“Question.”
Lilith looked up, her cheeks stuffed with fruit, “Yeh?”
“Can you, like, hear better?”
“Wha?”
Daniel and Lilith sat in the mess tent. He had been there for food a few times since his arrival, but it was Daniel’s first time sitting down with a clear head, as well as the first time he had company. He watched Lilith shovel down her second plate as he picked at his mound of salted pork. With the tension having settled, he felt bad for how little he actually spoke to her. He had been awkwardly looking for anything remotely close to a conversation starter.
He chuckled, “Ah, that answers that.”
She shot him a glare, “Waf tha’ thuppose’ ta mean?”
As she spoke, bits of kiwi and berries dribbled down her chin. His face scrunched in disgust, “Do you have to talk with your mouth full?”
Lilith finally swallowed “Awe, sorry pops, my table manners suck. I can hear just fine, by th’way."
He chuckled and grabbed another strip, "I figured. Just such an interesting difference."
"Right? It’s badass!"
He nodded, "Your eyes are pretty neat too. I've never seen multicolored iris’."
"Hah! Ya make it sound like I got rainbows in ‘em!" She grabbed another handful and stuffed her face, "Bedder nah be hittin' o' me, boy."
Daniel gave a half-hearted smile, "Uh, yeah, not when you do stuff like that."
"Mind if I join?"
Daniel looked up in surprise before smiling from ear to ear, "Damien! You're okay to move?"
He pulled out a chair for them and they eased themself into the seat, "Yeah, just sore still. The elder said it would be good for me to move around."
"She's smart fer a mouse," Lilith smiled, "the old girl's a good one fer advice."
Damien looked at her with a smile, "By the way, I never got around to thanking you for bringing me breakfast. Lilith, right?"
"Yup, Lilith Nodin, the one and only," she winked, "and no problem, kiddo!"
Their eyes widened in surprise, "Wait, Lilith Nodin, as in the Slayer, Zephyr?"
She leaned back in her chair with an air of confidence and brought a hand to her chin, "Oh ho, so you've hearda me? Tell me, whaddya know more," She rocked her chair forward and pushed it back, striking a daring pose. “My feats of heroism, my daring adventures, my grace and modesty?”
“No, mostly your property damage.”
There was a moment of silence.
"Gah, dammit!" She brought her hands to her face and slammed back into her chair, nearly tipping it over, "I'm not that bad! I pay it all back!"
The siblings laughed at her outburst, but Damien winced, "Ow, ow, hurts to laugh."
Lilith lowered her gaze to them, “How do you even know that?”
“I read the public records a lot.”
“Feh, I took ya fer a nerd.”
The three of them spent an ample amount of time together over the next few days. They spoke casually, as Lilith had taken an interest in the two. Damien and Daniel told of their fond memories of Tairan; their time in school, learning trade and training to become Slayers, but she had taken an interest in their home life. They tried to coax stories out of Lilith, but she would only respond with vague tales of triumph, many of which hardly sounded true. Damien in particular was curious about her history as an artificial Nephilim, but she avoided the topic entirely.
They took the time to explore what little of the village there was as well; a quaint little place spanning over the dirt clearing in a large forest. Thick green leaves shaded the edges, leaving the centre open to be bathed in sunlight. The buildings were nothing more than huts and fortified tents, all made with wood, mud and clay, with not a single bit of metal to be seen. The villagers themselves were kind and welcoming, never failing to give a passing smile, with every interaction brief but warm. The population was small, but there was a variety of ages and even a large mix of Nephilim and humans. From what little information they could gather, it seemed the village acted as a safe haven for both artificial and natural Nephilim, and worked to find and protect those affected and alone. Lilith wasn’t the only Slayer among them either, which was why they had raced to Tairan’s aid.
Three days passed before the elder had finally cleared Damien to leave. They could move around, run, and after a quick spar with a fellow knight, proved they could fight again. Lilith helped the two get some sturdy clothing, as well as a backpack filled with supplies like food and water. By the time the sun was rising in the sky, they were ready to depart.
As they left the village, a crowd waited by the gate. The Seraph and an eager group of children chatted until the three came into view.
"Wiwif!" The youth shouted as they bolted for Lilith.
She knelt down with a large grin, "Hey ya little gremlins!” The children gathered around her, ignoring the two who were leaving their village.
“Make sure you bring us back stuff!”
“And stories!”
The siblings looked at each other. “Are you going somewhere?” Daniel asked.
A Nephilim child looked up at them as Lilith’s hand lingered over his head, “She said she wants ‘ta help you-” He was cut off by Lilith clasping her hand over his mouth.
“She has a big bag packed an-mmph!” The girl was swiftly silenced as well.
“Ha! Kids, they don’t know when’ta shut it, don’t they?” Lilith laughed as she stood up shooed the children away. “Go on, yas! Cause someone else some trouble.” Her voice barely hid her anger behind grit teeth. As the kids ran off giggling, she looked back to the others.
“You can come if you want,” Damien said, “We’d love to have you.”
“But why are you tagging along with us?”
A flash of anger appeared on Lilith’s face, but a glare from the Elder caused her to back down. She clenched her fist as she spoke. “That guy yer after… Chuck, was it?”
“Charles,” Damien corrected.
A shaky breath came out from between her teeth. “Right. Him. I have some things I need to settle with him.”
“About being a Nephilim?”
Her silence was answer enough.
Daniel grinned, "Then don't worry about it. After all you've done for us, I doubt we’d make it without you."
"Definitely." Damien turned and nodded to the Seraph, "Thank you for everything."
"Of course, helping humanity is what I was created to do." She smiled warmly before turning to Lilith, "As for you, please don't forget your promise."
Lilith hesitated before giving a nod, "Yeah, I promise ta do my best." The sound of running footsteps came up behind her, and she turned to see the children had brought her things. “Thanks, guys.”
"Good," the Seraph stepped aside, opening the path to them, "then may Engel watch over and protect you all."
With her blessing, they set out on their journey.
The siblings followed close behind their guide through the forest, doing their best to match her steps. She jumped and walked the uneven ground as if floating on air. Damien and Daniel were far too used to solid ground and constantly tripped and fumbled over roots and rocks. It didn't help that the path was hardly visible. The dirt was worn and used, but shrubs and greenery grew out and covered it, making the path easy to miss.
Eventually they broke through the trees and into the open world. Sweetgrass welcomed them while dancing around their legs. They waded through, the brittle stems crunching beneath their boots. The grass slowly got shorter until they reached the gravel road.
The two siblings had never left the safety of Tairan before and couldn't help but look around in awe as they walked. The road was dark grey with faint evidence of yellow down the middle. It was cracked and broken around the edges with a strange black substance down the center in a desperate attempt to level it for traveling caravans. There had been pictures in books of what it may have once looked like, but society had since given up on keeping anything maintained outside of cities and towns. Only necessary repairs were done on roads such as these.
Daniel looked back to see his sibling staring off into the distance. He walked up to Damien and put a hand on their shoulder, “Are you sure you don’t want to go back one last time?”
They were silent for a moment, longingly looking down the road before sighing, “I’m sure.”
Daniel tried to find something to say, but failed to string the words. He knew Damien was dealing with a lot, but even he was at a loss. The only thing he knew was he had to do everything to support them. All he had left. He grinned and patted Damien on the back, “C’mon then, we don’t want Lilith getting too far ahead.”
Damien fixed their gaze for a moment longer before finally breaking away from the horizon. They looked to their brother and returned the smile, “Right!”
They jogged ahead to catch up and Daniel pulled beside her, “So where are we heading anyway?”
“Gotta head ta Adanac first ta get the two of ya yer licenses! Those’ll make the train rides ‘n stuff cheaper, and we can make money with jobs.”
Damien thought for a moment in an attempt to picture the map of New Earth in their head. “W-wait, Adanac is at least a couple days' walk from Tairan!”
“No way!” Daniel looked at his sibling with disgusted shock, then to Lilith, “We’re not walking all the way there, are we?”
Lilith waved a dismissive hand without slowing her pace, “Quit yer whining, we’re only walkin’ ta Thorns Road. We’ll catch a caravan there and arrive in a day, tops.”
Daniel groaned, “That’s still gonna take forever…”
Lilith frowned and got behind him, pushing him forward, “Then quit’chya bitchin’ and move!”
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