Private Tales Candle in the Window

[Lechies Delrio]

"Lechies."

"...mph."

"Lechies, we've arrived."

Juliote's voice drifted into her ears, gently peeling the veneer of sleep away from Lechies's consciousness. She opened her eyes, awareness strengthening with every blink. The carriage had stopped. Their journey away from Damelin's estate was over, that disaster of a party finally behind them. She was home now. She and her brothers, her sister-in-law, and...

Lechies leaned forward in her seat, one hand pawing at her eyes while the other passed across her hair, noting with some relief that her small nap hadn't rumpled it too badly. Though, with her new dress ripped and bloodstained, and her shoes completely gone, the potential of mussed hair was probably the least of her worries.

She glanced to her side. A soft smile alighted on her lips.

"Garrod."

She cradled his hand, bringing it up to press a kiss to the back of his wrist. Behind her, Juliote tittered. Lechies ignored her sister-in-law's amusement.

"Welcome to the Delrio estate."

They would step out of the carriage onto a road of paved stone that cut through the center of the gardens. There was little to see under the cover of night, only the vague silhouettes of topiaries and decorative pillars rising from the shadows. The summer air carried a complex note of sweetness, evidence of flowerbeds somewhere in the dark.

Before them rose the Delrios' mansion. Smaller than Damelin's had been, but still with elegance carved into the archways and eaves, the walls clear of grime and ivy. Light spilled warm from the first story windows, weakly illuminating the lone figure striding down the path to intercept them. As they neared, the faint thud of metal became apparent.

"WeLcOmE bAcK."

The voice warbled strangely, as if being shoved through a series of small holes in the side of a box. Glass and brassy metal gleamed under the moonlight's cool glow, gears and springs and ball bearings visible where a standard butler's attire did not fully cover their limbs. Their face was smooth, no mouth or nose, only two glass orbs where eyes would be. Within them, a faint purple fog pulsed with every syllable.

"MaStEr ALlOs, MAsTeR DEtLeF, LAdY JUlIoTe, LAdY LEcHiEs..."

The automaton servant briefly paused their round of greetings as their attention arrived at Garrod.

"... AnD eStEeMeD gUeSt. YOu mUsT bE tIrEd fRoM tHe sOirEe. SHaLl I sEe sOmE tEa pRePaReD fOr yOu aLl?"

Detlef grinned. "I think I'd prefer some brandy, actually."

"Tea is fine, Plum, thank you," Allos interjected with a cutting glance at his brother. "And could you have Apple see to the horses?"

"Of cOuRsE, sIr. ShALl I fEtCh a cHaNgE oF cLoThES aNd sHoEs fOr LaDy LeChIeS aS wElL?"

Lechies's smile turned sheepish. She wiggled her toes, cold and bare against the stone. "... Just shoes will be fine. Wait. no. A coat too, please. Thank you, Plum. And could you do me one more favor? Could you have Mother and Father meet me in the drawing room?"

"LaDy ThErEsE aNd MaStEr AlEkS hAvE aLrEaDy tUrNeD iN fOr tHe nIgHt. SHaLl I wAkE tHeM?"

"Please do. It's of critical importance."

"UnDeRsToOd." Plum bowed. As they straightened, the fog within their eyes flashed bright, before fading down to their prior subdued tone. "I hAvE rElAyEd yOuR rEqUeStS. NoW tHeN, aLlOw mE tO eScOrT yOu iN."

Plum turned a smooth auto-face and led their party up the rest of the road towards the house. Lechies sidled closer to Garrod, fingers seeking to twine with his.

"Father specializes in clockwork golems," she told him, her explanation distantly proud. "Most of our household's attendants are his creation. The few human servants we do have, have been in our employ for many years, since the time my brothers and I were children. To- uh, to ensure that certain sensitive topics don't go beyond our walls." Lechies gave him a meaningful look.

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Sleep had come easy. Exhausted, with the warmth of Lechies beside him, and the steady rumble and rattle of the wagon against the road.

Voices, muffled and at the edge of his stirring mind.

A vision like the mirror. Silvery and dusted by stars. Flashes of green flame. A cold, isolating darkness. The eye of his jewel. Tht familiar feeling as he looked at a face that was his own, only twisted at the edges. Sharper in the eye, and hungrier in the smile.

Garrod.

Came that familiar voice. Cool as morning mist. His eye blinked open, felt the visions of his dream there in that time between the waking and the dream. He felt his flesh held tight, his arm moved, his eye looked to see Lechies, tender as her eyes looked to his hand. Large around hers. She bent to it, and placed a kiss against his skin.

Warmth flushed across his cheeks, and he smiled, "Lady Delrio," he said with mock formality. Bowed, if only to let his head gently nudge against hers. Felt th brush of her hair against the side of his face, and the length of his neck. The way it tickled, help wake him up.

Welcome to the Delrio Estate,

He took in a deep breath, and followed her down from the carriage. The air sweet, the estate proud and sturdy. Even in the cool light of the night, Garrod could see that it was in good repair. The little signs of neglect that had shown here and there in the Damelin home. It was, well. Impressive.

It made Garrod think back to his days as an urchin. Running crimes for the local gangs. The couple of jobs he had taken up, breaking into estates just like this one.

He didn't do all that much planning then either.

A smile crept across his lips all the same.

Across the way came a lone figure. Garrod's eye widened with surprise as it grew closer. "An automaton," he whispered. He had almost laughed at Detlef's suggestion. Might have even agreed. But, he decided it was better to nod in agreement with Allos.

At the mention of clothes and shoes, Garrod's face reddened some. His eye wandered down to see her still bare feet flat against the stone. He lift his head and looked to his right, eye fixed on a lovely tree that stood proud at the center of a fountain. Thought the water rushing only made him think of the same moment he tried to hid from.

Alone, tending to her. His mind wandered, and a funny satisfaction made itself clear in the way his face seemed to curl and spread, warm in its expression.

Lechies] hand, small, delicate, and sure, twined its way around Garrod's. The feeling more and more familiar. More wanted whith each moment they shared. His head turned so he could regard her, smile wide across his face as his eye grew brighter. She shared about her father, and Garrod looked to the clock-work golem that lead them. Plum, he remembered.

"Practical, and cunning," Garrod said with a hint of tease. "Sounds like a certain Conjurer I know," he nudged her. And nod to those words left unsaid. "Can never be too safe when it comes to protecting yor own," he added as they moved across the courtyard. The stars reflected in the fountain, and lilypads with large blooms floated idly upon the gently laping surface. Frogs sang their little frog songs, and beautifully scaled fish, glittered with moonlight beneath the water.

"They all love you so much," Garrod said, with a hint of worry in his voice. A measure of doubt. "Part of me is worried I'll just, spring from slumber, and be, out there somewhere," he laughed small. "Like this is all some kind of wonderful dream,"

The mansion loomed larger with each step they took.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

"They do," she agreed.

They did love her. So very much. Perhaps more than most daughters in this world could say. Only love could have driven Lechies's parents to seek out an expert of darker magicks once they realized that conventional methods would not save her. Only love could have driven them to risk their status and freedom on a contract that asked a demon to be tied to their child's soul, knowing that such a knot could never be unwound or severed.

Sometimes, on a dark and cold night, Lechies thought about the other possible outcome. How much easier it would've been, even though it wouldn't have been easy at all, to simply let nature take its course. Her brothers had come before her and were perfectly healthy, after all. The bloodline was secure. Lechies could have lived out her few years in comfort, supported by a family already mourning her, until her ailing flesh could no longer keep up. She could have been laid to rest with all the previous Delrios, and there ended her short, unremarkable tale.

Obviously, she was glad that this was her reality. But she never failed to consider all it had taken to get her here, to this place. Alive. Flourishing, even. Happy.

"I've been very lucky in that regard, and more than grateful."

She tugged gently on Garrod's hand, demanding his attention. Or at least to make her an anchor, something to focus on, proof that this was no dream. She misliked that small, fake laugh he tended to let out whenever gloom frayed the edges of him.

"There's more than enough love to include you, too. If you wanted it. I know that the noble and mage clans tend to have certain... expectations of lineage when it comes to who their children court, but my family doesn't really adhere to them. Juliote is a commoner, and my parents adore her. They care less about blood, and more about what would usually be the outcome of a good upbringing. Integrity. Resourcefulness. Manners. Uh, hygiene. And the like.

"You don't lack for any of them. Well, your current wardrobe could use work, but the circumstances are what they are... I certainly didn't expect this to be the day I brought you to meet my parents."

Even as she spoke, the implication that she had, at least once, entertained the idea of introducing Garrod to her parents, brought a tingling heat to her cheeks. Distantly, Lechies wondered how long it would take before she stopped having these silly physical reactions.

"At any rate... I don't believe either my mother or father will outright reject you. They might not be the most pleased by my choices, but they won't reject you. They love me too much to do that."

Lechies winked. She returned his shoulder nudge, twined hands swinging.

"And even if they do opine, we can remind them that you've saved my life, more than once by now. Honor will demand they acknowledge that, at least."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

He eyed her as she seemed to drift in thought. Though his own eye wandered about as they moved across the fine stonework and manicured vegetation.

I've been very lucky in that regard...

He felt a tug on his hand. Her fingers tight about his knuckles, as the jostle of bone and flesh brought him back from his wandering mind. His eye looked to her. Saw a hint of displeasure there at the way her lips pursed, and her brows tensed, ever so. He gulped. But he could not help but smile. Nervous some, yes, but genuine. He kind of liked that stern look of hers. The demand.

He was not expecting what came next though.

Love he would be included in, expectations of lineage, courting, upbringing. Integrity, resourcefulness, manners and even hygiene. He almost tittered nervously. Almost let his eye dart away in fear. He just laughed instead. Warm, and full. Though it was a sound he muffled quickly with the shield of gloved hand. "There she is," he poked as he smiled at her. "The college mage I love so dear," His smile turned impish. His eye closed.

"I meant no offense, Lady Delrio," he said, half teasing with a bow of his head as they went on with their steady stride. Sweet smell of the flowers still around them as lantern bugs lead lazy lines across the dark night air. He nod in agreement. "Your luck is my luck then," he smiled, and took pleasure in her confident wink, the playful bump and the carefree sway of their hands.

...we can remind them that you've saved my life, more than once by now. Honor will demand they acknowledge that, at least.

"Suppose a bit of heroism never hurts," he said. As if honor had ever played a part in why he had acted in their adventures.

He closed his eye and let his head come high and straight, as if to remind himself of his good deeds. "Not that I'd ever call myself such," he said with his next breath. Smoothed his hair back some with his gloved hand. "Scruffy as I am, I am" His eye cracked open, ever so. Almost expecting that stern look again. Almost hoping for it. He did his best not to grin. Remembered something she had said. His face turned sober. Suddenly flushed hot. He had said he loved her. Casually. Jokingly.

It wasn't untrue.

"I do want it," he confessed, slowed some, and hekd her back with him, just a stride or two. Demanded her attention.

"To love you, and..." he took her other hand in his. Stood close as he looked down to her with soft smile across his lips. He laughed. A small and gentle thing. Giddy. "To be included in this part of your life, Lechies," he let his head come down to nudge against her brow. Squeezed her hands. Whispered. "I want to kiss you too, but I don't know the rules quite so well in all this courtship business," he said. Nuzzled against her. "Be a different story if we were out on the road though," he smirked.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

"Scruffy as befits a seasoned adventurer and hunter of monsters," she replied, with a smile and shake of her head.

At Garrod's gentle pull on her hand, Lechies slowed to a stop and turned to him. Her curiosity became fondness as the scant distance between them diminished further, and the tilt of his head hinted at what it was he wanted of her.

Lechies rose on tiptoe to meet him. For a long moment she was content to stand there, eyes closed, simply soaking in his presence. He was that snow-capped mountain planted against the horizon, reassuring in all its solidity and strength and slumbering power. Yet he was also the campfire at the foot of said mountain, an encompassing warmth that crackled with love, safety, peace.

He all but whispered his words directly into her mouth. A shiver brushed down the length of her spine, Lechies delighted not just by the physical sensation of his breaths, but by the confession that he wanted to kiss her. It was a mutual desire.

She opened her eyes to the sight of his usual smirk, and the shiver held in her spine flashed suddenly hot.

"It's nothing so complicated," she whispered back. "Remember what I mentioned at the party? Dark corners and such. Brief windows when the hallway's empty. Moments stolen when no one's looking."

Lechies pulled back slightly. Not to let go of him, but just enough to turn her head and verify that the others still had their sights set on the house looming tall at the end of the garden path. They paid no mind to the two who had fallen behind. Or likely, had yet to notice.

"Moments like now."

And she swooped back in to land a kiss on Garrod's lips. A quick one--too quick, to be honest, but she would have to be satisfied with it for now. Fortune had proven particularly finicky tonight; Lechies had no wish to test her luck. Besides, there would be time later, even if... Even if her parents didn't approve.

Lechies did pull away this time. She moved ahead, tugging at Garrod's hand, trusting the shadows to hide her expression.

"Come on. Before they notice we're back here and guess why that is."

As it turns out, someone did notice.

"LaDy LeChIeS," Plum greeted, brass head pivoting stiffly to regard her with purple-glass eyes. "YoUr pAcE hAs sLoWeD sIgNiFiCaNtLy. Do yOuR fEeT bOtHeR yOu? I wIlL fEtCh tHoSe sHoEs iMmEdIaTlEy iF yOu wOuLd lIkE tO wAiT hErE."

Lechies caught Detlef's stare, piercing and overbright, for a split second. Then she wrenched her gaze away and onto Allos, who looked genuinely concerned about her feet. Juliote wasn't looking at Lechies at all, though her shoulders seemed to tremble just the tiniest bit, lips pressed tightly together.

"Oh, uh..." Lechies floundered. "No, I'm alright. I... stepped on a pebble, is all. Please don't worry, Plum. It's no great trial to make it to the house."

Detlef waved away the golem's concern. "If need be, Mr. Arlette would be glad to carry her the rest of the way." His eyebrow danced in Garrod's direction. Not malicious, only entertained. "Is that not so?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

How easy it all seemed to feel, when she came so close to him. How right. Her cool calm confidence seemed to melt against his heat. Soothed the fire of his heart to deep full beat, his breaths long as his lungs rose and fell. Breaths full with the scent of the flower's pollen, the linger of sweet honey and fruit from the night's perfume and wine. All danced about that smell he loved most.

The open air. The soft earth. Crisp and clean as morning ice.

His lips trembled to the sound of her lips. Her words whispered betwixt mixed breath.

Remember... Dark corners...brief windows... stolen when no one's looking.

She flit like a bird. Away with one quick glance. His breath hitched as his eye followed. She stopped. Her neck bare to him, his face warm as his arms held her close. Fingers and palm pressed firm against her arm and small of her back. A cold want. A cool comfort.

Wanting, he chased after. Leaned closer.

Lechies flit back, her lips pressed against him. Cool with the night air, wet with the dew that gathered on her lips. She pressed to him for but a moment. The warmth between them pooled in his chest. Sank down his spine. He held her tighter. Closer. Felt her muscles work away. His hands let go. Felt colder the instant the cold air hit them.

He let out a hot breath. Smiled. "Sneakery," he said with a lump of joy in his voice.

Come on. Before they notice...

Her hand pulled him forward. He felt half melted as he followed after her. Feet half woozy before they got going.

Plum noticed.

Juliote and Detlef seemed to notice something. Maybe it was just the odd smile that wiggled across his lips, pursed at the corners as they were.

He shook his head, cleared his throat. Smoothed the curls and crooks of warm joy some with a modicum of placididty. "If it comes to it," he said with half smile. "But the Lady seems more sure footed than me, to tell true,"

Lechies Delrio

 

[Lechies Delrio]

"A true gentleman," said Juliote, warm with approval. "Perhaps the truest gentleman of all present."

She wound her arm around Allos's, leaning into him as a cat would the ankle of her favorite person. The way Juliote blinked at him was playfully coy, and his confused expression melted into one of affection. He tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

"I would be glad to carry you as well, my lady, if that is your wish."

Allos bent down and made as if to sweep Juliote up from her lower legs; she shrieked a laugh and batted at his hands. "No! 'Twas only a jest! I can walk!"

Detlef only smiled as he walked on ahead, satisfied by the brief chaos his remark had instigated.

"Come on now, lovebirds. You can wait until we're inside the house, surely."

"Who are you talking to?" Lechies called after him, but his only reply was to glance back and wink, a motion almost lost to the night's shadows.

Their party eventually, somehow, managed to reach the mansion. Plum pushed open the doors and bade them enter with a welcoming sweep across their waist.

The interior was bright. Not just so from the lanterns in their sconces along the walls or hung from the ceiling. The woods and stones that made up the floor, the trims, the furniture, the doors leading elsewhere, were primarily of pale and gentle hue, a soft cream that seemed almost pink under the warm light. Darker accents jumped out here and there. Rugs bearing complicated patterns in burgundy and black. The staircase railing iron wrought into elegant spirals. Several large and rotund planters stood watch around the foyer, little trees thriving within as ochre and gold diamonds danced across their glazed bellies.

Another golem stepped forward as Lechies crossed the threshold, a pair of slippers and a coat hooked in clockwork hands. She accepted the items gladly and put them on. The softness of the leather was a relief to her punished feet, and the warmth of the coat had her yearning for the embrace of her own bed.

Unfortunately, the night was still far from over.

"Will you be alright?" Allos asked. Ever the picture of brotherly concern, he was paused by one of the hallways branching deeper into the house. Juliote and Detlef looked back as well. "Would you like Detlef or me to come with you when you speak with Mother and Father?"

Lechies smiled. "I'll be fine. We'll be fine. Honestly, the fewer people I have to repeat the tale to, the better."

"Very well." Allos nodded. "You can always come find me afterwards if you need."

"Absolutely," said Juliote. "Please don't hesitate."

Detlef yawned into his hand. "Well, I won't extend the same offer. I'm positively exhausted after all the healing you two needed. But I love you no less, sister."

"Of course not, brother." Lechies fought down a grin. "Have a sound sleep, all of you."

She waved them off, then took Garrod by the hand. Just to make sure he wouldn't get lost, she told herself. Though, it was probably silly to think that an adventurer as veteran as he could somehow lose track of her just following her around inside a house.

"The drawing room's this way."

They ventured down a different hallway to a room furnished with a row of couches, two round tables, and several plush chairs. Windows along the far wall reached from floor to ceiling, though their curtains were currently tied shut. A tray with a teapot and several cups sat waiting on one of the tables; as Lechies and Garrod entered, yet another golem bowed and gestured at the tea.

"GoOd eVeNiNg, LaDy LeChIeS aNd MiStEr ArLeTtE. LaDy ThErEsE aNd MaStEr AlEkS sHoUlD bE hErE sHoRtLy. ShAlL I sErVe yOu?"

"Yes, thank you, Blueberry."

The golem's eyes, glass orbs fogged by a pale blue mist, pulsed in acknowledgement, and they set to pouring the tea. Lechies perched herself at the end of one of the couches. Wherever Garrod chose to sit, in a few moments Blueberry would offer him one of the cups, steam curling with the scent of chamomile.

"WoUlD yOu lIkE aNyThInG eLsE? SoMe sNaCkS, pErHaPs?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

He had not expected Juliote's approval. Much less her compliment. It made him laugh, a warm and throaty bubble of a hum that he kept behind his mouth.

To see her give her affections to Allos was, infectious. Garrod's hand re-twining its wrap around Lechies' own, his thick arm snaked about hers, like root wrapped with vine. He looked down, and took comfort in the contrast of their skin. Her rose-cream fair against his tawny gold dark. He would've kissed her again, but it wouldn't have been... proper.

Everyone was enjoying the bits of affection. Small and... domestic as they were. He laughed at the word that had come to mind. Let his eye linger on Lechies a while longer as he heard Allos and Juliote tease one another. Playful and carefree.

How it all seemed to make a little more sense to him then. How she could always be so earnest, and smile so bright and full.

Detlef looked back and teased the whole lot of them. Garrod laughed, and Lechies tagged on. To which the more impish of the two brothers only winked, and lead them on.

Inside the estate, it almost felt like day again. The cool blues, greys, and purples of night, replaced by the warm orange and yellow glow of lamp lights, that washed across the cream color hue of the walls, and traced the lines of the decor. Yes. He smirked. It was definitely houses like these he remembered sneaking into. Usually the lookout though. His eye drift about, and spot a corner near the end of the hall that might have been his post, all those those years ago.

Now he was a guest.

Not just a killer brought in to do a bit of business. A hunter to fix a problem. A gentleman, as Juliote had put it. He almost laughed at that. Not a glum feeling. But an amusement. A countenance of his new fortune. He squeezed Lechies hand again, as he had before when the doubt crept in.

She was still there. Warm flesh and blood, firm and true. Not a dream. However dreamy he thought her.

A new clock-work golem appeared, with slippers in tow. He watched her slip on the fine leather footwear, and blushed some at the memory of the moment they had shared earlier flashed through his head. A clearing of his throat, and his eye looked away. He smiled, dumb and to himself as his teeth showed.

Allos voice brought him back to the present. And he stood by, sure and quiet as Allos and Juliote shared their support. Gave Lechies comfort. But Lechies assured them in turn, and Garrod nod in quiet agreement, as he placed his right hand upon her shoulder. Gave her a warm squeeze.

Detlef said, well, something that seemed very Detlef.

Lechies took his hand again, and they went on, through the house where she had been raised. What did it look like, he could not help but wonder. To have the three Delrio children, running about. Allos, worried and serious, likely following after Lechies and Detlef as they got into some trouble. Running with toys, stealing parchment, ink, pen quills.

Were there golems then too? Plum? Maybe one named Lemon, for the yellow light of their eyes. Or Apricot?

"Your home is beautiful, Lechies," he said with warmth in his voice.

They arrived at the drawing room. Were greeted by a new golem. Blueberry. Garrod tittered some. "What an adorably simple naming convention," he said as they moved though the office. Lechies sat down by the couch, and as interested as Garrod was to poor over some of the books that laid about on the shelves, he decided to plop down beside Lechies.

They had gotten through everything else this night, side by side. Why would he change that now?

SoMe sNaCkS pErHaPs?

Garrod smirked. "Have any cookies?" he said, hand twined with Lechies again. "Maybe some biscuits?" He hadn't seen any with the tea. "Get a little hungry when I'm nervous," he confessed. His eye shut, and his smile sheepish.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

"CoOkIeS oR bIsCuItS," Blueberry repeated with a deferential nod. "I lAcK tAsTe bUdS aNd cAnNoT rEcOmMeNd oNe oVeR tHe oThEr. I wIlL tHeReFoRe bRiNg bOtH. AnD yOu, LaDy LeChIeS?"

"Nothing for me. Thank you for the tea, Blueberry."

"My pLeAsUrE."

The golem departed, closing the door behind them. Lechies swallowed a sip of tea. She let out a contented hum as the hot liquid rushed down her throat and spread to her extremities, as roots taking nutrients from soil for the rest of the flower.

"You asked for sandwiches too, earlier. When we were... ah, in 'custody'," Lechies recalled. Her smile sharpened, mischief glinting in her eyes. "Should I take this to mean that you're always hungry, or always nervous?"

She rearranged their hands so that hers was on top of Garrod's. She stroked his knuckles, studied the scars there under each pass of her fingertips. Imagined herself planting a kiss to each, learning the story of how they had been earned. Then she had to stop, because she could feel a flush threatening to creep up her neck again.

"It was my father's idea. The naming convention. He thought--or rather, hoped--that it would make them seem cuter. Put us children more at ease to be under their care, and reassure any guests that they're harmless, besides. Golems have a certain reputation for being frightening, I think, especially ones with enough magic in them to speak.

"I was never afraid of them, though. Father created them to be gentle. And anyway, I didn't have many friends growing up, so they were dear companions to me. Still are, even if I don't come around the estate very much these days."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

"Thank you, Blueberry," Garrod said with a polite nod as the automaton made its way out of the drawing room. His eye fell to Lechies, as she raised the teacup to her pursed lips. Pink as petals, flushed red with the kiss of steam. He smirked, felt his own face run hot as she took the drink.

He sat back, more easily in the couch, the plush cushion molded around him. Almost made him feel like he was floating. His hand rest on her lap. And he grinned, toothy at he words. His fingers gave the firm, plump muscle of her leg a press with all their stiff tips.

"Might be," he started as he let his hand slide down to her knee, and he eased some toward her ear as he whispered. "You just have that affect on me, Lady Delrio," he craned his neck so that his lips would hover just above her ear. The warmth of his breath, swirled against the warmth of her skin. "To make me feel so hungry, and excited," he grinned wider. Planted a small kiss upon her neck, just below her ear.

He pulled back, and let his left hand rest easy between them again. Picked up his cup of tea with his right hand, noted the soft tink of his new boney appendage against the fine porcelain of the cup. He made a small hmm, as he felt the warmth seep through the leather of the glove, and into his hand all the same. He blew across the hot drink's steaming surface as Lechies plied the scars across his left hand with gentle attention.

He listened, and enjoyed the mix of warmth and butterflies that stirred in his stomach, his fingers gently pulsing with tiny flexes, tender in their quest for more friction. More warmth.

Garrod nod. "Seems like your father is a thoughtful man," he said with a warm smile. "To be so considerate of the perception his creations might garner," his neck craned back, to see if he could spy the faithful Blueberry coming back. He half expected to see those round blue eyes glowing across the room. Tray of treats in hand. "True though, about golems," he smirked, and turned his head back to the tea. Sipped. "Can't think of many foes more troublesome to deal with than a golem," he shook the thought away. "But Plum, and Blueberry," he smirked. "They feel almost like toys, round eyed and smoothed," he said with a smile.

He shook his head. Fell back into the couch, let the tea rest in his lap. "I can't imagine you not having friends, though," he said as he looked to her, warmth in his eye. "Rowdy and rambunctious as you tend to be," he grinned, thinking back to how she had challenged Allonse herself to a duel, and held her own time and time again when their paths had crossed upon the open roads of their world.

"What were you like, then," he asked and trapped her fingers betwixt his knuckles. "I can't help but wonder, as I wander bout these halls," Rubbed at the side of her little finger with his thumb. He cast his eye out and nod to a fine potted plant, proud and tall, broad leaves green and healthy as they greeted the lamp's light. "Did you hide behind there? While Detlef gave chase?" he brought her hand to his lips, and kissed her knuckles gently. "Maybe practiced a spell, with poor Plum as your target by the fountain?" he laughed.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies laughed, mouth tilted at an amused angle even as her cheeks grew warm from the influence of the tea and his attentions both.

"Is that the childhood you imagined for me? What have I done to create the impression of being such a rascal in my youth?"

She pulled their joined hands away from Garrod and towards herself instead. Pressed a kiss into the meat of his palm, eyes locked with his. Tried to flash him a demure look beneath her lashes, but the effect was probably ruined by her continued giggling over the mental image of her younger self running amok through these very halls.

"Nothing so exciting. I was... quite ill as a child, actually. Often and terribly. I wouldn't have had the energy to be chased by my brothers, or do the chasing--no matter how much I rather wanted to. True, Detlef was a terror even back then. But you didn't hear it from me."

Still she smiled, no apparent trace of unhappiness to have to recall those early days. Lechies let Garrod have his hand back, touch lingering for a moment before she folded her hands into her lap.

"I spent much time resting, either in bed or outside in the gardens. Father's golems would read to me, or our human attendants would join me in playing with dolls or wooden animals. On the days I felt stronger, I'd go to the study to read for myself. There's no shortage of books in a household of mages."

"I do believe that's where it all started... My desire for adventure. To leave this house and experience the great wide world with my own senses, and not just in imagination fueled by some books."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Garrod's face kept warm at the sound of her laugh. Felt warmer as she pressed a kiss into his hand. Fixed her eyes on him, smiled still. How that sincere look of warmth had captured him, time and time again.

In the room they had shared after their encounter with the bandits. At the Fool's End. When he first saw her earlier in the night. How that ardent sincerity set his heart to stir. His blood to warm and his lips to spread in smile all their own.

She spoke of her childhood, and though she shared tale of hardship, there was no trace of sorrow in her voice. She even managed to joke about the rapscallion that was her brother, Detlef.

"Somehow," He said as she let her hand slip from his. "I don't have trouble believing that," he wore an easy smile. Leaned back against the couch, he took up his cup and took a long drink from the tea. Let the cup part from his lips. He let it rest, cradled to his chest for a moment as he listened on to her telling. Her opening up to him.

It was hard for him to imagine her as the sickly child she described. Attended to by the marvels of artifice her father had put together. The bookworming, yes, that was easy enough for him to see, and the thought of her, hidden away reading a book full of some daring account of adventure, or suspenseful twist of fate, had him smile all the wider and warmer. "I noticed," he said in regard to all the books, his voice lined with a hint of tease. He nod toward the bookshelves that lined the wall of the drawing room.

I do believe that's where it all started...

Garrod nod his head. "That I can see," he said with a smirk. "Likely where you got your fierceness, too, adventurin mage," he winked at her. "Can't imagine holdin' on through sickness leaving you, well, wantin' to feel weak, or helpless," he thought on it for a moment. "Sorry, that probably doesn't sound too good," he tittered, nervous. "I guess I just mean, well," he looked on at her, admiration full in his eye. "Makes sense is all, you being so, independent and clever, and... well, you,"

He blushed. Felt that maybe wasn't the best way to say it either. Why was he talking all funny? He cleared his throat. Made ready to try again. Better chosen words gathering in his mind.

He had her parents to meet, after all. Couldn't sound like some bumpkin from the Shallows.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies's lips pursed slightly with mock exasperation. 'Adventuring mage'. Garrod would never let that label go, it seemed.

Not that she wanted him to. It was... fitting, somehow. A reminder of their first, fated meeting. An adventuring mage and a monster hunter, bounding noisily through the woods, hot on the heels of a runaway garr-hound.

"Your blatant flattery is noted and appreciated." She fluttered her lashes, mirth spilling across both face and tone until it bubbled into a laugh. "Haha! I can see why Mr. Jarred Sinns is a poet. You've certainly got the sweet talk down pat. Makes one wonder what past occasions you've had to practice it..."

Or maybe he felt further practice was warranted? The rose on his cheeks certainly suggested so. It wasn't a bad look on him; in fact, Lechies had a terrible desire to paint the color more darkly onto his skin.

A task for later. Right now-

Lechies straightened, eyes going to the door. Footsteps grew closer; the handle turned.

Blueberry entered, bearing a tray upon which sat a plate with the snacks that Garrod had requested. A woman and a man followed after them, coats thrown on over obvious nightclothes and wearing slippers not unlike the ones on Lechies's own feet.

"Good evening, Mother, Father," she greeted. "I'm sorry to disturb you this late."

Therese Delrio was a tall woman, slender of build, with sharp cheekbones and piercing blue eyes. Lechies knew the tenderness and love those eyes could contain, but right now they cut across the room with an edge sharp enough to draw blood. They landed on Garrod like a sword stroke. Her mother's expression tightened briefly--then relaxed into something unreadable, placid and perfectly composed. The very picture of the head of house, even though the stray hairs falling away from her bun spoke of the haste with which she'd pulled herself out of bed.

Aleks Delrio stood shorter than his wife, if only by a few inches. His features were rounder, his hair a darker shade of red through which wove threads of silver. Lechies took more after her father, while her brothers their mother. His attention, too, lingered on Garrod. One hand came up to adjust a pair of square spectacles, hazel eyes behind them lit with curiosity and concern.

Lechies set aside her tea and made to stand, but her mother waved her back down.

"No need for all that, dear. You must be tired."

"Ah, a-alright. Then, would you join us, please?"

Her parents glanced at each other, communication passing silently between them with a speed and efficiency known only to those long-married. Then they sat down on the couch opposite Lechies and Garrod's. Therese folded her hands in her lap, while Aleks braced his hands on his thighs as if expecting bad news.

Blueberry placed the tray of baked treats on the table nearest Garrod, bowed once to the room, then left, closing the door behind them.

For a moment, Lechies wasn't sure how to start. Wasn't sure which to start with. The topic of what had happened at the Damelin estate, and the topic of Garrod's... um, relationship with her. Which would be the wiser topic to start with...?

It was Therese who broke the silence first. "Blueberry mentioned we had a guest. Mr. Arlette, was it?" Her words were warm, though that warmth didn't reach her eyes, still hard with caution, feeling out the reason for his presence. For sitting so near her daughter. "I apologize for the poor reception. We would have prepared a proper welcome had we known of your arrival. "

"My name is Aleks," said Lechies's father, "and my wife, Therese. Mistress of our house. Please," he added, gesturing at the plate that Blueberry had brought, a faint smile at his lips. "Blueberry also mentioned our guest was hungry. No need to be polite."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

He blushed all the deeper at her own flattery. At the way her eyes fluttered, and she laughed. It made him smile. Show his teeth in happy grin. Though he wanted to do a little more than just laugh together.

"Don't go teasin' me like that, college girl," he teased back. nudged her. Started to lean towards her more. "I'm sensitive," he whispered. Lips still curled up though his eye told of what he wanted.

Till the footsteps sounded.

He blinked, spine bolted up straight, and he held the tea in his lap. Tried his best to look, well, proper. His heart was all a flutter.

The door clicked open. The smooth clank and clack of Blueberries cadence came closer and closer.

Good evening, Mother, Father...

Garrod's eye widened some, his breath seemed to snag. He bowed his head to each in turn, careful not to spill his tea.

The friendly automaton placed a tray down, laden with sweet breads and wafer crisp cookies.

When Garrod met Lechies' Mother's eye, he felt an all too familiar feeling. That gaze that came before crossing blades. Measurement. Test. The sort of look that checked to see if there was even a contest to be had. He gulped.

There was no contest. He was at her mercy. She made that abundantly clear, and Garrod gave a slight nod in agreement. The man, who looked every bit Lechies' father, had a more, relaxed feel to him. A softness, to the matron's cool edge.

How funny. He thought to himself. How he could see both parts of them so clearly in the daughter that seemed to anchor all of their affection. Their love. Different, to be sure, but love all the same.

Lechies made to move, and the motion was dismissed. The parents sat. My. How much had happened when so little had actually happened. He smiled, small and to himself. His heart still going fast.

...Mr. Arlette, was it?

Garrod straightened up again at the mention of his name, hands still around his cup of tea. He bowed his head. "That is right, Mistress Del Rio, Garrod Arlette," he rose up again, and did his best to keep his nerves from showing. "Far from poor, Mistress, rather wonderous, I must admit," his eye trailed to Blueberry, and his smile cut across his lips. "Not everyday I get the opportunity to be served tea by such, finely tuned help,"

The father introduced himself, and gave the mothers name. Garrod bowed his head again, even crossed his right hand to place the palm over his shoulder in sign of deeper courtesy. "I'm honored to make your acquaintance, Master Aleks, and Mistress Therese," he rose up, and smiled at the generous offer. He nod, and took one of the snacks. A little busicuit that looked crumbly and dark. It was hard against his fingers, and he dipped it into the honey gold brew of the chamomile tea. He munched on it happily.

Took a sip of his drink. Felt a little calmer, having the tea and snacks keep him from thinking too much.

He actually was getting a bit peckish now.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Well. If Garrod was happy to accept her father's offer and enjoy his snacks, then he must not have been as nervous as Lechies was about this whole meeting. That was good.

It seemed good to her parents, too, because as Garrod dipped his pastry, they exchanged another wordless look. Her father's smile widened the tiniest fraction of an inch, and the stern line of her mother's shoulders relaxed a degree or two. Whatever unspoken trial they'd set before him, he'd passed the first round.

And he did not face this trial alone. Lechies reminded herself of that fact as she finally found the kink in her stuttering thoughts, and untied the knot in her tongue.

"Garrod is a fellow adventurer," she began. "We met at the soiree tonight by chance. And-"

Janik's mirror flashed in her mind's eye, rimmed in gold and studded with ruby, beautiful and dangerous. A memory of claws down her shoulder. Mocking taunts uttered in a voice that had been both Garrod's and not. The soothing caress of a washcloth across the cuts on her feet.

"Master Damelin was up to wicked things. He... kept a demon."

Then, before either of her parents could voice the storm of questions she could see building on their lips, Lechies launched into an explanation, yet again, of what she and Garrod had found beneath the Damelin estate, and what resulted from their discovery.

The dungeon. The demon within the mirror. How she and Garrod had been forced to fight each other. How Janik and Lady Elouise had fought them. How they had been briefly detained, and ultimately released after the guards' investigation determined that they were guilty only of defending themselves.

"Detlef saw to our injuries," Lechies said, and did not miss how her mother's lips pressed tight at the mention of 'injuries', the usual reaction whenever Lechies recounted a particularly hairy adventure, "and then we returned here with everyone else. That's all."

Her father frowned. "What truly awful business. Gods know what the young master was thinking. And to have been caught up in it--we're only grateful you're alright. That both of you are alright..."

He trailed off, gaze settling once more on Garrod, as did her mother's. There was a pause--and Lechies saw the precise moment her parents realized.

Realized why Garrod was here as she recounted the night's events. Here, with her, with them, instead of off at his own place of residence or wherever it was that he called home.

Her mother stood up. Her father, still sitting, caught her arm. Trailed his grasp down to her wrist until he clasped her hand, and squeezed it. "Therese," he said. She did not squeeze back, but did not let go, either.

"Mr. Arlette." There wasn't a trace of warmth in her mother's voice now, not even an attempt at the expected genteel hospitality. She spoke like a magistrate about to pass a sentence. Or a knight about to do the same. "How much do you know? And speak true."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Before Garrod knew it, they were in the thick of it.

Lechies had shared how they knew one another, and then the night's events seemed to pour out from her. The looks on her parent's faces were ones of shock and horror. A quiet anger swirled with worries Garrod could only just make sense of.

Lechies was their child. Their only daughter. Youngest of three and survivor of a sickness that left her too weak to even read. To hold a book on her own and let her eyes take in the letters scrawled across the page.

The thought of it pulled at the corners of his mouth. Had his left hand find her right. His fingers laced easy around hers. She was already through most of the harrowing parts. Again how he had lost his mind. She left out how it was his hands that dealt her wounds.

And that thought alone had his hand slacken its firm hold as his empty right hand, hidden by glove and at his side, squeezed tight.

His eye cast down, Garrod stared at the fine rug beneath them. At the intricate patterns woven there across its span.

As the story came to its close, his head came up. His eye looked to Lechies, then to her parents.

What truly awful business...we're only grateful you're alright. That both of you are alright...

That last part caught the hunter off guard. More that he turned to regard him. Garrod's hand still twined with Lechies', even when her mother set her gaze upon him. He breathed in. And breathed out.

Mistress Delrio stood quick and turned. Aleks grabbed her, firm but gentle.

Therese...

A long, cool breath left Garrod's lungs.

Mr. Arlette...her voice was tense. Cold as steel and just as hard. How much do you know? And speak true.

Garrod bowed his head, and let slip his hand from Lechies'. This part, he had to do alone.

"I know Lechies carries a demon, Mistress Delrio," he said calm and even. Closed his eyes, and bowed his head to the matron. Lechies' mother. Exposed his neck to accept whatever judgment would come, and did not rise. "I know that, in the mirror, her demon... as well as mine were... pulled out," his head turned, ever just. His eye laid on his hand. On Belephus, who had said so little since they had joined. Since he had fed him Janik's arm. "Changed," he said, and let out another breath as he rose, and now did look to the Mistress of the house. "I know that we both would have likely died within Master Janik's mirror, or in his ambush, were it not for... the strength our demons leant us," he nod. "I know that," he cleared his throat, and closed his eye, and huffed out a hot breath as if he readied for a clash. A little too loudly, he confessed "I love your daughter, Mistress Delrio, and her demon does not change that,"

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Fearsome though her mother could be, Garrod did not pull his strikes, either. Here, Lechies was soundly reminded that for all his soft glances, his tender touch, the gentle words he might utter--Garrod was first and foremost a warrior. When there was a fight to be had, no matter what place or form the battleground, he charged in with all his might, sights set only on victory.

A bold tactic, and one that did well to catch her parents off guard. Therese's expression became increasingly more complicated, Aleks' complexion more ashen, with every onslaught that fell from Garrod's mouth. That he knew of her demon, their worst secret. That he too, hosted one of his own. That he...

By the gods, he said it. He actually said it.

If it had been up to her, Lechies would not have picked this as the moment to bring up their new... arrangement. Relations. Courtship? Really, right now was at the bottom of her list as a time to even hint at it. Yes, the conversation was one that it would eventually have to be had. Yes, Lechies sought approval, not permission; even if her parents disagreed with her choices, she would hardly turn around and throw Garrod out the door of her life. Still, she'd wanted to at least ensure her parents were in a good mood when the topic came up.

But Garrod had shown his hand, and there was no taking the words back.

A deep silence fell over the room. Aleks blinked once, twice, eyebrows lifted high. He glanced at his wife, whose eyes had fluttered shut. Not to faint, but seemingly to draw strength. Therese took in a slow, quiet breath. And then another.

Lechies wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not. She sought Garrod's hand for her own source of comfort. Their fingers were laced together once more.

"Mother," she began, tentative, but Therese held up a hand. Lechies fell quiet.

Her mother opened her eyes. The look she gave Garrod was not angry. In fact, there was almost a hint of relief there... perhaps even a sort of sorrow?

But then lamp shadow shifted minutely over Therese's face, and the mask of the household's lady was firmly back on.

"First, Mr. Arlette," she said, voice tranquil, hands folded before her waist, as if this was an ordinary chat on an ordinary evening of entertaining a guest, "I thank you for being honest, when it may have afforded you an advantage to spin details in your favor. Second, I acknowledge that, by confessing the existence of your own demon," here something hard glinted in her eyes, visible only for a second before it passed, "you offer both your trust, and a bargaining chip by which we might hold leverage over you. But putting that aside for a moment, as for the matter of my daughter..."

Here Therese looked to Lechies. When in her silence it became apparent that she was giving Lechies the chance to speak, she pursed her lips and squeezed Garrod's hand.

"I feel the same about him." Even as she felt her ears warm, and her stomach coil into knots, Lechies went on. "Mother, please. Just this morning you were concerned whether I would ever... find someone. Well, I did. I have for a while, actually." A fond glance at Garrod, and a fonder stroke of her thumb against his knuckle. "He's a good man. Dependable, but also kind. A fellow adventurer, and a fellow demon-bearer. He understands me like no other can. Truly."

Her mother absorbed these words with no reply. Instead she turned to Aleks. Again, something unspoken passed between Lechies' parents, something soft in her father's eyes. Seeing that, Therese lowered her head and sat back down.

Aleks leaned forward. His smile was gentle.

"As parents, we only want the best for our children. For a long time, we indeed worried if Lechies would ever have the privilege of the companionship she deserves. However..."

His smile fell, but still his expression and tone were oh so gentle.

"Please understand that our hesitance is not due to any doubts about your character, Mr. Arlette, or disdain towards your station. Rather... there is the potentiality that, as fellow demon-bearers, there may a sort of resonance between the two of you. In the way of one demon calling out to the other, of recognizing the presence of kin, that has nothing to do with romantic feelings between two people. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

Their reactions told Garrod his approach had proven effective. Whether for good or for ill, he would soon see.

Lady Therese gathered herself. Made ready.

Lechies' fingers twined betwixt his own, bones and tender flesh wove together to bond them. Their shared grips, a knot that helped Garrod find a sense of assuredness. Comfort. An anchor amidst a storm.

It was the matriarch's turn to speak.

Lady Therese's eyes found his one. He inclined his head to her. A sign of surrender. Instinctual. He wished for no trouble.

Her words came measured and sure. Made clear how his fate twined in the there and now. Trust. Leverage.

He knew what he had laid forward. Still, to hear it spoken. It made him all too aware of his own spine. Of the hairs along the back of his neck. But come the squeeze of Lechies hand, and the warmth of his blood was felt again. His shoulders laxed, and his hand felt the tie of her fingers with his.

She affirmed her own feelings. Did not wither under her mother's scrutiny. Shared that she too had held a candle for him for some time now. The pad of her finger rasped gentle heat across his knuckle, and he could not help but smile as his eye found hers. His cheeks flushed some as she shared her thoughts of him.

He may have laughed, a titter of nerves accompanied by a grin that came so easy across his face. But he let that heat creep up his neck instead, his smile soft and warm as they shared that small moment between themselves. But a few beats of the heart felt through the fingers, and an electricity in the air between their gaze.

Then spoke the father. Garrod turned to see him. Aleks Delrio, whose love for his daughter spurred on his inventions. Gave face to Plum and Blueberry.

Garrod nod in accordance to his words. What came after his assurance, well, it was not something the hunter had thought of. It left his eye wide, and his expression frozen with a deep fear.

A resonance between two demons.

He felt the grip of his gloved white hand tighten. Felt no flames, nor saw the great teeth within his mind. Mayhap that was what frightened him all the more. So used to the bite of pain and the bitter mockery which accompanied it.

"I think understand, Master Delrio. Yes," he said, his voice solemn and tender. He half expected Lechies to take back her hand. Worried that this part of the equation had not been accounted for.

His hand slacked some around hers. He would not hold her if she slipped away.

"I," Garrod staggered. His eye lowered, ashamed as memories of what transpired within the mirror played back in his head.

Times where his demon, Belephus, now a part of him, had taken over. Oft those times were not but clouds of black smoke. With flickers and forks of green light come washed across the curls and tendrils.

The smoke dissipated from his mind's eye. He was there within the room still.

"I confess, that I've felt my demon's pull toward the one that resides within Lechies" His head still bowed and his eyes low. "Within the mirror, influenced by the demon, Daranthii," he mulled the thought over. "And, the words you have just spoken, they do bring me worry," he looked down to his gloved hand. The limb he knew was every part his, and every part Belephus. "I have no way to assuage this fear, Master Delrio," he let his eye come up to meet Aleks' and then Therese in turn. "If there is something I can do, to help you feel more sure of... the sincerity of my intetions, that they are mine own and not... this resonance," he held firm. "But tell me, and I will see it done,"

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Garrod's defense given, Lechies looked again to her parents. Her mother, content now to let Aleks lead the conversation, simply watched the two of them on their side of the couch in silence. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap, face betraying nothing. Not for the first time Lechies marveled at her mother's ability to mainly a queenly mask when she so wished.

Her father was more transparent. The corners of his eyes wrinkled, mouth never quite forming something which could be called a smile, but emitting sympathy and kindness all the same.

"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Arlette. I don't mention this to force you into undergoing some... trial for my daughter's hand." Indeed, a flicker of disdain passed briefly across Aleks's face at the very idea. "The two of you are a man and woman grown. Veteran adventurers, with myriad deeds under your respective belts, far more impressive than what I could claim as a humble maker of clockwork constructs. You are more than capable of making your own decisions. I do not seek to lecture you, nor tell you how to live your lives, only offer caution and advice. As a worried father is wont to do, heh." He chuckled. "In the end, it will be her approval that decides things."

Aleks turned his attention to Lechies. She swallowed, and tightened her grip on Garrod's hand, seeking comfort. Seeking the presence of him; that mountain with its comforting shadow. She dipped her head.

"I've considered this before as well--that what I feel for him might only be a manifestation of my demon's influence." A dark thought that Lechies shoved deep into the back of her mind whenever it tried to rear up. It felt truly awful to voice the fear aloud now. "But... my affection feels real, in every way that matters to me. The more I think on it, the more I wish to pursue it."

Her face burned, but Lechies raised her chin, almost in defiance, and went on. "I cannot promise that our demons have no sway here. But I do know that Garrod brings me happiness, more than anyone or anything has in a long time. And is that not the point of living, to find happiness? Even if this is some deep, unknowable scheme of our demons--I would rather chase this feeling to its logical end, than let my life pass by wondering what could have been."

Her father's mouth twitched. He turned to her mother, but not before Lechies spotted the glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"Therese?"

Her mother waved a hand and sighed. With that exhalation of breath, she seemed to shed the air of noble formality she had been carrying, and was transformed into an ordinary woman relieved to have addressed the matter which called her out of bed in the first place.

"If we couldn't persuade Lechies not to join that adventurers' guild all those years ago, then I doubt we can change her mind on this matter, either. And the young man was no less earnest." Therese smiled at them both, and it was a mother's warmth she radiated. "You have our blessing, dear. You... always will. We just want you to be prepared for any possibility. To arm yourself with knowledge, as any good scholar should be."

"I know," Lechies said, and hoped all in the room would ignore the slight quiver in her voice. "Thank you, mother. And you, father. I love you both."

"And we you," was Therese's gentle reply. "Now then--you must be eager for your beds. Will you stay the night, Mr. Arlette? Or if you wish to return to your own dwelling, we can arrange a carriage for you."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

"Oh," was all Garrod managed to say at Aleks' reprisal. He blinked, and felt his face flush.

Why had he... no, no need to question it, he decided. Just be glad for it. He smiled warmly, and nod as the attention shifted back to Lechies.

His eye followed, and his hand felt the tense hold of hers. His own nerves eased some now. He nod, and his strength flexed back through his grip. Firm and gentle. I'm here.

And she went on to share her thoughts. The cloud that was heavy about his own mind, seemed to shade hers now as she searched for her words. Found them, her hand felt hot in his, and as she raised her chin and gave more heat to her words he felt his own face flush all the more.

She seemed sure as day to him. The thought comforted him to no end. His cheeks, so used to long frowns, hurt where they pulled at his mouth.

Then come Therese, the matron of the house. Her expression indecipherable for more than a breath. Till she too gave way, and spoke to Lechies' nature. Strong and sure headed.

You have our blessing, dear...

What transpired between them was, a foreign thing to the street urchin turned monster hunter. A thing he remembered longing for so many years ago. A warmth he spied through smoke stained glass, and uneven window slats. A certainty and comfort. A love like stone. Strong and sure. Unwavering.

Even if Lechies' voice quivered some.

Then came the question.

Will you stay the night, Mr. Arlette?

It slapped him out of the warm daze he had fallen into. A state full of dream and nostalgia. The familiar bitterness welled over by a new sticky sweetness. He cleared his throat, his hand still firm around Lechies'. "I, I would love to," he said with titter. "If," he cleared his throat again, sat a little straighter. "If it is no trouble, of course, Lady Delrio,"

 

[Lechies Delrio]

"My goodness. If it was any trouble, you would long have been excused from the premises."

Therese's smile went sharp; the way she looked at Garrod was not unlike a panther's calculating stare. Just then, it may have become apparent who Detlef inherited his sense of humor from.

But the moment passed. Aleks clapped his hands decisively against his knees. "No trouble at all. Lechies can ask one of the golems to prepare you a room." He smiled kindly. "Please take your ease, Mr. Arlette. I'm sure the night has been a very long one for both of you. Any further discussion can wait until the morning."

He stood, and offered an arm to his wife, which she took. Therese's gaze went warm once more as she offered them a farewell nod.

Lechies's answering smile was radiant. Maybe because it was finally starting to sink in--for all the horrible ways she'd imagined how this conversation might end, her parents had ultimately approved. Approved. There would be no obstacle to... courtship with Garrod. Not as long as she still desired a future with him, however many months or years that may be.

"Good night! Rest well."

Once her parents had left, she looped her arm around Garrod's, pulling lightly on him as she stood. A little possessive, perhaps, but after tonight's twists and trials, Lechies felt she deserved to be greedy. Deserved this right to look upon him in full, in the open, without a need to hide her affection from those who might gossip or judge.

He was hers. Part of her family, now.

Lechies's eyes ached with exhaustion, but her heart was only light. "Guest rooms are further down the hall," she said.

They would find Blueberry waiting for them as they left the drawing room. Lechies started to ask them to ready a room for Garrod, but the automation merely bowed, bronze hands folded at their waist.

"It hAs aLrEaDy bEeN dOnE, aT MAsTeR DEtLeF's rEqUeSt, iN cAsE Mr. ArLeTtE dId nOt wIsH tO bRaVe tHe lAtE hOuR. THiS wAy, pLeAsE."

And Lechies would mentally raise her opinion of her brother as she and Garrod then trailed after Blueberry.

The room they were led to was positively opulent by an adventurer's standards, meant to satisfy the criterions of visiting mage-gentry. Aside from the bed, wide and adorned with a fluffy quilt and fluffier pillows, there was a tall lamp sufficient for lighting the room, a writing desk to the side with its own smaller lamp, a wardrobe large enough to fit both Lechies and Garrod, and a personal fireplace. Unlit, for there was generally no need for extra warmth during summer's already balmy evenings.

"MaY yOu hAvE a pLeAsAnT eVeNiNg, Mr. ArLeTtE. Do nOt hEsItAtE tO iNfOrM aNy oF uS gOlEmS iF yOu hAvE nEeD oF aNyThInG eLsE." Blueberry bowed yet again before turning to Lechies. "LaDy LeChIeS, mAy I eScOrT yOu tO yOuR rOoM aS wElL?"

"In a minute, Blueberry. I'd like to speak with Garrod first."

"CeRtAiNlY."

A pause.

"Ah... alone, that is."

"CeRtAiNlY."

Blueberry closed the door behind them as they retreated back into the hall.

Lechies swallowed a laugh. Her eyes gleamed with mirth and joy as she turned to Garrod. "So. That was... wasn't as calamitous as I thought it might be. I felt for sure my mother might order me confined to the house for the next month after hearing about what happened. Even if I'd never obey."

 

[Garrod Arlette]

And just like that, it had come to an end. The Master and Mistress of the house bade their farewells, and made away.

Garrod was stunned. "Yes, good night," he managed.

His lone eye watched as they retreated into the halls of their home. The Delrio estate. He smiled, faintly, in that way that those who had tasted a victory did, though the full weight of it had yet to bare upon him.

Fingers came undone, and a quick slip saw Lechies arm snaked about his own. Eagerness, electric, felt in the friction of their arms come taught against the others as she pulled him. His smile grew wider, and he stood after her. Both smiled to each other, eyes full of bright knowing.

Guest rooms are further down the hall.

"Are they now?" he asked as he drew close to her. The space between them, respectfully apart before her parents, seemed to burn away. Whether to tease, or out of sheer excitement, the noble adventurer flit away, and Garrod laughed as he followed fast in her wake.

Blueberry was there at the door. Near startled Garrod, who was still growing accustomed to the clockwork wonders.

It was to the sound of steady mechanical gait that they moved. A warm bliss nestled in Garrod's chest as he held Lechies on his arm. The tired ache born from all the night's chaos heavy around his eyes, and yet still, he felt awake. Like a candle, still afire, while its wax waned low. But it was the little affections they shared as they walked, the trace of thumb across knuckles, the pulse of grip with fingers twined, or gentle bump of shoulders, that helped the flame keep light.

Come the spacious room, and Garrod's eye would widen once more.

"Well," he said quiet and to himself as he stepped into the quarters, ran his hand across the plush bed, and felt the softness of the quilt. "Sure as hell beats my cot," he said with a laugh.

Blueberry offered his services, and Garrod nod. "Of course, Blueberry, thank you," he gave the automaton a slight bow of the head. Then smirked as it offered Lechies an escort. Smiled wider when the need for clarification came.

The door shut. And then it was just the two of them. As it had been time and time again upon the fields beyond this place. Never quite like this though.

So... Lechies began, and Garrod's eye looked to her, his lips still upturned. He laughed. "Was a whole lot smoother than I had thought, that's for sure" he said, looked back to the furnishings that adorned the room. "Thought I might have to duel giga-blueberry, or have my soul examined by plum," his smile turned roguish, and his eye gleamed. "Kidding, of course," only half. He looked back to her and closed the distance.

His hands found hers again, held her close, as he looked over her elegant fingers. "Imagine my surprise," he began. "To hear you've always been so rebellious and headstrong," his eye caught the scar that marked her hand, same as his. And all the other proud lines of silver that traced across her fair skin.

He kissed the back of her scarred hand, and held her closer, let his arms wrap around her, closer than they had danced earlier in the night. Her warmth spread across him, he placed a small kiss upon her shoulder as he rocked gently to a song that played in his heart. Whispered. "All the more when I heard that I, bring you happiness," he smiled wide, and foolish.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

Lechies laughed in return. "You can joke all you like, but Father's creations do have some combat capability. Whether you can hold your own against Blueberry or not... well, I hope we never have to find out."

She feigned shyness, pretending to dance out of Garrod's reach, but relented once his hands found hers. 'Rebellious and headstrong.' A retort built on her tongue, but--the low glow of the lamps pulled shadow over the contours of his face soft as silk, and his eye seemed to gleam all the brighter for it. A more precious gem you could not set into any ring or bangle. It was honestly distracting, how much she wanted to look and look and never have to remove her gaze.

Every kiss he laid on her, equal parts tender and reverent, brought a new wave of gooseflesh rippling across her skin. His whisper, so close to her ear that he might as well have kissed her there too, pushed a shiver through her so profound that she wondered if Garrod could feel her shudder.

"A surprise, was it?" Lechies laughed again, lightly, head pressed sideways against him, arms wrapping around the backs of his shoulders. His heart beat strong and fast beneath her, and she pitched her voice low to match. "Then I suppose I'll just have to repeat the words again, until it no longer surprises you to hear them. You make me happy, Garrod."

She would've been satisfied to remain as they were, savoring the warmth and silence until Blueberry poked their brass head back in, but...

"As much as I would love to stay like this," Lechies said, gently extricating herself from his embrace, "I did have something I wanted to talk to you about; actually talk about. Here, let's sit."

Sliding her hands down the length of his arms to his hands, Lechies tugged him over to the bed so that they might sit sidelong next to each other. Her hands were steady as she stroked his fingers, her gaze unwavering, but there was a tangible note of nervousness when she spoke.

"Earlier today, I said I wanted to tell you the truth of my demon. And well I should; trust is the foundation of any good relationship... though the bards would argue that love is its foundation instead." She gave a brief grin, but her face soon went solemn again. "I'm ready to share it with you now. All of it. Will you listen?"

 

[Garrod Arlette]

A pleased rumble came from his throat as he felt her move between his arms. The bounce of her laugh thrummed against his bones, and had his breaths come more full and deep with the scent of her. The feint trace of orange blossom and vanilla, mixed with the heady musk of their night's adventure.

A surprise, was it?

"Mhmm," came again, in the bass timbre of his voice.

I'll just have to repeat the words again... until it no longer surprises you to hear them.

"Woe is me," he teased as he let his hands trace across the grooves of her back. His lone green eye glimmered, joyful and sure as he looked into Lechies' own hazel gaze. Flecked with gold and brown, green with hints of blue.

You make me happy, Garrod.

He laughed, a small think that hid upon his breath. His arms held her closer still. The press of it sent a wash of heat across his broad self, through his arms and legs. To the tips of his fingers and toes.

"Suppose I can get used to hearing that," he said, as he sat in the warmth of it all. "And doin' that too,"

As much as I would love to stay like this...

She slipped free, and his hands let slide her frame from their firm hold, let his fingers trace down her side, and across the swell of her hips to rest just above the side of her thighs. Her hands reached down and grabbed up his own, and she pulled him to the bed where they sat, and her hand worked its careful touch across his knuckles and the long bones of each finger.

Her eyes were set, and there was a hardness to them that was not there but breaths before.

Garrod filled his lungs with breath, and sat tall, attentive, his eyes wholly upon her as she readied to speak, his lips still quirked, all too happy to e there.

Earlier today... Trust is the foundation of any good relationsip. He nod his agreement, but remained quiet, still calm. He grinned at the mention of love, and kept a pleased smirk when she announced she was eady.

"Of course," he assured without hesitance. Held firm her hands in his and there in the space between them.

 

[Lechies Delrio]

There was only patience in his eye. Gentle understanding on his face. His presence was the low flame settled in the hearth, warmth spilling over her to ward away the chill that tried to creep in. Affection for Garrod swelled within her, and gave her courage to speak her next words.

"I mentioned earlier that I was often ill as a child? It was rather more serious than I probably made it sound at the time." Lechies's tone was quiet, the sweep of her fingers against his a steady cadence. "The doctors never did figure out what sort of disease it was... Only that my parents should not expect me to continue on for more than a handful of years.

"They didn't accept that answer, of course." No, they loved their daughter too much to simply give up. That Lechies yet breathed even now was a constant reminder of that love. Proof more solid and real than any badge or insignia could ever be, carried within her body. "They found a mage from outside the accepted circles--you know, someone who had dabbled in dark magic for so long they'd mastered it." She waved vaguely. "He had a vast knowledge on the subject of demons... and it was him who sealed my demon inside me. To make the creature into a source of vitality for me, and counter the disease that would otherwise have me waste away."

Here Lechies hesitated, but only for a moment. She removed her hands from Garrod's, and began to undo the buttons of her high-necked dress. Only the first few, just enough to peel back the shimmering blue fabric and reveal a complicated pattern of black above her breasts, as if ink left by a brush, but deep-set into her skin as a scar would be. Runes carved thin and delicate as string, arranged in a circular shape that disappeared beneath her clothes.

"I'm only still here thanks to my demon. But I must be honest with you, Garrod." Her lips thinned, and there was weight in how she looked at him then. "The Second Law of Magic. All magic has an end. I should have died years ago. I don't know how many more years this seal will last. In truth, I don't expect I shall live a normal lifespan."

She reached for him, for his pale hand, to take and squeeze in her own. To raise to her lips and brush a kiss onto his fingertips. "Even so, I would still cherish your company. Whatever company you deign to grant me, and I promise I will do my utmost to devote what time I still have to returning the favor."