Simple Solutions [Rhi!] [M]

[Draconian]

Raizel was never sure she liked that she was so... Comfortable around Cadmus. It was odd. Albert she knew. He'd healed her plenty of times, had a mechanical distance he kept between himself and others. With Cadmus she was drawn in, she liked that his hand was on her hip and she curled her own arm around his back trying to comfort.

Raizel just pressed closer, a sideways hug. A half cuddle. Whatever it was. "Sure, we can find a rock in a river somewhere and give you a real good conk on the head and then bonk foreheads. I hear that works." Her voice was animated Qaeda and she was clearly joking but after the words left her mouth she was trembling. Her eyes were focused on a single point across the room and she just stared.

Blood in the water. Feathers. The sound of cutting and pressure and the memory of pain and she squeezed her hand against Cadmus's side before squeezing her eyes shut. No more river rocks. Raizel carried on the best she could, even though her hands still had a tremble still like she was so, so cold. "Or, alternatively, you can try to make new happier memories. You're young I assume, you can just turn some charm on, find a nice partner and then... Settle down. Work as a hunter or something. But for food. Have kids." Raizels voice got quiet and she turned her head, making it a bit muffled against Cadmus's shoulder, "learn how to be happy and explain baby gryphon soft beaks. That'll probably be the most difficult, learning to be happy, I mean"

[Rhindeer]

Conk him on the head and then bonk foreheads? How violent. Cadmus snorted and rolled his eyes, about to remark that it was interesting how he was the only one getting smashed in the head with a rock in that scenario—but then he paused. Something...wasn't quite right, here. Her voice was playful, but her body told a different story. She'd gone too still, but at the same time not still at all; he could feel a light vibration against his side and beneath his hand. 

Was she shivering?

But the room wasn't cold, and she'd just drank hot coffee and stew—hell, he would notice a drop in temperature before anyone, shirtless as he was thanks to his streak of ruining every shirt he looked at. Her hand squeezed against him but she continued on, acting okay even though she clearly wasn't, and while he had no idea what had triggered it...

He didn't need to.

Something had gotten to her. Something she didn't want to say. Something horrible enough to make her tremble even in warm daylight among company. That was all he needed to know.

She turned her face into his shoulder, words muffled as she said something about making new memories and gryphon beaks, about learning to be happy. It was innocent, light-hearted, but something about it wasn't right; there was a detail there—or rather, not there—that got under his skin, poking at his brain in a way he didn't like. And he tried to ignore it, tried to brush it aside—

Ah, fuck it.

"C'mere," he murmured, but he didn't give her a chance to respond before he was pulling her into him, turning the half-hug into a full hug as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. His chest against her back, his legs on either side of her, he just held her like that in a loose embrace that she could break whenever she wanted. He didn't know what compelled him to do it—no, he did. There was something vulnerable there, in her words and her body—and he wanted to protect her, even though there was nothing external to protect her from.

That was the frustrating part.

"I've noticed something about you," he said quietly, resting his chin atop her head. "I've noticed that when you talk about things like this, about happiness, you're never part of your own scenario. You leave yourself out. Why is that?"

[Draconian]

It was one thing to sort of fold into being spooned or initiating a hug. Another to be vulnerable and in pain and have someone heal the hurts but remain relatively unattached. When the position changed and arms went around her and a chin rested on her head, there was a moment where she froze, but the warmth seeped in and she relaxed as quickly. Raizel didn't move away, instead she relaxed into Cadmus's arms and closed her eyes for a moment, even pressing in a little and moving an arm to cover his around her torso.

"Do I?" She questioned, turning the words over in her head. Raizel pondered for a moment, fingers tracing an idle pattern on Cadmus's forearm until the trembling in her hands stopped and she could just think for a minute. "I don't know," She whispered, closing her eyes, "I guess I don't see myself having much opportunity to be happy." Raizel reached up to gently press a hand to Cadmus's cheek, "It's hard to imagine myself happy when all I know is..."

 Raizel let her hand drop back to her side, "Pain and anger, loneliness. I know some things have made me happy, I smile and laugh," Raizel cleared her throat, her voice getting a little strained, "But I can't imagine being... Truly happy. When I close my eyes and imagine a future it's..." A sighed and she closed her eyes, "Nothing. It's blank. It's easier to imagine someone else happy, they deserve it. Some people actually deserve second chances." Raizel paused, "I don't know if I do. What if it was a punishment, what if I deserved whatever happened to me."

[Rhindeer]

This could have gone badly, and Cadmus was prepared for it when she froze up. Prepared for her to shove him away or punch him—and it was fine if she did, that was her right and he was the one invading her space. Perhaps he should have used his brain and thought it out a little more before just going for it, he thought with a knot of anxiety in his gut. But then he felt her relax and lean into him, and he let himself relax again, too, with a soft breath that made her hair flutter.

A hand covering his arm, fingers tracing along his skin...she was doing it again, just as she had that one night back before he'd fucked everything up. Or at least back before she knew he'd fucked everything up. Before he'd panicked and left so she could remember him like that and not as he truly was. He closed his eyes as he listened to her, the hairs along his arm rising along the path her fingers took, little goosebumps springing up, but despite the magic her fingers were working, he soon found himself tensing again at her words.

They were familiar.

Not because he'd heard them from her before, but because he'd thought them himself.

But she was wrong.

She didn't deserve that. 

And for her to think she might deserve this—that she deserved whatever happened to her, whatever made her tremble and lash out in her sleep...? His jaw tightened, because he wanted nothing more than to have a nice meeting with whoever had done it and whoever had made her feel like less.

"That's blatantly untrue," he said as he squeezed her a little tighter, leaning down so his mouth was near her ear. "Listen to me. You do deserve happiness. You do have a place in these fantasies you dream up, if you'd just let yourself have one. And...I don't know who told you that you could possibly deserve this, but I'd love to have ten minutes alone with them, just to chat. Unless it's you. In which case...no, Raizel."

On an impulse, he pressed his lips her temple. "Believe me when I say you're one the strongest, kindest, bravest people I've met—not to mention funniest. And weirdest." He paused. "And scariest," he added wryly, giving her another squeeze. "I can't imagine you'd be so different in your past, either. All your strange analogies have to come from somewhere."

He sighed, resting his chin on her shoulder. "But honestly, I don't think forgetting your past would change who you are at your core. What could you have possibly done to make what happened to you okay in any world?"

[Draconian]

It was an unfamiliar feeling in her chest, tight, her pulse quickened and her eyes burned. Her fingers tightened on Cadmus's arm while he spoke and she couldn't form words. Had she ever been so vulnerable before? Sure being naked was being vulnerable, but you could still be lethal. A weapon in words or actions. Raizel couldn't remember being so content, so uncomfortable and so... Aware.

Being told that she didn't deserve what happened to her felt wrong. There had to be a reason it happened. If there was no reason then why. "If I didn't deserve it," She started, voice thick, eyes squeezed shut, "then this happened for nothing." Raizel shook her head softly, not wanting to dislodge her companion, "I don't know anything, Cadmus. I--" Her voice got thick and a hot tear fell off her cheek and onto Cadmus's arm when she finally opened her eyes, arms going tighter around Cadmus's "I don't know my name, I don't know where I'm from. No one's ever told me I deserved it and I can't imagine anyone would ever, but what's the point if I didn't."

The tears didn't stop and Raizel didn't try to keep them at bay, like a cork had been popped, everything bubbled up and out and she turned her head to press her forehead to Cadmus's cheek. "What if," Her voice was small now and she took an awkward sounding breath, like just trying to put it into words was like getting ready to hurt yourself, "What if no one misses me?" Her face scrunched up a bit, like she surprised herself with the confession, some lingering demon that lived at the back of her mind. Left to die alone in the wilderness. 

"I looked for you, you know," She confessed, "After you left that day. Not in a high-and-low way, but when I went to leave, I kept my eye out, every person with black hair caught my attention and none of them were you and for the first time since I could remember, I was disappointed." Raizel didn't move, "I suppose it was nice to feel disappointed, because that meant I had looked forward to seeing you when I woke up."

[Rhindeer]

Oh gods, oh gods. She was crying. 

Mild panic set in as hot tears dripped onto his arm and he felt the catches in her breathing, and it only rose higher with the words that followed. They were so full of raw pain, and so full of questions that he just didn't have answers for, that he froze. What could he even say to that that wouldn't sound placating and insincere? Because the truth was...what if she was right? What if she had been tossed aside like trash? He could reassure her and tell her that wasn't true, but what if she found her people again—and they didn't want her? It would be an asshole thing to do—because neither of them knew.

He'd meant every word he said about how he viewed her: that he saw her as a good person, that she didn't deserve it, that she deserved happiness. But he didn't have it in him to potentially lie about it, not when he'd already lied so much, and fuck, he was horrible at navigating delicate situations. He was great at hunting and hurting, violence and intimidation, but this?

She deserved someone so much better. Someone who could soothe away the hurts and knew what to say and do. But here he was instead, holding her at her weakest and feeling utterly powerless to help her—because this wasn't something you just "fixed".

So he listened, and held her, and let her cry, nuzzling lightly against her hair and breathing her in. It hurt to see her hurt, deep in his chest—what was that about? And when she mentioned she'd looked for him...

Gods.

"I missed you," he admitted, reaching up to gently wipe at her tears with a thumb. "I didn't want to leave, I just...panicked. Selfishly. I guess I was ashamed and it didn't feel right, like I was taking advantage of you." He winced, closing his eyes. 

"As fucked up as it is, I was...happy to see you again. I mean, I was also bloody horrified, but..."

Another deep breath. Translating thoughts into words was hard, and Raizel had such an honest, colorful way with them. "You'd be missed, Raizel. I'd miss you. Who else is going to call me a frog? Or was it toad? Ah...sorry, that was lame, I'm really bad at this."

Letting his hand cup her chin, he turned her head toward him just a little, leaning so he could look at her. "I know that probably doesn't mean much because I haven't known you long. But...I'd like to. Know you longer, I mean. The 'you' that's right in front of me, and the 'you' you may or may not uncover one day." 

Another pause and he shifted his eyes away, suddenly awkward, hand trailing away from her face. "I'm not sure if I'm being helpful or not. And you can tell me to shut up anytime. What you're going through—what you've been through—is fucked up and unfair, Raizel. And maybe it is meaningless. Maybe it was a random act of senseless violence. But that doesn't mean you lack value."

[Draconian]

Sometimes, when Raizel was in bed waiting for sleep she'd feel like she needed to cry.  A physical response to being overwhelmed and stressed and when she couldn't push it down anymore it came out of her when she was finally relaxed and felt safe. For only a second. Raizel got very good at pushing it down. There was never an appropriate time for it, there was never an appropriate location. At least according to her. Maybe she'd never felt safe enough, so it was easy to squash down.  She'd only briefly traveled with people before and never closely.

Raizel listened to Cadmus speak, slowly regaining her breath. While she never did a full sob, she made a funny gasping noise when he had said he missed her. She let the words tumble around in her head, each one a sharp stone. It hurt to be told that someone wanted to know her, in a strange stinging way. What was there to know? Raizel looked at Cadmus, blue to gold, when he took her chin and she just watched him as he finished speaking. Watched how his mouth formed words, how he moved his eyebrows when he spoke.

When he moved his hand away, she gently took it in hers and pressed it back to her cheek. They were already practically hugging so throwing her arms around his shoulders just seemed like more of the same, instead she nuzzled her cheek against his hand and placed a kiss against his palm before putting her cheek back into it.

"Thank you," she whispered, drawing her knees up and letting herself relax, resting her head against Cadmus's shoulder and closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm glad it was you," she said softly, "imagine if some regular person managed to track and herd me. My reputation would be ruined," Raizel teased softly, letting Cadmus's hand drop down into her lap where she started to idly play with his fingers.

"In hindsight it was stupid of me," Raizel brought a hand up to scrub the remainder of tears off of her face, "to trust that you'd help me so blindly. But I'm glad I did," the hardness of floor was making her ass ache but the warmness of Cadmus kept her seated, "I hope you know I can't pay you. At most I can pay in warmth and mediocre meals," Raizel had calmed, still absentmindedly caressing Cadmus's hand.

She'd ruminate more on what he said when she wasn't feeling so... Emotional. When it could be dissected and digested, "Though I suppose if you go fluffybird you won't have to worry about getting body heat from elsewhere. So it's a bad deal for you, more or less." Raizel glanced up at Cadmus, her eyes and her cheeks still red from crying, but the mischievous glint was back in her blue eyes and she let a teasing smile tug at the corner of her mouth.

[Rhindeer]

Raizel didn't need his protection, but he wanted to give it to her—and gods, did he regret ever making her feel hunted and afraid. She was a perfectly capable woman. She was fierce and formidable in her own right, brave to the point of recklessness. She was no dainty waif; there was toned muscle beneath his embrace and she was nearly as tall as he was. 

And yet, right then she felt so small.

She kissed his palm and then leaned into it, and it was such a sweet, tender gesture that he felt his chest tighten inexplicably. It felt, in a way, like acceptance, like maybe she didn't hate him so much after all—and like maybe he was stupid for thinking she ever did. Even when she was angry she'd never stopped seeking out these little points of contact.

How oblivious was he, he thought as she settled against him, her head against his shoulder as she idly played with his hand.

Cadmus bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing as something poked at the edges of his mind, thoughts he had kept locked away and for a damned good reason. He shoved them back. Not now. Right now, he was content to hold her quietly, letting her have her thoughts and process what she needed to at her own speed.

Soon enough, she was off again, and he let out a little laugh against her hair as she spoke of her reputation, and then was going off about meals and payment and warmth. He blinked at her, meeting her eyes when she looked at him with that familiar playfulness. 

"Bad deal? For me? Are you kidding?" He cracked a smile, equally teasing. "You're free entertainment, Raizel. The things that come out of your mouth? That and..."

He trailed off, because as he had been watching her face as he spoke, subtly studying her with her so close to him: the flush in her cheeks, the brilliant blue of her eyes, the fullness of her lips...

He wanted to kiss her.

The thought blindsided him even though it had been hovering at the edges for a while, his throat tightening and pulse quickening. He jerked his eyes up from her lips to her eyes with a rush of guilt. What the fuck, Cadmus? What the actual fuck? She was hurt and vulnerable with her heart raw and bloody before him, and his first impulse was to kiss her? Now? Of all fucking moments? Oh, yes, how very sensitive, Cadmus. Because that was definitely what every woman wanted when she was picking up the pieces of her trauma strewn all about her feet—

Ah. Shit. 

He wanted to kiss her.

It wasn't like it was an unusual thought. She was gorgeous.

But it was her. Raizel. Not a random fling at a tavern you had a go at and then never saw again.

Realizing he had left his sentence hanging for far too long, he reached out and brushed at her cheek, just below her eye. "Sorry. Got distracted," he said. "You had an eyelash just..." He pretended to flick it away. "Got it. It's gone now."

[Draconian]

Being content was a strange feeling. It didn't matter what her past may had been like, it didn't matter what was going to happen later. It didn't matter how they were going to spend the day. Nothing mattered except right now because she was  content. Sure her eyes stung a little from all the crying and when she licked her lips they were a little salty from her tears. But it had been cathartic, in a way, feeling safe enough to lose her composure. This was a room in a place she could feel safe, there was someone downstairs -while likely grumpy- that she didn't feel on guard around and she was wrapped up like a precious bundle in the arms of the only person that had gotten the better of her so far.

If Cadmus was playing the long game, he was doing an amazing job. Raizel didn't want to think he was, but fully trusting someone was still a long ways away. Dealing lethal blows to the people that put money into his pocket to help her certainly tilted the trust in his favor. She smirked when he joked about the weird things she said and watched him when he got distracted and zoned out. It was only for a few seconds, but she wasn't blind and just rose an eyebrow when he finally regained his thoughts.

"Cadmus Black-Gryphon - Slayer of distracting eyelashes," she said in a serious tone, face going stern and eyebrows drawing together like she was announcing orders to a platoon of soldiers. "Um," Raizel's face softened and she moved to sit up, not wanting to leave the warm nest of arms but finding it hard to convince herself to stay. There were things to do.

"Thank you. I don't think our talk has made my mind demons better but... if my thoughts are sharp stones on a beach, you've given me something to weather the edge on them," she smiled at her own analogy and moved to get up, shuffling away from his warmth and giving his cheek a lingering touch.

"I think I'm ready for a bath," she announced, "Albert keeps the enchantments up in a bathroom down the hall. Tub fills on it's own and everything, do you want to go first? I can gather supplies while you do and then we can head out at sundown." Back to business, her hands were on her hips and she cast glances around the room of what she'd need to bring.

[Rhindeer]

Cadmus Black-Gryphon—Slayer of Distracting Eyelashes.

The ridiculous name, and her Commanderly delivery of it, got a chuckle out of him—even if he did roll his eyes hard. "You know...maybe you were a General in your past life. Or a sergeant," he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as though seriously considering it. "I could see you calling the green leafs maggots and making them cry. Anyway."

He peered up at her as she stood, sorry to see her go but knowing she was right, and offered up a small smile as her touch lingered on his skin. "I didn't think I'd magically cured all your trauma in the span of a conversation, but...I'm glad talking helped. Even if only a little."

Something to weather their edge, as she'd put it. He liked the sound of that.

Brushing imaginary dust off his breeches, he joined her, rising to his feet with a groan and a slight crackle of bone. Ugh, he'd forgotten how uncomfortable prolonged sitting on a hard floor was in this body. A bit stiff, he rolled his shoulders and popped his back, and then perked up at the mention of a bath.

She was speaking his language. If there was one thing he hated, it was feeling dirty, and gryphons were fairly meticulous about their grooming. Even if he was going to get sweaty and dirty all over again tonight. A magic bath, too? Not just cold water in a river? He considered the offer, hedging because it seemed more polite to let her go first—but perhaps this would be more efficient. He didn't know what supplies she needed, since he didn't particularly need any himself. She would probably be able to gather them faster than he could locate them.

"If you don't mind? Ah."

Pulling his coin purse from his pocket, he folded it into her hand. "I can at least help pay for everything," he said. "Besides, I need a shirt if you wouldn't mind? Maybe a couple extra since I'm cursed?"

He was trusting her, giving her all the money he carried like that. Maybe it was a stupid, naive move, but he hoped she could see it as the gesture of good will that it was. Money passed off, he turned her hand over and lifted it to his lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles. 

"Be vigilant," he told her, releasing her hand. "They should have moved on by now but you're still a mark, and they don't all work at night."

[Draconian]

A tilt of her head and she blinked at Cadmus when he put the coin purse in her hand and closed it. Raizel opened her mouth to decline it, she had her own money and could easily get supplies but she gave a little nod and let him turn her hand over and tried to smile at him. Though confused she looked at his chest when he mentioned shirts, taking in for a moment that he was topless and she had to resist staring. It wasn't lost on her that he was an attractive man and when she finally noticed all the scars, she couldn't help but stare.

They had done a lot of talking about her and her problems - or her lack of knowing what her problems really were and the lingering effect of that. Raizel licked her lips, opened her mouth to say something but he turned her hand over and kissed her knuckles and for some reason that felt more intimate than being curled up on the floor together. Raizel flushed and goosebumps spread up her arm, her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling... More like a woman.

"uh," Raizel cleared her throat and moved her free hand to rub at the back of her neck to try to remove the goosebumps. "Yes," another little nod, "I suppose they know what I look like now," she confirmed moving away to get dressed to go out, "I'll get you some clothes," She made a pointed look at Cadmus's chest, then oh so slowly looked back up at his face. She walked past him quietly, rapping her knuckles against his chest, "Don't turn into a prune, hmm? Leave some warm water for me."

And then she was off, ready to collect what she could for Cadmus, avoid strange looks. It was an uneventful journey and Raizel returned in under an hour, various clothing for Cadmus - a few shirts as requested - and some more camping supplies that she put into her bag quickly. She'd have to find somewhere to tuck them for a moment while they were out but... Raizel was on the floor after she came back, dressed very casually. Black pants, a loose white shirt, her hair tied back in a braid with a piece of jerky sticking out of her mouth while she worked. Raizel wrinkled her nose and looked at the coin purse in her hand - she'd used it to buy Cadmus's clothes - and she put his clothing on the bed and placed the coin purse on top.

The bed looked inviting, all empty and covered with a pillow. Just a minute? Raizel curled up onto the bed, one hand behind her head and one resting on her chest. It wasn't a moment before she was breathing softly and deeply, asleep in an unintentional nap.

[Rhindeer]

Was she...blushing?

With her light skin it was easy to notice the subtle little changes in color, and it wasn't like her to trip over her words when she usually had such a quick wit. But her words were a little stilted, just for a second, before she recovered smoothly right back to her usual self. His eyes narrowed a little, puzzled. Huh. His first thought wasn't that it was the little kiss, because she'd kissed his hand, too. Instead he found himself backtracking over his words, wondering if he'd said something too weird—which also didn't make sense. If she wasn't put off by everything he'd said about shifting, then he couldn't imagine what could do it.

He also wasn't oblivious to her staring. But considering they were talking about shirts, he figured she was probably just sizing him up.

Odd.

But then she was off, and there was a brief, lingering moment of concern, that maybe he'd made the wrong call. Maybe he should have offered to go with her, or to go instead even if he'd be slower. It could be risky—but he quelled the thought.

No, she was a grown-ass woman who could likely kick his ass in a fistfight in human form. She knew how to handle herself. Why was he concerned about that now?

Well, no sense dwelling on it; they had a schedule to stick to, after all.

The bath was indeed wonderful, and though Cadmus felt a little guilty for it while Raizel was out working, he indulged a bit and took a little longer than he needed. 

Okay, maybe a little too long.

The night had been stressful to say the least; hunting Raizel, learning it was her, trying to save her and then the both of them, all the murder attempts, and then when all was said and done his sleep had been interrupted by a murder-kiss. He'd been exhausted but the coffee had worked its magic—for a time. 

As Cadmus soaked in the bath, the warm water soothing his sore muscles, he soon came back around the other side to something he'd never before experienced: the caffeine crash. He wasn't even aware of nodding off; he'd only leaned his head back against the rim and closed his eyes for a second. And yet some time later he came to again when the water got too cold and a twitch shook him, like falling in a dream and jerking awake just before the splat.

Sucking in a breath, heart racing, he looked around in confusion before it all came back. 

Ah, shit.

He was pruney.

How much time had even passed?!

He rushed through the rest of his bath and came out of it clean and smelling of soap, his black hair plastered to his head and dripping onto his shoulders. Throwing on his breeches before he rushed out, he was relieved to see it was at least still light out. Thank gods. Slipping back into the room, he shut the door behind him.

And the tension melted.

Raizel was back, so it had to have been a bit, but it seemed he wasn't the only one who got hit with the crash. Alright, good, he didn't have to feel too guilty then.

For a moment he just stood there, watching her sleep, debating if he should wake her. She looked so peaceful, her face relaxed, the pain of earlier smoothed away...and he just couldn't do it. Raizel had gotten as little sleep as he had but between her grief and being betrayed and hunted and roughed up and threatened...yeah, she absolutely had a worse night than he had. 

There was still a little light left. They could afford it. She deserved the rest, and it was probably better that they went in fresh; he could keep an eye on the time.

Settling down beside her facing the window, he stretched an arm across her middle, his face nestled against against her hair, and settled into his role as Light Watcher. He'd give her until dusk, he told himself. Enough time for the bath to have warm water again while giving her time to bathe. 

Solid plan.

[Draconian]

Exhausted was a good word to use. One second she was awake, just having her eyes closed for a minute and the next time she was conscious of herself there was a warm arm over her middle and the smell of soap. There was a moment of mental scrambling and confusion, wondering why Albert had snuck into the room to cuddle and for a split second she was going to bolt away and scream at him. Rational thought took over though and she gave a small half asleep smile when she realized it was Cadmus.

The sun wasn't completely down, but it was on it's way, she noticed when she cracked her eyes open. She'd slept for most of the afternoon, probably fell asleep the second she laid her head down. Task successfully completed, that meant it had been time to rest, but now she was doubly warm and comfortable and didn't want to move. Did he fall asleep too?

Raizel opened one eye and listened, not quite used to his breathing pattern yet to tell before she closed it again. If she was obviously awake that meant she'd have to get up. When she got up that meant she'd have to get ready to leave. And that meant moving again. Which meant a whole long list of things. It had been too long since there wasn't a driving need to move and go. She knew it would be back, she'd come and gone from this room on many occasions, leaving for months at a time and then showing back up, the room the way she'd left it.

Spotless, of course, she wasn't an animal.

In an effort to push off getting up fully, she rolled over and pressed her face into Cadmus's neck. "You smell nice," She whispered before yawning again and curling an arm around his middle like he was a teddy bear and tossing a leg over his hips. "I don't want to wake up," Raizel grumbled, "I think I was having a nice dream, or no dreams, which is amazing," she paused and let a moment pass, "Did you survive the bath? The bath squid didn't get you?"

[Rhindeer]

"You smell nice."

The whispered words and warm breath tickling his neck, sending a pleasant chill across his skin, didn't exactly jolt him awake since he had been lingering just on the cusp, but it did gently lift him out of it right as he had started to fade. Eyes cracking open, half-awake and not quite ready to be fully awake, Cadmus peered down at the familiar black-and-white head tucked under his chin—and he felt a familiar swell of warmth in his chest. A brief flash of nostalgia. 

With a tired smile, he shut his eyes again.

Gods, he had thought of that night more than he cared to admit, what he should have done, what he shouldn't have done, what could have gone differently or what could have been. He honestly didn't know why he cared so much, and yet...there it was again. Raizel cuddled in and it was like satisfying a craving for something he hadn't even realized he'd wanted, her scent enveloping him. Not a bad one. She hadn't washed yet, true, but beneath the sweat and faint, lingering smell of blood, there was that familiar scent that was just...her.

He would know her anywhere; scent was the most powerful vessel of memory. He'd noticed it when he tracked her. He had just...not wanted to accept it.

Her arm around him, her leg thrown over his hip, he let out a sleepy sigh as he was once more fully wrapped up in her warmth. Shifting a little, he slid his other arm under her so he could embrace her fully and pull her in tighter. "Mm. Sure this isn't the dream?" he murmured, and let out a yawn as he slid a hand up her back to play with her hair at the nape of her neck.

"Or...hm. Maybe it's not a dream. Maybe I didn't survive after all. I didn't know about the squid. But hey, this isn't half bad as far as 'nice things that flash behind your eyes as you get choked out and drown' goes." His arm was starting to go numb, so with a little stretch he rolled onto his back and brought her with him.

This time he wouldn't run, he vowed. No matter how rough things got. 

[Draconian]

Raizel was successfully transported as a lump to rest on top of Cadmus. It was an odd position for her and she just turned her head to face towards the lingering light.

Sure this isn't a dream?

It was a weirdly sobering comment and she just sort of snuggled in more on top of him, knees tucking in against his hips and moving her hands to rest under his shoulders. It wasn't comfortable for sleeping at all, but he was warm and she was content. "I should go fight the squid," She said, playing along with her off hand comment before making a face to herself about how odd that comment sounded. The rest of the day lingered ahead and she breathed in deeply before letting it out so, so slowly. She didn't want to.

Raizel gave one last impulsive squeeze with all her limbs before she sat up, hands on Cadmus's chest. For a moment she lingered, looking down at him and noticing how his hair had dried kind of funny and that he was actually quite handsome. Perhaps even ruggedly with the scars. Quickly after her observation, she removed herself from his lap and slid off the bed, stretching her arms high above her head and arching her back when she was finally standing with a little groan and an accompaniment of bones popping. A glance over her shoulder and she smiled, "You should nap while I bathe, I'll wake you when I'm done."

And off she went. Down the hall. She took a little longer than was necessary, having time until the sun went down and there was just a peak of sunlight from under the door and the water was cooled down. Raizel dressed herself after drying off, taking the time to braid her hair in a coronet of sorts. Dressed in a shirt that went down to mid thigh and collected the rest of her less-than-clean-clothes, refreshed and awake, she made her way out from the bathroom and almost collided with Albert who was hovering in the hallway.

"Here," He said softly, pushing a container wrapped in grey cloth into her hands, "It's food and water, not much but enough for the both of you for a day or two. I know you went out and got supplies. The container should help it last a lot longer than usual, so you can tuck that at the bottom of your bag and replace the contents when you need to." He lifted a three fingered hand and tucked a stray piece of black hair behind her ear before he cupped Raizels cheek, tilting her head down a little so he could press a kiss to her forehead. "The room is yours when you get back, I'm going to bed, lock the door when you leave."

And then he was down the steps, light footed and quick. Raizel smiled a little at his retreating form, taking note how he'd missed having a finger and how his hair sort of glowed in the dark like dying embers, which meant the healing earlier had taken much more out of him than he let on. Raizel held the container in her hands when she returned to the room, placing it into the bottom of her bag and tossing her clothing beside that.

Raizel went about the room in her half dressed state, slowly pulling her clothing on while packing things up. Dusk had set in fully and the room was slowly darkening and that was functioning as a timer of sorts. "Cadmus," Raizel said slowly, fully dressed now except for bare feet, her boots sitting on the floor beside the door. "Ready to go? Make sure you have what you need, we won't be back here for a while."

[Rhindeer]

Raizel left far too soon, off to "fight the squid" (Cadmus had to lift an eyebrow at that; the phrasing was weird as hell), but he supposed they couldn't be lazy forever. Scents only lingered so long; best to go while it was still fresh and get the whole nasty business over with as soon as possible.

It had been nice while it lasted, though, and her heat lingered even after she left. He was too awake to nap again now, but he still rolled over into the warm spot where she'd been laying like a cat curling up in a patch of sunlight. And then, after he'd mentally braced himself for the long night ahead, and after hearing muted voices outside the door, he decided it was probably time. He rose and pulled on one of the shirts she'd brought, smoothing it out and frowning thoughtfully as he examined it.

It was a pretty nice shirt. Be an awful shame if something happened to it, and knowing his luck it was existing on borrowed time, now.

Raizel returned, which explained the voices, and he sort of awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed as she went about picking up and packing. And when she asked if he was ready, he could only smile sheepishly.

"Oh, I have everything," he said, motioning up and down to himself. Wasn't like he needed all the human necessities. He could hunt what he needed, he could curl up in a tree to sleep, and his fur and feathers provided warmth and protection from the elements. His boots were next to hers by the door—all thanks to her and her heroics. 

Hm, wait. Actually... 

"Ah, mostly everything. Fuckers have the rest of my shit, but I'm only really interested in the sword. I left it with them and I wasn't going to make you buy some cheap new thing. It's fine, I'm my own weapon and I plan on getting it back, anyway."

Pushing up off the bed to stand, he scrubbed his hands through his hair, which had indeed dried all wrong and had a flat spot where he'd been laying on it. "I can carry everything, if you don't mind adding my clothes to your pack. Gods know I'll need the extras."

[Draconian]

Interested in the sword. Noted. "I don't mind your things in the pack, it's there for... Things" She shrugged, not really able to think of what wouldn't belong in a backpack.

Raizel nodded again like she was confirming it to herself and placed the backpack on the floor for Cadmus. Frowning gently at her boots before she pulled them on over thick wool socks, tying the ties and makings sure they were perhaps overly secure. She paused and looked around for the metal greaves that were usually part of her ensemble and wrinkled her nose when they weren't where she had initially thought they were. Frowning, Raizel sighed and got down onto her hands and knees.

There. Under the bed.

Must have kicked them in the process of getting everything off when they'd come in the night before. Morning. Whatever.

Raizel reached under the bed and that feeling of deja vu returned. Like she'd been burned she snatched her greaves from under the bed quickly and looked over her shoulder, expecting a ghost, but there was nothing there. Had this happened before? A hesitant frown and she went back to collecting her things, now seated on the floor, attaching the rest of her armor. "We'll get your sword and whatever you feel is yours," Raizel said, making sure all her gear was secure, buckles and belts, ties and knots, "and then we'll end that little section of motherfuckers and move on."

Standing up, Raizel collected her sword and strapped it to her back for travelling purposes before she stretched her limbs slowly, making sure her range of movement was good still and nothing was hindering her. Raizel went through the motions subconsciously, like she'd done it thousands of times before and that was something distinctly mechanical about them. Like it was trained and precise and military. Finally when she finished making sure she hadn't tied anything too tight or stretched anything at a funny angle she smiled at Cadmus.

"I'll try to make sure your shirts survive, I even made sure they weren't itchy just for you - I'd hate for my effort to be wasted." Raizel made a point to stick her tongue out at Cadmus before she rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath, "Is the sword sentimental? Or just very well made?" She asked softly, looking at him and reaching back to touch the handle of her own sword, which - while not terribly sentimental- had been the thing she'd owned the longest and had the most difficulty parting with, having found it and most of her armor on a recently deceased corpse not far from where she woke up by the river.

That was unnecessary information for him though. A bit morbid too.

[Rhindeer]

Backpack open on the floor, Cadmus knelt and started rolling up his shirts to make them as compact as possible before shoving them in the pack. Which was also about the time that Raizel joined him on the floor to fish around under the bed for something. On hands and knees.

Yes. He looked. Though to be very fair at first it was simple curiosity as to what she could be be searching for before his eyes traveled and, well. What could he say. He was a man and he appreciated a nice ass, and he appreciated said ass all the more when it happened to be attached to someone he was fond of.

Catching himself staring, Cadmus shifted his eyes back to the backpack even though he was finished with it. He fussed with the straps and buckles and made sure everything was secure (even though the fussing wasn't necessary at all, but it was just to give his hands something to do) while Raizel came back out with her greaves and finished up the rest of her ensemble.

The look suited her, and he couldn't help but imagine the two of them looked rather funny side by side: her looking tall, regal, and graceful in her gear, him in plainclothes. He could have been her squire.

With a little snort to himself at the thought, he stood and slung the backpack on. "I appreciate you. I noted they were cotton, not wool, so thank you for taking my sanity into consideration." Otherwise he might just claw his own skin off, as he had nearly done the last time he'd worn a scratchy woolen thing.

"As for the sword, well, I suppose it's a little of both. It's well-made for sure, but..." He gave an uncomfortable shrug, "it belonged to a friend."

Not wanting to linger on that whole mess, he quickly nodded at her own blade. "What about you? I've never seen one like that. It's...pretty."

[Draconian]

Despite her missing memory, Raizel's intuition remained intact and she watched Cadmus in his awkward uncomfortable shrug and tilted her head in surprise. Had he been uncomfortable yet? Hesitant? Raizel tried to recall if he'd ever displayed that specific amount of tense and unhappiness and even when apologetic for almost killing her he'd never been uncomfortable. Naked. Stabbed. Unhappy and perhaps a little angry but not uncomfortable.

How interesting.

Raizel took the cue to change the subject, though she gave his eyes a lingering look. She'd have to ask later. After they acquiring the blade. Raizel unbuckled her sheath from her back, drawing it from over her shoulder was horribly impractical, she  drew the blade out to get a better look at it. "I suppose it is," Raizel said, squeezing the hilt in a now gloved hand, "it is well made, I imagine. It hasn't tarnished, the blade doesn't dull, I have merchants eye it up and offer me money for it."

She snapped the blade back into its home and put the sword back over her shoulder - much easier walking with that instead of it bouncing on her hip. "I don't know where it's from really, but I feel like I should know, so I havent sold it yet." Raizel shrugged a little and glanced off to the side, "maybe someday when something better comes along."

Raizel reached over and gave Cadmus's arm a squeeze in an attempt to comfort him. "We'll take out some trash, find your sword and then out and off into the night we go." A glance over her shoulder and instead of going to the door, she went to the window and opened it up. Raizel made a noise that sounded like a breathy gasp-whistle and a raven flew to the windowsill, eyeing Cadmus inside the room before it hopped onto Raizels arm and pressed its head to Raizel's hand for head scratches.

"Hi Aki." She said simply before stretching her arm out which had Aki flying away as quickly as he'd gotten there. "Okay, let's go," the door was open and she looked at Cadmus for a moment, eyes lingering on his lips with a thoughtful look on her face before she quietly brushed past him to go to the dark downstairs. Barely past dusk and the soft snoring from Albert could be heard. Raizel always mourned leaving the home-y feel Albert's place had, maybe it was the fresh bread smell or that lingering warmth.

Raizel collected a cloak that had been folded down in front of the door and let it unfurl in front of her. How nice of Albert to let Cadmus have a wraith costume. Raizel opened the door quietly before stepping out, holding the cloak open for Cadmus to step into once he got outside. Then all they had to do was lock up and track.

Easy-peasy.

[Rhindeer]

"I can't imagine you'd find anything better than that," Cadmus said with an arched eyebrow. The sword was a work of art in its own right, but a blade that practically maintained itself on top of it all? His own sword was just a sword, well-made but not irreplaceable if it weren't so sentimental. "I wouldn't ever sell it if I were you."

He didn't realize how tense he was until Raizel touched his arm. Letting out a breath through his nose, he forced his muscles to unclench and flashed her a weak smile. Right. Yeah. Take out the trash. Fuck. Get it together, Cadmus. He'd wanted this for ages but had never had the guts, had gotten too complacent and accepted it was just his life. But the talk of his friend made his stomach twist and he knew...

Eventually the truth would come out.

It didn't matter, though. As foolish as it maybe was, Raizel had given him a reason to be foolish. To be better. He didn't know why he cared so much. Maybe he'd just always needed a push, an excuse. Maybe he really was just done and he hadn't even noticed it building up inside, like a slow acceptance rather than a sudden snap.

He was done.

Why did she make him want to be better?

Cadmus recognized the raven though he'd met him only once, and he couldn't help but wonder if the raven could tell what he was when he looked at him. Hmm. It was a question for another day; contrary to popular belief, he didn't speak Birdish.  He wanted to ask what Aki was to Raizel—pet, too, friend, all of the above?—but then they were off, and Raizel was holding out a cloak for him.

...Not a bad idea. He had a horrible tendency to underestimate how cold he got in human skin.

He slipped into it with her help and adjusted it around his shoulders as he took a deep breath of clear night air. It was a cloudless night, which was both good and bad for them; it would light their way, but it would also light them up for everyone else, too. They'd have to be extra careful, but he was certain she knew that.

 "Let's start at the brewery," he told her as he waited for her to lock up. "Their stench should still be fresh, and then...well, then I can track it from there." Huh. Had he ever explained that to her?

He tugged the cloak tighter around himself, glancing sidelong at her. "That's, ah...that's how I found you, you know. I picked your scent up from one of your kills. Tracked you from there." He paused, letting out a slow sigh, and decided he may as well come clean.

"I knew it was you long before I ever saw you, Raizel," he admitted quietly. "Intuitively, I knew. But I didn't want to believe it. I mean, what are the chances? I guess I had to see for myself. The moment I knew, I just...I knew I had to reach you before they did." He flicked a glance toward her healing ankle, wincing. They'd beat him there, of course. "I'm sorry I didn't."