#perrin oc

Going to the table, you are grateful to have some distance from the others. They still give you irritated looks, but forget about you when it’s their turn to put in their order. 

The silence at the table is nice, but it’s short-lived. Perrin personally delivers your food to you, sitting down at the table, across from you. “I had them rush the order, putting yours in front of the rest. If anything is wrong with it, just let me know, and I’ll get you a new one.” He smiles at you. 

“You didn’t have to do that. I’m perfectly fine waiting just like everyone else.” Despite your statement, you are eager to eat, your empty stomach begging for food. It’s uncomfortable when he doesn’t respond to you. Instead, he just watches you take your first bites. 

“Is it to your liking? I will happily remake it if not.” 

“It’s great, why is it such a big deal for you?” You take more bites from the plate, and the food quickly disappears. Maybe it’s a good thing he rushed your order. 

“I like knowing that my customers are happy with their food. My mother always said, ‘Stuffed kids are happy kids.’ So eat up.” 

“I guess that’s true.” You indulge in the food, savoring every bite as the conversation continues to flow. He asks you about your travels, absorbing every detail he can get from you. 

“You traveled nearly a day straight just to get here in time? We accept late travelers; you didn’t have to do that. It could have been so dangerous for you.” His pupils are wide, covering his light green irises. 

“It’s not that big of a deal, I handled myself…” Your voice trails off, noticing the rest of the room is quieter. 

A dark figure makes his way through the room, cutting off all conversations. The cloak that covers him is dirty and worn, likely filled with rough adventures. He sits in the corner of the room, and the room brightens up with light conversations.

“See, you could have had whatever that guy had to handle. No offense, kid, but I don’t think you could have handled that all by yourself.” 

You feel both their eyes on you, but the hooded man doesn’t add anything else to Perrin’s statement. Instead, he just keeps his eyes on you, only to look away when you sneak glances at him. The glimpses of him that you do catch, blood and dirt decorate him. 

“Maybe I should hire someone to go with me when I leave.” You mutter, not wanting to admit he’s right. 

“Well, you don’t have to do that. You could help me out here. The inn is always looking for someone to help manage it.” He says, nervous that you will leave him with the dark figure, he’s just met you after all. 

“You don’t have to decide now, you have all the time on your hands.” He reassures you, taking the now-empty plate in front of you. “I have to leave now, but don’t hesitate to call for me if you need anything.” 

You smile at him, staying at the table to finish your drink. The hooded stranger continues to watch you. It feels like his eyes are boring into you. You do your best to ignore it, but they only leave you when you exit the room. 

If you thought the tavern was busy before, you’d be mistaken. Drinks are flowing, everyone has a cup in their hand, they all shout over each other, their faces red and hot. You navigate the crowd, hoping to find a quiet corner for you to enjoy your meal. 

Of course, the only empty spot is right near the hooded stranger; you can’t even tell if he’s moved since he got here. You reluctantly sit at the table beside him, his stare already on you. A part of you wishes Perrin would rescue you and bring you to another quiet place. But the crowd between the bar and you is thick, making it unlikely he’ll spot you. 

The tension between you and the hooded stranger is thick, making you want to bolt up and never see him again. As you look amongst the crowd, trying to distract yourself, a thick voice tells you, “Don’t got to worry about me.”

It comes from the hooded stranger, now looking into the crowd with you. “Sorry if I scare you.” He continues, taking a drink from his jug. 

Taking a glance at him, you notice his purple eyes are dull, yet there are emotions behind them. You try to pinpoint them, but they are heavily guarded.

“It’s okay.” The tension in your back relaxes, and you take a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Together, you sit in silence, not saying anything to each other, just looking into the crowd. 

A man in silver armor, with purple cloth adorning it, navigates the crowd with ease. The people in the crowd give him space, as if they hold respect or fear him. His confident steps lead right to your table, only stopping right in front of it. 

“So we got a monster slayer and some kid here.” He pauses, looking at both of you.  “What are you doing together?” He stresses each word, his tone authoritative.

Neither of you says anything; the only noises coming from the crowd in front of you. You give in to him, telling him, “I’m just here by myself, visiting for a couple of days.” 

He seems happy with your answer and moves on. “What about you, monster slayer? We don’t have any monsters around here. I should know that as the Warden of Valenard.” 

When the man at the table doesn’t respond to him, the Warden seems to get angry at the lack of conversation from him. 

“Do you not know who I am? I am Nikolai, Warder of Valenard, defender of this town. I don’t know why you are here, but we don’t need you here.” His tone now comes off as offended and dismissive.   

He looks to you now, “You. You deserve better company. Let us leave this awful corner and find some better company.” 

“They can make their own decisions. You don’t decide for them.” The thick voice is back, defending you. 

“Oh, so it speaks now.” Nikolai scoffs. They both look to you now, both expecting you to do very different things. 

The thumping of footsteps distracts the group, a tall figure making its way through the crowd. They head to the same corner you are in, ignoring the two other men. He awkwardly moves around, sitting across from you, not bothering to ask. Because of his height, he’s forced to lean over, practically leaning over you. 

“Only spot I can find that can fit me.” The platter of food he carried with him loudly gets set on the table. The smell of the food reminds you of why you are sitting in the room. “Take some! You are so small, I won’t even notice.” His long ginger hair flows behind his shoulders, but he pushes it back, nearly hitting Nikolai. 

“Watch out, you nearly hit me!” Nikolai screaks, avoiding the giant’s touch. 

The giant doesn’t even seem to hear him, telling you, “I’m Bram, and you are?” His light green eyes are bright with curiosity. 

You introduce yourself to him, thanking him before you take a portion of food. 

“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you! You know, you are so small that I could just grab you and take you away with me.” He laughs, not realizing that it’s made you uncomfortable. 

“You will do no such thing. You are in my town, I decide what happens here. You will leave them alone.” Nikolai protests, revealing his sword at his hip. 

“You puny human, leave us alone. It was just a joke, relax, have a drink.” Bram doesn’t even seem phased by Nikolai, not even bothering to look at him. 

“Perrin, we need another round over here. Bring some juice too.” The giant says over his shoulder, his voice booming over the others.

Bram turns back to you, “You know that was a joke, right?” 

“Umm, yeah. I knew it was a joke.” You think about how you ended up surrounded by all of these people. You feel like they have all staked a claim over you, like you’ve been pushed and pulled between them. 

When Perrin finally pushes his way through the crowd, he’s surprised to see the group of people gathered together. He’s happy to see you, automatically putting the juice in front of you, “Why didn’t you come up to the bar? I could have gotten you food fast and gotten you out of here.” His voice slightly upset. He doesn’t approve of the company you’ve chosen to sit with; you should have just found him instead. 

“They can do whatever they want.” The monster slayer speaks again. 

“I know that, Kol, no need to get so defensive. You know what I mean.” Perrin says, putting a jug in front of him. Kol doesn’t respond to him, finding his drink more interesting. Perrin lingers, his tray now empty, refusing to leave you alone with the company of the others. 

The group that surrounds you seems to oddly have the same idea about you, yet all of them don't really get along. Who will you choose to be closer to? The caring tavern keeper? The oddly protective stranger? The giant who wants to take you away from everyone else? Or the Warden who thinks you only deserve his attention?

Stay tuned for the next part, when you’ll be able to actually make decisions between them (or just read all of them hahaha). Continue reading to find the hidden option! Poll is just because I'm curious who everyone likes, no actual decisions!