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Spring
Two days later
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Hooves and wagon wheels travelled noisily over the cobblestone streets in Merring. The town wasn't big and it was easy enough to keep to the shadows as he walked, hood drawn over his head. Next to him, Kirishima followed along - except with his head high and his eyes shining with wonder as he fiddled with every little thing he could. He had to drag him along from a roadside merchants table more than once - apparently the tales that painted dragons as creatures who loved shiny things was true.
"Kirishima," Katsuki said, voice a low hiss, "If you stop at one more stall, I'm going to -"
"Hey look at this," Kirishima said, ignoring the threat that hung unfinished on Katsuki's lips. He was standing at yet another booth, fingers lifting up a gold painted pendant that had a dragon carved into the face of it. Katsuki sighed.
"Look, if I buy that for you, will you stop running around like a kid in a candy store?" Katsuki was already fishing a few silver coins from his money pouch when Kirishima clenched the pendant in his hand protectively and nodded. Mental reminder one: don't ever try to take something shiny from Kirishima if he wanted to keep his fingers away from those sharp teeth.
Katsuki turned towards the merchant, a little old lady with slate colored hair, and placed a few coins in her outstretched hand, his head down as he avoided her gaze. She thanked him kindly and placed the coins in a little glass jar that sat on the corner of her table, within grabbing reach of the shuffle of the people passing.
"I, uh, you might want to put that jar somewhere else," Katsuki said, "someone could steal it."
She looked to it, eyes keen as she brought it closer to her. "Thank you, young man, you've saved me a lot of trouble." She thought for a moment. "There's a pair to the pendant, if you'd like it."
Katsuki held up his hands and took a step away, ready to hurry away to the tavern he'd been meaning to get to this whole time when the old lady waved him back, the stern look on her face leaving no room for argument. "Take it," she ordered, pressing a carved wolf pendant in his hand, eyes twinkling with mischief. "No charge. You saved me more money than it's worth."
"Thank you," Katsuki said awkwardly as he shuffled away, the pendant warm in his palm. He wasn't exactly the best at receiving gifts.
Kirishima was beside him, a grin on his face as he fiddled with the pendant that now hung from his neck. "They're protective charms, you know."
"What?" Katsuki looked at him from beneath the hem of his hood, eyebrows raised.
"The pendants are protective charms, the woman was a fae. A rather nice one too." He cast a glance back, gaze falling in the direction of the table.
Katsuki sputtered, half turning to look back in surprise. "What? A fae? How do you even know that?" Katsuki was bewildered, she had looked just like any other old woman.
"It was a glamour," Kirishima said and Katsuki could see how hard he was trying not to laugh at his quite frankly shocked reaction. "I only know because I know other fae folk and have learned how to see through glamours. I don't blame you for not noticing, to humans she looks like a regular old woman."
"The fact that I couldn't see that makes me wonder how many magic people I know," Katsuki said absentmindedly, tugging his hood down to shadow his face. He'd been to Merring before and he really didn't want to cross any merchants who he might have stolen from a time too many. They were known to hold grudges, he'd run across one a few years ago and the fucker nearly clubbed him with a walking stick.
Kirishima shrugged, "You might know a few but fae do tend to stick to areas that are magic hotspots. Some do tend to like messing with humans though."
Katsuki watched as a man passed, bags bundled up on his back. "How do you know this stuff if you've lived on an island without humans?"
"I have a few friends who are fae and my dads a human, so I know a thing or two. Plus we have books on the island, lots of them. I don't know where they really came from but they look old." Kirishima's head swiveled as he talked, looking at what merchants offered as they walked but keeping to his word and never stopping for longer than a split second. Katsuki shook his head with an amused smile that hid in the shadows of his hood, but otherwise kept his mouth shut about it. They were at their destination anyways.
Bon Voyage was a small tavern that brought in a healthy amount of customers because of its good food and above average ale - pretty much the only thing that would make a poor man feel rich these days. The pork buns here were delicious.
Katsuki's stomach grumbled and he suddenly remembered how hungry he was considering Kirishima was very good at ruining hunts. If only he was as good at shutting up.
As they entered the tavern, they were met with the sour smell that came with ale and then with the smell of fresh food which promptly drowned out the unsavory smell of alcohol. When Katsuki glanced at Kirishima, he nearly laughed at the sight of the red-head practically drooling at the smell of food. He looked at Katsuki pleadingly and the blond waved him off.
"Don't worry, we're going to eat, but first I have to talk to someone." Katsuki could see the protest in Kirishima's eyes and he couldn't help but feel a little bad. He didn't know how big a dragon's appetite was. That being said, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, his eyes fell on an old friend.
"Yaoyorozu," he called, pushing past a loitering patron in order to get closer to the raven-haired girl who was now grinning at him, arms full of empty cups.
"Well if it isn't my old friend, it's been a while. How are you?" She never was one to skip pleasantries.
"Could be better, I've gotta talk to you," he said, grabbing Kirishima by the back of the shirt as he got a bit too close to a stranger's dinner. "I also would like to order enough pork buns to feed a large dog." Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow but didn't question him further, instead, she looked to Kirishima with a smirk.
"Who's your friend, Katsuki? Haven't seen him before and last I checked, you were a 'lone wolf'."
Katsuki flushed, "His name is Kirishima and I'm just helping him out - and I never said that I was a 'lone wolf'. That's just a weird thing to say."
She hummed in thought and shook her head, "I don't know, last time you were here you got pretty drunk." Katsuki opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off. "Anyways, lone wolf, take a seat. I'll have your food shortly." Katsuki tried to defend himself but his words fell on deaf ears as she walked away, ponytail swishing behind her.
"Evil woman," he huffed as he pulled a chair out at the nearest table and plopped himself down into it, arms crossed. Kirishima followed his actions and gave him a look.
"What?"
"Who was she? Was she a… girlfriend?" Kirishima said it as if it were scandalous, his voice dropping to a whisper as he implied what Katsuki wished he hadn't. He had to restrain himself from throwing the nearest object at him.
"You're so fucking stupid," Katsuki groaned, leaning back in his chair. "I don't date or do that whole girlfriend-boyfriend thing. Too much trouble, plus I don't stick around long enough to put down roots, let alone get to know people."
"Wow." Katsuki raised an eyebrow at Kirishima's single word. The red-head grinned. "You really are a boring person, Dandelion."
"And you're really testing my limit, lizard boy."
"It's what I'm best at, flower boy." Katsuki ground his teeth together, fighting the urge to throw himself across the table and smack the shit eating grin off the redheads face - luckily, he didn't have to worry about it because seconds later, Momo showed up, food in hand and information on her pale pink lips.
"You two try not to get into a bar fight here," she chastised like a mother with two unruly children. She sat a plate down in front of both them, the wooden dish clattering against the oak table top. "Now, to business. You want information and I want money. How much do you have?"
Katsuki stuffed a doughy bun in his mouth and tossed his money pouch on the table. "I'll ask you the question and then you take what you think your words are worth."
She watched him carefully as he ate, evaluating him, seeing if he was trying to scam her like many of her other patrons. When she found no deceit in his actions, she motioned for him to continue.
"There's been word of the King finding a… dragon. What all do you know about that?" Katsuki forced his shoulders to relax as he ate, trying his damnedest to seem more curious than anything else. He couldn't afford for Momo to be asking the questions.
Sitting back in her chair, she crossed a leg over the other and regarded him with a relaxed expression. "Not much. King's little entourage of glorified servants found the supposed Dragon of Saren, it got away, and now they're on a wild goose chase. People don't like to talk about the King's affairs but it's hard not to when word is about a dragon of all things." She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her ponytail. "Anything specific you need to know?"
"Actually, yes," he began, leaning in as to avoid the meddling ears of the other patrons, "do you have any clue where they found the dragon?"
She leaned in as well, hand resting on his shoulder. "Not much, heard mention of a traveler who listened to the Knights tales - said something about it being east of some port, nearly impossible to get to or something. I think it's a bunch of over exaggerated bull but I am not paid to tell you what I think."
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, "Well? What do you think?"
"I," she began, chuckling, "think you should be careful. I don't know what you're doing but you're definitely going to get into trouble sooner or later."
Katsuki rolled his eyes and looked at Kirishima who - other than stuffing his face with food - was listening to them with wide eyes the color of yarrow. "Yeah, I agree with you. Where I'm going isn't going to be an easy journey."
Momo picked up his money pouch with a grin, peering into it with shining eyes. "Two questions, four gold." Katsuki tried not to slam his head into the table - the evil money hungry goblin.
"Fine. But that's going towards the food too." She shrugged as she stood, chair scraping loudly against the already scuffed wooden floors. Kirishima waved his goodbye, which she returned happily, only to follow up by shooting Katsuki a devious smirk.
He wondered if she treated her other patrons this way or if she felt the need to terrorize Katsuki in particular. He sighed, chewing thoughtfully on a piece of meat.
He couldn't catch a break.
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Spring
A few hours later
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"Stop moving, you're rocking the cart," Katsuki growled, giving Kirishima a sharp glare as he - once again - adjusted his sitting position.
"It's already rocking," the redhead exclaimed, looking like he'd been chastised for breathing.
Katsuki scoffed and rolled his eyes, fingers twisting a few pieces of straw into a braid. He didn't provide a response but Kirishima did manage to sit still afterwards, no longer shuffling around in the bed of the horse-led feed cart. It hadn't been the best solution but Katsuki had managed to find a travelling farmer that would take them to Septonia - their ultimate destination. The cart provided a safe place to sleep though, and it was better than walking miles on foot - faster too.
The driver seemed kind enough, an old man with salt and pepper colored hair and a beard that was in desperate need of a cut. His overall clad back was hunched, probably from years of strain, but there had still been that twinkle in his eye when Katsuki asked him for a ride - pay included. While he looked particularly frail, he also seemed to have a certain vigor about him. Katsuki couldn't decide if he should be wary of the old man or if he should invite him home for dinner like they were old friends.
"Where are ye' goin' boys?" Katsuki started, looking at the old man in surprise. The ride had been mostly silent if not for Kirishima's quiet griping and Katsuki telling him to shut up. The man peered at him from the corner of his eye, waiting.
Katsuki shuffled, "Nowhere in particular, just going."
"Ah, justa goin'. Adventurous lil' kids these days, all of em' lookin' for somethin' ta do." He sighed wistfully and looked forward once again, eyes on the horizon. "Reminds me of when I was a boy, didn't know how ta sit still. I got into a lot a trouble." Katsuki chuckled, to be polite and keep the old man on his good side. He just hoped he wouldn't talk this whole time - he liked the dude but the accent was definitely starting to give him a headache.
"Dandelion, what is he talking about," Kirishima whispered as he moved to sit next to him, their legs pressing together as if there wasn't a plethora of room for both of them. Katsuki scooted to the side.
"I think he's talking about when he was a kid," Katsuki offered uninterestedly, aware of the fact that the old man wasn't bothered by their conversation - he just seemed happy to have someone to ramble to.
Kirishima hummed in thought, looking down at the piece of straw that Katsuki was braiding in his absent minded daze.
"What's that?"
Katsuki huffed, "How many questions are you going to ask me?"
"I don't know. What is that?" Stubborn as a pack mule.
"It's called a braid," Katsuki said with a sigh, offering the straw to him. Gently, he took it and looked over it, eyes faintly glowing with interest. That may be a problem in the future. "Normally it is done in hair and such, but people find all kinds of things to use it on."
Kirishima looked up at him with a grin, "Can you braid my hair?" Katsuki balked.
"I'm not going to braid your hair, idiot. Braid it yourself." Katsuki could feel the back of his neck heat and he was immensely thankful for his cloak - even if the weather was a little too warm for a fur lined hood. Kirishima pouted but went back to examining Katsuki's handiwork. "I can teach you though," Katsuki said, caving to the puppy dog eyes that Kirishima hadn't even used yet.
"That works," Kirishima said quietly, knowing damn well that he'd gotten his way.
"Whatever," Katsuki grumbled, grabbing a few strands of straw and holding them between the tips of his fingers. "You can start with three," he began, "knot the tops together and then alternate in folding the sides over the middle. Simple." Katsuki demonstrated and then gave the strands to Kirishima. "Go crazy with it."
And finally, peace and quiet. Well, minus the old man who was still rambling. Katsuki pulled his hood over his head and sighed, eyes fluttering shut. He really needed a nap.
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Spring
Four days later
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It took the better part of four days to reach the gates of Septonia and by the end of their journey, Katsuki was sure that he'd never listen to another story in his life: the old man and Kirishima blabbering at the same time proved to be a challenge to sit through.
The smell of the sea; briny with muddy, earthy coasts. Docks were built sternly into the slippery ground that the water lapped at on a constant schedule. Above, large, white birds greeted them, their calls clashing with the sound of sloshing waves. Septonia was an awfully peaceful place for it to be so dangerous.
"Come on," Katsuki beckoned, leading Kirishima through a worn and withered wall. There was an opening in the wood, easily broken away by Katsuki hands due to rot.
They were just inside Septonia, miles away from the harbour that was hidden from sight by tall, stone or wooden buildings and wandering bodies. Katsuki had managed to find a building that looked empty - from a warped and dilapidated appearance to the way Katsuki had managed to easily to sneak in without be caught led him to believe he'd found a safe place to rest.
As they entered, Katsuki looked around cautiously, hand resting on the hilt of the dagger that sat sheathed at his waist. They couldn't risk being caught off guard.
Fortunately for them, nothing seemed amiss. The house was practically empty with the exception of a table covered in cobwebs and a sheet of cloth that was bunched up in a corner.
Kirishima huffed, leaning against the wall and dropping to the ground tiredly. "It stinks here. I think the smell of so much fish is going to give me a headache." He grimaced to prove his point.
"Wait till we get to the harbour, you're going to love that," Katsuki pointed out sarcastically as he tossed Kirishima a bit of food from his pouch, as well at a few mint leaves. When Kirishima looked at them curiously, Katsuki explained. "They're useful for headaches and shit, just chew on them when you're done eating."
"Careful, I might start thinking you care," Kirishima teased, teeth ripping into the dried meat Katsuki gave him.
Katsuki rolled his eyes as he settled on the edge of the table that sat in the lonely room. Dust coated his pants in a fine layer as he sat but he didn't bother brushing it away, not willing to stir up dust that would send him into a loud and obnoxious sneezing fit.
"You're a nuisance," Katsuki said tersely as he dug through his pouch, grabbing food for himself.
Kirishima grinned. "If you really believed that you wouldn't still be here. You'd tell me to find my way to the harbour and 'fuck off'." Kirishima stood, a glint in his eyes. "Yet here you are." The redhead took a step forward, towards him, and Katsuki found himself tense and motionless, heart thudding heavily in his chest.
"Sit down, idiot," Katsuki ordered hoarsely, standing and walking towards the broken window to his left if not to check for guards, then to put distance between them. He didn't like that exchange, not one bit yet the back of his neck was still hot to the touch.
Sighing, he blinked hard and cast his attention outwards to the surprising lack of foot traffic outside. The sun was low in the sky, night settling in and leaving the ominous glow of street lamps that were just being lit by a flame. Women's heels clacked against the stone, dressed in all of the nice clothes that came with the status money brought. There were no guards that Katsuki could see but he knew they were there, waiting for something to happen.
Katsuki opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut when he heard a scuffle from their entrance, keen ears picking up the noise almost immediately.
Out of instinct, his hand went to his blade and before the intruder could process what was happening, Katsuki's dagger was imbedded into the wall just inches from his face, blade buried deep into the weak wood.
"Oh my christ," the stranger said breathily, clutching at the fabric of his shirt in passing terror. "You could have killed me, you lunatic! What's your problem?"
"Nice throw," Kirishima complimented through a mouthful of food. The stranger glared at him. "What?"
Katsuki sniffed. "You're the one sneaking around, I'm surprised you haven't been stabbed sooner."
"You're a real ray of sunshine," the dude sneered as he got to his feet, casting a wary glance towards Katsuki as if he expected him to have another dagger ready to throw at him. "You do know you're the one hiding away in an empty building like a bunch of criminals, right? If anyone should be stabbed, it shouldn't be me."
Katsuki growled, leaning against the wall and casting a glance outside. "What do you want?"
He spluttered incredulously. "I live here!"
"No offense but it's a dump," Kirishima said, trying not to laugh. "You don't even have chairs."
"Oh ha ha, you're the stowaway, weirdo."
"We're not on a boat, dumbass. We're just home intruders, apparently," Katsuki mumbled, clutching his cloak around him as a chill breeze swept through the house. Broken windows didn't do a great job of keeping the cold out.
"That doesn't make it any better." The stranger looked up, eyes narrowed. "Who are you anyways?"
Before Katsuki can think to come up with fake names, Kirishima speaks.
"Oh! I'm Eijirou Kirishima, child of sun and fire! Nice to meet you!" He holds out his hand.
With a raised eyebrow, the other takes it reluctantly and shakes. "O-okay, you're an odd one. I'm Ezumi."
"Katsuki," he says gruffly.
"Well, Katsuki, you and your friend are welcome to stay," he begins, then adds more quietly, "not that I could get you to leave."
Kirishima grins, friendly as always. "Great! I don't know when we're leaving though." He turns to Katsuki.
"Midnight, when the sun is down. It makes it easier to hide from guards. Sleep. You'll need it, we're going to have to move fast and the harbour is a distance away." He sat down, back to the wall as he pulled his cloak tighter around him. He didn't know how much he would be sleeping, but Kirishima seemed all too happy to comply, already in the process of settling in next to Katsuki, way too close.
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the wind outside. Katsuki paid more attention to the footsteps that echoed against stone; sometimes soft, measured and other times subdued - presumably a drunk man shambling home after yet another lonely night. In his silence, Katsuki was planning.
The harbour was too far away for them to simply sneak through the shadows - too many open areas and lampposts for them to traverse. It would make sense to just run for it, but it was also a death wish. Guards could be anywhere and they couldn't risk being seen by any civilians - well, civilians other than the house rat that was currently glaring at him from across the room.
Katsuki met his gaze, eyebrow raised.
"You're kind of an asshole," Ezumi commented, looking down as he tore loose threads from the blanket he was sitting on. "You also don't make good first impressions."
"Mm, neither do you," Katsuki hummed, "you're not exactly the most enthusiastic host."
For a few seconds, there was silence, and then the stranger took a breath.
"Who are you two, really? I'm not stupid enough to not have seen the posters but you don't exactly seem the criminal type." He glanced sideways at the knife still embedded in the wall and shook his head. "Okay, maybe you do but your friend over there seems like a good guy. And you haven't killed me yet so I'm grateful."
"I'm just some guy." Next to him, Kirishima grumbled, already asleep. He leaned against Katsuki, cheek pressing against his shoulder and squishing his face. The redhead was shivering and when he touched Katsuki, his skin was ice cold.
Katsuki felt a little guilty.
Ezumi smirked, eyes twinkling. He pulled his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms over them, interested. "Some guy? I don't think 'some guy' is going to be running around in a town filled with guards while they actively paste his face to every wall possible."
Katsuki couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Apparently I'm some guy with a death wish." He looked at Kirishima and frowned, "I don't know why I'm even here, actually. Money I think."
"How did you forget?"
"No clue," Katsuki snickered as he got to his feet, pushing Kirishima into an upright position as his joints popped and muscles stretched. "Kirishima," a soft kick to the shin, "wake up, dumass, it's dark." Kirishima's eyes snapped open and he grumbled something incoherent as he got up, the fog of sleep clouding his mind.
"I'm up, I'm up," he muttered, glancing at their new 'friend'. "Goodmorning."
"It's hardly morning," Ezumi said as he leaned back against the ground, hands behind his head."
Ignoring the conversation, Katsuki snuck a look outside. No one could be seen and if they were going to be going, now would be the best time - they would need to stay low and hidden though, and there didn't seem to be much to hide in other than the shadows. He glanced at Kirishima who was still talking to Ezumi. He didn't know how adept Kirisima was at the idea of being sneaky but Katsuki had the suspicion that it wasn't something that he had grown used to quite yet.
Outside, a flame flickered and Katsuki sighed. "How are we going to do this," he whispered to himself.
"Y'know," Ezumi began, looking at Katsuki mischievously, "I do know my way around town and you seem like you could use some help. I've already dipped my toes into whatever trouble you're in so why don't I help you both out?" There was a certain excitement in his voice, like he was eager to get into a little trouble. Katsuki blew out a forceful breath of air.
"Yeah," he sighed, "we could use a little help."