"Damnit Nyx…" Gajeel muttered, holding the unconscious girl. Examining her wounds, he knew he had to stop the bleeding above all else. Without a second thought, he gently laid her in his lap, and tore his tunic off. Taking the fabric in his teeth, he began ripping strips out of it. He located the most serious wounds along her right side, and wrapped them with the black shreds of his shirt. Once he was content with his work, he let out a frustrated sigh. He looked at the unconscious quake mage, then back at Nyx. He needed to get help for Nyx. That was was his priority. After securing the man with iron bars in case he were to awaken before they could return, Gajeel took her in his arms, and hastily made his way back to the village. Running through the thick forest, he tried his best not to jostle Nyx, adjusting his body so his iron scaled arm, rather than her head, scraped along the rough bark of the trees. Arriving in the town, which was rather quiet for the time of day, Gajeel found his way back to the in. As kicked in the door, he looked over at the inn keeper. "Bring me water and bandages!" he demanded. The innkeeper, looking rather frightened, nodded shakily.
"Y-yes sir." Gajeel stormed up to their room, and layed Nyx down on her bed. The innkeeper came in with a bowl of water and the roll of bandages shortly after, then left in a hurry. Gajeel quickly got to work cleaning, and redressing Nyx's injuries, doing his best to be gentle with her petite form. "For such a little thing, you sure do cause me a lot of hell…" he said with a sigh as he finished wrapping the last of her wounds. He examined Nyx, unable to figure out what it was about her that made him feel the way he did. Seeing her trapped had made his heart race with panic. He never panicked. He was a mighty dragon slayer, panic was foreign to him. At least it should have been. He let out a grunt of frustration, then got up, pacing around the room. He sat back on the bed for a while, then paced again. He continued this for at least an hour as he waited for her to open her eyes. Finally he sat, concerned.
"Come on Nyx…" He lifted her up slightly, holding the back of her head. Closing his eyes, he bent over, resting his forehead against hers, his keen nose taking in her unique scent.
"G-Gajeel?" His eyes snapped open, meeting Nyx's wide blue eyes. In his surprise, he nearly dropped her, but managed to keep her upright.
"W-what the hell Jewels?" he asked, his voice louder than he had intended, quickly pulling his hands away. He looked away, his face flushing. Nyx crossed her arms.
"What do you mean what the hell?" she huffed indignantly, her face even rosier than Gajeel's. "Y-you're the one who-"
"I'm just glad you're okay…" he grumbled, scratching the back of his head. Nyx bit her lip. Hearing those words words sent a small flutter to her heart. She rested a hand on the man's knee, and he looked at her, surprised.
"Thank you Gajeel," she said with a smile. His heart skipped. He tried to return her smile, but the confusion about his own feelings turned the smile into something more of a grimace. She let out a small laugh. Before his emotions could baffle him any farther, he stood.
"Well, I gotta go grab the creep from the woods." Nyx's brow furrowed.
"You left him there?" she said, cocking her head.
"Well yeah, I needed to make sure you were alright," he said defensively. She grinned.
"Gajeel, you're a genius!"
"Uh, what?"
"Coming back without the quake mage. To-" She stopped, then lowered her voice. "To throw off the the illusion mage. If you had come back with the defeated quake mage, he would have run off!" Gajeel just looked at her, still not quite understanding what she was saying. She sighed. "You forgot there were two wanted wizards…" She laughed again. "The innkeeper. He's the illusion mage, he pretty much told us when he sent us to that clearing," she explained. Gajeel grumbled something under his breath, earning yet another laugh from Nyx.
"So then, how do we take care of him?" Nyx was somewhat taken aback. Gajeel was never one to ask for a plan when fighting. He always just charged in.
"Well, he doesn't seem terribly strong, so...just do what you do best I suppose." She wasn't really sure what else to say. Gajeel nodded. His recklessness is what had gotten Nyx injured, he didn't want to make another mistake. He held out a hand to her.
"Comin' with me Jewels?" She smiled and nodded, taking his hand. She stood, stumbling slightly due to the pain that shot through her right leg the moment she stepped on to the wooden floor. Gajeel caught her, taking hold of her other hand. They looked at each other for a moment. Gajeel then turned away with a huff. "Just be more careful Nyx."