Over the River and Through the Woods (Adventures!AU Book 2)

Ch 20 Toe the Line

So.
Originally this chapter and the next were a single chapter.
Then it hit 6000+ words
Now it is two chapters.

Descriptions may get a bit brief for the next few months, started college back and have little to no time (24 Spanish assignments a week 'cmon) so chapters will definitely slow as well. II'd say more but honestly I'll just link this post so you can read it or ignore the update: https://shadowsstorystuff.tumblr.com/post/639807297871331328/update-post
My comments will also be a lot slower

For this chapter. I'll leave the actual content a surprise but I will say that yep I'm a military child. My grandfather actually fought in WW2 in the Pacific area so that's a fun fact. He also worked on a cargo ship when he was younger (like 18, up and left KY and headed down to florida then jumped on a ship) but I didn't learn this until a few years after his death and after I got into cargo ships. Kinda funny.

Anyway. Enjoy some boys!
And yes, I added a Sokka line for Hunter

Content Warning: Some sexual references, blood/needle talk (dammit Tech), fluff (lots of that).

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Finally.

It took Tech a good few hours to download it all, but finally it was done. He'd managed to pull the day's footage from each of his teammates' helmets and transferred them to his datapad. Now he could cross reference Shadow from all four perspectives.

It was strictly research based, no other reason. He wanted to analyze the way her species moved, not Shadow herself.

Tired of Crosshair growling at him to go to sleep, Tech retreated to the room he'd be sharing with Shadow.

Would the woman still be awake? The light was still on.

Tech slipped inside.

Shadow, scribbling in a notebook full of flimsi at a small desk in the corner, jumped and pulled out some type of corded listening device from both ears. "Oh, it's you." She shut the notebook and quickly slipped that and her phone plus the listening device into her bag. "I was just about to finish up and head to bed."

Why had she hidden the notebook so quickly?

He squinted at her. "What were you writing?"

If she'd been drafting a letter to the separatists, he would need to inform Hunter right away. Not that he assumed she'd been plotting to betray them, but in war you couldn't be too careful.

Yet logic overruled suspicion. Should Shadow be trying to get in contact with the Seps, she wouldn't be using flimsi and a pencil.

"Are you drawing?" he asked, tone less harsh.

"Close. Just drafting some stories," she replied, standing and stretching.

Once more Tech noticed how she now stood taller than him in this form, her broad shoulders easily rivaling his own.

He wondered how a hug from her would feel before quickly banishing the thought to the back of his mind.

"Why did you hide it so quickly?"

Ears twitched as she scratched the back of her head. "Eh... I'm a bit self conscious of my stories. Bad feedback in the past sticks with you."

"I would be interested to see what you write about," he ventured. "I'm sure it's good, you're very creative and imaginative."

"Eh, I'll show you some more later, ok?" she deflected, jumping to the bed and arranging herself on the side away from the door. "There, I know you'd probably want the side closest to the escape route."