With Leo asleep, I had to carry him the rest of the way. Thankfully there weren’t many other people about in town at that hour. I paid attention to the signs and quickly found an inn, though the name on it was too worn to properly make out. Carrying him on my shoulder, I walked inside and was almost immediately put off.

There was well over a dozen people inside, most of them men. A few of the people moving between the loud denizens were dressed in similar looking outfits, and carrying little tables with food and drinks. I had been to an inn before once in my life, but I had only stopped by as a child. This town was smaller then, with less eating and drinking as well. Shaking my head and trying not to breathe through my nose, I headed for the bar.

After finding a free space, a tall woman turned her attention to the both of us and let out a gasp of shock. Some of the other patrons stared at us with mild interest as she bustled towards us and immediately put her hands on Leo’s face.

“Oh my goodness! This is one of the hunters from deeper in the woods. Leo, right? What happened to him?” She asked, frantically patting over him.

Stop putting your hands on him before I rip them off. I thought to myself, staring at her.

“Our cabin caught on fire while we were away, but we don’t know why. Leo got really hurt and he needs some rest, can we get a room for the night? I can try to get some money from the ruins tomorrow.”

“Don’t you worry about rushing into things like that! We need to get you both to bed and checked for something wrong. I’m sure waking up to a fire in the middle of night must’ve shaken you up, but you’ve got to settle down and relax.” She moved to the other side of the bar.

The woman waved over one of the other girls working there and had her take her place at the bar while she helped me bring Leo upstairs. Everyone in the room had lowered their voices and were casting curious glances at us. All of their stares made me more tense than usual, and I struggled to not run away. When we finally got upstairs, the woman broke away and opened one of the doors for us with a set of keys.

We laid Leo down on the bed face down, turning his head so he could breathe. She tore the rest of his shirt off and pulled it free. Edward’s black bile was still covering his back, and a faint steam rose off of his skin in the cool room. She touched the black spot with one finger and let out a gasp of pain before she pulled it back. A little part of it was on her finger, so she started to bring it towards her mouth to cool it down. I luckily snatched her by the wrist first.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I warned her.

“Huh? I guess it’s unsanitary to touch my mouth after poking a wound, but it’s not like I’m some little girl.”

“There might be poisons mixed in there, who knows what kind of stuff forms on burns like that! Just wipe your finger off before putting in in your mouth, or better yet wash it with cold water.”

She looked at me in confusion for a second before leaving to wash her hand. I sat down on the floor next to Leo and stroked his arm. Even though it was a dangerous situation, and I should be worried more, I can’t help but stare at his sleeping face. We were already on the losing side of a battle, and I had no idea how to change course. I wanted to just run away into the woods and hide, but leaving Leo behind wasn’t possible. Even if I was scared I couldn’t show it.

The woman came back with a small towel on her hand. She walked over back towards Leo and put the back of her hand on his forehead. I immediately felt like tearing her apart. My hands clenched into fists at my side and I stood up. Before I could move against her, I remembered my promise to Leo and folded my arms tight across my chest. She stood back up and shook her head.

“So did you find him inside, or just help him along the way? I don’t remember him ever mentioning someone living with him.”

“We’ve only known each other a short while.” I admitted, avoiding eye contact. “But I got him out of the fire because I was there with him. We were living together and were going to spend the rest of our lives in that cabin...”

My anger from before got lost in remembering my plans for staying with Leo. Even if it meant dealing with humans like this woman, I’ll be happy if I can spend more time together with him.

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“Oh, uh... congratulations on the engagement then.” She said with an awkward laugh. “If there’s anything else I can do to help you two, just let me know, alright?”

“Actually... we could use some new clothes, if possible. Both of us took some damage from the fire, and well... it’s not like we can really get another outfit.”

“I’ll try and find something for Leo to wear, I think we’ve got a spare outfit from the tavern you could wear though. Here, let’s let him get some rest and we’ll have you change into new clothes!”

Before I could object I was being pulled back downstairs with her. I wanted to stay with Leo some more, but was worried about coming off as suspicious. Just being around so many humans was putting me on edge, and I was incredibly lucky I had already fed on Leo before now. If I hadn’t, I’m not sure how I’d be able to resist feeding on them, but thankfully now the only blood I need is his.

I was brought into a back room, where she gave me a dress like her own. The size was a little too tall for me, but it wasn’t entirely unsightly. She had a freshly cleaned tray held up near a lantern for me to see my own reflection. Even though the image was warped I still admired it for a minute or two.

By the time I finished, I realized this was the first dress I’d worn in decades, my previous one being lost in my old home. My hands stroked over the hem of the skirt and my face dropped. The bar owner put a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

“Hey.... I know you’re probably worried about your home, but everything is going to be alright, okay?” She said with a smile. “Here, I’m not up to much right now. My name is Lily, what’s yours?”

“...Senna.” I answered, taking a step away.

Lily held her hands up. “It’s okay, dear, you can relax. I just thought if you’re going to be staying here for a bit, I’d like to get to know you. Though... it is kind of strange. Now I didn’t know Leo all that well, but I don’t think I ever heard of him living with someone. What was your relationship with him?”

We’re lovers. That’s okay to say now, right? I mean, he shielded me with his body and I’ve fed on his blood already. That has to qualify it, right? Maybe I should just say we’re soulmates. Wife-to-be? No, wait, I shouldn’t let on that I’m too close to him. Maybe I can dodge the question if I just say something that leaves our relationship vague.

“Me and Leo are... close. He’s really important to me.”

“Oh?” She asked, leaning closer.

Gah, her face is too close to mine! Simon always kept himself at a distance, but with my senses are strong as they are now, it’s embarrassing to have someone staring at me like this! I wish Leo were here so that I could hide behind him. I thought to myself, closing my eyes and thanking the fact I don’t have my own blood to flush my cheeks. No, Leo is expecting you to be able to handle yourself. Just think back to your time as a noble and handle this as politely as possible.

“T-There’s nothing more to say on the matter. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and watch over him while he’s sleeping.” I said, moving for the door and trying to forget that stutter.

“Huh? Don’t you want to get some sleep yourself? It’s pretty late, and I can imagine that you were in bed before the fire started.”

“No, I’m more of a nocturnal person. Plus I don’t want to leave Leo’s side right now, in case something happens in his sleep or he wakes up early.” I told her.

I exited the room and weaved my way through the crowd back to me and Leo’s room. While I probably got a few curious stares from strangers, none of them really fazed me. My mind only started to settle down when I got to Leo’s side again and sat down. I gripped the skirt of my dress with one hand and stroked the fabric with my thumb in idle thought. The noise from the bar slowly died down over time.

The door creaked open and Lily came in with one of the platters. There was a bowl of soup as well as a mug of water next to it. She placed it quietly down on the bedside table and crouched down in front of me.

“You’re still up? Maybe you should have something to eat, Senna. Might get cold tonight, and you’re starting to look a little pale. Even if you didn’t get burned like Leo, you need to keep your strength up for him, right?”

“Um, thank you, I’ll eat it later.” I said, wondering how I could get rid of the bowl without her seeing.

“Oh come on, eating something isn’t going to hurt.” Lily said, bringing the bowl down and handing it to me.

Dammit, I can stand eating meat but soup is something I’ll just have to vomit out. I need to think of a way to change the topic or I’ll make myself look suspicious. There’s got to be a response to this that will give me a reason to ignore the offer!

“Sorry, but... you’ve already done so much for us. I don’t feel right taking more of your hospitality. Maybe once I’ve found a way to repay you, but for now I’ll be content to just wait until Leo is ready to leave again.” I told her, holding the bowl out for her to take back.

Lily gave me a strange look as she slowly returned the bowl to the platter. As she rose to her feet and started walking to the door, I thought I might have gotten away with it, but she suddenly gasped and turned around.

“Wait a minute! I’ve got it! You’re already in the uniform, and you’re staying up late anyhow... why don’t you work here to help pay for things? You could even earn yourself a little extra money to get some clothes for Leo!” She offered, clasping her hands together.

“I... well, I guess that makes sense.” I answered, turning my head away to avoid eye contact.

“Great! You stay here for the night and recuperate some, just let me know when you’re ready to work and we can get you started downstairs. To be honest, I’m kind of glad, feels like I haven’t had anyone knew to talk to in a while.” Lily said as she left the room. “Good night, Senna!”

“...Night.” I said after the door closed.

I looked back to Leo and stroked his cheek some. There were a few spots on his back where I could tell the skin had cracked and was scabbing over. Just the sight of it was making me hurt. As I stared more closely, I noticed the black bile was still there in part, but was fading away.

Strange... I thought to myself. Shouldn’t this smell awful, like Edward had? Maybe Leo is so incredible that even his scent overpowers whatever that vapor is. Then again, maybe whatever was in the bile at Edward’s death was some kind of warped version of it that didn’t have the same effects. But if that’s the case, does that mean maybe his intention wasn’t to create more vapor, but something else entirely?

I chose not to think too much about that idea the rest of the night. The soup was silently poured out of one of the windows, and I used the water to try and clean Leo’s body in his sleep. Once the sun was nearly up, I pulled a spare blanket from the second bed and laid down on the floor next to him.