Stares.
Lots of stares.
Yet-
"You're not bothered?" She asked.
The two walked side by side.
"Bothered of what?"
Through the markets.
Through the town-
On the road.
"Me…" The girl mumbled.
She hidden behind a shawl but her hair, her body- was definitely on display.
No boots, no hand gloves.
Everyone could see.
And the shawl was quite thin, so it wasn't hard to make out her features…
"Not really. I'm being paid well enough. I've to guard you all day, and you can rest assured, I'll guard you."
The old guard had instructed Flint to keep the woman busy and well protected the whole day.
Failure to do would mean he wouldn't get any payment.
So- Flint was extra motivated, to say the least.
"I see, so you're in this for the money."
Flint stopped. "This is my job. I'm not sure what you went through and I'm sure I won't be able to comprehend, and that's why, I'd rather not inquire. As you said, I'm here for the money."
"I see…" The woman paused, not quite saying anything. Perhaps there wasn't anything to say.
"But I did take up the quest of keeping you entertained for the day, therefore, feel free to make requests. It could be places you'd like to visit, things you'd like to eat, or stuff like that."
Flint got a decent amount of cash. And honestly, he felt pity for the woman. He didn't know her situation and he didn't really care. But he did feel pity.
The woman kind of stood there- in the sun. Perhaps thinking, perhaps wondering various things. She tried opening her mouth- but then closed it. Repeated it a couple of times before eventually- "I'd like some cream puffs…"
"Cream puffs?" Flint wondered.
"They're delicious."
"Never had any. Where do you get them?"
"The bakery?"
A shrug. "Let's go find one then."
***
The girl was a demihuman-
A fox demihuman.
Typically, demihumans had animal characteristics comprised of ears and tails.
Beastmen meanwhile had the heads of their beast counterpart and maybe even fur all over.
Though the higher races deemed both races to be the same- humans- despised Beastmen for their animalistic appearance.
And it showed-
"You damn demon!"
"Get away demon!"
"Stay away from my baby!"
Screams-
Red-
A world of red-
Red from her own blood.
She just went to the city-
She went there without her father's permission-
To see the people-
To see the glory of the city-
To-
And yet-
Yet she was treated like a demon-
Even though just a ten-year-old child-
A demon.
They hit her-
Threw rocks-
Injured her head- making blood trickle through her forehead, slowly dripping…
Ears ringing, eyes leaking-
Her world-
Red.
Ever since then-
She'd never come out.
She didn't want to.
After all-
She was a demon.
An abomination.
But- just the other day, the head butler gave her something to eat.
And since then, she'd craved that.
She knew it wasn't a craving for the food but-
Which brought her to the present-
Traveling through the very city that rejected her.
The very people who threw rocks at her-
Yet-
"That's the bakery?" The man next to her asked.
Yet, she couldn't resist.
She didn't want to stay there anymore.
Her mother was long gone.
Her father was becoming more and more of a depressed drunk.
Leaving her to be locked up in her room-
That cave…
She didn't want that anymore.
No-
She hated that!
And that's why-
"I'm not sure…" she said. She'd never been here.
Of course, she hadn't.
"Let's go in then?" The man said.
"You go- I'll wait-"
Memories-
Memories of her being recognized and-
She didn't want that.
She just-
But the man shrugged. "I wouldn't know heads from tails. So, let's go in."
"But they'll-"
"Didn't I say, I'll protect you?" He said it so casually.
Her face was protected with the shawl. So, it was a bit hard to see.
Yet-
She could see. She could see the man- the young man in front of her, expanding his hand for her-
To her-
A demon, an abomination.
"Why?"
"The money, remember?"
No-
Money wasn't the whole thing.
After all, her father perhaps offered money to various other adventurers-
But none of them even lasted while they were still inside the house-
Let alone taking her outside.
So what?
Pity?
Did this man pity her?
Or was it something-
"Be real, are you not afraid of me?"
"Why would I be? You're just a sheltered girl. If anything, you should be afraid of me."
Chuckle-
Quiet-
'Did I just-'
Did she just laugh?
After all this time?
Why?
This was-
Amusing?
Why?
"Hello? Let's go?"
The man waved before her-
"Right…"
She took the hand.
She took her chance.
And though-
She was a demon-
Though she was an abomination-
Though she'd been treated as a disgrace all her life-
She, smiled.