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Into You [Lion]

Started by Cheesigator, April 06, 2017, 11:32:06 PM

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Cheesigator

"Dammit!"

Azalea hissed as she looked at the scrape she'd just freshly earned, carving up the underside of her thigh up onto her left ass cheek. She'd been exploring a dry, rocky ravine, lost her footing and cut herself up good on her way down the steep rock face.

Gods, dammit! She would be entering her first season soon, anytime now, and the last thing she wanted was to present herself with a nasty gash on her thigh! Not to mention if it started to scab, or worse, got infected! She was horrified at the mere thought, showing herself to a male as a full adult for the first time looking like some roughed up, ragtag heathen.

She climbed her way back out of the ravine, deciding that she should probably head back for now, having scouted and explored enough. She wanted to get this fixed, immediately, also because it hurt. A lot. She was never meant for pain, or fighting. She couldn't stand this at all, but there was one thing, or rather, one person, she couldn't stand even less.

Slate.

That... That incorrigible, snarky, smart-mouthed, assholish, egotistical, prideful, JERK of a healer.

Just thinking of him was enough to make her hesitate as she got back up onto the sands, squinting as she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, a breeze blowing her hair and clothing back as she looked in the direction of and found her tribe's current camp.

She bit and worried her lip; if it had been a small cut that was one thing, and she knew enough to know it was nothing serious, but it could be if left unattended, and she knew that, but... Her gut twisted and she wrapped her arms around her midsection, hugging herself with uncertainty as she thought it over.

He'd always teased her, always called her a 'Mosquito', always been insufferable and horrible and obviously, CLEARLY she hated him, how could she not? But lately, over the past year or so, she'd started to... Well. Not feel different about him, cause clearly she had every right to hate him, and definitely should!

But... Every now and then when she thought of the next stage of her life which was approaching so soon, and she thought of what was expected of her, he... Tended to be one of the first few males who kind of... Popped into her mind. And when he did, the thought was usually accompanied by a warmth that spread from her heart to the depths of her belly and made her skin tingle a little and no that had to be her anger with him. Definitely. For... For being so difficult, and annoying, and frustrating, all the time!

But if there was anyone who might be able to get her looking nice and pristine again by the time her season came around, it was undoubtedly him.

"Hhhh, why did this have to happen to me, now, of all times..?" She grumbled, pouting as she begrudgingly made her way back to camp, sand stirred up by the winds making her wound sting as she poked her head inside of his tent.

"Slate..? I... I need your help."

And it was so obvious how much it pained and embarrassed her to say that, by the way her ears were cast downwards and a blush tinged her cheeks.

Lion

Of course when a day started like this one, Slate hadn't planned to be lazy. It just happened. Most of the tribe were well off now, content to do the jobs assigned to them. Nobody really needed him at this moment, so it gave Slate plenty of an excuse to hide in his tent all day and practice mixes. And boy would he need a bit more practice.

Firebrush and lavender were a terrible mix, and it nearly signed the skin off his hands. Sure it might make a nice combination for portable fire. That much was checked off the list. It might also be used to searing wounds closed on short notice. Something else he took note of. Most of the day was spent in relative peace and quiet, and when he decided he'd had enough of messing around with his mixes, he figured he might as well get some sort of sunlight.

Not that there wasn't plenty of it already in the desert. See what the hunters brought in, it'd be a nice way to end the day. that was until he found himself face to face with none other than the living wasp herself.

"Oh, no, it's just you Mosquito," he chuckled, smirking at her.  He folded over a piece of cloth as he stood toward the back of his tent. It was relatively small in relation to the Elder's tent, but big enough to have a partition where the exam itself could take place in case others of the tribe were too shy. He took as much as was reasonable into consideration. 

Moving around the back, he put away the cloth he'd been mixing on and pulled the shirt from his head, changing into a clean tunic, white like the sands and had less snagging on his scales than the ragged one he'd been wearing before.  He quirked a brow playfully at Azalea. Ball's Fire she certainly grew into her form.

But somehow, she was still skinny, gangly, and it was hilarious.  He snorted at the thought. "Come on in. Don't just linger by the flap," he replied and pushed the partition along its twine. "Tell me, Muskrat. I mean Mosquito, how does it feel to be all grown up? Are you ever going to grow out of that kaadir-like gait?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

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Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

Ah yes, there it was. His insufferable nickname for her, Mosquito. He had probably explained it to her a dozen times before and she still insisted that it was stupid, rude, and made no sense.

She briefly considered leaving right then and there, but the itching of blood oozing down her leg reminded her that she would just have to step over her ego here and do the... The smart thing.

He parted the curtain and she hesitated for a brief second before stepping inside to follow him, but when he made the comment about her gait she again found herself blushing. She awkwardly clasped her hands in front of her lap as she bit back a remark just yet and stepped inside, the scent of her bit of blood no doubt more noticeable now in the confined space of the tent.

"I don't know, how does it feel to be a slimey, smart-mouthed scorpion?" She grumbled, glaring at him as she turned her backside to him so he could see the gash on her leg; it went up, under her skirt, where it wasn't too hard to imagine where it continued onward.

"I slipped on some rocks while I was out exploring, is there anything you can do about this?" If he couldn't he'd better speak up, the sooner she could get out of here, the better.

Lion

Boy did she think she was clever!  He smirked with his back briefly to her. Oh, he could be a good sport about it.  He did get a little handsy from time to time, if only because that's what his job called for.

He had reply for her comment. A good one too. But that one went out the window immediately when the scent of iron permeated the air. A lick of his lips and twisted toward her swiftly. Seeing the blood, a frown curled at his lips and he reached out to gently take her arm.  That response was momentarily forgotten.

Instead he let out a soft chuckle and coaxed her to follow him to the partitioned portion of the tent.  "My, my. I see you got a little too excited for your coming of age then," he chuckled and gently turned her around. "Let me take a look at that."  It wasn't that bad. But it wasn't good either.

"I can fix this, okay. Undress now Mosquito, or you'll get blood all over your skirt," he said.  Slate only briefly pushed against the side of her tail where the gash could be seen going up but thankfully stopped before it reached the base of it.  He gently squeezed it and when she was bare to him from the waist down he took a bucket of clean water he had from the corner of his tent and a fresh cloth.

"You always were a little clumsy, weren't you Mosquito? You now how they always look all drunk when they're fluttering about looking for the next victim," Slate smirked, bending over to his left to get a better look at the gash. A small fire burned in a hearth and he had a pot boiling over it already.  He departed for a moment, returning with the hot water and mixing it in with the cold until it was warm and comfortable to the touch.

He dabbed the cloth until it was sopping, rung it out firmly and began to clean up the blood on the back of her thigh.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

Whether she liked to admit it or not, Slate wasn't a horrible person. He meant well and he was good at his job, so as he noticed the scent of her blood she noticed a slight change in his attitude that helped reassure her as he guided her to the back of his tent.

She sneered a little at his comment and hesitated, suddenly feeling a bit shy as he asked her to remove her skirt, before she took a breath to steel herself and did so obediently. Once the skirt was off he was unafraid to touch her, and she hated how every connection between his fingertips and her skin sent tingles up and down her spine. Hated how it made her blush even more.

She winced when he squeezed and refused to whimper, even though she had to clench her fists in doing so; she had an extremely low pain tolerance, but she didn't want to give him any more reasons to make fun of her.

"Azalea," She grumbled, "My name is Azalea, not Mosquito."

He started dabbing at her wound with the washcloth and she tightened her fists a little more, sucking in a breath. The raw flesh was still throbbing, sore and tender, but the removal of the blood and therefore​ the itch felt nice.

"And yes I am excited," She admitted with a huff, "And while I appreciate your help, I will definitely not be Choosing you."

There, that would totally get him back for all the teasing and humiliation and the... Teasing. Except she shouldn't have felt such a light squeeze in her chest or the ring of disappointment that echoed throughout her when she said it. Stupid... Jerk of a healer. He was horrible. Nobody in their right mind would pick him. So... Why did she kind of want to?

Lion

It wasn't that he didn't notice her blush before, he just attributed it to something else. The day had been awfully hot as was every day here in the Moraki Desert. Even his own tanned skin could only resist so much before he burned. Clearly she was a little delirious from overexposure to the sun.  Heatstroke in the simplest definition.

Slate kept dabbing and cleared up a majority of the blood. It wasn't as bad as the wound first appeared and outwardly Slate gave a sigh of relief.  A sigh he breathed out closely to the back of her leg and up beside her ass. It was clotting already, which was a good sign.  Hmm. Maybe not heatstroke after all.  The blush by her tail was definitely different.

Slate blew another breath to dry the water. "Oh so that's how it's going to be, Ass-alea?" he made a deep gasp and leaned back, a hand clutching his chest, and made a show as if there was pain spreading from there, jerking his body exaggerated like.  "Oh, you wound me!"

He recovered and cackled, standing upright and letting his hands settled by her hips. He squeezed a little, using her as a support to kneel down beside her leg again. "It's just a scratch, Musky," he chuckled, sobering enough to feel around the wound. Slate's hands wrapped around her lower rear thigh and just the outside of her ass cheek.

His left index squished beside the upper part of the gash, where it seemed most of the blood was coming out. "I've got some bad news and not so bad news. But since I'm talking to you, I guess it's all just bad news. So, you will need​ d stitches here, here, and heeeere," he murmured.

As his said that, his index finger traced along the outside of it. He smirked just a little. He wondered just how red he could get that blush on her tail.

"So, either way you'll have a scar, a bigger one if I just patch it, and your skin will have to work harder to heal. Much less if I salve and stich it. If you don't want a scar, I salve it, and patch it, and wrap it real snugly. I mean if the thought of a needle terrifies you so what'll it be?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

HER NAME WAS--RRRRRGH. Was it really so hard for him to just use her name?! She rather liked it! Thought it was pretty, fun to say. Why did he have to be so frustrating?!

He played around, joking that her words hurt him, and the fact that she knew they didn't, not even a little bit, just made her feel even more embarrassed as she turned her face away from him with a huff, trying to ignore her blush and hoping that he just... Wouldn't notice it. She felt his warm breath ghosting along her thigh and a shiver went up her spine that was as hard to suppress as the hitched intake of breath, which was weird, but maybe it was because she was hurt and that cut had messed with her or something. Maybe she was already infected or something. That was a horrible thought, why did she think that? Oh no what if she was, was she going to die? Before her first Choosing even? No that couldn't happen, not to her, she was too pretty and--

He squeezed her hips as he readjusted his position, and it was so sudden she felt a sudden whoosh of air through her lungs and then she... Squeaked. Barely managed to contain it to an Eep! What. What was that. What was that!? Her heartbeat picked up a little as she internally panicked and couldn't place it, couldn't place the weird feelings or the noise or why she was freaking out about this, after all it was just Slate and he didn't mean diddly squat to her! Right. Right?

"Bad news? Oh, a-ahaha, great, perfect, what is it?" She sneered, her voice growing more strained as her muscles tensed as he just... Touched and squeezed and felt away.

Yep. Just do that. That's not weird or anything. She ought to give him a horse kick in the face.

He said she was going to need stitches, and she froze. She was pretty sure her heart stopped beating for a second.

Stitches?

No, no stitches. No. No needles. No. NO.

Her ears twitched as she slowly looked at him over her shoulder, horror squeezing her in its icy grip.

What was worse, scars, or stitches? Stitches were only temporary, but they would hurt so much more! The scar would fade, right? It'd go away... YEAH MAYBE WHEN SHE'S ONLY LIKE, 150 OR SOMETHING. THESE WERE THE TWO WORST OPTIONS HE COULD HAVE POSSIBLY PRESENTED HER WITH. HOW COULD HE EXPECT HER TO CHOOSE WHEN SHE WANTED TO SAY NEITHER?

Well, it could be worse, he could have suggested amputation--that made her shiver and look away as she clenched her fists and hung her head in defeat.

"Sti--Um. Stitches. I can't--won't--not scar.  Nope. I can't." And she felt herself burning up so hot she finally caved and hid her face in her hands, because fuck it. He already probably noticed by now. Fuck it. She was a fool and she was doomed, and she was going to have to get stitches.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad?

Lion

How Slate somehow managed to keep a straight face he didn't know. Because her very reaction normally would have been enough to send him into a cackling frenzy. However there was always the very real possibility of infection, and no healer worth their salt would fail to take that seriously. Thankfully, Slate had an unconscious habit toward cleanliness, that if there was infection, it wouldn't be because of him.

Slate kept a straight face, gazing up at her stammering and he smirked. "You're really cute when  you're flustered, you know that right?" he snorted. Of course she did. He didn't know any other Kulshedra more vain ans full of themselves than Azalea. A shake of his head and he sobered.

"I'll tell you what. I'll make them really small. I have this new salve I made. It will make your wound heal faster. Possibly within the next two days. Come to me before your Choosing and I'll take the stitches out, okay?". Really she was getting all worked up over nothing.

But neither was he going to let her walk out of here with that wound on her leg and have it catch gangrene.  He didn't say anything else as he got up and pulled out a sewing kit. A few seconds in the hearth fire and the curved needle was ready. He set it aside, letting it cool down so that he could thread it.

In a poultice beside her, he scooped two-finger's worth and sniffed it. "Aloe vera is a wonderful plant, you know. It's very slimy. Like yours truly if your lame comebacks are to be believed." He snorted and applied the salve. Tea tree oil, just a drop, aloe vera, and peppermint for scent. The salve itself was thick and red and looked like clay as be applied it in small doses directly to the gash, making sure it got inside.

Wiping his hands, he took the threaded needle and didn't pierce her quite just yet. "Okay, Mosquito. Tell me. What were you doing climbing rocks? What did you find out there in the formations?" Distracting with conversation was certainly one way to go about it.

He was gentle and only poked her when he pinched the skin tightly to keep the pain to as much of a minimum as possible. "Go on. I'm listening."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

Azalea was many things, and while vain, a bit snooty and a huge wimp might have been some of them, she never would have thought of herself as "cute", and it came as a surprise to her, especially coming from Slate. Her heart did a little flippy thing and she glanced at him over her shoulder, eyes a bit wide with the surprise and a rather sweet look of mild confusion on her face.

"Really..?" She started, before she realized what she was doing and quickly snapped herself out of it, looking away and crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.

"I-I mean--well duh of course I'm cute, I'm the prettiest Kulshedra in this tribe!"

Well. She did and didn't believe that. It was a weird thing to explain. Either way, he brought up the stitches again and she shivered, feeling a bit queasy at the thought of it. Two days felt like it was forever far away, and the idea of walking around with string inside of her legs was enough to make her stomach turn upside down.

"R-Right. Okay." She hesitated for a moment, opening her mouth before deciding against it and keeping her mouth shut until he asked his next question.

She felt him pinching her skin and she whimpered a little, the wound was already raw why was he just torturing her further?! This was all probably part of some dastardly plan he had to make her suffer so her first Choosing would be the worst one of her life. Payback for all the times she'd made fun of him or something! That had to be it.

Still, her pride was on the line here, and Azalea was nothing if not prideful, so she sucked in a deep breath, clenched her hands into fists and got a grip on herself. She hissed a little when he applied his salve, it stung and kind of burned for a second before it felt oddly cooling and maybe a bit soothing.

"I mean it's really none of your business, but I've had a lot of things on my mind lately! What with me coming of age and all, I've got a lot to think about, like how I'm gonna choose anyone except--"

The sudden pain of the needle piercing through her skin made her jolt, a hand instinctively covering her mouth as she yelped. FUCK--SHIT-- Was every needle gonna feel like that?!

"--Y-You." She gasped, looking over her shoulder at him, unsure if she was horrified, scared or angry.

Maybe all of the above.

"What the hell, Slate?! I thought the salve was supposed to help!!" She demanded, the pain making her eyes start to shine with unshed tears. "You're the healer, don't you know how to make it not hurt?!"

Lion

"Go on," Slate murmured as he kept the pinch tight between his fingers. Don't frustrate her, Slate, he told himself. Because any little movement could have his neeble poking in a place before her Choosing. And that would only give him a whole world of teasing to blabber on about later. In truth, that really was one thing he didn't want to ruin for her.

He purposely ignored her comment on him deliberately causing her pain as his hands worked deftly. " Have you thought about who you're choosing? That's got to be a special time for you, Mosquito. You certainly sound excited. It's one of the most important times in a young Kulshedra's life."

Slate kept her talking, kept listening until he moved his hands upward and pinched her upper ass for the last loop. He tied the thread and reached in, putting his cheek next to her cheek and cutting the thread with his teeth, breath briefly splayed against the tender skin of her upper thigh.

"There. All threaded up. That wasn't  so bad was it?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

If it had been any other time on any other day under any other circumstances, she'd have pouted and called him out for ignoring her comments. He didn't even give her a response to her obvious comment about how she wasn't going to pick him!

For a brief moment she forgot the pain as she became more preoccupied with the feeling of disappointment she had right now--why was she so let down by that? What, did she want to start a fight with him? Maybe. But right now while he had a needle in her leg probably wasn't the best time to be doing that, she begrudgingly admitted to herself.

She lowered her gaze and looked away, and then he asked about who she was choosing.

Eh? Who? Who she was picking?

Um.

She... Hadn't actually thought of that... She'd been so preoccupied with convincing herself that she absolutely would NOT pick Slate that she hadn't... Actually thought of who she would pick yet.

Azalea felt a blush rushing up from her chest to her face as her heart beat a little faster out of embarrassment.

"I... N-No I haven't... Decided. Yet. I mean--there are plenty of guys in this village that would make for decent partners," She blabbered, anxiety only growing in her chest and stomach as she realized that despite her saying that, not a single specific Kulshedra came to mind other than the one who was currently sewing her leg up and why... WHY did he come up?

Why was he always the first one to come up in her mind?! The first one she thought of whenever she thought of her Choosing, the first one she thought of whenever she imagined who might make a good father or a good partner, why?! Was it because she hated him so much? It had to be. Her mind was just playing tricks on her, reminding her that he WASN'T any of those things, definitely. Most probably.

Maybe.

Still, she found herself continuously chatting on about things that were inconsequential, and yet some of her sentences and thoughts were random or mixed, or left broken and hanging as she got caught up in her thoughts. Her mind was anywhere but here right now--all she could think to do was doubt and question herself and wonder why the male behind her was so good at fucking up all of her plans.

His hand was on her ass and she literally squeaked in surprise; she felt his breath and a shiver ran up her spine, the blush immediately returning as he finished his work and pulled away.

"Yes, it was horrible." She immediately spat back, dropping her skirts to cover herself more modestly as she awkwardly shuffled a few paces away from him.

Her leg still hurt like holy hell but that didn't matter right now, she just wanted to get out of this cramped space with Sir Asshole here. She wrapped her arms around herself, clearly uncomfortable as she finally looked up at him and her breath caught a little in her throat before she looked away again.

"I--... Thank you." She said suddenly, her cheeks still tinged with blush before she suddenly started talking again, why she didn't know.

"I don't have any clue what I'm doing, Slate." She spoke quietly, unable to look him in the eyes.

So many years of her wanting this, eagerly waiting for it, the day she became a fully fledged adult, the day she could finally play her part in helping their clan. It was only two days away and yet here she was... Kind of dreading it.

"... When I said I didn't know who I was going to pick yet, I lied. I--There is someone. But I don't think he likes me. I don't know what to do."

Fuck, why was she still talking?? She spared one last glance at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears as a flood of emotions threatened to choke her up--and the last thing she would ever do was cry in front of Slate. She looked away again, clearing her throat.

"Thank you again for your help." And moved to quickly leave the tent.

Lion

As ever, Mosquito would make mountains out of molehills. So it was getting really hard not to collect and building up masses of ammunition to add more to his arsenal. Never to hurt or tear into her - he was the tribe healer after all - but he couldn't help himself when the urge to throw a quip at her here and there raised its ugly head.

She just made it so easy! Slate licked his lips and rolled his sleeves up.  "Oh yeah? And why's that?" he murmured. Not that she'd give him the light of day to offer a real answer. He stood up, crossing his arms over his chest and observing her flushed state, the way the heat came to her cheeks when she tried to come up with a proper answer.

Even if she was a mosquito, at least she was a cute one, and her pink scales certainly had extra flair added to them from that becoming blush. He tilted his head. That nervousness now brought about by something else.

Gods she was cute.

Slate's hand kept themselves busy putting away his needle and thread, rolling up the thin string, and sliding them back into their respective nooks. His expression sobered enough to see that awkwardness only grow. His stomach lurched, a vague knot tingling in his belly. He stepped in closer when she moved away, and before she could leave his hand shot out to grasp her wrist, pulling her in toward him with a firm yank.

"Any male would be lucky to be chosen by you, Azalea," he replied, voice a gentle purr, and his grin remarkably gentle for someone with a such a shit-eating smile.  And he leaned in to kiss her gently against the scales of her cheek. His touch on her wrist loosened, fingers leaving her. "Have a good night. Come back tomorrow, so I can check on your leg, all right?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

Really, what in the world had she been thinking? Opening up to Slate, of all people? Particularly about such serious troubles--when it came to her it seemed he couldn't take anything she thought, said or did seriously, so why?

Deep down, she knew why.

Her stomach tied itself in knots, and right before a tear had a chance to slide down her cheek, there was the warm sensation of someone grabbing onto her wrist. She turned as she was suddenly tugged back and she found herself up close and personal with Slate.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Any male would be lucky to be chosen by you, Azalea."

Her eyes widened and her heart started hammering in her chest, and then Slate leaned down and kissed her cheek.

If she wasn't as red as a tomato before, she definitely was now.

For a brief moment as the two of them stood there together, all of the anxiety, the self-doubt, the tension, the worry, all of it was gone, disappeared. He was warm, and his touch was gentle, more so than she'd ever thought he could be. And yet despite all of her shock and surprise, she also identified one other prevalent feeling--joy?

She was left a stammering, stuttering mess when he asked her to stop by tomorrow, and she dropped her gaze, completely unable to look at him as she covered her face with a hand, in a poor attempt at hiding her blush.

"I-I will!"

And then she turned tail and darted out of the tent. She couldn't get out of there fast enough.


She had barely slept at all that night; it'd taken her far too long to fall asleep. She'd been too worked up over the whole thing with Slate. His words just kept echoing in her mind, over and over again.

Did he... Did he really think that?

She let out a muffled squeal into her hands where she perched on a rock, some hundred yards from their campsite, watching the stars disappear as the early morning rays started to light the sky.

If he did... Then what?

She hugged herself a little, glancing down at the wound on her leg as she tucked her knees up to her chest. It still hurt a lot, but not quite as bad as yesterday. Azalea rested her chin on her kneecaps, letting out a wistful sigh.

What was she doing? It was so weird, she'd never heard of any of the other tribe members getting like this about one particular person, particularly the females--that just... Wasn't how things worked around here. Why was she so strange and different? Or maybe others did have these feelings, but you just weren't supposed to talk about them, or act on them... How was she supposed to know? She was too scared to ask.

After a while as the sun started to rise above the horizon, and the others were starting to wake up, she wandered her way back to the village, not exactly sure what to do with herself--and she didn't want to purposefully walk right into Slate's tent, that might seem a little too desperate. Especially after last night--

Ah.

Hang on.

She stopped, looking around as she pulled herself from her thoughts.

This was Slate's tent.

Shit!

"Um... Slate, are you in here? I-I wasn't sure what time you wanted me to stop by..." She called out tentatively as she stepped in further, determined to make this look intentional and totally not like she'd just wandered in here on some kind of instinct or something NOT AT ALL HAHA. HA. HA....

Lion

Thankfully for her sake, Slate slept like a lamb the night before. His tent was cleaned up and no doubt there would a be rather long queue of much of the other tribe trying to get in. He shifted around and when Azalea came barging into his tent, Slate was just rolling out of his cot, wearing little more than a loincloth, pushing apart the partition.

"Goooood morning, Mosquito? Late to catch your morning morsel, eh?" he snorted, and plucked a shirt from a line across his tent. He slipped it over his shoulders, his tail swishing idly and flicking a pebble in her direction.

"Need to me to look at your bum again?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

Mm yep, it was definitely a bad idea to literally just wander in here. She stared awkwardly at his mostly naked form for several moments, mouth agape as a blush tinged her cheeks. Finally she realized what she was doing, closed her mouth and abruptly looked away, flinching out of surprise as the pebble bounced off her lrg, and she pouted.

"I'm not a mosquito!" She argued for probably the thousandth time, "And I--well. Yes. I guess. You never specified what time I should come in to see you last night." She huffed a little, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to ignore her own nervous heartbeats.

She didn't understand it, why he could fluster her so easily. He was just a dull Kulshedra, there were males in this tribe fsr prettier than him, for sure! (Though she couldn't think of any specific ones off the top of her head.)

"If it's such a big deal though I can come back later if you like." Her voice had a bit of a stubborn ring to it; she was only an inch away from sticking her tongue out at him.

Lion

"Don't be crazy! I'll be busy all day. And you're already here, so it's no problem!" he said.  Come now, Mosquito, he thought, do you really think you could ever be bothering me?  "Tis a deal little more important than a bruised bum on a day like today. Isn't it your Choosing? Or is that tomorrow night?"

A moot question since she made it pretty clear she wasn't going to pick him. Slate slipped across the room and took her wrist gently in his. Because why not? The least he could do for her was humor her vanity. He was still a healer, and she still a patient in need. She wanted to look her best for her first time. It was such an adorable thought.

"I'm up and at 'em. I'll have you righter than desert rain," he said, releasing his hold on her to move behind her, his hands falling down to her hips and slipping to them on either side.  Fingers were spread out wide, and he gave them a firm squeeze as he guided her back to the examination table, encouraging her to lean forward.

"So, how does it feel? You haven't been climbing up on any more rocks have you? Because while scrapes and bruises are my specialty, I can't cure you of any illness that might be in your head telling you to do these tings. i know how fickle you are, Mosquito," he murmured.  Just a touch, to make sure the muscles therein were still firmed.

His hand slipped down and carefully pulled her skirt up to squeeze at her ass. "Oh my. Did you eat a watermelon before you came here?" he murmured.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

His response wasn't nearly as jeering or sarcastic as she'd been expecting, so she was actually quiet for a moment as she realized it, rather than lashing back at him with banter like was so common of them. She blushed a little, clasping her hands together in front of her lap as she dropped her gaze to her feet.

"I-It's tomorrow night."

Her voice was barely above a whisper, all that vim and vigor that had been there just moments before completely washed away now.

She blinked and looked up at him in surprise when he suddenly stepped forward, and when he took her wrist into his hand, her blush only getting worse as her heart skipped a beat again, just as it had last night. She was so surprised by the sudden physical connection between the two of them, she didn't even think to try and hide her face; rather she just looked up at him with wide eyes full of hope for something she knew would probably never happen.

For a brief moment she had thought he was going to kiss her again. She'd almost been awaiting it with bated breath.

But instead he just promised that he'd have her feeling better soon, and she just dumbly nodded at him, glancing down at her wrist after he had released it, already missing the warmth she'd felt there moments before.

Stupid jerk.

"N-No, of course I haven't, I'm not an idiot." And yet that implied she wasn't being an idiot when she'd gone and torn herself up pretty bad in the first place.

Regardless, she followed his directions, trying not to let her embarrassment get to her, until he went right for it and gripped her ass, making her Eep! in response.

"A--A watermelon!? What--No! What, why?!" She looked over her shoulder at him, the meaning of his words completely sailing over her head, she was suddenly so worried that something was wrong, and even worse, that Slate could blatantly see it.

She didn't want him to see her looking anything less than perfect! Er--Wait no--

"Is it swollen, has it gotten that bad?!" She whimpered, panic leaking its way into her tone of voice, and most of it wasn't because of the wound.

Quickly she suddenly turned around so she was facing him instead, backing away a step as she covered her rear with her hands, tail and ears hanging low in shyness and embarrassment.

"I-I don't think I can do this right now, m-maybe I should come back later, or we can push back the date of my Choosing," She stammered, very obviously flustered.

Lion

Tomorrow night then it was. The moment of truth then. Slate only momentarily cast his thoughts out to what she was possibly thinking, feeling. And what was already evident from her posturing and the sheer nerves she was presenting, was enough to temper Slate's penchant for nonsensical quips. Because something heavy clearly was on the poor girl's mind.

And when she turned away from him, the smirk that was playing on his lips slowly dissipated. "Hey, hey, now."  Slate stood just a few inches from her, had both hands where she could plainly see. "Okay, Azalea," he said, shaking his head furiously.

"Hey, easy there. I'm only joking. What's got you so riled up, huh? I know a Choosing can be pretty daunting, but you were really excited yesterday! Look, what is it that you're really worried about?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Cheesigator

She hadn't been expecting that sobered tone of Slate's voice; hadn't expected the gentleness, the genuine concern. She looked up at him in surprise, and yet when he asked her what was wrong...

She didn't want to tell him, or told herself that she shouldn't. He had no business knowing--he would just make fun of her anyways! And yet there was a larger part of herself that was urging for her to tell him everything. All the fears, the self-doubt, the stress.

The heartache.

She dropped her gaze, focusing on the ground as she hugged herself.

"I think there's something wrong with me."

She finally whimpered, and her grip on herself tightened a little.

"There's only one I want to pick, only one I can ever dream of or think about. I don't want to be with anyone else--it's not right! It's not how I was raised, it's so weird and if I tell anyone then the whole tribe will probably be so ashamed of me,"

Before she even realized it she just started... Talking. She tried to keep it as vague as possible, but it hurt so much. A few warm tears slid down her cheeks, landing on the sand by her feet with the softest plips.

"And I can't even pick him because I know he'll never see me that way. How could any Kulshedra? It's wrong! How am I supposed to fulfill my duties if I can't even properly Choose someone? I'm already a failure and a disgrace and I already know it."

She buried her face into her hands, failing at trying to hold back more tears but at the very least managing to keep down any pathetic sobs.

"You absolutely can't tell anyone, please Slate--I don't want them to hate me. Please."

Lion

All that poured out of her, from the gestures, the tears, the words, and all her frustrations were - for lack of a better word - overwhelming. Slate was quiet, unsure how to react quite just yet. Because she wasn't finished, and likely wouldn't be. He instead shifted around beside her and leaned back against the examination table, crossing his legs and swishing his tail out to gently thwack against hers.

"Aza! Aza, it's all right. It'll be all right. You have my word. I'm the tribe healer, remember. I'm anything if not discreet," he said and reached out a hand to her shoulder. Pushing himself off the table, it was rather instinctual to wrap his arms around her. Why not? She was beside herself with frustration and anger, that it came easy for him. Slate had no expectations and he slid his arms around her shoulders, letting her tears fall against his shirt.

"You can't help how you feel, little one, eh? You are entitled to that much. The fire does not dictate your emotion. But your devotion, that is all. All of us, we all live and fight and die and mate for the same reasons. You understand that you can choose anyone, and if this mate does not reciprocate your desires, then he doesn't deserve them."

Slate pushed her hair back giving her another shit-eating grin. "Look at it this way. Your Choosing, means...you decide who you wish to share your beauty with. That's what it's all about after all. Your scales, they practically sparkle by the Fire. It's kind of hard not to notice you. I'm sure whoever you've been considering has definitely considered you back. Maybe even hoping that tomorrow night, he would be chosen."

Slate stepped back, unhooking his arms from around her. "And if you choose another, perhaps you can use that as practice to better yourself so you can truly enjoy Choosing the one you really want. You'd really not want to be embarrassed with all sorts of fumbling around."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

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