"Severus…"

"Hush, it's thinking time."

The blood elf paced around Tristessa, analyzing every little inch of her figure. Judging by the intermittent grimaces on his face, his hand gestures and rapid blinking, Severus seemed on the verge of fuming.

Until he finally bumped his fist against his left hand in a sign of victory.

"I've got it!"

His epiphany led him to his workbench and picked up a beautiful black-petalled flower that he had prepared to be used as an alchemical ingredient. Carefully, he placed the flower at Tristessa's chest level, on the right side, and took a few steps back to appreciate his work.

"Perfect! That rose from Malakai's Black Garden is just the touch you needed. Ingredients are hard to come by from territory occupied by the [Shadow Realm], so bring it back to me, okay?"

"You want me to worry about a flower?!" she squealed, her face red from how embarrassed she felt. "All of this is too much for me!"

Tristessa looked at herself in the full-length mirror Severus had brought down from the second floor just for this occasion. Bathed and smelling of fruity scent, she had put on a dress that had belonged to Tiara.

Blood red —a style Severus viewed favorably—, it was made of high-quality material, decorated with black embroidery and lace on the sleeves and at the bottom of the skirt. The front neckline slightly exposed her upper bust, made up to the extreme to hide her Baptism in Ruins and now decorated with that black flower that matched the secondary details of the dress.

Her hair was straight and silky, perfectly styled to her liking thanks to the essential oils Severus used for his alchemy, and a little help from his fire and ice thaumaturgy to achieve the ideal straightness.

Still, now that she was ready and looking so beautiful, Tristessa couldn't help but see herself as, ironically, an outsider.

As if she didn't deserve to look like that, very lovely and gorgeous...

"It's not my style. I feel very uncomfortable, Severus," she expressed, her brow furrowed with concern, hiding that dark thought from anyone else. "What if it doesn't work?"

"What are you saying? I'm no stylist, but there's no way this won't work," the elf assured her, very proud of his work and giving her his seal of approval. "I assure you: Astoria Silverthorn will drool rivers when she sees you."

"B-but you're saying that on the premise that she likes women!" Saying it out loud, Tristessa felt her ears and cheeks about to ignite. "And what if she arrests me? She was the one who turned me down at the gate! You thought of that?! Because I certainly don't!"

Severus looked at her in confusion, not understanding what problem the gray-eyed girl was talking about.

"Of course I did. But that woman is going to fall all over heels for you if she drank at least one bottle of beer, or that's what the rumors say. She'll do as you say as long as you're cute."

"But Severus…!"

"There's also another thing," he interrupted her, a small smile forming in the corner of his mouth. "Earlier today, when I went to buy from the fishing caravan, I saw Astoria Silverthorn walking in these very streets with an injured boy in her arms. The child was lost, scared, and couldn't even lead Astoria the right way towards his parent's house. But luckily for her, I happened to know that silly brat and his parents up to their necks in debts, so I pointed her in the right direction."

"Is that so?" Hearing that also made Tristessa's chest lighter, filled with a gentle fire to fight the cold of the incoming night.

Severus nodded, solemnly.

"She's a good woman. Beyond the rumors, beyond her family, beyond all that crap… Yes, I want to believe that she's a kind soul. And that's why I know that you'll succeed. So come on, let's go, Hostess Irandell!"

That answer did nothing to calm Tristessa's nerves, but quite the opposite. Even after hearing that anecdote that warmed her heart, she felt like throwing up the potato and meat croquettes she'd eaten at the bazaar, courtesy of Severus.

Outside, dusk was approaching. A twilight obstructed by the great city walls but conveying that sense of imminent danger Tristessa had had since the Dullahan first attacked her. A countdown, a race against time in which she had to gain an ally in the coming fight against the Coven…

"Everyone in the city knows that Silverthorn goes straight to the Roundtable Cabaret when her shift ends, without exception. It's something she's done since she arrived a year ago: spends her entire salary on ale and hostesses. And today, fortune smiling at us, her shift ended earlier for the weekly reorganization of the guard," the blood elf explained, already outside the workshop and having raised his magical barrier against intruders. "I've never seen it personally, as there are no ladies of my kind in that cabaret in particular, but I've heard rumors that Silverthorn waits for many hours alone before one of the hostesses go to keep her company."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"How terrible! Why would they do that to a regular customer like her?" Tristessa asked, shivering slightly from the cold as she felt the wind against her bare shoulders.

"Because of her last name, of course. Silverthorn is synonymous with scum. Pretending they don't exist is a habit, and that's what will ensure you and her have your moment alone together." Severus paused for a moment before continuing. "With your amnesia, you shouldn't know about the Silverthorn family… About [Valthiel Silverthorn]. It's best that way. Don't speak of her family. I'll tell you about the Silverthorns another time, but for now, just focus on gaining Astoria's help."

Severus didn't delve further into the subject, leaving the girl confused, earning the attention of the inhabitants of that slum street; looks of interest and conflict, as the Discord those people feared mingled with Tristessa's amplified beauty thanks to her makeup and dress.

"What happened to that family? First what Ivan said, now Severus…" she thought, remembering the harsh words of that vagrant friend of Auron Casimir, as well as the knightess' beautiful face, so stern, yet with red eyes that emanated gentleness, despite all those icy defenses raised against hostiles. "She's a good person. As Auron said, she has a heart of gold, willing to help those in need without asking for anything in return, while resisting public ridicule…"

Watching men and women spying from their homes, appalled by her mere presence as Severus escorted her outside; each time she was tested for having a dark soul, tortured even…

How could she not feel sympathy for that woman with whom she hadn't even exchanged more than twenty words?

"Something I've been thinking about, Tristessa… It's about how funny fate is," Severus said once they reached the bridge at the entrance to the commercial district, breaking the silence between them. "Before I found you sleeping on my property, my intention was to go out in three days at the break of dawn. To the south. You know, take advantage of the weekend when everyone's asleep to get out of town without any creditors trying to bother me. In my mind was the intention of visiting the Mercer-Archeos house, and try to find out why Viktor didn't return from the assignment I paid him for."

The setting sun made the dark orange sky a beautiful spectacle, turning the Evil-Warding Pillar into a dark tower that split the world in half. Its shadow fell upon them, causing the temperature to drop and a temporary, fictitious darkness to be projected over that part of the city. Because of this, Severus seemed like one of the shadows Tristessa could see with her Divinity, holding onto the edge of the bridge's railing.

As she drew closer, she saw his hands trembling against the metal railing, and not because of the cold.

"It gives me the chills to think that, if I hadn't met you, the very day I'd have arrived would coincide with the Coven's attack..." the blood elf whispered, his voice heavy with fear at the chaos and the way fate was unfolding. "I'd have gone and found what I always feared."

And what he said next almost brought Tristessa to tears:

"Not prepared at all."

Of course, the memories of her first encounter with Severus returned to her. The Sea of ​​Trees, the dinner, the massacre… Everything she had experienced and suffered firsthand.

You are not prepared.

"Severus…"

She said his name, a word laden with so many things she wanted to say to him but was absolutely forbidden to. So many things that he had never experienced and, Gods willing, he never would, with her there with him to change that [inescapable future].

Before the girl could even lay a hand on his back, to comfort him when words wouldn't be able to, the blood elf turned around in a flash, smiling enthusiastically.

"Well, there's no point in thinking about what ifs?! I'll pray for the soul of Viktor, believe me, but what matters is the right now!" The elf placed both hands on her shoulders and stared at her, making Tristessa feel a little shiver. "I'll go negotiate with the gunslinger Auron Casimir, create potions for the journey, and get my hands on some means of transportation."

"B-but…!"

"You follow the signs to Roundtable and make sure Silverthorn helps us." With that, the elf trotted, staff in hand, to the other side of the bridge. He waved to her and called out, "I'll wait for you in the workshop, two hours from now on, to protect you from the Dullahan!"

"Am I Cinderella, or what?!" Tristessa squealed, thankful there was no one around to mistake them for two screaming lunatics.

"I don't know what that is! Good luck, Tristessa!"

"Hey, we're friends already! Call me Tessa!"

Her yell reached him, and she managed to see a bright smile on his face.

"As you wish, but you're forbidden to call me Sev!"

That actually made her laugh. Such a holy sound it was, to break into laughter…

Severus's figure disappeared into the crowd on the busy avenue ahead, taking advantage of the fact that the traffic of carriages pulled by vilecrosses had stopped.

"Well… I'm alone now."

It wasn't the first time since arriving in Nekrom, of course, but that feeling of abandonment that twisted down her spine, into her head, and made her feel an unpleasant tingle, wasn't something she could ignore at will.

She took a deep breath and exhaled to lift the weight off her shoulders. This couldn't be worse than walking for two days, alone, along the Abandoned Meridion Highway. There was only one reason to fear it, and that was that time was moving forward, and night was approaching.

And with it, the Dullahan.

"One girl at a time, Tristessa, don't be greedy… Before being the prey of the phantom daughter of nightmarish angels, I'm a fake hostess," the girl thought, determined, looking at the northern avenue, crowded with pedestrians leaving work or just starting to enjoy the start of nightlife in the business district. "Time to meet Astoria Silverthorn."

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