Just because it wasn't her fault didn't make her feel any less about it. She wasn't a useful partner if she couldn't do something to prevent those occurences. Sometimes she worried that he would one day just drop her off home and find someone who was more reliable.
"Even so, I won't let there be a next time." she spoke, hesitating before letting her hands go a little further in massaging him back while the healing spell continued to work. She really didn't want anything to happen to him, but at the same time could admit she was selfish for just not wanting to be parted from him. Yes, she had told herself over and over, and had hear Sam say it as well, that five years was too big an age gap, that at eighteen she should be having more fun experiences, and logic agreed with that. However, Amelia was always one to rely much more on instinct and heart, so she couldn't simply let the feelings she had go.
"Should I ask what else it could be...or is it better I don't know?" she asked sheepishly.
[ooc: Thanks, it's still wonky but at least it's getting better. It moodswings whether or not I can tag or not.
And thanks, I do too, and look forward to seeing how this develops. <3]
That hadn't crossed his mind, actually. No matter what she did, it was better to have a partner than none at all. And they had fallen into a groove. He would lead, and she would learn. Someday, she's make a fine hunter. If he had ever thought about taking her home, it was for her own benefit. Even that had been a mostly fleeting concept.
He chuckled humorlessly. "None of them are fun options," he quipped, exhaling. Yeah, he was enjoying her touch waaaaaay too much. "It could be a skinwalker. Rakshasa. We won't know until we get a good look at the body."
He turned his head to look at her.
"We also need to see if there's any connection between the victims." That was her hint that he needed her to be on research duty. His body was also tensing up as if he was about to push off the bed.
He seemed a lot less tense than before, so the girl continued her work, listening to Sam and trying not to shudder at some of the possibilities. "I see. The quicker the better, before whatever it is goes after someone else."
On noticing the glance in her direction, she found herself smiling a little. It was reassuring to know he trusted her to do something no matter how small the task. Any concerns she might have had at the start of their partnership that she would be dismissed because of her youth and inexperience had quickly vanished, making Amelia care about him all the more.
However, she noted his shifting, about to get up, and her hands pressed into his skin more firmly. "Wait, take it easy, I'm not done yet." she said, letting one hand move up to soothe some of the other bruising.
Sadly for Sam, Amelia's eager wishes to assist often meant she overlooked the obvious. It wasn't that urgent that he get up right now surely? And with him still in pain, or what she assumed was pain, it meant her work was not done yet.
"Just a few more minutes, it won't take long, I promise." she responded, straightening up to lean over him to better inspect things to see where she needed to apply more pressure with her magic. If her partner has the misfortune of turning to look at her, he would be rewarded with a fairly good view of her generous cleavage, due to her blouse being slightly open at the top. Amelia was petite, yes, but for all her child like qualities, her body was very much that of a well endowed woman.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), Sam chose the exact moment she leaned over to throw her a look. Well, that wasn't what he expected. He would be a liar if he claimed he didn't look, but he did look away quickly enough. This was Amelia. He shouldn't, couldn't, look at her that way.
...were those a recent development?
"If I let you do that, will you promise not to worry about it?" He asked, poker face still in place. That was the only way to keep from letting a flush rise to his cheeks. He decided to go ahead and pull the shirt all the way off over his head.
As it happened, Amelia did not catch on to his embarrassment, only pouting cutely in thinking she was about to be reprimanded. Naturally, when he gave in, she quickly perked up again, nodding enthusiastically.
"I promise!" she said gleefully, the usual happy smile back as she settled herself in a comfortable position to access the older male's skin. Luckily her joy at the situation meant she managed to fight back her own improper thoughts as he removed his shirt entirely.
Focusing her energy, her hands rubbed across the sore and aching muscles, tracing various reminders of past fights with a strong yet gentle touch. While the magic did it's work in closing over cuts and healing the worst of the damage, her fingers massaged the stiffer places in his back, all the way up to his shoulders and the base of his neck. It was almost like she was in a trance herself, both in working out a rhythm that helped Sam, while at the same time silently admiring the man before her.
If he would have been honest with himself, he would have known he didn't have the fight in him to argue. All last night had been tossing and turning. The hour before the nightmare had been the only sleep he had gotten.
Against his better judgement, his eyelids began to droop as relaxation overtook him. And he was completely relaxed. Going shirtless around her wasn't even a blip on his radar; that was just how friendly their relationship was. Of course, he never thought about how it affected her.
He had almost dozed off when he awoke at the sound of a groan from the back of his throat. She had brushed against a very, very tight spot at the base of his neck. Although, he had to admit the sound did not seem quite so innocent.
"Sorry," he said, eyes fluttering back open. "You must have run up on a kink or something."
While she knew better than to pry too much, that didn't mean she ignored it when something was bothering him. Instead she resorted to other ways of assisting without pushing too much. Just little gestures running extra errands, footing a few of their food tabs or just letting him get first pick of the beds or turns in the bathroom, which she hoped added up in some small way to lessen his stress levels.
As she felt him relax, she smiled, eyes half lidded. It was a good thing he couldn't see her expression, as she knew her affection for him was probably as clear as day at that moment. It had taken a lot of practise for her to cover up the more obvious signs of how she felt, since she never usually held back her emotions. Of course she had to be professional, nothing would happen, Sam was too decent to do anything like that, right?
She almost removed her hands entirely when he groaned, fearing she had hurt him. When he explained things though, she calmed down, pausing a moment to think. Admittedly she wasn't sure if this would do much good, but as long as it did no harm, it might give him some relief.
"I'll try to work it out then." she replied softly, bringing both her hands up to the spot to focus on working out the stiffness and any knots, massaging the muscles in the hopes of them relaxing.
He was well tuned in to those little favors she did for him, and he appreciated them immensely. That led him to do things for her, and making sure she was as comfortable as she could be in this life. In fact, it was almost pleasant. He'd never thought he'd say that.
His wound up tendons and muscle began to relax under her hands as he took a few deep breaths. This was just another way she was helping him. It was completely innocent. Yet, there was a level of intimacy he just couldn't shake. The gentleness of her hands on his skin, how close she was, the fact that he could nearly hear her breathing if he was quite enough. It reminded him of how Jessica used to rub his back, telling him he was too tense.
Jess.
He had probably broken some kind of cardinal rule by thinking about his dead girlfriend. The memories and the parallels were too fresh. His whole countenance changed from one of friendly openness to his "I'm going to be a grouchy recluse" mode.
"Amelia, stop," he said, instantly regretting how snappy he was. That didn't stop him for jerking away just slightly.
Being from a well off family, it was surprising how Amelia had never complained over the lack of luxury during their travels. For her, the freedom was worth so much more. Still, the fact he went to the trouble for her was not unwelcome, the kindness in the gestures making her feel warm and content near him.
The tension was melting away from what she could tell, as she felt the kink in his neck loosen under her fingers. If this was as close as she could get to him, she would take the chance to preserve the memory of it, the feeling of his warm skin under her touch. It was better than nothing, and at least she could always revel in the fact that Sam let her be this close, that had to count for something in her favour.
But then he moved away, telling her to stop in a tone of voice that sounded annoyed with her presence. Flinching, she slowly removed her hands, biting her lip as she looked away from him. She had clearly done something wrong. Any protest or question died in her throat at that thought. Who was she kidding? She was still a novice, and a naive one a that in many ways. She was probably just too stupid to realize her mistake, not mature enough; it was no wonder he wouldn't see her as anything more than a partner.
"S-Sorry, I'll just...let you get ready then." she apologised, turning away with the intention of climbing off the bed and heading for the door to give the privacy and alone time she was apparently disrupting.
Regret ebbed through him. Why had he reacted that way? It wasn't her fault. She couldn't have known. Now, he had hurt her when she had only wanted to help. But for a second, he had thought a horrifying thing: Amelia, burned on the ceiling. Just like Mom. Just like Jess. After all, that seemed to be the fate of anyone who got close to him.
Still, he couldn't push everyone away from him, leaving him prime pickings for the Yellow Eye Demon to do God knows what. Without another though, he reached out to grab her hand.
"No," he said, the word coming out before he could form a coherent thing to say. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."
Amelia was unaware of the emotional baggage Sam had to deal with. If she had, she probably wouldn't have pushed so hard, she wouldn't have been so selfish as to expect such things from him. She would have worked harder to force herself not to hope for more and focus on being supportive. That was the right thing to do after all. Perhaps in that scenario should wouldn't have been foolish enough to make such mistakes.
Any further chiding she was going to give herself ceased when he grabbed her hand, forcing her to pause midway getting off the bed. Her features showed surprised when suddenly changed his attitude, confused at what had brought on the sudden shift. And yet, she was still at fault. Something she had done triggered him into doing something he regretted. If she was causing this, it was wiser to give him the space anyway.
"It might be better if I do. After all, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." she attempted to say without her voice wavering, her hand slowly slipping away from his. It hurt to do so, especially when it was so nice to have his fingers wrapped around her hand, but she didn't want to keep causing him more problems. She had been selfish enough already.
"You're not," he said quickly, unsure of what to do. Compared to the rest of his family, Sam had been gifted with words. Now, though, he was as tongue-tied as anyone could be. He swallowed hard.
"It just reminded me of something...Jess used to do," he admitted, voice soft. This was dropping a bomb for him. He had told Amelia about her before, only once or twice. It was something he almost never talked about. His admitting it right then was a show of trust on his part.
Ah, that explained it somewhat. At least it hard worked in stopping the girl from moving any further out of his reach. There was a degree of understanding added to the situation; if it had anything to do with Jess then Amelia recognised how strongly the whole scenario had affected him. From the few bits and pieces he had told her, they had been close, and he was very reluctant to ever say much on the subject, so she never asked.
Still, him bringing it up made things make sense a bit. Those memories hurt him still, she could tell, and it was hard to not be able to do anything to ease the pain he was going through.
Sinking back down onto the mattress, she fidgeted nervously, finally willing her hand to lace her fingers with his, holding on tightly. "I'm sorry that I made you think about that stuff though."
He shook his head, using his free hand to rest his forehead on. At this moment, Sam looked very young. Maybe it was the vulnerability. Maybe it was the fact that he was slouching down, and it was making him look smaller than his usual tall and sturdy frame.
He was tired. Really, really tired. Physically and mentally, of the life, of demons. Of everything.
"I don't want to lose you like I lost her." That slipped out from in between the mental brick wall he kept up, barely above a whisper as he absently squeezed her hand.
"Even so, I won't let there be a next time." she spoke, hesitating before letting her hands go a little further in massaging him back while the healing spell continued to work. She really didn't want anything to happen to him, but at the same time could admit she was selfish for just not wanting to be parted from him. Yes, she had told herself over and over, and had hear Sam say it as well, that five years was too big an age gap, that at eighteen she should be having more fun experiences, and logic agreed with that. However, Amelia was always one to rely much more on instinct and heart, so she couldn't simply let the feelings she had go.
"Should I ask what else it could be...or is it better I don't know?" she asked sheepishly.
[ooc: Thanks, it's still wonky but at least it's getting better. It moodswings whether or not I can tag or not.
And thanks, I do too, and look forward to seeing how this develops. <3]
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He chuckled humorlessly. "None of them are fun options," he quipped, exhaling. Yeah, he was enjoying her touch waaaaaay too much. "It could be a skinwalker. Rakshasa. We won't know until we get a good look at the body."
He turned his head to look at her.
"We also need to see if there's any connection between the victims." That was her hint that he needed her to be on research duty. His body was also tensing up as if he was about to push off the bed.
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On noticing the glance in her direction, she found herself smiling a little. It was reassuring to know he trusted her to do something no matter how small the task. Any concerns she might have had at the start of their partnership that she would be dismissed because of her youth and inexperience had quickly vanished, making Amelia care about him all the more.
However, she noted his shifting, about to get up, and her hands pressed into his skin more firmly. "Wait, take it easy, I'm not done yet." she said, letting one hand move up to soothe some of the other bruising.
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There was the tiniest of long-suffering sighs.
"I need to shower and get ready," he insisted, hissing a bit through his teeth when she touched an especially sensitive place.
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"Just a few more minutes, it won't take long, I promise." she responded, straightening up to lean over him to better inspect things to see where she needed to apply more pressure with her magic. If her partner has the misfortune of turning to look at her, he would be rewarded with a fairly good view of her generous cleavage, due to her blouse being slightly open at the top. Amelia was petite, yes, but for all her child like qualities, her body was very much that of a well endowed woman.
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...were those a recent development?
"If I let you do that, will you promise not to worry about it?" He asked, poker face still in place. That was the only way to keep from letting a flush rise to his cheeks. He decided to go ahead and pull the shirt all the way off over his head.
Reply
"I promise!" she said gleefully, the usual happy smile back as she settled herself in a comfortable position to access the older male's skin. Luckily her joy at the situation meant she managed to fight back her own improper thoughts as he removed his shirt entirely.
Focusing her energy, her hands rubbed across the sore and aching muscles, tracing various reminders of past fights with a strong yet gentle touch. While the magic did it's work in closing over cuts and healing the worst of the damage, her fingers massaged the stiffer places in his back, all the way up to his shoulders and the base of his neck. It was almost like she was in a trance herself, both in working out a rhythm that helped Sam, while at the same time silently admiring the man before her.
Reply
Against his better judgement, his eyelids began to droop as relaxation overtook him. And he was completely relaxed. Going shirtless around her wasn't even a blip on his radar; that was just how friendly their relationship was. Of course, he never thought about how it affected her.
He had almost dozed off when he awoke at the sound of a groan from the back of his throat. She had brushed against a very, very tight spot at the base of his neck. Although, he had to admit the sound did not seem quite so innocent.
"Sorry," he said, eyes fluttering back open. "You must have run up on a kink or something."
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As she felt him relax, she smiled, eyes half lidded. It was a good thing he couldn't see her expression, as she knew her affection for him was probably as clear as day at that moment. It had taken a lot of practise for her to cover up the more obvious signs of how she felt, since she never usually held back her emotions. Of course she had to be professional, nothing would happen, Sam was too decent to do anything like that, right?
She almost removed her hands entirely when he groaned, fearing she had hurt him. When he explained things though, she calmed down, pausing a moment to think. Admittedly she wasn't sure if this would do much good, but as long as it did no harm, it might give him some relief.
"I'll try to work it out then." she replied softly, bringing both her hands up to the spot to focus on working out the stiffness and any knots, massaging the muscles in the hopes of them relaxing.
Reply
His wound up tendons and muscle began to relax under her hands as he took a few deep breaths. This was just another way she was helping him. It was completely innocent. Yet, there was a level of intimacy he just couldn't shake. The gentleness of her hands on his skin, how close she was, the fact that he could nearly hear her breathing if he was quite enough. It reminded him of how Jessica used to rub his back, telling him he was too tense.
Jess.
He had probably broken some kind of cardinal rule by thinking about his dead girlfriend. The memories and the parallels were too fresh. His whole countenance changed from one of friendly openness to his "I'm going to be a grouchy recluse" mode.
"Amelia, stop," he said, instantly regretting how snappy he was. That didn't stop him for jerking away just slightly.
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The tension was melting away from what she could tell, as she felt the kink in his neck loosen under her fingers. If this was as close as she could get to him, she would take the chance to preserve the memory of it, the feeling of his warm skin under her touch. It was better than nothing, and at least she could always revel in the fact that Sam let her be this close, that had to count for something in her favour.
But then he moved away, telling her to stop in a tone of voice that sounded annoyed with her presence. Flinching, she slowly removed her hands, biting her lip as she looked away from him. She had clearly done something wrong. Any protest or question died in her throat at that thought. Who was she kidding? She was still a novice, and a naive one a that in many ways. She was probably just too stupid to realize her mistake, not mature enough; it was no wonder he wouldn't see her as anything more than a partner.
"S-Sorry, I'll just...let you get ready then." she apologised, turning away with the intention of climbing off the bed and heading for the door to give the privacy and alone time she was apparently disrupting.
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Still, he couldn't push everyone away from him, leaving him prime pickings for the Yellow Eye Demon to do God knows what. Without another though, he reached out to grab her hand.
"No," he said, the word coming out before he could form a coherent thing to say. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."
He looked away ashamedly.
"You don't have to go."
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Any further chiding she was going to give herself ceased when he grabbed her hand, forcing her to pause midway getting off the bed. Her features showed surprised when suddenly changed his attitude, confused at what had brought on the sudden shift. And yet, she was still at fault. Something she had done triggered him into doing something he regretted. If she was causing this, it was wiser to give him the space anyway.
"It might be better if I do. After all, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." she attempted to say without her voice wavering, her hand slowly slipping away from his. It hurt to do so, especially when it was so nice to have his fingers wrapped around her hand, but she didn't want to keep causing him more problems. She had been selfish enough already.
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"It just reminded me of something...Jess used to do," he admitted, voice soft. This was dropping a bomb for him. He had told Amelia about her before, only once or twice. It was something he almost never talked about. His admitting it right then was a show of trust on his part.
"...just don't go out like this, okay?"
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Still, him bringing it up made things make sense a bit. Those memories hurt him still, she could tell, and it was hard to not be able to do anything to ease the pain he was going through.
Sinking back down onto the mattress, she fidgeted nervously, finally willing her hand to lace her fingers with his, holding on tightly. "I'm sorry that I made you think about that stuff though."
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He was tired. Really, really tired. Physically and mentally, of the life, of demons. Of everything.
"I don't want to lose you like I lost her." That slipped out from in between the mental brick wall he kept up, barely above a whisper as he absently squeezed her hand.
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