#tiny nonbinary lizard heh

Meeting with the likes of a denzen, especially outside of their own settlements is a rare chance, although it was hardly a coincidence that this particular one managed to break into your home one night. While yes, the rogue had had their own experiences in such robberies, this wasn't an ordinary house call.

Awakening from the loud crash from downstairs, you fumble for the candleholder by your bedside. Striking a match with your shaking hands, you manage to light a small flame. It wasn't much, but you didn't want to exactly alert the intruder of your presence. Using it to help your sight, you slowly begin to creep downstairs.

You were afraid, just as regular as the other townsfolk in the area, but your house has never been picked to be vandalized. You hardly had much anyways, always using your earnings for more important priorities such as food and water.

Painful groans come from the living room, and you manage to gather enough courage to step towards the darkened figure crumpled on your rug. It was a fairly nice one, bought from the market a couple of weeks ago, but is now ruined from shards of glass and pricks of blood. Strangely enough, it looked purple in the dim candlelight.

"Are you alright?" You ask, low in tone.

The person is startled regardless, and despite their present injuries, backs into the wall with a hiss. "Keep it down, will you? Step back."

Frantic, the intruder stands up and pulls the curtains over the broken window they must have climbed through. Afterwards, they peek out before exhaling in relief. "Good, must have lost them..."

"Who?" You ask, wondering as to what they were so worked up over. "Are you being hunted? I can't house a common..." No, you didn't exactly want to paint a rude picture with the label of a thief. Perhaps they sought refuge from something unjust. These things often happen enough, but many pretend it doesn't. Housing a criminal, it only creates complications.

They wince, noting the blood over their claws before checking a third time outside. "These guards were following me. Didn't think too much about it until I rounded the same block twice. Your window was locked, and I didn't have an easier way inside."

You turn towards you, and candlelight shines over their scales- a denzen. You've never met one before, but here one stands.

Although known for their tough exterior, it's no wonder they had scrapes and cuts. Hardly wearing much other than a black crop top and pants, you wanted to also point out their abrasive entry into your home, but hold against it.

Priorities.

"What you need is some help. I have a medical kit, please stay here while I go get it." Before you could walk to the bathroom, a sharpness pokes at your back. You stiffen in surprise. Did they snatch one of the glass shards from the floor?

"Go on..." They hesitate but don't let up.

With urgency, you stumble into the bathroom and turn on the lights. Rummaging through the cabinets, you find what you're looking for, and the added pressure from the shard lifts.

"It was just a precaution. I won't do it again. Not unless you give a reason to." The denzen couldn't meet your gaze, as if they felt a small amount of shame in resorting to such threats.

You felt bad too, for whatever predicament wound them to crash through your window this late into the night.

If they were on the run, then maybe this is how they had to deal with problems, and with you being a stranger, it was necessary.

You offer them to sit on the sink counter so you could patch up their wounds. While it isn't serious, those cuts could get infected if the denzen wasn't careful. You don't remember if immunity was one of their perks.

Under a brighter source of light, you get to see this so-called intruder. Large eyes, with reptilian pupils, and short blond hair that didn't exactly look healthy either. They're noticeably thin too, and you’ll have to remind yourself to at least feed them a bit of bread and fruit to manage until they could be on their way. Your hands skim over green scales, noting the spikes over their shoulders and tail.

They flinch a little, feeling a little nervous under your gaze, but you don’t mean to. Instead, you get back to the task at hand, as you open the kit and take out the vial of potion.

"It won't be as great without a natural healer's magic but it'll do the trick."

"I figured as much. You don’t seem to have an ounce of magic that I can sense, wouldn’t have allowed you to help me like this otherwise." They state grimly.

You had some semblance of an idea as to why that would have been the case. Magic was a touchy topic given the history behind it. You decided to not press on about the issue despite your little knowledge of it. Your patient seems a bit temperamental, sharp eyes staring down at you, head tilting ever so slightly, as if gauging your responses and habits.

It's interesting, to say the least.

You dunk some of the vial's content into a cloth and press on their cluster of cuts. They hiss, claws scraping over your poor counter. Perhaps you could continue the conversation in another direction, as a way to distract them.

"What did you do anyways? Jump through my window without a second thought?"

They rub the back of their neck grimacing at the thought. "Not exactly... Threw a rock and crawled right in. Probably not the brightest idea."

"You could say that again. I would have let you in, if you had just knocked on the front door."

"Right, and everything would have been fine and dandy, wouldn't it? Trust me, you're not the first person to sell on something like that."

You pause, looking up at them with concern. "Why wouldn't I?"

They fume, as if I didn't understand over what was so clearly obvious. "Have you actually taken a good look at me? Either you're lying or you're just plain naive letting some bloodied stranger into your home like this."

You do take a good look, but you couldn't see what they could possibly mean. They're hurt, tired and hungry, yet alert because if for one moment they allowed themselves into ease, the denzen would think of a million possibilities in why they shouldn't.

"You would still be a person in need, and that's more than enough to let myself help and feed you even."

Their eyes widen, and I can see that they're in fact a light blue, something that couldn't be seen easily as slits. They're as quick to stifle this reaction and hop off the counter.

"You can follow me into the kitchen if that's what you need to feel safe." You propose, knowing just a little bit more about the strange denzen by now.

They slowly nod, fumbling with their claws for a moment now that the tension has lessened. In fact, they seem a little more awkward when you think about it. 

"Thank you, uh"

"(Y/N)"