Run and Hide Again (A MGE story ft. Razgriz and Umbrale)

Wow, and she thought him ignorant? Can't lead a target accurately? She should have seen the sniper from his old team; if there was anyone that could lead a target, it was that guy. Or maybe the thirty notches in his favorite rifle were all just lies, who knew. And then she really started talking crazy: Curving arrows? Oh wow, this one must have eaten some bad berries or something, because she was talking stupid.

"Ok, really? The hell is in those berries you were eating? This isn't some science-fiction story, we're here in reality...Or did you forget that for a second?" he retorted, adding "Do you honestly think I believe you can curve arrows? The rest of it makes sense, but at least with our weapons, we could adjust the impact force to an extent and it didn't really require carrying extra gear. What you're saying is that if I wanted to be *truly* prepared, I would have to carry one of every bow you just mentioned, as well as every kind of arrow you just mentioned and probably some you didn't."

Of course, he realized he was being a little facetious, sighing as he then added, "Sorry...It's just...Never mind, forget I said anything".

The Mantis paused a bit as his stunned reaction; her eyes widening a bit in surprise. She had been rather courteous with her explanation; nice about the faultiness of firearms. As he suddenly went on a retorting spree, a tirade of annoyance in vocal terms, she seemed to lock up. Immediately, her mind scrambled for some semblance of control, emotional instability ensuing, due to the heat that was pulsing through her body. Her mouth opened and closed for a few moments, as she turned her gaze to him; her hands opening and closing rapidly.

As it was, her eyes began to glaze over; her regal discipline faltering over the hit to her pride. Her gaze moved to him almost hungrily; that soft hum filling the air, as her eyes sought out the answer to her bodily functions. Slowly, she rose from her seat, and moved a step towards him,raising her hands... And then he was real stupid again.

The motherfucker apologized.

That stopped the Mantis in her tracks once again, her eyes clearing instantly, as the shock of a somewhat nice notion drifted through the air. Blinking once, twice, then a third time, to look at him in bewilderment. Slowly, she backed off, and shook her head, before moving over to the supply wall. Rummaging around, she surfaced with a longbow-style wooden arrow; feathered rigidly at the end.

Promptly, she moved over to the bed side, and slid the stool along to sit next to him. Taking the arrow in her hands, she sighed, before showing him the side of it. All along the edge, there were small indentations, what seemed to be scratches, but only a small swathe of one side."This... is an arrow from an elf, that happened to shoot me."

She paused for a long moment, before straightening up, and showing him her abdomen; where one of the black, armor-like chitin plates retracted to the brighter green strip. Under that black plate rested a straight scar; accurately representing the single straight blade of the arrow. "You see, those small indentations matter greatly on an arrow in flight; and can indeed cause it to curve. You've seen the speeds at which I can move; straight-shots, say from a gun, require robotic appendages to track my movement. No human can move their aim as fast as I can; at least, not before their head hits the floor. As for the multitude of bows; one bow usually fits an archer. Everyone has a different style and technique that fits them. If you ever need a new one; it's a simple matter of a tree limb, and a knife. Once you know how to widdle a bow, it'll be just a matter of minutes. Hell, if you encounter an elf willing to teach you; they can quite literally sing their weapons from a tree."

Thankfully though, Jackson's attention was off of her as her body began to betray her, so he didn't notice the small trance she went through. Instead, he only looked up as he heard scratching noises; Jackson watched as she took an arrow from a supply cabinet, coming to stand by his side. If she was that fast, how did someone manage to hit her? Thinking back, she seemed to move rather quietly, and her legs were obvious quite powerful if she could carry him as well as she could without jarring him like he'd just faceplanted on solid concrete.

His eyes focused on the striations, seeing how they gently washed from one area to the next; it was almost like the rifling of a gun barrel, but one sided. His attention then went to her, seeing the armor around her smooth flat belly retract and showing where she'd been struck. The scar looked old, probably something sustained a while ago and a case of mistaken identity; with how she talked of these 'Elves', she seemed quite chummy with them. Or at least friendly enough to where they didn't consider her a threat.

"I don't know who these Elves are...But if what you told me was true about my reputation, then I don't see them exactly wanting to teach me to be lethal in a different way." he replied, not seeking pity but stating the cognizance of his situation. And right now...He had a feeling she was the only one so far, aside from Amelia, that would approach him without attacking out of sheer rage. And a single thought went through his mind...

'Have I been wrong? Were we as humans wrong?'

Shaking his head, he mentally told himself that wasn't the case; this Mantis was just wanting her privacy, so she would nurse him to health until he could move on his own, then boot his ass to the curb. Keeping him alive was a convenience for her to maintain a semblance of security. But still...He found himself growing more curious about this creature.

"You asked what you wanted to call me, right?" he then said, completely out of the blue. "Jackson...My name is Jackson Whitelock. UNSC Lieutenant Commander...Well, former Lieutenant, but you get the idea...Dunno if that helps anything, but there you go."

The Mantis paused for a moment, when she heard his statement about the hostility of Mamono. Immediately a frown had come to her face, but she kept silent for a moment, allowing the male to continue. When he told her his name, she actually cracked a rather bright smile; a stark contrast to the usual poker-face that played across her features.

She quickly sat up when he finished, and began to explain, "You always state Mamono as inherently evil. I can actually understand that. What you need to understand about us, is that we are a complicated as humans. While some of our kind tend to be aggresive and violent--abducting you males, or taking your semen by force--others prefer passive routes; and can even live without a male." The Mantis paused for a moment, reaching down to pick up a cluster of grapes from the nearby basket. She passed him one, before popping one into her own mouth. After devouring it, she continued, " Alongside that, there are some of us that are oddballs. Just like your race, some of us despise war, some of us enjoy it. The elves,for example, are oft. to take a lesbian route in life. Some claim it to not be as fulfilling; to not feel the soul energy of a male. But to those two elves in question, it is all they'll ever need. It is rare, granted, but it has been known to occur. Even the most kind-hearted of our races can have a bad-streak, as you have seen. That wound I showed you was acquired from a rather possessive elf, after I harvested from an Apple Tree, she forcefully claimed was hers. I slew her on the spot. The elves of that tribe bore me no ill will; the elf that shot me was well on the way to becoming a Dark Elf." She finished her explanation to him; frowning at the simplicity of it. It was rather hard to explain the correlation between humanity, and Mamononanity, after all.

Abruptly, she laughed though, and even finished it in a soft giggle. " 'Tis nice to know your name, Jackson, but...", she gave a soft laugh again, before afixing his eyes with hers."I'm afraid I can't return the favor. I, uh... I don't have one."While it might've seemed rather comical in a fashion, her look was dead-serious."I've never really been around people; so I've tended to never need one. There's been no need to address myself, so I haven't thought of one, either..."

The laugh itself was a bit odd, considering how stoic her face usually was. Then she started trying to tell him Mamono weren't inherently, and he was about to protest when she then said something that made him all but stop.

'Abducting you males or taking your semen by force'

The first portion of her words completely bypassed any means of him understanding her; where the hell did that come from? What the hell did she mean taking semen by force?!? His mouth floundered a little, opening and closing, finally hearing her again as she started listing off the sexual preferences of Mamono, how some turned gay out of necessity and others did it because for them it felt right.

Then it switched direction again, her telling him a basic truth about humanity and how it correlated to Mamono; his head shook as his hands came up to rub at his temples while she continued, stating she had no name.

"Ok, ok, wow...Let's just back up for a second." he finally said, his tone conveying not-so-subtle hints of agitation. "How does *ANY* of this, have to pertain to them not teaching me how to whittle a bow? What the hell did you mean when you started saying they take semen by force? Nearly everry Mamono I've encountered have done nothing but try to kill me, you saw what those Wolves nearly did! I was this" he stopped and held his thumb and pointer finger very close to each other before continuing, "close to that fucking mutt snuffing me out...It's only because you stepped in that she didn't smear me on the spot! And they're not the only ones! It's probably gone now, but half my back had an indentation from where one of those huge muscle chicks clubbed me! And that was with my armor on!"

His eyes narrowed at this, trying to make sense and probably over-reacting a little bit; if they weren't trying to kill him, then what the fuck where they doing?

The Mantis blinked in surprise, then gave a soft, snorting laugh of disappointment. Shaking her head slowly, she sighed, and seemed to ponder for a moment. Looking up at the ceiling, she placed a finger on her chin, contemplating how best to put it to him. Eventually, she straightened, and locked her eyes back onto his.

"All of those girls..."

They want your dick."

She paused for a long moment, allowing it to sink in for him, before continuing, "A while ago--a long while, mind you, although I don't know the dates-- monster males began to die. Many thought it was a disease, but the truth was never really discovered. But they died off; and by the time you humans arrived, they weren't any males left, that we knew of. As times passed, and we began to integrate with you, many Mamono realized that humans could impregnate us; and produce monster offspring. Thus, our insatiable sex drive could be sated with you males."For another moment, she paused, before cracking a tiny smile.

"The reason why you're chased so adamantly, and fought, is because they know you're a real threat. Those wolves had to beat you within an inch of your life, in order to capture you without anymore casualties to their pack. You would have woken up to a chain-gang orgy; with you at the center. You would have given them endless pups. That's how this war started; aggressive species began to realize that they didn't want to wait around. They began to abduct and rape males; brainwashing them in a sea of pleasure, until they never thought of leaving. " The Mantis cocked her head to one side, however, and frowned a bit."But... you already knew that, right? You guys knew that was why this all started... right?"

Well, if THAT wasn't the single most blunt statement of the century...But for Jackson, it served as a wake-up call.

He didn't think about it at first, but now the conversation he had with Amelia returned to mind. One sentence in particular:

"I-I... guess I just didn't see you? It's not mating season, so I wasn't really on the lookout... We harpies don't actively seek out males unless it is that season..."

No, there was no way that could be true. It just couldn't have been! They killed those men! He'd seen the bodies first-hand!

His lips formed a tight grimace; she was screwing with him, she had to be! Not that he'd agree even if it was half-true; women lost their husbands, sons and brothers to these fuckers! And she wanted to tell him it was because they didn't get enough dick in their lifetime?!? His body shook, his anger starting to get the better of him.

"How...fucking dare you..."

That was all he said at first, his hands closing into weak fists as he then stuttered, "You...You think..." stopping as tears rolled down his cheek.

"YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF FUCKING JOKE, YOU FUCKING MUTANT FREAK!?"

He was left breathing hard after that, his eyes contracted in sheer rage as they bored through her; his voice was low as he added on, "This is you want to fuck with me, huh? Your method of payback? Try to make light of the families that got torn apart? Wives that lost husbands and sons, daughters and sons that lost their fathers...WELL?!" His hands then shot to her throat, though given their weakness the pressure would be laughable at best even though the intent was dead serious.

"You're a fucking liar...I've seen what your kind did to those men. Seen the husks and the corpses in your little encampments. We came here to stop you from ripping families apart, to stop you trying to kill us off. The Wolves were right to see me as a threat; and you know what? I'm glad I sucker-punched that big one; I'm just sad that I didn't fucking murder it" The tears in his face showed that he was feeling regret; regret that he couldn't save everyone. That he let these abominations walk...And even though he tried to squeeze her throat, his body just couldn't deliver enough force.

And she would see that he didn't know...Not by a long shot.

The Mantis didn't make a single move against him.

She allowed his hands to close around her neck. She allowed him to squeeze as best he could, without so much as a retort.

In fact, she smiled.

Alongside the solitary tear that ran down her cheek.

As he finished his tirade, she calmly sat; listening to the words he retorted at her. If she knew of human history, she might have refferenced the Nazi's. How the Jews fought back, as best they could. She might have mentioned genocides; of wars fought. Of how each side, was only "wrong", when judged by the other. When one side fought, they fought for what they thought was right; whether it was viewed as "right" by others, or not. She had to respond, though, didn't she. It would come as shock, though, when she reached up, to gently take his hand--in his weakened state, he couldn't have stopped her if he wanted to--and cup it to her cheek,where she leaned into it.

"I forgive you..."

"...you moronic son-of-a-bitch."

With her statement said, she pulled away from him, re-aligned him on the bed, then proceeded out. She dropped leisurely out of the entrance-way, muttering, "I'll be back in the morning."

Jackson was flabber-gasted, feeling her take his hand...And place her cheek into it. Like she was trying to comfort him, her eyes softening from that cold hardness. That was of course, before she decided to insult him again, calling him another flavor of stupid. And maybe he was...Bur damn it, such disrespect for people that wanted nothing more than a new life, a new adventure they could call their own...A place to start again. It got to him, reminded him of the times he failed. The towns deserted, the bodies they recovered and even worse the bodies they didn't.

Only when she finally left, stating her forgiveness beforehand, he finally broke into tears. His fists thumped the furs, realizing he'd just let her win. She'd finally found a way to break his shell, to get inside his head. This wasn't a matter of right or wrong; those people that died didn't deserve it. And the sheer likelihood that was because no one fucked them in a long time was physically sickening.

So much so that he definitely wasn't in the right mind...She'd left the arrow out, which gave him a weapon, and he could see it. Now he just had to get to it. He was leaving, and god help her if she tried to stop him...He didn't care anymore. He'd failed to save those people, so now it was time to stop hiding. It was time to go truly on the offensive. Gritting his teeth, he tried to force his legs to move; at first they wouldn't respond at all. "Move...Damn it....MOVE!" he roared, his eyes swollen with tears; before long, his legs tingled more, the sore muscles forcibly activating.

Though as he tried to stand, his legs immediately gave way and made him crash harshly to the floor, the Marine lying motionless for a few seconds; this would not stop him however, his arms pulling his useless body forward. Who would have thought something so simple as walking ten feet would be such a chore, and yet here he was, already sweating bullets. His hands pulled at the cabinet where she'd left the arrow sticking out, trying to grab at it, but unable to support himself long enough. Eventually he got the sense to use the walls as braces, his fingers weakly closing.

But then another possibility came to mind; if he was so valuable alive...Then how would they act if he was dead? They would be broken...Yeah, then they would know the pain of loss. Any one of those fucks that wanted his dick wouldn't get it...It was the ultimate revenge. The ultimate payback. Fuck the arrow...He was going to swandive into the earth below! "Yeah...Maybe do a barrel roll while I'm at, hehehehahaha" he cackled madly; oh yes and he would make sure they knew it!

His body clawed at the walls as he stumbled over to the opening of the Mantis' home overlooked the ground; he almost got some serious vertigo just looking down. A loud burst of laughter left his lips, the stillness of the night letting his voice carry far. "Good evening, SLUTS OF THIS FUCKING PLANET! I just wanted to tell you all, how much I hated every. SINGLE. ONE OF YOU." Letting a pause permeate the stillness, he continued, "See...Someone told me that none of you had gotten a good pounding in a VERY long time...And apparently you've been hunting me because I'm the last unclaimed dick in the whole world! WELL THEN, I JUST FIGURED YOU SHOULD ALL KNOW...THAT I WOULDN'T TOUCH A SINGLE ONE OF YOU DAMN FREAKS EVEN IF I WAS GIVEN ALL THE MONEY IN THE FUCKING UNIVERSE! YOU BROKE FAMILIES, YOU RIPPED FRIENDS APART AND FOR WHAT? SOMETHING YOU COULD HAVE USED A SMOOTHED STICK FOR!? OR A GIRLFRIEND, BECAUSE SHE ALSO TOLD ME SOME OF YOU SWING FOR THE OTHER TEAM!"

Another bit of laughter left him, clear that he had gone temporarily (or permanently) insane. "WELL, IN MY MIND, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO PROPERLY AVENGE THE PEOPLE YOU KILLED! SO I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY FOR KILLING THE LAST FREE MALE IN THE WORLD, BECAUSE MY BLOOD'S ON YOUR HANDS NOW, FUCKERS!" Turning himself around and bracing the entryway, he just shouted, "DRUM ROLL PLEASE!" and took a step back...And left himself fall, feeling his body start to slip, head pointed straight for the ground...Eyes facing the dirt as it rushed to meet him, the cool night wind whipping about his face.

The Mantis' sensitive ears perked up at the sound of his ranting and raving. Immediately, the worst of thoughts began to drift through her mind. If he killed himself, if he did...

And she was off, sprinting through the chill night air, racing towards his home. However, questions crossed her mind... why would she be so scared, simply because she couldn't sate her heat? This ridiculous torture of her body, she needed him to app--- no. It wasn't that. It was more now. Something about this stubborn, arrogant, fuckhead of a male, had attached itself to her; something about his defiant nature appealed to her isolated, lonely life.

So, she ran, like she never ran before, crossing the distance back to her home in mere seconds. Just in time to see him step back from the threshold; surrendering himself to both, the ultimate revenge, and the ultimate freedom. The world seemed to stop for a moment.

The fool of a marine, surrendering himself to oblivion, in order to get back at his misguided enemy.

The lonely Mantis, body wracked with the pain of an unfulfilled need.

The long drop from her home, gravity itself working against the passage of peace.

...


...



"That fucking fool of a marine!"

The Mantis took a running leap, as vertical as possible, towards him. Twisting in mid-air, she captured him within her arms, nestling his half-broken frame within her own, before the harsh reality of gravity set in; and they impacted with the ground. Alongside the muffled, "Thwumpf," of them hitting the ground, a snap could be heard, of the feminine body under Jackson.

Whenever the dust settled, Jackson would find himself only lightly bruised; cushioned completely by the very female he had seeked to spite. From her pink lips splattered the crimson of fresh blood; but only a bit, if it mattered, from the corner of the orifice. Her breathing was labored, and her eyes shut from the exertion. However, she did manage to mutter, almost absently, into the air, "...If you're the dumbest human alive... does that... make me the stupidest... Mamono?"

He fell...

He was falling...

Soon, he would be free...And to think it was a Mamono that made him see the light! Oh, he would have laughed at the irony if he thought of it; as it was, his eyes had closed, waiting to feel that final impact. The final fall he would ever make...The last fated step into oblivion.

Fate, however, seemed to work in mysterious ways indeed; for whatever reason, the one Mamono he was hoping to spite the most came rushing back, catching him in her tender embrace. What the fuck is she doing, Jackson's mind screamed out, breaking the hold of his insanity as he realized too late the consequences of his actions. A loud exhale left him as they collided, the 'snap' sending a wave of cold harsh dread over him...Why was he feeling this way?

His body scrambled off of her own as fast as he could, relieving her slender form of the weight before crawling to lay beside her; seeing her breathe so hard...No, no what did he do?! His teeth clenched, feeling an emotion he would have never thought possible towards a Mamono:

Guilt. Guilt so heavy he thought his gut was going to fall straight out of his body.

"Y-you're damn right it does!" he shouted, his mind pulling another complete reversal as twin trails of tears cut down his cheeks, "Why..." he whispered, hands clutching the sides of her head, "Why do you go so far for me? The hell do you have to gain by doing this?!" His heart hurt; in his head, he just killed her...And if anyone else happened across and she died, then they would see it that way too. However, the moment the words left his mouth, he realized it right away...And that made it so much worse...

"You...You are the stupidest Mamono...To think you would want someone like me. That would never work..." he whispered hoarsely, hands now gently caressing her face.

The Mantis laid there for a long moment, with her eyes closed; breath heaving. Eventually, her eyes flickered open, and she began to slowly sit up; not even making it halfway, before she fell back to the ground. "Yeah... I figured that..."She paused for a moment, and moved one arm out that was twisted beneath her. Amazingly, it wasn't broken; but still seemed matted in fresh blood.

After a few ragged breaths, she turned her gaze to his, eyes afire with unvoiced pain."I... need to sit up..." She explained to him, before wincing, as she shifted her legs a small amount.

It was a rash decision, that was clear. It was probably stupid. She probably should have left the damn marine to fall. Yet, here she was, clearly hurt, having saved the idiot's life. Oh, what an annoyance this marine had come to be.

Simultaneously, was he such an annoyance? Here she was, hurt, but with a strange feeling stirring within her. This gratuity of life, this strange warmth of helping another in so great a way; was this the feeling of companionship. Having never truly helped another, having never had a reason to help another being, without mutual benefit, this feeling was unbeknownst to her. Yet, there it was, fluttering in her heart, sending stirrings of an electric sensation through her... or was that just from the fall?

Jackson just watched as she struggled to sit up; here they were, the two of them crippled from doing things they felt were right. Both of them fools for even being near each other, and yet her action just now flipped a switch in the Marine's brain. Twice now, she'd saved him...Twice now, she'd proven him wrong about the Mamono. If she'd wanted him dead, truly dead...He would have fallen and split his skull on the ground.

And yet he lived on...Lived because of her. And now it fell to him to return the favor.

And he was going to be damned if he let her die while holding a lead; pushing himself up, he found a new strength to help her sit up; soon, he had manuevered her to lean against the massive trunk of her home. "Y-you wait here...I'll find something" he grunted, his legs shaking as he struggled to stand, holding himself against the tree before falling to his knees. He couldn't make it up that tree...But if he were in her position, he knew she would have to have something she could use to treat herself on the ground. Years of his cachekeeping had taught him not to leave everything in one place, even when it seemed like his defensibility was outstanding. It would be stupid to keep everything topside, safe as it was; he could see no real form of stairs.

But where? He looked around, then saw that some of the roots were raised up...Enough to form small pockets in the ground. And after some searching around in these spaces, he would find a small cache wrapped in cloth: Opening it, he found some sealed jars and what looked like a type of bandage, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't know what it was, but he grabbed it anyway and slowly crawled his way back to her, leaving the. "I-if you need any help...Tell me, yeah? I...I don't know much about Mantis physiology, though." he then told her, waiting to hear what she would tell him. "A-and maybe it might not be a bad idea to get some stairs or a rope ladder hooked on..Who knows if I might have to save your ass again" he then tacked on, cracking a small wise-ass smile.

Soft, whimpering growls of pain drifted from her, as he moved her to the tree, but she obliged. She remained there for a few moments, while waiting for him; her breathing slowly settling. She didn't get a chance to direct him towards any specific locations of the small pantries, but thanks to his own ingenuity, she didn't need to.

Oh, where was she now? Lying wounded on the ground, with the very snarky marine she had sought to save; now saving her. Fate played strange tricks indeed.

When he sat down the stuff next to her, she smiled in thanks, before shifting slowly onto her side. It came to reveal her tail-like Mantis thorax, with one of her own sharp green blades sunken into it. In the fall, she had her blades extended, for maximum in-air control. The contortion to grab hold of Jackson had served to align the blade. The first impact of her body to the ground had sunk the blade into her body, and the second, elastic impact of his body on her, served to twist her arm, and snap the deadly instrument.

Tears welled in the Mantis' eyes, as she saw the wound, but she first turned to her bloodied arm; forcing the muscles to extend the blade. After a soft whimper of pain, the end portion of one did extend out; but was fragmented, only a few inches extending where the once-glorious natural blade held sway. Slowly, she took a few of the jars and herbs; applying a mixture to the blade and area it extended from, before bandaging it up.

Afterwards, she turned her attention to him, cracking a tiny smile."But, isn't that a bit of a long term thing? Thought you didn't want to be in captivity?" She responded snarkily back; but it was clear that she didn't mean it. Slowly, she turned to the emerald blade extending from her thorax, before looking back to him."I... need you to pull it out... and put some of...", she paused, pushing over a jar of red-green paste."...Some of this... on it, before bandaging...." With it being behind her, the Mantis would have to twist harshly to do that; and the tension of the body in that position would be unable to perform gently in the fashion that was needed.

True, he'd basically just said he was going to stay with her...But the stunt he pulled tonight was eye-opening, in more ways than one. For all parties involved, this was an experience that shaped the future...And one that Jackson himself would walk away from a different man, even if it might take him some time to realize.

"Yeah, well...If what you said is true, then at least it's not me on the receiving end of a chain-gang orgy." he replied tiredly, watching as she started to patch hersel up. He was kind of worried that maybe she'd landed on a rock and severed her spine, so it was kind of a relief to see that it was just a blade of hers that pierced her body. The smaller, more insect-like portion of her, but her body nonetheless; he then looked and also saw that her arm-blade was shorter now and end in a jagged stump instead of a clean edge.

Taking the jar as instructed after slowly removing the blade, he took some of the viscous paste and smeared a healthy dollop over the gash, the thick substance serving to coat her wound, kill any bacteria that might have infiltrated it and seal it against further infection. He then folded one of the thick fabric pads in the cache over it to keep even pressure before bandaging it, making sure to keep it tight but not too constricting, listening to her for any signs of extreme pain.

Leaning against the tree once it was finished, he just said "I still...owe you one, though. But..Hahahaha" He paused to start laughing somewhat laboredly, his voice quieting down a little as he finished, "Wow....I just realized how much of a hypocrite I'm going to seem like. Ehhh, whatever; not like I should care. No other humans around to see it, after all." A hand then came to rest on her thigh, "Guess we're sleeping outside tonight, huh? Hopefully doesn't get too cold."

The Mantis couldn't help but laugh gently at his almost-joke, a small, pained smile coming to her lips. She gritted her teeth, when Jackson began to pull forth the blade, but a loud whine of pain still followed the extraction. Once it was over, she let out an explosive breath, her hands balled up into fists. As he applied the salve, she let out a soft sigh; the latent magics within it quickly killing some of the pain. Upon finishing bandaging, she gave him a more thankfull smile.

"Yeah... I am sorry about that. I mean, I guess... I wasn't one to fight in it, but I can imagine it's hard...", she managed to mumble out, but suddenly tensed up. His hand rested on her thigh, so suddenly, so surprisingly to the Mantis. Her eyes widened a bit, as she glanced up to him; realizing how much this had swung his head around.

Thankfully, getting impaled by herself kind of took the edge away from the pheremones that drove her heat.

"Y-Yeah..." the Mantis murmured, as a soft blush formed on her cheeks. " I don't think it's comfier than my bed, but it's better than a wood floor, right?" She joked back, her hand--almost tentatively coming down to rest on his.

He didn't think much of her placing her hand on his thigh, just letting her get closer to him; truth be told, his exertion had wiped him out, just as surely as her efforts to save him did for her. "Better than some of the rat-holes I had to use, for sure; at least the grass is nice padding. The furs I'll definitely take any day of the week though" he replied, letting his back rest more against the trunk.

'What a crazy ride this has been...Am I really going to do this? Try and settle in with a Mamono?'

It was so weird: Before this, his hatred of Mamono was absolute, unflinching. Even when he was on the verge of death, he never backed down, never apologized for his loathing and genocidal tendencies to them. And now he was about to sleep alongside one, them both having rescued each other from peril. And soon...Exhaustion would claim them both, the silence of the night like a peaceful lullaby that rocked them both off into dreamland.

And when morning came, he would wake up to see that this Mantis was nestled into his side...And stranger still, he felt no revulsion. He felt nothing, like she'd been doing it his whole life. "Hey...Wake up, we should probably change that dressing...Don't need an infection after I just made a complete ass of myself." he then said lowly, poking a cheek with his index finger.

The Mantis was astounded, herself, that Jackson had turned around so suddenly. Amazed that he would do such a thing, after all the fighting and arguing that had gone on beforehand. Yet, here he was, ready to sleep alongside her, the night through. Who knew that all it would take was a moment of insanity, to make the moronic marine sane?

---

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, a soft yawn drifting from her. She was snuggled so closely up against a warm, soft form. As she began to realize her precarious position against him; instincts flooded her mind. Her eyes glassed over with a vicious hunger, as she shifted to sit up; to grab hold of the...

... then a small spike of pain shot up her spine from her thorax, and the Mantis was brought back to her senses. Slowly, she registered what he said, and cracked a small smile. She managed to stand, with some effort, and reach back to unwind the bandage slowly from herself. As she did so, she offered Jackson a small smile, and suggested, "Why don't you try to get up? If you didn't hurt yourself yesterday, you should be able to..."

As it was, when the bandage pulled away from her; her wound was sealed. At least, there was still a large gash to be healed, and the muscles inside would take a while to re-stitch, but the danger of blood-loss was gone. Still obviously painful, she winced, as she prodded at it."Not going to be breaking any speed records for a while, at least..."

Jackson just chuckled; of course he hurt himself. He hurt her too, but it was a matter of severity by this point. "Guess that's my punishment; though I fall flat on my face, that's your fault." he teased, rotating so that he now rested on his knees. His hands then came up to grip the tree itself, legs quaking as he forced himself to stand; his face belied the effort he was putting into such a simple task, but even now it weirdly felt a little easier than yesterday. Still by no means an easy feat, but...Easier.

Though his current hard breathing didn't lend much credence to that, his legs still shaking as they tried to hold up his body weight. "Th-there we go" the Marine breathed, slowly trying to lift himself off the trunk only to desperately grab at it again. "Whoa...Light-headed, haha" he laughed, looking over to see her poking at that chitinous extension coming off where a human's tailbone would be.

"What is that, anyway? Hopefully not something that stores your vital organs..." he then asked, curious about what exactly it was. He was no insect expert by any means; his interests had been girls, guns and clubs. Oh and cage-fighting on the rare occasion.

A soft, tired laugh could be heard form the Mantis, as she watched him struggling to arise. When he did, and finally questioned her on her thorax, she promptly responded, "Well, it's a thorax. Of the Mantis variety. I don't believe there's anything life-threatening inside of it. It helps stabilize us at high speeds; and produces a few our Mamono hormones..." She finished explaining, before moving over to his side.

Sliding under his arm gently, she allowed him to lean on her for support; and the two began their trek to the stream nearby. It was slow, but not too difficult for the duo; who relied on each other for stability. It was rather funny, to be honest. The two had been fighting just a day ago, and were now limping their way to water together; making sure neither fell.

Eventually, they did reach the stream, and the Mantis gently sat him down; in the water, this time; now that his legs were capable of supporting him, to some degree. The stream was rather shallow where they were at; but deepened considerably at the other end(a meter or two into the water), where it formed a small pool. Upon setting him down, she sat next to him, on her side, so as to not aggravate either her thorax, or her unbandaged arm.[/color]

This whole scene was playing out like some crazy cartoon, the two of them limping along towards the stream so they could clean up from the previous day. Already the herbs had worn him down enough over the course of a few days to where he'd become subconsciously more accepting of Mamono, less hostile towards them. Even if Amelia were to show up again, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think he would give her a happy wave and a polite greeting, very much the far cry from the man that had threatened to end her.

The stream was cold, but not bitingly so; more like a refreshing dip in a pool, his waist completely covered as he sat in the stream. "Ahh, just what I needed..." he then said as he just fell back, gently splashing the Mantis as his entire upper body went under before he re-emerged. The cool water felt nice, and he could actually finally start feel things over his arms. And it wasn't long before he re-emerged, his shaggy hair matted down around his head; even though he now sported a conspicuous set of scars over his left eye, it didn't seem to hurt.

Letting out a small relieved sigh, he just laughed a little "You have no idea how long it's been since I could actually wash my whole body at once...I used to splash in the river when I was a kid on Earth. Dad had a wide one going through his property, could almost have called it truly his." Taking a deep breath through his nose, he then asked something that had been bugging him since last night...Something he had stated but more out of blind anger.

"Tell me something though...You didn't just rescue me because you wanted to avoid having the last male die on your territory, did you?" he then asked, adding on "Don't worry...I'm not going to fly off the handle this time, no matter the answer." He then stopped and looked at her, his face neutral, "Just tell me the truth, that's all I want...Alright?"

The Mantis gave a soft laugh at his sudden, unknown splashing. While she was there, by the water's edge, she reached down, and began to clean the wound on her arm and thorax; making sure to clean any dirt they had acquired while the unlikely pair slept. It was calming; relaxing, really, to see him having fun in the water.

Abruptly though, he questioned her true intent, and she froze up momentarily. Her mouth opened as if to answer, but she promptly closed it, unable to voice the screaming need for him. Now that the pain from her injuries had faded significantly, her body's driving need had returned to her. Her breathing rate began to increased slowly, as her gaze moved to him in the water; nothing but on flimsy piece of material and some water separating them. She blinked for a moment, then shook her head roughly; standing up.

"I... need to...take a bath! We can talk about this later...", she explained to him; before heading off at a rather quick rate, upstream. She didn't even wait for his answer; she set off upstream, where natural foilage and more hill-like landscaped formed dams that served to create pools. She was promptly out of view.

Jackson's eyebrow arched as she stumbled in her reply, unsure why the hell she was acting so strangely. It never occurred to him that she was looking at him as a potential mate, but he knew there was something going on with her. Something she was clearly ashamed about admitting; he might have been a meathead, but serving as long as he did in the UNSC definitely made him notice when something was out of the ordinary.

But before Jackson could even try to ask, she was gone. "The hell is her problem..." the Marine muttered as he washed over his body, the poultice on his legs still sticking strongly and helping to heal the wounded limbs. Maybe it was some kind of secret Mamono thing that he wasn't supposed to know about, but damn it all, he'd had enough of secrets!

Pushing himself out of the water, underwear now sticking over his manhood and showing quite a sizable bulge, he followed where he saw the Mantis disappear; he continued to go through the bushes and up some of the shallow dirt inclines. It was rough, but he was able to soldier on, his legs feeling much better even though he had to get on all fours for the steeper part. Eventually, he reached a spot that was completely enshrouded in shrubs; he heard some weird as hell noises as well as someone who sounded like his unlikely companion. And when he peeked over the edge, he saw something he would never have expected.

Indeed, what Jackson came upon would be a shock, in his newly mindful state. A day ago, he would have been repulsed, disgusted by what he saw. Thinking them a complete enemy, he would never have even glanced inquiringly at the actions underway; but now he saw it in full.

The Mantis was reclining in a small pool in the stream; resting in the shallows. However, the water was crystal-clear; giving Jackson a perfect view of just what was going on, and why those illustrious noises filled the air. Muffled they were, but not quite enough, as the Marine had heard them.

As it was, her breathing was labored, her eyes almost glazed looking; with furious pants for breath coming in puffs from her mouth. The armor all along her body had receded to the darker green segments; revealing the--slightly scarred in areas, otherwise--unblemished pearlescant skin beneath. She was completely revealed in her current, legs-splayed, bent at the knees positioned. Reclining on her tiny, enticing bum( to not strain her injury), the Mantis had it much easier to rock her hips forward; against the two digits sunk deep, and pumping, within the tight snatch between her legs. Her other hand was up to her chest, fondling and pleasing herself via her breasts, while a thumb and forefinger of it had their way with noticeably rigid nipples. Her body seemed understandably built; muscled, but lithely, so as to provide a fit, balanced build, that her speed demanded.

The Mantis seemed to be going at it with a frenzy; her breath heavy with the erotic, ecstatic play. Yet, Jackson would catch a feint, hazy aroma in there; instilling a feeling of simple attraction. It could easily be compared to the same idea of something a person liked; a cup of hot cocoa, and the way it instantly seemed to instill an urge to drink. It was nothing powerful, but was quite tempting; if the very soft, cute moans that drifted from the girls' lips weren't enough.

Jackson's eyes were locked on the Mantis, his body frozen at the sight; the hell, did she not get any for a while now? If what she said was true about monster girls, then it was painfully obvious - he would have to be a complete idiot to not understand - that this Mantis was horny. Extremely so given how fast she was pumping those slender fingers in and out of her slit, stirring the water that she sat in with little waves.

Was it something he said though? She didn't seem to have any issues until he brought up the feeling he had she wasn't telling him the whole truth. Even still...She was freaking gorgeous, scars and all. Despite his older preferences for bigger butts and larger breasts...It was like she had a build made for his tastes. Her chest wasn't overly large in comparison to others, but for her frame they were a perfect size, maybe even a little larger. Even with the alien features of her chitin armor retracted, she was probably one of the mos beautiful things he'd ever seen.

And the faint scent wasn't helping, the aroma enticing his senses and causing his own body to heat up. 'What the shit...' he thought to himself, before long feeling his own arousal start to become noticeable. What had started as a healthy bump in his underwear quickly started to grow, creating a rather impressive bulge that seemed to threaten to burst the only article of human clothing he had left. His mind was contesting whether to go over and join her...Or not be stupid and watch from here. Either way, his own underpants were pushed down as his hand gripped his semi-erect member, the length swollen from a flaccid nine to a solid ten inches, the calloused digits starting to pump the virile package. Unaware that his own masculine scent would now be free for any Mamono in heat to detect, the first surge of arousal causing his bodily hormones to start raging out of control.