>Be Carver
>Be well and truly dead for reals this time as you fall over flat on your face
>Unfortunately, the tavern bed catches you, but after a single moment clutched within its grasp, you've changed your mind
>You can't die here!
>Not now!
>Not when this mattress has chosen to show you love for the first time in your life
>A simple mattress from a small town out in the middle of nowhere, but to you right now, this is surely a king mattress
>And despite its royal lineage, it takes it upon itself to take care of you and make sure you're comfy
>And comfy you are
>Your whole body aches from the day's travels, and this majestic bed knows just how to soothe it
>Face still planted against the bed, the sheets embrace you and press against your lips
>How forward!
>It would be rude not to return the gesture
>You press your face deeper into the sheets, but it appears they have betrayed you!
>You find yourself short of breath
>Actually short of breath, and not the lovey kind of short of breath you thought it was at first
>Of course
>This is how they get you
>Lure you in, then when you're most vulnerable, they strike!
>Too bad for Inn Bed, even your most vulnerable is not vulnerable at all!
>You've still got your armor on
>You tense your muscles and prepare to twist, ready to tear up those sheets like a pinecone tears up a pony's mouth
>But just when you're about show that bed who's boss, a voice calls out at you
>"Carver, are you seriously doing this?"
>You raise your head and find Gisela staring at you from the doorway
>Her beak is slightly parted and her brow is furrowed, like she doesn't know what she's looking at
>A beat passes until you remember you still needed to breathe
>You suck in a huge gasp of air, and Gisela shakes her head sadly at you
>"I didn't believe them."
"Wha?"
>"This is not the first time this has happened with you."
"And it won't be the last!" you say proudly. "Even when it jumped me from out of nowhere, it still didn't stand a chance!"
>Gisela brings both of her talons to her face
>"Hhhhhhh Why do we have to take turns sharing a room with you? And why aren't Blitz and them ever part of the rotation?"
"Dunno. And besides, you should count yourself lucky! With me around, you're sure to be safe."
>Gisela moves a claw out of the way to stare at you with a single eye, quickly reshutting it
>"Blitz why." She sighs again before continuing. "Whatever. I'm calling it a night."
>She tosses her bags against the wall and starts taking off her jacket
"Wh-what are you doing?"
>"Hmm?"
"Why are you taking off your armor?"
>"I'm not sleeping in it if I don't have to."
"I don't follow."
>"What's to follow? It's way more comfortable with it off."
>You tilt your head in confusion
>You don't get it
>Why would anypony ever take off their armor?
>More comfortable?
>She throws her jacket and undershirt onto her pile of bags and looks at you expectantly
>"You're not sleeping in that."
>You look around
"But... where else am I supposed to sleep? The floor? There's plenty of room on the bed for both us."
>Gisela looks like a gasping fish the way she's opening and closing her mouth like that.
>"Your armor," she says tiredly. "You're not wearing that thing to bed."
>She wants you to take off your armor?
>What a dumb birdbrain
"Nuh."
>"You're gonna destroy the sheets, and I swear, if you tear up my feathers..."
"And what if we get attacked, huh? I've already been ambushed once tonight."
>She sneers
>"What, little pony nothing without her costume? Can't protect herself if anything happens?"
"N-No, of course I can!"
>"I guess you're lucky you got to room with me tonight. Don't worry, big strong bird will take care of the little hatchling."
"Nuh uh! I'll show you! You watch! When we get attacked tonight, you'll be scrambling to put on my armor for yourself."
>Your hooves roam your body for the clasps to undo your armor
>You're uhh... not actually super sure how to go about taking it off
>The thought never really occurred to you
>"Need some help there?"
"No, I'm fine, I can figure it out."
>Just uhh
>You just need a bit
>"...You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah! Yeah. I can figure this out."
>"If you say so."
>Gisela climbs into bed while you fumble about your suit
>Finally, you spot a set of clasps for your forehooves and with a tug from your mouth, the pieces drop onto the bed, leaving your forelegs bare
>Ugh
>This already feels weird
>Careful not to tear the sheets, you pick them up and toss them across the room, where they leave visible holes and scratches along the wall and floor
>Almost done, at least
>Just the entire rest of the suit to go
>Hmm
>How to solve the rest of this puzzle?
>You twist and turn, careful not to leave too many cuts in the sheets as you figure out how to get the rest of your armor off
>Putting it on was easy peasy, so why is taking it off so impossible?
>Clearly it was never meant to be taken off
>Gisela's voice grabs your attention
>"H-How are you still working?"
"It's hard!"
>"I've been lying here for almost an hour trying to go to bed, but you keep shuffling around!"
"Please, it's only been a few seconds."
>"Carver," she says seriously, "it's been nearly an hour. You've made no progress, and I'm tired and I want to go to sleep."
"Then sleep. I can go to bed like this."
>"Not a chance. I'm getting that off of you."
>She crawls over and what is she doing?
>She reaches for your hind legs and with a simple flick, your booties fall off
"H-Hey!"
>She winces
>"Gah, shut up, you're so loud."
>She throws your leggings across the room and reaches for your belly, but you halt her progress by blocking her with your naked hooves
"H-Hey..."
>"Hmm?" she hums lazily.
"I-I change my mind. I'll sleep on the floor if it means I can keep this on."
>"As much as I would love that, we're still an adventuring party and this is one of the few chances we get to have a safe, comfy rest. I'd rather deal with this now than deal with your complaining in the morning."
>She bats your hooves away and starts fiddling with the clasps around your belly, undoing them one by one
>Your cheeks are burning up and you want nothing more than to just start spinning to get her off you
>But you bare it, eyes squeezed shut and snoot scrunched
>You hear a click, and suddenly you feel incredibly light
>You open your eyes to watch Gisela toss the bulk of your armor with the rest of the pieces
>"There."
>Gisela takes a moment to inspect you, but her gaze lingers far longer than you expected
"What?"
>"Hmm? Oh, just uhh, it's weird seeing you without your armor. All naked."
>The burning heat intensifies
"Y-You too."
>The catbird's ears perk and she takes a moment to look down at her naked self
>"Huh. Yeah, guess so. Whatever, time to nap."
>She crawls back underneath the covers, leaving you sitting on top of the bed all naked.
>You don't know how to feel about this
>So you decide to cast any thoughts away as you make your way to the other side of the bed
>But when you lie down and pull the sheet over your bare body, you can't help but sigh
>Oh
>Oh wow
>Wow, this feels really nice
>You squirm in place, letting the cloth caress your fur
>Whoa
>You might have to do this more often, the whole not wearing your armor to bed thing
>Hrm... maybe
>A strong argument, a very strong argument, but it does mean taking off your armor
>A definite maybe, but so far this is much better than you could have ever expected!
"Hey Gis, th-"
>Oh
>Looks like she's asleep
>She's got her back to you
>Her naked back
>Huh, yeah, it is weird to see someone suddenly just not wear the thing they always wear
>You catch yourself staring at her, but whatever, you don't stop
>You take in that well-kept coat, her giant wings, her defined muscles, those soft fuzzy looking feathers
>You can't help but look yourself over
>In comparison, your coat is coarse, and while your wings are smaller, you know they have at least as much strength as hers
>Those feathers though...
>Self consciously, you stretch and fiddle with your rough wings
>They even feel slightly grainy
>...You wonder how hers feel
>The mattress crunches underneath you as you scooch closer to the griffon
>It's not until you're within hoof's reach that you stop your advance
>Gisela's body gently rises and falls as she breathes, with an occasional twitch of her wings and flick of her tail
>You slowly reach out to pet the bird, but you stop yourself
>I-Is this okay?
>She's asleep, this can't be okay
>Then again, you aren't really one to care
>Welp, that's that problem solved
>You did it, good job Carver
>Decision made, you continue where you left off
>Your hoof inches closer and closer to Gisela's body until it makes contact with the spot right in between her wings
>Pat pat
>Rub rub rub
>It's actually kinda relaxing, petting a cat
>And even though you can't hear it, there's a faint rumble of a purr
>Your hoof digs inbetween her side and her wing
>Gosh that's warm
>And those underfeathers
>It's like a floofy winghug, but just for your hoof!
>You idly trail your hoof along her side
>"H-Huh...?"
>Gisela shifts as she comes to
>Oh, woops
>...eh
>Scritch scritch
>"Meeowr?!"
>Her tail and wings shoot outward and she goes rigid
>A mischievous smile finds its way onto your face
>Ah, so this is how it is?
>Thoughts of how you could use this against her in the future invade your mind
>A little poke, a little scritch in the right spot and she'd end up like one of those goats that just freeze up and fall over
>Heh
>Baa, says the cat bird
>You push the image aside, ready to keep on poking and prodding her, but you suddenly find yourself face to face with a very very angry catbird
>Though you're not actually super sure if that red tinge is anger or embarrassment
>"D-Don't touch me, you... d-dummy."
"Baa"
>"...Wha?"
"Meeowr"
>You didn't think she could get any redder
>You also didn't think birds could scroonch, but she's doing a pretty good job of it
>Her face feathers are even floofing up a bit
>Got 'er
>All she can do is shove you to the other side of the bed before huffing and turning her back to you
>"I'm going back to bed! Stay on your side! I swear, you do that again and next fight we get into, I... I'll..."
"Miss a shot and hit me instead?"
>Her tail flicks madly
>"I'll... sabotage your armor so it falls off into a pile of minotuar dung."
>You freeze
"N-No..."
>"Just stay on your side and don't you dare touch me again."
>With that, Gisela pulls the covers tighter over herself
>You settle under the shared sheet on your side of the bed, careful not to disturb the kitty
>She wouldn't really do that, would she?
>She would
>She definitely would if she could, you think
>Just... gotta make sure not to touch her then!
>Then your precious armor will be safe
>Either that or make sure you don't run into any minotaurs ever, but that sounds like a lot of work
>Scooching closer to the edge of the bed, you close your eyes and let the nap demons take you
>...
>You feel really warm
>And you have no idea how this blanket got wrapped so tightly around you
>But gosh this is the most comfortable you've been in a long time
>You snuggle deeper into the world's most comfy pillow and bury your snoot in it, taking in a deep breath
>Smells like a seaside forest
>Coastal?
>Wetclose?
>Shooshnear
>Yeah, a shooshnear forest
>Cause that's the sound waves make
>The loose feathers tickle your nose, but that's fine
>You give your pillow blanket a light squeeze
>And it squeezes back
>Hrm
>Squeeze
>Squeezed
>Perplexed, you finally open your eyes
>White feathers, but not from a pillow
>You're held close to whatever this is, but you manage to crane your head up
>More white feathers, two green streaks, and a beak
>Oh
>So you just had your face buried in Gisela's thick chest floof
>Looks like she's still sound asleep though
>Wait
>Oh no, no nono
>She said if you touched her at all tonight she'd feed your armor to a slime
>Or something like that
>You can't let her catch you like this!
>You try to wriggle out of the kittybird's grasp, but she only tightens her grip on you
>Even when you push against her chest, she refuses to let go of you
>Her hind legs hook themselves around you and you feel her tail curl itself around your leg
>Once she's settled, she sighs comfortably into your mane
>You are definitely not getting out of this grab
>Hhhhh
>You mean, it could be worse?
>Like, at least this admittedly feels amazing
>Being held and cuddled by this catbird
>This might be up there as one of the fastest times you've given up a fight
>But maybe not...
>You can't run away, but you can do something other than submit
>You can fight back
>You wrap your hooves around her again and pull the two of you closer until your bellies are pressed up against each others
>Chests pressed close enough for you to feel her heartbeat against your own
>Face once again buried in her chest floof
>She cannot possibly win
>But much to your surprise, even in her sleep Gisela proves to be a powerful combatant
>The napping kitty counters with a wing hug!
>You sigh dreamily
>T-Too comf
>Between her warm fur, the puffy feathers, and the full body hold, you don't know if you can actually defeat her
>Your eyes begin to droop
>N-No!
>Gotta fight back!
>You can't give her a wing hug back from this position
>So you do the only thing you know how to do
>Get in close and spin until you win
>Even Gisela's grip cannot contain your powerful spin muscles
>You twist, and an overwhelming sensation strikes you
>For a second you think this was a huge mistake, that you were done in by your own attack
>As you turn, Gisela's claws rake themselves across your body
>They don't cut you, but those scritches were easily enough to dizzy you with pleasure as you let out a low, gutteral moan
>Your vision darkens a bit and stars start to swim
>You manage to finish your maneuver, but you're left a panting mess
>You can only hope your gambit paid off
>With your back now turned towards her, you scooch back and assume the position of little spoon
>Her floof sits on the back of your neck, and her talons wrap around your front
>A weight settles on top of your head as Gisela rests her chin on your mane
>You can feel a faint rumble as she purrs
>Good fight, birb
>You place your hooves on top of her talons and snuggle closer into her
>Suddenly, she scritches your belly
>Wha-
"Aaoooh"
>Wh-What's going on?!
>One talon moves and scritches along your sides while the other draws circles as it rubs your bare tummy
>Every now and then she would scritch behind your ear
>But what would really get you were when she pinched them or trailed along the edge of them
>You try to squirm out, but you're pinned right against her!
>Squeaks and gasps and various other cute noises escape your mouth as her claws dance around your body
>You can feel your strength draining quickly as she gives you pat pats and rubbies and brushies
>At this point all you can offer is token resistance
>You can barely move your limbs under her ferocious onslaught
>I-It's over
>You picked a fight against an absolute monster
>You never stood a ghost of a chance
>You melt into Gisela's embrace and submit to your fate
>Your eyes slowly drift shut as the griffon takes her pony prey, lightly nibbling your ears
>The only respite is the eternal sleep that has come to claim you
>...
 
>Be Gisela
>You look down at your handiwork, the napping pony all comfy and tuckered out in your grasp
>As fun as playing with her belly is, this isn't your favorite position
>Carefully, you turn her back around so that her belly is pressing against yours, her head resting on your chest as she snoozes
>One talon holds her side while the other rubs her back
>You even pet her mane and fix some loose feathers for her
>This should keep her quiet
>She did catch you off guard earlier, and this is her punishment
>But knowing her, she'll try you again
>And you'll destroy her every time
>You've still got a few tricks hidden away
>You think you'll show her the blanket burrito next time
>With you in it with her
>Win or lose, she'll enjoy it
>You know you will
>For now, you think that's enough
>You snuggle close with the sleeping poner and rest your eyes
>Tomorrow's another day
>But it's also another night