Such Simple Little Things [m]

[Draconian]

Sharlee gave a numb little nod.

"I'd rather you face the river," she shivered, hunched over, wet hair a thick ropey curtain around her shoulders. A tremor ran through her and her teeth chartered before she went back to the stream, back to Gregori and washed possibly the fastest she had ever washed in her life. She didn't even want to wait to get dressed.

He was mostly ignorant right?

It would be like being naked in front of a pet. Like being naked in front of Doeshe. Gregori probably cared as much about her breasts as Doeshe did. So Sharlee gathered her things in her arms and gave a shake of her head. The rockets pricked at the bottoms of her feet and she shivered, "I'll change at camp."

Then Sharlee hussled to camp before she went to her bedroll wrung out her hair and finally got dressed. Tying her hair up she gave Gregori a look, shivering again and then down at the fire. Then over at Doeshe, who was snoozing, tongue lolled out of his mouth. "Traitor," she whispered to the dragon before she turned to Gregori.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very brave."

[Zero]

Well then.

Gregori found himself at a loss of what to really do once again. He stayed near the water, keeping watch over his bathing companion, without actually looking at her. Never before had he spent time with a naked woman. Part of him really was curious, but leering at her like some rogue cur seemed wrong.

When Sharlee finished and rushed back to camp, still naked, the angel followed her much more slowly, and kept his eyes down. Gregori found himself leaning against a tree and staring into the forest, watching and listening for signs of more uninvited guests - beast or otherwise.

"Why are you apologizing to me for that? Fear isn't wrong, you know. A bear could easily kill you, especially as vulnerable as you were." He finally looked back over at her, relieved that she had clothes again, though he was worried about how cold she had gotten from her bath. The last thing he wanted was for her to catch a chill.

Grabbing his cloak from where he'd left it, Gregori moved over to drape the heavy wool around her shoulders gently. "You're freezing. We wouldn't want you to get sick. Should I build the fire up a little more?"

[Draconian]

As vulnerable as she was.

Sharlee wondered briefly if he was vulnerable naked.

It was tempting to ask.

Instead she shivered and stayed quiet, looking at the fire and was pleasantly surprised when she felt a heavy wool cloak around her shoulders. A curious look to him and gently shook her head, "No, the fire is fine as it is." A brief pause and she shifted to one side of the bedroom, "You could sit beside me?" A look out into the darkness of the trees, the sun having set since her little trip to the stream.

"I'm still kinda freaked out about the bear." A little smile and she shifted slightly, grabbing her bag, "You can read another book?"

[Zero]

"Okay." Gregori settled onto the bedroll beside her, leaving just enough room between them that they weren't really touching. Sharlee had her clothes back on, but he really wasn't sure how close was too close or if it would be wrong for him to brush up against her as they sat together.

Hesitantly he rummaged through the bag for a moment, basically pulling out another one of her novels at random. These probably weren't the best teachers for human interactions, considering their subject nature, but he found a certain appeal to them after reading the first. They were entertaining.

Rather than open the book to begin reading by firelight, he frowned thoughtfully down at the cover before looking down at Sharlee with concern and mild frustration.

"I wish I was better at human things. I feel like I should be offering comfort and support of some kind, because you're in distress. I just don't know what would be appropriate. Just remember that you're not alone out here. I think Doeshe and I can chase away anything that comes our way between the two of us." He glanced at the slumbering dragon, who might not be huge yet, but was still probably pretty intimidating to most things.

[Draconian]

Quickly enough Sharlee pressed her side to Gregori's, finding him delightfully warm. Her head soon enough rested on his shoulder and she gave a sleepy chuckle to the strange man's frustration. Smiled at his reassurance. Leaning back slightly she tucked a piece of wet hair behind her pointed ear and turned to Doeshe.

"Oh, I'm sure at least one of you will be able to chase away anything that comes our way." Still pressed to her side she looked at his neck, then back at the book.

"What are your markings?" She asked in a gentle voice, "You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable," she held out a hand, quickly reassuring him before she rested her head back on his shoulder. If he wasn't able to offer her comfort without confusion, Sharlee figured she'd just take it.

[Zero]

The angel's first reaction was to tense up as Sharlee snuggled against him, but Gregori relaxed when her head rested on his shoulder. Never in his memory could he recall cuddling with someone, and he was pretty sure this was at least similar to cuddling. Of course she was cold and his body heat would help warm her back up.

It made sense.

"Which ones? I was already branded when I woke up. I've never actually seen the wings, I was surprised when you called them beautiful." By now the book was forgotten in his lap as he raised his hands so that he could examine the markings around his wrists, which were much the same as the one on his neck. "I think these are a reminder of my place. They look like they're from shackles and a collar, at least that is what I have been told before."

A disobedient slave being punished for his crime. Gregori still couldn't remember what that crime actually was. What order had he disobeyed? It had to come back to him eventually.

He sighed and dropped his hands back into his lap. "One day I will remember, I have to."

[Draconian]

Sharlee picked up his hand from his lap, pulling it closer and looking at the designs on his wrist. Her hands were cold and she still was shivering, but with her cheek against his shoulder and his warm hand in hers she did well to warm up.

"Do you have to?" Sharlee inquired, fingers trailing over the marks on his wrist, "Maybe you don't remember for a reason."

[Zero]

This was turning out to be such a strange day for him. Gregori watched their hands, examining her fingers as they moved over his wrist. She had such delicate hands compared to his.

A year awake and human, and this was probably the closest, most intimate contact he'd had with another person in that time. So far he'd managed to keep his distance to those around him, but Sharlee just seemed determined to draw him in. If someone was going to, well, she was very...warm.

He didn't know how else to describe it.

Just sitting there next to her, Sharlee's cheek resting on his shoulder, Gregori felt warm. It wasn't just a physical warmth. Something inside him felt warm. It was a feeling, unusual, but pleasant.

"If I don't remember how can I ever go home? I don't know that there's anything else for me to do." Truthfully, he was both afraid of remembering and of not remembering. How many times did he awake with that awful feeling from his dreams? They were not pleasant dreams, or happy memories that were being dredged up in his subconscious.

But what if he didn't remember? What if he stopped trying? There was nothing in this world for him. He had no past, no childhood, no familly - nothing. How could he stay in a human world if he didn't belong anywhere?

Pushing aside that unpleasant thought. "Are we cuddling? This seems similar to what I understand the word to mean."

[Draconian]

Sharlee couldn't imagine desperately wanting to go to a place but having no idea where it was. Before yesterday even, she couldn't imagine wanting to go home at all. The big house, empty save for the help. Sharlee looked at Gregori, examining what she could of his features before she rested her head against his shoulder. Sure that if he didn't want any contact he'd simply move.

His question caught her off guard and Sharlee smiled, leaning back to look at him, a light blush on her cheeks. "Sort of, I suppose. Cuddling is more ... Like a sitting hug. Or a laying down hug." Feeling bold she curled an arm around one of Gregori's and snuggled against it, resting her head against his shoulder again.

[Zero]

Gregori's brow furrowed in thought as Sharlee explained that they were only sort of cuddling - whatever that meant - and tried to tell him what real cuddling was. "So if we are only sort of cuddling is there a word for whatever we are doing? I'm not well versed in hugging or cuddling."

Or much of anything.

Even without much experience in such things, the angel thought this seemed rather like a hug. Was she not hugging his arm just now? He also wondered why she seemed to be using his shoulder as a pillow. Perhaps it was comfortable.

"Tell me what it was like growing up." The change of subject was rather abrupt, but he was curious - after all, he'd never actually had the opportunity to experience 'growing up'.

[Draconian]

Growing up?

Sharlee pursed her lips, giving a little smile.

"Growing up, hmm?" Her voice was soft, though she was still high on adrenaline from the far too curious bear. Sharlee tucked her hair behind her ear and bit her lip, "Well, you start off really small. Tiny. You don't really remember much from when you're a baby. Defenseless." Sharlee found herself unable to come up with the right words, "You know how babies are made, I'm sure you can imagine how tiny and defenseless one is."

"It's... You learn more as you grow up. I Guess a big part of 'growing up' is just... Getting a little taller and... Learning." Sharlee leaned up off of Gregori's shoulder, pressing a palm to her face to lean her elbow against her knee, "You have plenty of growing up to do, there's lots you don't know."

[Zero]

Gregori was staring at Sharlee by the time she was finished speaking. For a moment he really couldn't react, simply blinked slowly at her. That wasn't exactly the answer he'd been looking for, but he supposed he probably hadn't asked the right question. Undoubtedly he had asked the wrong question.

The angel frowned and tilted his curiously. Suddenly he found himself worried that he came off as genuinely stupid. Most likely. He supposed his lack of social skills and general knowledge about all things human would lead someone to believe that.

"I know what babies and children are, but no one has explained it to me quite like that. I was actually hoping for something specific - about you."

[Draconian]

Sharlee's mouth dropped open and she cleared her throat.

"Oh. Me?"

Pursing her lips she tapped at them with her index finger, "I suppose ... I come from a well off family. Old money, I guess. I grew up following my elder siblings - I'm the youngest. I was educated and... Given any worldly possession I asked for." She smiled, turning and looking down at her fingers. "There was an illness when I was about twelve. My parents and brother passed away. No amount of healing or potion would fix it, my elder sister left not much longer after that and I was alone, to be raised by maids." Sharlee looked to Doeshe, sleeping as he was, her eyes grew soft and she gave a bright joyful smile to Gregori.

"I found Doeshe not much longer after that. Once everyone was gone I was full of... Wanderlust. I hated being in the same place for too long, I love meeting new people, seeing new places but... I didn't want to stay." She looked down at the ground, heaved a sigh and shrugged, "I could live forever in that home and never worry about a thing. Be waited on hand and foot but.. I'd rather be out here. With Doeshe. Meeting peolpe like you."

[Zero]

That was actually quite a lot of information to take in about Sharlee. Gregori had asked, but he wasn't sure he'd expected his companion to open up that much. He'd thought she might tell him a short story, rather than a brief synopsis.

Taking a moment to process it, the angel thought it a little sad.

Sharlee had a family, and though vague on details he got the impression her early life had been happy. To have so much taken away by illness and to be left behind by the one remaining...

Here he longed to return to a home he couldn't even remember and she seemed determined to stay away from a home abandoned. They were kind of opposites with that.

Gregori had never had a family, but he thought he knew enough about loss. After all, he'd lost everything, hadn't he? His home, his memories, he had no idea who he even truly was. Maybe he would never know.

In a slightly awkwardly executed gesture, the angel reached over to lay a hand on Sharlee's shoulder. "For what it is worth, I am sorry about your family."

[Draconian]

Sharlee just smiled, a little sad, sure, but it was a smile.

"The past is... In the past." She stated simply, giving a shrug, putting her hand on top of Gregori's, her thumb passing over his knuckles, "If I cling to it instead of do something I enjoy, I'll only be miserable." She shrugged, "I figured I'd get all that information out of the way in case you wanted to ask more questions." Sharlee gave a little smile just as Doeshe gave a loud snort.

"I'll help you get home though. Or at least... Try to help you remember. If I can." Her hand pat his again and she sighed and hugged her knees to her chin, "What's your first memory?"

[Zero]

Gregori nodded at the explanation - it made sense. The past couldn't be changed and if dwelling on it would make her unhappy then it probably was best she just press on with her life. Perhaps he felt a pang of envy. If he couldn't remember, couldn't find his way home, would he ever be able to just let it go?

He wasn't sure.

But he did know that it felt strange to have Sharlee so intent on helping him. Not bad. Just strange. Nobody had ever cared enough to help him try to uncover his past. He wasn't sure why she'd be so willing.

The angel sighed when she asked what his first memory was. That wasn't exactly an easy question, but turn about was fair play. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Gregori scooted closer to Sharlee so that he could move his arm around her shoulders, thinking the way she hugged her knees up under her chin was a sign she was still cold and trying to keep her warm.

"I don't know, exactly. For the longest time there was nothing but darkness and the endless sensation of falling. It wasn't pleasant." Gregori frowned. "There was this loud roaring sound in my ears, and flashes of blinding light, then I was sitting up in the middle of a ruined town. It was cold, and I was naked. I didn't know who I was or why I was there. So I guess that's my first real memory."

[Draconian]

Sharlee snuggled in against Gregori, eyes closed while she listened. The mental image was scary. For a fleeting moment she wondered how she would have felt. Waking up and... Not knowing anything. Sharlee sighed and rested her head against his shoulder, eyes closing briefly. "That sounds... Frightening."

"Did someone name you? Or did you just know who you were?" Still all the while, she snuggled in closer. Finding his presence soothing and the warmth helped a great deal.

[Zero]

"I suppose frightening is a good description for it." Gregori mused, thinking back on those first few moments of clarity. Disorientation, a sense of profound loss, a burning pain...yes, frightening probably summed it up pretty well. He actually shuddered slightly at the memory, but Sharlee wasn't the only one benefiting from the closeness and warmth. Not that the angel realized he either needed or received some form of comfort from the woman snuggled against his side.

"I assume someone named me at some point, but I knew my name, if nothing else." He was quiet for a moment. "Sharlee? This is going to seem an odd question, but would we be considered...friends?"

[Draconian]

Friends?

Sharlee looked at him, lavender eyes curious while she examined him. A purse of her lips and she smiled, snuggling in closer. It was probably wrong of her to take advantage of the closeness, but it felt so nice. Tucked tightly against his side, Sharlee nodded.

"Yes. I'd be honoured to call you friend," another smile and her head was resting on his shoulder, "this is cuddling, by the way." A small smile and she found his hand fingers curling into his palm to hold his hand.

[Zero]

It wasn't as if Gregori would realize he was being 'taken advantage of' either way. No, if anything the angel was actually enjoying the warmth nestled so close against his side. It felt...nice.

Not just the body heat, but that strange sensation of inner warmth also made it a pleasant experience. Nobody had ever cuddled with him before - as Sharlee just affirmed that was what they were doing. He had thought as much. Cuddling was an affectionate activity, from what he understood, but she also said they were friends, and he also understood that friends usually held some affection for one another.

"I think that you are my first friend." Gregori admitted as he let his fingers curl around her hand in return. "There was a priestess that helped me when I first woke up, but that was not like this. We never cuddled. I...see why people like to do this. You're warm and when you lay your head on my shoulder like that I feel this strange warmth spreading through my body and my heart rate increases. Is that normal?"