Bad luck charm (closed, for Nouh-Bdee)

[Evayla]

Rowen did her utter best to stay as much to the side as she could, but it was unavoidable to touch. One person tent, two people. She was lucky enough she fitted in at all.
Lucky she did not believe in the whole demon-touch-sends-you-to-nether idiocy. It was obvious enough he tried his best not to pester her with his presence, which -again- surprised her. Despite his moods he was actually quite considerate.
Funny that.

Damn, the guy was big, especially up close. The girl blinked and nodded. "Yea, nite." Bin closed his eyes first. It gave her a chance to look.
Just...look.
At him.
Yep.

With all the silly discussions and altercations they got into she never really looked at him. Alright, so...he was....red.
Yes.
Very.
Still, if he wasn't he would not really stand out for ugliness. In fact, his physique was quite pleasing as Rowen had already noted.

Gods almighty, she could feel her face warm up again! Noooope, think different thoughts. Think bad black dogs. Think sleep. Yes. Sleep. Great idea. Zzz and such. So, am I asleep yet?

The girl closed her eyes.
Tried really hard.
Then tried really hard not to sigh too loudly because sleep seemed to be out of reach for now.

With the sun down it was actually rather pleasant to have this warm presence right next to her. Maybe it would not be such an uncomfortable night after all, even if she could feel her hips grind into the harsh ground and she was pretty sure they might get eaten alive by happy mosquito's.

Maybe they would...

It was all the thinking she could muster before Rowen quite unexpectedly found herself
vast
asleep.

The thought of being warm steered her sleeping body towards the half-demon during the night, her head ending up on his rising chest, which made for an excellent pillow, one arm around him as if the man was some kind of comfy blanket.

She never noticed.
Just....slept.
And snored a little.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin just closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he ended up needing to turn onto his back before he could properly fall asleep. It made things a little tighter with Rowen, but he just couldn’t stay up all night. Finally, after nearly an hour, he drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Bin’rahl woke up feeling better than he’d felt in a long time. He wasn’t sure why, but having someone close to him was soothing. Rowen’s presence relaxed him. Even her snoring wasn’t enough to disturb him. When he woke up enough to realize exactly how close she was, her body pressed against him, her head resting on his chest, one leg lifted slightly to partially rest on his shin...he didn’t feel so relaxed any more, especially when he also noticed the bulge in his leather pants. He was grateful that at least the durable fabric kept his predicament from being too obscene, but he could clearly see how prominently he was, um, rising to the occasion.

It’s just the morning. Happens all the time. It’s not because I’m having any sexual thoughts about Rowen. Or maybe I am? I’ve been alone too long. Nope! More alone-ness is what I need. That’ll make this problem go away.

He just froze, worried that if he disturbed her she would wake and see how close her knee was to that substantial obstacle below his belt. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, distracted and impeded by the scent of her hair.

 

[Evayla]

So comfortable.
It had been a long, long time since she slept this well.
Rowen did not want to move. Everything was juuuuust right. The lack of blanket was made up by the physical warmth of the man next to her. Her lithe body had moved in such a way that she could get as much surface warmth as possible without actually lying on top of the poor half-demon.

A little smile played around her lips.
Truly a satisfied sleeper.
Everything so nice and soft.
And hard.

Hard?

Rowen blinked, waking up.
Realized how she was positioned.
Quickly drew back her leg.
And the rest.
Sitting up, hitting her head against the pole keeping the tent up.

"Ow!" She rubbed her head, her elbow almost nailing his nose in the process. Her face was colouring a deep red pretty fast as the girl did everything in her power to get out of the tent to avoid any more embarrassment in front of the capable traveler!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Rikki’s leg brushing against his bulge sent a jolt straight to his brain like lightning. It had been a long time since anyone had touched him there, even through thick leather. Then, his stomach sank as she jumped and fled like he was on fire.

Shit.

Bin lay back, his head on the hard ground. He didn’t know how to handle this. Should he say something? Apologize? It was just biology, anyway, or at least he could claim that it was. The truth was that something about Rowen made his mind go there, enjoy her touch more than he felt he was supposed to. Maybe even that was his biology, though. He was half-sex demon after all, and he’d never really indulged that part of himself. He was probably pretty pent-up. Either way, Bin didn’t fully trust his attraction to the loud little woman. It even felt strange calling it attraction.

None of those thoughts helped him decide what to do about what just happened.

In the end, Bin didn’t say a word about it, just silently doing the work to break camp and get the horse ready to move.

 

[Evayla]

Ignoring was the best way to go, right?
Right.
Definitely.
Nothing happened.
She just fell asleep a little.
Maybe up against him.
A little.
And felt something.
Not very little.

FINE ya already saw him already anyway when he got out of the water! SHEESH! So he's a guy. Get over it. Okay, half-demon. Still guy. Yep.

A stealthy glance. He wasn't saying anything weird.
Not saying anything, really.
She was prolly just the only idiot feeling a bit odd about this.
And maybe a little warmer than warranted.

Right. Ignore mode.

See? Nothin wrong. All normal.

They'd have to talk at some point, though. "Um, need help?" Brilliant question while he was expertly breaking up camp.

"Or uh..I could ...ya know...forage...a little more? Breakfast stuff? Somethin? Berries? Orrrrrr...feed the horse?"

Stop ramblin!. He don't want ya talkin!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

When Rowen asked him if he needed help, Bin’rahl stiffened jerkily. “Oh, um...I--” was all he got out before Rowen kept babbling. Bin ran his fingers through his dark hair, wishing he could cover his face and hide. He’d known this would happen when he asked her to travel with him. They only had the tiny tent, and he was at least partially hard most mornings. He hadn’t expected to be so affected by it, though, or by her presence in general. He felt...conscious of her and of himself almost the way he was normally conscious of predators out on the hunt, like she was a threat somehow, not to his body but to his...crotch? That didn’t make sense, but that was the part of his body that seemed to be screaming at him to worry about her and how she reacted to him.

“Okay,” he said, not really sure what she’d just said. It worked, though. She left to do her thing, and Bin finished getting ready to leave. Once their horse was loaded up, Bin stood next to it in case Rowen needed a hand up, trying to avoid eye contact.

 

[Evayla]

Hah! He finally said something! Alright, not a total bust then.
Yet.

Rowen quickly scattered the ashes of their fire the night before, making sure nothing was still smoldering as she took the make shift campfire apart. Next the girl made her round to ensure they had gotten everything, including the leftover meat. Bin had worked hard enough to get that, after all.

"Okidoki, done!" She declared, wiping her hands on her trousers. The horse was big. She was not. Of course the girl could ignore the hand since he would not even *look* at her, but...she'd be a fool, cause she'd fall without.

Rowen took his hand firmly and worked herself into the saddle. "Onwards...or somethin. Where, actually?"

When he saddled up behind her the brunette became awfully aware of his warm body behind her.
Well toned.
Damn muscled.

Another flush. This was getting ridiculous. Just because she woke up this morning next to an actual live person of the male persuasion her mind now insisted on reminding her around every turn? She'd never had this before! She'd never been interested in any of the wussies that crossed her path! Why on earth would her system react so strongly now? It's not like she ever needed a guy before!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Rowen’s hand was warm in his, her pale pink contrasting nicely with his bright red. He struggled to keep an unthinking smile off his face until she let go. Luckily, she asked her question while they weren’t touching, or Bin probably wouldn’t have heard it.

“Just follow the trail to the northeast, I guess. We’re still a week out from Halvfryst.”

Settling into the saddle brought with it a new complication. The sensation of her leg brushing his stiff morning wood was still seared into Bin’s memory, and now her soft rear end was pressed against his pelvis. It had been awkward the day before, and it still was, but now it was also nice. The more the thought crossed his mind, the more he enjoyed it, as well as the other parts of her that leaned back against him and the hair that occasionally brushed his chin. He didn’t want to enjoy it though, because he definitely didn’t want to recreate this morning’s…incident.

Bin didn’t say anything for the next hour, not sure what else to say, unsuccessfully trying to avoid any arousal. He’d never had anyone to talk to on the road, anyway, even if it hadn’t been for the awkwardness between them that morning. He noticed that Rowen didn’t say anything either, though, and based on their time together he knew that was unusual. He hoped she wasn’t riding in silence just because she thought he’d be upset if she talked. He didn’t really want a conversation, but he didn’t want her cowed, thinking she’d get barked at if she started yapping.

“You don’t have to, uh, not talk. If you don’t… want to, I guess.”

 

[Evayla]

"Follow trail. Week out. Gotcha." She nodded and yes, indeed fell silent. The wind was getting chillier out here. Was it the absence of inhabited territory? Was the weather changing?

Either way Rowen was thankful for the very warm presence at her back. Even if she did not want to upset him by existing, it still felt good to be leaning back ever so slightly, not wanting to *seem* like she was leaning back, mind you!

Bin was silent too. Apparently she'd made the right choice in leaving him his peace. That is, until he suddenly spoke up. The girl jerked up, finding herself having half-dozed against him. Was there something poking at her back?

WHOOSH went the colour in her face again. "Uh...talkin...I thought ya preferred silence, heh." A sheepish grin. This was getting ridiculous. She was trying to keep his comfort in mind and meanwhile apparently he was trying to do the same thing for her!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl felt bad about how closely his body kept drifting to hers, and periodically he would try to lean back, to be less physically obtrusive, but he still found his chest pressed against her back again and again. He felt even worse when he felt her jerk awake at his words.

Damn, I woke her up. Shoulda kept my mouth shut.

The damage done, Bin shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never had anybody around before to do any talking.”

So it was like he’d thought. She was keeping quiet for his benefit, not because she wanted to. At least, not until she’d dozed off. Chaos, was it always this precarious, dealing with other people? Bin felt bad, now, and he didn’t like it. Rowen had wanted to come with him, and now he felt bad for not accommodating her.

“So do whatever you want. I’m not your boss, and I’m not your dad. We’re just traveling together.”

Well, shit. Now he felt bad about that. He hadn’t meant to bark at her like that.

“Shit, sorry. Just...don’t feel like you have to always do what you think I want. We’re supposed to meet in the middle, right?”

That sounded more like what he’d been thinking about saying, but he still felt bad about waking her up. “You can also just go back to sleep if you want. I’ll, uh, I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”

 

[Evayla]

Rowen shifted in the saddle, not entirely sure what to make of this other than the fact that he tried to be nice for her sake. "Just tryin not to annoy ya too much..." She mumbled.

No, he was not her dad, luckily, but there was something about people barking at her that just made her try to avoid a repeatal, either by smashing their face in or obliging, depending on the person and her mood.

She frowned. The middle? Now where would that be right now in this utterly odd situation? Yes, she was still curious about him, but he'd made it clear he did not want to talk about himself! The girl could not discuss her dream either, because that clearly did not go down well. And talking about herself...well, she did not have much interesting to say about her screwed up life either.

"Thanks." Rowen nodded. It *was* nice to hear him try and make the best out of this weird situation. And if she really did not have to always do what she thought he wanted..."So does that mean ya gonna tell me how ya get to be a half demon?"

Hey, a girl could try!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Snot literally came out of Bin’rahl’s nose in a short, sharp scoff. That’s what she wanted to know?

“Well,” he began, voice dripping with so much sarcasm it was running down his chin. “When a man and a succubus love each other very much...:”

Her response was what Bin’rahl was learning was typical Rowen, enough to make the half-demon smile warmly. Maybe he could get used to this having-company thing.

After his chuckle was over, he gave her the slightly longer version.

“My mother decided she wanted a child, so, naturally, she seduced a man, used him to impregnate herself, and then consumed his soul. Nine months later…” He held his arms out to indicate himself before he realized she probably couldn’t tell what he was doing.

“I, uh...I was born.”

 

[Evayla]

Now that was a snort if ever she heard one. It made her grin. Good, she'd caught him off guard. This might be fun after all.

A pleasant surprise when he actually explained the succubus thing. Less pleasant to hear about the soul devouring. "Well, shit! Ya'd think they be more careful with guys who actually wanna...ya know...be...with a real life serious demoness being."

Bin sure had a thing for drama. The girl laughed. She felt his arms move and had an incling of the motion attached to it. Was he actually starting to enjoy talking? He wasn't such a bad storyteller at all!

"So does that mean ya devour souls too? How demon are ya? I mean, red, duh, but...well, how far does that thing go?" Oh yes, she was pushing her advantage!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin shook his head as their horse’s hooves clopped along the trail. “Everyone wants to be with a succubus...in the moment, at least. That’s their...magic, or whatever. My father didn’t even care that he knew he was going to die when she ate his soul.” Bin’s voice was sad, his eyes unfocused. He could still remember the conversations he’d had with his “father,” the remnant of his soul that still lived inside his mother. He’d looked into her eyes as she spoke with the voice of the man whose seed had given him life. The man had tried to pass on some of his knowledge to his son, his understanding of the world, and it was all tainted years later when his mother, in a rage, had claimed that it was only her pretending the whole time. Bin didn’t know if it was true or not, he couldn’t, but it was one of many things that had driven he and his mother apart.

He heard Rowen’s words, but he was lost in thought, too distracted to answer.

 

[Evayla]

Succubus....something from stories to scare children, she'd thought. Yet here she was, traveling with the living proof of those very stories.

Guess dad was right...I ended up ridin with the demon. There was no answer to her follow up question, though. Crap. She'd lost him already. The silence was deafening. Yet it did not feel like the same silence when he'd been pissed off at her. Rowen chanced a look over her shoulder to see how he was doing...

And nearly lost her balance in the process!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin was in a daze, on the verge of tears. These were painful memories for him, deep personal trauma and pain, not to mention the way it fucked with his head, to not know what was true, to doubt his experiences. He took a deep breath, and then he was pulled out of his thoughts by Rowens arms flailing in front of him. His hand reflexively went out to hers, but he had been so distracted that he failed to notice that she had been in the process of catching herself.

Instead, he overcorrected, and ended up pulling both of them out of the saddle. More aware now, Bin rolled in the air so that his back hit the ground first, Rowen landing on top of him. He groaned as all the air left his lungs at once, and grunted from the pain in his back as it crashed against the rocky soil. He kept his eyes open long enough to see that the horse, bereft of guidance, had at least slowed to a stop on the trail, and then his eyes closed, just for a moment of respite. He was still perfectly conscious, but he just needed a moment to recover.

 

[Evayla]

"Wah!" Alright, she got her answer: clearly he was deep in thought, because what was supposed to be a helping move, landed them both on the ground instead.

"OOF!" She grunted, even if she landed on top of the guy instead of at the bottom. She'd been there once before and had not particularly liked the fact that he'd pinned her, so this was...better. Mildly so.
Still annoying.

Rowen took a deep breath, then pushed herself up. "Bloody nether, ya alright?" She blinked, noticing his eyes closing! The girl slapped him in the face. "Ey ey! No unconscious! Wakey! Come on!"

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The sharp slap across his face did not help ease Bin’rahl’s pain. He sat up and groaned. Blindly shoving Rowen farther away. “I’m not passing out, woman!” He groaned and fell back to the ground. “That just hurt, by chaos!”

He rolled over and got to his feet. “What were you doing, anyway? All I remember is you looking like you were about to fall, and then I tried to catch you and knocked us off.”

Bin stood shakily. His back hurt, but it wouldn’t keep him from riding. Maybe he’d skip hunting that night, though, and they could eat trail rations. They had plenty to spare, anyway.

“Whatever, let’s get going.” Bin climbed back on the horse and held his hand out for Rowan.

 

[Evayla]

Rowen felt herself being pushed away. Oops, apparently he was not passing out...only...he did not look like he felt well.

The girl scrambled closer again. "Ey! Easy! Ya just took a nasty fall, ya moron! Ya don't go jumpin up yer feet without checkin yerself!"

Hands on her hips she glared up at him. The man looked like shit. Heck, he was even trembling! "Now ya SIDDOWN an lemme check the basics, damnit!" The big man had stopped her from getting hurt. The least she could do was see how he was really doing. Looking after herself for years she knew very well how a fall could knot up muscles, easily solved by a little hands on work!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin glared at Rowen and started to reach for the reins before wincing in pain. A sharp intake of breath, and he looked down at the woman. “FINE.”

The half-demon carefully climbed down from the horse, only stumbling once he got a foot on the ground. He lay flat on his back, eyes to the sky. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

[Evayla]

Ohhh she knew that glare.
She *owned* that glare.
And that wince?
Dead give away.
Even before he tumbled down again.

"Yer the most obnoxious, stubborn asshole I've had the pleasure of meetin in a LONG while. An tha's sayin somethin!" Rowen grumbled and shook her head. "TURN over." Yep, bossy was her middle name when the mood struck her.

He moved like a man with back pains. She'd seen those a-plenty in her father. The young woman moved her agile fingers over his neck, his shoulders, his back to ensure nothing was broken or severely upset. When she was satisfied, she sat on his back as if riding the horse!

"Nuh-uh, no movin or buckin, mister!" She warned him, then set to work, agility translating into a fair bit of strength as her hands started moving through his upset muscles, doing her utter best to un-knot them. The hyper girl paid extra attention to his spine, making utterly sure everything was in the right place there.

There was no rush.
No threat.
So she took her time. This needed to be done properly if the man wanted to have a chance at getting up without making it worse.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl grumbled under his breath as Rowen fussed over him. Maybe she was right that he shouldn’t have gotten right back on the horse, but that didn’t mean he needed her poking and prodding him all over. He’d been injured before, and he knew he would heal quickly. The worst case was that he would need to rest until the next day, but he didn’t want to be too harsh with her. He’d already--

“Oof!”

Now she was sitting on his back, like he was some animal to ride or a petulant child. This was too much, too humiliating. “Is this really nec--oooohhhh…”

This was very different from her earlier pokes and prods. This was...nice. Soothing. It felt good. Really good. Bin relaxed into the soft earth, melting under Rowen’s touch.

“How did you...learn to do this?” His voice sounded like he was drunk, the edges of his words blended together like colors in an oil painting. Tension in his body that he hadn’t been aware of melted away, his body liquid against the ground. He closed his eyes.

He wasn’t quite asleep, but his mind wandered far away. If she spoke to him, maybe he made some noises in return, and maybe he didn’t. If she stopped, he would miss her touch, but he wasn’t going to move unless she made him. It just felt too good on the ground, nice and sleepy. Relaxing. Lightheaded. Mmmmmm…

 

[Evayla]

It was funny seeing that big guy sprawled underneath her and actually responsive to her serious work out. Rowen moved over his entire back, then moved back to his neck and shoulders to ensure she had gotten the string of knots out.

From the feel of it this was long, long overdue. Not surprising with the amount of tension he seemed to walk around with!

Yet, the big red all but falling asleep underneath her?
Priceless!
Meant she was doing something right.
Meant that he was enjoying it.
Both good things.

"Lotsa bad backs an clumsy guys." She grinned in answer to his question. It was very tempting to just hug him when she was done. Somehow Bin was almost cute like this.

It wouldn't be good to leave him here, though. It would effectively undo all her work.

A shame.

Rowen bit her lip.

Ah heck.

She leaned forward and hugged the guy softly, a quick peck on his shoulder. "All done." THe girl patted the shoulder she just touched. "Sorry to disturb yer slumber."

Oh yes, she felt victorious right now.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The first thing Bin felt was a pat on his shoulder, and then he heard Rowen’s apology. He didn’t want to get up at first, but then he thought about how it must look to Rowen, him an insensate puddle on the ground after a little massage. He crawled to his feet as quickly as he could manage, which was not very quick. His limbs were limp and barely responsive, and his mouth felt dry. How long had he been asleep? Had he actually fallen asleep, or had he just been existing at that twilight junction between wakefulness and dreaming, caught in neither world and both at the same time.

Oh, chaos, he was starting to sound like his mother.

“That, uh…” he coughed and tried to make it sound like he was clearing his throat. “That was nice. Thank you.”

He stared at her for several seconds, not really sure what else to say. He scratched the back of his head, reaching around his short, dark horns. Be finally decided to just pretend nothing had changed, and that she was still just as annoying as always.

“Can we go,” he grumbled. “Or are you going to yell at me if I get back on the horse again?”

 

[Evayla]

Rowen beamed at the compliment! She wasn't sure if he had noticed her secret little affectionate gesture, but the way he was grumbling...the girl had a faint suspicion she might have overstepped his boundaries.

Shit. An here I thought we were finally managin.

She unfolded her arms and shrugged. "Not gonna yell. Yer not gonna pull any muscles now, so, all good."

Rowen tilted her head. "Not many women tellin ya what to do, huh?" Okay, she couldn't help herself. That grin was back. Sure, he was a big bad-ass half demon, but she was a short bad-ass nuisance! She could handle this guy, one hand tied behind her back! HAH!