Chapter Text
Moving. Just gotta keep moving.
They sprinted through the dense woods, dodging branches and leaping over fallen trees as the sound of crunching leaves behind them was just starting to fade.
“You can’t run forever!” A gruff, panting voice called from behind.
“Maybe not but I’m damn well gonna try!” Ashton barked over their shoulder. And true to his word he kept on going. He lost count of how long he’d been running. Minutes? Hours?
Keep going, keep going. Can't get caught. Not again...
Over their back was slung a satchel and in the satchel was something they thought was any old piece of junk that no one would miss. At least to them it was. But apparently not! Whatever this crap was, it was dear enough to have the shop owner and the black smith chase him over. Hell, he just wanted the thrill of the swipe, he didn’t intend to start all this… but he would also be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying every minute in some weird masochistic way.
The so-called precious junk in question made gentle clangs as it bounced against their back in the sprint. Ashton was highly curious as to what might be causing all this fuss but they just had to keep moving. The trees were starting to thin and that meant cover was soon going to be lost.
“Fuck it all…” He burst through the final branches and skid to a halt. A wide open field lay before him. Grass not tall enough to lay low in. No trees again for at least a mile or two.
They were just about to break for the trees when they smelt the subtle tones of cinder. Glancing around they looked up and noticed a small trail of smoke. A fire. But the smoke didn’t smell like a simple campfire. There were hints of something sweet. Spices. Floral. Perfume?
Following the smoke down led him to a stone chimney. And that stone chimney was connected to a little cottage. It was a hovel to be sure. It looked under cared for and that smoke was likely being made by squatters who happened upon it in luck, similar to his own circumstance.
The sounds of crunching leaves behind him were getting louder.
“Shit!” He looked back and forth between the cottage and the field, bouncing on his toes all the while. Ok so it was either break into the cottage and duck it with the people inside or take a chance to keep the chase going. They were leaning toward the latter, honestly. But the possibility of passing out in the field and becoming an open target to be thrashed on didn’t sound appealing.
The con was too great. They sprinted towards the cottage.
Their inertia carried them a little too well perhaps as they couldn’t stop themself before bashing into the door. He huffed an irritated breath. “So much for pleasantries then.” They tried the handle and found it unlocked. No time to lose, they rushed in and slammed the door behind them. They noticed a chair nearby and jammed it up against the handle to prevent any other break-ins.
He let out a long sigh and clutched the strap of his satchel. Still there. Which meant this was worth it…right? They shook the thought away and glanced around the cottage.
“What…the fuck?”
What a sight. The inside was nothing close to the ramshackle appearance of its exterior. Everything and anything imaginable laid before him. Strewn about the room lazily and carefully placed. Trinkets, baubles, doodads, and gizmos covered practically every surface. It was like walking into a forgotten bag of holding. Chains of paper and jewels created trails along the ceiling like a map; the jewels glinting as the wind caused the sun-kissed leaves outside to cast a careful light. There was the sound of a clock chime and two others out of sync somewhere, ticking away the seconds in the chaos but despite a quick glance around, Ashton could only locate one on its side against a wall. Flowers were strewn over a chair and folded into patches of fabric, but also braided into wreaths with ribbons and pressed onto pieces of parchment that had covered one area of the floor. And there were weapons. Rusted daggers, polished arrows, ornamental swords and ceremonial spears.
The sweet scent that leaked into the edge of the woods had come from the pot currently sitting over the stove it seems. Now in close proximity Ashton could make out the hints of herbs and lavender. He assumed it was a tea being prepared. But in a pot? How in the hells could there not be a kettle in this madness?
Pushing himself from the door, he did a quick scan. No other rooms. He quirked a brow as he searched around the unintentional walls this crap created.
They lucked out. No one here. Guess whoever was making tea had stepped out for a while. Perfect. They’ll collect their composure and lay low for a while then sneak out when it gets dark. And hey, this place is ripe with thieving potential; time to kick back and do what he does best.
He kept one hand on the satchel strap as he walked around, taking everything in with a closer eye. It only took his one good eye to see that these items were cared for. The weapons were polished to a perfect sheen. Glass bottles glittered with not a single spec of dust to sully their crystalline beauty. Seashells were arranged by shapes, sizes and colors. These items were precious. It almost pulled on Ashton's heartstrings.
Almost.
They clapped their hands, rubbing palms together as they bit their lower lip in a smirk. What is the perfect swipe? Something big or flashy to stand as a trophy for his perfect theft and almost perfect escape. Their eyes darted for a moment or two before resting on that ornamental saber. Arms held before them, they walked forward.
“Oh it has to be this…”
Carefully taking it from its place on the wall, they held it at arms length and smiled- at least before that perfect sheen reflected his less than perfect appearance. There was a small spark through the glass hole in their head.
They grimaced but couldn’t focus on that much longer before they heard something.
“It's beautiful, isn’t it?” A small wispy voice breathed.
Now Ashton doesn’t startle easily. Thick skin and all that.
But, holy fuck.
They fumbled the saber for a few seconds before catching it and grasping it tight. They whipped around on their heels and surveyed. One clear eye and one cloudy scanned the room. Was the damage to his head causing his senses to crack too?
He saw no one.
Man. Sure would’ve been nice to have that hammer right about now. Too bad they ditched it to gain a little more speed in their runaway. What a fucking dumb decision that was.
Maybe they were just on edge. They had been running without stop for a good long while. All that adrenalin might still be pumping through his system. Yeah that must be it…
The voice came back. “It’s my favorite one.”
“Where the fuck are you?” He snapped as he prepared himself to throw down. They gripped the saber in their hand, ready to draw it if needed. Not what they’re used to but anything will do.
“Oh. Um. I’m right here.”
Ashton’s eyes searched until they noticed the most subtle of shifts coming from the flower fabric pile. Was that a hand?
And wow sure enough. Somehow they were too pumped up when they broke in, well they didn’t really break anything though, and didn’t notice that it wasn’t a flower fabric pile laying in the chair. It was a dress. And not just a dress but a dress with a person in it. Imagine that.
And oh man. Ashton took a second to admire because that person was stunning. Delicate and sharp features combined into a perfectly sweet face with large doe eyes and a quirked smile framed by peach lips. Long green hair cascaded over large furry ears and through the earthy roots sprouted two twisted horns decorated in flowers of all shapes and colors.
Ok so Ashton could forgive himself for overlooking her maybe but now this just became complicated. They had already moved past the “people” part of this plan. Time to back track and reassess.
He maneuvered the saber behind his back as if to put it back but simply removed it from sight, it was too good a trophy to let go.
“Ah… sure enough there you are. Um. Hi!” He gave a single wave and forced a friendly smile as he tucked the saber into his belt just behind his back.
“Listen, I’m sorry to barge in and all but I’ll be blunt with you.” They stepped forward as they spoke. “I’m in a bit of a bind. I’m trying to hide from these two guys chasing me and I needed somewhere to hide. I happened upon your place and well, now I’m here! Let me stay until they pass the place over and I’ll compensate you. Sound good?”
She just stared at them, unmoving. It was unclear if their words got through so this doubled into being unhelpful as well. They sighed, scrubbing their hand over their eyes and went to take it from the top but slower. “Look-”
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The sound of creaking wood echoed from the entrance door as two fists beat on it in separate rhythms.
Ha ha. Shit. No time to explain now!
“Listen. These guys want to fuck me up real bad. I took some shit from them and they chased me here. Let me stay and I’ll sneak out when they're gone. Ok? You won’t have to worry about anything and I’ll walk out like I was never here. Alright?”
Those big doe eyes blinked as she looked from the door, then to Ashton, then to various items, and back to the door again. Then she turned to Ashton with a smile and shook her head.
“No.”
Well shit that won’t do.
“Come on, I can pay you. I won’t be here long, just need to squat for a short bit.”
She sat still for a moment before tilting her head and shrugged, brows raised with her green eyes shifting away from him. Peach lips drew into a thin line that made her cheeks puff slightly. “What if I don’t want money?”
Fuck. Ashton really didn’t like negotiating this sort of shit. Especially when time was of the essence and his whole ass not getting beaten was on the line.
“Well then what do you want?”
Her eyes shifted back to meet theirs. Glassy green pools shimmered with the amount of shiny treasure strewn about; but what truly made them sparkle was the sudden mischief that snuck into her gaze. Ashton recognized that look anywhere. This can’t be good.
Those pretty lips tugged into a devious grin. Fuck stop focusing on her lips.
“You said you took something from them right? And… you said you were going to leave right?”
Where was this headed? Ashton was growing impatient. “Yeah and?”
She placed her hands in her lap and pushed up her shoulders with a grin. “When you leave, I want to go with you. There’s so much I haven’t seen yet. So many wonderful things I haven’t found yet. Take me with you.”
Ashton blinked. Then blinked again.
“Wait, what?”
BANG. BANG. BANG.
“WE KNOW YOU’RE IN THEIR, THIEF!”
No time. They clapped their hands and pointed at her. “Deal. I’m hiding now.”
They rushed around a pile of something their haste didn’t allow them to catch in detail and leapt behind the woman’s chair into a fortress of cushions and flowers. They peeked beyond the fabric to watch her stand with a smile that was difficult to read. But Ashton noticed something else real fast.
She was tall. Taller than Ashton. And Ashton was pretty fucking tall.
Their brows raised and they didn’t happen to notice the skip of a heart beat with how fast it was pumping blood from the nerves. They just had to hope this woman would help them. She could rat them out. Then what? The game would be over, Ashton coming up the loser again.
What a shame that they didn’t even catch her name though…
As these thoughts lit up his mind, the tall woman walked over to the door with the sound of muted clacking. Ashton looked down and- oh cool. Ashton now had two points against them in their observation skills as they now noticed this woman was a Satyr and that noise was the sound of her hooves.
She opened the door with an innocent chime like voice. “Here I am. Please do not beat down my door.”
The two men seemed unfazed. “Where’s the thief?” one of the two grunted.
The Saytr blinked with those sparkling doe like eyes. “...What thief?”
“That ass stole from my shop and ran off. We chased them down the forest and to the field. We followed the boot prints here.”
Fuck. Well that’s that, time to pack it in.
“Oh!” Her eyes lit up with her exclamation. “Is that what that might have been?” She looked to the side with a quizzical expression for a small drawn out moment, finger drawn to her lip. “Maybe…”
She turned back to the two men with her hands out in front of her, moving them along with her words to lay out the scene. “I was sitting and minding my own business while I waited for my dinner to boil, right? When I heard the sound of running outside! It came right up to my door and then…stopped!”
At this pause she suddenly gasped, bringing her hands up quickly to show her surprise. The two men flinched slightly at her sudden movement but kept listening as she continued. “It was as if someone was going to start knocking but then the running started again and this time it went all the way around my house,” She drew one hand around the other. “And then vanished. I think the person you’re looking for ran into the field.”
The men fixed her with skeptical glares.
She pointed beyond the door. “There is an easy clearing in those trees up ahead that not many people know about. Perhaps they were heading there to wait you out?” She offered with a blink of innocence.
Damn. If Ashton wasn’t hiding in silence, they might just stand and applaud.
And Ashton clearly wasn’t the only one impressed. These two took the easy bait. The shopkeeper was already starting to pull away from the entrance. “Thank you for the information. Come on. They might be resting if they thought they lost us. We can catch them.”
Then the two oafs left the doorway, the sound of running footfalls fading into the field. The tall Satyr smiled and waved them goodbye before closing the door.
Ashton let out one big sigh that mingled with an exasperated groan. They rolled over onto their back and barked a few hearty laughs before raising their roughened hands above their head to clap. “Well fucking done. What a show. Beautiful performance.”
“Oh Thank you.” The woman strode over and placed her hands on her knees, crouching over Ashton with a smile. “It was the least I could do for my new friend who is going to show me this world.” There was a lot to unpack in that sentence but one thing in particular Ashton couldn’t let go.
Friend. Hmm. Ashton appreciated what she did for them, sure. But that was a strong word that they didn’t really feel like using any time soon. Their crystal mind throbbed as a spark of memory bullied its way in.
They shook it off.
“New companion.” Ashton corrected, then shook their head with a groan. “No… I guess tour guide would be most fitting, huh?”
“Oh!” She straightened and brought a finger to her cheek in thought. “Maybe so.”
“Yeah maybe so…” Ashton sat up and found a blacked hand with long sharp nails extended towards him. Interesting.
“My name is Fearne.” Peach lips pulled into a warm, playful smile.
Ashton examined the hand for a few seconds then got up and brushed off their striking red attire, ignoring the hand and any contact that would have come with it. “Ashton.”
Fearne didn’t seem to mind and dropped her hand to her side. “Well, Ashton. Why don’t we eat and then we can head out, hmm? Much to do but my Grandma always said not to leave on an empty stomach. ”
“Wise words. Yeah I guess food sounds good.” Their hands moved to their hips, eyes trained on her walking to the pot. “Do you not have a kettle for that tea or something?” He quirked a brow as she gave it a stir. “With so much stuff in here… surely there is a kettle, right?”
“Tea?” She looked at him with furrowed brows. “This is not tea.” She leveled with him in a tone that almost sounded offended. “This is my soup.”
Ok well, one, Definitely smelt like tea. And two, Definitely sure he wasn’t familiar with a soup that called for whole fucking flowers as an ingredient. “Doesn’t smell like any soup I’ve had.”
“Well then I guess you have to have some then, won’t you?” She fixed him with a look and retrieved two small wooden bowls.
They shrugged as she handed them a bowl, resigned to this mad world they stumbled into. “Fair enough.”
They took a swig and surprisingly didn’t hurl. One would think something that had a similar fragrance to perfume would match it in taste but the other spices and herbs balanced the earthy sweetness from the flowers. This shit was not bad.
“This shit’s not bad.”
He took another swig. So much has happened in only a few minutes but there were a few things that needed to be addressed if Ashton was going to hold up their end of the bargain. “So tell me Fearne. What do you want to see out there?” That seemed like a good place to start. Maybe they could drop her off in a town nearby and save themself some trouble. Fun trouble, but still trouble.
She looked from her bowl to the fireplace. The small flames licked up the sides of the pot and danced as reflections in her eyes. They flickered over and met his with such a sincere and powerful gaze.
“I want to see everything, Ashton.”
And there was that devious smile once more on those pretty peach lips.
They sighed and looked down into their flower soup with a defeated nod. What the hell did they just agree to?