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Her lips are dry.
Dry and cracked, with little white whisps of dead skin clinging to the vibrant golden brown underneath. Not surprising, given Mualani's work so close to the ocean. The salt and sun must be harsh on her body, but she never complains, and the worst Kinich has seen from her have been hands so dry they caught on the fabric of his gloves. Considering his own hands have cracked so badly they bled, it's not something he’s overly concerned about.
He is, however, concerned with Mualani’s habit of licking her lips. It’s just a small flicker of pink, every now and then, that runs unconsciously along the broken skin. It happens more as she speaks, leaning over their table at the Weary Inn to be heard over the bustling crowds.
The inn is packed to the brim for the Pilgrimage. Wary participants eyeing the competiton. Overeager spectators hoping for a glimpse of previous victors. Newbies scouting for any and all information about the Abyss. Kinich has been asked, multiple times, to either join or lead a team. He’s denied them all; he’s already got a band of loyal followers to help.
None of which are the people he trusts most on the battlefield. Mualani and Kachina are Ancient Name Bearers themselves; it would be unwise for the three of them to team up. Nevermind his and Mualani’s different approaches to leading.
He and Mualani both have to wave off three competitors before their food arrives. Neither is looking for more teammates, but Kachina still has a hopeful gleam in her eye every time someone approaches. It crushes him that they all ignore her, and if it makes him a bit colder towards them, well. He’s known for being cold.
Mualani is also…irked. It’s hard to tell from her smile, but there’s a tension behind it that only her friends can see. A brow just barely furrowed; a tense line in her lips–
There goes her tongue again, licking her lips right before they part to turn down yet another hopeful participant.
His hands move, quick and smooth, to remove the glove from his left hand and place it over Mualani's lips.
The room quiets — not a full-blown silence, no, but conversations that grow quieter and shallower, prime for listening in on neighboring tables. Kachina squeaks as the man at their table looks expectantly between Kinich and Mualani.
All Mualani does is raise a brow.
Kinich clears his throat. “Stop licking your lips,” he says to her. “You’re drying them– did you just lick me? ”
Sure enough, his palm is slightly damp when he pulls it away. Mualani winks, sticking her tongue out at him. “I'll be fine,” she says. “S'not like it hurts or anything.”
“It will if you keep doing it.” He wipes his hand in a napkin.
“I'm fine, Kinich. I’ve got lotion.”
“You’re not supposed to use lotion on your mouth.”
“I’m not eating it.”
“You lick your lips every sixty seconds.”
With a roll of her eyes, Mualani stands. She tosses some Mora onto the table. Then, in a swift motion, swoops down to press her lips against his.
A brief moment, far too brief to him, passes, and she pulls her face back just an inch. “I think it's fine,” she whispers.
Then she turns and exits the inn.
Silence overtakes the entire crowd, all pretense of privacy abandoned as everyone stares at Kinich.
He stands and scatters a handful of mora across his plate. “Mua-oof-Mualani, wait!” he calls, not even slowing when he bangs his shin on an empty chair. He rushes from the room, chasing after her.
Whispers erupt around Kachina. A series of Did you see that? s and I can’t believe it! s and No! s and Finally! s. A dozen faces turn to her, a dozen more stare from the corners of their eyes. Her face burns under the weight of questions waiting to be asked.
Kachina has no desire to answer any of them. Her fingers fumble as she collects and counts all the mora left behind. It’s a lot – enough to cover her portion of food on top of theirs. Which Kachina is eternally grateful for, considering a how much of her allowance is about to go to Xilonen.
How could she have been so wrong? she thinks, biting her lip. Mualani and Kinich are her best friends! She was sure the first move would be made by Kinich, in a private moment that would leave everyone guessing as to when, exactly, they got together. Xilonen scoffed when she explained her thoughts, then claimed Mualani had no patience for such constraint or secrecy.
That Kachina had been wholly, totally wrong was almost insulting.
But, well. It was going to happen eventually. At least she won the bet against Chasca.