Shail nodded once, not wanting to expend unnecessary energy by doing more. Their hands were still entwined and he kept them that way as much for physical support as for emotional. Although he did feel strong enough to walk, he didn't feel strong at all. It was strange and he hoped that Gemini didn't read it in his eyes. He wanted to appear strong. "Let's just go," he murmured before casting the room around them a single, long glance. He turned away and walked to the doorway, ducking under the flap so that sunlight hit them in a comforting manor. He could do this though, now that he calmed down. Maybe that was just a product of being around Gemini. However, more than anything, he couldn't wait until they got back to the caves and could rest.

Gemini watched Shail's reaction carefully, sensing that he wasn't quite as fine as he wanted her to think. Still, she couldn't find any reason to insist he not walk, so she followed him out of the tent and into the sunlight. She closed her eyes a moment, allowing the warmth to wash over her and relax her muscles. Then she opened them again, and set off through the village, still holding onto Shail's hand. The place was still empty, thankfully the villagers hadn't returned yet, but it made it seem as if they were the only two beings left in the world. She felt a strange trickle of fear deep down, and walked just a tiny bit faster, eager to get out of the empty village before they were spotted.

Shail could sense the tension through their connected hands as he stared out over the empty village with its tents, flaps still open, and fire smoke cooling. Was there not a single soul not involved in Gemini's attempted demise? If there was, they were hidden away now, sensing the danger that Ali almost brought. Gemini set a quick pace that Shail managed to follow though with less ease than he'd prefer. Once they reached the edge of the village, he cleared his throat, suspecting that Gemini's haste meant she was lost somewhere in her own thoughts. "Ah...Gemini..." he started. "It's going to be okay." They were idiotic words and he knew it. Far too contrived after everything that just happened. And yet, he couldn't think of a single other things to say when she seemed so preoccupied with her own anxiety. Squeezing Gemini's hand, he pulled slightly in order to slow their pace down to his natural one. "I don't think anyone is coming after us."

Gemini didn't realize just how quickly she was walking until she heard Shail call her name. She glanced over at him as he pulled her back a bit, slowing her down. Suddenly understanding how her own worries had been showing through, she relaxed and smiled at him. "Right... of course. I am sorry that I allowed my thoughts to take over. Thank you for pulling me back from them." It was something that happened far too often, where she would get completely lost within her own mind. The world around her would fade away, and many times she had ended up physically lost or in danger because she wasn't paying attention. Other times, her thoughts would turn dark and lead her to a place where she started to panic, breath coming short and heart pounding. It was nice to have someone who could bring her back to reality before she got too far. Just another thing she hadn't realized she was missing until Shail came into her life. "You are a treasure, my heart. I am lucky to know you."

Shail started to nod before Gemini finished speaking. He froze at her last words, heat rising in his face. How could she say such a thing so easily? He felt young only in a moment like this, lost in his first attempt at a romance. "I..." he started, then had to swallow before trying to speak again. His pace had slowed considerably so that he barely walked at all. "I'm just glad that you're safe. I thought I would lose you and now I feel so lucky, I-" He shook his head again, unable to put the rest of his thoughts into words. Squeezing Gemini's hand hard, he stopped walking entirely as emotions shivered through his body. They'd come too close to losing this time. He didn't think he could stand it if Gemini had been taken by Ali. He felt just the same as Gemini did, though he couldn't yet put it into words.

Gemini slowed to a stop along with Shail, turning to face him as he spoke. She smiled at his words, understanding how he felt. After all, she had almost lost him, as well. She squeezed his hand gently in reassurance. Despite her age, she was just as inexperienced in romance as he was, so she did her best to improvise. "I understand what you mean. But we do not have to think about that now. You and I are both safe now, and for the moment that is all that matters." Acting based on how she was feeling at the moment, she punctuated the statement with a soft, tentative kiss.

Shail felt Gemini's words warm him so that even his toes tingled for a second. Not used to the feeling meaning anything good, it took him a second just to revel in it. A second later, Gemini leaned in for a kiss that shorted out his brain yet again despite its shortness. He blinked at her, awe showing on his face. "I think I really do love you," he managed to whisper with a shake of his head. He knew things wouldn't be easy for them, but they managed to survive until now. Maybe it was okay to admit it. He could be stubborn, but he couldn't deny how his heart beat faster. Tangling a finger in Gemini's hair, he kissed her again just to make sure she understood. "See, sometimes I can admit things."

Gemini felt an unfamiliar sensation in her chest at his words. Her heart fluttered, beating a staccato against her ribs, but somehow the feeling was a good one. She hadn't heard those words in... well, ever, that she knew of. They felt achingly familiar, but she knew no one had ever spoken them to her before. Putting that aside, she smiled at him, enjoying the kiss that he initiated this time. She rested her forehead against his. "Yes, it appears you can. I can, as well." She gazed into his eyes, savoring the moment. "I believe that I also love you." As soon as she spoke the words, she knew for sure they were true. And in that moment, she believed that this could work. They could be happy together.

Feeling his heart squeeze, Shail had to struggle to stay on his feet. It was worth it though as Gemini's words washed over him. As much as their differences might make this relationship impossible, he just couldn't deny himself the feeling that had been growing anymore. To hear her say the words back though, in this moment, the warmth won out against the bitterness that might come. "Thank you for saying that..." he murmured, knowing that he needed to hear the words. He squeezed Gemini's hands. "When we get back to the caves, we should pack up and go far away. Start anew, okay?"

Watching Shail's reaction to her words, Gemini knew she had been right to confess her feelings. She nodded at his next suggestion, finding it reasonable enough. "Yes... I think that is the best course of action." She agreed, and the words felt bittersweet. She had settled in those caves innumerable decades ago, and they had become her home. However, she never stayed anywhere forever, and it seemed fate had decreed that it was time for her to move on. It would be interesting to travel again, especially since she wasn't alone this time around. "Perhaps I will take you to the ocean. I've always been fond of it, and I would like to share it with you. If you want to go, of course."

Shail look at Gemini with awe filled eyes. The sea was this large mystical thing that only existed in dreams. Never in all his life did he expect to go there. "The ocean? I can't imagine anything more great." Despite the tiredness from their ordeal, he found more and more pep entering his walk so that by the time they passed over the last hill before the caves, he felt almost as if the fight with Ali happened days ago. He glanced over at Gemini, flashing a brief smile. "I don't want you to miss your home though and I'm a terrible traveling companion. Are you sure you want to go away with me...?" Hesitation entered his voice as he remembered just how different they were. He loved Gemini, but he was also only human.

Hearing his words, Gemini turned to look at him and shook her head, chuckling. "A terrible traveling companion? How can you know that if you have never traveled?" She smiled. "Though I hold a small amount of sentiment for this place, it is only because this is where I met you. I am a creature of movement and change. I would have left eventually anyway." She assured. "And there is no one I would rather travel with than you, my heart. As long as we are together, I know this adventure will truly be a great one."

Shail shook his head, but chose not to dispute Gemini's words. He knew that she meant them, or thought she did. Shail still thought that he might cause trouble for her in the end. The stubborn thought refused to leave him even as he put a smile on his face, however brief it was. Maybe his own physical condition would improve by the sea though, making at least that easier? "I appreciate the thought, he murmured. Let's just worry about packing things up though and getting out of here." Shaking his head again, he walked into the caves, trying to fight back the sentiment that hit him. Gemini said she could move easily, but even to him who lived here only for a short time, he felt a little sad. So much had changed since he first got abandoned by his friends in fear of this djinn. He hated Gemini back then, feared her. No longer though and he would also love these caves for bringing that to him.

Though Gemini sensed Shail's shift of mood, she didn't fully understand what had caused it, and decided that he would tell her about it if and when he felt like it. With that thought in mind, she followed him into the caves. "We will need provisions, food, water and bedding are the most important. Extra cover against the elements will also help, and some coin for when we need to restock. I have plenty of all of these, so it is only a matter of packing them up." She rummaged around for a moment before coming up with two relatively sturdy traveling packs. "One for each of us. They can also be tied together and thrown over the back of a horse or camel, which I can become if necessary."

Shail shook his head as he took the pack, a bit marveled by the ordinary packing methods. "Aren't you a djinn?" he murmured. "Can't you whisk everything away and then whisk it right back out when we reach a new home?" The legends were always unclear as far as djinn went, offering only what could be done when a djinn followed a master, rather than the wild djinn. Did those things differ? But he had seen Gemini do some very marvelous things. Despite his question, Shail dutifully started to pack some of the bedding because if Gemini said this was the way to pack, then this was the way. He wished he could just take a nap among the pillows first, perhaps wake up in another three days. How wise was that though? He continued to pack.

Gemini chuckled slightly as she packed, shaking her head. "There is only so much magic can do. There are rules, although they tend to be a bit obscure." She told him. "If I could transport things and creatures so easily, I would simply transport the two of us. But sadly, that is beyond the realm of my power." She checked over the items she had to make sure she wasn't missing anything, and noticed that Shail seemed tired. The djinn felt a pang of guilt- she was a magical being, able to endure much more than a mortal, but Shail was human. She should have realized it sooner. "Perhaps it would be wise to rest up before we leave. We will need all of our energy for travel."

Shail sighed. He knew it would be so otherwise they would have just traveled as they wished already. Still, he wondered why it sounded like djinn had unlimited power in the stories. Wishful thinking? He'd just managed to fill two thirds of his bag when Gemini suggested they rest. He turned, setting his jaw as much from stubbornness as to show that he wasn't as weak as he often felt. "I want to go though. I don't want to stop and rest," he insisted. It was perhaps stupid considering his physical condition that he had lived with for so much of his life. But then, it was his stubbornness that had kept his alive in the first place and also brought him here, to Gemini. Sitting down next to his bag, he indicated its almost full nature. "At least let us finish packing and get started before we stop to rest. Otherwise it will be midday when we leave."

Gemini saw Shail's expression change, and knew right away that she wasn't going to get her way on this one. She sighed. "Alright then, my heart. We will finish packing and set out. But as soon as night falls, we are going to set up camp and sleep." She said sternly, her own expression showing that she was not going to bend on that concession. "In the meantime, double check to make sure you have everything you need. We wouldn't want to get out there and realize that we need something that we do not have."

Shail flushed at the nickname that Gemini gave him, but nodded his head. He wouldn't fight Gemini on the point of sleeping at nightfall. He just didn't want to leave at the hottest point of the day. "Alright," he murmured as he glanced around the cavern again. He fingered a book, not sure what was necessary or something he would want. It was hard since none of it was his in the first place. Should he go see his mother? He felt a little guilty, but who knew what she even thought of him after what happened at the village. It didn't feel right to go back for anything so soon. "I think this is all I need though. It's just food and clothes, mostly. I don't know what else to pack," he admitted.

Gemini looked over what Shail had packed and nodded, satisfied. "You've done an excellent job. This should be enough to get you through to the next settlement." She praised. Gemini herself had packed about the same, along with a few small items she was particularly fond of. Between the two of them, they were more than ready to go. "Is there anything else you want to do before we leave? Perhaps you should let your family know that you are safe, and that you are leaving." She suggested. She didn't know whether it was a good idea, but it felt right.

Shail hesitated feeling like Gemini had read his mind. It made him grateful, but unnerved at the same time. For a second, he stared in the direction of the village, then shook his head. "No, we should just go. Later, I can send a message maybe. I have no interest in saying a goodbye now though." He bit off the last words, knowing he sounded cold, but it was anxiety that made him so. He feared what his mother might say. He feared going back to the village and maybe a little bit, he wanted nothing to do with that old life. He wanted to move on with Gemini and start everything possible anew again. "Let's go." Pulling his pack over his shoulders, he settled under the weight then started toward the cave entrance again.

Gemini watched Shail carefully, trying to read his emotions as he thought. Once he finished speaking, though, she simply nodded. She didn't know what his reasons were, but she respected that he found them good enough to avoid his family. "Very well, if that is what you want." She agreed as she picked up her own pack and followed him out of the cave. "We should head West from here, and follow the setting sun. If we stay that course, we will eventually come to another settlement, and later down the road, the ocean."

Shail nodded, his black hair lifting as they reached the breezy air outside. It was good travel weather, by luck or design. Either way, he was thankful for it. Pulling his headscarf up to cover his nose and the bare skin of his neck, he stepped outside. "You sound like you know the route well," he murmured, waiting for Gemini before really starting off. "Have you traveled it before? Ah, at least midday is not here yet..." They could travel for a few hours than take a break for lunch and the hottest travel time. As much as he hurried them to leave, he did feel nervous about the journey. Would he last through it alright?

Gemini nodded. "I have traveled many routes, both near and far from here. I do not know this particular route well, but I know which direction to go and where the next settlement is." She said as she walked, taking a slight lead. "Midday is still a few hours off, thankfully. I hope to find a sheltered spot to rest before that time comes, or we will be eating lunch in the full heat of the sun. If it comes down to it, I know of ways to make a temporary shelter."

"Oh, yes. I was thinking about that as well," Shail murmured, not wanting to admit he'd been worried after all his haste to leave. He met Gemini under bad circumstances and quickly showed his weak side, but he wanted to act with bravado now. After all, she was a djinn. "But don't worry about me. I'll be fine, you know." Probably, at least mostly. "You're...my good luck charm after all. I think, every time I'm near you, nothing terrible happens even though I've been prone to trouble my whole life."