Daevas -I- ✔️

Chapter 18.1: Fever

Ari sat under a dilapidated wooden awning in great disrepair. Heavy rain poured down seeping into the cracks and dripped onto him. One drop, two drops, three drops, four, each seeming to become bigger than the last. After a while the ends of his black hair dribbled water. His shirt was soaked, but he paid it no mind. He let out a small cloud of breath resigned to the cold and the darkness it brought with it.

It was quiet. The sound of the rain drowned out most other sounds, which brought Ari some semblance of peace. He was in the abandoned outskirts of town, after all. There was not a single living soul around, save for a black cat searching around for vermin or scraps of food. He had been watching it for a week or so. He could not be sure. His days blurred with one another and there was a thick fog in his head he would always get when he was hungry or exhausted. Ari scrunched his legs up to his chest at the thought.

The cat meowed, capturing Ari's attention if only little. His eyes were heavy. He had to strain to keep them open. It meowed again and rubbed against his legs. Ari's eyes softened as its purrs reached his ears. It was a small cat probably less than a year old fending for itself.

Ari outstretched his hand and petted the cat. Its fur was wet and caked with dirt. It had fleas and ticks more than likely. With no one to take care of... Ari looked underneath its legs and realized it was a female. With no one to take care of her, it was bound to happen. He continued to stroke her back until she curled underneath his legs and slept.

"I suppose you and I are not so alone as I thought," Ari murmured, "you have me and I have you."

Ari wanted to provide for her. Keep her clean and fed and loved, but he could not give those things to himself. He had no right, but still Ari's eyes wandered back to the cat. An unbidden smile crept to his face. At the Khaeo animals were banned. They called them unclean things. Lesser things. However, here, right now, at this very moment, the cat and him were in the same situation. How could he ever think to look down on her?

The cat brought him a dead rat more than a few times. She rubbed against his hand when his mind had filled with dark, murderous thoughts. She was there when his tears were endless and his anger massive. There was no benefit for her being there with him. She was his first true friend, and he would take care of her.

Even though he said that, he was plagued with chills and shivers along with a never-ending head pain. He had no appetite and his muscles ached. It had been awhile since he exposed himself to the outdoors. He had not eaten a decent meal since leaving Sascha's store. Perhaps, it was because of that, but Ari knew it was not that. The whole of his body felt terrible. He never felt this way before.

Ari pressed a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. He had to take care of himself in order to take care of her. He must.

"Fancy meeting you here," a voice said.

Ari's reaction time was slower than ever. He found the body of the voice soon enough, though. There was a person hanging upside down from the awning Ari was under. Their hair was long and auburn, reminding him of Freir. A thought he long since pushed away from his mind. He would not be happy with the person he had become—what he was becoming.

"I have never seen you before." Ari's eyes lowered back to the pocket he created with his body, disinterested.

"That was a nasty thing you did to me, Ari."

The voice was sounding more and more feminine with each word. Ari's eyes shot up and looked at the person, truly looked at them and found nothing remotely familiar about them. They had large grey eyes, a small nose, small mouth, and deep dimples on each cheek.

"Oh, but do not worry. I was testing you. And you were exceptional. It took me weeks to recover, you know? Thought you would be softer towards humans."