The journey to the lands of the Aranahe clan had not been kind. Three days through open plains. No canopy. No shade thick enough to rest beneath for long. The air shimmered in hot waves. Even the wind felt warm against your skin.

So’lek walked ahead of you most of the time — silent, steady, unrelenting. The sun traced molten lines along his shoulders, sweat darkening the braids that clung at his neck. Yet he never complained.

By the time you stumbled through the last cluster of reeds and saw water — wide and gleaming — you didn’t even think. You unfastened your chest harness, and let your weapons drop into a pile and ran straight into it.

“Sarentu—” he started.

Too late.

The lake swallowed you whole with a loud splash, heat vanishing instantly beneath delicious cold. You surfaced with a breathless laugh, pushing your braids from your face. He stood at the edge, rigid. “You have lost your senses Sarentu,” he called, exasperation cutting through the air. “We do not know what lies beneath.”

You floated backward, grinning. “It is only water, So’lek.”

The bioluminescent flora beneath the lake had begun to stir in the dimming light, faint threads of blue and violet shimmering around you like drifting stars. So'lek didn't move, his golden eyes watching you quietly. His silence made you tilt your head in question, a knowing smile tugging at your lips. “…Are you afraid?”

His ears flicked back at your words, his tail swishing in irritation. “I am not afraid.”

You drifted closer to the bank, splashing water onto him lazily. “Chicken.”

The word barely left your mouth before his gaze sharpened. “You will regret that,” he said evenly, ears pinned flat. He laid down his weapons first. Then the armor plates, revealing the toned expanse of his torso — and stepped into the lake. The temperature shock didn’t show on his face, but his breath shifted as he walked in.

And then he submerged beneath the surface, disappearing from your sight. “So’lek—?”

You sensed disturbance below, the bioluminescent algae stirring around you, before a pair of calloused hands wrapped around your waist. So'lek rose in front of you, water cascading down his face. His pupils were blown wide, swallowing the gold of his irises. His gaze moved slowly over your face, as if seeing you for the first time. The glow beneath the water made your skin luminous, outlining your features in soft light.

“Hmm, you leap without thought,” he murmured, his gaze dropping briefly to your mouth before returning to your eyes. “You call names without caution.” His hand rose without warning, cupping your much smaller face. Cool water dripped down his fingers as his thumb traced your lower lip now, gentle, reverent. You were flush against him, feeling the firm muscles press against you.

His forehead nearly touched yours now, close enough that his exhale warmed your lips. “But you are quiet when I am near,” The low timbre of his voice vibrated through you, as the faintest of a smirk tugged at his mouth. “Why is that, ma {{user}}?”