Jacob was trying to sleep when a loud crash outside had him jumping on his feet. He seized his sabre - firearms were not allowed in this part of the country- and stepped out of his room with a flourish.
For a brief second, he thought he was alone on the unlit landing -in this neighbourhood, no one looked too closely into his neighbour's business, it was not surprising nobody thought fit to go out of their room at the noise.
Jacob was seriously considering he may had been dreaming when a sparkle caught his eye. A dark figure was moving towards him swiftly and he soon found himself disarmed. He hit his adversary on the ribs with his boot and the person hissed. Good. It meaned it was a human and not a Goyl. Jacob was hesitant on his identity when he appeared to see far much than him in the dark.
Disarming Jacob, even into the dark was not easy, his opponent was used to fight. A drunkard used to brawls, maybe ? They certainly smelled like it.
His thoughts' process stopped when the other riposted, kicking him on the knee. Jacob was now almost certain his counterpart was rather small and frail. Maybe a kid. They could have a future in streetfighting.
He did not want to hurt a child but it didn't seem mutual. He had to put an end to the fight. He plunged forward, met the body of his opponent - short and slim, he could confirm - and they rolled to the floor.
They were causing a veritable ruckus but no one seemed to care -not enough to intervene. Some battles were just not yours to fight.
The small individual scratched Jacob's face and he winced. He tried to pin him to the floor but the kid was a true ball of fierceness. They bit his right hand and he swore, in pain.
They rolled on the floor again for a couple of minutes, Jacob trying to get the upper hand while being punched in the face and torso. He ducked their repetitive attacks as best as he could, trying to think and rolling on the floor at the same time.
Suddenly, he felt the cold metal of his sword under his fingers and managed to grab the weapon.
"Sorry but you didn't let me much choice." he groaned when he striked the vagabund on the head with the pommel.
The small and huddled up form whimpered when he carried them to his room, not sparing a second glance at them. Their smell was enough to tell him they were quite drank and were in close proximity to a woman at some point of the night. He felt a certain sympathy for them.
But Jacob was too worried about Fox and her current whereabouts to fuss over an unknown kid. Kid that was already starting to move in his tired arms when he deposited them on his bed. He sighed and lighted a candle. He almost dropped it when the light met the errant child's face. This face was more familiar to him than his own.
He sighed. She would wake up soon and probably they would fight again. They spent their time fighting these days. Jacob was worried about Will. She found him neglectfull and too prone to honour his name. She was not wrong. Not that her friend would admit that.
He had a glimpse at the vixen's wounds from their fight first and then, relieved, he took a look at his own and grimaced. His right hand didn't look good. Fox had bitten him with the vixen's instinct. The blood under her nails were not hers. While drunk, the redheaded girl had let the vixen take the control : she was then more fox than woman. Her night vision was amazing, for the matter.
Well, at least he would not worry anymore about her coming home in the middle of the night. Even when she was not in her best condition, she had almost outdone him and not many people could brag about having done likewise when sober.
Jacob had bandaged his right hand as best as he could and cleaned the scratches on his face - two of them might not fade wholly with time but the other were superficial - when the vixen's openned her eyes. She found Jacob's sword on the chair near the bed she was resting on. She grabbed it swiftly and raised quietly, walking in direction of the door, under which she could see a ray of light.
She opened the door silently and had the individual heating water in the fireplace at swordpoint in a moment.
"Turn around." she exiged, taking a rough voice.
Her head was pounding -and she had a feeling alcohol was not the only responsible- but she needed to get somewhere safe. Well, she was completely dressed when she woke up and the man whose back was facing her didn't seem dangerous, but she would rather be safe than sorry. She met charming men before, and they were rarely as nice as they look.
"It is getting tedious." Jacob said as he looked at her, the fire in the fireplace making shadows play on his face but also evidencing the tiredness in his eyes.
Fox immediatly lowered the sword.
"Sorry. The last thing I remembered was fighting my assaulter. I didn't realised you stepped in." she revealed him.
He frowned at her.
"I didn't assault you. I only opened the door." he said quietly, looking at the fire.
"It was you ? Well, you were armed." she shrugged.
He said Nothing, just bend a bit over the fire, wondering if he should add a log.
For some reason, he was mad at his companion, but didn't feel like fighting now.
From the new angle, the vixen could see his face better.
"Your cheek... Did I did that ?" she shamefully whispered, taking a step closer to the man.
"Nothing that won't heal." he replied sternly.
Fox stayed silent, contemplating his face, lost in her thoughts. Her head was still hurting, but she felt the conversation was not finished. Looking at his scratched cheekbone, something clicked in her head.
"Your hand... I bit you !" she remembered and took his arm to check the damage she caused.
"Uncapacited for the moment, I guess. Luckily I have two of them. How are your ribs ? Mine would be fine, only bruised." Jacob said briskly.
Fox couldn't see what was wrong. She was holding her alcohol pretty well, and even if her head was a bit of a mess it was more likely because of Jacob knocking her senses out of her. She could think easily.
"I think I would know if they were broken." she answered eventually. "Are you cold ? The night is not so cold we'll need a fire." she said, not willing to go back to sleep.
"You are more drunk than I thought. I am heating water." her friend said, all pretense of patience forgotten.
"But why ?" she asked puzzled.
She shouldn't have. In Jacob's insides, a storm was brewing.
"Why do we heat water for ?" he asked harshly, raising an ironic eyebrow.
"You want to take a bath now ?" Fox asked, not understanding.
The blow to her head was not helping. And maybe she was not as sober as she liked to believe.
"You are reeking of alcohol and cheap perfume." Jacob answered with a sneer.
He didn't even know why he was cross with her.
"Oh please, as if you are not yourself familiar with them." Fox snapped at him.
Honestly, he was looking for it.
"I am an adult !" he protested, crossing his arms, looking younger than usual.
The image would have been endearing if he had not hurt her with his words more than he had sooner with his fists.
"And what do you think I am ? A twelve years old ?" she said angrily.
Oh, it hurt so much.
"I am not the little sister you need to protect, Jacob ! I managed pretty well without you when you were at your fairy's island or in your own world." she carried on.
The man looked at her, stunned.
"I don't-"
"Do you think I am not worried too when you come back home at dawn ?"
Guilt was not a feeling Jacob's was unfamiliar with. Yet it doesn't me he didn't try to fight it when it came at his door.
"You are wearing man's clothes." Jacob observed, because what else was there to say ?
He hadn't notice before, used to women wearing trousers.
"I know you don't give a damn, but can you at least do as if you were listening to me ? Yes, I'm wearing man's clothes. I didn't hear you complaining when Clara wore them." Fox said with venom.
"She is from my world, women wore such clothes there. Not in your world. But what does it have to do with Clara ?"
Everything, Jacob, everything, she wanted to yell. Since Clara, it got worse. Love was consumming her.
"Looking like a boy is safer at night. You should stop the fire. I don't feel like bathing tonight. If the smell bothers you, I'll sleep in this room. We've slept on worse floors." she said instead.
Jacob took her wrist. He was only wearing a loose shirt not wholly buttonned and pants and Fox caught her breath when their eyes met in the semi-obscurity.
"I don't think you're an irresponsable child. We both know you're the more mature between the two of us. Without you, I'll be lost. Well, technically, I'll probably be dead, if I am honest." he said, not letting go of her shirt's sleeve.
"Jacob, you can't know how much you mean to me." she answered, all seriousness.
He loosened his hold on her arm and laughed lightly, shaking his head. It was like he detained a secret she was not privy of that made what she said preposterous.
"There is nobody I like more than you. You are everything. I'm a treasure's hunter, and I still have to make a discovery that I'll treasure more than you." he said gently.
"Well, if it is what you say to girls to convince them to invite you in their rooms, it's a wonder not one have the sense to say no." Fox laughed half-heartedly.
"Do you really think I talk to them like I talk to you?"
Fox blanched. Jacob had never, never said so blatantly he was not interested in her.
"Are you alright ?"
Jacob's sollicitude was just too much.
"Yes. The headache-" she said weakly.
"Sorry. I didn't want to strike you so strongly. You should go to bed." he said, gesturing to the bedroom they shared.
The innkeepers were not too regarding concerning the personal lives of their clients.
"I am reeking of alcohol and girl perfume, remember ?" she said.
Jacob smiled.
"As you said, I am used to the smell. Let's get some hours of rest.
Half an hour later, they were side by side on the bed and none of them could sleep.
Minutes went by. Fox was almost asleep when she realised Jacob was crying lightly. None of them cried much and she quickly felt worried.
To her dismay, Jacob was fast asleep. Nonetheless, he cried, Will's name on his lips. Fox sighed and shook him.
Jacob moved in his sleep, groaning. It took him a bit of time but he opened his eyes.
"Fox." he mumbled, trying to reach for her in the dark.
She stroked his scratched cheek and brang him closer to her, close enough to touch him and to hold him.
They entangled their bodies together, the vixen holding the treasures hunter tight.
It was her way to say that they'll found, that they'll manage, that she was here now and forever.
She was not sure he understood it all, but it didn't matter.
"Sorry to inflige you this. People are not always so understanding." Jacob murmured.
They were still hugging each other.
"It is fine. I am not like the women you slept with, I thought we established that." Fox said, tensing.
She wondered if Jacob perceived it, because he held her closer. Her head was against his heart, listening his beating. The moth... She shivered. It was bad memories. She could have lost him so easily.
"Right. You are so much more." Jacob whispered to hear before kissing softly her forehead.
"Jacob, I -"
The young woman was not sure what she was about to say but her partner shushed her.
"We'll talk tomorrow. You're still reeking of someone else's perfume and we really should sleep." he constated, playing with her hair.
She smiled in the night, lulled by the tempo of her companion's heart.
"Right. Tomorrow. Would you mind if I spent the night in your arms nevertheless ? You are warm." she asked, half asleep.
Jacob rearranged himself to sleep more comfortably, keeping an arm around the vixen.
"Be my guest." he whispered back.
They both had a smile on their face when they fell asleep. Tomorrow was more promising than ever.