Naked and Afraid

[Angel Parish]

It had been some years now that Angel had to adjust openly to who he was as a person. All the working out and training had been helped form his body into something sharper and more toned but there were still parts of him that that appeared softer, more feminine. Those were usually hidden under armor or baggy clothing but every now and then the blonde needed to unwind.

Angel knew Teronna like the back of his hand. While the Chargers traveled around a lot Teronna was somewhat of a home base of sorts. There was a small waterfall tucked away in the forest that not many people visited. Something about a fear of mystics? He wasn't entirely sure. Still it gave him the perfect opportunity to be alone without fear.

He hung he clothes from a low tree branch and let his hair fall down around his shoulders. With a soft sigh Angel shook out his hair before stepping into the water. The shock of the cool water sent a jolt through him at first before he finally relaxed and stepped into the water.

Sebastian Arcturis

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian was just as familiar with the forest. He had moved through the trees a number of times on various hunts.

One of which he was returning from now. It had been a shorter mission than he expected. He'd thought his prey would turn tail and run, but instead the woman had fought back. It was brave of her really, but the moment she struck first, any consideration he had had for sparing her had vanished. Not that she had had a chance considering four bystanders had her abducting a child and killing the mother. But she didn't run. She fought him tooth and claw and honestly, that wasn't hyperbole considering her magic had her grow claws and fangs at will like an animal.

It had been a rough fight. But he had convinced her to tell him where the kid was before she died. One mystic dead, one child returned to her family.

But that had been last night. Today, he had some tooth and claw marks to clean and the waterfall was the perfect place to do so away from people. He didn't exactly want to advertise what the woman had done to him.

He followed the river to the waterfall, quietly enjoying the wilderness. Perhaps he should fear the monsters more but Bastian was a hunter, not the hunted.

Waterfall in sight, he was already removing his belt, though he took a careful look around. Even here he didn't let down his guard. Especially here.

Bastian noticed the clothes first. Which was surprising. From the look, someone accustomed to travel and fighting. He didn't mind having company. The concern was what sort of company. Still, he wasn't concerned over one person even if they ended up being a mystic. So he settled on one of the rocks to tje side of the waterfall and unlaced his steel and leather armor with a faint groan.

"How is the water?" He called to the figure. He didn't bother looking really, since most people weren't as comfortable as he was naked. He focused on removing the rest of his clothes and folding then. His form was a lattice of scars. There were fresh ones on his right shoulder and hip and and old faded stab wound on his back. It was clear that whatever had pierced his body had gone all the way through and had not been clean.

[Angel Parish]

Angel had heard footsteps approaching but hadn't thought much of it. If it were one of the Chargers or Apollo coming to pester him he'd just wrestle them. If it were an animal or a dangerous Mystic the blonde knew where his bow was and he was fast. Nothing was going to stop him from enjoying his bathing. Or so he thought.

Angel had been prepared for a lot of things. What he had not been prepared for was to hear a strangers voice ask him about the water. His eyes shot open as he quickly ducked under the water, not that that helped much. The water was clear aside from the ripples distorting the visions below the surface. He pushed the wet hair that clung to his face back and looked at the man with surprise. It wasn't often he was caught off guard like this. "I-I uh..." Damn nervous stutter.

His eyes darted between the man and his clothing. There was no way he'd be able to get out and get dressed without being seen. Instead Angel wrapped his arms the best he could around his chest and averted his eyes away from the stripping man. He'd seen a lot of men naked. His brother, his commander, other Chargers, it didn't make a stranger any better. "Wat-ters fffine." He managed out as he tried his best to reign back in his nerves.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

The splash of the person ducking under the water made him look up fully. He stared at the spot under the water where there was clearly a person. It wasn't exactly hiding. Nor was it artful. Bastian assumed whoever it was was nervous. Either about being nude or avout company or both. He therefore assumed it was a woman. When she resurfaced, the long hair seemed to agree. The face was...harder to tell for sure but the arms over her chest were another obviojs indication.

Bastian didn't stare, just looked long enough to see. He didn't really care about being nude with a stranger. He'd never been self conscious. Amd Leti jad sort of confirmed that it wasn't something the warden thought about.

He eased into the cold water with a groan. Hot would have been better but even cool he enjoyed the feeling. Better than bleeding through his clothes for sure.

"Relax," he mumbled, considering the girl's nerves. And also maybe it was for himself. He wanted to take a nap. He submerged to his shoulders with a sigh.

[Angel Parish]

Angel was quick to try and move away from the stranger. At least get to a spot in the water he could stand in his toes so he wasn't treading. Finally closer to the shore he steadied himself and grit his teeth. When told to relax his eyes finally flashed over to the man as he lowered himself in the water. "W-Well I was certainly tr-trying to." The blonde was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Did he want to leave the water? No, for multiple reasons. Did he want to be in the water with a stranger? Also no.

Had it been a woman who found him things would have been simpler. Women weren't as scary. Weren't as much of a threat, usually. But Angel was painfully aware of how easy it would be to perceive him as some small girl alone in the forest. That thought alone was upsetting for a number of reasons. "You c-couldn't fff-find some other sp-spot to b-bathe?" He really needed to get his stutter under control. While he wanted to look away it also felt safer keeping his eyes on the man.

He didn't seem bothered by Angels presence or being naked around a stranger. A soldier? That was a usual mindset he'd figured out that most soldiers or mercenaries had. To be fair the blonde had no real problems being nude around the Chargers. Just strangers. "W-Why are you o-out here al-lone?" Of course the same could easily be asked of him but Angel asked first.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Bastian hardly cared about sharing a public bathing place, stranger or not. He glanced at the woman when she spoken but didn't linger on her. He was much more concerned with relaxing. Also, he sort of needed to clean his injuries. He had bandages in his pack but right now, he just wanted to enjoy the water. Bathing always reminded him of Leti. Sometimes he missed that man.

He did stare at her when she suggested finding another place to bathe. He glanced at the woods around them pointedly and then back to her. "At one of the other waterfall basins nearby. Of course," he said flatly, purposefully holding back the sarcasm.

The warden was very aware how much the girl was staring at him. But considering she was just as alone as he was from the sound of it, he didn't push. She could stare all she wanted if it made her feel better.

Sebastian found it immensely amusing that the girl was questioning him about being alone. It was like a role reversal. So he embraced that and replied with classic defensiveness, but he kept his tone at a open and honest question. "What makes you think I am alone?"

[Angel Parish]

There was something about this man that reminded Angel of his old commander. There was some comfort in that thought but not enough to make the blonde relax. Maybe soldiers were all just alike in one way or another. "There a-are other bathing sp-spots in Teronna." He responded just as flatly. Were all of them as pretty or as private as this one? Not really. It didn't change the fact that there were other places.

Angel huffed at the question. It'd been one he'd used before, though normally he wasn't ever alone. If he wasn't with his commander or one the other Chargers he was with Apollo. He was all too aware of the idea that just because you didn't see a person didn't mean no one was there. "Well, i-if I were th-them I certainly w-wouldn't just be watching one of m-my men bathe."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

"And none of those other bathing spots are here," he mumbled, more to himself, just just loud enough to be overheard. He hardly cared about it being pretty or private, but he did care about convenience and he happened to be next to this one. Not like he could pull another waterfall out of his ass. Women. So self-righteous and demanding sometimes. He was fairly certain that was why most men found them so attractive.

Bastian shook his head slightly before dunking under the water for a moment. He ran his hands back through his hair and then inspected the slashes on his shoulder, rubbing away dried blood. It wasn't a deep would at least, but it did sting a little.

He contained the knowing grin that tried to appear at the huff. Just like he'd thought. As for the implication that his phantom companion(s) were watching him bathe, Sebastian chuckled. "'Wouldn't just be watching,' huh?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow with heavy implications. He moved back to the shallows so he could stand and inspect the injury on his hip in a similar manner. He winced slightly. This one hurt more. He'd need to see a healer for that. The man had entirely no shame standing nude with a stranger. It was a gift. It was also an easy way to make himself the more vulnerable party.

"I am alone," he reassured, sparing her another glance. He'd be done in a second anyway. Taking a bath with an active hostile wasn't on his to-do list for the day.

[Angel Parish]

At the joke Angel swore he could almost hear one of his men snickering uncontrollably in the back of his mind. "Dirty genitalia isn't as appeasing as one might think." His tone was cool and flat but at least he'd managed to not stutter. Seeing him stand up he eyed the wounds curiously. There was something inside the blondes mind that clicked. A gentle side that took over whenever someone was injured.

"Were you attacked by an animal or a mystic?" Suddenly being naked near a stranger was the least of his worries. From the distance he was at Angel couldn't get a good inspection of them but they'd scar that was for sure. "I have some bandages and healing paste in my bag. My boys get reckless way too often." Other than the medics no one else seemed to care about carrying around basic healing supplies.

His arms unwrapped from around his chest as he took a look at the wound on his hip. "Seems like it hurts." That was at least mostly sarcastic.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He caught the resignation in the look he was given at the joke and smiled. Well, she could take a joke like that without running away flailing at least. Good. The soldier nodded. "Hence the bathing," he explained patiently. Not that one couldn't also be dirty while taking a bath, he supposed. But the intent was there. He didn't mind the flat tone the girl used. Honestly Bastian struggled with understanding tone anyway so having it removed from the equation left him room to pay more attention to everything else.

A surprised grunt escape his throat at the question. That implied more than casual interest. It also implied the staring at his figure wasn't entirely mindless fear but that she was observant and alert. The stuttering had stopped too, he noted. So either she had gotten over herself or he had done something right to help her get there. "Animal, I think. Hard to tell in the dark." All very true. Most mystics were animals in his mind. The woman had claws and teeth that perfectly mimicked a puma, though Bastian could only vaguely guess as much since he wasn't as familiar with the real beast. "I have bandages," he said dismissively, taking another moment to let the cold water numb some of the pain. He really wasn't the type to enjoy being cared for. He liked doing too much.

He made note of the casual drop of 'boys,' but didn't quite know where to place it. From her standoffish-ness and stance, Bastian highly doubted she meant it romantically. Children maybe? No, something about her stance was more 'general nervousness and sexual uncertainty' than 'abuse and fear.' So no, he doubted she had kids. Adopted maybe. No, also wrong, otherwise they would be here - why adopt kids and then leave them to go gallivanting alone in the woods? Not responsible enough. He was missing something.

Sebastian actually failed miserably with understanding incoming sarcasm. He looked up at her and blinked, confused. Of course it hurt?

[Angel Parish]

The man seemed almost confused by Angel now. Perhaps even a bit startled? At least thrown off guard. Good. "Bandages alone won't stop things from getting worse." He knew that all too well. With a sigh the blonde stood out of the water and made his way back to his things at the tree. Soldiers were always so stubborn when it came to being taken care of. As if it took away some part of their pride or something to just be patched up.

"I'm no healer but I can stop any possible infection and keep those," he vaguely motioned to the wounds with one hand as he pulled on his pants, "from scaring too badly." There were more than a few jagged and raised scars across Angels body that did cause a lot of pain when something pressed against them. One in particular just above his left hip, while it wasn't very large, caused the most pain.

Once his pants were on Angel shook the excess water from his hair before pulling on what appeared to the top half of a corset. With the ties adjusted in the back to flatten his chest he grabbed his bag and turned to the stranger. More covered than before he felt much more comfortable as he motioned the man over. "It'll stop hurting as well."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

It was less off balance and more mild annoyance that he kept to himself. Because he didn't get people. The fact this stranger wanted to dote on him was weird. He did have a lot of pride. But mostly he was just lazy. He expected to return to Ethion and have some castle doctor reprimand him and fix everything like usual. Bastian simply only wanted to go through the ordeal once. Not twice.

Bastian watched her step out of the water, more amused than anything. So much for the stuttering and terror earlier and now she just walks around casually naked. See, it wasn't that difficult. She had a lot of scars, just like he did. Clearly she had seen a lot of combat. A mercenary then, since he didn't recognize her. That explained the 'boys' line from before. The warden didn't directly accept or reject the second insistence. Just like she had been wary of a stranger stripping and bathing next to her, he was wary of a stranger offering to patch him up for nothing.

He was still considering his options and how best to avoid discussing himself when he didn't quite understand what he was watching. He hadn't watched her dress because he didn't really care. The pants were normal enough. The...well it wasn't a corset, but it did for the girl's chest what a corset did for waistlines. It sort of seemed as if she was trying to come off as a man. Maybe that was why she was bathing at a hidden waterfall and was all defensive. It was good protection for a tiny woman, he supposed, to act like a man instead. Even a tiny one.

"That does not look comfortable," Bastian noted. Corsets never looked comfortable either, but he couldn't argue that he didn't find the effect attractive. He liked hips and corsets accentuated those.

[Angel Parish]

The comment on his binder not looking comfortable made Angel shrug his shoulders. "More comfortable than having breasts." He stated flatly as he made some small readjustments and took some testing breaths. Just to make sure it wasn't too tight. Still it seemed he was avoiding the offer to patch him up. Of course he understood that there could be some apprehension. After all they didn't know each other. If he were allowed to be apprehensive of the man interrupting his bathing the stranger could also be apprehensive about being patched up.

"My name is Angel by the way." Perhaps if the man knew his name at least it might make him a bit more comfortable. While he waited for a response Angel pulled his hair back into a messy bun to keep the wet strands out of his face. "I'm a part of the Chargers."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Bastian was quite confused how a person went from stuttering and shaking in fear to casual dismissal of questions with a shrug. It was weird. "I wouldn't know," was the immediate gut response. He had...other questions. But the girl clearly didn't want to talk about it. So Bastian would continue to assume she was cross dressing. Though it did seem strange for her to continue the ruse when he had already seen she was female.

Angel. Strange name. It made him even more leery of accepting her help.

"Bastian," he replied as he stepped out of the water and returned to his clothes. He didn't immediately pull them back on however, sitting on one of the rocks to air dry. He rummaged through the small pack on his belt for the cloth bandages, having decided to ignore the offer of help for now. Names were nice but... "I am not interested in owing you a favor, Angel."

[Angel Parish]

At that the man might owe him some kind of favor Angel rolled his eyes. Favors weren't exactly things he worked with. If Bastian wanted to offer him some coin he wouldn't turn it down but that was it. "I don't have time for favors, if you wanted to give me some coin fine but favors are too tedious."

Angel didn't do things for people for them to feel like they owed him something. Unless of course he had a contract with them but that was different. The blonde helped people because he could, that was it. "Besides there's nothing you could do for me that I would want in return anyway. I just don't like seeing people hurt." Still, if the man really didn't want help there wasn't much he could do about it. He seemed like a perfectly capable adult that could take care of himself.

For a moment instead Angel turned to counting his arrows and muttering a song softly to himself. Part of him was certainly glad the man hadn't pushed the subject of why he decided to wear a binder so he wouldn't push on how or why he got attacked. Instead he turned his train of thought to the Chargers. He didn't get as long a time to relax as he'd wanted but perhaps he'd bring Apollo along with him next time.