Such Simple Little Things [m]

[Draconian]

The walk was leasurely and Sharlee hummed a tune to herself while they walked, Doeshe bumbling behind her. A few times she paused to look at marks on the trees and rushed back to the path. It was a few hours before she finally stopped again, giving a stretch.

Sharlee went about unpacking the bedroll and various cooking things before she dug into the bags on Doeshe, removing those for his nighttime comfort.

"How's the book?" She finally dared to ask, glancing briefly before she took out various food things. It wouldn't be a feast but at least it would be a tasty dinner.

[Zero]

The second half of their day was no less perplexing for the silent angel as he shuffled along behind Sharlee and Doeshe, remaining mostly silent and actively trying to remain unnoticed.

Gregori didn't feel normal human reactions of modesty or embarrassment, but he was aware enough to know that the things he'd been discussing with his companion weren't things one would normally speak of openly. So he was attempting to reign in his curiosity despite Sharlee's insistence that he could 'ask her anything' as she had put it.

When they stopped he found a tree to lean comfortably against as he continued reading. After all, the last time he had offered to aide in something regarding camp he'd been rebuffed. The angel figured that his offer would once again be refused.

And he was almost done the book.

The self-pleasuring section had been truly...eye-opening. The female main character of the book had been impregnated by her male companion. Who was called her lover. Lovers...an interesting word.

"It has been an...enlightening experience. Even if the story is not true, I believe I have learned a little more about this...romantic love. I still don't really grasp it, but I think I know a little more." It seemed to him that even humans didn't fully grasp romantic love until they had experienced it for themselves. "Aside from the analytical...it was enjoyable. If I had not been examining it so closely I would probably have found it more entertaining."

[Draconian]

"That's okay," Sharlee started after unpacking everything for camp. Leaving Doeshe to roll around on the ground, finally free of his back-packy confines.

"I don't understand romantic love, either," A small smile and she dragged her backpack over to Gregori, pleased that he'd enjoyed the book - even if it confused him and made him ask questions. "There are more books if you want to poke through the bag while I start dinner?" Another little smile and she got up and shuffled through the bags again, a brief look over her shoulder before she grinned widely.

"Most of them are romance novels," A gentle blush and she looked away, clearing her throat, " One is the history of Serendipity."

[Zero]

"You would understand it better than me." Gregori mused as he closed the book, story finished. It really had been interesting. He wondered if it truly was an indication of how humans lived and loved. While he told himself that he held no personal interest in human life, and especially love, something in him thought that it must be nice.

After all, humans seemed to think their lives were worth living. What made his life worth anything at all? He had done nothing but pine for a life he couldn't remember from the moment he awoke.

What would it have been like to have been raised a human? Would he have had a family to love and to love him? The angel couldn't even wrap his mind around the idea of parents or siblings. He had nothing resembling those things in his memory and so struggled to truly picture a family structure or the feelings that might be encompassed by such a thing.

Sharlee smiled at him and brought her backpack over to him. She smiled a lot. In some ways it made him feel strange, especially when she both smiled and blushed, which she seemed to do often. The priestess had rarely blushed, though she had smiled. Did Sharlee blush so much because of him or because of the books?

"I would enjoy picking another book, but is there nothing I can do to help with dinner? I feel strange at the idea of sitting and reading while you do everything." He really did. He almost felt like he was being served, or perhaps taken care of, and it made him think of himself as burdensome.

[Draconian]

A smile on her face, Sharlee tilted her head and looked him up and down. A brief look down at the bag and then back at Gregori. "Uh... No? It's fine." Sharlee looked to the bag and then back at him before she smiled and started to remove things. A water skin and various bits of dried food.

"Think of this as payment," Sharlee grinned at him, looking at him brightly, "since... You're here helping me." A look around and she looked thoughtful for a moment, "There's a stream nearby, you could probably bathe while I make dinner?" A tilt of her head and she looked away before sighing heavily.

"I'm just trying to be nice. For what you did for me." A look down while she started a fire and moved the pot and poured the water in, "If you want to help I suppose you can watch the water boil with me," It was a tease and Sharlee was maybe waiting for him to take it literally.

[Zero]

Funny, Gregori thought he was simply here. Tagging along. So far he seemed to have done very little to actually help. Sharlee seemed intent on making and breaking camp without his interference, despite his offers to aid her.

"I told you that I didn't need repaid for what I did," the angel sighed heavily in return, "Being nice is not a bad thing, but I don't want to take advantage of your hospitality. I have become accustomed to helping in exchange for benefits of food and shelter. I feel as if I'm benefiting without giving anything back."

Help her watch the water boil? Gregori actually looked a little grumpy at that idea. Of course that would be a pointless thing to do. Honestly, watching water boil? At least he seemed to take the hint - Sharlee just didn't need him to do anything.

"Fine, fine. Have it your way." He rummaged through his pack, pulling out a bar of soap, and surprisingly, clean clothes. Well...cleaner clothes. "If there's nothing else for me to do I might as well bathe. And shave, my face is beginning to get itchy."

Indeed, he had a few days growth on his face, giving him a slightly gruff edge. Not to mention he'd not bathed the day before, and that just made him itch all over. Humans liked to be clean, and they preferred it when the humans around them were clean too. The priestess had taught him that, and he'd learned for himself the clean just felt better in general.

So within a few minutes he found himself naked in a cold stream, gently scrubbing dried blood and dirt from himself.

[Draconian]

It was a victorious smile.

Sharlee grinned to herself when Gregori finally went and bathed - she'd have to have one after dinner. Sure it'd be dark out then but being by the fire would warm her up just fine, right? Right. It didn't take long for the water to boil and she let it get a little hotter before she started to add ingredients. A little pre-made stew with all the herbs and spices she'd need. It'd be meaty but for forest food, delicious.

Doeshe was content to curl up under a tree, having wandered off and caught himself his own dinner.

The smell of it was making her mouth water and she looked to where Gregori had gone briefly.

It was a bad idea to let him read that book.

It only served to remind her that she read those books and she pressed a hand to herself, groaned quietly and felt her face go red. Terrible idea. Strange curious Human but Not Human man. A few more minutes with the stew and Sharlee stood up, wandering towards the stream and hid behind a tree just in case Gregori was as naked as she figured he'd be while taking a bath.

"Dinner's almost ready, just... So you know." There was a pause, "Is it very cold? I need to bathe, too."

[Zero]

Being able to feel had served almost exclusively as a downside to Gregori. He disliked the cold, but he disliked the heat as well. It had been much worse months and months ago when the sensations had been completely new. Eventually he might even completely assimilate to human existence, if he remained human that long.

Gods above, but he hoped not.

Cold water was basically where his mind was idling lazily as he bathed. One would think that the angel might hurry so he could get out of the cold water, but he took his time. Being dirty was worse than being cold for a little while.

After he felt scrubbed clean he began trying to at least give his dirty clothes a mild cleaning. Hopefully it would not rain during the night so that they could dry by morning. It was while he was working on laundry that he heard the light footsteps of Sharlee approaching, though she stopped some way away to call out to him.

His black hair was wet and plastered lightly across his face and neck as he turned in her direction and tilted his head. That he was naked didn't seem to bother him, but he assumed that Sharlee was not going to be looking. Even so, he left the water, laid out his freshly "washed" clothes and pulled on his clean pants. He threw the clean shirt over one shoulder but did not put it on.

The angel wing markings on his back would be clearly visible, as would the brands around his wrists and throat. If she happened to look. "Yes. It is cold. I am not quite finished, but you may come down and check the water for yourself if you want. I am "decent" as I've heard it called."

Gregori got out his knife and knelt next to the water, using the reflective surface as a mirror as he began shaving himself with the sharp blade.

[Draconian]

Sharlee rounded the tree and stopped dead when she saw him.

A topless man wasn't what made her stare.

It was the tattoos.

Lavender eyes widened at the sight of them and when he turned away to shave she stared openly at his back. Almost like she was in a trance she reached out and placed her hand on his back, along the strange tattoos. Her finger trailed along one of the feathers close to his spine and she just stared.

"They're beautiful," though quickly enough she removed her hand from his back, "Um. Sorry." Looking away she went up stream and put her hands in it, giving a shiver. Yup. It was cold. But she wasn't exactly the most pleasant smelling, so bathing was the least she could do. "It's freezing, how did you manage?" she looked over at him and smiled, curious.

[Zero]

Gregori was completely unaware of the effect he'd had on Sharlee until he felt her hand make contact with his back.The knife froze, poised against his skin as his eyes closed, body tensing slightly. Her fingers were warm and soft as they moved along the image on his back. It made him shiver just a little.

His eyes flickered open when her fingers left and he tilted his head just a little so that he could watch her out of the corner of his eye. Beautiful she had called those markings. Gregori could almost have laughed at that. If she thought those were beautiful...well she had gotten to see his real wings, even if for just a moment.

It was really impossible to discern an emotion from simply looking at his face, because that was frozen as it regarded her subtly as she apologized and walked away. Gregori finally managed to begin shaving again. It would only take him a few moments, really.

"I like to be clean. Cold water seemed better than being covered in filth. I have heard that there are such things as warm baths done in a tub, I think there was a rather...interesting moment in that book regarding such a bath, but I have never had one." The angel hadn't really stopped traveling since awakening and always had bathed in a stream, river, or lake thusfar.

[Draconian]

Sharlee blushed hotly at the mention of the bathtub in the book and she quickly turned away, head still down. Yeah, that part with the tub. Chewing on her lip she tried to smile, "We should be hitting a town sometime tomorrow," A gentle nod and she looked over at him again, fingers still trailing through the cold water before she wiped her hands on her pants and stood up. It was cold, but Sharlee also liked to be clean so she'd suffer the chilling water for at least a little bit.

"We'll make sure you get a hot bath and a warm meal," A bright grin and she started to make her way back to camp but not before she gave his strange tattoos another eyefull. Like a trance she stared at them, wanting to trace her fingers over them again. Ask him questions he probably didn't know the answer to.

"Maybe some more wine." A tilt of her head, "Have you ever slept in a bed before?"

[Zero]

A town. Gregori tried not to think about how many people would be in a town. It was one thing to travel with the priestess, and now Sharlee, but those were a single person. Being around many humans at once was exhausting and difficult. Every time he had been in a town, always with the priestess before as he'd avoided them when on his own, the people had always ended up giving him funny looks and whispering about him when they thought he couldn't hear.

Well warm meals at least he had experienced. The priestess had always gotten him something simple from the kitchens when they went into town, but not the hot bath. They had bathed in nature, mostly because baths cost money in town.

"I have slept on piles of straw in barns before, and a cot twice. I do not know if those count, but I've never slept on one of those beds with a wood or metal frame with a mattress, no." Beds cost money in town too.

The knife scraped over his face one last time before he put it away and pulled on his boots before gathering up his wet clothing and turned back towards camp. "You don't have to spend money on me in town. I am fine bathing in cold water and sleeping on the ground or in a barn somewhere."

Gregori figured that as long as he didn't take a hot bath or sleep in a real bed he wouldn't have to know what he was missing. Maybe that could also be said of his reluctance to try anything overly enjoyable or pleasurable. Once he was allowed to go home...well he would never do any of those things to start with so he would never have to miss them.

[Draconian]

Sharlee knew that he wasn't used to 'being human'.

That 'being human' was some strange occurrence to him that he'd probably rather not repeat. Still, never taking a hot bath or sleeping on a bed? Sharlee just stared at him, violet eyes wide and then her face fell and she stared down at the ground. Still, she tried to smile all the same and watched as he tugged on his boots and she was a little saddened by the fact he'd put a shirt back on.

For the tattoos.

No really.

They were neat.

Mostly because of the tattoos.

Sharlee stared at him for a few moments before she brought a hand up and tapped at her lower lip, shifting her weight from foot to foot before she smiled at him. "Of course I don't have to. Just like you didn't have to save me and Doeshe." Sure it was a bad comparison, they were very different situations, but Sharlee moved closer, tucking her hands behind her back, "I want to. A warm bath, a warm bed and a hot meal may make you more..." She looked him up and down before she started to turn so she could return to camp, the smell of the stew drifting from it.

It would be done soon and while it wouldn't be as delicious as fresh stew, it would still be Not Awful.

"Anyway. When we get to town. you can read by candle light in a bed and be all warm and cuddly." A smirk, "Have you ever even slept without your boots on?"

[Zero]

"I slept without boots when I was on the cots." Those were the few times he'd slept in an actual house. It would have been strange to sleep with his boots on. At least that is what he was told at the time.

"Make me more what?" A confused frown tugged at Gregori's lips as he ran his fingers through his drenched hair, not doing a great deal to really tame it. "What do you mean warm and cuddly?"

Warm he understood. To cuddle was some form of physical affection, but what did cuddly mean? Was cuddly a state of being? She made all that sound so...comfortable. What if he enjoyed the hot bath and the warm, soft bed? Would it make it harder to spend so much time sleeping on the ground? Unlike Sharlee he didn't even have a bedroll that he carried with him.

[Draconian]

"Warm and cuddly!" Sharlee repeated, staring at him before she removed a bowl and a spoon from her bag. "Wrapped up in sheets. Cuddly is... I guess being curled up on yourself?" Sharlee finished lamely before giving Gregori a helpless look, "cuddling with just one person?" She served a bowl of the stew and held it and the spoon to her guest. Intent that if he wasn't going to accept payment she's spoil him to the best of her ability.

Which was apparently in warm food and the promise of a warm bed.

"You have to experience cuddly to really get it," Sharlee waved a hand and sat back down, "tomorrow night. You'll learn tomorrow night."

[Zero]

Gregori thought that cuddling was something done by more than one person, but apparently it could be done alone. Was it showing affection to yourself when done alone then? He shook his head, still not at all convinced that he even wanted to know.

He accepted the bowl of stew and settled down near the fire, still looking pensive and thoughtful.

"If you say so." Love was one of those things that had to be experienced to be understood, so why not cuddling? "I guess I have a lot of things I'd need to experience if I ever wanted to be a real human."

Putting aside any thoughts of ever being even more human than he was already forced to be, Gregori took a spoonful of his dinner and hummed softly. Much better than dried meat. "This is good."

[Draconian]

Sharlee grinned at him.

"Exactly. A lot of catching up to do!" Looking thoughtful she but her lip and studied him for a momet, "like experiencing lemons." A look down at her wrists and she flexed her fingers before she pulled the pot from the fire, placing it on the rocks before her and finding another spoon. "I suppose we're lucky we found one another. I get to help you experience humanity and..." Sharlee went quiet and took a mouthful of food.

She ate quietly, like all she wanted to do was be done with it.

Though quickly enough she got up with the intent to bathe. "I'm going to quickly wash what I can before it gets too dark." A strained little smile and she gathered a few things and disappeared down the way. Soon enough she was naked and kneeling in the water, a little shivering mess. Though a shadow across the river caught her notice and she stared at it long an hard.

Were you supposed to yell for help when there was a bear?

Sharlee swallowed, standing up slowly, arms out. "Gregori," She started slowly, the bear staring at her curiously. "Gregori!" While frantic it was just a slightly higher toned speaking voice, not wanting to spook the bear. Should have brought Doeshe. Doeshe would have eaten the bear. As it was, the dragon was asleep, drooling on the ground beside the fire.

[Zero]

...And she had been saved from a very nightmarish ordeal.

Gregori kept his eyes focused on his bowl as he at, a familiar thoughtful frown on his lips between spoonfuls of stew. Would he consider it lucky for him that he found Sharlee? Certainly it would seem lucky for her. After all, she had been in quite the mess when he happened along.

He supposed she was nice, and generous. The priestess had been the same, in some ways, but he thought she was more bitter and cynical overall. Sharlee was just so innocent.

Maybe the human company was good for him.

He didn't notice the quiet way his companion hurried to finish her food. The angel was certainly not very good at telling when someone else was upset or troubled. A nod was given when she said she was going to wash. That was expected and not at all unusual to him. Plus he was still eating, slowly and savoring it. Or maybe he was just pensive. His expression spoke of a man with a lot on his mind.

The first mention of his name didn't really grab his attention, but the second time Sharlee called to him, Gregori whipped his head in the direction of the creek. He hadn't sense any evil intent, but there was no mistaking the panic in her voice.

Empty bowl was set aside and hastily he stood and made a crouched dash toward the stream, being as stealthy as he could. The thought that Sharlee was probably naked didn't cross his mind until he actually saw her standing naked in the water. He'd never had the opportunity to actually study a naked woman before, but simply let his eyes slid past her to the animal that was the cause of her fear.

The angel didn't want to hurt the bear, the animal didn't hold any malice, of course, it was simply an animal and would do what a bear would do. Which could potentially be harmful to either of them.

"Sharlee, don't move, I'm coming." He whispered softly as he crept very slowly towards her, trying not to make any sudden movements that would cause the bear to decide to attack.

[Draconian]

Relief flooded through her when she heard Gregori's voice and she let out a little whimper. A slow nod. The bear gave a curious sniff to the pair before he went about his business and shoved his mouth in the water. Sharlee slowly backed up, hair plastered to her skin, shivering. Her eyes never left the bear except for a  few seconds to glance at Gregori, arms still out.

Her breath was coming quickly bad she took more steps back, hand grabbing at Gregori's arm. "Let's leave," a brief glance to her things by the river, her clothing pile, not that she cared.

Sharlee's hand held tightly around his wrist, a white knuckle grip. The bear drank the water, gave them another curious look before huffing and going on his way. Sharlee stared at Gregori, momentarily forgetting her naked shivering state. "I don't know how to handle bears," she said lamely.

[Zero]

Other than the worry of potentially being attacked, Gregori was rather delighted at getting to see a bear at this distance.

Sharlee grabbing onto him and asking to leave snapped the angel out of his semi-awed state. Blue eyes blinked down at her, but he didn't make a move until the bear had decided to amble off on its own. Thankfully he hadn't had to even do anything. Except keep calm.

"Usually staying quiet and not moving too much helps, but if I had to I could have scared him away with some fire without hurting him." He was still peering down at her curiously, at least until he realized that he was.

Clearing his throat he turned his head away. "Now that the bear is gone did you want to finish bathing? If you want I can stay close, but with my back turned so that I don't see more than I should." Little late for that, but he didn't want to embarrass her more than she probably already would be.