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Bite through the skin, spit out the beast’s hair, make its blood drip until it’s forced to swim in it, drown it in your cries and, if you don’t see its corpse float back, hope the scars buy you some time before it comes back.
You are alone with it again.
Izutsumi’s claws ran along its flesh, warm liquid soaking hands that weren’t hers and the stone floor she was sitting on.
The fur that had been scattered all around the closed room was soon to be colored crimson as its blood, reflecting light from the single torch that dimly lit the area around it, reached them and carried them away through the cracks of the ground.
The only other light that shone inside was the pale one coming from under the wooden door. On the other side, somewhere in a nearby abode, the rest of the party had set up camp in the underground dungeon city. They were used to her running off once they decided to halt their progress, they knew she’d come back to eat. Still, she’d been long off… they probably didn’t care.
She bit again, movement guided by hatred and disgust. Using its weapon against itself. It tasted like iron. Red staining her lips, she had cut through nerves and arteries and its arm went limp. Someone else might have cried out in pain, not her, she was used to it. Though severing the nerves was a mistake, people would notice it, she used to be more careful.
The air was damp and cold enough for her to see her own breath. As the crackling of the torch rang loud, sound bouncing throughout the room, she struggled to stay completely awake.
Taking in air had gotten hard, vision blurring as she choked on nothing. She pushed against gravity to stay upwards, knowing that she would not get up again if she let herself fall down; she wondered if the dungeon cleaners would eat it if she simply left.
Too much of her own blood had been drawn, she felt light. Pain, like a hunter tracking its prey, was catching up to her. Maybe letting it do so would be for the better, maybe she should let it all end now. She thought about her objective. In this moment of weakness, the mad sorcerer appeared like such a distant idea, she hadn’t as much as seen him, could he even save her soul or was it just a sliver of pointless hope that she should let go of? Letting go sounded like the easier, more peaceful option.
She was so tired. Head sliding down to the ground, hair soaking in the dark liquid, eyes slowly closing, her mind was drifting away. She thought that she might drown with it in her sleep. She didn’t mind.
…
…
…
“Izutsumi? Are you in here?”
With the effect of an electric shock, the sound of Laios’ voice and the light that came out of the partly opened door made her sit back up in an instant like a resuscitated corpse.
Her pain numbed by the adrenaline, she hissed at him. Raised hair made her look much bigger than she was and the fire, drawing in shadow on the wall behind her, revealed the monstrous silhouette that surprise and fear made her take.
Before she knew it, the door closed and she was alone again. She wasn’t dupe, she could feel his presence still. Its ears flicked at the sound of leather sliding down on the door’s wood, he had left his armor at their camp, foolish of him she thought. He sat down on the other side.
As she waited for him to move or say something, anything, she became aware of her injuries again, feeling the consequences of what she did to the fullest but no regrets for it, never.
Sweat dripped down its fur, the sound of drops hitting the bloody floor being the only thing that cut into the thick silence that filled the room up until Laios finally spoke again.
“Can I see some of your fur?”
It took a second for her mind to register the request; because of the pain or because of how incongruous it was, she didn’t know, although, after having observed him for a while, she had come to expect such things from him.
She was reluctant to do it, these awful locks of hair were worthless and she’d rather have them burnt away than collected by whichever fool wanted them, but if it bought her his silence then she would bribe him without hesitation.
Her search was made easy; a singular lump of fur was sitting right beside her, untouched by the blood around it, like it had been waiting to be given to someone. It was pristine and soft to the touch, she caught herself staring at it for longer than she would’ve liked.
Holding on to it, she made her way towards the door. Silent despite liquid still flowing out of mangled flesh. The hemorrhage had slowed its pace ever since she calmed down, heart beating to a more peaceful rhythm. She slid the fur below the door and retreated.
Sound was her only way to know what was happening on the other side, his finger on the hair like a whisper and his breathing focused like an artist manipulating precious materials. He took too long, it annoyed her.
It was frustrating, but her attention being directed towards the slightest noise coming from outside was a welcome distraction.
His voice rose, “It’s soft!” He sounded genuinely joyful, “like a kelpie’s!”
She let out a sigh, of course he’d like it. She never found it that soft, though she couldn't remember when she last took the time to actually touch and feel it.
He would not be able to shut up after but she knew he’d want to talk about it and, maybe, a part of her was slightly curious, “What’s a kelpie?”
His smile could be felt through the door and, if she had gotten closer, she was sure she would have been able to hear his heart beating and blood pumping faster; he fidgeted and adjusted his seat a bit before answering, “Kelpies are a kind of monster that resembles horses! Except they have a fish tail, are green and have a mane made out of kelp! We made a stew out of Shenshi’s once.”
He stopped. Izutsumi assumed he was remembering its taste; she wanted to ask why Senshi kept a kelpie as a pet but, like he remembered what he was talking about, Laios spoke up again, “Oh! And of course they have fur! It’s very short and is, like yours, very soft. They use it to stay warm in cold water; people who come close enough to a kelpie to notice their fur don’t often come back to tell others about it so it’s not their most well known fact.”
So its fur is like a kelpie’s, she wasn’t sure why she took note of this, she didn’t care to know about it.
It emited a yelp as she tried to move its arm, the severed nerves reacting as if they had been burned by the motion, she grew frustated at her inability to control it. She almost bit at it again when she heard the sound of leather from outside.
There was movement on the other side of the door, it reminded her of the situation she was in. She growled just loud enough for him to hear it, a promise of violence if he dared entering again.
“Can I come in?”
It took her off guard. No threat in his voice, no promise other than kindness, he didn’t try to convince her to let him in. He just asked.
Why did she want to let him?
Against her better instincts, she took the torch out of its place on the wall and snuffed it out; if she needed to defend herself, the dark would give her an edge. Throwing the wooden stick away, she took place in the center of the room, sitting down while facing the door.
He hadn't moved, still as a statue, awaiting her answer.
“You can.”
The sudden breach of light caused her pupils to turn into thin slits, she observed him with the attention of a predator.
Despite his tall stature, he looked small upon entering. He took note of the room’s every detail. He saw the still fuming torch, the ground’s furrows soaked red, the bits of flesh and fur scattered all around. He saw her. His eyes stopped on her for longer than anything else in the room, flickering between each of its wounds, he saw the bite marks and the traces claws had left on it, he saw its motionless arm. He realized what she had done.
He saw her all alone.
She couldn't tell what he thought of it all. His painfully neutral face only disturbed by a scrunched up nose, the smell is likely how he had found her, otherwise, no hint of emotion in his manners or movements. She expected him to freak out or shame her, leave in disgust or hurt her more, he didn’t; would she have preferred him to?
Much to her surprise, he closed the door behind him, willingly cutting his own vision. Despite her state, she could kill him in an instant and he wouldn't even feel the air moving before his head would hit the ground. He was at her mercy.
Following the two slits of light that cut through the darkness and were fixated on him, Laios placed himself behind her. He sat down, kneeling to form a seat for her to lean on, locking her body gently between his legs, although she could escape at any moment. She stayed.
His hands were cold. He had placed them on her shoulder plates, on still open lacerations. She knew what he was about to do. She sucked in through her teeths a long stream of air, readying herself for the pain to come.
Energy buzzed beneath his fingers, her fur raised under his touch as he began. She knew healing magic would hurt, especially from someone as inexperienced as Laios, but she was tough, she could handle it.
Despite her will to stay silent, a quiet whine of pain still escaped her as she felt her life power being pulled towards his hand and mana pushing on its skin to collide with each other. It had the effect of cauterizing the wound to then heal it at a pace ten fold accelerated, but it was unbearable. The beginner magic user rushed too much and it only became increasingly painful.
He must have noticed the slight tremor of its body below his hands because the buzzing suddenly stopped once he parted from it.
“I’m sorry, was that too hard on your body?” He asked concerned.
“What? Do you think I'm weak?” She spat at him. She wasn’t going to let herself be mocked like that.
“No no! I just don’t want to hurt you!”
She scoffed at him, she didn’t need his pity. He shouldn’t give it to her in the first place… “Why do you care?”
“Aren’t we friends?”
Friends? She didn’t have friends. She had people that used her and she had people that she used, acquaintances at best… were they just that? Acquaintances? That’s what she had assumed at least.
At her silence, Laios scrambled to ask for clarifications, “Or is it like with Shuro? I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable or if I'm too weird to be your friend.”
He was an idiot. That was the only logical conclusion Izutsumi was able to reach. He was actually sad at the thought of not being friends with her, it didn’t make sense. Did it not register to him that she was the weird one here? Had he already forgotten what she looked like?
His breathing was irregular, he didn’t say a word anymore, clinging to hope that he didn’t ruin whatever kind of relationship they seemed to have; unconsciously, he started fidgeting with some of its hair.
Her eyes fell down on the fur of its limp arm. He was right, it was soft, but what was so amazing about that, it was still monster fur. He must've been hit on the head as a baby to like monsters that much, he wasn’t normal.
No one said they liked its fur before… her fur.
“Yeah, you are weird.” As Izutsumi said these words, she pushed herself closer to him.
She couldn’t see it, but she knew his smile reached his ears, so much that he probably had forgotten what he was doing a second ago. She nudged him with her elbow to remind him.
His hands were back on her shoulders, they were less cold now. The buzzing came back, different somehow, like her life power flowed willingly towards him and he didn’t push as hard. At the cost of taking more time, it was less painful.
Laios’ fingers ran along her skin, hands soaked in the warm energy he pulled from the void around them. They reached her sides and he repeated the process.
————————
Time had passed even though she couldn't tell how long exactly, they had already gone over all of her wounds, yet they hadn’t moved. Of a silent, common accord they stayed in this comfortable position, fighting against the cold of the dungeon with their own body heat.
She wasn’t sure why she stayed; after all, he had done his part and she should’ve left as soon as he finished, but the atmosphere, like a cocoon wrapping around them, made her want to stay near him a little longer. Maybe it was the warmth, or this inexplicable feeling of safety.
Ears twitching, she heard his blood going faster and saliva being swallowed, he was about to ask something dumb.
“So um… how many nipples do you have?”
She expected less dumb. Without missing a beat, she bursted out laughing, so much that her ribs started to hurt again. She perked her head over her shoulder to look at him and the look of embarrassment plastered on his face only made her laugh harder. The worst part was that she knew the question wasn’t perverted in the slightest, he was entirely genuine and that made her lose it even more.
In the midst of all this, she couldn't help but laugh, how could he be so interested in something she tried to destroy all her life?
Her laughing fit calmed down and she sighed as she leaned her back completely against his chest, it helped he was taller and bigger than her, that made him a great mattress. She closed her tired eyes.
“Just two.”
She didn’t know if that was what he expected or if he was disappointed, but he sounded happy that she answered.
The air moved above her, she felt something hovering, a brief hesitation in the motion and then warmth falling lightly in between her ears. Laios waited for a second, an opportunity for her to get out of his grasp, his hand a blanket over her, ready to be pulled out; she stayed static.
He delicately stroked, slow, lingering circular patterns. Izutsumi couldn’t remember the last time she let someone do this to her, she didn’t know what to do.
Still as a rock, she felt his finger tracing soft lines on her head and she… liked it? Her mind raced to try and make sense of this, it felt good, but why was he doing this? Was she supposed to just stay here? Pet him back?
She was tense, ready to break out at the first sign of aggression, it never came. Instead, he started caressing the back of her ears and she couldn't help it, she wanted more of this.
Despite her better instincts and all her senses being on high alert, she leaned into the touch, pushing herself even closer to him. If this was the right thing to do, she didn’t know. She felt her edges softening up and Laios must have too as his hand slid down to her neck, scratching it delicately.
A vibrant sound came out of her, a reassuring rumbling that resonated from within her and that made its way to Laios’ ears. He could feel the vibrations under his fingertips.
She wanted this to keep going forever, she needed his warmth all over her, his hands to wrap around her entire body. She needed to melt into him.
He cupped her face to caress her cheeks with his thumbs and she let out a contempt sigh, forgetting the world outside to lose herself in the warm touch.
Other than the tapping of her tail on the stone ground, the room was silent and the idyllic atmosphere lulled her to a sleep-like state as he continued petting her, fingers sliding down to her chest. She stretched and considered napping like this for a bit.
His voice resonated throughout the entire room, “You're so soft.”
It woke her up in an instant, she wasn’t soft, she was tough, she was hard. Before even noticing, she was on her feet, facing him in combat position while he hadn’t moved a bit, a look of incomprehension strung across his face.
She couldn't believe she had let herself be so weak in front of someone, so… vulnerable. She grew frustrated with herself thinking of how reckless she had been with him, was showing a little kindness to her, to her prison of fur, all it took for her to expose herself like this? She might as well have not woken up when she laid in her own blood if she was going to put herself at such risk right after.
Why was he still not moving?! He couldn't be that much of an idiot, he had the chance to put an end to her long ago and he didn’t take it, even now he wasn’t readying himself to fight her. Why didn’t he attack her?
Aren’t we friends?
We're they? How could she even tell, he shouldn't have considered it in the first place.
Things would've been so much easier if he didn’t come look for her, if she didn’t let him in, if she made his blood join hers on the floor, if she left after he healed her, if…
“Izutsumi?”
“What?! I’m not soft, don’t get used to it tall man!”
“Your stomach is rumbling.”
She was so used to the sound she didn’t notice it anymore, still, a hand to the stomach confirmed it, she was famished. She had let hunger slowly eat away at her insides and healing magic didn’t help. It all made sense now, this weakness, this vulnerability, this cloud in her mind, it was solely because of this hunger, that was the only logical answer.
Like he had remembered what he came for, Laios pointed at the door and explained that Senshi had been cooking some mimics and that he went to look for her to eat them together.
According to the monster gourmet himself, mimics actually looked similar to crabs, if that was anything to go by about their taste then she wanted to try them for herself.
He sat up and she watched as he reached for the door, she wondered if he was going to leave her here, she shouldn’t be concerned about this.
The door was open now, light flooding all over them and a hand in the middle of it all extended towards her. Not forceful or insistent, no stress or tension, a simple invitation.
As she took it, his fingers wrapping around hers, her mind got quiet for an instant. All her thoughts that had been fighting with each other to explain her conflicted feelings called a truce to merge into a single one.
I want to share a meal with my friend.