Desert Refuge [Warnings Inside]

Damien chuckled when he saw that the man couldn't get the pipe back from him, but like he'd said before, he wasn't that heartless. ...though it was funny to watch how he glared at him.

"You want this back?" He asked as he held up the pipe, then the light. "Hmm...I don't know if I should give it to you in this condition."

With an ease that spoke of how many times he'd done it in the past, Damien lit up the pipe, then placed it near Hassan's lips. "Here...so you don't have to hurt yourself more trying to light it."

Hassan looked at the pipe a moment before raising his hand up to grasp it, taking it to his lips again. He sighed deeply, grimacing in pain as he pulled himself into sitting position.

"I'm alright...thank you. Wafa...would you make sure all his provisions are ready...?" Hassan kept his eyes on the pipe, quietly contemplating the situation. He couldn't stop Damien from leaving. Not when he'd nearly gotten hurt in this rabble.

"Everything should still be prepared for you to leave." he said, putting the pipe to his lips and taking a small drag from it. He wouldn't be able to see the man off now...but maybe it was for the best.

"You expect me to leave after what happened? No way. I'm staying here until you're fixed up." That, and he was worried for Hassan. He was so worried for the man... "I'll do my best to help you out, Wafa, with him, but...well...y'know? There's some things that I can't do."

Hassan's eyes widened ever so slightly at this. The man had been so determined to leave yesterday...to the point of almost hating the elder...so why now...?

"But your parents...your loved ones...I thought you needed to get back to them urgently..." he said, eyes seeming to be searching for reason behind the man's actions. He was so irregular in his decision making...so erratic. It was difficult to keep up with.

His parents. That was a problem...they really would worry about him. But he couldn't just leave after seeing someone get shot...it felt horribly wrong, like leaving a dog to die in the woods.

"I do. But you just got shot, and it feels wrong to leave." Best to be completely clear and honest about that. "I want to make sure you'll be okay. ...plus, I get to torture you while you're laid up. How can I pass up the opportunity?"

So that was it. He just wanted to antagonize him. Hassan gave him a dull look before turning over again, facing his back toward the man and keeping at his pipe. Wafa smiled sheepishly and sighed, shrugging before exiting the tent. He didn't want to be in the way of this. Hassan's irritation had made the tent a bit sandy.

Damien chuckled a little when the other rolled over onto his back, ignoring the sand that was in the tent now. He didn't really just want to annoy the other, but it had been the only thing he could think of besides saying he wanted to bug him with more questions. Yeah, that wouldn't have been a good idea.

"You can turn your back, but I'm not leaving." He stated, giving a small smile. "So, if you're not going to look at me, will you at least talk to me? Otherwise, I'll feel odd talking to myself."

"What do you want to talk about." he man said, back still turned, smoke still wafting away from him.

He hoped it wasn't just to pester him. He hoped more that it was actually just good will on the traveler's part, not malice.

"Hm...I'm not sure." Damien started, looking a little uncomfortable. He didn't know what to say or what to ask now. He liked talking at times, but words seemed to fail him now. "...can I ask a very odd question?"

It seemed like an odd question to Damien, what he was about to ask for. He didn't know if the other would think it so... "Do you have any flowers here?"

Hassan looked over his shoulder momenarily to gauge whether the man was serious. And it appeared he was...

"Flowers...? You might find some near the oasis...Wafa could lead you there." Hassan instructed, sitting back up again. "What do you need flowers for though...?" he asked.

This was embarrassing. Damien had never admitted his secret little hobby to anyone before. His mom and dad knew he grew roses, but so did a lot of people in this day and age, so they had no problems with it. But Damien did something else with the blooms. He made them into flower crowns. It was usually something little girls did, when they were so very young, or when they had friends, and not eighteen year old boys who were supposed to be growing into men.

"...I...um..." He blushed, ducking his head a bit, trying to hide behind his blonde hair. "...well...I...I make...flower crowns. It's...kind of a hobby."

A hobby I shouldn't have ever told you about... Because now, Hassan would probably try to use that against him. And it was a really embarrassing secret to hear. "...I just wanted something to do with my hands while I spoke..."

A bold smirk grew on Hassan's face. That was...well it was just adorable.

"Flower crowns...? That's...cute." he finally said, hesitant on using the word. What would set this man off...?

"Now that...that's not something I expected out of you. Maybe if I told Kalena about that, she'd leave you alone..." he chuckled.

"Shut up." The blushing blonde stated, reaching up a hand to cover his face. "It's not cute...In fact, you're the first person I've ever told that I do that. Every time I bring one into the house, I lie and say I found it, or that one of the girls from a neighboring house made it. I'm not supposed to do such childish and...female things."

Not that he had any problem with it being considered feminine. Damien liked to make those flowers into new crowns, loved to weave the stems together into an intricate knot, to watch something from nature become something made by man, yet still be so natural. Flower crowns happened in nature at times, too.

"And I doubt it...I'm still human, even if I make flower crowns." Those blue eyes flickered to look at the brown eyes of the desert elf. "I don't think she would like me...but, anyway...I would need pink flowers, if I can find them. But I don't feel right leaving you alone. You know, you're making my life increasingly difficult and interesting at the same time. How the heck are you doing that, anyway?"

Hassan smiled. "I think I'm able to walk, I just might be a bit slower. Should I lead you?" he asked, beginning to prop himself back up and attempted to get to his feet.

"It's a talent perhaps? Or maybe we just get on each other's nerves naturally." he added with a wince.

Damien shook his head when Hassan started to try and get up, moving over toward the other and pushing down on his shoulder. "No way. You're staying down until someone says you're okay to move. Otherwise, well, who knows what could happen to you."

Now, most would think this reasonable. It was an easy thing to assume. Not Hassan. He tried to get up again, even when he winced and made a sound of pain. Damien growled under his breath and tried to push the male down again, ending up in a straddled position over him with his hands pressed into the other's shoulders. "Will you just stay still!?"

Hassan made a small yelp of pain as his back hit he ground again.

"Would you get off...! I'm not going to be treated like a child. I can care for myself." he said, his expression stern. He raised an eyebrow. "Or maybe I can call Wafa over? Tell him you need to find some flowers?" he asked, teasing.

That caused Damien to glare, and he leaned his face down toward Hassan's. "You're injured and shouldn't be moving. And if I have to keep you pinned down so that you won't move, well, that's what I'll do. I don't care how embarrassing you try to make my hobby, you are not going to let yourself get hurt even more!"

His voice had risen a little bit on those last few words, probably loud enough to attract some attention, but Damien didn't care. He was focused on making sure the male beneath him didn't get himself hurt even further. "Now, if you promise to stay still, I'll get off. Deal?"

Wafa didn't like the sound of that yelling...were Damien and Hassan fighting...? The silvery haired man jogged quickly to the tent, poking his head in to a most peculiar scene. Something...something was off about this picture.

"O-Oh...! I'm very sorry, I'll come by later." he stuttered quickly, dodging out of the tent and standing outside of it for a moment, trying to establish what exactly was happening there. If Hassan was in real trouble, he would have buried the traveler by now...so...?

Damien blinked when he heard someone speaking, turning his head to see Wafa racing out of the tent. What had spooked him so...

"Oh, Christ." He whispered as he pushed himself off of Hassan, a blush on his face. What the hell had he been thinking!? He'd been straddling the man, his hands had been on his shoulders, and his face had been really close...it must've looked compromising. "Dammit!"

Hassan blinked, unaware of what exactly Damien was panicking over.

"What...?" he muttered, shifting up into a sitting position again, cocking his head to the side slightly. What was the man blushing so violently for?

Damien was still a little too busy having a panic attack ovr the position he'd just been in. It wasn't that he'd never been in that position before, not at all. It was just that he'd given up that life, and having a little kid see him in such a way...

It was just really really embarrassing. And now Hassan was acting like it was nothing!

"Are you blind!? Didn't you notice that position we were in? God, how could I be so stupid! And the yelling, that didn't help any. We probably looked like, like..." Like what exactly? They'd been in a compromising position, one that had been reminescent to a few things he'd done in the past. And it had probably made them look like they were about to have sex. "...just forget it."

"I don't know what you're worried about. He probably just thought you were making some sort of bizarre pass at me." Hassan responded, taking a drag from his pipe. "He's probably still snooping about, if you want to grab him to go find flowers." he said, laying a hand over his wounds to maybe ease the pain somehow. That slam to the ground didn't feel very good...

"...making some sort of bizarre pass at me."

Those words made Damien freeze, a cold feeling starting somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. He used to make passes at people, back when he was a whore in the streets. Ever since he'd given it up, any thought of being with anyone hurt his heart. It hurt his mind, too, to think of all the things he'd put so many people through. He'd probably hurt people he didn't even know.

"Making a pass at you? I would rather have my eyes ripped out." His voice was cold and he stood up, starting for the front flap of the tent. "I'll go and get the flowers myself. Wafa can come in here to take care of you. Goodbye."

That stung a little. What was with this man...? One moment he was caring...gentle. The next he was attacking him, getting defensive at every little thing the elder would say. He didn't know how to interact with the man...

"Damien..." he called quietly after the man, outstretching his hand to attempt to maybe catch a bit of his clothing, but failed. He silently went back to smoking...trying to figure out his guest...

It was easier to walk out into the sun now, even though he still had to squint for a few minutes and raise a hand to make a make-shift cover so that he could clear up his vision. When the dark spots had stopped appearing before his eyes, the blonde looked about, using his other hand to signal Wafa, who, like Hassan had said, was still around.

"I'm going down to the oasis, make sure he doesn't move and hurt himself more, and yes, I know I shouldn't be giving you these orders because you probably know them already, but I am going to do it anyway." Still such a cold tone, it seemed to leach away any idea that the boy before the elf could be kind. "I'll be back."

Without waiting for Wafa to say anything back to him, Damien began a quick walk toward the nearest greenery he could see, figuring it would be very close to water. And near water, there would probably be plenty of flowers...he could stay down there and do his work. That way, he could calm down. And maybe the sun would warm him up a little.