Camelia finished eating one fruit, before grabbing another and cutting it in two.
She pressed her lips together and handed one half to Jason, who took it silently.
The Catgirl was standing with her butt against the edge of the table, and the Ogre joined her side a moment later.
They both ate silently, arms brushing together.
"You um…" Camelia started, almost awkwardly. "You said you had a good idea earlier?"
"Yeah." Jason nodded before taking another bite. "A way for you to get back at Vel, if you'd like."
"Oh, you know I'd like that." The Catgirl smirked cheekily.
"Then it's a really good idea. "Jason said as he turned to face her.
Camelia's eyes widened momentarily. She looked away, scratching her head, before staring again.
"Don't worry about it." Jason shrugged. "They'll heal quickly."
"I know but…" She pursed her lips. "Still…"
Her eyes were glued to the areas her nails had dug into, namely his shoulders and back.
"I… I can help, if um… If you'll let me." Camelia said shyly.
"Sure."
Camelia stepped closer, then even closer.
"What are you…?" Her lips were an inch away from the shallow cuts before they parted.
Jason almost expected to get bitten when she opened her mouth like that.
But, instead,
"Argh…" Jason groaned as her damp tongue connected with his skin, passed over the cuts.
Camelia thoroughly licked the first cut, then pulled back.
For a moment, she stood with her mouth open, tongue sticking out.
Jason could see a streak of his blood on her tongue and, as much as he felt he should be freaked out or disgusted by it, he actually found it weirdly erotic, even more so when she swallowed.
"Anytime now," Camelia whispered with a nod.
The next second, the cut started healing right before Jason's eyes.
"Cool…" He muttered. "It healed right away."
"You have a couple more of those, so… Turn around."
He did as he was told, and Camelia carefully studied his body to make sure she licked every cut her nails had left on him.
"I'm… I'm sorry about those." She muttered while scratching her head once all had healed.
"No, it's fine." Jason said as he took her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "If anything," He added, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. "I found it pretty hot."
Camelia stared at him with a slight frown, unable to tell if he was teasing her or not.
"What?"
"N-Nothing…" She muttered, looking away. "That was um…" The Catgirl gulped after seeing the state of the table, plates, chairs, as well as the puddle of fluids on the ground. "That didn't go… How I thought it would."
Her arm shivered as Jason held her hand.
"It went better, no?"
She stared at him silently for a moment. Just having his hand hold hers made her heart pound.
Camelia slowly nodded.
For a few seconds, they simply stood there, shoulder to shoulder.
"We should… Probably leave soon."
"Why?"
"Why?" Camelia seemed confused by the question. "Because it's only a matter of time before Vel and the others come."
"So? I'm the Chief of the tribe now." Jason shrugged and took another piece of fruit into his hand. "I have nothing to be scared of, neither do you."
"You can't seriously think that. I overheard it, and there's no way they're going to honor a wager like that."
"Hm…"
"Can I… Ask something by the way?"
"Sure." He nodded.
"Why did you come back? To this place?"
"Shouldn't I have?"
"Well," Camelia scratched her head, a slight frown on her face. "If you had come back to get protection from those bitches, I would have understood. They might be assholes, but they're pretty strong, all things considered."
"Hm."
"But you didn't come back for their protection. In fact, you challenged the Chief the moment you got here. So," Camelia shrugged. "Why?"
"I have my reasons." Jason said before taking a bite. "I came here for a precise reason, and I can leave now if I want." He explained.
The Quest had already been cleared after all.
"But you won't…?"
"No," Jason shook his head. "I think I can really become the Tribe's Chief, and I would like to have so many people under me."
"You can't really believe that. Vel and the others… I don't know what kind of trick you pulled earlier, but it won't work again, not if they all come with the intent to beat you up, or worse."
"Are you saying that I'm too weak?" Jason asked, acting offended. "As I said, I am the Chief, and I have nothing to fear. Nor do you, by the way."
"Well…"
"Let's start with this," Jason reached for her neck. "Let's get rid of it."
"We can't." Camelia sighed, pressing her lips together. "The Spell used must be broken before the collar can be taken off."
"So that's something they put on you before you got here…" Jason muttered. 'Makes sense,' He thought. 'Demi-Humans are usually seen as pretty High Ranked Monsters, although… I don't know about calling Camelia a Monster. In any case, I'm pretty sure that the choker limits her strength.'
"Yes," She nodded with a defeated shrug.
"Well, can still get rid of this for now." Jason said as he detached the leash from the collar. "One step closer to freedom."
"Yeah, I… I don't know about that."
"How does it work?" Jason asked.
"The Spell can only be brought down by my… Master." Camelia made a gagging gesture. "Right now, my supposed Master is the Chief of the Ogres, so only Vel can take it off."
"I see." he nodded. "How about I get her to take it off you?"
"Good luck with that." Camelia muttered. "Still…" She let herself lean against him so that her shoulder rested against his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her. "I appreciate the sentiment."
"How long has she kept you here?"
"Long enough for me to become… Like this."
"Like this?"
"She won't let me move around or do anything so… Obviously, I became a bit um… Pudgy."
"Yeah," Jason smirked as he used the hand on her waist to pinch. "I love the way you are right now."
Being pinched that way was certainly annoying, but Camelia could tell that he wasn't lying.
"I just need some exercise." She sighed, trying not to show how embarrassed she felt.
"You can get plenty next time." He said. "Just get on top and get in all the exercise you want."
"Next time…?" Camelia repeated, and fell silent.
She hadn't thought about next time, about there even being a next time.
"Yeah." Jason nodded.
While feelings had been running high and wild, the two had, after all, only known each other for about an hour.
"Wouldn't it be easier to run away?" Camelia asked suddenly, turning to face him completely, her breasts pushing against his body and her hands resting flat on his chest. "Don't you want… To run away with me?"
"Don't worry about anything," Jason said after a moment, taking her hands into his own, gently cupping them. "I'll deal with Vel, the others, and that choker."
She remained silent for a moment.
"Then I'll…" Camelia stared into his eyes before letting her head rest against his chest. "Trust you and stay."