A large burly man slammed his glass of alcohol down on the bar. The group of men around him laughed with him, some raising their glasses in the air while others just shook their heads. The man behind the counter paid no attention to them, but occasionally listened in on their conversation. He walked to the other side of the bar, passing a petite woman a thin glass of a clear substance. She nodded her head, ignoring the loud group of men seated to her right.  

The bartender couldn't help but listen in on the group as they started to talk about their trading business. Rumour has it that a small group of people had arrived in town and everyone had their eyes on them. No one claimed to have ever seen them before, but some said one of them was the Ruler of Viscaria. The men laughed at that, pushing one of the younger men by his shoulder, clearly not believing him.

Just on time, said group opened the large doors and walked into the bar. The bartender did not look up and continued to run his rag across the small bar, inhaling the strong scent of alcohol.

Delphinium looked around, his gaze meeting the large man, then finally, the bartender’s. “Welcome to Rhododendron” he said with a small nod towards the group.

Delphinium then lead Mallow and Laburnum into the corner of the room, Gladiolus and Teasel waiting outside.

Large yellow slanted shaped eyes followed the threesome as they sat down in the corner of the bar.

The watching eyes hid under a pair of silver goggles and a fur coat. Their slight orange tinted skin resembled the others’ in the bar, apart from the dirt covered cheeks and hands. He was thin but tall, not like the burly man at the bar. The person behind the goggles slowly stood up, leaving behind the empty glass and couple of silver coins, then made his way to the silent group. Large black boots with patches of white and grey fur stopped in front of the round table with a thump.

The goggles peered at Delphiniums blank face, then at Mallow and Laburnum whose expression was unknown. He knew who Delphinium was, and intended on hiding him before the others took it upon themselves to attempt to capture the Ruler, only to get themselves killed in the process. Of course, he did not do it to save the townspeople. No, he did it to save someone worth saving.

With a slight nod towards the door, the person wrapped in fur led the threesome, and the two outside, down the long road. On either side of them were stalls of food and armour. Some were arguing while others discussed business, exchanging small carvings for silver coins. Everything was buzzing.

Delphinium followed behind with his companions beside him. Although he had no idea who was leading them, he decided it wasn’t a bad idea to stay with someone. By doing so, it would probably help them stay hidden from people’s eyes. It was a good alibi, and it was about time they found a bed.

Delphinium stood minutes later in front of a stone house with white trimming and a large red door. The shutters hanging beside the windows shook as a large gust of wind blew by.

The giant Willow tree beside the house waved, a couple of leaves raining down onto the ground. Delphinium waited, soaking in his surroundings before taking a large step forward. He reluctantly left Gladiolus outside once more, as well as a sleeping Teasel. Before entering the house, he gave the pair of them a piece of bread, a pat to each of their heads and a reassuring nod.

Upon entering the home, their noses were assaulted with the smell of freshly baked goods. They walked passed the cream coloured living room barely visible behind the amount of papers and books laying around, and entered the small kitchen. The cabinets were a light yellow, the floors as white as the walls. The stranger left them for a moment, only to come back tossing a tray of warm bread on the table.

“The name is Phlox. I’m the local engineer, you want something, I can make it.” Phlox nodded towards the tray in front of him, speaking with a slight lisp, it being evident that this was not his first language.

“You guys looked hungry, help yourself.” Delphinium looked up curiously, then back down at the food before taking it. He slowly brought it to his mouth, taking a bite. Mallow and Laburnum stared up at him, waiting to see his reaction. After swallowing, the taller man looked down at the twins, nodding in approval. “It’s alright..” Delphinium stated. The odd pair looked at each other. Not a word spoken.

For now, Delphinium had stationed himself inside, Mallow and Laburnum outside with the rest of the group. They had decided to set up under the Willow tree for the night.

Delphinium sat down on a small chair in the corner of the kitchen, obviously only meant for the people who lived here. The ceiling of the house was only a few inches taller than himself. Delphinium was considered short, since his relatives were all taller than him standing at over eight feet tall. Over here, he was a giant.

He looked at the objects on the table with a raised brow. Glowing white bullets lay on the table accompanied by a multitude of weapons. He’d never seen anything like these. Delphinium figured he should document these and opened his cloak, taking out a notebook and ink. “May I..?” The stranger sat down across from him, watching curiously, “Do as you wish”.

Delphinium carefully drew each weapon, the ink staining the paper as he dragged the feather across the book. After doing so, he put everything away.

Silence filled the room as the stranger kept his eyes on Delphinium, their gaze only broken as footsteps were heard on the roof. “I had intended on keeping you here, safe from the others. It seems as though they have caught on all too quickly and plan on taking you by force. I do hope your friends outside will be alright.” Their eyes traveled from one side of the kitchen the next. Slowly, they both got up, Delphinium clutching tightly to his sickle while the stranger quickly grabbed some of the weapons. “They are not as they seem.” Delphinium said blankly.

Mallow and Laburnum stood on the roof, looking down excitedly at the villagers carrying pitchforks and small guns. From up top, they looked so small, harmless even, but the pair could smell the danger wavering off of them. They glared up at them, threatening to burn the house down. The twins only stood, waiting for one of them to make a move.

Eventually, Delphinium stepped out of the house accompanied by Phlox, holding a weapon.

The crowd slowly stopped talking and focused on the two standing at the door. The fire in the peoples’ hands illuminated the area, as well as the large moon. Everything was quiet until a man walked out from amongst the others. He was dressed all in black with a dull, wrinkled face. With a bony finger he pointed to Phlox, his voice piercing the crisp air. “You..” He said, “We are taking the man from you, we’ve had enough of you-”

His speech was interrupted by a loud booming chime. Everyone’s head snapped to the south, over the horizon of trees. Although you could not see it, another loud noise was heard, followed by a couple of the men complaining, others speaking in fear. Delphinium frowned as the rest of the men left the front yard without another word, making their way back to the path to town. Delphinium turned to Phlox, expecting an explanation.

“You better come inside.”