Going around the town center was predictably easy and uneventful, did it take a while to actually accomplish? Yeah, could I have just forced her to walk through that mess? Definitely, but I already feel bad about accidentally doing it, it'd go to shit real quick if I proceeded to do the same thing on purpose. I hear the kid humming above me, barely visible out of the edges of my eyes, she's doing a good job at keeping watch for them at least.
...maybe I should stop talking to myself, I don't have Adrian in my head to actually respond to me and bounce ideas off, feels like it's a force of habit more than anything else. Fairly sure that's a little worrying to some people.
Speaking of that bastard, I wonder how he would feel about all of this, gods knows he doesn't exactly like kids, and here I am with one of my shoulders strutting around. At least no one's giving us too many weird looks, from what I've noticed anyways.
"I still d-don't see them…"
"Ah don't sweat it too much kid, I was serious when I said they'll show up sooner or later, call it a hunch." I squeeze the kids knee as I look up to her with a smile, Mabel smiling in return before resuming the task at hand. Maybe I should focus a bit more on trying to look around, however limited my view may be. It's an odd feeling to walk around like this with her, not an unwelcome feeling by any means though. It's just a normal stroll with a kid, a very endearing child that I care a lot about, nothing more and nothing less.
Ah fuck, I suck dick at lying to myself, apparently I'll do it straight faced to anyone else, what a bloody bother. Adrian's gonna have a fucking field day with this when he wakes up . Just ignore it for now, I'll figure this out later, get your head back in reality Zeke, and try not to run into anyone. And try not to fuck up with the kid later on while you're at it.
"Hey Mabel, you feeling okay?" I pipe up to break the admittedly comfortable silence between the both, I'd like a distraction from myself.
"Mn? I'm okay, is something wrong?" Ah fuck, she sounds so innocently sincere, and I can feel her eyes bore into the top of my skull.
"Nah, I just wanted to check up on you is all , kid." Now that's something I can answer truthfully and readily, flows off the tongue just fine.
"Are you okay, Zeke?" I can imagine her tilting her head as she asks that, her hands digging into my scalp just that little bit more. I'm perfectly fine, just internally shitting myself is all from this small venture because of responsibilities that I smashed my head into without thinking, I don't exactly think too much when I decide to do things, but that's normal.
"I'm all good kid, you shouldn't worry about me too much though." I throw my head back to look up, giving her a wink along with those words, saying it with faux bravado is a lot easier to do than trying to admit the truth, she deserves more than to worry about me. It doesn't have the intended effect though, the small pout on her face morphing into a soft and genuine frown.
"But I do worry, you didn't have to do a-anything for me…" I feel my heart shudder as she speaks, squeezing her leg ever so softly. God dammit, why'd I take this responsibility onto myself anyways? I wouldn't give it up, but still.
"I know kid, I wanted to, so I did. I'm an adult, you're a kid, you should be looked after." I respond to her with a resolute voice and nod, something that she smiles in return with, her hands gently pressing against my skull as she purrs, a bright and delighted stare as she continues to look down to me. Awh, I'm royally fucked aren't I? A distraction would be good. "Hey kid, you seem kinda talkative now, you used to be as quiet as a mouse."
"Is, is that bad? Should I stop it?" That awful frown returns to her face with a grim vengeance, her hands clutching my hair. Fuck, not the distraction I wanted!
"Fuck no kid, always speak your mind, especially to me. You have a voice you deserve to use." I hold my hand up beside her head as I speak, the girl smiling and nuzzling into it with glee. Ah fuck, I should keep the swearing to a minimum, Anna would have my head if she said half of the shit I say.
"O-okay, I'll try!" That's the best I could ask of her, I'll never try to actually push the kid too hard, baby steps. I can't help but smile a bit at her though, it's good to see that she's so openly affectionate, I think it's good anyways. Fuck, I feel like I'm awful with kids, at least she's happy about the circumstances, and that's better than nothing. Then again, anything is better than nothing, same goes for her childhood.
"It's a good thing that you're talking kid, I'm just surprised about it is all, so I wanna know why." I elaborate a little more as I pull my hand away from her after a short while, much to her immediate disappointment given the small whine. It twinges my heart strings a little, god she's cute.
"...I dunno, keeping quiet's the best option, but I feel…" She seems to struggle a little bit with that, wringing her hands together as she purses her lips.
"No rush kid, take your time." I assure her with a good hearted smile, taking my eyes off of her to dip out of the way of an oncoming crowd. Not doing that again.
"Better, I think? I dunno how to e-explain it, but it's a good thing, I think." She's stuttering a fair bit whenever she speaks, could she still be nervous about it? I wouldn't be surprised, but she could just be unused to talking much.
"Fair enough, I ain't gonna force you to give me a 'better' answer or anything, just wondering." I give her another smile and a squeeze of a leg before returning to the waltz. It's nice that she's that little more open though, she's growing to be that little bit more social, not sure if it's going quick or slow, but any step is better than none. It feels nice to get to know the kid too, I feel as if she's a lot smarter than she lets on, just restricted because of her past. Would she like books? Maybe I should teach her how to read, god I'm not excited about writing though, if she's gonna learn that from me, I should pass that off to someone else.
I stifle the oncoming groan as best I can, the noise fizzling out in my throat. By the gods, I'm kind of fucked aren't I?
"Hey, hey! There's red over there!" Her calls tear me from those thoughts as I shake my head, following her outstretched digit into the distance. A small bob of red hair in the distance disappears into a crowd, reappearing as she dips left, out of view. That's either Felicity or Lyn, then, either is good enough.
"Good eye kid, I didn't see em. Might wanna get a good grip though." I shuffle her around my shoulders for a moment as I grip her legs, the girl letting out a confused sounding mumble before taking a tighter hold on my hair. Her shrill squeaks fills the air as I take off into a half sprint, the squeaking giving way to a soft giggle over time, taking very careful precaution not to fuck up my center of balance. I mutter half apologies to the people I brush past, trying my best to not nudge them, getting more than a few scornful jeers and scornful heckling as I do so. I've heard worse, so it's easy to brush them off, and judging from the giggling above me, Mabel doesn't exactly hear the bastards. I feel Mabel lean off of me as I take a sharp left, keeping as tight a hold of her as possible to keep her steady, praying that it doesn't hurt her. There's a small yelp from the sudden turn but nothing more, a small breath of relief leaving my lips as I continue the run, thank god.
I feel my body chirp with renewed vigor as that blur of red appears in the distance, stopping for a moment. The kids a boundless source of energy, swear to fuck.
"Hey, Felicity!" I call out to her as I pick up the pace, Mabels little giggling falling for a moment as she echoes me. Heh, how cute. The blur becomes that little more defined as we approach, morphing into an actual girl with her hand raised high, calling out to us in return. There's a man who moves to stand beside her though, old and gruff looking with a face of stone, unmoving and unblinking. The area around here isn't as boxed in as the rest of the town, and although wild, it's far less decrepit than the slum parts of the town. Never gonna take Mabel there, not a fucking chance. At least this place looks open to run around and… do kids stuff, do kids play tag here or what? What does a kid do to have fun anyways?
"Heya Fuzzy! We were looking for you two!" She calls out cheerfully as we approach, my claws clicking against the stone as I stop in front of them.
"And we were doing the same, funny that." I respond in kind as I slide the kid off of my back, landing on the ground with a soft huff of air. Her hair looks a little bit frazzled and fur wind swept, but there's a smile on her face.
"Daaaaad, why can't you carry me like that?" She pouts as she whines, leaning against her father and looking upwards.
"My back ain't the best, and you're getting a bit too heavy dear."
"Are you calling me fat?"
"Maybe, don't tell your mother that." I can't help but snicker at the exchange, the human kid huffing aloud once more as she looks away. He's a stern looking figure of a man with a resting face to match, a plain but wrinkled visage. I know I've met him before, but I can't bloody remember his name, god dammit.
"Nice to meet you, names Zeke, just in case you forgot it." I introduce myself with an outstretched hand as I approach him, a soft smile on his face. He seems to give me a quick look up and down my body before clasping his hand with mine. His hand is hardened and calloused, almost on the verge of unpleasantly rough.
"Cleon, because I know you forgot it." He doesn't sound accusatory or anything with that reply, just factual, but it makes me wince a little bit in return.
"Saw straight through me, here I thought that I could play it off without you finding it out."
"Not likely, we didn't exactly meet for very long. Lyn reminded me too." He says that with a gruff sounding chuckle as he pulls his hand away, I swear to fuck, if his hands were any rougher, he'd have torn my flesh away with it. Probably a slight exaggeration, but still.
"So, I assume you and Lyn are okay with all this happening?" I make a small motion to the kid beside me, a small nervous smile on her face as she looks up to the man. I can't help but rest a hand on her head though and pet away, I didn't think she wouldn't hide behind my legs like usual, when'd she grow up so fast?
"More or less." He says with a grunt, small eyes wincing as Felicity cheers beside him, dancing around his stoic and still frame. "Between the two of em, I wasn't given much of a choice."
I hum to myself as I look over the man, to say he sounds like a reserved man would be an understatement, though his gaze softens ever so slightly as he looks down to his kid. I can't get a very good read of him at the moment though, but I imagine that he's not saying any of that out of genuine resentment.
"Daaaaad, can we play now?" Felicity cuts off my thoughts with a whine and a huff, leaning into his legs again.
"Only if the other two allow it, dear. Is she ready?" I hear Felicity groan aloud once more as I turn my head to Mabel, bringing her close and squeezing lightly.
"Are you absolutely sure you're ready, kid?" I whisper softly to her, my eyes shifting from the pair and back to her. She hesitates for a moment, her lips pursed together and her nose twitching. I smile lightly and nudge my forehead against hers, it seems to bring her out of her thoughts. I know just how distracting those can be.
"Y-yeah, I think so." She whispers in return, the determined look in her eyes and on her face clashes with the demure tone of her voice. "Can you take this cloak off?"
"No problem kid." I give her head a quick ruffle before tending to the cloak, unlatching it and throwing it over my shoulder, just in case she wants it later. I hum to myself, looking over her for a moment before fixing her scarf a little, it's come a little undone from the run it seems.
"Come ooooooon, old people are so slow." Felicity sounds like a far from patient kid, I guess that's kind of obvious by this point though. I roll my eyes, although she can't see it, a smile on my face as Mabel giggles. I finally stand upright after a few moments, the scarf looks tucked in enough, hopefully it doesn't come undone too quickly.
"Alright, off you two go then, go do uh… whatever you kids do." I finally announce to the pair, Felicity letting out a somewhat exaggerated groan of relief.
"Fiiiinally, let's go play, I'll teach ya things!" Felicity takes a hold on one of Mabel hands, borderline dragging her off and away from us, the keidran letting out a little squeak of surprise from the ordeal, stumbling after the human. I give the two of them a small wave, at least Mabel attempts to return it when she's not being shaken.
"What does she mean by 'teach her'?" I pipe up, leaning against a wall as I look to the man. Still looks as impassive as before, I feel like I should be able to read something from him, I've seen more visible emotions from bricks.
"Lyn told her that your kid probably doesn't know much bout kid things, so she's taking it upon herself to teach her." The way he talks makes it sound as if he gargles gravel for a living, though at least he sounds like an honest man. I nod along with him, turning my sights over to the kids. I can't exactly hear what they're saying, not without trying a bit too hard of course, but Mabel seems pretty attentive to whatever's being discussed, nodding along with the human.
"You don't mind about us ah, not exactly being human?"
"Not particularly, never paid attention to you lot, so long as you don't cause trouble. Neither her nor my wife have an issue with it, so I don't either." My ears twitch as I glance to him at the edges of my vision, raising an eyebrow. You lot? What doe- ah, he probably thinks I'm a keidran too, not surprising. Well, if he doesn't care, then who am I to correct him about semantics?
"Fair enough, you all have my thanks for that."
"Not a problem kid." I purse my lips together and shuffle from paw to paw, mumbling internally. Too old to a kid and I'm a kid to everyone else, god dammit. The conversation dies down soon after that though, it's a comfortable silence at least, a smile on my face as the two of them chase after one another, Mabels purple scarf flowing in the wind and trailing behind her, I can see that great big smile on her face even from here, eyes dancing with a childish joy. It's, it feels nice to see her being happy like this, being an actual child instead of a slave, and I'm glad that she's taking to it so easily too. Here I was being worried that she'd be taken aback from it all, it's a somewhat drastic change.
Hey, wait a fucking minute.
"I uh, just realised what you said actually, she's not my kid. I'm just looking after her for now, nothing more." I finally speak up to clarify the mess, rubbing the back of my neck as I do so. It's a pitifully weak sounding argument though, I can't even believe it myself.
"Coulda fooled me." He replies with a shrug, he sounds oddly casual despite the stern look on his face, his eyes never leaving the pair. Or just his kid, either way he looks like he's brushing off what I say.
"You don't exactly seem convinced."
"Cause I ain't kid, thought that was obvious." I can't help but flinch for a bit, man's as blunt as a rock, he doesn't even need to be looking at me for me to feel as if he's glaring too.
"Well I'm being honest, she's not related to me or anything."
"Didn't realise kids needed to be yours by blood to count."
"She doesn't, but I haven't adopted her or anything." I'm trying my best to recover here, but the way my throat clogs up ever so slightly as I talk isn't exactly doing me any favours. He tears his sight away from the two to look over at me, his eyes staring into mind, they look cold and focused, a piercing gaze. Fantastic, first thing I can read from the dude and it's him seeing through my bullshit. This is gonna turn to shit real quick.
"You're full of shit kid, you're a scared little shit aren't you?" And just like that, the dam fucking shatters with a strained groan, mashing the back of my skull against the wood behind me, I can feel my face morphing into a pained grimace. God I hope no one else notices this, least of all the kid.
"Ahhhh Jesus fucking Christ I'm terrified, I didn't think I'd get attached so fucking quickly, I just wanted to keep her safe. I-I-I ain't a fucking parent or anything, there's no way the kid would see me as one, and I don't want to be seen as one. A parent should be a role model for their kid, or a rock to hold onto or something, I have no fucking idea wh-" A rough grip interrupts my tirade, Cleon standing beside me with an impassive look on his face, his grip tightening after a moment.
"Kid, you need to calm down and breathe before you knock yourself out." He warns with a cool tone, eyes blinking slowly as he stares. I haven't even noticed the clenching of my throat making a return, the squeezing around my lungs suddenly just a little bit noticeable.
"I didn't, ah fuck. Okay, you're right, sorry." I feel my face burn as the elder man continues to stare, taking in a deep breath to sedate my nerves. Shit, that hasn't happened in a while, and it wasn't even when I was surrounded by people this time around. That's, somewhat worrying, ich. He grunts and nods, taking his hand off of my shoulder, there's a lingering pain from the roughness of it that slowly ebbs away.
"Feel better?" He asks as he stands beside me, arms crossed and looking over me in the corner of his eye, his attention returning to the kids.
"Y-yeah, I think so anyways." I let out a relieved sigh as I follow his stare. They look so uncaring, so free, something that Mabel welcomes with open arms and a beaming glow, the keidran hot on the heels of the other. And here I am shitting myself over this, god dammit.
"How old are you kid?" I blink in surprise, that's not exactly a question I expected to hear from him. I hum to myself for a moment, a hand fiddling with the cloak.
"I'm not entirely sure, always thought I was twenty something though, seems like a right enough age."
"You ain't sure?"
"Amnesia is a bastard, ya know?" I remember when I used to be kind of frightened about being an amnesiac, and here I am telling it to someone I've met once, funny that.
"Hm, wouldn't know myself, but I could imagine. You're going into this pretty bloody young and blind then."
"I'm not that young, and I don't want to be going into anything."
"So what are you gonna try to do then, keep a hold of her before offloading her to someone else? You gonna try to find her parents? The Templars would gut you if you tried to set her free." A sigh pushes past my lips as I rub my temple, frustration bubbling in my chest and spreading throughout my limbs, I can feel the man's heated stare bore into me.
"I have no fucking clue, I thought about trying to find her parents, but that's a needle in a fucking haystack that'd shank me if I tried. Fuck the Templars too, I know there's some good ones in there, but their laws are shit. I want her to be free, I want her to have the chance to be a kid." I hiss through clenched teeth, squeezing my eyes shut. Fucking Templars, fucking Trace too, garbage laws that forces people to do shit things. I shake my head and try to take in as deep a breath as possible, exhaling soon after, slow and steady Zeke, there's no need to get pissed at this. It doesn't help.
"Do you care for her?" My head snaps up to face the man, an eyebrow raised as I return his stare, his cracked lips pursed into a thin line
"Yeah? Of course I do."
"Would you trade that care for anything?"
"Fuck no."
"Are you gonna take care of her?"
"Until the day I die, I've made a promise and I'm not gonna break it." That's something I will always staunchly stand by, whatever's going through my head, I'll do what I need to do to keep her safe and happy. Cleons firm stare falters for a moment as he sighs, a surprisingly… almost gentle look on his face taking its place, the edges of his lips curled up into a faint smile.
"You're young and nervous, I get that kid, maybe it ain't my place to say, but as long as you keep to that promise, it'll be something she'll always be thankful for. Cant say I understand kids very well, that's something I've left for my wife to do, but keeping em safe is a good enough start to help em." I nod along with his words, an oddly soft and melancholic tone to them, his eyes looking back over to the pair. I think I know what he's talking about? I hum to myself and shuffle on the spot a bit, the fuck do I say to this?
"Why are you helping me anyways? I don't wanna sound too skeptical, but still." Cleons immediate response is a chuckle, and to clasp his hand on my shoulder once more. It feels a lot less heavy handed than before, a more gentle touch to it, not that it changes the feeling too much.
"I was a little like you, a good decade ago, shitting myself over fatherhood, it was far from the best time for Lyn and I, and yet…" He trails off with a smile, his dark eyes looking over to the kids, his kid specifically. "I wouldn't trade it for the world."
I didn't expect a man who sounds like he gargles gravel to sound so soft, but here I am, following his stare as I check over Mabel. She's still smiling, her glee plain on her face as she sits beside Felicity, fangs bared into a wide grin. I'm still not sure about all this, not that it'd change what I do regardless, though at least my lungs don't feel like they're gonna cave in on itself from nerves alone.
"Didn't think you'd be so soft Cleon. But, thanks for that, I'm being honest."
"I know you are kid, but don't go sharing it around." The silence between the two of us is comfortable enough, my smile still straining my face as I keep an eye on the girl. Hm, I do need to chat to Anna some time today about whatever she's doing, and I can't bring myself to tear Mabel away from her friend.
Her first friend, one her age anyways, or at least close enough.
"Hey, Cleon?"
"Mn?"
"Do you think you could look after Mabel for a bit? I have something to do, and Anna doesn't think she should be there to see it." He raises his eyebrow as I ask, it feels weird to ask a favour from him so soon after meeting him, but I'll take my chances.
"Sure, I won't pry into your business. You gonna take long?"
"I'm not sure really, she didn't give me a time frame."
"Mn, I'd say we'll stay here, but Felicity ain't a girl who likes to sit still still. This is the most I've seen Felicity stay in one place for a while, but if we need to wait around for you to come back, we'll be at the inn."
"The inn?"
"Yep, it's an easy enough landmark to remember, and you ain't a stranger to bringing kids there?" I roll my eyes and groan aloud, a smile on my face despite the ribbing and a chuckle coming from him.
"I hope that I won't take long, but I'll meet you there if I take a bit. I'll just ask Mabel if she's gonna be okay with staying with you two." He gives me a small wave as I shove myself off of the wall.
"Hey, kid." A questioning hum escapes my throat as I stop mid step, turning back to face the man.
"What's up?"
"Don't tell my kid or wife that I've been swearing, I don't want Lyn to rip my head off." An uncharacteristic shudder seems to run through the man, much to my amusement. Lyn doesn't look like a scary woman, maybe it's a marriage thing, maybe it's a love thing too, hell if I know.
"I've never heard such a thing from you before." I wink before turning away from him, waltzing my way over to the pair and waving to catch Mabels attention. Her ears perk up as she looks my way, smile still staining her face as she stumbles onto two feet, running towards before lunging into my stomach, grunting as she smashes her head into my chest. Jesus Christ, there was some force behind that.
"Having fun kid?" I chuckle as I wrap my arms around her, kneeling to her height and holding her close, squeezing lightly before pulling away.
"Mhm mhm!" Ah, she sounds so happy and cheerful, the radiance of her toothy grin only seems stronger when I'm this close to her, the thudding of my heart slowing as I ruffle her hair. Her light purring fills the air for the brevity of the petting before I pull away, the happiness on her face marred by concern. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's good kid, I just wanted to chat with you for a second. I gotta go talk to miss Anna for a few things, and I think you're having plenty of fun with Felicity, do you want to stay here while I go deal with Anna? They'll look after you, I promise they're on our side, but I won't force you to stay here." I explain the situation to her as best as I can, the girl shuffling in place for a few moments, her face contorting as she frowns.
"...are you s-sure it's okay?" She whispers softly as she looks up to me, her eyes open and innocent, a hopeful look to it. I smile and rub my thumb over her cheek, her purring returning as she relaxes into my hand. Ah, this kid's gonna kill me some day.
"Without a doubt in my mind, little Mabel. Now, is that a yes or...?" A shrill sounding squeak is her answer, as is her mashing her face into my chest, I can't tell if the nodding is an extra answer to the question or something else entirely. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close though, my hand rubbing her back as I do so. God bless this kid. "Hey, Felicity."
"Huh?" She doesn't seem to have paid too much attention to what's going on between Mabel and I judging from the look of surprise on her face, probably thought this was boring old person stuff.
"You'll look after my kid, won't ya? She'll be needing protecting after all." Not a very serious question, and I ask her in a light hearted manner, but she seems to take it in stride, a cocky grin on her face as she plants her fists on her hips.
"Yup yup! If anyone tries anything, I'll beat em up!" I can't help but chuckle a little at the enthusiasm, though I hope that nothing actually occurs, at least the kid feels like she's being useful. Hell, maybe she does know how to scrap, she looks like a rough and tumble girl after all.
"I'll be counting on ya. See you soon, Mabel." I ruffle her hair a final time before walking off, turning back to wave to the pair of them, at least Mabel returns the wave with a bright grin on her face. I give Cleon a last glance before rounding a corner, there's a small smile on his face as he nods.
I sigh to myself, a happy feeling one at that, it feels like there's a weight being lifted off of my shoulders from it. Always thought Cleon was a rough and stern man, but the advice at least feels helpful.
I pick up the pace as I march towards Annas home, ignoring the side long glances and muttering of whoever's around as I run past them, claws clattering against the stone beneath as I throw my cloak on. Hopefully the path there isn't a distracting one.
…I called Mabel 'my kid', I've only just realised that, must've rolled off of my tongue before I realised. It doesn't feel that bad to think about it like that anymore.
….
A somber silence reigns over the cottage as the door squeaks open, popping my head into the room first. I take a brief look around the living room, a fragrance lingering in the air, an almost lavender scent. Anna's nowhere to be soon though, furrowing my brow as I push my way inwards, the door squeaking closed behind me, pursing my lips together as I delve deeper. This is definitely not ominous, not at all. I wish Adrian was here, for some semblance of comfort.
A shiver runs up my spine as my claws click against the wood, my hand moving up to grasp at a blade that's not there, cursing myself internally. Have I really grown that suspicious over time, to the point where even a place of safety can set off my nerves? I sigh softly before letting my arms fall limply to my side, a sense of shame flooding my veins.
"Hey Anna, you in here?" I call out to the silence, the cottage replying with an echoing thumping.
"Shit, give me a minute." Her reply is hasty and muffled, but audible enough. I hum to myself and take a seat at the table, drumming my fingers against the table to pass the time. The nerves under my skin can't help but jolt around, an anxious feeling bubbling in my chest. So close to talking to her, and it's all the more frustrating to do so, what a pain.
My ears twitch upwards as the creek of door opening echoes throughout the house, followed by hurried steps, Anna finally appearing in the light. Her smile seems a bit strained but otherwise welcoming, the hand raised to her chest glows unnaturally, a box lagging behind her. It looks like she's lugging it around with magic, better than doing it physically I guess.
"Sorry kid, didn't think you'd be back so soon, kinda put off some things." She speaks with an apologetic tone, the smile on her face appearing a bit sadder than before, a frown morphing on my own.
"Are you okay Anna? Do you need help?" I begin to move out of the chair as I speak, stopping as she holds up a hand.
"I'm alright kid, just sit down, there's some things I wanna ask you about." Her voice is soft and measured as she smiles, taking a seat opposite, my heart beating that little bit faster as she plants the box onto the table. Does she really have to say it like that? She's gonna give me a heart attack, and what's with the box?
"Such as?" I wince a little after I speak, I sounded a bit too defensive there. If she notices it, she doesn't show it, at least visually.
"What have you been up to since you left?" Ah, that's an innocent sounding question, and it's something I probably should've expected really. Of course she'd wanna know what I've been doing, she's probably been worried sick.
The story I spin for her isn't a very complicated one, a whole lotta walking mostly, as well as what we've been doing in those towns, I tell her as much as I can remember anyways. It's oddly hard to recall some parts of it, I remember Levi at least a little, and that nobleman I scared shitless, which I still feel bad about. But I don't remember much else from there, and there's a guilty feeling in my heart over it too, I should probably at least try to make up for that.
Wreathwood is a different story, that place is plenty memorable, from Mabel to the little scuffles I got in and the ambushes beforehand, I miss that place for the most part. I miss the sea, the salty smell of it is something that I can still recall. I don't tell her much about certain things, mostly the whole Templar related issue with Alex, it doesn't seem too important, at least to me. She seemed pleased to hear about the assassins oddly enough, a small smile on her face. How odd. Thankfully she doesn't interrupt anything, her only reactions being gentle nodding and the raising of her brow, keeping quiet otherwise,
"And that's more or less everything, that I can remember at least. I'm, eheh, kind of a bad person to go to when you wanna hear things that've happened, my memory is shit." I apologise to the patient woman with a burning sensation in my face, rubbing the back of my neck. She chuckled, it's a polite sounding noise that goes well with the gentle smile on her face.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you kid?"
"Well, I guess so. It's only been a weekish since I've left, so it could've been worse."
"And yet you've changed so much, have you noticed that?" Now that little question rings in my chest, wincing in reaction as she keeps her eyes on me, a sharp glint in her blue eyes.
"Yeah, just a little." I respond with a shrug, there's not much to add onto it, unless she wants to pry into it. She smiles sadly and reaches over to me, her hand clasping my shoulder with a surprising firmness.
"I know that look in your eye, Zeke, I've seen it in plenty of eyes. You've done something that you regret haven't you? I can see it weigh on you even now." She speaks softly, so smoothly, as if gently trying to nudge me into talking about it. I shuffle a little in my seat, a moment of anxiousness taking a hold of my chest. She knows even if I don't say it, and she'll probably understand.
"I murdered three keidran, done it a little bit ago, and I'm a little bit jumpy over small things, both because of that incident and other stuff." I say it plain and simply, in as flat of a tone as I can anyways, through a cold chill still runs up my spine with a shudder. I guess I'm not as over it as I thought, or maybe it's because I'm saying it in front of Anna.
"I see, do you want to talk about any of it?" She offers softly as she pulls away, an understanding smile on her face.
"I'm over the ambushing and the killing, for the most part anyways. Being jumpy around things probably ain't gonna stop any time soon, there's nothing wrong with being cautious after all, but I'll keep your offer in mind Anna." I respond with a smile of my own as I meet her stare. She seems worried still, but doesn't push the issue, nodding in response.
"Alright, I just wanted to make sure that you're okay is all kid. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" She seems hesitant to continue despite her words, her strained smile returning.
"I figured there was more to this than just catching up, what's going on?" She purses her lips together, her hesitation continuing for a moment longer.
"This is for you." She answers cryptically, shoving the box over to me with a wave of a hand. I look between her and the object, swallowing down the building worry in my throat as I flip the lid to it open.
I pull out the hunk of metal held within, the otherwise bland chest piece is charred and cracked in some places, well worn from fire and battle. There's an ashen stench that hangs around it, a shudder running up my spine as my nose crinkles from the smell alone. Tattered and burnt bits of a robe clings to the inside, whether it's black by design or by fire, I'm not entirely sure. The Templar emblem is emblazoned on the forefront of it like a medal, it looks as if it's meant to be worn as a mark of pride or status, though it's marred by soot and darkened, bent in places and terribly misshapen.
"This, this is..." My armour, this is my armour, I remember this! Was that the first dream, or the second? I was wearing it when I first remembered that emerald chick. An odd sense of nostalgia seems to weigh on my shoulders as I look over the mangled piece of metal, it doesn't look very usable in its current state. Gods, how much time would I have spent with this thing to feel like this even now? I must've personalised it a fair bit for it to end up as it was, before the attack anyways.
"That is something I should've given to you ages ago, dear Zeke. I have had a personal hatred towards those Templars for a long time, it's only been worse since Trace became the Grand templar." She spits his hand with a loathing venom, her face contorted into an ugly expression for a moment before falling away. Current Grand Templar and probably one of the biggest fuckers in Mekkan, what an honour. "But you have the right to know what your old occupation was, and why you would've been with those men, and I pray to the masks that you can forgive me for hiding it from you. You had a right to know."
It breaks my heart to see her with such a torn look on her face, her guilt as clear as day on it, her eyes squeezed shut. It doesn't help that I feel extremely awkward over her telling me this, cause of uh, obvious reasons. God dammit.
"I uh, I already know this." I say awkwardly, looking down to her with a half hearted smile. She opens her eyes and stares up to me, blinking very slowly.
"What."
"Yeah, I knew about this for a while. My memories come back as dreams, kind of, it's hard to explain. Can't really control it, but I've chosen to remember what little things I can." I hold the bits of armour underneath an armpit as my spare hand rubs the back of my neck, an awkward laughter escaping my lungs.
"You mean to tell me that I've been losing my mind worrying about this, wracked with a guilt at purposefully leaving out potentially vital information about your past, only for you to already know about all this?" Oh man, she looks fucking pissed, her eyes squinting with a dangerous glint behind them. Well, fuck, now I just feel worse, how much time has she lost worrying about my dumb shit?
"More of less, sorry for making you worry I guess? Besides, I might've left out some bits of information as well, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite to be shitty about it when you were just trying to help me, ya know?" I half apologize with a shrug, there's not much else I can do really, although I really hope she doesn't feel too guilty about it all. She squeezes her eyes shut and sighs, a long shuddering sigh at that, although I can see the tension in her body rolling off of her.
"Hah, well don't I feel like an idiot? All this really messed with my work schedule too, I have so many things to work on…" She trails off with a frustrated grumbling, a terse frown on her face. I smile sadly and shove the bits of armour back into the box before waltzing over to her, catching her in a hug.
"Thank you for worrying, Anna, but please look after yourself. You've done so much for me already. " I whisper to her as I continue to latch onto her, a firm hug that surrounds her, the woman sighing before returning it. It's awkward to hug someone sitting down, but I do it anyways, there's a comforting feeling in it that's wonderfully soothing.
"Alright alright, get off of me kid, before I use you to experiment." It's a half hearted threat at best, a smile on my face as I pull away from her.
"Ah, a serious threat indeed, how dangerous." I bow lowly, though I keep eye contact, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue as I wink. To be honest, I forgot that she did experiments and whatnot, I assume that she'd use magic alongside her experiments too. I'd be very hesitant to have her meet Lucy.
"Bah, get outta here and pick up the kid, I can already tell that you two are joined at the hip." She scoffs, but there's a smile on her face, she doesn't exactly give me room to respond before brushing past me, patting my shoulder before dipping into the hallway. The door behind her shuts with a thud, and silence returns. Something tells me that she's a little miffed about it, ah well. I give a glance to the box she left behind, the dull glint of metal held within. I'll deal with this shit later.
I flip it shut with a hand before making my way out of the cottage, the door squeaking open and closing behind me, the sun looks a little bit last mid morning, a warm time for a good jog back to my kid. I'll think of some use for that bit of armour sometime later, it's not exactly important right now.
I limber up my limbs before beginning to run, a smile on my face the wind blows against it. Here I was thinking that something really shitty happened to Anna, as I once feared long ago. Worrying a bit much seems to be a common theme here.
I hum to myself as I run along the dirt path, the familiar and welcoming presence of nature surrounding me. I've missed this, but a worry niggles at the back of my mind. I feel like I've forgotten something...
Ah, totally forgot to tell her about the magic shit. I'll just do that later I guess, shouldn't be too much of a hassle.
Hopefully anyways.
….
It was nice to walk the streets for a while, to enjoy the sun and the free feeling that hung along with it, having free time in this town is something that I'm not accustomed to and the thought of planning the rest of my time here felt uncomfortable.
I'm not the best at planning, and I've accepted as much. I prefer to wing things, it's easier that way, although I'd like to imagine I have some inkling as to what's gonna happen, unless I've been blindsided by some bullshit.
That being said, I really didn't expect this, now this is some shit.
"Eheh, hey Zeke." She says with a bashful looking grin, the burning red of her cheeks visible even through the dirt and grime. She's covered almost head to toe in the stuff, the brown fur at least masks some of it, but the bits of white are spared no quarter from the filth. Her golden eyes look nervous, her hands clasped together in front of her. Shit, even the scarf is covered in dirt, from purple to brown it goes, it clings to the cloth like it's fucking life depends on it.
I open my mouth to speak, though no sound emerges, clamming it shut soon after. What do I say to this, what the actual fuck happened here? I can see Cleon scolding his daughter out of the corner of my eyes, though the words he speaks are inaudible to my ears. Felicity looks a bit nervous, judging from the way she shifts. Mabels grin falters for a second, lifting her hands up to me and revealing the contents inside. It's a mound of dirt, earthy and brown, specks of pink wriggling underneath it all.
"We found worms?" She says that as if it's a question more than anything, tilting her head as she laughs, a nervous sounding one. I let out a soft sigh, rubbing my temple with a hand.
Bloody kids. Wouldn't have her any other way though.
Author's note: This one might be a little bit messy at times, mostly with the dialogue with Anna. I had a plan to reveal the whole "oh yeah I'm totally dead and shit" thing here, and I spent a good amount of time on it to be honest, but it turns out that I already did that. In chapter 4 or something, the start of this fanfic. I'm fucking mad with old me, son of a bitch.
Also I plan to rewrite the related scenes where there's drinking between Anna/Zeke/Mabel sometime. I always thought that keidrans couldn't drink milk, but that was only a special case in the comic, wiki even says that drinks are exempt with the exception of alcohol. This won't affect the story at all, its a minor character moment that's meant to show Zeke wanting to find out new things to help Mabel feel more relaxed and it's a minor nitpick at most but it's a nitpick that's annoying the fuck out of me.
Why did I think that keidrans couldn't drink milk? I don't know, but I need to sleep.
Also, chapter 50 soon, woo.