Vile, beautiful beast.

~ꨄ~Part 1~ꨄ~

Safe to say, it was ruining my evening.

And lo and behold, after not even a few minutes, I could see Alaric in the crowd. He was looming over the crowd, at over two meters tall.

He wore a black regal suit, which seemed to have a green shine as he moved. His dark green hair was neatly styled, and was way shorter than the last time I saw the man.

He was talking to someone, which I couldn't see the face of as they were turned away from me. Fuck.

I downed my glass. My head was on a swivel, frantically looking for a way out of the place. But as my gaze returned to Alaric, he had begun walking.

Towards me. I was so fucked. He was closing in, pushing through the crowd. His eyes were determined, and staring right at me.

I seriously didn't want to talk to him right now. Or ever, for that matter.

"Hello? Are you alright?" An unknown voice called at me.

I flinched at the sudden disruptance, causing me to drop the glass I was holding. It shattered upon impact with the floor.

A man stood in front of me. He had black curly hair, and pale gold eyes.

"Oh sorry! Didn't mean to startle you" he said, now frowning. His tail swished nervously behind him. And I noticed the black furry ears on top of his head. He was a panther.

"I..uh.." I mumbled, still on the lookout for Alaric. But to my relief, he seemed to have gone off to somewhere else. At least I didn't see him nearby.

All right, keep your composure. At least as well as one can while being in a situation like this. 

I straightened my back, waving my hand dismissively. "It's fine, no need for worry." I said, smiling. It might've been a fake one.

He nodded, now returning the smile I was wearing. "I don't believe we've met, your name is...?" I asked, admittedly a little curious about this man.

He didn't look like a royal? Well, he could have fooled most people here. But there was just something... Something I couldn't quite place.

"Oh! It's Jericho! Jericho Moone"

He was still smiling. Dimples formed on his cheeks when he did that. He reached out his hand, and I grabbed it. His grip was firm, steady.

"I'm Lycoris Drache. Pleased to meet you, Jericho" I said calmly, before letting go of his hand.

"So what brings you to Artea?" I asked, deciding to feed my curiosity.

"Ah, just work. I've gotten a job, nothing special." He shrugged. Interesting. He looked at the drink table behind me, before continuing.

"Forgive me for being a bit intrusive, but is anything wrong? I couldn't help but to notice that you look a bit stressed?" He asked.

He was right, it could be seen as a bit intrusive, considering I didn't really know him. But truth be told, I might have gotten a little too affected by the alcohol.

"Well..." I sighed. Gesturing for him to step closer to where I stood, I whispered "it's my stupid asshole ex. He won't leave me the fuck alone!"

I started rambling quietly about how much of a shitface Alaric was, and Jericho listened intently. Nodding, gasping, et cetera at all the right moments.

After a long convo, and a few more glasses of wine, I saw that tall stupid broccoli again. I tensed up, and Jericho must have noticed, because he grabbed my upper arm gently.

"Hey, how about some fresh air? Why don't you show me the gardens, Lycoris?" He said, a soft expression that could only be understanding on his face.

I nodded, more enthusiastically than I wanted to. "Yeeaaah, probably smart". It was hard to get words out at this point.

I held onto his arm as we walked out into the gardens, moving along the tall hedges. So green. Like Alaric. Ew.

We found a bench, right by a small pond. There were gorgeous flowers here, meticulously cared for by the gardeners. I plopped down onto the bench, leaned back and stared absentmindedly up at the stars.

Jericho followed suit, leaving a little space between us. And so we just sat there in silence. But funny enough, it wasn't an uncomfortable or weird silence. It was actually rather refreshing, something I gladly welcomed after the never-ending sound of people everywhere.

I was drunk. But even more than that, tired.

So tired...  "Jerichoo?.." I started, failing at supressing a yawn. "Yeah?" He replied, his eyes seemingly fixated on the pond. "I... need to... get back to the castle."

"Oh, yeah, right. I'll help you get inside." He smiled, showing off those dimples again.

I got back inside by leaning on Jericho yet again, my tail swaying from side to side as we walked.

And so, I let him follow me to my room, only speaking when explaining the way. I slurred most of my words, so it was a miracle that he could understand anything I was saying.

We stopped by my door. "Issheree" I mumbled, grabbing onto the handle. I turned my head sharply to face the man who stood by my side. "G'night Jerrichoo" I giggled, walking in and closing the door before he could answer.

Flopping onto my bed, I fell asleep instantly.

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(A/N): Hi!! Lin here!! I really hope you readers will like this story!! It is my first proper story (I've never finished anything haha) so please be kind <3. Do leave comments, I absolutely love getting feedback!!! Lots of love, see you in the next chapter!!

Q: Would anyone be interested in quick character profiles? Mainly to describe looks, as I haven't drawn everyone yet :))