The sun had lowered in the sky, not close to setting just yet, hues of yellow contrasting against blue. Her feet were aching from all the walking, but she managed to reach a town, which wasn’t too far now. Might have been a stroke of luck that she had stumbled onto the road, a few signs along the way pointing to a town called Bethelburg. The name sounded vaguely familiar, perhaps Blair mentioned it a few times to shop there? For now, she had to get there, find some footing to sustain herself. Clutching the apron-bag that held the jewelry close to herself, she kept walking, hoping it’d be worth it once she got there.

When she finally reached the town, she could only stare in wonder at the different buildings and some of the people walking down the streets. Quickly regaining her composure, she held her bag close as she moved on, keeping an eye out for a pawn shop first. Best she sell her jewelry and then use that money to buy clothes. Her stomach growled out in protest, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything at all today yet. Despite the hunger pangs, she wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to eat, not when she kept thinking about how Melantha devoured those fleeing the manor last night. Even the thought just now triggered her gag reflex, Lilith bringing one hand up to cover her mouth as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, she lowered her hand and kept walking, catching a few stares from other people by the way she was dressed. Wearing just a nightgown with now dirty shoes and carrying a bloodstained bag, it was understandable she’d draw attention, despite how much she really didn’t want it. Much to her relief, she spotted a pawn shop further ahead, Lilith picking up her pace to get there quickly and to get out of the street as soon as possible. Once inside, she sighed in relief, only to be surprised by a sudden outburst, drawing her attention away from all the antiques and other valuables in the store.

“What do you mean it’s fake!? Do you even fucking know the difference between real and fake,” demanded a boy with dark auburn hair. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, black pants with extra pockets and a belt buckle, and short black boots, basically in a much better state of dress than Lilith. With his loud outburst, she was a little afraid to approach, choosing instead to wait it out until whatever was going on was finished.

“It’s fake. If you knew anything about real gemstones, you’d know the real ones actually do have some flaws to them,” huffed the proprietor, pushing a bejeweled bracelet across the counter toward the boy. “Leave now and take this glass junk with you.” The boy growled before swiping the bracelet off the counter, stuffing it in his pocket as he turned away. Lilith slowly and cautiously stepped forward then, the boy passing her by only to stop some steps away to watch.

“Ahm, I’d like to see how much I can get for these,” Lilith started, opening the bloodstained bag. Grabbing the jewelry, she set it on the counter as the proprietor picked up the necklace first. He was an older man, his skin tan with darker freckles on his face, with a short graying goatee to match his graying short hair. He had a dark brown apron on over his white shirt, the man reaching down to pull out a monocular, handheld loupe to examine the sapphires in the necklace. As he held the loupe to his eye, his other held the necklace, checking each sapphire.

He would stop and blink, surprise in his eyes before he reached for the bracelet next, then the ring last. Setting his loupe down, he ran a hand through his short hair before looking to Lilith with some concern and curiosity.

“Where did you get these,” he asked slowly, motioning to the jewelry. “It’s.. It’s all genuine. How in the world does, ahem, a girl like you even come by these?”

“I ran away from home,” Lilith answered, lowering her gaze some. “These are mine, and I took them with me. There was.. An unexpected situation at home and I just took what I could get with just the clothes on my back.” The man hummed to himself as he eyed her, taking note of her messy hair and the dirty white nightgown before shrugging.

“Well, I suppose it’s no business of mine. And I’d rather not draw too much attention to myself for asking too many questions if it was a bad situation you got out of. Anyway, I can get you about… ten thousand Lamna. The diamonds of this one are the bulk of that.” He pointed to the bracelet, staring at Lilith and waiting for an answer. Ten thousand!? Goodness, even she had to admit that was quite a lot for just one person, especially if she was careful about spending.

“Make it fourteen thousand,” the boy from earlier spoke up, approaching the counter again.

“Why are you still here!?” The man glared at the boy for still lingering, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “I told you to leave!”

“Hey, girl, don’t be stupid and just take whatever offer this guy gives you,” the boy pressed, stepping uncomfortably close to Lilith as he pointed at pawn shop proprietor. “You can get a whole lot more for what you got there!”

“Fourteen thousand,” Lilith repeated, taking a step back from the boy to get some distance.

The man huffed and scratched the top of his head out of irritation. Goddamn, this boy just showed her she could haggle! What huge thorn in his side that kid was turning out to be.

“Eleven thousand,” he retorted, lowering his hands.

“Twelve thousand,” Lilith shot back, the man stroking his goatee as he pondered it.

“Alright, deal,” he confirmed with a nod, picking up the jewelry. He took them to a back room, where neither she nor the boy could see what he was doing. When the man returned, he already had the money in hand, counting out the bills in front of her as he set it on the counter. When it was indeed the twelve thousand, he picked up the money and offered it to Lilith, who quickly took it and put it away in her apron-bag.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” he added, giving Lilith a small smile to show there weren’t any hard feelings or anything of the sort between them. However, when his eyes focused on the boy beside her, they narrowed some.

“You… I want you out of here in the next ten seconds,” he warned, apparently having had enough of his presence. Both Lilith and the boy would turn away and head out the door, where said boy suddenly stepped right in front of her to stop her from going further.

“Alright, where’s my cut? I didn’t tell you about haggling for free, you know,” he said, gaze serious as he held his hand out. “You got that much because I stepped in.”

“What? I didn’t even ask for your help to begin with,” Lilith remarked, clutching her bag close to herself. “I appreciate the help, but don’t think you can just try muscle in on what I earned because your attempt was a failure.”

Suddenly his hands were on her shoulders, Lilith’s eyes widening as she tensed up.

“You little bitch, what makes you think you can-” He stopped, green eyes focused very intently on the spiral marking on her left shoulder. “How.. How long have you been walking around showing that?”

“I just got here a couple minutes ago. Now let go, that hurts,” she replied, smacking his hands away from her as she took a defensive step back. “Why does that matter to you?”

“You idiot, do you have any idea- fucking shit, come here,” he said with exasperation, hooking his arm around hers, using his own body to hide the spiral mark. Leaning close, he whispered, “You can’t be walking around showing that around. You keep doing that, you’re gonna get yourself killed. Only reason I’m doing this is because that guy inside saw me with you, and then attention would be on me because I’m a witness.”

“Again, why does that matter to you,” Lilith repeated her question, looking up at him with inquisitive eyes.

“Because I’m like you,” he replied in a low voice, silencing as a couple passed them by who gave them some stares. “You need to get new clothes, that shit you’re wearing is drawing too much attention. Look like you escaped some asylum and then murdered someone in the forest.”

“That was really specific.”

“Whatever, come on.” He pulled her along the sidewalk as he kept an eye out for some kind of clothing store. No way they can walk around everywhere like this. That said, he did give her another glance, his taller stature giving him a good view of her cleavage. Aside from the leaves and small sticks in her black hair, the dirt stuck to parts of her cheeks, arms, and nightgown, she didn’t look that bad. She was short but had a damn good chest size on her. While the thought did come up on why she looked unkempt like that, he also figured it wasn’t any of his business. He’ll leave her be once she gets dressed. Because what happened to her from here on out wasn’t any of his concern unless it got him involved.

“There, you can try out that place,” he murmured, spotting what looked like a clothes store. Well, it had to be with the mannequins wearing the ideal wardrobe for the current season. Lilith did her best to keep up with his brisk pace, clutching her bag close so she wouldn’t drop the Lamna she just received. However, as she looked up at him, her brow furrowed some as he pushed the door open into the shop.

“What’s your name? You haven’t told me,” said Lilith, keeping her voice low.

“What makes you think I’m gonna tell you? I don’t have to tell you anything.” He led her along to a rack of jackets, picking out an oversized one and quickly putting it over her shoulders. Staring indignantly at him because of that response, Lilith reached into her bag to take out a blue bill, a Lamna bill with the number “100” printed on it. His green eyes were on it very quickly, before looking at her with a raised brow.

“You’re really going to pay me to give you my name? How crazy are you,” he asked, almost scoffing.

“Money does tend to loosen lips. Now are you going to tell me or not?”

“Ugh, fine, but don’t ever mention loose lips to me again. Sounds damn weird coming from you,” he said with a small huff, swiping the bill out of her hand. “It’s Sorin. Just Sorin.”

Seemed like he dropped his family name for some reason, though maybe he came from a difficult one like she had. Sort of made her wonder if she should do the same as well and drop the Frostdane name. Not like it was of any good to be associated with them anymore, especially when they never felt like a family.

“Alright, we got that sorted out,” Sorin sighed, motioning to the rest of the store. “Get yourself some clothes so you stand out less. And try to cover up. I’m out now.”

“Wait,” she called right as he turned away to leave. “You… You need money, don’t you? What if I pay you to, um.. Help me out?”

“Are you fucking serious,” he asked, turning to face her with the most baffled expression on his face. “What could you possibly need help with?”

“Um, well, everything? Ever since I ran away from home, it became apparent that there’s a lot I don’t know about these lands.” She stopped to lower her gaze some, her free hand reaching and holding onto her upper arm. “But you seem to know your way around a lot of stuff. So maybe, we can help each other out?”

Sorin groaned a bit as he pinched the bridge of his nose, apparently pondering whether to accept her offer or not. Of all the people he had to meet, it happened to be a girl who lived under a rock for who knows how long. And not just any girl but one that was also a carrier like him. The fucking odds of that was mind-blowing, and he silently cursed his luck that it ended up like this. No, he should be cursing his decision to have gone to that particular pawn shop to sell a bracelet with glass gems - not that he knew it was until that man pointed it out. Right, he has to remember to toss that bracelet in the garbage where it belonged.

“Alright, there’s some things I have to go over before we agree on anything,” he started, lowering his hand as he met her gaze. “One, I ain’t your fucking babysitter. Feeding, clothing, and bathing yourself is your own responsibility. I’m not about to be holding your hand through everything.”

“Understood,” she agreed, figuring that was only fair. After all, she was asking for guidance, not for someone to take care of her.

“Two, I’m only going to stick around for as long as you can pay me, which we’ll discuss the rate in a moment. But once you’re clean out of Lamna, I’m out. This doesn’t make us friends, got it?” Lilith would nod, Sorin bringing a hand up to rub his chin as his expression turned thoughtful. “As for the third… You gotta let me feel you up once in a while.”

“What!?” Lilith’s eyes widened as her cheeks reddened, taking a step back.

“That was a joke, calm down,” Sorin said with a shrug, only to smirk at her. “But that reaction was priceless. Anyway the third is just the rate you’re gonna pay me. How does five hundred sound to start?”

“Four hundred,” Lilith shot back, Sorin’s eyes widening slightly out of surprise. Dammit, showing her how to haggle was biting him in the ass now.

“Three hundred.”

“Two hundred.”

“Two hundred fifty. That’s about as low as I can go.”

“Alright, two hundred fifty a day it is.”

He offered his hand to her for a handshake, Lilith staring for a second before her own hand reached out to take his. Well, hopefully this was a wise arrangement on her part.

“Anyway, you better get to shopping now. I’ll wait outside for you, and don’t you dare ask me about my opinion on this shit. I don’t care what the hell you wear so long as you don’t go around showing off your marking for the whole world to see.”

Walking away from her to head back outside, she was left alone to check out the clothes and pick out what she liked most. Keeping the jacket over herself, she noticed the cashier nearby keeping her eye on her, perhaps to make sure she wouldn’t run off with the jacket without paying for it. She better do this quickly then. Spending the next half hour going through all the clothes and shoes, she did settle on an outfit and a backpack to carry any other necessities. Definitely better than carrying around a bloodstained bag. She had also bought a short black jacket that she slipped on over her nightgown, just to hide her birthmark as Sorin had told her. Once her shopping was finished, she stepped out and saw Sorin sitting on the curb, leaning forward with his head in his hands.

“I’m finished,” she told him, Sorin suddenly lifting his head up to look over his shoulder.

“Finally! That’s the last time I’m waiting around for you to shop for clothes,” he said with exasperation, standing up. “Also, how come you didn’t put on the clothes you just bought? Wasn’t there a changing room?”

“There was, but.. I’d rather wash up first before putting them on,” Lilith explained, Sorin shrugging.

“Alright, well, with you out of there, I think we should find an inn to stay at. Sun is getting pretty close to setting now. I remember seeing one up this street, so we can check that one.”

“Okay, that’s a good idea.”

“Of course it is.” Sorin would turn away and start walking, Lilith following after him to go to this inn he had seen earlier. This really felt odd, to be around someone like Sorin. The lords she had met were nowhere near as crass, abrasive, or vulgar like him. Though, she couldn’t deny there was one thing they had in common: neither wanted anything to do with her. Well, maybe that was a good thing? And at least with Sorin, there was no obligation to try to please or flatter him. No, her parents weren’t around to insist on it. Keeping this strictly business, as he had implied, was for the best. She only needed him to help her get her bearings, just enough so she wasn’t so helpless in this world.

There was something else nagging at her mind, however, something that had been sitting in her head ever since he brought it up. He had mentioned he was a carrier too, but for which dragon? As much as she wanted to ask, she knew this wasn’t the right time for it, not out in the open like this where anyone can overhear. Maybe once they were alone and no one could eavesdrop, she’d be able to ask him. Looking on ahead, she spotted a large building with a simple inn sign hanging out front, the building about four stories high. It seemed to be made of stone, it’s color a dull gray, deep green curtains of the windows contrasting against it.

Stepping through the entrance, she trailed behind Sorin to look around, the interior decor about as simple as it was on the outside. The lights were mostly wall mounted, the tiles were white with swirls of gray, the paint on the walls beige, various potted plants adding color to the pale interior colors. Approaching the receptionist at the front desk, Sorin dinged the small bell on the counter to get her attention, the blonde uniformed woman giving a welcoming smile to them.

“Evening, how may I help you?”

“Two rooms, please,” Sorin replied, Lilith looking up at him with curious eyes.

“Two? Why the two,” she asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah, I’m not sharing a room with you. Unless you’re okay with undressing in front of me.”

“Two is fine!”

She’d hear him mutter a “heh” at her, the receptionist looking a little embarrassed to hear that exchange as she began to set out some papers for them to sign.

“I’d take it we’re paying separately,” she asked him, filling out a form and then taking out the money from her brown backpack.

“Yep. And we’re going to keep it that way.” After paying and filling out the forms, they’d get their room keys and be allowed further into the inn, the two parting ways when they reached the second floor. Seemed his was further down the hall, while hers was closer to the staircase. Heading into her room, she stepped in and shut the door behind her, bringing her backpack into the bathroom near the door. A bath sounded divine right now. She’ll wash up and then look into getting some food around here. As Sorin had said, she couldn’t rely on him to do everything for her. Hopefully this arrangement wouldn’t last too long between them. Somehow she got the feeling that he’d be a thorn in her side.