A gentle nudging against my arm yanks me from the cold depths of sleep, groaning groggily as I twitch awake, rubbing at my eyes with my palms to wipe away the sleep. I sluggishly twist myself into a seating position, something solid slipping from my lap and thudding against the floor.
"I'm up I'm up, sgoing on?" I ponder aloud as my eyes flicker open, blurred vision quickly focusing as I look around. The dull light from the window shines into the dusty atmosphere in the room, books stacked atop each other nearby the chair I sit from. My bones crack as I stretch my arms, shaking my head and reinvigorating myself. Did I fall asleep while reading or something?
"Good morning mister Zeke!" An overly cheery voice chirps from beside me, turning to stare into the glowing blue orbs of Kathrin, her happy-go-lucky smile still imprinted on her bright face. Her eyes are filled with an innocent excitement, ever so slightly squinted from her smile as she tilts her head as she leans over me.
"Ick, morning Kathrin, didn't I tell you to drop the mister part? Just Zeke is fine." I slur to her, a tired wave washing over my body as I raise a hand to cover my yawn, 'tsk'ing and rubbing at my face again. Gods, I felt like I got a shitty sleep last night. Maybe I shouldn't have been reading so late into the night.
"Sorry m-Zeke, just habit is all." She replies happily as she pulls away from me, at least she cuts off the 'mister' part. I grumble to myself and lean over, picking up the dropped open paged book in front of me, closing it shut and rubbing a hand over the front cover. 'Keidran biology', huh? I guess I did want to read up on keidran things a little bit, just for Mabel. I shake my head again as I plant the book with the rest of them, not many in total, there's an odd fog over my mind and memory. What happened last night again?
The leather melts, the stench of burning hair and skin surges through my skull, letting out a pained groan as I clutch at my head, burying it in my hand.
"Zeke? Are you okay?" Kathrin asks in a worried tone, a hand squeezing at my shoulder with a whine. I wince and shake my head, the pain disappearing as quickly as it appeared thankfully.
"It's okay, I'm okay, it's just a headache is all. Sorry to worry you Kathrin." I lie to her, gritted teeth masked by a full grin. She sighs in relief, pulling her hand from my shoulder with a frown.
"If you say so, Zeke. Mister Edward asked me to wake you early is all, is there anything you need?" She asks once more, her normally friendly and heartfelt smile lowering to a more obedient one. The face of a slave, likely an expression on instinct itself.
"I'll be just fine, thank you for waking me though Kathrin. I don't wish to take up more of your time." I answer with a shake of my head, motioning with it towards the door. Her smile turns to a more genuine polite one, bowing ever so slightly and making her way to the door, tail swishing back and forth. It's so fucking fluffy, god dammit. The girl disappears behind the door as she shuts it, all alone again.
I let out a shuddering sigh as I slump back into the soft chair, halfheartedly dragging my hand down my face to stare at the ceiling. Thanks for reminding me oh so effectively right there, brain.
Any time, waste of space.
That reminds me, actually. I quickly brush my hands over myself, running them through my pockets, rummaging through them with haste. Where is it, where is it? I let out a small hum of triumph as my fingertips brush against it. I wrap my fingers around it and bring it up to the morning sun, the light reflecting off of the gem. I twist and turn it in the air for a few moments, just enjoying the sight of the thing, no worse for wear then when I last used it too, no difference in the energy that encompasses the thing. It's a present from Lucy, and magic is a pretty damned useful present, I wouldn't wanna lose it.
I shove the gem back into my pockets, grunting as I push myself onto two feet, wincing slightly and straightening my back, familiar and welcoming cracking noises fill my ears as I sigh breathlessly. Properly awake now, hopefully anyways. Alright, shit, what's the plan today? Gotta pay for Mabel, do some shopping, food and whatnot, turns out keidran don't really wear clothes so it's not a priority. I kneel down and heft the books from the floor, heaving them as I walk towards the bookshelves.
Right, now the boring part of trying to remember where I yanked these from, it's still early morning, so I got time to do this myself.
…
I wipe my hands together in accomplishment before shutting the door behind me, humming softly and tunelessly as I make my way to the room. I do feel somewhat nice for putting the books back myself, perhaps I could buy some books to read on the way back to Dartwood? Just ideas for later to be truthful.
"Finally up, I see." Edwards deadpan voice brings me out of my thoughts, eyes looking over to him. Stopped mid march, his tired eyes look up to mine as he sips at his cup, likely filled with tea. It feels like it's been a while since I've seen him in his full armour get-up, the light in the room almost flickers off of it.
"Good morning to you too, Eddy. We're leaving mid morning right?" I reply to his inexpressive comment with a smile of my own, digging my hands into my pockets. The man lets out a small grunt in reply, bringing his cup to his lips.
"Mhn, we're meeting up past the bridge, don't be late Fuzz." He tacks onto it, rolling his eyes as I wave my hand.
"I'll be there Ed, I pinky promise. Are you feeling alright yourself?" I quickly ask him, he raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'm just fine. Why do you ask?"
"No real reason, I just wanted to check up on you is all."
"I'm not fragile by any means, don't worry about me. I best be off myself though, I'll see you later." He scoffs as he ends the conversation, though I still see his lips twitch upwards even past the cup. Heh, at least he knows I care. I give him a wave as he makes his way down the stairs, continuing my walk towards my room. Gotta get everything after all.
We know why we're worried about the man, don't we Zeke?
I sigh sadly to myself, almost glumly nodding my head. Who knows how long it'll be until we see the man again, there's nothing that could stop us from visiting at least, right?
You already know the answer to that question, you stubborn bastard.
I chuckle to myself as I approach Mabels room, twisting the knob and slowly pushing the door open and sticking my head inside. The room's silent and still, my bag still carelessly laid out against the wall nearest to the equally still bed, the only motion from it is the gentle rise and fall of it. I step into the room, slowly shutting the door behind me slightly, leaving a crack open as I step forth. The wood beneath my feet doesn't make a noise thankfully, stealthily approaching my bag and quickly grabbing it, tossing it over my shoulders. Got the back, it's got everything right? I hope it does, I can't be stuffed checking.
I hum with a smile on my face as I loom over the kid, leaning against the wall, something about her peaceful face is, well, peaceful obviously. Free of angst, free of anxiousness, just a perfectly content kid. She stirs in her sleep, murmuring with a frown on her face, a soft whimper slipping past trembling lips. I frown myself and rest a hand on her head, rubbing at it softly. Her disturbed stirring only escalates, her eyes squeezing shut tighter before slowly opening, a silent yawn coming from her maw.
"Morning kid, sorry for waking you, sleep well?" I ask the drowsy keidran as I pull my hand away from her. She slowly sits up, rubbing at her eyes groggily with a high pitched squeak. Her reply is a mumble of words, said too low for me to properly hear as she folds her hands atop each other, sitting up straight and looking up to me. She seems uncomfortable but she eventually nods, her lips pursed together as her eyes dart around the room, seems that she's just not wanting to look me in the eyes, at least for now. I bite the sigh and a frown that approaches on my face as I look down to her, gone is the calm and content childish face of hers when she's at peace, replaced with a cold wavering anxious one, akin to a kid that believes that they're soon to be scolded for a misdeed they don't know. A terribly sad sight for a kid, gotta keep a stiff upper lip at least.
"I'm glad you did, it might be awhile before you can sleep on something as comfy as that again. I didn't see you eat anything last night, are you hungry? I can grab you a nice big slab of meat from a market stall when I can, I got a few things I gotta do before we leave after all." I let her know of the plan, slipping in an offer for food into the mix. I gotta remember that other people need to eat after all, it feels like it's been a while since I've had something too, gotta fix that. A growl from Mabel answers the question better than any words can, a light hearted chortle slipping from my lips as she grips at her stomach, her face flushed a slight bit red as she nods again.
"Ahah, my apologies for laughing lil Mabel. I might take a bit to get back, but I will be back for you, I promise. Be good for Kathrin though at least, okay? She's a good lady." I give her a small wave before twisting away, marching my way back to the door, bag dangling off of my shoulder haphazardly. She'll be fine with Kathrin, right? And Eric would at least be ah, not perverse, not with a kid. He has his morals, as strange as they may be.
"Hey!" Her squeaky voice suddenly calls from the silence, catching me by surprise. I hum as I twist my head back to her, raising an eyebrow as my lips twitch into a half smile. She seems surprised herself, an almost mortified look on her face as she covers her lips with her hands.
"The lady doth speaketh! What do you need, little lass?" I reply jollily, resting a hand on my lip as I hold my smile. She squirms in her bed for a few moments, hands wringing together as she seems to muster the courage to speak up.
"Can you, uhm…" She trails off, but she raises her hands up to her head, resting them on top of it. "Do that again, please..?"
I blink, the cogs turning in my head. Is she asking for headpats? Is she asking for affection? Why does she seem so scared to ask for that? I blink the intrusive thoughts away as I give the girl a nod, moving back towards her. Less thought questions, more giving the kid what she wants.
"Of course lil lass, anytime you want it." I reply simply, fulfilling the simple but important request handily, resting my hand on top of her head and softly massaging her scalp. She sighs gently and closes her eyes, an equally gentle smile on her face as she ever so slightly pushes her head into my hand. She's basically a cat dammit, a bipedal cat is a cat nonetheless, it's so fucking adorable. A quiet purr emanates from her chest as my fingers trail past the head, pushing my fingers behind her ears and massaging there as well. The only noise in the room is her purring, slowly increasing in volume, matching the widening and content smile on her face. Now that just fucking melts our heart doesn't it? That's the face that a child should have, a happy one dammit.
I think it looks strange to be touching a kids head, non human or otherwise, I think we should be grateful that no one's looking. It'd be awkward.
I think you're a party pooper, she's so fucking happy, such a cute smile should be on the face of a kid constantly dammit. Kids deserve the chance to be happy, being in a different world doesn't change that. Shit, I'm talking to myself again.
"Are you feeling better Mabel?" I quickly ask her, gotta bring myself out of my own thoughts somehow. She seems slow to acknowledge the question, her eyelids gently flickering back open. She doesn't reply verbally, but she does nod, of which just rubs my hand into her head ever more so, a happy tittering filling the room. I bite back on the next question on the tip of my tongue, asking questions to pry into someone's past put us in the shitter with Edward for a bit, can't make that mistake again, least of all with her.
"I gotta go sadly, I'll be back later." I bring my hand away from her head, much to her immediate dismay, a whine coming from her trembling lips, the sound of it grips my heart and chest. She sobers up quickly though, stuffing the whine back down her throat, I feel like she's used to doing that.
"...Do you promise?" She asks as she looks up to me, her golden eyes piercing mine. Those pupils are so large, so dark, a wary hope floating behind them. A child's hope is one that I won't break.
"I keep my promises, Mabel." I assure her with a determined nod, giving her a quick ruffle of her hair. As much as that scuffs her already messy bed hair, it's a reply that she seems to take, nodding along with me. I wave my goodbyes yet again as I swing the door open, giving the girl another look and a smile before closing it behind me. She won't get into mischief.
I whistle a toneless rhythm as I walk down the steps, Eric and Kathrin seem to be absent from the lobby. I suppose they've their own things to do, Eric especially with his 'art', Kathrin's attached at the hip. The cold morning breeze runs over my face as I step out the door, taking in a deep breath alongside the salty taste as I look out to the sea. I think I had a plan today, something about Lucy? Eh, I'll wing it.
…
I wrap my knuckles on the door, idly awaiting a reply as I look up to the dingy sign, at least the little garden seems pleasant and new.
"Coooome in~!" Lucys light and shrill voice calls out from the depths of the house, a welcoming enough answer. I push the door open and step inside, my nose filled with the scent of books, ink, and… straw? I raise an eyebrow as I shut the door behind me, my feet marching silently as I make my way past the mess of her mixed home-cross-shop, poking my head in past a haphazardly placed bookshelf.
"Good morning to you, miss Lucy. How's the morning been treating you?" I strike up conversation as I lean against the shelf. There's the thudding sound of a couple of books thudding against the floor as Lucy broadly sweeps them off of the table, the same I was once laid upon, her head tilting.
"Oh? Didn't think ya'd be here so early Zekey. I've been okay, just lookin over some books, here I was thinkin that I had a customer! Whatcha lookin for so early?" She rests her head on the palm of her hand as she kicks her feet under the table, knocking other laid out books clear. Doesn't she have other tables? Why use this one specifically? Eh, it's not my problem.
"Apologies to disturb, uh, whatever you were doing. I just came to inform you that I'll be gone from Wreathwood for the next few days, returning to Dartwood to finish my mission with Gerome and whatnot. I'm not sure if you were aware of it, but the whole magic business just came at a bad time is all." I inform her after a quick clearing of my throat. She huffs and pouts, her fingers tapping against her cheek alongside it.
"Awh, you're leaving already? I was hopin we'd have more time, but thank ya for tellin me before disappearing. How long do you have left here then?" She seems disheartened by the news, but at least she sounds like she takes it in stride, I guess I'm gonna be coming back here when this jobs finished. Hm, the sly feeling poorly hidden beneath her eyes worries me somewhat though. What's she planning?
"Well, I've quite a few things to do before midday, but I have some spare time. Why do you ask, miss Lucy?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow, crossing my arms as I look down to her. We might have time, but I do want to finish everything up at least a while before we have to leave. Also food, gotta get Mabel food, big important stuff right there.
"Weeeell, do you wanna squeeze in some super magic training? Just to see how far you can push your magic to actually hurt things, your weird pushing ain't always gonna cut it." She offers with a coy smirk, fingers drumming against the desk in tandem with the ones against her face. Quick magic session, huh? That wouldn't hurt too much, right?
We run against the clock Zeke, time doesn't favour us for what you wish to do. Keep in mind that she eyes us like a lab rat, she's using this for her own research benefit after all. Do I really need to remind you of the risk of using magic again?
"Sure, I got time." I accept the offer with a wide grin as I approach the suddenly gleeful mini mage, a broad grin on her face as she hops up off of the chair she's slumped in, humming to herself as she waltzs into a corner, swinging open a cabinet and poking her head inside. She mumbles to herself softly, yanking herself out of it and slamming it shut.
"Wait here Zekey." She says quickly as she brushes past me, patting my shoulder and darting around the corner. I roll my eyes and take my place on a nearby chair, after taking the books off of the damn thing anyways. What a mess of a room, surgeon area, thing, who the fuck uses a medical room as a mini library?
Who the fuck ignores their own advice to stay safe and mostly sane, Zeke? Do you really have a place to talk? Sure it's awfully unhygienic potentially, but come on.
I roll my eyes and wave a hand away, leaning against the back of the chair leisurely, it's almost cushioned enough to be comfortable, nice! It's still interesting at least, is it not? True pursuit of knowledge can only move by leaps when risks are taken after all.
Edward was right, we are a fucking nerd aren't we? I feel like my thoughts and warnings aren't being appropriately heeded.
Edwards an ass, but he's a delightfully caring one for the most part. And maybe I'm being a little bit careless with it, but we'll know when we're being dangerously affected by it right? Speaking dangerous, isn't it dangerous to be speaking to oursel- myself like this?
Perhaps, but are you one to be complaining? Besides, there's always better places to speak to oneself over mere reality.
"Foooound it~!" Lucy's jovial cheer yanks me out of my thoughts, heads jolting up as she skips her way into the section of her home, dragging along a straw man, the wooden joint dragging against the ground with the occasional shrill screech. I guess that explains the smell of straw among the rest of the mess.
"Do you, ah, require help miss Lucy?" I tentatively ask the almost struggling lady, the faux man almost seems as tall as she does, it doesn't seem heavy to myself by any means, but she is kind of small.
"Nope nope nope, I got this!" She assures with a huffed breath, shoving the things shaft onto a wooden stump, her hands raised as she circles around the unsteady object. She holds still for a few moments before letting out a triumphant noise, planting her hands on her hips.
"Told ya! Now, this is just gonna be a suuuuper quick test of magical strength, I dunno what the physical equivalent would be, smashing a straw man in the face I guess? Do you have the crystal I gave you on ya?" She drags the straw man into the middle of the room, turning to face me with that smug grin of hers. I stand up and rummage through a pocket, pulling out the stone and holding it up to view.
"I'm personally glad I didn't lose the thing, but why this activity in particular? Didn't you 'feel' my magic up last night?" I ask the scholar, twisting the gem between my fingers, the hairs on the back of my neck raising. I can feel the energy around the thing wrapping around my hand, mother fucking magic.
"Well, duh, but what I feel is your magical capacity isn't the same as what you can use, ya know? Just cause you have it in you right now doesn't mean you can access it willy nilly without proper training. Besides, it's not the size that matters, is it Zekey?" She ends the answer with a giggle and a wink, her smug grin still implanted on her face as she motions a hand towards the target. I… feel like I'm missing a joke here, at least at the end, is there a joke there?
Jesus christ, we'r- no, you're clueless. Just toss a magic ball at the straw fucker and call it a day.
I roll my eyes, putting the self negativity aside as I gather the magic from the stone around myself. There's no need for a ceremonious energy willing here, I take what at least feels like a small bit of energy from the stone and take a step forward, forcing it through the palm of my hand forwards. It sails through the air, bashing itself into the fake mans chest, tufts of the straw flying out from the impact as it shudders, but it remains true to form as it realigns itself. Lucy holds a finger to her lips as she examines the impact zone a little bit closer, humming as she bites her lip.
"Can you, uh, do that again by any chance? Just once more at least." She requests as she pulls away from the dummy. I shrug, I really don't feel like I should be wasting the magic in the stone, but I follow the request regardless. I repeat the same process, gather the magic in the rock and chuck it into the chest, putting a bit more force into the attack at least. It silently sings through the air and against it once more, the dummy more or less repeating the same motion as before. At least it's rattled a bit more.
"Hm, how strange…" Lucy mumbles to herself as she approaches the target again, poking at the thing with a finger. I awkwardly scratch at the back of my neck, changing from foot to foot to pass the nerves.
"Am I doing something wrong, miss Lucy?" I ask the teacher, biting back a small yelp as she quickly stomps towards me, grasping at my hand and pulling it up to her eye view. She drags my glove off of my hand and tosses it away, much to my immediate chagrin, that's my fucking glove! At least it lands on top of a book instead of on the floor, still annoying.
"Why do you do that thing with your hand?" She idly asks while she forces it to spread, it feels strange to have someone hold it like this, an awkward feeling encroaching in my throat.
"When I push out the magic? Are you meant to do it another way?" I answer her question with a question of my own, tilting my head as I look down to her. She raises her eyebrow as she looks up to me, thankfully dropping my hand at least.
"You are a strange strange being Zekey. The way you use magic is crude at best and completely wild at worst. Even though it's immediate strength is okay, almost above average from what I know, it's almost wasted with a lack of refinement in actually putting it to use in a better manner, that's putting it simply for ya." She declares with a lecturing tone and crossed arms, a small tinge of amusement behind her otherwise stony eyes. I huff and awkwardly scratch at the back of my neck, looking away from her.
"I suppose that's one way to shoot my pride in the foot, miss Lucy. What do you suggest then?" I ask her again. She hums to herself as she circles around me, finger tapping against her chin.
"Well, I'd say that a lotta practise to mold it would be a fantastic idea, but you don't exactly have that option do you?" She replies with a hint of snark, though it's mostly in a joking tone. I sigh to myself and nod, that's not exactly a high point of mine is it? Brain does have it right, this will kill me if I use it too much, at least that counts as 'heeding' it's advice.
"...Hey, why don't you do that again? Just, closer, a looooooot closer, like you're gonna punch it in the face." She suddenly suggests, a curious look in her eye.
"Uh, sure, I guess." I dully reply to her with a shrug. Despite that, she gleefully nods, happily stepping away from myself.
"Good boy! Now, do ya think!" She cheers on, almost feels like it's good humoured and genuine and almost sarcastic. I roll my eyes and step past her, lips twitching upwards into a soft smile. I stand in front of the magic training dummy, gripping at the stone in hand. It feels more natural to be close to an opponent, that's what I should consider this straw bastard right? Basically an opponent with no face. Okay, focus.
I roll my shoulders and focus the magic once more, I can feel it trail from my hand up my arm, washing across my shoulders and into my focused hand. It feels cleaner, it feels more natural, a sense of something familiar swirling in my chest as my hand connects with the straw target.
There's a strange noise, a mix of a bang and the rush of the wind as the straw man fucking disappears, my hand passing through the now clear space in front of me. I blink, slowly, looking up to see the falling strands of the straw slowly floating down from the ceiling. My nose crinkles as a strand lands upon it, brushing it off with a hand. The straw coats the room like a pale yellow paint, my eyes looking over the absolute disaster area while I rub at the back of my neck, twisting to face the little teacher, her face stock still.
"Uh… Whoops?" I halfheartedly apologise unhelpfully, wincing a little as I look over the rest of the room, slipping the stone into a pocket. Fuck, this is a mess.
"I'm super sorry Lucy, I'll ah, I'll clean it up! Or, I'll try to, I really didn't think that'd happe-" The rest of my splurging is cut off with a soft snicker, almost inaudible underneath her breath, the snickering turns to a chuckle, which turns into full blown laughter, filled with the occasional snort as she catches her breath for air. I stand still, like a deer in the headlights as she has her, uh, little laughing fit.
Do you think she's finally lost her mind? She seems to be on the off side of sane after all.
I'm not entirely sure to be truthful, she's uh, definitely enjoying herself there. Maybe she found the situation funny. I step from foot to foot anxiously and brush the other bits of straw off of myself, as best as I can anyways, her laughter eventually dying down. Her face is flushed, a stark difference from her usually pale skin.
"Ah that was fuckin hilarious, kinda pissed that I have to clean it up, but that was amazing." She finally speaks, clapping her hands together in amusement as she leans back and forth on the chair. I'm a little taken aback from the reaction, but she doesn't seem angry at least. I respond to what I guess is the audience now, giving the girl an overly theatrical bow.
"So, did you know that was gonna happen or...?" I trail the question off as I stand up straight, the girl hopping off of the chair, grabbing my discarded glove.
"Nope! But that's why I asked you to do it, I was wondering if something was gonna happen cause of it." She explains in kind as she offers my glove to me. I tentatively grab it from her hand, resisting the urge to just rip it out of her grasp because holy fuck I loathe my gloves being taken away from me apparently.
"So what was your theory then? Something something range?" I mutter to her, half sarcastically as I pull the glove back onto my hand, flexing my fingers inside it. Right where it needs to be, as it should be.
"Kinda, it kinda seemed like the further the spell went, the weaker it was cause it isn't exactly being used effectively, soooooooooooo, why not just do it point blank? Wasn't entirely sure that it'd work, but that's what practical research is for!"
"I uh, suppose that makes sense? I still have no idea what's going on, but I'll keep it in mind. Why do you think it's the way it is?"
"I dunno, you just use magic very strangely, might be cause your body ain't really sure on what it's meant to do, but you will it to work anyways? Again, practice makes perfect, but you don't have that luxury."
"Is there an issue with using magic so closely? No offence, but most people who use magic don't seem like they're exactly great at being in the front of the fight. With the exception of Templars of course."
"Well, the only 'issue' is that you're best off using it when you're in their face, but at that point, why not just use a sword? Or your fists in your case, I don't get the vibe that you wanna kill people, and I've heard tales about those hands from Edward~" She smirks coyly as she looks up to me, clasping her hands behind her back as she does so. I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose, fucking Edward. Mental note to beat the shit outta him for this later, course he'd gossip about me to Lucy. I feel her grip at my shoulder, softly yanking at it.
"Now shoo! I gotta clean up your mess, I'll see ya next time Zekey!" She declares as she continues her fruitless dragging. I roll my eyes and go along with it, the girls small hands shoving at my back and pushing me out the door.
"I'll see you next time then, miss Lucy." I say my farewells as I turn my head to face her, giving a small smile and wave to go alongside it. She gives me a bright smile of her own, a dainty hand waving before she slams the door shut. I sigh to myself and grip at the crystal in my pocket, squeezing it lightly as I hurry myself away from the house, my bag digging into my shoulders.
I got places to be, I've made a promise after all.