Midnight didn?t turn the sky quite as black in the city as it did out in the country. Still the stars shimmered against a curtain of black velvet, a curtain that folded Johnny and Sianna with not nearly as much warmth as the blanket wrapped around the two of them. Johnny?s arm was around Sianna?s shoulders, and she had her head resting against him as they looked up at the clear sky. You couldn?t call it silence in the surroundings ? there was always a sound to the city ? but it was relatively quiet and still in these very early hours.

Breaking the stillness after several minutes, Johnny spoke quietly. ?Did I ever poin? ou? ta ya which?a these I came from? Or which I been ta? Bet ya could make some interestin? pictures in th? sky if?n ya connected th? dots.?

"Well, let's see. That one over there looks like an upside down tortoise, aye? An' there's th' giant fork." Sianna giggled softly. "Show me which star ye floated down from, leannan."

A smile broke out as he felt the reverberations of her giggle against his chest. After a moment he lifted his free hand to point almost directly up and a bit north, to a star that seemed to shine with a reddish tinge. ?Well?n, tha?s th? last place I stopped at before I came here. Don? know th? righ? name fer it, but th? planet?s cold, winter eight of thirteen months ? th? red sun don? put out as much heat, ya know??

Shivering at just the thought of him, she inched closer, grateful for the furnace like heat he gave off. "I canna imagine that anyone would wish tae visit there unless they lived in a desert year round, aye?"

When she inched closer he shifted to bring her further into the embrace of his arms, tucking the blanket more snugly about to two of them. ?I kinda liked it ? there weren? hardly a proper winter on Hope. It was nice havin? th? snow more?n once every few years. Stayed there ? nine months, abou?? Before tha?, I was?? Johnny trailed off as he examined the sky again, finally pointing off to the east and slightly south. ?I think tha? bluish one there.?

Grinning contentedly, her ploy having worked perfectly, she nuzzled into his chest. Blue eyes watched the sky with wonder. "And what was th' weather on that one like, aye? Spring all year long? Or harvest?"

Low baritone laughter rumbled in his chest, and he shook his head. ?Nah ? they could only wish. I got inta tha? place hitchin? a lift on a cargo-hauler, an? left soon?s I could on th? next ship that would take me ou?. Th? weather weren?t too bad, I s?pose, if?n ya like swamps hot enough ta have ya sweatin? in seconds, but there was a funny smell ta th? place, too. Like somethin? rottin? at th? back of yer throat, all th? time.?

She made a teasing gag noise and laced her fingers with his. "Aye, a wonder ye dinna get so sick that they had tae take ye tae th' infirmary." Sianna tugged the quilt up higher over her shoulders so that it came to her chin.

He grinned and bent his head to rest it against hers for a moment. ?So tha? weren? hardly a place worth mentionin?. Let?s see, I was kinda zig-zaggin? aroun?, takin? th? rides I could get.? Another star farther east and south was pointed out before he drew his hand under the blanket to warm it against Sianna?s side. ?Tha? one there was real pretty ? two suns, purple seas an? beaches with black sand. Ya wan? ta guess why I lef? there??

"Did ye get black sand someplace ye dinna like it?" Her laughter echoed out over the still streets before she clapped a hand over her mouth to silence it somewhat.

Her laughter was as musical as her voice, and he always loved to listen to it ? although in this case he was joining in, as well. ?Nah ? well, from time ta time ? but was because th? biggest industries there were fer honeymooners an? singles lookin? ta hook up in a romantic place, ya know? Soun?s fun an? all ta be in a place tha?s almost nothin? but partyin?, until ya been there six months an? ya jus? wan? some quiet sleep.?

"So ye partied and hooked up until ye nearly dropped ... err somethin' nearly dropped off, did ye? Verra wise of ye tae get out whilst ye still could in your altogether, leannan." Sianna officially had a case of the giggles.

?M?love, ya have a filthy min?. Love ya an? all, bu? ya do.? Johnny grinned down at her and kissed the top of her head. ?No? sure if?n I should tell ya any more stories if?n yer goin? ta inven? adventures ta top my borin? travels. Why?m I tellin? th? stories ta th? bardess, anyway??

Her look most certainly one of teasing innocent awe. "A sweet naive lass like myself? 'Tis no' my fault I've only had one teacher at th' skill, so ye can thank yerself for encouraging it sae verra well, aye?" Turning her head to the side, she placed a kiss to the ridge of his knuckles, her teeth placing just a whisper of pressure. A slow grin as she lifted her eyes back to his. "Because ye're sculpting th' stars for me, are ye no'? Aye, and I wish tae hear all th' stories ye ken. I'll just help ye tweak th' boring ones a -wee- bit."

His shiver might have been from the cold air, but it was just as likely that the kiss had something to do with it. He laughed as she spoke of tweaking the boring stories, and met her lake-blue eyes with his bright emerald gaze. ?Well?n, I?ll hav?ta to a better job tellin? th? stories, so ya know how ta spice ?em up bes?. Any ideas wha? ya wan? ta hear abou? next, ?r should I jus? keep goin? backwards on tha? path I took ta ge? here??

Exposure to so many wildly different cultures let him take the customs in stride, but he nodded agreement to her words before he shrugged just a bit. ?Other ways ? was respectin? their dead, ta them, no? ta let ?em go ta waste. But wasn? somethin? I was ever comf?table with. Anyway, b?fore Perdition was a li?l moon by name?a Dirty Deeds. An? I promise, I ain? jokin? abou? tha? ? some private group got t?gether an? bough? th? whole moon, run it as th? place ta go ta get anythin? at all ya wan?.?

She wrinkled her nose again, for all his teasing, at heart Sianna was still a staunch Scot. Fiercely stubborn and deeply traditional. "Ye mean they made th' entire moon a brothel? Ye may think me a wanton, leannan, but seems tae me a perfectly good waste o' a moon."

?More?n jus? a brothel, mo croidhe. When I say anythin?, I mean anythin? ? women, men, drugs, killin?s, card games, information, jewels an? furs. Legal trade an? all th? thin?s tha? ain? so legal. Only way they could set up an? run a place like tha? was by buyin? th? whole moon.? He shook his head. ?Neon an? flash an? more languages than anyplace I seen ?til I came here. I worked in a jewelry shop there fer a while, appraisin? things people brough? in ta sell, an? makin? m?own pieces ta sell on th? side. Good money, there ? people din? come ta Dirty Deeds less?n they had th? means fer it, one way or t?other.?
Her eyes widened considerably. "Ye mean ye actually lived there 'mongst th' midst of it? Th' money may have been good, but it sounds absolutely awful... an' even worse than Rhydin on it's worst day, aye?

He shrugged again and looked at her, then tightened his arms around her in a light squeeze before he eased back. ?Wasn? as bad as all tha? ? an? the strange thin? was tha? it was safer ta live there than it ever has been here. ?Cause ?a th? way those owners set thin?s up, there?s a security system on tha? moon like ya wouldn? b?lieve. Everythin?s done by contracts, an? since thin?s tha? are illegal off-world are legal there, they can enforce it. Wasn? a place I?d live fer long, bu? seven weeks there bough? my ticket an? tha?s wha? I needed at th? time.?

"Ahh, I see. No' tae mention that ye were bulked up considerably from being on th' desert place. From th' look of ye, no one would think tae pick a fight wi' ye." The wide plane of his chest was a comfortable support as she relaxed back against him, one foot lightly tapping his beneath the cover of quilt.

?Would?a been nice if?n tha? was so ? bu? Dirty Deeds came b?fore Perdition, so I din? have th? extra bulk. Jus? wha? I?d built up along th? way from loadin? cargo aroun?. Hadn? worked any of th? stone fer ages since I?d been travellin? too much an? it was too heavy. So I wasn? as strong then as now. Bu? I din? cause any trouble ?r get anyone mad, so was no worries there.? He shifted slightly, nestling her more closely against him and re-tucking the blanket to keep in their warmth. ?Ya still comf?table here or ya abou? ready ta go back in, m?love??

"Whichever ye wish, mo luan duine, I'll have nae complaints either way." A kiss to the hollow of his throat before she laid her head to his chest, his heartbeat a reassuring thump that echoed in her ear. "Although I will say I like it when ye make th' sky come alive tae me. Are any of th' stars familiar tae th' ones ye saw on Hope?"

?If yer still happy here an? listenin? ta me ramble on, we?ll stay ou? fer a time longer. As fer th? stars from here ? they?re th? same stars, some ?a them, but there out?a order, ya know? Like there,? he traced out a shape connecting a group of slightly brighter stars, ?tha? don? look like much?a anythin? from here, bu? tha?s one tha? we call th? Stallion from Hope. We?re a long, long way from where I came from, m?love.? He didn?t call Hope home, as he hadn?t in many years.

She tilted her head and tried to squint, the blurry image of a stallion taking shape. "Aye, that ye are, but why d'ye call it th' Stallion?"

His laughter shook his chest, bouncing her slightly in her lean, and he traced the distorted outline carefully. ?Ya see there?s th? head, an? th? fron? hooves rearin? up ? an? there?s th? back hooves planted, tha? group ?a fain? ones is th? mane, an? there?s th? tail. An? righ? there, tha? brigh? reddish star is th? proof tha? he ain? no mare?r geldin?.?

She turned her head and claimed his mouth with her own for a moment. "Aye, think I do. Except it seems she traded her heart long ago, tae a man wi' a body bonny and strong.. " A kiss was placed to one dimple. "... and th' skill tae create anything ye might imagine..." And then the other. " Wi' talent oozing from th' top of his head tae th' soles of his feet..." Now her lips trailed along his jaw. "... and a humor and wit about him tae charm any he sends a smile to." Her lips pressed back to his lips and curled into a soft smile. "Aye, I know that woman verra well indeed."

He smiled into the kiss and then returned it with interest. ?Then knowin? her so well, ya?ll hav?ta make sure tha? I meet th? woman, ta steal her away from tha? paragon of virtue.? Another kiss, deeper and more heated, before he pulled back just a bit and smiled. ?Think she?d have a fair bit ta go ta do better?n ya, though, so mebbe I?ll jus? see abou? bendin? ya ta my way?a thinkin?.?

A brow arched as she took a deep breath, her mouth formed into a clear "oh". "Ahhh, was I nae clear enow, Johnny? I am that woman, aye? But perhaps if ye have a... " The corner of her lips twitched with mirth. "... a word wi' th' darling paragon of virtue, as ye called him, he might have some advice on how ye can bend me a bit."

The serious tone of his voice was given the lie to by the smile struggling to form and the laughter in his emerald eyes. ?Think I migh? need all th? advice I can ge? ta persuade ya aroun?.? Sliding his hand from on top of hers up along her arm, he shifted the collar of her shirt to bare more of her shoulder, and then bent his head to kiss the now-exposed skin. ?Since it seems I ain? havin? a bit?a luck yet in convincin? ya ta join me ou? from th? cold.?

The shiver coursed through her powerfully, her speech lightly stuttered. "W-why should I have tae leave th' cold when ye manage tae keep me so verra warm and toasty right here?" Her fingers slipped through his hair to rest along the back of his neck.

He smiled then, with his lips still pressed lightly against her skin, and then moved on; mesh-covered fingers traced a path along the edge between fabric and silken skin that he then followed with his mouth. His voice came out husky and low and was interrupted by the kisses. ?Tha?s true enough fer now, bu? I don? know how long it?ll las?. Yer a stubborn woman, mo annasachd, mo croidhe, ach tha gaol agam ort fathast.? Using the Scottish might be an unfair tactic, but he didn?t hesitate. His other hand lowered from around her shoulder to trace down her side along her curves.

"Chan eolas gradhach duit uisge thraghadh tromh shop, ach gradh an fhir thig riut, le bhlaths a tharsainn ort." Her own voice dropped in timbre, thickened with emotion, blurred with sensation. Sianna lightly trailed her nails across the nape of his neck before her hand slipped down the wide collar of his shirt.

Johnny blinked, and his quiet laughter was a baritone rumble against her shoulder. The track of her nails prompted a shiver of his own, and he waited for that to subside before he answered with the laughter still caught in his voice. ?Tha? was somethin? abou? love an? knowledge an? I think warmth? Ya givin? in th? point, m?own, or ya arguin? it in another language so I can? win?? Despite the teasing, his hands hadn?t paused in their aimless wandering, and he leaned to catch her mouth for another kiss.

"Just fighting fire with fire, aye? A lass needs something of th' sort tae be able tae hold her own wi' ye, Johnny." Her nails ascend his back again and she grinned again as he shivered. "But it doesn't really matter one way or th' other, does it?"

Another quiet laugh rumbled through his chest and he kissed the corner of her mouth, and then shifted to whisper quietly in her ear. ?Don? matter fer th? cold, bu? th? neighbors migh? appreciate us goin? inside, m?love. ?Cause if?n ya keep tha? up with wha? yer doin?, I?m jus? goin? ta ferge? abou? where we?re at.? But he didn?t make a motion to move, instead gliding both hands down to her waist and then back up beneath her shirt, along the soft skin over her ribs.

Grateful for the cover of quilt, her breath sucked between her teeth in a swift hiss. "Aye, ye may forget... but I dinna think th' neighbors might nae be as obliging, not tae mention if'n they call th' Watch on us." A coy grin on her lips. "So for th' sake of preservin' th' order an' all, I suppose we'd best go inside, aye?" And with that her fingers ever so mercilessly crawled back down to the small of his back.

?Well, if?n it?s in th? case?a preservin? th? order, guess we?d bes?.? He shivered again at the light touch of her fingers, but his grin was wicked as he let his own hands linger before he slowly drew them away, to fold back the blanket wrapped around them. ?An? tha? means yer goin? ta hav?ta lead th? way, since yer half-sittin? on me at th? momen?. I?ll jus? crawl in after ya.? And he would enjoy every moment of following her in, too.

She patted his cheek as she slid from his lap. "Dinna let your chin drag th' slate, aye? I rather like ye wi' nae bruises on your face." Pulling the quilt about her as a shawl, she shimmied and sashayed her way along the short distance to the window and slipped inside the window feet first.

Grinning, he watched her shimmy her way in, the sway of her hips enough to keep him frozen for a moment before he let out his breath with a slow exhale and muttered to himself. ?Ain? no reason fer me ta be so lucky.? Another moment and he followed her, still smiling, through the window.