I do not own octopath or any of it's characters.
The silent watcher
The more Primrose stayed around H'aanit, the more impressed with the woman she becomes.
'I would have slapped the fool by now….' The blighted dancer lamented in her thoughts as she watched the stoic hunter form her seat at the table across the tavern in.
For the past twenty minutes, H'aanit he her pursued by an eager flirt. To the man's credit, he did not look like the common rabble that normally comes to the Sunshade Tavern. Ever since the death of Helegnish, the place has gotten less disgusting clients. The dancers still danced on stage, alluring and beautiful as ever, with men and women cheering them on. The security is tighter, and it looked like any inappropriate touching is banned. The new head of the place seemed to be a more upstanding gentlemen. Not that the former star of the stage cared.
Primrose and the other seven of her companions are resting here before they disembark on their next quest. The only thing here for her distance memoires that have become nightmares.
At the moment she is here as a patron. And a quite observer of her new found friend in H'aanit.
"Would a simple walk under the moonlit night suffice?" The man still speaking with H'aanit said. With the huntress giving off a heavy sigh.
'By god he's still going with the cheesy lines too.' Primrose giggled as she watch the grown man crash and burn at his attempts of wooing the huntress. Only getting the ire of her loyal feline companion.
The man is nicely dressed in slick back black hair, and kind eyes. Clearly form a rich family, he is actually being rather respectful to the huntress with sweet smiles and keeping his distance. He, however, still seemed to not tale no for an answer. No matter how many times H'aanit would say no, the man would still pursue her. Even with Linde constantly growling at him.
He wouldn't put his hands on her, or even use any foul language. He even sat across from her at the table. Yet, as polite as he is, it didn't change the fact that H'aanit isn't interested.
'The man has courage I'll give him that.' Primrose thought. Used to the men seeing H'aanit to ae stuck by her strength of character and stubble on their words. The only men she hasn't seen do that are the ones she is currently traveling with.
'Although there as odd as an elk in the sands…' Primrose thought as she planned to pull the man away from H'aanit, only watching this long for fun. The dancer couldn't help but curious about how the huntress handles men. She's never seen the woman act even blush much let alone actually react to a man's advances.
Not even the innocent, yet sly lips of Cyrus could get a rise out her. Still she had her fun and made plans to go over a rescue the poor woman. However, her eyes caught the aloof thief in their party doing his usual rounds of steal purses and information.
Sitting at a table filled with drunken men and women, Therion seemed to be doing his everyday routine. Talking to the drunk and loose tongued while his hands would reach into their pockets to take what the wouldn't notice until it was too late. However, this seemed to a different time.
He sat with his back turned form a jovial, and large man who laughed with his friends at the table. A pirate by the looks of his ragged sea smelling tunic and the deadly blade on his side. Hiss face rough with a few scars here and there; one on his lip and two on his eye. He wasn't drunk, but he bellowed and sang like he was.
The dancer watched the thief curiously. Knowing he was going towards the man coin purse. And sure, enough it happened. And as the norm, she missed the whole action. It wasn't even a flash. One split second, Therion's finger's twitched, she blinked and the man's purse is gone. With the thief is already walking away.
"Oi!" The man suddenly jumped up in rage as he noticed his belt felt a little lighter. "The 'ell me coin purse go!?"
'Now that's odd…' Primrose may have only been traveling with Therion for a few months, but she knows his fingers are always light enough for no one to notice them dipping into their pockets or untying the sting of the pouches. At first, she had thought that the impressive thief had slipped up and had been caught. Yet the man didn't even notice Therion walking away franticly patting his person to find his suddenly lost leaves. But it wasn't as the crafty thief is escaping.
Primrose watched as Therion passed by the persistent man hounding H'aanit, unnoticed by him, and placed the purse in his back pocket.
"My my what is our little thief up to…" Primrose stayed rooted in her seat as she watched Therion with a knowing gaze.
-OOO-
"Sire. What doth I have to say for you to understand?"
H'aanit sighed at the man's stubbornness.
'Thou may maketh a good hunter. If he would put that that stubbornness to use.' H'aanit thought with morbid humor. Wondering if she should just let her partner Linde maul the man.
Sitting at the table in the Tavern, the huntress is resting with Linde while the others in the large party of eight went about their own busy. Cyrus, the ever-curious bookworm, went to look into the history of the city, while Teressa went around to sell her wears along with Alfyn who joined her. Ophelia and Olberic both setting out to care of their own business.
Leaving her, Therion and Primrose to rest at the Tavern. She had hoped for a quite day, yet this man's forwardness has shattered that idea.
"Come now miss. A simple night out is all I ask." The man put on his best smile. Only making H'aanit sigh for the final time. Preparing herself to stand and leave the tavern before she does something she would regret.
"Hey. H'aanit." Therion's voice sliced between them as he rudely stepped in front of the man. "Heard something interesting about a beast that roam around the outskirts of town."
That raised the huntress's brow. Catching her attention more than the other, tireless man. "Oh?"
However, the man was far from amused as he glared at Therion. Taking note Therion's rude entrance and shady state of dress.
"Excuse us ruffian." The flirt hissed with venom. "We were talking."
"Sorry but I need to talk to…" The lonely thief paused to find his next words. "My comrade for a moment. And besides…."
Therion placed a cocky hand on his hip as a shadow loomed over the man. Hiding the smirk under his cowl. "You have more important things to worry about."
"Oi!" The man was suddenly grabbed by his collar. The large burly thug form before picking him up off his feet easily.
"You greedy stuff shirt! Is yer purse not fat enough!?" The massive man spat in the face of the gentlemen who shook in fear of the tight grip around his shirt.
"I-I have no idea what your talking about!" The man yelled as he squirmed around. Allowing a purse, not belonging to him, to drop out his pocket with a heavy thud.
Both the pirate and the sweating socialite looked at sack of coins on the ground. Then back at each other.
The man squeaked.
And the pirate growled.
"H-hold a moment-GAH!?"
Therion winced at the large fist slamming into the poor man's face, as it sent him flying across the tavern and over the bar. Crashing into the expensive bottles of wine on the wall and spilling their contents all over him.
"Tsk!" The man picked up his pouch and left back to his table.
"Hm. His appearance doth be deceiving." H'aanit noted as the watched the man be helped up and escorted out of the bar. "While he beth a persistent barking hound, he looked to be harmless. To thinkth he would thief."
"And a bad one at that." The expert thief sighed in disappointment. "Gives us humble, honest, hardworking thieves a bad name."
"Heh." H'aanit smiled. "Hard working to be true, but thou are far from humble and a mountain away from honest."
"At least I am consistent." Therion chuckled. "Anyway, word around town is that there's rather curious beast causing trouble in the sands."
H'aanit leaned forward a little. Her curiosity piped. "What type?"
The thief shrugged as he sat down. Turning the chair of the former flirt around and sitting in it. Although not before taking a mug of ale form the tray of a passing by waitress. "Can't say for sure. But it sounds like some sort of panther or something."
Therion took a sip form the mug with a nonchalant shrug. "Could be a nice meal for tonight."
"Hmmm." H'aanit leaned back in her seat. The spark of the hunt in her eye. "Sounds like an interesting quarry. Would thou jointh me Therion? Thine sharp eyes would be helpful in these sands."
"Eh. Sure." Therion said causally. "I've already made my rounds. I'll wait for you to get your stuff."
"Hm." H'aanit nodded as she stood up to go get her supplies. Leaving the thief to silently drink his newly acquired drink with Linde sitting next to him.
"Next time," Therion said as he patted the head of the massive cat. "Just bite them."
The large cat purred in agreement.
"Never expected you to be the white knight type."
Primrose's voice made the thief rise a brow at her as she approached him. The dancer smirking at him with a knowing glint in her eyes. Sitting down next to him and Linde with a cheeky smile.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Therion deadpanned as he placed the empty cup of alcohol back on the passing waitress tray.
"You know you may as well tell her how you feel. Lord knows she can't read your mess of a mind." Primrose said suddenly. Making Therion miss his chance to take another drink for the other passing dancer.
"…." Therion stayed quiet. Choosing to glare at the exit as if debating to run out of it. However, it gave Primrose to continue lecturing him.
"You only have one Dragonstone left to find. And once she saves her master, H'aanit's going right back to her village." The alluring woman continued. "Who's to say you will ever see each other again."
"…." Therion was silent or a moment before sighing. Looking the dancer in the eye as he said. "You and I both know there is no fairy tail ending for me. And H'aanit doesn't need a guy like me in her life."
Therion clearly isn't a man of romance. Ignoring his 'charming' personality, his profession is one meant for a lonely life. The number of enemies he's made are as numerous as the trees in S'warkii forest. Not to mention he is a wanted man if his identity ever gets found out. And it didn't help that the coy dancer is correct about his feelings.
He doesn't know when, nor dose he know how, but the thief had fallen for the odd speaking huntress. Hard. While it was easy to keep up appearances in front of her, as unexperienced in love that she is, around other's it is rather hard. Especially form the keen-eyed dancer. Maybe it the way H'aanit is kind to everyone, even going so far as to trust a thief like him and wears her heart on her sleeve. Or the fact that she take immense pride of her skills. The cool, relaxed stares she has when she draws her bow on a target. The spark in her eye and small smile on her face.
Or he's a fool who hasn't grown at all from the years of experience in his craft of thievery.
H'aanit is a woman far beyond him. Born in raised in forest with noble heart, she shouldn't even be in the same room with a thief. Yet fate seemed to drag them together. Knowing that Therion would fall in love with her and torture him with the fact that she may never love him back. And even if she did, he would never force her to deal with loving a man like him.
'Guess this just the world 'judgement' for me.' He almost wanted to laugh at that thought.
While it pains him to know that their union is short lived, he is used to being alone and used to heartache. Another notch on his belt isn't going to kill him. Even though this one has significant weight to it.
"I am happy keeping my distance." Therion said after a while in his thoughts. "And H'aanit will be happier with some Knight or something. Who knows what her master would say if he found out that his would be daughter is seeing a criminal."
"Honestly you men are so self-centered." However, the desert rose rolled her eyes at the thief's foolish reasoning.
"You act like you're the only one with checkered history here. By the end of this my hands will be soaked in blood. And I may be on every wanted poster in the realm." Primrose spoke as if she was talking about the weather. Speaking of her quest of revenge casually while letting a darkness shadow of her eyes.
"I have no illusions of having a happy ending with 'lovely husband'. But that doesn't mean I am going to let any sort of happiness given to me slip through my fingers." Primrose shook her head. As if imaging herself doing something similar in Therion's situation.
"And besides," The dancer continued. "What about H'aanit? Do you think she'll be happy with you out of her life? Do you even know how she feels about you?"
"…." There was a hum in the back of Therion's throat. A pensive hum of thought while he played the outcomes of his choices in his head.
"Are thou Ready?" H'aanit, who had come back form getting her weapons, addressed Therion. Her bow on her back and her axe at her side.
"Yeah…." The thief said a little too quietly. Lost in his thoughts for a moment.
"Let's go." The young man stood up. Not even giving the dancer a second glance as he followed H'aanit out of the tavern.
'Love is such a troublesome thing…' Primrose sighed as she watched the two of them and then look at Linde who was stretching herself out to fallow them. The panther looking up at her for moment.
"Watch over those two fools if can. They're going to need more than a little help."
To her surprise the beast seem to nod to her in agreement.
"Cometh Linde." Until her master called for her. Leaving the dancer to sigh at the headache her two friends are giving her.
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