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Jade made her way through the winding halls of the temple, minding her feet as she moved.
Noise was not an issue for her.
Nor was navigating locations she had seen only once.
Everything she did was committed to memory and muscle memory.
And yet, still, there was a sense of exhilaration as she used the long shadows to keep herself out of sight.
She had her doubts that there was anyone around to see her.
And even then, even if someone did see her, what was there to say to her?
She had been an invited guest to the temple; she had been the guest of honor even! While it didn't absolve her of anything, it would certainly give her some leeway in case anyone questioned her motives.
Not that anyone would.
Her motives were quite clear.
Coming upon the door she was looking for, the one she had memorized earlier, Jade pressed herself against it and used her body to hide the sound of her fingers testing the lock.
As she expected, the door knob turned freely in her hand.
And it allowed her to push the door open from its frame, just wide enough for her to slip through without casting too much light into the dark corridor now behind her.
Fingers closed the door just as quietly as she had opened it.
The bedroom on the other side was empty.
But the sound of dripping water and quiet feet on the wooden floor corrected her on that observation.
It had been quiet, not empty.
And to her delight, Jade watched as Kung Lao eventually stepped out of a small side alcove to the right of the room.
Both of his hands were patting his face dry with a towel.
He must’ve used the offered washing basin to splash himself down and try to sober himself up a bit.
Jade hoped it didn't work.
Kung Lao dropped the towel from his face and rubbed it over his neck now.
And despite being perfectly still, Jade watched as his eyes drifted over to her anyways.
And she watched as they snapped open in surprise.
"Jade! "
His voice was caught in a startled hiss as he was somehow able to catch and restrain himself from getting too loud.
She could see him fumbling between wanting to speak, or wanting to laugh at the sight of her.
He had not, in fact, sobered up at all.
"What are you doing here?" Kung Lao managed, fighting back a laugh as he tossed the now discarded towel behind him. "You know the temple doesn't allow co-ed rooms - we talked about it."
"I know, but the temple just hosted our engagement party," Jade replied, matching the same hushed tone he had - although just barely. "I thought that acceptance would give us some leeway."
"Fujin hosted it here - there's a difference."
She had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly now.
"It's also why there was alcohol here, and why we kept drinking so much of it," Kung Lao continued, losing the fight to keep himself quiet now - no doubt spurred by her own failure to do so.
"Lord Fujin loves a good toast, doesn't he?" Jade laughed.
"Yes! That's why he made like fifteen of them," Kung Lao remarked.
Jade laughed once more before she made her way over to his bed, and promptly threw herself upon it.
After an evening, which had lasted well into the night, of drinking, celebrating, and dancing, it felt so good to be off of her feet.
Although now as she thought about it, she realized that at some point she had taken her shoes off, and had not put them back on.
And as of right now, she was not certain of where they were.
“Come here,” Jade ushered, as she rolled onto her stomach now, and patted the empty space next to her. “If we’re quiet, no one will even know that I’m here.”
“We haven’t been quiet since you got here,” Kung Lao reminded.
And yet, he walked over to her anyway.
Jade grinned as she watched him climb into the bed with her, and with the small amount of room the bed offered, she felt him work himself close to her. She moved herself with him, and took advantage of the first opportunity to lie on top of him once he was settled in.
“Here he is,” she smiled, as she rested her arms around his head. “My own husband-to-be - now that he’s finally asked me.”
“I asked you plenty of times,” Kung Lao chuckled. “You just finally said yes.”
“I said yes every time,” Jade corrected.
“Is that so?” he teased, as he loosely hooked his arms around her now. “Hmm, maybe it is.”
Jade laughed at his tipsy antics before she leaned in and pressed her lips to his own; she had to keep it brief and light, and pulled away to resist further temptation. While she did not foresee herself ever getting tired of kissing him, after so many toasts, and rounds of drinks, and everyone at the party egging them to kiss after each one, she was certain that was why her lips felt so chapped now.
“Once that gem arrives from Outworld, it will be official,” she reminded.
“The ring will be,” Kung Lao corrected. “If you hadn’t been so picky about it, we could’ve already been married.”
She snorted back a laugh.
Although not very successfully.
“You offered to make it yourself,” Jade spoke, as she playfully prodded his chest with her finger.
“I didn’t think you would be so specific about it,” he admitted. “The band is done; my work is done. You ordered the gem - and given how long it's taken so far, I’m assuming they’re still looking for it in the mines.”
She moved her hand to squeeze his chin now, inciting another laugh from the man.
“We want it to be right the first time, don’t we?” she teased. “We want it to last forever.”
“It will,” Kung Lao promised, as he moved his hands to cup her face now - although a bit ungracefully. “In fact, I guarantee that it will out last me.”
Even with all the festivities going on, there was no real way of ignoring the reality, the tragedy of an Edenian marrying anyone other than another Edenian - or even another Outworlder. Her lifespan would outlast his own by centuries upon centuries. Their marriage would only be a tiny blip of memories in her future life.
That had not stopped her from engaging in his pursuit, though.
And it had not stopped her from accepting his proposal.
“For now,” Jade remarked, as she moved a finger to tap on the tip of his nose. “Don’t think you get to escape me so easily. I’ll figure out a way to keep you with me - forever .”
Her remark spurred a laugh out of him once again.
“Yeah? I guess that’s a promise, or a threat, depending on the day,” Kung Lao teased. “Let’s just focus on the now, and worry about the future when it gets here.”
She chuckled and let the tip of her finger tease his lips now.
“What do you think our future will involve?” she asked.
“Well, if it’s anything like one of Fujin’s fifteen speeches, our future will be filled with love, happiness, hope, strength - I stopped listening after that,” Kung Lao answered. “But knowing us, I think we’ll get a little bit of everything all rolled into one.”
“That would be nice.”