Heartstone

Meeting Yaz

The next day, Arwin stumbled out of the mansion with the girls in tow, everyone groggy and slightly hungover. Aoi, looking sick, waved goodbye and wandered off toward her family home. At Bleu's invitation, Arwin followed her toward her own home, where Jacque would be. Remembering that Jacque was her father and what Arwin and his daughter had gotten up to the previous night, the closer he got to their door, the more he thought about trying to come up with an excuse not to enter.

Jacque and his wife, Bleu's mother, were having a late breakfast when the two came home. The parents took one look at the state the newcomers were in and must have understood at least part of what had happened the night before.

Her mother's mouth opened and closed without words coming out.

Bleu saw the conflict on Jacque's face and cut his thoughts off with a raised finger. "Papá. I'm an adult. Not a child. How I spend my time is my choice. And I am happy with that choice."

Jacque blinked at her, then relaxed and chuckled. "Seems there's no end to the changes that man brings around here." He nodded at his daughter, then looked at Arwin, and his eyes flickered towards a chair in an invitation to sit. "Hungry?"

Arwin's gut unclenched, and he took the chair as Bleu sat down next to him. "I could eat."

Understandably, Jacque and his family, along with most of the village, were very busy that day. There was much to talk about and organize. That left Arwin suddenly feeling like a third wheel, with nowhere to fit in and not a part of anything.

Wandering around the village on his own, he enjoyed sightseeing, admiring the medieval setting and that most people were blue-skinned, something completely from his world. Well, except for Smurfs.

Trouble came his way soon enough. He came to a stop in a random street and then turned around on a whim, only to find a viciously snarling man behind him, driving a dagger at his gut.

"Whoa!" Arwin leapt backwards, avoiding the blade.

"You little shit!" the man spat, taking another stab. "You ruined everything!"

Arwin let the knife miss again, then slammed his arm down on the attacker's wrist before kicking him in the groin.

The man's eyes rolled back, and he fell to his knees, dropping the weapon to clutch his bruised testicles instead. A second kick to the head knocked him onto the street.

The action drew attention and a small crowd. Some were worried for his sake. Not all were sympathetic. One couple gave Arwin the stink eye and looked like they would have preferred it if Arwin had been the one on the ground.

Someone sent for Jacque, who came at a run. Luckily, it was clear what had happened and why. The crowd moved on relatively quickly, and the attacker hauled away.

Jacque put a heavy hand on Arwin's shoulder.

Arwin looked at him. "Guess you were right."

"I'm sorry, Arwin. You're an easy target, being a foreigner and not blue-skinned. And you were the catalyst behind what's happening. It's not going to be safe here for a while until we get things settled into a new normal." He genuinely looked apologetic. He sighed. "Maybe we could..." He trailed off, at a loss.

Arwin wanted to stay and get to know these people better, his spirit yearning for new friendships and his heart had sparked an interest in both Bleu and Aoi. But he could see the logic to the idea of leaving for a while.

Social change could be difficult, and not everyone was happy to go along with it. He didn't relish being made the town scapegoat and the target of their hate. He'd gotten lucky. If he hadn't randomly turned at the right moment, he could have died today.