Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ My Naga Knight ❯ Chapter 24

Author's Notes: Sorry for the length of this one. I was trying to finish it when my main computer decided to fry…again…x-x; Everything has been fixed and replaced but the hard drive, so it SHOULD work properly now. I had to write from scratch, at one point, on my laptop to try and remember where I last left off. Heh.

 

Also, I was on a two-week vacation with my bf, so I was spending as much time as possible with him, as I don't get to see him much. And due to a few problems going on now in my life, updates might be fast or slow depending on where things decide to go. We'll see.

 

----

 

Remembering the fire burning heavily upon his skin, Thane looked around frantically in the surreal setting. The sounds of screams echoing faintly throughout his mind, he found himself running deep within the woods only to turn around to find one of the serpent demons lunging at him with their poisonous fangs ready to bite into him. With it all seeming so real, the knight quickly woke from his sleep in a dripping sweat.

 

Panting heavily, Thane felt the sweat drip down his beard he had grown within the past 12 years, leaving him to be 32. He continued to have the same reoccurring dream, and it was becoming troublesome. Ever since that night, Thane couldn't break the nightmares that perused him. Some of the faces were harder to remember that night, but the pain in those blue eyes still haunted him. Massaging his forehead, he shook the thoughts best he could, moving his feet to the side of his bed.

 

“Thane,” called a woman beyond his bedroom door. “Are you ready for lunch?”

 

“I'll be there in a minute, Blythe,” he answered back to the young woman. Gazing about the room they shared, he brought his hands up to his face to wake himself up a bit further before stepping out of the bed and making his way down the wooden stairs. Upon making it to the kitchen area, he saw the 27 year old standing there at the stove. When Blythe turned around upon hearing his footsteps, the knight smiled tenderly at her. “Glad I didn't miss it this time.”

 

Blythe's reddish brown hair showed a bit more red in it the older she got, seeing as she was usually out in the sun almost all day at the Eytheria Market trying to sell baked goods she made with foreign ingredients. Lily had really gotten her into cooking after a certain point, and she found herself branching out steadily. Her hair was quite long, reaching to the back of her knees in a down, ponytail braid. “I wasn't about to take any chances with you missing a meal before you got up to eat dinner and then head back to your post about the castle,” replied Blythe with a smile.

 

Thane stifled a yawn against his palm as he made it to the wooden table in the living room quarters of the house they had bought in Eytheria's castle walls. Blythe and himself had gotten married 6 years ago, and by that time, they decided to move away from the farm. Thane couldn't help but constantly fear something bad happening to her after the incident that night. “So what is in store for me today?” He asked with a brief yet weary chuckle.

 

“Some fish with steamed vegetables and white rice,” answered Blythe from over her shoulder as she put the finishing touches on the meal. “I am hoping this will keep you till dinner at the very least.” She knew Thane was notorious for eating quite a deal as of late with most of his worries off of his shoulders. Blythe was relieved, even if it put her on extra cooking duty.

 

“Have you talked to Neda any today?” He was curious to know, taking his fork to start eating the food in front of him.

 

Thinking of her younger sister, Blythe frowned slightly with a shake of her head. “Not as of today. Speaking of her, I haven't heard from her in a good while now. I really hope she is alright.” Situating her plate in front of herself, she began to move about the food a bit before putting some in her mouth.

 

Thane shrugged at the thought of anything bad happening to Neda. He knew she became a tough girl within her years of growing up, and nothing was going to stop her from getting whatever it was she wanted. “I am sure she is just fine. I can always stop by to see if she is there before my shift. And if she is not there, I can always ask Lily how things have been.” Lily had refused to leave the farm and offered to stay with Neda Cormac, who had nowhere else to go.

 

“That would be nice of you to do so,” expressed Blythe with an added smile. “I can only imagine what she is up to about now.”

 

Back at the Cormac Farm, the 23-year-old Neda hurried out of the front door that mid afternoon. Her light brown hair about her mid back, it blew about in the wind as she rushed out to the barn in her brown boots hiding under her blue dress with white trim. The white top of it was sleeveless and rested about her upper arms in a V-cut. “So late! So late!” She muttered to herself making it to the barn to throw open the door to make it inside to open the stalls one by one. “Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to leave you all in here so long!” Neda apologized to the animals, as she let them run out into the barnyard.

 

When all of the animals made it out freely into the fields, she collapsed against the woodwork of the barn entrance. Ever since she had been slowly crawling out of her depression for the past few years, it had been hard for Neda to regain her energy at decent times. When Lily was younger, she used to let the animals out herself. However, Lily was now 50 years old and spent most of her time either inside cooking and or napping or spending her time out on the rocking chair outside on the porch. While her hair had gone gray and limp and a few wrinkles placed upon her skin, she still was as fair as ever to Neda.

 

Wiping her brow, Neda got to her feet to head back towards the house. Getting to the porch steps, she heard the front door steadily open to reveal Lily standing there. “Miss. Lily, what are you doing up at this hour? Usually you are taking a nap.” She held onto the blind woman's hand to help her outside if that was where she wished to go.

 

Lily had to use a cane to walk. Her memory on a few placements of things was getting fuzzy, and she couldn't find herself to put too much pressure into her left leg. “You worry too much, Neda.” She smiled regardless at the young girl's desire to make sure she was okay. “I am sure I can take my nap out here on the rocking chair.”

 

Helping her to the wooden chair, Neda couldn't help but twist her mouth to the side confused at Lily's constant desire to sit there. “Why do you always insist on doing that? I know I never asked prior, but still...”

 

Sighing to herself, she relaxed against the comfortable pillows. “I am hoping an old friend will show back up,” she responded vaguely. Ever since that night Thane came home, smelling of smoke and blood, she knew something bad happened. Lily still remembers the horrible smell and running to the knight to demand to know if Jin was all right. She was never given a clear response, leaving her even blinder to what happened that night.

 

Neda merely shrugged at the response. “If you say so.” Feeling the refreshing breeze brush against her hair and cheeks, she gazed out at the farmyard with her red, scaled necklace chiming a bit from the disturbance. “Today feels like a nice chance to get some art pieces done.” She moved from beside the rocking chair with a smile upon her fair lips. “I will be right back.” Excusing herself to go back inside to fetch her pad of paper and her quill, Neda eventually returned with them both in her possession.

 

“What do you plan on drawing today?” Lily wondered curiously, tilting her head slightly to the side.

 

She sat down beside the chair Lily was within with a shrug. “Just a few things here and there.” Lately, Neda had a desire to draw random faces and figures she ever caught in the back of her mind or out in the Eytheria Market Square. Drawing was all she ever did as of late if she wasn't taking the farm's items to the market to be sold. Even then, she mostly gave the items to Blythe to have her sell in her stand.

 

The breeze was still very inviting that hot summer day. Deeper within the woods on the western part of Eytheria, the leaves began to crunch and shift about with red scales shining through them. Turning around, Jin yawned a mighty yawn with a stretch. His muscles flexing a bit, he pushed himself up from where he was sleeping next to Touya. He had gotten bigger throughout the coming years, adding a few extra inches onto his serpent half. “That was a nice nap,” he grinned, turning around to tap Touya on the shoulder. “Wake up already, sleepy! I have to admit I am hungry.”

 

Touya groaned lowly, opening one eye to spy the redhead nearby. His chin resting upon his overlapping arms, he turned his head slightly to gaze up Jin slightly. “When are you not hungry?” Moving his serpent half slowly under his bed of leaves, the ice master stretched to try and wake himself up further. “And where exactly did you plan on going?”

 

Jin had found himself a bit less then desired to return back to the Cormac Farm, even if the idea popped up on occasion. Ever since Silver was taken from him, he had a major resentment towards the knight who lived there. He was afraid if he ever saw him again face to face, he wouldn't be able to control his anger. Touya had assured him that Jin had done everything he could and the human females were in good hands as it was. “I am sure I will find something. I think there is a human town off to the southeast.”

 

“You still even have to go thieving from humans even after all they've done,” Touya grumbled, trying to sway Jin from the thought of going near another human village.

 

“Not like I have much else to protect at this moment,” Jin explained with a grin. Even though he was being serious, some of the things he said seemed a bit on the side of him not really caring if he died or not. It worried Touya from time to time, though Jin rarely saw it in his actions. “Now, come on! Don't be so scared of a few humans!”

 

“Sometimes I wish you'd be more careful,” Touya mumbled to himself, as he made his way after Jin to the village he spoke of.

 

Trees and bushes mostly hid the trail, which led to the village. It made traveling to it a bit easier then worrying about being caught out in plain sight by the Eytheria Knights. That night had struck an ongoing war between the human knights and the serpent demons for 12 years and counting. The demons didn't care if they killed a man in iron on sight if he was alone, and the same was for the knights nowadays. Since that massacre, all snake demons were to be killed on sight, as were the knights. It appeared as though both sides begrudged the other, causing an unnecessary bloodbath.

 

“I am just relieved you're eating again,” Touya admitted, as he pushed some of the lower tree limbs out of his way.

 

Jin smirked over his shoulder with a shake of his head. “You've said that several times in the past few years. I promise that I am okay.” With the death of Silver a painful impact on him, he had stopped eating for some time until finally coming to terms with his loss. He had to admit that being reminded of it by little things was painful in itself, but he tried to shrug it off. With the village boarder coming into view, he and Touya both slunk off to the side to hide.

 

“I can smell the knights,” said Touya right away with a low hiss.

 

The redhead pointed ahead of them. “That is why.” Ahead of them at the gate there were two knights standing there on guard. Seeing as most of the village was fenced in and it was in the afternoon, Jin knew it was going to be a tricky feat to try and sneak in. “We might have to dig our way in.”

 

“All this trouble for a few animals we can catch in the wild!” Touya exclaimed in whisper between the two of them. When Jin ignored him, he couldn't help but grumble a bit before slinking off after his friend.

 

Cautiously Jin made it towards the fence. The sound of the lively town on the opposite side made him a bit leery at first but his desires for food overrode his thought process. “We'll start digging here. I don't smell many humans at this spot.” He could also hear the chickens rather clearly on the other side. “Come!” His nails digging into the soft ground, Jin began to burrow his way through to the other side with Touya aiding him.

 

On the opposite side of the fence, Neda was riding up on her fully-grown mare, Black Rose. When she was able to get her energy together for the day, she grabbed a few items to take to the local villages to sell. The Village of Neldron was one of her stops, even if it was quite far. The horse pulling the carriage through the wooden entryway, Neda nodded to the guards at their post. She still felt a bit tired, but she knew once she got settled she could afford to stop and eat something to boost her energy back up. With the horse stopping soon off to the side of the road leading into the village, she hopped off of the carriage to look into setting up her own little booth as planned for the coming hours. “I don't know how Blythe manages to do this sort of thing day in and day out!” She grumbled mostly to herself, opening up the back of the cart to make her way inside to sort through her items. She could hear the mare snorting slightly, making Neda shake her head at the impatient mare. “Look, I only have so much energy to spare right now, okay? So it is going to take awhile,” she remarked back to the horse. “Don't be such a baby.”

 

“When the horse starts talking back, it is time to run,” responded a young man from behind the farm girl.

 

Neda slightly jumped at the voice startling her. Spinning around, she placed her hand upon her rapidly beating chest. “My goodness, you scared me!” She expressed to the male villager.

 

“Forgive me,” chuckled the redhead. “I didn't mean to frighten you, miss.” He pointed at the luggage she was carrying around with her. “I can help you if you like.”

 

“That would be nice of you.” Neda was able to calm herself from the previous startle. She began to pull some items from the back of the carriage to hand over to him. With the moments of silence, Neda couldn't help but find it a bit awkward, as she had him help her unload. “So what is your name? I am sorry, I didn't catch it.”

 

The freckled, redhead chuckled with his wavy, red hair brushing about in the tranquil wind. “Oh, my apologizes for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Dalton Copper. I run the Millrun Inn in this village. It has been in my family for generations.” With the last box unpacked from the back of the cart, he helped Neda down off of the last step. “I have seen you set up your shop here many times before. It always appeared as though you never had much to eat before traveling to your next village.”

 

Neda began to move a few things around in front of the carriage, so she could advertise her items a bit better. She smiled a bit at the man's kind words. “Well, it is a hard job, but it is because ever since my parent's death many years ago that I don't have a lot of energy or I appear the sort.” She moved the jar filled with the cows' milk off to the side to make way for the box filled with the sheep cotton. “I was taken to a doctor my friend Lily knew of, and he called it `depression' or something. I basically shut my body off to the thought of living after their unfair death.”

 

“Well that sure is a tragic tale,” Dalton admitted, feeling bad for Neda's situation. “I am sorry that happened to you.” As Neda was messing around with getting everything set up for the day, he happened to notice the red-scaled necklace she was wearing. “Oh, where did you get that from?”

 

Her eyes met with his blue, confused as to what he meant before she recalled the necklace she always wore. “Oh, this? I made it a long time ago, and I have been unable to part with it since.” She placed her hand upon the necklace with a bit of a smile. “It has been oddly comforting for some reason. Probably because it was an item I kept close to me during that dark time.” With everything soon set up, Neda placed her hands on her hips and took in a deep sigh of relief. “Now, to sell some of this stuff.”

 

“Well, I am happy I could help,” said Dalton. He turned around upon his heels to head back towards his inn. “By the by, if you ever feel like stopping by at my inn, it is just to the north of the village. Ask for me, and I will make sure I get you something before you leave.”

 

“No, no, no,” Neda insisted, pushing some of her stray, beige hair out of her face. “You really don't have to give me anything. I assure you, I do this sort of stuff all the time with my illness.” She didn't want to feel like she was taking something for free when she had the funds to pay for anything she desired or needed.

 

Dalton wouldn't accept her `no's for an answer. He shook his head as well as his finger at her. “Please, it will be my treat.” Here, he bowed before Neda respectfully. “Just be sure to catch me before you leave.” Just as he was about to head back towards the inn, he could hear some of the local villagers screaming and yelling `snake demon'. With Neda on high alert behind him, he motioned for her to stay. “Don't worry. I will take care of it!” Grabbing a pitchfork nearby, he ran in the direction of the screams.

 

“Get out of here, you wretched beasts!” One of the female villagers exclaimed, throwing a rock in the direction of Jin and Touya. “If you don't get out of here, we will have you sliced opened by the knights!”

 

With some of the chickens' corpses already in their possession, Jin and Touya both hissed angrily at the villagers' attacks upon them. Touya couldn't help but growl up at Jin at that moment with his fangs bared. “I told you this was a bad idea!” He hissed in demonic to the wind master.

 

When Dalton threatened to come at Jin with the pitchfork, he was quick to move to the side. Dropping the chickens in his mouth, he bared his fangs and snapped at the human as a warning. Even though his hatred for humans was still there after what happened to Silver, he still refused to kill them knowing that it wouldn't make things right. Knowing that if he stayed much longer, he would probably be killed, Jin picked back up the dead chickens to hurry back towards the point they crawled through. “Hurry! Hurry!” He demanded to Touya in demonic. “Let's get out of this village!”

 

Just as Jin was about to dive under with the ice master, he stopped himself when he saw a familiar face in the back. Neda…! He thought to himself, his jaw nearly dropping considering what the years had done to her. There was nothing but rage in her eyes from what he could see, but he knew there was a reason for it. He had to admit, he was surprised to even see her alive. Hearing Touya call his name from the opposite side of the fence, Jin parted from seeing the elder Neda and made his way under the fence and quickly to safety.

 

“Damn beasts,” grumbled the female villager who was attending to those chickens. She sighed heavily as she made her way over towards the spooked birds in hopes of settling them from the event. “That is the first time in some moons that they had the gull to attack my chickens.”

 

“They are annoying, heartless beasts,” grumbled Neda from the back. She didn't recognize the demons, as it had been many years since she last saw them. “They are the same race that took my parents from me. I can never find it in myself to forgive them for what they did.”

 

“I am sure many of us have lost a good deal from them.” Dalton put away the pitchfork for the time being even if it matched his overalls he was wearing. “I thought for sure a majority of them had been destroyed years ago during that fire.” He was thinking back on the fight that the knights took on with the thousands of demons in the Kalrune Graveyard. Those that survived were awarded medals for their bravery and some were even promoted. It was a memorable time for the humans. Shaking his head at the monsters, he turned back to Neda and attempted to press a smile for the time being. “Anyways, just remember to come to my inn later. I will make sure you have something before you leave no matter what it costs me.”

 

“Dalton…” Neda was silenced with a simple wave of his finger. She knew he wasn't going to be swayed from his decision, making her sigh at his persistent behavior before heading back towards her horse and cart. Seeing as the serpent demons had previously made their attack, she made sure everything was in order before attempting to sell.

 

Touya and Jin both hurried over the hills until the stench of humans was long gone. “Have you gone mad!” He exclaimed angrily between them. “Any moment further and you might have gotten yourself killed!”

 

Jin dropped the dead bird from his mouth, putting the others down as well. “I stopped for a moment because I saw that farm girl. I thought for sure she had probably died by now.” Ever since he was chased away with Touya, he never went back to the farm to check on things. He was convinced by Touya enough was enough and to let nature take its course. Every day he was worried she had probably died and failed the human woman he had promised. “She is much older. What a few summers does to humans, eh?”

 

The ice master growled angrily at Jin with an added shake of his head. “Next time you want to do something that reckless, I will make sure to leave you behind in the trouble, which is sure to arise.” He grabbed one of the dead birds to begin his own feast. “And humans have the ability to age a bit faster then any other creature on this earth. I thought you knew that.”

 

“I don't know. I usually just watch them from afar.” He looked over his shoulder back in the direction of the village they had run from. “I have never put much attention into one lone human.” He smiled a bit to himself. “It is nice to see that she actually still lives.”

 

Touya could catch a few things in his tone, making him uneasy. “You better not travel back to where that entire mess happened many summers ago! I don't really think you realize how many lives you damaged that night!” He knew it was hard to bring it all up, but Touya was worried Jin was forgetting what happened that long ago. “You even hurt yourself.”

 

Jin growled defensively at having to recall Silver. “I know that!” He snapped angrily. Sighing heavily, Jin now couldn't find it in him to stomach the food before him for the time being. All he could think about was the people he had let down. With the thought tearing at him, he slithered away from beside his friend and headed down the hill before to make it towards the river there.

 

“Jin,” called Touya, “where are you going?” When the wind master didn't answer him, he looked down at the chickens they had killed with the intention of them both eating. “You should really eat before you wander off like this.”

 

“I'll eat later!” Jin yelled back over his shoulder, not really interested in the thought of food. Making it to the edge of the riverbank, his scales rested upon each other as he gazed down at his own reflection, lost in thought. That night replaying in his mind, Jin tried to shake the images of when Silver fell right before his eyes because of what a knight had done to her. He had never felt so weak and powerless in all his years. Taking the tip of his tail, he dipped it into the water to disturb the surface and cause ripples to wave about. His frown of sadness melting into serious, he couldn't help but think about returning back to the farm. He remembered the knight at the farm had been there that night, and a part of him wanted revenge.

 

 

 

 

With the hours in the village running short, Neda wiped the sweat on her brow. “It sure is hot! I didn't expect so many people to buy as much as they did.” With so much money to take back with her, Neda was unsure if another stop to a different village was even necessary. She usually traveled whenever she didn't get enough money from the first stop but a lot of villagers showed up. As Neda was about to pack up everything and head back to the farm, she remembered about Dalton's request before she did so. She had to admit to herself that the offer did sound inviting. Sighing heavily, Neda couldn't even stand the thought of standing him up, so she patted Black Rose on the cheek gently. “I'll be right back, Rose. Just watch over my belongings for me!” She waved her finger teasingly at the mare, making her way to the inn owned by the Copper family.

 

It was a two-story inn from what Neda could see from the outside, and it took up a fair bit of land in the village. “They must be quite wealthy,” said Neda to herself at seeing the size of the building. Making her way to the front door, she opened it to peek inside to find the check-in desk. The woman there greeting her, she curtsied slightly. “Hello, I was asked to come here by a Dalton Copper?”

 

“Oh, yes, you must be the woman he spoke of,” said the young ebony haired woman. She pointed down the hallway to the left of her desk. “If you go down this corridor, you will come to a door at the end. Take that door and you will be in the dinning area. He said he would be there waiting for you if I recall properly.”

 

“Thank you.” Neda waved goodbye to the young woman and made her way in the direction she was asked to take. Opening the door at the end of the hallway, she found Dalton there, sure enough, with a few other inn customers there. She waved at the young man with a slight smile. “Hey. I was told I would find you here.”

 

“I am glad you took me up on that offer.” He made his way over towards Neda, offering his hand only to have her withdraw the notion of accepting it. Dalton didn't make a big deal of it. Instead, he offered her to take a seat. “If you'd like, you can eat here.”

 

“That's very kind of you, but I am afraid I have to be on my way.” Neda moved some of the beige strands of her hair out of her face. She felt bad in the way of wanting to eat and run, but she knew she had to get her cargo back home safely. “I know you wouldn't let me live it down if I just took out of the village, but I have to make sure everything makes it back to the Cormac Farm safe and sound; especially after that incident this afternoon.”

 

Dalton knew there was no way to complain about such a case. “I understand,” he said reassuringly. “If anything, please take something with you before you head back to your farm.” He grabbed the paper menu on one of the nearby wooden tables to hand over to Neda so she could make a decision. “Take whatever it is you wish. I don't mind paying for it.”

 

“Dalton—,” Neda began, only to be cut off once more.

 

“My family's money can cover such a free meal,” he promised her. “If you come to our village again for selling anything, please, let me know, and I will be sure to help you best you can.”

 

His offers seemed terribly kind and it made Neda wonder what was in it for him. “So, not that I am complaining, but why do you offer so much to me? You hardly even know me,” she felt the need to point out while eyeing over the menu.

 

“During such tough times, everyone looks after each other,” Dalton explained, as he turned around to head towards the back door from whence Neda first came from. “You come here to look after the villagers I take into my inn. This is the least I could do for someone who travels great distances to make sure people get what they need.” Here, he bowed slightly before the young woman. “Make sure to tell the bartender that the meal is on me. I spoke of it all earlier to her.”

 

Neda watched as Dalton left the room. Taking a deep breath, she checked the menu once more before deciding on what she was going to take back with her to the farm to nibble upon.

 

 

 

 

With the hours passing by and the moon high within the sky, Neda's black mare made her way towards the Cormac Farm. It was refreshing for her to be back at home. With the horse stopped right beside the house, she jumped from the cart to work on unloading for the last time that day. As she was doing so, she could hear the steady rocking of the rocking chair, which Lily usually was resting within. Turning her head to peer over her shoulder, she saw the woman sitting there per usual, staring at nothing in particular. “Still you stay there,” she grunted while putting all of her weight into the heavy boxes and jars. “You just prefer to sit there all day and night?”

 

Lily turned her head slightly in the direction in which she could hear Neda, pressing a tender smile to her face. “What else could I be doing? Besides, it is nice to feel the warm, refreshing breeze. Wouldn't you agree?”

 

Neda couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the comment. “Well said, I do suppose.” She wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling quite lethargic at just moving the three cases of cow milk. “There has got to be an easier way to load and unload all of this.”

 

“Do you need help?” Lily asked with a tilt of her head, her blank eyes gazing off to the left.

 

“I am fine, Miss. Lily,” Neda assured her. “I just don't have a lot of energy, apparently. Oh! Speaking of such things—,” here she paused, digging through the back of the cart to find the meal she had preserved in a basket with fabric covering the top to conceal the freshness at least. “I was able to make off with dinner for us tonight, so you don't have to worry about making anything.”

 

Lily pushed herself up from the chair she was within to make it over towards Neda with her walking stick in hand. “Where did you manage to grab a meal from? Usually such things are expensive if you don't make it yourself.”

 

“Someone by the name of Dalton Copper gave it to me for free. He said it was the least he could do.” Neda shrugged at the act of kindness, finding it nice all the same. When Lily came close enough, she handed over the basket to the woman so it could be taken inside.

 

“Dalton Copper? I think I have heard of that last name somewhere,” Lily said, accepting the basket. “Did he by any chance say he owned an inn of some kind?”

 

“Yes,” called Neda from the back of the cart. “He owned the inn at the town I was at.”

 

“Ah, so the well known Copper family then. They own a string of inns around each town. Quite wealthy they are.” She couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the odd affection from one of the family members. “It is nice he was so kind to you. You must have made quite the impression on him.”

 

Neda looked through the opening of the back of the cart to show her unimpressed look at Lily, even if she couldn't see it. Adding a scoff at the situation, she pulled the last bit out and onto the ground for taking back inside to keep. “You and your hopeless romantic attitude, Lily.” Neda made it back to where Black Rose was being kept hooked up to the carriage to unfasten the creature, taking her by the reins. “I'll go hose Rose off and put her up before coming back to get everything together. It shouldn't take me long.”

 

“You should consider opening yourself up one of these days to the thought of love,” Lily instantly insisted to the stubborn Neda. “I know you feel you don't need a man in your life, but he could do you some good.”

 

Waving her hand at Lily's comments, she sighed. “Yeah, yeah, we'll discuss this later, I am sure.”

 

When everything was back to the way it was to be for the evening, Lily and Neda both sat down for dinner together as they usually did. Neda was quiet, as she was trying to relax from the long day's work. She also didn't want to spark the conversation about how she needed a man in her life to make everything better. She heard it every now and again from Lily ever since Blythe got married off to Thane. “I guess tomorrow I will be taking my break for the time being. Maybe I can go and visit Blythe or something.”

 

“Sounds like a good idea,” said Lily from across the table, as she finished eating the bread, which came with the meal. “It is always best never to overwork yourself.” With her meal done for the night, she moved back in her seat to excuse herself with the plates she had to clean. “I hope you two can have fun together.”

 

“I am sure we will.” Neda excused herself at that moment as well, taking her plate to the sink to work on cleaning it off. “I guess she is lucky to have who she does in her life.” She seemed to give off an irritable sigh upon saying that. Lily was quick to catch it.

 

“And yet you sigh.” She gazed over in the direction of where she could hear Neda from. “Is something bothering you?” Lily made sure the plate was clean before putting it back in the cupboard. “I have told you, finding a man is not too difficult. You have a few making advances towards you. Why not take them? What is that other man that you are always talking to—Nash?”

 

The winter elf did on occasion come down to the Eytheria Market, and Neda would run into him. She would often talk with him and catch up on a few things before he went back to his village. Never did she see the exchange they often did as anything involving a romantic love tryst. “You look into things too much,” she insisted with a shake of her head. With her plate cleaned as well, she too put hers away. “It is really late, anyways, so I best head off to bed.”

 

Lily nodded. She too was getting back into the habit of going to sleep when she was supposed to. “I agree.” Limping over towards where the sofa was, she grabbed the quilt and fixed the pillow right where she wanted it. Neda had insisted on many occasions she didn't have to sleep there, but Lily was too used to it. “I will see you in the morning. Sleep well, Neda.”

 

“Goodnight,” called Neda from the staircase, as she headed off to her own room.

 

With the lights died down, Jin and Touya reappeared before the farm house they had left long ago. Jin was determined to meet up with that knight again and have his revenge. He had left the ice serpent back at their usually nesting spot, seeing as he knew Touya would be adamant against his coming back to the human farm. When the last candle blew out, Jin waited a moment or two before heading towards the front door to open it and let himself inside.

 

Everything was just as he recalled it from the times he last ventured into the human house. Not remembering or knowing of Lily on the sofa, he ignored her all together, as he slithered his way quietly and with haste up the stairs to try and find the man in iron. While the smell was faint, he could clearly catch it coming from inside of Neda's bedroom. Hissing lowly with anger, he made it to the young girl's bedroom, opening the door slowly, hoping to catch the element of surprise. When he made it inside, however, he found no traces of the blond human he remembered seeing around the farm. He recognized the room, however, as belonging to the young girls.

 

“Why do I smell it from within here?” He asked himself quietly, making it to the beds cautiously, as he could smell humans nearby. Getting closer to the clothes that Neda had worn that day, Jin grabbed onto the fabric to see that, sure enough, the smell was coming from those clothes. With Neda having been around the knights during the day, the scent wore off on her. “So he's not here…I wonder where he went.”

 

With Neda stirring in her bed, Jin slunk to the floor quickly, not wishing to cause a riot. Finding that she was just turning in her bed, the redheaded demon slowly rose to peek over the bed to find the young girl slumbering there peacefully. He was still in shock and disbelief that Neda had managed to live so long without him nearby. Relieved that his promise was still kept, he reached over to touch her forehead gently. “I had hoped you would be okay at least,” he whispered between them. Gazing over his shoulder, he found the other bed to be empty. “I just hope the other one is okay. I don't see her anywhere.” Looking back down at Neda, he smiled tenderly before moving back down and out of sight towards the door. “Being without a clan or an alpha to tell me what to do, I believe I can say it is alright for me to stop by here and again. Maybe I will see you sometime soon.” With that said, Jin quietly exited the door and the house all together, heading back towards the nesting site.