JENNA: * With day breaking, Jo gathers up a few of her belongings and stalks into the woods to take out some of her aggression on whatever woodland animals are unfortunate enough to cross her path. This keeps her occupied for at least a couple of hours, as she isn't having much luck finding them -- or perhaps they are feeling in terror ahead of her rougher-than-normal stalking. She finally stops to rest, giving up long enough to catch her breath and possibly calm down.

JUSTIN: * It takes a while, but eventually the lack of Jo's presence begins to have the opposite effect on Shane, changing from sprawling comfort to a distinct unease -- so used is he to her company by now. He wakes slowly, lifting his head to look about the small structure with half-lidded eyes. At first alarmed by Jo's absence -- old habits die hard -- he calms quite quickly, dimly remembering her warning that she was going to be off in the forest early in the morning. For the time being, he isn't feeling brave enough to leave the shade of the tent, so he flops back down and yawns.

JENNA: * The second half of Jo's hunt is considerably more successful, netting her a couple of birds in addition to another rabbit. She thinks about it, then decides to pursue a second one, as it doesn't seem quite fair, though she does feel a sudden urge to spite Shane. Only the thought that it'll be easier on her if he thinks nothing happened keeps her from doing precisely that.

JUSTIN: * Not wanting to be caught still in bed when Jo gets back, Shane finally decides to make his exit from the tent and meet the daylight head on. The brightness gives him a moment of expected discomfort, but more immediately disturbing is the odd sensation he gets from his pants. It's only a second before he realizes just what the problem is, and even though no one is currently around to see it, he blushes profusely. Quickly grabbing a change of clothes, he rushes down to the river with a flurry of curses. The last thing he wanted to start his day with was a dip in cold water.

JENNA: * The sun is well risen by the time Jo's done with her hunt, and she's also managed to salvage her mood -- at least enough to play nice. She starts humming on her way back to camp, occasionally skipping as she goes. Upon reaching camp again, she sets her kills down and shuffles around to get a fire ready, not bothering to check on Shane. If he's awake, he probably hasn't gone far.

JUSTIN: * Shane is gone for a good twenty minutes or so before he comes slinking back to camp, having noted Jo's presence along the way. His head is low, and he looks more than a little embarrassed, trying half-heartedly to hide his wet pants and undershorts behind his back. "Morning..." He mumbles quietly, dropping the clothing near the fire before seating himself -- and taking care not to look at her.

JENNA: * Jo glances at him sideways, wondering vaguely how much he knows about what he did the night before and deciding they're both better off not talking about it. "Hope you're hungry -- I managed to catch a fair amount of breakfast." She has already cleaned the animals and is now whittling away at new cooking utensils. "Want to season them any?"

JUSTIN: "I... I guess... yeah." Shane rocks a bit where he sits, casting about as if he has no idea where these mysterious seasoning devices might be. He composes himself shortly, swiping at his face and getting to his feet to go retrieve the bottles. "How..." He pauses, sniffing quietly as he stares into his open backpack. "I mean... did you sleep well?"

JENNA: * Jo looks at him suspiciously, then shrugs. "No," she says bluntly. "I slept like crap. But it helped me wake up early enough to go hunting." She does not elaborate on why, hoping he will take that to mean nothing happened -- as last time she was fairly clear about it. She pauses to eye one of the sticks, shaving off a last bit before setting it aside to wait for the seasonings.

JUSTIN: * Shane cringes slightly, and tries to mask it by suddenly leaning into his pack and fishing around -- needlessly, as he's already located what he was looking for. He snags the bottles and quickly returns to the fire, once again avoiding looking at her, and sits down to wait.

JENNA: * Jo offers him one of the animals for seasoning, arching an eyebrow. "If you're not feeling good, we can head back to town early ..." She looks at the fire a little gloomily, almost mystified by how badly this camping trip has gone. And at this point she isn't entirely sure whose fault it is.

JUSTIN: "No!" Shane looks alarmed at the idea, though part of him was ready to shout "yes" instead. But he's certain he's already ruined her trip enough, without also forcing her to cancel it early. And that is more important than his own comfort, or lack thereof. "No, I'm fine. I'm just... groggy." Which isn't true at all -- the cold river water saw to that.

JENNA: "If you're sure," Jo says after a long moment, giving up on seasonings and staking the woodland creatures to be cooked. "It's not a big deal. I can come out here any time." Bird and rabbits in place, she turns her attention to cooking them over the fire. She is by now quite hungry and wishes she had a way of hurrying the process along.

JUSTIN: * Shane draws his knees up, crossing his arms over them and hiding the majority of his face in his sleeves. "I know that... I said I'm fine." He stares at the fire with a single fixation, clearly forced, and intends to remain that way for as long as he can get away with it.

JENNA: * Jo looks at animals roasting on the spit, then glares over at Shane, repressing a sigh and getting to her feet. "It's not the end of the world," she says, apparently apropos of nothing, and walks around to kneel behind him, stubbornly setting her hands against his shoulders and beginning to knead at his muscles.

JUSTIN: * Shane hunches, stubbornly putting distance between himself and her hands, in spite of the fact that by now he's more or less used to the attention. "Don't... You'll just get me going again." He makes an attempt to shrug her hands away, burrowing his face even further into his arms and feeling quite thoroughly ashamed of himself.

JENNA: "I really doubt that," Jo responds, keeping after him just as stubbornly. Her hands manage to find tense muscles in his upper back in spite of his evasions. "You've had full-on backrubs before without any odd results." Not that they're really all that odd, in most people's view. She clearly intends to remain largely unsympathetic.

JUSTIN: * Shane can't decide whether to give in or run away, so he settles for lurching to the side, falling over in the process. He doesn't bother to move himself, closing his eyes and muttering under his breath for a moment before he answers her. "So what? It won't help either of us if it happens again, so why take the risk?"

JENNA: "Oh, sit up and stop whining." Jo takes hold of his arm, tugging on it stubbornly in an attempt to get him upright. "I swear, you make the biggest deal out of what most folks would consider a perfectly natural process." She abandons the attempt after a moment, retreating to give the meat a turn before marching back around to Shane and kneeling next to him, tempting though it is to sit on him instead.

JUSTIN: * Shane remains on his side, stubborness not ready to give up just yet. "Since when is groping someone in your asleep a /natural process/?" He curls up tighter, in preparation for any further attempts to touch or move him. "I obviously can't seem to do it while I'm awake, and you don't like it when I'm asleep, so why shouldn't I make a big deal about it?"

JENNA: "I hate to break it to you, Shane," Jo says, now becoming somewhat waspish, "but most guys have dreams like that at least every once in a while -- though I have to admit a lot of them haven't got a woman lying next to them." She slaps him sharply in the shoulder. "I'm not saying it's something I'd encourage, but the only person who seems to hate you for it is /you/."

JUSTIN: "Why shouldn't I hate myself for it?!" Shane covers his head, shuddering slightly. "I want to... I want to make you happy, I want to do it... for real, do it." He pushes suddenly to his feet, stumbling over to a nearby tree and leaning heavily against it. "But I can't, and you get frustrated. I do things in my sleep, and you get angry at me. Why shouldn't I get angry at me?"

JENNA: * Jo startles backward when he gets to his feet, looking almost alarmed at this unexpected honesty. "Shane --" she begins, then stops, getting quickly to her feet and making her way over to him. She hesitates a moment before putting a hand against his back, looking guilty -- and close to ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry," she says after a moment. "I didn't mean.. I mean, I ..." She falls silent again, rubbing her other hand at her face. "I'm sorry," she says again.

JUSTIN: * Shane flinches slightly at her unexpected touch, his spinning thoughts making it next to impossible to maintain his situational awareness. He turns and looks at her, as if surprised to see her standing so near behind him, and his face looks tired and confused. "You can't say that... it's not your fault." He leans against the tree again, sliding slowly down to the ground again, legs sprawled out in front of him. "I mean, look at me. Nearly thirty years old, and I behave like a ten-year-old."

JENNA: * Jo crouches in front of him, watching his face silently for a moment before reaching out her hand to brush her fingers against his cheek. "I could go easier on you," she says after a moment. "If it's just that you're.." She hesitates over her wording for a moment, then shrugs. "Nervous. I was a little unfair.. yesterday." She sighs softly, reaching up to brush his hair back. "What can I do?"

JUSTIN: * Shane rubs at the side of his face, Jo's soft, agreeable response to this outburst slowly calming his head and heart. "You shouldn't need to... to do anything. I'll come around. I have to come around, eventually." He looks up at her, eyes pitiful, and reaches out to tug her closer. At the very least, he's capable of enjoying an embrace. "I wouldn't have gotten even this far without your... encouragement, right?"

JENNA: * Jo follows his tug to settle comfortably against him, resting her injured hand against his chest and twining the other around behind him. "We'll figure something out," she suggests, reaching up to tug his hair briefly. It's more likely /she'll/ be the one figuring something out, but she decides that particular point doesn't need stressing right now.

JUSTIN: "Yeah... something." Shane can't say the notion is comforting, but he's fairly certain comfort won't come until after he's managed to get over his apprehension. And that won't be until after the fact, if the trend continues. "In the meantime, I guess I'll do my best to be... open, to new things. And old things..."

JENNA: "Good plan," Jo says, sounding faintly amused, and kisses his cheek before resting her head against his shoulder. "You should probably concentrate on the house right now anyway," she says with a faintly put-upon sigh. She grins, about to say something more, when she catches a sudden whiff from the fire and swears, lurching away and to her feet to save their food from getting horribly burned.

JUSTIN: * Shane was just about to return the affection when she suddenly bolts from his arms. "What's wrong?" He catches the scent before the words even finish coming out of his mouth, answering the pointless question, and he quickly scrambles to his feet to step after her. "Oh no... I'm sorry, Jo, I didn't mean to distract you like that." He bites at his lip, squatting by the fire and grimacing at the sight of extra crispy meat.

JENNA: "It's salvageable," Jo mutters, turning the meat quickly and peering at the side that's scorched. "Well, the rabbits are ... My fault, anyway for letting you, right?" She sniffs, then thinks better of it, watching the meat until the other side is reasonably well cooked. "Might as well make the best of it."

JUSTIN: * Shane rubs at the back of his neck, eyeing the meat with little interest, despite his hunger. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've had to eat burnt food. Though if it's my own fault, there's a certain about of self-discipline involved..." He shifts over and slips an arm around Jo's waist, trying not to lean too much of his weight on her -- he's feeling rather exhausted after all that. "I'll take the least burnt one, and we'll call it even."

JENNA: * Jo grunts, dumping the remains of the birds into the fire before snapping the stick in two and offering him one of the rabbits. "Well, it's this or we go hungry while I fish ... I'd just as soon eat." She braces herself slightly to support his weight, then seats herself, applying her teeth to the meal. She considers silently the activities she'd had planned for this trip and wonders if they'll even survive another day.

JUSTIN: * Shane relaxes against her, slumping almost to the point of falling into her lap, and sniffs at his rabbit cautiously. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, supposedly. Not that I'm scared of a little burned meat." He smiles slimly and takes a few measured bites, chewing at the tough meat and watching the sky absently.

JENNA: * Jo nods agreeably, eating the rabbit as rapidly as she can in order to minimize time spent with the taste of charcoal. "Burnt meat hasn't killed me yet, anyway." She grimaces at the meat, however, before returning to her forced meal. She ponders for a moment, then glances at him sideways. "Did you bring any books with you?" she asks between bites.

JUSTIN: * Shane is taking his time with the meal, in spite of the flavor or because of it, but he does a decent enough job of not letting any disgust show on his face. He turns his head to look up and over at her, then smiles slightly. "Always have a book or two in my pack. Why do you ask?"

JENNA: * Jo shrugs, polishing off the meat -- what of it that's edible, anyway -- before responding. "Well, you had your swim this morning, and I don't really feel like going for one now." She tosses the remains of her meal on the fire, resting her hands against her knees. "So ... read to me?" She glances at him sideways again, expression somewhat wary.

JUSTIN: * Shane blinks his eyes, Jo's question taking a moment to sink in. At first, he's not sure he's heard her correctly -- it's been a long, long time since the last time she asked that question. And in fact, that was the only time. "Read to you? You're sure?" He shifts in his spot, pushing himself to a straighter sitting position, and stares at her with curious, intrigued eyes. "I mean, I'd be happy to if you really want."

JENNA: "Well, we never finished that last one," she says, shrugging and looking almost defensive. "I wanted to hear the rest.. we've just been busy." She falls silent, not wishing to belabor the point and wondering why this would be such a big deal. "If it's not a problem, anyway."

JUSTIN: "Of course it's not a problem!" Shane immediately crawls over to his pack, digging around its innards for a moment. Since he's had only the same few books since selling his house, it doesn't take him long to locate and identify the one he's looking for. "Here we go. Oh! -- um. Did you want to sit by the fire, or the river, or...?" He tucks the book under his arm and turns to face her again, standing on his knees.

JENNA: "I was going to douse the fire," Jo says, getting to her feet and starting to do exactly that. "The river would be fine.. it's probably cooler." She kicks some dirt over the fire, glancing over at him and smiling briefly. "Wherever's comfortable." She is somewhat relieved that he's not miserable anymore, happy enough his mind's off the issue, even if it remains unresolved.

JUSTIN: * Shane climbs to his feet, dusting his pants off quickly before turning in the direction of the river. "Okay, that sounds perfectly fine." He moves as if to start walking, but stops himself, instead turning back around to dig out his cloak. "Something to sit on..." He explains, whether she was curious or not. Taking a nice, deep breath, he smiles and starts off again, looking quite pleased.

JENNA: * Jo nods agreeably, content for now that his brooding mood has passed. She follows him to the riverbank, waiting for him to settle before she takes her place next to him and slouches comfortably against him. "You remember where we were?" she asks, glancing up at him before her gaze turns to the book with muted interest.

JUSTIN: * After they've gotten situated, Shane crosses his legs out in front of himself, smoothing a wrinkle in the cloak before turning his own attention to the book. "Well, I'm fairly certain... I tend to remember the oddest things, you know?" He grins weakly, wondering if that's a positive or negative trait. "I suppose I'll just try to get the proper chapter, for starters." He stretches a bit, then hefts the book and opens it to a point about a quarter of the way in, thumbing through the pages until he finds the one he's looking for.

JENNA: * Jo nods, watching the pages with her usual attentiveness. She recalls discerning patterns in the characters the last time he read to her, and that's at least part of her objective this time around -- aside from wanting to know what happens in the story. Instead of encouraging further conversation, she falls silent and waits for him to begin reading.

JUSTIN: * Shane gives his throat a ceremonial clearing, and once again lofts the book into the optimal reading position. "Now then, where were we?" He wonders quietly out loud, then answers himself with a soft "ah", putting a finger to the page and beginning the story. He quickly gets back into the habit of reading aloud, doing his best to bring the words some life for Jo's benefit.

JENNA: * Jo listens intently, though after a while she does shift, easing herself down to rest her head against his leg. The rest of her body curls comfortably, and her eyes half close, not with sleep so much as to concentrate better on what she's hearing. Thus situated, she's content to spend the rest of the day that way, if it comes to it.

JUSTIN: * Shane shifts the book to his other hand and reaches down his freed one to pet at Jo's hair as he reads, not once pausing or losing his place. He seems comfortable with reading for as long as she'll let him, feeling immensely pleased that she enjoys the activity as much as she does. As concentrated as he is on the book and the woman lying against his leg, he's oblivious as the sun climbs ever higher in the sky.

JENNA: * It's midafternoon before Jo calls a halt, reaching her arms around Shane's waist to give him a comfortable squeeze. "Thirsty yet?" she asks him, grinning, and sits up carefully, though she does continue to lean most of her weight against him. "We should probably look into food, too. I wasn't really planning to stay more than another day," she adds. "But we can read some more tomorrow."

JUSTIN: "Oh--" Shane looks caught off-guard for a moment, wrapped up in what he was doing to the point where he almost forgot about pretty much everything else. "I suppose I am." He clears his throat, as if testing whether or not this is true. Sure enough, he's beginning to get a bit hoarse. "I just get... caught up, I guess. I didn't even realize it got so late." He closes the book and gives Jo a one-armed squeeze, then carefully gets to his feet, offering her a hand up.

JENNA: "That's what I'm here for," Jo says drily, taking his hand and getting to her feet. "Get a drink -- I'll head out to catch some food." She pauses on the way back to camp to unwrap her bandages and inspect the injury she'd nearly forgotten about. "Guess I ought to change these first.." she says absently, changing her angle to head for her pack.

JUSTIN: * Shane gathers up the cloak and ambles along after her, tucking the book under his arm and rubbing at his slightly sore behind. "Do you want any help? I could redress it for you." He's already half-forgotten the part about getting himself a drink, tossing the thought to the back of his mind in favor of making himself useful. "Remember, you'll only have one hand if you do it yourself."

JENNA: * Jo shrugs, not particularly attached to either method of tending to her injury. "If you want to. I can manage. I've had to before." She retrieves new bandages and ointment on her own, settling on the ground to treat the wound. It's doing well, a testament to the truth in her insistence that it isn't bad. "Do you know how much longer the building will take?"

JUSTIN: * Shane drops his cargo off by his pack, then walks over to crouch beside Jo. For now, he seems willing to let her bandage her own wound, though he watches intently for any sign of struggle. "I can't really say... I know the entire process should take at least a couple of months." That is partly his fault, of course. If he'd asked for a simple log cabin, it would be done in a matter of weeks, but if he's going to get a house to spend the rest of his life in, it needs to meet his standards.

JENNA: "But we'll be moved in by winter." Jo tends to the wound quite competently, using teeth when necessary to adjust for the lack of her other hand. "The sooner we're out of the inn, probably the better ... it's going to add up after a while." She finishes bandaging, tightening the cloth and knotting it in place before she looks up.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns his eyes to match hers, smiling charmingly for no apparent reason. He shrugs his shoulders lightly, and leans back from his crouch to sit on his butt. "We'll definately be in by winter. Maybe the innkeeper will take pity on us and cut the cost of the room." He reaches forward to take her injured hand gently, inspecting the work she's just finished. "Even at a discount she'll be making a lot more money than usual. Hugel doesn't get much traffic."

JENNA: * Jo nods, retrieving her hand when he's done deciding whether she's done a good enough job. "Though I guess we have more than we'll ever need." She gets to her feet, putting the ointment and the rest of the bandages away, and makes to retrieve her hunting gear. "I'll be back shortly.. don't get too bored." She cracks a brief smile and starts for the woods.

JUSTIN: "I'll do my best not to." Shane says after her, folding his hands in his lap and glancing around the campsite as if looking for something to occupy himself with. Dangerously close to failing to resist boredom, he finally gets to his feet and moves to retrieve the deck of cards from Jo's pack.

JENNA: * Jo's hunt goes well and the food doesn't burn, a good sign for the rest of the trip, which goes smoothly as well. With another relaxing day spent by the riverside with a book, the pair heads back to town, arriving in late evening as the sun is about to disappear. Tired from the day's walk, Jo makes her way as quickly as possible toward the inn, willing to forego a meal in favor of a bath and some sleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane is showing some signs of weariness, as well, as they finally return to their rented room at the inn. He's overjoyed to have a nice, warm bed in front of him again, and it doesn't take him long to flop himself there upon. He lazily kicks his boots off and stretches, yawning vocally before he folds his arms beneath his head and turns his gaze to Jo. "Home, sweet temporary home. I hope I didn't ruin your camping trip too much."

JENNA: * Jo slings her pack into a corner, stretching lazily and looking down at her companion. "It cleaned up pretty nicely by the end of it, I have to say. And I'll forgive you for the first bit," she replies, kicking her boots off and peering toward the bathroom. "I'm in need of a hot bath -- or at least in want of one. So I'll see you in an hour."

JUSTIN: * Shane opens his mouth to say something, but thinks better of it very quickly, closing it again. He rubs at the side of his face and smiles tiredly, closing his eyes for a moment. "I guess I'll see you in an hour, then. If I'm still awake." He peeks an eye open to look at her again. "Try not to fall asleep in the bathtub."

JENNA: "I won't," Jo says drily, stepping inside the bathroom and closing the door behind her. It takes her very little time to strip and run the water, and she sinks in with a contented sigh, taking a long soak before she washes herself and -- just for good measure -- her clothes. As promised, she doesn't fall asleep in the water, but it is a near thing.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't try to make himself too comfortable -- because honestly, he doesn't really want to fall asleep before Jo comes back -- but he has a hard enough time fending his weariness off even as is. He finally forces himself off the bed in a last-ditch effort to keep himself awake, and he starts to very lazily peel off his clothing.

JENNA: * It's some time before Jo emerges, dry (aside from her hair) and dressed in a towel. She makes her way lazily over to her pack and digs out some clothes, glancing at Shane. "You can lie down if you want ... I won't be much longer." With that, she slips back into the bathroom to put her clean-ish clothes on before emerging again.

JUSTIN: * Shane gives her a long, sideways look as she enters and disappears again, giving his head a quick shake once she's in the bathroom once more. With a quiet sigh, he seats himself on the side of the bed, rubbing at his face before he flops backwards. His head turns toward the door when he hears her return, and he smiles slightly. "All better?"

JENNA: "Yeah, all cleaned up." She ambles over to flop next to him, rolling onto her side and leaning on her elbow. "We should probably just sleep ... it's been a long day. And you'll want to get back to the crew tomorrow, right?" She scoots a little closer, reaching out to nuzzle against him and smiling. "I can keep myself busy."

JUSTIN: "Yeah... you're right." Shane's smile turns a bit warmer, and he casually places an arm around the woman beside him, leaning in to peck a kiss against her nose. "Afraid of what would happen to our house if I left them to their own devices." He arches his back a bit, stretching his neck and shoulders as much as he can without actually moving from his spot. A contented sigh escapes as he settles in again, and he quirks a lazy grin. "I do anything to... wake you, prematurely, just punch me in the nose."

JENNA: "So am I to take that as orders to just wake you in the future?" she says lightly, prodding him gently in the ribs. "You promise not to indulge in self-recrimination when I do so?" Her brows lift, and she eyes him warily -- the sulking, she feels, is by far the worst part of any of those incidents.

JUSTIN: * Shane shifts his eyes away for a moment, cheeks threatening to flush red. Thankfully, the dark is likely to mask the color. "I can give you my word that... I'll try my hardest not to." His eyes turn back to her, and he smiles innocently. "Hopefully we'll get past this before it becomes a recurring problem."

JENNA: * Jo arches a brow. "Maybe so." She leans forward to kiss him lingeringly, nestling closer before dropping comfortably away. "Just so long as you try ... I'll do my best to help." She pauses long enough to give a yawn, leaning her head down and watching him sleepily. "But for now.. sleep. Hm?"

JUSTIN: * Shane lifts a hand to brush at her hair gently, and smiles tiredly. "Mhm." He leans in to give her a last kiss, then leans back and settles into his pillow, not even stopping to consider that he isn't under the blankets. Just another of Jo's habits that he's picked up. "Goodnight, Jocasta dear."

JENNA: * Jo murmurs a faint, though not very coherent response, drooping into a doze almost immediately. She nuzzles against her companion unconsciously, giving a low, contented sigh. At first, her dreams are uneventful, bone-deep weariness dropping her well past nightly activity.

JUSTIN: * Shane's body is all too happy to be off the hard earth and in a nice, comfortable bed, with a roof overhead, and it doesn't take him more than a few minutes to sink into a doze. Light sleep quickly deepens, and thankfully, his dreams are quiet an uneventful, leaving him in one place with his hands to himself this night.

JENNA: * Perhaps it's Shane's persistent night visits, or perhaps it's merely a manifestation of her own frustration, but some hours into the night, Jo begins to have dreams of her own -- the kind that so unsettle her companion. They are vivid enough that her sleeping body stirs in accord with them, pressing closer to him through the barrier of cloth that covers her and, more satisfyingly, nuzzling against his bare skin as her fingers trace down his back.

JUSTIN: * Shane stirs slightly at the attention, tightening his arm around her comfortably. Cuddling up in the middle of the night is a normal enough thing, and with his mind safely void of any sexual frustrations -- for once -- his body thinks nothing of it. He remains obliviously asleep, nuzzling down against her hair and murmuring quietly.

JENNA: * With this encouragement, it's not long before the nuzzling turns into kissing, interspersed with affectionate murmurs and some sounds that would seem oddly out of place in a regular sleep cycle. She makes her way slowly from the safer areas of his throat and collarbone, moving steadily south -- as quickly as the friction of being pressed suggestively against him from thigh to hip to chest will permit.

JUSTIN: * Something tells Shane's unconscious self that this isn't any ordinary midnight cuddle, and his dreams shift and scatter with the distraction, but he remains stubbornly asleep. In an effort to regain the normal comfort he expects in bed, he rolls over onto his back, putting a couple inches between himself and the unusually strong heat source beside him.

JENNA: * This shift seems to leave the still-sleeping Jo momentarily at a loss, hand grasping at him loosely as she murmurs a vague protest. It doesn't take her long to recover, however, and she's slid against him again in very little time, nuzzling and attempting to get in a position he'll have more difficulty escaping from. She has some success in the endeavor, working her way nearly on top of him while one drifting hand snags against the waistband of his underwear -- and apparently becomes intrigued with the possibilities.

JUSTIN: * This last maneuver causes Shane's body no shortage of alarm, silent sirens going off inside his head telling him that somebody -- or something -- wants to play. He squirms, coming awake suddenly, yet his wits are quite a ways behind his body in terms of awareness. At first, his conscious mind is unaware of the dangerous situation, and he merely stretches and yawns, shifting around to prop himself up on his forearms. Vision and feeling hit him simultaneously, and his back snaps straight in shock at the sight of the destination Jo's hand seems intent on.

JENNA: * This sudden motion tosses Jo entirely away from him, hand dragging up from dangerous territory to splay against his stomach. She gives a faint groan, stirring from where she hit the mattress and pushing herself up on one elbow in a just-woken daze. She's vaguely aware of the remnants of an extremely pleasant dream, and she gives her head a slight shake to chase them away before peering at her companion.

JUSTIN: * Shane is still staring downward, at the place where the waistband of his shorts is askew. He makes a quiet noise in his throat, something like a panicked squeak, and he skitters backwards against the headboard. His eyes finally snap over to Jo, wide with bewilderment, his mind spinning. "What were you trying to do?!"

JENNA: * Jo continues to stare at him blankly, letting her hand drop to the blanket without comment. She then shifts her gaze to it, looking thoughtful, and slowly pushes herself into a sitting position. "Well, until two minutes ago, I was asleep. So I really haven't got any idea." Though it would be fair enough to say she could make a guess.

JUSTIN: * Shane sputters, looking around frantically for something to help him -- but they are alone in an inn bedroom, and the only thing that is going to salvage his sanity is himself. He doesn't like the odds. "You-- M-my shorts--" He points at them quite sharply, clearly wanting her attention focused on her handiwork. Nevermind that there's no evidence anything is out of the ordinary.

JENNA: * At this display, Jo's expression becomes fairly cross. "Shane, I was having a /very/ nice dream. If I did something in the course of it that bothered you, well, I think you have a fair idea what it's like now." She shuffles away from him to flop down on her half of the bed and turn her back. "Call us even now, if you like. It's not like you have a hell of a lot of room to accuse."

JUSTIN: * Shane closes his mouth, quivering all over with the adrenaline running through him. After a moment sitting in stunned silence -- he can't believe how non-chalant she's being about it -- he slides off the bed, getting to his feet shakily, and then stumbles toward the bathroom feeling dazed.