A Villain's Hero

Chapter 19 - Rowan

Tired as he was, it was morning before he knew it.

It took him a moment to remember everything that had happened the previous day, but the moment his mind began to work at full speed, Rowan's slow rising became resolute. A neutral mask appeared on his face as he had no idea what was waiting for him outside his bedroom door, but judging by the lack of sounds beyond it, it couldn't have been anything bad.

As he had done so often lately, without thinking, he used his abilities to quieten his footsteps. As it turned out, it was useless. The stranger was lying on the couch in the same position Rowan had left him. The water on the table was untouched, as was the bucket.

Rowan cautiously approached him to check his pulse and make sure he was okay. Luckily for him, the stranger was still breathing and seemed to just be asleep. Still, Rowan was beginning to wonder if he should have taken him to the hospital.

However, it wasn't the first time in his life that he'd seen someone intoxicated with this type of drug, so he knew that it was normal for people to recover in different ways. Living on the streets had taught him a lot.

He decided to give the stranger another hour while he went out to buy groceries that not only his kitchen but also his stomach desperately needed.

As he locked the door behind him, he wondered if it would frighten him if he woke up, but ultimately decided it was better to find him frightened here than not to find him at all.

The grocery store was just around the corner from his apartment. Although it was small and couldn't be compared to a supermarket, Rowan was too lazy to walk far. He only used his car on very few occasions, and this certainly wasn't one of them.

He nodded to the salesgirl, who looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else, and headed for the shelves. His shoppings had never been very diverse. He hadn't had the time or inclination to try out any elaborate recipes in his life, so he usually made the same thing over and over again. The simpler the better, and with that in mind, he tossed a box of cereal into his shopping basket.

As usual, the shop was almost empty, so he shopped quickly, paid and was on his way home.

The moment he opened his door, he noticed something was different. He stayed still for a moment, his eyes scanning the room. The glass on the table looked untouched at first glance, but Rowan noticed a slightly wet spot on the rim, as if someone had taken a drink from it, but didn't dare drink any more. His second glance went to the stranger on the couch, and being used to concentrating on details, Rowan immediately noticed that he wasn't lying exactly as he had when he'd left. It was a small change, but enough to let Rowan know that something was obviously different.

Instead of heading for the living room, however, his footsteps headed for the kitchen, where he placed his shopping bag on the counter and began to take things out of it.

He purposely rustled with things to provoke the stranger, but when that didn't work, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"I know you're awake," he said loudly, continuing what he was doing.

For a moment nothing happened, but then there was movement on the couch. Rowan tried not to look at him, trying to give him space, so he moved over to the fridge to put things in it.

"You're Revenger." Two things were clear from the stranger's voice - he still wasn't at his best, his voice was hoarse and sounded sick, and he was scared.

Rowan slowly closed the fridge and looked back at the couch. Their eyes met and the fear on the stranger's face turned to surprise before he frowned.

Rowan knew he probably wasn't what he was expecting and, since he'd had enough trauma already, he held back his laughter.