“May I know your name?” She asked this question, trying to break the ice with the little creature that still had trouble conversing with her. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t respond to her question, but the look on his face indicated that this wasn’t out of hostility. In fact, it seemed like he was trying desperately to say something, but the words wouldn’t leave his throat. He pitifully looked to the side. While she couldn’t exactly make an accurate assessment, she assumed him to be relatively young, even a child, at least if she had to go by his meek behavior.

Not wanting to pressure him, she stepped back and sat on a nearby rock. “It’s okay; you don’t have to force yourself to speak.” She says, smiling gently, which made him stare blankly at her. Funny enough, even though he might not be human, his expressions might as well make him one. The exhausted panic never left his face. Not once since she encountered him today, so the best she can do tonight is make herself seem less threatening.

She looked outside the cave and could tell the rain wouldn’t let up anytime soon. She had hoped to create a fire to keep themselves warm, but that wasn’t possible tonight. Considering the tiny opening, the smoke would prove detrimental to them, but they ran at the risk of alerting someone, namely that swordsman, of their location. She couldn’t risk it. Not to mention, all the wood in this area is drenched wet now. Stoking the fire would be a gigantic hassle, and she needed to conserve her energy for now. Luckily, they managed to retreat before the rain began, so they weren’t stuck in wet clothes, shivering.

That said, she has only now noticed the clothes he’s wearing. While they are very dirty and worn out from wearing them for an obviously long time, the clothes themselves seem to be of high quality. The brown fabric seems very sturdy, and the delicate pattern indicates experienced craftsmanship. It didn’t seem like the types of clothes someone would wear in the wild.

Marianne had to put that thought to the sideline for now, as the climate of the coming night was starting to turn cold gradually, so she had to think of a solution, especially for the skinny goblin, who was already shivering.

He was hugging his knees and looking down, an action that seemed extremely childlike to her. She decided to approach him. He looked up and immediately grew tense.

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“You don’t have to speak. It’s okay. But I still need to ask you a question, so please nod or shake your head as a response. Are you okay with that?”

After a moment of hesitation and the tension slightly dissolving, he nodded, filling her with relief. So, he really is willing to communicate.

“We have no source of warmth right now, so we need to rely on our body warmth instead. Therefore, we need to sleep close together. Are you okay with that?”

What followed was a long pause, during which he stared to the side, looking extremely conflicted. Considering how agonizing this cold must be for him, he spent a while internally debating with himself before meekly nodding his head.

“Thank you.” She expressed her genuine gratitude for him being so willing to trust her.

She approached him calmly so he wouldn’t panic and removed her jacket to place it over his head. Confused, he looked up at her, not understanding the intent behind her action, so she clarified. “My coat is warm enough for me, and you need more layers than me, so feel free to use it to feel warm.” He hesitated, holding on to the edges of the jacket while it was still draped over him.

A very frail voice resounded as she sat beside him. “Wh-Why did you help me…?” His voice was barely audible. The rain certainly wasn’t helping, but it couldn’t drown out his words completely.

“Do I need a reason to help someone?” Marianne says, smiling.

“But I-I’m not human…, a monster if anything. That man said so…”

“Well then, it seems we have a very eloquent monster here!” She chuckles softly but realizes soon after that he doesn’t get her sarcasm, as he looks tragically confused.

“I was joking, dear!” She quickly followed up to explain. “You gave up on attacking because you weren’t willing to hurt someone, am I correct? You didn’t attack me and were even willing to stand up to that man in my defense even though you were in danger, right? Such a kind-hearted soul could never be a monster.” She said firmly, making him pause and look to the ground. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

“My…” He hesitated for a while before trying to force the words out. “My name is Alpheus…” When he finished that sentence, he winced as though he was pouring his heart out, which made her smile brightly.

“That’s a lovely name.” She nodded her head as a greeting to him. “Nice to meet you, Alpheus. My name is Marianne. I hope we get along from now on!”

His eyes widened before glistening, a moisture appearing that wouldn’t escape. Instead, he gave a very meek smile, responding with quiet. “Likewise…”

For the first time, he looked relaxed, and sure enough, his eyes fluttered close. His chest was rising low and steady, and his formerly erratic breathing evened out. Most importantly, he looked like he was truly at peace right now, which was all she could ask for tonight. He was sleeping peacefully.

So, she softly guided his body to lean on her lap so he would sleep more comfortably. Pulling her jacket to cover his body, she smiled wistfully and leaned back to rest.

“Good night, Alpheus.”