Lucy walked towards the kitchen to make breakfast for her sisters and [Name], she heard someone moving around the kitchen; the fire was on and there was an enticing smell lingering in the air.
Lucy saw [Name] was cooking something, so sneaking up behind him and tried to peek over his shoulder. [Name] reacted badly, and Lucy felt the cold touch of a blade.
Lucy looked into [Name]'s eyes and almost screamed, they were slits. And they did not look conscious, there was a feral, almost animalistic, glint in his eyes. This happened within a few minutes, but it shook Lucy enough for her to make a mental note to never sneak up on [Name].
Lucy watched as [Name] flinched back and nearly shoving his hand into the open fire. [Name] looked at her with the same cautious gaze before looking down and talking in a quiet yet tired voice.
"I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't mean to."
"No, it's-it's alright. I came up behind you and is scared you. It was my fault."
[Name] raised a hand to silence her apologies. Turning back around the male carried on making the food in silence, whilst Lucy made herself a cup of tea. She looked over at [Name], looked down and saw that his fists were clenched, knuckles white, and his eyes were tightly closed.
Lucy reached out to [Name], "Is everything alright?"
[Name]'s eyes snapped open. His eyes looked at her with such an intense gaze that made Lucy sweat.
Clenching his jaw, [Name] gave Lucy a pained look. He approached her slowly, almost as if he was approaching a scared animal. Reaching out a hand, [Name] slowly pulled her in and hugged her, hugging her tight; although she wasn't Desmond, Lucy had enough similarities that he was convinced this was Desmond, just in another body, or in [Name]'s grief-stricken brain, she was the only thing holding him together; even her sisters reminded him of the demon brothers. Mala, Mammon; Lily, Levi; Stacy, Satan; Anna, Asmo; Bella, Beel; Briella, Belphie. It drove [Name] crazy knowing that he won't ever see them again, it hurt. It hurt so goddamn much. He just started breaking down, crying silently into Lucy's shoulder.
Lucy tentatively hugged back, rubbing his back and holding him just as tightly; it reminded her of Mala after she lost her first love who was murdered by the Shan Ze Bandits.
[Name] didn't mean to let anything out, he was just tormented by the fact that he was just an ordinary guy, pulled from his universe and then inserted into another one, the process would be repeating for God knows how long.
They stayed like that for quite a while until Anna walked in, she was wondering why breakfast wasn't served yet, so she decided to check if everything was alright.
Lucy saw that Anna had come in, she made a silent motion and then motioned to her that the food is ready and should be taken out now.
[Name] calmed himself down the best he could, wiping away his tears, and no one would notice unless they looked close enough to see the slightly red-rimmed eyes; [Name] grabbed the plates and other cutlery, ignoring the looks of worry and confusion he received from Anna and Lucy. Sighing, he turned around and faced them.
Anna watched [Name] smile, it wasn't a happy smile, it was a sombre smile.
"Is everything alright, [Name]?"
She watched as the male let out a huff, "Yeah," he looked down at the plates he was holding, "Everything is fine."
Something in the other's voice stopped Anna from asking further, so she, silently with her sister, grabbed the rest of the food and then walked out into the dining hall.
They all settled down at the table, and [Name] only grabbed a tiny amount of food, he wanted to go to the market where he could sell the animals he had killed yesterday. Having preserved them by using his magic, they were still fresh and without the need to preserve them using the mundane methods of the period, he was really glad for that as he did not need to try and make a fridge of something or doing anything to the to try and preserve his kills.
Putting on his jacket [Name] walked past the dining hall and called out to the sisters, "I will be going down to the market. I won't be long. Will there be anything you want me to bring back or any errands that you want me to run?"
[Name] surveyed the expressions, he waited for a moment and raised his eyebrows as he watched them flounder.
Stacy was the first one to speak up, "I was wondering if I could accompany you? I need to go pick some herbs myself and then I need to pick up some parchment."
"Oh, alright. I will wait for you in the entrance hall."
Stacy finished up her food as quickly as she could and then dropping her empty bowl into the sink, running up the stairs and grabbed her coat before joining [Name].
[Name] held the door open for her. The two called out saying that there were now leaving before the house. The others also got ready to open the clinic again; the early customers that came in for their weekly subscription trickled in.
Following Stacy through the bustling roads, ignoring the weird looks he was receiving from the locals. Glaring at the people who all seemed much smaller than him who were giving him dark looks, or suspicious looks, ignoring all of them [Name] focused on trying to get his stuff sold at either a butcher or something else for the skin.
Looking over as Stacy, [Name] asked Stacy if they had an area where they sell meat or something of the sort, Stacy nodded, saying yes, they had.
Stacy motioned for [Name] to follow her, they walked, trying their best to sometimes dodge the other pedestrians who were also bustling about on the streets. She observed the other, taking in the fact that he was uncomfortable around people, or rather he was suspicious of everyone in the town.
He didn't know if any spies work for the bandits. If that was the case, [Name]'s job would be much harder than anticipated, he still did not know how to go around and join the Guards or the soldiers that protect the village.
"Do you know where I can enlist?" asked [Name].
Stacy looked at him sharply, [Name] was slightly taken back by the others sharp gaze.
"Why do you want to enlist?"
[Name] looked down, "Because this village has saved me," he looked forwards, "You guys saved me. And I want to protect you all."
"You will die if we do engage with the bandits. You do know that, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Why are you so ready to give your life away?"
Stacy held her breath as she looked into [Name]'s eyes. They were so empty, yet so determined.
"I do not know of my origins. I have no roots now; I have nothing to live for, Stacy. Nothing, but the people and their homes in this village."
Stacy grabbed [Name]'s hand, she started dragging him into the deeper parts of the village, where disease and pollution run rampant. The pungent smell of urine and faeces, the stench of mead and alcohol, the smell of sex wafted into the air and it was almost enough to make [Name] gag.
Stacy had already wrapped some camomile leaves into her handkerchief and wrapped it around her head, creating a mask of sorts to keep out the worst of the stench. Chuckling when she heard the other gag; truth be told she did not want the other to leave, or well, she didn't want the other to enlist. Stacy had grown to like the others stable presence, it was not only calming but whenever she was in the same room as [Name] she would be able to just be comfortable, there was no need to speak, there was just a mutual acknowledgement and goodwill.
[Name] observed the bar that Stacy had dragged her to. The Goblin's Bar, [Name] looked at Stacy who seemed to be smiling back at him. Although wary, [Name] still let himself be dragged into the dimly lit bar; there wasn't a disgusting pungent scent this time, it seemed to be relatively clean and only had the musky scent of alcohol and tobacco. He found that he was starting to like the smell and took a deep breath; the scent was different, but [Name] didn't know how to describe the difference.
He watched with some mild amusement as Stacy stumbled slightly, trying to make her way around the tables. Stacy tripped over and [Name] stopped her from falling.
"How can you see in this awful lighting? It's almost pitch black."
[Name] stiffened behind her, "I-it's not that dark."
"Yes, it is."
"Oh, yeah it is," [Name] said under his breath quietly.
Stacy didn't comment on it, but she found it weird that the other could see so well in the dark. Making a mental note of that, Stacy decided she could ask [Name] about it later. It was an interesting thought, as Stacy had heard her sisters mentioning that his eyes sometimes seemed to be glowing, but she always dismissed it as eyes do not glow.
She risked a peak, looking back at the other and saw that [Name] was covering the top part of his face; his long fingers covering his eyes and she could not see past them.
"What are we doing here?"
"Finding an old friend of mine. I met him during the Forest Equinox Festival. The name is Carter and although he seems like an aloof person at first, he is not. Carter is quite the opposite, but that is dependent on whether or not he likes you when he initially sees you."
"Fair enough."
'Lucian?'
'Yes, [Name]?'
'Can you give me some basic information on the man?'
'Certainly, Carter Lourdes, he is of elven descent. But not a pureblood elf, he has been around for a few decades, a proficient swordsman; handy with a range of swords and weapons, he can wield with both hands. Another is that he can sense when there is another entity nearby he can sense – '
'Meaning he can sense me?!'
'Yes, but he cannot pinpoint what you are. He can pinpoint your intentions. Whether they are bad or not. But I am sure you will be fine, [Name].'
'So, me being a demon will not result in an arrow lodged inside my skull?'
Stacy waved her hand in front of [Name]'s face, she waved a bit more frantically before she was pulled into [Name]'s embrace. A quarrel [A/N: A dart-like projectile used by crossbows] lodged itself into the back wall. Where they were just standing.
[Name] watched as the man stepped out from the shadows. He was lean, muscular, dark brown hair a pair of steely grey eyes and what seemed to be a permanent scowl on his fair face.
Carter's eyes lingered on [Name]'s frame and the two sized each other up for a moment before [Name] smiled and greeted the other.
"Hello, Carter."
Carter ignored the calming effect the other's voice had on him and kept his guard up, "Who are you and how do you know my name?"
[Name] blinked, "I know your name because," [Name] looked down at Stacy who was in his arms, "Because Stacy here told me of your name, I do not know anything of you apart from your name."
Stacy reluctantly got herself out of [Name]'s arms and stood in between the two men.
"He is a friend of mine," Stacy ignored the disgruntled noise that [Name] made, "He wants to enlist in the army and help out. Can you help train him?"
Carter paused for a second before turning around and stared at the two incredulously. It has been a long time since someone willingly enlisted. It was surprising. He wasn't sure if he should, it has been quite a while.
"Why do you want me to train you?"
Stacy opened her mouth to answer but she was silenced by Carter raising his hand, he turned around and faced [Name], looking directly into [Eye Colour] eyes.
[Name] looked down, "Because I want to protect the village and its people, they have saved me from death and have given me another chance."
"You believe that that is reason enough to become a soldier?"
"Yes, I do."
"You do know becoming a soldier means giving up one's own life for the sake of others. You understand that notion, right?"
"Yes, I understand it. I don't have anything, I know nothing of my roots, heritage or family. I want to protect this place or die trying."
Carter looked at [Name], he was curious as to why the other wanted to protect this place so much; looking into the others [Eye Colour] eyes, he saw a fire burn intensely in those eyes and caught himself from staring into the other's eyes like a young lass, before turning the other way sharply. Sighing and took a deep breath before turning around again.
"Well," Carter reached out a hand to [Name] who took it in his grasp and shook firmly, "Shall we reintroduce ourselves? Forgive me for firing at both of you. I live in the bad parts of town as you can see."
[Name] smiled, "It is quite alright. I am [Name] [Last Name], nice to meet you. I hope we can be good friends."
"As do I."
Stacy smiled at the interaction between the two and let out a breath of relief, the tension in the room eased a bit. Carter walked over to the unlit fireplace and grabbed one of the pokers and yanked it back. The heavy sound of cogs turning, and metal clanking echoed throughout the room.
The fireplace turned and opened and through the dim lighting there was a spiral staircase spiralling downwards; Carter looked over at them, he noticed [Name] look warily at the entrance, whereas Stacy bounded down those stairs motioning for [Name] to join her.
[Name] stepped forward and flinched slightly as the entrance closed on itself.