Evelynn coughed roughly as the icy water clung to her skin, soaked her hair, and pricked at her eyes even as she dragged herself from the violent, roaring currents of the river. She grunted through her teeth which were currently snapped together as she awkwardly hauled Daelys' body from the water as well. She had lost her grip on him a few times; he was lucky that her lashers were in range to snag his wrist and keep him from getting swept away.
The succubus sprawled out on the grass, laying on her stomach and sputtered, water trickling from her lips. Damn him for being so much heavier than she thought. He must've been at least a foot taller than she was, even as a prisoner of ten years, he still had some lean muscle on his body; if Evelynn had to guess, this was going to be her bet as to where his weight came from. After all, a tattered prison uniform didn't account for much mass.
The wind was picking up now that the sun was sinking below the horizon. Evelynn had guessed this based on the limited light the thick canopy allowed through. The demon glanced at her… ally and scoffed at the fact that he was still half-conscious and struggling with the effects of the arrows.
"Tch…" Evelynn opened her mouth, wanting to chastise him for nearly causing her to drown along with him and how much of a burden this all was. But she couldn't. What was she going to say? She was the one he took the arrows for and as much as she hated the feeling of being helped, she was glad that she was not struck. Evelynn huffed silently and settled for a less harsh criticism. "You should've just pulled me aside instead of blocking the arrows."
Daelys let out a weak groan as he tried to sit up, "That's... a weird way… of saying thank you…" He mumbled, his lips trembled a little from the cold. He furrowed his brows at this. Damned arrows. Whatever the head was coated with, it's potent as hell.
"I hate to disturb your rest, love, but we need to leave." Evelynn said with a tone of urgency and slight annoyance. "Rest later, darling. We move now."
Daelys muttered a slew of curses as he pushed himself to his feet to join Evelyn who had been standing and waiting for a while now. "I'd love to rest a bit more…"
"I wasn't aware my request was negotiable, darling." Evelyn grit her teeth, her patience growing thin as the cold began to nip at her skin.
"I know… Let's find a cave somewhere and hunker down for the night." Daelys could see the thin, silver crescent of the moon hanging against an inky-black sky dotted with bright flecks of light from stars which signalled a complete nightfall.
"Can you walk?" Evelynn raised a thin, perfectly shaped brow.
"Yes," Daelys said back plainly.
"Can you walk without stumbling?"
"... No."
A small sigh left Evelynn. "This little alliance is proving quite the hindrance." She sighed a little louder. "But I suppose… escape as a pair was the only option and an extra pair of eyes is useful when hunters are still trying to find is."
Daelys smiled wryly, "Hm, good to hear."
"Stay quiet, darling." Evelynn flashed him a tight smile. "I like my silence."
The mage chuckled at this as he ran a hand through his dripping wet, golden hair. "Really? I can't tell. You talk quiet a bit."
"I like my silence from you." Evelynn quipped back as she began walking.
"Ouch," Daelys gave a small pout which teased at an expression of heartbreak. "I thought we were friends." He joked, his tone taking on a sarcastic drawl.
Evelynn rolled her eyes, "Please darling, I have no friends… just people I haven't eviserated yet." The succubus crossed her slender yet strong arms. "I've never managed to make one, not that I want to."
Daelys snorted, "If you try… oh, I don't know, not murdering or maiming every person you see, maybe you'd be able to make on."
"You're not very good at listening are you?" Evelynn chided, using his words from the cells against him. "I think I've made the fact that I don't desire friends very clear."
"Clear as crystal." Daelys agreed. There was a moment where no words were spoken and the silence was filled with their footsteps against verdant grass until Daelys opened up his mouth. "Tell me, Evelynn, why don't you want friends?" His words had softened from his sharp jests and took on a genuinely curious tone.
Evelynn turned her head to look at him, her expression holding great annoyance as if he was an indigent child clining to her calf. Why does he ask so many questions? And why does he care? He's always quick to try and understand… "Why would I want friends? What good are friends?" Evelynn practically spat out the word like it was bitter or foul.
"They're plenty good," Daelys shrugged, "They make you feel fulfilled emotionally. You can talk to them, learn from them, share experiences with them. You and your friend can become better people through the mutual bond." The mage looked forwards, into the rather dense forest. He was glad that he was able to figure out the directions swiftly; that dip in the river was unpleasant but his memories of school had reminded him that all major rivers in Demacia flowed east, towards Noxus, and into the ocean which separates Ionia from the main land. Ionia is far away but it's the safest place two magic-wielders can be. Daelys smiled at the fact that he's already made up his mind about helping this volatile succubus that he's bumped into and escaped with. "My friends made me into the person I am today… Well, before I was locked up. I don't know where they are now and I'll probably never know, but the fond memories will live on inside me."
Evelynn sucked in a breath, "How sweet…" Her boredom practically oozed from her words.
Daelys frowned at this, "I wasn't kidding when I said you really need to make a friend sometime. Those without anyone in their lives never live it to the fullest. Besides, you might find some fulfillment in friendship and not feel the urge to murder all the time."
"Murder and feasting on pain is fun. Trying to build friendship is not."
"You've never had friendship, how do you know it's not something splendid?" Daelys crossed his arms, "You're like an animal who doesn't know any better. But you're not an animal. You're much more than that. You have emotions, complicated ones at that, and you're intelligent. That's the only reason I'm alive right now, thanks to your quick thinking. An animal accepts what they are and lives out their lives like that, a being with more depth like you and I can see what we are and change. You are lucky to be immortal, you have an eternity to become better."
The succubus listened to his words. So genuine, so sweet, she was almost touched. Except the idea of changing tasted bland. She's lived for thousands of years doing what she does best and she saw no need to change. Each kill was a high and she loved drinking in all that pleasure. These thoughts lingered in her head and a realization made Evelynn frown a little. She knew that in every person, even the happiest ones, there is always a little seed of discontent. To want something truly divine and they've never had before. She's perfected herself to fulfill those desires and it's thanks to this little seed that she's been able to feast for all this time. But each kill left her wanting more. Evelynn would leave her victim before the heat could leave their corpse. If she was truy content, she wouldn't feel the pang of emptiness after each kill which spurred her to find more bodies to torture, right?
Did she also have this little seed of discontent within her? Evelynn shook her head. No, that's absurd. "You're good with your words."
"See? That was kind. You can do it if you try." Daelys said with a small smile.
Evelynn's lashers twiched at his words. "Careful, darling, don't get too comfortable or else you'll give me a reason to consider maybe using you would be better than having you as an ally."
"I'm very well aware. If I do die at your hands, at least my last sight would be much more beautiful than a plain, petricite wall." Daelys couldn't help but joke around now that he was free. Just the grass beneath his bare feet alone gave him a joyful feeling that he'd never dreamed of experiencing again.
"We should stop here for the night." Evelynn pointed at the mouth of a small, mossy cave which was carved into the side of a sloping hill.
"It's going to be really cold." Daelys muttered, his voice lacking any sort of enthusiasm as he looked up to the sky and felt the chilly, night air nipping at his exposed skin. His shoulder was still oozing blood from where the arrows had struck him and his body still felt weak from the drugs coating the arrow heads.
Daelys lifted his shirt over his head and twisted the fabric with a grunt to wring out the water. Evelynn leaned against the rough surface of the cave wall and watched him. Her eyes roamed his torso, over the ridges and planes, the scars and smooth sections. The succubus licked her lips as her hunger started to whisper lustful thoughts into her mind. She wondered if he would satisfy her if she made him her prey right now. Her circumstances made it so that he's more useful alive than dead but that didn't quell Evelynn's desires.
"Evelynn!" Daelys called out for the third time. "You're staring." He said with his shirt still clutched loosely in his hands.
"Is looking a crime, darling?" Evelynn cooed as she took a single step towards him, then another, and another, until her pace fell into a smooth sashe. The soft magenta glow in her upswept hair burned a little brighter as her mana flared up.
Daelys' eyes narrowed a little as she placed herself face to face with him. The height difference meant that the succubus had to tilt her head up to look him in the eyes but she liked that. Even from her position below or from under her prey's eyes, they were still prey. Evelynn reached up and dragged her pointed claw tips against Daelys' equally sharp jawline. The succubus bit her lip slowly and let out a soft hum of enjoyment. She wouldn't kill him but she could still feed just a little off pleasure alone this time.
"I thought you said you hated me." Daelys said as he slipped an arm around her lithe waist.
"Hate and love and just two words for passion." Evelynn stood up onto her toes and smiled. "Darling, make no mistake, I find you always under my skin one way or another and I would normally flay someone alive for that… but in our current circumstance, that's not really an option anymore."
"So you settle for half of what you usually do." Daelys knew this was a terrible idea but with such feminine perfection in his arms, all to himself, how could he resist? As much as he hated to admit, Evelynn intrigued him both physically but also because of her character, despite all the danger she embodied.
"The half that'll leave you screaming, the half that will make you feel so good, come morning light you'll only remember my taste and the feel of my body," Evelynn pressed herself against his chest with a smoldering passion in her golden gaze. "against yours."
Daelys sucked in a harsh, sharp breath. He hesitated, wondering if this was what he wanted right now. He knew that she was smart enough to keep him alive but there was always the chance that she would lose herself in the act. Daelys looked into her eyes before letting his eyes roam her face. I can think of worse ways to go.
He slammed his lips against hers in a hungry kiss and it was then that he realized how starved for affection and connection he was. His hands began to travel up her back and Evelynn felt his finger smoothing over the place where her lashers connected to her body. He was soothing where she was cut. Despite Evelynn not really understanding the full extent of the tenderness within his actions, she enjoyed the rather light yet lovely caresses nonetheless; it was different and unexpected. She had anticipated him throwing her to the ground to rut her like an animal the first chance he got but he didn't.
Daelys felt a light groan rise up in his throat as she kissed back with equal fire. Her lips were warm and tasted deliciously sweet like honey fruit and sugar. Her body was supple with curves and litheness in all the right places while still holding a quiet strength. It was glorious and Daelys emptied his mind to enjoy this moment in the dark with the succubus like it was his last night on this earth.
Author's Note: 18+ scene next chapter. I personally think sex scenes need to be written out for the same reason as any other scene, this being character development, but I also completely understand why certain individuals do not wish to read that type of material. From here on out, all graphic depictions of sex will be marked with an "(NSFW)" in the chapter title.