A Country Boy Can Survive

Good Intentions

Dante woke up only a few hours after Louise fell asleep and he sighed, irritated that again he wouldn't be getting any meaningful rest. With a grunt, he got up and put his clothes on before heading down the giant staircase again. He reached the bottom and was pleased to find he handled the trip better this time, and exited the tower to head for his truck. If he couldn't sleep, then he'd better start preparing for the next day. 

     Before he reached the stables, he heard someone speaking softly, and he slowed down to staring his ears. When he got close to the stables, the voice stopped. Deciding to break the ice, he called out in a soft voice. 

      "Not trying to disturb you, just here for my truck." As he finished speaking, a short girl with blue hair in a nightgown exited the stables and stared at him. She had a book under her arm, and the dragon he saw yesterday peaked its head out at him curiously. He gave a wave to the creature, and he could have sworn it smiled at him, but he refocused on the young girl. She had blue hair that Dante had a hard time telling if it was natural or not. She had eyes that were a very deep green, and Dante was even more surprised by the look in them. He had seen that look before, it was the eye of someone who knew their orders were to die but refused to. 

     "You can't sleep either, huh?" The nod he got from her was all he needed to make up his mind. He waved his hand for her to follow him and grabbed a guitar case out of his backseat and a backpack. He gave her a flannel coat and told her to follow. She wore it and found that it was clearly far too large for her but was warm and went to her knees keeping even her legs properly warm.

     Tabitha didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to follow this man. For many years now, she has kept her distance from people in order to keep herself safe. To a lesser degree, it kept others safe as well, Kirche being the exception as she was extremely persistent and a powerful mage in her own right. This man she had only seen on two occasions before and never spoken with, however, gave off a different feeling. She had, over time, developed a sense for the people around her. A combination of their eyes, stance, and energy gave her the advantage to tell many things about a person. Dante, however, subverted her efforts. Her first encounter left her with a sense he was easily angered and not particularly smart. The second encounter gave her the very opposite impression that he was able to keep cool even under strange, unfair and even difficult situations. 

      Now he was here guiding her to a clearing near the stables where a small campsite had been set up, likely by Dante earlier in the night. He gave off the tired energy she had felt from the few veterans she had encountered and a dangerous level of ability and knowledge behind his eyes. He started a small fire, and her dragon Sylphid wandered over to join out of curiosity. Dante pulled out his guitar and started plucking mindlessly, not to any tune or song, just in a slow rhythm that made your mind pause and listen. It was hard to say if it was bad or good, really. Tabitha hadn't heard anyone play an instrument like it before, but it wasn't something that made her want to leave. It was noise, and it made her thoughts slow down enough that she felt the tiredness from the day start to creep in. Dante started speaking then, and she found he had indeed been through many ordeals as she had been. 

       "Those eyes of yours are something else. You're sharp for your age, and not just because you're smart. You've got a capacity for danger that most of the adults here lack despite their age. It takes a lot to lot to make someone grow that fast in that direction. I hope for your sake it's for the right reason." Tabitha is left feeling naked as he pierced through most of her life in that last sentence. She felt even more tired when she nodded and spoke to him for the first time. 

     "It is." Dante nodded at her and replied. 

     "Family. Really is the best reason I've ever heard. Hang on to it while you still have it. I'd be happy to lend you a hand if you need it." Her eyes grew heavy, and she felt her head drop onto Sylphid while Dante added one last thing.