suspended in a sunbeam.

she tilted her head slightly as she took in the sight of him and she wasn't subtle as she allowed her eyes to rake over him. " you know that i'm right. " she didn't think that it needed to be said. at this point, bryony was pretty sure that they knew one another better than they knew themselves. it felt like they could read each others mind sometimes. " since when did you need me to do your dirty work? i don't need to prove myself to you. " she muttered but with her hand staying where it was, bryony rested the other on the bench behind his head and lent forwards a little, " you haven't gone to all of this effort to lose your spark at the last second, have you? "

so, instead of leaving, bryony followed suit. she - like him - had never been someone who had any shame over her body and she wasn't going to shy away from the unspoken challenge that he'd laid before them now. " i don't care what you do, dalton. " bryony responded as she left her clothes in a pile on the floor. only her underwear remained. she wouldn't let him have that much satisfaction. not yet anyway. " just don't expect me to be some second rate choice. " bryony followed him into the sauna and moved across to him. she reached up to grab his face, to make sure that he was looking at her as she said it, " i'm much better than anyone else you can find and you know that. "

His fingers flexed the moment she walked in, his gaze roaming over her body as he drank in the sight of her. He'd seen it all before, but it didn't stop him looking like he was finally satisfying a craving. "There's my girl." He purred, deep and low, the words meaning so little now after all that had transpired. A gruff moan escaped him as she grabbed his face, and his grin only sharpened. "Yeah? Is that right?" He turned his head, capturing her thumb into his mouth, sucking it between his teeth before he bit down on it gently. "Show me."

at this point, she knew better than to try and pull away from him. she knew he'd do as he pleased. it didn't matter what she said. it had always been something that she'd, secretly, enjoyed about dalton. she liked someone who took charge and knew what he wanted - even if she also liked to pretend like she didn't. " your sins from last night? " she raised an eyebrow, " so i'm just another notch on the bed post, right? whatever little slut you brought home didn't bother to stick around? " her jealousy struck again!

He let a moment pass, taking in the look on her face, breathing in the rage emanating from her like it was more precious to him than oxygen. "I was talking about the hangover." He muttered, a satisfied gleam in his eye for the reaction she was giving him. "But I am flattered, that you like to think of me and the little sluts." He winked, a shameless thing, and made no hesitation to remove his boxers and step under the shower outside the sauna. He didn't possess an inkling of shame about his body, and made no effort to hide a thing as the warm water cascaded over him. "Now stop sulking and get in here." He threw over his shoulder as he slipped through the door.

bryony rolled her eyes. " you gave me all of two seconds to move before you'd flung me over your shoulder like some sort of neanderthal. " she shouldn't have ever expected anything less from him though. that was just how he was as a person. she'd gotten used to that, over the years. " okay. fine. now we're here. what do you want? "

Bryony's sass and attitude only spurred him on more, that signature grin never leaving him for a second. "I want..." His hand reached for her arm, his fingers sliding down the length of it to take her hand. "...to sweat out my sins from last night, and commit many more." He interlaced his fingers with hers, a dark chuckle leaving him as he started to pull her in the direction of the sauna, already shrugging off the shirt that was barely covering an inch of his torso anyway.

she'd challenged him, yes. and bryony knew that he was always going to rise to a challenge but as he flung her over his shoulder, bryony couldn't help but squeal a little. " don't you dare! " she cried, legs flailing a little as she felt his hand at the bottom of her skirt, " you know that i need this job. don't! " it was one thing to tease her, to play with her and to annoy her like no tomorrow ... but to embarrass her in front of the people that she would have to see every day? that was a step too far.

"Don't worry, princess, you're going to keep your job. In fact, you are in the possession of a Pritchard directly, so you needn't worry." He laughed, a torturous evil thing, and smacked her ass without a second thought. "I invited you to walk by yourself, but you refused me darling. I did tell you this was your fault. Not listening very well today, are we?" He ignored anyone that he passed, easy enough for him to do when that was the norm for him, and disregarded her squeaks of protest as he carried her to the indoor spa with a satisfied, smug grin on his face.

" i dunno. there's all sorts of things you can uncover when you're the help. " she shrugged, " most of us go unnoticed. " she was an exception to the rule, clearly. bryony placed her hands on her hips and pursed her lips - as though in thought. " maybe a scene is what i want you to create. " bryony responded. she was never going to make things easy for him. she was in too much of a bratty mood for that. " besides, i think it would be almost too much work for someone like you. "

"And I think you're right. I do want to create a scene." If there was ever a challenge, no matter how small, Dalton was going to rise to it. So with that, he wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up, throwing her over his shoulder with ease. "You're a very naughty girl." He stated simply, starting to haul her out of the room. "Everyone in this house ought to see it. Should I show them?" One of his hands reached for her skirt, starting to slide it up more to expose more of her legs as he laughed.

she let out a breath - disappointment? relief? she didn't know - as he let go of her. " wow - you are so caring, dalton. it's such a wonder why i don't want to fuck you. " she rolled her eyes. it was always more than that - even if neither of them really said it. " let me think. hm... " she tapped her finger to her lip, " it's almost like i was just trying to get on with my work and someone decided to come along and try to distract me. "

"But your 'work' is so dull." He countered, lowering his head so that his face was a little closer to hers. "And you would much rather come and get into the sauna with me." It wasn't a question - just a low, confident utterance. "Come on, Bry. You know I'm only going to get in your way until you say yes. Or I'll carry you down there myself and make a scene."

her eyes flickered closed at the nip of her skin. for a second she considered giving him what he wanted ... until she snapped back to attention. " dalton. " bryony hissed. the problem with him being her ex boyfriend also meant that he knew just what to do to make her crumble. she wouldn't do it. not this time. but man was he making it was hard to refuse. " if you need something sweet, i'm sure the chef will whip you up something great. but it won't be anything to do with me. "

Though instead of pursuing further, he hissed a breath inwards and took his hands off of her. "But if that's what you want." He shrugged, moving around in front of her now. He actually had no intention of leaving her space, especially when they were already tied into this back and forth. "Why are you in a mood?" Insensitive, of course, and with no regard to her actual wellbeing, but for Dalton it was gesture enough.

she was aware of his presence in the room before he even said anything. she was always aware whenever he was nearby. she didn't know if it was some sort of self preservation thing or because she wanted him to be nearby. it was probably an insane mixture of both. " i work here. so no. i'm not here just to 'perk' you up. " she rolled her eyes as his hands reached for her and yet she didn't pull away. " remove your hands, dalton. " she huffed and purposely ignored his question. " i have work to do. "

"You said it yourself, princess, you work here. That means you work for me, doesn't it?" It was rhetorical of course, and the enjoyment he took from commanding her heated his blood. "So if I say you're needed for me... are you going to be a good girl and listen?" His teeth nipped at her earlobe as his fingers slipped under the hem of her skirt, pressing at the skin of her inner thigh. "You know I need something sweet when I'm hungover. Let me taste you."

Finch wants to argue, to point out that risking the safety of their lone medic for the sake of an emergency that has yet to occur is, at the very least, equally as stupid as waiting for said-emergency to hit the camp before attempting to safeguard themselves against it. The mulish look on Grace’s face tells him not to waste his breath - she’ll do as she pleases, whether he likes it or not.

“Grace…” He says anyway, but he doesn’t know what he hopes to accomplish with the quiet call of her name - perhaps to somehow, miraculously change her mind, to force her to acknowledge the difficult position she’s putting him in, or to make her see that the grief they will certainly face when if they return to the motel simply isn’t worth it.

The way his lips form her name creates a knot in her stomach, one that she is guaranteed to ignore and deny. There's a gentleness to it, almost something like care rather than the indignation she's used to. He isn't agreeing with her, no, but he isn't completely disregarding her in his challenge. She appreciates it more than she'll let him know, especially since she has just ignored him and continued to walk away.

Her mouth curves into a wry smile as his footsteps start to follow hers, but she keeps her back turned to not let him see it. This isn't meant to be a game, she isn't meant to enjoy the fact that they're definitely putting themselves into far more danger than they can probably justify, but there's a part of her that has always found a thrill in challenging authority and pushing boundaries. But still, she composes herself. She needs him by her side for this.

Giving no indication that he has heard Grace's muttering, it is the rattle of pills against plastic that finally draws Finch's gaze from his inspection of their surroundings, glancing her way just in time to catch the bottle of antihistamines against his chest. He takes a moment to look over the label, noting that it's the night time version of the product, and wonders if it might not serve another purpose. After all, sleep doesn't come easy to anyone, these days. "Everything has its place," he comments, tucking the bottle inside the pocket of his weathered coat alongside the unopened toothbrush and half-empty bic lighter he'd picked up earlier. The bag on his back is similarly filled with hoarded detritus.

The arch of Grace's eyebrow is undeniable as Finch meets her with that frown she could have seen coming from a mile off. Of course he doesn't want to go further out, to break the rules, to cause a little stir in the way things are. Grace is practically desperate to change the norm, she has hardly been quiet about her disagreements with the way things are run even if they haven't had any 'incidents' for a while now. She doesn't know if it's boredom or an inherent dislike for any sort of system, but the decision has already been made whether Finch realises it or not.