Chapter 1.3 || A Stranger Appears

He felt a shiver run up his spine, his hand shaking as the stranger took it. It took all his strength not to jerk it away in an instant, twitching slightly. The stranger pulled themselves up and dusted their clothes. They adjusted their hood and glanced at Henry. It was the same one earlier, the same duskwalker the drunkards were throwing bottles and curses at.

Henry looked away, avoiding the duskwalker’s eyes, catching only a glimpse of those deep red pupils staring back at him. A piercing gaze, yet he felt no malice behind them.

“I’m very sorry. I was trying to catch the tram,” he said, keeping his eyes on the ground. The stranger tilted their head to the side. They nodded and extended their hand toward Henry.

“No harm done. Be careful next time, yeah?” A feminine voice spoke softly, slightly muffled by the mask they wore. “I was going to take a tram back home too, but guess I’ll have to wait for the next one.”

“O-oh. Yeah. It will probably be a while before the next one,” Henry said. 

“In that case, why don’t we go together?” the duskwalker said. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you, sir. Miss? Uh, sorry.”

The stranger let out a soft laugh through their mask and shook their head. “It’s Miss. I’m Olivia, and please, I insist. Besides, the tram left already, so it’s not like we have a choice in the matter.” she replied, offering a hand to shake.

Henry paused for a bit, still staring at the floor. Surely, it would’ve been rude of him to reject her kindness, right after he had crashed into her and made them both miss the tram. He quickly berated himself in his thoughts and turned to Olivia. 

He looked her in the face, as he took her hand and shook it. His eyes couldn’t avoid staring back at hers, a deep bright red that almost shone under the faint light of the morning getting brighter. Her mask covered most of her face, engulfing half of her nose, reaching all the way down to her chin. A few strands of dark hair, escaping the darkness of the hood she wore.

“And you are?” she said, pulling her hand away.

“Henry. Nice to meet you, Miss Olivia.”

“Likewise. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Henry let out a nervous laugh, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I would hardly consider a stranger smashing into you and making you miss the tram a ‘nice meeting’. Thank you for your kindness though,” he said.

“Oh nonsense, you apologized already. Besides, you look terrified. Don’t worry.” she said with a friendly laugh, and began to walk towards the station. Henry followed beside her, nodding.

“Sorry. It’s just that I’m surprised to see a duskwalker here in Thamesford… a-at day time I mean,”  he admitted, his curiosity piquing. They reached the station and stood by, waiting for the next tram to pass. It would probably be a few minutes before the next one came around.

Olivia nodded and let out a long sigh. “I do suppose that’s true. I’m a Londoneer too though, technically Dante is still part of Londonium, or whatever it's called now.  It’s just— you know? Several dozen meters underground. So we’re a pretty rare sight.”

“I uh, didn’t mean it that way. Uh, sorry.”

“No, I understand. That’s valid. You’ve seen other duskwalkers before though? I find it funny how you people call us that and it became the unofficial term” she chuckled.

“Sorr—”

“Oh come on, don’t be too serious! That’s like the tenth time you’ve said sorry! I’m just speaking my mind here.”

Henry cleared his throat and tugged on his coat. “Actually just the fifth, but you’re right. My apologies,”

“Sixth.”

The young man finally felt a bit relaxed with the short banter. He took a deep breath and shook his head. What was I even scared of? She seems like a nice person. He thought to himself. 

Henry shifted his feet and turned to the woman beside him. He smiled softly and nodded. He didn’t really know how to answer her question without sounding rude. 

“It’s just that this is a little more spontaneous than how my day usually goes,” Henry said, letting out a soft laugh. “Well, I guess a little shake-up in the old routine isn’t too bad. To answer your question though, yes. I’ve seen others… uh... duskwalkers. Forgive the term, that’s just what people call you guys, I know no better. But yes, I’ve seen a few during my walks, but only at night. I-I’ve never really spoken to one before today.”

“Personally, I don’t mind. But… Dantenite is the correct name.” Olivia replied with a warm tone.

Henry let out a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of his head. “I’ll remember that.”

An awkward silence stretched on for about a minute. Henry couldn’t help stealing glances every few seconds, catching glimpses of her pointed ears under her hood, and locking eyes a couple of times.

“You seem like you have questions.” Olivia said, breaking the silence.

“I-I—”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it by now.”

“I-I’m so sorry Olivia, I don’t want to be rude. I mean, I think I saw you earlier dealing with some drunks. I don’t want to bother you or offend you.”

“Well you’re not throwing bottles at me or cursing me, are you?” Olivia tilted her head.

“No, but still. And I’m sure that was… difficult to deal with.”

“You learn to live with it.” The duskwalker sighed. “Being what we are and what we can do, losing control could mean hurting someone. We can take almost anything you throw at us, but if we retaliate, it could spell someone’s end. We practice restraint. We don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“But you could have made a point earlier. I don’t know, scare them a bit?”

“I could have.” Olivia nodded.

“But you still chose not to…” 

“The more power you have the more responsible you have to be with it,” she explained. “Strength is meant to protect the weak, not start fights. Besides, a couple of drunks aren’t really worth the time. Anyway, anything you want to ask about me?”

Henry looked down, nodding his head. “I-I do but… I’m sure it gets tiring when people keep asking about… what you are. I can’t imagine dealing with that every time.”

Olivia hummed and leaned back on a wall, crossing her arms. “Sometimes. But you seem like a nice guy. If you’re curious, I’ll humor you.” 

“A-are you sure?” 

“Well, you’re talking to a duskwalker right now, right? Aren’t you curious? Come now, I’ll answer any of your questions. Correct the misinformation and all that. Nothing wrong with getting to know each other, yeah?”

Henry hummed and let out a sigh. “Alright.”