Nowhere to Hide {Naomi}

[Zirin]

He... he didn't dislike Naomi, so that must mean that he liked her right? And he wasn't entirely against the idea of spending time with her when she was calm like this. When had he stopped hating her? He looked over at her, meeting her eyes for once as she watched him. He didn't even seem bothered by the 'child' comment for once. As loathe as he was to admit it... he was acting like a little girl about the whole ordeal. How hard was it for him to just say 'I like you'? It already showed in his eyes, there was no doubt she could see it if she looked. Yet, when he opened his mouth to actually say it he couldn't.

Looking at Naomi, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to work together as a hunting team, much like his family had done back before... before... Korvin grimaced and looked away, his expression pained. Creating ties with people brought nothing but pain and sadness, and everyone Korvin had ever been connected to ended up dead. Naomi couldn't end up the same. No... He was fated to be on his own, with only faithful animals on his side.

"No..." He stared into the fire.

[Akira]

Naomi saw the words that shown in Korvin’s eyes, and wondered why he didn’t just say it. She just couldn’t understand what was going through his mind that was taking him so long to figure out whether he liked her or not. She just didn’t understand it. She blinked at him curiously as she watched and attempted to hear the gears turning inside of his head. Then she saw him grimace and look away from her, and wondered what it was that had been going through his head that had hurt him so much, which made her wonder if she had done something that had hurt him so much, and the thought that she had done something hurt like a dagger to the heart. That’s when he spoke, and everything just got more confusing, and more painful. Though, what had she been expecting from him?

That didn’t sound very heartfelt Korvin, what is it that scares you so much? Naomi’s voice was quite, and a little bit of the pain that she felt floated around within her words. She had looked away from him when he told her that he didn’t like her, and was now peaking at him from out of the corner of her eyes. She was actually a little afraid of what he would say or do, which actually made her wish she had just kept her mouth shut. You know what, forget I ever asked. Her voice was quite as she stood up, and walked towards the back of the cave. He didn’t have to talk to her if he didn’t want to, and once the moon rose again, she would be out of his life forever if that was what he wanted. With the way things were going, she had a feeling he wouldn’t try to stop her either.

[Zirin]

Well wasn't she just the perfect little mind-reader. Korvin scoffed to himself, wondering why she bothered asking if she wasn't going to accept his answer. He poked the fire with his stick, moving the wood around in order to stay occupied. "There ain't nothin t'be scared of." He denied flat out. She had no business trying to figure it out, and he sure as heck wasn't going to tell her. No doubt she'd find some way to make fun of him again. As Naomi stood, Korvin reached for the few first aid supplies he actually had and finally began tending to his hand; the pain remembered anew now that he wasn't distracted.

From the tunnel at the back of the cave, Kosk lifted her head, still dozing in and out. She was shockingly aware of what was going on, anyways. Psst. Nask's come listen to Kosk? She seemed to whisper, keeping the conversation to only Naomi. Nask's make Kosk's sad. Kosk feels it. Not Nask's' fault. Kosk blame Kosk's' past. Past of long long long ago, many longers than Kosk's life. She shuffled, clearly unsure about whether she was overstepping the boundaries laid out by her handler. But... but she was a knight of sorts, in her own mind anyways. And it was her duty to protect Hers, even if that meant telling the secret she knew, right?

She moaned to herself. Kosk's no let Kosk see past much. But Kosk always see many blood, feel many hurts. Kosk no know what means, but Kosk know it hurt Kosk's even now. She cuddled into Nask as she spoke, clearly distraught. Nask's no blame Kosk's? Kosk's no know how forget. She whimpered and lowered her head.

[Akira]

Naomi glanced back over her shoulder at Korvin before picking a place somewhat close to where the two whers were sleeping. Well, she had thought they were both asleep. But when Kosk’s voice popped into her head, she quickly started to wonder if the little female ever actually slept. I’ll listen. She didn’t know what Kosk wanted to tell her, but obviously it was meant to be a secret from Korvin. She listened quietly, and even made it look like she was trying to get things situated enough for her to be comfortable. In truth, she was actually only paying half attention to what she was doing, and half paying attention to what the white wher had to tell her. She had made him sad? She had never wanted to make him sad, she just wanted to know what had happened that made him say he didn’t like her when he obviously did.

Naomi glanced over at Kosk when she started to shuffle around, and tried to think of a way to calm the little wher. I don’t blame him. I just wish he’d let me help him Kosk. And with that said, she finally laid down on the little bed type thing she had made. She wasn’t even sure what to call what she was laying on, but it worked just enough for her to appear to fall asleep. Even though she was wide awake, and trying to find a way to make Korvin see that she wouldn’t end up hurting him like whatever had happened in his past. From what she could conclude from what Kosk had told her, she figured someone he had cared about had died. It must have been many people if what Kosk had said about many blood and many hurts was to be understood.

Naomi mentally shook her head; trying to figure out what had happened to Korvin was giving her a headache that she was almost certain would wake Nask up. So she gave up trying to figure it out, and just lay where she was silently. There was no point in trying to talk to him about it, since he had already made it clear that he didn’t want to talk about it. Well, he had until nightfall if he wanted things to change between the two of them. After that, she would most likely never leave the Wherhold again, especially since leaving would mean she would run the risk of running into Korvin, and that was a pain she didn’t wish to feel ever again. After all, she had loved and lost him once, she would be a fool to even think about loving him again when all it did was bring pain.

[Zirin]

With her little speech done, Kosk gave another shuffle, not feeling any calmer despite Naomi's words. Hers needed help... but could Naomi actually give it too him? Go to sleep Kosk. He may not have heard the exchange between his white and his crush, but he knew the little wher was awake. He remained where he was for a while, watching out of the corner of his eye while Naomi made up a makeshift bed of sorts... a rather shoddy one at that.

Time seemed to be passing slowly and Korvin was almost falling asleep sitting, though he couldn't stop himself from glancing over to see if Naomi was asleep. Peace and Quiet at last... He thought to himself as he watched the hyponic dancing flames. Figuring he may as well try to get some shut eye as well he began to straighten out the fur he used to keep warm at night, only to glance back at Naomi. Not only was she an idiot, but she was foolish as well. The weather may be pretty nice year round in the area, but that didn't mean the autumn nights were warm.

With a deep sigh to himself, Korvin hoisted the fur of the ground and moved to kneel next to where Naomi lay, doing his best to lay the fur as gently as possible. In his sleep deprived and upset mind, he didn't notice she was still awake.

"It's fer the best y'know..." He mumbled to himself as he looked down at her. He stood then, with the intention of going back to sleep by the fire.

[Akira]

Naomi stayed as still as she could as she listened to Korvin as he moved around. It sounded as though he too was getting ready for sleep. Then she heard footsteps getting closer, and wondered what was going on. That’s when she felt him lay the fur over her and couldn’t hold back the small smile that crossed her lips. Please…don’t go. She clutched the fur tightly but didn’t get up. She didn’t want to be alone, and even though she was never truly alone, she had felt that way since the day he had left the Wherhold. All she wanted was one more day and when night fell, she would take her leave, and the two of them could go their separate ways. Since that is what it seemed like he wanted, so she would give it to him, one way or another the two of them would be separated.

Naomi tried to think hard of a way she could change his mind, but no matter what popped into her head, she pushed it away. Eventually she gave up, realizing that it was a pointless endeavor. She had tears falling from her eyes as she lay as still as she possibly could. She was waiting for some sort of response from him, but she was prepared for the worst. She was prepared for him to tell her that he couldn’t, that it wouldn’t end well, and then leave her again. She would be alone once again, even though he would be in the same cave, and she was still bonded to a wher, a creature that shared her mind. But even then, she was alone, she was always alone. She was the girl in the middle of a crowded room, a room with a million people in it, and looks totally alone.

[Zirin]

It was a miracle that Korvin didn’t jump, so surprised he was at the sound of her voice. Shards, he really needed to stop letting her get the better of him. He ‘glared’ down at her, though it was more annoyance at himself for not paying attention than anything else, though… the softness of her voice a little hard to resist. Ugh. Rolling his eyes, he walked away leaving her alone. A few logs were tossed on the fire before he even glanced back, at which point he gave another groan to himself. It was because she had been so upset early, it’s the only reason he was considering it at all!

Walking back to where she was laying, he sat down near her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He’d stay here until she fell asleep! That’s it, he told himself as he tried to get comfortable. However, the coolness of the cave wall and the distance he was from the fire without his furs soon caused a few shivers to begin. This was going to be a long night if she expected him to stay here.

[Akira]

Naomi pulled her knees up to her chest and clutched the blanket to her, and listened for the sound of Korvin’s footsteps. Either he would stay there with her, or he would go back to the fire, either way it was his choice. She tilted her head down towards her chest when she heard him start walking away. He had made his choice then to leave her, and even though it hurt her very much, she wasn’t going to try and stop him. She started wondering what had happened in his past that had made him so cold to those that tried to get close to him, but she figured there was no way she could change him now, especially not since he had made his choice.

Naomi turned her head slightly when she heard, and felt, footsteps heading her way. A small smile crossed her lips when she saw Korvin sit down near her, though, she wondered why he didn’t just come lay with her and share the fur where it would be warmer. It wasn’t like they hadn’t already shared a bed after all. Here, you’ll need it more than I will if you’re gonna lean against the cave wall. Her voice was soft and quite, almost a whisper, as she spoke to him. She sat up, and held out the fur that he had laid over her just shortly before. She didn’t look him in the eyes, for she knew what would happen if she did. Instead she just looked down at the cave floor.

[Zirin]

“Pfft. And deprive you o’ th’warmth? I may seem heartless but I ain’t a dick…” Not that this night was proving THAT wrong at all. “If y’ur gunna give the fur back then I’m just gunna go back t’the fire. If y’want me here, y’u keep that fur.” It was bad enough that he was already making her mad at him, he couldn’t deprive her of a good night’s sleep as well. She was right about the cave wall though, he mused. He scotched forward until he was lying down, though he was still perpendicular to Naomi.

“There. No cave wall.” He grumbled tiredly as a yawn threatened to overtake him. He was way past due for sleep. Even still, laying even this close to the woman was bringing back memories of that morning, and Korvin wasn’t exactly comfortable with that.

[Akira]

Naomi nodded her head submissively and covered herself back up in the fur after Korvin said he would go back to the fire if she didn’t. She turned her head to watch him was he scooted away from the wall, and laid down. She couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows in curiosity as he went from the wall to the floor. Even though she hadn’t spent as much time away from the Wherhold as he had, she was smart enough to know that lying on the ground wasn’t much better than leaning against the cold wall. She just didn’t understand why he chose to lay on the cold ground without anything to cover himself up with, instead of laying under the warm fur with her. Even though the little make-shift bed she had made wasn’t exactly the most comfortable bed ever, it was still better than the bare floor.

Naomi wanted to ask him that so bad, but was not sure what to say exactly. She wasn’t sure how comfortable he was just being near her, but she had a feeling that he wasn’t as comfortable with remembering that morning they had spent together. So instead of speaking she just laid there silently watching him, waiting to see what would happen. After all, there wasn’t much she could do half asleep as she already was. She couldn’t hold back the yawn that escaped her, she was just too tired. She could feel the sun rising and knew it really was well past her bed time. She wanted to fall asleep right where she was, but she didn’t want to miss anything that might happen if she were to fall asleep right then. Oh well, she was tired, and sleep beckoned. A small smile crossed her lips before she slowly drifted off to sleep.

[Zirin]

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, though it was easy to assume that it had been shortly after Naomi had fallen asleep. He had watched her for a while until he fell asleep, wondering how she could look so calm in sleep when she was so... emotional.. when she was awake. Korvin shivered, waking slightly. It wasn't that it was necessarily cold out now; it was likely mid afternoon, if he had any judge of time. Either way, the cave floor was cold. He really should have gone back to the fire.

Glancing sleepily at the coals, he groaned. The fire would start back up, but it would take a while to get it going properly again, and he was simply too tired to care about it. Glancing back at Naomi, he wondered if he's be able to get the warmth of the fur without waking her up. Well, he was cold, so hopefully it would work. Wriggling until he was parallel with her, he did his best to sneak under the fur beside her, though he made sure to face away from her. This was a bad enough idea already... Korvin had learned the hard way that he was a bit of a cuddler, if he rolled over in his sleep... But she was so warm... He closed his eyes, trying to force his mind to forget how close he was to the woman he held a fondness for.

[Akira]

Naomi slowly blinked her eyes open when she felt something moving next to her. She smiled when she saw that it was Korvin, and a small plot formed in her mind. She sighed softly, and was actually quite surprised at how much she actually sounded like she was still sleeping, and cuddled up to his back. She wasn’t sure if he would roll over and hold her or not, but she was hoping he would. She was actually hoping that he would and that when night fell and the two of them actually woke up, he would see that laying there with her wasn’t as bad as he might think. That nothing bad could happen to her as long as he was there with his arms wrapped around her protectively. Maybe then he would change his mind and finally admit that he wanted to be with her, that he actually might love her.

Naomi knew it was a long shot, but it was at least worth a try. Either way none of that mattered, for she was soon fast asleep once again. The way things were going at this rate, nothing was going to get done. The way things were looking, the two of them were going to just end up sleeping together and not waking up until the sun was starting to rise the next more. Now what would that accomplish you ask? Well it would give poor Naomi time to work out another plan to make Korvin see that she needed to be with him as much as he didn’t want to be with her. She might even have the chance to figure out what had happened in his past that had made him so hard to reach when it came to things like love, and maybe even find a way to convince him not everything would end badly.

[Zirin]

Korvin gulped slightly as Naomi pulled in closer, completely unaware that she was actually awake. Once he had gotten a good nights sleep, he would look at this night with shame, realizing how many times he had forgotten to truly pay attention, for now though, for now he just tried to fight off the thoughts on his mind. He needed to sleep, rather desperately it seemed. Even still, the warmth of Naomi pressed against him as she had been that morning, was rather hard to ignore, especially since he was still so chilled.

Groaning to himself, he decided to give in, but only halfway; he rolled onto his back, telling himself it was to get more comfortable. That was as close as he would allow himself to get. It was only because of the chill, he kept telling himself. He just couldn't allow another person close... but one night wouldn't hurt... would it? He grimaced, despite his eyes being closed as he tried to fall asleep. Yet, it was the nagging worry that something would go wrong that stopped him from just passing out.

[Akira]

Naomi felt Korvin gulp, which had woken her up once again. But this time she made sure to keep her breathing slow and shallow just as it had been when she was actually asleep. She wasn’t sure how aware he was about her actually being awake, but since he hadn’t done anything to move away from her, she figured he still didn’t know. She heard him groaning, and then felt him moving around next to her. From what she could feel he had rolled onto his back, and that gave her another idea. She groaned softly, as if slightly disturbed inside of a dream, and snuggled closer to him, and laid so that her head was on his shoulder, and she was pushed up against his body as if seeking protection from whatever had upset her inside of her dream. Maybe then he would start to see that she actually needed him.

[Zirin]

Thinking back, he didn;t know what he was expecting by rolling onto his back, but somehow, the fact that Naomi cuddled closer was both expected and unexpected at the same time. Well... the warmth of her body next to his was nothing to complain about, so... it wouldn't be bad if he stayed like this for just today right?

He let out a deep sigh, the sound holding both contentment and unease all at the same time. Could he live with himself if the event of so long ago happened again? If Naomi truly thought Korvin would assume her 'bad dream' meant she needed protection then she was a fool. Having seen how well trained her canines were, Korvin had no doubt that Naomi was at least semi-capable of taking care of herself. In fact, a few hours hunting together would probable cement his belief that she was actually not a useless huntress.
He groaned, wondering once more if this was a bad idea, but he was tired, it was warm here, and he didn't particularly feel like fighting any more.