Note that there will be trigger warnings, and chapter summaries at the bottom of potentially triggering chapters.
Chapter 1[]
In a solitary corner of the lodge, a dirty-blond-haired man shuffled a deck of cards, his yellow gaze darting from person to person as he did so.
A few tables down, a group of wizards was in an intense game of Palace. With those specific wizards, it always ended with a round of what Storm called Russian Roulette. According to the borg, the only difference between what they did and Roulette was that they used a defective wand instead of a loaded gun - whatever that was.
A few more tables down, a group of "nerds" was trying a near-impossible layout of Patience, otherwise known as Solitaire. They weren't nerds, though, rather, more experienced gamblers who were trying to improve their ability to work under pressure. They set up a system where every two minutes spent solving the layout, the solver owed the others a single gold coin. Seeing they sometimes spent hours, they easily lost a good hundred coins before giving up.
The man ignored them, glancing towards the door, where a teenager in a red gown had entered. The dealer - a fey named Edan - looked up from behind the counter.
The girl - well, he assumed they were a girl - strode up to the counter much too confidently, her wavy black hair flowing elegantly to the middle of her back. She wore a pair of spectacles that rested almost all too perfectly on the mid-bridger of her nose, framing bright, beautiful sky-blue eyes, complemented by her eyeshadow. Her features were surprisingly cold and stern but beautifully painted, her cheeks a lovely shade of pink due to a dash of blush, and her earrings caught the light just right.
The blonde didn't realize how long he was staring until Edan glanced at him, giving him a stern look.
The former embarrassedly glanced away, his cheeks a bright red as he cursed himself. The girl was a teenager, for heaven's sake - and he was married. Gale and Vanessa would be so disappointed in him right now.
Edan glanced away from the man, his cat-like gaze observing the girl carefully.
"You do realize you have to be eighteen to gamble?" The fey spoke in a slow yet stern, formal yet gentle, military-like manner, the result of his serving in the Ice Tribe's army. In fact, Edan was actually General Icetalon's lieutenant, and simply worked here part-time.
"Well, guess what? I am eighteen." She brushed off his death stare like a fly, placing her hands on her hips.
"I would ask for proof..." The half-earth fey glanced down at her pocketless, cardinal red gown, his green-blue wings fluttering slightly, "but it doesn't look like you have any. I suppose I'll let you play today."
"Great!"
As the girl bought her gambling chips, the wizard couldn't help but resume staring… and blinking in surprise when she plopped down in front of him.
When she noticed him staring in complete and utter shock, she commented brashly, "Are you going to deal me in or not? I don't have all night."
He blushed, staring down at the cards in his hands and dealing out a pot of poker.
"So, what are we playing?"
"Texas Hold'em," he responded.
She picked up her cards, running her finger along one of them. They were handmade, differing drastically from a standard set. The borders of "high" cards were painted glistening gold, second-ranking cards were silver, and low-ranking cards were bronze. The house of hearts was designed to represent the fire element, the king was painted to be a fire warden, the queen a trainee, and finally, the jack a student. The house of clubs followed this pattern but with the earth element, the house of diamonds the ice element, and the house of spades the water element.
Each individual card was textured with fabric, indents, and braille, making it so one could read the cards without having to look at them, perfect for card tricks…and for cheating.
The man smiled at noticing her admiration for the cards, "My father made them."
She glanced up at him, "He did?"
"Yes, he taught me how to play." The answer came all too naturally, causing him to recoil. He had said the exact same thing when Gale...
"Huh."
They began to play, the blonde folding the first round.
"So," the girl inquired, "What's your name?"
He tapped his facedown cards to indicate he was folding again, "Abner, you?"
"Leslie," she pulled out a cigarette, only for Abner to reach out and lower her hand.
He gestured towards the fey in the corner, "Please don't. Edan over there can't handle that stuff."
"Sorry." She blushed in embarrassment, glancing down and pushing up her glasses despite them not sliding down.
Abner found himself blushing as well, cursing himself out once again. Damn, that girl was hot.
When they hit the final round, Abner finally added an alarming quantity of chips to his bet, then tossed down his cards face up. It only took one glance to tell he won.
Leslie let out a groan.
Edan moved over to their table, then pinched the bridge of his nose, "How the Nor do you always do this?"
"I just do."
"Please don't tell me you plan on collecting that bet. She's just a kid."
"I'm not," he replied with an irate huff, "You know I never do."
"And left the entirety of the town in debt to you - yeah, I know."
"What?" Leslie stared at him in alarm, her blue eyes wide as dinner plates.
He laughed while Edan sighed in disdain.
"Don't worry, I just play for fun." The yellow-eyed wizard winked at her before resting his chin on his hands, his elbows on the table.
And for some reason, Leslie smiled at him.
Chapter 2[]
Leslie shoved open the door confidently, striding up to the front desk. Edan looked up from fiddling with a piece of crystal blue silk, looking her up and down. She was once again wearing a red gown, but this time more carmine, having graceful fringes on its hem and on the sleeve's cuffs.
"I don't suppose you brought proof of your age?"
"Why should I?"
A sigh, then he began to pull out some pitch black chips, "Look, I'll allow you to play today, but I need to see some proof by tomorrow. You've already lost enough money as it is."
Leslie smiled, lips painted the color of blood, "Don't worry, I'll win it back today."
"Now I'm worried," he deadpanned, his light green gaze unreadable.
After paying for her chips, she glanced around, stopping once finding Abner. Like the day before, the wizard was watching her. Unlike the day before, though, he was at a different table, closer to the counter.
She confidently strode over to him, "So, are we going to play another round of poker?"
"Actually," he started carefully, "I feel like playing Blackjack. Do you mind?"
She was taken by surprise, but let it slide, "Sure."
The girl didn't know how to play blackjack, but she wasn't about to let him know that.
Abner gestured for Edan to come over, and the half-silk fey walked over, taking a seat.
"I don't know why I'm dealing for you."
"Because you like me," the wizard replied teasingly.
The fey rolled his eyes, dealing out two cards to each of the wizards, "Wait until Vanessa hears that."
"She won't."
Leslie arched an eyebrow, "Are we going to play or not?"
"Yes," Abner replied tapping a finger on the table.
Edan placed another card on his original two, then diverted his attention to Leslie when the blonde placed his palm on the table.
The teen stared at her cards blankly, before moving to copy Abner...only to be stopped by Edan.
"You sure you want to do that?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have a nineteen. If you hit, you'll need a two or ace to avoid going bust."
"Bust?"
"Losing," Abner answered bluntly from the other side of the table, "you don't know how to play, do you?"
She opened her mouth to protest, but Abner had already stood up, walking to another table and grabbing a deck of standard-issue cards. Upon returning, he placed a mock-up layout in the center of the table.
Tapping the cards face up and to the left, he informed Leslie, "Here we have a two and jack. That adds up to thirteen." He tapped the cards to the right, "Here there's a four and six, adding up to ten." The man glanced up at her, his yellow eyes meeting her cobalt, "Basically, in Blackjack, the player - including the dealer - with the combination closest to twenty-one wins."
Leslie frowned, "Okay, but I didn't-"
He ignored her, passing the rest of the deck to Edan, "If your combination is lower than sixteen," he tapped the table felt, and Edan added another card, "you can signal that you want a hit until standing." Edan continued adding cards until Abner placed his palm on the table. "If you don't want to risk going bust - which, in this case, would be going over 21 - but need to increase your score, you double down and only receive one card. Yet that means doubling your bet." He slid a chip next to the initial one, and Edan added a single card and turned it sideways. "You can hit or double down when you have more than sixteen, but it's risky. Once everyone has played, the dealer turns over their cards..." Edan did so, and Abner continued, "And if the dealer has less than sixteen, they have to hit until they reach twenty-one or bust. If they have sixteen or more, the highest, valid combination wins."
"I didn't need instructions," Leslie informed him crossly.
"If you say so," he cleaned up the standard issue cards, handing them to Edan.
Resuming their game, the teen placed her palm on the felt, and Edan flipped over his cards - revealing a fourteen. He then hit until busting, and it came as no surprise that Abner won.
The girl groaned in frustration, shoving her chips toward him and burying her face in her hands. She only glanced up when Abner shoved her chips back toward her.
"You're not claiming them?"
"Not today. I don't play for money, remember?"
She stared at Edan, who simply flicked his tail and left the table.
Abner cleaned up the cards while whistling pleasedly, occasionally breaking out of his tune for small talk, "So, Leslie, what other games do you know?"
"I only know how to play Poker," upon receiving a smug look, she quickly added, "and Blackjack."
"Right, and I'm the Astral Warden."
"Wait," she squinted at him, "Are you the Astral Warden? You look like him."
Abner laughed, "No, but I'm related to him. Can’t you pick up sarcasm?"
"Of course," she snapped defensively.
He simply hummed, glancing at her, and she found herself relaxing.
The wizard was just poking fun, she had no reason to get worked up.
It was odd how she calmed down so easily around him.
"Well, I'll be taking my leave," he had cleaned up all the cards. He winked at her before getting up, "Oh, and Leslie? Good luck tomorrow."
She smiled at him, eyes narrowed, “I don’t need luck, especially not from you.”
“Then let’s see how you fare after a few drinks, girlie.”
A slightly nervous laugh met his statement, faint blush blanketing Leslie’s face. Abner simply winked again and left, leaving her to cash in her chips.
It seemed like she’d be studying tonight.
Chapter 3[]
Abner watched as Leslie confidently strode in, immediately being stopped by Edan.
"If you don't have proof-" An ID was shoved in his face, "...very well."
She purchased her chips before sauntering over to the blonde, looking quite upbeat.
"What's gotten you in a good mood today?" He asked with an arched eyebrow, smiling.
"I just have a good feeling about this. What're we playing today?"
"Nothing too complicated," he replied casually.
"As in?"
"Baccarat."
She immediately frowned.
"Is something the matter?"
The teen perked up, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "No, nothing wrong."
She blinked in surprise when he reached out and brushed away her bangs, and he felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she blushed slightly, "Well, I'm glad you're alright then." He then gestured for her to follow him, moving towards a table to Edan's left.
When they arrived, he slid out his deck of cards, placing two chips on his side and indicating for her to place her bet.
"So, do you mind refreshing me on how to play Baccarat? Not that I don't know how to play," she placed her chips in the space next to his, earning herself an arched eyebrow.
"Well, for one, you might want to do this," he moved her chips into her space, "To play it safe. That way, regardless if I win or lose, our bets will be canceled out."
"I don't need-"
"If you do win, you can play a bit riskier."
"Fine," she practically growled.
He ignored her, dealing two cards to each of them, face up. He then added a card to her deck, frowned, then added another card to her and his deck.
He glanced at the two hands before shrugging, "Well, it's a tie."
"What? But we barely did anything."
"Exactly," Abner drummed his fingers on the felt, "I just wanted to test your luck."
"My...luck?"
"Well, you said you didn't need luck from me," he rested his chin on his hand, "and it seems you should've taken up on my offer."
"I do not need-"
He tilted his head inquiringly, "Then pick a game."
The next few games resulted in tie after tie, the yellow-eyed wizard looking quite amused.
Eventually, the teenager glared at him, slamming down her cards, “Is this some sort of trick?”
“What do you mean?” He replied innocently, but his sly yellow gaze said otherwise.
“You’re letting me win, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean, win? We’re tying, and you did imply that you practiced earlier…it seems reasonable that you’ll tie at all.”
“Don’t bullshit me, I can see right through you.”
His interest was definitely piqued, his expression captivating as he rested his elbows on the table, “Is that so?”
“Yes. You’re really bad at lying, you know.” Leslie adjusted her glasses, looking smug.
“Then explain to me how I can let you win in a game of cards - which is based entirely on luck, by the way.”
“Luck and skill.”
“Remind me of our first game tonight?”
“You’re a seasoned player, and it doesn’t make sense for us to keep tying over and over again. Statistically, that’s bullshit.”
“You don’t know if I’m a seasoned player,” he cupped his chin in his hands, watching her with an unreadable expression.
“More than me, at least.”
“And what if I only started playing the day before you met me?”
“You didn’t, did you?”
He laughed, “Who knows, I might’ve. All you know about me is the fact I’m related to a Warden and my father painted cards.”
“Tell me about yourself, then.” Leslie tapped her red nails against the table’s surface.
His gaze darkened, “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“I’ll tell you about myself if you return the favor.”
He sighed, “Let’s just say I’ve seen too many people die.”
“Yeah, me too. It really sucks, huh? ”
“That’s one way of putting it,” he moved to clean up the cards she’d thrown, “Well, I don’t suppose you’re going to start yelling at me again, are you? I honestly don’t think arguing over tying will get us anywhere.”
“Good point. If we’re gonna have this talk, though, maybe it should be somewhere more…private?”
Abner froze, and Edan turned to stare at them, eyes narrowed.
“I’d…rather stay here.”
Leslie laughed. “I'm not hitting on you, I swear. I know it sounds like that, but that’d be weird, huh?”
“That’s not…” He shook his head, not finishing, heat rising up to his cheeks. The problem wasn’t her hitting on him, but rather…
“I just think this isn’t a good conversation to have in such a public place. I’ve gotten lots of shit just for who my family is, and for good reason too.”
He started fidgeting nervously, glancing away from her, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I really would prefer staying here. Perhaps we can wait for people to start to leave…?”
“Maybe. I’d just rather know more about the guy I’ve been gambling against for the past few days. One can never be too careful.”
He mumbled in agreement, his fidgeting becoming a bit more erratic.
“Full names first, then? I’m Leslie Goldencrafter. Not a family name, I had to adopt a new one, what with all that’s happened in the past three years.”
“You can probably guess my last name,” he said with an anxious laugh, “but it’s Herolight.”
“Abner…Herolight?”
“Yeah, like Lucas Herolight.”
“The Astral Warden.”
“That should’ve been painfully obvious,” he deadpanned.
“I mean, yeah. You’re lucky, though. You don’t even want to know my lineage.”
“Well, I don’t know,” Abner shrugged, “With my parents in mind, you probably have some competition.”
“You know what? I might as well just tell you.”
Leslie’s nails anxiously tapped a pattern on the polished surface of the table.
“My mother is Ariana Lightmaster. There, I said it.”
He lowered his hand to the felt, sitting straight, “I stand corrected.”
Meanwhile, Edan was casting an interesting glance in their direction, his emerald eyes wide as the moon.
She let out a small, bitter laugh. “I kinda win, don’t I?”
“Well, my parents did something stupid enough to get themselves killed but,” he waved a hand in the air, “I’m sorry, but you’ve lost all competition. Harmony.”
“I even look like her. Got Dad’s hair, Mother’s face. Don’t know who I got the shit eyesight from, but without my glasses, I can barely see my hand in front of my face.”
A bittersweet laugh competed with the girl’s, “All I got from my mother were yellow eyes. Otherwise, I look like my father.”
“I barely knew Dad. He died when I was pretty young. I was thirteen when Mother…yeah.” Tears formed in the jet-haired teen’s eyes.
The blonde placed his hand over Leslies, giving it a comforting squeeze, “Hey, it’s alright.”
She flinched, unused to kind touches.
“I keep seeing her face in the mirror, and worrying that I’ll turn out just like her. I’m scared, Abner. I don’t want to be a cruel, hateful person like she was.”
“Then don’t be, and don’t worry. Believe me, worrying about the past will make your whole life a repeat of it.”
“I’ve wanted revenge on her killer for so long, but it’s not like that’ll solve anything, will it? It’s pointless to kill someone just because I want Mother back.”
He suddenly looked uncomfortable, but it wasn’t long before the look was replaced with a caring smile, “You’re not the only one who thought of doing something like that. It really won’t make you feel better, only worse.”
“Right after she got killed, I’d have done anything to get her back. I feel awful about that now. Who knows how many more innocent people she would’ve killed?” The tears gathering in her eyes finally spilled over. “I keep wondering if this was my fault somehow. I should’ve done something. I’m her daughter, why didn’t I say something?”
She buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with the sobs she’d been holding back for far too long.
She felt a hand under her chin, gently pushing up her face so her blue eyes met yellow, “Leslie, the past is the past. It’s okay now, blaming yourself doesn’t change anything, nor does it make anything better for yourself.”
“Well, what else can I do? It’s not like I did any good for the war.”
“It’s quite simple, actually,” he wiped away her tears, brushing her cheek gently as he did so, “You just do the best you can now. It’s not the past that makes you who you are, it’s what you choose to do now, no matter what other people think.”
“I was on the run the entire time. I know I was just thirteen, but still, I should have done something.” She laughed humorlessly. “I mean, what could I do, fight against my own mother?”
Footsteps sounded behind the two, and they alarmedly glanced up to see a towering Edan.
“I apologize for interrupting you - but you said you were thirteen during the war, correct?”
“Yeah, I was. Why?”
“It’s only been three years since then.”
Leslie paled. “Oh...”
Seconds later, the teen found herself tossed out of the casino, a very irate fey responsible.
“Rude.” Leslie muttered, sitting up and glaring at the door.
He simply slammed the door shut.
“Well, that’s what I get for pouring my heart out to a stranger.”
Before she could move to leave, however, the door opened again, and a certain blonde stepped out, “Are you alright?”
“Little banged up, but fine. Help me up, would you?”
He blushed but helped her regardless.
“Sorry about that, Edan can be a bit…brash. It’s not really his fault, that’s just the way Ice Fey are raised.”
“S’okay. I guess this is what I get for telling the truth, huh?”
“It could’ve been worse,” he replied bluntly, clearly knowing something she didn’t.
“Well, now you know the truth about my family. I’m pretty impressed you’re not insisting that I should be locked up.”
“It’ll be illogical,” the man huffed in annoyance, “existing is not a crime.”
“True, but not all people share that opinion. It was literally the basis of a whole-a** war.”
“Either way, it quite literally isn’t a crime. Otherwise, I probably would’ve arrested you and myself by now.”
“You have a point.” Leslie afforded the closed door another glance. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”
“Do what?” Abner’s yellow eyes glistened, catching the light of a nearby lantern.
“Leave the casino. You didn’t have to do that for me.”
He laughed, “I wouldn’t have anything to do if I stayed.”
“I still feel kinda bad.”
“Regardless, I would’ve been heading home by now.”
“I should probably get going. It’s getting dark.” Leslie pulled out her wand, a Montoya’s Blade that she’d been customizing over the years.
“Would you like me to walk you home?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
He smiled at her, then the two started down the cobblestone path, leaving the circle of light the casino’s lantern provided.
“I always hate the walk back.” Leslie admitted. “As irrational as it seems, I’m always afraid of every weird shadow I see. It feels like the whole place is out to get me. I know I have my wand, and some basic combat skills, but it’s really not enough.”
He hummed, “I don’t really think you have to worry. It’s not like Shadow’s going to come after some random teen - she’s a bit more…sophisticated than that.”
“Not just her. Mother always warned me and my sister not to go out at night. She had lots of horror stories.”
“Oh? Then enlighten me, I’m rather curious.”
“Now that I think about it, most of them involved evil fae coming after us. That or creepy men.”
“Fae only live on the elemental islands - they rarely come here. I doubt you’ll run into a fae - nevertheless a Dark Fae, which are the only real ‘evil fae.’ Though,” he tilted his head slightly in thought, “I wouldn’t really call them evil fae either. They’re just…strange.”
“Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have listened to Mother about that. She thought all faen were evil, and tried to raise us with that belief too.”
He frowned, “Well, she certainly was a strange one. Unfortunately, quite a few people are like that.”
“I’ve tried to rid myself of all those biases. The problem is, I have to question everything she ever did for me and my sister, and all the stuff she told us.”
He didn’t answer, his gaze unreadable.
“The place I’m staying in is pretty close. It’s not the nicest, sorry.”
“I don’t mind. I don’t have the right to judge, either way.”
“I’ve been staying in places like this because they’re inconspicuous, and because I really can’t afford anything else. I never stay long, and I do my best to leave no trace of my existence after I go.”
“I don’t really see the point of that, if you’ve already changed your name, you shouldn’t need to put that much effort into hiding your identity.”
“It’s just a precaution. I’ve been here for about a week, so it’ll be time to move on soon.”
Abner once again settled for silence, focusing on the path ahead of them.
Leslie fidgeted with her wand, playing with the sections that collapsed into each other, a feature she’d added early on, so the wand could be more easily kept about her person.
He noticed, deciding to continue their small talk, “You know, Lucas makes wands.”
“He does?”
“Yes, and he likes horses.”
“Well, I don’t know what to do with that, but here. Take a look at this.” Leslie passed him her wand.
He fiddled with it, “Hm, making it collapsible is useful, but the Ice Warden turns her staff into a crystal. I’ll have to ask her about that - I think you’ll find it interesting.”
“I add stuff to it gradually. See those crystals built into the handle? They’re enchanted to help with precision. The collapsing blade was one of the first things I added, and it took a while to design.”
“Intriguing,” he returned the blade to her, “Pardon for asking, but are we nearly at your house yet? It is getting late.”
“Yeah, we’re almost there.”
“How far?”
“Couple more houses, that’s all.”
“Alright then,” he glanced away again, something he had been doing rather…anxiously throughout their walk.
“You okay?” Leslie asked.
Abner glanced up at her in surprise, “What?”
“You look nervous.”
“It’s ah…nothing important.”
“You sure?”
“Y-yes. I’ll be fine once I get home,” he retrieved a coin from his pocket, rolling it over his fingers.
“I get it. This isn’t the best place to be at night. Sorry about that, by the way.”
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
“Alright, here we are.” Leslie indicated a small, particularly rickety house.
He glanced up, observing the details of the structure carefully - including the dried-up tree in the yard, the slouching roof, the rotting wood, and the sinking foundation.
“It’s a mess, sorry.”
“It’s alright, just…” His yellow gaze scanned the building up and down, “No offense, but if I were you, I’d rather sleep in an alley.”
“That’s…not the safest option. At least it’s less likely I’ll get hurt here. I’d hardly call it safe, but it’s safer.”
Abner shrugged, “I’ve done it before. It really depends on the alley.”
He earned himself an interesting stare.
“Yes, well at least there’s a roof over my head here.”
“You can always sleep under a crate,” he paused, looking thoughtful, “Though, to be fair, I haven’t done that since I was ten.”
That earned him a small smile. “I used to try to fit myself in the smallest places. It scared Mother so much when I’d pop out of, say, the plumbing under the sink. I can’t do that anymore, but it was fun back when I was a little kid.”
“I wasn’t really a fan of small spaces, but most of the time, they were the safest - unfortunately.”
“I'm sorry. That must’ve been really shitty.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he shrugged again, “I don’t have to deal with those sorts of things anymore.”
“You get to be safe now? That’s gotta be nice.”
“Not exactly, more like I actually have a stable life…most of the time.”
“You should probably get going.” Leslie said, quickly changing the subject. “It’s getting pretty late.”
“Yeah, it is,” he muttered under his breath in agreement, then he said aloud, “Until next time?”
“I doubt there’ll be a next time. Edan’s never gonna trust me again.”
“He will in two years,” Abner said with a chuckle, “Though I get the feeling I will be running into you again. Perhaps…” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze unreadable, “Not far from the Arena? If you ever pass by, you’ll figure it out.”
“Alright. I’ll try to drop by soon. And Abner?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for everything.”
He smiled, “You're welcome.”
With that, the blonde took his leave, the girl left standing outside her house.
Leslie fished her house key out of the pocket of her gown, unlocked the door, and swept in, unaware of the orange gaze tracking her movements from the shadows.
Chapter 4[]
A yellow-eyed man drummed his fingers on a wooden table, glancing around the tavern in front of him. A glass of grape juice sat on the table in front of him, beside a handcrafted deck of cards.
He had chosen a table farthest away from the drunkards, especially since he didn’t want to be challenged into a drink. He wasn’t here for alcohol, rather, for cards…and a girl. The wizard honestly shouldn’t continue talking to the teen, but she had snared his interest, and it was getting difficult to tear himself away.
However, he found himself sighing in disappointment when she failed to arrive, receiving a look from the bartender. The bartender was an irate woman wearing a waitress’ attire, her grey-streaked hair tied into a ponytail, bobbing slightly as she wiped a glass, glaring.
To appeal her, Abner took a sip from his juice, then glanced at the tavern door. Perhaps his hints weren’t clear enough? Yet Leslie seemed to be smart enough to figure them out…
Outside, Leslie paced, glancing around at the buildings lining the cobblestoned streets.
Abner had said she’d recognize it, but there was nothing that particularly characterized any of the buildings.
Inside, the blonde sighed, maybe he shouldn’t have been so flirtatious when he dropped his original hint. It must’ve distracted her.
The door swung open, a familiar young woman in a striking scarlet gown with an off-shoulder neckline swept in, her hair neatly pinned back in a bun this time.
“Excuse me, is this-” She caught sight of Abner. “Okay, I guess it is the place I was looking for.”
The woman at the counter huffed, “I beg your pardon, but if you’re going to stride in like you own the place, at least bother to order a drink,” she glared at Abner, “the tavern is not a playground.”
“Rude. I just got here. Literally just meant to ask for directions. And for the record, I’m eighteen, I’m just small for my age.”
A glare met her statement, and Abner desperately shook his head to signify she should stop.
She opened her mouth to say something, then noticed he was mouthing something.
“...Apple cider?”
The woman at the counter was unaware of this exchange, blinking at Leslie, “...what is it with you people and juice?”
Abner sighed in relief, promptly gesturing for her to come over.
Leslie sank into the chair opposite Abner. “So apparently not wanting to get drunk in the middle of the day is a problem now.”
He laughed, “Don’t mind her - most bartenders get annoyed when you order juice. Mostly because they’re less expensive than wine.”
“That’s fair. God help me if I slip up on the age thing this time, though.”
“Eh, there’s not as many age restrictions in taverns, as long as you don’t order a cocktail, that is,” he took a sip of his grape juice, looking rather playful.
“I smoke, but I don’t really like drinking. It makes my head all fuzzy.”
“I don’t really like alcohol either. I have a friend who can easily down sixty or so glasses though - albeit, she is a fey.”
“Wow. How is she not dead?”
“Fairies have impressive alcohol tolerance,” he placed his glass on the table, fingering his cards, “It takes them about ten times as much alcohol to get them drunk, double that to take a trip to the restroom. Whenever she’s in a bad mood, what she does to the wine cabinet is devastating.”
“I’m like that with smoking. The ashtray’s a holy mess after one of my bad days.”
He frowned, “At least she’s tolerant to that stuff, smoke…not sure there’s anything that can handle it. You really shouldn’t be smoking.”
“What can I say? Stress. Lots of people deal with problems in their own ways, this is mine.”
“I’d say smoking makes it worse,” he sighed, “but it’s not like I can stop you.”
“It’s pretty impressive that my lungs aren’t dead by now..”
It was at that moment a certain bartender slammed a glass of apple cider on the table, her eyes like daggers. Leslie, at realizing she was expected to pay, shot a similar look at Abner, who chuckled nervously and paid instead.
“I owe you one. I can barely pay for the place I’m staying in right now, and, well, you saw the state it’s in.”
“No, that’s on me. I should’ve warned you about that hag.”
A glare met his statement from behind the counter, the woman having returned to her corner.
“...though she might be one in more ways than one.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, hags are a type of witch - you’ve probably run into a few before - but instead of elemental magic, they get their magic from…” He grimanced, “...eating children. Unfortunately, there’s still a few around.”
“Ew.”
“What’s worse is their bite. Once they bite you, they know where you and your family are no matter what. Unless you’re somehow a cat - they really have something against them.”
“I'm not a child. I can legally smoke, have s*x, and am almost old enough to drink, and I’ve seen enough shit for a few lifetimes.”
An interesting expression flickered across his face, “Unfortunately, hags don’t pay attention to legal ages - or maturity levels, for that matter.”
“If they paid attention to maturity levels, a lot more people would be dead by now.”
”And I know one of those people,” he said with a light laugh, “although, I have reason to suspect he’s a warlock.”
“Ah. I swear, people are either too mature or ridiculously childish nowadays. And I know I sound old, but it’s true.”
“That’s because too much happens nowadays.”
“You have a point.” Leslie took a sip of her cider. “This is pretty good. I’ll pay next time, I promise.”
“I’m sure you will,” he began to shuffle his cards, “Shall we play? This talk about hags is just going to dampen our mood, in all honesty.”
“Absolutely. I really have to find work at some point, but it’s not easy. I take in some small wand work, but it’s not enough.”
“Hm, I think I might be able to help with that,” he took another sip of his grape juice before pushing it aside, laying out a pot of poker.
“You can?”
He hummed, “Everyone in Lamplight owes me something or another, and if they aren’t hiring in some shape or form, I have connections in the Academy. If all else fails…I could always hire you - I own the farm behind the town.”
“I’d really appreciate that. And my wand work is decent, I’m mostly self-taught and still need to hone my skills but I know enough to get by.”
He passed her a hand of cards, ”I would offer to find you an apprenticeship, but it seems you need a more supporting job right now - apprentices don’t make much.”
“I also need to not get shit for being Ariana’s daughter. I know there’s a lot of people who’d give shit about that, and I’ve been on the receiving end of that for way too long. By the way, does your friend usually throw people out that hard, or was that personal? Because that hurt.” Leslie rubbed her elbow, drawing attention to the white bandage that hadn’t been there before.
He winced at the sight, “...you mean Edan? He throws everyone the same way - he often forgets his own strength.”
“I might need a suit of armor if I ever go back there, then. That was seriously brutal. I’m glad I didn’t break any bones.”
A dry laugh, “Armor would only make it worse. He’ll break his wrist doing it, but Edan could smash all the tables in the lodge - and it’ll be like slicing butter.”
“I don’t know where I’d find proper armor anyway. But I’ve seen way worse up close.”
“Probably in the Arena’s storage, but that’s enough of that,” he threw down his cards, revealing a high flush.
“You lucky fuck. Hasn’t the Arena been shut down for a while? I heard one of the trainees there married that b*tch who killed Mother.”
He stiffened, his posture becoming defensive, “I’m pretty sure they were already married…and you’ve got the trainee thing wrong.”
“What do you mean? And I know he married her before all that happened.”
“The Arena Wizards weren’t really trainees, they were just hired for other people to practice with. Some of them actually battled there, but not many did.”
“Oh. I never really trained there. I wanted to, but Mother didn’t let us.”
“I never trained there either, I really only know about it because of bounties,” his yellow gaze was slightly clouded as he spoke, but it went unnoticed.
Leslie took another drink of cider. “I kinda wish I had. Mother’s training was okay, but now I keep looking back on it and wondering how fucked up everything she did was.”
Silence.
“If you want…I can always spar with you some time. Though, I’m afraid I’ll have to go easy on you.”
“I wouldn’t mind that. I’m pretty out of practice, though.”
“Either way, it’ll be interesting to see you in action,” He felt the heat rise to his cheeks the second the words came out, quickly taking another sip of juice to hide his reddening face.
“You okay?”
“Y-yes.”
“It’s kinda stuffy in here, huh?”
He hummed in agreement, glancing away.
“I’m sorry if this is kinda awkward. I just haven’t had anyone be this nice to me in a while. Like, a long while.” Leslie admitted.
Harmony damn it, he really needed to control himself. “No, no, it’s fine. I just thought of something, that’s all.”
“S’okay. I get it.”
She tucked a stray wisp of hair back into her bun, the gesture drawing attention to a tattoo that her previous outfits had covered almost completely: green vines with wickedly sharp thorns, vivid emerald leaves, and pink roses bursting into bloom, winding their way over her left shoulder and down her arm.
“I’m gonna have to move out pretty soon, actually. I’m staying in Lamplight, but I really can’t stay in one place for too long. That and I’m genuinely scared that the floor is about to collapse under my feet.”
“No judgment there.”
“But I’m definitely not leaving Lamplight. Not yet, at least.”
He smiled, “Well, it seems I’ll be enjoying your company, then.”
Leslie finished her cider, setting the glass down on the table.
“Want to get out of here? The bartender keeps giving me weird looks.”
An unknown emotion filled his gaze, “I…don’t know.”
“Why not? I mean, that’s totally okay, I’m just curious.”
“I…well, it’s not that important. We can go out if you want.”
“You sure? If you’re not comfortable with that, we can stay.”
He shuffled uncomfortably, “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”
“Do you want to tell me?”
“...I’d rather not.”
“That’s okay. It’s your call whether we go or not.”
“No-no, whatever you choose is fine.”
“I’d like to go, then. The way she’s looking at me is making me super uncomfortable.”
“...Alright then.” The blonde cleaned up his cards, shuffling them into a neat stack.
Leslie got up, the legs of her chair scraping against the floor.
“Where do you want to go?”
“It’s up to you,” he replied while getting up as well, shoving the cards in his pocket.
“I haven’t had much of a chance to explore Lamplight, honestly. Is there anything you think I should see?”
“I…” There were quite a few things, actually, none of which was acceptable towards someone he wasn’t dating…or would result in him being chased by an angry woman with a broom. As his cheeks reddened again, he began to severely regret meeting with Leslie.
“Let’s just take a walk, then.”
She was instantly met with a sigh of relief.
“C’mon. I’m definitely ready to get out of here.”
After an awkward exchange, they exited the tavern, the wind kicking up and blowing a lone leaf down the path.
Leslie shivered, rubbing her hands over her bare arms.
“Why the hell didn’t I bring a cloak?”
Abner gave her a strange look before shrugging off his cloak, holding it out to her, “Here, I’m not that cold anyways.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Leslie gratefully took the cloak. It was too big, dragging on the ground after her, but it was warm and comfortable.
“Thanks so much.”
“You’re welcome,” he blushed slightly, glancing away, “Do you want to head to the Wishing Well?”
“Sure. Never been there before, but I’m interested.”
He blinked in surprise, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, we’ll just have to change that,” he replied with a smile.
With that, they started for the north district, passing the arena and a variety of shops.
Leslie glanced over at a wand shop, which was long since closed, the windows boarded over, and the roof beginning to cave in.
“I wonder what it was like when that was open. Did they do custom wands, or just the classics? What were the people who worked there like?”
He glanced at the building, yellow eyes pooling with recognition, “Oh, I remember that place. I never actually been inside, but I do remember a very bossy woman owning the place…and yelling at me often.”
“Huh. Think it closed because of the war, or something else?”
“I think the owner died.”
“And she had no one to pass it on to?”
“It appears she didn’t,” he frowned, looking a bit distant.
“If I ever have a wand business, I’m gonna make sure to have someone to pass it on to.” Leslie vowed. “I don’t know if I’ll have kids or not, but I’ll have someone who can inherit the shop.”
Notably, when she said the word kids, the blonde looked away, not wanting her to see his expression.
“So…Wishing Well?”
“Erm… it’s up ahead,” he gestured to a shop with fossils in the display window, “We just have to take a left over there.”
“Got it.”
It didn’t take them long to reach a well marking the start of a forest path, a granite dragon statue in the distance.
“I’ve seen pictures of this place before, but I’ve never been here in person.”
“How come? It’s really not that far.”
“Oh, I don’t exactly have time for shit like this. Really, all I’ve been trying to do is survive.”
“Hm, well, while you’re here, why don’t you make a wish? That way you’ll have no regrets if you don’t get to come back here.”
“Sure.”
He pressed a coin into the palm of her hand, trying not to blush at feeling her soft skin against his.
Leslie let her hand linger a bit longer than necessary before pulling away, cheeks coloring slightly. She held the coin tight, concentrating on her wish, before flinging it into the well.
Trying to distract himself from their touch, he asked, “Why did you wish for?”
“If I tell you, it won’t come true.”
“Then it seems I’ll have to wait and see,” Abner smiled, putting a hand in his pocket.
Leslie smiled back at him. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Unbeknownst to both of them, a wizard in an orange cloak cooly observed their exchange, tracing the blonde’s movements as they walked away. They huffed, tangerine perfume intoxicating the room they moved in as they head their down stairs neighbor fumble with the lock.
That girl was getting way too bold for her own good.
Chapter 5[]
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