In the Wake of Giants

Janine’s mother was still stroking her head when a knock on the door interrupted her. She jumped a little and turned her head, expecting it to be a nurse or main doctor to come in. After a few seconds, the person was revealed to be Raban, as he slowly peeked into the room. A smile spread across the mother’s face as she saw the older man, happy that he actually had some time to come down and see her daughter, his friend. She turned to Janine and tapped her shoulder.

“Raban’s here! Isn’t that wonderful?” the woman asked before she turned and walked to the man. She gestured to him to come in, and took his hand to pat it gently. “Thank you for visiting. I wasn’t sure if you’d ever have the time, but I’m glad to see that you do, even if it’s a little.” the woman said with a smaller smile. But it slowly turned into a face of worry as she turned and walked to Janine’s bed.

“She still hasn’t woken up yet. They’ve been feeding her themselves every once in a while ever since she’s been here. I’ve never seen her like this before, Raban. In all my years, she’s never gotten hurt to the point where she needed to be still like this. The most I’ve ever had to deal with was when she was attacked by some stray dogs. Bit the hell out of her leg, but she shrugged it off in about a week and a half. Had to teach the child how to feign limps for a while afterwards, and she told people that she was able to handle pain. Which was true, but still. Oh, that reminds me, I know it’s slowly getting colder, but when she was hurt, was she really cold? This reminds me of something that’s happened to her father when we were together,” the woman asked as she looked up to Raban.
 
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His gaze rested on her mother's face and he could see the worry etched into the lines of her face. He was sure he had a few of his own now. He had hardly stopped to even look in a mirror lately. He offered a small smile in return before he ventured further in and gently closed the door behind him, not wishing to shatter the quiet ambience of the room itself.

She took his hand and he didn't try to stop her. He nodded, "Just the afternoon... Back at it tomorrow," hee breathed, looking towards Janine as the woman returned to her Daughter's side. He moved a little closer as he looked over his friend. She didn't look as pale as she had when he had carried her to the infirmary before but she looked in a bad way still. He reached and rubbed his face, he wasn't sure this had been a good idea but he wanted to see her.

He watched her even as he listened to her mother speak and he glanced towards her, her talk of past injuries and pretense of wounds reminding him of his own time being told how to react. His mentor had foreseen a lot of things. His gaze shifted to her properly at the question and he didn't answer right away before he sought for a spare stool upon which to seat himself. He found one and it held his weight despite how rickety it looked to him.

"I.... She... She did complain it was cold... that she felt it was colder... I had meant to wrap her up but, I... It slipped my mind entirely. I wanted to get her to safety," he replied, recalling that day as much as he had before to himself in times of solitude. He had eyed he banner, noting its use and yet he had forgotten all about it in his worry and want of haste. He frowned and blinked before looking back to her.

"Her father? It's... happened before?" he was curious but he didn't want to pry too far.
 
Tina nodded her head when Raban said that he only had a little bit of time for the afternoon. She understood. Amastad had a bit to clean and rebuild still. The progress was still significantly made though. She nodded slowly when Raban said that Janine claimed to be cold before she got to the infirmary. “Don’t worry about that Raban. You did what you had to do. And you had to get her safe. That’s all that matters. But you did say she was cold. Or, at least claimed to be cold.” Tina said as she folded her hands together. She glanced at Raban when he questioned her and nodded her head.

“See, a few years before Janine was born, me and her father were still a new couple. We were about to go through our first winter together, and to say he was nervous was an understatement. He over prepared for everything - wood, food, matches for the fire, anything you could think of to prepare for winter. I suspected he was hoping he and I would just stay inside for the whole winter. But one night, when winter was in full swing, he went outside to check up on our animals, and he didn’t come back as quickly as he said he would. After I went outside, I found him passed out in the snow, half frozen to death. When I brought him inside, he wouldn’t wake up until about two weeks later,” the mother said with a shake of her head as she absentmindedly moved slowly to the foot of Janine’s bed, staring at Janine as she spoke the story.

“When he was better, he told me that his kind had to avoid the cold since they weren’t used to it, or else they’d succumb to some sort of deep sleep. I’d guess it would be to conserve whatever little energy they had left before it went away,” Tina said with a small sigh.

“If her body gets too cold, then she’ll begin to shut down. I'd seen it happen once when she snuck outside in the snow despite my warnings. Because of what she is, she can withstand the cold longer than her father, but still shorter than a normal person. She didn't go into the deep sleep like her father did, but she nearly did. But since she didn't, she was just slow and drowsy for a long period of time. If I’m thinking correctly, and if what you said is true, then her body could’ve tricked itself into thinking it was too cold to stay completely active. But again, I can’t be entirely sure. I’ve made precautions to make sure that she never got to that point like her father….” the woman said with a shake of her head.

“... Of course, I could be thinking too hard into it. It could very well be because she was inflicted by serious injuries, and her body just couldn't stay awake for it to heal. You know, like any self-preserving body might do. Janine could very well just be resting herself. She had always been one to favor sleep when the time came around. Has she ever told you that? She’d sometimes joke to me that if she was given the chance, she would sleep for a week and not even care about the world.. I’d always laugh at her and say that I’d like to see her sleep for a week, only to wake up within a day or two and complain about being bored,” Tina would say with a chuckle. She went up to Janine’s head and put the back of her hand on her forehead. It wasn’t cold really, but rather somewhat warm. She couldn’t tell what that would mean exactly, except that her body wasn't as cold as her body thought it was, so she shook her head and sighed to herself.

“It’s not cold anymore Janine. And it's been a week. You've won. You can wake up now. I need you to eat,” Tina softly suggested.
 
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Tina didn't seemed to fault him as much as he felt bad about it and he supposed he could find some comfort from that. There wasn't much of comfort that he had available to him of late and he was taking each day as it came. He had to for the meantime. Even with everything else going on. His gaze fell on Janine's still but breathing form as Tina spoke and he listened in silence.

As he listened, he realised that the cold was something else Janine had in common with Chestnut but then a fire demon was always best in their own element. The cold was enough to put dampners on the crackle of flame and the warmth of heat. It was always harder to get a fire started in a thick of winter than it was in the summers where things were dried out to heat as opposed to the wet and the frost. If it was enough to make Chestnut extra grumpy than usual, he didn't like to think of the effects it had on other demons of her kin. The fact it could effect Janine this bad from what Tina was suggesting worried him.

Equally however, it played into her favour in terms of fooling the nurses, he mused. He knew that if a human body received too much trauma, it would sometimes force itself into a catatonic or coma-like state to preserve what it could. it was a survival mechanism. He supposed that was the same for her kind of demonic relation.

He reached to rub his face, he wasn't too used to worrying about the cold. Armour was a good defense against it, keeping in his own body heat and even if he was in his other form, his wolven fur was enough to stave off the bitter cold. However, it would mean he was going to have to keep a better eye out for his friend, especially if she wasn't being mindful of it herself. She was headstrong at times, moreso than himself and perhaps rivalled by Chestnut. Must be a trait for demons in general, he mused with amusement.

Raban looked at the woman and sighed softly, "Could be a mixture of both... She gave that dragon such a beating. I don't think it had the like of it before," he replied, shaking his head as he looked back to his friend. He hoped she pulled through. You better pull through, he silently told her in his expression at her, I wasn't kidding about dragging butt out of the afterworld.

He shook his head slightly at the question and smiled with bemusement. That did sound like Janine. The woman never could sit still for long. Raban had put that down to youth more than anything else but then he wasn't sure he was the best one to do that kind of evaluation. He didn't age the same. He might look like he was still in the early years of being thirty but in reality he was older than Kiegel, who was already losing the blackness to his mane giving a salt and pepper look. Raban was still envious of that man's beard, never having quite the knack for it. His own facial hair was always more scruffy, thinned out and if he did let it get too long, it went horribly curly, so he always kept it short.

The Wolf Knight sat back a little, the rickety stool creaking at the shift of weight as he watched her talk to Janine. He gave another prayer and he said out loud. He knew Tina may find some comfort in that, maybe. Some might have said it was wrong to pray for the life and health of a demon just as much as it might be wring for one to pray for a werewolf but Raban didn't see it that way. She had as much right to a life as any one else. Who were they to decide what God deemed right or wrong?

"She better pull through... I don't know if it's selfish of me or not... but she's the first proper friend I've had in many a year," he said quietly, loud enough for Tina to hear but he didn't want it to be too loud in case there were nurses eavesdropping from outside. He was wary enough of the Matron to be suspicious about them listening in. His words might strike someone else as strange or hinting at something else. For him, it was an honest truth. Even though he was and always had been a faithful and loyal member of the Order, he kept much to himself. There were things even Kiegel didn't know or completely know about him, and that was without adding the subject of being a werewolf into the mix. Cadfael had warned him about giving away too much. Cadfael had been his last friend as well as being his mentor.

"If there's anything you or Janine needs, you will let me know, won't you?" he asked, looking back to Tina questioningly. He would have to take his leave soon. His landlords needed help repairing their stable house. It had been rickety for years but the dragons presence of ground shakes and roars had dismantled it entirely.
 
When Raban said a little prayer, Tina relaxed a little. She was so happy that someone else wanted to look out for her. She was beginning to have her doubts on whether her daughter would ever find someone she cared about. “Oh yes, of course Raban. Oh no, selfish? What would be selfish about praying for a friend? You’re her first friend as well you know. She was never one to ever hold a friendship in her youth, not even for a week at times. It was always something with those kids. I worried for her constantly, fearing that she’d just turn her back on any kind of social relationship. Before she met you, she growled and turned down just the sheer mention of having a friend. Men nowadays just want a woman who will cook and clean for them. Janine wasn’t one to just focus on her image that much. She wanted adventure and fun. She wanted action and danger. This society doesn’t typically want that for a woman. And I certainly wasn’t about to just unleash her into the forest. I wouldn’t have any idea what to do if she got attacked by a bear, or fell down a hole somewhere.” Tina then turned her attention to Raban, and smiled at him. “But you’ve given her a warmth that is so wonderful. She might seem more closed off or even sillier than usual at times, but it’s only because she doesn’t know what to do with herself when those emotions flood in. Having a friend was such a foreign concept for a long time, so this will be so good for her. Don’t be surprised when she decides to do something out of character for you,” Tina said with a warm smile.

Tina gave a small smile and chuckled when Raban said that Janine gave the dragon a beating. “Yes, I can believe she did, in either way she looked. She’d always been somewhat violent when it came to fighting. It was partially why she joined the Order. She wanted to channel that inner aggression and funnel it to something constructive and helpful. She didn’t want to just keep building it up and then it suddenly unleash it, like some mindless beast,” Tina said with a small nod of her head. “But, there are times where it can leak out and come out in some other way. Perhaps you’ve seen it?” Tina asked.

But then Tina shifted her gaze when she heard Janine make a soft moaning sound as she turned in her bed. The young woman turned herself over to the side that was injured, and within seconds, she winced with a sharp hiss. She panted for a few seconds before she growled with clenched teeth, her arms clutching her side before she opened her eyes with a gasp.

“Dragon!” Janine yelped. She panted as she took quick glances of her surroundings, finding herself to not be where she imagined herself to be. Which was where? She soon took a glimpse of her mother, who had to touch her shoulder.

“Janine! You’re awake. Calm down now, the dragons are gone now. You’re in the infirmary,” Janine’s mother softly assured.

Janine looked rather confused at the whole fact that her mother seemed to be talking to her. “G-gone?” she slowly asked. “Infirmary?”

“Yes. Raban told me that you drove the big one away. And that he carried you after you were hurt.”

“...”

Janine looked puzzled and dazed. She had trouble remembering anything. But as she thought about it a little longer, things were slowly coming back to her. The whole fight with the dragon, which she subconsciously growled at, and then the aftermath. She did remember having trouble in keeping calm. She remembered bleeding out. And she then remembered Raban. She smiled as her eyelids bounced up and down a little.

“I do remember that. He… Saved me. I’m so grateful that he was there to help me,” Janine said as she closed her eyes for a few seconds. She gave a big inhale before exhaling to relax. But when she caught another scent, she sniffed softly, a strong familiarity flooding her mind. She opened her eyes and jerked her head to the side, seeing Raban standing next to her bed. She jumped a little and slightly sunk into the bed, suddenly shy in his presence.

“Raban! H-hi. How long were you standing there?” Janine asked with a sheepish expression on her face.
 
Raban had reflected in the recent weeks and months that he had come to know Janine and he realised just how important to him she had become. It seemed insane that anyone could insert themselves into his life and become his friend but he fet very happy and honoured that he could call her his friend. Other than Chestnut, it was all he had in terms of a friends list. That was something special. Tina seemed to think so just as much as she replied. He offered Tina a deep smile in return and nodded, "Janine's come to mean a lot to me. I, uh, don't have that may I can call a close friend. It was just safer that way before but Janine's proved that I don't have to miss out. I understand how precious it is,"

He certainly didn't take it for granted.

"I don't know whether she realises it or not, but I trust her with my life. I hope I can do right by her, that she knows I'm there whenever she needs me to be," he knew how important that was to people. To have someone you could rely on that didn't have to be related to you. Janine was lucky in many respects to have a mother that knew what she was and loved her regardless. That was a rare thing too.

He listened attentively as Tina spoke, liking the timbre of her voice and inflections. He nodded, understanding those reasons for joining. He hadn't understood it at the time. He simply was happy some was willing to take him on as a squire, a farmboy of all things but over time he had realised that the Order gave him purpose. It had stopped him from getting angry and frustrated over what happened and what he was. He had been shown the tools in life to help him deal with things. He nodded, he had seen it when things proved too much for his friend. They had proved the benefits of their friendship in both times it had gotten too much or control was taken away.

Raban was about to respond before a shift in breath caught his attention even before Tina's head turned. He watched as Janine moved and made to do so on her injured side. He straigtened his spine in concern but he did not move for a now. Janine needed to see her mother first. Not him.

He maintained his silence letting her mother do what she had to ensure that Janine realised where she was and that she was safe from harm. She seemed disorientated which was to be expected. She just needed a little time for her mind to sync up and remember the events. She had been lucid up until her complaint of getting cold when he had been carrying her, straining muscles that protested his speed at the time. He raised his hand, scratching past the scruff that hugged his jawline. He hadn't shaved for some time.

He looked at her and smiled as she recalled him to her memory. She didn't seem to realise he was even there at first but he knew that wasn't likely to last for long. Scent was a large part of any predator's way of life. She gave a jump and he raised a brow as he read shyness from her as she realised he was there.

"Hey," he smiled back, "Not that long, five minutes or so, I think. Wanted to check up on you... "
 
Janine’s expression widened into that of a smile as she rose herself back to her normal position on her bed. She winced a little at the pain in her side, but she didn’t let it bother her too much. “Really? I appreciate that, Raban. Very much. You too Mom,” Janine asked as she reached for a hug. Her mother happily hugged her now awake daughter, careful to not press against the bandaged wounds. When she was done with her mom, she turned and reached out to hug Raban, to show her appreciation for him visiting. She never really thought anyone besides her mother would visit her if she ever was hurt. She’d always imagine herself to be alone. But this was something she would always cherish. She released the hug with her smile, but was quick to yawn and rub her eyes.

“God, I still feel tired. I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping, but I don’t think it was enough,” Janine said with a sigh.

“No, no. No more sleep for you. You’ve been sleeping for a week straight,” Tina said, her tone mocking a scolding voice.

But Janine turned her head between the two in shock. “Wait. I’ve been asleep for a week? Without waking up? It doesn’t feel like that,” Janine said as she scratched her head in confusion.

“That’s because you don’t keep track of time when you’re asleep, Janine. But yes, you’ve been asleep for a while now. You were injured badly.” Tina said with concern.

Janine gave a small pout. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how long it’s been. And yet, it feels less. I hope you two haven’t been worrying too much about me. I hate making you guys worry,” Janine said with a considerate tone in her voice.

Her mother scoffed as she glanced at Raban. “Can you believe this child?” She then looked back to Janine. “Amazing how you’ve been attacked by a dragon of all things, bled out, passed out in someone’s arms, sleep for a week and then have the nerve to say that you hope nobody’s been worried about you. Utterly amazing. I have half a mind to put you back to sleep myself, so I won’t have to worry about you going off to fight everything with your bare hands,” Tina bemused.

“Mooom! It was all I had. My sword was too far from me to grab. Oh my goodness, leave it to you to relay everything under the sun,” Janine said with a chuckle. But she paused and looked to Raban with a slightly furrowed brow. “Oh goodness. I have been out for awhile. You seem to have grown a little something there," Janine said with a smirk as she pointed to his lower jaw. She chuckled before she got serious again. "But honestly. I’ve been out for a week…. It doesn’t feel like much really. And I still feel rather sleepy. Seriously…. What’s been happening? What happened to the dragons? What about the city? I’m sure there had been more damage than what happened to the meeting hall right? Is that fixed already?” Janine asked. As much as she didn’t favor Amastad every second of every day, she still lived in it. As did hundreds of other people here. She hated for her home to be trashed by outside threats, with no consideration for anybody else’s way of life. That much she did take to consideration.
 
He smiled and nodded, he was glad to have been here when she had come to. It brought life into her skin that didn't seem to have been there before. She had been horribly pale when he had taken her in with skin that looked clammy. She really did look more alive now than she had in her coma-like state. She reached out for him and despite hugging not being a usual affair for him throughout his life, he could not deny her. He tried to be as careful as he could as he hugged her back. As he thought on it, he wasn't sure he could deny her all that much. He eventually let go and stood straight again.

Raban did not doubt she was tired. Even his own never protested it when he got the chance when he was gravely injured. Sleep did wonders for healing, himself perhaps even moreso. It was always a conscious effort to delay his healing process, it was exhausting in some respects. It was part of the reason he never kept a bed in the barracks, preferring the more private rooms he rented from his landlord.

Her mother did not seem too impressed when Janine hoped they hadn't worried and Raban too felt a past conversation fly up to the fore again. He chuckled softly and shrugged back at Tina lightly but he could not berate her for it. Some people worried. Others did not. People were complex beings at the best and worst of times. Raban certainly had worried about Janine for she was his friend and perhaps a closer friend than most could call of themselves. She was someoen he could, implicitly, trust his life with and not have to worry about slipping up on a secret of what he was. It was the same for her, or at least he hoped.

Raban grinned at her protest. In all honesties, he was just glad she was alive and breathing. That dragon could have done a lot worse if it hadn't decided that a retreat was worth chasing. He suspected Chestnut had a little to do with that. He didn't think that dragon had experienced that kind of open defiance and humiliation before that day. Janine had gotten lucky.

He looked as she pointed out the scruff that hugged his lawline and mouth and he nodded, smirking, "No time to shave of late. I've been kept rather busy, I'm afraid. Perhaps I'll sort that out for next we meet, hm?" he replied, his tone one of amusement that she would pick up on it. Sometimes he was just rather lazy when it came to shaving, particularly in winter months. He just didn't let it grow too long. It was then her tone turned serious and he was unsure how much he should say. He didn't particularly want to worry her too much but equally he knew that honesty was usually the best course. Some didn't like to be sugar coated and he felt Janine to be one of those kinds of people.

Raban sat on the rickety stool again, ignoring the creaking of old wood, "There's extensive damage to the walls and building. Civilians are having to live elsewhere whilst we help rebuild the walls and their homesteads. Business' too. The Order hasn't finished the meeting hall yet, though Greaves has been picking through the rubble. For his chair, no doubt." Raban was sure that Greaves didn't think anyone had noticed him but Raban had. He just wasn't about to bring Greaves' attention on him further than he wanted the man to.

"The dragons have been repelled... the younger one more than the one you took on. I suppose he deemed his injuries too great to continue his attack. He retreated.." he scratched his jaw in thought again before he shook his head and smiled.

"We didn't lose too many civilians... Mostly broken bones, bruisings, the like. Just need time to rebuild, and things will get back to normal soon enough. The focus was on rebuilding the stability of the walls, everything else comes second to that, but it's nearly finished."
 
Janine nodded as Raban relayed the details of Amastad’s damage output. She nodded carefully, taking in all the information given to her, and thought about what was said. The dragons seemed to do a number on people’s houses and businesses. Amstad would most likely be slow for the time being. “So where are the people living then? Those whose houses got damaged” Janine asked.

“Well they got to stay in the taverns and inns that were available. Until their homes are rebuilt. Those whose business was messed up either stay home, or try and find something else to do. A lot of folks don’t know what to do with themselves, except to help with the rebuilding effort. But some stay away from work to rest themselves.” Janine’s mother said. She nodded her head and thought about it some more, gasping softly as she glanced between her mother and Raban.

“A-are you guys…? Are we -”

“Don’t worry. Our house hasn’t been touched. The dragons didn’t quite reach our side of town. And Raban’s place hasn’t been too damaged. He can still sleep in his place,” Tina said with a soothing voice. Janine visibly relaxed, smiling a bit at the news. She would’ve been sad if she or Raban were homeless. More so sad about herself being homeless. It would’ve made her guilty in a sense. Maybe she could’ve done something more to prevent her home from being taken away.

But Janine chuckled when she remembered Raban mention Greaves and him picking around for his chair. She smirked and turned to Raban. “His chair? Only his chair? Nothing else to sit his skinny ass on?” Janine said before she ruptured into a hard laugh that made her sides hurt a little. Janine’s mother blinked and glanced at Janine, silently asking what the joke was. “Anything I’m missing here?” she prompted.

“I’ll tell you the next time you visit. Or maybe when I come home. It’ll be better,” Janine suggested.

“Mmmmhmm,” her mother hummed as she looked Janine up and down. The young woman gave a sheepish chuckle and looked to Raban. “Hehe, yeah. This is how me and my mom talk. Annoying yet?” Janine said with a giggle. She then recalled what Raban said about the dragon she fought off. His words sunk in and she looked to the older Knight in confusion.

“Wait…. You talk about the dragon I fought off…. You said “he”? Like it had a definite gender? Why’d you say that?” Janine asked.
 
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Raban reached to scratch at his chest a little, feeling a little strange to be out of armour for once. Not that many of the Order were in heavy armour simply because of overheating. Not that Raban suffered that so much but as with everything he had to keep up appearances. He listened and nodded as Tina spoke about people's homes and business'. It would be a little while before people fully recovered and he recalled the little girl he had gotten to the bunker. He made a mental note to go check up on her. Hopefully, she had found her family again.

Janine seemed to worry whether they were struck homeless or not in that point and was glad when Tina put right to that. Raban nodded, "Just the stables... and they've been needing a refit for years. Offered to do that for them tomorrow,"

She chuckled then and he found that more warming to him than the point of her waking up. That was an odd but honest thought. He couldn't help but smirk in return, a grin forming on his face. He nodded and in turn, chuckled as well. He hadn't laughed for some time, not in recent weeks at least. It was a good feeling.
Tina wondered at the humour and he sobered a little at that point. He understood the joke but it was one stemmed out of dark deeds. He nodded, that was something better explained away from any potential nurse dropping eaves closeby.

Raban shook his head, "Not in the least," he assured her. If anything, he secretly enjoyed it. The rapport she had with her mother was something he couldn't share with his own parents. He didn't know if his father was even still alive or not and his mother was amongst those he visited in the cemetary every other month or so.
It was then she brought the subject of the dragon back up, questioning how he knew its gender. He leaned forwards at the point, resting an elbow on his leg and the hand brushing over his jawline and mouth for a moment as he looked back at Janine.

He dropped his hand and spoke quietly, "Turns out it can talk our tongue. He's, uh, off licking his wounds for now... but he doesn't like you much. Not after what you gave him. Pretty much said for us to keep off his turf. I think he's twigging what and who I am too..."

It some ways he was still trying to comprehend that moment. No doubt Janine would want a full report but he wasn't too comfortable in giving it here right now of all places. He preferred her to be a bit stronger on her feet first. "I'll tell you more when you're stronger. For now, you need to get your strength back,"
 
Janine watched Raban with confused interest when he didn’t day his answer right away. She and her mother waited, almost impatient, for him to say what he wanted to say, and when he finally did, Janine’s eyes widened in utter shock.

“No. Way. Are you serious?!” Janine whispered as quietly as she could, but her excitement was too great. “That dragon actually spoke to you? In English? Like the human language? Oh my god! That’s incredible!”

Janine’s mother seemed to be shocked as well. While she never fancied to worry about dragons except whether they’d burn down her house, she had to admit her shock in the news as well. She didn’t think they’d be able to speak human either. Nodded her head as if she approved of the answer, which she did.

“You have to tell me everything…. Wait…. You said it doesn’t like me?” Janine scoffed. She chuckled and shook her head. “Well so sorry for trying to defend a little girl from being eaten. The feeling’s quite mutual Mr. Screech-all-day,” Janine said with a small huff. Maybe if the beast wouldn’t be so inclined to destroy entire buildings and chase after defenseless children, she wouldn’t have to scratch the living hell out of a giant dragon. And Raban said that it might’ve been hinting that it knew what he was? In what sense? His wolf half? The dragon was able to smell that? How interesting. She wanted to know more, but Raban suggested that they talked about it when she was better. The young woman pouted and crossed her arms like a child.

“I am totally fine! It’s not like the news will make me - ow,” Janine remarked as she rubbed her side. She accidentally slapped her side a little too hard with her hand, and made a surge of pain break out. She grumbled and turned her head a little, wanting to talk more about the more important and exciting things that had happened while she was unconscious.

“Ahem. Why don’t we be able to talk about something else?” Tina suggested. “Sweetfall’s Day! It’s coming up soon. About a few days after next week,” the mother said with a smile. She looked to Raban as she spoke again. “Janine and I love to celebrate on Sweetfall’s Day,” Janine’s mother quipped. Janine made a sound like a growling hiss at the words.

“Speak for yourself, Mom. I don’t particularly like the holiday. I only do it for the excessive treats and food,” Janine remarked.

“Janine! We celebrate it every year. And you don’t even go outside that much on that day!” the woman shot back.

“Yeah, but I do go out when you want me to go get ingredients for whatever food you wanna make for the day! And that’s enough for me,” Janine said as she turned her head away. She disliked the holiday, but she did have her good moments for the holiday. There were times where she had her good moments, and she wondered why she disliked the holiday, only to be reminded moments later.

“I…. No… You know what? We won’t argue about this while you’re in the bed. Nor while we’re in front of your friend. We’ll talk about this when you’re better,” Tina said with a knowing face. Janine sighed at her, knowing that face meant that she would keep it in her mind until she was better. That much she was sure of.

“Sorry Raban. Even we have our moments,” the woman said with a huff. Suddenly, an enticing scent wafted in the air, and her stomach clenched and growled, making the woman flinch. Her hunger was suppressed since she was so distracted, but now, it was brought to the forefront of her attention. She hissed softly, and Janine covered her mouth nervously. “Um….. Sorry. I guess I’m hungry…. I’m a little scared,” Janine softly admitted.
 
He knew telling her was risky and would entice her to question him more about the whole event. He would not deny her the answers but he chiefly wished to be able to tell her when they were away from ears that would not be so understanding to their other natures. That was something that worried him. How much did the staff here suspect? How much did that damned Matron suspect? And how far did Kiegel's suspicions go? There had been little other choice at the time but he wished he had not been sighted. It would have made things a little easier on all three of them.

"Hush! Not quite so loud, eh?" he breathed but he nodded all the same. He was definitely serious, he found no humour in such a thing to make light of the fact. That a dragon would speak in dragonspeak in front of lesser creatures was one thing, but speaking a human tongue was something else entirely. Raban was aware it might have just boiled down to a need for communication but the dragon could have equally just growled in his face, pushed Chestnut at him and stomped off without saying a word and Raban would have gotten the message. Or at least the general gist of it all.

There was also the fact he had yetto write up that report. It hadn't been asked for yet but what with everything else going on, he was sure Kiegel was just too busy for the business of paperwork.

He smirked and shook his head affirming her words. "I'm not sure he's had that given to him for a long time, you might have just struck a nerve." Pride and ego was hardly exclusive to humans alone. "And I will tell you, just no here," he repeated his earlier statement. She pouted at him, which in other circumstances he might have found amusing or felt obliged to obey but he kept his ground. He could see she was wanting to know more now, that her patience wasn't forthcoming but neither of them could afford to be lacking in keeping their guards up. He coughed a little and shook his head.

She hurt herself and hus contradicted her own words. Raban raised a questioning brow as if to prove a point without trying to be crass and rub it in. That was not really his style or way of thinking. He was glad when Tina seemed to agree with his line of thinking by changing the subject from it all.

Raban glanced towards her, his other brow joining the same height as the first in silence. Sweetfall's Day was not generally something he actively celebrated himself. He wasn't big on holidays much since most usually involved socialisation with those he dare not accidently spill the beans to. He was another reason why he hardly ever drank much alcohol or made himself seen to be drinking too much alcohol. It didn't have quite the same imediately affect on him as it did normal men but enough would eventually garner the same result.

Tina explained that she and Janine did celebrate it and the groan from Janine was priceless. He lowered his brows and dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement before he was entreated to another Tina and Janine special. He felt a little awkward. Family arguments, even jovial ones, weren't something he was entirely used to. Not these days anyway. He kept to his awkward silence, silently noting or rather estimating what the time was. He could almost hear the nurses pacing. They didn't like their patients having visitors for too long.

Raban shook his head at the apology, "Everyone's allowed their moments. Especially mothers and daughters, I think." He glanced away to look at Janine as the woman gave out a hungry growl that was rather impressive. Raban smiled and stood at that point in time and he shifted to take her hand, giving it a little squeeze.

"I'll make sure they get you something to eat. I'm going to take my leave before Matron takes offence and throws me out on my arse. You get better. That's your only worry for now, okay? We'll catch up soon, I promise," he nodded before he made to turn for the door. He paused and looked at Tina for a moment before he dipped his head to her and then left, closing the door behind him.
 
Janine sighed when Raban got up on his feet. He told her that he’d tell the nurses to feed her, and that she should focus on getting better. While he did so, he took her hand into his, making her shift in her spot oh ever so lightly. SHe didn’t expect that to happen, but after the initial shock, she smiled warmly. “Okay, fine. Just remember that we have a lot to talk about though,” Janine called out to him as he walked out of the room. Tina nodded back at Raban as he took his leave.

“You have such a wonderful friend Janine,” the mother commented.

Janine sighed softly. “Yeah…. I know. It’s… Hard at times to pick out how to feel about this,” Janine said with slight hesitation. But her mother shook her head as she took her daughter’s hand.

“You have been blessed with the fortune of having a friend you can rely on. Something that you had been searching and hoping for, whether you realized it or not. Just remember to be yourself, and acknowledge those feelings. Don’t deny them. He has said that he’d trust you with his life. Do you trust him?” Janine’s mother said with serious eyes. Janine paused and looked down at her hands, relaying all that had happened between herself and Raban since the day they met. After all they’ve been through? She’d told him things that, up until then, only herself and her mother knew about. And on top of that, they were discovering things about herself, together. She nodded her head with conviction.

“Yes, I do. After everything we’ve been through together, I’d be silly to say that I didn’t trust him.”

“Good. Then remember that while you rest. He cares for you, Janine. And everyone needs a friend in their life.” the mother said as she kissed Janine on the forehead. “I must take my leave as well. I don’t feel like arguing with the nurses on how to feed you,” her mother said with a scoff and a laugh. Janine smiled and groaned lightly, not wanting her to leave. But alas, she did. The mother finally took one last kiss before taking her leave, resulting in the young woman being alone once more. Soon enough though, she was greeted by nurses who fussed over the fact that she was awake, who looked after her throughout the next couple of hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

The next multiple days were more or less boring for Janine. She was easily able to sleep when she was given enough time alone - especially when the sun rays hit her bed just right. Any amount of sunlight could put her in a drowsy haze, but only if she was stationary for long enough. Her wounds healed faster when she slept, but still showed scars, so while the nurses were happy that Janine was healing, they were questioning her overall progress. And while it wasn’t super fast, Janine mentioned that she read somewhere that wounds healed faster when the area was kept warm. She said that the sun had been on her for quite some time, so perhaps her body decided to bloom like a pretty flower. Her little comment seemed to convince them, despite her attempt to be compared with flowers. She sighed inwardly, relieved that she wasn’t raising that much suspicion, though she preferred to not raise any type of suspicion. If anything, they just seemed skeptical. The scarring seemed to help her out, even though that too would soon disappear from her body.

It was about five days after Janine’s awakening that something unnerving would happen. She was sleeping soundly in her bed, the sun’s rays shining on her bed like an extra warm blanket. But out of the blue, she would be woken up by the warning sounds that triggered inside her head. She was slowly roused from her sleep, groaning softly as the sounds echoed in her mind. What…? What was happening? In her drowsy daze she sensed somebody getting closer to her room. Her entire being didn’t like what was going on, and her senses swept away any sense of drowsiness she might've had. A male’s voice began to interact with the nurses, which made her think it was Raban. She grinned, happy to have a second visit from her new friend.

… But a few seconds later, a foot came through the door, and it wasn’t as thick as Raban’s legs were. Her smile immediately shortened into lips pursed in concern. Who was…?

Janine sniffed the air just as the man turned around. Just as the scent clicked in her head did he speak up.

“Why, hello young Knight. Janine is it?” the man slowly questioned.

Greaves.

Everything in Janine’s body just froze with wariness. What was he doing here? She studied him as he strode over to her, just as he was scrutinizing her body as she laid in the bed. She was so nervous, she almost forgot to answer the man’s question. Her brain hurried to rethink the question and come with the answer.

“Yes… That’s my name... Sir. What are you doing here?” she asked slowly.

The man gave a chilling chuckle that made her shudder a little. “Why child, you’re injured. I do tend to visit Knights that are injured. As a courtesy, of course. You were the one who drove away the larger dragon, were you not?” the man asked as he walked up to the bed beside her. He sat down in it as he waited for her answer.

Not wishing to suggest anything, Janine just nodded her head. The man folded his fingers over one another, as if wondering what to ask her next. “Fascinating. I’ve rarely heard of instances where a single Knight was able to drive away vicious dragons in order to save the city. Most of them fight the beasts from afar, or…. Die before being able to finish the job. You, a Knight - and a young one a that - on top of the fact that you’re a woman….. Why, that’s a feat for the ages…. You should be quite proud of yourself,” the man congratulated. While it did seem complementary, Janine didn’t trust him in the least.

“Oh ho. Where are my manners? My name is Jedidiah Greaves. We never properly met, but -”

“I know who you are. You appeared the same day the dragons came along. Is this why you’re here? To congratulate me?” Janine asked with slightly narrowed eyes. The man paused when he was interrupted and lifted a brow, but quickly gave another chuckle and shook his head.

“No. Tell me, from what I’ve been told, you have received some serious wounds. I’m surprised that you’re still alive. Most would succumb to the wounds on the spot…. How did you get here if you were receiving such wounds?” the man said with a hand that tapped on his leg a little. Janine scoffed softly. He was searching for something, she could tell. Like he was trying to look for keywords that would tell him the answer that he wanted to hear, but she wouldn’t give it to him.

“I had help getting here. Of course, with wounds such as mine, one would need help to even get out of the building, let alone all the way here.” Janine said matter-of-factly.

“Oh yes. And who helped you, child?” Greaves asked as he hid half of his face behind his interconnected fingers.

Janine was tempted to growl or hiss at him, but she held her tongue. She couldn’t give in to this man’s overwhelming unnerving aura. “If you know this much about my fight, surely you know about who helped me. Unless you just want confirmation,” Janine said with a huff. The man tilted his head and raised a brow.

“Hehe…. You’re smarter than you look. Yes I do know who helped you. But I just wanted to hear you say it,” the man said in a way that couldn’t have sounded any creepier if she had read it in a book.

“Now that we have gotten the pleasantries out of the way, for the real questions. I’ve been… surveying the areas that the dragons had damaged. Namely, the Order Hall. While I was doing so, I saw some….. Things that weren’t normal.”

Janine leaned her head to the side a little, wondering what the man was going to ask now. What was this man doing?

“I saw… footprints. Not complete prints unfortunately, but enough for me to be….. Curious. Do you know what I’m talking about?” Greaves slowly asked with purpose.

Janine blinked at what the man was suggesting, and was genuinely baffled. She didn’t know what he was talking about. But she immediately noticed when the man decided to draw himself closer to Janine, stopping when he was basically standing next to the crack stool Raban had sat on the day he and his mother visited her.

“Bloody footprints. None human by the way. And since the only Knight that was injured that day was you, I must ask you…. Do you know whose footprints they could be? Or what made them?” The man asked with a more hushed voice as he drew his face in a little closer. Janine’s entire body tensed to the point where her injury began speaking to her in the form of a slightly sharpened pain. She winced a little, but she tried not to show any fear, or nervousness.

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never saw anything that would suggest anything else but human footprints. And maybe dragon prints.” Janine said with certainty. Whether the man was trying to draw a reaction out of her or what, she couldn’t tell right away. All she knew was that he was slowly making her senses go crazy at the prospect of danger being in front of her. She was slowly losing focus. The pain in her side wasn’t helping either.

Greaves harrumphed as he slowly walked around her bed. He didn’t say anything as he moved methodically to the other side of the bed. As he walked, Janine’s eyes widened a little, her mind flashing memories of when she was in her other form. She was bleeding out, and she had begun to panic - she was pacing in front of Raban…. She must’ve been making pawprints all across the floor. How much of those did he see? Did anybody else in the Order see them? What did this mean for her? How could she have missed that?! She had begun staring at the far wall, panic slowly beginning to creep into her body. Her eyes shifted a little, and her ears lowered a bit.

“Nothing? Very well. I want to give you something. Here, catch,” Greaves said as he suddenly tossed a vial with a purplish-silver substance inside it. Janine gasped and caught the vial. When she held it in her face, she looked at it with a small bit of curiosity. But she looked at Greaves with a small sneer.

“A potion to make me prettier? No thanks,” Janine said with a huff. The man gave another chilling chuckle and shook his head.

“No no no. It’s a vial of my wolfsbane and silver mixture. I promised to give one to each of you Knights before those dreadful dragons interrupted my demonstration. Well? What do you think about it?” Greaves asked.

Janine held it in her hands before scoffing and putting it on the bed, next to her leg. “It doesn't do me anything. It’s a pretty color, but I don’t think I’ll be needing it,” Janine said with a scoff. Greaves raised an eyebrow, as if wondering what her reasoning was for saying such a statement.

“I don’t think a werewolf will come after me while I’m in here. And besides, with me being filled with Infirmary food, it might think twice before eating me. What self-respecting werewolf would want someone filled with bread and plain potatoes? If anyone should have it, it should be you,” Janine said as she turned her head sharply to the skinnier man, “Anyone who wants to be bold enough to straight up go after a werewolf is insane. I personally think the werewolf lives in the forest. But if they did live here in Amastad, I wouldn’t blame whoever it was to throw you over a bridge.” Janine snorted.

The older man blinked at Janine as if contemplating what to do with her. She was still very much nervous, but she refused to falter her gaze.

“My my… Such feisty spirits in the Order this time around.” Greaves slowly spoke. Then, out of nowhere, the man snatched a cross from a hidden pocket and jabbed it into her wounded side. Her eyes bulged and she opened her mouth to scream, but her mouth was quickly covered by Greaves himself. He brought his lips just outside her ear, his voice low and threatening as he spoke in her ear.

“I wonder how many more fiery flames of spirit will be snuffed out before the Order comes to their senses. Danger’s afoot, and young’uns want to make names for yourselves. That kind of arrogance will put you under the ground faster than you can say ‘wolfsbane’. I don’t think you are so arrogant. But you…. You know something. Something about that werewolf…. Or…. Maybe you are the werewolf. Hmm?”

Janine’s ragged pants barely made it past her barricaded mouth, but the tears in her eyes were free to drip down her eyes. How dare he?! Why was he doing this here? Was he insane?! She wanted to bite this man so much, but her side protested against even breathing, let alone actually attacking the man.

“I will keep these clues under wraps for now. I unfortunately don’t have enough to convict anyone. For now. But you better keep your guard up. Don’t want anyone else thinking you’re… Something that you’re not supposed to be,” the man hissed as he jabbed the cross further into her side, making Janine shift and squirm in her bed while trying to let out a scream in pain. She wanted somebody to help her so much. She felt her stomach ache and twist with the pain as nausea snuck itself into the fray and her head spin with dizziness - she felt herself getting sick.

Greaves kept himself on Janine for a moment longer, staring at Janine while Janine tried to keep herself composed. Her inner demon was roaring and clawing for active retaliation. Her hands were trying to pry Greaves' from her mouth, but her strength was still a bit dampened with all this healing she had to do.

The man finally lifted himself away from Janine, putting his cross away while the young woman desperately struggled to breathe correctly, hiccuping every now and again.

"Asshole," Janine snarled.

"Hmmm. Still at it. Might have to do something about that….. but for now, you just worry about resting yourself," Greaves said with a mocking look of concern. He walked around the foot of her bed to leave right when a nurse came into the room.

"Oh nurse, thank goodness you're here. Her wounds were beginning to hurt her again."

The nurses went over to her while the man made his leave. Janine clutched her hands into fists as pain and anger, and a little bit of hatred, surged through her body. This man…. Was crazy dangerous. He was too much of a threat to anyone that he suspected to be anything other than human.

The nurses went over to Janine as her breathing struggled to even itself out, and glared a thousand daggers at the smug man as he waved a creepy hand with his salutations.

"Until we meet again, Knight." He said before he left her sight.
 
He glanced over his shoulder as he moved to leave at her words and his rugged head nodded in acquiescence to her reminder. His gaze met Tina's before he was completely out of the room. He reached to scratch at his chest, a wave of fatigue hitting him all of a sudden. He had been working very hard in aiding with the repairs which did involve a lot of heavy lifting. He felt for one of the stablehands. One of the mule's that were used for carrying wares had been caught under rubble. The poor beast's brays of pain had been next to torture for him but he had lifted the stone and freed it. The beast was like to remain lame however and he couldn't say what would happen to it.

Raban was not wrong in being suspicious of nurses being nearby as he closed the door behind him and he peered at them for a moment. How close had they been standing to the door, he mused. He moved towards the closest one only for the Matron to appear of another doorway and told the nurses to get to their posts.

"I see you're as fit as a fiddle this time around, Sir," the Matron said in her very prompt and abrupt manner as she eyed him over. "Nothing sleep won't fix, hm?"

"I plan to. I came to check on Janine," he said, catching the momentary flsuh the woman's name brough to the Matron's face. "I think you ought to know she's just woken up and could use a good meal inside her, if you could be so kind as to provide such, Matron," he continued, showing no other poke of rubbing it in. He didn't want to get on Matron's bad side for numerous reasons.

"Oh? That's good news! I shall sort that out... If there's nothing else?"
"No."
"Good," she nodded and bustled another nurse about with orders causing him to pause to watch before he shook his head, chuckling a little. He headed out of the Infirmary and back to fresh air. He walked back to his own residence, the evening setting in to bring the onset of the cold that came at night and would creep into the day as autumn progressed into winter.

He threw himself into the work over the next few days, saving one of those days to help his landloard fix the stables. It had been fortunate for those who were staying there that there were no horses stood in the stalls at the time. Horses were typically expensive to own and replace as there was a lot that went into the breeding and training for the kind of role in life for which they were intended for. It was hard work but he was happy to give something back other than just pay.

The walls were nearly back to their old semblence since that was where the priority of repairs was being placed and with them back in place, Raban felt a little of the surrounding tension lift. He couldn't blame the populace from wanting normality to return back quickly. The walls offered a sense of security that was false but it a was a blanket nonetheless. They were starting on rebuilding the other buildings that were next on the priority list. Homes, businesses and lastly Order buildings. There was no discussion of going after dragons or even talk of finding a Werewolf. The hit to their numbers had taken a toll in an ability to help out with repairs but everyone was pulling their weight to help out.

Raban knew it was going to make the Order refocus itself once the repairs were completed. They would need to recruit and train those joining them. Kiegel was likely going to step up some of the disciplines at hand to try and ensure that what had happened on that day wouldn't happen again. Raban knew that was not going to be an easy exercise. With so many gone, there was a good amount of experience lost. All the new recruits were likely going to be young bloods wanting vengeance or to make a name for themselves. Getting them to understand that going off alone was a dangerous thing to do was not going to be easy to temper. He hoped that in a way the destruction wrought by two dragons was enough to humble some of that. They couldn't afford to be wasteful.

"Raban! There you are!" The wolf paused and looked up before placing the small piece of masonry in his hands to one side. He was aiding with rebuilding a blacksmith's and farrier's workplace where a wall had been tossed to one side as if it had been nothing but paper. He nodded as Kiegel joined him and the two shook hands, hands gripping the forearm of the other.

"You looked very deep in thought just then,"
"Just thinking about the future, Sir. It's more than just walls we're needing to rebuild again,"
"Yes... I've been considering that too. Plenty of things to think about," Kiegel nodded, apparently happy he was not alone in the thought. Raban doubted they were only ones either. He had overhead many similar comments from civilians and those remaining in the Order. "No shortage of those wanting to sign up though,"
"Mhm, going to need them. I just remain concerned... We don't need more like Luxley."
"No... No we do not... Hopefully we can instill better reason than before. Wouldn't mind your assistance with that."
"Of course," Raban nodded, "We're all in this together."

Kiegel nodded, "Wish we had more like you, Raban."

Raban nodded in return knowing how quick that sentiment would change if Kiegel learned of his other side. He definitely did not want more like Raban. Raban was an rare exception amongst his kind that he was aware of, that for the most part that he could control the dark beast within and use it for when he did have need for it. If Kiegel hadn't remember to get him released that morning, then he could have found out that truth far sooner than Raban wanted. The statement to Raban's ears was a contradiction of terms but one that Raban could not explain.

"Raban, could you go visit Janine later on for me, see how she is. Help her home if she's allowed to leave the Infirmary? I'm sure her mother would like that,"
"Certainly, Sir. I'd be happy to," Raban nodded, he could imagine Janine wouldn't mind getting to somewhere that was a little more familiar. He could recall easily how the four blanket white walls had driven him to distraction and he had been very happy when he was allowed out. He was also sure seeing Venus again would make her very happy.

"Thank you. There's an aweful lot to organise and Greaves isn't making it easier," Kiegel sighed and shook his head. The mention of the hunter's name was enough to lower Raban's mood and he reached to scratch idly at his chest in, what was for him, a sign of his discomfort. Kiegel mistook his reasons for showing discomfort but Raban wasn't going to correct him.

"I am sorry. In all that excitement, we forgot you in the chair. That's not right,"
"It's, uh... all right. Happens," Raban couldn't be angry at Kiegel. He was more frustrated than anything else.
"If you're certain?"
"I am, Sir. Don't worry about it," Raban nodded and Kiegel sighed slightly, nodding back.
"All right. I'll let you get on."

Raban watched the other leave, his eyes narrowing slightly as he wondered at what Greaves was up to. He didn't like knowing Greaves was still around. He was concerned that Greaves had picked up on his internal discomfort whilst restrained in the chair. The man had a particular way of looking at people, as if like a bird choosing what to kill, how to kill, why to kill. He doubted any good would come of it but he knew he had no choice but to wait it out, see what happened. He sighed and returned to his work before the time came to go see Janine again.
 
After that horrible visit from Greaves, Janine had been on edge for the remainder of her stay at the infirmary. Thanks to the ‘mysterious bruises’ on her side, Janine had to stay in the care of the nurse for a couple of days longer than intended. Janine was furious with that dreaded man, but she had to blame herself for the bruises, not wanting to bring any more attention to herself or Greaves. She wished to tell Raban, but she was afraid of how he’d react. Would he attack him? She would like nothing more than to beat that twig of a man to bits, but she couldn’t attract unwanted attention. And especially not towards Raban.

But Raban had to know. The man was dangerous, more dangerous than they both probably assumed. Janine had always kept her wariness up for any stranger that walked into Amstad. Her wariness was strengthened when it was someone from the Order. But a Hunter? She’d never seen one in the city before, but she had instinctively raised her guard up to maximum. A threat to Raban was a threat to herself, and vice versa. And the visit just proved her thoughts. So when Raban visited later on, she was on edge. So much so, she kept her voice lower than normal. She shivered more often as the pain surged through her body. Even his sheer presence didn't do much to dampen her extreme nervousness. When asked what the matter was, she simply said that she'd tell him when she was released, and didn't want to take the coversation further. She even snapped a little and asked for him to go off and take the time for himself - which wasn't her intention, but she wasn't sure if Raban was being followed or watched, and she couldn't take that chance.

After the visit, after constant care - and irritation - from the nurses in her endeavor to just sleep her worries away, Janine was finally able to be released from the infirmary. She had mixed emotions from the whole experience - the food was decent, and she had the room to herself most of the time, but the nurses bothered her sometimes. It was like she had multiple clones of her own Mom wandering the halls, asking if she wanted her pillow fluffed or her bed more tucked in and whatnot. She just wanted to sleep most of the time, but the nurses and their diligent pestering was beginning to be more than she could bear. But she also was trapped. She never thought she’d be visited by an enemy, and yet she was. She knew she would be, in a way, vulnerable as she waited to get better, but the idea of someone coming to her and attacking her in her own bed was never thought of. She’d never think that someone would be so indecent as to attack a defenseless person in their own hospital bed.

Despite that anger-inducing incident, her time there was alright. But she was happy to be back on her own two feet. From what she’d heard from the nurses whenever she asked, Janine was glad to hear that, after a whole sixteen days, Amastad was basically back to her former glory. Some of the buildings had to be checked up on to make sure they were up to snuff, but other than that, everything was back to normal.

But Janine had stepped outside at what turned out to be the worst day of all - Sweetfall’s day. She groaned when she saw almost everyone chatting among each other and helping one another put up streamers and banners and decorations.

“Oh please no. God no,” Janine muttered as she watched everyone in a flurry of excitable giddiness. She turned her head at the sounds of people moaning and kissing, and sure enough saw a young couple kissing each other, on the side of the building for anyone to see. Janine snorted and shook her head. Of course. So that’s how today was going to be. She wondered how her mother and Raban were doing. And as much as she wanted to move, she was afraid that some of the holiday spirit would… contaminate her., or maybe - just maybe - kiss her on the cheek. A nurse opened the door to dust a rug, and saw Janine on the steps.

“My, my, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be off celebrating? That's why we released you ya know,” the nurse asked. Janine scoffed and shook her head.

“And I thank you again for taking good care of me. But no, I’m not. I don’t like the holiday is all,” Janine said with her arms crossed. The nurse gave an incredulous huff.

“How can you not like this holiday? This is one of the few times in the year where you can snog your lover without a care in the world. In public no less. It’s supposed to be a day to remind us that we needn’t be so cold in our hearts, despite the upcoming cold season. We’re supposed to remind ourselves to give our loved ones some attention, be it your lover or your parents, or -”

Janine growled at the nurse droning on about the holiday. She knew what the holiday was supposed to be about. It just happened to combine a lot of elements she disliked all at once: the blatant display of affection, cooler weather, love-drunk (and alcohol-drunk) men and sometimes women, and one other thing that she hated the most. Which was -

“Hey, where’s your lover?” the nurse asked.

Janine froze and pulled herself out of her thoughts. Did she hear what she thought she heard?

“What?”

“Well, it's just that every other young person your age has somebody to be with. Where’s your lover? Nobody to cuddle with?” the woman asked as she folded the rug and placed it over her arm. Janine felt herself torn between the immediate urges of lunging at the woman, and crying where she stood. Maybe she could do both? But in which order?

“I… Celebrate it with my mother. I love my mom. I hug and kiss her. Surely that counts?” the young woman remarked with a small sneer. The nurse chuckled and shook her head.

“Oh silly girl! You young kids are so amusing. You know what I meant. Go on! Have fun out there,” the woman said with a chuckle. She turned her body and opened the door to go back inside the building, returning to her duties.

Janine stood on the steps, doing her best not to cry from the near humiliation she nearly had to endure. A tear or two escaped her eyes, but she wiped it away with a quick swipe of her hand. At that moment, she decided it was time to walk on home. Standing on the steps of the infirmary was obviously not a good place to take refuge.
 
Raban was relieved when the last bit of repair was completed. It had been days of hard and tiring work. he had thrown himself into the work load mostly to escape the clockwork of his thoughts. Dragon. Greaves. Kiegel. Janine. It liked to run in that order in a constant stream of questions and worries with few answers. He had tried to not think too much on it all but only the slog of heavy and hard labour seemed to dull them to a point he could ignore it.

With the work done and time given to recoup from the work involved, he no longer had that. He had done as Kiegel had asked only to find Janine in a low mood. She had cut the meeting short in a tone that had told him to back off and leave more than her words had asked of him. He had put it down to it stemming from being unable to leave the infirmary or being irritated at the frustrations that came with being in such a place but there was something else at play. Or so he felt, but he didn't want to push her too far. Not when she was supposed to be healing and getting better.

He still hadn't heard from Chestnut yet either which did not nothing to help calm his mind. He knew the curse was complicated, deeply complex but this was the first time it was taking this long to hear back from her after she had lost her host. He and Chestnut had already proved that the death of a host was not going to fix her problem, nor did he believe standing up and showing defiance to a dragon was likely to have worked either. That was well within a demon's nature to do naturally. If the point of her punishment was to learn a lesson, it was not in that decision. He had faith that he would hear from her eventually, he just had to be patient.

It was drawing closer to Sweetfall's Day, a day where norms seemed to be dropped in favour of celebration in matters of the heart and family. He didn't mind it so much, it was a chance for people to let their hair down and be a little more showy, he reasoned. However, the Order was a substantial part of his life since he was eight and his secret meant he wasn't willing to get too friendly beyond acquaintances. He often volunteered to be on duty on these days allowing others to be with their cherished ones but it seemed Kiegel was adamant he had the day off regardless.

He borrowed what had been Luxley's horse and went for a slow ride, following the route round the walls inside. The motion of the horse was soothing even if the horse was more of a harness build than the heavier build of a working heavy horse that he was used to. The whole thing allowed him an easier way to think and find calm in everything. He could have stayed in his room but his landlord's wife enjoyed the holiday a little too openly for Raban's hearing. Yet another downside to what he was and why he was not keen on the whole idea behind Sweetfall's Day.

It was not entirely going to go to waste, he supposed. He managed to get his hands on some apples as he had promised Janine's horse and he disliked to not follow through on his word. Actions were sometimes more powerful than words alone and did more for a reputation and influence. He'd call in on the way round when he was close to their homestead. He didn't really want to interrupt their special day. Though, he got the impression that Janine disliked it too and merely humored her mother. He wasn't entirely sure.
 
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The streets were filled with men helping each other out on ladders and stools and women chatting with one another, whether it was in small giggly groups or slightly larger groups, holding heart shaped wreaths adorned with the multiple colors from the leaves of autumn. The young woman sighed - the holiday could be one that she might've liked if only she -

“And Karen said that Jared looked at her for about a whole minute!” this one young woman squealed.

“Ugh, could this day get any worse?” Janine muttered to herself. For some reason, she saw Sweetfall’s Day to be more about women of all ages trying to one up another couple with their profound love for one another. But that could be seriously up for debate. It could also be her strong prejudice against the holiday. The holiday was also to celebrate the past loves that one might’ve had, and to remind us that anything can survive the coldness of the world. It was a bit too metaphorical for her - she often wondered if some scholar invented the holiday. But those reasons are why she and her mom celebrate it every year - to celebrate the love that was shared between her mother and her father. For some reason, Janine’s mother thought that she celebrated Sweetfall’s Day for the hell of it. The sweets and free food as she passed the extra loud people of Amastad was just a means to help her get through the day. But just like she said when Raban and her mother visited, Sweetfall’s Day pulled more negative emotions from her than positive ones. And she strove hard to make sure her mother didn’t see the pain that she had often endured over the more recent years.

“Hey, what are you looking at, huh?” a female voice called out.

Janine blinked and brought herself to the present. She hadn’t realized that she was staring right at them. “Huh? Oh, sorry,” Janine simply said back. Sometimes, it was best to not confront women during this holiday. She saw some of the women as fierce beasts that would protect their mates and their pride at all costs. She supposed there was nothing wrong with being fiercely loyal to a person. Janine surely had that mentality. If she trusted anybody, she’d be loyal to them. She was just off-putting because she had to be. There couldn’t be a risk for close relationships, which was another thing the holiday encouraged all too easily

Janine continued on home, head down and pace as quickly as a horse on a slow trot. There was no need for her to be outside too long - if there was anything she wanted to avoid, it was the -”

A horse whinny made Janine look up. She had only seen the horse’s head, so she never saw the rider. She moved to the side to avoid them, but was soon greeted with a face she had missed - Raban’s. A smile immediately adorned her face, and she tapped Raban’s leg to surprise him.

“Hiya Raban! Been a long minute hasn’t it?” Janine asked with a smile. She heard snickers and giggles from some group of people a little ways from them. She took a quick glance at the people, and saw it to consist of a few young couples that were looking at her and whispering among each other. Great. Another group of tormentors.
 
The 'wild' bay horse picked its way through mud and cobblestone with a minimal amount of corrections from Raban. Despite the man's foolheadedness, it seemed he at least treated his horse well. It wasn't too thin and its mouth was in a good state. He knew some were too heavy on their mounts and as a result could ruin a mouth in the process. Without its own rider to keep it and Raban without his own, it seemed perfectly natural for him to take care of it and for it to fulfil his needs as a Knight. He was still very suspect about it being able to support the weight of him and his armour.

It was certainly a lot more skittish than his shire had been, even with her demon occupant. Workhorse usually were a lot more docile and readily accepting of things that might scare a much lighter horse. That was just their nature and what they were used to.

As he moved, he continued to pick up on conversations that he quickly dismissed and saw people together and plaintively ignored them. It might be a day to be more open about love and relationships but he still felt people were owed their privacy all the same. The route he was taking was a standard inner wall patrol, something the horse would have done countless times before and would instinctively know the route. He wasn't too bothered about it getting lost or turning the wrong direction but equally he was still in full control. It was not Chestnut after all. He couldn't get away with that pretense.

Raban's face remained an impassive expression except for his lips that pulled back just slightly. Not enough to expose teeth or to be grimacing, but just enough all the same. He absently ran a hand over his jaw and remembered he'd forgotten to shave again. It wasn't getting curly yet. That was something at least, he mused. He dropped his hand back to the saddlehorn as he thought through things.

Greaves was going to be an issue. One that didn't seem to be rearing its head just yet, for the moment. The man seemed to still be around, nipping at Kiegel's heels, dogging the man for information and undoubtedly seeing what else he could get away with. Kiegel in turn was another worry he could put off for a while. The man was busy with paperwork and organising recruitment events in the effort to rebuild their numbers back to the standard array they had. He just hoped those that signed up were those with some common sense. The girl had found her parents again and was safe, much to Raban's own relief. The Dragon had given its ultimatum but he doubted they'd be seeing it for a while just yet. That in turn left Janine and her tone a few days before. It was unusual of her to be so taciturn with him but nothing he hadn't experienced from her before. Perhaps it was indeed just nothing but he couldn't help but wonder at it still.

So engrossed was he with his own headspace that it was the horse and a tap at his leg that brought him out of his reverie. Hands shifted to tighten the reins and his leg twitched at the touch in instinctive reaction of fight or flight. "Whoa, whoa, easy boy. Easy," he breathed gently to calm the horse down before he looked to see what had upset the quadruped. The subject of his musings looked up at him with a smile. He blinked at her, caught off guard but he soon returned it and nodded, relaxing once his body realised nothing was out to get him. The horse seemed to react and calm down once he had, ears shifting as voices spoke.

"Hey, look who's walking," he grinned, resting both hands on the saddlehorn. He was still in casual clothes, he hadn't seen a need to test the horse with weight yet. "It has, yes..." giggles and snickers made him glance up and peer towards a group nearby. Even with his hearing, they weren't exactly being subtle. He frowned a moment before he shook his head and peered back to Janine, ingoring the young couples. Experience told him that they were likely falling to making up gossip as the young were wont to do. Their way of entertainment he supposed. It didn't mean he had to like it though. He never really knew what to do or say when faced to that kind of gossip.

"I was just on the way to, uh, see Venus, as it happens. Promised her apples,"
 
“Haha, yeah. I’m walking again. And glad to be on my feet, for once,” Janine said as she backed up a few inches and presented herself. She was in casual clothes - articles of clothing that her mother had brought her when she was asleep. Nothing feminine, that’s for sure. Almost the same stuff Raban was wearing. The young woman’s smile shifted with a playful raise of her eyebrow. “Apples? For my Venus? Has she been a good girl these last couple of weeks?” Janine asked. “Well let’s go! I was about to go home, but this can be cool,” Janine joked. “The nurses say to not move too much, but I need to stretch my legs. Besides, I miss my girl,” Janine said with a sigh. She heard the group behind Raban snicker even more, and it made Janine growl softly. She didn’t want to make assumptions, but it was growing suspect that they were talking about Janine and Raban. Or at least Janine.

“Come on. I don’t want to stay here any longer,” Janine said in a softer voice. She moved alongside the horse, looking towards the new steed Raban had been using. She stroked the equine’s shoulder, earning a snort from the beast as she lifted the hand away.

“Hello there!” Janine said to the horse. She looked up to Raban and tried to ask him a certain question with her eyes.

“So…. Is this….? You know? How is your girl?” Janine slowly asked.
 
Raban was glad she was up and about. He could easily imagine how bored she must have been for the past week. Reading or thinking only alleviated so much of that before you were left wanting to gouge your own eyeballs out. He smiled with approval, happy to have his friend alive and well, or at least on a stronger road to improvement. He glanced to the bag and grinned, nodding, "She's been wonderful. She's gone through a lot and I gave my word. I would like to deliver on a promise."

"Pfah! Nurses. Busybodies, and worryworts, the lot of them," he grinned but nodded. He was distracted by that group of gossipers giggling and he could only assume they were nattering about him and Janine. It was that time of the year where people could get away with being far more open and a lot more nosy about other people's love lives. He looked back at Janine to find her by the horse's shoulder and smiled, nodding, "We stay here much longer, and they might start whooping," he agreed.

She looked at him but she didn't need to speak the question. He gave a slow, albeit somewhat sad, smile in return, "No... This was Luxley's. I've not heard from her yet, but I will... hopefully sooner than later. It can take a while before she finds me sometimes. Last time it took a week for her to get back into my head," course it had been much longer than a week now but he reminded himself to be patient. He smiled and reached to gently pat Janine's shoulder, "I'm sure she's fine. Just getting herself here. We should go. Besides, I seem to recall making promise to tell you everything that I wasn't keen to back in the infirmary before," he nodded, sombrely before he nudged the horse onwards into a slow walk
 
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