[ChicletPrime]

Land of Secret Flames: 4

• ooh, swanky yacht-based bedroom.  i see bon bons, a slice of cake, two glasses of wine... but we're probably here to discuss strategy.
  
• oh. Rafe helps me untie the knot at the back of my head for the mask. /queue several romance novels speedrunning through my brain
  
• "he fiddles with my mask, his palm and slender fingers making it look delicate."  /le heavy whimsical sigh.
  
• Rafe: "don't worry, I'll tell you everything when the time comes."  how does about three minutes from now sound? aww, he's worried my brain will overload if he tells me too much.  gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.
  
• also, the background ambient music is really very good.
  
• since he won't answer the question of what he's really after he, we go to question 2 which is "are you wearing a disguise to hide from the bounty people?"  man, i'd forgotten about those!
  
• so, painter extraordinaire and part-time burgeoning opera singer has OTHER enemies? you know, i'm wracking my brains and I'm not even sure I know why he has the FIRST bounty on his head. i really should have been making a conspiracy board from the start.
  
• oh boy, second enemy set is ON THE SHIP.  buddy, that half domino is not going to hold up from direct scrutiny. you didn't even comb your hair to the other side, ffs.
  
• oh no, don't stare at me like that. i am not going to fisticuff this entire boat for you.
  
• oh even more no, he raised my hand and pressed it to his cheek while smiling.
  
• fine. i'll fight two ships for you. but i draw the line at swinging across to the second using a rope tied to the yardarm.
  
• you are so right, i do not want an apology. lean down a little closer and i'll whisper the coin i'm willing to be paid into your shell like ear.
  
• OH MY GOD. "My fingers trace the edge of the mask and descend to his jawline. I almost touch his skin."
  

timeout. excuse me. was not expecting that, as chaste as it appears.

• me: "can you guess what i want?"  this is amazing. even though i know she's just going to ask for a second gun or something.
  
• hel-lo sudden "grab him by the cravat and haul my face to his face" move!
  
• awww. we want a mission that won't waste our time. dudette! PLEASE.
  
• some hours later, we start tiptoing through the ship corridors. if we get caught, can we at least throw ourselves into a shadowy corner and make out like lovesick teenagers, throwing our professional lives and WorkSafe insurance to the winds?
  
• time to distract the guards before we heist the vault with the suspicious jewelry.  two bucks and that yogenfruz coupon says its a trap. again.
  
• i love it when Rafayel sparks flames at his fingertips. my delightful partner in crime who just wants to watch the whole human world burn, no doubt.
  
• yup. footsteps. we're buuuusted.
  
• ooooh, dream come suddenly true! shadowy hatch in the corner of the room ahoy!
  

Land of Secret Flames: 5

• excellent. cramped quarters, tons of clutter, can't move, can't make too much noise.... breathe, darling, breathe.
  
• Rafe, aggrieved: "Can't these people talk about their everyday lives somewhere else?"  your lips to $deity's ears.
  
• oh, right. passcode resets every 10 minutes. we have about 7 before we're in another kind of trouble. we only know THIS ten minutes worth of passcode. the timing had to be exaaaactly right for us to get here during our window of opportunity and this Maxwell guy and his mysterious conversational partner are blowing it for us.
  
• "curled up in front of Rafayel, i can't stretch my limbs. they're starting to feel numb".  maybe he can chafe them gently for us.
  
• at least i am definitely affected by how close he is. for awhile there, i thought maybe we were channeling Zayne's snowfield.
  
• the bad guys are talking about "Jewel Reef" and Maxwell potentially giving it up for a lot of cash. oooh, to collaborate with EVER again, and something about his wife agreeing. do they have something on the wife, to extort Maxwell with it? this is very shady.
  
• ("is his protocore smuggling business related to them?")  duh!  oh, he's never going to sell the island. ever. (geddit? aw, i slay myself)
  
• oh boy, unstated threats against the anniversary party. party crashers, i hate 'em. but i have no idea how throwing the cake on the floor is going to encourage Maxwell to sell an island he doesn't want to part with.
  
• they leave, we scramble out, i don't stare anywhere i'm not supposed to, but then, ack! somebody is back! so i yank on Rafayel's cravat again because why not. kiss me, you delightful fool.
  
• eeeee! "reacting faster than me, he cups my cheek."  yas!
  
• oh, we might be actually busted now.  i am on tenterhooks.
  
• oh, Maxwell orders more security in front of us.. for the jewelry AND the deed to Jewel Reef.  the plot sickens.
  
• and Maxwell directs us to the fifth floor and the cafe there? .. ooookay?