Twice Cursed [Goblin] [M]

[Juno]

He hadn't heard her muffled movements in her room from outside, but as she made her way towards the stairs Conrey perked up. Lifting his head he eyed the door warily as he heard his name, and the name he was accustomed to her using at that. He tilted his head one way and then the other before deciding to stand. She'd never called him that during her unusual, blood fueled lust.

Conrey huffed softly, approaching and headbutting the door gently and scratching at it just enough so she might hear that he was still there. As much as he wanted to see her he didn't want to force the issue. It was very possible in his mind she simply feared being alone but wanted nothing to do with him.

[GoblinFae]

She froze as she caught the sound knocking and scratching at the door. Without thinking it could be anyone else but Conrey, she rushed forward and whipped the door open. It was a relief to see the recognizable furry snout and warm eyes staring up at her. For a moment, Yasmine said nothing as she swallowed thickly and tried to collect her thoughts.

The tears came again and she hurried to lower her head and hide her face in her hair so he could not see them. She was here to apologize, not make him feel guilty for what she had done. "I'm sorry, Mister Shaw," she sniffled none the less. "I shouldn't have done that. It was all my fault. I don't know what happened but it'll never happen again I swear! Please believe me! I'll be good!"

[Juno]

The werewolf eyed her apprehensively, not at all expecting the tears and shame that followed. His eyes went wide in disbelief, not understanding what she had to apologize for. He was her protector, her best interests were his duty to uphold and he never should have allowed things to go even as far as they had.

Conrey whined softly for her pleading, uncomfortable with her being the only one to apologize. He stepped closer, pressing his cheek to her leg and then brushing past her to leap his way up the stairs. Quickly he shifted back and changed into fresh clothes after nosing his way into his bedroom, his hair a tousled mess as he stormed his way downstairs again.

He approached the young noblewoman cautiously, wary of the waves of sadness and despair that seemed to be rolling off of her. "Please don't be upset with yourself," he asked of her gently, reaching out to touch her arm and uncertain how he could comfort her in what he assumed was a terribly awkward situation for his charge.

"I acted...very inappropriately towards you and I understand if you are angry with me or do not want to speak with me or see me after today, but please don't be mad at yourself. You did nothing wrong," Conrey tried to assure her, genuinely seeing things that way. He was older, he was paid to ensure she was cared for and he had grossly taken advantage of that position in his own eyes. Worse, he had wanted what she'd offered to him and though her scent had left his skin the werewolf understood that the desire still simmering beneath the surface was very real and had hardly abated since the end of her episode of lust.

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine's tears flowed faster to hear his whining moments before he brushed past her. She had stood there, her arms wrapped around her middle, quietly sobbing and completely expecting him to be packing his stuff to leave her. She may not have killed him like she had the other humans but he was still going to leave her all the same. Another failure and another loss, that was all Yasmine was good for.

Conrey's voice beside her was therefore completely unexpected and made her jump and squeak loudly in shock. His touch caused her to tense but her red-rimmed and teary eyes stared up at him in confusion and surprise.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she protested through her sniffles. "I bit you. I made all this happen. I'm so sorry." Yasmine backed up a step, her hands covering her mouth as she shook with the force of her tears. "You're going to leave, aren't you, Mister Shaw?"

[Juno]

His face twisted with concern, a frown fixed upon his brow at her emotional reaction. Truly he felt for her, her pain so clear in her eyes and the way she shook like a leaf. Without thinking he stepped closer, reaching further up along her arm to rest his hand at her shoulder instead. His thumb made nervous circles against her collarbone, worried for whether or not she even wanted to be touched but feeling compelled to comfort her all the same.

"You didn't hurt me," he tried to assure her, tilting his head slightly to show her the already-healing wounds. "I don't want to leave you but I understand I've done plenty today that I shouldn't have.

I... I've broken your trust and I would fully understand and respect your wishes if you asked me to go," he told her, bowing his head slightly in shame. "I'm sorry that I took advantage of you, Yasmine."

[GoblinFae]

She sniffled and finally found herself thoughtlessly reaching out to him, pressing herself into his chest as she cried into his tunic. "You tried to stop me," she sobbed. "I'm the monster. I couldn't stop it, any of it. I wanted to drink, and hurt , and and and...I don't know what that was but I wanted you and...no please don't go. I want you to stay! Don't leave me!"

Her fingers reached up to lightly touch the place where she bit him even as she clung tighter to him. "I can't do this alone. I don't want to hurt you again but I don't want to be alone either. I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me, Mister Shaw. You don't need to leave. I'll be good, honest."

[Juno]

When she reached for him a piece of his barrier fell, a sadness for her becoming overwhelmingly heavy in his chest. He immediately circled his arms around her, pulling her in close against his chest as she cried and pleaded. It seemed amazing to him that she didn't want him to leave and that she was the one begging forgiveness. He didn't see any of what had happened as her own slight.

"Okay, okay," he rushed to say, giving her a small squeeze and rubbing a hand along her shoulders. "If you really don't want me to leave I'll stay, but if you change your mind about that you let me know." He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, holding her closer than he probably should have as her all too familiar scent swirled around him.

"There's nothing to forgive, but- I forgive you if that helps you feel better. I offered my blood to you, if you remember. I just didn't want things to get...too out of hand for you," he mumbled the last, not wanting to dive into that topic if he didn't have to. He hoped she might spare him the shame and conveniently forget anything had almost happened at all.

[GoblinFae]

His forgiveness lifted a heavy burden from her shoulders and for a moment Yasmine cried harder, her hands grasping his shirt fiercely as if afraid he would try to push her away at any moment. "Thank you," she wept, burying her face against his chest and letting the smell of clean soap and earth calm her. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

"I'll be better. I promise!" Pulling back enough to look at him through bleary eyes, she hoped that he would see the determination and honesty in her eyes. Yasmine was determined not to be weak again, to not hurt him again and give him a reason to want to leave. "You're all I've got. No one else wants me so please believe me. I'll try harder to control it, honest I will."

[Juno]

"You didn't hurt me, honest," he assured her calmly, gently running a hand along her back in an attempt to soothe the distressed young noblewoman. "You don't have to control it around me. If you are hungry I want you to tell me, I don't want you putting it off anymore when you need to feed."

Conrey sighed softly and -in what was an incredibly poor decision- buried his nose against her hair to just breathe in her scent while trying not to think about how it affected him. "Let's go get you settled, you've had a long day," he prompted in a gravelly voice, pulling away enough to take her by her arm and move to lead her away down the hall to the sitting room of the manor. "I'll go find your kitten. You just go sit and relax, all right?"

[GoblinFae]

She sniffled and nodded against him. It was easy to allow him to lead her along, so she went easily and quietly. Wordlessly she plopped herself down onto one of the room's couches, tucking her legs up against her chest as she did so. "Alright," she murmured, burying her face into her knees.

While Conrey was busy searching for Duchess, Yasmine worked on calming herself back down. All would be well. Conrey had agreed to stay. He had tried to assure her that things were alright. She needed to trust him on this. Otherwise what would be left for her but loneliness and misery. She could not do this on her own and he at least made life bearable in the short time they had been together.

Yasmine scrubbed her face and eyes on the hem of her skirt, determined to be better and calmer by the time he returned. All she wanted though was to curl up and hide from the world. Her legs were clutched closer to her as she half sat half lead against the arm of the couch and stared anxiously at the doorway. Part of her feared he still would leave her and this was just a ploy to keep her out of the way and from seeing. The other half begged her to wait and see.

[Juno]

He'd felt better having Yasmine settled comfortably, not standing in the doorway crying anymore. It didn't take long to find the kitten that lingered along the stairs, seemingly anxious about the sounds of her mistress crying. Conrey thought the cat might have just been hungry, though, for she approached him eagerly once he caught sight of her.

Scooping her up his arms his first stop was the kitchen, offering up the best of what was left of their meat and watching affectionately as she gobbled it down. He made a mental note that he needed to go hunting again soon. Once she'd had her fill he took her back to the room he'd left Yasmine in, a little anxious she might have moved somewhere else until he saw her again curled up just as he'd left her.

Conrey smiled and breathed a small sigh of relief as he released her kitten to pad over to her, meowing eagerly and pitifully until she was right up against her owner on the cushion. "I think she might have missed you," he chuckled, stepping inside to sit beside her. "I fed her, so don't let her fool you into thinking she's starved."

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine scooped up her precious kitten and snuggled the little form close to her face and chest. She nuzzled her face against Duchess's squirming back for several moments before Shifting to lean fully against Contry's side. "Thank you for taking care of her. And me. I know I'm terrible to deal with most days, just a spoiled little brat." Her head hung low at her words as she felt shame wash over her. "Money must be really good for you to stay through all this. I don't know why else you would otherwise."

[Juno]

He watched the pair with relief, happy enough to see a bit of Yasmine's light return with the company of her kitten even if Duchess was not entirely thrilled with the forced snuggles. "You're welcome," he murmured sincerely, not understanding why she spoke badly about herself or questioned his motives. It was true that he was being paid well, but he would have been lying if he'd said he didn't also enjoy her company as strange a pair as they were. "You aren't a brat or terrible, you just have some things to learn still. I'm here to teach you."

Conrey sighed, shifting the arm she was leaning against to gently slip around her shoulders instead. "You act like it's torture to be around you," he snorted, shaking his head and eyeing her pointedly. "No need to be so dramatic. I like it here just fine."

[GoblinFae]

She sighed softly, glad that he was receptive to her leaning as she was still too worn out to fight with him. Duchess was allowed to roam free again as Yasmine relaxed her grip. The fluffy kitten immediately hopped out of her mistress's arms and onto Conrey's far shoulder where she curled up to take a small nap.

"Isn't it though?" Yasmine questioned sullenly, shifting to snuggle in close and comfortable against him. The beat of his heart was no longer enticing but was none the less soothing to her. She buried her ear against it hoping that it would lull her into feeling better. "It's so lonely. Don't you get bored of just me? Don't you miss being around people?"

She huffed sadly, hugging herself tightly at the thought. "I miss people."

[Juno]

Conrey eyed the kitten warily as she hopped over to him, kneading with her sharp claws against his tunic before she entirely settled. It wasn't the worst place for her to be but he dreaded the thought of having to move her whenever he would get up again.

"No. And I don't," he offered with a small shrug, not understanding her cravings for human companionship. The werewolf had always preferred quiet and privacy wherever he might find it to the bustle of a busy house.

He ran a hand through his hair, awkwardly trying to avoid jostling Duchess too much in the process. "Maybe we could find things to do here together that you might like. Might help with the loneliness if we got to know each other better. Became...friends," he pointed out, though he had no idea what in the world might interest her enough. "Do you enjoy reading? Cooking? Art? Anything like that?"

[GoblinFae]

Yasmine looked up at him sadly at his answer before dropping her chin to her chest. Of course she would be the only one miserable here, stuck in the middle of nowhere as they were. She missed home and family. She missed being able to walk around and see even the faces of servants going about their tasks like silent ghosts. Here there was only dust and cobwebs that greeted her wherever she turned. It killed her inside and it had hardly been very long at all. What was she do to in the coming years? Yasmine highly doubted her family would ever take her back. There was no chance of her mastering this. After what had happened to Conrey, that much had to be true.

She sighed at him suggesting they be friends. If only it were that simple. "I...used to sew?" Yasmine sighed petulantly again and scowled. "I don't know how to cook and books are stuffy. I'm terrible at art too. I'm not very good at anything, Mister Shaw. I did my studies mostly with my tutors and that was about it. They were always telling me how disappointing I was, how I needed to focus more." Her voice went up an octave as she bobbled her head side to side, mocking the voices of her former tutors.

"You don't have to be my friend, Mister Shaw. I understand you're just doing your job. I don't need your pity too."

[Juno]

Conrey tried not to laugh, struggling through as an amused smile tugged at his lips while she explained a bit of her life at home. It wasn't a laughing matter, but the way she'd mocked her tutors was endearing. "I don't pity you," he clarified with a small shrug, mulling over her words again for a few moments.

"I think you just might not have read the right books," he offered stubbornly, determined to share his passion with her if only to earn himself the occasional guilt-free afternoon to read if she might as well. "I could teach you some basic cooking myself, but I'm not sure that you would enjoy it. It's a lot of staring and waiting... But perhaps I can fetch you some threads to sew with, if you'd like to continue that?"

[GoblinFae]

"Right books?" she scoffed, looking up at him in a mixed expression of disbelief and disgust. "I had a fine education thank you very much! I've learned languages. I've read the classics and the histories. What more could you possibly think I should be reading that I haven't?" Yasmine clicked her tongue and shook her head, not believing for a second that he could be right, that her education was anything less than perfect.

Doing her best to let her her attitude go in the face of his earnest offer, the young noblewoman sighed and shook her head. "What good is learning to cook when it doesn't even taste good? Too little, too late, Mister Shaw," she murmured with a heavy pout. "I would have loved to cook before." Yasmine sighed and slumped more where she sat, all but sinking into the couch like an amorphous blob.

"Are you saying I'm impatient though? You know sewing takes a lot of patience too. I miss it. Time seemed to go so much faster when you were just focused on watching the thread go in and out of the fabric. Maybe I could teach you to sew!" She perked up enough to tilt her head back to look at him. "You mentioned before that you didn't know how to sew, correct? It's not that hard. You might even become halfway proficient at it what with me as your teacher." Her words were cocky though her eyes shone with her fear of rejection and abandonment. They were still wet and red-rimmed, so ready to spill more tears if her fragile emotions were poked and prodded any further.

[Juno]

Conrey winced at the idea, chewing at his lip in indecision for a moment. "I suppose you could teach me, yes. I've never tried it before, I think I'd be too clumsy with it," he offered in explanation, outstretching his free hand to stare at it for a moment. No, his hands were far too large to make deft work with the delicate needles he'd seen before.

"And I wouldn't mind if you ever wanted to cook for my benefit," he continued with a more relaxed grin, dropping his hand to his lap and clutching her closer against his side with the arm he'd draped around her. "As for books- It's not that I think your education was lacking, it's just that I enjoy reading for the sake of reading, not just learning. Maybe that isn't for you, maybe you can sew while I read when those times come."

[GoblinFae]

"I was clumsy when I first started too," she offered, hoping to encourage him some. "I bet I'd make a good teacher though. You couldn't ask for a better one really. I know all the stitches!" Yasmine twitched slightly as his arm came down around her and tucked her in close to him. He was warm and soothing to be around. Within seconds she was completely nestled and relaxed against him again.

"My luck I'd poison you with my cooking and then where would we be? You'd hate it and I'd make you sick. I'm not good at it at all, Mister Shaw. Honest!" The young woman huffed and sighed in exasperation then as he moved back to the topic of books. "I don't understand what you see in them. They stink and are filled with just boring words. There's no pictures or anything to make them exciting at all!"