Ansel stared quietly at the beautiful young woman who had found her way into the bar. While he had never met her in person, her looks were familiar. While her charming appearance sent Ansel's heart to heaven, the dreadful odor that flooded the room forcefully pulled him back down.
As the girl cautiously walked towards Cypress, a metallic scent of blood lingered in the air, assaulting Ansel's nostrils. The pungent aroma seemed to follow her every step, leaving an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Meanwhile, Ansel's fingers trembled slightly as he discreetly caressed his dagger's cold, sharp blade. The familiar, metallic scent of blood clung to his thumb, intensifying his already chilling gaze.
"Hey, Cypress." Her tone was slightly cold towards the barkeep. Ansel quietly shifted around Cypress and stood beside Ashley. "Is now a good time?" She gave Ansel a curious stare, but as their eyes locked, Ashley turned away with a slightly uncomfortable look.
"Sure is. I was just finishing up with this…creep?" Ansel was unaware of the expression he was making towards Ashley, but as Cypress spoke, he snapped out and forced a smile and waved.
He looked between the two and took a moment to reset himself. While he was sure the scents matched, he could not be too confident she could be the person he sought. Ansel could not help himself from staring at the girl, though.
Ashley moved behind Cypress in a cute way, but he still kept a sizable distance from him as if to avoid being too close to him. She was in an awkward situation, and Ansel failed to make it easier for her.
"I take it that this girl is the twin sister of that boy from yesterday?" Ansel asked, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm. He already knew that this girl was that kid's twin. Their faces were a dead giveaway. The only thing that differed from first impressions alone was how they treated Cypress and the curious look that she gave him despite his rude staring.
"Yeah, but why are you staring so hard at my daughter?" Ansel raised a brow as Cypress stood tall and stood between her and Ansel. He was trying to look, even though his right leg was still twitching. Ansel found this amusing and let out a silent chuckle in the back of his mind. Ashley stepped to the side and gave him a hateful look.
"Oh?" With a smug look, Ansel shrugged his shoulders. "How ironic that your 'daughter' does not seem to agree with being your 'daughter.'" Ashley's gaze stared a hole through Ansel. He smiled and kept going as Cypress seemed to have bit his lip in frustration. "But to get back to the question at hand, my staring is simple due to the fact that she is a gem lost within a sea of common rocks."
"Hey there, bud, we are not a 'sea of common rocks.'" Unable to pick on Ansel's lie, Cypress fell for his taunt. "While my dear Ashley here is beautiful if you think for even a second I'd let you touch her, then you are a dead man."
"Umm...Could you two children please lower your voices?" Ashley, her patience wearing thin, spoke in a polite yet exasperated tone, her voice carrying a hint of irritation. The sound of her voice cut through the air, catching the attention of the two men. Her face, flushed with a tinge of crimson, turned towards Ansel. He tilted his head, his eyes locking with hers. As he gazed into her wide, innocent brown eyes, a sharp, unbearable pain seemed to pierce his heart, accompanied by the sickening scent of blood that clung to her, filling the air. She then shifted her gaze back to Cypress, her eyes hardening with a cold intensity as if a frosty chill had settled upon them. "Cypress...would you mind retrieving some leftover meat that Ash brought yesterday?"
"Aw, of course. I'll get that deer chopped up and ready for you in a heartbeat."
"Too easy…and completely ignorant of the reality." Cypress scowled at Ansel before turning back towards Ashley.
"If he touches you, let me know, and I'll come running with my knife."
"I'd like to see you try."
"As if I need your help."
Ansel's and Ashley's words were ignored as Cypress melodiously made his way toward the kitchen, his humming filling the air. As he disappeared from view, Ansel's face grew stern, his eyes piercingly fixated on Ashley. He closed the gap between them, his gaze sweeping over her, scrutinizing every visible detail. His gaze finally stopped at her small, soft-looking hands.
The stench of blood was the strongest there. The blood on the dagger he retrieved from the forest yesterday has the same scent. Her blood…Ansel looked around her hands; there were no cuts or bruises. However, due to the nature of his work, his targets have the ability to heal faster than normal people.
"Hey!?" Unaware of what he was doing, Ansel snatched her hands. Ashley then realized the sudden shout and glared at Ansel. "Creep, " she said in a hushed tone as he freed her hands. An honest look of disgust replaced her curious eyes towards the man.
"Sorry Lass." Ansel shifted his shirt, once again secretly rubbing the blade of the dagger he kept hidden in his clothes. He brought his hands up to his nose and scratched it. "Your beautiful pale skin shined so smoothly in the light that I wanted to touch them."
There was no mistaking it. The blood she had on her was a match. Ansel tried to his irritation and gave her a halfhearted smile.
"That is so creepy on so many levels that I cannot even think of a proper response." She took a step back as he hid her hands behind her back. Then loud humming filled the room, and Cypress came back with a large sack on his back.
"Here. Ya. Go." Cypress gave her the back with an enormous smile. "For my lovely daughter." Ashley forced a smile as she took the bag from Cypress. She effortlessly threw it on her back and walked past Ansel towards the front of the tavern.
Ansel watched as she walked towards the door as if the sack on her back was nothing more than an empty backpack. Her ability to switch personalities on a dime between interacting with him and Cypress only added to his suspicion of her.
"You both are creeps." She muttered so faintly that only Ansel could hear."
"That should last you a day or two. But if you ever need more, then my doors are wide open for you."
"Thanks, I will." She turned around and replied cutely, though her eyes were bitter as they looked at the large man waving happily toward her. She then turned back around and kicked open the door with force.
With her gone, Ansel's face drew sinister as he gripped the dagger in his clothing. He pulled it out and looked at it. Its blade was stained with a dark crimson hue, and its grip was made with a sliver engraved with a beautiful pattern.
"What's with the scary look?" Cypress said as he took a step back. "Wait...what are those?" Cypress pointed towards the crimson veins that stretched from beneath his clothing. They took the shape of plant roots growing over a ruined wall.
Ansel ignored the old barkeep and grabbed his case, which he had kept at the table where he had slept. He then sprinted out of the tavern at a speed that left Cypress dumbfounded. Ansel ran past several people carrying large wooden pillars and metal tools. He then stopped at a large gate towering over a dirt road that branched into a dense forest.
"What are you doing, Ansel?" A voice from the back of Ansel's mind spoke to him.
"…" Ansel ignored the voice and walked into the dense forest.