Unwind. Get some sleep.

“I suppose we should get some rest then.” You whisper to Flora. She nods, still a little awkward after your last experience with her. However, you feel that you understand her a lot more than you did when you first met.

“Hey, actually...I could talk a little bit more if you don’t mind.”

“Oh...Ah, yes we could if you’d like to.” You reply.

“I would,” she chases quickly. “Let’s talk above though. I don’t want to wake up our, um...Tunnel mate.”

With that said, you both make your way back up to the hatch and out of the shack. It was colder above, much colder! Despite your initial reaction to the bite of the cold, you were able to brush it off once you both stepped outside. The moonlight ignited the landscape in a soft shade of dark blue.

A cloud of smoke leaves your mouth as you let out a heavy exhale. Flora leans against the shack and you do the same, but she doesn’t seem to notice anything outside of her mind. In fact, there are few moments of silence. It isn’t very peaceful since the suspense of what else she could tell you is lingering in the air.

After about five minutes pass, you decide to break it. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I’m going to tell you why I am here.” She hugs herself. Her eyes dart towards you. All her features have been blued out by the outside world. “You’re a contractor...You’re not so much like the others.”

“I’m not really sure if I understand what you mean by that.”

“People can pay you to be neutral. I’m more asking out of desperation.”

How am I supposed to reply to that?

You just look at her and tilt your head, silently telling her to continue telling her problems to you, so she does. “I’m going to ask you to make sure Amari returns safe to the rest of the team. She’s honestly my only shot of returning back to my family.”

“I can’t promise anything,” you sigh. “But I guess I can give you my word that I can try to help out as much as I can.”

She shakes her head, wanting to say something else about what you’ve just said. “Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?” You say, trying to get her to open up a little more. She rejects your offer however.

“No. Just stay away from me. I don’t want you to get close to me and I don’t want to get close to you. I don’t even want to be friends. I just want a mutual line of respect and trust. Don’t take any kind of offense.”

“Hey, say no more. I’m just being paid to help out here. However, it’s within the nature of my line of work to get to know more about those I am working with. Especially if you’re expecting me to put my neck on the line for you.”

She sighs. “Well, if there’s no avoiding it…What would make you more...willing to risk your life for mine?”

“A roll of cash.” You snap quickly with a smug smile and a stupid glance. When your humor doesn’t amuse her, you clear your throat and try again. “Jesus, I don’t know. A kiss?”

“You can’t be serious.”

To be honest, you weren’t. “A kiss can do a man wonders, especially if it’s a girl he finds, uhm, at least somewhat attractive.”

She bites down on her lower lip, looking away for a brief moment as she considered your offer. Meanwhile, you looked away, wondering what kind of money you could get off of her. Her parents sounded rich, and to make it a little sweeter, the Syndicate you were in contact with were able to pay you with. Your mind hatched a few ideas which quickly unraveled into schemes.

By the time you worked up a rough draft of an idea, she closed the distance between the two of you and placed her lips against yours. Her soft, warm lips were suddenly against yours. You were caught off guard, her eyes were closed but yours were open. Soft clicking emitted for your disjointed show of affection.

Carefully, you reached for her shoulders and embraced her. She showed no sign of rejection from this action. In fact, you felt your heart leap upon contact. To your surprise, she wrapped herself around you too. The kiss started to melt into something a little more lusty and sloppy. Your tongue started to tease the gap between your enclosed lips. You felt her fingers tighten slightly where they gripped you, but then relax as she started to part her mouth to allow you in.

Her perfect teeth were counted by your tongue. She slid her own against yours, lathering you in her salvia. A moan started to escape from her throat too. You push her back and guide her towards the wall, forcing your kiss to be a little more intimate - it wasn’t friendly or even playful. It was serious and full of desire.

Even though she shared some features with Delilah, she had more experience in foreplay. Her breath hissed from her mouth, then a struggle. She pushed you away and started to pant. You reached for the zipper to her coat and started to pull down on it. She watched your hand tug on and part her heavy clothing apart. She gripped your wrist and asked you to stop.

“Wait, Warren - we can’t do this. It...it’s the total opposite of what I just said.”

You looked up at her. Her cheeks pink. The tip of her nose red-hot. Her lips wet with spit from both of your mouths. “Right. I’m sorry, Flora I…”

“I’m tired. Lonely. You’re...special and new.”

“Doesn’t…” You stop yourself. “I’ll help you Flora, no matter the reward. I’ll get you back to your folks somehow.”

You both go back under. Between the two of you, there is an untold amount of trust and respect for each other. You don’t know where the relationship really stands right now; but you know that you’ve gotta do what’s best for Flora, which means helping Amari get out of whatever trouble she’s in right now...