/Author's Note: Well, this little story arc certainly turned out longer than I intended! 'Chilled' could have been a one-shot all on its own, to be honest xD But I think I like it better as part of the LiaWB collection. And here we go! End Author's Note/

(7) Chilled, part iii

Lying sprawled out on the grass – not even bothering to spread out their towels – the two teens drank deeply from the bottle of wine, passing it back and forth between them. The sun, which Karen had previously considered adding to her list of arch-nemeses (along with hangovers, split-ends, and work) was now exuding a comfortable amount of heat on their cooled off bodies.

"You've got a point," Jack remarked, giving the bottle in his hand a significant nod, "This does taste better."

"Yes, sir, it does. Bow down to my expertise."

"We're definitely doing this again some time, you know that, right?" said the brunette, turning on his side. Karen got a glimpse of his build fully for the first time, and couldn't help but appreciate it. She took a mental snapshot and filed it away for the next lonely night she had to endure – one that usually followed a fight with Rick.

"Sure thing. If I keep coming up here alone, I might start believing in that old Kappa myth people won't shut up about," Karen laughed, joined shortly by Jack.

"And now, you're going to have to excuse me, but it's time to get my tan on!" She turned on her stomach and began to undo her bikini top. She was fully aware that, yes, this could turn into a potentially compromising situation, but she didn't particularly care – it took a lot to make Karen care about anything, really. She was secure in her control of the situation, as well – it was inhibitions she lacked, not fidelity.

Needless to say, Jack's eyes were popping out of their sockets at this point. It would be hard to blame him – if one didn't know Karen, which he barely did when compared to the rest of the village who had grown up with her brazen and impudent nature, one would definitely take her behaviour as at least a bit of a come-on.

"Erm, w-want me to rub some lotion on you or something?" Jack asked hesitantly, unable to tear his eyes away from Karen's bare backside.

"Sure, man-slave. You bring any?" Jack did not respond, and despite having her head buried in the grass, Karen could perfectly imagine the pouty bite-lip he was most likely doing at that moment.

"Dammit…"

"Thought so."

Turning on his back and trying his absolute hardest to keep his eyes from straying to the girl next to him, Jack busied his mind with deciphering shapes in the clouds. It was horribly mundane – and this may or may not have had something to do with the half-naked girl lying beside him.

Said girl had, after a few minutes, fallen asleep with her face in her arms. The wine and the smell of the grass – both intoxicating in their own way – had seen to that.

"Karen?" called Jack, after hearing faint snores from the mass of half-wet hair. Leaning over, he brushed a few strands out of the way only to confirm that she was, indeed, enjoying an extremely peaceful sleep.

He leaned closer, feeling the impulsiveness of slight inebriation take over. He decided to just do it, and brought his face within an inch of hers, ready to do what he had been aching to do all day.

"Um," came Karen's voice, suddenly crisp and awake.

Deciding to ignore the minor detail that she was now awake, Jack quickly moved in for the kiss, only to be met with a mass of golden hair and a skull concealed within it. Headbutting Jack, Karen quickly tied her bikini back up and sat up.

"Yeah, no, that's not a good idea, bud."

"I… but…" Jack stammered, though Karen was not at all angry.

"Trust me. Ever heard of the Chastity Mole? That thing could appear anywhere! Anywhere, man! It's probably watching us right now!" Karen proclaimed in utmost seriousness.

"…Excuse me?"

"Dude, the Chastity Mole! It would have a few choice words to say about us just – just making out on the shore of the lake! And they wouldn't be pleasant words! Hell, they probably wouldn't even be words; they'd just be cranial smashes! Worse than the one I just gave you! That thing's head is a friggin' rock, man! A boulder, even! And you dare anger the boulder-headed beast with your un-chaste actions? Do not anger the Chastity Mole!" Karen topped her display off with flailing her arms wildly, before springing to her feet, grabbing her stuff, and running down the mountain half-naked, leaving behind a very perplexed Jack.

"Chastity… Mole..?"

Though 'perplexed' may have been an understatement.