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A hay-like bearded man was on his way home to his wife and child, after trying to lay a woman at a local bar. He bitterly massaged his aching wrist, thinking of the beauty he wished he could've struck just once. No one woman had ever made a fool of him like that, and it angered the man beyond words.

All he could do to quell his anger was mutter under his breaths, things like: 'whore', 'bitch', 'cunt'.

He was so busy trying to stay upright as he stumbled drunkenly down a dark Ekapan alley that he did not notice the tall figure trailing behind him.

Ivo kept his distance until he was sure they would be in a secluded area, stalking his prey like the apex predator he was. Ivo was thinking of all the things he wanted to do, and all the things time and location permitted him to do.

It was not until they were between two stoned buildings, with no doors or windows facing into the alley, that Ivo gave hint that he was there.

He slowly pulled his dagger from its sheath, allowing the metal to create a shink sound as it glided out.

The drunken man whipped around to see Ivo standing about ten feet behind him. Seeing a figure so close made the man jump and ultimately sent him staggering back a few steps before tumbling to the ground.

"What the hell?!" The man slurred furiously, looking to his scraped palms. "What the hell is wrong with you? You scared the shit out of me, freak!"

Ivo tilted his head at his words.

"What is wrong with me?" A sick grin slithered onto his beautiful features. "I am not sure we have the time to get into that."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Just fuck off, would ya?" The drunken man huffed and tried to climb back to his feet, though he slumped a few times.

"No, I do not think I will." Ivo began to step closer to the fumbling man. "I will tell you, though, that one thing wrong with me, is I am too fond of a woman."

The man eventually got back to his feet and attempted to walk away, but Ivo sent a heel kick into the side of the man's knee popping it out its socket and effectively breaking it.

The man released a bone-chilling scream that broke into the night air like shattering glass.

"It is rude to walk away when someone is talking to you." Ivo smiled, scolding the man under his pained screams.

"Now, this woman, the same woman you harassed with your vile finger," Ivo began to circle the crumbled man weeping over his leg.

"It is her smile that captivates me; I am sure you saw how beautiful it was. You see, I try so hard to smile, and I thought I was pretty good at pretending to. That was until that afternoon on the deck of our ship when I—" Ivo stopped as he watched the man begin to attempt the crawl away.

"You're crazy! You bastard!" The man sobbed, pulling himself along the wet stone.

Ivo rolled his eyes, striding to stand in front of the man. Ivo pressed his boot into the back of the man's head, and applied pressure, pushing him back to the ground face first.

"Stay." Ivo kept his boot on the crying's man head.

"As I was saying..." Ivo twisted his boot on the head.

"I always thought my smile was perfect, and that no one could tell I was faking it. Until I turned around one day and saw her. She was standing there, with the sea breeze in her hair staring up at me... and she smiled. Right after I told her to jump off the ship, she smiled." Ivo let out a chuckle, raising his hand to his face, the other gripped his dagger tighter.

"The sight made me feel so peaceful like she had stopped my heart. All the chaos in my head was quiet... the sound of her voice soothed my demon... it was like a of peace came perched in front of me." Ivo removed his boot.

"Do you think I would let anyone harm my little dove?" Ivo asked darkly, a sick grin on his face.

"I only touched her shoulder! I didn't do anything wrong!" The man blubbered, terrified of Ivo.

Ivo used the tip of his dagger to move a piece of the man's hair off his forehead gently.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Are you truly trying to pretend you were not attempting to bed her?" Ivo slid the dagger's point down the man's cheek, leaving a thin cut and trail of blood.

"I am sorry! Just let me go!" The drunken man pleaded desperately.

"No," Ivo simply replied. "Whatever pleasure you thought you were going to steal from my precious little dove, I am going to replace it with pain." Ivo giggled, his grin only growing wider.

Without a warning, Ivo moved the razor-sharp dagger to the left side of the man's head and sliced upward, quickly.

The man let out a howling scream as his left ear plopped to the ground.

"Stop! Stop! I am so—" The man clasped his hand around over the gushing wound, blood spilled out between his fingers.

Before he could finish his plea, Ivo stood using his heel to kick the back of the man's head back down, and it bounced off the ground with a sickening crack.

"Shut up, or someone will hear you and our fun will be ruined." Ivo grinned down at the dizzy man.

"We have to take care of the main problem after all." Ivo crouched back down. "You touched her with such dirty fingers."

Ivo looked to the man's hand sprawled out on the ground.

"What... what do you want from me?" The man breathed out.

Snot, tears, and slobber dribbled down his chin, mixing with the dark liquid on the pavement.

Ivo shifted his pale green eyes back up to the man, a smile on his lips. "Do I look happy?" Ivo asked as cheerily as he could.

"H-huh?" The man's eyes were searching Ivo's face for any sign of joking, though it was not much of a joke to him either way.

"Do. I. Look. Happy?" Ivo asked again, forcing himself to smile wider.

"Y-yes." The man spat out.

Immediately Ivo dropped his smile.

"See how easy it is to trick people? But I couldn't trick her."

Ivo drove his dagger down on the man's index finger, lopping off the digit entirely. The man looked down horrified, too stunned to scream, wondering if Ivo had really just removed his finger.

"Why can she not see me as happy as I make myself look?"

Ivo repeated his action on the man's middle finger, this time receiving a screech as the man reeled in his tri-fingered hand. The man panted between shrieks, beginning to heave in this hell on earth.

"My little dove is always smiling, always genuine." Ivo stood, stomping on the man's digits, crunching them into the ground. "When can I do that?"

He asked to himself rather than the hyperventilating man at his feet.

Ivo slow-paced to the man's side.

"Do you want the pain to stop?"

The man nodded his head wildly.

"Please, just let me go." He cried.

Ivo giggled crazily again.

"Let you go?" Ivo grabbed the man's hair, pulling his head back.

"How stupid are you?" Ivo whispered darkly, bitterly, as he dragged his dagger across the man's throat steadily.

The man gurgled on his blood, reaching up to his neck with wide eyes, smearing the blood as he pressed the fatal wound. A stream of dark crimson spilled down the corner of his mouth into his hay-like beard.

Ivo grinned down at the dying man.

"You look so sad," He faked a pitying voice. "I can help with that as well."

The man could not stop Ivo from slipping his dagger into his mouth and cutting him from ear to ear, carving a smile.

"It's, like mine, but it is still a smile, right?" Ivo said watching the light dim from the man's eyes.

Ivo wiped his dagger on the back of the man's shirt, cleaning off the blood, before standing again.

"I will leave you here to think about what you did, okay?" Ivo chuckled, sheathing his dagger.

Ivo thought happily to himself as he sauntered back in the direction from which he came.

Ivo was strolling back to the tavern when he saw a figure standing outside, shaped much the like body he has engraved in his memory.

"Little dove," He smiled as he closed in on her.

(Y/N) looked in the direction of his voice, surprised a little, before smiling at him, causing his heart to squeeze.

"Ivo, hi!" She waved. "I told the others I was going to the restroom, I came out here looking for you. Where were you?" She quizzed turning to face him completely.

"Just a little walk," Ivo smiled. "What was so important you needed to talk to me in private for?"

A blush crept on her skin as she shoved her hand into her cardigan pocket. Ivo watched curiously, wondering what it could be.

"Happy birthday." She smiled brightly, handing him a gift with both hands.

He did not immediately take the gift, instead, he looked down at it with awe.

Because Ivo was not taking the gift, (Y/N) grew insecure.

"I am sorry if it isn't very fancy," She nervously chuckled. "But I wanted to give you this as a thank you before I even realized it was your birthday."

"No, I adore it." Ivo finally took the fabric into his hands.

It was a dark green handkerchief, with vines of golden threaded ivy. Each stitch appeared to be meticulous and thought out.

"Thank you, little dove."

"Of course." She nodded.

"What are you thanking me for, though?" Ivo asked as he ran his fingers over the embroidery.

(Y/N) took in a deep breath almost embarrassed to truthfully answer him.

"Well, because you take care of me." She twinkled. "You always make sure I am clothed and ready for any sort of weather- even when I don't want to wear some things." She chuckled thinking of the snow weather clothes Ivo forced her into. "And you make sure I have eaten enough every today,"

Even if you do so by feeling how soft my belly is.

"But also, because you make me smile, even when I feel down."

Ivo's heart felt like it exploded.

"I make you smile?"

She laughed. "Of course, you do, don't you see me always smiling at you?"

"I... I thought that was just your normal facial expression, like how Leven always looks upset." Ivo chuckled shakily.

"Leven does have a grumpy face," (Y/N) agreed. "But I smile because you're always saying or doing something to make me. If I were a prisoner for mean and hateful men, I would not be smiling." She explained.

"I am so happy to hear you say that," Ivo admitted.

"And..." (Y/N) looked back at her gift. "I was hoping that would make you smile too, for real."

Ivo's natural reaction was to smile, but she just giggled at his faux mask.

"One day," She smiled softer. "I will see you truly smile, mark my words, Ivo."

I am trying, my Little Dove.

With that (Y/N) turned on her heel and began down the opposite direction, throwing Ivo completely off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ivo instinctively grabbed ahold of her arm.

(Y/N) stumbled back a step, caught off guard as well before giggling.

"Well, I wasn't lying about the bathroom."

She pointed her thumb in the direction of the outdoor restrooms.

Ivo loosened his grip but did not let go.

"Then I will accompany you."

(Y/N)'s face immediately lit on fire with heat.

"No! That is not necessary, Ivo. It is not far, I can manage." She awkwardly laughed, hoping Ivo surely did not want to walk her to the restroom.

"It is late, what if someone were to grab you?"

"Then I would break their wrist." (Y/N) joked but saw he was not satisfied.

"You can see me from here, stand here and wait for me, if I am in trouble that I cannot handle, I will scream." (Y/N) offered the overbearing man some comfort.

Ivo thought for a moment before finally releasing her with a smile.

"Very well."

"Very well," (Y/N) repeated back with a soft chuckle and continued to the restrooms.

Ivo watched her back closely and all around her distancing figure for any threats.

But even Ivo could not see nor sense the figure hiding in the shadows, waiting for the girl to be alone.