"Bringing round some more friends, huh kid? I'm proud of ya luv, Masks know you need some of those~" A silken teasing voice brings me out of my thoughts, one of the red haired bartenders dainty looking hands clasped on the guardsmans shoulder, a teasing glint dancing behind her ruby red eyes, the lady giggling as Edward continues to pound his face against the wood. I can't exactly stifle a chuckle, it's enjoyable to see someone get under his skin, here's hoping that he doesn't get a headache from it.
"Your names Zeke right? It's been a while since I've seen ya around here, have you been keeping an eye on little Edward here?" I feel a cold sweat bead on my forehead as she stares into me, rubbing the back of my neck as a few choice memories dance at the forefront of my mind. I'm surprised she remembered my name, god knows that I can't remember hers for shit.
Hah, if only she knew.
"It's been a bit of a back and forth, I'm not gonna say much otherwise." I finally respond to her questioning with a more…. deliberate tone sounding than I really wanted, along with a shrug. The lady smiles and chuckles, squeezing Edwards shoulder before standing upright, smoothing out her plain looking dress.
"Well, I ain't gonna pry too much then, I'll let you kids be kids. Poor little Eddy seems a little bit too flustered for now, care to introduce me to your friends?" She looks down to me expectantly, a polite little smile on her face. Edward's still smothering his face into the cold wood it seems, his mumbling barely audible over the murmuring of the inn itself. How odd, I didn't think he'd be this riled up by all that, maybe he's a little bit stressed right now? Can't say that playing messenger would be enjoyable.
"Well, the little lady to your right is Lucy, she's been tagging along with us since… Wreathwood right? Can't remember the name very well." I jab a thumb towards the miniature mage herself, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she gives the lady a wave before placing her hands in her lap.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." She says with the tilt of her head, a shiver running up my spine as her smile widens ever so slightly, she seems oddly formal. Ich, that charming little smile of hers rubs me the wrong way, it just seems unnatural coming from her. The lady doesn't seem to give any indication that she's put off by the display, it's not like she knows about the girls oddity, or maybe she's just being polite in returning the smile.
"What a polite young girl, it's a pleasure to meet you too deary! My name's Lyn, I sure hope you haven't been too bothered by these two." She responds with that kind and silky voice of hers, dipping her head to bow in return. My sight can't help but linger on her for a moment, her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, but it doesn't seem to be completely doctored by any means, maybe I'm just over reacting a little bit too much?
I look down to the wood as I him, fingers tapping at it, it's not as if she's malicious by any means, just strange. At least they introduced each other, I have no idea what her name was, it's a nice little name though. A soft cough brings me out of my thoughts again, blinking and shaking myself to attention once more. Right, I'm talking to people, I somehow manage to forget about that.
"And who's she, hm? Can't say I expected a little fox to be around you all." A coy little smirk appears on her face as she points a finger to Mabel, a squeak of surprise coming from the soft fox as she shuffles away, it almost looks like she's trying to hide herself in my cloak. I feel the bartender's gaze turn to me, the feeling of embarrassment welling up in my chest as I bite the insides of my cheek, a hand rubbing at the nape of my neck.
Hurry up and spit it out for fucks sake, it's not as if its taboo or anything
Shh, it still feels weird to talk about to people who at least somewhat know me dammit, let alone someone I've met once. It might just take some finesse is all, just try to say something with some tact instead of spewing out some stuttering garbage to excuse yourself.
"Fuzzy bought her!" I choke on the building spit in my throat as Lucy pipes up with a chirp, my response dying in my throat mid coughing fit, a twinge of anger flashing in my chest as I give the bastard a glare.
"Lucy!" I hiss to the girl harshly, a sneer forming on my face as she looks back to me with a smug little grin and a shrug.
"Whaaaat?" She says in response, her hand raised in the air in a mock surrender. I can feel my snarl drop to an embarrassed smile as I hear the lady hum, looking down to me with a stare.
"Is that so, Zeke? I didn't think you'd be the type of man to own a slave." She speaks slowly, deliberately, the intensity of her stare only intensifying as she plants a hand on her hips. There's an odd looking emotion behind those red eyes of hers, a look of surprise does little to hide the judging look in her eyes, along with … disappointed look beside it, her teasing smirk looking a bit more forced than before. I purse my own lips together as I clasp my hands together, wringing the both of them together as I feel my throat clog up. Fuck, I feel like I'm being chastised, she hasn't even said a word of how she feels about it just yet, but she's looking into my fucking soul dammit.
"It's not, ah.." The clogging in my throat flares up, constricting my throat and cutting off my stammering. Coughing into my hand does little to abate the feeling, and I can almost see the glowering look that hides behind her face.
Hurry up and spit it out you waste of skin.
I'm trying you fuck! It's just difficult god dammit, give me a moment.
You've said it plenty of times, get your emotions in check.
I take in a deep breath of air, as deep as I can anyways, the wringing of my hands dying down along with the steady rising of my beating hand, laying my hands flat on the table. I don't want to be distracted, it's not that hard, it shouldn't be anyways.
"I bought her for a reason, Miss. It'd be better than the alternative." I finally answer her, returning her glare with a wavering stare of my own. It's difficult to look her in the eyes, the nerves in my limbs jumping around as if set alight, especially as she furrows her brows, squinting while she hums.
Jesus Christ you're gonna give the both of us a heart attack, can you cool the fuck off?
I can't help it dammit! I can feel the cold judgement that emanates from the lady, the fire behind those ruby red eyes of hers, what's she gonna do? Is she gonna yell at me, scold me? The blood in my veins pump with a renewed fervour as my mind turns towards Mabel, is she gonna take her away from m-
"Alright luv, I'll believe ya. I'm sure you got your reasons." She finally says with a shrug, the judging look on her face falling away from it in the blink of an eye. The building rush of adrenaline and worry in my veins falling limp. I uh, okay then, I can't help but feel really fucking confused.
"Is that, uh, all?" I ask inquisitively as I tilt my head, tapping my fingers against the table. I can't actually believe that's all she was gonna do, I just expected more to happen.
Paranoid bastard, slavery's fucking legal here, you got yourself worked up over nothing again.
"Of course kid, I just didn't expect you to buy a slave is all. I can't imagine that you're gonna treat her poorly, right kid~?" A flare of anger ignites in my chest as she verbally jabs me, a small and innocent smile on her face. I try to smother that feeling as best as I can though, it's not as if she means it in a serious way, it's just some teasing is all. Tsk, I guess it's still a bit of a soft spot.
This entire scene is pathetic, honestly.
Lovely commentary as always Adrian, you're my favourite voice in my head.
"Naturally, miss." I respond to her after a moment, keeping my voice as level as possible as the head in my chest dies down. Tsk, paranoid over useless things and defensive with people who mean no harm, fantastic.
"Well, I best be off for now, I got work to do and everything. If you four have anything to order, just try to catch my attention." She gives the lot of us a final giggle and a wink before waltzing off, back to work she goes. I can't help but feel a niggling scratch in the back of my brain though, I feel like I've forgotten something, though I can't recall what. Maybe I should try to keep my nerves under control sometime,
It's probably not that important.
You saying that just makes me want to remember it more, I imagine that you're aware of that. I raise an eyebrow as the previously silent mound of steel begins to mumble, a dazed and tired look on his face as he plants his chin atop his arm . Doesn't look like the most relaxing place, using ones armour as a pillow doesn't exactly seem enjoyable.
" You feeling okay Edhead? You didn't exactly talk much during that whole shitfest." I ask the tired looking man, a hand slipping from his gauntlet before rubbing his eyes.
"I'm tired, and I need a fucking drink."
"It's barely mid morning, Edward."
"So? Dealing with the lot of you gives me a headache."
"How does alcohol help you deal with that?" I raise an eyebrow to the slumped over man, his hand rubbing his chin while he hums, it looks like it's just a show of him being deep in thought more than anything.
"It helps with drowning you out, do you guys have an idea on what you're gonna get or not?"
"What can you even get here anyways? Is there like, a menu or something?" I purse my lips together and hum as Lucy speaks, my fingers tapping against my cheek. That's uh, a good question actually.
"..I'm not really sure to be honest, I just kinda winged it, you can get meat? That's pretty nice." I respond to her inquiry as best as I can with a shrug. An amused sounding huff comes from Edward while he raises an eyebrow.
"Did you put in any thought on what you wanted to get on your way here?"
"Nope." I pop the 'p' at the end of that simple answer, snickering to myself as Edwards hand runs down his face.
"You're fucking hopeless, at least with Lucy here I can kind of understand, but you've been here before."
"I have an awful memory, don't judge me," He groans aloud before mashing his face back into the wood. I can't help but worry now, though. "Are you okay Edward?"
He remains silent for a moment, running his bare hand through his hair as he sighs, bringing his head back up to light. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but he seems rather, I dunno, torn on something, he's distracted by something, I wonder what.
You could always just ask him, you dolt, how is it that you somehow manage to pussyfoot these situations so much?
Maybe later, when we're not in public, I don't exactly want him to spill his guts when he isn't comfortable.
Bah, sometimes I wish that I had my own body so I didn't have to listen to this shit.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I just have a bit on my mind. I might talk to you later about it, just not right now." He finally replies dryly. I give the man a nod and a smile, it's something that he seems to appreciate just a little bit, judging from the ghost of a smile that brushes past his face.
"I won't push for it then, whenever you're ready." I say simply, the topic dying along with those words. At least he looks a bit better, if only marginally so, he doesn't seem as lethargic as before.
It's not the first time he's staved you off with 'I'll tell you about it later' either, I'm dreading having to sit along with that discussion.
What do you want me to do? Try to pry into his personal shit again? I pushed too far once, I'm not gonna do that again. I'll do what I need to do, anything to help the man.
"Hey Fuzz, can I ask you a quick question?" My ears flicker as he speaks, bringing my attention from the depths of my mind and back to him again.
"Sure thing, shoot your shot."
"Why did you bring a kid to an inn?" I throw my hands in the air as he questions me, ignoring the childish giggling from lucy as best I can, an inquisitive humming coming from the child in question.
"God fucking dammit, I didn't know where else to bring her, I don't just want to leave her alone or anything. Besides, Lyn didn't say anything about it." I feel a vein pulsate in my skull as I huff, resting my chin on a palm, my fingers drumming against my cheek with a fervour. Jesus Christ, now that question's just getting on my fucking nerves. Edward chuckles while he holds his hands up, a mocking act of surrender not dissimilar from Lucy.
"Alright alright, just wondering is all." He says with a small smile on his face, the sides of his lips curling up further as I mumble under my breath. Why am I being jabbed at for now, am I the designated punching bag? At least it's just my pride.
Whatever pride you may have left, anyways.
"Can you call Lyn back? We'll just wing the order." I grumble aloud, huffing as he snickers. Bastard boy. I turn my attention to Mabel as he calls the lady over again, the girls been rather quiet for a while, her gaze looking towards the floor. It doesn't look like she's paying much attention, not that I can really fault her. I did drag her here.
"Hey kid, are you feeling okay?" She jolts in surprise, the girl squeaking as she looks up to me with the tilt of her head.
"Mn? Wha?" I can't help but smile a little bit at her confused look, her eyes squinting as I plant my hand on her head, ruffling her hair softly.
"Are you feeling okay? I don't want you to be stuck feeling bad or anything." I reiterate to her, nice and slowly, my digits digging behind her ears for a brief moment before pulling away. She squeaks again while her ears flicker, shuffling in her seat. God bless this kid.
"I'm okay, thank you." She says simply, looking up to me with a bright little grin on her face. God, I can fucking feel my heart melting from the sight of it, my hands returning to her head to give her another ruffling.
"Okay, if you ever need something, please speak up, okay?" I say to the kid, I can't tell if her fervorous nodding is an answer to the question, or just her trying to nestle into my hand, but I'll take it as a yes. Or at least, I hope she means it as a yes, I want to help her as best as I can.
Pfah, and I thought that you being stupidly angsty over the chick asking you about the kid was a pathetic scene, this just makes me wanna violently retch.
Come on Adrian, she's a cute kid, a good one too. My mind wanders as my hand falls from her head, her noise of displeasure ringing in my mind. God dammit, I still need to visit Anna today won't I? She looked pretty unhappy to see me go last time, and I can't imagine she'd be filled with joy to see me carrying along a fucking slave, she doesn't look like the type of person who enjoys such a thing.
That reminds me, hey Adrian, what's your thoughts on Anna?
...something about her rubs me the wrong way, despite the visage of an old lady, she still seems plenty strong enough to hold her own. I'd rather you not fuck this up and get on her bad side. I feel somewhat slighted that I'm intimidated by a fucking old lady, but better safe than sorry.
That's something we can agree on, then. I can't imagine someone becoming a Templar without having some degree of combat prowess, in spite of her probable old age.
"So luvs, ready to order?" Lyn's cheerful silky voice brings me into reality again, a bright and lovely smile on her face.
Fuck, I still don't know what I actually wanna get. At least I can just get Mabel a hunk of meat, she doesn't seem picky, and I've got more than enough money to spare.
….
"Fwah, you guys have no idea how nice it is to eat somewhere without the stench of fish up ya nose every second." The clattering of Lucy's fork onto her plate is barely audible over the murmuring of the inn, a content looking smile on her face as she leans backwards into her chair. Far more people have waltzed into the inn now, the steady rise of people around here almost makes me feel unnerved, though there's some comfort in being around friends that alleviates the feeling.
"I don't see the problem personally, it didn't seem too bad." I chime in with a shrug, plate long since cleaned out. Whatever hunk of meat they slapped onto my plate tasted good enough despite my lack of hunger, the warmth from it resting in my stomach. Thankfully Mabel didn't tear into her raw hunk of meat like the last time, biting and swallowing it down in a more conservative manner. That's something I'm thankful for, I don't think that I could clean the blood out of my cloak very easily.
"Bah, every time I end up down there, however little I spend, I have to take a long fucking time to clean myself afterwards. Don't you basitins have a better sense of smell or some shit? I have no idea how you can stand the reek of fish." Edward pipes up before throwing his head back, the mug of ale travelling down his gullet with an obnoxious gulping sound, letting out a sigh of relief as he drops the now empty mug beside another one. The brown brew that once sloshed within the mugs didn't last very long, I find it odd that he didn't grab any food, but I can't exactly force the man to eat. I hope that he gets something at least.
"Hell if I know, it's not like there's much to read up on with my species." I reply with a shrug. Seriously, there's fuck all about basitins in the books that I've read, plenty on keidrans and humans though, but that's to be expected. I can't see why they'd dislike the smell though, the smell of the sea is something that I remember rather fondly from there, it smelt nice and relaxing. Maybe I should return there someday, if only to waltz around for a while, perhaps I could visit Eric again?
Can't believe you enjoy the smell of brine, Jesus Christ you're weird. And you say that, but I think that you'd just want to see that Kathrin once again, wouldn't you?
Bah, don't throw that on me, she's just a very nice girl is all. I felt sorry for her, still do, unrequited love doesn't seem particularly enjoyable. She's a strange girl though, I've not a clue on what type of keidran she is, perhaps there's more like her around here, or deeper into their territory? Maybe I could find Mabel's family? Would that be possible, maybe I should consult that map of mine before I try to go anywhere, just in case. It'd be a smarter idea to do that before anything else really.
Oh no no no, don't you even fucking dare try to put that awful sounding scheme into motion, let it be nothing more than just an idea, I'd rather you not try to risk your hide and throw away your life, and mine with it, which is the important part. Our time with keidran has been far from pleasant after all, and that's within human lands, trespassing on their own lands would do nothing but draw their ire. Stop trying to stick your neck out for others and just focus on yourself for a change, least of all for the fucking kid.
Bah, I can very damn well handle myself, I'd like to hope that they'd have the capability to care for another one of their race. Hm, perhaps less so with the forest wolves, I recall them having issues with the other keidran races, I wonder why?
Are you paying any attention to me or not? You hopeless little bastard.
Hey, it's not as if I'm planning on trying to waltz through the keidran territory right now, it's an idea for the future is all. I hum to myself as a bickering between the two humans of the table brings me out of my thoughts, it doesn't sound like it's a very serious argument though, a teasing one about Lucy trying to get Edward to pay for her. Huh, how long has that been going on? It's rather easy to get lost in my thoughts, I suppose, especially when I'm chatting with Adrian. I don't expect Edward to cave and pay for her, personally. A small squeak grabs my attention from the two, gazing over to the kid, her maw open mid yawn as she stretches.
"Tired, kid?" I say softly to her, the girl doesn't respond verbally, half lidded eyes looking to me as she hums, nodding softly. I guess she didn't get a good nights sleep last night, I can't really fault her for that, poor girl. "I know somewhere where you can stay, though, with a proper bed and everything."
That certainly grabs her attention, her ears flickering slightly as she shuffles in her seat, sitting upright ever so slightly. I can't help but chuckle a little, a small smile making its way to my face.
"Really?" She sounds cautiously optimistic, her head tilting as she stares at me. There's a small smile on her face, it looks almost hopeful. For some reason, my heart feels heavy as I look down to her, a kid that has to be wary about having a bed to sleep in rubs me the wrong way.
"Yeah, I think you'll like the lady that lives there too, she's a nice person. She's human, though, but I promise she's a good person." I say in response, she looks somewhat downtrodden by that, the smile on her face falling for a moment as she shuffles in her seat. I won't force her to stay there, this is an inn after all, there's probably roo-
"Okay." I can't help but blink in surprise as she speaks up, a strangely resolute tone in her voice and stare. I'm actually surprised she'll be okay with it, but I can't help but feel proud for her. My smile comes back in full force as I ruffle her head with a hand, a happy sounding purring from her. I guess we'll see how she reacts when she gets there, but fuck, I'm proud dammit!
Fuck, you're a sappy bastard aren't you? Get over yourself.
Don't kill the mood, Adrian. Whatever steps she may take to beat her fears, I'll help her with.
"Hey luvs, you all finished?" A familiar voice yanks me from my musings, Lyn standing upright beside our table. Fuck, now that she's standing in front of me, I know that I forgot something important. I wish my memory wasn't complete and utter garbage.
"Yeah yeah, we're done here Lyn." Edward replies with a wave, grabbing the emptied mugs and handing it over to her, grumbling to himself as he rummages through his pouch. I raise an eyebrow as I collect Mabels plate, passing them over to Lucy, who hands the collective to Lyn, a smug smile on her face with a delight that dances behind her eyes. No fucking way, did he actually cave to her? Huh, maybe I should've paid attention to the argument, could just be that he's tipsy from the ale I guess.
"Awh, here I thought you could handle your liquor hun~" She teases the slightly inebriated man with a smile and a wink, Edward groaning in response as he stands upright and shuffles past her, mumbling under his breath as he makes his way to the bar, I assume that's to pay for the two of them. I sure hope he isn't paying for me, I can do that just fine. I give Lucy a questioning glance with a raised brow, the girls only response to smile smugly and giggle, I guess that's as much as I can expect from her.
"Do you three need anything else?" She questions aloud, her eyes dancing between the three of us. Lucy shakes her head before jumping up, waltzing over to Edward with a skip in her step. I hum and rub the back of my neck, squinting my eyes as I look away from Lyn. The niggling that scratches at the base of my skulls been reignited, I swear to fuck I'm forgetting something important.
Ah fuck, that's right!
"I actually have something to ask of you, Lyn, if you care to hear it." That certainly gets her attention, a small lopsided smile on her face as she looks down to me.
"Oh? And what would that be, luv?"
"Well, I ran into Felicity today, funnily enough."
"Oh dear, she didn't give you a hard time, did she?"
"No, actually. Well, it was a bit of a mess initially, but we sorted it out eventually. I uh, might've promised to talk to you about letting Mabel here spend some time with her later on, I'm trying to help ease her into being around humans some more. I also might want her to have some friends her age, or at least about her age, keidran ages are fucky and weird." I blurt out the last bit of that request a bit too quickly for my taste, I can feel my cheeks burn as she giggles aloud, a gentle smile on her face.
"Awh, now aren't you just an adorable kid! I'll talk to Cleon about it tight first, but I'd personally enjoy it! If that's all you need though, I best be off." I smother a huff and nod instead, drumming my thumbs against the table. God dammit, I'm not a kid.
I've no clue how that's what you grabbed from that answer, but well done. Can we pay and leave now? This place is getting crowded enough.
Something that we can agree on, then. I stand upright and make my way to the bar itself, motioning to Mabel to join me. She clings to my side as we waltz there, Lucy and Edward already lone gone from this place. I can't help but grimace a little, if there were any more people in here I'd feel constricted. The toastiness of this place doesn't exactly do me any favours, too.
"Hey, I'm uh, here to pay for some food that I had." I say awkwardly to the elder bartender, her eyes squinting as she looks at me. She seems somewhat put off initially, her wrinkled face contorted in thought.
"Right, yer the furred ones. Ten silver." She speaks shortly with a detached and lazy tone, idly rubbing down a mug. I scramble through my back and grasp at a pouch, bringing it up and digging my hands into it, rummaging around and handing over the requested silver. She takes it with a grunt, tossing it into her pockets and her back to me. Not exactly the most social bartender, is she? I'll have to go through whatever coins I have some time soon.
I rest my hand atop Mabels head and guide the both of us out of the inn, my ears flattening as the cacophonous noise from the other patrons rises, breathing a sigh of relief as I shove the door open. Cool air washes over me, free of the scent of man and alcohol thankfully, a smile making its way on my face. Thank fucking god I'm out of there, I felt like I was gonna choke on the stench. I bring us both down the steps, looking around for the other two. Eh? Where'd they go?
It doesn't take too long to catch the sight of Edwards armour at least, gleaming in the sunlight as he marches down the road, Lucy skipping beside and around him. Huh, I can't say that I expected her to follow the man, how strange. I shrug, at least he's having someone else keep him company.
"You ready kid?" I ask the girl as I look down to her, hand still resting on top of her head. She nods in response, a small smile on her face as she keeps to my side. I give her a nod in response and begin the march out of town.
The walk to Annas home is free of action, thankfully, a comfortable silence reigns between the two of us as we make our way there. I keep a close eye on her as we walk, just to check on her, to see if there's any discomfort while she's walking. Maybe I'm a tad worried about her, perhaps needlessly so, but still.
Come on, she's undoubtedly been through worse, she's not gonna break because she's walking, chill your shit for once.
I sigh to myself and rub at my face with a hand, directing my attention to elsewhere, observing the nature that surrounds us as we make our way down the dirt path. You're right, I know you're right, but I still can't help but worry. Oddly enough, Adrian doesn't respond with anything beyond a cynical grumbling. Was he surprised that I agreed with him in this case or something?
We move down the miniature hill, there's a strange feeling that stirs in my chest as I look down to the clean little cottage, a mix between excitement and restlessness. I feel like it's been a long time since I've been back here, how is Anna doing? Is she okay? Would she mind me, well, having Mabel?
There's only one way to find out.
It feels odd that Adrian seems somewhat supportive, but it brings a determined feeling into my chest, something that I appreciate now that I stand in front of the wooden door to her house. I hold up my hand and hesitate for a moment, a shiver running up my spine as I wrap my knuckles against the door. There's a small shout that comes from inside, one of acknowledgement that drives itself into my heart, my spare hand forming and unforming a fist as I wait for the inevitable.
The door swings open slowly, deep blue eyes stare into mine as she stands in front of me, clad in familiar plain clothes. I smile awkwardly, examining her face ever so closely, she almost looks… older than I remember, did her eyes always have such prominent crows feet? Was she always so small? Did some of that come from stress, because of me?
"Hey, Anna." I choke out with that smile, giving her a small wave with a free hand. "I told you I'd be safe."
Not entirely true, but she doesn't need to know that, does she? A grunt forces itself from my chest as she suddenly encompasses me in a hug, squeezing around my chest. A sad smile forces itself on my face as I return the hug with my spare arm, squeezing lightly. She holds onto me for a moment before pulling away, her lips curled up into a smile. To my surprise, that smile still holds as she looks down to Mabel, the girl nudging her way behind my leg, although it takes a bit of a sader tone.
"I'm glad you're safe, dear Zeke. Perhaps it'd be best to talk about all this over a cup of tea?" She looks back up to me as she asks, but it doesn't exactly seem like a request that I can refuse. I nod, of course I'd join her! Her smile widens as she steps back into the house, freeing the way inside.
I swallow the spittle that's built itself in my throat, looking down to check on Mabel again. There's an anxious look on her face, but she doesn't shy away from the door, even as I guide the both of us inside.
Welcome back, Zeke.