Bad luck charm (closed, for Nouh-Bdee)

[Evayla]

"Oh go sit on a roof!" The girl fumed. "A POINTY one!" She added and turned on her heels, not waiting for any smart ass remark that might follow from the market salesman she just left behind.

So he was in with the rest of the village? Calling her a witch? It wasn't even original! Geez, the traveling market just arrived and already they made it impossible for her to get anything here without being called out.

It's not like Rowen had asked for it! Them dreams were swiftly becoming a real pain in the waking world.

Last blimmin' time I warn anyone! She growled inwardly, looking back over her shoulder. Nope, the man was still staring at her. No chance to circle back and get some bread anyway.

The lovely little village of Rukwyn, pictoresque and inhabited by a lovely diverse group of trades people and craftsman. En route between two of the bigger cities in the country it was a favorite place for caravans to put up a little impromptu market for a day or two before moving on.

Lovely all around.
If you fitted in.
If not, there was quick judgement from the local gossip circle and life would swiftly turn nasty, as the young woman found out to her dismay. Not her damn fault she dreamed stupid dreams! Not her fault some actually came to pass!
If anything she had tried to warn the villagers of the big fire which took out three houses and almost an entire family.
Would they listen?
Of course not!

If anything, they were quick to point the finger. Rowen knew. Rowen must have set the fire herself!

The girl looked at the burn marks on her hands. She rolled her eyes. As if she would willingly put anyone in danger! No, not even after she was deemed bad luck. It was sheer luck that she was too busy picking a fight in the tavern when the fire was discovered. It made for an unbreakable alibi.
More unbreakable than the poor guy's nose she broke when he tried to make a grab for her.

He shouldn't have! Not her fault! Her elbow just shot out!
With a bit of force.
Maybe twice.

Yet the story grew as stories do and by now the brown haired girl felt as welcome as a rat in a chicken coop. It was odd, no longer feeling at home. She had never considered moving on. This was where she had grown up. But as soon as the dreams popped up and she talked about it...things had changed.
Her father trying to marry her off real fast.
Good thing the intended guy had no sense of humor and disappeared again.
She grinned at the memory. Never saw a guy jump so high just over a little fish in his pants.

Her stomach growled. Throwing her long braid over her back she checked her faithful backpack. No edibles. Feck. She'd have to go home for some food then. Rowen wondered if her father would actually talk to her again.

Her boots kicked up the water from the rainy puddles as she made for home. The decent cottage had endured quite some years and it would do for many more to come. If it was up to her father, a next generation would also be raised here. Thank the gods she was of age now. No more worries he'd try to decide her life for her.

The girl carefully opened the sturdy door. "Dad?" she tried. With a bit of luck he'd be out.

A grunt sounded from the corner where a tall man was working on putting a chair back together.

Rowen's face fell. "Mornin. Just...gonna grab somethin to eat. I'll go back out t..."

She didn't get to finish the sentence. The bearded man looked at her. "Tomorrow we have a visitor. You will wear a dress. You will be polite. You will smile. And you will make a good impression."

Rowen stiffened. That could only mean one thing: he was still at it, trying to get her married off.

"Dad..." She tried.

He raised a warning finger. "You will be silent until spoken to. You will not speak of your cursed dreams. And you will go with him."

Woah, hold on! This was moving a bit fast! Maybe if she could explain to him that...

Even her thinking got interrupted by the stern man: "Pack."

Just one word.
No kindness, no 'I will miss you'. He was sending her away. Just like that.
"Pack?" Did she really hear that right?

"For the gods' sakes, girl, are you dim?" He exploded. "Pack! Be grateful that I managed to find someone willing to take you on!"

Grateful?
Willing to take her on?
Oh that was it. That was just the last straw. Something snapped.

"No need to bother, dad." Her voice sounded uncharacteristically cold. "Dontcha worry. Tell yer guy he don't have to take anythin on. I'm goners."

Her father stepped up to the short girl. "Manners!" He rumbled.

"Yea, love ya too, dad.” Pale as a ghost she tried to step back out.

Her father’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm. “You will obey!”

Rowen turned around, her eyes shooting fire. “No! Screw this, dad! I’ll leave, fine! But I ain’t gonna get married to some stupid ass guy just cause yer afraid o...”

Again she got interrupted, this time by a firm slap in the face. Her hand went up to her cheek. It burned already.

Part of her brain noted the man had actually let go of her arm.
Survival kicked in.
She turned.
And ran.
---
How she had made it, she could not tell, but at some point Rowen found herself surrounded by more people than she’d ever seen together. The city of Alkor was bustling with activity as always, not taking this small newcomer into account in its daily happenings.

Much to her relief her backpack was still with her.
Good.
Some basic necessities accounted for, then.
Would have to find a job soon, though, and hope that with leaving the village the destructive dreams would stay away too.

Now where to start...

Only one logical place where help was always needed, even if you were a girl dressed in boy’s clothes. The stables! Horses were nicer than people anyway. Absentmindedly she rubbed her cheek.

Determined not to let the day’s happenings get to her any more than they already did Rowen made for the stables close to the city gates. The girl quickly donned her gloves. She really did not feel like being questioned on the old burn marks. Let's see if they would hire her.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The sky was clear, which was unfortunate. It was always easier to blend in in the rain, because then he could keep his hood up and he wouldn’t stand out. It wasn’t like he could stay in the inn all day, though. He’d come into the city for new armor, and he didn’t have enough coin to stay too many nights. He was already upset that he’d arrived too late to put in his order last night.

Bin’rahl kept his hood up, despite the sunny weather, because it was better to be seen as the strange man in the hood than to have everyone stare at the six-foot tall man with cherry-red skin and small black horns. At least he had gotten feet from his father, instead of his demonic mother’s hooves. It was a bit uncomfortable keeping his tail bent to fit down one pants leg, but he’d bear it in order to fit in.

Bin stroked his neatly-trimmed goatee as he walked down the street, keeping his head down. Carts were going by at a faster speed than was strictly safe, and Bin’rahl cringed when he saw a child not looking where she was going. Bin leapt forward and grabbed the child’s arm to spin them around and away from the street, just in time to avoid the heavy clops of the horses’ hooves.

The girl, not more than ten years of age, looked at the cart go by, and then up at her savior. It took her two seconds to scream. Apparently his hood had fallen down in his haste, exposing his short black horns.

“LET GO OF MY DAUGHTER, YOU MONSTER!”

Bin’rahl quickly dropped the girl’s arm, looking around to see dozens of the people of Alkor staring in his direction, their faces quickly shifting from disinterest, to fear or anger.

“Sorry, ma’am.”

Bin quickly pulled his hood back up and started walking, trying to keep an eye on the people around him without looking like he was paying attention. It was a practiced skill that he believed helped him avoid conflict. Thankfully, no one seemed angry enough to stop him, so Bin was able to make it to the Blacksmith within the quarter hour. There was a young woman sitting behind the counter, and Bin’rahl dropped his damaged mail shirt on the finished wood.

“I need this repaired or replaced, please.”






Bin’rahl counted it a blessing that the blacksmith and his clerk were tolerant of half-demons like him, and didn’t even hesitate to measure his broad chest for a new mail shirt. Apparently the wolf that had ripped a hole in his old one had bent enough of the links that it wasn’t worth repairing, but Bin didn’t mind. If there was one thing it was worth spending gold on, it was good armor. They told him it would be ready by the end of the week, and then Bin’rahl could be back out into the wild, away from the unjustified terror he saw in people’s eyes every day in the city.

 

[Evayla]

Alright! Success number one! Apparently Rowen looked trustworthy enough -or desperate enough- to land the simple job. Of course they needed hands at the stables. They always needed hands at the stables!
Especially in festival times when travellers would come from all over to gather for the exotic markets and unique performances that would go on for two full weeks.

Spring was not such a bad time to be in a city, apparently. Had I known that, I'da moved here sooner, heh. The girl thinks to herself, a little bounce to her step now that independent life seems to have opened its door to her. Home is all but forgotten for now.
Of course she knows she'll have to deal with it at some point.
But not now.
Now life is looking up for a change and she likes it.

Next up: collecting the horse shoes that had been ordered at the blacksmith. Making sure she memorized the directions Rowen made her way to the craftsman.

"Mornin!" She greeted the occupants. No use letting anyone in on her being new to the city. In case of doubt: bluff. Her eyes moved over the large hooded figure still working on an order.
Time to wait, obviously.

Not her strong suit.
Hopping from one leg to the other she wondered about the hood. "Ain't no rain in here. Nor out there, it seems."
Oh, did she say that out loud?
Damnit! Inside voice, outside voice!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl had let his guard down, and when he heard the boisterous young woman clearly talking about his hood, he whirled around, confused to see the small figure in boy’s clothes when the voice had sounded like a woman. The confusion would have been visible on his face for only a moment before he realized she could see under his hood from her angle, and he whirled around, stiffening in fear.

He just hoped she/he? didn’t start a commotion in the blacksmith’s shop. They’d been kind, and didn’t deserve the disruption. If she did, he would have to just leave.

He quickly pulled out the coin, making sure he didn’t leave too much extra on the counter. It was a tense few minutes as Bin’rahl finished his order and got ready to leave.

 

[Evayla]

The guy turned and the girl...noticed something.
That colour was totally out of place.
Completely.
Utterly.

What...the...actual...fuck. Rowen narrowed her eyes. Quickly she checked her teeth with her tongue. All still accounted for. Not a dream then.
Old trick: somehow she always knew when she was dreaming, because in every single shitty dream one or more teeth were coming loose.

No loose teeth.
Not a dream.
Then what the flip was this guy doing here!

To the casual outside observer it might be a funny scene: the towering man stiffening, the small girl actually pretty much mirroring the stance without one word ever being exchanged.

To Rowen it was not quite as funny as that.
Something tickled her mind.
Something from quite some time ago.
An image almost forgotten.

Another teeth check. Shit, all still there.
Then why was this guy from her nightmare right here, right now? Her eyes darted to the door. No angry people storming in. No weapons being drawn.
Then what?
What did this mean?

Sure, she could opt to leave. This would solve exactly nothing. Not one to back down from a challenge, the brown haired girl stepped up to the counter. "Just a sec there, mister." Her voice sounded tense, addressing the smith. "Just here to pick up some hooves...uh...shoes...errr...horseshoes!"

STOP stumbling over yer words! She chided herself.

Only then did she allow herself to turn to mister Red. "An who the f...lip are you?"

She had to know, not realizing that since all the thinking had actually happened in her head, the man might not have a clue why she asked!

Not that she was going to tell him.
She'd just be run out of town again.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

"An who the f...lip are you?"

Bin’rahl inwardly groaned. Of course this shopping trip had been going too well. He had to get out of here, so that at least if there was a scene, it would be outside the blacksmith’s shop and he wouldn’t get banned from yet another necessary business.

“Just a traveler. Leaving town as soon as I can.”

He knew that was part of where the animosity came from, and many bigots could be pacified by being reassured that he had no intention of settling. He was allowed to visit and spend money, as long as he was polite (read: gratefully subservient) and left quickly.

“Your order will be ready Wednesday.”

With a small nod to the clerk, Bin stepped around the short troublemaker, not even making eye contact. He gave her a wide berth, trying every trick he knew to avoid conflict. Ever since that incident in Copeni, he was desperate not to get caught fighting back, so to avoid a beating he got better at defusing tension in the first place.

He stepped out onto the sunny street, his hood still up, and walked away, doing his best to blend into the crowd.

 

[Evayla]

Just a traveller?
Her eyebrow shot up.
Yeah, right, just a traveller! She wasn't going to accept this answer! Leaving town? Taking possible answers with him?
Nuh-uh!

"Shit!" His intention was very clear. Her orders too. "Ummmm..." Quick look back at the weird man leaving the establishment, back to the one ready to take her order. "Ummm! Yeah, shoes! Fer the stableguys! Thingamajiggie, SHIT what was his name!"

He was getting away! She had to be faster! "Sorry! Be right back!" And off she darted, after the stranger. Couldn't be that hard to spot a hooded guy on a sunny day, right?

Wrong.

The girl blinked.
Where'd he gone?
Was she going mad?
Teeth check.
Nope, all there.

"Well, that sucks..." She mumbled and turned back inside to pick up the order after all. "Sorry bout that...thought I saw someone I knew." A little thinking frown on her forehead as she paid her dues and went on her way back to the stables.

Well, at least the day wasn't a total disaster just yet. If she could just hold out long enough to earn her first day's wages and get something to eat, it would even be a moderately good day.

Her eyes kept darting around, though, hoping to pick up the trail of the red man Rowen was certain she had seen before.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl spent two days holed up in his room at the inn, eating trail rations to save coin. He was a good enough hunter and trapper that he ate well; actually better out in the wild because he could get more fresh food without spending money. But, actual paying work, or even people who would buy furs from him at anything more than criminally low prices, was hard to come by. He had to spend his coin wisely, and staying in also helped him avoid getting into trouble with the humans.

So, it wasn’t until Wednesday morning that Bin was back in the blacksmith’s shop.Thankfully, it was a rainy day, and he hadn’t had any encounters on his way in. His heart sank, though, when the shopgirl asked him to try on the new mail.

“I’m sure it’s a perfect fit,” he said, knowing that it would be better to try it on here where they could adjust it.

“But just to make sure…”

The girl was nice, friendly, and didn’t seem to think he was a monster just because of his red skin and black horns. He wished more people were like her.

Bin’rahl sighed in resignation, pulling down his hood to a few gasps from the other people in the shop.

 

[Evayla]

Rowen was learning fast on the job. She was a hard worker and definitely not afraid to get her hands dirty. If anything it gave her the perfect way to check on people coming in and out of the city without having to show her face.

The perfect way to check if her father was after her or not.

So far it was a big 'not'.

Funnily enough she did not know if that made her feel relieved or disappointed.

Her thoughts returned to the red man whenever she had nothing to do. The girl had sat down that evening, trying to remember that weird dream from so long ago. It had made an impression, but more so in remembering a few key points than in having the full story.
Annoying.
Very, very annoying.

There had been so much anger in that dream.
So much aggression.
Somewhere Rowen remembered that need to kick and fight with all her might.
An impression of her standing in front of the red man.
Not against.
And that...was very confusing.

Wednesday he had said, though.
So wednesday it was when the girl skipped over to the blacksmith. Nerves were playing up again. Would he even be there? Would he disappear again? For all she knew he had no frigging clue what this was about!
But she had to check!

The girl stepped in.
Bingo!
"There ya are!" She exclaimed, not caring much about the other people in the shop.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The only moment that the people in the shop weren’t staring at him was when the woman from Monday yelled at him. Thankfully the shopgirl had finished adjusting the mail shirt, so Bin’rahl quickly dropped the money for his purchase on the counter, plus an extra coin or two.

He was fast, a bit faster than the full humans, meager compensation for living life as a pariah. He slipped out of the shop, weaving between the confused patrons, and ran.

The blacksmith was on the edge of the city, so it only took him a few turns to be able to sprint across a fallowed field into a small copse of elms and birches. He knew his boots would have left deep prints in the mud, so he ran through the trees before stopping and climbing back the way he came, through the low-hanging branches. He didn’t know if he would have been followed, but he wanted to find out why this one girl seemed so focused on him.

 

[Evayla]

Annnnd off he was again. Rowen groaned in frustration. Why wouldn't he just stay put!

"WAIT!" But no, gone. Again.

Outside the girl threw up her arms. "This is ridiculous. Totally, stupidly, annoyingly RIDICULOUS! SCUSE me..."

She asked the first person she saw walking the street. "Did you see a red guy runnin past? Hooded? Yes, red. Can't help it."

Several shakes of the head, a couple of vague directions and one solid lead further Rowen realized she was outside the city.
Not a good thing.
She frowned, peering around. Nothing to see but some trees in a field. He couldn't have disappeared just like that...

"Feck...I'm imaginin things..." Not a good sign. Dreams had never spilled over. Maybe her father was right and she belonged in a loony bin. The frown deepened.
No.
Wait.
Was that a footprint?

Her heart started beating faster. To follow or not to follow? Out here she did not have the safety net of a public place, but...if she let this go now, he'd be gone and she'd never get her answers!
Unacceptable!

Carefully she started following the tracks.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl heard the girl before he saw her, but she wouldn’t see him at all unless she looked at just the right spot. He watched her follow his prints into the woods, but she wasn’t giving him any indication of what she was following him for. If she’d had accomplices, then at least they probably would’ve been dialoguing about their dastardly plans or something, but she was alone. Why wasn’t it a normal thing for people to constantly say their internal motivations out loud? It would’ve been so helpful!

He could have just left, or waited, but he was curious. This wasn’t some small gang of local toughs sent out to teach the monster-man a lesson. This was one young woman. Oh well, if this went poorly he could just cross Alkor off his list of cities he could still visit.

Bin’rahl waited until she walked close enough that he could reach her in a single leap. Then, he bent his knees before springing up out of the bush he’d been hiding in. He was much bigger than her, and he actually picked her up and carried her for a few feet until he came to a stop, pushing her to the ground with one hand under her head to prevent injury. Then, before she could react, he sat on her waist and pinned both her wrists with his hands.

“Why won’t you leave me alone? I have done nothing to you!”

 

[Evayla]

Where was that guy? He could not have gone up in smoke!
Then again...that red face? Maybe he could.

Out of nowhere she was jumped! Rowen shrieked!
Next she knew she was up in the air!

"PUT ME DOWN YA MORON!" She yelled, hitting his back with her fists. Oh, right. Mail armour. Ouch. It didn't help with her mood.

The girl did not stand a chance against the highly trained being and she found herself put down and kept down.

"OOF!" She breathed.
Funny. That was actually a protective move, that hand behind her head. Then why this stupid attack!

"Will ya GET OFF me!" She bucked and squirmed underneath the large bulk. Not budging. Figured.

"I didn't SAY ya did anythin to me!" Rowen objected! Was he dense or something? "I just wanted to ask somethin, damnit! Ya got eyes? Ya see any weaponry? NO. Tha's cause I AIN'T OUT TO KILL YA!" Oh yea, definitely fuming now.

"So GET off me an lemme TALK!"

Wow, where she got the nerve in the face of this obviously superior fighter, the girl did not know, but she was pissed enough not to care right now.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl growled in agitation. Humans had wanted to “just talk” before, and it never went well. Especially the part after the talking.

“No! You can talk there!”

Bin did raise up off the ground a bit, though. Not enough that she could wriggle out from under the much heavier man, but enough that she’d be able to breathe comfortably. He was certain she hadn’t been followed, but he had no idea whether or not she was armed, so her hands were definitely staying pinned to the grass above her head.

“I just want to be left alone, and you followed me. Why!? And, you shouted at me in the shop! Why!?”

Attention from humans was always bad, and Bin had learned that lesson multiple times. He would give her a chance to speak, and if he didn’t like the answer he could knock her out and leave her here, disappearing from Alkor for good.

 

[Evayla]

Ugh! The big man was not letting go! At least she got some air back. The girl made good use of it, breathing in deeply. She glared at the red man. Perhaps not the best idea to annoy a big, red....whatever, because he could very well snap her like a twig whenever he liked, but...she just could not help herself!

"Wha, ya afraid I'll run? I came after YOU, ya dolt! Not the other way around!"

Another few breaths. Rowen realized that at least the man was listening. He was listening! This was actually her chance to ask!
Why wasn't she asking!
Her mouth went dry.
Now that she could...all of a sudden it sounded completely ludicrous, like all of those other dreams.

"I didn't shout." She mumbled. "I just wanted yer attention, 's all. Cause yer in shit trouble. Cause yer gonna be dead..."

Realizing this sounded very much like a threat the girl quickly added: "Not by me!"

Crap, crap, crap! Wrong words! Always the wrong words! Quickly, before he decided to kill her first!

"I had a dream!"

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

“Run? Why would I be afraid you’d run? I tried to run from you, remember?”

The girl seemed to pause, nervous. He looked like a monster, and he had tackled her alone in the words, and it was answering his question that made her nervous? Ridiculous!


When she apparently threatened him, he growled and raised his hand. He let her see his claws, but he wasn’t going to use them. He was just going to knock her out long enough to disappear. But, when she said she wasn’t the one to kill him, he paused, curious what she was going to say. It was always good to know who to watch out for.

Then, she surprised him. What did a dream have to do with anything?

Could she...surely she wouldn’t have the gift of prophecy? This annoying little woman? A prophetess? The thought was almost laughable. But, Bin’rahl knew better than anyone that not everyone was what they appeared to be.

“A dream?”

He relaxed a bit, but he still didn’t move enough for her to get out from under him. He wasn’t getting stabbed just because this girl decided to tell him about her dream. No way. He could sit on her until dinnertime and he wouldn’t care.

“Well. I’m listening. What was this dream about and why should I be interested?”

His body language was skeptical, but non-threatening. He would listen, but this better be good.

 

[Evayla]

Woops.
Claws.
Rowen gulped. Yeah, those were lethal in itself.

Yet...her answer seemed to stave off any attack for the moment. She could keep breathing. Then the girl mentioned the dream and he responded.
She could feel it.
Less tension.
Alright! Now she was getting somewhere!

She wriggled.
Nope, she was not getting anywhere.

Another frustated sigh. "Fer feck's sake...ow?" Her hands were starting to tingle from the awkward position. "An ya don't HAVE to be interested but ya friggin DIED, yea? I'm TRYIN to do ya a favour!"

Rowen flushed. From anger, frustration or embarrassment? Who could tell?

"Ya were in this big ass house with this huge mantlepiece and then there was these guys comin down the big stairs an you was talkin to them cause one was the master of the house an ya did somethin an I can't remember but it was something with dogs or somethin an it was somethin good that ya did cause the guy was gonna reward ya but then he didn't cause he was an asshole an he had these other dogs lined up an they attacked an then ya got torn into tiny pieces cause ya didn't USE them damn claws an I didn't know why an I tried to warn ya but I wasn't really there cause it was a stupid DREAM!"

Big breath now.
Did she actually talk that fast?
Yep, he had best been listening really well.

"An then I woke up an it wasn't real because YOU weren't real an now yer here so now it's real! Dontcha get it? DON'T go takin a job about dogs! It's gonna get ya killed!"

She looked dead serious, despite the total ridiculousness of her statements. "Come on, lemme have this one. Just...don't die. Kay? Just fer this once." A pleading tone.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Damn it! Why was Bin just a fucking softie. This girl was here giving him some bullshit about some future job (as if he even did city jobs) involving dogs (what?) and a man with a mantlepiece (were mantlepieces rare?) and Bin’rahl was ready to knock her out and vanish from this city with weird girls who stalked him to tell him their dreams. But then, she started using that pleading voice, and those sad eyes, and he fucking caved.

Rowen wouldn’t have been able to tell what his internal conflict was, though. She would’ve just seen his face get angrier and angrier, his bright red skin darkening in rage. He started shaking in frustration before finally letting out a sharp growl.

“Rrrrraggghhhh!” He huffed before slightly relaxing his hands. He glared at the girl and spoke in a threatening tone.

“I don’t know if I believe you or not, okay? But if I’m going to let you go and give you a chance to convince me, I’m going to have to pat you down. I’m not risking getting stabbed just because you used your puppy dog eyes on me, alright?”

He waited for her answer. He wasn’t going to run his hands over her body unless she agreed. If she didn’t, he’d just run. He didn’t have the heart to knock her unconscious anymore.

 

[Evayla]

That face!
Rowen could have opted to feel scared.
She really should.
She was being held down by a whatever-he-was-but-definitely-NOT-human with huge claws and a face and ditto threatening voice which predicted she was in serious trouble!

Yet somehow his insinuations just made her feel pissed off! The rational part of her mind told her to be polite, apologetic, meek, soft.
The Rowen part had her curse instead.

"Ya blimmin asshole! Just lemme GO already! Ya don't wanna believe what I said? Up YERS! Not my friggin problem!" Again she wrestled, trying to get out of his grasp, growing increasingly infuriated that for once in her life she might actually depend on someone else's wish to let her go or not.

Maybe it was not him but the situation that got her mad.
Right now it did not matter.
She glared at the red man and his obvious doubts. Another one not believing her? This was starting to be a pattern.

Suddenly she quieted. There was no way out of his grip. "Fine. Don't believe me. Join the queue. Check for knives. Whatever." Rowen pursed her lips. If he was looking for something sharp, he might not recognize the simple leather sling she kept on her belt. It might not be deadly, it sure packed a punch if she threw the rocks right.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl’s pat-down was intrusive, but professional. He ran his hands up and down her limbs, checking her armpits and the inside of her thighs before pressing his hands into her torso from her waist up to just the outside of her breasts. It was on her waist that he found her small bag of smooth rocks, missing the sling tied onto her belt.

“I’ll hold onto these for now,” he said as he pocketed the projectiles.

Then, he flipped her over and checked her back before sitting back on the ground next to her.

He crossed his arms and told her she could sit up and explain why she thought she’d seen him in a dream. “Well, come on then, if it was so important.”

 

[Evayla]

Up and down her limbs and torso. It was humiliating, not in the least because she still could not move. Being flipped over was just about the cherry on the cake.

Rowen shut up and let it happen, although her eyes narrowed when he took her carefully selected pebbles! "I'll have that back!" She protested. "Whenever. Ya can put it down here or throw it in a direction I have to go while ya disappear but I want it back!"

It took skill to find the right pebbles! Patience and time. And right now she had neither.

Finally she scrambled to sit.
Crosslegged.
On purpose.
Harder to get up that way. Maybe he'd either underestimate her or he'd finally realize she was not even thinking of assaulting him!
Well, unless he remained to be annoying, in which case she would not hold herself accountable for her actions.

The brown haired girl looked at him. Even sitting down he was bigger. Kinda intimidating, actually. Why'd I ever run after him? Geez!

"Ya weren't real." She shrugged. "I could put it in the fake dream box. Cause...ya weren't real. I mean. Yer..not human. Red an all." She moved her hand over him, never touching.

"An then ya popped up, just when..." When her world turned upside down. "...I got here. Tha's some nasty coincidence, that. I ain't ever been here. Like...ever. An now I am. An now yer here too. An tha's bad. Tha's...really really bad. That means...bad stuff."

She shook her head, realizing she now used the word 'bad' four times in a row. "Okay so that ain't got no prize fer smooth talkin. But I wanna bet ya'd believe me even less if I was smooth talkin!"

Now the girl looked at him, her grey eyes inquisitive. "Why is it so bad to get a word of warnin anyway? Worst case ya pass up on a job that coulda gotten ya money if I am wrong. I hope I'm wrong, alright? But fer all I know yer gonna be dead before the week is over. Sorry if tryin to stop a death is so bad. Didn't know ya were tired of life."

Sarcastic much?

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Bin’rahl was ready to believe that this girl wasn’t threatening him, but he wasn’t ready to believe this dream business. But, contrary to what she seemed to think, it wasn’t related to the quality of her grammar at all, but his general history with humans.

“You want to know why I don’t believe you?” he growled, before turning around and pulling up his hood, sitting facing away and hiding his face and head.

“Alright,” he called back to her, “what color are my eyes?” (Black)

He was sure she wouldn’t get that one, but he kept going.

“What color is my hair?” (Black)

“Do I have facial hair?” (A neatly trimmed, but full, beard)

“Are my horns curved, or straight?” (Straight)

“Is my scar over my right eyebrow, or my left?” (He didn’t have one)

Bin thought she might get one or two of those questions right, but he was confident that his point would be made. He turned back around to sit facing the girl.

“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve been thrown out of some town, with or without a beating, for something I’d done there before? Except I’d never been to that town before? How man times I’ve been asked to pay a debt, or serve some sentence, because you humans can’t fucking tell us apart!”

He took a breath, trying to calm himself down. This girl was trying to help, and at least her bigotry had only nearly gotten him into trouble.

“Look, I appreciate the gesture, but let’s be honest here. You had a dream with a half-demon in it, and then you saw a half-demon and assumed they were the same one. Now, just to be safe, I won’t take any jobs involving dogs, alright?” He rolled his eyes a bit at that one, but it’d be easy enough to follow through on. “And you can go back into your city and enjoy your life. I won’t be coming back this way.”

With that, Bin’rahl took her pouch of stones and tossed it behind him into the tall grass. It should only take her ten minutes or so to find: long enough for him to be out of sight forever.

“So, thanks for the tip. Have a nice life.”

He stood up and started jogging across the field to the large forest beyond.

 

[Evayla]

Now it was her turn to sigh. Did he really think she was blind? That childish game was indeed not going to prove anything!

An actual groan as she rattled off the answers: "Yer eyes are black, yer hair is black, ya got a beardy thingie, no shit clue about yer horns cause did not look closely enough an ya don't GOT any scars! I SAW ya in the store an I SAW ya up close here, ya idiot! An half demons did not exactly visit my home. Never SEEN one before! But obviously ya have no intention of believin any of this which is FINE! Let it be total nonsense, ey? Go have fun an stuff! FINE by me! SEE if I care!"

She got up on her feet. "No, I don't have a clue how many times ya been run off, sorry to hear it. Good luck. Glad yer not gonna do dog jobs."

The stupid thing was...she actually felt huge relief at the stubborn half-demon at least promising he was not going to step into that trap, only...the girl was afraid he still might. Cause people were curious. And no doubt demons were too.

So, not only humans thought she was crazy, but demons too.
Great score.
She should really learn to keep her mouth shut and just let em find out the hard way.
That would serve em right!
Only she couldn't.
There had to be a way to stop these death dreams. Maybe...just maybe if she actually managed to stop one from happening...

As he took off, Rowen could not help herself. As the half-man jogged off, she yelled after him: "BIN! Yer name is BIN! An ya can go FUCK yerself!" Kicking the innocent grass she made her way to where he had tossed her precious pebbles.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, FUCK!

He hadn’t told her his name. He hadn’t given it to anyone in Alkor.

FUCK!

Now, he was starting to...maybe...believe her.

SHIT!

Bin’rahl could feel his life getting complicated, and he didn’t like it. A complicated life left more chances for things to go wrong. When it was just him and the wilderness, things made so much more sense. Even when creatures like bears, wolves, or wyverns attacked him, it was because they were hungry, or scared, not because he was half-demon. And if he killed one, it’s not like the others got more hateful because of it. In fact, with the wolf packs, it usually made the others back off for a while.

When the girl found her pebbles and turned around, she would see him standing a few feet away, looking at her with an unhappy but defeated expression.

“I didn’t tell you my name.”

He groaned out loud, making his displeasure with the whole situation quite clear.

“Alright, tell me the whole story, kid. I’m not saying I buy that you’re a prophetess, but at least let me hear the details just in case it helps me avoid this job.”

He took a few steps to the side and leaned against a tree. It was a non-threatening stance, but it still wasn’t exactly friendly.

 

[Evayla]

Ah! There!
The familiar outline of her favorite leather pouch. A really good thing she found it. Rowen quickly attached it back to her belt and rubbed her wrists. That guy had some grip! Reminded her to figure out how to escape something like that. A shame she had no one to practice with.

The girl straightened her back and turned around to return to the village...and saw him standing there.

She folded her arms, slowly raising an eyebrow. "Ya didn't tell me indeed, smartypants." Funny, he got some kind of proof that she knew something at least and if anything he looked even more unhappy than before.
And people called her weird! "An I ain't no kid! I'm old enough to drink, thank ya very much!"

The man-demon kept his distance. Suited her fine. It sure beat him sitting on top of her! "Dreams are dreams. They's jumpy from scene to scene an often don't make much sense at all." She shrugged. "But I do know this lordy figure has these massive dogs, like...this high!"

The girl unfolded her arms to show him a height that was over half of hers. Fair enough: she could not be much taller than one and a half meters herself, but still. "An he was askin ya cause he said ya had a way with animals. Dunno if tha's true, but tha's what he said!"

She eyed him carefully for any unexpected moves. He'd already shown to be unpredictable and she did not relish going down on the ground again. "Ya hadda go find one of them big dogs cause some weirdo abducted one fer fightin reasons. An ya brought it back. An then he had ya attacked instead. Asshat."

Rowen spit on the ground. She wasn't going to add what this lord had said in her dream. Something about animals only being rewarded if they came out on top in a fight. The insinuation left her with a bad taste in her mouth.