Kansas had been spending the past few days caught between sulking around the Manor and wandering around away from Crimson Dreams, catching up on some exploring. Or so he told himself. The truth was (and he was aware of it) that he had been avoiding Savina. It was not because he wanted to; the time away from her had left him with a gaping hole that grew larger and more painful with each day that passed. It was because she needed him to stay away from her, and he knew that. He didn't want to exacerbate her anger by bothering her about it. For a while, he been just a little resentful toward her because of her suspicion about his relationship with Naniko. But that feeling had subsided; he understood why she was worried. And missing her so much had made him unable to feel anything negative about Savina. It was so very, very difficult for him to stay away from her, even for these few days.
He'd been sleeping either on the porch or by the lake, depending whether it rained or now. The night before had been a porch night, and he was awakened by the loud pattering of rainfall on the roof. Kansas felt something stir in his head, an odd sensation that he'd never felt before. He got up and shifted into his Optime form, opening the front door and entering the house. The dry air was welcoming. Kansas paused at the foot of the stairs, looking up the seemingly long flight toward his room. Maybe the puppies were in there, and they would play with him. He tried to ignore his silent wish that Savina would be in there too. Just so he could see her.
In any case, playing with his children would distract him; he didn't want them to feel ignored. He climbed the stairs and gently pushed the door to his room open. It was quiet inside; his eyes flitted toward the bed. And there she was. She lay on the bed, looking extremely alluring spead across the sheets with a lock of hair twirling between her graceful fingers. Kansas was immediately hot in the face; she looked so amazing. He had to shake his head to rid himself of the thoughts that were creeping there. The uncertainty of their relationship made this neither the time nor the place to be thinking that way. It had just been so long since they'd... "Savina...?" His arousal was steadily replaced by guilt, and he began to relive the memory of how worried he'd be that they wouldn't make it through this. Kansas felt a wave of emotion, a familiar stinging in his eyes, but fought back the tears. He'd never cried in front of her, and he wouldn't now. Instead, he knelt beside the bed, crossing his arms and leaning toward her. But not too close. He wanted to take her hand, but wasn't sure how she would react to his touch right now.
"How are you?"
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