~
The drive to Rick's house was uneasily quiet as both parties were lost in their thoughts. Riya looked out the window the whole time lost, Rick stole glances at her several times and just decided to let her be.
They finally got to Rick's house, Riya stepped out of the car and took a deep breath closing her eyes, it had been a tough week.
"You good?" Rick asked with scrutiny
"I will be" She replied with a half smile
" Alright let's go inside before we start to freeze" he said waiting for her to go first.
They both went inside, Rick went straight to the kitchen and Riya sat on the sofa in the living room rubbing her head with her eyes closed.
"Yeah yeah we've all had a long night, and yeah I'm okay, nothing broken, you're welcome"
Riya turned abruptly to the direction of the familiar voice and her soul almost jumped out of her body.
This dude always had a creepy way of entrance. she thought
"What do you think you're doing here?" she asked in a harsh whisper.
"How about a thank you?, try it, it doesn't kill" he said nonchalantly.
"Thank you? Thank you?!!!!!!!!!!!!, you almost got me killed" she whispered harshly pointing her fingers at him.
Elijah smiled arrogantly making himself comfortable by leaning into the couch across Riya and putting one foot over the other.
"Well I guess no thank you" he said with a smirk.
"Rude human, shoulda let the demon play with ya a little" he muttered inaudibly
"You better not be whispering weird spells witch" she said studying him warily.
"Witch?, I feel insulted" he scoffed
" I'm a warlock and also the emperor's right-hand man or assassin, any which you prefer" he said waving his hand dismissively.
Riya tensed and stood up from the sofa, putting distance between them immediately.
"Relax, I don't bite.....well I do sometimes though, but I'm your guardian I won't hurt you, I was sent to protect you" he said staring at her feeling amused by her sudden reaction.
" What do you mean you bite sometimes dude, and that's supposed to calm me down?, and what do you mean you're my guardian I'm not in third grade"
" What's a third grade" he asked staring into the air thoughtfully
"You don't know what third grade means?, dude what time space did you jump from" she said laughing
"Riya who are you talking to?, is everything okay?" Rick shouted from the kitchen.
"Yeah yeah, everything's fine" she shouted back.
"Alright, I'll be done in a minute" he said loud enough for her to hear.
"Okay" she replied.
"So back to you old man, have you been leaving under a rock?" she asked staring at him like she was about to burst into another fit of laughter.
"Technically yes, and who you calling old man, I'm just 200 years old" he replied with a shrug.
Riya's jaw dropped.
"No wonder you're so ignorant" she said trying not to laugh again so Rick doesn't call the clinic.
Elijah just gave a slight shrug and sighed.
"Well old man, third grade is like a level or class in school okay" she said.
"Ohhhh how convenient, and the next time you call me old man I'll make sure to send two hungry demons after your little boyfriend there" he said smiling and gesturing towards the kitchen.
" You!!!!!!!!!! you're supposed to be my guardian" she said fuming
"Exactly what I was thinking, that's why I'll send them after the fine young man" he said nonchalantly.
Riya sighed and flopped on the sofa.
"So you're like a body snatcher, like the ones in the movies" she asked
" Something like that" he replied.
"So let me get this straight, you're originally a skeleton right"
" Exactly"
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Riya heard footsteps and she knew Rick was coming immediately, she expected Elijah to leave in his usual dramatic way but he just sat there and stared at his fingers.
"Hey!!!!!, aren't you leaving?" she said in a harsh whisper
"Ohhhhhh no, I'm staying just here, no need to play more hide and seek games, your boyfriend isn't a threat to me don't worry". he said smirking.
"I'm not worrie... forget it, it's effortless arguing with you" she snapped rubbing her temple.
"Wtf is going on here, who's this man?" Rick asked as he came out of the kitchen with a tray of food in hand.
" Okay Rick it's high time I explained everything to you from after the incident at the alley" she said standing up.
"Alright, and this man?" he asked scrutinizing Elijah who just watched them with pure disinterest.
"Yeah he's part of that explanation" she said giving him an apologetic look.
"Is that by chance food?, this annoying host needs that" he said with a scowl on his face.
"What's he talking about?" Rick directed the question to Riya.
"Just give the weird guy food and then let's talk". she sighed.
Rick gave him some contents on the tray and took Riya aside to talk.
"Okay start talking, I wanna know everything" he said.
Riya told Rick everything starting from that night at the alley to this very moment and Rick just stood there with his mouth agape.
"You know, if it wasn't you talking right now or I didn't really see the scene for my self, I'd think you've lost it" Rick said still watching the man warily.
"Yeah that's expected" Riya said
"Did he tell you why he was sent here to protect you"
"Not yet, but I plan to find out soon" she said thoughtfully.
"Don't mean to interrupt all the lovey dovey, but we're losing time here, so you might as well sit so you don't die" Elijah said with an expressionless face.
" He talks about death without even breaking a sweat" Riya muttered glaring at the stranger.
Riya and Rick walked to the living room and sat down facing Elijah.
" Weird one, I'm Elijah, Riya's guardian". Elijah said smiling at Rick.
" Did he just....... did he just call me weird?". Rick directed the question to Riya with shock and amusement in his eyes.
"Tell me about it". she scoffed.
" Well let's begin" Elijah said dramatically
" This better be good" Riya said glaring at him.
" Ohhhh it will be" he smirked.
Rick just watched them uninterested.