Challenging the Demon
Jarrod’s body eventually gave into the fatigue that beset him. His back was slumped against the stone wall of the ruins by the bonfire. He was not sure how long he was asleep, when his name caused him to stir. He groaned, rubbing his eye with one hand and stretching out his other.
"Rosalind," he said, a smile slowly forming. She looked better than she did last night. "H-How are you feeling?" He tucked his arms close to him. Lordran was not known for its warm mornings, it seemed.
Ah, he even smiled…
Rosalind smiled as well and got to her feet. It wasn’t until she stood before her friend that she realized how easy it was to move, finally. Like she’d never even been sick! The days leading up to, she could scarce even sit up straight.
"I feel so much better," she sighed happily, bending to where he sat to take his hands gleefully. "Thank you so much! And now," she continued boldly, turning one of their hands’ grip into a pair of clutched fists. "I know you dropped your sword somewhere. We shall get it back."
Not only had her strength returned, but her fiery spirit, it seemed; awake for barely a minute and ready to go.
Jarrod was amazed with the burst of energy coming from Rosalind. His smile widened at her recovery, and then quickly opened to gasp when she took his hands. In the cold air, they were so incredibly warm next to his. That warmth crept up to his cheeks and the tips of his ears. "Y-You're welcome," he managed to say, his voice cracking through the lump of anxiety in his throat.
"I-I didn't drop it," he replied. "I-It's stuck..." He looked down, embarrassed by what happened to him. His sleeves were torn and bloodstained from his encounter. "I-I ran into the demon in the Lower Burg..." He shut his eyes tightly, feeling the tears coming. "I managed to take out the dogs with it, but I could not..."
His strength left him and the tears began drip. He brought the back of his hand to his nose and rubbed. If Rose went looking for his sword, she would find the demon too. She would die and it would be all his fault.
( tinyredrose )