Q&A

Exhausted and caked with sweat and mud, Nita and Kit flopped onto the sand and lay there, still as corpses. Finally Kit sighed and said, "If we were just going to lie here, couldn't we have gone home and slept in our own beds?"

Nita shot him a quick smirk and said in her best 'I know better than you' voice, "Kit, dear partner, if you had stopped to think you would have realized we're participating in partner-bonding exercises; spending free time together to strengthen our bonds of trust and companionship."

Kit responded with a glare, followed with a muttered, "As long as we don't do trust falls I think I can cope." He thought of the time he and Nita had had to attend a wizardly version of a business training workshop. During the trust falls his team had caught the 210 lb foot ball player, the six foot six basketball player, and the heavyweight wrestler, but had somehow managed to drop him, the skinny boy measuring in at five foot six. A giggle broke out next to him, and he scowled at Nita, who had apparently 'heard' his mental gripe-feast and found it amusing.

"Well, aren't we in a bad mood today, Kit." Nita drawled, obviously enjoying pushing Kit's buttons.

"I think so, Nita, considering we've been up for the last 48 hours straight on errantry. The only reason you're so peppy is because you're still on an adrenaline high." Kit snapped, then immediately regretted it. Nita had just wanted to come to the ocean for the chance to cool down before going and having to explain to her father where she had been, what she'd been up to, and if she would be leaving again soon. In fact, he should be taking advantage of this chance to get his thoughts in order too, for his short temper was a sign of his over-all exhaustion. He would hate to have to face his own parents in this state-of-mind. He started to apologize to her, "Neets, I…"

"You're sorry, didn't mean it, out of line, etc. No worries Kit, I get where you're coming from," Nita gently stated, then rolled over as to put her head on Kit's shoulder. He threw his arm around her and they lay in the sand, basking in the sun and each other's presence. Kit could sense Nita slowly calming down, and felt her slowly relaxing beneath his touch. The rhythmic rush of the waves combined with the perfect amount of sunlight was slowly lulling them both to sleep, and in a sleepy tone Nita asked, "Kit?"

"Yah?"

There was a pause here, and as he dragged himself back to full consciousness he could sense Nita trying to put her thoughts together. Finally she inquired timidly, "Do you like anyone?"

Slightly surprised by the question, Kit quickly responded, "Well I do in fact. I like my mother and father, 'Mela occasionally, Ronan…"

"KIT! I was being serious!"

"Well, why do you want to know?" Once again Nita paused, and then replied, "Never mind, I was just curious."

Yet Kit didn't want to let the subject drop, for Nita was always curious with a reason. And so he said quietly, "I do like someone. But I think she's out of my league. Even if she isn't, she's never looked at me that way."

"Does she know?" Nita whispered, barely audible, looking at Kit intensely through wide-open eyes.

"I've never told her anything," he stated, "Never given her any reason to ask either." Kit made the mistake of looking at his partner, and quickly became caught in her grey eyes, as she looked at him with a sense of hope, joy, fear, and something else he couldn't quite identify.

"Maybe you should ask her out, who knows what kind of an answer you'll get." Kit's mouth was dry as sand as he cautiously asked, "Neets?"

"Yah?"

"Do you like anyone?" At this Nita's face broke out in a wide grin, and she flung her arms around his neck.

"Oh god, I had hoped so, and now, and then, and Darine had said you did, but that's Dari, you know how she can be, but when Ronan inquired, curious, and the beach, and Sker, and… UMF!" Kit had silenced her with a quick kiss, which slowly deepened into something more. They finally separated, gasping for breath, and Nita's head resumed its position on Kit's shoulder. They sat in silence for a couple moments, before Nita asked once again, "Kit?"

Amused by her endearing never-ending curiosity, Kit returned, "Yes?"

"Can I ask you one more question?"

"No, I'm sorry, Kit is unavailable for he has finally asked out the girl of his dreams and they are currently off making out in a corner." Nita's fist quickly met Kit's arm as he laughed, enjoying just being with her.

"As I was saying," Nita continued, "is this going to affect us as partners?"

Kit stopped for a moment to think. Finally he said, "Yes, but only in the best of ways."