"Valeonna...that's a nice name."
Roth says in a hush tone, as he doesn't want to deviate from the delicate tone of the conversation. The embers in the fireplace begin to slightly dim out, almost shying away from the intimate atmosphere but Roth remains focused on her words. He takes it as his duty to listen to words spoken in the moment, especially when they come from a place of unfiltered emotion.
She looks back, her stoic expression seeming more humane and less automated; Roth could feel a sense of calm happiness radiating off her despite no clear indication on her face, he chalks it up to his drowsiness and shrugs it off as like a fleeting thought. She stares at him, almost like she wants to say something but the words don't make it to her lips. Roth doesn't speak either and instead waits in anticipation for her to continue.
Then, for an instant, the crackling firewood dimmed down enough for the room to grow almost completely silent. It seemed like even the fireplace wanted to give audience to the words of the stoic woman. Finally she holds onto a determined gaze and speaks:
"Thank you."
She took that amount of time to say 'thank you' but for some reason, a simple sentence of gratitude seemed more profound coming from her, well, at least to Roth. He nods and decides to press on further with his questions as he feels a connection to his new acquittance-It may not be entirely friendly but it is still there.
"So Miss Valeonna, how long have I been sleeping?
Roth decided to ask a fairly reasonable and safe question as he doesn't want to risk sounding rude by asking about her appearance or the obvious elephant in the room-What is she? The woman-Or Valeonna, presses a finger to her chin and responds, after a quick thought.
"More than half a day."
"HALF A DAY?!"
"Yes."
As the young adventurer exclaimed his shock, his sudden movement sent a buzzing pain throughout his body, originating from his leg. He yelps in pain as he crashes back down onto the bed and Valeonna jerks her hand out to make sure he is stable.
"Are you okay?"
She murmurs to him as her hand traces his quivering shoulder The words don't seem to reach Roth, who is breathing raggedly as he tries to numb the pain by focusing on her eyes and anything other than the grasping agony in his legs. Eventually the pain subsides and he regains his composure.
Valeonna scans his body, all the way from his feet to his neck and she looks back to him with her ears fluttering. She pauses for a moment as if contemplating a question. Roth somehow is able to draw a pattern in her behavior and expression as he asks:
"Miss Valeonna, is there something on your mind?"
The docile beast woman snaps out of her thoughts and her ears stand at attention for a brief moment before she points to his legs and speak:
"Does it hurt?"
"Well, umm...yes?"
Roth was a bit confused as he thought the question was a bit redundant due to his display of pain earlier and he didn't expect her to ask something so obvious. She then quickly follows up with a second question which was no less of haymaker.
"Do you want it to be healed?"
What an an odd question.
Who wouldn't want for their injuries to be healed? The question was direct yet it made Roth's head cloud up with more possibilities than any riddle would provide. Is this a rhetorical question? Is this a test? Is she mocking the distressed adventurer's? All these could be plausible and Roth should have answered accordingly but he thought what is it was a genuine concern of Valeonna, his reaction could make her feel undermined if given hastily. After a brief moment, he decided to answer the blunt question with an equally simple answer.
"Yes, I would like to be healed."
Valeonna's shoulders relax and it seems like the answer has put her mind to ease, but what was the significance of the whole exchange? Its not like she could mend the broken bones with a healing potion...right? She then looks to him and says with a firm tone:
"You must trust me...Roth."
She keeps staring at him, looking for any signs of distrust or hesitance. She finds some confusion but its quickly enveloped by a warm shaky smile as he says:
"Okay, I trust you Miss Valeonna."
She nods, maintaining her stoic demeanor but something in her presence gave off an aura of contentment. Valeonna moves closer, shifting her weight closer to his body. As she settles beside him, she holds out her hand and clenches it into a hard fist. Roth watches as her hand starts dripping with her blood, likely due to the nails pressing into her palm.
Why is she hurting herself? That question is left forgotten as she takes her other hand and holds it out for Roth. She ushers him give his hand and he looks at the outstretched hand before taking her hand with a slight tremor of uncertainty. She gently cushions his small hand on her palm and says in a soft murmur:
"This might hurt a bit, but you must hold out."
Before Roth can react to the words, he sees her the nail on her thumb grow and transform into a bigger...nail? No....its more so like a claw. As he comprehends the situation, a sudden sharp sting follows on the center of his palm as she digs her thumb into his skin. Roth yelps and follows it with a flinch but his hand doesn't leave her palm-He follows through with his trust. To put it frankly, his hand is being punctured by a woman he just met and he is allowing her to continue...yep that's the explorer's code...at least according to Roth.
He forces himself to remain as still as possible, not questioning her actions and just doing what he said he would-Trust her. Valeonna slowly opens up his palm and takes her other hand, joining them both. The union of their crimson blood is somewhat of a warm sensation.
They remain is that position, their hands locked in a tight embrace until Valeonna slowly parts her fingers from Roth's hand and takes her blood covered hand close to her face. The cradles his newly injured hand as he watches the scene taking place, Valeonna whispers something and suddenly clenches her hand back to a fist. Her yellow pupils glow a shade brighter as her crimson blood starts to glow , traces of it illuminating even on Roth's hand.
Then suddenly...the unimaginable happens.