Two silver clattered across the ground as the small pouch hit the ground near his feet. He growled, looking up through hair that hadn’t been washed since it last rained. “I don’t need your pity.”
Fiery hair bristled at his incredulous comment. ““I’m not giving out of pity I’m giving out of kindness. Do you need the money or not?” Those eyes dared him to refuse.
Reluctant, he cast his look away and toed the bag close enough to grab with his good hand. He didn’t even dare mutter a comment until after she’d walked away. “Pity made you look.”
---
Same place as always, ignored by all, except that one pair of shoes that always found their way in his direction. “Still here?” As usual he refused to answer out of pride. “Look, I don’t care why you’re here, as long as you’re not purposefully letting yourself get stuck like this.”
“Why do you care at all?” he grumbled without looking at her.
“Because you’re still out here.”
“What makes me so special?” He glanced up. Her coat was a little thicker, indicative of the coming winter.
She offered a small pouch to him, the same as always. “Does it matter?”
“I guess not.”
---
The worst of winter had passed, and the money he’d spent on his thick blanket had been well worth it. “Dinner’s on me tonight.” Instead of a bag of silver, this time she offered her hand.
When he didn’t respond to her words she grew a little irritated. “Don’t pull this again. I’ll drag you there if I have to.”
With a grumble he grabbed her offered hand and stood up. He was not hard to support - body weakened by months of living on the street, and the missing weight of an entire limb. Still, her grip was strong - she might have had an easy time even if he was his old self.
“Why do you still do this?” he asked, walking beside her.
“Why shouldn’t I?”
It wasn’t an answer but he’d learned better than to push.
---
“When are you ever going to tell me something about yourself?”
He glanced aside at her, taking his eyes off the interesting crowd that had filled into the tavern. He’d gotten a few disgusted glances but otherwise she was the only one who paid him any mind. “When are you going to tell me about you? You’re the one that keeps throwing food and beer at me every time you’re here.” In salut, he raised his tankard.
That didn’t give him a free shot but he wasn’t really surprised. She rolled her eyes at him before tearing apart the last piece of bread on her plate. “Just… anything. A name, even.”
A moment passed as he considered. Not like it would hurt anything. “Maltias.” He gestured a hand towards her expecting something in return.
“Tajsa. So nice to officially meet you, Maltias.”
“Thanks for the beer.” His snark at least earned him a little smile.
---
A winter blanket doesn’t do any good against a downpour, and it’d been raining for the better part of a week. Any shelter he tried to find under buildings just met him with a pool of water from the roof or the building owner chasing him off. The bridges were crowded out. But he had a saving grace the others didn’t. The bitch with fiery eyes and hair that cared for whatever reason. “Dare I hope I might get the benefit of your kindness?” he muttered, probably looking more pathetic than usual.
“Am I dreaming or are you actually asking for help?” She mocked surprise.
His pride ached at the comment but his body hurt more from the cold. “If it’ll get me inside somewhere faster, I’ll get down on my knees and beg.”
“Oh I’d love to see that.” When she didn’t move to lead him anywhere he worried that, perhaps, she actually meant it. Just as the fear creeped into his face she released him from his torment with a laugh. “I’m kidding, let’s go. I’ll buy you a room for the night.”
A quiet thank you and he was able to sleep dry for the first night all week.
---
“So, Maltias… should I ask?”
He glanced over away from the beer he was slowly nursing. “H’m?” Her eyes glanced down to where his shoulder ended. “Oh. That…” The stump where his right arm should have been started to ache as if it knew what she was asking. Just remembering what had happened.
In as many times as they’d encountered each other in Calpheon, she had never asked before, because a part of her knew that it probably wasn’t a memory he liked having. “Never mind. It’s not my business.”
“For as many times as you’ve given me free food and a room, there’s no reason not to say it. It was a troll. Or, well… a rock thrown by one.” It felt weird to say it, but she was a good listener. He’d told her about everything else that put him on the streets so why not this too.
He found it felt good to actually tell someone about it for once.
---
Pain seared into his right side, feeling every bone shatter into thousands of pieces all over again. The laughter of the freak that did it. His eyes snapped open before the pain faded. Looking over he knew he wouldn’t find the arm he’d lost, but the phantom pain made him check anyway. Nothing.
On his other side, that bright hair. He could feel the warmth of her body against his other arm. It was still a few hours before dawn but he figured he wouldn’t be getting to sleep anytime soon. He gently brushed his fingers against the small of her back. Her skin felt nice. It felt nice to be noticed. Cared about, even just a little.
Ever so gently, for once actually trying not to be noticed, he moved off the bed. For the briefest moment she shifted and he froze but seemed to pass without disturbing her.
It was easy enough to dress without a noise. None of his clothes had heavy expensive pieces. Something about just leaving didn’t feel right. If he had anything to his name he might have left something for her, but she was the one always helping him.
She could hate him for this later. He’d hate himself for it for sure. But the door clicked behind him anyway.
---
Winter had come back around again, but something was different this time. It was hard to place. Until her search came up empty. All of his usual places and he was nowhere to be found. Even their tavern - no one had seen him. Truthfully, no one even seemed to know who she was talking about. It clicked then that maybe she shouldn’t be asking the commoners. There was another group of people that might actually know him.
That search proved fruitless as well. The most she found was the winter blanket he’d bought using money she’d given him last winter. She damn near gave the beggar that had it a black eye trying to get answers. Turns out he’d left the city. Said he hopefully wouldn’t need anyone’s help anymore, gave the blanket to the first person he found, and walked out the gates. That was weeks ago and no one had seen him since.
She could only hope he was okay. Last time that she saw him he didn’t even wait for her to wake up before leaving. Being irritated with the gall she’d left Calpheon without even saying goodbye to him. Now it felt… it almost hurt.
He wasn’t here anymore, and there was no reason to look for him again. Maybe she’d find him another day, somewhere else, better than she’d left him.
---
Heidel was as busy as to be expected - at least it wasn’t as busy as Calpheon. Normally she wouldn’t travel so far from home, but Lejfur had told her about a new shop that had opened up and she wanted to see it for herself. Though maybe she should have asked for better directions… she couldn’t quite find it.
Distracted as she was, she barely noticed the figure walking down the street in the opposite direction. It nagged at her. Something about him didn’t sit right.
She turned to watch him walk away. Nothing about him really stood out, except that his right arm seemed to be covered in a thick black smoke. Lejf had told her about people making deals with black spirits to gain power in exchange for something. He was probably one of them.
The man stopped to talk to a cured foods vendor. Though brief, he did glance in her general direction, just scanning through the crowd before taking his pack of rations and moving on.
Then it clicked. She knew that face. Less hair, but she was confident. “Maltias??”
