JENNA: * At the telepad, Jo is standing near the wagon, chatting unconcernedly to all appearances wtih her employer. She's holding the reins of two pecos, rented ahead of time one way or the other. "We should make good time across the plains, at least," Jo says, "Though things are likely to slow down once we reach Payon Forest." Her employer says something in response, but she's looking away, suddenly tense, at a figure making its way toward them.

JUSTIN: * Shane spots Jo at about the exact moment she looks over to him, and for a brief moment he pauses midstep. A sudden nervousness overtakes him -- not that he didn't already have butterflies -- but he swallows hard and keeps moving. It doesn't take long for him to cross the lot, even with his slow steps, and when he comes to a hault a couple meters away, he can only stare past the two in silence.

JENNA: * The young man, her employer, looks at Jo questioningly, and she nods. For several moments, she isn't sure what to do, but then she sucks in a hurried breath and shifts to face Shane, closing the gap between them and offering him the reins of one of the birds. "All packed?" she asks, unable tot hink of anything else to say.

JUSTIN: * Shane takes the reigns, and nods slowly, somehow knowing to expect a reaction like that. "Yeah... all packed." He turns his eyes to the bird, stroking its neck a bit and guaging its reaction to the attention. "When do we leave?"

JENNA: "Now," Jo says with a faint shrug. "We're waiting our turn." She walks back to the wagon, hailing the young man, who grins a wide, boyish grin and calls out to Shane. "Glad you could make it! Jo said she wasn't sure you were coming." He leans forward, extending his hand for a shake. "Clive Douglas Brandt -- pleasure to meet you."

JUSTIN: * Shane looks up at the man warily, put off a little by the cheerfullness. It isn't something he's been attacked with lately. He takes Douglas' hand and gives it a decent shake, eyes still distant. "Yeah, I... had some loose ends to tie up... Nice to meet you."

JENNA: "Tell you what," Douglas remarks, drawing back to slouch lazily in the wagon seat. "This is a real lifesaver. WIthout the airships, I didn't know what I was gonna do.. sent word ahead, but Dad's still not gonna be happy about the delay." The man himself doesn't seem to mind, shrugging cheerfully. Jo smiles faintly, then flinches when the call goes out that it's their turn to teleport. She grips her peco's reins a little tighter, glad she skipped breakfast this morning.

JUSTIN: * Shane mounts up onto his peco with surprising smoothness, considering his otherwise subdued behaviour. "I wouldn't be along if Jo hadn't convinced me, but... happy to help, all the same." His voice is almost disinterested, but not to the point of sounding rude. He nudges his bird's sides and it begins to walk forward alongside the wagon, heading to the vacant telepad.

JENNA: * Jo settles for walking her bird to the telepad, shaking her head wearily as she ambles alongside the wagon. She glances sideways at Shane, wondering how she managed to convince him of anything when they haven't spoken in a week. Douglas doesn't seem to know what to make of his response, shrugging comfortably. "Either way. Two heads are better than one." He grins cheerfully, and shortly the order comes to teleport them down.

JUSTIN: * Shane stares blankly ahead as the familiar sensation of the teleportation rushes through him. The scenery shifts in front of his eyes until it becomes grass and trees instead of stone walls and buildings. The peco shakes its head and squawks loudly, and he reaches down to pets its head. "So where are we going?" He directs his gaze to Douglas, smiling slimly. "I'm fuzzy on the details."

JENNA: "Oh, eh.. we're headed back to my dad's store in Alberta. I had some stuff to pick up here, and Dad had a delivery to make, so we killed two birds with one stone, if you want." They are interrupted by Jo's polite murmur of, "Excuse me a moment," and her handing the peco's reins to Shane, then she trots over to the nearest set of bushes and proceeds to dry-retch for several minutes.

JUSTIN: * Shane stares after Jo for a moment, before handing both of the pecos' reigns to Douglas and hopping down from his saddle. He trots over to where Jo is heaving, and leans over her. "Are you okay?"

JENNA: * Jo doesn't answer at first, wanting to make sure her stomach is back under control, then she glances at him sideways with a very tired look. "I really ... really hate teleporters. They make me ... really sick." She pauses, taking a deep breath, then stands up, wiping her mouth. "That's all." Then she starts back to the pecos, one hand pressed to her forehead.

JUSTIN: * Shane frowns, shakes his head, and wanders back to his own bird. "You must hate Juno, then." He mounts up and trots ahead a little ways, leaning forward in his saddle and watching the morning sun light the leaves on the trees while he waits.

JENNA: * Jo mounts up with a very dry "Not my favorite city, no." She's only been there twice, but she'd greatly prefer it if she never had to return. Douglas watches the exchange with undisguised interest, but he doesn't say anything, letting his manservant start the wagon and follow after them. They spend the first couple days of travel in periods of cordial conversation, the young man apparently all too willing to talk -- about anything. When Juno's craggy forests finally give way to greener scenery, however, Jo pulls ahead a bit, as if reaching out toward the healthier land.

JUSTIN: * Shane has remarkably managed to not look back once at the home he's leaving behind. Such is his resignation, and he's depressed enough about it without giving in to reminders. His problems are of a different sort, now, and will be for the foreseeable future, and it is best he concentrate on getting used to it. He pulls his peco up slowly to match Jo's pace, staring ahead at the landscape stretching ahead. "How do you feel?" He asks neutrally. "Being back on the road again."

JENNA: "Normal," she says almost immediately, glancing at him only after she's spoken and lifting her shoulders very slightly. "I've always spent a lot of my time on the road." She turns her gaze ahead, reaching forward to pat her peco absently. "You?" she feels compelled to ask, returning the politeness.

JUSTIN: "Not normal." He answers just as quickly, smiling in a subdued fashion. "But you should be used to my abnormalness by now." He leans forward in his saddle, tilting his cap up to scratch his head. "It's just a big change, that's all. And unexpected. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

JENNA: * Jo nods slowly, whether in agreement or simple acknowledgement it's hard to tell. She turns her gaze back to the road for a few minutes, shifting in her saddle. "At least it's an easy job, for a first run." She glances at him again, frowning slightly. "You're going to be all right?"

JUSTIN: * Shane sighs audibly, and stares into nothing apparent as he takes his time to mull over the question. "I suppose I'll have to be, even if it's forced." He says finally, and there's a sort of fatalism to his tone -- but also acceptance. "And then I'll have to grow into that reality, bit by bit." He dips his head a bit, a strange smile eventually tweaking at his lips. "That's a long way to say I'll make do the best I can."

JENNA: * Jo watches him as he speaks, brows lifting as he finishes. Then she turns her face to the road again, absently fingering the reins. "Good," she says after a moment. "You're not particularly good at being drunk." She continues to gaze at the road, fully aware of the response this is likely to get. "There are better ways to deal with your problems."

JUSTIN: * The smile instantly fades from Shane's face, as if some biological switch has been flipped. He sits straight in his saddle and stares with wide eyes, eyes he eventually turns toward Jo so that she can see the panic hiding behind them. "What... what did you just say?" His skin almost can't decide between horrified paleness or an ashamed blush, doing both in quick succession. His voice picks up a noticably nervous shake. "What are you talking about?"

JENNA: * She turns her head to look at him, apparently only surprised his response wasn't more vehement. "I said you shouldn't try to drink away your problems. You're lousy at it." There's no particular scorn in her voice, nor does her tone seem to be lecturing. As far as she's concerned, she's just stating fact. Whether said facts go through, of course, is largely up to Shane himself.

JUSTIN: * Shane reddens in the cheeks even further, the severity of his panic increasing when she repeats the assessment. "I don't know what you're talking about." He says, his tone that of the wrongly accused. "Do I look like the type to get drunk? I am an upstanding citizen." His voice trembles with barely contained indignation, and he gives her a disappointed half-glare.

JENNA: "Even upstanding citizens get drunk," is her prompt counter, and she shrugs. "For fun. With friends. Out of habit. Or driven to it because they don't know what else to do. I don't know what happened to you the first time, but I was there the second, and I don't want to have to mop you off the street again." Her gaze doesn't shift from him as she speaks, challenging him to call her a liar.

JUSTIN: * Shane gawks, looking completely abhored by her insinuations. "You did no such thing! I hadn't seen you the entire week before meeting you at the telepad!" It couldn't be any more apparent -- from the way his voice cracks, his cheeks flush, and his eyes waver -- that he is utterly and direly frightened by this conversation.

JENNA: "You didn't recognize me." This causes one corner of her mouth to lift in a very faint -- almost unnoticable -- smile. "But I doubt you remember what happened, either way. I took you home both times." She shrugs very slightly, unable to think of anything that will make him more likely to accept what she's saying.

JUSTIN: * Shane is almost speechless, staring at her with a painful, disbelieving expression. "Jo, I --" He chokes on his words, about to deny her accusations again. Instead, his voice takes a different route. "You weren't supposed to know... you weren't supposed to find out!" The panic is in his voice again. "I-it was just one time, I didn't know what to do! I was only going to have a couple drinks, clear my mind. I... I..."

JENNA: * Jo reddens, taken aback by this sudden confession and the clear panic behind it. She's confused about why it's so important that she, specifically, not know, and decides she'd rather not address the issue at this time. "Shane, stop," she says hurriedly, reaching one hand out as if to physically arrest his speech. "It's all right." She draws her hand back before it reaches its destination, finally turning her eyes away. "Just don't do it anymore."

JUSTIN: * Shane physically slumps in his seat, eyes looking mournfully ahead and a deep, shameful frown on his face. "I didn't... I mean... how bad was it?" He refuses to look at her again at this moment, apparently too embarrassed.

JENNA: * Jo glances at him sideways, then shrugs. "Not too bad," she lies, turning her eyes to the side to keep from giving herself away. "You were walking around book street again. I got you home and cleaned you up. And you went to sleep. That's all." Her expression becomes weary. She firmly wishes /she/ didn't know what happened that night, but it seems only fair not to burden him further.

JUSTIN: * Shane's frown lessens -- at least slightly -- and he fidgets in his saddle, staring at the back of his peco's head. "Honest? I... I suppose I'm not the type to get rowdy, am I?" He takes some hope and comfort from his normally boring nature. This helps him to look up again, with a faint smile.

JENNA: * Jo nods, not looking at him again until she's sure she can keep her expression steady. "All for the best, in the end." She looks at the road ahead and sighs briefly. "It's going to be a long ride to Alberta," she says, finally changing the subject. "Though I guess the journey from Morroc wasn't exactly short."

JUSTIN: "N-no, it wasn't... we'll be okay, though." Shane clears his throat, sitting straight again and wiping his face with his sleeve. When he sets his arm down again, his expression looks slightly better. "Should be at least partially used to this by now, although it would have been nice to relax for a while, and enjoy home." He looks sad again, but in a more distant way. "I'd always thought I'd raise my kids in that house. Heh, if I ever had any, that is..."

JENNA: * Jo's gaze jerks to his face, expression becoming one of blank astonishment. "There are -- always other houses," she manages to get out, unable to fathom why the comment embarrasses her so acutely. "Settling.. was never part of my game plan." She glances back at the wagon to make sure they haven't gotten too far ahead, and Douglas waves at her cheerily. She forces a brief smile before turning away again.

JUSTIN: * Shane glances back briefly to see what she's looking at (nearly forgetting they had a wagon behind them), and then turns back to face her again with a small smile. "It's just that that house has been in the family for several generations. I guess I never thought I'd be the one to break the line..." He sighs quietly and turns a look to the sky overhead, hoping the bright blue and white will lift his spirits.

JENNA: * Jo opens her mouth to reply, but she's unable to think of anything immediately and settles for scratching the back of her head. "I don't have anything like that, as far as I know." Her shoulders lift, then drop. "I wasn't with my parents long enough to really know."

JUSTIN: * Shane tilts his head, then rotates it back down to look at her again. "That's okay, Jo. We'll get you a house to call your own someday, then you can find out if you like it or not." He smiles, strangely enough, remembering the argument they had about the subject of 'home' last time it came up.

JENNA: * Jo darts him a startled glances, going somewhat red, and looks away again. "It'll be a long time before either of us can afford something like that," she chuckles weakly, shaking her head. "It'll be enough to get by, for a while." She rubs her cheek a moment, frowning slightly. "This job should pay pretty well, though ... he doesn't strike me as stingy."

JUSTIN: * Shane nods sagely in agreement. "Never hurts to have a goal, right?" He sneaks a quick look back at Douglas again, then slides his eyes to Jo. "I, um. I have some money... in case we need it, between jobs. It isn't much. Selling the house on short notice, I had to take what I could get..."

JENNA: * Jo nods faintly, the embarrassment not entirely gone from her face. "Hopefully we won't ... it's caravan season, at least, so there will be plenty of jobs that way." She pauses, glancing back at Douglas again. "I'm going to scout on ahead a little bit ... let him know. I'll be back before too long."

JUSTIN: * Shane nods quickly, looking somewhat disappointed at the abrupt end to the conversation, but he shrugs and drops back anyway. He brings the peco around to the side of the wagon and looks up at Douglas briefly. "Jo's going to scout ahead." He says simply, that being really all he knows anyway.

JENNA: "Heh? Oh.. okay." The young merchant glances up to watch Jo kick her peco into a gallop. "Wonder what for ... maybe she got bored." He grins cheerfully at Shane, lounging back in his seat. "Good weather, at least, and it's been real quiet. I always expect it to get really busy with bandits around this time of year, but there don't seem to be many around here." His manservant glances over, smiling briefly, and shakes his head.

JUSTIN: * Shane wasn't expecting that much of a response, and he looks lost for a moment as he tries to think of something to say. "Um... yeah -- no, I mean, there haven't been many lately. Closer to Alberta, maybe we'll have to keep more alert." He rubs at the back of his neck, staring sideways away from the wagon.

JENNA: * Douglas nods comfortably, sticking his hands behind his head. "Payon's militia keeps things pretty well clear through that area, and I think Jo managed to plot a course that keeps us out of the desert -- thank god! It's so hot there." The manservant gives a faint snort, and Douglas glances at him sideways. "And I guess that's where most of the attacks happen, yeah. I was listening to her, okay!" This last seems directed at the servant, who doesn't respond, instead clucking to the pecos pulling the wagon.

JUSTIN: * Shane frowns, glaring at the path ahead with contempt. "The desert is a bad place even for a couple of lone travellers, nevermind a lone wagon. I don't have any particular desire to go back there anytime soon."

JENNA: "I seeee." Douglas turns to him with undisguised interest, leaning partway out of his seat. "Is that where you met Jo? She wouldn't talk much about it, but I wondered. She seems to know a lot about how to get around the country. So do you two travel a lot?" The manservant can be heard to sigh very faintly, but Douglas ignores him, waiting for a response.

JUSTIN: * Shane shifts uncomfortably in his saddle, noting that if Jo hasn't been generous with the details, it is probable that he shouldn't, either. But a little enlightenment couldn't hurt. "No... we met in Juno." He says, trying not to sound irritable. "We've travelled a lot in the past few months, but we haven't known each other much longer than that."

JENNA: "Ohhh ..." Douglas leans back, lifting one hand to rub at his nose. "Too bad ... I was hoping you had some cool stories." He gazes skyward, tapping one foot on the wagon's wooden frame. "It'd be kind of cool to travel all over, you know .. but it'd be kind of a pain to be away from my workshop."

JUSTIN: * Shane tugs his hat tighter on his head and quietly sighs. "I'm sure Jo has a lot of stories, if you could get them out of her." He admits, not the least of which he was technically there for. "I'm not big on travel, myself. You could say I've been... drafted into the lifestyle. Very recently."

JENNA: * Douglas watches him silently for a couple of seconds, as if that period without speaking is as much as he can manage. "That why she was saying you might not show? She didn't seem too happy about it." He glances ahead, where Jo and her peco can no longer be seen. "I don't know how you could /not/ join up with her, though ..."

JUSTIN: * Shane turns Douglas a harsh glare. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asks sharply, fully expecting a prompt and suitable reply. "Well?"

JENNA: * Douglas blinks at him, surprised by the reaction and somewhat lost as to its origin. He raises his hands placatingly, a sheepish grin on his face. "I wasn't being insulting, man! I was just saying -- I mean, she's /hot/, you know?" He glances up the road again, expression distant and musing. "I wonder if she'd go to dinner with me once we get to Alberta."

JUSTIN: * Shane's eyes widen for a second before they turn quickly to icy slits, stabbing into Douglas' face. A half-scowl appears on his face, and it takes willpower not to launch out of his saddle and grab the boy by the shirt. "Listen, you -- you so much as /think/ anything like that again, and it won't be bandits you have to worry about. I will /not/ have you appraising Jocasta like that, she is /not/ there for your visual pleasure. Keep your eyes to yourself, do you understand me?"

JENNA: * Douglas lurches back, completely befuddled by the tirade. "G-geez! I'm sorry! I didn't know she was your girl -- she didn't say anything about it." From behind him, another sigh issues from the manservant, and Douglas rolls his eyes in silent response.

JUSTIN: "/What/? I didn't say anything of the sort, either!" Shane nearly does launch this time, his cheeks flushing -- but he's angry enough that it's hard to tell it's from embarrassment. "I just have more respect for a woman, and I won't tolerate Jo being appraised like a piece of meat!" He settles himself deeper into his saddle and stares ahead with a gaze that could burn down a forest.

JENNA: * Douglas scratches his head, staring at Shane warily, as if he thinks the man might have some kind of mental deficiency. "You don't gotta 'appraise' her just to figure out she's hot ... most guys can tell /that/ at first glance ..." He shrugs, settling back, then glances sideways at Shane again. "So is it unrequited, or what?" This time he's ready to lurch out of the way if an attack heads in his direction.

JUSTIN: "Are you INCAPABLE of minding your own business?!" Shane snaps, exasperated, but he jabs the peco with his heals and it starts pulling ahead quickly. He almost wishes bandits would rob the wagon blind behind him -- he's got enough money to cover for one failed job, at least. Some unintelligable muttering accompanies his departure, and his eyes are locked firmly ahead.

JENNA: * Douglas looks terribly disappointed at the loss of his conversation partner -- or plaything, depending on how you look at it -- and leans back. After a moment, a sudden smile starts on his face, and he gives a contented sigh. "This could be a fun trip." His manservant gives another, scarcely-audible sigh. It's about an hour before Jo returns, reporting only that she found a good campsite some way ahead and there doesn't appear to be any danger on the road.

JUSTIN: * Shane only seems more agitated by Jo's return, made confusing by the fact that he also seems grateful for it. But he stubbornly remains ahead of the wagon regardless of where she goes, his red cheeks burning as he thinks repeatedly to himself that he doesn't know what in the world Douglas is talking about.

JENNA: * Douglas, on the other hand, appears to be thoroughly enjoying this discomfiture, thanking Jo for her time and barely refraining from asking her to dinner within Shane's earshot. That, he feels, should wait for another day. Jo shrugs, apparently unconcerned by whatever happened while she was gone, and pushes her peco up to join Shane. "Something the matter?" she asks him. "The campsite isn't far, if you're tired."

JUSTIN: "I'm fine, thank you." Shane says, almost too quickly. His shoulders sag a bit, and he shakes his head, trying to clear out the junk. "Sorry. I guess I am tired." He half-fibs, and leaves it at that for the time being.

JENNA: * Jo gives him a doubtful look, but she shrugs slightly. "I'll take first watch, if it's all right with you." She pauses, then gives a long stretch. "Wake me up a few hours before dawn, if you don't mind. I want to double-check our route."

JUSTIN: * Shane nods -- a few times more than he needs to, as he's fairly distracted with trying to distract himself. Then a few seconds after, he stops to think about what she actually said. "Maybe we should look into getting some maps next time." He chews his lip. "Not that I don't trust your experience..."

JENNA: * Jo smiles faintly. "How do you think I'm going to check our route? Douglas has maps. Though I suppose having some of our own could be useful." She glances away, plucking at the feathers on the back of her peco's neck. "I haven't worked in a partnership in a long time," she muses, half to herself.

JUSTIN: * Shane rubs the back of his neck, feeling sheepish for not assuming. He leans forward in his saddle, staring ahead thoughtfully for a little bit. "Is it a bad thing?" He asks, not sure she really meant him to answer her comment. "I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably a lousy partner, not knowing anything about travel or anything." To a certain degree, he's a little surprised he is even admitting to an open partnership.

JENNA: * Jo glances at him, seeming surprised she spoke aloud, then shakes her head. "No.. it's not. It'll just take some getting used to." She glances at him with a faint smile, then shakes her head once again. "You've done fine so far, aside from a few notable incidents."

JUSTIN: * Shane clucks his tongue, turning her a playfully hurt look. "And what incidents might those be? If I haven't been a bumbling fool /all/ the time, I'm curious what you /did/ consider to be foul ups." His brows lift and he watches her expectantly.

JENNA: * Her brows lift, mouth curving into a challenging expression. "You really want me to answer that?" She snorts slightly, raising one finger. "Refusing to drink river water until you nearly collapsed." A second finger rises to join the first. "Letting your first catch fly off into the bushes." And a third. "Getting deathly sick and not mentioning it until you fell over." She carefully skirts the larger issues, which is odd all on its own, as she is usually swift to point them out.

JUSTIN: * Shane reddens in the face, turning his attention ahead again. He knew she wouldn't mention any of the things that had caused them a lot of emotional grief -- it was far too early to joke about them -- but the fact that she remembers small things like the river and the fish, stir a strange feeling of fondness. "Oh, hush. You've had plenty of your own moments, and I wouldn't tempt me to bring them up, if I were you."

JENNA: * Jo sniffs, peering at him with mock-skepticism. "We should compare notes sometime." She doesn't pursue the subject further, however, glancing at the sky, then at the road ahead. "Ah.. campsite's coming up soon. The weather's good, so we shouldn't need the tent."

JUSTIN: * Shane nods his head, the color in his cheeks already receding. "That's good, definately not meant for two people." He smiles, tapping at his leg. "Another thing to look into in the future, no doubt." He sighs casually, rocking a bit in his saddle as he waits impatiently for the chance to rest.

JENNA: * Jo nods shortly, then points ahead. "You see that tree there? The one that looks like it's curving to the road? That's where we're stopping. There's a clearing just off to the side that's good and sheltered." She falls silent, having given this visual reference, and relaxes in the saddle.

JUSTIN: * Shane sits up and leans to look where she's pointing, nodding slowly. "Okay. That should be fine." As if he would know. He leans back in his saddle again, and peers back shortly at Douglas -- trying not to glare too much -- and then looks forward again with a quiet, disgruntled merf.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't answer, staying quiet all the way to the campsite. She doesn't seem particularly bothered, however, more like she simply has nothing to say. When Douglas (or rather his servant) has pulled his wagon off the road, she dismounts and ties her peco to a nearby tree, helping unhitch the others from the wagon. "You don't mind an early start, do you?" The servant shakes his head, despite Douglas' heavy sigh.

JUSTIN: * Shane hops down from his mount and quietly ties it with the others, straightening his coat as he walks over to stand near Jo -- no /too/ near her, of course. Just enough to feel satisfied that nothing can happen without him knowing. He pops open his canteen and takes a slow drink from it, watching Douglas warily.

JENNA: * Douglas, after camp is made, appears content to take his food into the back of the wagon with a small lamp, waving farewell at the others. The manservant pauses to explain that his young master likes to read while he eats, then follows him into the back. Jo arches an eyebrow and shrugs, settling herself down and eating her own food, for the moment, in silence.

JUSTIN: * Shane scratches his head, then likewise shrugs and plops down beside Jo, groaning slightly from his sore butt. "Mmph. I like to read, and I like to eat, but I would imagine doing both at once would only weaken the experience of each." He points out, just in case Jo secretly cares, and pokes at his own food noncommitally for the moment.

JENNA: "I only know about the eating part, myself." And she continues to do so, finishing her meal in short order and setting the remains aside. She then pauses, stretching her legs out in front of her, and gazes up at the rapidly darkening sky.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks at her doubtfully. "Well I still plan to fix that, someday." He states pointedly, and continues to pick at his food and eat, oblivious to the change taking place overhead.

JENNA: * Jo glances at him sideways, expression puzzled. She doesn't remember him planning any such thing -- at least not within her hearing. "If you say so," she says, then frowns slightly, noticing that the sky is growing dark not merely with evening but with a towering set of thunderclouds. "Oh /hell/."

JUSTIN: * Shane gives her a look of determination and defiance, which falters when she doesn't challenge his claim outright. The expression fades to confusion all at once, however, at her next statement. "What? What is it?" He tilts his head back to look up at the sky. "Wha -- where did all that come from!? It was clear just minutes ago!"

JENNA: "Tent," is Jo's only reply as she scrambles for the packs to unearth it and set it up before it begins raining. Unfortunately, she's barely got it untied before the downpour hits with a violent crack of thunder. "Hell!" she yelps again, still scrambling to get it upright in the pouring rain.

JUSTIN: * Shane abandons what's left of his meal and lurches to help Jo with the tent. "Are we cursed with bad luck, or is it just a natural affinity?" Shane asks nobody in particular, shaking some of the newly arrived and plentiful liquid from his eyes. He's had no experience with setting up a tent, outside of seeing Jo do it a couple of times. "How do you /work/ this damn thing?"

JENNA: "J-just let me!" Jo shouts above the noise, swearing as she hammers the stakes into place. In addition to the rain, an unpleasant wind is whipping things around, only partly blocked by the sheltering trees. "Get inside --" she snaps as the tent finally comes upright, then she dashes over to retrieve their belongings. The pecos, meanwhile, have sheltered under tree branches and are squawking at the offensive weather.

JUSTIN: "But--" Shane doesn't have a chance to argue over the matter, and scowls before crawling into the cramped space. It's wet inside, too, but at least it isn't getting wetter by the second. He holds the front flap of the tent for Jo, waving for her to hurry up. "I could have gotten those, you know!" He calls at her.

JENNA: * Jo skids inside, tossing the packs toward the back, then collapses to her knees, panting slightly. "It.. was quicker this way." She then drops back into a sitting position, peering out at the weather before pulling the tent flap shut. "Disgusting," she mutters, plucking at her sopping shirt. "At least I doubt anything will attack in all that."

JUSTIN: * Shane frowns with an almost hurt expression, noting that her excuse doesn't make much sense and is beside the point anyway. "Well, I hope you're right. We'll have a hell of a time hearing anyone sneak up on us in all this." He stares for a moment at her clingy shirt, then stares the opposite way, grabbing at one of their packs and digging through it. "Do you want a cloak or something to keep warm? Maybe dry off a bit..."

JENNA: "I doubt that would help," she mutters, tugging the shirt away from her skin and trying to wring it out a bit. "Stripping might, but we can't very well do that." She sighs, leaving it be for the time being and tugging off her boots. "Guess we'll just be damp tonight."

JUSTIN: * Shane looks momentarily horrified that she even mentions getting undressed, despite her quick admission that it won't happen. He pulls a cloak out of the pack and tosses it between them in spite of her words. "Well, here's one, anyway. In case you decide to try." He pulls his knees up and starts working on his boots with an anxious expression on his face.

JENNA: * Jo picks up the cloak with a shrug, noting that it's nearly as wet as everything else, and glances up at Shane. "You all right? Don't want you getting sick again." She sets her boots aside with a sigh, settling against her pack and half-closing her eyes. It isn't often she's had to spent the night sopping wet, but she has done it before.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks mildly insulted, though he tries not to show it. "I've been caught in the rain before, Jo. I'll be fine." He places his boots in the corner of the tent and attempts to give her space as he lies down. He stares at her blankly for a moment before she even comes into focus again, his thoughts very briefly doing their own thing. "I guess we might as well get right to sleep, then..."

JENNA: "Might as well," Jo murmurs sleepily in reply, rolling to face the tent wall and giving a long stretch -- or as long as she can manage in the confines of the structure -- before curling up slightly in preparation to doze off. "Here's hoping we wake up before our charges." She grins to herself, doubting Douglas would really care one way or the other.

JUSTIN: * Shane rolls over to face his own side of the tent, curling slightly and tucking an arm under his head. "Right... here's hoping." His eyes shut hard, attempting to quash a peculiar unease. "Goodnight." He says in afterthought, perhaps trying a little too hard to kill his brain.