Fern fronds as big as trees swayed softly in the midnight breeze. They could barely be seen in the faint light of the luminescent flowers growing from vines underneath. The flowers made a heady perfume, the air unexpectedly damp for a desert. Tristepin was nearly lulled to sleep in the quiet heat. Ruel let out a loud snore, and he jerked himself awake. The oasis had been a lucky find. They all desperately needed the rest. But, he reminded himself, tightening his grip on Rubilax, they had no idea what could be lurking deeper in the shaded leaves. He had to stay vigilant. A bird called out in the distance.
The scene replayed in his head. Heat of battle. Dodging flying blows. Evangeline cries out. Seeing the raider's blade exposing blood hit as hard as the fist he'd looked away from. The splash of red. She fell. By Iop, he was so afraid he'd be too late.
He could swear he heard her softly cry out, just now.
He shook his head hoping to clear it. The quiet of the night felt tense. He knew he was far too tired to notice anything but the most incompetent bumbling attacker, but the others pretty much slept where they hit the dirt. A tired guard was better than no guard at all, he figured. And the thought of being helpless to an ambush made the ground feel too hard to sleep on, anyways. His thoughts returned to Eva. The way her face had crumpled in pain. He looked around the camp, wanting to see that she slept peacefully. Only three lie sleeping. Her rucksack was empty. Again, her voice.
He runs full speed into the dusk.
She stands- there!- alone and unarmed before a shimmering pool.
"Evangeline!"
He skids to a stop with his back to her, one arm out to shield her, the other brandishing Rubilax.
"Don't worry Eva! I'll protect you!"
The tree line and the clearing are both empty. The crystal clear water hides nothing. One lonely chirping cricket is the only sign of life.
"Evangeline? Where-"
"Shh! I'm fine! I just need some help." She placed a hand on his arm, lowering his blade.
"What?"
She holds out a jar of salve.
"I can't reach it on my own. The cut, I mean. On my back."
"So you- Oh." He spots her shirt and breeches at the shore.
"I, um, hoped that you could help me? I didn't want to wake the others." She smiles at seeing him blush. Her blonde hair spilled into her face, but didn't hide the blush she had to match.
"Oh, its okay then, because I forgot, I think, um," he stuttered. Her hand was pleasantly cool from the water. And she was sliding it slowly up his arm.
"What's wrong? Is my valiant knight suddenly a scaredy-bwork?" She laughs at her own joke, bites her lip.*
With his free arm, he pulls her closer by the waist. "I'll have you know I'm not afraid of anything."
"That's not what you were-" He cuts her off with a kiss. Her shoulders stiffen in surprise. He opens his eyes.
They stand close for a moment.
"Hey, valiant knight! Does that little dagger know how to speak too? My, would that make things interesting in-"
"RUBILAX!" He held the sword at arms length as he turned beet red to the tips of his ears. Evangeline covered her mouth with her hand.
"You truly are a heartless monster! Little dagger?! How could you say such a thing?"
Evangeline failed to hold back a laugh.
He looked back to her. "Not you too! Tell me you don't think it's little!"
She said, "I'm afraid I didn't get a very good look."
Rubilax cackled. "He was holding me right beside it and it was still difficult to spot!"
"You- shut up!"
"Might even be smaller than his brain!"
Evangeline and Rubilax were laughing at him outright. The tips of his ears were feeling hot. He glared down at the sword.
"And what of the Cra? With her attitude, I would have expected-"
Tristepin lobbed the sword into the tall ferns. Rubilax made a solid thunk skewering a frond, where he laughed triumphantly.
Evangeline coughed.
"Eva. Your back." He held out a hand for the salve.
Rubilax shouted to be heard, "I would have expected one larger than yours! It's rude to interrupt someone who's talking!"
"RUBILAX, SHUT UP!"
Evangeline glared at him. "Well, the others were sleeping. We'll be lucky if you didn't call those raiders back on us!"
"I-"
"Here," she said, "just get my back already, it's starting to ache."
He sat her down on a patch of dry sand. Three cat-scratch cuts ran from her left shoulder blade to her spine. They were ragged but ragged, and dried blood ran in streaks from the wound. He hesitantly put salve to skin.
Eva gasped.
"Hey! Gently now!"
"Sorry!" He placed a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. He was starting to droop again.
He yawned and mumbled something.
"Say again?"
"I said, um-" He looked back to her skin, fingers still greasy with salve. "Woah, it's gone!"
Her skin had knit neatly beneath the salve so quickly he hadn't noticed it working, leaving only the dried blood as proof of a wound.
Eva snorted. "Haven't you seen healing salve before? Although, judging by your pockmarked hide, I guess you wouldn't have."
He studied the little jar of salve.
"So is this how you keep your skin so smooth? I always wondered."
She turned around to face him. "Yours would look smoother if you took proper care of yourself. Honestly, I'm surprised you're still alive, covered in scars the way you are. Buying sub-par healing items really costs you in the end, you know."
"I wouldn't know. I don't use healing items."
He grinned at her concerned look. "A strong warrior doesn't need to rely on potions! I've always been naturally tough, there's nothing I can't bounce back from with a big meal and a good night's sleep."
A pause.
"Are you calling me weak?
"That's not what I- it's different for you, what with you being a Cra, and a wo- Ow! Let go!"
She gave his ear a good twist before letting go.
He clamped his hand over it and whined, "Hey! That hurt."
She glared. "If I weren't so sore I would have punched you."
He said, "Maybe you ought to punch me! It'd be a lot less confusing. What are we even doing out here?"
"I just needed the help with my back. I guess that's all."
"Oh." He looked at his hands. The ferns overhead shuffled together in the wind. It rippled the water, which appeared to shimmer in the dim light from the flowers. Evangeline had again turned her back to him. She sat hunched, studying her toenails. She glanced up, meeting his eye, but quickly looked away.
He stood. "Well, I guess if that's it." He took a step towards where Rubilax still grumbled from the fern frond.
She caught his hand. "Wait."
He turned back to look at her. The lighting here made her look softer, put a glint to the question in her eyes.
She gave him a chaste peck on the lips.
"I still need to wash the blood off. You go get some sleep."
He walks back alone.