Title: 006. First Meeting

Rating: G

Words: 491

A/N: Finally, introducing the male lead.


It was a typical busy day in Ratchet. The purple skinned troll took no more than a cursory glance around as he stepped out in the street, adjusting the newly-repaired dagger on his belt. Once the bustling market had had him staring in wide-eyed wonder, but now it was all boringly mundane.

The rogue was about to start for the road leading out of the town, when something collided heavily with his legs with a little 'oomph' sound.

More on instinct than curiosity, he looked down. On the ground beside him sat a small troll child, rubbing at his head. The little boy glanced up and froze when his honey-brown eyes locked with the darker pair far above.

"Ya okey dere, lil' mon?"

Not receiving an answer, the adult troll snorted and reached down to grasp the youngling by the back of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. But when he held the boy at eye level, he suddenly realized how strange the little one looked. The trolls in the area had a tendency towards bluish skintones, but the boy was vibrant moss green, and his hair was dark blood red, rather than the more common lighter tones.

The rogue eyed the whelp dangling in his grip curiously.

"Who you be?"

"Sabe!"

Two heads snapped around at the sound of a woman's voice, and the rogue had scarcely time to blink at the small human woman hurrying towards them, when the little boy one gave a delighted squeal and started squirming in the bigger troll's grasp.

"Mama!"

The troll turned back to the boy incredulously, but there was no mistaking the way he was now struggling in his grip and reaching for the woman. Or, as he cast a quick appraising look at her, the way she twitched as if barely restraining herself from physically tearing the stranger in dark leathers away from her child.

Stranger by the minute, but rogue's life taught you nothing if not rolling with the punches, so he calmly held the boy out at her. He even managed to keep his face impassive, though a small hint of incredulity snuck into his voice.

"This be yours?"

The woman seemed surprised for a moment, but then quickly gathered the boy in her arms, smiling a little when he happily snuggled into her shoulder.

"He certainly thinks so."

The rogue snorted a chuckle at the non-answer, which made the woman look at him. She had the bluest eyes he had ever seen, he noted absently.

"Thank you… for keeping him out of trouble." she said tightly.

Surprised once again, it took the troll a moment to reply.

"…Dun' mention it."

Then, on an impulse, he reached up and fluffed the child's hair, making him giggle shyly.

"Latah, lil' mon."

The woman smiled at him, a surprisingly pleasant smile, and turned away. The rogue watched the odd pair disappear into the crowd, and nodded to himself.

"Latah…"