My Adventurer (Dale x OC)

(7) Two Days Later

When I got to the pub I noticed Latina wasn't there like she normally was. Dale was sitting with his head laying on the table, Rita watching him with a raised eyebrow.

"Where's Latina?" I ask.

Dale looked like he was about to cry when I mentioned her name. Rita sighed, a hand to her forehead.

"She's only gone to school," she told me.

I chuckled. "Oh"

"He's acting like she's gone off to war"

"Mmm. Wait, school? How old is she?"

"8"

"She's a small kid. That doesn't exactly seem healthy, but she is a devil and they're different than us," I say to myself with a shrug.

"Would you mind running a couple errands for me?"

"Yeah, no problem"

When I came back from getting supplies for the pub Latina came back, looking petrified. Then she ran up to the attic as quick as she could.

"Is she alright?" Rita asked Kenneth and I.

"I don't know," Kenneth said.

"I'll go talk to her," I told them.

I went to the back, hearing a loud crack. That made me rush up. Latina was laying on the ground, blood spilling from her head. She had broken off her horn and it was laying beside her.

I quickly grabbed something to wrap around her head and slow the bleeding and carried her downstairs. Rita and Kenneth both looked over at me worriedly.

"She needs help. I'd use my healing magic but I need it to get us to the hospital. I'm going to take her to the temple of mealy"

"Go, we'll tell Dale as soon as he gets home," Kenneth told me.

I created the portal and stepped through. I found someone and they brought her to a room, treating her immediately. I sat beside her bed, staring at her as I waited for her to wake up.

"Alice, how is she?" Dale asked, out of breath, as he came into the room.

"She's okay, not in danger"

"Why would she break off her horn?"

"You should ask her why," I stood up, looking at him. "I'm going to head back and tell the others, they're worried"

He stepped forward and hugged me tightly. I remained in his arms for a little bit, not really knowing what to do or say, until I decided to wrap my arms around him.

"I want you to stay," he whispered. "You can tell them after, but I want you to be here too when she wakes up"

"Okay. I'll stay"

He pulled away from me but kept his arms around me. "Thank you, for staying with me. I don't know if I'd have been able to raise Latina by myself"

"But you aren't by yourself. There's Rita and Kenneth"

"Latina needs someone to be there for her as a father and mother. They're just more like family friends who help out"

"So you want me to be her mother?"

"Not completely if it makes you uncomfortable! But I do want her to have someone to talk about things that she can't talk to me about, you know?"

I nodded. "I know. But I don't think it was ever a question in my mind. I'm going to be there for her"

When Latina finally woke up Dale quickly sat down on the edge of the bed. I sat back down on the chair, watching Dale and Latina talk.

"Dale, why, why do I have to be a devil?" Latina asked through tears. "They said I'm bad, they chase me away. The people I care about... why does my life have to be longer than theirs? Devils live twice as long as humans, which means that everyone will die and I'll be alone again, and I don't want that"

She leaned forward and hid her face in Dale's chest. I couldn't hear the rest of what she said, but she continued to cry and mumble through the tears.

"I'm sorry, I am, but some of us live longer than others. That's just the way things are. Even if you were human I'd still probably die first," Dale told her. "For one, I'm older than you. And I have a dangerous job where death is always a risk. But Latina, listen to me, I'm happy you're a devil, I wouldn't want you to be anything else because if you weren't a devil, we never would've met. Whatever time I have in this world, I'm just glad I get to share it with you. So, please, Latina, don't wish you weren't a devil, don't wish that we never met"

"I-I know. I'm so happy to meet you Dale," she turned to look at me. "And Alice. You're special to me"

"You're special to us to. You're special to me today, and you will be the day I die. But till that day comes, let's enjoy right now. I love you, Latina"

"I love you too, and Alice"

I smiled and sat behind her on the bed as we all hugged, her in the middle of us. "I love you too," I told her.

We both stood up, letting her lay down and go back to sleep. We quietly left the room so we could talk without waking her.

"I really should go now. The others are waiting anxiously to hear how Latina's feeling"

"I want to say thank you, again, for being here for her when I couldn't"

"It's fine, really"

He took a step closer to me and put a hand on my cheek, then he lowered his lips onto mine. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling.