The next morning, Tonati was not allowed to get out of bed. Not exactly doctor's orders but Zhyan's wishes, and Tonati did not want to worry him further. She complied but was not above taking advantage of the situation, though. She wanted him to keep her company.
"This isn't what I had in mind, love." Tonati said. She was resting on her back and studying the ceiling. Zhyan was in bed with her as she had requested, but she could not see him, nor touch him as he was at the other side of a pillow wall.
"The doctor said you needed rest. If we get too close, we'll cuddle and..." Zhyan sighed, making her smile.
Tonati removed a pillow from the pile and propped herself up so she could see him. "I feel fine." She said. "And this will be our last night here. Let's do something outside of this room. Please?"
"Love..."
"Please?"
"I don't think its safe for you yet." Zhyan tried again.
"Safe? But I feel fine, not tired anymore. I didn't even get dizzy! I'm ok." She insisted and a small pout formed on her lips.
Zhyan thought about it. She certainly looked better; maybe some outdoor activity would do her good. Vehnar's attack had not been as powerful as it could have been, he knew.
'One never knows with mortals, they can be so frail...' His thoughts were interrupted when a tan skinned beauty jumped at his side.
"If we stay in here, I insist we do something else besides stare at the ceiling." She rested her head on his shoulder and batted her eyelashes at him.
"OK, we can do that." Zhyan admitted and added with an impish smile. "Let's order lunch. Do you know how to play chess?"
Tonati scrunched her nose, which made Zhyan chuckle. "I know the moves." She told him and waved a hand, dismissing that option. "I was thinking on something more...dynamic. What about a game of cards? Poker?" She placed her palm on his chest.
Zhyan laughed louder this time and looked into her deep, mischievous brown eyes. "As long as it is not 'strip poker', my princess." Zhyan said, still chuckling. He lifted her hand from his chest and kissed it. Humans could be frail; some of them, though, were so resilient.
Some games later:
"Get back here!" Zhyan's voice was easily heard through the door and Tonati giggled. She looked around the bedroom for a place to hide in. Without many options, Tonati stepped inside the closet.
"C'mon, love... you cheated!" His voice boomed, amused.
Tonati huddled deeper inside the closet and tried to muffle her laughter. If she had won the game, they would have gone out once more before leaving the resort. It was not a surprise that Zhyan had discovered her trying to win the game.
"Here you are!" Tonati yelped when the closet's door suddenly opened and Zhyan stepped inside. "You can't hide from me!"
Tonati's chortles increased when his hands gleefully discovered her ticklish spots. She squirmed, still attempting to escape from the rightful punishment, and tried to stop him by holding onto his arms. Abruptly, his sleeves burst open and a couple of cards fluttered around, glistening in the light. Tonati caught one of them.
"Oops!" Exclaimed Zhyan, his smile growing wider.
"Hey! You were cheating too!" Zhyan's laughter filled the room, his turn now to flee from the ferocious female and, after a short run, Zhyan allowed her to tackle him down. "Got you!" She exclaimed as they fell on the carpet.
"No, I got you!" Zhyan had turned when he felt her impact and wrapped his arms around her. Tonati made an attempt to escape, but submitted finally.
"Fine, we caught each other. Are we still going out?" She said, making him laugh.
"Still?" He answered. "Yes, we are still going out, despite you not winning the game. What do you say to some horse riding? I saw a couple of fine horses at the stables."
"Neat! Let's go!" Tonati exclaimed and tried to get up.
Still chuckling, Zhyan kept the hold on her for a few more moments before letting her go. When he stood up she was already at the door, eagerly bouncing on her heels with an enthusiasm not unlike that of a child. Zhyan growled and jumped forward, startling her enough to send her out of the room with an amused yelp. He went after her as soon as their suite was secured.
"You told me you'd ridden before." Zhyan said.
"And I had! But that one time I fell off the horse! Mother never allowed me to practice as often as I should have. Just... OK, let me get the hang of this." Tonati was on horseback, riding in circles around Zhyan with a concentrated frown on her face.
At the stables a roan mare had stepped forward and nuzzled her hand. Taking it as a good sign, Zhyan allowed her to be Tonati's ride. For himself, he selected a vibrant black stallion, which had been highly praised by the stable master. Zhyan decided to keep an eye open for trouble now that Tonati had confessed to have very little experience in the activity.
Zhyan watched her confidence grow with the practice until he let her mare stop and, taking the reins, he led the horses onto the fields. Only then he climbed on his steed.
"This place is great!" She told him as she let the mare fall into a slow pace. "It has everything!"
"Yes, it does" He replied. "Be careful, though. You don't want to run over an instructor this time." He winked at her.
Tonati stuck her tongue out at him and snickered. "I think that I should stay in front of you this time, then!" With that, she hit the flanks of the mare and incited her to gallop, and she dared him as she guided her ride through the meadow. Tonati was a better rider than she had admitted Zhyan observed, and she was obviously enjoying it a lot.
'Either she exaggerated her lack of instruction or she is a natural.' Shaking his head, Zhyan sent his stallion in pursuit.
Tonati's hair floated behind her and he heard her call, asking him to catch up and once Zhyan was close, she diminished the speed. For a while they rode that way, at a slow pace, letting their senses bask in the beauty of the place. The sun was high in the sky, but the heat was not unbearable, so they lead their rides all through the installations and gardens.
Tonati commented on some of the things they saw that she found interesting, such as different types of flowers or wondering what type of sport some of the guests were practicing. Later, they stopped to witness a couple of fencing matches between instructors, commenting on their skill. Though what they saw was not bad, both agreed that those persons were only in a fancy display level as it was a demonstration to attract guest into trying their course. Not really interesting in the event anymore, the couple headed back to the stables
Mr. Jeramy's office was hot. The mood in the meeting prevented him to swipe his brow, knowing that he would loose ground. Trying to control his reaction and hit the desk with his fist, he continued with his speech in what he knew was his best business tone of voice. The one he used when the union demanded a raise in wages. He only hoped his visitors would not notice its slight tremor. He needed to sneeze so much!
"You and your partner were in the same areas and had the same type of meals with a dozen others guests. The resort can't and won't be held responsible for any allergy you failed to inform us of." He said while he directed a predatory smile to the blue female sited directly in front of him, and not paying much attention to her companion.
"Now, wait a moment!" She exclaimed.
"All we can do, regarding your condition, is to offer you our medical assistance during your staying..." Jeramy continued.
"But...!" The young man tried to interrupt.
"... and direct you to a specialist, if you so wish. " Jeramy finished with an effort.
"That can't be all!"
"That's all." The smile grew in intensity.
"No, it isn't! You'll still hear from us!" Jenna growled and stood up. Leaving a swirl of blue fur behind as she and Alex left the room, complaining loudly all the way.
Jeramy pitied the young man, who had quickly tried to calm the enraged woman but did not go farther than that as he sneezed, hard, several times. He used his handkerchief and took a long breathe, to then retrieve a flask from a cabinet next to his desk. After checking the bottle to be sure it was the anti-acid, he had a large dose of it in a big swallow.
'What a week!' he thought.
"Lynn, bring me Suite 381 memo on the assault and a damage report, please." He asked his assistant through the intercom. It was going to be a very unsavory situation, to report the failed attack on the Dekodoria's, but not very troublesome. The Brotherhood, carefully hidden under a special insurance contract, would cover the damages and then issue official warnings on the clumsy members. Jeramy sneezed loudly and, not for the first time, wondered why Vehnar had not taken the yapping Jenna and thus prevented her to trigger his allergies. "And call a janitor to vacuum this office!" He finished.