Bridging Destinies

Chapter 35: A Jaunting Forage of Feeling

Standing from my seat, I moved towards the restroom, turning my body slightly to scoot past the flight attendant. I glanced at the woman, catching her eye, whose thoughts were preoccupied with whether Namjoon was in a relationship with 'the foreigner'. I suppressed a smirk as I passed the woman to the restroom. The tone of the woman's thoughts were curious, but not malicious. There was something about her that caused me to watch her more closely, but I did not feel as if she were a direct threat. Closeting myself away inside the restroom, I considered the woman, thinking through the moments between when we met her on the plane until this moment.

The flight attendant had greeted us, instructing us to make ourselves comfortable, assisting us in packing away any carry-on bags we had with us. She seemed mildly excited after recognizing Namjoon and his manager but privately questioned my presence with the group. We exchanged glances as I settled in with Namjoon, and while I watched her covertly, I listened as her thoughts shifted from us to what she must do to prepare for the flight. The transition had not been smooth and almost seemed deliberate. It was almost as if she had realized who or what I was, and had shuttered her thoughts, shifting them from us to her duties. This thought pattern was something I had seen in other humans before. The abrupt change in thought wasn't new to me, but it did cause me to pay more attention to the woman and watch her with half my mind. I hadn't seen anything else about the woman that told me she was a threat, but I decided that I would look at the paths a little more closely. I had looked at them before the trip, and decided that nothing would happen to threaten our security, but I knew that each choice a person made could and did have ripple effects in the illusion of time.

I finished my task, as intended, in the restroom and returned to my seat. Namjoon was reading over the rest of the newspaper, having retrieved it from where I left it. I smiled at him softly and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes, as if intending to sleep. While I did so, I watched the paths much more closely and did not find anything of concern. The woman did not appear to be an immediate threat and I was relieved.

~~~

Once arriving on Jeju Island, we traveled to our lodging and settled in. It was a peaceful two days of communion. We ate meals together, sat, cuddled on the couch or the bed, reading to each other, talking about everything under the sun, playing games, indulging in intimate pleasures and generally enjoyed each other's company. 

During that time, we saw very little of anyone else. The manager and bodyguard, kept their distance, but I could feel them on the periphery of our housing. We both appreciated the privacy and the chance to spend time with just he and I, and after two days of relaxing in this space, we prepared our packs to hike into the interior of the island to enjoy Gotjawal forest.

With us, we had all the necessities for camping in a semi-wild location, as required when backpacking into the interior of a forest. I conceded the need for the use of a tent, taking into account Namjoon's human sensibilities, and while I would not need food, during our adventure, Namjoon would. I had a knowledge of local edible and medicinal plants and water sources that would serve us while hiking, so we packed items that would be supplemented by what was locally available.

We double checked our packs, assuring that we had all we needed, then grabbed them and threw them into the vehicle we would use to drive us to the trail head I had picked out for our trip. After last minute instructions from the manager and bodyguard, we entered the car and furthered our adventure.

~~~

It didn't take us long to arrive at the trailhead. We parked the vehicle and got out, opening the back to grab our packs. I put my pack on and assisted Namjoon while he adjusted his and began buckling up, to secure the pack. I smiled sweetly at him, "Ready?" I asked him. He grinned at me and nodded.

The trail was not much more than a deer path that was very seldom used by people. I knew that Namjoon may have a hard time keeping up, and with my footing more certain, I could move quickly through the small trail, but I kept at a slow pace, allowing Namjoon to keep his balance and move evenly with me.

We talked as we moved through the forest, but our conversation was mostly limited, as the trail was narrow and a little difficult to navigate, allowing for only one person at a time. It took our concentration to master it. I was aware of a few curious animals following us for a time, and the quiet of the forest, in addition. I walked quietly, my feet barely touching the surface of the forest, while Namjoon stepped loudly, as any typical human would. Within a few hours, we made it to a clearing, and I decided it would be a good place to set up our camp site as it was quiet and few people traveled in this part of the forest.

After setting up camp, I pulled out an alcoholic drink that could not be found in stores. It was a drink native to my people, of fermented fruit juice with choice, edible flowers. Somewhere along the way, during the tour, I had found time to meet up with a few friends from home, who had gifted me with this brew. I had managed to hide it from customs and it would now be a rare treat to share on this evening. I popped the wax seal and pulled out a few tin cups, "Joonah. Care for a drink?" He sat down next to me on the ground and peered at the thick clay container in my hands. I unsealed the pot and took a long whiff of the liquid, closing my eyes with pleasure.

"What is it?" He asked me, leaning over towards the container to peer into the jug, "I can smell it from here. Is it alcohol? What kind?"

I smiled at the man next to me and handed over the pot for him to examine, "It's a brew from my home. It's call dhrohmta." I explained, speaking the name of the drink in my native tongue, "It's a powerful drink and has light psychedelic properties."

He looked into the opening of the pot with chagrin and smelled the potent liquid through the small opening, then looked sideways at me, "Are you sure I should be drinking this? Psychedelic properties? Really, Lina?" He asked hesitantly, and I laughed at his expression.

Still laughing I explained, beginning with a question, "Do you trust me, Joonah? You know I won't let anything happen to you, yes?  And it is secluded here. Nobody will see. I have already shielded our campsite, so it's also likely that nobody will stumble upon us. And, Jagiya, I won't let you have too much. You will find it broadens your mind. Opens it. Of course," I said on a shrug, teasing him a little, "Every human reacts differently, though. I've only seen a few humans, throughout my lifetime, partake of it. So I can't be certain how you will react."

As I spoke, his eyes slowly grew wide and he put the pot down, then jumped at me, tackling me to the ground, so that I was pinned under him. I laughed as he used his advantage to keep me in this position and leaned down close to me in pretend menace, "Are you trying to kill me, lady?" He asked as he peered closely down at me.

I grinned at him, allowing his closeness and the pure thrill of his masculine energy over me, "Not at all." I told him in a half whispering laugh.

He moved closer to me, so that we were only a breath apart, "Are you sure? Because it sounds sketchy." He moved towards my lips and then to my surprise instead of kissing me, he nuzzled my cheek with his own and moved closer to my neck, lightly kissing the skin below my ear, then gently taking it between his teeth. He sucked on my skin lightly, before releasing it and speaking softly, with a faint rasp into my ear, "I mean it's more than just a little sketchy. It's very sketchy. I think I may have to punish you a little." I laughed more and used a maneuver to push him off me and land on top of him with my legs now straddling his waist.

He grunted in surprise and laid his hands on my thighs as he gazed up at me. "Mmm." He said with a groan, "This is very nice." I laughed again and placed my hands flat on his chest, softly rubbing my hands against him as I used his body as a perch. I leaned down towards him in a mockery of his earlier actions, my mouth close to his, "Dhrohmta also has other properties, Joonah. It enhances the sexual experience." I told him as I whispered against his lips, not touching them, but mingling our breath intimately.

His eyes, once again grew larger, moving from hooded to wide and he moved to lift me up from him as he began to try and sit up. "Well then," He exclaimed with a firm clap of his hands, "Pour me a cup of this Dhrohmta." He said in his best imitation of the word. I laughed and poured the drink as we settled into the evening.