[ WP ] Make me smile .

They'd been sitting watching the flames for some time, thinking their separate thoughts, though they'd looked forward to this time alone together. Was the silence awkward, unexpected? She went father down that line of thought than he. 
 
 At last she sighed and stood up beside him. `` There are more important things to do than to sit here toe-twiddling.'' 
 
 He was rarely contradictory. But _his_ hands and forearms ached all over from polishing batteries. _He'd_ probably be stiff as a wrench by morning. She went over to the workbench, pushed a plasma rifle roughly aside and picked up a rag and a glowing module, began to open it to remove the battery. Brisk polishing commenced. He remained by the fire. 
 
 `` So, what is it?'' he said after a bit. 
 
 `` What is what, Kelph?'' she said lightly, yet looked up from her work _that_ way: _do n't challenge me - I'm tired and I ca n't be bothered with this right now._ But he kept looking into the fire, defusing her. He knew she knew. 
 
 `` It. You. Batteries at this hour?'' It was midnight and they'd been cleaning batteries all godsforsaken day. Not even she enjoyed that sort of grunt work, even if she did n't have his aching hands. 
 
 For a minute or so, only the squeaking sounds of oily cloth against metal flanges. He could see she was biting her tongue. Then, `` We still have to get through all of this before Grindl returns. There'll be no assault without batteries. It's why they left us on rearguard duty. May as well get it done early.'' Polish, polish. 
 
 He turned and looked at her. Her gaze remained on the component in her hands. They'd done a lot of batteries today; they had time to spare, two days yet in this quiet dell before the planned assault. `` Caroth, it's midnight. We could both use the break.'' He was careful not to use the word _need_. `` Come sit back down. We can talk.'' Gently done. 
 
 But she wanted to react. `` Talk about _what_?'' The words cut through the darkness between them, hung in the air, stinging wasps. He sighed inwardly. She continued polishing, her robust, rough digits making quick work. She finished a battery, picked up another, scratched an itch on her coarse face with a knuckle, hesitated, put the battery down and returned slowly to the fire. She sat across from him now, head down. He watched her, knew how she became sometimes, that she could n't ask, and he never wanted to assume too much. Fighting and machines came naturally to her, but _this_? _This_ was tough. Maybe in time, they'd figure a way, together. But for now, he'd carry what there was between them. 
 
 The elf got up with blanket in his smooth grey hand, moved around the fire, put his aching arm around the rough-skinned goblin he was so indescribably fond of, covering her, holding her, giving the comfort she could not bring herself to ask for. She leaned against him then, yellow eyes and green face hidden from the world, held safe against the outside, tension leaving her stony body as unseen energies flowed back and forth between them, healing from within. 
 
 At least for this brief time between battles and endless guard duty, their circuit would be complete.
