A general silence reigns in the room, the gentle breathing of the unconscious girl seems to rebound on the walls of this place, blankets wrapped around the girl in a warm and makeshift seal.
"Zeke." His voice pierces the silence, a tinge of almost hostility hidden below the steel of be honest, I probably should have remembered that the girl was still here.
"What." How the hell did I manage to forget her? I guess there were other things that's been happening today, and there was stuff with Edward, but still.
"The fuck is this." His voice hits an almost shrill ending note as he finally finishes his question, the girl's gentle breath hitching as her slumber's disturbed, softly mumbling as she moves, the both of us silent. It dies down, her soft breathing filling the room once again as I raise a finger to my lips, shushing the man while I tug at his shirt, yanking him out of the room in a hushed manner.
"Well, it's a keidran, i think you might've seen one before, they're kinda fuzzy and stuff." I sarcastically whisper to him as I shove him out the door, turning back to check on the girl. Still silent, kind of snoring, thank god she wasn't awoken by any of that. I let out a soft thankful sigh as I close the door behind me, Edward's a prick for barging into my room like that, tsk.
"Zeke."
"Yes?" Edward lets out a long suffering sigh as he rubs at his temple, face twinging in annoyance as I turn around, giving him a sickly sweet and faux innocent smile.
"Did, did you steal this girl? What the fuck?" He asks in an accusative tone, looking up to me with piercing eyes. I roll my eyes and wave a hand dismissively, leaning against the door.
"No no no, I actually bought her, I'm no thief."
"You bought a fucking slave?" He continues to pry, I bite at my lip as I level my hand back and forth.
"Eeeeehhhhh, well, not officially."
"What."
"Not yet! I still need to get the paperwork and stuff, but that's something I plan to do tomorrow, before we leave anyways." I assure the man, who groans again and continues to feverishly rub at his temples, pacing back and forth.
"You infuriate me." He finally says as he sighs, leaning on the wall opposite to me, thudding the back of his head on the wood. I roll my eyes once more, giving another wave.
"It's not that bad Eddy, calm down."
"It's not that bad? Zeke you own a fucking slave, don't you loathe people that own slaves? Especially keidran ones?"
"Well, yeah, but that's besides the point. I know why I have her, kind of anyways. I don't know why I feel compelled to do so, but it's better than her just hanging around some pirates."
"You met with fucking pirates?"
"Yeah?"
"Am I the only one here that sees the issues here? Eric?" He suddenly shoots his sight towards the somewhat amused slave trader, convenient given the conversation topic. He simply sips at his tea and chuckles, giving a polite smile to Edward.
"I've no comment to make." He says simply as he sips at his tea, chuckling afterwards and giving a polite smile to Edward, who squeezes his eyes shut and lets out an aggravated sigh.
"Fuck the both of you."
"Could you please refrain from the uncouth language, at least for a few moments? That goes for the both of you, might I add." Eric softly requests, though I can feel the edge of disapproval beneath his voice as he frowns, brows furrowing as he alternates his stare between the two of us. I gingerly rub at the back of my neck, Edward sighing again, he's done that a lot already. Oh boy.
"Right, my apologies Eric." Edward apologies, nodding along with him as I face Eric. He smiles thankfully, dipping his head for a moment.
"Thank you. Edward does bring a valid point, though, I believed you to hold a feeling of disdain for those who'd own slaves, what brought you to purchase one?" Eric pokes with a question of his own, something I fully expected, but the frog in my throat croaks, coughing to clear it
"It feels… hard to explain, kind of anyways, I don't like the thought of being called a slave master, but I think that taking her off of Va- the other persons' hands would be for the best, at least for her. I don't know, maybe I'm just a hypocrite. I'd want to just, let her free, you know? But I can't guarantee her safety if I do that. At least this way, I can make sure she's okay, or at least that I know what's going on." I try my best to explain myself to Eric, and to Edward as well, two birds one stone I guess. Eric hums to himself, nodding gently.
"Hm, I see. There's also the fact of the matter that simply releasing a slave is something that's been made illegal, it's been so for a while." I blanch as he speaks, what the fuck?
"Eh? Who the hell thought of that?" I almost demand, trying to calm down the simmering blood in my veins. He's a fucking asshole!
"Trace Legacy, of course." He answers swiftly. I scoff and grimace, crossing my arms
"I immediately dislike him." I have so much more to say about the man, but I bite back my tongue, I can already guarantee that it'd violate the little promise I agreed to just moments ago. Eric coughs gently, continuing to sip at his tea afterwards.
"It would be best to not speak such things of him, he is a man of great power after all." He warns in an almost half scolding way.
"Pfeh, it still rubs me the wrong way. My old boss sucks then." I grumble halfheartedly, sighing through pursed lips. That seems to have caught Erics' attention though, an eyebrow raised.
"Your old boss?" He points out inquisitively, sipping at his tea once more. Did I not tell him about that?
"Oh yeah, I used to be a Templar before the amnesia thing, surprise." I explain to him unceremoniously, giving a less than enthusiastic soft cheer afterwards.
"Mn, I'm not entirely surprised." Now that catches my attention, my ears twitching upwards as he speaks. I shoot Edward a soft glare as he sniggers, stop judging my ear twitches you twat!
"Eh? Why's that? I thought that Templars were solely human because, you know." I trail off as I wave my hand around, I think he knows what I mean.
"They are almost entirely human, that much is true, but there have been basitins who've been enlisted, whether or not they've done so willingly or by direction of a superior is something I'm unsure of. They have been more basitin who've worked with Templars in the last few years, though." I hum to myself as he continues to explain, a nice revelation of information at least.
"Huh, really? News to me, do you recall why? I've heard that basitins are somewhat xenophobic after all." Eric closes his eyes and hums in deep thought, silently slurping down what seems to be the rest of his tea."
"The reason why there's been more is not one I can recall, sadly my apologies Zeke." I wave my hands at the apology, an odd bashfulness burning at my cheeks.
"No no! It's okay, don't say sorry to me about it! I truly thank you for informing me about it all though, it's a small bit of information to recall, just in case. Say, have you ever ran into my Eric? In the past, I mean."
"You've my apologies again, Zeke, and if I recognised you, I'd have said so." He apologies once again with a shake of his head.
"Please don't apologise, it makes me feel bad. It's something I've been wondering about for a while is all."
"Hey, can we get back on topic? Do you have any idea on what you're going to do with her?" Edward suddenly butts in with a biting question of his own, a firm glare staring straight through me.
"Hmm, nope!" I answer after a small thoughtless hum, giving him another cheerful smile as he groans again."
"You don't have any plan for any of this, do you?"
"Well, getting her food and other things is a plan right?" I counterquestion him, giggling as he rubs his hands over his face in an aggravated way.
"You're hopeless, gods damn you Zeke." My sarcastic bite dies before it even begins in my throat, a small yelping noise faintly coming from the room behind me. I bite at my cheek as I hold a finger to my lips, hushing the two as I dip into the room, softly shutting the door behind me while I curse myself, god fucking dammit Zeke, you woke the girl! I quietly approach the occupied bed, the once still girl now huddled against the head of the bed, her golden eyes darting from myself to other areas of the room. Even through the thick blankets that cover her, it can't cover the shivering of her form. Her eyes finally land squarely on my own as I reach the side of her bed.
Her eyes shine with a watery look as she stares up to me, her breathing is heavy as her small chest heaves, though I give her what I hope to be a gentle and warm smile, leaning down to the girl.
"Hey, lil lass, do you remember me? I want to help you. Are you okay?" I try to ask her softly, I can feel my heart strings twinge as her eyes continue to water, the girl sniffles and rubs away the almost tears. She slowly takes the covers off of her body, fur and hair still as matted as when I last saw her, stepping away as she sits upright, her legs dangling off of the bed. She seems almost hesitant, or mesmerised by the bed itself before she pushes herself off of it, her arms opening wide as she latches onto me. She continues to sniffle even as she smothers her face into my shirt, a wet feeling alongside the tears. I clench my jaw and reach down, rubbing my hand over the top of her head, her sniffling turning into a soft sobbing as I massage my digits into her scalp.
I continue to frown as I kneel in front of her, wrapping my arms around her comparatively tiny frame and just embracing the girl. She continues her sobbing into my neck, I can feel her claws almost dig into my fur, rubbing my hand up and down her back, still keeping a hand on her head, rubbing behind her ears.
"Sh sh sh, it's okay little lass, you're safe now, I promise." I coo softly into her ears, a determined grimace on my face. Perhaps she had a nightmare, Zeke? It's not too unlikely, she latched onto you like a lifeline from what was once a peaceful sleep, she could just be terrified of her surroundings, she doesn't know where she is after all. Amidst my musing, her sobbing slowly turning back into sniffling, then into a gentle purr as she continues to nuzzle into my neck. Even her breathing slowing down into a more gentle manner, though I still rub up and down her back. Make sure she's okay Zeke.
I finally pull myself away from her, taking care to examine up and down her face. Her face is marred with tear stains from the ugly crying, but she doesn't seem to be in any discomfort.
"Are you okay, little miss?" I ask her softly as I continue to look into her eyes, the way they glow is.. Almost entrancing, I suppose, it's a soft glow. She looks hesitant, her eyes looking away from my own, but she does nod gently after a while.I let out a relieved and happy sigh as she finally responds, my lips twitching into a wide smile.
"That's good, I'm glad you're alright. Do you have a name, little miss?" I try to poke a little with my questions, I truly don't know much about her. Fear floods her eyes as she jolts away, pushing herself out of my arms. Worry fills my veins as I raise my palms to her, frowning deeply. Did I push too hard?
"It's okay, you don't need to talk little miss. I won't hurt you and I won't force you, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." I calmly but hurriedly reassure the girl, making a cross on my chest and jabbing my thumb towards my eye in a solemn swear. She bites her lip as she pushes herself against the side of the bed, her feared eyes shakily looking into mine, a tense silence filling the room.
"...M-mabel." She finally answers after what feels like an age, her voice is soft like silk and low, even through the small shaking croak, likely from disuse. Her postures still tense as she pushes herself from the bed, stepping a bit closer to me, though still jittery. Mabel, huh?
"Mabel, that's a lovely name." I give her a warm smile and a thumbs up, still kneeling in front of her. She seems.. Confused by the compliment, her head tilting, but she does give her own shaky smile, her hands clasped in front of herself. I hum to myself and look towards the door, biting at the insides of my cheek. Is it a smart idea to try to get her out of her comfort zone so quickly? I do want her to be cleaned up a little bit at least, hm…
"Little Miss Mabel, do you want to meet some friends of mine? They're good friends, they don't want to hurt you either, one of them's like you, too. I won't force you to come, no one will hurt you, I swear on it." I slowly explain my offer to her with a determined look, that's a promise I'll keep god dammit. She hesitates again, her hands wringing with a tense nervous energy, biting at her lip again, her slitted pupils dilating slightly as she looks towards the door.
"You really don't have to come if you don't want to, Miss Mabel." I say again, nudging my head towards the bed, I won't take that option away from her. She's a nervous wreck as is. She swallows a nervous gulp, giving a shaky nod, apprehension in her eyes.
"O-okay.." She finally agrees. I give her a nod and stand to full height, reaching down with a hand and ruffling at her stringy hair.
"Okay, I'll protect you little Mabel. Do you want to hold my hand?" I give her another offer as I wiggle my hand in front of her, she doesn't hesitate with taking my hand into her own at least, both of them tightly grasping at my gloved hand. I give her another nod and a warm smile, wrapping my fingers around her small paws, slowly guiding the both of us out of the room. I admire her courage to try to push herself, whatever past she has probably hasn't been kind to her.
As I shut the door behind us, Mabel exhales a soft whine, shifting herself behind my legs and hiding in my cloak, her small snout the only thing visibly jutting out. I reach down and ruffle her head with my hands, scratching behind her ears to soothe the girl.
"These are my friends, they're okay, I promise." I whisper softly to her, the girl mutely whinging again before pushing herself into view, though she still leans heavily into my leg, her hands wringing together intensely while she looks up to the two.
"So, this is the girl huh?" Edward points out the obvious, his eyes looking down on the poor girl with poorly veiled disinterest. At least he doesn't seem hostile, baby steps. Eric looks onto her too, his eyes seeming as if he's closely examining the girl, humming all the while.
"Yeah, she doesn't seem like she's comfortable around humans. But that's okay, small steps." I say as I nod towards Edward, still keeping a soft hand on the girls head as she glues herself to my side. I'm proud of her, truthfully. It'd be hard.
"She looks stuck to your hip, Zeke." Edward unhelpfully points out with a deadpan expression, raising an eyebrow. I roll my eyes and give the girl another rub, who exhales softly in return.
"Not that I fault her, who knows what she's been through." I deflect with a shrug, shooting Edward a raised brow of my own.
"..I truly hope your tastes are not what I think it may be, Zeke. She's barely beyond a child in keidran years, after all." Eric finally speaks up from his humming, a direct and almost accusatory tone in his voice as he looks straight through me. I blanch, a dry bile filling my throat, Edward verbally voicing his disgust alongside it.
"Eaugh! What the hells, Eric? I'd never stoop that low, I feel almost slighted that you'd think so. Why would anyone do that to begin with?" I exclaim with a disgusted sneer, my hold on Mabel tightening lightly as I look down to her. Her expression is a confused one, her head tilted sideways as she looks up to me. Her eyes, they're so innocent, she's a sweet but scared little girl. I smile lightly and rub my hand atop her head, her eyes squeezing shut with a delighted little smile on her face.
"You truly have no idea on what keidrans are like, do you? Or the slave trade?" Eric says flatly, his eyes still flickering between myself and the keidran.
"Nope, I was going to ask you on what to do with a keidran to be truthful, and maybe I did know what slave trades were like once upon a time, amnesia remember?" I point out with a shrug, a finger tapping against my temple. The two of them sigh one after the other, Edward thudding his head against the wooden wall once more. That has to hurt after a while, right? He really shouldn't be doing that in his condition.
"Well, I'd be perfectly fine with teaching you the lighter subjects on keidran, I can imagine that there'd be topics you'd be less comfortable with discussing. I could be incorrect, but I've books on their biology after all." Eric offers after a sigh. There's a small giddy part of me that lights up with that, books! In a library! Sure, it's not a fantastic topic to look up on, but it's better safe than sorry, right?
"Zeke's a nerd, sounds like he'd like it." Edward jeers with a snicker, only deepening his laugh as I give him a glare, pouting lightly.
"Go to hell Edhead"
"Edhead?"
"Dickhead, but it's just you"
"You're hilarious aren't you?"
"You're goddamn right I am, I'm hysterical to me." I gloat proudly, puffing out my chest with a smug grin and chuckling myself. Ah yes, solid bit of self deprecating double sided humour right there Zeke, good job.
"Must I remind you of your speech here?" Eric chides again with a frown. My grin dashed from gloatful to abashed. Tsk, you really need to work on that Zeke, especially around the kid. Can't give them a poor figure to look up to, that's what you want right?
"Right, my apologies Eric." I apologise with a small head tilt. Eric sighs again, a disappointed frown still glued to his face.
"Please keep it in mind, I've no qualm on how you speak elsewhere"
"But your house is your house, I understand Eric, I'll keep a closer eye on it. Sorry to deviate from the topic at hand, but might I ask where Kathrin is? I did ask her for a favour for Mabel after all." I quickly question, trying to move from the topic.
"I'm aware. Kathrin!" Eric answers with a nod, twisting his head and shouting down the hall. There's a small noise from somewhere, as well as the quick pattering of paws as Kathrin steps into view. Her spotted visage is always a welcoming sight, her smile a bright one as she comes forth, wearing a slightly stained apron. She's cute, god dammit.
"Yes master!" She chirps brightly, her smile only widening as she looks to Eric. Her voice is a friendly one, naturally, but I know why she says it as such. It's amusing in a cute way, but judging from the way Eric seems to react to her, it could be a more one sided charm. Yeesh, sorry Kathrin.
"May you please escort the young lady here to the baths?" Eric requests with a nudge of his head. Mabel seems a lot calmer as Kathrin approaches her, her head still tilted as she looks up to the comparatively adult figure.
"Of course! Awh, she's a cute little girl isn't she? Does she have a name yet?" She says in a cooing manner, her face warm and welcoming as she leans down to the girl. Mabels grip on me slips lightly, her paw twisting lightly into the wood.
"Do you want to introduce yourself to her, little miss? She's a friend too, you'll like her." I speak down to her encouragingly, kneeling beside her and giving a soft warm squeeze. She still seems nervous, still apprehensive, but not shockingly so compared to before. Is it because she's already out of her comfort zone, or because Kathrins a keidran? Golden eyes connect with blue, the smaller girl unresponsive verbally.
"Tsk, is she gonna talk or what?" Edward suddenly interjects, breaking the fragile peace. Mabel lets out a soft childish yelp as she hides herself from view again, covered by my cloak. I tsk and give Edward a disapproving glare, frowning deeply.
"Come on Edward, let her do it in her own time dammit. You've scared her, stop being mean."
"She's just a keidran, what does it matter?" Edward scoffs with crossed arms, looking down to the both of us. My frown turns to a grimace, gripping at the shaking girl again.
"F-, no, I'll bite my tongue. Don't worry about him little miss, he's mean but means well. Kathrin's a nice girl, I promise." I bite back any scathing remarks I have and focus on tending to the girl, nudging her lightly and soothingly. She finally stops shaking at least, swallowing down a visible gulp as she looks up to her.
"M-my names Mable, miss…" She finally squeaks out in an ever so soft voice. Kathrin's face lights up brightly as she daws over her reaching down and petting at the girl. Surprisingly, she doesn't pull away from her, though still confused, she leans into the affectionate fawning, a small soft smile on her face.
"That's a lovely name, miss Mable!" She coos again, her wide grin only becoming brighter. She suddenly blushes a light red and pulls away, brushing her apron down, she almost looks embarrassed. Mabel looks a little saddened from her moving away, a proud warmth filling my chest. They're making friends with each other, fuck yeah!
Mabel tilts her head and pouts, opening her mouth and chattering… something? I raise an eyebrow and look up to Edward, a similarly confused look on his face. Kathrins face is one of surprise, though she responds in kind, the two of them smiling wide as they speak to each other.
"It seems that Mabel here is rather proficient in keidran, at least verbally. Far from a surprise, but something to remember at least." Eric chirps up informatively, wiping at his glasses in the meantime. Keidran? Oh! The language, whoops.
"Are there keidran who don't know the language?" I ask him, eyes looking over Mabel. She seems drawn into the conversation with Kathrin, a bright smile on her face as they continue their chattering. She seems ever so slightly more upbeat as she speaks, even though I can't understand a word she says, I'm glad that she's smiling. Her lovely little smile frames her face adorably.
"Slaves who're solely brought up within human captivity would be incapable of speaking keidran, obviously. It is a learned language after all." He replies. Ah, that does make sense. A person who's brought up without speaking wouldn't know how to speak after all, can't learn a language without a tutor after all. Hm, kind of sounds like Mabel's a smart kid then. I smile and give a pat to her head, semi interrupting her conversation with the lady. I'm proud of her, but, who taught her keidran then? Maybe her previous owners had other slaves that taught her?
"Oh! Sorry about that, it's just a surprise to find another that can speak keidran." Kathrin suddenly apologises, a light embarrassed red dusting on her face.
"Aw, don't worry about that miss Kathrin, I thought it was pretty cute." I reply after a short chuckle, standing upright. I mirthfully chuckle again as Kathrin blushes a brighter red, an abashed and nervous grin on her face as she giggles herself. God fucking dammit, always had a soft spot for cats, she's just a big god damned cat. A pretty cat. What does that make me then? Other than weird anyways.
"Well, do you want to come with me, Miss Mabel? Mister Zeke asked me to clean you up when you awoke, can you follow me?" Kathrin speaks after coughing lightly, smooth enough topic change girl. Mabel clamps her mouth shut, pressing herself back against my legs, back to gripping at it again. I kneel next to Mabel once again, a comforting hand rubbing atop her head once more.
"Hey, it's okay little Mabel, Kathrin's a nice girl. She'll wash you up, and I'll be there when you have a warm bed to sleep in." I try to reassure her, trying to keep a warm smile on my face despite Edwards scoffing, I'll deal with him later. Mabel wrings her hands together for a few moments, her eyes fogged over in thought.
"..Okay" She meekly agrees, nodding lightly. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze softly, nudging at her head with my own.
"You're a brave girl, I promise that it'll be fine. Be good for Kathrin though, okay? I'll be there when you get out." I promise her with a determined nod, she seems confused, but nods in return, a light smile on her lips. I ruffle her hair before standing up right, lightly nudging her towards Kathrin. Kathrin speaks in keidran once again before leading the girl away, I assume to the bathing area, Mabel twisting her head backwards as her tail twitches erratically. I nod again, staring into her eyes with a light smile on my face, a small smile of her own appearing on her lips for a brief moment before turning away. I sigh and lean against the door, letting loose a deep breath I didn't realise I was holding to begin with. Why do you feel so concerned for her, Zeke? She's just a keidran.
Because I feel responsible for her being here, I guess. Looking into those golden eyes of hers reminds me of what I saw from that dream journal, at least faintly. Whether or not she's the same person I recall is up in the air, she doesn't seem to recognise me, maybe it's a mix up of another keidran I might've ran into? I groan and rub at temple, a headache forming in my skull, does any of that make sense? I think it does, fuck.
"With that, I best be off, I've my own things to do. I wish you both a good night." Eric suddenly declares, stepping past the both of us with a wave of his hand, I assume to bid a farewell. The two of us bid him a good night in our own way, Edward a tad more subdued than myself. Silence reigns the hall as we stand opposite from one another, it's an almost awkward silence.
"So…" I begin and trail off, rubbing at the back of my neck.
"So." He responds in kind with a raised eyebrow, both of us staring into the other.
"Why are you such a prick, huh? The hell's up with that?" I blurt out, frowning as I cross my arms.
"Eh? What do you mean by that?" He questions back, in what sounds like a genuinely confused tone.
"The hell do you mean what do I mean? Mabel's a kid, it's pretty mean to spook her like that, come on Edward."
"Oh right, that. I'm not sure what the problem is to be honest, she's just a keidran." I let out a heated exhale, my eyebrows furrowing further. Are we really gonna do this shit again?
"Just a keidran? Edward, she's a kid, I don't know much about kiedran biology, but she's still a child.
"I don't get why you're so huffy about it, honestly."
"For fucks sake. Fine, you don't think she's 'worthy' of respect because she's a keidran, right?"
"More or less, hasn't done anything I believe to stand out from any of the other mutts, so I'll treat her as I would the rest of them."
"What about property, then?"
"What?"
"She's my property, right? At least she will be soon, loathe as I am to say it. If she's mine, then I'd appreciate it if you'd treat her with some speck of it at least, if only for myself." That demand seems to take him by surprise, his face morphing into one of confusion.
"Fuzz, you can't be serious."
"I'm dead serious Eddy, at least until you respect her on her own merits rather than what she is. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"Fucks sake, will you get off my back about this if I do?"
"Perhaps, if I get upset I'll just beat you up." I say with joking pride, letting loose a few mock punches in the air along with a grin. Edward remains silent in contemplation before sighing, raising his hands up in surrender.
"Fine, I'll respect that she's your property, at least. Happy?"
"Not entirely, but it'll do."
"I detest you Fuzz."
"Love you too bud, love you too."
"Anyways, I'm likely going to sleep for the night, my head's killing me." To be honest, that doesn't surprise me in the slightest.
"Are you gonna be okay Edward? You really should take care of yourself after all." I warn with a frown, rolling my eyes as the man scoffs, waving his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about me, my skull's thick enough." I stifle a snicker as he walks away, giving him a small wave. I already knew that his skull was as thick as a brick, wasn't too sure if that was just mentally or not. Not like you're one to talk, brick for brains.
I sigh to myself and continue to lean against the door. Fuck, do I just wait around for Kathrin and Mabel to finish up? What else should I do? Do I have time to read some books or something? Pfeh, I'll wait for them, it shouldn't be too long.
…
It wasn't a short time by any means, patiently waiting for the two of them to finish up didn't bore me too much. Seeing Mable with cleaner fur and such brought a smile to my face, she doesn't look so grimy and unkempt, she doesn't smell like a slave anymore! It's almost strange to see her without the rags, or without clothes in general, but I'd rather they'd be discarded. I can always get her better clothes in the future.
"You've my thanks, miss Kathrin, I really couldn't have done it without you." I thank the older girl with a polite bow of my head, resting a hand behind Mabels, rubbing behind her ears every so often. She basically dragged my hand to her head when she returned, can't say no to her either.
"It's okay mister Zeke! She's a nice little girl, I'd do it any time." She responds with a giggle, shooting that bright grin of her down to Mabel. She doesn't respond verbally, but she audibly purrs at least, a small smile of her own on her face.
"Please, you don't have to call me that, just Zeke will do. You've done a lot for me miss Kathrin, more than I felt comfortable asking of you, if you need anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask."
"I'll be okay Zeke, I do like to help after all."
"It doesn't feel right to take and not give back, though, at least keep it in mind please?" Kathrin hums for a moment, a finger raised to her chin in faux thought before giggling.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won't, you should ask me for more favours though. I really don't mind it, massages are always something I'd love to give~" I feel my face flush a light red as I cough into a hand, ears pressing down on my neck. God dammit Kathrin, stop being cute, and flirty. Does she even realise how she sounds? A small squeaking yawn brings my attention away from the lady, Mabel nuzzling softly into my gloved hand with an open maw, yawning louder.
"I'll ah, keep it in mind, Look after yourself though Kathrin. Ready for bed little lassy?" Said girl nods quickly, her hands reaching up to grasp mine. I smile as Kathrin coos again, reaching her hand down to rub the little ones head.
"Bring her back some time, she's lovely to be around. I haven't seen a child keidran around since, ever I think. Good night to the two of you though, sleep well." We bid each other our farewells, Kathrin heading down the hall while I bring her new room. Well, new and temporary, and my own room. It's only a night, I can sleep elsewhere. She's silent as she slides into the bed, almost tentatively, laying her head against the soft pillows as I drag the sheets upwards to her chest.
"Sleep well little lass, we're gonna be leaving tomorrow morning, so this might be the comfiest sleep you'll have for a while. I wish I could do more about it, I'll try to buy a bedroll or something before we go." I quietly warn and wish for her, rubbing her head with a hand before twisting away, making my way out of the room. I hope she'll be fine sleeping alone.
"..Why?" A soft quiet question flows in the air, almost inaudible to even my ears. I hum and turn around, raising an eyebrow.
"Why what, kid?" I answer her question with a question of my own as I turn to face her. She wrings her hands together atop the sheets nervously, her eyes looking around the room.
"Why are you h-helping me, mister Zeke?" She finally asks again, twisting around in the bed slightly. I frown as she continues to wiggle around, an uncomfortable and nerve wracked look on her face. She sounds so suspicious, so wary, a spiteful part of me wishes to bite at her previous owner. Prick, at least give the kid a bed so she doesn't think it a trap later in life.
"I'm still not entirely sure, I keep thinking of different answers and responses to that, it's all kind of muddled. I haven't been the best person in life, and I want to be different from that. I promised to protect you, and I'll hold myself to that, I swear on it." She doesn't seem entirely convinced by that answer, or confident in it, her golden eyes on edge with how they flicker and filled with caution. I sigh to myself, running a hand over my face.
"I don't know what you've been through kid, and I can't fix that immediately. I know you don't like humans, I really do understand that. But I'll look after you as best as I can, okay?" A tense silence fills the room, her hands gripping the edge of the blankets.
"...Okay." She finally says with a small nod of her head. I give her a soft smile and a nod of my own, turning and making my way to the door.
"Sleep well kid." I speak up with finality, twisting and giving her a final look before shutting the door behind me. I barely make it a few steps down the hall before leaning against the wall, sliding down it with a slump, planting my face in my hands. My heartbeat quickens and my veins pulse with life, letting out a barely held breath and gasping for air. Fuck, what the fuck am I doing? To make such a promise to a kid that's obviously been through some shit is stupid, fuck fuck fuck!
Okay, lets' calm down. It's night, right? Everyones probably fucked off to bed, maybe I could throw myself down the streets into town, relax myself near the sea like last time. That sounds like a good idea, right? I take in a hissing breath of air and stand on shaky legs, leaning on the wall to balance myself properly before making my way down the stairs, running my hand through my hair.
Relax Zeke, we'll get to the sea eventually, then we can relax for a bit. Nothing like salty air to think, right?