The tiny sounds she made were musical to his ears, and Nevin found himself desperately craving more. That is, until she suddenly pulled back and ran away, and he heard a door in the bedroom slam. For a moment he was very very confused - firstly, in the fact that while he had most definitely been visiting the 'inn' Philomel suggested, nothing had ever quite been like that. It was probably his own fault, but those sessions ended up usually being more educational in nature, or strictly for a short, businesslike interaction. None of the soft lips and sharp teeth, nails digging into the back of his head and his shoulder -
Nevin shook his head, trying to clear away the fuzziness. This was - this was - it was hard to think straight. He took a step in the direction she had run - the bedroom, that meant she wanted to continue right? Then the alchemist grabbed his doorframe and drove his forehead into it, splitting open the skin and sending a trail of blood leaking down his face.
The sharp burst of pain cleared the fog of arousal away, a knife cutting through the haze. Now more clear headed, Nevin could process the fact that Eteri had seemed confused, and almost afraid as she fled, and not in a good way. And that the only door in his bedroom was the door into the small closet where he stored his clothes. He took a deep, shuddering breath - and even his nose could smell the mixed scents in the air. So - he had to get out of the shop for a time, give Eteri space to recover from whatever had frightened her. They could talk about all of that after a chance to cool off had gone by.
So he went into his bedroom - and sure enough the door to the closet was firmly closed, with the end of a blanket sticking out from underneath. He took exhaled, long and slow, and shook his head. "Eteri. I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back inside of an hour." He heard a weak response through the door, and nodded before picking up a change of clothes from the pile that had been shoved out of the closet onto the ground. Once he was changed he left, long legs carrying him out into the brisk morning air.
—————
Three days. Three days since Eteri had recovered, and they had - well, that had been far more than a kiss. The feline female had been doing her best to observe Nevin discretely, always from a corner or from near a doorway, and making a break for it if he talked to her or started to walk towards her. Despite this, he had seen marks on her neck - ad he remembered how her skin had felt as he nibbled on her. Yes, from more than a normal kiss.
But that was just it. Since that had happened, Eteri had been a constant presence, a shadow that hung around him no matter what he did or where he went. She wouldn't talk to him - she would start to, then mewl and run, and if he got close to her she would run even faster. And yet - she always was somewhere where she could watch him, and if he ignored her for too long she began moving things or making very unsubtle noises, loud coughs or sneezes until he looked to her. Then it was right back to avoiding him, keeping her distance. And it was driving him insane.
And to make matters worse, she wouldn't even walk near him when he went out. No, she would follow him from a distance, not even really trying to hide. Once or twice he had been talking to a female store owner, or someone he knew - and if he made that mistake, he was pelted by small rocks until he stopped. But she was always looking away if he turned in her direction, steadfastly ignoring his gaze. The this point, he honestly didn't know what to do about it looks.
Things came to a head on the city streets as he was making his way to the market. Four women surrounded him, backing him up against a wall. He could have easily gotten free, but he had been hearing mutterings behind his back for these past few days - and these rumors had none of the light-hearted fun that Stonevale's had had. No, these ones were downright vile. And he had a feeling that the women around him were at least in part responsible.
"What can I do for you women?" His voice was as calm as he could force it to be. One of the women - wait, hadn't he seen her before, when Eteri had had her sleep walking episode? He had, that fan was fairly recognizable. The woman with the fan stepped forward, up into his personal space.
"Why, we're here to talk about that little strumpet that has been clinging to you like a leech." What.
"You see, the little bitch has been telling everyone that she's been sleeping with you, and well, of course she's lying to drag you down. Her kind always do. So, we're here to make an offer. No, no, I'm here to make an offer." The woman batted her eyelashes to him as she moved in close, just shy of pressing her body against his.
" You take one of us, preferably me, as your companion and well, we will make sure the little harlot is run out of town. Doesn't that sound wonderful? You will fina-gurk" The was unceremoniously cut off by Nevin's hand planting itself in her stomach and shoving her back. He didn't bother it holding back - he had in fact, wrapped his arm in threads to bolster his strength. He swept a furious gaze over the other girls around him.
"One word. One, single, fucking word from any of you, and I will show you why infuriating a man who makes his trade in medicine is one of the dumbest things you could ever do. And you. Insulting Eteri is literally the second dumbest thing you could have done in this situation. Insulting her to my face, that was the dumbest." The woman tried to stand up, but Nevin stepped on her dress, pinning her down. He knelt over her, glaring, and his tone was full of barely suppressed anger.
" I have known Eteri for over a month now. And in that time, she has proven herself to be worth far more than your vapid ass could hope to achieve. And to make matters perfectly clear to you - no, we have not slept together. Eteri doesn't speak this language well, and shit like you were asking doesn't register with her. She has very literally slept in my home - just sleep, and nothing more. Your petty accusations just betray the depths of your depravity - you are so unbelievably pathetic that you cannot comprehend a man wanting to spend time with a woman for anything other than filling her up. Your life must be so empty if that's all you are. I will warn you now, little fool - if I find you have been perpetuating rumors about her I will find you and make you suffer. Now, the lot of you - get out of my sight." He stopped back, and the girls helped their humiliated leader to her feet. The woman looked like she was about to say something, when the only person in the group of girls who hadn't moved yet slapped her hand over the fan holding brats mouth. She bowed her head to Nevin, then dragged the others away.
Nevin stood in the street for a solid fifteen seconds, then threw his hands up with a cry of anger. This was too damn much for today, he was done and going home. He would lock himself in his workshop and not come out again until the world made sense. He turned in his heel and stalked in the direction of his store.
Outside if it, he paused. There was a woman peering inside, dressed in a strangely flowing outfit Nevin would have ignored her - his sign clearly did 'closed' - except that he saw a brown tail lashing, and brown ears twitching on top of her head. It was yet another cat girl. Nevin dive a thread into his palm, using the sting to make sure he kept his temper.
"I am sorry miss, but the store is closed. You'll have to come back another time."
~Fin~
