Lili Catanach: a young woman of twenty three, pretty average- at least in her opinion, normal height and weight for someone her age, deep auburn hair, meadow green eyes, fair skin and freckles, who was born into a good family- though she never really knew her parents and was raised by her grandfather- and inherited her grandfather's bookstore cafe named, Silverbell, and his cottage upon his passing.
She was a hard worker, working twelve hour shifts five days a week, and ran Silverbell by herself. Her grandfather, Magnus, loved Silverbell so she did her best to make sure it stayed open. Being the only bookstore in town helped, too. She kept to herself though, for the most part, when she wasn't talking with customers and patrons. And she was fine with that, though she did have a few close friends that she had grown up with that helped to keep her grounded.
On the night that her life changed forever, it was just as normal and quiet as any other. Lili was just about ready to close up shop, having let the last customer out an hour ago, when a loud bang sounded in the alley behind Silverbell. Ardon was not a town known for its crime; it was a fairly peaceful northern European heritage community where everyone pretty much knew everyone. Lili figured it was just some stray cats getting into the trash again. When she grabbed her things, locked the doors, and started heading home, a flash of green light came from the alley and more loud banging echoed as the light flickered like a fire. Lili hurried to the alley, hoping there wasn't a fire, and found instead a strange man she had never seen before clad in medieval style armor consisting of greaves, bracers, chestplate, and pauldrons with thick fur.
"Are you alright?" she called out, trying to step through the mess she found in the alley. The man looked incredibly dazed, but otherwise fine. When she reached him, he started to slump forward a bit so she rushed to steady him and keep him on his feet. 'Shit, he's heavy..!' She steadied him and looked at him for a moment. "I live really close. Come on." She pulled an arm around her shoulders and slowly guided him through the alley and on towards her home without a second thought.
"Shit, come on... ah, there we go!"
It didn't take long for them to reach her house, even if it took longer that it would if Lili had gone by herself, and after fumbling with her keys for a moment or two Lili opened the door and led the strange man inside, setting him gently on the couch.
He was weary, hadn't said a word the whole way there, and made no protest as Lili helped him out of his armor. He lay back on the couch at her instruction as she hurried off to grab extra blankets for him. When she returned and covered him with the blankets, he reached up and grasped her hand before saying thank you.
Lili smiled and squeezed his hand gently. "Of course. Get some rest and we can talk in the morning, alright?" She set his hand over his chest and checked his forehead to make sure he didn't have a fever. When she looked down, the man had already passed out. "Sleep well, stranger."
Heading up the stairs, Lili went into her room and slid out of her clothes before hopping into the shower. As the warm water rushed over her skin, she wondered where the strange man had come from, why he'd be wearing armor, what happened to land him in her life. She had a feeling that he wouldn't be going anywhere for awhile. Feeling the pangs of sleep pulling at her from all directions, she quickly dried off and slipped into a fresh pair of panties and a camisole tank, brushed out her hair and threw it into a loosely braided bun before sliding under the blankets and laying back on her bed.
'This will be interesting.'
The sunlight peeked through the curtains, shining down on the strange man's face. He stirred from his slumber, finding he had a pounding headache but was otherwise unharmed. He sat up slowly, a delicious aroma reaching his nose. When he opened his eyes to look around, he found in front of him a strange young woman holding out a mug of hot liquid- the source of the aroma.
"Morning, sleepy head."
He looked up at the young woman, seeing she was about five foot four inch with a deep auburn hair color that was braided and pinned in a bun, meadow green eyes, fair skin and cute little freckles dotting her face across her cheeks and nose, wearing a pair of plaid fabric shorts and a short sleeved shirt.
"Don't worry, it's coffee."
Cautiously, he took the mug and tasted the liquid. He sat back, sighing with content when he realized that it was as delicious as it smelled.
"See?" The young woman smiled at him before going back to what looked like a kitchen to him. "Hungry?"
"Yes?"
"If you have to question it, then you probably are." She replied, her smile growing. "I'll make us some breakfast."
The man nodded, watching her move about the kitchen grabbing what she needed and stopping for the occasional sip of coffee. He looked around, seeing he was inside a cottage- a very well made one at that.
"So, do you remember what happened last night?"
The man stood, going over to the kitchen island. He shook his head. "I remember falling, but that's really it..."
"I found you out in the alley behind my bookstore. You were really disoriented, but you seem fine now. How are you feeling?"
"Bit of a headache."
"I have some Aleve if you'd like."
"Aleve?"
"Ya, you know, a little blue pill that helps the headaches go away?"
He shrugged, clueless.
The young woman smiled. "Go up the stairs to the room at the end of the hall. There's a medicine cabinet above the sink, the bottle is white with a big red cap. Press down and twist to open it, then take two of the blue pills." She gestured to the stairs.
The man followed her directions, finding his way to what looked like a washroom at the end of the hall. He saw a cabinet above the sink, a mirror built into the door, and within it he found the bottle she spoke of. Pressing down and twisting the cap, he tapped two blue pills into his hand, replaced the cap and returned the bottle to the cabinet before closing it and making his way back down to the kitchen.
"You find it?"
"Yes."
"It's better if you take them with something to drink."
"Do I just swallow them?"
The young woman nodded. "Mmhmm. Two of those puppies will last you all day. They also help relieve any other bodily aches or pain you may be feeling." She gestured to the table. "Go ahead and sit, I'll bring over your plate."
The man did what she instructed, taking a seat at the small table next to the window with his mug of coffee in hand.
The young woman brought over the plates, having made toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, and sausage. She went back for her coffee, then sat across from him. "So do you have a name?"
"Oh, right. Cullen Rutherford."
The young woman smiled. "Nice to meet you, Cullen Rutherford. My name is Lili Catanach."