find a hand that wasn't busy with a towel. He brought it around to his front and pulled the boatman's fingers from his side across his abs and then further down past his waist, intentionally letting him feel how his body was reacting to the attention. "Don't have to."

After a few more seconds where Buffy's hot breath whispered across his ear and the towel found another spot to clear of water Hannibal stepped away and turned back around, letting his hand go and pulling the other towel to himself.

"Hand's freed up, help me out."

He reached forward and started drying the other man's shoulders and so as attempt to get them out of the pool area faster. The air ran over their bodies as he dried one side of the boatman's body, leaving the hair and things to him. Hannibal couldn't quite help very intentionally brushing against the same sensitive area he'd gripped before several times in the process to encourage him on his way.

"I think I've got a little somethin' you'll like," he said suddenly. Hannibal quickly determined that semi-dry was probably good enough, tossed the towel onto a drying rack, and placed his hand on the other man's ribs to guide him around the obstacles on the way to the lift in the hopes there would be no incidents this time.

Emryc felt the man shift, grasping his hand to guide it down his front. The half Sephi took a moment to finally give a brief amount of attention that the man may have been seeking, his lips still against one of his ears. He drew his hand back as the man moved yet again and turned around, an almost disappointed exhale escaping him.

However, the man stepped forth and began to dry him off, brushing purposely against things that sent jolts through him. Emryc’s mind was caught up in the toned muscles, the scars, the remnants of lightning and everything else he had felt. He could see the burning emeralds and that challenging look that never seemed to leave.

A hand returned to the man’s hip when he was being dried, the fingers digging into flesh to very loudly project a demand. The half Sephi said nothing as the towel was handed back to him, and he released the other man to finish up with his hair.

Emryc wasn’t quite as drunk as before, a comfortable buzz settling in as they made their way back to the level below. There was a bit of surprise as the other man guided him through the room, the gesture almost tender in nature from the otherwise very superficial man.

Mercifully there were no incidents on the way down, and Emryc even refrained from protesting if the other man assisted in any way. He allowed the man to lead, but he was certainly wary of their dynamic. The half Sephi was slightly more withdrawn, though that burning desire still remained.

@Mr. Teatime

"Told ya so," he muttered distractedly with a lazy and satisfied grin, finding himself looking up at the suite ceiling some time later while they lay there atop the bed. After a little while he'd push against the other man and try to sit himself up, stretching his neck and a few other joints and looking down and around at the state of things.

"I'm thinkin' showers before we head back, yeah?" Hannibal breezily suggested, reaching over to the bedside to retrieve a bottle of chilled water and placing it in reach of the other man's hand. He got one for himself and twisted it open with a thought before taking a couple gulps of the liquid, plastic container crinkling slightly in his grip.

"Guest room and refresher's open to you. Not gonna blame me if I take mine are ya?" He chuckled softly, figuring they probably had a bit before the storm would pass and they could go back without wandering through the rain. 'Course he also wouldn't mind if the boatman would prefer to head back to the village rather than chill out in the Jedi's ship and wait. Hannibal figured he'd be around a little bit anyway and that was where the man's home was after all.

"Oh, yeah. Y'know where that is too, or...?"

Emryc rolled off and plopped onto his back when the man nudged, exhaling in deep satisfaction. It was a mixture of satisfaction from their activities, but also the exceptionally comfortable and warm bed. Having laid on a bedroll on the ground for months made for a rather stiff back. He forgot what he had been missing with a real bed.

He heard the other man’s words and offers, laying there in silence for a while. He considered his options, one of his hands lazily brushing over the front of his torso.

Emryc stretched and cracked various joints, muscles rippling and roiling as he moved. The half Sephi rolled off the bed, heavy footsteps taking him towards the refresher and right past the other man. He stopped at the sink to hastily clean himself off to some degree before he walked out again.

“You got any pants I can borrow?” Emryc asked flatly, feeling too lazy to go upstairs to retrieve his own pants. The other man wasn’t exactly tiny and likely had some loose fitting pants or shorts that could fit close enough, though it’d be snug.

If the man was able to provide something, Emryc would put them on and walk towards the doorway, pausing briefly to speak, “I’ll have your drawing.”

He said nothing else as he used Force Sight to slowly navigate his way back out of the ship and towards his own hut.

@Mr. Teatime

Hannibal raised an eyebrow at the boatman and just shrugged breezily when he opted for a more basic option rather than a shower, drinking more of his water in silence and only getting up again when the sink turned off. He paused at the request and put the bottle down to go through a drawer and pull out an elastic-banded pair of green shorts. "Here, enjoy," the Jedi said as he handed them off on his way into the refresher himself.


The other man headed toward the exit and Hannibal turned to look, mouth opening and about to ask a question, but the boatman got to his words first. Hannibal smiled a bit.

"Good, 'cause I'm still gonna keep it." The Jedi watched the other man leave for a couple moments before he slipped into the shower to clean himself up before bed. Yeah, this was definitely going to be an interesting few days.

Fairly early the next day the young Jedi would re-appear in much more casual attire, although still with his ever-present utility belt, and had even bothered attaching his prosthetic before he headed to the village. He also had a small duffel with him with another cross-marked bag attached slung over his right shoulder and a collapsible fishing right casually carried in his left hand.

Hannibal surreptitiously edged out around the group of villagers staring at the section of crops that had gone from basically dead to peak health overnight, greeted an older lady, and took an extra couple seconds to kick a ball back for a young girl with a really solid kick of her own based on the way she nailed her toy off into the distance.

At last he stopped somewhere around where he was pretty sure the boatman's hut was and looked around for him, gave up within a second, and knocked on the door instead.

When Hans knocked on the door, he was instead joined by the little girl from earlier that he had kicked a ball to. She was staring up at him suspiciously, arms crossed over her chest. Though completely diminutive next to the towering Jedi, she had an air of authority about her.

“Are you Rick’s friend?” The girl asked very pointedly, “And if you’re his friend, wouldn’t you know that he always exercises in the morning?” Her tone was grumpy as she stared at him. After a moment, without warning, she rushed over and promptly kicked him in the shin. The girl gave him no chance to react before running off to go play with her ball again.

As if on cue, Emryc emerged after a few moments from further down the road. He was dressed in a tank, his own pants and was completely drenched in sweat. A few village ladies were conveniently positioned on his path back to his hut. Clearly this was an everyday occurrence and the women set up strategic places to ogle. Knowing he was blind, they were completely shameless about staring. Some of them were even gossiping, evidently forgetting that his ears worked just fine.

Emryc was oblivious to this, using his stick to make his way back while relying on Force Sight. The stick came in handy for brushing aside errant roosters and chickens that liked to get in his way.

He could make out the outline of a familiar figure at his door. Emryc said nothing at first, walking over to open his door and stepping in. He left the door open for the man to come in.

“Your trick with the crops will keep the families fed for a long time,” He stated as he walked over and grabbed the drawing the man insisted on having. He stood there for a moment, contemplating. Though it appeared as if he had more to say on the matter, he instead walked over and extended the drawing to the man. Emryc’s mind had returned to being a locked down fortress.

@Mr. Teatime

Emeralds turned to look at the little girl who had shown up to accost him at the boatman's door, an amused smirk settling on his features. She certainly did have an attitude about her for such a small thing, arms crossed and stood up very straight as she glared up directly into his eyes.

"Who- ow," he was cut off by the sharp kick to his leg and the girl just running off to go back to what she was doing and leaving Hannibal to look on utterly befuddled by what just happened. It didn't hurt that bad but he still felt somehow defeated. And he'd been right, she's got a damn good kick.

Hannibal lifted his leg to rub at the spot a bit. She'd mentioned a 'Rick' somewhere in there. Was that the dude's actual name? He was pretty sure he'd just forgotten to actually ask that question.

A mixture of amorous and anxious sensations floated from down the road and the Jedi turned to see what that mess was about. There just strolling along with a stick to avoid stray objects and avians was the boatman dripping in sweat and being ogled by various village women and, he noticed, one young man hiding poorly behind a house. What the hell?

Although to be fair Hannibal was doing some ogling himself. Because why not, right?

"Mornin'," he greeted breezily as the other man arrived and opened the door. Hannibal correctly interpreted it being left open as an invitation and walked in behind, closing the entrance behind himself to be polite.

"Hope so, that was the point." He had to bite back a still habitual deflection rather than just acknowledging he'd done something nice for a person and so hesitated a moment, but hey he was working on it. Hannibal shrugged the duffel strap a little further up his shoulder and took the drawing, looking down at it for a couple seconds in silence before he carefully folded it to put it in a belt pouch.

"Thanks. Sssoo uh.. Rick McBoatman, huh? Do any fishing on that boat, or...?"

Emryc turned and took the tank off, neatly folding it and placing it in a stack of dirty clothes which were all perfectly folded as if they were clean.

“Going to be taking her out today,” He shrugged off his pants, his entire body slick with sweat. The scars on his back were vivid, though the last ones were from months ago. The remainder of his clothing was also neatly folded and placed in the dirty clothes pile.

Emryc walked towards the back of the hut where there was a fenced off area for an outdoor shower. He tugged at a string and water began to pour. Emryc grabbed soap and began to apply it, quickly washing himself off. There was a single, wooden pane that separated him from Hans.

“Why?” He called out. His head was still visible over the wall, but that was it. Emryc began to wash his long hair next, fingers running through the damp strands.

@Mr. Teatime

Per usual Hannibal wasn't shy about looking over Rick's muscular figure when he undressed. It wasn't the first time and somehow he doubted it'd be the last during his visit to this little out of the way village. After all the larger man seemed so very far from minding the attention.

He also found some amusement in how absolutely tidy he kept all the clothes he removed. Even the dirty stuff was arranged in folded stacks. There was even a basic shower set up in here and Hannibal wondered if he'd built it himself. Based on the boat it seemed likely.

"Oh, why? 'Cause I brought a rod for it in case. And a spare hand, heh." Hannibal waved both the rod and mechanical hand through the air, metal click-clacking slightly as internals shifted to move it much like a droid limb.

"Seemed a waste not to after all your hard work, no?"

Emryc finished up with his hair and simply stood around and let the water wash over him. Steam rose into the air and he closed his eyes to simply enjoy his muscles being soaked. He stretched and cracked his joints, loosening himself up and relaxing. His eyes opened at the other man’s words, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“You intend to join me?” He asked as he shut off the shower. Emryc grabbed a towel and began to dry off. He had expected the man to be on his way and do whatever nonsense Jedi things he had come here to do. Emryc vaguely wondered if the man was taking a break from simply being a Jedi like he himself had done from his duties.

Emryc emerged after a moment while rubbing the towel through his hair. He stepped past the man and towards a corner near his bedroll with a stack of folded clean clothing. At some point, the shorts the other man had let him borrow were floated over to him.

“I will go out far towards the mountains,” He said as he put clothes back on, “Camp for a few days,” Camping was something he had avoided and detested before. However, being out here had truly given him a new perspective on outdoor living. The man and his luxurious ship and bed didn’t sound like someone that would enjoy a camping trip.

Emryc began to pack a bag, taking care to grab the brightly colored lunchbox as well as some extra clothes, cooking utensils and other items. There was also a large tent he folded up. He finished up with the bag and tossed it over his shoulder.

“Will be eating what I catch,” He stated as he walked past the man again and towards the exit. His pace was the only clue that suggested that he didn’t mind the man joining him despite his doubts.

@Mr. Teatime

Hannibal decided to properly look around the hut now it wasn't so dark as the last time since he was already checking out the boatman's clothes folding habits. Yep, definitely the neat freak type. He didn't think he'd ever seen a simple place like this so damn well organized as Rick's hut was.

The Jedi shrugged and looked at the other man again as the water flow stopped and he asked his question, getting a smirk from Hannibal in the process.

"Yup, if y'don't mind." For one reason or another he was here instead of the more familiar wilds and mountains of Naboo and he intended to stick around for a little bit. A little down time was important for a Jedi too.

Green shorts were floated over and Hannibal casually grabbed them, gave them a basic flippy-fold type thing and added them to the duffel bag. "Campin' you say?" he asked thoughtfully to no one in particular, considering some timeframe or other in his head. "Sounds fun to me."

Emeralds moved almost on their own to regard the lunch box as the other man pulled it from the storage cubby and packed it. It seemed to stand out for some reason but Hannibal shrugged again after a couple seconds and determined it was just because the design was unexpected for the boatman. Not that he could or would judge someone on colour choices.

The Jedi followed Rick out of his out hut quite casually, ignoring the pointedly curious stares from the collection of women (and one man) who'd watched him enter in the first place.

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to wait a moment while I grab some stuff? And not just drinks, either, but those too."

Emryc was surprised the man remained unfazed by how gritty the prospect of camping sounded. The half Sephi gave a vague grunt in response to the request for waiting as he kept walking towards the boat. He casually reached a hand up and plucked an apple from a tree as he walked by, his height always providing random perks. The boat he had built was rather small and was really meant just for him. He pondered his options for a moment, thinking back to the other man.

The Jedi had a luxury yacht and nice things. Emryc’s mind vaguely wandered back to another man that happened to believe three was an acceptable amount of suitcases to go anywhere. He stood there with his face out towards the lake, a genuine smile gracing his face for the first time in a while.

After musing for a bit, he instead walked towards the boat he usually used for his longer fishing adventures. It was much larger and could carry several people and their things in it. Emryc plopped his bag down and took another bite of his apple, beginning to undo the rope that tethered the boat.

Meanwhile, the Jedi was being followed by a grumpy little girl on his way back. She scowled at him, “Why are you still here?” She asked out loud, “And why do you keep hanging out with Rick?”

@Mr. Teatime

Hannibal chose to take the noise Rick made as an affirmative considering he bothered even with that much of a response and wandered off back toward the edge of the village where his ship was waiting. His eyes widened slightly and he made an expression and noise of appreciation when he caught sight of the second, larger boat on his way past the boatman's hut, sitting there floating serenely there on the water. That was even better!

On the way back with his rearranged duffel and belt he was almost immediately flanked by the small girl, returned to ask more questions. Hannibal was wary of kicking this time.

"'Cause I like to help out sometimes, and it's a relaxin' sort of place," the Jedi answered breezily as he strolled along toward the boats, smirking a little. "Rick though? I just like the cut of his jib." Emeralds turned to look at the girl who was now scowling at him even harder, if that were possible. "What? It's not like he's goin' anywhere, is he? Dude's like a really tall rock or somethin'."

Hannibal spotted Rick and his extra-big boat again and almost waved out of habit again but suppressed that impulse. Instead he just announced himself with a "Back!" and went about checking the craft out and getting his bag aboard.

The girl was not happy with the answer, but there was a temporary moment of confusion, “What’s a jib?” The reference was entirely lost on her, and it only irritated her more. For a moment her gaze went towards the shin, but the Jedi was glancing far too often in that direction now. She decided she would bide her time.

If Emryc heard the man, he gave no indication of it. He was still arranging things for the boat, having unraveled the rope. The half Sephi was doing all this while a village woman was telling him about her day. She paused for a moment to regard the tattooed man. A man that could actually see and probably say more words than the stoic fisherman did. She quickly began to fix up her hair.

“Oh hello!” She said cheerfully, “What’s your name? Rick, you never told me you had such a handsome friend!” The woman giggled before looking back at the Jedi again.

Emryc said nothing as he actively began to take the boat away from shore. If the man wasn’t on it, he would be left behind.

The woman looked visibly irritated at this and took a few steps forward, “Rick! But I made you a meat pie!”

Emryc blinked for a moment and addressed the Jedi that was rather tall and had a bit of a reach, “Grab that pie,” He said as they began to edge further away from shore. He had no qualms with unceremoniously nabbing whatever food she had from her hands while she was left bewildered. The woman may have been annoying, but she made a damn good pie.

@Mr. Teatime

They were at a stand off. On the one hand the mighty Shin-Hunter, as she was now dubbed, was eyeing up the Jedi's shins. On the other hand Hannibal was paying attention to what she was up to and chose to seize on her confusion to buy time for his escape.

"A kinda bit of sail on old-fashioned ships," he explained, "Y'know, 'cause he makes boats."

Oh look and now there was someone new awaiting them at the boatman's boat in question. She was talking away about something or other in Rick's direction while he went about his business but interrupted herself to turn and look at the new arrivals. Namely directly at Hannibal. She adjusted her slightly poofy hair a tad and went on a new bit, giggling all the while.

Hannibal looked bemused.

"How would he know?" "He's blind!" Hannibal and the little girl spoke one after the other and then turned to look at each other warily. The Jedi took one step farther away.

"'Sides, we just met yesterday- Ope, that's my ride!" Rick was clearly having none of this and moved right along with the boating to the point of starting to move the craft further from shore. Hannibal vaulted deftly aboard over the side next to his things before it got too far and turned back around, leaning on the edge to look at the woman. The woman's consternation brought him some amusement which almost doubled at Rick's request.

Hannibal stepped up and leaned forward, cheating outright with the Force so he could extend farther without just falling off the boat, and slipped his metal fingers beneath the pie to grasp it firmly. In it's place his living and brilliantly tattooed hand appeared to gently take the woman's and Hannibal smiled his most charming smile at point blank.

"Call me Hans, miss." And then he came back up and properly onto the boat, waving cheerily toward her and the Shin-Hunter.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he eats it!"

The little girl looked at the Jedi with a renewed sense of appreciation after they both gave their bemused responses to the woman. Instead of her permanent scowl, her eyes were big and wide. She blinked a few times and decided not to kick him in the shins as a parting gift.

The woman opened her mouth to say something as the Jedi snatched her meat pie out of her hands. However, she was entirely distracted by the tattooed hand brushing against hers. That smile made her heart flutter and she sighed as she took her time before letting his hand go, actually stepping a bit into the water. Her face was burning hot and red by the time the boat pulled away.

“Hans,” She practically moaned as she stared after him.

From the distance the Jedi would be able to see the little girl watching him and Emryc for a bit. She then turned to contemplate the flustered woman, promptly ran over to kick her in the shin, and bolted in the opposite direction. The woman, quite literally kicked out of her reverie, quickly gave chase and shrieked about unruly kids.

Emryc was delightfully oblivious to all this. He focused on the smell of the meat pie and was thrilled to have it join them for the trip. The boat was well on its way with currents a bit stronger now.

“Fish have been drying up near here,” He said after a while, “Taking us further out past the lake and closer to the mountains,” Emryc paused for a moment before he continued, “Apparently also has a sunset to die for I guess.”

He leaned back slightly in the boat and drew out his e-cigarra. With a gentle nudge with the Force and the current, they were making decent pace through the river.

@Mr. Teatime

Not only did his Charm Attack work just fine but the little girl's attitude seemed to change a tad from their tandem befuddlement at the woman's comment. Not that Hans had much ground to stand on in regards to noticing Rick was blind but he also didn't feel the need to mention that out loud. He'd take what he could get.

The woman on the other had no such luck and received a fresh foot to the shin for her trouble and getting a laugh out of the floating-away Jedi for her trouble. He almost felt bad for finding it funny but seriously, this kid though.

Hannibal found a safe spot to put the pie that wasn't sitting on his hand and then a place to casually seat himself by the edge, scooting his bags with his foot out of the way and enjoying the gentle breeze that ran over the plains and flowing water. His cybernetic clacked softly as he retrieved a cigarra from a pouch and lit it, a much quicker and easier process with two hands than one.

"Not catchin' much, huh?," he mused aloud and then shrugged, taking a drag of his cigarra. Hannibal was a little surprised the other man even bothered mentioning a sunset he couldn't see but took it as something for the benefit of the seeing person with him. How nice of him!

"A good trip then. What kinda fish y'find around here, anyway?"

He leaned his head over the side a bit to peer into the reflective surface of the water. It was relatively clear and untainted although he still wasn't able to catch any specific details, especially with the sun's glare.

Emryc said nothing to the first comment, the boat continuing to make its way over. They had a decent amount of distance to cover still. He blew out a cloud of smoke as he drew in from the e-cigarra. The man’s second question was also met with silence for a while before Emryc spoke.

“Nothing that would be up to even your standards, hillbilly,” He stated flatly. Nabooians were extremely snooty about their seafood and the planet had a massive variety of species to choose from, “Some ray and laa,” He said vaguely, “But the mountains may have some other varieties I haven’t caught yet.”

He planned to eat more than just fish when they arrived at the camping site. There were goats and other animals that would make for a fine roast. As he smoked, Emryc vaguely wondered if Jedi were stupid about hunting. Then he decided that the man could simply be dropped off at a random riverbank if he protested the half Sephi’s eating habits.

There was a moment of silence as Emryc quietly puffed on his cigarra. He was relaxed back where he sat, basking under the sun. His bronze skin had a warm glow to it under the light, the lines of his face and contours of his body accented by any cast shadows from the clouds.

“Never have I ever eaten a starfruit pie,” He said randomly. It was normally a drinking game, but he didn’t feel like drinking just yet. Starfruit pies were exceptionally common around the galaxy.

@Mr. Teatime