The adrenaline which had been holding down the pain in Gabriel's leg abruptly wore off and her eyes screwed shut as the machete wound bit into her, hot and angry. She'd presumed the stab wound had been shallow when she'd first gotten it, but now she wasn't so sure and her eyes flicked down, checking the thin strip of cloth which a Legion man had wound around her leg.

Vulpes saw her eyes move and immediately crouched down, moving her dress up slightly to check the stab wound. The make-shift bandage was bright crimson now, and had become so saturated with her blood it was beginning to leak, tiny rivulets of red running down her leg like tears.

He sighed, pushing her down gently to sit on the bedroll. "I'd rather you tell me when you are in an inordinate amount of pain," he sighed, "If you were to die now, it would irritate me immensely."

He pulled a pouch of healing powder from his waist, dropping into her palm as he withdrew a roll of clean bandages from his pack. "Eat." He instructed.

Gabriel pulled the drawstring, looking in at the pale white dust. It looked like flour, only its crystals were a little thicker and whiter, with occasional green plant-like specks. She pinched some between her fingers and chewed, blanching at the familiar bitter taste.

"Eat all of it," Vulpes said impatiently as he unwound the old bandages from her leg. Fresh blood poured from the wound and Gabriel had to steel herself not to cry out from the pain as the Frumentarius cleaned the cut with a damp cloth.

Vulpes glanced up as Gabriel poured the rest of the bitter powder into her mouth. At least she wasn't complaining at the taste as many profligates did on their first sampling, used to the easiness of stimpacks and degenerate med-x. Those who complained at treatment did not deserve it.

Vulpes swore inwardly as he looked at the cut, wondering which of his men had done it. It had been necessary and the thing which had led to her capture, but even so it was deeper than he'd first thought. He cut the roll of bandages with his knife and held out a strap of leather from his pack for her to bite down on.

She shook her head, "I'll be ok," her voice trembled even as she said the words.

Vulpes rolled his eyes, forcing the strip of leather into her mouth and clamping her teeth shut around it. He pushed her dress further up, ignoring her muffled protests as he began to dress the wound, sprinkling a little healing powder on the cut before binding it up, sealing up the injury. Gently, he tugged the hem of her dress back down, covering her up a little more.

"Hm," he leant forward to pull the leather strap from her mouth, "We will sleep now, I think." He kept one hand resting on her leg to stop her from drawing them up into her body.

"Do you sleep in the same dress?"

She shook her head, pinkness returning to her cheeks. "If I'm inside I normally sleep in just my underwear. But I –"

"Then you may do that," he moved to lie on the bedroll with his back to her, signalling he wasn't going to watch her undress. Ordinarily, he would sleep naked, but the prospect seemed almost rude with Gabriel beside him and he lay down in full Legion armour, staring at the ceiling above.

Gabriel turned away to the most distant corner of the room, fumbling with her pale dress and letting her jacket slip from her shoulders. The blood from her leg had seeped into the very edge of her dress and she would have sworn if she'd been the type to. She'd loved that dress; it had been pre-war lace, given to her by her oldest brother Alexei on the same day Mikhail had given her the radio. It was like the Mojave was slowly seeking to destroy all the good things she'd been given.

It was more comfortable standing in the tent in just her bra and knickers, but despite the still thick heat, she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. She felt too exposed, too open, too unprotected. She couldn't do it.

Then again, she couldn't stay standing for much longer either. Already she was beginning to sway and she plucked her jacket up from the floor, wrapping it around her shoulders as she perched on the end of the bedroll, as far from the Legion man as it was possible to be.

Gabriel tensed up as Vulpes turned about, expecting the Legion man to try something. She was surprised as his hand gently pulled her into him, curling her under his arm and bringing her closer to him. She hesitated for a moment, then conceded, resting her head on his chest, feeling it rise and fall and the faintest vibration of a heart beat from inside. It felt real.

Vulpes wanted to kiss her. He didn't know why, he wasn't sure if he'd ever even kissed anyone before. He'd certainly never kissed the slave girls when he took them for entertainment; he'd had no inclination to; they were to be used and nothing more. And whilst he'd called Gabriel a slave when he'd first taken her, she wasn't yet, not really. He wasn't going to collar her and he didn't want to tie her up either. But he did want to kiss her.

So, so much.