Just my luck (Rhi!)

[Anonymous]

While the woods provide her with much of what she needed, Anja often found herself needed to make trips to town for things. Mostly various things for her blood work, metals and salts, chemicals and other such items and the occasional food stuffs. And today the merchant she had a long standing relationship would be back. With a letter from Father and he could take the package back with him.

Her breath trembled slightly, cheeks flushing at the thought of her father, belly tightening in anticipation. It had been so long, months since the last word from him and she craved and feared it. Hurrying through the crowds, Anja met up with the merchant and after a few pleasantries, the package filled with vials of blood and her letter to her father was given to the merchant and she had her own package.

Clutching it to her chest, Anja beamed, "Thank you! So much. It means the world to me."

Laughing, the large man shook his head, handing her a bag filled with her requested items, "Family is important. I think it's sweet how much ya write yer da." The merchant then frowned, making a disgusted sound, "Them beggars. Botherin' honest folk..." He then smiled at Anja, "Go on love. I know ya wanna go rip it open."

Turning in the direction of the merchants gaze, Anja saw a pitiful figure. Wrapped in a ratty blanket, holding his hands out was a man. He looked hungry and dirty and Anja felt a stab of pity. Turning back to the merchant, she bobbed down in a slight curtsy, "Oh yes. Thank you. Again."

The package would contain more money from home, to help with her living expenses. Not much, as she was only a bastard, but more than she deserved. Not all the children got allowances, but she was one of Father's favorites. Moving closer, Anja realized there was something off with the man.

Then it dawned on her. He was blind. It wasn't right, someone being treated like that! The girl moved closer, "Excuse me? Sir? Are you alright?"

[Rhindeer]

Lhakya turned his face toward the voice and stared somewhere beyond Anja with his blind, milky eyes. Most days he wore a blindfold over his eyes, for really no other reason than his own vanity--which he supposed was odd, considering he couldn't see himself anymore, but he could remember and he could feel the hideous, puffy scarring that crossed over his eyes and temples and the upper bridge of his nose. He didn't imagine it looked very pretty. On days like this, though, he swallowed his pride and bared his scars because they often earned him more pity. At least, more than usual, which wasn't much to begin with.

Humans weren't quite as squishy and warm-hearted as he'd always heard. Many simply scorned him and called him 'beggar', or otherwise just ignored him. Hm. Guess they were a little smarter than he'd always given them credit for.

But it looked like today was paying off. Two others had given him coin earlier that day, and it looked like he may have another bite.

"Oh, miss, you couldn't spare a coin now, could you, please? If it's not too much? I understand if you can't afford it," he said glumly, pulling the ratty blanket tighter around himself. "But it's not true what they say, that I'm just a dumb beggar. I wasn't always, miss. I'm afraid I got separated from my friends and found my way here, but I don't have anything to my name until they come find me...and I'm so hungry...and lost..."

[Anonymous]

Anja almost laughed when the man spoke. He was in a sore spot, but he knew how to lay it on thick. She still pitied him though, those scars looked awful and Anja was only too aware of how hurtful people could be to those who didn't look normal. She reached down and lightly touched his arm, "You poor thing. I don't have much coin to spare, but if you like, you can come get a meal and a place to stay tonight at my place."

And she wouldn't like, under the scars and the grime, he wasn't bad looking and Anja was starved for company. He might actually be rather pretty with a bath. Plus, she missed conversation and interactions and this way she could do a good deed as well. Besides, she wasn't worried about him hurting her, he was blind after all. And she had plenty of blood at home.

"I have some stew that has been simmering all day. I'm not the most amazing cook, but it's not bad, I promise. My name is Anja. What's yours?"

[Rhindeer]

Lhakya jolted a little when his arm was touched, having not expected contact, but then he relaxed when the woman spoke, her voice just as warm as before. And what she said piqued his interest. That was far more than he had been hoping for. A place to sleep and a meal for a blind, weary stranger? Well, then.

Maybe some humans were as stupid as he'd heard.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much," he told her, placing his hand over hers warmly, trying to express his gratitude with more than just words. "That is far more than I could have hoped for...Anja, you said? I'm Lhakya."

[Anonymous]

"That's a really pretty name." Anja smiled, no idea that dark thoughts going on inside the demon's head. Reaching out, she gently took the man's hand, "It's a little bit of a walk, is that okay? I don't live inside the town."

She hoped he wouldn't mind. Even a beggar off the street was better than no company at all. And he wouldn't look at her funny for her deformities.

[Rhindeer]

Lhakya smiled, ducking his head a little at the compliment. Well. She did know how to stroke an ego. Perhaps 'pretty' wasn't very masculine, but he couldn't have cared less about humans' strange notions of gender. His own kind lacked that and it had taken some getting used to here.

Grasping the woman's hand in his, Lhakya nodded. "No, that's fine. I've traveled much farther without guidance--but always with company, if that makes sense." He gave a small laugh. "I'm blind, not crippled."

[Anonymous]

Anja blinked, confused for a moment, then gave a small, nervous laugh, "Oh, well, I hadn't really meant because you can't see. Just, not everyone wants to travel out of town into the woods with a stranger."

One of the perks of being a blood alchemist was that she could handle just about anything, pick the right blood for the right job and keep pumping it in until she could get away somewhere she could collapse and get violently ill at.

She had been planning on picking up a few more things in town, besides her letter, but it could all wait. She didn't want to make Lhakya wait around while she argued over how much to pay for salt.

Her home was several miles, deep into the woods, the path there just large enough for a horse, it was unlikely a carriage or cart of any kind could have made it through. The cottage was used by some old wise woman before she had died and had gone into disrepair until Anja had taken it over. She had mostly cleaned it up, but honestly, she was glad her guest couldn't see the utter ruin the garden was or how sections of the house were a cluttered mess from her research.

She held the door open, never bothering to lock the door, no one came out here, "Here we are. Please, come in."

The inside was filled with the scent of the simmering stew and the undertones of old blood.