[IC] The Vanquishing of the Vampire Plague (Sanquin/Sarpedon)

[Sarpedon]

Kevin wasn't going to make Zara do anything she didn't want to, but he was pretty sure she'd regret not smoking now when she wanted to go to bed but still needed to get some nicotine in her. She did decide to smoke up, though, and he joined her as she commented on his suggestion that they cuddle. He shrugged at first, not sure what else to tell her. "Like you said, you've eaten. And what are you going to do to me, really? I figure the worst thing you could do is fuck off with all my shit, and that's a lot harder when you're right next to me. Otherwise, you wake up chewing on me? It'll hurt, and I'll be pissed off, but you'd have to really kill me if you want to be able to get away before Coyote gets around to putting me back together..." he chuckled. "Plus you look like you'd be fun to cuddle. I'm not going to explain that one to you, though..." he smirked to himself as he trailed off, and then shrugged some more when she asked what kind of place he'd found to shelter in.

"There's a dip... Looks like it might have been a sink-hole once. Few big rocks down there, and undergrowth to break up lines of sight. Not enough overhead cover for a fire, but once we're settled, I doubt anyone will find us. The trick is going to be not leaving too much of a trail behind us once we get close." the shaman was positive that if they could manage to get into cover without any issues, they would be fine for the night. He didn't think there would be any issues, but he supposed the real issue was that anything could happen. He braced himself mentally for a night of fighting and manoeuvring, but hoped to anyone that might be listening that he could get a good night's sleep. Coyote didn't chime in, and he wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not. Then he thought he heard something moving in the bushes nearby, and just about panicked. Freaking out and wishing he could just go to sleep, the werehyena groaned quietly. "Let's move a little faster, if you don't mind. I feel like I'm losing my mind..." he gripped his rifle tighter and hoped that was the only issue they'd have this evening...

[sanquin]

"Well, good to know you at least won't die even if I decide to use you as a chew toy." Zara replied with a slight chuckle. And indeed he didn't have to explain that last part. She was fully aware that her looks weren't exactly the worst you could find even in the city. And she was pretty much on the same mindset as him on that part. The shelter Kevin described sounded like a pretty good spot. Heck, since they would be below the normal ground level a small fire might not even be spotted. Though it was best not to take that chance with just the two of them. The man wanted to pick up pace, looking like he was having another paranoid moment. Not something Zara was a fan of, but she decided to follow suit. Her feet would be hurting again, but at least they could rest and soon after that go to sleep within an hour now.

The rest of the trip was mostly spent in silence again. Though this time with good reason as well. Voices could carry pretty far if you weren't careful, which would make them more easily discovered. Finally they went what felt like downhill. Though they reached the bottom very quickly. And on the other side the hill was going up again. It was hard to tell that they had walked into an old sink hole at all. Even with her night vision in her left eye. The large rocks and plant life made it impossible to see the edges of the pit already. Only actual underground caves or something similar seemed better than this place. "Any place I could hang up a tarp? Just in case it rains tonight." She spoke softly. It didn't seem like it would considering how clear the sky still was. But that might be quite different halfway through the night. Or even during the morning. And staying dry was important to her at least. "Also, I think I'm going to try to sleep immediately afterwards..." Exhaustion was starting to kick in, even the chill of the air not being able keep her from getting drowsy now. Plus her feet hurt like hell as she had suspected, so she wanted to lay down and not get up until the next morning again.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin chuckled when Zara suggested that her using him as a chew toy might be a possibility at some point. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he supposed they would find out when it happened. The rest of their trip was thankfully uneventful, but that didn't stop him from worrying. The last thing they needed was something to go wrong. Lucky for them, things seemed to be working out. The way they walked into the dip he'd been hoping to hide out in was rocky, so there was little in the way of a trail. The ground got soft again at the bottom, though, and they were surrounded on all sides by scrub and boulders. The bottom of the sinkhole was low enough that the rest of the ground around them was about eye level now, and that, combined with the brush everywhere comforted the werehyena to the point where he felt they'd be safe enough for the night.

Then his companion asked if she should hang up a tarp. He leaned his head back and took a deep breath through his nose, held it for a second, and let it out slowly through his mouth. "It's not going to rain." he assured her. "But if you really want to, we can hang it right here." he gestured to a rock face jutting out of the ground, it was close enough to the very bottom of the hole that if they hung the tarp up, they shouldn't have any trouble tucking it underneath them as well. Assuming Zara was even okay with cuddling. He figured he would let the vampire do her thing, and set to prepping his own sleeping arrangements. If they were going to share, he wasn't convinced her sleep system would fit the both of them. "You want me to rub your feet again?" he offered quietly as he worked. Brownie points were always good, and he really didn't want his companion giving out on him, so if that's what it took to keep her going, he didn't see anything wrong with it...

[sanquin]

"That some kind of magic shaman thing?" Zara asked, grinning a little. She didn't know of anyone that could smell the air and know what kind of weather it would be for the next 8 hours or so. But Kevin said it with such confidence that she decided to believe him. Hanging up a tarp took effort. Effort she didn't really want to spend her time on right now anyway. So she followed suit and got rolled her sleeping bag out on the ground. The woman quickly grabbed some branches with leaves from the surrounding area to provide at least a bit of insulation against the cold of the ground, and place her sleeping back on top of it, right beside where Kevin had put his things down. "I'm fine for now. Maybe tomorrow morning if my feet still hurt." She replied to his suggestion. It kind of felt like she was being pampered by him, though admittedly that wasn't such a terrible thing. "So...I figured you could just spoon me. Unless you have a better idea for sleeping positions." She suggested as she took off her shoes. Sleeping in that position had always worked best for her in the past. Plus having a guy with their arms around you hugging you from behind felt pretty nice. Especially if the guy was a bit bigger than her, like Kevin was. So she was hoping he would agree.

[Sarpedon]

"It's the hyena in me." Kevin offered with a shrug. "Coyote helps a little." he admitted as an afterthought. He wasn't sure he could explain it without taking longer than either of them would want him to, so he shelved that for later. He shrugged when his companion refused his offer of a foot rub, and then realized she seemed set on not getting too close to him. "I was thinking you'd be warmer if we shared my sleeping bag. Whatever makes you happy, though." he didn't want to make things weird, since they weren't exactly romantically involved or anything. Indeed, he probably wouldn't see her again by the end of the week. That being said, he was more than happy to do what he could to keep her comfortable until then, assuming she was okay with it as well.

Regardless of what Zara wanted, though, the contractor was still going to sleep in only his underwear. It was really the only way to sleep out in the wilderness. Trying to sleep while wearing clothes was just asking to get damp and uncomfortable. He stripped down and carefully arranged his clothes inside his sleep system between his sleeping bag and the outer waterproof layer. This way they could dry out and he could sleep comfortably, and with any luck, his vampire companion would be okay with snuggling. He was going to sleep well either way, though, so he didn't hold his breath...

[sanquin]

"I'll...just consider it some magic shaman thing to keep things easy." Zara offered, figuring that the details didn't really matter. Then Kevin suggested sleeping in the same sleeping bag. Indeed, that would be quite a bit warmer. And considering how she was already shivering a little, it would only get worse during the night. It took her a while to consider the idea though. As it was a lot more intimate than she thought she'd ever be with him. Finally Zara decided that keeping warm and having a good night's sleep was more important than any intimacy issues she had at the moment. "I guess you're right...don't expect me to strip down like that as well though." She spoke, moving to completely unzip her sleeping bag and pulling it under his. The more isolation there was between them and the ground, the better.

Then, deciding to at least partially follow suit, the vampiress took off her jacket, socks, and even her bra without taking her shirt off. Though she kept her pants and shirt on. As she did so, her face had started to heat up. After over a year of any intimate contact, she'd be sleeping in the arms of an almost naked man... Luckily the darkness concealed the red tint on her cheeks, as she really didn't feel like being embarrassed on top of all of this. Once Kevin had settled, Zara joined him. The sleeping bag was a bit cramped for two people. Though it could have been a lot worse. Immediately she could feel the warmth of Kevin's body against hers, which only made her cheeks heat up even more. Though at the same time Zara had to admit that she had kind of missed this comfortable feeling of sleeping with your back against a man. "I don't think I have to tell you not to let your hands wander too much." She teased, doubting he was that kind of guy in the first place.

[Sarpedon]

Kevin couldn't see anything wrong with Zara's explanation. Technically it was magical shaman voodoo, or whatever any given person wanted to call it, but he didn't see how it was much different from any other animals freaking out before a coming storm. He was just a little more accurate about it. "You're more than welcome to learn the hard way, but you're going to be a lot more comfortable in the morning if you sleep in your underwear." the werehyena wasn't going to try and make his companion do anything, mostly in the interest of keeping blood out of his sleeping bag, but he figured she deserved a warning at least. She didn't heed it, of course, and there was nothing he could do about it, so instead, the contractor just wrapped the comparatively tiny vampire up in his embrace and let it go.

Once she'd gotten comfortable, Zara would find herself enveloped in the surprisingly gentle grip of the shaman. Surrounded by his bulk and warmth, she had put to relax and fall asleep. That didn't stop her from issuing warnings of her own though. "I won't touch you anywhere you don't want me to. I'll also be more than happy to touch you wherever you want. Please don't mind the little guy, it's been a long time, and he's very excitable at the best of times..." he replied quietly, trying not to sound like he was whispering fondly to the woman. As much as he liked having someone to cuddle, he didn't need to make it weird by being too familiar. In hopes of avoiding any further opportunities to ruin the moment, he closed his eyes and focused on sleeping...

[sanquin]

"Hey, you're a man after all. I'm used to that stuff." Zara replied with a smirk, deciding to leave it at that as well. Her first boyfriend had a morning wood 'problem'. Though back then it made for pretty great morning sex. And apparently she wasn't the only one being on a dry spell. Which could potentially turn into some sexual tension between them in the future... Though luckily that was still in the future. Right now, she didn't want to think about that and just get to sleep. Then once the vampiress had closed her eyes she was out cold within seconds. So she didn't get to really think about it in the first place.

During the night, Zara had started to pull Kevin's arm closer to her chest until about half-way through the night, she was hugging it like a stuffed animal. Something she herself didn't know she did. And this in turn resulted in her biting his arm every now and then. Though maybe it could be best described as more of a nibble, as her teeth didn't even penetrate through his skin. At most he'd have a slight indentation or two in his skin in the form of her teeth the next morning.

(Meh, wanted to post more, but since Kevin will wake up before her I guess I'll leave it at this for now. :P)

[Sarpedon]

Kevin was surprised, but grateful at Zara's understanding. He still did his best, but with such an attractive woman pressed against him, the inevitable couldn't be held back for long. Lucky for the vampire, she passed out before anything got weird. The werehyena wasn't far behind, but he was still slow enough that his companion's proximity was starting to feel like a bad idea. But in a surprisingly good way. Even sleep couldn't save the shaman, though. He woke up at some point to periodic sharp pains shooting through his hand, while in a confusing state of extreme arousal.

His new friend had pulled him nearly on top of her in order to properly cuddle his arm, resulting in her bottom teasing him remorselessly while she nibbled her way over his hand from fingers to wrist. Tired, Bewildered, and in pain, Kevin tried very hard not to grind on his companion while trying to get his hand away from her. Of course, the vampire was stronger than a regular woman her size, and she only nibbled more aggressively when he tried to move his hand away from her mouth. He tried grabbing her face, but she still managed to sink her teeth into him somehow, and when that got to be too much work, she just transitioned to nibbling on his wrist. She hadn't drawn any blood, so Kevin was grateful for that, and she hadn't woken up yet, which was probably the more important part. In the end, he gave up, and hoped he might get some more sleep in before morning. Lucky for him, she stopped actually nibbling after a little while, and he just had to put up with the discomfort of her teeth pressed into the web of his hand. He hoped things wouldn't be too awkward in the morning, but he knew the next few days were going to be unpleasant for him, at the very least. But he didn't have to worry about anything while he was sleeping, so the shaman welcomed the advance of dreamland once more, forgetting about his problems until shortly before sunrise.

Unfortunately, the problems were still there when he woke up again. His partner was still biting down on his hand, and his manhood was still raring to go, obviously quite happy to have someone so soft to press against. "Zara." he whispered, wondering exactly how awkward this was going to be. She'd told him not to worry about it, but that was before he'd woken up like this. "Zara, it's time to get up. I need you to let go of me." he added, hoping she would wake up slowly enough that she wouldn't realize what was going on before he could slip away and start working on packing things up...

[sanquin]

Waking up Zara before she actually woke up herself was usually a bad idea. Though this time it was for a very different reason than it had been in the past. The woman stirred a little, tightening her hold on his arm rather than releasing him. "Mmmh....ten more minutes..." She murmured softly. Then, deciding her arm on the bottom needed some rest, she let go of his and turned towards him. She quickly put her arms around his waist, one of her legs starting to rub against his legs. It took her a good 20 seconds before her mind started to wake up enough to realize what was going on.

"Wait...I don't have a boyfriend right now..." She thought to herself as she slowly opened her eyes. Only to be greeted by Kevin's bare chest right against her cheek. "Ah...s-sorry..." She mumbled, still half-asleep at this point. "Got...a little carried away there..." Zara wasn't about to admit that she had woken up thinking she was in bed with her boyfriend. That was just way too embarrassing. She finally let go of him, mostly for his sake at this point. As even though she was half-asleep, something rather hard was poking her thigh. And sexually frustrating her temporary partner wasn't exactly her intention, even if in a normal situation doing such a thing could be quite fun. Though Zara had to admit that if she had continued any longer, she would probably be as frustrated as him. Two people whom hadn't had any in way too long sleeping in the same cramped sleeping bag might not have been the best idea after all...

[Sarpedon]

Kevin frowned when Zara insisted on "ten more minutes" and he was wondering if she should try being louder when she rolled over. Almost immediately, she had an arm around him, and it seemed like she was trying to throw a leg over him too. The shaman decided he wasn't going to argue, but was quickly disappointed when his companion seemed to realize what was going on. "Oh... Was that all?" he replied, managing to sound less disappointed than he felt when the vampire explained that she'd merely gotten carried away in her sleep. "Got pretty carried away chewing on me last night, too." he grumbled, clambering out of his sleeping bag as he spoke.

Since they were up, and he wasn't getting any, the werehyena figured he might as well get dressed and see if he could find anyone to take his frustration out on. He supposed it could be worse, but quickly realized that the thought of worse didn't make anything better. Normally he could find at least a little solace in the fact that it wasn't raining, or that no one was shooting at him, but he was pretty sure he would rather have both of those things than have to deal with such a tempting little morsel so close, and yet so far away.

With an efficiency born of borderline rage, the contractor was rapidly dressed, and quickly began packing up so that they could get out of here, and on with their journey. "You okay with breakfast on the move?" he asked, not up for a real conversation just yet. He was going to need at least one cigarette, and to calm down, first...