No such thing as mirages... (Tebby)

[Lion]

Euzec, as always, had a tendency to take everything far more serious than was absolutely necessary.  Jokes were often lost on him, which made him evermore the butt of jokes.  But because humor often went over his head, it was just because of that that he couldn't be hurt by that which he didn't understand.  He was a serious, but kind fellow, who knew that his heart was generally in the right place.  He had nothing against anyone and no one had anything against him, except for Kushumoro himself of course, and that was just plain, petty jealousy.  Euzec laughed though, at the fact that she uttered the term burden.  Taking her seriously, he assumed that she meant the literal form of burden.  "Oh of course not!  You're very light, I could carry like nothing!"  Thinking that he understood perfectly, he merely smiled.

"You would be very welcome.  Kushumoro is a nice person when he wants to be.  He likes to think himself as a kind desert king and he lives in a palace not too far away.  I think he'd like to meet someone like you, yes, I think he would indeed.  Would you like to meet him?"  Euzec wasn't lying when he said that Kushumoro would like to meet her.  He was a man magnanimous of spirit to outsiders who came into his palace; that was, if those outsiders weren't there to steal his fortune, his women, or were men at all.  He was a king, and he would protect all in his 'kingdom.'

Euzec dragged them into the nearest tavern and paid for a room, but just as he was going upstairs, he was questioned by the innskeeper, a man who was mouse-faced and looked at Cosette with drool by the corner of his mouth.  "You uh...gonna share a room with 'er?"

"Um...I think so," Euzec replied innocently, having no idea what the innkeeper was trying to imply.  "I don't have enough for two rooms."

"Oh, right!"  Though he looked extraordinarily uncertain, the innkeeper considered what he wanted more: A quickie with the attractive woman on Euzec's arm or losing business by offering a free room.  The money, fortunately, weighed more and he scrunched his face, discouraged, and headed down the stairs toward their room.

He followed behind him, smiling, thinking all would be well.  It was until he looked at Cosette and asked, "Oh, I'm sorry.  Did you want a separate room?"

[Anonymous]

She blinked at his response to that. Ok not quite the answer she expected but she blushed at the flattery. And when she saw him smiling, she blushed even darker. Damn blood. Why does it have to show up now?

She listened as he described the king. She was somewhat shocked at his words. He didn't seem like any royalty she had ever met. She had met with princes and scribes and high mages before, all for only one thing. She figured if they all were like that, this king must be no different. But as the description continued, he seemed more and more human. All except the phrase Euzec used: 'when he feels like it'. She sighed. It was the same with all royalty. And when Euzec said that the king would like to meet her, she only suspected the worst. No guy has ever wanted to meet her just for a chat. And Cosette wasn't stupid, she knew what he wanted. But in fear that saying no would make Euzec want to leave without her, she agreed to meet him. "He seems like a kind man. Of course i would!"

Cosette hopped along side Euzec into a tavern. It was nice, one of the nicest taverns she had seen out in the desert. She noticed a few people staring at the two of them. They whispered things she couldn't hear and probably wouldn't want to hear. She averted her attention to a group of men staring at her and making obscene faces. She shivered and held on tighter to Euzec. It wasn't until the man behind the counter started talking tat she even realized he was there. She looked at him and shut her eyes almost immediately. He was short, round and dirty looking. His clothes were battered, probably from living in the desert all his life. She smiled at her when she looked his way, showing his yellow teeth and dark purple gums. She winced at the sound of his voice, raspy, old, worn out. She just wanted to find a room to stay the night.

She then noticed what the two were talking about. Sharing a room? Where she was from, this could only lead to one thing. But maybe he wasn't like that based on the way he treated her , even though she hoped in her heart he was. She looked at him and thought of an answer. Her heart said to stay with him, and being the woman that she was, following her heart was usually the best choice. "I'll be fine. I don't mind sharing a room" and a bed, though she didn't want to say it. "Besides, staying alone gives that man opportunities he shouldn't have" she whispered. They ventured over to a door, down a flight of stairs (which took them a few tries to get the hang of walking down) and about halfway down a long hallway. The man stopped and waited for them to catch up, for they were a few feet behind. When they caught up, the man opened the door.

They walked into the room and flipped on the lights. A small room with only one bed welcomed them. There was a couch covered in  dust and cob webs was against one wall and a bed with a rickety old nightstand against another. There was a small bathroom with a shower that Cosette was not planning on using at all during her short stay. Cosette looked around and smiled. She would welcome any shelter that wasn't a tent. She and Euzec hobbled over to the bed. He helped her to the edge of it and then  was let go. Without him there, holding her she felt, in a way, naked. She bent over her leg, pulled her pant leg up to her knee and was for the first time being able to see the damages. Major bruising and swelling but no irreparable injuries. She yawned and wondered what would happen next. "Er...you don't mind it i..uh...get ready for bed do you?"

[Lion]

Dusk tigers were not allowed in the building, or in the town.  But seeing as he had wandered with the man and the woman for so long, he was not going to turn back now.  It was a beast of the wild and was not keen to obey the laws of humanoids.  It knew only the laws of Nature and what that mother decreed was sovereign over all other laws.  So the dusk tiger indeed had wandered with them into town, determined and haughty with every step, ignoring the fearsome glances of people barely peeking out their windows.  He did not enter the building with them but instead stayed and lingered outside the inn, sitting by the door and decided it best to away their return.

Euzec was completely fine with being alone with her, or with any woman in fact, so long as they kept their hands to themselves.  He couldn't help it though, he always seemed to attract the strangest and most awkward people toward him.  It was his bloody curse, almost literally, and caused him no end of trouble!  As an Incubus, he had a field of energy about him that seemed to draw humanoid members of the opposite sex and there was never a moment where he was able to keep to himself.  But it didn't seem that way so far with Cosette, and this was rather unexpected.  Maybe she was a nice girl, someone who knew how to keep their distance and the value of personal space.  He hoped she was, he'd have to have to slug her one if she was intent on something else.  But the latter thought was currently nonexistent in his mind.  He had only thoughts on getting some rest, going shopping, and then going home.

But she then said something that caught his attention.  "Opportunities?  For what?" he uttered to himself while walking.  It was a question that would remain unanswered for a time.

He grinned to the short bald, innkeeper who looked over Cosette with voraciously lascivious eyes and though Euzec did not notice his glance, he suddenly felt her grip on his clothing tighten, as if in desperation for something.  Well, whatever that was about, he was sure it would pass.  And as soon as they entered into their well-worn room, it did.  Or so it seemed to him.  She seemed less tense somehow and while he helped her sit on the bed, she seemed content when he went back to lock the door.

While she made herself comfortable, Euzec occupied himself with dusting off the cough and placing his staff, now retracted, off to the side.  The place wasn't so bad for a quaint little town, a hamlet in the middle of nowhere, but it definitely wasn't a prestigious hotel. Oh well, it would have to do for now.  He could sleep on the couch, he wouldn't mind.  She said something and he looked up at her just in time, "For bed?  No, of course not!  By all means, do if you're tired.  I'm going to wipe some sand off of me in the wash room and then I'll get some sleep too."  He nodded to her with a congenial grin and took off his upper robe before stepping into the bathroom.  He would take a while to get washed up as he wanted to make sure every crevice was reached before he would have to travel once more.  And who knows what she would be doing in that amount of time....

[Anonymous]

She grinned at him after checking her leg, now a dull throb that only bothered her if she touched it or tried to put weight on it. She sighed. Hopefully by tomorrow it wouldn't be as bad and she would be able to walk on her own. Her eyes followed Euzec as he locked the door and put his staff to the side. How could she be so lucky as to meet a man like this? She knew little about him but feared the future where he would most likely leave, dividing paths with her and never seeing her again. This thought made her sad, and she looked down at her feet trying to change her thoughts to something happier.

Euzec disappeared into the washroom, snapping Cosette from her train of thought. She didn't know how much time she would have before he came back, so she proceeded getting ready. It had been a while since she had slept in shelter other then a tent, so she was going to take full advantage of it. Back at her home town in Altas Verde, she nearly always slept Au Natural. But she figured she would spare him; he seemed kind and innocent in a way and didn't need to disgust him in any way. Instead she decided she would just sleep in the long shirt she had on underneath the long robe. That should be good enough for her and shouldn't disgust or weird Euzec out in any way.

So she stood on her good foot, taking a few seconds to find her balance. She stripped down to her T-shirt, which took a decent amount of time and coordination to do, especially getting her pants around her leg without hurting it too bad. When she was dressed for bed and all her clothes folded up in a corner that was out of the way, she looked down and saw she was standing in a pile of sand. Euzec had the right idea, cleaning off in the bathroom before changing for bed. She looked around quickly for anything to clean it up with little luck. Cosette wanted to clean up the mess before Euzec came out of the bathroom but she had no way of doing so. She thought for a minute before thinking that the guy at the front desk may have something to help her clean up. She feared the looks she would get from him but figured it wouldn't matter because he couldn't do anything in the open room of the tavern.

So she picked up her robe and threw it on, wrapping it around her waist before deciding if it was really a good idea. She knew she wasn't going to be down long, so she went. "Euzec! I'll be right back" she shouted through the door the the washroom. She opened the door to the hallway and waltzed on down to the main lobby.

[Lion]

The incubus worked calmly yet swiftly in the removal of all his attire.  Layer after layer of robes came off, each piece having its fair share of sand in its crevices and the finely powered rock dust falling to the floor in small puffs and clouds.  He coughed a few times because of the falling sand but it was no matter as, gradually, he found himself becoming lighter because of it.  It was amazing just how much sand could get inside clothing just from the flow of the atmosphere.  Because air was everywhere, he readily assumed that by morning, the sand would have flown through the windows and back into his clothes.  Hoped it wouldn't but there was no telling.  Nature did some tricky things.

The overcoat was easy enough and, after shaking it out substantially, he folded it neatly, then the undercoat, which was slightly lighter and too folded that one.  After the essentials were removed he went on to his pants, slipping those off with ease and then the ties of his sandals wrapping around his feet.  Boots weren't always good in travelling in the desert.  Even though sand sometimes got in between the area of the foot and the other side of the sole, he was used to those more than the heaviness brought about by boots, they made him trudge along, when he preferred to travel light.

Euzec stepped into the area where the water would drain out.  He suspected that it led around toward the outside via a pipe, but really all he wanted to do was get clean.  If he remembered, he might ask the innkeeper about it.  Right now, he reached for the readied water that was there and began to steadily wipe his body clean.  Surprisingly, it was quite warm for water, as it must have been on some kind of enchanted burner or something.  Well, whatever it was, it was working and he was quite warm because of it.  Gradually the dust was lifted from his body and onto the washcloth provided and what was left beneath it was the immaculate state of his lightly tanned flesh.

However, that was only half the job, there still remained the dusty hidden on his legs.  Frowning, he hoped Cosette wouldn't reproach him for taking so long in the bathroom.  But then he heard her leave, saying that she would be right back.  "Okay!" he responded, happy that that would buy him some time to get the job done.

[Anonymous]

She looked around wearily, avoiding longing stares from lonely men. She accidentally locked eyes with one man who was practically drooling over her. She readjusted her robe, making sure nothing was showing before approaching the counter. She looked around for the short man she had seen earlier, craning her neck to see around the corner and inside a door. He was sitting on a chair with his feet propped up on a table reading some sort of magazine. She shook her head, not wanting to look anymore.

She coughed, hoping to catch his attention. He looked up and, upon noticing her, nearly fell out of his chair to get over and assist her. hmm...she must be back for a little one on one time the inn keeper smiled a perverted little smile before looking at her again. " 'ow may I 'elp you, miss?" he grinned at her. Cosette swallowed. "Umm. Do you have anything to clean up a mess with? Like a broom or something?" She fiddled with the edges of her robe, watching as the inn keeper stared intently at an area that the robe could possibly slip from her hands, revealing more then Cosette ever wanted to show him. When nothing happened, he looked back up at her and nodded, somewhat disappointed. "I'll be right back, miss" he said before disappearing into the back room. Cosette waited patiently, once again adjusting her robe.

The man reappeared, no broom or cleaning device in hand. He had a twisted little smile on his face and motioned for Cosette to follow him. She hesitated. "Come on 'ere miss. I won' bite" His smile widened. Cosette's stomach twisted and she looked uneasily around at the people in the tavern. They were all intent on what they were doing. The inn keeper began to become impatient. "Do you wan' the broom o' what?" Of course she did. That was the whole point of coming out here. But she couldn't help feeling something would go horribly wrong if she decided to follow him. He held out his hand, and Cosette followed anyway.

He lead her down a long hallway. She grew more and more unsure of her decision with each step, wanting very much to turn back. But she felt that if anything started going wrong, she could always turn back and head to the room. The inn keeper walk to the end of the hallway and stopped at a door labeled 'supply closet'. Cosette let out a small sigh of relief. The man opened the door and showed Cosette the way in. Her eyes widened. "Why don't you go in first sir." Her stomach tied in knots. The man grabbed her wrist, completely out of no where and pulled her into the supply closet,  shutting the door behind them. (fade to a while later)

[Lion]

There was some racket coming from the closet, as if some rats were having an intense quarrel in there, or that they couldn't wait to get back to their burrow.  If the latter was the case then those must have been some pretty big rats.  From the sound of it, it was a bit of a struggle, one of which lasted for a few minutes (maybe ten) before a heavy groan resounded from the inside and the small man emerged, red in the face, and holding his groin, walking out as if he'd been struck there repeatedly.  He waddled out like a dog that had just been castrated, holding his nug-nugs as if they were the most precious jewels in the world.....

"Uh, yeah....Glad I could help ye," he muttered before shuffling back toward the main counter.  "And don' worry about givin' it back.  Ye can jus' leave it in the room.  I'll be gettin' it later."  And just as he kept shuffling, he groaned heavily and muttered quite audibly, "Gods! My balls! Grr!"

Meanwhile, unaware of the ruckus that occurred outside in the hallway, Euzec finally emerged from the washroom in a blanket of steam that burst out as if it were a hot spring.  And it may as well have been for all the moisture that little room retained.  But he was happy that he was clean and, with a towel wrapped around his wais, he came out with his folded clothes over his arm, not noticing if Cosette had gotten back or not with whatever it was that she had gone to get.

[Anonymous]

Cosette, breathing hard, stood up shakily. Her fists were clenched as she watched after the waddling man. How dare he even look at her that way. Her heart beat ferociously in her chest while she wrapped her robe back around her. She grabbed the broom and stormed out of the supply closet, struggling to find her feet as she headed back to her room.

After he had pulled her into the closet, he did what most men did. He ripped open her robe and pushed her to the floor. Reacting quickly, she shoved him off of her, forcing him back against the door. He had a shocked look on his face and tried going at her again. She jerked her leg up, kicking him first in the jaw, then in the stomach. He doubled over and she got to her feet to run back to the room. But before she even got to the door he grabbed her again and threw her to the floor. She hit her head hard on something (perhaps a broom or a supply cart) which throbbed. She blinked away the tears and the blackness that threatened to overtake her before seeing the man coming at her yet again. She kicked up and nailed him right in the groin. He let out a groan and doubled over, holding himself and whimpering. He stared at her for a second and turned to open the door "Uh, yeah....Glad I could help ye," He waddled a few steps. "And don' worry about givin' it back. Ye can jus' leave it in the room. I'll be gettin' it later. God! My balls!" He waddled off.

Cosette reached the door and opened it, seeing Euzec in only a towel. She dropped the broom and stared in pleased shock. "er...sorry. Should i leave you alone for a bit?"

[Lion]

Walking over to the couch, Euzec gently placed his clothing down in the places that he'd swiftly dusted off.  The place was too shabby than what he was used too, and, if he owned it, he certainly would have had it cleaner than its current state.  He was used to an orderly abode, even if the abode was only temporary.  Though he was going to stay for the night and leave as soon as he could, that didn't mean that he wanted to sleep in filth.  So he did the only logical thing he could think of and dusted off the couch as best he could before he heard the door opening.  The film came off in layers sufficient enough to be flattened and turned into a gray rag.   Just when he'd gotten it clean enough, he heard the door open and the voice of Cosette greet him.

Euzec, after he finished laying out his folded clothing along the armrest, creating a fine white pile, turned around to her and smiled congenially.  As if being half-naked, which of course was only possible with the inclusion of the towel being wrapped around his waist, was a normal everyday thing, which was a possible reality in Kushumoro's palace for the Haremites, he waved and said innocently, "Oh, hello Cosette.  I didn't hear you coming.  But welcome back."  He didn't quite notice how she was staring at him, and thus wasn't perturbed like he normally would have been in any other situation.

He acted completely as if this was how everything always was.  Euzec was accustomed to women gawking at him all the time, though that wasn't to say that he liked it.  In fact, quite the contrary.  He liked his personal space as much as anyone and sometimes eyes were just the invaders that had to be thwarted.  However, he didn't notice her gaze now and looked like a fool, screwing up his face in curiosity.  "Leave me alone?  Why would you do that?  No, by all means, come in, make yourself comfortable.  And...what's that broom for?"

[Anonymous]

Her eyes widened at the sight of the towel. So she thought this man was attractive in normal circumstances, but now it was almost painful to hold herself back. She couldn't break her gaze. She breathed in shakily and just stood there, staring.

After what seemed like only a few seconds (but was probably more like a minute or two) she blinked, tearing her eyes from what she had been staring at just moments before. She shook her head and looked down at the broom which she hadn't even realized she dropped, then back up at Euzec, trying not to get stuck staring again. "Sorry, I just thought maybe...I just...uhh" She looked down and blushed. "It's just...I thought maybe you would want some privacy to change." She leaned down to grab the broom, making sure to keep the robe tight around her. "oh and this? I figured this place could do with some cleaning up. This is the best they had." She stood up and looked around for something to clean up so she didn't look like a complete idiot.

Cosette couldn't for the life of her figure out why this man made her feel like this. Normally she could control her emotions, even hide them. But he had some sort of magnet that pulled them all out of her. She wondered if all women were like this around him. A weaker woman would tremble at the sight of him. But Cosette was determined not to be like those women. She was determined to change from the way she normally was around men. And she was determined to not get her heart broken by a temporary room mate. She cleared her throat. "How was your shower?"

[Lion]

Yes it seemed about two whole minutes that she had remained staring at him though, a time that had gone unnoticed overall.  Euzec wasn't one to dawdle on the uninteresting, but luckily enough for her, he found most things interesting and while the dusk tiger slumbered outside, he hoped that he too might catch some Z's before the rising of the dawn.  He didn't even think to consider that Cosette might have any designs on him whatsoever.  In fact, he considered her to be one of the few women that didn't seem to want to jump his bones.

Of course, this was only due to the fact that he hadn't yet noticed the desire burning within her.  If she was determined not to be like other women, she was doing a damn good job of it.  Or perhaps she could just hide it better than others.  But Euzec wasn't a psychic or an empathic, so whatever it was that she was feeling was going to stay hidden unless she acted upon it.  Which may very well be soon enough.

Seeing that she was preoccupied now with sweeping, Euzec smiled quite innocently and resumed his task at the couch.  "Oh it was wonderful.  You should try it!  It was hot and comfortable and now I'm refreshed and ready for anything.  You wanna take one or do you just want to lay down?"

[Anonymous]

She bit her lip. Oh how she wished she could've just tackled him right then and there. She didn't know if he would let her seeing as he was much stronger then her and several inches taller. But the temptation was eating at her. And if he didn't put some clothes on, he was in serious trouble. She focused on her sweeping , glancing up every now and then to see if he was somehow part of her imagination and had vanished. When she declared he was still there, she would look back down. She let out a shaky breath, a little louder then she had intended.

She looked up once more when he asked her. "umm...I think i will shower." who knows when I would shower next. She then remembered her throbbing ankle that no longer seemed to bother her. She tested it slightly by putting most of her weight on it. Nothing. She smiled. At least tomorrow wouldn't be as embarrassing as today's journey. Or so she hoped.

She smiled at him, simply taken aback by his beauty. Every time she looked at his perfect features and thought about how he treated her, it just took her breath away. Even though she didn't want to leave the room, she figured she should probably shower. Her mind had some plans for later tonight and she didn't want the desert smell to ruin them all. She set the broom aside and removed her robe, folding it up and placing it by the rest of her stuff. She glance back at him before heading off to the bathroom to wash up.

[Lion]

So far everything was alright.  The large cat was resting peacefully outside the inn with a large purring sound emerging from him.  For a dusk tiger's business was doing what instinct bestowed him, what the wilds of nature instilled in him, and how he was to survive with what he had.  No, he didn't like having to wait for the man to finish up his business inside the building, nor did he care for the presence of the female.  If his superior being wasn't so inclined to bring her along then he would have surely made a meal of her.  Perhaps....perhaps if he played his paws right, there was still a chance for that.

Euzec, with in the building, was idly minding his business, this time however  he was feeling faint tingling sensations on the back of him...as if someone was staring at him.  It was the first time in the evening that he finally was made aware of her gaze.  And when he felt it, his face screwed into a visage of sheer confusion and he carefully turned around to find her idly sweeping.  Hm, maybe this was just his imagination.

She soon assented to the shower and he nodded in agreement.  "Okay.  I'll finish up here, and then when you get out, I'll take a look at your leg again if you want.  Don't be long, I can't wait forever."  Euzec then smiled and began finishing up her task of sweeping up the sand.

[Anonymous]

Again, a shaky breath came from her. She needed to relax. Maybe the shower would help. She looked at the floor and turned on the water. She stripped down, realizing that even after she had dusted off, there was still a large amount of dirt on her body and clothing. A shower really was necessary. She waited for the water to heat up, the whole time thinking about what could happen tonight. She felt the water and decided it was good enough for her and stepped in.

She watched as the dirt ran down her skin, turning it from a dusty brown color to her fair skinned self. It almost shocked her. She always wondered how she could last in the desert without getting severely burnt or harmed. It baffled her but she needn't get too worried about it. She only needed to make her pilgrimage. Though she questioned that too. Why make a pilgrimage? She wasn't male. She wasn't as religious as most women in her town. She shook her head. Maybe a reason would come at some point. Either way she just had to focus on the future. She was with a man she just met, traveling to a place she had never heard of with people living there she knew nothing about. A lot could go wrong. She would just have to play her cards right and stay out of the way of danger. She sighed and hoped for the best.

The water warmed her skin. She smiled as it soothed her leg, which was now a dark blue mound formed around her lower calf that spread to just below her knee. It only bothered her when she thought about it, and since her mind was out of things to preoccupy itself with, it shot pains through her entire leg and up her back. She groaned and pulled her weight off it. She braced herself against the wall to keep herself up and continued rinsing off, letting the heat of the water relax her muscles.

[Lion]

Not since he was a kid had he ever did back breaking work in his life.  Though he was but a lowly guard, Euzec lived a life of something akin to luxury.  Well, he had a room and a bed and clean clothes and food and water and everything he needed to survive for a time...if that could be considered luxury.  His own fortunes did not in any way resemble those of the lord of the palace, Kushumoro, himself.  Instead, the bandit king lavished himself in gold and silver and the finest robes fit for any king, and paid all his guards well, which was presented mostly in the form of a comfortable life and very little gold.

Euzec took what was given to him for there was no other life that he knew.  So what that he looked like traveling monk, with his white, immaculate robes, or the fact that he traveled with the idealized staff.  Of course, anyone who knew Euzec could tell that he could not be a monk, though his lifestyle was very close to one.  He'd never been the religious type given the type of job he had, but nor would he ever think otherwise.  Such things were currently beyond him.  All he was concerned with now was to be a short-term maid and clean up this sandy mess they had made.

Within a matter of minutes, the mess was taken care of, the pile made into a small ball and picked up and dumped into a the waste basket in the corner.  Satisfied, he placed the broom in a corner and was ready to help Cosette as soon as she came out.  He walked over to the door and knocked on it.  "Cosette, are you finished?  I think I can help your leg now!"

[Anonymous]

Cosette was rinsing sand, grim and dirt from her arms and legs, just finishing up, when she heard knocking on the door. It scared her a little bit and she jumped, landing hard on her bad leg. She winced and nearly collapsed to the floor. She looked at the door and turned off the water, wiping off the last remaining bits of sand from herself and ringing out her hair. "Hold on a second! I'll be right out." She grabbed a towel and attempted to dry her hair a little bit before wrapping the towel around herself.

She opened the door and let out all the steam. She shivered a little as she went from the warm wash room into the cooler main room. As her body temperature readjusted, she looked at Euzec and smiled. She resisted the urge to drop the towel and run at him with great difficulty. It got harder and harder as time passed. Her leg pained her but managed to hobble over to the bed before her leg gave out from underneath her. She winced again and leaned down to hold her leg. She hoped it would be better by tomorrow.

She looked up at Euzec. She tried standing up to get dressed but couldn't. Her leg wouldn't support her. It seemed to have gotten worse. She sighed and glanced down at it. It looked worse then it had a few minutes before. It had now spread up past her knee and swelled to the size of a baseball. It looked and felt as if someone took a jackhammer to it and she cringed at the thought of traveling on it tomorrow. "I...I can't move. Sorry." She gave a sheepish smile and looked at the floor, still sitting in only a towel.

[Lion]

Euzec indeed did jump at the opening of the door, taken aback by the sudden movement of it and grinning like a surprised child when she appeared from the thickness of the mist.  "Oh hello!" he said, maintaining his congenial visage. Most people would never smile so much, but he was in a good mood and eager to help his new acquaintance in addition to getting some sleep.  As much as the dust of sleep hung heavily on his eyelids, he would resist it until the moment he could be sure that his new companion was well and ready to get a good night sleep too.  He didn't know what he would do if she persisted to have issues through out the night.

As she sat down on the bed, he knelt beside her looking to get a better chance to examine it now that there was some good light surrounding them.  But then she suddenly tried to stand and abruptly fell down again.  "Oh no!  Don't do that!  You'll make it worse.  Geez, it's pretty bad already, but then again you probably already know that."  Euzec peered up at her and softened his features, thinking a smile might make the moment all too much for her to handle.

Euzec now grabbed her leg gently and sucked in breath sharply through his teeth.  "Good sand gods, that's nasty.  Hm, I think I might be able to make this better.  It won't heal it completely but a good massage will certainly ease your pain for the night.  But by morning I don't think you'll be ready for travel.  If you still want to go with me I'll have no choice but to carry you.  I mean if that's alright.  I'm not trying to be overtly forward or anything."  He stretched another cautious grin at her and gently began to rub her leg in the place where it wasn't so badly bruised.  He hoped he wouldn't hurt her.  The last time he hurt a woman, it was one of the Haremites and, though Euzec didn't mean to do it,  Kushumoro beat him and didn't let him eat for at least a month.  Good thing Cosette wasn't one of the Haremites.

[Anonymous]

The throbbing grew. It was painful to thinking about the journey tomorrow, though the thought of traveling with Euzec sent her heart fluttering. If she didn't do something soon, she would never find the control to fall asleep, let alone travel tomorrow. She had two options that came to mind: a) make her move on him and call it a night or b) leave and find her own way back home. Both had their benefits but both had a greater deal of consequences. She took a deep breath and tried to relax a bit and clear her thoughts. For now she had to focus on her leg and how she would heal before she could make any other decisions. She glanced down at it again and groaned.

She winced slightly at his touch. It was warm and gentle, but slightly unexpected. It sent her heart fluttering once again. He took another deep breath and closed her eyes, making her mind drift elsewhere. It went to the man at the front desk, the tiger waiting somewhere outside, the hole she had been in several hours before, back home where she came from. She made her mind stop there. She snapped back to the present and glanced at Euzec and bit her lip. Her heart took off when he began to rub her leg and she made fists around the fabric on the bed as if to hold herself there.

Needless to say, the massage was hard to bear. Not because it hurt, not because she didn't enjoy it, but because she had the hardest time controlling her body against the urges that passed through her. It took most of her strength the keep back. She pulled her leg away when she couldn't take it anymore. She glanced into his eyes, longing for whatever was there. She leaned in closer, and closer. They were inches from each other when she pulled away. "I am going to go change. I'll be right back." She tried once again to stand on her one leg, taking a few seconds to regain her balance before hobbling off to the bathroom.

Her heart was pounding through her chest when she closed the door behind her. She took several deep breaths and leaned against the door. She closed her eyes to think. There was no way she could go back out there without losing all control. She had never gone this long with a man like that without it going anywhere she had wanted it to go. This was different and it pained her to hold back like she had been. She didn't know where to go from here

[Lion]

Euzec could understand her pain.  "You know, I've broken my own legs lots of times when I was younger.  I remember I must have been about fifteen when it happened the first time.  I was running an obstacle course to remain physically fit for my job.  You see, I was just being inducted on that day, and that when my real training was to begin.  Oh!  I'm sorry; I didn't tell you what I did for a living.  Well, you see, I'm a guard for a palace down in the desert.

"Well, anyway on this day, I remember that I was running really hard and I could feel all the muscles in my body working like never before.  I felt so confident, so sure of myself that I would run the course faster than everybody else that I didn't see the pitfall ahead of me.  So I fell down, taking a misstep and shattering my entire left shin.  It was one of the most horrible wounds I have ever suffered...  But that's not so bad, the worse part of it, really is that I broke the same leg several times afterwards....in the same hole.  Now normally I'd be ashamed to tell a story like this.  Nobody wants to make themselves out to be a fool, but I think its okay in a situation like this.  Don't you think?"  Euzec was far too preoccupied with her leg to notice that she was glancing at him and then...slowly...closing the distance.  It was only when he thought it was about time that she answer did he look up and notice how close she was.  He gulped in his harshly dry throat. "Um, Cosette?"

But just then she excused herself and hurried off to the bathroom... Er, or about as hurried as person with an injured leg could scurry across the floor.  And suddenly Euzec, in all his modest wonderment, was curious as to just what had caused her to run off.  Sure, she had said that she wanted to change her clothes but that only caused him to wonder as to what exactly was wrong with the clothes she currently had on.  Oh well, he would never understand the females of any race or species.  They were odd creatures.  But nonetheless, that didn't stop him from getting up and coming over to the washroom door and knocking on it with intense curiosity burning up inside of him.  "Um, Cosette, are you okay in there?  Do you need me to help you with something?"

[XD He's just asking for it, I can tell.]

[Anonymous]

Her heart rate raced, eyes darting from the ceiling to the floor, looking for any way out of the room. She swallowed, trying to clear her head. She needed to relax and this was not the way to do it. The urges raced through her body making her mind cluttered. She shut her eyes tightly and sorted through her thoughts. She felt completely schizophrenic. One voice was telling her to get out; to run and not look back. Another was telling her to stay where she was; to avoid this man until morning where they would be able to go their separate ways. And yet another told her to clamp onto him and not let him go. She groaned. She heard knocking on the door.

Her eyes shot open and with them her heart raced to a million miles an hour. Her breathing shook as she tried to find her voice to answer. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat to answer. "I-I'll be right out." Her eyes once again darted for anything. They fell onto her robe which was balled up and thrown to one corner. She dropped the towel and reached for her robe and wrapped herself in it. She wasn't quite sure how this would help but at least it would look like she was doing something while he waited.

She tied the straps in a loose knot behind her back and took a deep breath. She stepped away from the wall and turned towards the door. Her hand shook as she turned the handle and opened it, staring into the face of Euzec.