[Muriel tenses, his heavy breath stilling as someone else enters the cave. If it's the bandits again, he's screwed. Do they really have nothing better to do than torment him for the crime of not having anything worth taking?
He feels a spark of magic from the stranger, though, putting that theory to rest. He still doesn't relax, looking a lot like the cornered, injured animal Ryan had been expecting to find.]
I don't need your help. You should go. [He grumbles, not meeting the other man's eyes. He keeps one hand on his side, clutching his cloak to it. The blood is beginning to seep through the dark fabric. He makes no move to make the other man leave, though.]
But I don't intend to die here. The snow is still falling and visibility is poor — I'm not leaving what might be the only shelter I'll find before I freeze.
[Ryan's also not going to release the beginnings of that spell unless that bear-man stops looking like a cornered beast about to snap, though. His eyes flick down toward that hand clutching his cloak.]
[It's not really a point that Muriel can argue against, much to his chagrin. Suspicious green eyes dart up to the stranger's when he shifts closer, then back down.
Maybe if he just gets it over with, the man will leave him alone. With great reluctance, he moves the cloak away from his side, revealing the worst of the injuries-- a knife wound to the side. He's bruised in several places as well, his attackers having literally kicked him while he was down.]
[Good. Ryan does so love an obedient patient. He lets the beginnings of the sleep spell dissipate harmlessly, crawling closer to get a look at the wound. Thankfully, there doesn't really seem to be much debris in it. Slender fingers reach out to gently palpate around the injury to be sure he's not going to heal him up with something stuck inside him. Then Ryan nods, holding his palm just over the bloody mess and closing his eyes. With a rush of warmth and light, he heals the wound, pouring the magic into it until it's like it was never there.]
[Muriel tenses at the touch, his face heating at how close the other man gets. It's over quickly, the feeling warm and almost pleasant. In Muriel's admittedly limited experience, a person's magic is typically a reflection of themselves-- and this man's feels like laying in the sun, warm and comforting. It makes the chill of winter that more apparent and despite Muriel's tolerance of the cold, he shivers in its loss.
He grunts an acknowledgement, folding up his bloodied cloak and stuffing it in his foraging bag. He makes to stand, placing a hand on the cave wall and ignoring the way his head spins a little.]
Thank you.
[Is he really about to go right back out into what is definitely shaping up to be a blizzard? Without a proper shirt on, no less?]
[No, he is not! Ryan stands back up too, placing himself directly in front of a man that is proving to be a terrible patient, after all. He folds his arms and lifts his chin, scoffing.]
Where do you think you're going? You'll freeze out there! Just sit back down and wait it out. If we sit together to conserve heat, we'll be fine.
Because it's obvious my presence is one of the deciding factors in your departure. I'm not going to have your death on my head.
[It's also obvious that, despite his size, this man is easily cowed. Perhaps he's too tired to fight? It's good for Ryan, that massive body makes a lot of heat. Emboldened by the submissive behavior, he steps in a little closer, poking his sternum with his index finger.]
[Muriel makes a sour face. He doesn't want him to follow him back to his hut! Even if he does sort of owe him now... it's not like he asked for the healing, the man insisted.
He startles a little as slender hands start removing his furs, that damnable heat rising on his face again. Hold that thought on lowlifes running him off the road.] What are you doing?
It'll be easier to conserve heat if we use these like a blanket, [Ryan says primly, shrugging the last of them off. Usually, he would be anxious about revealing himself in front of someone so much bigger than he is. It's not as if he isn't dressed, but knowing that his lack of physical strength is on full display is typically disconcerting. For now, he's just focused on getting warm again. Ryan settles at Muriel's side, pressed in too close for comfort.
But he is warm, so Ryan decides he'll just have to tolerate the physical contact for now. He sighs, pulling his legs up to his chest and stretching his hands out to grab the furs, tugging them up over both of their bodies as best he can.]
[Muriel is tense as a drawn bowstring as the other man settles against his side, pointedly looking away from him. So, no need to worry about what he's got on full display or not. He tries rather fruitlessly to make himself as small as possible, not wanting to take up too much of the furs. The man's pushy and annoying, but Muriel doesn't want him to freeze.
He tries to subtly push the furs over more to the other man's side, goosebumps rising in the chill on his opposite side.]
[Damn. They might be oversized, but they aren't big enough to cover both of them. Not like this, anyway. Ryan's eyes briefly flick down toward Muriel's legs. The optimal solution is crystal clear, but it feels so intimate!]
I don't think I can cover both of us properly. Would you... part your legs a bit? If I'm directly in front of you, it'll work out.
I-- It's fine, just take them. [He forgoes all attempts at subtlety and shoves the furs at Ryan, hunching in on himself and stubbornly trying to control his shivering. It's not even that cold, he's dealt with worse.]
This sort of heat transfer doesn't really work if we aren't both underneath them. I would do it, but you're... large. I would have to spread them out considerably.
[Don't make him freeze his balls off! Also, please don't make him ask again, heaven have mercy he hasn't ever been this close to someone that he isn't treating before, it's embarrassing enough as it is. Pragmatism can only shove that embarrassment down for so long before he balks too.]
[It always comes down to his size, doesn't it... too large, inconvenient, making himself a burden... luckily for Ryan, the downward spiral of his thoughts makes him more compliant. His face is still burning up but he spreads his legs a bit, enough for the other man to fit between them with a little extra space.]
...thank you, [he mumbles, situating himself between thighs that are as thick as his waist. Ryan scoots back against him, pulling the furs up again. He twists to tuck them up around Muriel's neck, gaze cast downward to avoid meeting his eyes in such an awkward position.
Time to try and focus on literally anything else other than how close they are.]
Are you in pain anywhere else? I saw a few bruises. Just tell me where it hurts; I'll take care of it.
[The last time Muriel had been this physically close to anyone, he and Asra had still been children. Even the thought of doing this with Asra now, the only person he trusted-- just the thought was too intimate. But now it was happening, with this man he hasn't even exchanged names with. Only out of necessity, of course, but still.]
It's nothing I can't handle. You've done more than enough for me already. [His voice is a low rumble between them.]
[The way that voice reverberates through him has his stomach flipping with anxiety. What has he gotten himself into now? This has the highest chance of survival with the lowest chance of any irritating frostbite he'll have to deal with later, but a part of him can't help but wonder if he should have just toughed it out. Ryan draws his hands back and turns away, fully facing forward again with his fists balled up near his own chest. Now that the warmth between them is starting to accumulate and the numbness is fading, everything feels so much colder... he shivers, teeth chattering a bit.]
[Silence falls between them, though it's not exactly a comfortable one. Just as he's starting to wonder if the man is regretting getting so close to him, he starts to shiver violently.
Well... looks like Muriel's stuck like this for now. He doesn't wrap his arms around the other man, but he does tuck the furs in more securely around himself, making sure no cold seeps in to the little cocoon of heat.
Something the man had said earlier comes back to him, and surprisingly it's Muriel who breaks the silence.] You said-- you were run off the road?
[Resisting the urge to rub himself to warm up is so hard! Ryan just has to grit his teeth and endure the shivering, knowing it means his body is warming up.]
Mmm? Ah, that's right. Just a group of bandits... I had to dash into the trees for cover so they couldn't pick me off while I was trying to cast, and it ended up being more of a chase than I intended. I put them all to sleep one by one, so they won't be setting up an ambush.
[They'll probably freeze to death, but that's what they get for attacking him! Ryan feels zero remorse.]
[Muriel knows full well that falling asleep in a snowstorm like this is a death sentence-- a magical slumber especially so. He has no right to judge, though, and he knows that too. It's a more peaceful death than the ones he delivered, made in self-defense.]
[Ryan supposes there were enough of them to gang up on even a large man, but individually they were all decidedly unimpressive. It seems strange for them to take down someone that's built like a statue. Ryan glances back over his shoulder with a wry grin.]
Then I suppose you've been avenged. I would have preferred not to fight them, but... I guess it is a relief to know they were making a habit of such bad behavior.
[Not that he was feeling particularly guilty, but feeling more justified is always welcome.]
I can see why they would target me, at least. Most people don't stop to think and realize that someone traveling confidently alone can protect themselves, much less that they might run into someone that can and will use magic for defense. But you look like someone people would steer clear of antagonizing, even without magic...
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He feels a spark of magic from the stranger, though, putting that theory to rest. He still doesn't relax, looking a lot like the cornered, injured animal Ryan had been expecting to find.]
I don't need your help. You should go. [He grumbles, not meeting the other man's eyes. He keeps one hand on his side, clutching his cloak to it. The blood is beginning to seep through the dark fabric. He makes no move to make the other man leave, though.]
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But I don't intend to die here. The snow is still falling and visibility is poor — I'm not leaving what might be the only shelter I'll find before I freeze.
[Ryan's also not going to release the beginnings of that spell unless that bear-man stops looking like a cornered beast about to snap, though. His eyes flick down toward that hand clutching his cloak.]
...you might as well let me take a look.
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Maybe if he just gets it over with, the man will leave him alone. With great reluctance, he moves the cloak away from his side, revealing the worst of the injuries-- a knife wound to the side. He's bruised in several places as well, his attackers having literally kicked him while he was down.]
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Now, isn't that better?
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He grunts an acknowledgement, folding up his bloodied cloak and stuffing it in his foraging bag. He makes to stand, placing a hand on the cave wall and ignoring the way his head spins a little.]
Thank you.
[Is he really about to go right back out into what is definitely shaping up to be a blizzard? Without a proper shirt on, no less?]
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Where do you think you're going? You'll freeze out there! Just sit back down and wait it out. If we sit together to conserve heat, we'll be fine.
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Why do you care? [He grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.]
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[It's also obvious that, despite his size, this man is easily cowed. Perhaps he's too tired to fight? It's good for Ryan, that massive body makes a lot of heat. Emboldened by the submissive behavior, he steps in a little closer, poking his sternum with his index finger.]
Sit down.
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He glares hard at an innocent stalagmite. This is just his luck, isn't it?]
It's not far to where I'm going, I'd get there just fine like this. [More grumbling.]
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[If not, he'll just settle down in front of him, starting the process of removing some of those heavy furs.]
I certainly didn't see anything on the way in, but those lowlifes that ran me off the road admittedly made me lose track of my location.
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He startles a little as slender hands start removing his furs, that damnable heat rising on his face again. Hold that thought on lowlifes running him off the road.] What are you doing?
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But he is warm, so Ryan decides he'll just have to tolerate the physical contact for now. He sighs, pulling his legs up to his chest and stretching his hands out to grab the furs, tugging them up over both of their bodies as best he can.]
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He tries to subtly push the furs over more to the other man's side, goosebumps rising in the chill on his opposite side.]
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I don't think I can cover both of us properly. Would you... part your legs a bit? If I'm directly in front of you, it'll work out.
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I-- It's fine, just take them. [He forgoes all attempts at subtlety and shoves the furs at Ryan, hunching in on himself and stubbornly trying to control his shivering. It's not even that cold, he's dealt with worse.]
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[Don't make him freeze his balls off! Also, please don't make him ask again, heaven have mercy he hasn't ever been this close to someone that he isn't treating before, it's embarrassing enough as it is. Pragmatism can only shove that embarrassment down for so long before he balks too.]
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Time to try and focus on literally anything else other than how close they are.]
Are you in pain anywhere else? I saw a few bruises. Just tell me where it hurts; I'll take care of it.
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It's nothing I can't handle. You've done more than enough for me already. [His voice is a low rumble between them.]
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[The way that voice reverberates through him has his stomach flipping with anxiety. What has he gotten himself into now? This has the highest chance of survival with the lowest chance of any irritating frostbite he'll have to deal with later, but a part of him can't help but wonder if he should have just toughed it out. Ryan draws his hands back and turns away, fully facing forward again with his fists balled up near his own chest. Now that the warmth between them is starting to accumulate and the numbness is fading, everything feels so much colder... he shivers, teeth chattering a bit.]
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Well... looks like Muriel's stuck like this for now. He doesn't wrap his arms around the other man, but he does tuck the furs in more securely around himself, making sure no cold seeps in to the little cocoon of heat.
Something the man had said earlier comes back to him, and surprisingly it's Muriel who breaks the silence.] You said-- you were run off the road?
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Mmm? Ah, that's right. Just a group of bandits... I had to dash into the trees for cover so they couldn't pick me off while I was trying to cast, and it ended up being more of a chase than I intended. I put them all to sleep one by one, so they won't be setting up an ambush.
[They'll probably freeze to death, but that's what they get for attacking him! Ryan feels zero remorse.]
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Must've been the same that came after me. Idiots.
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[Ryan supposes there were enough of them to gang up on even a large man, but individually they were all decidedly unimpressive. It seems strange for them to take down someone that's built like a statue. Ryan glances back over his shoulder with a wry grin.]
Then I suppose you've been avenged. I would have preferred not to fight them, but... I guess it is a relief to know they were making a habit of such bad behavior.
[Not that he was feeling particularly guilty, but feeling more justified is always welcome.]
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If they were attacking everyone they came across, it was only a matter of time. Like I said, idiots.
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[Wait. He tilts his head slightly, curious.]
...but you have some, don't you?
[Then why didn't he defend himself?]