Beauty in the Darkness

Chapter I - The Foreigner

"... douze, treize, quatorze... quinze." I sighed after counting my gold pieces. It was expensive to move from France, and I was already regretting it. I thought moving somewhere new would be good for me, but all I was left with was fifteen gold. The worse part was I couldn't even think of what to draw, yet I came here to look for inspiration!

I'd lived here for an entire week now, but I haven't gone out or even unpacked yet. Luckily, I hadn't put the furniture in any boxes, or I wouldn't have anywhere to sleep.

I had maybe two dozen boxes, of paints and sketchbooks and clothes. But I just couldn't get myself to do anything. I'd spent the last multiple days in one pair of clothes. Two days before, I'd finished all the food I'd brought from for the trip, so it was inevitable that I go out. Unless I wanted to rot in this house.

"Well, Encre, you have nothing better to do that get up off your lazy ass," I told myself, standing up from the couch. I took a deep breath, tucked my shirt into my pants and tidied myself up a bit. "You're a Frenchman and an artist. You will act like one."

I took one last breath, coughing at the dust in the house. I'd need to buy a broom. I cleared my throat and stepped out of the house, cringing at the sudden light.

I stood up straight, walking down the side walk. I'd seen paintings of this town before; they were what brought me here. But I'd found myself unable to leave my house by the time I was here. It truly was lovely.

I walked into town, feeling the stares already. I gulped, but kept my chin high. I knew I wasn't from around here; they knew I wasn't from around here.

I opened the door to the bakery, calling, "Good morning!"

The bakers looked at me, with that same weirded out stare the people at the port gave me when I tried to talk to them. I thought, 'Nice one, Encre. Look at the weird foreigner! Didn't even stop to consider what our customs are! We should sell him the bad bread for being so rude!'

I cleared my throat, walking up to the counter. "Erm, hello, madam. How much is the bread?"

"Three gold pieces," the young woman working there said.

"Can I get one?" I put down three pieces.

She grabbed a still warm loaf of bread and handed it to me. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Oh, eh, no. I just moved, actually!"

"Just a word of advice; you shouldn't greet people as you enter a business. I don't know how it is wherever you're from, but here, it's a bit rude."

"Oh... okay..." I gulped, starting to leave. I stopped. "T-thank you!"

I left after that, a bit awkward now. I looked around, noticing the woods. None of the paintings I saw showed the woods next to the village. I began to walk towards them, to get a better look.

"Hey! Sir!" A woman ran towards me.

The first thing I noticed was her bright red hair. I didn't know people could have hair that color in real life! I thought people with hair like that was fictional, created for fiction because they were thought to be more romantic, like vampires!

She was dressed in mainly leather and metal, seeming to be some form of policewoman. But she didn't have a hand gun, instead holding three wooden objects in her leather belt holster.

She said, "Don't go too close to the woods. It isn't safe in there."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What's unsafe about it?"

"There are vampires, of course!"

I stood there for a moment. "Wouldn't I be safe because it's day, though?"

Of course, I knew vampires weren't real. But I played along, assuming this was some inside joke between the locals, and I didn't want to show that I wasn't from around here. As if my accent didn't say that for me the moment I opened my mouth.

"Well, for the most part, yes. But the leaves can be quite thick deeper in, and you can lost for hours! Besides, its overall unsafe, even without the bloodsuckers, so it's really better to stay away," she explained. "I'm Eterna, by the way! I've never seen you before!"

"Oh, I'm Encre. I just moved." I sighed in relief. "If I'm honest, you're probably the friendliest face I've seen all day!"

"Aww, thanks buddy! I try my best! After all, I am kinda the person protecting people!" She shot me a toothy grin. "Anyway, Encre, I gotta go! So invite me to that house warming party later, okay?"

I nodded. I waved as she ran off, before turning back to the woods. They seemed so beautiful. I'd go in, but I didn't want to get leaves all over my newly purchased bread. This had last me at least another week, maybe two, so I had to take good care of it.

I turned around, starting to head to my house. I finally had some motivation to get something done, so I had to get finished with some unpacking before it slipped out of my reach for the next few days.