Just a Little Nibble

[Draconian]

"Sure," the thief chirrped.

Sapphire snarled, hands ready to rend flesh from bone. It would frighten his though so he kept steady. Was careful. the blood dripped from his arm and he lifted his other hand, flexing his fingers.

It was a quick movement - he was impressed with himself - and all that was left behind was a soft gurgle, throat slashed. Panic. Fear. Sapphire just snarled again, his blood mingling with the mans on the ground. "I will do the same to all of you, any shinies we might have cant be worth your lives," well, shinies His hand. He had no shinies.

[DragonSong]

A scream caught in Lyra's throat and she stared, wide-eyed, as the theof's body fell to the ground.

The others hesitated, seeming to consider their options. Finally, one grunted, "Yoi better watch your backs. This ain't over." They vanished, slipping back down the alley.

Lyra's legs were a little shakily as she stumbled forward a step. "Sa-Sapphire?" She swallowed thickly, face pale. "Are you...you're hurt."

She was determinedly not looking at the body on the ground.

[Draconian]

Sapphire ignored her.

Instead he grabbed her hand with his not bleeding one and dragged the girl away, angry, frowning. Chest tight with worry. Ready to spring and pounce. His steps were quiet and his ear flicked a little at unfamiliar sounds.

"It's fine," He lied, voice gravelly. A brief look to Lyra and he pulled her close, curling an arm around her back and holding her to his chest. Her scent was sweet with fear and he nuzzled down into her hair, eyes closed. He almost couldn't protect His. "We just... Need to get you to safety. It's fine. I'll be fine." Sort of.

Blood dripped to the ground audibly while he held her, in the other.

[DragonSong]

Lyra stiffened, a little surprised, then hesitantly wrapped her arms around him, hiding her face against his chest for a moment.

"You're hurt," she repeated quietly once she'd managed to control her breathing somewhat. "Come on, let me see." She tried to take his hand, despite the fact that hers were still shaking.

[Draconian]

Her scent calmed him. Of course rage still boiled in his guts but... calm. His eyes fell closed and he took a few more deep breaths to calm himself. "Fine," he said curtly, holding out his gashed arm to be examined.  A little frown at her and he winced slightly at the movement. The cut was deep and blood flowed freely.

"Will looking at it help?" He asked, curious, perhaps she had powers he didn't quite understand.

[DragonSong]

"Not exactly, but it will help me see how bad this is- God." She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Come on, we need to get you to a healer."

Taking his hand was surprisingly natural, and she tugged him gently back toward the light and bustle of the more trafficked streets. "Here, I should bind it with something," she was babbling quietly. "What do I have...handkerchief!" She suddenly paused, digging through the small purse she'd brought along and coming up with a delicate, embroidered little piece of cloth.

"Alright, hold still. I'm not practiced healer, but I can at least do something until we can get you some real care," she murmured, wrapping the fabric around the cut. Her movements were swift and businesslike, but her touch was surprisingly gentle, fingertips brushing lightly against his skin.

She glanced up at his face. "...Thank you," she murmured. "You...might have saved my life, back there."

[Draconian]

Sapphire let a purr rumble through his chest, licking his lips and letting his eyes fall closed at the attention. Maybe, if it got her to touch him, he should get hurt more often. Sapphire smiled at her thanks, ears perking up, fangs showing.

"I would do anything for you," he said earnestly, touching the cloth that his blood quickly soaked through, "you're mine," he nodded. Then again, he might have also been the reason for the danger she was in.

"Bring me to this healer, it stings," he instructed, indicating his arm.

[DragonSong]

Lyra quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not yours," she told him easily, releasing his injured arm so she could take his hand again.

"Come on, this way...I think..." She didn't know this city, but there had to be someone she could talk to, right? Someone to point them in the right direction- ha!

"Sir?" She waved for a guard's attention, the man lounging against a wall as they came out of the alley into the open air markets. If he wasn't off duty, he certainly looked it. She gritted her teeth internally. Sloppy.

"Sir, excuse me." She pulled Sapphire behind her as she approached. "We need to report an attempted robbery, and if you could point us toward a healer...?"

The guard looked down his nose at her, then flicked his eyes to her companion. "Attempted robbery?" He jerked his chin at Sapphire. "Big beast here scare 'em off?"

[Draconian]

Rejection.

Sapphire looked a little heartbroken at her dismissal of his claim but he gave a disappointed little noise before letting himself follow her. The pain radiated from his arm but it wasn't the worst pain ever. Licking his sharp teeth he looked to the guard and wasn't impressed. Where were his claws? Where were his teeth?

How as he supposed to protect anything when all of his bits were so dull?

"Yes," Sapphire hissed, pupils contracting into angry little slits, "Big Beast did scare them off," His voice grew hissy and lispy with his anger and he squared his shoulders and tried to look bigger than the guard - which wasn't difficult, Sapphire was a huge man-beast-thing.

The guard gave Sapphire an unimpressed look and then pointed down the way, above a door was a sigh with a little pot and plants. An apothecary. Sapphire frowned at the man and with his good arm he shuffled Lyra off.

"You are mine," Sapphire stated again, giving her a challenging look, "You will accept this one day. Until then," He held out his arm at her again, the cloth she'd placed on him growing more damp with blood, "Fix it. It's beginning to hurt again and I don't enjoy pain like some others do."

[DragonSong]

When the posturing began Lyra reached out to lay a hand on Sapphire's good arm gently, trying to soothe him some. She gave the guard a quick nod and bustled her companion toward the apothecary shop.

Her brow furrowed at his newest declaration and she gave him a stern look. "Sapphire, you don't get to claim someone like that. I'm a person, I don't belong to anyone."

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she opened the door and pushed him through. "But I will help you. Not because you're telling me to, but because I don't want to see you in pain. Do you understand that?"

[Draconian]

Sapphire let himself be pushed into the building - because Lyra was doing it and only because of that. His footsteps were careful and he kept his tail out of the way, curling it in front of him ever so slightly so he took up less room. For now, he would ignore Lyra's claim that she wasn't his. She was.

One day she'd accept that. "I understand," That's what she'd want to hear.

Hopefully one day soon, he supposed, on some level, that if she wasn't going to be his mate he might as well take care of her forever. A guardian of sorts. He was good at that - or at least he had been. Sapphire licked his lips and looked around the room, making sure to be between whatever was between it and His. Sapphire looked around, "Why are we here?" He looked to Lyra, confused, "How is this place going to fix my arm?" He looked at it, frowning when he moved it and it stung.

[DragonSong]

"The place isn't. The person who runs it is," Lyra replied.

As if summoned, a rather skinny, wizened older man suddenly appeared through a door that must lead into some sort of back room.

"What's all this then?" he grumbled, looking Sapphire over with an air of slight befuddlement.

Lyra turned to him. "Please, my friend is hurt. Some men tried to rob us, and he got hurt fending them off." She stepped to the side slightly and murmured, "Show him your arm. He'll help."

[Draconian]

Annoyed Sapphire flung out his arm.

The blood, still not quite clotted, dripped in an arc and he may have gotten the old man. Still, a slight frown and he glared. Lips open slightly to show off his sharp teeth.

"Fix it," he hissed, frowning. It hurt and he was quite done with pain now.

[DragonSong]

The man blinked and took a step back, frowning at the wound.

Lyra hissed in a breath and laid her hand on the small of Sapphire's back. "Gently," she urged quietly. "I know it hurts, but you have to be patient. This man will help you, just...be kind."

The healer huffed and muttered something to himself, then instructed, "Have a seat." He gestured to a small cot tucked into the corner. "I need to collect some poultice and bandages, please wait just a moment." He glanced to Lyra. "Ah...do you-"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I have coin, I promise you. Please, just help my friend."

He nodded and bustled away and Lyra looked up at her companion. "You should sit, really."

[Draconian]

Sapphire scrunched his nose.

It smelled in here.

Like gross old man.

At Lyra's insistance, Sapphire wobbled over to the cot and sat down awkwardly, tail off to the side. He made sure to grab Lyra's wrist and drag her along with him, catching some part of clothing and bringing it to his face. He couldn't stand the scent here.

"I am kind," he finally growled out, inching close to her to press his forehead to her. Maybe he could illicit more touches if he played up how hurt he was. "Lyra," he said simply, looking ip to her with large golden woeful eyes, "can't you fix it?"

[DragonSong]

"Oh-" She froze in his grip, blinking down at him. Then, with a sigh, she relaxed slightly and let her hand rest on the top of his head, his face pressed into her bodice as he seemed to be scenting her skirts.

The poor thing just looked like a kicked puppy, and she didn't have the heart to scold him for his impropriety.

"Sapphire, I'm sorry," she murmured. "I don't have any medicinal skills, I can't make it better, sweet." She hardly noticed the term of endearment, speaking as she would to soothe a child. She stroked his hair, then her fingers trailed absently to the backs of his ears, giving gentle little rubs as she might have with a dog or cat.

"Here we are!" The healer returned, paused a moment when he saw their suddenly rather intimate embrace, then mumbled something about young lovers and got to work. Lyra didn't bother to correct him. "Show me your arm, lad. I'm afraid this may sting a little."

Lyra kept one hand in Sapphire's hair, stroking his scalp and ears, and offered the other to him. "Just squeeze my hand if it hurts, okay?"

[Draconian]

Sweet?

Sapphire glanced up at her for a moment, looking curious. Then at his arm, again, looking curious. How did she know he was sweet? Did she taste him while he wasn't paying attention? He would have noticed her tongue on his wound. He flexed his fingers and looked at the puffy angry flesh. Brain going to the image of her lapping at his wound and he tucked his face closer to her bodice. Those would be, by her standards, inappropriate thoughts.

The touch to his ear earned her a quick flick of them though with his eyes closed and pressed against her, the ear flicking stopped and he just purred, no doubt vibrating his mouth against her stomach. He'd missed what the healer had said, turning to glare at him for a moment when he'd called him lad - Who was Lad? and then he held out his arm like he'd been told to.

A soft growl and he ignored Lyra's hand, curled his good arm around her and held her to his face, covering it with... Well, whatever he could press his face into of hers, waiting for the healer to do his healing business. Nose crinkling at the idea of being stitched up or bandaged. "Tell me when it's over," He grumbled into her clothing, eyes closed, breathing steady, arm at an obviously awkward angle so he would be able to be as far away as possible from the healer man.

[DragonSong]

Lyra winced, digging her fingers further into his hair. Was he...purring? Yeah, definitely purring.

She sighed and curled over him a bit, continuing to stroke his back and pet his ears and hair. "It's okay, Sapphire, it'll be quick, I promise," she murmured softly, glancing at the healer sidelong,

The old man was speeding some sort of antiseptic paste on the wound, then he pulled out a needle and thread. Lyra tried not to wince again, and without thinking she laid her hand against Sapphire's cheek to tilt his head toward her with a smile.

"You're okay. Just keep looking at me, alright?"

The healer plunged the needle into Sapphire's flesh, stitching the wound closed quickly. "I just need to bandage it," he muttered. "Change the bandaging regularly so it doesn't get infected while it's healing, okay?" he added to Lyra.

[Draconian]

Sapphire decided that he quite liked the headpets.

Pondered on other ways to get himself hurt so that she'd keep touching his head and ears. His eyes were closed for the most part, teeth clenching at the feel of the paste. Hating how it stung, even a little bit. His ears were pinned back in his discomfort, but aside from the teeth clenching and the purring he didn't really move. His eyes flicked to Lyra when she moved his head and he let his face relax, eyes opening and looking up at her.

A little nod and every time the needle went into his flesh he winced, but keep eye contact.

She had really pretty eyes.

This human was clumsy though, Sapphire decided, looking over shoulder to the healer-man and then back at Lyra. "It will heal fine," Sapphire said briskly - not that he knew. He would lick it though... Or try to. Maybe Lyra would lick it...? He purred at the idea of having her tongue on him anywhere. A true bonding moment. He took a deep breath, eyes closed slightly before he nuzzled against her, curling his arm around her middle and leaning back finally.

"Are we done? Am I healed?"

[DragonSong]

"You're doing so well," Lyra murmured softly, stroking a thumb over Sapphire's cheek with a smile. Yes, it felt like she was comforting a child, but that was the easiest way for her to deal with this at the moment.

Poor thing didn't seem like he really knew how to get by around humans.

As the healer finished bandaging him up, Lyra passed him a few silver pieces with a nod of thanks. "Yes, sweetling, we're done," she told Sapphire absently. "You still have to be careful with that arm though, let me change the bandages every so often, but we can leave."

She tried to take a step back and realized his arm was still wrapped around her. "Um, Sapphire? You've gotta let me go now, alright?"