JENNA: * Back at Jo and Shane's Hugel homestead, spring is turning into summer, and Jo is taking advantage of the warm sunshine to lie out in the grass and soak it up a bit. She's sprawled lazily on her back on a towel, hands behind her head, half asleep and totally unclothed. Every once in a while, a stray tune escapes her throat in the form of humming, but other than that she's merely soaking in the rays.

JUSTIN: * Not too distant from where Jo is enjoying the sun, Shane is working up a sweat while he clears away excess brush, fallen branches, and weeds from the front yard in preparation for his future garden project. Since Jo has decided that it's a clothing optional affair, he hasn't bothered with a shirt, himself, rather enjoying the warmth even as he works. The occasional break to stare in the lounging woman's direction keeps him motivated to complete the task, no matter how long it might take.

JENNA: * Though she's aware of Shane's sporadic observation, she gives no sign, except perhaps to stretch luxuriously when she knows he's watching. At least until she's about to doze off. This process, however, is interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming up the hill. She doesn't register them as footsteps immediately, sitting up with a groggy stare as a young man dressed in the uniform of a courier makes his way toward them.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't really notice the sound, either, busy as he is snapping branches and pulling weeds. As it gets closer, however, he does pause in his work to listen, and it's only then that he makes out the muffled sound of boots on the path. He sets down his spade and wipes his hands on his pants before turning to look. For a brief moment, he looks curious at the sight of a courier, but his face snaps quickly to alarm when he sees Jo in the corner of his vision and remembers her current state of undress.

JENNA: * The courier, in the meantime, is approaching rapidly enough to have already noted Jo's nakedness. He almost stumbles when Jo gets to her feet, apparently unconcerned, and snags the towel she was lying on, wrapping it lazily around herself. He's polite enough to at least attempt to avert his eyes, stammering out a greeting. "Got a packet for you --" he blurts once he's in range, attempting to keep his eyes from wandering.

JUSTIN: * The packet is very quickly and very roughly snatched out of the younger man's hands, as Shane appears seemingly out of nowhere between him and the towel-clad woman. "Stop looking and turn around, would you?!" He turns to Jo and attempts to shoo her back to the house with his hand. "Go on, I'll deal with this!"

JENNA: * Jo gives Shane a very irritable look, directing a smart kick to the side of his leg. "There's no call to be a damn idiot, Shane," she growls, and the courier lurches sharply backward. "Sorry, sir, I --" he stammers, and Jo pointedly refuses to go back to the house, though she does remain largely behind Shane.

JUSTIN: * Shane is practically vibrating with barely contained agitation, and he sends Jo a very disapproving, frustrated look, but otherwise chooses not to answer her. He instead turns toward the gentleman in front of him, who looks quite small and frightened by comparison to the bare-chested, chiseled form of the offended party. "Just give me the damn pad and pen."

JENNA: * Clearly intimidated, the man does so in short order, backing hurriedly away and keeping his eyes fixed safely on the ground. Jo watches boredly from around Shane, only slightly curious to see what the package will contain. "Think it's another book from the old goat?" she asks, glancing toward the pen where the pecos are ambling around and grazing.

JUSTIN: "We'll find out," Shane says with disinterest, hurriedly scribbling out a signature and tearing off his own receipt before thrusting the pad and pen back into the man's hands. He turns to give the package to Jocasta, making a face somewhere between angry and pleading. "Jo, would you go inside and see what it is?"

JENNA: * The young man bobs a hurried thanks, and he goes into full retreat almost before Jo can respond against the logic of having her look at something that might be a book. She gives Shane a pointed look as the man hoofs it down the hill. "How about we both go inside and look?" she suggests mildly, as going after him now would go well beyond the bounds of defending her honor.

JUSTIN: * Shane grits his teeth in aggravation, watching the man flee before he has a chance to give him the lecture that's brewing in his head. "Fine," he says sharply, and turns to stomp toward the house, completely forgetting the work he was doing, and not even looking at Jo during the entire course of things.

JENNA: * Jo rolls her eyes and follows him inside, keeping the towel even after they're inside, and folding her arms. She ambles toward the table, working the package open and spilling it out on the table, waiting for Shane to follow her over.

JUSTIN: * Shane takes only a moment to wash his hands off at the sink -- the cold water doing nothing to cool his mood -- before he follows her to the table, drying his hands with a towel. "So it is a book," he says absently, mind admittedly not focused on the matter of the package, and picks it up from the table to look at it. He opens the cover to flip through the pages, not really reading anything. "Is there a note in the package with it?"

JENNA: "Mm." Jo absently picks up the package again, finding a note in short order. She lets the towel fall and walks around behind him to lean comfortably against his back, dangling the scrap of paper over his shoulder. "Does he have anything interesting to say this time?"

JUSTIN: * Shane's back straightens slightly at the somewhat familiar, but still-novel feel of her bare breasts against his equally bare back. Her skin is still warm from the sun, his is still damp with sweat, and it conjures thoughts completely unrelated to the incident outside or the package on the table. He lets out a quiet sigh, finding it hard to stay furious when she's appealing to that particular aspect of his personality. "Let me see." He takes the note and opens it up to read, going silent for the minute he's doing so, then sets it down on the table with a slightly odd look on his face. "He has another job for us, if we're interested. He says the book will explain it better, but... it's in an odd location."

JENNA: "Odd how?" Jo asks lazily, winding her arms around his waist and laying a kiss against his back before leaning her cheek against him. "They're usually pretty strange places." She closes her eyes, still a little drowsy from her long morning in the sun.

JUSTIN: "Well, it's in Jawaii. Which is enough to make me suspicious." Shane turns around in her arms -- doing his best not to wiggle from the tingling sensation her lips send down his spine -- to hug his own around her, eyebrow arching. "Sounds kind of fishy, don't you think?"

JENNA: * Jo's expression becomes mildly incredulous, leaning back to look up at him. "Well, I doubt he'd finance a honeymoon, and I don't think he has a sense of humor, but ..." She leans against him again. "Jawaii ... number two place I never wanted to go back to. Tch." She grins. "Think they'll remember us?"

JUSTIN: * Shane sets his hand to the top of her head and ruffles her hair a bit. "Oh, I certainly hope not. They might not let us on the island after the trouble we caused last time." He lowers his hand again and pats her rump. "And that was back when we wouldn't be caught dead touching each other." A sly grin curls the corner of his lips, but he doesn't go into any detail about what this might mean for a future trip.

JENNA: * Jo grins impishly, swatting him in turn. "I guess we'd have to pretend we were married on a return trip anyway." Her expression becomes momentarily serious, however, as her old instincts kick in. "I wonder if he's going to compensate us for the trip. Jawaii's not cheap ..."

JUSTIN: * Shane chuckles quietly, noting the change in Jo's expression with a shake of his head. "And we're not poor. I'm sure he's going to pay us just as well as he has in the past, so it should cover any expenses, anyway." He moves his free hand, the one still at her back, to tweak her nose. "If you're still worried about the cost, you can always ask for an advance."

JENNA: "I doubt he'd give us one," she remarks sourly, wrinkling her nose at him. "And I'm not inclined to ask ... but I guess it really doesn't matter." She rests her head against him with a sigh, eyes drifting toward the book. "Well, I hope this book is less of a grind than the last one was ..." She turns her head to kiss his chest idly. "Otherwise I'll be falling asleep and miss what we're looking for."

JUSTIN: * Shane returns the kiss with one to the top of her head. "Mm. Well, I can give you constant reminders if it becomes necessary." He reaches behind him to pick up the book -- at least half as small as the one they received last time -- and then dips to scoop Jo off the ground. "But there's only one way to find out," he says cheerily, starting for the stairs. "To the loft!"

JENNA: * Jo grins, taking the book from him and flipping idly through the pages. Unsurprisingly, there are few illustrations, and she quickly loses interest, letting it rest against her chest and sighing. "I wonder why he can't ever just tell us what we're looking for," she remarks.

JUSTIN: * Shane snorts, looking down at her with a smile. "Testing us, no doubt. If we can't understand the information he sends us, he probably doesn't want to risk sending us after his trinkets." He soon reaches the top of the stairs and quickly ferries Jo over to the pile of cushions, where he gently deposits her into their inviting embrace.

JENNA: * Jo nestles down immediately, waiting for him to join her before she gets too comfortable. "I wonder if he tests anyone else he sends out after his toys, or if he's just taken a special dislike to us." She frowns slightly, wondering if she should have grabbed her towel before coming up, as it's likely to cool down come evening.

JUSTIN: * Shane settles down not long after her, cozying up a bit and taking the book from her care. "He may not be the friendliest person, Jo, but I doubt he'd be hiring us at all if he didn't think we were the best people for the job." He opens the book to the first page and clears his throat as if to start reading, then pauses and looks over at her. "Did you want me to read out loud, or just summarize as I go along?"

JENNA: 'If it looks like it'll be interesting.." She settles against him, borrowing his body heat. "I like it when you read," she says comfortably, resting her head against him. "But if it's too boring, don't worry about it." A grin flits across her face. "At least it's shorter than the last one."

JUSTIN: "At least," Shane agrees easily enough, and he skims over the first page for a moment. "How about this, then. I'll read out loud, and if you fall asleep on me, then I'll just summarize the rest for you when you wake up. Sound like a plan?" He turns her another look, nuzzling at her hair a bit while he waits for the verdict.

JENNA: "Hmmm.. that sounds fine." Jo grins. "I'll try not to fall asleep, though." Her gaze flicks toward the book, expression slightly hopeful, though even if it is boring, it at least won't take as long to slog through. But she'd really rather be awake for the information. Even if she doesn't fully understand it, it's better than hearing it secondhand.

JUSTIN: * Shane kisses her forehead loudly and reclines further into the cushions, holding the book aloft. "I'll try to make it as exciting as I can," he says drily, and then gets down to business. The book is hardly exhilirating material, but it is at least done in plain English this time -- clearly not written by Mackenzie. With that going for it, Shane is able to at least hold somewhat to his promise, breezing through the pages at a leisurely pace and doing his best to keep his voice from droning.

JENNA: * Whether he's droning or not, Jo makes an agreeable audience, gaze flicking across the words on the page, though she really hasn't any idea what they say. Lulled by his voice, she does become slightly drowsy, but she fights it off without too much effort, soaking up the information and attempting to apply it to her admittedly scattered last visit to the island.

JUSTIN: * Shane is having a fairly hard time believing that anyone could have written so much scholarly research about a place like Jawaii in the first place, but the further into the book he gets, the more it becomes clear that Jawaii used to be a very different place than the one they crashlanded on. It's several chapters in before he breaks to give his eyes a rub, and flops back in the pillows to stare over at Jo. "Almost makes you wonder if the author's got the right island."

JENNA: "Clearly he hasn't been there since the resort was built," Jo murmurs, arching a brow. "He might have a heart attack and die if he saw what they did to it. Seemed fond of the greenery." She grins, snuggling closer to him. "Though if he's right, we won't be on resort property when we do our snooping around."

JUSTIN: "Good thing for us. I doubt they'd approve of us setting up an archaeological dig next to the juice bar." Shane grins, closing the book for the meantime and dropping it to the floor next to them. "Getting late. You cold?" He rolls over to rest gently on top of her, curling his arms down around her back to hold her close.

JENNA: "Mm, a little bit." She nuzzles him agreeably, kissing against his neck. "But that's better." She curls her arms around him, rubbing lazily at his back and pulling him closer, if possible. "I guess it's boats again, hm," she says, sighing. "Oh well."

JUSTIN: * Shane chuckles lightly, kissing at her forehead. "Well, at least we don't have to take a little rickety thing like we did in Hugel." He settles a little closer into her and turns his kissing to her lips, showing that he has no intention of returning to the book for a while. "I just hope our ship gets there in less than a dozen pieces this time. I swear I can still smell the seaweed in my coat sometimes."

JENNA: * Jo returns the kiss without complaint, ready enough for a break from the book, herself. "Maybe the gods were trying to make a statement," she suggests drily, kissing him again and letting her head drop back with a grin. "Let's just hope they don't have anything more to say ..."

JUSTIN: "Mm, indeed. I think we got their point the first time through." Shane grins lazily, and lowers himself a bit, kissing at her chin, and then her neck. "Even if it took a while to sink in." He rests his head against her chest and murmurs comfortably, fingers scritching at the small of her back. "Well, at least we'll have a place to bathe this time, right? And with any luck, we won't have to deal with any dead people."

JENNA: "Oh, bathing will be nice," Jo says with a sigh, lifting her hand to stroke his hair. "With hot water ... and real soap ... even if sleeping in that bed is going to be ..." She trails off, unable to think of an appropriate word. "I'd thank him for sending us somewhere relaxing, but I wouldn't want to waste my breath." Her other hand trails down absently to rub at his neck and shoulders, and she grins. "Good thing he's too busy to deliver the books personally."

JUSTIN: * Shane looks up at her with an arched brow, clearly finding the very thought absurd. "Oh, that would have been interesting..." He slumps a bit, eyes going momentarily distant, then his brow furrows and he looks distinctly darker. "I'd hate to have to pummel our employer." He sniffs and lays his head down again, eyes closing. "The mail courier, on the other hand..."

JENNA: * Jo sighs, giving his hair a sharp tug. "That was more my fault, anyway. I wasn't really expecting company." She huffs another, faint sigh, working his shoulders a little more in an attempt to distract him. "At least we probably won't be seeing him again."

JUSTIN: * Shane's shoulders only seem to get tighter as she rubs, and he closes his arms tighter around her like a grumpy toddler with his teddybear. "He didn't even apologize. Not until I scared the crap out of him." He mutters something under his breath before he continues. "And you didn't seem the least bit concerned, you know. Would you have even covered yourself at all if I wasn't around?"

JENNA: * Jo's expression hardens, and she tenses, drawing her hands away from him entirely. "What the hell are you accusing me of?" she snaps, moving her arms underneath her in an attempt to sit up. "You think I'd just leave myself on display for a random stranger -- what, do you think I'd have sex with him, too, if you weren't around?" Her voice takes on a note of aggravation and disgust. "That's great, Shane, I'm glad you trust me so much."

JUSTIN: * Shane sputters slightly, abruptly pushing himself up to look at her face-to-face. "I didn't say that!" He looks slightly at a loss for how to explain himself, but he plunges on anyway. "I'm just saying -- I mean, did you see yourself? All nonchalant, like nothing was wrong! The only thing I'm accusing you of, is -- is that you only covered yourself because of me."

JENNA: "There /was/ nothing wrong. I covered myself when I saw him coming," Jo snarls, "and I would have done it whether you were there or not." She turns away from him angrily, arms curling around herself. "I don't know if you think I can't defend myself or if you just don't trust me," she continues, her voice becoming flat. "You're the only person I /want/ looking."

JUSTIN: "I trust you! I trust you just fine!" Shane sounds partly defensive, partly desperate. "I... I don't always trust your judgement... But not when it relates to other men!" He slouches, face becoming less alarmed and more brooding. "It's the men I don't trust. Always looking where they shouldn't be looking, always making comments they shouldn't be making."

JENNA: "And if they bother me, I can beat the crap out of them just as efficiently as you can," Jo growls, rolling back and rearing up to bring herself face to face with him. "Not everyone is trying to molest me -- or undress me -- or even hit on me." She sighs wearily and flops back, folding her arms again and turning her head away.

JUSTIN: "Of course not everyone -- but you'd be surprised how many," he mutters, realizing by now that there is no way for him to win this. Perhaps pressing his luck, he scoots closer to her again, resting down on his forearms, one on either side of her. "I didn't... I didn't mean to say you can't look after yourself. But wouldn't you wonder if I didn't try to protect you? Isn't a little jealousy a good sign?"

JENNA: * Jo turns her head back to look at him wearily, fairly tired of the argument anyway. "Sure, a little bit ..." she concedes, sighing. "But you can't just beat the crap out of everyone you think looks at me the wrong way." She gives him a hard look, then relaxes, reaching a hand up to cup the side of his face. "It's just not very .. efficient." She tries a smile, though it ends up somewhat tired.

JUSTIN: * Shane automatically tilts his head into her hand, looking somewhat crestfallen. "Well, I wouldn't want to be inefficient..." he mumbles depressedly, clearly having hoped for her blessing, as much as he knew he wouldn't get it. He settles down against her again and watches her face with a pitiable look in his eyes, turning to place a few gentle, appealing kisses against her chest.

JENNA: * Jo breathes out a very soft sigh, combing through his hair with her fingers and drawing him up to kiss her mouth for a moment, instead. "I love you anyway, okay?" she says softly, then kisses him again, wrapping her arms snugly around him.

JUSTIN: * Shane finds this response to be more than adequate, and he returns her kisses with some eagerness, hoping to make up for time wasted on the argument. "Mhm," he manages to slip in between kisses to answer her question, and he presses himself into her more directly as his arms slide beneath her.

JENNA: * A helplessly breathless "Good," is all Jo can muster in response, smothered as she is by increasingly rapid and intense kisses. She arches against him, pulling him to her even as he draws her closer, the sensation of their bodies meeting marred only -- as usual -- by the presence of his trousers. She utters a soft, almost irritable growl, loosing her hold on him so that her hands can make an effort at rectifying the situation.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks a little confused by her sudden growl, and for a brief second he thinks he did something wrong -- before he feels her hands fighting with his pants. He glances down to watch her work, but soon his own hands are out from under her to assist in speeding the process. "Sorry, I still have an unexplainable attachment to clothing," he says blandly, finally getting the trousers off of his hips.

JENNA: * Jo sniffs, leaning back on her elbows when his hands overtake hers in the process. "You can't deny they're in the way," she murmurs, watching him impatiently for a moment before leaning over to kiss him in a most provoking manner. Even she isn't entirely sure whether she's trying to convince him to hurry up or distract him.

JUSTIN: * The kiss manages a bit of both, making his hands move faster but without much grace, and he nearly gets tangled in the pants at they slide down his legs. He chases her down regardless, feet kicking in an effort to free themselves, and he buries himself face-first in her neck with murmurs of acknowledgement. His hands slide under her again and do their best to get a reaction, rubbing and groping their way down until he takes a hold of her legs and all but throws them around his waist.

JENNA: * Jo finds his actions most gratifying, body twisting to meet his hands as they move against her and letting her own urgently travel his skin. She barely needs the encouragement to tighten her legs around him, shuddering as the remaining distance between them closes, and -- argument and book both utterly forgotten -- it's some time before either of them can manage a coherent vocalization of much anything.

JUSTIN: * As the time passes -- how long exactly is hard to tell, as Shane makes every effort to go at it more than once and as long as possible -- the room becomes increasingly dark, the lamp they were reading by drinking the last of its oil and eventually sputtering out. He doesn't immediately take notice of the dark, face hidden as it is against the sweat-slick skin of her chest, but his body is feeling much like the lamp -- drained and slowly sputtering out, so he gives in and collapses against her.

JENNA: * Jo stirs slightly as he goes still, reaching her hand around to stroke once again through his sweat-damp hair. Pretty well spent herself, she offers no complaint, only that comfortable touch -- offering to lull them both to sleep where they lie. She glances vaguely in the direction of the book, though by now she isn't sure where it landed, and on second thought, she doesn't much care.

JUSTIN: * Shane places a few soft kisses against her skin, feather light, and inches up to rest his head against her shoulder with an exhausted, contented sigh. "I'm glad I built this loft," he murmurs sleepily, using what's left of his strength to continue to kiss weakly at her neck.

JENNA: * Jo continues to stroke his hair, bending to kiss the top of his head and dropping back with a weary, contented smile. "You'll get no argument from me," she murmurs, nestling against him with a faint mrring noise. "Maybe we should restrict sunbathing to the balcony, though," she suggests drowsily. "Shorter walk.. fewer interruptions."

JUSTIN: "That sounds like a plan to me..." Shane props himself up to kiss at her lips, soft and lingering, before settling down into the cushions beside her and cuddling up. His head finds its way back to her shoulder again, and he closes his eyes with a silent yawn. "Mm. It's your balcony, anyway. You can use it for anything you like."

JENNA: "Mm.. guess that's true." She runs a teasing finger down his cheek, shifting to accomodate him as he nestles against her. "You could always join me, you know." A grin tugs her lips, and she reaches up to toy with his hair. "There's enough sun for both of us."

JUSTIN: * Shane arches an eyebrow, eye peeking open so he can lean back to eyeball her. "I think that sounds like an excuse to watch me lay around naked if I ever heard one." He seems to find the fact that she sees him naked on an almost daily basis not worth bringing up. "Besides... you know as well as I do what would happen if we both laid around naked at the same time," he grins lazily, "I don't think we'd get much sunbathing done."

JENNA: "Mmnh, we can try, can't we?" Jo wrinkles her nose, prodding him in the ribs. "And why shouldn't I get to see you lying around naked? You get to see me lying around naked. It's only fair." She bends to kiss him softly. "Who cares how much sunbathing we get done, anyway.. I'm not keeping score."

JUSTIN: * Shane's grin broadens a little, and he cups his hand against the back of her head to draw her into another series of kisses. "Hmm, I suppose you have a point," he murmurs quietly, moving his hand to rub soothingly at her chest. "I'll... consider it." He smiles and dips down to kiss where he'd been rubbing, snuggling up to her again and reclosing his eyes.

JENNA: "You'd better," she grumbles, cuddling against him again and giving his ribs another prod. She then relaxes with a sleepy sigh, apparently content to give in to the drowsiness that's been tugging on her. She curls her arms around him with a soft sigh, peaceable and content.

JUSTIN: * Shane is content to leave things at that, and now that they're both comfortably settled in, he wastes no time in chasing after sleep. It's not hard to catch, between the late hour and the exhaustion, and within minutes he is sound asleep and breathing softly against her chest.