Shoutout to Mega64 at lparchive . org/ Octopath-Traveller/ for providing the canon moments for me to study! It made writing really easier than having to open up my Nintendo Switch every other second. Kudos to you and continue to do outstanding work!
Trekking on the dirt road of the Riverlands, a group of four unlikely companions headed towards their next designation.
"So, you said the man that you've been looking for lives in Riverford, Olberic?" asked Alfyn, the friendly apothecary, from the head of the pack.
Behind him, Olberic, the stern swordsman nodded, "Yes. He is the one who..."
Therion, the taciturn thief, had stopped listening from there, though it wasn't from a lack of care. Rather it was from the word that was currently ringing in his ears.
Riverford...
The city was familiar to him. In that city, Therion had hid and ran for his life during his younger days. The days of being with him.
Therion closed his eyes against the onslaught of images that rushed to the front of his mind. Memories of his rough hands, smug grin, and sharp eyes. Of his eventual betrayal. In the darkness of his own mind, images of him became clearer and his heart felt heavier. Keeping his eyes shut clearly wasn't helping.
He opened his eyes. They instantly locked onto H'aanit, the calm huntress, who was walking in front of him.
Her long braided hair swished behind her as she turned her head side to side. She was surveying her surroundings, completely unaware of Therion's inner turmoil.
Maybe she was on the lookout for any enemies itching for a fight... A fight sounds like a good idea right about now.
He looked around, waiting for a River Froggen to show up.
In the next minutes, more disheartening memories popped into his mind. Yet, no foes showed up for battle. All was peaceful in the Riverlands.
Therion cursed his luck.
With nothing else to distract him, he turned his attention back to H'aanit.
Her posture wasn't tense and her bow was strung across her back, so she wasn't readying for an ambush. Linde was strolling at her side, so H'aanit wasn't searching for her companion. What was she looking at?
It was as she kept her eyes trained on the water that shimmered in the fading sunlight did Therion see the twinkle of excitement in her eyes.
Therion felt the corner of his lips slowly quirk upwards at the thought of a mature and levelheaded woman such as H'aanit finding joy in something as simple as the scenery.
He stepped next to her.
"... So you find excitement in water."
Turning her twinkling eyes to him, she said, "Truth be told, I do. There is water here, yet the creatures living in it are so different from the ones back home. Nature is simple, yet so diverse. Similar to you, Therion."
"That so?"
"You are a man, but you are different from any other man I've ever met."
He raised an eyebrow, "... I'm guessing that was a compliment?"
"Though you may lack physical strength, you more than make up for it in speed and dexterity. In these areas, you are far stronger than me."
"It's all just experience," he shrugged. Speaking of experience, he took out his dagger and picked up a piece of sturdy wood. Whittling was a mindless task that would surely keep his memories at bay for awhile. Not to mention a productive activity.
Now, he just needed to find out what to make. He looked over at H'aanit again. She was doing a poor job of hiding her glances at his hands. Apparently, he was more exciting than water.
Heh.
Amused at her interest, he decided that he'd give her a show. He started to whittle.
The evening glow of the sun soon faded to black, and with the night came a misty fog. At night, the group's pace naturally slowed down as to avoid any nasty surprises. All the more better for Therion, he would appreciate any time spent away from Riverford.
Having used the cover of darkness more times than he could count, he had no issues with sight. H'aanit also seemed to see decently well. At this point, she completely abandoned sneaking peeks and was now blatantly ogling his hands. He continued to whittle.
Just as the top half of the wood was beginning to look a lot like a certain snow leopard, the group of travelers stopped.
They couldn't have made it to Riverford already. Therion looked up to see what the fuss was.
In front of them, with the pitch black of night as a fitting backdrop, stood a towering wall with an open drawbridge. Coupled with the suddenly foreboding fog, the whole place screamed ominous.
They had reached Riverford.
His breathing picked up. His ears filled with a buzzing sound. He looked back to his piece of wood. He continued to whittle.
After he nearly chopped Effigy Linde's head clean off, he pocketed his knife and wood. That was enough practice for now.
Before he knew it, they were already on the bridge. Therion absentmindedly watched as Olberic pressed a handful of leaves into a shady guard's hand. Soon enough, they passed the wide doorway.
The four travelers stood in the middle of the plaza.
Therion could feel millions of eyes staring straight at him through the fog. He looked down to make sure those stares weren't burning holes into his body. Somehow, he seemed fine.
He unraveled his scarf and wrapped it around his entire head as a makeshift hood, a feeble attempt to hide himself.
Although the group was standing right next to a burning torch, an all encompassing chill racked his body. Shivers ran down his spine.
Before he could rub his arms for warmth, a scorching heat landed on his shoulder. He immediately placed his hand on it to take in more of its heat.
He looked to his shoulder to see the divine sensation. It was a hand. His eyes traced the arm up all the way to her face. H'aanit's caring eyes gazed right back at him. A warmth suddenly seized his chest, almost as if she was melting the cold away.
"—rion. Therion!" Alfyn was calling his name. Therion dragged his eyes away from H'aanit. "Are you alright, friend?"
Ah. Was I that obvious?
"... Yeah? I was just thinking," Therion didn't lie. He was alright. He could still steal as flawlessly as ever. His mind was just preoccupied. He shifted his eyes away from Alfyn's concerned face.
"Shucks, don't scare me like that."
Olberic nodded, "I am glad you are fine, Therion. Back to the issue at hand, I suggest we split up to gather information on Werner."
Alfyn added, "We can't let Werner know we're here to take him down, so it'd be best to stay outta trouble."
After an unanimous agreement, they separated. Olberic and Alfyn stayed in the plaza while Therion followed H'aanit to Lower Riverford.
He barely kept his eyes open. The buildings, streets, and carts reminded him too much of the time he spent here. Linde and H'aanit's light coloring was easy enough to spot through the fog.
It should be fine if he interrogated some townsfolk with H'aanit, right?
When they reached the street overlooking the river that passed through the town, Therion stopped in his tracks. He looked downwards, toward the docks. Maybe he was a masochist, but he couldn't help but look to where he and Darius hid from those useless guards.
The pair of them
partner then
Shaking his head to clear those memories, he turned to follow H'aanit once more.
?
Where was she?
His heart rate started to pick up again as he looked around, hoping he just missed her in the fog. He couldn't spot her hair or Linde's telltale swaying tail at all. All he could sense were increasingly annoying laughs to his right. It was worse than the buzzing.
Damn, he must've stood over the docks for a longer time than he thought.
Taking a deep breath in, he willed his heart to calm down. He might as well start getting some info. He turned to walk back to the plaza, where the tavern was located.
Before he could move one foot, a pair of guards walked, with a handheld lamp, out of the fog. Their obnoxious laughs filled the air.
Shut up.
His heart rate picked up again.
The longer those guards laughed
at him
Still, they won't be laughing soon enough.
Therion walked past the guards. They paid him no mind.
Dumbasses.
Therion reached for their pockets. This would be quick and easy.
Therion kept walking.
"... Hey! Where's my leaves?!"
Damn. They're not as dumb as they look.
He pushed the thought away that maybe more than just his mind was being uncooperative today. At least they stopped laughing sooner than expected. He snuck a peek over his shoulder.
The guards were looking at him. As the seconds passed, their faces started turning more and more accusatory. Therion didn't think he could lie his way out today. He bolted down the street before they could take one step in his direction. If they caught him, Olberic's objective would be so much harder to accomplish.
As he ran, he started to make out a street ahead of him that he could turn into. He could lose them there.
Just as he was about to turn the corner, a voice called out, "Therion?"
Therion turned his head. H'aanit was just exiting the corner house, a civilian behind her. So that's where she went. He grabbed her hand.
If he had the time, he would've laughed at the utterly flabbergasted face she made.
She looked towards the direction he came from. A light was approaching fast.
"Linde, stay in the house! Meryl, I will come pick her up later."
Therion turned the corner, H'aanit trailing behind him.
Why did I grab H'aanit? Those two hadn't seen her yet. She would've been safely out of trouble if I just left her there.
He really was not thinking straight today.
Down this street, there was two ways he could go. He could turn left into the pitch black alleyway or turn right into a fairly illuminated street.
Around the corner they had previously turned, an angry voice yelled, probably at that civilian, "Which way did the purple hooded bastard go?! I know you saw him!"
"Maybe there is an exit at the end of this?" H'aanit speculated. He decided.
Therion rushed down the alleyway with H'aanit in tow. He could see only a few feet in front of him through this alleyway's darkness, no thanks to the thick fog. He carefully navigated them both past the garbage littering the ground. He soon faced a damning dead end. Surrounded by walls, decaying trash, and old socks, what little hope he had for a simple exit was throughly dashed. He really should've seen this coming.
Behind him, distant shouts could be heard. His mind raced for a solution.
There's a tiny gap I can squeeze into between these buildings, but there's no way she could fit through it. I can't leave her here alone. I could climb towards the rooftops and pull her up? No, can't risk dropping H'aanit... H'aanit.
His eyes looked to where his hand continued to hold hers. He glanced upwards to her face to see if she noticed. She hadn't as she was still looking around the area for an exit. Lightly coughing into his other hand, he smoothly released his grip.
She turned her attention to him at the sound.
He said to her, "H'aanit, I have a plan. Will you help me?"
Without even a hint of hesitation, she nodded, "I trust you."
'I trust you.' Is she alright? There were so many things I messed up today and still she...?
His heart seemed to stutter in his chest. It wasn't unpleasant, not like when he thought of Darius. Absentmindedly, his hand rubbed at the strange feeling. He peeked at her out of the corner of his eyes.
"... over there...check..." Their pursuers were getting closer, his mind distantly supplied.
Breaking out of his foolish stupor, he launched his plan into action as he stripped off his iconic purple layers, revealing his open-chested shirt, and his long sword. He placed them in the darkest corner of the alley, and covered the items with a tattered stained sheet. H'aanit looked on in mild confusion as he stood in front of her with his bare chest exposed.
Therion held out his hand, "We've gotta hide your weapons, too. Hurry."
She handed over her bow and axe. As she moved to strip off her fur shawl, mimicking him, Therion said from his crouched position, "Keep it."
Once he stood up, he held out his hand to her again. She moved to remove her feather earrings until he stopped her with a light touch to her muscular forearm.
"Heh, no. Give me your hand," Therion quirked a corner of his mouth upward in amusement.
When she does, Therion interlocked their fingers once again and backed himself into the wall. He held up their intertwined hands against the wall next to his head. If one were to come from the entrance of the alleyway, they would see H'aanit pinning a person to the wall but see none of that person's features. Her broad shoulders, coupled with her fur shawl, would hide his face from any glancing eyes. Though, he wasn't even sure this would work.
To stop herself from crushing him with momentum, H'aanit shot out her free hand onto the wall on the other side of his head. With only a scant few inches separating their faces, Therion could see her cheeks darken with color. It was a good look on her.
"T, Therion, wh, wha..?" she nervously shifted her eyes away from him.
Therion chuckled, "You have to hide the thief."
Before he could explain his plan further, a light shined behind H'aanit. A gruff voice erupted from the looming fog, "Hey! You lovers over there!"
At those words, H'aanit's apprehension dawned on her face. Any sign of nervousness in her drained away. She looked back into his eyes and nodded to him, conveying her understanding of her part in the plan. She leaned even closer in an effort to completely hide the thief. Therion felt heat creep up his neck as he gazed into her forest green eyes, her steady hot breath fanning his face.
Time seemed to slow down as approaching footsteps resonated in the dark, piercing the tense air. Sweat beaded on his forehead. It didn't help that H'aanit was staring unblinkingly at him.
He's getting too close... He's going to see that we're not actually...
He had to get rid of the threat. If he couldn't escape, then he would have to silence him.
'We can't let Werner know we're here to take him down, so it'd be best to stay outta trouble.'
Sorry, Alfyn. I always go looking for trouble. Maybe I'll get lucky, and they won't find the body.
The guard was nearly on top of them now. Therion tightened his grip on the hidden dagger on his hip. He waited for his chance to strike.
In the brief pause between one heartbeat and the next, H'aanit whispered, her lips centimeters away from his own, "I will protect you."
With that astonishing phrase warming his cold heart, H'aanit lowered her head, connecting their lips together. He stared at her closed lids with wide eyes. His eyelids lowered halfway as he slowly processed this development into his brain.
Movement from over her shoulder distracted him from her long lashes. Emerging from the surrounding fog was the guard's scarred face.
Oh yeah, that pesky guard's the reason why she's kissing me.
He figured he should probably be a better partner lest he blow their cover. Therion closed his eyes and tilted his head upwards to press their lips more firmly together.
Soon enough, with his sense of sight gone and every other sense heightened, the guard was pushed to the furthest corner of his mind. What filled his thoughts was how her cool, silky hair felt upon his heated cheeks. How her refreshing scent of oak and earth replaced the stale, rotten air of the alleyway. How her soft, still lips fit perfectly against his own.
Therion smirked upon realizing that she had not moved at all since initiating the kiss. She simply stood with her mouth positioned on his. She must not have had a lot of experience in the art of lip-locking. He'd gladly teach her a thing or two.
His lips slid open, pressing his tongue to the seam of her mouth. Immediately, her lips trembled.
A breathy chuckle escaped his throat in amusement. In the next moment, he sharply inhaled it right back into his throat.
She had opened her mouth and was tugging on his bottom lip with her teeth. Shocked at such an unexpectedly bold move, Therion stood immobile as she began nibbling his captured lip. The pleasure he felt from her lovely mouth swiftly traveled from his lips straight down into his groin.
Maybe she'll be the one teaching me instead...
His breathing picked up its pace at the thought. He waited for her next move.
After planting one more fleeting kiss, she released his bottom lip. Her lips returned to being still once more. Then, slowly, as if to extricate herself from him, she raised her head.
Oh no, you don't. You can't leave me after that!
Before she could completely separate her mouth from his, he impatiently pushed his tongue into her wet cavern. When he slid his tongue against hers, a guttural moan filled the air around them. His hand made its way into her silky hair; the other hand still firmly grasping one of hers against the wall. With his grip on her strands, he tugged her closer.
Her breasts pressed against the hard planes of his chest; her animal skin tunic rough against his skin. The pressure allowed him to feel her hardened nipples. He smiled as he swallowed her sigh. He couldn't resist sliding his hand from her hair to caress one perky breast. His cock twitched against the inside of her thighs as he imagined what they would taste like.
H'aanit gripped his hand tighter. In an effort to get even closer, she moved one leg in between both of his.
Therion straddled that knee, with H'aanit's free hand moving to hold his jaw still as she began to earnestly ravage the inside of his mouth. Her tongue stroked his wet tongue, his sharp teeth, the roof of his mouth. He clutched the wrist holding his face, a steady anchor, as he withstood her delicious onslaught.
There was barely any air between them, but it still wasn't close enough. He needed more.
He lowered himself, and rubbed his solid bulge against her knee. The nearly animalistic growl that came from H'aanit's throat nearly made him finish right then.
She raised their interlocked hands higher on the wall while her other hand pulled his leg onto her hip. She kept her hand under his knee to lock it in place. This position aligned their most intimate parts. He panted in anticipation for the friction he needed.
But before he could even roll his hips into her welcoming warmth once, H'aanit angled her lower half away from his touch. Just as he was about to let out a groan of despair, a grating voice reached his ears.
"—ey! Tch. Horny kids... I'll deal with you later," the guard's diminishing footsteps declared his departure.
Even as the guard's lamp finally disappeared from view, H'aanit and Therion were still chest to chest. She had long since dropped his leg.
Neither of them moved for a long moment, not knowing what to do next.
Just as Therion was about to act as if he was entirely unaffected by what transpired, an attempt to return their relationship back to normal, H'aanit moved first.
She gently brushed his long white bangs to the side, exposing his scarred eye. She could now clearly see both of his eyes. He was mildly surprised that he felt okay showing her this flaw.
He couldn't see out of his scarred eye as well as he could his other, but he could see the deep emotion reflected on her face, in her eyes. He didn't know a lot about beauty, but...
She's so beautiful.
He wondered then what she saw on his face and in his eyes. Was it even remotely close to hers?
She bent her head down again except instead of his lips, which he yearned more of, she pressed her lips to his scarred eye. The scar he got when he was... pushed off a cliff by... Darius.
He still felt a pang of rage and sorrow at what he'd done, but the pang felt muffled when H'aanit had her lips on him.
She was the perfect distraction. One that wasn't going anywhere.
When she pulled her head back just enough for him to see her fully again, she smiled. Her smile filled of promises, hope, love, and...
'I trust you.'
In her arms, he realized he trusted her, too.
His lips slowly lifted upwards into a bright smile.
She was more than a distraction.