12 A QUIET NIGHT FOR TWO

Master Talya sighed as she realized she couldn't just push him past the idea. She'd been doing a lot more sighing lately hadn't she?

"Very well have it your way then. I have a very special test in mind to see if you really have what it takes then, but keep in mind should you fail either the chi, or ki tests then you will give up this stubbornness immediately!"

'It's not like I can't teach you them later anyway' she added in her mind. As she informed him of the special test she had prepared, a semi-sadistic smile may or may not have graced her lips for a micro-second. Much too quick for the endearing student of hers to catch onto.

Azaire himself was ecstatic! He knew he shouldn't be so stubborn like that as it could easily inconvenience others but he felt that sometimes for some things you had to be at least a little selfish. And this was one of those things.

"Thank you master I will surely not let you down!" Master Talya not knowing whether to laugh or cry at his enthusiasm at his own unreasonable victory waved him off as her mind moved on to other important matters.

"I suggest you bring out your tent and your brothers if he's not sleeping in your ring tonight. It get's pretty cold at night here especially since the night brings forward a pretty heavy Yin aura. Yin beasts usually use this to cultivate at night. Which is why it's usually more dangerous to travel at night. Some of the Shattered Star Desert's Yin beasts are truly brutal."

After hearing his master's words all at once Azaire realized just how cold it actually was and the temperature still seemed to be dropping. The tent and blankets he brought along were scripted with a bit of temperature control but not enough to deal with one night in the desert. As if she had been reading his thoughts master Talya frowned and started to speak,

"Perhaps your brother can...." Before she could finish her thought Azaire was shaking his head already.

"No sorry master but my brother has a thing about being touched he has some pretty weird quirks besides he's more likely to just come ask me to stay in the ring tonight."

And Roran who had been eavesdropping and waiting exactly for a moment like this took it as his cue as he walked up to his brother and agreed, "Indeed that would be very generous of you little brother. Since you already offered would you mind?"

Roran waved illustriously at the ring and Azaire snorted in humor before waving his hand and sucking his brother in....into the ring that is.

Azaire turned back to master Talya with a shrug as if to say this was bound to happen and Jared who had also been eavesdropping suddenly spoke up from nearby.

"Well since my cultivation has already gotten pretty far the cold doesn't affect me. I could cuddle with you and share my body heat...and oh! I'm sure Skye wouldn't mind contributing too!"

Jared seemed excited as he had just been thinking about how next to cuddle without scaring the young man off.

Master Talya gave a knowing smile as she expected something like this to happen so she had not seriously been worried about the situation.

Azaire hesitated for a second, looking at his ring. How much had Jared heard and did that mean he now knew about the ring?

Master Talya had long ago discovered it and his mother had still insisted on having a "talk" with her before she could accept it. But Azaire was not his mother and was not as interested in being as cautious and although they hadn't known each other long he still very much trusted Jared.

"Mhm....I'd be happy for the helping hand and my tent should be big enough for all of us to fit inside. I just need to take care of something before bed inside my ring and while I'm doing that I can grab my ring but while I astral project inside you can start keep my body warm for me now."

Without having to be told twice Jared was immediately behind Azaire and pulled him easily into his arms.

Azaire's body passed out as he astral projected into the ring going to a rather large pile of lifestones on the ground without paying much attention to what the current pleasantly warm background the ring generated was.

Lifestones carried various different life energies and they were used in a lot of magi tech or other various tools and scripts that were designed for people who didn't or couldn't cultivate and didn't have their own energy to use.

After grabbing a handful in each hand he rushed to the two stone heirlooms and pressed each handful into a different stone and the lifestones melted into the stones like instantly evaporating ice. The stones hummed as if in pleasure.

It'd been a while since they did something like that and Azaire was pleasantly surprised. He had given them a lot more lifestones since he'd neglected them this morning. After satisfying them Azaire finally took a moment to look around quickly.

He stood in a spring or summer type setting on what seemed to be an endless grassy plain scattered with his and his brother's stuff and with a small wooden cabin where he could now hear his brother's voice coming out in a way that told him that his brother had almost definitely some to all of his video game setup with him into the ring.

Shaking his head but not at all surprised Azaire grabbed his tent and willed himself out the ring and back into his body. The first thing he noticed was warm arms wrapped around him then the equally warm body behind him and finally the gentle fingers running softly through his hair.

Azaire was very happy that Jared had obviously taken such good care of his body while he was out. Azaire sighed happily as he saw the tent had appeared right in front of them and after looking around he saw two other tents had already been set up and the other two had likely already retired. "Shall we?" Azaire had said this to Jared who was still playing with Azaire's hair after he realized, when Azaire had suddenly woken, that Azaire did not mind the gesture.

He had been so absorbed he had not realized the tent had appeared until Azaire had spoken up and gestured to it.

"Of course! Let's go ahead and get to it! Uhh....to sleep that is." Azaire laughed at the easily flustered giant. "Of course to sleep silly what else would we do in there?"

Jared looked deeply into the eyes of Azaire to make sure the young man wasn't teasing him and he had no clue just how to feel about the innocence in the man's eyes that said he really hadn't understood the slip of tongue.

'Ugh, so innocent it hurts! Must protect!' After that thought without bothering to explain the various activities one can manage in a tent, Jared carried Azaire swiftly into the tent and Skye hopped in after him.

They didn't take long to settle as Jared lay behind Azaire in a big spoon position having the young man to fit perfectly in his arms and Skye laid in front of Azaire making sure his front could be kept warm.

"Hey Jared?" Azaire spoke aloud in the tent after ten minutes of silence. He couldn't get to sleep despite being so comfortable. Azaire's mind was still running too much, probably worried about tomorrow's test.

"Yeah?" Jared was equally awake as he was already so fine-tuned to Azaire he couldn't help but sense Azaire's restlessness.

"I can't sleep," Azaire explained.

"I know," Jared replied.

"Do you want to talk until you're ready to pass out?"

Jared thought this would be a nice chance to get to know more about Azaire so of course he couldn't let it go and in turn he could let the young man know more about him as well. Azaire who couldn't hear Jared's giddy thoughts was moved by the man's idea.

It seemed the perfect way to pass time till his body drifted. So the two talked far into the night about their selves, bits and pieces of their childhood, their families and friends, hopes and dreams, and eventually a whole bunch of nothing.

It was just nice to talk like that with someone who was invested in the conversation and listened closely to you.

Azaire and Jared both drunk in each other's words like it was the last drop of water that could quench an unending thirst.

As Azaire felt his body finally starting to drift he yawned and insisted in a sleepy voice, "We...should....do this every nig...zzzz" Azaire was fast asleep maybe the best sleep he had gotten yet, and Jared still stayed awake a while longer to admire him and run his finger's through his hair before he finally joined Azaire for a peaceful sleep.