“Hundreds of years.” I spoke softly, looking at dawn girl. She looked so small, lost and afraid. “I was with my wife for hundreds of years, never faltering. At times we had a bit of an open relationship - but only when we both agreed, and we always knew the other person was who we truly loved. Even when centuries passed and we couldn't have a child, neither of us wanted to leave the other.” I drummed my fingers on top of the covers. She - damn. I didn't know just what exactly had happened between the three of them, but it had obviously not affected Shinsou or Philomel. Not like it had Amari. I had seen, felt, the pain of betrayal, of losing him. It scarred her even now. While they - well. I had made the faun break down in tears, at least.
I watched as Scarlet’s form curled up into a small ball. Goose bumps on her skin even under the thick down quilt. SHe looked like she was falling asleep.
“You're cold. Come here.” I shook my head and lifted the blankets between us. When she didn’t move I reached out and pulled her close to me. She grumbled in weak defiance. She did this...when we fought she’d get moody and stay as far away from me as possible, yet never tried to move away when I drew her in close.
“You silly woman.” I said it softly and chuckled. “You know I'm warmer than you.” I was going to glaze over the similarity for the moment - it just seemed to upset her more whenever I mentioned things like this. She gave a sleepy grumble as she slowly uncurled from her own ball, allowing me to wrap myself around her.
She was cool, and seemed to sap the heat away from my body. It stung - touching her skin directly even now made my skin blister, but my body, and the serum flowing inside, was adapting to the to corrosive touch. I would heal - and I was not about to let her be cold. Warmth was one of the few things dawn girl consistently asked for, and this burning on my skin was well worth the joy of touching her. Damn, but I was a sap at times.
“I’m still mad.”
“I know.”
She shuffled further back into me, then lifted her leg to kick backward at me. Like she...like she always did. Damn this woman. Did habits carry over? Or was there more of my Ri in her than she realized? It was always that half-hearted kick, then she would - yep. Leave her leg thrown across me. I don't know how in the hell she was comfortable like this, but it always happened. Even when she wasn't angry at me she would throw one leg across me, like she was constantly trying to keep me in place.
“So. Back in the woods. The drake. Who in the hell taught you ‘jolly cooperation’?” I blinked as something came to me. She had had me throw her - like she was used to it.
Her body tensed. “Erik. He...is another who would come to my call. We have a contract. I pay him by feeding him chunks of my soul.”
“Oh? Do I need to be jealous?” I teased her softly, grinning. I knew full well her soul likely healed faster than this man could consume it. Odd. A soul vampire? I might have to look into this to make sure he wasn't in danger of becoming a Beast.
“He’s under strict orders not to touch me by his bitch of a partner.” She scoffed. “Literally. She’s a werewolf.”
I blinked. Several times. A soul vampire with a werewolf? How did that come to happen? “I… See. And ah, how did that particular form of cooperation come about, then?” I was now even more curious. If he wasn't supposed to touch dawn girl - how had he thrown her? Or taught her to be thrown?
“It wasn’t cooperation.” She hissed. “He fuckin’ threw me! Why- why do you even care?”
“Because I care about you.” Fuck. That was not supposed to slip out. Moon above. I froze.
She felt tense in my arms but she didn’t say anything, nor did she go to shift away. Did she not hear me? No...she definitely would have. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I didn't say anything else, not yet, for fear of making her move away. I felt her body relax.
“You care about your wife. Not me.” Her words weren’t filled with anger, but a lonely remorse that I just wanted to squeeze away from her. I shook my head, sharply enough to shake the bed.
“You aren't my wife. I just told you I care about you dawn girl. I won't say I love you, but I care about you.” I slowly squeezed her against me. “That wasn't me asking you if you remembered something, or noticing if you did. It was me asking - you - about something that happened to you.”
“You’ll loose interest.” She sounded defeated. What happened? Did she have one happy memory to her name? She had expressed suicidal tendancies on more than one occasion, had apathy for everything around her. Or was it all just a - a … I wasn’t sure what to think of it. I’d change it and make it better. I may not be able to change her past but I’d change her future.
“I doubt that. I have, I think, about nine hundred years before I die. I wonder how many of them I'll have to spend convincing you of that fact before you believe me?” I mused softly. This woman - I would not let her fall. Even if she didn't love me, and didn't want me to stay her by side - I'd be there when she called. Probe to her that this world wasn't out to get her - or that if it was, she wouldn't face it alone. - I would need to get more of those stones. Or better ones. Somewhere.
Slowly, to keep her relaxed and from spooking away, I started gently caressing her skin as I thought. She didn't resist my touch, so I gently turned her around to face me - and froze. Her gold-ringed eyes - when had those returned? - were rimmed, puffy, with red. She'd been crying, quietly. Damn it. Damn it. Ri had done this too, silent tears to keep me from knowing she was hurting. I learned forward and kissed her softly, a gentle brush of my lips against hers.
“I've told you before and I will tell you again. I will come when you call. Until the last breath leaves my body.” She closed her eyes and leaned into my palm. I let it dance over her skin. Painfully aware of the small blemishes on her face. Tiny spots that were in the same place as Ri’s. On dawn girl, they were almost like freckles, but Ri had had paler, white spots on her skin. Tiny little marks, almost like scars. Painfully similar. I took a deep breath and kissed her again, softly, then moved my head back for a moment as I shifted my arm under her and started gently massaging her, my hands wandering.
