"Ah, so this is Quarrycrest!" Cyrus said as he looked around curiously. The small town nestled in the Cliftlands was his destination, and he was eager to find Odette to see if she could help him in his search for the missing book he was looking for. Tressa suddenly ran past him, her head jerking back and forth as she looked around excitedly.
"Oh man, a mining town! I bet I can find a bunch of cool stuff to sell here!" she said, and she grabbed Ophilia and Therion by the their arms and dragged them off. "C'mon guys, help me find something to sell!" Therion protested loudly as he struggled to escape her grip, and Ophilia just giggled and accepted her fate.
"She certainly is enthusiastic, isn't she?" Primrose said, an amused smile crossing her face.
"Sure is." Alfyn said with a laugh. He then gave Olberic a friendly slap on the back. "Hey, let's hit up the tavern! All this travelin's got me real thirsty." Olberic let out a hearty laugh and nodded.
"I'm always up for a good mug of ale. You think you can beat me this time?" the warrior said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Wait a minute! I won last time!" Alfyn protested as the two started off in the direction of the tavern. H'aanit chuckled and shook her head. As she remembered, neither one of them won their last drinking contest, because it ended with both of them passed out on the tavern floor.
Primrose rolled her eyes. "I guess I will join those two. They need a proper judge for their silly contest." she said. She looked to H'aanit and asked, "Would you like to join us?"
H'aanit glanced over at Cyrus and shook her head. "Nay. I am going to helpen Cyrus find his old friend first." Primrose raised an eyebrow at her and nodded, a grin crossing her face.
"Okay then, you two have fun." she said with a wink. H'aanit cocked her head, confused. "Oh, H'aanit, do stop by the tavern when you are done. We have some things to chat about." Before H'aanit could ask her what she meant by that, Primrose was already walking away to catch up with Alfyn and Olberic. H'aanit shrugged at Linde, who purred in response, before she turned to Cyrus.
"Ah, if you want to go with them, you are most welcome to, H'aanit. You'd probably have more fun with the others." Cyrus said, a wave of guilt passing through him as he frowned. He did like spending time with her, but he did not want her to feel like she needed to be here if she didn't want to. This wasn't exactly going to be the most exciting day.
H'aanit smiled and gently touched his arm. "You needn't worry about that. If I did not want to be here, I would have gone. I enjoy thine company." she said.
Cyrus laughed as H'aanit's hand slipped from his arm. "I am flattered that a remarkable woman such as yourself likes hanging around a long-winded bore like me." he said.
The huntress shook her head. "Nay, thou is far from boring. I learnen much from talking with you. We haveth the most interesting conversations." H'aanit said. She then notice that Cyrus was holding something in his hands and she asked "What is that?"
"Oh! Yes, well, this is a letter from Odette, which has directions to her house. And..." he trailed off suddenly and a light blush rose on his cheeks, and H'aanit was too perplexed at his reaction to not question it.
"And?"
"Er, nothing. Just, ah, some minuscule other things that she wrote about. N-nothing of importance." Cyrus said, stumble over his words a bit as he adverted his gaze. H'aanit stared at him for a moment before she lunged forward, reaching out to try and grab the letter. Cyrus reacted quickly and held the letter over his head, glad that he was a good length taller than her.
"H'aanit! Really, it's nothing!" he said, unable to hold back his laughter as she raised herself up on her tip-toes in a failed effort to reach the paper in his hands. When Cyrus had first met her, H'aanit had seemed the serious, no-nonsense type. However, the more time they spent together and more comfortable they became around one another, she began to let slip a playful side to her personality that Cyrus found incredibly adorable.
In his moment of distraction, he failed to notice Linde approaching from behind, and he was unprepared as the snow leopard headbutted the back of his legs, knocking him off balance enough for H'aanit to snatch the letter from his hands. Mortified, Cyrus took a step to try and grab it back, but he was stopped in his tracks. He turned his head to find that Linde was the culprit, her mouth clamped shut on the end of his coat.
"Linde! How could you betray me like this?" Cyrus said, shooting her a look of faux distress. Linde just purred innocently, her eyes moving from him to H'aanit, who suddenly burst out laughing. Cyrus blushed madly and turned back to her. "Oh, how embarrassing."
H'aanit was hit with a fit of uncontrollable laughter after she read the contents of Odette's letter. His old friend really didn't pull any punches when it came to pointing out Cyrus' complete disregard of how attractive he was to women. He was indeed a conventionally attractive man; she would have to be blind not to see it. He was also charismatic, which only amplified his physical attractiveness. What H'aanit found most hilarious about this letter is the fact that Odette had predicted the cause of Cyrus' forced sabbatical.
"This Odette ist ratheren blunt. And she can apparently predict the future." H'aanit teased, holding the letter out to Cyrus, who quickly took it and shoved it away.
"Yes, yes. It is quite ironic that her warning actually would have been most helpful. But alas," he said, placing the back of his hand over his forehead dramatically, "Woe is me, never to realize the full depth of my good looks and charisma!" When H'aanit doubled over, wheezing from laughing so hard, he couldn't keep a straight face and his own laughter loudly intermingled with hers.
After spending a moment composing themselves, Cyrus cleared his throat and quickly scanned the letter again. "Right. As much as I would love to keep amusing you to coax out that beautiful laugh of yours, we should make haste to Odette's house." H'aanit blushed and nodded, falling into step beside him as he led the way, while Linde followed close behind.
They were soon standing in front of a modest home, sitting on a cliff overlooking the rest of the town. H'aanit was curious to meet this Odette. It was obvious that Cyrus held her in high regard, and she wanted to see how another scholar compared to him.
"I cannot believe it's been ten whole years..." Cyrus mumbled to himself. "I wonder if she will recognize me."
"I thinken you would be hard to forgeten, Cyrus." H'aanit said, earning a chuckle from him. He moved to the door and gave it a few firm raps with his knuckles.
"Yes, yes, I'll be right there!" a muffled voice said from within, and after a few moments, the door opened and out stepped a light-haired woman, who H'aanit assumed was Odette.
"Ah, it's been some time, Odette!" Cyrus said, beaming at her. Odette stared at him for a moment before retreating back inside and slamming the door in his face. Cyrus blinking in confusion, stealing a glance at H'aanit who just shrugged in response. Maybe she did forget who he was.
The door reopened and Odette stepped back outside. "Huh. You're still hear. Good to know that I'm not suffering from any hallucinations yet." she said, a grin crossing her face.
"Yes, it is indeed me, in the flesh! It is very good to see you looking as hale and hearty as ever." Cyrus responded. Odette rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the door.
"And you're as insufferable as ever. Well, come in then." she said, not looking back. Cyrus chuckled and followed, and H'aanit did the same, while Linde curled outside the door to take a quick nap.
Odette turned to Cyrus once they were inside and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well? Are you going to introduce me to your friend or what?" she said, her gaze moving from him to H'aanit.
"Oh, yes, how rude of me! Odette, this is H'aanit. H'aanit, Odette, a dear old friend from the academy." he said.
"Tis good to meeten thee. Cyrus has spoken most highly of thee." H'aanit said, holding out her hand to Odette. The older woman smiled and shoot it firmly.
"Good to meet you as well. I hope Cyrus hasn't been too unbearable to be around. He will talk your ear off if you let him." Odette said, raising an eyebrow.
"Nay. Fortunately I liken his excessive rambling." H'aanit said, earning a laugh from Odette.
"Well, good on you for tolerating him. I probably would have ditched him on the side of the road by now if I was traveling with him."
"Tis tempting some days."
"I am standing right here." Cyrus said, pouting as an embarrassed blush crossed his face.
"We know. We're just teasing you, Cyrus. It is quite easy to do, after all." Odette said. "But anyway, what are you doing all the way out here? Aren't you still teaching at the royal academy?"
"Er, yes, well..." Cyrus mumbled, before he told Odette of the unfortunate circumstances that led to his sabbatical. Odette barely managed to hold out until he was finished speaking before bursting out laughing so hard that tears were running down her face by the time she was able to compose herself.
"How did I know that would be your reaction?" Cyrus groaned, sighing as he covered his face with a hand in shame.
"He was always like this." Odette said to H'aanit when she caught her breath. "We were practically joined at the hit back in the day." H'aanit could see it. They talked like they still were, and not like they hadn't seen each other in ten years.
"I always knew you would have trouble with the ladies, but with the princess of all people!" Odette continued, turning back to Cyrus. "I don't know how you managed to always exceed my expectations of you."
"And I thought that maybe your observational skills would improve over time. How naive of me." She turned her head to stare at H'aanit, who blinked at her, confused.
"What do you mean?" Cyrus asked, apparently also confused by the statement. Odette just waved it off.
"Nevermind. So, why did you come here again? Just to tell me of this latest and greatest blunder of yours?"
"Unfortunately, no." Cyrus said, and H'aanit watched silently as the two scholars discussed the missing book that Cyrus was searching for. She suddenly felt a bit out of place here. She did want to help Cyrus out, but she felt that she would just be in the way here at the moment.
"Pardon me." H'aanit said, grabbing the attention of the scholars before they got too engrossed in their discussion. "I believe it would be best if I taken my leave now. I do not want to disturb thy research, and I fear that this ist not my area of expertise." Plus, she remembered that Primrose wanted to speak with her. She was most curious about that.
"Ah yes, I apologize, my dear H'aanit. When I am done here, I will see you at the tavern?" Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded in response. "Ah, good! Thank you for accompanying me here. I am most grateful for the company." Cyrus was slightly sad that she was leaving, but he most certainly did not want her to stay if she felt uncomfortable or anything.
"Anytime. T'was nice meeting you, Odette. Taken care." she said as she headed towards the door.
"Likewise. I hope to see you again, H'aanit." Odette said. Cyrus watched her leave, and when the door shut behind her, he turned back to Odette to find her staring at him with a rather intense look.
"...What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Cyrus asked.
"So, about H'aanit...How did you two meet?" she asked, ignoring his own question. He tilted his head, confused at the sudden change of subject, but he was glad that Odette wanted to know more about his friend.
"Well, we met in Atlasdam, just before my unfortunate incident." Cyrus said, and he narrowed his eyes when it looked like Odette would burst out laughing again, but she managed to contain herself. "She and a few others assisted me with a separate problem. There are eight of us total traveling together, helping each other with varying quests."
"You two seem to be rather close."
"Ah, yes! I suppose we have become rather attached to each other." Cyrus said, his eyes lighting up. "She is an intelligent and self-sufficient woman. And her physical strength is unparalleled! Not to mention that her skills as a huntress are near perfect, from what I can tell with my limited knowledge of the profession. I have learned quite a bit from her." His rambling was cut off when Odette suddenly groaned loudly and smacked a hand over her face.
"Gods. Cyrus!" she said with frustration, causing Cyrus to blink at her, confused. "I thought that maybe ten years would be enough time for you to get your shit together, but you're just as painfully dense as ever."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You're obviously head-over-heels in love with this woman."
Silence filled the room for a few moments before Cyrus laughed. "Preposterous! Where did you ever come up with that idea?" he asked. Odette was just making baseless claims. H'aanit was just a good friend, nothing more. How silly of her to think otherwise.
"Really, Cyrus? You really just think of her as a friend? Because I've never seen your eyes light up quite like when you were gushing about her just now. Not even when you made breakthroughs in your research all those years ago." Odette countered, raising an eyebrow at him.
That statement gave him pause. Did his eyes really light up that much when he talked about H'aanit? He always felt happy when speaking to her, or about her, or even when he was just thinking about her. She was important to him, but so were the rest of his friends. But...did he always have this warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach when it was anyone but her?
Odette watched as Cyrus frowned and furrowed his brow, and she smirked. She could practically see the gears turning in his head. Good. She had at least gotten him to think about his feelings for once. Maybe this time his idiot brain would be able to comprehend how deep his feelings for H'aanit went. She sure hoped so, for both of their sake's.
"Anyway, as much as I would like to help you stop being an idiot, we don't have twenty years to spare. Before I can help you with your problem, there is something that I need help with first..."
H'aanit entered the tavern, with Linde following close behind. She saw that Olberic, Alfyn, and Therion were at one table, with many empty mugs of ale littering the surface. She shook her head at the sight and made her way to a table a few away from the men, where Primrose, Tressa, and Ophilia were currently chatting quietly.
"Ah, H'aanit. There you are." Primrose said when H'aanit sat down next to her. "Did Cyrus find his friend okay?"
"Yes. I leften them to their discussion." she said, taking the mug of ale that Tressa offered her.
"Ah, good," Primrose said, setting her hands on the table and lacing her fingers together, "because we have to talk. About you and Cyrus." H'aanit raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Tressa and Ophilia, who were both watching and listening intently.
"I don't know what therest to talk about." H'aanit said, frowning as she took a slow sip of her drink.
"Are you sure? You guys are pretty close now, right?" Tressa asked, a huge grin crossing her face. "When are you gonna hurry up and kiss him already?"
"W-what?" H'aanit sputtered, and she was glad that she had already swallowed her drink or it would have ended up all over the table.
"Tressa, please. They're not quite at that stage yet." Primrose said, earning a giggle from Ophilia. Primrose rolled her eyes when H'aanit gaped at her in shock.
"Don't give me that look. Everyone here except for you and Cyrus thinks there's something going on between you two. I've talked to Olberic about it." Primrose said.
"...Really? Why?" H'aanit asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. She didn't think that her and Cyrus had done anything that would imply that they were anything more than friends.
Ophilia giggled and decided to chime in. "Well, remember when we were in Stoneguard? We were all worried when you and Cyrus never showed up at the tavern." she started.
"Oh yeah! And when we went to look for you, we found you guys sleeping in each other's arms! It was so cute!" Tressa interrupted, and she sighed dreamily. "It was like something out of a romance novel."
"B-but that wasn't..." H'aanit said, but she trailed off as her face flushed at the memory. She remembered that night quite well. Cyrus had been a source of comfort after the jarring discovery of her master's fate. They had both awoken the next morning, with Cyrus lying on his back, while H'aanit lay over him, her head resting on his chest while his arms were wrapped securely around her. It had been a bit awkward, but Cyrus didn't seem too fazed by it. She remembered the warm feeling that she had in her chest for the rest of that day after the fact, and her eyes widened when she realized that the three woman in front of her may be onto something.
"H'aanit, you're face is as red as a tomato. Thinking about him, are you?" Primrose teased, chuckling when H'aanit swallowed hard and adverted her gaze.
"W-well. I do not knowen what I feel for him. This is...an unfamiliar feeling for me. Cyrus...is not really a man I thought I would be attracted to." she said, looking down at the table as she rubbed her hands together nervously.
"Oh? What sort of man did you think you'd be drawn to?" Ophilia asked, leaning forward with great interest. Tressa and Primrose also stared at her, waiting with baited breath.
H'aanit thought about it for a moment before answering. "I never puten that much thought into it, but I thinken that I'd wanten a man who was stronger than me." she said, nodding. She looked up from the table when Tressa laughed, causing her to frown. "What ist so funny?"
"Geez, I don't think that leaves many men for you then. You're the strongest person I've ever met, H'aanit. You even beat Olberic at arm wrestling!" the merchant said, raising her eyebrows at the huntress.
"Luckily," Primrose chimed in, "there are many types of strength that are not physical." H'aanit agreed with her. She herself had an unmatched physical prowess, but was lacking in other areas of strength. Cyrus popped into her head once more. His intellectual strength was unlike anything she had seen before, and he also was extremely gifted in the magical arts. His charisma was also impressive, and they were all good strengths to have that she herself was lacking.
"You're thinking about Cyrus again, aren't you?" Primrose's voice snapped H'aanit out of her own thoughts, and she found that Tressa and Ophilia were giggling while Primrose smirked at her. "You have the most adorable smile on your face."
H'aanit quickly covered her face with her hands when she realized that she was indeed grinning like a madman. Adverting her gaze, she felt her cheeks heating up as she shifted a bit in her chair.
"N-nay, I was just-"
"Don't even try to deny it." Tressa interrupted, rolling her eyes, "You can be honest with us, H'aanit. You and Cyrus happen to be the most dense people in the world, and we thought we could help you sort your feelings out." Primrose and Ophilia nodded in agreement.
H'aanit looked back up and a small smile crossed her face. "Ah, I knoweth you all mean well. I will...think about what you've said. I thanketh you all for thine help." she said. She was grateful that she had met such wonderful friends.
"Ah, Cyrus! You finally made it! Join us for a drink already!"
Olberic's booming voice rang throughout the tavern, and H'aanit turned find Cyrus crossing the room. His eyes met hers and he smiled brightly, causing her heartbeat to quicken. Primrose suddenly stood up from their table and pulled H'aanit to her feet.
"Well, now that our discussion is over, let's join our male counterparts, shall we?" she asked, winking at H'aanit as Tressa and Ophilia followed suit. They joined the men at their table, all sitting down before H'aanit and conveniently leaving an empty seat beside Cyrus. H'aanit tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she sat down.
"Ah, H'aanit! How was your chat with Primrose?" Cyrus asked, quickly thanking Olberic for the mug of ale before turning his full attention on her. H'aanit clenched her jaw and gave him a nervous smile. She didn't really want to talk about the details with him, especially since she was still sorting out her feelings for him.
"'Twas, ah, fine." she said, taking a quick drink to hide her blush. "Did Odette helpen you with your search for that book?" She was hoping that the question would be enough to change the subject.
Cyrus shrugged as he took a sip of his drink. "She is going to look into it for me, but while she does, she asked me to help her with a problem she's been having." H'aanit watched him curiously as he continued.
"Apparently some of the townsfolk have gone missing lately. I did some investigating, and I think I may have a lead. I think the culprit may have taken the missing people to the sewers." He stared intensely at his drink as he drummed his fingers against the sides of the mug. "It seems that people rarely venture down there, so it would be a perfect location for holding the abducted people."
"Aye, 'tis concerning indeed." H'aanit said, a frown crossing her face. "An underground place liken the sewers would be home to many a monster if not regularly visited by humans."
"My thoughts exactly. I am thinking of venturing down there in the morning." he said, and he suddenly reached over and took one of H'aanit's hands in his, causing her to freeze and stare at him with wide eyes.
"H'aanit...I hate to ask this of you, as putting you in any kind of danger makes me rather nervous." Cyrus paused when H'aanit narrowed her eyes at him. He quickly added, "Er, not that I think you cannot handle yourself in a fight. I know you have no equal when it comes to wielding a bow with ease."
Her eyes softened at his words, and a faint blush rose in her cheeks. She nodded slightly, urging him to continue.
"Ah, yes, well, I was hoping that you would accompany me. I trust you with my life, and I know that I can count on you to watch my back. Or carry me to safety if I do something careless...again." he said, laughing when H'aanit rolled her eyes.
"Please don't doeth that again. If you loseth that much blood once more thou may not recover so quickly the second time." she said, chuckling as she reflexively gave his hand a squeeze. The both suddenly became hyper aware of the fact that they were still holding hands. Cyrus pulled his hand away and cleared his throat, hoping to hide his embarrassment. H'aanit's heart raced as she gulped and adverted her gaze.
"Y-yes, I will be sure to take extra precautions this time around." Cyrus said, smiling sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. A fuzzy feeling crept into his stomach and he suddenly felt quite warm. Was the ale having an effect on him already? He wasn't quite sure why he was feeling so weird. He hoped that he wasn't getting sick.
"Good." H'aanit responded, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I will helpen thee. 'Tis what friends do foren each other, yes?" The word friend rolled off her tongue, and it felt weird, like it really wasn't the right word to describe their relationship. Her mind wandered to the conversation that she just had with Primrose, Tressa, and Ophilia, and her stomach turned anxiously. Maybe...maybe she was starting to fall for him?
Happiness surged through Cyrus as a bright smile crossed his face. "I'm rather glad that I have such a wonderful friend, H'aanit. You really are someone special to me." he said. He was honestly quite surprised at how close they were, seeing as they were very different people. He couldn't have asked for a better best friend. As Cyrus thought more about it, though, categorizing their relationship that way seemed...hollow. Like it was not a strong enough label. He thought about what Odette had said to him earlier, and his eyes widened. No, that wasn't it. She was jumping to conclusions. He couldn't possibly be in love with H'aanit. He felt the same about her that he did the other women of their group.
Hmm, no. That wasn't right at all. Just thinking about H'aanit was enough to send his heart a flutter, but he could not recall that ever happening with the others. This was...rather confusing. He had no idea what to make of his feelings, and that perplexed him.
"Er, are you guys alright? You're faces are awfully red. Should I take a look at ya?"
H'aanit and Cyrus snapped back to reality and looked across the table at Alfyn, who was staring at them with a raised eyebrow. The rest of the table was also looking at hem curiously. Primrose caught H'aanit's eye and shot her a knowing grin, and H'aanit clenched her jaw and shook her head.
"Nay, I am fine. 'Tis just...a little warm in here." H'aanit said, sneaking a glance at Cyrus. His face was looking rather red, and she hoped that he wasn't getting sick.
Cyrus cleared his throat and waved a hand in Alfyn's direction. "Not to worry! I am fit as a fiddle. Just, ah, maybe I need to cut myself off after this mug." he said, laughing halfheartedly as he downed the rest of his drink. He then quickly changed the subject. "Ah, yes, by the way, I may need some help with a task in the morning." He said before telling the rest of the table his plans for the sewer exploration in the morning. H'aanit sighed in relief as she joined the conversation, and both of them were glad for the distraction from their confusing feelings.
The next morning, Cyrus and H'aanit made for the sewers, with Olberic and Ophilia tagging along to help. After fighting their way through the creatures lurking in the dank underground, they came upon a disturbing sight. A room glowing red from the strange markings on the floor, dead bodies drained of their blood, and mysterious crystals that seemed to be made from said blood. It disturbed the party of adventurers greatly, but they had to remain vigilant, for it seemed that some of the captives remained alive. When the kidnapper showed up, the group fought a hard battle, but managed to subdue him.
After Cyrus acquired the false abridged copy of the book he was searching for, and escorting the surviving villagers back to town, H'aanit found herself walking at his side, heading for Odette's house once more.
Something was off, however. Cyrus hadn't said a word since leaving the sewers, and his face was expressionless, with a distant look in his eyes. She had never seen him like this, and it worried her. When they were within sight of Odette's house, H'aanit stopped walking as she reached out and took hold of Cyrus's arm. He stopped at the sudden touch and blinked a few times before turning to look at her.
"Hm? Oh...what is it, H'aanit?" he asked, his voice unusually quiet. Her heart hurt as she detected great sadness in his tone. Something big was troubling him.
"Is...is thou alright, Cyrus? Thou has been very quiet." she said as she continued to hold his arm. She finally took note that he was shaking slightly, a very deep contrast to the normally confident and well-composed demeanor that he normally held.
He didn't answer right away as he adverted his gaze to the ground. He closed his eyes and visibly swallowed, and then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He reopened his eyes and looked back up at H'aanit.
"H'aanit, I...What that man did...It was abhorrent. That he was using ancient knowledge to complete these despicable acts. I feel...deeply disturbed." Cyrus said, pausing as he spoke to find the right words for what he was feeling. A mix of nausea and guilt had been plaguing him since he realized what had gone on in that sewer. He had never seen such a gruesome practice before. It was jarring, and he was having a hard time processing his feelings.
"I just feel like I could have done more for those poor people. If I had just gotten here sooner. If I had figured out where he was in a more timely fashion...those victims might still be alive. Such...such a pointless waste of life." Cyrus continued, a pained look crossing his face as he closed his eyes, letting out a shaky sigh. His eyes shot open in surprise when he felt H'aanit's arms wrap around him, and she pulled him into a firm hug.
H'aanit didn't know what had compelled her to hug him. Maybe because seeing Cyrus looking so sad made her feel like her heart was breaking in two, and she couldn't just stand there and do nothing to comfort him. He had been there for her when she needed him. She wanted to do the same for him, to help him when he was in need of support.
"Cyrus, thou must not blameth thyself for another man's horrible acts." she said, "Thou did what thine could, and because of that, you savened many lives. 'Tis an admirable and selfless act. You'ren a good man. Nevern forget that." She felt him tense for a moment, and then he chuckled as he rested his forehead against her shoulder. She could practically feel the tension leave his body as he wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug.
"Ah, H'aanit. Thank you so much. You are right, I cannot falter now. I must stop whoever using this forbidden knowledge before anyone else is hurt." he said. He lifted his head from her shoulder and locked his eyes with her, so close that their noses were almost touching and she could feel his breath on her face. H'aanit's heart jumped to her throat, and she forgot how to breathe for a moment. "You really are an incredible woman. Everyday I count myself lucky to have run into you back in Atlasdam."
"O-oh..." H'aanit managed to squeak out, her face flushing with heat, and it felt like a swarm of butterflies had taken flight in her stomach. She cleared her throat and adverted her gaze.
"You...you should probably go and speaketh to Odette. She ist probably waiting for you." H'aanit said quickly, and she regretfully released her hold on him and stepped backwards.
"Ah, yes, I shouldn't keep her waiting." Cyrus said, trying to hide his disappointment when H'aanit stepped away. He could still feel the lingering heat of her arms around him, and his head was spinning from how happy he felt embracing her.
"I willst waiten out here. I...still needed more fresh air after being in those sewers." she said quickly, turning to look over the cliff side at the town below. She took a few deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart, and hoped that Cyrus hadn't noticed.
Cyrus smiled and turned towards Odette's house. "Very well, I shall try not to take too long." he said as he strode away, and all of the gloominess he had felt minutes ago had vanished like it had never been there at all.
After being chastised yet again by Odette for yet again unintentionally flirting with a woman and successfully figuring out where he was off to next in his search for the missing book, Cyrus was about to bid farewell to his old friend, but she stopped him at the door.
"Cyrus." she said, and he raised an eyebrow at her serious tone. "Regarding H'aanit, have you thought about what we discussed yesterday?" She chuckled as he blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Ah, yes, I have indeed." he said, biting his bottom lip nervously. "I think there may be some truth to your...observations. I still need to think about it more, but I thank you for bringing the issue to my attention. I am indeed rather dense when it comes to this kind of thing."
"Well that's the understatement of the century." Odette said as she burst out laughing. She was happy that he was finally starting to pay attention to his feelings. She knew for sure that he felt something for this H'aanit. She had been watching them through the window before Cyrus had stopped by, and had witnessed their rather intimate-looking embrace. She was curious to see if he would actually be able to act upon his feelings.
"And with that, I think I should be off. This task will not complete itself." Cyrus said, taking Odette's hand and shaking it firmly. "Thank you again, Odette, for everything."
"You're welcome. It was good to see you, Cyrus. Take care, and good luck." she said, and out the door he went.
He headed back down the path towards town, and found H'aanit in the same place he left her, standing at he edge of the cliff overlooking the town. Linde was sitting next to her, and she growled a pleased growl when she noticed him approaching. H'aanit turned to meet his gaze, and the smile that crossed her face gave him pause. It was a beautiful sight, and he found himself smiling right back at her.
"Ah, Cyrus, did thou findeth what thou needed to knowen?" she asked when he walked up next to her. He nodded and looked down at the book he was holding. It was only a copy of the one he was looking for, but it had given him a lead on where to find the true copy of "The Far Reaches of Hell."
"I found out where I need to search next anyway." he said, "This book is bound with lambskin and the paper is made with pinewood. There is only one place that I can think of where both can be found in sufficient quantities, and that place is Stoneguard." He noticed that H'aanit's eyes darkened a bit at the mention of the town, as that is where her master was currently trapped in his petrified state. He gave her a small smile and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
H'aanit calmed in response to his touch. "Aye, I willst be fine, Cyrus. It will be good to checken up on master, and Hagen as well." she said. She decided to change the subject and asked "Did thou say that the book was bound with lambskin?" When he nodded, she continued, "It just reminded me of my experience hunting wild goats."
"Oh? Very interesting." Cyrus said, his eyes lighting up as he waiting for H'aanit to continue. He always enjoyed hearing her talk about her passion for hunting, because she always had a giddy excitement that radiated off of her as she spoke.
"Yes, their fur is highly valued, especially when unmarred by wounds..." she said, and he listened intently as she lectured on, and he was completely hooked on absorbing her knowledge on the subject. She really seemed to have a knack for educating. How curious.
"H'aanit, I dare say, I believe you have a talent for teaching. Perhaps it is something that would interest you in the future?" he said. Her face scrunched up in disapproval, and he couldn't help but chuckle, and note that she looked rather cute.
"Nay. I thinke not." she said quickly, shaking her head firmly.
"You seem quite sure about that."
"I preferen the hunt itself."
"Well, pedagogy's loss is hunting's gain I suppose." Cyrus said, shrugging. "I'll just have to learn all I can from you and do the teaching myself."
"Indeed. You certainly excel at your profession. I mighten have to try being thou's student sometime." H'aanit said.
"It would be an honor to teach such a driven woman such as yourself, dear H'aanit! But for now, we should get a move on. I'm sure our friends are waiting for us." Cyrus said. H'aanit nodded and they headed back to town, side-by-side, where they both felt their happiest, and they were slowly starting to realize why.
