Drake came in one night for a drink, and of all the people in Demure, he looked like he had the darkest story to tell. His face was moody and cold, and though he was not old, his peppered gray hair was unkempt and long. He wore nicer clothes than the rest of the villagers, though textiles and clothing options were not a major concern here. There was no shortage of fashion choices, something she later learned about through the village's trade connections.

The Bellisade was filled with low talk and murmurs, and the occasional clink of glasses as people gathered after another gray day of work. It had been about a week since Vre had first arrived. When she wasn’t piecing together the history of this world or trying to understand it, she helped around the Bellisade, serving meals with the owner, a round woman named Sandra. It was Sandra who first pointed out Drake to Vre, her chubby white finger directed at the strange, gloomy man sitting at the bar.

“That man never comes in here much. He must be particularly lonely tonight to be all the way down here. He’s a scientist, y’see. Does all kinds of weird experiments in the north part of town. I never liked him much, but he looks like he needs a drink. You think you can take one to him? Your pretty smile might cheer him up.”

“I dunno about that,” Vre scoffed under her breath. But she didn't mind being nice. She filled up a glass with lager and brought it over to the man Sandra had pointed out, setting it down before him with a smile.

“Hey there,” she greeted with a light, bubbly tone. “I’m new here, and I don’t recognize you. What’s your name? I’m Vreja, or Vre for short. I just got here about six days ago.”

Drake let his dark eyes travel over her in a manner that made Vre uncomfortable. His gaze lingered for too long on certain parts before finally meeting her eyes. “Drake,” he gruffed, his voice like gravel as he pushed the straggles of hair from his eyes to see her better.

“Nice to meet you, Drake,” Vre said professionally. Her blonde hair glinted in the dim light, as radiant and refreshing as the sun, which this world so rarely saw. She extended her hand in a good-natured manner, and after a moment, he slowly accepted. His skin was cold to the touch, and his fingers were as thin as bone. Vre didn’t let it bother her and instead smiled. “What’s your story? Sandra said you don’t come here much. Consider me intrigued. What do you do, Drake?”

He took a long drink from the glass she had brought him, the taste of the beer lingering on his lips as he looked her over. “I’m an academic,” he said finally, in barely more than a whisper. Maybe he wasn’t used to conversing, she thought. But he continued, “I consider myself a scholar of the particular nuances of the World Between. I’ve been studying the beings that come and go, and the nature of this world as a whole.”

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“Really?” Vre was genuinely intrigued. Most of the people she had met in Demure didn’t seem very interested in the beings. She herself had only caught a glimpse of one, perhaps, during her first week here. She had seen a glimmer of light through the trees one day, in the shape of what could have been a man. But nothing concrete. “I’ve heard people talk about these beings, Drake, but no one seems to know much about them or to care. People keep to themselves. But you know about them?”

“Aye,” he nodded slowly. “You can’t be surprised, though, right? It was the same on Earth. These beings surround us all the time, but people can’t be bothered. It takes a very sensitive soul to see these things on Earth. But here, they’re plain as day. Yet, people still don’t care. It’s always been that way. The spiritual and the divine don’t mix well with the mortal dust shells that we are.”

“Dust shell?” She thought about it, then shrugged. “I’ve heard of a meat prison or a bag of bones before. Dust shells are new.”

He scoffed. “You know what I mean. We’re flesh and blood and a tiny drop of spirit. Consider these beings to be the opposite ratio—mostly spirit, with a tiny drop of flesh and blood. Depends on the being, though…”

“I’d love to learn more about them,” she smiled. “I’ve always been interested in that kind of stuff. I used to want to pursue it, to dedicate my life to spirituality and figure out the mysteries of the universe. But then I got a job. Got a house. A…”

She trailed off when she was about to say ‘boyfriend.’ It had been nearly a week since she’d talked to Liam, and she didn’t know if she’d ever see him again. She was mixed up with all sorts of feelings about that.

“Anyway, I’d really love to learn more. Would you be up for talking about it sometime?”

Drake studied her again as the sound of the room quieted down. People were starting to head out, and Sandra and the other girls were beginning to clean up.

“Actually, I have a better way for you to learn if you are sincere about your desire to know more.” He finished his drink with a large swig, watching her.

“Oh?”

“I could use your help. I live in the northern part of town, where some of the houses are abandoned due to the lack of people to maintain them. I needed a large establishment to conduct my research... and experiments. There are things I can do alone, but many tasks would benefit greatly from having two extra hands. You seem like a capable and bright young woman. If you are agreeable, my house is plenty large enough for the two of us. You could stay with me and help with my research. Unless, of course, you are happy here.” He glanced around again, not without a smidge of judgment.

Vre thought about it for a moment, also looking around. She wasn’t overly bonded to this place, but the women had been kind, and she got to see the people of Demure fairly often. But on the other hand, she did want to know more. If she was stuck in this strange, gray world, then she didn’t want to just sit idly by. This might be a good chance for her, even if it meant partnering with this strange man she had just met.

She met his gaze with an excited glimmer in her eye. “Alright. I’d love to help out. Where do I start?”

Drake grinned, an uneven gesture that pulled his features into a weird slant. He grabbed a nearby napkin and took out a pen from his overcoat, scribbling a small map. He handed it to her.

“Bring your stuff and come by tomorrow. It’s just me and Herb that live there—Herb’s my bird—so bang loud on the door when you get there. I’ll come let you in. I’m excited to work with you, Vre.”

She found herself smiling. “Me too, Drake. Me too. See you tomorrow.”