lynchpin_castle | Lynchpin---Castle and Surrounding Grounds.

Honorable didn't always matter or win when it counted though--but he's looking at her, somewhat amazed himself. The nudge made him grin, and then he was turning his head. Easier to help her stay presentable---and easier for him to try and hide his blush.

Watching her from the corner of his eyes, as she was looking down at him. "...I prefer honesty. Thank you." Do-not-think-about-her-in-hot-water, do not do not donot....

Nope, definitely blushing. "Go relax. I might poke around in here. Haven't decided yet."

They were challenges though. If he walked in and did it all himself, why would she even be needed? Then again her peacekeeper side of her would always want to try to spare a life before taking it.

She stood there, tall and good legs, markings and all, not at all ashamed. This robe covered more then her swim suit. Which... he's find she was wearing under this anyhow. Maybe it wasn't needed in most cases, but even at the temple they had modest coverings. She shook her head at him and moved further inside, undoing her robe.

"Suit yourself. Though if you aren't the least bit sore from that challenge, I'm going to be mad. Completely unfair of you to be that strong that you just shrug all that off." She said with a chuckle, teasing. When she got to the heated pool she shucked the robe and folded it, sitting it to the side. She then kicked off the slippers and moved to slip into the water. Black swim suit bottom and top this time (the tie fit around the back of her neck to spare her poor shoulder). She sank down in the water in full, only the tiny tips of her montrals peeking out, and she stayed there for half a minute, before rising up so her head was out of the water, taking a breath, then letting out a very deep sigh, as if this was the most amazing thing in the world.

At least the pool was sectioned off by screens, offering some privacy. He breathed, relaxing some as he had some space again--and also aware of the loss. "Why do you think I'm eating a lot?" Trunks called back, then applied himself to finishing said bowl.

Truthfully, he'd been more sore after their practice battle. Zarbon hadn't landed a hit at all, and the rest had been energy blasts. What Trunks was feeling more than anything though, was tired. That weird kind of tired where he knew he'd sleep once he actually let himself do so, but was too awake otherwise. Which wasn't that surprising considering the roller-coaster of emotions and hormones.

Easy enough to clear up their dishes on the tray, although he left the mugs out. Then it was exploring--and fighting an internal battle that he knew he was losing.

She heard what he said, even while she was partly under water. And coming up again, she let herself drift out a bit, half floating in water and half not. Letting the burn sink into her skin in a good way. Her eyes closed a moment and she sighed.

"So you eat more to... gain energy? Heal? He didn't even leave a scratch on you, did he?" She called out and then chuckled, a hand coming up over her face as she wanted to sink in more. "You really could have just... knocked both off the map in a moment and we'd just be standing there asking when the challenge started, huh?" That even bigger feeling of needlessness hit her a moment and she sank again under water. Terrible.

He wasn't actually going to answer that, mostly because he could hear that she was upset about it. Besides, too busy exploring, and coming to a decision. Especially since he knew he'd been doomed already.

For about a minute at least, he'd pondered just leaving. Then another minute pondering leaving and coming back with the long swim-pants in his room, rather than what he found in the lockers. Then Trunks remembered her asking for company, and he hung his head.

Quiet steps, waiting until he could be sure she'd hear him even if the rest of her was under water. Arms crossed, and his face bright red, a towel around his hips. "I...wasn't sure. Not with Zarbon, not until he confirmed who and what forces he was with." Focus on the tactics, not on her (and what she was wearing) or on himself (and what he was wearing under the towel).

"I am glad you were there though, Ahsoka." Moving and sinking into the water quickly, towel discarded right before because oh he was so embarrassed. This was not good. "For a lot of reasons."

For a moment she wondered if he had left. She wouldn't hold it against him. She soaked in heat and sighed a bit when above water, or sank again to get that complete feeling of heat through her body.

As the other returned, she raised up so her eyes were above water, lekku drifting a bit, nose still under. Blue eyes stared up at him as he was there, towel around his hips. Force help her, he was damn good looking. Thank you to his mother and father and--ug. No, bad thoughts.

She sat up a bit more, head above water to say, softly. "And here I thought you might have left." She was blushing but the heat of the water hid that, thankfully. "There or not, though, it wasn't much of a challenge for you, was it?" She said softly, peeking as he got in, and smirking a moment as he too had a suit on. She made no comment, just drawing her legs in closer to herself, so not to take up so much space.

Trunks had turned slightly to the side, settling down up to his shoulders in the water. Trying so hard not to blush more, and tense. "You asked me to keep you company." He murmured softly, taking a breath and then ducking lower. Up to his neck now, as it allowed him to bring a leg up and curl his arms around it.

She'd been honest with him--and she deserved it back. "Not physically, no." Confirming that much for her.

He has no idea, does he? That he's as damn hot as he is? She's so glad to be hiding under water. She's also glad he was there. For more then the fact that she enjoyed looking at him, but because he was good company.

"I asked, but I didn't expect you to actually do so." She said with a small smile, sitting up enough that her lekku floated just over her suit. When he confirmed in honesty that it wasn't a challenge for him, she gave a nod, considering that.

"This time, I might not have been much of a help, but next time might not be so much physical. So, I get that. That it wont always be like that. Still... I thank you for humoring me out there." She said with a bit of a sad smile, watching the water now.

"Humoring you?" That got him to look at her--and no, he really didn't have much of an idea. Blue eyes blinked, looking slightly startled. "Do you honestly think that's what I was doing?" There's a hint of hurt in the tone, not that he necessarily recognized that.

Honestly he's kind of not sure what to say about any of that, or at least having trouble figuring out words that work. "You've known me two weeks now." There's still a hint of hurt in the tone, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "That means you know, if I don't want to do something, I won't. And I don't 'humor' people."

She can hear the tone and it hit her harder then that tone generally did with people for her. her eyes drifted down again, a bit ashamed for a moment. She lifted a hand to rub at her cheek and nose, frowning.

"I just..." she frowned more, not looking at him. It's only been two weeks. She knows just enough about him in some ways and not enough in others. She also might not have fully understood his reason for what he had done. For the plan at all. Still not looking at him she said softly. "If you could have just... powered up and taken both of them out with barely raising a hand to them, why did you go about it the way you did?" She tried not to sound a bit pouty herself. For her, in the end, when she let her mind wander on it too much, it felt like he was allowing her to 'play' as well, but he never seemed like one to just 'play' for something like that. Which, in her head, meant he was just allowing her to have a chance. Otherwise he could have taken it all out and be done in a blink.

No need for her at all...

Trunks was quiet again, mostly to try and figure out how to put it into words. Well, the right words--as all of this was uncharted territory. But he could see her frown, and he could see it from her point of view too. He'd been on the receiving end of it enough times from the androids, or when training with Gohan.

Finally he sighed, looking away first. "I respect you." A lot. "I respect that we have different ways of doing things, and different experiences. You have a lot more battle experience than I do, both in amount AND variety."

He wasn't blaming her though at all. It had been his choice to propose what he had, and his idea. Hiding a bit more. "...you..." So very very red there. "You said I impress you. That goes both ways, Ahsoka. You don't think you're impressive--but I do."

He heard him out, and stayed silent as he spoke. He respected her, though that wasn't really what she wanted. Or, well... maybe? She wasn't sure what she had wanted. To prove she was just as worthy to be there as him? No, that didn't seem right. She knows they both have different strengths. She wasn't sure why she felt the way she did about all this.

Then she thought more. She got hit with a blaster bolt, in the shoulder. He swooped in to pull her up and lifted her out of range, even though she was still capable of defending herself and fighting. He got mad at her being hurt and took everything out in one blow.

Anakin had swooped in early on to save her a few times too, but she grew from it. He'd gotten upset when she had been hurt too. They had both been protective of her. Was it just that she didn't... want someone to be protective. That was a strange attachment she didn't know what to do with.

He had said she was impressive to him as well. He said it and she could tell he meant it. Pursing her lips she looked over at him, then... moved. Sitting up more, getting up to stand a bit and drifting forward in the hot pool, moving with ease and turning to sink back in. This time she had crossed over to sit beside him, nudged in so that her good shoulder was pressed beside his. She sank down once again so that her chin was under water, before finally saying.

"Thank you." and explained slowly. "I just don't like being left behind. I don't like being a burden, and I don't want you to have to worry about me on the battle field. At first I thought I was being helpful. Doing something for this challenge. We were going to take them both down and that should have been that. But then I messed up and you swooped in and I just... felt a bit small."

He swore he could hear his own heartbeat thump louder when she settled next to him. Her shoulder nudged against his. He'd been sure she would leave, and he wouldn't have blamed her. Or maybe she'd get annoyed--even if she was so damn controlled all the time. Which he'd leave, because he didn't want to be a source of annoyance for her.

Then her skin was against his and she was close again and things were too hot and his brain tried to go in too many directions at once. It didn't mean he didn't hear her words though, and now...now he felt guilty and ashamed.

Letting the pause hang in the air, before he sighed. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to make you feel that way. It is an absolutely horrible way to feel, and I know it very, very well." Trunks' own voice was small and soft, drawing his other leg up to curl his arms around it as he sat in the water.

"It's...honestly it's scary. In the short time I've known you, Ahsoka--I trust you. I haven't had someone I can feel this comfortable with, in years. I've had even less people I can count as friend, over my lifetime." Still quiet, and still soft, taking his time with the words. "I think the only way I won't worry, considering the losses I've had, would be if I didn't care at all about you."

Which was so far from true.

Then he's shaking his head, trying to regain some equilibrium. "It's...it's not about me though. But I wanted you to know. Why."

It wasn't hard, close as they were, for her to feel the deep breath he took. Chest and shoulders rising with the inhalation and exhalation, even if she hadn't heard him. "There is a reason you are here, Ahsoka. Every bit as valid as my being here. I don't view you as a burden. I haven't once."

She didn't mean to be a distraction. She barely noticed his reactions to her. At least right now. She wanted to sit beside him to let him know she wasn't upset. She sat there, one arm crossed over her chest, hand rubbing at her shoulder as if to work the pains out still, careful of the bandage.

"I trust you to, so you know. As much as I trusted any one of my masters." But even they didn't believe in her, in the end. So trust felt hard for her and yet not. "I understand worry, as well, even if I say I don't want to worry you. I was worried about you, the week before, when we were fighting droids and tanks. It's understandable. Worry is. I don't want to be the reason one of these challenges fail though. I want to make sure that you don't have to think you need to protect me. That I don't do something thoughtless and jeopardize the entire thing."

"I know there is a reason I am here, and I know I don't need to be stronger than you. It's never been a question of that. I just intend to be able to give it my all."

It was more than alright, if she didn't know she was a distraction. Mostly because he was viewing at his own issue--not something to put on her. Not something she had to accept or deal with, but on him. Just because he had come to realize she meant a lot to him in a variety of ways, didn't mean she had to deal with that.

"I think you already do give it your all." At least from what he'd seen, she had been. Like she'd said, it was a rookie-mistake--ignoring one combatant and then getting tagged.

"This...is also how you impress me." More quietly there, uncurling enough while still keeping himself in his own space, to be leaning back against her good shoulder with his. "You're wise. Much wiser than you think."

She didn't move much, just let her legs stretch out in the hot water, dark orange and warm. She was watching that more than anything. When he leaned into her shoulder in return she smiled more, face down still, but smiling.

"I don't know... you seem pretty wise to me as well. All my experience, and you can still talk me out of my worry easier than I can talk myself out of it." She nudged her head over a bit, bumping him a tiny bit before looking up and over at his face. "I promise. I feel better now that we've talked, and I wont over think things. I'm still going to try and be better than I am, but you can't fault me for that."

He was keeping his head down, face flushed and eyes staring at the water. But he moved with her nudging, and tried to relax some--mostly so it wasn't like sitting next to a rock.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Okay, there was a smile, eyes-turning to meet her own. "Besides, always easier dealing with someone else's problems than your own, right?" Did...okay, he was going to.

Summoning up some courage--which had never been an issue before now--and uncurling his arm. Reaching out, kind of like how she had done, to take her hand gently. Squeezing it, reassuring, silently promising.

When he took her hand and squeezed it, she let her fingers curl into his a bit, surprised by the move, but then warmed by it. She smiled, looking down at the hands. It was nice of him, and comforting.

"It is sometimes easier. Though right now I wish someone else could deal with my problem right now." She said, rolling her bad shoulder a bot and groaning, eyes closing a moment. "As soon as I can clear this up I will be happier."

"I'd offer first-aid, but you've already taken care of that I think." Still red, but letting her curl her fingers with his. Nope--totally not going to stop her. Not at all.

"Is the heat helping at all?" Honest concern, as it had to be frustrating for her too.

He might note she wasn't going to let go of his hand any time soon. It felt nice, under water and soft and strong. She was trained as a Jedi. There was a small craving for closeness and touch that she had never really experienced before. Hugs had always been the best things to her, mostly for that fact.

"It's helping. The burn helps. I'll need to bandage it again when we're done, but otherwise I'm just going to try and heal properly. Maybe try some force techniques. If possible. I was never good at speedy healing." She confessed, rolling her arm again and then letting her hand drift in water.

"If it helps, I'm not either." Definitely not letting go of her hand anytime soon. Not if she wasn't going to.

Not much to say otherwise, and as usual--he didn't feel a need to fill that silence. It was comfortable--holding her hand, having her there with him. Mostly comfortable--Trunks was fairly sure he would not be getting decent sleep that night. Not because of nightmares though...

More than willing to just soak and be company for her, with her.

"It does help." She teased a bit, and settled, closing her eyes and sinking a bit in the water, so her nose was above water and her lekku floated a bit more again. Ten more minutes, maybe. She felt nice and warm. Like it all sank into her bones as if that were what she needed.

Silence was fine too. She didn't feel the need for long conversation. And she was comfortable with him there. She'd think about the way his hand felt in her hand later. How it felt fitting to her slender fingers. Strong and comfortable.

She would curl up in bed and knock out tonight as well. With good thoughts for a change. He might not get good sleep, but she was going to.

Lynchpin---Castle and Surrounding Grounds.

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