This piece was originally submitted as a response to [this post ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DirtyWritingPrompts/comments/j3kyo6/wp_as_a_fire_mage_she_was_important_to_have_along/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app) by u/Gahidus.
*All characters – featured and mentioned – are 18+*
***
“*I can barely fucking see through all this snow!*”
“*What!?*”
“*I said, I can barely fucking s-*”
Jocasta’s foot sunk into the snow in front of her, the sole of her boot coming down oddly on a hidden feature of the rocky path that the three people in front of her had somehow avoided, and slipped, sending her flailing face-first into the powder.
The impact wasn’t painful… How could it be?… But the sudden lurch forward had knocked the hood of her heavy fur coat off her head, and her previously warm-and-toasty ears now stung unbearably as they were exposed to frigid environment.
Before she could react to pick herself up or cover her painful lobes, the rope around her waist went taught, and she felt herself being dragged forward through the white. Snow found its way down the neck-opening of her coat as she was dredged along, biting into the skin of her upper back and collarbone, sending brand new shivers through her whole body.
“*Oh, fuck, Jocasta slipped! Everyone hold up!*”
Jocasta made a silent prayer of thanks as the call to stop met her ears from upwind and through the foot of snow over her head. She was sure that, after being dragged several meters up the path, all her companions could see of her was the rigid length of cord protruding from the snowbank behind them.
She felt the tension on her tether loosen, and heard the crunch of footsteps through the thick powder. As she struggled to pick herself up, she felt a pair of hands grab her under her armpits and haul her up through the snow.
Yet more shivers wracked her petite, Elvish frame as the snow that’d made its way into her coat ran down her back and between her breasts. She would’ve screamed at the sensation had her jaw not been clenched so tightly shut, her freezing ears giving her one of the worst headaches of her life.
Blinking her eyes open as she was set back on her feet, she saw her rescuer and clenched her jaw even tighter, grinding her teeth together.
“*You okay!?*” May yelled to be heard over the howling wind.
Jocasta, her hands shaking, reached up and pulled the hood of her coat back up over her ears. Surprisingly, against all odds, not much snow had collected in it.
“*I’m fine!*” She chattered back in as loud a voice as she could manage. “*Let’s keep moving!*”
May, smile unwavering, shrugged and turned her back to Jocasta. Waving her hand, she gestured for the two party members in front of her to continue moving.
The trek continued for… Jocasta didn’t really know how long as she trudged forward, her ears, her spine, her face, and her tits all freezing as the alpine gale stung her eyes and clumps of snow melted against her skin. Stewing in embarrassment, she had lost the impetus to complain about the lack of visibility, and hadn’t mustered any to complain about the penetrant cold…
She was glad she could just barely make out the silhouettes of her companions through the storm… That she couldn’t see them in these conditions almost undoubtedly meant they couldn’t see her or the ashamed scowl that had frozen on her face…
Nor, as it happened, was she particularly bothered by the fact that she couldn’t really see May directly in front of her…
A rather solitary upbringing in an isolated, reclusive orthodox convent had made Jocasta very, *very* slow to trust new people…
When she’d started adventuring, nearly five years before, and first paired up with Calista, it’d taken her months to begin getting comfortable around her… She still wasn’t sure if she really liked Yuri, the oafish muscle they’d recruited into the group two years later…
Yet, they both had seemed readily accepting and all-but-implicitly trusting of Jocasta, right off the bat. She was baffled at how apparently easily they had bonded with her… And baffled, yet again, as they extended that openness to May, despite having known her for less than a week.
The newest member of the party, May had only just joined up with them the night on which they’d signed the contract for this quest… The contract that saw them abandoning their nice, cozy rooms at the tavern and slogging up a mountainside trough waist-deep – for Jocasta, anyway – snow for the last three days and nights…
May had been the Fire-Mage that their Rogue, Barbarian, and Ranger threesome had so desperately needed to undertake this icy endeavor, and had, herself, been in search of a good party to journey with… But, through infectious cheer and a seeming-to-be unwavering smile, she had apparently made good friends with Yuri and Calista over just one night… Jocasta was, of course, a tougher sell…
Maybe that was why Jocasta was so leery around May; for being so bubbly and invitingly friendly…
Or, maybe, it had to do with the fact that she was a *Succubus*…
Five years of adventuring had corrected many of the falsehood’s that Jocasta’s early adulthood had imbued her with… She’d seen, spoken to, fought against, and fought alongside many peoples she’d had misguided preconceptions about… She knew, logically, that Succubi were sentient and were no more likely to be “evil” than individuals of any other race…
Yet, she had a lingering, seemingly innate distrust of any person who’d been more-or-less born-and-raised in *Hell*… Especially ones who she thought she’d caught sneaking a decidedly *hungry* glance at her over a mug of beer…
“Oof!” Jocasta coughed, her train of thought detailing as she walked straight into May’s back.
The distrusted Succubus turned at her waist and reached out a hand to stay Jocasta. Shuffling in place, Jocasta avoided May’s touch, but stood still all the same.
“*What’s wrong!?*” She queried, squinting through the wind to see that Calista And Yuri, too, had halted.
“*Shhhh…*” May shushed her, the quieting syllable’s intended effect lost with the volume at which it had to be uttered to be heard.
Jocasta held her tongue despite a strong wish to protest, and her feet despite a strong wish to distance herself from the woman in front of her. She wasn’t sure what had prompted the procession to halt, but, if it was a monster, she didn’t want to draw its attention unnecessarily…
She felt her gloved hand close around the silver pin studded through her coat’s wrist cuff; a magical item, if she flitted her fingers over it, the pin would expand into a short-bow in her palm…
Ready to arm herself at the first hint of movement, Jocasta reached to her chest with her free hand. A band running over her coat from her right shoulder to her left hip was threaded with what looked like sewing needles but, as the bow had, would magically expand into arrows if put to a string…
Plucking at the topmost pin, the Elf found it much more difficult to retrieve than her shrunken bow. Grunting in frustration after several moments of fruitless effort, she finally managed to loose the object from its slot in the bandolier… But could not feel it well enough through her glove to keep her hold on it.
“Shit!” She hissed to herself as the silvery splinter fumbled out from between two of her fingertips and landed on the snowbank in front of her
The roar came as she leaned forward in an effort to retrieve it.
Jerking herself back upright, Jocasta swiped her fingers forward and felt the shaft of her bow fill her hand. Reaching to her breast once again, she intended to pull a different arrow, but was not quite quick enough to manage it.
It wouldn’t have done her any good if she had…
The roar came not from any beast, but from a wall of blurry white snow as it stampeded down the mountain slope to the party’s left, hurtling straight towards them at such a speed that they had no hope of evading it.
“*FUCK!*” Jocasta screamed impotently as the avalanche neared.
She heard voices from further ahead over the rumble of the approaching slide, but could barely make them out with her half-frozen ears muddled even further by a bear-skin hood… The roar that had startled her to attention probably hadn’t even been sudden; rather, as it grew in volume and stopped the group ahead of her, Jocasta had failed to hear it as she thawed and bundled herself and steeped in thoughts of her prejudices…
A flash of orange erupted from next to her as May turned fully to face the oncoming disaster. Flames leapt from her fingertips as her gloves smoldered off her hands, and a jet of fire raced up the slope to meet the rushing bulwark of snow…
Unfortunately, long as its reach was, May’s spell was not cast wide enough or soon enough to stop the avalanche as it barreled into Jocasta from the side.
Her hood flew back just as it had before, and she tumbled backwards after it, her whole body swept away as wrathful winter current slammed into her at full speed. Blind and deaf amidst the torrent, she felt the rope tighten around her waist again, and she swung to one side, her sense of balance telling her she was upside-down…
Then the tension in the cord loosened all of a sudden, and her whole body told her she was in freefall with the snow around her…
“*FUCK!*” Jocasta screamed again, gasping as she sat upright, a heavy blanket rustling around her as she did.
“Fuck!” She panted, her volume reduced as she scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. “Fuck… F-fuck…”
Yellow fabric walls met her eyes wherever she looked, and the angled supports running from each bottom corner of the space to meet in the center of its ceiling informed her that she was probably in a tent…
How she had wound up in a tent after being sucker punched off a cliff by an avalanche, she wasn’t sure…
The floor underneath her felt smooth, and she seemed to have been sandwiched between two heavy blankets; one acting more as a makeshift mattress, one of its ends rolled up to serve as a pillow.
The only other feature in the room was a metal box a meter or two from her feet. A small orange flame danced behind a grating in the box, and a barely-visible wisp of smoke rose from it before wafting away.
Shivering, Jocasta discovered that her bear-skin coat and the tunic she had been wearing underneath it, her gloves, her leggings, and her boots were all missing… Though not nearly as biting as the flurry of wind on the pass had been, the air in the tent was still brisk enough to make their absence uncomfortable.
“F-fuck…” She chattered, her whole body registering the cold.
A sudden rustling noise startled her and she lurched to one side, her head swiveling in the direction of the sound.
A section of fabric had peeled away from one of the tent walls, opening a small doorway. May poked her head through, carefully, and fixed her eyes on Jocasta.
“Hey,” She whispered, reassuringly. “You’re awake.”
“W-what the f-“ Jocasta attempted.
“*Shhhhh…*” May hushed in her best soothing tone. “You’re okay. Everything’s okay…”
The Succubus crawled through the opening in the tent on hands and knees, a pair of metal objects quietly clattering together as she slowly pulled her whole body into the space. Depositing the items on the floor of the tent, she turned to close the door behind her. Jocasta realized that she’d brought in a kettle, a canteen, and a small pouch of… something…
Turning back around to face the Elf, May gave her a warm smile.
Clutching at the blanket which had pooped on her lap, Jocasta covered her bare chest and continued to shiver.
“W-where’re my c-clothes?…” She managed to stutter out.
“They all got soaked through pretty good…” May said, a bit cryptically, as she gathered her things and stood up on her knees. “Had to take them off you so they could dry out… And, well, y’know, so you could dry off…”
Jocasta held the blanket closer to her chest as May grew nearer, coming between her and the stove.
“S-soaked?”
“Yeah… You got walloped by an avalanche, and I had to melt a whole lot of snow to find you, so… You got wet…”
Placing the battered looking tin kettle on the top of the small stove, May hinged its lid open. Unstopping the canteen she had brought in with her, she emptied its contents into the kettle before dropping in the strange pouch. Corking the canteen and replacing the kettle lid, she resumed the conversation.
“What do you remember?” She asked.
“F-falling…” Jocasta responded, cautiously.
May nodded.
“I tried casting a spell to boil off the snow before it hit us, but I wasn’t quick enough… You got knocked over the edge of the path and your tether snapped…”
“C-Calista… a-and Yuri?”
“They’re alright!” May was quick to reassure her. “They just left the cave for a bit…”
“Cave?”
“Oh, right, you weren’t awake when we found the cave… We’re in a big cave! Nice and cozy compared to what was outside.”
“I-I’m… Still f-freezing…”
“I bet. Lay back down, it’ll be warmer under the blanket.”
“Where’s m-my pack?… I want a-a change of c-clothes…”
“Your pack’s out in the cave, drying along with everything else of yours…”
Jocasta groaned as a shiver wracked her.
“You were in the snow for a while, Jo… Your core body temperature is probably still really low…”
“I’m f-fine… Just.. N-need my clothes…”
“I already told you, they’re sopping wet. You’ll be even colder if you put any of them on…”
May sprung forward as Jocasta began to wriggle a leg out from under the blanket. The Elf froze at the sudden burst of movement, and all but recoiled as the Succubus tucked the errant leg back under its cover.
“Hey,” May chided. “I know you’re freaking out right now, but I need you to stay put and warm up, okay? It’s for your own good…”
“L-let me g-go…” Jocasta moved forward.
Her efforts to outmaneuver the Succubus were thwarted by the cold that was still gripping her body… Unable to really feel her legs, or even her fingertips, she promptly tripped over the blanket in an attempt to get on her knees, and face-planted into the tent floor.
Once again, Jocasta felt a pair of hands grab her under the armpits and hoist her up, this time just into a sitting position.
“Told ya!” May mocked, evidently kneeling behind the Elf, now.
“Let g-go!”
“Even when you’ve got frostbite, you’re feisty, huh?”
Jocasta glared at the other woman, still hugging the blanket to her chest as she turned to face her.
“You need to warm up before you can do anything else…” May asserted. “The tea I’m gonna make you will help, but, in the meantime, you can either lie back down and I can tuck you in… Or we can try something a little… *different*…”
“W-What?”
“Well, between trying to melt the avalanche, melting more snow to find you, and fighting that damn Ice Giant, I’m pretty low on m-“
“*I-Ice Giant!?*”
May paused, blinked, then nodded.
“Yeeeeah…” She drawled out. “Big guy threw that avalanche at us… And a few rocks… Turns out he was the reason for all the weird snowstorms we’d been sent to investigate up here…”
“S-so… We… F-fulfilled the c-contract?”
“Yeah, pretty much… That’s where Yuri and Calista are, now; trying to figure a way to lop it’s head off so we can claim the bounty…”
“S-so… W-we can go h-home…”
“Not quite. Weather’s not *as* bad, but it’s still bad out there… And you’re in no shape to travel right now…”
“J-just get me s-some damn c-“
“Jocasta… You’re frozen fucking stiff… Stop trying to avoid me and look at me…”
Jocasta did as instructed, the almost austere uptick in May’s voice compelling her to comply.
The Succubus, still smiling, but with a furrowed brow, waited a moment to ensure she had the Elf’s attention before she spoke again.
“You can either lay down and wait for tea, or I can warm you up myself while we wait for tea…”
“Y-yourse-“
“Like I was saying,” She interrupted. “With all the fire I’ve had to throw around, today, I’m *really* low on mana… So low, in fact, I can’t actually cast a proper warming spell for you, right now…”
Jocasta listened intently.
“I can warm you up while I get a quick recharge, though…” May elaborated. “In fact, if you really wanna get out of here as quickly as possible, I recommend it… Even a little magic’ll warm you up faster than you will on your own…”
May paused.
“Things might get a little… *personal*… though…”
“P-personal?”
“Well… I’ll have to touch you to actually warm you up…”
Jocasta felt herself almost shrink back at the notion, but turned and vigorously shook her head instead.
“Oh, c’mon, Jo! The tips of those pointy ears of yours are blue and purple right now!”
Jocasta almost shrieked as she felt the hand come up the the side of her head, the sudden sensation unpleasantly compounded by what felt like a blisteringly hot digit running over the top of her ear, another along its bottom edge, and the two meeting to pinch the tip.
“*Don’t you fucking touch me, you fucking Suc-*” She yelped, panicked voice clear of chatter, clutching the blanket to her chest even tighter and reaching up with her free hand to smack away the Succubus’.
As her numb and shaking fingers curled around May’s wrist, however, she felt the same sensation on her other ear and gasped aloud. Before she could yank herself away from the touch, however… It softened…
The uncomfortable warmth had become almost pleasant… The headache Jocasta had been nursing since she woke up began to abate… As May knelt behind her and rubbed her long, pointed ears, Jocasta almost felt a bit warmer all over… and certainly in her ears.
“Do you wanna be warm?” May asked, her tone inflected with a hint of frustration. “Or do you wanna keep being *a little racist bitch?*”
Jocasta shivered in place, reveling in the odd warmth that had started clouding her head… She’d only ever let a few people actually *touch* her ears like this, and none of them with the apparent dexterity or literal *magic touch* as the Succubus behind her… A being which she had been told throughout her life was to be reviled and avoided…
Unable to frame a response as May continued rubbing her, Jocasta simply let the tension out of her back and shoulders, loosening her grip on May’s wrist, and surrendering to the undeniably pleasant sensation.
May’s motions grew more vigorous and comprehensive as Jocasta let her fingers uncurl from around her wrist, hand falling back to her own collarbone. May chuckled with satisfaction behind her.
“See? Not so bad having a *fucking Succubus* warm you up… Or…” She paused. “Were you being a *little homophobic bitch* and fighting me cause I’m a woman?”
“*I’ve… I’ve… Been with women…*” Jocasta gasped in reply.
For such an otherwise bigoted institution, her convent surprisingly hadn’t had any qualms about homosexuality…
“So, *racist bitch* it is, then…”
Jocasta wasn’t quite sure what had compelled her to spill her soul to May, like that, just then… Just moments before, she had been full of panic and vitriol… Now the only thing she could focus on was *how good* it felt as May continued to rub her ears warm…
“Alright…” May spoke up after several more minutes, breaking Jocasta’s train of thought as she released her ears. “Ears are looking nice and pink… Think I can move on to another spo-“
“*Uh…*” Jocasta shivered, both from the cold and a sudden pang of embarrassment. “*Actually… Can… Can you keep…*”
“You want me to keep rubbing your ears?” May asked, evidently a bit taken aback.
Jocasta nodded, her face crinkled with worry as she refused to turn and face her… *companion*…
“Well… The heating magic I’m using won’t really spread through your body all that well from your ears… I need to touch you in a hotspot, like, under your armpits or on your tummy…”
There was another long pause and Jocasta sat there, head bowed, short blonde hair hanging in an unruly curtain around her face, hands clinging to her blanket, naked back exposed to the Succubus whose touch she had been terrified of this morning, but was now *begging* for more of…
“But… Uh… I guess I can do that with one hand and use the other to…”
There was no painful burn as May touched Jocasta’s ear, this time; only the return of the pleasant warmth and sensation. Jocasta almost moaned as she felt it, but a sudden sting in her ribs made her gasp instead.
“Sorry!” May apologized, pushing her hand up under Jocasta’s arm. “You’re so cold, even low-power fire magic like this’ll probably hurt a little, at first…”
Jocasta lodged no protest and endeavored no escape, this time, as the burning sensation against the side of her chest ebbed into a good, spreading warmth. She felt her breath hitch on the next inhale as her chest began to loosen and her ear continued to sing with pleasure as the Succubus rubbed both.
“*Why…*” Jocasta asked, panting again. “*Why my… armpit… of all places…*”
“Well…” May answered as she continued rubbing circles over the Elf’s ribs. “Like I said, it’s a hotspot. It’s a nice, enclosed space, so your body has trouble getting rid of heat through it…”
She paused for a moment to reverse the direction of her circles.
“But, when you get super cold, that heat-retention is a good thing. Areas like these’ll stay warmer, longer, and hopefully carry some warm blood to your extremities… The armpit, in particular, is close to your heart and lungs, too, so warming those up will raise your core temperature…”
The conversation dropped off from there, but May continued massaging heat into the now-complacent Elf’s Ice-cold skin, stopping every few moments to reverse directions or to readjust her grip on one body part of another.
Suddenly, Jocasta felt the warm hand withdraw from her side, and whimpered under her breath as the warm touch departed her ear… Only to actually moan, this time, as the opposite ear flared with sensation, and the opposite side of her chest lit up with mild, quickly-evaporating discomfort.
May paused… But continued, promptly, picking up the same pace she had left off with on the other side.
“Y’know…” May opened after a few moments of silence. “I’ve never actually touched an Elf before… I mean… Y’know… *Touched* one… Your ears are really sensitive, aren’t they?…”
(Contd.)
***
[[Part Two]](https://www.reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/j7sdhy/a_cold_heart_and_two_warm_hands_part_two_ff/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app)
Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/j7sdfs/a_cold_heart_and_two_warm_hands_part_one_ff