Cozy Secrets
(Word Count: 1744)
POV: Sorah
Date: October 370 Ac
Location: The forested hills a few hours walk west of Arghasi.
"So, you really don't want to tell me?" Melwyn asked me with a little fist bump on my shoulder. "Hm? Tell you what?" I said, feigning ignorance and hoping he would just drop the subject. Of course, he didn't. "About your job!" He said with a smile. "I told you what mine was, so i want to know about yours too!" "But you already know what it is? I'm just a mercenary like you, dude." Melwyn scoffed and rolled his eyes at me. "That's what you say all the time. But i know there's more to it!" It was my turn to roll my eyes. "And how do you know that?" I asked him, crossing my arms. However, to my surprise, Melwyn straightened himself as he began explaining himself. "The dagger you're carrying is unique" He said, nodding to the scabbard on my hip before continuing. "It has a very dark blade, almost black. I've never seen one that looked like this before, so how did you get it?" "Ah that..." I said, trying to come up with a believable excuse. "It was... a gift. From a good friend in the guild." "Ok, sure." It was clear he knew there was more to it. He continued. "There's something else." He said, before pointing a claw-tipped finger as my wrist. I reflectively moved my arm away from his view. But he shook his head when i did. "It's fine, i already saw it." "Saw what?" I said, trying to keep my tone calm, but my heart was already beating faster. "The tattoo you have on your wrist." He said simply., and i felt my heart sink. Oh shit! This is bad! "I saw it a few days ago at the temple, when you were washing your hands." Fuck, i slipped up... He saw the emblem... "Normally, i wouldn't have thought much about it, but it was the fact that, to me, it seemed like you were trying to keep it hidden under your wrist guard." Shit... what should i do... Lie? Would he believe it? Probably noticing that i was being silent, Melwyn spoke up. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, i'll understand." He said in a calm voice that nonetheless betrayed that he was hurt. "We haven't known each other for very long, so..." "No! It's not because of that!" I said, before i could stop myself. Fuck, why am i making it harder for myself?! "Well, what is it then?" He said. "It's... ugh..." I pinched the bridge of my nose as i took a moment to formulate what i was trying to say. "it's just that i don't think i can tell you, that's all." i finally said. "You don't think? So, it's a secret?" "Yeah" "Oh... does Akaela know? Or her mom?" "...no, they don't" "And you're afraid I'll tell them?" He asked. I wasn't sure was to respond wth. He was right, but there was more to it than that. "I won't" Melwyn said as he looked at me straight in the eyes. "If you want me to keep it a secret, i will." I turned away from his intense gaze to look at the fire in front of us. He sounds sincere, but still... can i trust him? There's no way i can actualy tell him, right? Even if he understands, he could still slip up next time he talks to Akaela... I sighed as i picked up a long stick laying on the ground nearby and began using it to poke and move the logs around in the campfire. I probably wasn't helping it much, but i needed a distraction as i worked out what i should do. Both Akaela and her mom, Desana already had their assumptions. I could see it whenever they asked questions about my work. They never seemed to really believe my answers. Not fully, at least. It was as if they knew i wasn't telling them the full picture. That i was lying to them. I glanced at Melwyn. His gaze was fixed on the fire in front of him, the light of its orange flames danced in his golden eyes. He was resting his head in his palms, seemingly lost in thought. It was a look i was quickly learning was common for him. Even if i don't tell him, he's gonna figure it out soon, i can tell, especialy now as we're traveling together. Wouldn't it be better to tell him myself before that? There's a risk he may be mad or disgusted, but then again, it's better he hears it from me first... "Fine, I'll tell you then" I said to him, deciding to do the right thing. If we're gonna travel together, i shouldn't hide stuff like this. I just hope he'll agree for me to stay once he knows... "Wait, really?" Melwyn said, his flat ears flickering up as he turned to me. I nodded back at him. "I've actualy never told anyone this before, so i'm not really sure where to begin." I said, scratching the back of my neck. Melwyn nodded as i took a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing, i guess... "Ok, first things first. How much do you know, exactly?" I asked, tentatively. "Oh, uh... I'm not sure?" He said, shrugging. "I mean, your tattoo... I'm pretty sure that i saw that same exact guild emblem before, back when i was still in Kus'Qari. It was drawn in a book with a whole buch of other drawings. I clearly remember that the drawing had daggers in it that looked like your does" He recounted. Ah, he was definetly going to figure it out soon... "There was text beside it too. And a two word name." He added, "but since i couldn't read at the time, i have no idea what they said." I nodded back at him as he finished. "I think what you saw was some sort of compendium of guilds in the region, or the country. Kavasia has a lot of guilds, after all." Melwyn nodded as i continued. "It seems my own guild was listed there, which makes sense, since we have a chapter there and we're kind of famous". More like infamous, i said to myself. "Famous?" Melwyn repeated as he tilted his head. "So... i would have heard of them before?" I leaned back, scratching my neck. "Eh, probably. But here, have a look to make sure it's actualy the same emblem" I said, before untying the bronze brace around my arm, letting the orange light of the fire illuminated it. The black ink, depicting two dark daggers on a shield crossed over a pale sword was easily visible on my tanned skin. Melwyn leaned forward to look at it. "It looks cool" he said, and i couldn't help but smile. "Its a lot more detailed than i realised." "So, its the same?" "I'm certain of it." He said. "So, what's it called?" "Its called "The Black Daggers" Melwyn looked back at me with wide eyes. "Wait! No way!" He yelled excitedly. "You're a member of the Black Daggers!" "Yeah..." "So that means... that means you're an assassin!" I nodded back at him. "I am. I completed my training about 2 years ago, and-" "This is fucking awesome!" He shouted before jumping off the log and throwing his fists into the air. I looked back at him, slack jawed. Of all the things i expected him to say or do, this was definetly not near one of them. "Why... why are so excited about this?" I asked, truly bewildered by his attitude. He stopped his little celebrations to throw a slightly confused look at me. "What do you mean?" He said, his tail wagging behind him as a giant smile grew back on his face. "I have an assassin from the Black Daggers traveling with me!" "Err, most people don't like being around assassins, though?" I said. "What if you were my target?" Melwyn just now seemed to realise that possibility. He threw a suspicious look at me for about 2 whole seconds, before waving away the concern. "Nah, if that was true, you would have just killed me back in Sargassin. Beside, i bet i could take you on in a fair, no weapons fight!" He added, planting his hands on his hip with a cocky grin. "Ok, if you say so" i said, shrugging back at him, but unable to keep a little smile from forming on my lips. "But that doesn't really answer my question... Why are you excited about this?" "Oh! Well, you guys are like super famous in my own guild! You're like nobility! "We are? Famous, i mean" I asked. "Yeah, of course!" Melwyn said. "You guys kill slavers! We do the same! It's why i joined my own guild in the first place!" Ah, now that makes sense! Of course he'd be a fan. And so would his guildmates. "But don't worry", he said, suddently all calm and serious. "I get it now." "Huh? What do you mean?" "Why you didn't want to tell me, i mean." He said. "It's a pretty heavy secret." "Ah yeah, it is..." I said with a sigh just as he sat back down. I turned to him. "You'll keep your promise, right?" Melwyn nodded, but didn't look at me. "Of course. I always do." "Can you... swear it?" Melwyn looked up at me and nodded back. "Oh sure. I swear it on... uh..." Melwyn looked around for things to swear on for a moment before grabbing something behind him. "I swear on this that i won't tell anybody about your real job, including Akaela!" He looked at me straight on, holding his fluffy black tail in his hand. "Are you swearing on your own tail?" I said, before i burst out laughing at the sight. "You don't have to go that far, dude!" Melwyn looked away, blushing slightly. "Well, that way you know I'm serious about keeping my promise!" He said. "Alright, alright, thanks" I said, tapping his shoulder. "But..." Melwyn said, looking at me. "Are you planning on telling them at some point?" "I mean, yeah. I know that eventualy I'll have to. It's just... i wanna be able to do it in my own time. When i'm ready. You understand?" "Yeah, i get it." Melwyn said. "Don't worry. Until then, your secret's safe with me"
Date: October 370 Ac
Location: The forested hills a few hours walk west of Arghasi.
"So, you really don't want to tell me?" Melwyn asked me with a little fist bump on my shoulder. "Hm? Tell you what?" I said, feigning ignorance and hoping he would just drop the subject. Of course, he didn't. "About your job!" He said with a smile. "I told you what mine was, so i want to know about yours too!" "But you already know what it is? I'm just a mercenary like you, dude." Melwyn scoffed and rolled his eyes at me. "That's what you say all the time. But i know there's more to it!" It was my turn to roll my eyes. "And how do you know that?" I asked him, crossing my arms. However, to my surprise, Melwyn straightened himself as he began explaining himself. "The dagger you're carrying is unique" He said, nodding to the scabbard on my hip before continuing. "It has a very dark blade, almost black. I've never seen one that looked like this before, so how did you get it?" "Ah that..." I said, trying to come up with a believable excuse. "It was... a gift. From a good friend in the guild." "Ok, sure." It was clear he knew there was more to it. He continued. "There's something else." He said, before pointing a claw-tipped finger as my wrist. I reflectively moved my arm away from his view. But he shook his head when i did. "It's fine, i already saw it." "Saw what?" I said, trying to keep my tone calm, but my heart was already beating faster. "The tattoo you have on your wrist." He said simply., and i felt my heart sink. Oh shit! This is bad! "I saw it a few days ago at the temple, when you were washing your hands." Fuck, i slipped up... He saw the emblem... "Normally, i wouldn't have thought much about it, but it was the fact that, to me, it seemed like you were trying to keep it hidden under your wrist guard." Shit... what should i do... Lie? Would he believe it? Probably noticing that i was being silent, Melwyn spoke up. "Look, if you don't want to tell me, i'll understand." He said in a calm voice that nonetheless betrayed that he was hurt. "We haven't known each other for very long, so..." "No! It's not because of that!" I said, before i could stop myself. Fuck, why am i making it harder for myself?! "Well, what is it then?" He said. "It's... ugh..." I pinched the bridge of my nose as i took a moment to formulate what i was trying to say. "it's just that i don't think i can tell you, that's all." i finally said. "You don't think? So, it's a secret?" "Yeah" "Oh... does Akaela know? Or her mom?" "...no, they don't" "And you're afraid I'll tell them?" He asked. I wasn't sure was to respond wth. He was right, but there was more to it than that. "I won't" Melwyn said as he looked at me straight in the eyes. "If you want me to keep it a secret, i will." I turned away from his intense gaze to look at the fire in front of us. He sounds sincere, but still... can i trust him? There's no way i can actualy tell him, right? Even if he understands, he could still slip up next time he talks to Akaela... I sighed as i picked up a long stick laying on the ground nearby and began using it to poke and move the logs around in the campfire. I probably wasn't helping it much, but i needed a distraction as i worked out what i should do. Both Akaela and her mom, Desana already had their assumptions. I could see it whenever they asked questions about my work. They never seemed to really believe my answers. Not fully, at least. It was as if they knew i wasn't telling them the full picture. That i was lying to them. I glanced at Melwyn. His gaze was fixed on the fire in front of him, the light of its orange flames danced in his golden eyes. He was resting his head in his palms, seemingly lost in thought. It was a look i was quickly learning was common for him. Even if i don't tell him, he's gonna figure it out soon, i can tell, especialy now as we're traveling together. Wouldn't it be better to tell him myself before that? There's a risk he may be mad or disgusted, but then again, it's better he hears it from me first... "Fine, I'll tell you then" I said to him, deciding to do the right thing. If we're gonna travel together, i shouldn't hide stuff like this. I just hope he'll agree for me to stay once he knows... "Wait, really?" Melwyn said, his flat ears flickering up as he turned to me. I nodded back at him. "I've actualy never told anyone this before, so i'm not really sure where to begin." I said, scratching the back of my neck. Melwyn nodded as i took a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing, i guess... "Ok, first things first. How much do you know, exactly?" I asked, tentatively. "Oh, uh... I'm not sure?" He said, shrugging. "I mean, your tattoo... I'm pretty sure that i saw that same exact guild emblem before, back when i was still in Kus'Qari. It was drawn in a book with a whole buch of other drawings. I clearly remember that the drawing had daggers in it that looked like your does" He recounted. Ah, he was definetly going to figure it out soon... "There was text beside it too. And a two word name." He added, "but since i couldn't read at the time, i have no idea what they said." I nodded back at him as he finished. "I think what you saw was some sort of compendium of guilds in the region, or the country. Kavasia has a lot of guilds, after all." Melwyn nodded as i continued. "It seems my own guild was listed there, which makes sense, since we have a chapter there and we're kind of famous". More like infamous, i said to myself. "Famous?" Melwyn repeated as he tilted his head. "So... i would have heard of them before?" I leaned back, scratching my neck. "Eh, probably. But here, have a look to make sure it's actualy the same emblem" I said, before untying the bronze brace around my arm, letting the orange light of the fire illuminated it. The black ink, depicting two dark daggers on a shield crossed over a pale sword was easily visible on my tanned skin. Melwyn leaned forward to look at it. "It looks cool" he said, and i couldn't help but smile. "Its a lot more detailed than i realised." "So, its the same?" "I'm certain of it." He said. "So, what's it called?" "Its called "The Black Daggers" Melwyn looked back at me with wide eyes. "Wait! No way!" He yelled excitedly. "You're a member of the Black Daggers!" "Yeah..." "So that means... that means you're an assassin!" I nodded back at him. "I am. I completed my training about 2 years ago, and-" "This is fucking awesome!" He shouted before jumping off the log and throwing his fists into the air. I looked back at him, slack jawed. Of all the things i expected him to say or do, this was definetly not near one of them. "Why... why are so excited about this?" I asked, truly bewildered by his attitude. He stopped his little celebrations to throw a slightly confused look at me. "What do you mean?" He said, his tail wagging behind him as a giant smile grew back on his face. "I have an assassin from the Black Daggers traveling with me!" "Err, most people don't like being around assassins, though?" I said. "What if you were my target?" Melwyn just now seemed to realise that possibility. He threw a suspicious look at me for about 2 whole seconds, before waving away the concern. "Nah, if that was true, you would have just killed me back in Sargassin. Beside, i bet i could take you on in a fair, no weapons fight!" He added, planting his hands on his hip with a cocky grin. "Ok, if you say so" i said, shrugging back at him, but unable to keep a little smile from forming on my lips. "But that doesn't really answer my question... Why are you excited about this?" "Oh! Well, you guys are like super famous in my own guild! You're like nobility! "We are? Famous, i mean" I asked. "Yeah, of course!" Melwyn said. "You guys kill slavers! We do the same! It's why i joined my own guild in the first place!" Ah, now that makes sense! Of course he'd be a fan. And so would his guildmates. "But don't worry", he said, suddently all calm and serious. "I get it now." "Huh? What do you mean?" "Why you didn't want to tell me, i mean." He said. "It's a pretty heavy secret." "Ah yeah, it is..." I said with a sigh just as he sat back down. I turned to him. "You'll keep your promise, right?" Melwyn nodded, but didn't look at me. "Of course. I always do." "Can you... swear it?" Melwyn looked up at me and nodded back. "Oh sure. I swear it on... uh..." Melwyn looked around for things to swear on for a moment before grabbing something behind him. "I swear on this that i won't tell anybody about your real job, including Akaela!" He looked at me straight on, holding his fluffy black tail in his hand. "Are you swearing on your own tail?" I said, before i burst out laughing at the sight. "You don't have to go that far, dude!" Melwyn looked away, blushing slightly. "Well, that way you know I'm serious about keeping my promise!" He said. "Alright, alright, thanks" I said, tapping his shoulder. "But..." Melwyn said, looking at me. "Are you planning on telling them at some point?" "I mean, yeah. I know that eventualy I'll have to. It's just... i wanna be able to do it in my own time. When i'm ready. You understand?" "Yeah, i get it." Melwyn said. "Don't worry. Until then, your secret's safe with me"
Kind of obsessed with the idea of swearing on your own tail hahaha
Lol, the idea is silly, but very serious for Melwyn!