Fuel Dangerously Low. System Failure Eminent.
Cinder and Neo stared at the message on the dash in the cockpit. Cinder looked at Neo and scoffed. "I thought you said the fuel tanks were full."
Neo shrugged, distinctly remembering the fact the the fuel gauge had been almost full when she first boarded the ship. Now, alarms were going off, and apparently the ship was on the verge of plummeting into the ocean.
"Well, you're the pilot. Do something," Cinder commanded.
Neo sighed and nodded, sitting down in the pilot's seat and punching some buttons near the dash screen to bring up a map of their vicinity. It indicated there was nothing but blue expanse around them, except...
Neo gasped and pointed at the screen so Cinder would look. Not far from their current trajectory was a small island, just a few pixels wide on the screen. Whether it was inhabited or nothing but a knoll of sand, it would be their best bet at landing the ship before completely running out of fuel.
"Can we make it?" Cinder asked.
Neo nodded with confidence, even though she wasn't completely certain. If they had lost enough fuel to get them to Atlas in such a short amount of time, there must have been a leak of some sort. For all Neo knew, they could run out in the next ten seconds. Whatever fate awaited them, Neo did her best to direct the ship in the direction of the island.
The alarm continued to blare as Neo switched off the auto-pilot and began to manually maneuver the aircraft. They were surrounded by clouds, only getting sporadic glimpses at the ocean below through gaps in the whiteness. Cinder stumbled and decided to take a seat in the copilot's seat, buckling her seatbelt.
Neo gritted her teeth in frustration before waving her arm to get Cinder's attention. Neo gestured at the clouds surrounding them, and Cinder got the message. She looked out the windshield at the clouds and began to focus. Fiery light emanated from her eye as she extended her hand outward, willing the air outside the ship to push the clouds away. Sure enough, a burst of turbulence shook the airship, and all of the clouds obstructing their view were gone.
The island was in sight.
Neo adjusted the ship's direction to begin heading straight for the green dot in the distance, while Cinder watched on in desperate hope. The alarm continued as the island came closer, Neo focusing intently on keeping the airship's trajectory straight. She could almost feel time running out. Soon, they would have no more fuel.
That moment came much sooner than expected.
Abrupt silence. The alarm stopped, the rumble of the engine dying. They were no longer flying. They were falling.
Cinder yelled in shock. "No...how?"
Neo released the controls, her hands hovering over them in dismay, unsure what to do. She blinked and looked at Cinder, a lost look in her eyes.
Cinder shook her head, but then gasped, an idea popping into her mind. "I can save us," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt and standing to her feet.
Neo watched the half-dressed woman plant her feet firmly to the ground as the airship began to stop gliding and begin falling. Whatever Cinder was planning, she would have to do it quick before they began to nosedive.
Cinder sighed, the Maiden light in her eye returning. "Neo...if we don't make it..." She then shook her head. "Screw it. We're going to make it." She extended her arms to the sides, and the airship began to shudder and creak, then...they stopped falling. They began to glide once again.
Neo stood from her seat and ran to the windshield, pressing her forehead against it to see the trails of wind gusts pushing the ship up. Cinder was somehow using her magic to keep the entire thing in the air.
The island was getting closer.
Cinder grunted, clenching her fists while still keeping her arms extended to the sides. Sweat was breaking out all over her exposed skin. "N...Neo...I can get us there, but...brace for it."
Neo looked away from the outside and back at Cinder, noticing the state of struggle she was in. She nodded and signed "thank you," then returned to her seat and buckled herself in.
A rough landing awaited them.
Cinder's sounds of exertion became more frequent as they began to descend on the island, gasping and groaning as her body trembled. Sweat was now dripping from her chin and elbow, as they were now mere seconds from landing.
Neo gritted her teeth as they approached the island. She reached her arm out to cinder and hooked her hand under her waistband, just in case she needed to keep her from falling over. The island now filled their view, and too Neo's surprise, they were approaching what looked like concrete.
Cinder began to scream as she attempted to slow their descent, and Neo was astonished when, just as they were about to make impact with the ground, the ship hovered for a split second, then dropped to the ground and settled on the concrete. They were on the ground, safe.
Cinder fell to her knees and immediately began to sob. "D-...Dammit..."
Now that they had landed, Neo undid her seatbelt and went straight to Cinder's side, dropping to her knees and hugging her tight. Cinder's skin was damp with sweat, and it seemed every muscle in her body was trembling.
Cinder gasped loudly. "N-Ne-...Neo..." She fell sideways into Neo's arms, resting her head on the girl's chest. She went completely limp, her arms draped on the ground.
Neo held her gently and began to feel tears in her own eyes. Cinder had saved them. She put herself through the worst strain on her body imaginable to get them to safety. Neo knew Cinder was saving herself as much as she had been saving her, but that didn't take away from the thankfulness she felt for this woman.
Cinder's breathing began to quiet and become more controlled, but she still continued to cry. "Neo..." She murmured. She tried to lift her hand towards the girl who was holding her, but she wasn't able to keep it up, instead allowing it to fall back to the ground. Her heart beat was audible to Neo, and it was rapid beyond description.
Neo shifted her position and allowed Cinder to lie down, Neo gently lowering her to ground. Cinder's hair was stuck to her forehead with sweat, tears turning her eye red as she looked back up at her. "I'm..." She grunted. "I'm so tired..."
Neo nodded and pushed Cinder's hair off her forehead, then leaning down and kissing her lightly on the lips. When Neo sat back up, Cinder had closed her eyes. She soon fell asleep.
Neo squeezed her hand and checked her pulse. Cinder's heart rate was back to a steady pace, if not a bit heavy. Neo figured she would be okay, if not a bit sore after taking a nap on the metal floor.
She thought about staying by her side until she woke back up, but she figured it best to check out their surroundings, and see what the hell was wrong with the fuel tank. She stood to her feet and, after sparing one more glance down at Cinder, made her way towards the exit.
She had to manually slide open the automatic door, since the ship was out of power, which took several heaves just for enough space to squeeze herself through. Once she was outside the ship, she took in her surroundings. The sun had almost finished emerging from the horizon as she looked. She hadn't thought about her state of undress until after exposing herself to the outside, but she quickly realized there was no one to see her. At least, probably.
They had landed in the middle of a concrete lot. Maybe a kilometer away were what looked like four aircraft hangars, except one of them was missing a door, while another only had half a door attached while the other half hung on partically by a single hinge. Neo figured this was once a military base, but it was certainly long abandoned, which was both good and bad. It was good because they would not be arrested by Atlas military guards, but bad because the chances of finding supplies were much lower.
Besides the hangars, there was nothing else to see than trees, along with an unremarkable mountain, likely a volcano, in the distance. Whatever this island was, or used to be, Neo and Cinder were likely the only people on it.
A warm breeze blew through, which felt nice after so much time being spent on the cold ship. It felt good to stand on solid ground, even if the concrete was a little rough on Neo's socked feet. She looked back at the ship, remembering the problem with the fuel tank. She walked around to the other side of the airship, the side in the shade, and gingerly took a knee to look underneath it.
As if it could not have been anymore obvious, drops of liquefied Dust seeped from between two wooden boards of the Mistrali vessel. Neo sighed, knowing she's have to get inside the hull of this ship to figure out how to fix it. She would have to get back inside and put her clothes back on, then try to find some tools.
Neo certainly didn't envy what Cinder had gone through just moments ago, but she did envy the fact that she was getting a nap, while Neo was going to be outside, trying to repair an airship with very little in the way of mechanical experience. At least it was nice outside, though it was getting a little hot.
The light shining through the windshield of the ship was enough to finally rouse Cinder from her sleep. She groaned, putting her hand to her forehead, beginning to feel severe soreness set in. She suddenly remembered what had happened, landing the airship using her Maiden powers alone. She sighed and shook her head and as stared at the ceiling. She had never pushed herself so far with her powers, and now that she had, well...she didn't want to even think about setting something on fire.
She then noticed that her whole body was soaked with sweat, and she shivered from the chilling feeling that surround her. She rolled onto her side for a moment, exposing her back to the cool air and sending another shiver pulsing through her body. She then began to push herself up, groaning as her muscles protested, but she soon got to her feet, wobbling for a moment before she righted herself. Her head ached, especially from the head rush brought on by standing up, but she began to clear her mind enough to ask: where was Neo?
She noticed the open door leading outside, and she made her way in that direction. She barely fit through the opening, and once she hopped to the ground below, she noticed Neo's legs protruding from beneath the ship. "Neo?" Cinder mumbled.
Neo flinched, then hurried to get out from underneath the ship and stood up. She now wore her white jeans and boots, but chose to remain bra-clad from the waist up. Neo reached out to Cinder, putting a hand on her shoulder. She raised her eyebrows and asked "OK?", to which Cinder nodded in reply.
"I'm fine. Hurting, but fine." Cinder then took a moment to look around. "Where are we?"
Neo pointed in the direction to the dilapidated hangars, and Cinder turned toward them and nodded. "Abandoned airfield," she chuckled. "Convenient."
Neo huffed and shrugged. "We need more fuel," she signed.
Cinder looked at Neo for a moment, then at the airship, which was missing a few wooden boards, allowing the inner workings to be exposed. "Did you fix the problem?"
Neo nodded, leaning down and picking up a roll of black repair tape.
Cinder grimaced. "Your repair job was to tape over it?"
Neo nodded, motioning with her free hand at the roll of tape as if to say it was once much bigger, but she used so much to repair the fuel line, it's bound to not break again.
Cinder sighed. "Well, I guess that's the best we can do. Thank..." her voice trailed off for a moment, then she shook her head as if to clear it. "Thank you, Neo."
Neo nodded, looking to the side for a moment, then back up at Cinder. She waved for her to come closer.
Cinder knitted her eyebrows, but complied and stepped forward.
Neo rose onto her toes, trying to get as close to Cinder's ear as possible. Then, she whispered to her, very quietly. "Thank you for saving me."
Cinder flinched. "I thought you couldn't speak."
"I can whisper. It just hurts," Neo explained, then leaned away and signed what she had just said. "Thank you. You saved my life."
Cinder inhaled and sighed, nodding. "It was necessary to our survival."
Neo rolled her eyes, then waved her hand toward the door to the airship. "Go get dressed," she signed.
Cinder shrugged her shoulders. "What?"
Neo tugged on her jeans, then pointed at Cinder's lower body. Cinder scoffed and shook her head. "I'm soaked in sweat. I'm not putting anything on except my boots."
Neo shrugged, turning back to the ship so she could return the wooden boards to their rightful place. Meanwhile, Cinder reentered the ship to put her boots on. It felt awkward to not be wearing her top or shawl, but better to not ruin her only outfit.
When Cinder re-emerged from the ship, Neo stood ready to journey towards the hangars. "Need to cool off?" She asked.
Cinder shook her head. "Neo, stop signing to me like I understand."
Neo gritted her teeth and signed rapidly and sharply. "I'm sorry, I'm worried about you and I want you to feel better. You're in obvious pain and that worries me."
Cinder rolled her eyes. "Let's just go," she murmured and began walking.
Neo sighed, knowing she didn't understand, but still wishing she could have. Neo followed her along, figuring she'd show Cinder what she had found the first time she had trekked to the hangars once they got there.
They arrived at the hangars, but Neo motioned for Cinder to continue to follow her. Cinder hummed in confusion as they walked between two of the hangars toward the nearby woods. "What?" She asked. "What's this way?"
"Wait and see," Neo signed, turning and beginning to walk over the grass toward the trees.
Cinder sighed and followed. "I thought we needed fuel."
Neo shot a look back at her, waving her arm as if to tell her to calm down. Cinder was about to protest, but she faltered after beginning to hear a noise in the distance ahead of them. It was a constant, light sound...running water. A river.
Just beyond a layer of trees was a flowing river. The water was moving rapidly along the five-feet-wide creek. The two women stood by it for a moment, only for Neo to wave at Cinder to follow her. They then began to make their way downstream.
"It is...beautiful," Cinder admitted. "Is this why you wanted to show me this?"
Neo pointed ahead as if to answer her. Cinder followed Neo's finger to see not far away...a wooden dock, jutting out into a large, glistening lake.
"What about the lake?" Cinder asked.
Neo scoffed and took Cinder's hand, pulling her along as they continued to advance toward the dock.
"Neo, this hike has been nice and everything, but shouldn't we be getting—"
Neo halted suddenly and turned to face her. Their eyes met, and Neo stared up at her for a good few seconds, then smirked and poked her in the nose.
"What...was that for?" Cinder asked, rubbing where Neo had poked her.
Neo chose to mouth her response, without whispering. "Relax. Let's go swimming."
Cinder furrowed her brow as Neo turned away and continued to walk. "Swimming? Of all things?"
Neo turned again, reached out to Cinder's human arm, and ran her finger along it for a moment, picking up a bit of the sweat left over from Cinder's struggle to land their ship. Neo held said finger up, then shrugged, trying to communicate that if Cinder wanted to get all the sweat she had been complaining about off, this was her chance.
Cinder opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it out of uncertainty. A few more steps and they would reach the dock. "Yes, I'll admit it does sound like a nice idea to swim to cool off, but these are my only...undergarments..."
Neo stepped out into the dock and began to take off her boots. She looked at Cinder when she stopped speaking, noticing how Cinder slowly began to realize what would be required if she didn't want to get her "only undergarments" wet. It was both funny, and unsurprising.
"Neo...are you proposing what I think you're proposing?" Cinder asked.
Neo pulled one leg from its boot and began to take off the other. She nodded at Cinder, then slipped her other boot off. She stood up straight again and walked over to Cinder, waving for her to lean forward again. Cinder did so, allowing Neo to whisper to her again. "Let go. Have fun."
Cinder pursed her lips as Neo nodded with confidence, stepping back and undoing the buttons on her jeans. Cinder sighed, embarrassed to feel so flustered. She rubbed her temples and cleared her throat. "I don't know about this, Neo. What you're proposing is very indecent."
Neo gestured her arms widely at their surroundings, inviting Cinder to realize that they were as alone as they could possibly be. Who cared what was and wasn't decent?
Cinder nodded, looking to the side. "I get it," she sighed, crossing her arms. If she was being honest with herself, she really did want to take a swim in this lake. It was clear, looked clean, and she desperately wanted to get the gross feeling of lingering sweat off her body. The only factor keeping her uncertain was Neo's presence.
Neo pushed off her white jeans and folded them. She placed them on top of her boots and then gestured to Cinder. Neo now only had her bra and panties on. She apparently was waiting for Cinder to match her.
Cinder groaned. "This isn't a game. If you want to swim, go ahead. I'll join if I decide to."
Neo grimaced, but nodded. She mouthed what she had whispered before, "let go, have fun," then reached behind her back to undo her bra. She turned her back to Cinder as she unclipped it and removed it, tossing the bra over to join the rest of her cast aside articles of clothing.
Cinder did not allow her gaze to linger on Neo's bare back for long, instead looking down and allowing her mind to race. The only reason not to do this would be because...she wouldn't want Neo to see her naked, which was a childish reason. She had already allowed Neo to see her scars and Grimm arm. Breasts and buttocks simply weren't comparable to that.
Speaking of which, still with her back to Cinder, Neo pushed down her underwear, kicked them over to the pile, then made her way to the edge of the dock. Cinder lost her better sense and did not look away, watching as Neo reached the end of the dock and sat down on it, allowing her legs to enter the water to test its temperature. Neo seemed so content and unbothered by Cinder's presence, as if...
Let go, have fun.
Cinder sighed and nodded, finally getting it. Now was her first opportunity in forever to forget about everything, about being Fall Maiden, about Ruby Rose, about Salem. Here she was, alone on the shore of a beautiful lake, with a beautiful young woman there to make her feel more human.
Cinder smiled, because she felt happy. Genuinely happy. Perhaps for the first time in years.
She didn't think about her scars or her arm as she pulled her top off over her head. She didn't stop to think about her missing eye as she leaned down to take off her boots. She didn't linger in the thoughts of vengeance and greed that normally occupied her mind as she pushed her shorts and underwear down. For once, she wanted to be happy. And she was.
Cinder walked onto the dock, her footsteps causing the wooden planks to creek underneath her.
Neo smiled when she heard Cinder coming.
Cinder sat down next to Neo, the faint coolness of the wood beneath her matched only by the cool water she dipped her legs into. She exhaled through her nose and turned to look at Neo, who was grinning at her. "What?" Cinder asked, humorously.
Neo chuckled and whispered, "Glad you joined."
Cinder winced. "You said it hurts to whisper. You shouldn't—"
"Shhh," Neo hissed, then smiled again. "I'm fine. I want to whisper."
Cinder stared at her face for a moment, then nodded and looked out at the lake, kicking her legs beneath her to further get used to its coolness. "I never pictured myself doing something like this."
Neo nodded, sparing a look down at Cinder's body before looking out at the vast lake before them as well. "I'm glad I could help."
Cinder scoffed. "You're taking credit for this?"
"I found the lake," Neo whispered, but her voice suddenly squeaked one the word lake, and her hand went straight to her throat as she winced.
Cinder sighed. "Neo..."
Neo held a hand up and shook her head, then waved her hand to indicate she was fine.
The brunette looked at her, then to the side. "Hey. Thank you."
Neo looked at her and smiled. She signed "thank you" back to her.
Cinder replicated Neo's sign. "That means 'thank you?'"
Neo nodded, still smiling. "Thank you," she signed again.
Cinder signed back with a chuckle, "Thank you."
They sat next to each other for a few more minutes, Cinder enjoying the surreal, yet freeing feeling. The fact that she was sat outdoors, nude and next to an equally nude woman was somehow not resonating with her very much. She felt...lighter, somehow. Comfortable.
Neo nudged her, and when Cinder turned to look at her, she received a splash of water to the face. Cinder exclaimed in surprise as Neo silently laughed at her. Cinder rubbed the water from her eyes, then opened them to see a beaming Neo, winking at her.
Cinder laughed. "Oh, we're doing this now?" She asked, reach down and lifting a handful of water right back at Neo, who flinched in surprise as Cinder chuckled. Before Neo could retaliate, Cinder splashed her again, garnering more flustered attempts at defense from the smaller woman as the taller one continued to laugh.
Suddenly, as if to get her ultimate revenge, Neo turned and shoved Cinder's shoulder, sending her into the water. Cinder yelled as she slipped off the dock and into the water. She found her footing on the rocky floor under the water, and she stood up to get her head back above the surface. She pushed her hair out of her face to see Neo laughing so hard she couldn't even open her eyes. Cinder laughed along with her, only to step forward enough to grab Neo's wrist and pull her. Neo gasped as Cinder heaved her into the water, disappearing into the water with a splash. When she resurfaced, she shot Cinder her best grumpy expression, but couldn't keep from laughing for long.
The water felt fantastic, especially for Cinder, now that her body could get a proper cool-down after the ordeal she experienced landing their ship. After getting used to the cool temperature, she allowed her body to float, enjoying the rare feeling of weightlessness, her muscles relaxing as she drifted aimlessly. This was a level of relaxation she had not experienced...well, ever, really. The cool water even felt nice on her scared left side.
Cinder could not help but feel like she had been missing out on this, for so long. She felt thankful to Neo for bringing her here.
Speaking of the pink-and-brown-haired girl, Neo came swimming up beside Cinder, doing a sort of backstroke to keep up with her. Cinder turned her head and smiled at Neo, then stopped floating and readjusted her position to stand on the lake floor once again. The water level was just high enough to conceal her chest when she stood. "Hey," Cinder said to Neo, who stopped swimming and began treading water to stay above the surface. "You were right. This does feel nice."
Neo nodded happily, then shoved some more water towards Cinder's face, splashing her. Cinder yelled in surprise, then beginning to laugh again as she returned the favor, pushing some water into Neo's face. "Are we here to relax or to play childish games?" Cinder asked jokingly.
"We're here to have fun," Neo signed, splashing her once again.
In a split-second idea, Cinder did not retaliate with another splash, but instead used her Maiden powers to push the water around magically. Neo looked around herself in confusion before suddenly being lifted into the air by a geyser of sorts. She gasped as she was thrown up over three meters into the air, her nude body flailing until coming back down to the water, splashing back-first. Cinder couldn't help but dissolve into laughter as Neo resurfaced and blew a raspberry at her.
"I think I win," Cinder chuckled.
Neo attempted to remain cross with her, but eventually gave into smiling again. The sight before her amazed Neo. Cinder was smiling, laughing, and enjoying herself. They were skinny dipping together, and Cinder had managed to let go and have fun, just as Neo had told her. Neo began to doubt what she had thought to herself the night before. She had told herself that she would never want to be in a long-term relationship with Cinder, but...after uncovering this side of her personality, a side capable of enjoyment and relaxation, Neo felt...like she was falling for her.
Cinder tilted her head to the side a bit. "Uhh, Neo. You okay?"
Neo hadn't realized she had been staring at her. She shook her head and smiled nervously, waving her hand as if to say it was nothing.
Cinder huffed a laugh and moved a bit closer to her. "If I'm being honest, I really needed this. So...thank you, again."
Neo nodded, looking Cinder in the eye, knowing she was being sincere.
Cinder looked down for a moment, then chuckled. "I...have the urge to hug you, but...that might be a bit awkward."
Neo felt herself blush, but she shook her head and waved her hands, inviting Cinder to come closer. Just because neither of them were wearing anything didn't mean this was inherently sexual. If it were, Neo would not have protested anyway, but this moment somehow felt more platonic than that; intimate in a friendly way. One thing Neo knew for certain was her desire to hug Cinder.
Cinder laughed, uncertain. "Really? Because...you know."
Neo shook her head, spreading her arms for Cinder. "H-hugs are good for you," she whispered.
Cinder gritted her teeth. "Stop speaking," she told her, then nodded. "And I suppose you're right." She stood there hesitantly for a moment, but just as she was about to step toward Neo, the shorter girl closed the distance and hugged her, putting her arms over Cinder's shoulders. Cinder encircled her back in return, making no effort to ignore the feeling of their torsos coming together. It felt as if a burst of energy had been released into both of them, but neither did anything other than smile at one another.
Of course, that could not last long, because even if Cinder was turning out to be a good friend, Neo wanted more from her than that. She looked at Cinder, looking into her eye, and smiled softly. "Kiss me," she whispered, so quietly she almost didn't make a noise at all.
Cinder didn't even hesitate. "Okay," she whispered back, and before Neo could react to her response, Cinder brought her a bit closer and fulfilled her request. They kissed, with Neo hanging onto Cinder's shoulders so she could stay above the water.
Unlike the night before, when they had lied together in bed and kissed for the sake of self indulgence, this kiss meant something. It meant something had changed. Cinder was different now, or better yet, she was more. The parts of her she had kept hidden away were now on full display just as her body was. Neo had helped her open up, and most importantly, let go. Now she held Neo in her arms, their bodies pressed together in the glistening lake under the morning sun, as their lips parted softly and slowly, their eyes opening as gradually as they parted.
Neo looked up at Cinder and grinned. Her cheeks were red. Both eyes had changed to a light pink. "I..." She began to whisper, but Cinder brought a hand up and put a finger to Neo's lips, silencing her.
"Don't hurt yourself again," Cinder told her. "Besides..." she smiled and pulled her a little closer. "I already know what you were going to say, and I agree. I...feel the same way about you...Neo."