Marc smiled politely back to Elekra before he stood and followed Ariella to the guest room. “After changing into these clothes, I doubt I have much sand left on me.” he chuckled. “But I’ll try not to. Just save me some water.”
Ariella smiled and winked before disappearing into the bathroom. She ran a cool bath to combat the heat she had felt for walking in the sun for hours. She bathed as quick as she could while making sure to wash every part of her. She was washing away more than just the sand. But the smell of the hospital and the blood that had dried on her arm.
The room they were in was on the smaller side but woukd fit them just fine for the night. It was a queen size bed. There were two small units on either side and a three drawer dresser. There was another door that led to the small closet which wouldn't benefit them for their brief stay.
Ariella exited the bathroom dressed back in her clothes they had bought. Her hair was damp down her back and would dry over night. She would likely braid it in the morning to keep it from tangling. "All tours," she motioned to the bathroom."
Marcus sighed a little and set his uniform on the dresser. Hopefully, it wouldn't leave too much of a mess overnight. He still couldn't believe how much his perspective of this had changed. This sort of thing seemed more like something he would read or see on the telly. Not something that would happen to him in real life. But the near heat stroke from being out under two suns, like he was on Tatooine, was pretty convincing.
“Thank you.” he nodded, giving Ariella a slight smile before taking his turn in the bathroom.
Ariella settled on the bed after placing her boots at the foot of it. There was only one bed. She was more than happy to share it. She knew better than to involved with him physically or emotionally. They were stuck together for an undetermined amount of time. It would make things difficult. It didn't mean she couldn't enjoy looking at him.
Marc took considerably less time in the bathroom than Ariella did but he still had enough time to enjoy the coolness of the water and make sure that he didn't have any extra sand sticking to him before he got out and dried off.
His hair was fairly damp when he rejoined Ariella in the bedroom in only the pants she had bought him, because of the heat, but still showing off his toned physique.
Ariella was sitting on the bed, back against the headboard as she heard the bathroom door open. She raised her head and stared. She had not been expecting him to walk out without a shirt on. But she wasn't mad about it. She took a moment to appreciate his naked chest, smiling at him. Then she finally said," Now I already know how this argument is going to go. You're going to insist that you lay on the floor and I take the bed. I'll argue and say that I should be the one to sleep on the floor. We'll argue and then finally compromise on us both sharing the bed. So you might as well just come lay with me."
“The bloody hell we are. After the day we had, I’m too tired to try to argue. Now move over.” Marc smirked, already sitting on his side of the bed as he noticed her gaze. “Just a reminder that I am not much of a morning person unless they happen to have coffee here.” he warned, a little doubtful that there was any.
Ariella huffed a laugh and moved over to make enough room for him on the bed. "That makes two of us. Don't worry. I won't bother you too much." Though they would be needing to get up early to be on there way. She wasn't much of a talker early in the morning.
Marc nodded gratefully as he stretched a little before laying down. “And I’ll try not to bother you either.” he agreed.
Ariella smiled at him as she moved to lay down on the pillows. She was on top if the blankets instead of under it. She wasn't used to such heat and preferred to allow as much air to hit her possible. "Get some sleep. We have an early morning."
Considering the heat of this whole place, Marc decided to follow Ariella’s lead. Though he folded down the blankets on his side, just in case. “Great. Early mornings, my favorite.” he groaned. “Just try to convince me it's for work. That might help get me up.”
Ariella laughed softly. "Even if I tell you where we're going will be cooler and prettier? It's enough motivation to get me going." Anything to get off this barren wasteland. It would cool off in the night but the heat still felt sniffling now. And by morning, as the suns rose, so would the heat once more.
“Tell me that after I’m more aware of where I am and what happened today.” he chuckled. “Honestly, I usually need two to three cups of coffee before I even leave the house and get another at the station for my shift.” Marc admitted with a shrug.
"What about a shot of really strong liquor?" Not enough to intoxicate, obviously, bit it would certainly wake a person up. "I'm sure our host has some lying around here somewhere." Ariella grinned at him. She was laying on her side now, facing him. She was testing the boundaries but could she be blamed? His beautiful physique was on display for her to see.
Marc gave a thoughtful hum and nodded slightly. “Worth a try.” he agreed, turning his head to face her. “At the very least it can't hurt.” He raised a brow as he noticed how she was looking at him. “Enjoying the view?”
Ariella only smiled at him. Her eyes looked him up and down. "Well, you are half naked. Did you expect me not to look my fill? I can always make I even if you wish it." A dangerous game indeed.
"It's too hot to sleep with a shirt on." Marc pointed out with a slight smirk, not really too bothered by her gaze. "Look or not, it's your choice. I don't mind… Besides, I'm not the one who ran through the hospital looking for pants." Not that he had looked since he was too focused on keeping Ariella safe, but even he knew how revealing those gowns were.
Ariella narrowed her eyes at him but the smile on her face revealed her true emotions. "Well, if you had brought my clothes I wouldn't have had to run around in only a hospital gown." Looking back at it now, it was kinda funny.
"How was I to know that someone was going to magically appear and chase us out?" he laughed softly. "Besides, I couldn't get them even if I asked… Unless they became relevant evidence to your case." Marc explained.
Ariella laughed as well. She tucked her arm under head, watching him with a sleepy gaze. She hadn't slept in almost a day. It had been well after midnight on earth, and then when they had arrived here, it was a whole new day. She needed to sleep but for the life of her just couldn't close her eyes. "I'm just hearing excuses." She teased.
Marc rolled his eyes at her comment but just shook his head tiredly. "Think what you'd like. I'm going to try to sleep." he said as he tried to get comfortable. "You should too." he added gently, having noticed her expression, before sending her a playful wink. "Besides, I'll still be shritless when you wake up."
Ariella just giggled. "My favorite way to wake up." She grinned at him but did as he said. She curled up her body and shifted so she was comfortable on the bed. Her eyes shut. She listened to the sound of his breathing to guide her to sleep. Sje was more tired than she realized because she passed out a few minutes later.
Marc huffed a soft laugh but closed his eyes soon after. Considering the situation they were in, a part of him almost felt like he still needed to be on guard even though Ariella knew the person who was letting them stay. And it was unlikely that those two thugs from the hospital would know where to look for them now. Despite his thoughts spinning, the exhaustion of the day caught up with him and he eventually drifted off.
While sleep may have come easy for Ariella, it had a hard time staying. A nightmare had woken her from her sleep with a sharp inhale. She found it hard to breathe for a moment. And when she finally did catch her breath, she carefully climbed out of bed so not to disturb Marcus from his sleep. Her bare feet padded against the floor as she quietly left the room. She found herself on the back patio of the home. The cool night had her wrapping her arms around herself as she sunk into a cushioned seat.
Marc was normally something of a night owl but given the chaos of the day, he slept soundly. Not even stirring when Ariella got up or opened the door, letting the cool night air in.