JENNA: * Jo makes a noncommittal noise and yawns, closing her eyes the rest of the way after a few moments and almost dozing. Between the lazy crackle of the campfire and the increasing scene of fish, she's feeling particularly cozy. She's about to drop off entirely when the fire gives a sharp crack, and she sits up, looking a little dazed.

JUSTIN: * Shane's already turned the fish a few times, seeing that she was apprently too comfortable to remember. Her sudden movement startles him a bit, and he quickly shifts to help her get upright, looking more concerned than necessary. "Is something wrong? Did you get burned?"

JENNA: "No.. I just fell asleep." She waves his help away, shaking her head. "How are the fish?" After her remarkably brief nap, she's hungrier than ever and a little embarrassed that she napped at all. "Sorry I startled you.. I'm fine." She rubs her eyes, deciding not to use him for a cushion again until she actually intends to go to sleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane crosses his legs underneath himself, sitting back again and feeling a little foolish for his worry. "Don't worry about that... The fish should be about done." He sniffs the air a couple times, checking the scent, and leans over to give them a look. "Maybe another minute or so, if you think can wait." He puts a hand against her back and gives it a slow, circular rub. "My leg really that comfortable?"

JENNA: "It'll do .." Jo grins faintly, scrubbing at one eye again. "Though there are other parts of you I'd rather rest my head against. Don't know why I was so sleepy.." She gives her head a shake and turns her attention back to the fish, apparently intending to watch them intently until it's time to eat.

JUSTIN: "Warm, cozy, and bored. Sounds like a winning combination to me." Shane plucks the sticks from their perch next to the fire, and hands one of them to Jo, deciding not to inquire further about her other comment. He blows at the hot, roasted fish, and flops over onto his side while he waits for his meal to cool.

JENNA: * Jo blows on the fish a bit, impatient to eat, and scoots over to lean against Shane's prone form. She takes a quick, careful bite, eating it stubbornly even though the meat is too hot. She sighs and leans back, waiting a little bit longer before trying her next bite.

JUSTIN: * Shane roots his stick in the ground again, freeing up his hands for more important things -- like continuing to pester Jo. He idly plucks at her shirt, straightening the fabric where it's crooked, smoothing it where it's bunched up. "Early bedtime tonight, Jo? Or should we continue our trend of irresponsibility?" He settles his arm around her waist, and retrieves his staked fish to blow at them once more, before taking a test bite.

JENNA: * Jo chews thoughtfully on her fish, finally cool enough for her to eat, then shrugs. "I'd just as soon sleep.. unless there's anything you want to do." She leaves that comment innocent, concentrating her attention hungrily on her food again.

JUSTIN: * Shane shrugs his shoulders, picking a piece of his fish free from the stake, and popping it in his mouth. He chews it quickly and swallows, then pulls his canteen from his belt and sets it down in front of him for later. "Not really... I suppose we'd better get an early start in the morning, if we want to get a spot surveyed before it gets too late."

JENNA: * Jo nods, polishing off her first fish and starting in on her second. "The more we survey, the more likely we are to find something, anyway," she says, mouth half full. She pauses, swallowing. "Maybe we'll find something tomorrow."

JUSTIN: "I hope so." Shane begins to eat his fish with a bit more enthusiasm, his hunger finally catching up with him. He breaks after a particularly large bite, and rubs at his eyes. "I'd like to get to the fun work, the planning and designing."

JENNA: "If you say so," Jo says agreeably, polishing off the rest of her fish and tossing the stick into the fire. She slouches comfortably against Shane, then stretches before relaxing again. "As long as you can find somebody who'll build what you design." She reaches an arm around to prod him lightly in the shoulder. "Don't make it to crazy, yeah?"

JUSTIN: "Does that mean I can't have the underground labyrinth?" He grins, leaning over her to place a kiss her lips sideways. "And I was really looking forward to hall of mirrors." He gives her a tender squeeze, then returns to his meal, hurrying the process along as best he can without choking.

JENNA: "That would be a little on the expensive side, hm?" She gets to her feet after a moment, moving over to her pack and retrieving her sleeping gear. "I'll be happy with a moat." She smiles mockingly, dropping her pack and cloak behind Shane and easing her way down.

JUSTIN: * Shane smirks, swallowing down the last of his fish and disposing of the remains in the fire. "I suppose that's an acceptable compromise." He works his coat off and tosses it off to the side, then turns and flops onto the ground beside Jo. "Lord and Lady of our own little estate. That should keep the trespassers away." He grins, reaching over to brush the back of his fingers across her cheek.

JENNA: * Jo grins, scooting closer to him and wrapping an arm around his waist. "Bad enough to know we're both there ..." She sighs contentedly, nuzzling against him for a moment. "I guess you know what you have planned, though." She grins faintly. "I'll just let you deal with it."

JUSTIN: "I promise not to disappoint." Shane moves his hand to the back of her neck, rubbing at it absently as he watches her with a smile. "And if I need your input on anything, well... I know where to find you." He kisses the top of her head and settles further, sharing her cloak for the time being, mostly because he doesn't want to break their cozy setup to fetch his own. "Always close at hand, just the way I like it."

JENNA: * Jo makes a vague noise, nestling closer and giving a sleepy yawn. "If you want anything.. better get it quick.. I'm going to sleep." She tilts her head back slightly, opening one eye and grinning up at him. "And I don't much let go after I fall asleep."

JUSTIN: * Shane quirks a brief grin, and leans in closer to her, scritching his fingers at the back of her neck. "Got everything I need right here." He resists the urge to give a cheesy wink, and instead punctuates the statement with a soft kiss, moving his arm down to hold about her waist. "Feel free to hold on as long as you want."

JENNA: "Good." Jo reaches up to kiss him again, then nuzzles against his neck with a contented sound. The only thing that would make her happier, likely, is being in a bed -- and possibly having fewer clothes on. She gives him a slight squeeze, then her arm relaxes as she drifts off, uttering only a faint murmur as she falls asleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane drags his coat over and balls it up beneath his head, sighing quietly as he closes his eyes and rests his weight comfortably. He rubs his hand slowly at Jo's side for a while after that, until he finally begins to feel the effect of his weariness, and slowly fades into sleep himself.

JENNA: * The night passes largely without incident, and Jo wakes to early-morning sunlight streaming down on the campsite. The pecos squawk conversationally with each other, and the fire is down to its last embers. "Mrgh," she says, and nuzzles into Shane's shoulder in a futile attempt to block the light.

JUSTIN: * Shane's motionless slumber breaks suddenly with a bright and lengthy yawn, his body reacting to Jo's gentle nudging by tightening his arms around her. He mumurs quietly, curling up and burrowing into the crook of her neck. "Don't worry, I've got you..." He mumbles in his sleep, and then goes still again.

JENNA: * Jo makes a faint, muffled noise. As little as she likes the idea of getting up, she can't really afford to got back to sleep, and Shane won't be waking without some prompting. She sighs, lifting her head and prodding him in the ribs with one hand. "'S time to get up, Shane .."

JUSTIN: "No it isn't..." Shane mumbles almost incoherently, seemingly in answer to her question. However, he isn't any more awake than he was a moment ago, and he doesn't move -- save to adjust the position of his face to match the movement of Jo's head, keeping himself buried against her neck.

JENNA: "Yes it is," Jo grumbles, prodding him again, harder. "Wake up ... we have to find a place for the house." She sighs, resorting to tickling after another moment, when the prodding doesn't get her anything. "If we get that done, we can sleep in tomorrow ... in a bed, even."

JUSTIN: * Shane fidgets about wildly when the proddings turn much more devious. He rolls away and curls up in a defensive ball before he snaps awake, hands catching hers to stop her assault. "I'm awake! I'm awake..." He sits up blearily, looking around with half a grimace when he realizes how early it is. "I feel like I just went to bed five minutes ago..."

JENNA: * Jo clucks her tongue at him, working her hands free and reaching up to tug his hair. "Go splash some river water on your face. It's nice and cold." She reaches up to kiss him, then gets to her feet, trotting over to the saddlebags to retrieve a quick breakfast. "This area's nice ... may be on to something here."

JUSTIN: "I think I'll pass..." Shane returns her kiss almost absently, still trying to collect himself after his brief spout of energy. Rubbing at his face a bit more, he manages to get to his feet and stretch, groaning with the effort of waking. "If we're on to something, I hope it doesn't decide to play hide and seek." He yawns and turns a groggy stare at the fire's embers, working up the strength to do anything else.

JENNA: "I haven't known patches of earth to grow legs and move away ... so we shouldn't have a problem." Jo dangles bread, cheese and dried meat in front of him, an offering of breakfast. "Make yourself a sandwich." She scatters the remains of the fire, scuffing dirt over some of it, then seats herself on a patch of grass and eats her own share.

JUSTIN: * Shane collects the various portions of offered food, and makes his way over to plop down beside her, making his sandwich with careful precision. "I'll take your word for it... Having been born on a floating island of rock, I can't say it would surprise me utterly." Hefting his finished sandwich, he takes a small bite and chews it with slow, calculated jaw movements.

JENNA: "I'm pretty sure the rocks that make up Juno didn't get there by themselves." She eats her breakfast quickly, sitting back and looking skyward once she's done. "I wonder if we have enough money with us to pay for everything .. I don't really want to go back to Juno." She scratches her cheek. "And I didn't see anything that looked like a bank around here."

JUSTIN: * Shane shrugs his shoulders lightly, setting his sandwich down on his lap for the moment. "There must be some sort of service, even if the people in Hugel don't need to use it very often. Maybe there isn't a proper bank, though. It might be handled by the postal service." He leans back against the tree trunk behind them, folding his arms lazily across his chest. "Something for us to find out, I suppose."

JENNA: * Jo nods, shrugging, and gets to her feet to finish cleaning up the campsite. Looking around, she notes they've strayed a little way from the ocean and makes a mental note to head back that way. "Well, you'd know more about that than I do." She packs her cloak away in a saddlebag, feeding the pecos as long as she's up.

JUSTIN: "I know enough, I suppose." Shane gets to his feet after her, abandoning his pacing and cramming his sandwich down as fast as he can. Snagging his canteen from where he left it, he washes down his meal and reattaches the vessel to his belt. He reacquires his coat as well, pulling it on and fastening it before he walks over to Jo again. "I'll try to keep the entire project within reason, in any case. Just to be safe. We can always expand on the basics later, if we're too cramped."

JENNA: "I don't know.. after living out of tents and inn rooms, nothing's cramped." Or, if you think about it another way, after living with the entire world as your house, everything's cramped. She scratches her cheek again and shrugs, choosing the former as she unties her peco from the tree. She leads it a few feet away before swinging into the saddle. "Onward?"

JUSTIN: * Shane tightens the belt of his coat and leads his peco from the tree. "Onward and upward. Or downward, depending." He climbs into his saddle and trots around the campsite until he's behind Jo again, waiting for her to take the lead once more. "And let's hope for good luck."

JENNA: * Jo nods and starts her peco moving, angling north and toward the ocean as they continue their search. It's not more than an hour before she pulls her peco to a halt after trotting through a thin grove of trees, and waves for Shane to join her. Up ahead is a wide and relatively flat area set at the top of a slope. The side bordering the ocean is a little steep, but the beach below is surprisingly welcoming.

JUSTIN: * Shane arches a brow at her wave, wondering at the sudden insistance. "Find something?" He pulls his peco up alongside her and leans forward in the saddle as he takes in the view ahead of him. "...well, I guess you have." He spends a moment looking over the area intently, fashioning would-be structures in his mind's eye.

JENNA: * Jo grins comfortably, leaning back in the saddle before trotting ahead to scout out the grounds themselves. "See? I told you we were on to something." She pushes the bird to the top of the slope and turns to look over the ocean, stretching. "Think it'll do?" she asks mildly.

JUSTIN: * Shane slowly follows after her -- still doing his best to take mental notes of landscaping and construction possibilities. The fact he can come up with so many so quickly means he just might have to agree. "I think it'll do nicely." He blinks his imaginary structures away for the time being, turning his sight to Jo instead, and smiles. "What about you? Think you could see yourself living here?"

JENNA: * Jo glances at him with a faint smile. "I think it'll do," she says after a moment. "Wouldn't have pointed it out if I didn't like it." She looks at Shane, arching a brow. "How long do you need to commune with the place? It'd be nice to be back in town in time for a hot supper."

JUSTIN: "Oh, I think a brief walk-around should be sufficient... I can do a more thorough job when I have some help from town." He turns his peco around and glances at Jo over his shoulder, grinning lightly. "I still need some professional opinions before I go ahead and start designing anything." He starts his peco off at a slow walk around the perimeter, looking casual as he assesses the landscape around him. "We'll be back in time for dinner, promise."

JENNA: "All right." Jo slides down from her peco and tiesit to one of the few trees in the area, starting down the slope and around to search out a more convenient route to the beach. Happily, one is immediately apparent, and she kicks her boots off, trotting into the sand. She considers the merits of going for a swim, then decides against it, rolling up her trousers and wading into the drink instead.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't particularly notice her absence, busy as he is with his survey. In spite of his promise to make things quick, he seems content to take his time, stopping now and then to dismount and investigate something closer. Even with his slow and methodical pacing, however, the entire area, while certainly large for personal property, isn't so vast as to consume an entire day. And thus, he doesn't mind the least bit about being thorough.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't seem to care much, either, finally abandoning the water to flop down in the sand and relax in the sun. The beach is nicely sheltered and apparently isolated, and she has been unable to find any caves nearby that would merit exploration. She yawns, chucking pebbles toward the water with casual precision.

JUSTIN: * All told, it takes Shane a few hours to make his very thorough appraisal (in spite of his admission that it won't really matter until he gets some professional assistance), and he comes back looking fairly pleased, only to find Jo's peco alone and fairly happy for it. Giving only a quick glance around without seein gher, he finds the only obvious answer to be the beach below, and so he dismounts and ties his peco up beside its companion. He finds the path she used quickly and easily, and heads down to the seaside retreat.

JENNA: * Jo glances over her shoulder at him as he approaches, then gets to her feet, brushing sand from her trousers. "Finished?" she asks, sticking her hands behind her head. "No nasty surprises or anything, I hope." She looks around at the area and shrugs. "Nothing bad here, anyway. Just.. sort of a nice, private beach." She grins faintly.

JUSTIN: "No nasty surprises." Shane confirms, walking over with a surprising amount of bounce in his step. He collapses into the sand with a highly pleased sigh, and gives a largely exagerrated stretch. "All sorts of ideas buzzing in my head, but I don't want to get my hopes up too much." He reaches over and pats her on the knee, giving it a squeeze. "Don't get me wrong, I don't see any reason why we couldn't get a house built here. Most of my other ideas are dependant on what kind of landscaping we can have done, though."

JENNA: * Jo pauses, then flops down again, leaning back on her elbows. "That's good ... whatever you can do." She straightens, resting her arms on her knees. "Looks like we've got enough time to get back for dinner, too." She stretches lazily. "Probably not enough time to look around for a carpenter, though."

JUSTIN: * Shane shakes his head, hopping back to his feet. "Probably not. We'll have to see to it in the morning. But at least that'll give us another decent reason to keep from sleeping in again, right?" He turns to her with a wry grin, offering both hands to help her up. "Not that you ever need a reason to get me up early."

JENNA: "If I let you, you'd sleep all the time and never do anything." Jo takes his help and gets to her feet, dusting herself off again and starting back to the slope. "Maybe we'll get a discount for the lizard work," she says drily. "That's some good to come out of it, anyway ..." She looks up toward the pecos, which are squabbling conversationally.

JUSTIN: * Shane snorts, turning to follow her and crossing his arms comfortably behind his back. "We did get paid, and we did save some very friendly sheep. But I suppose more benefits couldn't hurt." He trots up next to her, moving one of his arms to snag her about the waist. "And if you didn't always wake me up so early, I might not be so tired all the time. I don't recall ever having issues with it before I met you." He leans over to rest his forehead in her hair. "Or maybe you just tire me out more than is reasonable."

JENNA: "I doubt that," Jo retorts, turning to nuzzle against him for a moment before starting for her peco again. "You're just lazy now that you only have to look out for yourself -- instead of an entire city." Jo grins over her shoulder, shrugging, and trots over to untie her bird. "Either way -- I'm hungry."

JUSTIN: "Not just myself. I look out for you, too -- and you're more stressful than an entire city." Shane smirks, patting his peco's side before he gets its reigns untied from the small tree. "But I guess the rewards outweight the effort involved, hm?" He hops into his saddle and trots around in circles while he waits for her to get mounted, turning a last look around the area.

JENNA: * Jo shrugs, mounting up, and declines to point out she doesn't feel she needs any looking after. "If you say so," she says, starting down the slope and back toward town. "You couldn't pay me enough to look after a city." She pauses, glancing over her shoulder at him.

JUSTIN: * Shane trots along just behind her, smiling slimly as he watches her. "I suppose that's fitting, since they don't pay very much at all." He closes the gap between them, riding beside her again. "But I guess that's not important if you enjoy the job. Or at least feel obligated." He shrugs his shoulders lightly, turning her a sideways glance. "I'm happily retired, in any case."

JENNA: * Jo grins at him briefly. "Way too legal for me." Then she pushes her peco into a faster trot. Her one worry, that the site will be an unreasonable distance from town, is eased when they reach the inn well before evening. With as few people as are staying, dinner comes fast, and it isn't long before the pair is upstairs, bathed and pretty much ready to sleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane flops onto the bed, heaving a heavy sigh, and a giving a lengthy stretch before folding his hands on his bare stomach. "Mm. Only one night gone, and I was already missing a nice, comfortable bed." He turns his head to watch Jo, eyes clearly tired but not yet to the point of closing on their own. "Next step is to get a bed I can claim ownership of."

JENNA: "Joint ownership." Jo flops next to him and nestles closer, prodding him gently in the ribs. "I'd like to think to think I get at least half of it." She grins, catching hold of one of his hands and twining her fingers with his. "It's going to be a busy day tomorrow, isn't it?" she says drily, resting her head against his shoulder.

JUSTIN: "More than half, if you want it. As long as I get to use it, too." Shane rubs his thumb against the edge of her hand, tucking it around his waist and turning his head to kiss her forehead. "Busy would be an understatement... It'll probably take all day." He shifts himself to be more comfortable, nestling against her. "I wish I could say it wouldn't be boring, but... you might want to bring something to keep yourself entertained while I get things plotted out."

JENNA: "Mm, I think I can manage that." She nuzzles him drowsily, drumming her fingers against him. "Just let me know how much it's going to cost. I'll go play with the sheep." She grins, reaching up to kiss him lightly. "Want to set up a time to meet me?"

JUSTIN: * Shane kisses back briefly, giving her a look of mock-suspicion. "Play with the sheep, you say? Anything you'd like to tell me?" He grins, leaning in to kiss again, then rubs the back of his neck in thought. "Not sure exactly how long it will take, but... I could meet you back here for an early dinner. I don't really want to stay out all night, not even for this."

JENNA: "They'd probably want to go home, too, you know," she says with a faint smile. "I'd drag you back if you tried, anyway." She nuzzles against his neck again, kissing his skin gently before drawing back. "Gotten used to having someone warm next to me." She sighs comfortably and trails her fingers drowsily along his back.

JUSTIN: * Shane quirks a boyish grin, and traces his fingers back along Jo's jawline, eventually cupping his palm against the back of her head. "Glad I'm not the only one." He leans forward and gives her a soft, lingering kiss, before settling into the bed again and watching her. "It will be nice... having privacy without sacrificing comfort." His fingers curl in her hair, combing at it tenderly, and he smiles. "No midday interruptions from maids wanting to clean the sheets."

JENNA: * Jo sighs, prodding him again. "The privacy will definitely be a plus." For more reasons than just one, though she doesn't expand on that aloud. "But it's not going to stop me from waking you up at a reasonable hour." She grins, settling herself comfortably. "And speaking of that .. we may as well get some sleep so you can be up bright and early."

JUSTIN: * Shane grins, snorting quietly at her suggestion. "Well I wasn't lying in bed because I was looking for a rousing good time." He pats her cheek and leans in for a last goodnight kiss. "But I guess all the talking is delaying our purpose." He lies back again and sighs, settling his head on his pillow and turning to stare up at the ceiling, moving his hand to settle against her arm where it crosses over his waist. "I'll try not to make a fuss this time, when you wake me up."

JENNA: "Better not." Jo yawns, nestling down and relaxing into the bed as she attempts to convince her body that an early bedtime is good for it. Though it takes a little longer than usual, it doesn't take terribly long for her to drop off, content and warm. Her dreams are uneventful, leading her mostly to nuzzle closer to her companion in the night.

JUSTIN: * Shane's sleep comes to him with relative ease, being the good friend of slumber that he is. Jo's midnight approach is welcomed, even returned, by unconscious burrowing and nuzzling, inviting her to find whatever comfort she might desire in his proximity.