JENNA: * Jo curls up a little tighter, severely annoyed at this treatment and reaction. She resists the impulse to sit up and fling something heavy in the direction of the bathroom, trying to redirect her energies into some kind of sleep state. She has a great deal of difficulty doing so with her mind in a constant buzz of irritation, and she shortly gives up on it, getting to her feet and searching for her boots, which she promptly begins to drag onto her feet, once she finds them.

JUSTIN: * Shane fumbles around in the dark until he finds the bathroom sink, then weakily turns at the knob. When cold water starts pouring out of the spout, he quickly redirects it to his face, shaking his head vigorously before leaning heavily against the porcelain. He sighs, eyes closed despite having little light to block out, and lifts a hand to wipe at his face. Several minutes are spent like this before he turns to look back into the bedroom, barely able to make out Jo's shape in the dim moonlight that filters through the curtains.

JENNA: * By the time he gets back, Jo has assembled her boots, and she gets to her feet promptly afterward, not sparing him so much as a glance as she starts for the door. She's feeling less than reasonable right at the moment, and has no particular desire to argue this situation for the second time in three days.

JUSTIN: * Shane's daze abruptly lifts at the sight of her retreat, and he quickly moves to put himself between her and the door. "H-hey... hey! Where are you going? It's the middle of the night!" He holds up his hands to halt her, though he's fairly certain she isn't going to stop unless she wants to, regardless of what he does.

JENNA: "Oh, yes, I'm sure there are assassins lurking in every corner of Hugel," she snarls at him. "Really dangerous city. What the hell does it matter where I'm going?" She attempts to shoulder sharply past him, honestly having no destination in mind, aside from somewhere that puts her well away from Shane or anything else that might take serious damage if she were to take out her aggressions on it.

JUSTIN: "Why wouldn't it matter? Jo--" Shane grunts, his poor balance not faring well against even a relatively weak shove. He topples, stumbling back a couple steps before catching himself against the door. Taking advantage of his, he reaches over and clasps his hand firmly around the doorknob, turning Jo a look reminiscent of an angry, pouting toddler. "I don't want you to go."

JENNA: * Jo's expression becomes surprisingly indignant at this tactic, but she stalks forward anyway, setting her shoulder against his chest and attempting to wrench his grip from the handle. "I would think," she growls, still struggling, "it would be a relief to get me out of the room." It's not, after all, like she isn't coming back, and she fails to see why a big production must be made of it.

JUSTIN: * Shane ignores her attempts to shove him out of the way. Or, more precisely, he firmly stands his ground and doesn't give an inch. "That's a pretty bold assumption to make." He grunts again, and finally releases the doorknob -- only to curl both his arms around Jo's waist and lift her bodily up off the ground, attempting to carry her back to the bed.

JENNA: * For a brief moment, Jo doesn't move entirely too surprised by his action to do anything about it. Shortly, however, she notices the door -- and the fact she is moving away from it -- and begins to struggle. She can't kick very well, but her arms are free, and with them she proceeds to assail Shane's chest and shoulders, interspersing the blows with swearwords and attempts to wrench free from his grip.

JUSTIN: * Shane stumbles a bit under the onslaught of fists and curses, but he manages to keep his feet under him through sheer determination. "Stop struggling! I said I don't want you to leave, okay?!" He practically hurls her onto the bed, desperate to get her there before he drops her or falls over. Before she can simply get back up again, he clambers across the blankets to position himself above her, effectively pinning her in place. He breathes heavily from exhertion and adrenaline, eyes almost wild as he stares down at her. "It's not even about that, is it, Jo?"

JENNA: * Jo's impact with the bed nearly knocks the wind out of her, stunning her quite long enough to keep her from making any defensive movements before Shane has her pinned. Even so, she struggles for a moment, wildly, before giving up and jerking her gaze away from his, panting with exertion for several moments before she manages to grate out, "What the hell else would it be about?"

JUSTIN: * Shane shifts his upper body slightly, leaning to the side in an attempt to keep this conversation face to face. "Why don't you tell me, huh?" He puts a hand to her far cheek, attempting to turn her back toward him, though he's pretty sure she won't comply. "I already said I don't want you to go, so it clearly isn't about that. Now don't make me guess."

JENNA: "It was just a damn dream," she mutters, closing her eyes and keeping her head turned stubbornly away. She sucks in a sharp breath and releases it. "It's not like I tried to kill you." This really isn't the answer he's looking for either, but she doubts he actually wants it. She gives another, half-hearted struggle before going still once again.

JUSTIN: * Shane gives up on moving her face, and lets his head hand in frustration, eyes closing against a possible headache. "You just... /surprised/ me, all /right/? Are you trying to tell me that you just laid there and /enjoyed/ it when it happened to you?" He knows there's more behind her behaviour than that, but he was hoping she'd just tell him the truth on her own. He's not so certain he wants to be the one to bring it up. "What good is running off in a fit of anger going to do? I obviously don't want you gone -- do you want me gone?"

JENNA: * Jo's body jerks in an abortive laugh, and she opens her eyes again, turning her head back if not to look at Shane then at least to stare at the ceiling. "I was leaving because.. if I was going to hit something, it didn't need to be you." She lets her head droop to the side again. "I wasn't going to /leave/." The adrenalin is slowly draining from her body, leaving her feeling a little bit weak and tired. She foregoes struggling to get free in favor of conserving her energy.

JUSTIN: "Well you already hit me. Several times." Shane turns his head, eyes opening again to stare down at her. His face is a portrait of frustration, but he doesn't appear to be angry. "And if you're mad at /me/, then I'd rather be the one you hit." He puts his hand to her cheek again, but sighs and lowers his head even further, leaning his forehead against her shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you angry."

JENNA: "I only hit you because you got in my way," Jo grumbles defensively. This time she does let his hand prompt her to turn her head the other direction, tilting to rest her cheek against him. 'It's just.. frustrating," she mutters after a moment, turning her head again to stare at the ceiling. Then she huffs a sigh. "If I was planning to do something like that deliberately, I'd want us both awake for it anyway."

JUSTIN: * Shane makes a muffled noise, remaining where he is, face in her shoulder. He's reluctant to move from his positoin, but after a moment in silence, his head turns toward her again, and he watches her in the dark. "So would I." He says quietly, hoping that's the most detail they will be going into about it. It's enough for him just to admit to the possibility -- anything more and he risks embarrassment or worse.

JENNA: * Jo's face heats, gaze seeking his, then a sort of resignation steals over her expression, doubting he means a word of it. She considers letting it go, then a measure of her earlier aggravation returns, and she stiffens for a moment in indecision before suddenly lashing her arms around his neck and dragging him to her until their faces are bare centimeters apart. "See, that --" she growls, voice a near-hiss of aggravation, "-- that's frustrating." Without giving him the least chance to respond, she drags him into a deep, almost savage, kiss, arms tightening as if to dare him to try to get away.

JUSTIN: * Any retort is quickly cut off, and Shane is quite naturally startled by the sudden, unexpected ferocity of Jo's kiss. He does -- probably to her great annoyance -- try to get away at first. Meeting strong resistance from her arms tightly bound about his neck, he pauses his panic and tries to calm himself, heavily breathing through his nose. Even with eyes wide he can't see much with her face so close, so he shuts them tightly and presses his weight down against her, giving in to her domineering affection.

JENNA: * Jo accepts his surrender with very little acknowledgement, aside from gentling the kiss briefly and unlocking her arms from around his neck. This respite doesn't last long, however, as she arches her body to meet his, much as if no proximity will satisfy her. The fingers of one hand trail down what exposed skin they can reach -- throat, shoulder, chest, ribs -- then her arm snakes around to his back to give his spine similar treatment.

JUSTIN: * Shane is much relieved at Jo's apparent mercy, but he's quickly caught off guard yet again when she begins to assault him with body and hands in place of her lips. He only barely stops himself from fleeing in panic, though his body shudders and squirms against her (quite involuntarily) while his dizzy mind wonders what in the world he said or did to set her off like this. His lips part from hers for a gasp of air, and he attempts to voice a polite protest, but he can't seem to make his tongue work right.

JENNA: * Taking her cues from his body rather than his mind, which she has little way of reading, Jo matches his movements in kind, shortly finding a better use (in her mind) for his mouth and tongue by kissing him again. In an apparent wave of determination not to let him get away this time, she locks her thighs around his waist. Whatever plans she has from there never come to fruition, however, as it's shortly afterward that the door bursts open, admitting to frightened-looking maids. At the scene that greets them, however, their fright turns to something more like horrified embarrassment.

JUSTIN: * Shane, about to have a full-blown panic attack, lurches up in fright at the sudden sound of the door busting open. He practically leaps off of Jo, getting caught by her legs and falling back down against her clumsily. His head snaps to the doorway, and his mouth hangs open in dumb silence, his ears pounding with rushing blood and still-present flow of adrenaline.

JENNA: * One of the maids drops the broom she was brandishing with a clatter, and the second begins to babble horrified apologies, scrambling back out of the doorway. Jo, momentarily dazed by the interruption, turns her head to stare silently at the two girls, letting her legs drop from around Shane. The first maid attempts to shut the door, finds the broom in the way, and lunges to snatch it up before slamming the door shut. The sound of frantic footsteps retreats down the hall and stairs before leaving them in silence once again. Jo's only contribution in sound after they've left is to groan softly.

JUSTIN: * Shane tumbles backwards off of Jo, collapsing on his back against the bed. He stares up at the ceiling, unsure whether he should feel relief, fright, embarrassment, annoyance... He takes a deep breath and lets it out audibly, moving his hands to cover his face, feeling absolutely exhausted.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't say anything, rolling away from him and curling herself into a ball on her side of the bed. Between the letdown of the maids' entrance and the stress of what retaliation she might receive, she feels oddly like crying, but she doesn't let out more than a sniffle before burying her face against the covers and pretending to sleep.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't say anything, nor does he move. For a long while, he just lies there, continuing to stare up at the ceiling in the dark. His head finally drops to the side, turning his blank stare to the back of Jo's curled body. Mind full of conflicting feelings and doubts, dazed and confused by the night's events, he almost decides to ignore everything and keep his silence. But despite what is probably his better judgement, he sits up and reaches over to set a hand against her side.

JENNA: * Jo flinches away from his touch, though she doesn't go far, resorting mainly to curling up a little tighter. She reaches one hand up to scrub at her eyes, annoyed when another sniff escapes her. Her spine stiffens slightly, as if bracing herself against what might be coming.

JUSTIN: * Shane takes his hand back, biting at his lip nervously and wondering if he shouldn't have second-guessed his doubts. But the last thing he wants is for Jo to be depressed, upset, sad, angry, or any other form of negative. He scoots across the bed and leans over her, placing his hand against her arm this time. "Jo..."

JENNA: * Jo buries her face again, though she doesn't attempt any escape this time, and it's several moments before she responds at all. "What?" she asks at last, voice muffled enough that the mixture of hostility, fear, and petulance is somewhat lost. Her spine does relax very slightly, but other than that she appears to be trying not to move -- perhaps poised for flight.

JUSTIN: "I'm... I'm sorry." Shane's voice sounds a bit more defensive to his ears than he'd like, but he almost feels like he's on trial here. Forcing himself to calm again before he can become aggitated, he settles onto the bed beside her and tucks his arm about her waist -- whether she wants it there or not. "I'm sorry... okay?"

JENNA: * Jo makes an indistinct noise, shaking her head -- not so much as a refusal to accept his apology but as a dismissal of its necessity. She turns her face up slightly, letting her arm come to rest on top of his. "Not your fault," she says, vaguely feeling that the point needs reinforcement.

JUSTIN: * Shane feels a certain pang of guilt, knowing to some extent that if they hadn't been interrupted, it indeed might have ended up being his fault. For the sake of avoiding argument and more hurt feelings, however, he doesn't mention it. "We should... get back to sleep. We need the rest." He nestles his face against the back of her neck and closes his eyes, wishing to himself that he would stop being the cause of so much stress.

JENNA: * Jo nods slightly in agreement, letting out a long sigh and trying to relax into the bed. It's some time before she falls asleep, however, staring blankly at the far wall until her eyes close of their own accord. She sleeps with relative peace through the rest of the night, not even stirring when morning comes.

JUSTIN: * Shane, unfortunately, doesn't get much in the way of sleep during the remainder of the night. He doesn't move or stir, however, and he keeps his eyes shut, simply concentrating on the sound of Jo's breathing, and the steady rise and fall of her associated with it. It's only a few hours before dawn when he finally manages to attain something like a half-doze, so physically exhausted that even his over-thinking brain slows to a crawl.

JENNA: * Jo does wake eventually, but she isn't terribly inclined to move, in spite of a gnawing hunger in her stomach and a general soreness about her body. She stares silently at the far wall, much as she did before she fell asleep, then slowly and carefully rolls over to nestle herself against Shane. She gives a faint, low sigh, but otherwise does nothing at all to get his attention.

JUSTIN: * Shane stirs slightly, still only half-asleep, but he only moves his hand to press gently against her back, rubbing in a lazy circle. He lets loose a quiet murmur and burrows slightly against her, squeezing his eyes shut tighter against the morning light. As far as he's concerned, it should still be night, at least until he's gotten some real sleep.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't try to wake him, instead closing her eyes and nestling against him, finally working one arm around him and settling into a second doze. It's some hours before she stirs again, and then only because a hesitant knock sounds at the door. "Sir..? Miss..?" Jo makes a muffled noise and sighs.

JUSTIN: * Shane rouses again, this time with a fairly disgruntled sound. "Mmf. Just a... minute..." He says, not nearly loud enough for anyone more than two feet away from him to hear. He takes his time, first rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling, then sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. Before he departs, he leans over and kisses against Jo's neck, then slides down the length of the bed until he's deposited onto the floor. Wobbling horribly from weariness-induced weakness, he makes for the door -- completely forgetting about his lack of clothing -- and opens it to peer outside.

JENNA: * The maid is taken aback by his appearance, and she begins to babble immediately. "I, er, sorry about last night, sir, Tilly thought you weren't to be back yet, so we didn't think you'd be in your room -- we're just here to change sheets and all, but we can come back, if it's better." During this breathless speech, she has taken a few steps backward, clutching a pile of bedding to her chest. Jo, in the meantime, has sat up and is peering around the room irritably.

JUSTIN: * Shane blinks at the girl groggily, not certain he's caught everything she was trying to say -- or any of it, for that matter. He rubs at his face and turns to look at Jo, squinting against the light. "I think she wants to talk to you..." He mutters tiredly, and starts back to the bed, more or less clueless.

JENNA: "She wants to change the sheets, Shane," Jo mutters, crawling out of bed and going to the door. "Come back later," is her message to the maid, who bows and flees almost before she's finished. Closing the door, Jo doesn't return to the bed, uncertain what she wants to do but guessing the most good she'll do is by taking a bath.

JUSTIN: * Shane yawns, attempting to give some sort of response to her statement, but failing to get anything understandable out. He walks right by her, holding a hand out to graze across her stomach and side as he goes, and immediately returns to the bed. This time he burrows well under the blankets, shutting out the world around him and intending to finally get some rest. He'll just have to trust the men working on the house to somehow manage without his supervision.

JENNA: * Jo shuts the bathroom door behind her and settles in for a long soak, still bone-weary and somewhat depressed. The hot water does fine work, however, unknotting muscles she didn't even know were tense and generally relaxing her. She doesn't put much effort into washing, emerging from the bath and ambling over to the bed after she's try and clothed.

JUSTIN: * Shane has finally managed to find some semblance of sleep, buried beneath a mound of blankets and pillows. He doesn't stir at Jo's arrival, and the only movement he makes is the rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing.

JENNA: * Jo doesn't bother him, sinking to the floor near the bed after retrieving her weaving from her pack. She anchors it lazily and sets to work at a pattern, something she hasn't done in some time. It isn't far into this relaxing and fairly mindless work that she also begins to hum, old habits manifesting in her weariness.

JUSTIN: * Shane begins to shift in his fortress of solitude, an arm poking out from between pillows as he stretches. Even though it hasn't been terribly long, he feels much more relaxed, and he can't resist the siren call of his nearby companion. Slithering along beneath the blankets, he sneaks his arms out from beneath the blankets to wrap around her. The rest of him slides out shortly behind to lean his weight against her, and his head appears on her shoulder with a quiet yawn.

JENNA: "Good morning," Jo murmurs, undisturbed by this casual contact and continuing her work uninterrupted. "Feeling better?" she asks, pausing for a moment to reach back and ruffle his hair. The weaving itself seems to be a reflection of her general mood, muted colors and a fairly erratic pattern. She doesn't much care, however, as she isn't planning to keep it.

JUSTIN: "I guess..." Shane arches his back, stretching his shoulders and neck before letting the rest of his body plop down to the floor behind Jo. He places a hand against her stomach, rubbing it idly with his thumb, and lets his eyes remain closed for the time being. "I'll be better when it's time for bed again... What about you?"

JENNA: "I'm fine." Which is sort of true, anyway. She's rather disconnected, but she at least isn't angry anymore. It's actually a little relaxing to be out of tune with the world. "I wonder if the builders noticed we went missing," she says after a moment, pausing in her work to add another thread of color to the pattern.

JUSTIN: * Shane burrows his face into her neck, yawning again silently, and snuggles up to her back. "I told them we were going camping... Though I didn't know how long we were going to be gone." He sniffs a bit, fingers playing idly with the fabric of her shirt. "I suppose I should let them know we're back, anyway... sometime today."

JENNA: "I don't imagine it's urgent. They can probably get by another day." She reaches back once again to toy with his hair, her other hand tugging at the end of the pattern as if she's considering unraveling it and starting over. "We should probably let the maids clean out the room sometime, though."

JUSTIN: "Mm. Sometime." Shane echoes her, nuzzling against her warm skin for a moment longer before he sits up straighter, thereby removing his face from her neck. "I guess... it should be sometime before it's time to sleep again, huh?" He smooths her shirt with his hands, undoing the wrinkles he's made with his tampering.

JENNA: "Probably ..." She does unravel the weaving now, straightening and folding the thread away. "I supposed, mostly, I'm hungry," she says, getting to her feet and dropping the weaving in her open pack. "You should at least get outside a little before you go back to sleep," she says with a faint smile.

JUSTIN: * Shane lets his hands arms slip away as Jo stands, and he looks up at her with mock annoyance. "I'd prefer it the other way around." He sighs, giving his limbs a good stretch all around, and then climbs slowly to his feet. "But I suppose I've got a job to do, don't I?" He reaches over and brushes his thumb against Jo's cheek briefly, then turns to start collecting his clothes. "And you have to find some trouble to get yourself into, no doubt."

JENNA: "I doubt I'll be getting in nearly as much trouble as you," Jo murmurs absently, snagging some jerky and popping it into her mouth. She chews it thoughtfully and tilts her head, swallowing. "I might just go down to the beach." She walks over to Shane and ruffles his hair. "I'm pretty sure the workers can manage without me."

JUSTIN: * Shane smooths his hair down absently with his free hand, clothing piled in the other. "We've done all right so far." He turns her a sideways look, smiling coyly. "But when we get to the interior decorating phase, I think I might need the help." He gives a loud yawn and ambles toward the bathroom. "I need a quick bath. You can go on ahead, if you want."

JENNA: * Jo decides she'll do just that, waving a quiet farewell and waiting for him to close the door behind him before she heads on. Her day, as promised, is spent largely on the beach, as are several days afterward. She decides to forego any further campng trips, though she does spend some time swimming at the conveniently placed beach. She also very slowly begins to adapt to the lack of activity, though by the end of a few more days she's ready for the house to be finished.