Midnight Healing

DEVRUM Devrum had been away keeping busy, keeping IT busy...but he was never far. Many nights he would pass through to make sure Vervain was looked after. That was especially the case when she had mentioned feeling ill. Several nights he'd sit at her bedside, adjusting her sheets, or simply watching her sleep. It did well to ease his soul, to ease what constantly tried to come out of him. What was inside Devrum was more than an animal, it was the nature of a monster. A nature groomed through terror, oppression, and an instinct to survive. She had accepted this, and in doing so completely disarmed him of it. The monster within, seemingly defeated by acceptance and the promise of peace. This particular night, as Devrum quietly stepped into the home Vervain had been residing in, he stepped into the bedroom with barely a sound. A miracle by most standards given his size and lack of finesse, but he would be extra careful. He watched Vai sleeping soundly before moving to scoop her from the bed into his arms. "Shhhh...it's ok. Trust me." Devrum would whisper in a low, growled voice should Vervain initially attempt to resist. Had she found assurance in his words, Devrum would take care to adjust the sheet around her. His body mass and hairs filling out as he curled Vai into his arms protectively to shield her from the cold. As they stepped from the home, Devrum made no attempt to shut the door. He simply walked, and continued to do so quietly, only taking time to adjust Vai in his arms into the fur that began to fill out his torso. Doing so, he would look down with his hazel eye and wink down at her. Through the settlement, past the fields, into the woodlands, Devrum carried Vervain. Allowing her to simply sink into his furry arms protected, comforted, and no doubt curious as to why he was literally dragging her out in the middle of the night. She no doubt had questions, and he would have a single answer for all of them...if she even thought to ask while being cradled and carried through an invisible thresh hold like some princess saved from a dragon-guarded castle. If she had begun to observe he surroundings, things would begin to make more sense and perhaps the questions she was thinking to ask would have their answers before she could even get the words out. Perfectly framed in the moonlight sat a modest cabin-style home. Simple, wholesome...perfect for them. A porch stretched out with a wooden bench and two wicker chairs splayed along its length. There were steps leading to the porch, to the door which took trickery to open given his hands were full...but he was determined to carry Vai through the threshold of their home...their home. The thought caused Devrum to smirk as he finally muttered. "Welcome home..." Adjusting most of her weight into one arm, Devrum slipped the door open with the other as he took a breath before carrying Vai inside. He'd place her gently down onto a charmingly crafted rocking chair. "Stay right there. Okay? Don't...just don't move." Devrum quietly ordered with a grin before stepping away to light a fire to burn and warm the interior. Quickly it illuminated what would be a living area. Fur padded couch rested across, another fur padded chair opposite the rocking chair rested as well. A coffee table hand-crafted, sanded, and polished sat in the center. He then lit several strategically placed lanterns, all detachable in case of an emergency were lit to reveal the rest of the interior. It was endearingly charming, simple, rustic, but held a warmth and beauty to it that spoke to someone who found comfort in simplicity. Devrum returned, resting the lantern on the coffee table as he crouched in front of Vervain, hands resting her over sheet-covered legs. "I...never could have done this without you. Never could have been who I am without you..." He'd stammer through that gruff, growling tone despite the sincerity of his words. Fingers raised to scratch against his bearded cheek. "All of this...everything. Our house, everything that I could possibly give you, will never be enough to come close to what you have meant to me." His head lowered as he placed a kiss onto her knee before looking up at his wife once more. "No more nights apart...we're home." With that, the bear man smiled as he leaned up to press a bearded kiss against her lips. "We're home Vai...for good...no hiding, no running...just living." He muttered against her lips as he smiled and smoothed over her dark strands.

Vervain was used to the comings and goings of her husband by now; often at night she would wake to find him at her bedside, or just ghosting back out of the door. While it brought her little peace to thing of him wandering the world outside alone, especially when the snow had begun to fall, she knew better than to cage the man who had spent so long in one that it had almost seemed a part of him. No, let Dev have his freedom and the little peace this place had granted him. Sleeping alone was a small price to pay in comparison. On this particular night she had retired to bed early, exhausted for a reason she had yet to determine, and she only stirred when he had already scooped her up into his arms. When she did awaken it was with every muscle held tense, a hand already reaching for a weapon she no longer felt the need to sleep with, until the low rumble of a voice reached her ears. Trust me. "Always." Exhaling softly, she let her head loll against his shoulder, her dark curls all a'tumble about her face. A sleepy smile curled across her lips as they headed outside, her blanket snug about her and the cold standing little chance against the thick fur that cradled her close. She had questions, of course she did, but Vai didn't care to ask them. She was content to nestle into Dev's warmth, into the steady thrum of his steps, and her eyes had already slipped closed again as they left the Sanctuary. Only when the snow-blank land grew dense with the woodlands did she stir, Vai blinking her eyes open in time for the cabin with its porch and wicker chairs and steps to appear. She sat up ever so slightly, drinking in the sight of the place even as Devrum struggled with the front door (she couldn't hide her giggling at that). "Home... it's been a long time since I had one of those." Allowing herself to be settled in the rocking chair, she nodded obligingly to him and left him to potter through the cabin, blue eyes tracking each new feature of the place as it was revealed in the rustic glow of fire and lamplight. "Dev, this is..." Perfect. It was the only word that gave it justice, but before she could say it aloud he was before her, Vai grazing her hand gently across the back of his own. "Hey, now..." She chided softly at his sentimentality, though the sweetness of her smile told that it was appreciated. Meeting his kiss without hesitation, she reached up to cup his cheek in one hand, the other looping gently around his neck. "Just living. I think I can manage that." She sighed contently. vervain touch-a touch-a touch me I wanna be dirty