The glorious explorers are coming back

Jane took on end of the dress, while Meg took the other. They walked back to the cave. Jane knew, that they wanted to go to the others, but she had no clue where to go. So she lead Meg back to Ping and the cave. Ping surely knew how they came here. They walked to the opening of the cave and put down the bananas in her dress. Jane sighed. "Ping? Are you there? I'm sorry we left without you..."

When the girl had gone out of the cave, Ping was intentioned to followe them, but staying in front of the fire, abandoning the tension, had made him realized how tired he was: he had walked and then had run for hours! Even if his mind wanted to go, his body was too weak and he had fallen asleep. He had woken up only a few minutes before Meg and jane's arrive, luckily not enough time to freak out. When he listened Jane's voice he woke up and approached her, but staying as always not too close to her: he was still tired and it was evident on his face, but he tried to avoid it
"Just don't do it again, please..." he mumbled in replay to Jane, still without noticing the fruits.

Jane nodded and lowered her head. She bit her lip. Jane felt guilty. But then she strengthened her back. "Can you help us with this?", she pointed at her yellow dress and pulled it. "We wanted to go and take the others with us. I'm mean... They must be worrying about us..."

Only in that moment Ping noticed the bananas. A sharp pain in stomach remind him how hungry he was: for how many days hadn't he eaten? Surely too many...
But probably was fairer share it with the others and wait...
Swallowing and rejecting the hunger, he nodded to Jane and he was starting to tell her that it was ok when he realized that Jane had took away her dress.
Blushing he turned his face away, he tried to reply something, opened his mouth, but he couldn't say a word.

"Are you okay?", Jane touched Ping's arm. He looked away so suddenly. "Do you want to eat something? It's fine, Meg and I have eaten one too.", she took one of the bananas and reached it to Ping.

"Y..y...yours..." he started to mumble clumsy at her question: he wanted to point out that she wasn't wearing her dress, but he couldn't even finish the phrase. When Jane gave him the banana he felt a new sharp pain in stomach, and couldn't deny her offer: he took the banana still without looking at her mumbling a barely audible "Thanks..."

Jane was still worried. "You didn't eat one of the plants out there, while we were away, do you?", she touched Ping's face and turned it to her. "You don't look good at all..."

He blushed even more when she touched his face and forced him to look at her: he freezed again, then, moving his glance to look elsewhere, i managed to murmur "your dress..."

"Oh!", Jane giggled. "You mean this?", she looked at her chemise and twirled around. "I needed to take off the dress, so I could climb on the tree to get the bananas. I feel better without it. Lighter and more free.", she chuckled. "Does it embarrass you? I mean... I could put it on again, but it's easier to move without..."

He really couldn't understand her: hos could she not be embarassed? A part of him envied her: she was so confident...
When she asked if this embarassed him, he didn't know what to reply: if it was ok for her it should be ok for him... still, he didn't manage to look at her
"W-will you go to the...others...in that way?" he asked simply.

Jane thought for a moment and then nodded. "John already has seen me this way... I mean, we were together on a exploring tour a few years before. Normally I always walk around this way on my travels. And the other boy...", she shrugged. "He will get used to it.", Jane smiled. "I was only shocked as Shan Yu told me to take it off... I really don't know why...", Jane blushed.

John had already seen her? Did this girl knew the word 'shame'? But it wasn't his business: she wanted so, so he had only to get used to it... even if, gosh, was difficult! When she mentioned Shan Yu and what he asked to her he opened wide his eyes in an angry surprise: how dared him? He tightened more the lance in his hand: if in Jane's place there had been one of his sisters he had killed him... He liked that man less and less...

Jane giggled shyly. "I shouldn't have yelled at him...", she blushed even more. Jane stroke through her hair. Now she really felt embarrassed. "I shouldn't have mentioned it...", she looked away shyly and hold her arm.

In his mind he thought that yelling was even too little, but he didn't mention it. When he realized that she started to be embarassed, he forced himself to look at her and put gently a hand on her shoulder "Don't worry" he murmured to her, then, before to move away, he continued "Tell me if someone else says something like that to you..."

Jane smiled shyly. "Thank you Ping...", her view flew around in the cave. "Shall we let the bananas here or take them with us?", Jane tried to change the subject.

"We can let them here, after all we're coming back... but it would be better bring a few with us, even for the others" he replied, practical as always when it came to question that he was able to solve

Suddenly Ping's attention was caught to something... something in the forest, something that he couldn't understand what actually was... could it be the jaguar? He tightened his lance. "Jane, Meg, stay in the cave. Don't go out this time, please." He said before to run away without wait their reply.