Around the worlds 3 - Golems & bears

"I'm telling you, I've seen a bear in the forest when I went to take a piss," Neos growled, as he snuggled closer to Michela. They had moved further south from last time, and were now travelling alone with Karl - who had the decency of 'turning off' in his own tent, to leave them a bit of privacy.

"And I have been telling you that my scanners didn't detect any lifesign around. It was the same with the 'moving rocks' you saw. I'm fearing you're getting demetia," Karl told the magician, who just rolled his eyes dramatically.

Michela rolled her eyes, letting out a small groan. Those two weren't meant to travel together, that was for sure. They bickered about literally everything, and they did it every single day. It was driving her nuts! And of course she had to be the one who restored an apparent peace back again.
"Neos, if Karl doesn't detect anything around, it is ok. I trust his scanners. Maybe that bear you saw wandered off and far away, no? It won't surely stay around just to be spotted by us", she said, lightly caressing his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "And can we please not talk again about the moving rocks accident?" She didn't know how else to call it. Neos had been insistent on that, but she hadn't seen notnot even a single small stone attempting to move.

Neos grunted. "Fine, if none of you wants to pay attention to it, let's leave it there." He looked at Michela. "I'm sorry, ok ? maybe I'm just very tired. We haven't seen a single village around for a while."

Michela petted his hair somewhat fondly. "I know, I know. You're right. I'm starting to think that this region is completely desert. I can't smell a single human being for miles and miles." She sighed, but tried to take an hopeful facade. "Maybe I am wrong and in a couple of days we'll stumble in a village!"

Neos sighed. "I hope so." He let his head rest over her shoulder, while wrapping an arm around her waist.

Karl stood up. "With that settled, I think I will turn off for the night. Don't hesitate to wake me up if needed," he told them with a smile.

Michela smiled to him. "Alright Karl. Thank you, and goodnight!" She rested her head against Neos'. "You don't have to be scared. I am probably the most dangerous thing around in this forest", she joked.

Neos snorted. "Dang, and I'm sharing a sleeping bag with you. Guess that means I only have a few days left in front of me." he joked, as he kissed her softly. "Wanna go back in that sleeping bag, by the way?"

Michela smirked, pecking him back. "Looking forward to find yourself embraced to your potential death giver? Suit yourself, dear. Just be careful of how you move around. You know I am not kind when awoken by an elbow on my nose." She then looked at him a bit apologetically. "Are you sure it doesn't annoy you to sleep with someone who is freezing cold?" She was still pretty concerned about that.

"I have to admit that the absence of a heartbeat is more unsettling," he told her softly. "But I'll get used to it, I think."
Behind Neos, a shape moved faintly among the stones. Or maybe was it a shadow created by their fire? Who knew.

Michela smiled sadly. "It's not my fault if my heart is still. I would like it to still beat, but if that was the case, I wouldn't be alive now." She looked back. For a split second, she had the feeling something had moved... She shook her head. She was just tired.

"Hey, it's ok," Neos told her with a smile, before he stood up, and offered her his hand. "I love you the way you are, and you know it."

Michela smiled at him, accepting his hand and getting up. "Aw, that's... really nice to hear, even if I know it." She kissed his nose playfully, still keeping his hand in hers, guiding him to their tent. "You are really cute, always reminding me~ but remember that for me it is just the same."

"I know ~ ... By the way," he told her, whispering as they entered their tent. "I'm sorry we didn't get to... move forward, but I just can't bring myself to relax when I know that the tincan might be awake just beside us."

Michela shook her head. "It's ok. Don't feel pressured to do anything, alright?" Then she rolled her eyes. "You know I don't like it when you call Karl a tincan. Try to see him as a person, ok?" She flicked her finger to his nose, sticking out her tongue.

Neos held back a smile. "He's a human made out of a tincan. I can't help it. He's just... So stubborn, sometimes. And so... Stiff."

"I could say the same about you if we talk about stubborness, you know", Michela huffed, smiling. She grabbed their sleeping bag, getting inside it, getting a bit on the side to make some space for Neos.

"Me ? I'm the most flexible person you know!" Neos joked, as he came to lie down next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Yeah, of course", Michela huffed, wrapping her arms around him as a reflex. She snuggled against him. "Well, let's sleep then. You need to get rest, you're too tense these days", she murmured, kissing him.

Neos relaxed a bit in her embrace. "Mh. Alright. Good night, then.," he whispered to her. He was always quick to fall asleep.

"Goodnight", she whispered back. She wasn't asleep as fast, however, so she just stayed there, listening to Neos' steady breath and heartbeat, and to the sounda that came from outside.

In the dead of the night, Michela might have heard the sound of rocks moving. Or were they tiny rocks moved around due to the wind ? Who knew.

Michela didn't remember when she had managed to fall asleep, nor if she ever actually FELL asleep. She felt tired by the time morning arrived. The noises of the forest had been too much for her that night.

Neos yawned soundly the next morning, a happy smile on his face. "Ouh, somebody had a bad sleep", he said as he kissed her. "Want to talk about it?"

Michela grunted, accepting the kiss. "Too many noises I guess." She sighed. "From your smile I guess you had a good night?" She smiled at him, pecking him, then she got out of the sleeping bag.

"Well, I slept in your arms, how could it get any better ?" Neos stretched, and followed her soon. "...Eh, Karl isn't up yet. That's a first," he told her, looking at Karl's tent.