#farenix

11. “Are you sure that you have enough blankets?”    

"Are you sure that you have enough blankets, Adeline?"

"Yes, nurse, thank you."

Adeline picked up the letter again as the nurse left the room, slightly wincing at the pain still left from her injuries, and resumed skimming over it.

Of course, it was hard to concentrate on reading a letter when you're healing from multiple stab wounds, being checked on by nurses every two minutes, and had an Incubus staring at you from across the room.

She was trying to concentrate, she really was. But it was just too much, and the words were all starting to scramble together into gibberish and he was just staring why is he just staring-

Adeline huffed and slammed the letter back on the table. "What," she growled, "are you still doing here?"

"Huh?"

The simple remark only helped to frustrate the Elf more. "I said, what are you still doing here? The job is over, we won, you upheld your end of the bargain. Why are you prolonging this? I'll die from my injuries in due time anyways, why not just kill me now and get it over with? That's what you want, right?"

The Incubus shrunk into himself a bit and looked away, eyes trailing along the wall and quickly settling on the window just to have an excuse to look at something else. "Well, yeah, sure, I, I guess so," he said rubbing his neck lightly in discomfort, "I'm just try'n'ta understand, is all."

Adeline raised an eyebrow in interest, but didn't lose her aggravated tone. "Trying to understand what, exactly?"

"Just, y'know..... I don't get you mortals. You summoned me to kill some guy-" The Incubus paused for a moment when Adeline almost attempted to protest (Lord Marlevaur was not simply 'some guy', after all), but she sat back again and motioned for him to continue after a moment. "You summoned me to kill that guy, which is great, y'know, I love killing people, killing's great, it's sorta my job and all, but I just don't understand why you had him killed and not the other guys? What makes their lives more valuable than his? To us demons it's all the same, I just don't get where you see the difference, y'know?"

The Elven woman paused for a moment, trying to wrap her head around the idea of someone who can't tell the clear difference between his and evil- but she abandoned her thoughts when she remembered this was a demon, after all. Who knows how skewed his moral compass could possibly be.

"You really can't tell, can you?"

"Nope-" the Incubus replied, popping the p, "no clue."

Adeline sighed and joined her companion in looking out the window to avoid eye contact. "Da-- sorry-- Lord Marlevaur, wasn't.... a good person. I used to think he was, but I was wrong. He.... He hurt so many people, and I can only imagine how many he'd hurt before I found out and.... And it was a sacrifice that had to be made. The life of one to spare the suffering of hundreds. Not that you would understand, you seem to enjoy making others suffer, if your continued conversation with me is anything to go by", ending the sentence with a sneer to hide the emotion threatening to show in its place.

Adeline could have sworn she saw a twinge of emotion coming from the subject of her remark out of the corner of her eye, but no, that's impossible. He's a demon. Demons don't have feelings.

"Oh" was all he said in response.

A few minutes passed with them both looking out the window, the deafening silence slowly being replaced with a comfortable quiet.

"Hey, uh," the Incubus interjected, "whaddaya readin'?"

"A letter from the head of the guard. It's mostly nonsense to me at this point, what with my injuries taking up the majority of my focus right now, but I did read that Marlevaur still lives. He was spotted in the town north of here, but he hasn't been caught yet. Not that I can do anything about it."

"Why not?"

"Oh, I'm in no condition to fight like this. I'm sure I'll succumb to my injuries by the end of the week, if that. But I doubt he's any better; I guarantee in this state he's bound to be captured or will run off to die in the woods somewhere. Either way, it's not my problem and our contract is fulfilled."

"Yeeeeaaaaaah, about that contract...."

Adeline finally turned back to face her companion. "What about the contract?"

"Well, technically by Demon Law or whatever I'm indebted to you until we have proof the individual you put a bounty on has, uh, kicked the bucket, y'know? So.... I can't really kill ya without making sure this dude's dead. And I can't let you die until then either. So, uh, we may be stuck together for a little while. If that's okay with you. Or if it isn't. Because it's a contract."

Adeline lifted her spectacles to pinch the bridge of her nose, thinking for a moment, before finally sighing and placing her glasses back. "Fine, if that simply must be the case."

"Cool. Say, uh, your name's Adeline, right? I heard the nurse say it before she left. You can call me Farenix, if uh, if you want to. Usually I'm not supposed to use my real name, but seeing as I'll be killing ya eventually anyways it can't hurt, y'know?"

"I suppose I do know, Farenix."

Before either could say anything else, a nurse poked her head in the door once again. "It's late, you two, and Adeline needs her rest. Adeline, if he's bothering you at all-"

"No no, it's okay. Thank you, nurse," Adeline replied.

The nurse shot Farenix one last glare before blowing out the lantern on the wall and leaving once more, plunging the room into darkness. The only light came from the moon shining through the window, casting everything in shadow, only vaguely visible.

"Farenix, are you going to be alright sleeping on that chair? Someone around here is bound to have a cot you could borrow or-"

"No, nonononononono, I'm good, I uh, wouldn't want to bother anyone or nothin'. They don't, uh... Don't really seem t' like me, which y'know, fair."

Adeline paused for a moment.

"Are you sure that you have enough blankets? I'm afraid the nurses gave me far too many in an attempt to cushion my wings, and I'm far too hot in all these bandages. Please, feel free to take some if you want them, you'd be doing me a favor."

"You're sure?"

"I offered, didn't I?"

Farenix didn't say anything as he came over and took the half-folded blanket from the side of the bed, nor did he say anything when he retreated to his chair in the corner and wrapped himself up in it.

It was only mere minutes before Farenix had fallen asleep, the soft sounds of his snoring mixing with the chirp of crickets and the tapping of rain on the roof.

Adeline simply stared at the ceiling for a minute or two. Usually she was so diligent, always so prepared, always so ready to wake up and jump into action at any time of day she was needed. But the day had been so long, and the bandages cut into her sides from maneuvering around her wings, and she was so exhausted. For once, she finally decided, for just this one night, she would let herself rest.