He didn't know whether to be curious or afraid.
Before him were four people — all of which were starring daggers straight into his soul — spread out between three of the round tables.
With just a simple glance, he could tell these were no ordinary people. He tried to keep his thoughts composed, but their visual appearances made that near to impossible.
'These guys are freaks!'
The table closest to him sat a sickly, demonic-looking boy. His dark hair was shrewd and messy, and he appeared as if he hadn't gone to sleep in years. No, he looked as though he didn't even know what sleep was.
His pupils were nearly pitch black aside for a slight tint of blue. By all definitions of the word, they looked dead. He looked dead. Skinny to the point you'd expect the bones to collapse out from his skin.
Just to the right of him, sitting at another wooden table, were two girls. One had long, wavy blue hair, and the other with short muted-pinkish gray. The thing that put him off was the fact that both of them had something severely wrong with their composition.
The girl with blue looked as though her skin was taking after her hair. It had an ominous yet subtle blue coloring to it, making her appear straight from the ocean. Her teal eyes seemed rather normal, though were notably piercing to the point of unraveling pure terror.
The short-haired girl, however, looked relatively normal — that is, if it weren't for the fact her bones were positioned at all kinds of unnatural angles. Her body was contorted in a way that almost made Nephyr want to throw up.
It was only when she noticed his gaze did she suddenly and unpromptly twist her body back into place.
Finally, there was the girl sitting far in the back, all by herself.
When compared to the other three, she by far looked the most regular; Her straight black hair stretched down and neatly fell behind her back, all besides a single group that placed itself against her shoulder. Her eyes were a rather deep green with a subtle pop of white, appearing like a whirlpool of emotions swirling within.
From afar, she looked perfectly normal.
"Take a seat, boy," the man gently muttered out, giving an insistent nod towards him.
Nephyr, not wanting to sit next to the three in the front, quickly shuffled his way over towards the back.
It was only when he started to get closer could he see it.
And when he saw, the only emotion he felt was pure 'what the fuck.'
At first, he thought it was simply the lighting. Then, he saw the small, minuscule stitches. Then, the small seams leading to her flesh. It didn't take long for him to figure it out.
Large patches of her skin were cut off and missing, and replaced by ever-so-slightly off-colored bits of stitched-on hide.
Upon seeing this, he immediately turned on his heel and, without skipping a beat, sat down at the sickly boy's table. He couldn't even get a moment to comprehend his surroundings until the man began to speak once more.
"Now," He murmured, clapping his hands together as if to get the demeaning silence out of the room, "I think it's time to introduce you to the family. Young Nephyr, I am Elior. Orchestrator and frontman for our business. And these fine children who surround you are your new family."
The more Elior spoke, the more Nephyr could feel their eyes drill into his skull. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, passing a subtle sideways glance toward the sickly one beside him.
While the boy's hollow eyes peered back in acknowledgment, they flicked away close to instantly, as if he could barely manage to lock eyes with him. Instead, he gave a subtle nod towards Nephyr in return.
"You'll have due time to get to know each of them while we're out in the town."
Reaching into one of his pockets, he hastily dug out a bundle of small pieces of rolled parchment, walking up and passing one to each of the children.
The rough paper beginning to crinkle in his hands, he swiftly unfurled the note and began to read. Almost instantly he was met with bewilderment.
'I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this..?'
Written in fine cursive was the overly elegant list for various errands around town — a majority of which were simple shopping items.
"Because you're new here, I'll be more lenient with your time. Your four must return by noon, and Nephyr by evening."
Without much more of a word, everyone immediately stood and began walking to the door. Nephyr, refusing to be left behind, immediately followed suit.
He could sense an odd amount of pressure on his shoulders. Even though he had loads of time to complete the list, he still had no idea where he even was. To add insult to injury, upon leaving the quiet tavern, he was met with an uncanny swarm of people moving up and down the once silent streets.
All he could do was watch in awe as the others confidently strolled away from the building, list in hand, and split to each of their designated locations.
He stood directly out the front door — shakily scratching his head as he tried to figure out which direction to go.
It was due to this immense amount of focus that, when a hand placed itself against his shoulder, it caused him to give a slight flinch in return.