I fidgeted with the sleeves of my winter jacket as I waited for Etienne outside of the ‘Anvers’ Metro station. It wasn’t the best place to hang out, especially at night. I could have sworn that I heard gurgle noises, like those a hungry dog or monster might make, coming from within the station. But according to Etienne, this was the best compromise for both of us, as this metro stop was not too far from my workplace, and on the direct metro line from wherever it was that Etienne worked.

I had decided to drop that specific issue, following the very wise advice my grandma had once given me: ‘as long as it’s not a mistress, let him keep his secrets’.

A shiver ran down my spine. It really was freezing today. I pulled the sleeves of my jacket over my hands and peaked down into the staircase that led to the guts of the metro. A few people were walking out, and gave me that typical disdainful Parisian look as they passed by me, but Etienne was nowhere to be seen.

Had my phone battery not died from the cold, I would have messaged him. Thankfully a convenience store across the street, and its digital clock, were there to remind me that it was 19:20 and that if Etienne didn’t show up in the next ten minutes, I might as well start walking in the direction of my evening sword-fighting classes without him.

“Hey, Laura!” A familiar, and slightly out-of-breath, voice called out.

I spun around to face none other than the man who’d been occupying my mind since seven o’clock.

“Hello monsieur ‘I arrive on time’.” I greeted him back as we kissed each other on the cheek.

“I’m really sorry about that, I had to stay later to clean up today.” He replied, as he pulled away. “Shall we go? Do you still have time?”

“Yes, although I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you at quarter to; I have training.”

“Yeah, sure.” He nodded, as he looked around, trying to figure out where to go.

I decided to take initiative and passed my arm around his. He moved my arm away, before taking my hand into his and sliding it into the pocket of his jacket.

“You didn’t bring gloves. This way you’ll stay warm.” He said with a coy tone.

“And my hand will smell like cheese.” I jokingly added.

“Cheese?”

“You smell like cheese and almonds today, I presume you were working at some fancy cocktail party?”

He chortled at my remark, before starting to walk along the broad sidewalk in the direction of Gare du Nord’, leading me along.

“Do I actually?” He asked as he sniffed his other palm, then his jacket.

“It’s like exotic cologne.” I joked again. “So, tell me, what did you do today?”

“Isn’t it customary for the lady to retell her day first?” He asked, his tone shifting ever so slightly towards a more serious one.

“You know, the usual. Didn’t get burned by any money today, the oven didn’t break, Manon wasn’t too much of a pain…” I trailed off.

Honestly, the fact that he still refused to talk about himself was starting to get on my nerves, not enough to bring it up to him, but still.

“What did her highness do?” He asked, seemingly very eager to keep the conversation going in this direction.

“The customers we’re getting no longer match her aesthetic, and she’s thinking of opening a new branch. Since I’m her best, most talented, most loyal, prettiest, and most gifted employee, she wants me to work there. As manager.”

“Well, she’s not wrong about most of it.” Etienne replied with a sweet tone. “So you’re getting a promotion then?”

“Oh I don’t know… The new place is ‘beyond the boundary of civilization’ all the way in Meudon. And I already have a flat here, with stores nearby. And my area is relatively safe.”

“Well, the rent is cheaper down south, so you’ll be able to get a nicer place with a manager’s salary. And they have nice food there as well, with all the Wild Lands nearby.”

“That’s also what I’m worried about. Monsters and all that.” I explained.

From Etienne’s point of view, just like for just about everyone else born in this world, monsters and their presence was a nuisance more than a threat. Safety systems had long since been put in place to prevent any real damage to property, and casualties were few and far between (that was excluding the ‘self-induced’ monster-related accidents, of course). So, before Etienne had had the time to intervene, I continued:

“Remember when back when you were still at ‘Chez Manon’ with me, and we got attacked? Well that was super scary, and I don’t want to put myself in that kind of situation again.”

Etienne made a noise not dissimilar to a laugh.

“Come on. Were you one of those kids that always hid in the safety chamber during monster-drills?”

“What the hell is a safety chamber?” I asked. I presumed it was some sort of bunker or vault, but for all I knew it could have been a pocket dimension.

“Did your school really not have those?” Etienne asked, his voice losing that amused tone.

“No. I grew up by Mer du Nord, we had no money, and shit infrastructure. Sometimes the Belgians pitied us, and thew emergency rations and deployable tents over the border.”

“Really now?”

“Well, no. But they did always come to my town to get cheaper beer and then complained how much shittier it was than theirs. That’s actually how I learned to swear in Dutch.”

Etienne suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Come on, don’t lie.” He said.

I looked at him in disbelief, before pulling my hand away from him.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Normandie has one of the best Wild-Land containment and defence infrastructures. Everyone knows that.”

I could not decrypt from his expression if he was as confused as I, or angry.

“I’m from Picardie, not Normandie. From Ochie, which is like 20 minutes away from Lille. And I think I’d know better than anyone what kind of ‘infrastructures’ we have there.” I lied about the second part, in a sincerely outraged tone.

Etienne was probably right, and I’d have to look it up later on. But that wasn’t what had suddenly put me on edge. No, what put me on edge was the fact that he called me a liar. Which I was, of course, but not in any way significant to him.

“Fine. You’re right.” He admitted defeat, although his tome was all but sincere. His face then softened into a smile. “So, what had you so worked up anyway? Anything at work?”

I blinked, processing the fact that he had not seen the direct impact his words had had on my emotions.

“No, something in my personal life.” I replied sarcastically.

Etienne reached out his hand, silently asking me to take it. I obliged, and we soon found ourselves in your previous position, shoulder to shoulder, or rather shoulder to arm, considering how much taller he was than me, with both our hands interlaced in his pocket.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, last thing I wasn’t is to seem too nosy, but is it about your cousin?” Etienne asked, after we’ve picked up our pace in the direction of ‘Gare du Nord’.

“What makes you say that?” I asked in turn, genuinely surprised by the question. I had thought him smart enough to figure out what I meant earlier, but perhaps he was pretending not to out of politeness.

What he said next made me discard that theory.

“You haven’t been yourself since he went back home. You’ve gotten more reserved. Did you not notice?”

His tone had been soft, and I would have almost dared to call it caring. But it was hard to see it as such, when contrasted with his overall secretive behaviour.

“You don’t have to answer.” He repeated, quickly, almost apologetically. “But if it can make you feel better, I know what it’s like to be far away from family, my sister,…”

“Oh yeah, she’s at uni, right?” I chipped as he trailed off, hoping to avoid another awkward silence.

“Something like that…”

“Haute Ecole?” I suggested the only other likely alternative.

“Military academy actually.” Etienne replied after a short pause. “Not sure when it happened, she never brought it up before leaving, but she now wants to become a dungeoneer.”

“Huh. That might be hard, considering her class.” I said, remembering that she was druid, and that most dungeons in this world did not have plants or anything of the sort in them. Becoming an explorer of Wild Lands, or regular military would have made more sense in my opinion.

Etienne let out a deep sigh.

“She had already started to specialize in extreme environment survival. She wants to travel the world and go places no one has gone before.”

As he spoke, his voice was spiteful, almost angry. So, I allowed myself an off-hand comment:

“There’s a good reason why those places are unexplored. People don’t usually come back from underwater caves or frozen forests-” I cut myself short, realizing what I’d just said. Thankfully Etienne was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice.

“What I wanted to say, before, is that I know what it’s like, so you can talk to me. I’m here for you…”

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

I was pondering whether I should bring up the school issue from earlier, when he suddenly asked:

“Did you hear that?”

“What?”

I tried to focus on any unusual noises, but all I could hear was the sound of cars riding past us, and people complaining about the cold as they passed us.

Then I heard it. It was a very soft, high-pitched, plea-like sound. Although I couldn’t figure out the direction it was coming from, I knew it definitely wasn’t human.

“It’s coming from there.” Etienne said, pointing towards an alleyway ahead of us.

He then let go of my hand, and cautiously headed in that direction, gesturing me to stay back.

“Etienne!” I called out. “Don’t go where the creepy sound is coming from.” I muttered under my breath before following him.