An Odd Discovery (Slight Ais/Reader)
Summary: You wake up at the Seaspring, have breakfast with Ais, and take a walk with Princess back to the Wet Wick.
Note: I wrote this while insanely sleep-deprived, this is definitely prone to errors and whatnot.
Your head ached as you opened your eyes. A small grumble left your lips as you turned around, but a strange smell let you know that you were not in your bed at the Wet Wick. You snapped awake once you realised. Clean sheets, a nice mattress, and good pillows meant you were far, far away from where you were supposed to be. Yet, the blankets called your name. Comfort was sparce in Eridia and your fatigue beckoned you to indulge yourself, just for a few moments.
"Morning," A low voice called out from the doorway. "Did you sleep well, Sparrow?"
Any semblance of contentment you had shattered the second you heard those words. Ais waited a few feet away, a shit-eating grin on his face. You didn't look at him, but instead straight ahead. You weren't ready for his bullshit this early in the day. He, however, was very intent on his endeavors, strolling over to your bedside.
"Come on," He tried to grab your attention by reaching for your cheek. You swatted him away on instinct. "I saved you last night, least you could do is tell me if you're okay."
You glanced at him tensely from the corner of your eye, but your glare softened as his red eyes looked at you with the softness you seldom found in Eridia. You were a fool for letting him get to you, but Allmother there was something about him that made you weak. You looked down at your bandages, they were still intact. A small sigh escaped your lips and you opened your arms.
"Come here, you dumbass."
Ais wasted no time, taking you in his arms for a tight hug. You found your face buried in his chest, but had no complaints bubble up as he held you. One of these days, you were going to have to grow a backbone. Trusting everyone who flashed you a pretty smile was going to get you into trouble. You were lucky that Vere chose not to kill you, even luckier that Leander took you in for free, very fortunate that Kuras was the one who found you half-dead in Fogfall, and so fortunate that you had a literal demon cuddling you at the moment.
"You know," Ais mumbled out as he kept his arms firmly wrapped around you. "Your luck is going to run out soon. You're lucky that I found you before that soulless did."
Last night's memories came creeping back to you unpleasantly. Leander must've been sorely mistaken when he decided that someone like you would be a good messenger. Running around at night in Eridia was dangerous and picking someone like you was not a smart idea. While most people knew how to avoid danger or at least fight it, you couldn't help but regret all those years in your childhood where you sat, delivering prophecies to whoever came your way. Allmother, you missed those crunchy green grapes and delectable meals. It was a stark contrast to how your stomach hadn't stopped complaining after regrettably trying one of Leander's concoctions. Your limbs ached from yesterday's brief encounter, where a soulless in the middle of town decided that you were its next meal. You barely had the energy to get to bed most nights and a high-speed chase was not on your to-do list. The last thing you remembered was feeling dizzy and then falling, but your head never hit the ground.
"Thank you," Your mouth was too close to his ear to speak too loudly. "I owe you one."
Ais unhanded you after a few minutes, leaving you comfortably nuzzled against the sheets. He looked down at you, a smile on his lips still.
"Are you going to get up?"
You really didn't want to. Wherever this was, it contained the most pleasant atmosphere in Eridia. It was clean, cozy, and felt safe.
Ais sighed, amusement apparent in his expression. The fondness in his eyes made you feel a little too warm.
"Come on," He got closer, stopping at the foot of the bed. "I'll give you something to eat."
You needed food, that was for sure. You didn't want another repeat of last night if you could help it. While you were on a bit of a lucky streak, you didn't want to rely on Mhin suddenly lunging from the shadows the next time you had the misfortune of running into another soulless. You sighed and grumbled as you sat up, rubbing your eyes.
Ais let out a content hum before leaving. You took a few moments to gather yourself and stretch. Good nights were felt in your tired joints. For once, you felt a little bit refreshed. Once you stepped out of the room, it was obvious that you were in the Seaspring's cave. The smell didn't linger in the room you'd been in, but as you kept walking, the stench kept growing thicker and thicker. You followed the path of tamed soulless to find Ais at a table. You half-expected there to be bottles of liquor, but a bowl of warm broth and bread greeted you instead. You sat down and marvelled at the sight before you. You couldn't remember the last time you had anything decent.
Ais spoke, gesturing to the food before you. Allmother bless, because this was the sort of life you could get used to. Your bandaged hands held the bread for a moment, your eyes lingering on the coverings. Your curse affected humans, but you hadn't tried monsters yet. You didn't let the thought linger, your stomach demanding food before you could have any sort of critical thought. You ate slowly, savouring each bite. The broth was salty and the bread was fresh. You were perfectly content by the end of your meal, but this was a special occasion. It would be a while before you got to feel this good again.
"Thank you," You sounded stronger this time. "I needed that."
Ais smiled, looking down at the empty bowl. People were selfish in Eridia, you were constantly reminded of that—but for some reason, you couldn't find any ill will in Ais. Maybe it was in the moment, but he was honest. That was more than you could say for most people. He was brutal at times, but at least he was upfront about it. You often searched for honesty in Leander's sweet lies, you looked for answers in Kuras's deflections, you had to sort truth from bullshit with Vere, and getting anything from Mhin could be like pulling teeth. Yet, there was something about Ais that made him uncomfortably reliable.
"Do you have anywhere to be?"
Ais didn't quite respond to your gratefulness, but he broke the quiet. You found his gaze and for some reason, you couldn't find it in you to lie.
"No, but I should get going."
You stood up and surprisingly, Ais didn't do anything. He didn't even turn his head as you walked away. Your lips tightened and your brow furrowed—still silence did not mean compliance. Yet, you were approaching the cave entrance and he hadn't even shouted out. You had one foot outside when you heard something.
"Hey," Ais called out from across the cave. "Tell Leander to come by! We need to talk... and Princess needs to go on a walk, take her with you!"
Princess was already waiting for you outside, wagging her tail. Your heart melted at the sight, but you exhaled sharply as you turned to face Ais. A smirk was playing on his lips, almost if he was pleasantly surprised that you actually listened.
You yelled back as loud as you could, but even then, the sound could've been muffled by the cavernous expanse of the Seaspring. You didn't really care, you just felt like bothering him.
"You owe me one, Sparrow! You're lucky I didn't ask you for something more."
His voice crooned at the last few words and an unpleasant heat flushed in your cheeks. You had half a mind to respond, but decided against it. He was riling you up for shits and giggles. You didn't need to give him any more ammunition. Once you started walking, Princess followed happily. Fogfall was a creepy walk, but when you had Princess with you, things felt comfortable. She stayed by your side, panting like a normal dog. Every time you saw her, she just kept getting cuter and cuter. Yet, as much as you wanted to stop and pet her, there was always something lurking beyond the mist.
As if life wanted to pat you on the back, you got through without any problems. You must've woken up insanely late because the sun was up when you left the Seaspring, but it was dark by the time you and Princess reached the mist's end. You should've departed there, but there was something still and empty about the city. Surely, if you were stealthy about it, no one would notice her, right?
Surprisingly, you didn't have to be stealthy at all. You just couldn't use the main streets. No fool or thief was dumb enough to attack the soulless. You had found many ways to return to the Wet Wick since you started helping Leander out, and the empty streets of the night made it easy for Princess to pass by. Yet, when the Wet Wick came in sight, there was darkness and for the first time in forever, it looked... closed. The door was open, perhaps for you, because the silence did not feel sinister. You had a thing for snuffing out trouble and your senses weren't alerting you now. Princess crept in behind you. You never noticed how big the Wet Wick really was, but how could you when the place was usually filled to the brim with drunkards? Perhaps Leander was upstairs and feeling ill. Being ill never stopped him before.
You went to your room, even though you knew he wasn't there. You crept along the halls, checking every room, calling his name. Princess was still trailing you, wagging her tail contently. At the end of the hall was the last room and you twisted the handle. It went all the way, but the door wouldn't budge. You pushed it harder, then pulled on it, then elbowed it. The hinges sounded old, so force wasn't the way to go unless you wanted to explain to Leander why there was a broken door. Yet, before you could walk away, Princess stepped forward, and promptly pushed the door open with a firm headbutt. She panted again, looking at you. You couldn't help but smile. You held your hand out and she put her head in your palm. You stroked her head for a few minutes before realising that the door was open.
When you stepped in, there was a strong smell of... something. Leander's scent lingered, but there were about a thousand other distinct odors in there. Discarded clothes on the table, an open chest that had one of Leander's shirts in it. You had guessed Leander was a man of many escapades, but this confirmed it. You looked further, turning to the bed, where the blankets were unkempt and the sheets... you didn't want to know what those stains were. You guessed that this was his special room, the one you had heard about before. Princess stayed outside, waiting for you to come out. She was a smart one. Letters scattered on the floor had lipstick marks. You knelt down to pick one up, but dropped it as soon as you grazed through the words. The first few sentences were enough to make you feel like you intruded on something far too personal. Overall, the only thing special about the room was amount of STDs that you could pick up. You had bandages in your room and you needed to change your coverings after this little... discovery.
Princess followed you to your room, which was a comfortable fit for the both of you. You ripped off your old bandages into a small bin and then washed your hands at the nearest restroom. The last shower you had was at the clinic... which was a few days ago. You wondered if Kuras would mind if you stopped by, but you quickly remembered that explaining why you had a soulless with you would be a bigger hassle than waiting. It was not hygienic, but you couldn't bear to send Princess away. You'd have to do it eventually for her safety—you didn't know how Leander would react if you told him you wanted to keep a pet soulless. Besides, Princess was happiest with Ais.
You sat on your bed, letting your back rest after a long day. You fell backwards, unpleasantly reminded that you were no longer at the Seaspring. You groaned slightly, but you quickly went quiet as Princess joined you, curled up. You couldn't help but let her stay there. She looked too precious for you to move her. She got closer and eventually, she ended up laying on top of you. You felt a little bit crushed, but too comfortable too complain. You sighed, letting yourself relax. You took off your cloak, leaving you in a comfortable tank top and shorts. Eridian summers were too hot to be wearing layers.
I'm just going to rest my eyes, you told yourself.
When you woke up, Princess was gone, but nothing in your gut told you that she was in danger. Perhaps it was a bad habit, but you tended to trust your intuition blindly. It proved to be reliable. You looked forward to seeing her the next time you visited the Seaspring. You forced yourself to get up, since it was still silent. You crept downstairs and found no one to greet you. The windows showed no one in sight, but who stayed up that late in Eridia? Your stomach turned with unease as you reached for the doorknob, but something in your head told you to do it anyway.
A voice greeted you once you opened the door. Before you was a disheveled Leander. His hair was messy and he looked more tired than ever. He looked at you from the bottom up and smiled.
You blinked once, very slowly, unimpressed.
"This place is empty, what happened?"
Leander sighed, leaning against the doorway. He didn't meet your gaze for once.
"One of the Adders died," He explained, melancholy in his voice. "We thought it'd be best to close for the night in his honour."
Touching, you thought, but there was something else. Something he wasn't telling you. Leander did best with half-truths. He wasn't lying about this, he just wasn't saying everything. He wouldn't answer, so why ask?
"Say," You switched the topic rather easily. "Ais wanted to see you."
A small smile crept up on Leander's face.
"Yeah, that's why I got back so late."
You didn't ask any more questions and let him through the door. You nearly closed it, but something at the edge of the your sight caught your eye. Leander was already heading upstairs and didn't see you close the door behind yourself. You rushed out, boots on, across the street.
"Princess," You whisper-yelled as you came running to her. "What are you still doing here?"
Princess was right there, panting, wagging her tail. Apparently to say goodbye as you hugged her. She licked your face happily. You pet her head a few more times, keeping her close. Dawn always came unexpectedly for you, one minute it's pitch dark and then it's bright out. It was better if she left before the sun lit the sky—less potential issues. After a few minutes, Princess started to walk away. You gave her one last hug before she dashed behind the buildings. You stood there for a few moments, wondering why Ais needed to talk to Leander, why Princess hadn't left, but before you knew it, the sun was rising in the sky. You started to walk back inside. Allmother, you really need to get some sleep.
