Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. Thank you very much to Fameanon and Ahlysha for reviewing.
Judith took control of the transport and headed out down the old 20th century roads. "I tink you gonna love dis Mister Meral," she said with a grin.
She drove deep into the wild jungle area of the island, it only took thirty minutes for them to lose sight of all signs of civilization. She pulled off the actual road down a small dirt path until they could go no further. She turned off the transport and slid off the seat.
"I used to come 'ere all da time, if dis don' be turning that frown aroun', den I don't be knowin' what might." She paused and leaned in. "And nobody be lookin' at you but me."
She guided him deep into the lush paradise, pointing out the beautiful flora as she went; the colors of the flowers were in every imaginable hue, and the vines and leaves were a bright, vibrant shade of green. When the path sloped upward, she took his hand.
"Close yer eyes, Mista Vulcan. Dis I want you to see for da first time all at once."
She led him slowly through the jungle, quietly guiding him over exposed roots and around rocks, all the while keeping a tight grip on his hand. His flesh was warm and dry, though she could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. She supposed he wasn't used to humidity, but his color was still better than ever before.
They finally made it into the clearing after thirty minutes of walking, and she stopped.
"Open yer eyes Mista vulcan, we be in da beauty now."
He slowly opened his eyes, and his breath caught in his throat. There was nothing like this on Vulcan, nothing like a cascade of water falling into a lush valley of one hundred different shades of green, with the most beautiful colored flowers climbing up trees that seemed to touch the azure sky above their heads.
"This is...very aesthetically pleasing," he whispered, gazing at the waterfall. Twin rainbows arched across the roaring cascade, echoing the spectrum of color in the canopy above their heads.
Something about being out here in the middle of nowhere, no people, no signs of civilization, was immensely relaxing. He felt his body posture shift and relax, and his expression relaxed.
"The orange flowers there..." He pointed them out to her. He had a sudden idea, and he strode forward, careful to avoid any roots or fallen branches as he headed for a tree with flowers blooming at head height. He picked one, then walked back to her and tucked the flower behind her ear (after inspecting it for any insects).
"...are very aesthetically pleasing when placed against your skin," he finished, admiring the way the orange blossom complemented her mocha skin and her short, spiky hairdo.
Her eyes sparkled, "Dat's da sweetest ting evah, Mister Vulcan," Judith said with a grin, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."
She gently took his hand. "Come wit me," she murmured, her voice trembling with excitement. "Dis just da start."
She shouldered a small pack and lead him to a pole with rungs drilled into it. "You follow me. We gonna go down into the valley da way my people did."
Scaling the pole, she waited a few moments for him to get to the top, where there rested a small platform and rigging equipment. She pointed out into the thick canopy. "We will land ova dere near da waterfall."
She grabbed a rope with a T-shaped handle at its end. "You hold one side, I hold de odder...Dis called a zip line, it's a slow leisurely one, not da fast ones tourists go to. It will give you a full view of da valley. When it stop, den we gonna be where we at for today."
She grinned and helped him him into the T, lashing him and her with a safety harness. "On on the count of tree. One...two...tree." She leaned forward, stepping off the edge of the small platform.
The gravity slowly guided them through the air, the zipline angling downward toward the waterfall, and the cool spray hit them as they passed through what would be one of the rainbows they had seen from the ground.
"I can see why your culture is so rife with mythos and magic, illogical things...here...it is not so hard to believe."
He sighed, this time in strange contentment that was flooding his body. He gazed out over the valley, admiring the colors that sprawled over the ground below. It was an amazing place, like nothing he had ever seen. He was a child of the desert, and San Francisco, while it had plenty of trees, did not have astounding views like this.
She giggled, bringing his attention back to her. "Don' tell me Mister Meral believe in magic."
"I do not," he insisted, narrowing his eyes. But he smirked slightly. "But I do believe in beauty. I see I have been stationed in the wrong part of your planet. You were fortunate to be born in such a place as this. San Francisco must bore you."
Judith gently put her feet down to stop their momentum. She got off and then helped him out of the harness.
"No, Mister Meral, der be beauty enough in San Francisco. You jus hafta look for it. You neva gonna see what it have to offa if you only go tree blocks round da Consulate, ai."
She turned him around so he could see the canopy, and when she clapped her hands three times, an explosion of colorful birds scattered into the air. She smiled, watching them fly around and then land back into the hidden green. "Every place beautiful in its own way, jus like everybody beautiful in der own way."
She moved her pack off her shoulder and pulled a small blanket from it, spreading it on a piece of flat ground. "Now, I didn't bring food. But you seem da type of man dat be ok with finding food. All around us is fruits and tings we can eat." She smiled up at him.
"No worries about meat, jus fruits and veggies ai, natural tings. When you get hungry we will go forage. And just ova dat rock...be a 'ot spring, if you wanna get daring and soak in da watta...I can teach you some swimm'n too."
She pointed at a small calm pool being fed by one of the smaller parts of the waterfall. "Da day be yours, Mister Meral and what you want to do, we do."
She brushed her hand over his shoulder. "I already be seein' you relax, and dat look betta on you dan any robes you wear."
Something in the humid air, the wind in the upper eaves, the dappled light, the colors and fresh smell of being outdoors, was making him feel bolder than usual. He raised his fingers and stroked them down her cheek, slowly, savoring the feel of her soft flesh beneath the pads of his fingers. "I haven't been looking very hard for beauty, have I?" he said quietly, reaching her chin. He gently cupped it. "It is a good thing I have you then, to help me see things from a different perspective."
He leaned a little closer and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her neck. "I would be agreeable to learning to swim."
She grinned. "All right, Mister Vulcan man. I don' know what you be drinkin', but I like da way it make you act now."
Judith instructed him to strip down to whatever he was comfortable getting wet in, and she stripped down to her underwear. He felt his face get warm as his eyes lingered on her supple curves, the clear expanses of her mocha skin. His fingertips were tingling now, and they were not deterred by the cool water.
Her eyes went directly to the small loin cloth that hardly covered what her Vulcan man was packing. She gasped, and that primal feeling that she had in the transport when he touched her fingers rose from the ashes. Her smile brightened. "I 'ave to tell you Mister Meral...you be one sexy man, top to bottom, ai." S
he nodded and held her hand out to him to help him get into the pool of water. "I believe in beauty too, Mister Meral...and you be beautiful," she said boldly.
She lead him out a bit so the water was up to his navel, and she swallowed hard as the loin cloth floated. Her eyes shot up to his so she wouldn't purposely see his manhood. She wanted to look, and even as free a spirit as she was, she couldn't bring herself to steal a look see at him just yet.
He pinched his nose and dunked himself into the water as she instructed, and when he came up, the surrounding air stung his skin. He shook the water out of his eyes like a dog shaking off the rain, and he looked to her for instruction.
"First, you learn de dead man's float, ai."
She demonstrated, laying flat on her back in the water, and the pool supported her weight. She righted herself and helped him lean back, and she placed a warm hand on his lower back to help him float. He could feel waves of curiosity and anticipation of something, but he dared not explore what she was anticipating. That would be an invasion of her privacy.
She removed her hand, and he stiffened, thinking for a moment that he would sink, but he stayed afloat, only sinking a little. He gazed up at the patches of clear sky above the canopy of leaves, and he relaxed, allowing the water to hold him up. This was very relaxing, surprisingly so.
She watched him float, grinning she kept her eyes on his face and chest. His age and worry seemed to melt from him, and she loved that. She gently instructed him on how to right himself in the water so he could stand again. She had him wrap his arms around her neck and she took him out to a bit deeper section. She showed him how to tread water, and then how to doggie paddle toward the shallow water, and she grinned as he made it to her.
"You be a natural Mister Meral," she sighed softly. "Dat be enough for today, but we don' be done wit da watta. Dis I tink you really gonna like."
She looked up at the sky. "Da sun be in a perfect place too." She helped him up out of the cold water and lead him to the hot spring.
"Dis be betta suited to your need. Mista Meral. Dat colda watta take it out of you, but dis...it put it right back." She stepped down into the bubbling spring and gasped in pleasure. "No ting feel better on sore or tired muscles dan watta heated from da earth's love."
"We have springs on Vulcan," he commented, slipping in beside her. The warm water felt heavenly, and he leaned back, at ease at last. There was nothing to worry about here, nothing to bother him. He closed his eyes and began a mantra, and it came easily to him. He smirked slightly, turning his head to her.
"But the springs are not nearly as lovely as these. Even more so because they are hidden and private."
He slipped a little closer to her and pulled a reed out of her hair, casting it aside. He stared at her, contemplating her like the nature around him. She was dressed in so little, and he in less, and he saw her eyes were drifting to his chest more often than not. He wondered what was drawing her attention, though he saw no disgust behind her eyes. She seemed as content as he, and he felt emboldened again as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
"You are correct in that they relax muscles," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes, feeling more peaceful than ever. He made sure his chest was above the water so she could stare at it all she wanted.
Judith saw he was shifting in the water so as to show his chest, and it made her want to purr. He was a striking man, and with his face relaxed he looked even more handsome than before. "I show you someting, someting dat we native people to the island know a long, long time. It be good medicine."
She moved over to the side of the spring and gathered up some of the thick clay mud. She moved over to him and settled beside him. "Der be minerals and salts in da watta dat make de clay healing. Let me show you."
Judith placed the clay on a rock at his side. "Close your eyes, Mister Meral, dis be da icing on da cake."
She waited for him to close his eyes, and slowly spread the clay on his face. With a gentle and delicate touch she ran her fingers over his high cheekbones, over his jaw line, down his neck, and shoulders. "We let dis dry, it 'elp with all your muscles, aches and pain you did not even know you carry."
It was the truth the clay was known for it's healing, but Judith smirked she was being a little healed just by being able to touch his untouchable self. His skin was smooth, his muscles firm, his body she could imagine laying next to on a cool night, like having sunshine in her bed.
Meral raised an eyebrow, then relaxed. He knew there were similar treatments done on Vulcan, but he never had them done. He relaxed back into the rock, trying not to tense from her touch. Her fingers were delicate and her touch careful, and she went all the way down to his shoulders with the mud; her fingers stroking down his neck was hard to take.
He sat there in silence for several minutes, letting the mud dry, and then she pulled him onto the lip of the spring and washed it off of him. He relaxed fully, no worry on his face, and he dared lift his fingers and stroke them down her neck. "Shall I do the same to you?"
She nodded. "Sure ting, Mister Meral."
He found some of the mud she had used and directed her to lie back, and he spread the mud over her face, neck and shoulders. Her body, as he remembered, was pliant and soft, and he could easily imagine himself holding her during the night, his chest pressed to her back, or her head lying on his chest. He tickled what sensitive nerves he could find on her neck as he spread the mud, and she shifted, a grin lifting the corners of her mouth.
"Mister Meral, you be missin' your calling. You ought to be a massage therapist with tenda finger like dat. I could let you do dis all day long."
She made a nondescript noise of contentment and relaxed into the water. She wanted to open her eyes and see what kind of look he had on his face, and her curiosity was getting the best of her, but she resisted it, not wanting to spoil the mood or any fun he might be having.
She let him pick her up and take her to the edge of the spring. The feel of his fingers so soft against her skin was sensational, and erotic in ways she didn't quite understand. She remembered his electric touch, the way he had made her thighs thrum with want, and she wondered briefly what that might feel like on her neck.
When she opened her eyes it was like a new man standing before her. She slid next to him and hugged him, making sure not to compromise both their propriety by pressing her hips to his loin cloth. Then she laid her head on his broad chest.
"See 'ere, Mister Vulcan? Us humans..dey not so bad eh?"
She carefully pulled back and smiled warmly up at him, delighted that his expression was still relaxed. "You ready to get a bite to eat, ai?" As she gazed into his bright blue eyes, she was very tempted to press her lips to his, but the shell of this coconut had only just begun to crack. She wasn't going to push it further.
He smirked. "No, not yet," he murmured, then dragged her back into the spring. He had her lie on her stomach and fold her arms on the edge of the spring, and he gently slid in behind her. He began at the top of her spine, drawing tiny circles in her skin, spreading out, then moving back towards her spine. After he got about to the level of her armpit, he positioned his fingers back at the top of her spine.
"This may hurt a little," he warned, "but it is worth the payoff."
He pressed in hard, and she gasped, but still he held his fingers there for ten seconds. He released her, and she relaxed. He continued drawing circles further down her back, alternating gentle pressure with neuropressure, until she was draping herself over the edge of the spring, her hand lazily trailing along the lush grasses. He could feel through her skin how content she was, and it pleased him. He had never made anyone else so content before in his life.
"Oh, Mister Meral," she whispered. "Neva been so relaxed in my life."
Her eyelids drooped contentedly, and her head lulled to the side. She could see the shadow of him moving beside her, and she felt his legs brush hers. "Dis is 'eaven, Mister Vulcan, and you be an angel."
She turned her head and closed her eyes completely. "I could take a nap...neva been so relaxed. You have only yerself to blame for dis, Mister Meral."
He gently took her in his arms and laid her head on his chest, and she drifted off to sleep, soaking in the warmth of the sun and the sweet flower perfumed breeze on the air. She looked him in the eyes, her gaze lazy and contented. She made sure his arm was still around her before nuzzling into this new Meral's chest and falling fast asleep.