Matt felt his blood boil as his eyes widened… That damned Ankou! Honestly, why did that Grim Reaper have to show up at a time like this and try to ruin his plan?! It's bad enough that the noose gets Teemo his neck, he didn't need this supernatural being to tighten it.
"I said let it go!" snapped the Loplin as his eyes flashed with fury again, while also facing the shocked Dragoon.
Layla looked frightened and scooted away from the angry rabbit, instantly making him regret his outburst.
"Layla?" said Matt, softly as he approached her.
The little Dragoon tugged on the blanket and covered herself with it. The Loplin sighed loudly while inwardly scolding himself for snapping at the poor girl. It wasn't her fault, she was only naturally curious.
"Layla? I'm sorry… Ok? I didn't mean to scare you just now… I'm just… I really can't tell you who I am or else…"
"Or else?" murmured the little Dragoon.
"You might hate me… No, correction; you will hate me if I reveal my true title to you. But remember what we agreed on? So long as I do not hurt you, it doesn't matter who I am."
"I'm just a Loplin that likes guns," answered Matt as he laid down next to the ball of blanket.
"He had helped my father when he was younger. We had no clue who he was or his true identity until my parents died."
"Hm?" asked the confused rabbit, lifting the blanket to have a peek at the Dragoon.
The girl was quick to yank the blanket down, refusing to see the scary bunny.
"Sander… The Grim Reaper that I thought was some whimsical friend of our parents. He was there when my twin and I were born. When my parents were posted on duty, they left us in the care of Sander."
"I thought he was just some mortician that looked creepy… But my brother knew something was up with Sander since he never let the Ankou hold him, " explained the Dragoon as she twiddled her thumbs.
"Well, morticians do look creepy at times. And with those luminous green eyes… He'd be better off as a torchlight than a babysitter," remarked the Loplin.
Layla let out a little giggle, prompting the rabbit to take off the blanket one more time. Matt was smiling with his eyes closed until he opened his eyes to see the Dragoon before…
"What the hell?!" screeched the Loplin as he jumped out of the bed.
"Ah, I should've told him about one of her 'special features'," said the Ankou as he bit into a bone-shaped cookie and stirred his tea.
The Grim Reaper then shrugged and continued eating. The Felidae was so busy hammering away at the raw Ores that he didn't notice the rabbit's poor attempt at high-pitched opera singing.
Back in the room, Matt was on the floor and trying to get up while Layla was tearing up again. The Loplin didn't know what to do at that point… How could a normal Dragoon lady turn back into a toddler?! The confused rabbit took a pillow to shield himself while slowly inching closer to see if it was still Layla sitting on the bed.
Her body had shrunk to a third of her original size, with her tail vanishing. The girl's eyes were much bigger, making her look very adorable towards the bunny. But oddly enough, her hair length didn't change so it looked like she had absurdly long hair.
"Wha-How did you… Why…"
Mattheos Rosenberg, the Alpha-ranked of the Royal Guard was now at a loss for words at the phenomenon before him… And all the things he had done… And on top of it all, Layla was still upset and now bawling her eyes out as the Loplin failed to remember…
"Dragoons have exceptionally good hearing so you shouting that loud must've triggered her to revert to a child form," explained the Ankou as he appeared before the rabbit to pick up the crying girl.
Matt's eyes widened as he watched the Grim Reaper calming the little Dragoon like it was second nature to him. But it wasn't the fact that a supernatural being was better at calming a child down than a half-rabbit, it was how quick and silent he was entering the room.
Yes, Sander may be the Grim Reaper but how did he appear without any notice, no tracks, or anything?! It was slightly contradictory since a supernatural being transcends any of their minds but here's the thing…
The Ankou is forcibly stuck in this realm so he should have a presence. But Matt couldn't sense it until he appeared before him. And by the time it would've been too late, Layla would've been dead by the time he realized it.