Welcome to Gaia! ::

Not expecting the hug, Casson almost toppled over. At first he let her hug him, a little hesitant. Realizing there were two sides to a hug, he hugged back, her body warm.

A few seconds passed, nothing happening. Silently he wondered aloud, "Um..."

Not wanting her to feel awkward, he turned her back around and gave her a large hug. Again she felt warm against him, but this time it was different. It felt wanted.

Pulling away a little he put his hand on the small of her back and walked her over to the side of the boat. "Uh... that was good. Just next time open your eyes." He pointed down to one of the smaller boats they used to get onto shore earlier. It was now not so much a boat, as the front and back of a small boat hanging from the ropes that were once used to lower and higher it.

"Well, I don't care. It's Kuplan who might throw a fit. Now, this time, do it with your eyes open. And don't worry. If it goes out of control, I can kind of control it away from ripping people apart." He picked up a bucket off the deck. "I'm going to hurl this as far as I can on three, and I want you to shoot it." He took a few steps backwards, catching a nod from Fren to show she was ready. "1..." He tightened his grip on the bucket handle, "2..." he started to wind up, taking a crow hop. "3!" yelling out across the deck, throwing the bucket off the edge.

Casson turned around on his heel. "Turner, get over here. I want you to take this bucket, and throw it as far as you can on three." Spinning back around, he looked to Fren who was standing on the deck edge with slumped shoulders. Her head was slightly tipped forward in disappointment.

"Here," he said as he moved in behind her. The top of her head was aligned with his cheekbone, her back against his chest. Grabbing her arms, he lifted them so that they were parallel to the deck. "Now concentrate on the bucket and keep your eyes open." He turned to Turner quickly speaking softly, "3." Facing the ocean, he felt in the wood as the man crow hopped and hurled the bucket as far as he could.

"Jeez..." Casson mumbled to himself. "You could have waited till it was atleast ten feet out." He smiled and hugged her from the back. With his strong grip, he hefted her up at her hips and placed her to his side.

He took the artifact from her, holding it up ready to fire. "This time, I'm going to shoot it straight, and I want to see if you can control it. Though I'm the one who initially fired it off, you probably can still will it to do whatever you choose. Ready?"

Casson smiled to Fren before turning forwards. He concentrated for a short moment, all of his energy surging towards his fingers. A bright light shone from the artifact as the beam shot outwards. Fifteen feet out, Casson left control of it.

"Wow," Casson said, a look of impression spreading across his face. "That was amazing..." Looking to Fren, she still had her eyes closed. The ship seemed to rock more then usual, her strong grip on his arm unwavering.

Before he knew what he was doing, Casson leaned over to Fren and kissed her. It seemed like a lifetime, withdrawing slowly with his eyes closed. As he slowly opened them, he awoke from the momentary near-hypnosis. A snap sounded in his head as he realized what he had just done. Blood rushing to his head, Casson swallowed deeply and masked himself with an expression of determination and glared out to sea.

((I think we're the only two that come here anymore. sweatdrop ))

As Casson felt her smooth arm move down his own, his back relaxed from the sudden tension it had just undergone. He smiled as he continued to look out to sea, the breeze soft against his face. Soon, he felt imself to be incredibly comfortable. The lack of awkwardness in the feelings he had just previously undergone was what helped him realize there wasn't a thing in the world to worry about.