"I heard strange killings happened in the next village last night." Granger informed Lesley as he tossed her an apple that she caught neatly in one hand.
She stood up from the bench she was sitting on in front of a dress store while waiting for him to do a survey around the village.
"Let's go. We can't lose him this time." She said as she led the way.
They were starting to lose hope at every new killing they've heard. And it had been several for the last few months.
An elite group of knights and inspectors were even assigned to investigate the case.
"You're suggesting we travel across the woods at night?"
"We've been doing that for months." She said as she looked at Granger over her shoulder.
They'd been traveling for months, only going back to the Moniyan Empire once only to hear the rumor that Guinevere and Gusion had eloped.
It did nothing but make Lesley strive to be away from the Land even more.
It was like she was betrayed by someone she trusted to be there her whole life.
She stared at her companion.
Granger had always been this easy going demon hunter that unexpectedly had a mysterious side, and throughout their journey, Lesley witnessed how his features changed from a lad's into a man.
His shoulders were buffer from all the times of training whenever they rested for days while waiting for Alucard to move again.
He'd also grown taller that now Lesley had to crane her neck up just to argue with him.
But the playful glint in his eyes never faded that it began to grow on Lesley.
It was one of the things that made the whole tense and serious situation they were in lighter.
"I know. That's why we should grab this opportunity to remember being human."
She scowled. "And what does that exactly mean?"
He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.
She looked right behind him and saw a tavern, its sign looking old and dusty and totally suspicious.
Her mouth opened before she could find any words to argue. "No way!"
"What? I can't remember the last time I lied on a bed and my back hurts so bad."
"We're not wasting time staying there, Granger!"
"And I miss eating proper food. I think I'd lost my sense of taste eating wild fruits and fish." He added, making Lesley reconsider as she felt her stomach grumble in agreement.
"No. We should head as soon as we can."
"And I got one more reason that could totally change your mind." Granger said.
Lesley glared at him. "What?"
A shadow of a smile flashed in his face as he paced to her direction.
He stopped right next to her and leaned a little closer near her ear.
"I know this is completely inappropriate to say to a lady, but...you're really starting to stink, Les."
Lesley swung her fist towards him but Granger dashed away fast enough to dodge it.
He laughed out loud as he run towards the inn. "Bathe yourself, lady!" He teased.
"You come here!" She chased, her face hot in embarrassment.
She caught up with him in the tavern's entrance and she gave him a pinch at the side as they stepped inside.
It led them straight to a pub filled with bulky men with big bellies drinking beer and talking in loud voices.
Lesley cringed her nose as soon as she smelled the mix of liquor and cigar and stinky men.
Lesley could only count the female inside with one hand, and a couple of them were wearing men's clothes and looked completely blending in with their male companions. The remaining three were behind the bar serving food and drinks, and the other two were wearing revealing dresses as they flapped their brows at men as if they had eye allergies.
Granger led the way towards the counter. "Stay behind me." He said to her in a low voice.
She could've argued to him that she needed no protecting.
But looking around, she felt like it would be useful for her to just follow Granger and lay low.
So she walked closely behind him, his tall form completely covering her sight ahead, so she kept her gaze on his back.
She only peeked around his shoulder when he came to a stop and he leaned into the bar.
"Madam, you've got room for two upstairs?" He asked the fat lady behind the counter.
The woman stared from Granger to Lesley before answering. "It's traveler's season right now. No more room."
Lesley looked at Granger. "See? I told you. Let's leave."
She turned towards the exit but Granger grabbed her wrist and forced a smile towards the woman. "Are you certain about that, ma'am? Could you please check again?"
The woman looked expressionless as she was grumpy as she looked at them. "I could kick out one of the troublemakers but it'll cost more."
Granger hastily rummaged through his pockets.
Lesley held him by the wrist. "No." She protested.
"Just this once, Les." He said in a low voice and pulled her hold off his hand so he could hand the woman a pouch of coins.
Lesley definitely caught the way the woman's eyes shined as she saw the bulging pouch before she controled her expression back to being grumpy.
"This could only pay for one."
"Oh come on!" Lesley blurted out, hadn't been able to contain her frustration.
Granger held her arm and pushed her back behind him as he faced the woman again.
"Oh, come on, Madam! Could you give us a discount?"
The woman glared at Lesley over Granger's shoulder before answering. "It's the only remaining room. You could take it or leave it."
"What kind of place is—!" Lesley's voice was muffled by Granger's hand that quickly covered her mouth.
"We'll take it." he said, pinning Lesley on his side with one arm while he held out the other. "The key please?"
The woman took the money and placed a ragged key on the counter, casting glares at the protesting Lesley.
"Thank you." Granger said, grabbing the key and dragging Lesley towards the stairs while still covering her mouth, making a few heads turn as they passed.
Granger only let go of her when they arrived right in front of the room.
"How could you accept it like that?! That woman is costing too much for this cheap rooms!"
"Every inn is probably doing the same. We should stay out of trouble."
"We could've just left!"
"And go where?" Granger asked quizzically. "The sun's setting and it would be dangerous in the streets."
Lesley sighed in frustration. "Just open the damn room!"
Granger did as he was told.
They instantly went silent when he pushed the door open and they were greeted with the room too small for two people and a bed that could pribably fit one.
Their eyes followed a cockroach as it made its way to their direction and Granger stepped on it without a word.
They stepped inside, completely dumbstruck and feeling completely fooled.
"I-I'll go get a drink and get us food while you bathe." He offered, glancing at the small door on the other corner.
"A-alright." She answered, watching him walk along the aisle of doors and disappear on the stairs.
Only then did she step inside and closed the door.
She sat on the bed and realized that no matter how bad it was, it was still better than sleeping in the woods where the air would go harshly cold during dawn and Lesley just had to curl up and tremble.
She took off her rifle's strap and laid it over the bed, shrugging off her coat after and kicking off her boots.
She savored the comfortable feeling of the wood underneath her feet, which were sore from all the running and traveling for months.
She then headed to the bathroom.
A small tub merely fitted inside, separated from the toilet with a cloth that had stains of Lesley didn't want to know what.
She took off all her clothes and finally soaked her body in the tub once it was filled with water, feeling her body relax with the warmth.
She leaned against the tub and let her thoughts wander.
She wondered where Harley was by now. The boy left after asking her to trust him and let him test his abilities alone.
She reluctantly let him go, which she immediately regretted when she started over thinking of whatever could happen to him.
Her search for Alucard was the only thing stopping her from embarking on another trip to find him.
And then there was Gusion and Guinevere. Whenever she thought about the two of them, she couldn't help but feel bitter, no matter how hard she stopped herself.
It had always been her who understood Gusion and his stubborn ways.
He had always been hard to understand, and his walls had always been hard to break.
People would normally just meet him, see his cold nature and stay away.
But it was different with Guinevere. Lesley saw it even back when they were still fighting off Dyrroth's upcoming invasion.
It was like she managed to create a bond with Gusion in such a short period of time.
Lesley's heart seemed to have been pricked by thorns when she heard how Gusion snapped when Dyrroth lethally injured Guinevere.
So the rumor circulating about them wasn't too hard to believe and it was making her hurt more than she expected it to hurt.
All her life, she expected Gusion to be always there by her side.
But then he just disappeared, with a girl he had just met, leaving everything he cared behind, not caring about what their families would think or feel.
That kind of love seemed so surreal. And her heart couldn't accept the fact that Gusion was feeling that kind of love for Guinevere.
Before she even knew it, tears formed in her eyes and started streaming down her face.
She wiped it with the back of her hand, feeling all weak and vulnerable as she sniffled.
Her sobs were making it all hard to breath.
"Lesley?" Granger's voice called from outside.
She didn't respond, afraid her voice might come out weakly.
But then Granger's footsteps draw closer to the door, followed by a couple of knocks. "Les? Are you alright in there?"
Her eyes widened when she saw the knob turn. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! WHY ARE YOU OPENING THE DOOR, YOU PERV!"
They knob turned again as he let go of it from the outside. "I thought something happened to you! Why didn't you answer?! And why didn't you lock it in the first place?!"
"I did lock it!"
"Alright. I had nothing else in mind!" He defended, his voice now sounding far as he walked away from the bathroom door.
"You better not or I'll kill you in your sleep!" She threatened.
"Just hurry up and come eat." He said.
She did not reply anymore and just hurried her bathe.
She dressed up in her dress shirt and pants before going out, where she casted Granger a glare as soon as she saw him sitting at the edge of the bed with the small table in front of him.
She caught how he did a double take at her and stared longer.
"What?" She asked defiantly.
He blinked as if waking up in a trance and looked down at his soup. "N-nothing."
"It's definitely not nothing!" She said, slumping down next to him and pinch his side.
"ARRGH!" He exclaimed as he leaned his body away from her. "You keep pinching the same spot!"
"I know." She said.
"You brutal witch." He muttered but placed the bowl of soup in front of her.
She just glared at him but began eating.
Her stomach was demanding too much that she couldn't spare a few more seconds to argue with Granger.
They were so hungry that they finished the food soon enough without talking.
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"You think we'll be able to catch Alucard?" Granger suddenly asked when the lights were out.
Lesley was lying flat on her back over the bed while he was on the floor with only a pillow under his head.
"Would I still be in this chase if I thought we couldn't?" She answered.
"He's getting more brutal with every kill he does."
Lesley turned her head to Granger's direction. The room was already dark that she could only make out his silhouette below.
She could totally hear the concern in his voice as he spoke, making her even more determined to help Alucard.
She heard they were inseparable when it comes to missions, so Granger was probably feeling strange traveling with her instead of Alucard.
"We'll get him back. Physically. And...mentally." She assured him.
"Thank you, Les." He said. Sincerity was dripping in his voice that it made Lesley feel strange.
"What's with that?" She asked.
"I know you've got a lot on your head. With your brother away, and Gusion suddenly eloping with Guinevere..."
Lesley looked the other way, afraid he might see the pain in her face through the dark. "What's that got to do with me?"
He scoffed. "I know, Les."
"What?"
"I could see the way you look at him."
Irritation grew inside her as Granger pointed it out.
How could she be so transparent and make a fool out of herself?
"He's insensible. He doesn't deserve you."
"Shut up! I don't know what you're talking about!" She lied, turning to her side opposite Granger's direction.
"Fine. Let's not talk about him."
"Is it...is it really that obvious?" She couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know about the others, but I could recognize an unrequited love when I see one, you know, being in one of it myself."
Lesley turned flat on her back again, thinking Granger's situation seems to be worse.
Watching the one you love hurt for someone else...what else could be worse than that?
"Why do those kind of love exist?" She wondered, knowing he could understand all too well.
Finally, after months of arguing while traveling, they finally found a common ground.
But why did it have to be this kind of common ground?
"Maybe to make us stronger." Granger answered. "I mean, I've done a lot of things for Rafaela that I didn't think I could've done even for myself."
"Do you think...you can get rid of your feelings for her?" She asked as she stared at ceiling over them.
There was a long pause from Granger that she thought he'd fallen asleep.
"I couldn't really imagine..." He answered. "I've fallen too deep to get back up."
Lesley sighed, frustrated at the fact that Granger seemed to be answering the same way as she was feeling.
She didn't ask anymore questions, because it just made them sound even more pitiful and she hated that.
"Are you asleep?" Granger asked a few minutes later.
"Why?" She asked.
"Nothing."
"Hey." She called, remembering something he'd said earlier.
"Hmm?"
"You said you missed lying on a bed, right?"
He scoffed. "What? Are you gonna tease me for still lying on a cold, hard floo—!"
"If you promise not to do anything, I'll let you sleep here."
Granger instantly sat up and looked at her, the faint moonlight streaming inside through the small window helping her see his wide eyes.
"Really?!"
"You're not planning to do something, are you?" She asked suspiciously.
"I'm not!"
"I will shoot you if you lay even a finger on me."
"I-I won't!"
She sat up and stared at him for a few seconds, contemplating if she should really trust him or not.
But they'd been traveling together for months that she'd seen sides of him she didn't know before.
He was actually a lot more caring than she expected. He'd taken good care of her during their quest, always making sure she was feeling comfortable, though she would rather break her ribs than admit it to him out loud.
She scooted to one side of the bed and looked straight ahead as he hesitantly lied next to her.
She felt her face grow hot as soon as she realized how broad his chest actually was that the side of his shoulder touched her arm.
She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but soon realized letting Granger sleep next to her was a bad idea as she found herself suddenly completely aware of his presence.
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Lesley didn't know how long she had been asleep when she woke up in a start because of Granger.
He was stirring in his sleep, his head turning from left to right as he muttered a word.
As Lesley stared at him through the darkness, she soon realized it was actually a name.
"Rafaela..." Granger's call started to become clear.
Lesley frowned and sat up, not knowing what to do or what to feel.
"Rafaela..." he called again.
She felt pity for the guy. She knew how it felt to long for someone, especially one that was longing for someone else.
With that thought, she felt her heart clench, being reminded by her own unrequited love.
She reached for Granger's shoulder and gently shook it. "Granger...Granger, wake up."
Through the faint moon light streaming in by the small window, Lesley could make out how Granger's features crunched up in a scowl.
She was surprised when she saw something glisten at one side of his eyes. And soon it started to fall; one drop of tear, running down the side of his face.
He was hurting, even in his dream.
She leaned forward and cupped Granger's face with one hand as she dried the tear with her thumb.
Throughout their quest, she'd seen how much he cared for someone so well.
She knew he did not deserve to be hurt.
"Granger, wake up!"
His lids fluttered open, his eyes glassy and distant as he stared at her.
"You were dreaming." She muttered.
She sucked in a breath when his hand suddenly reached up for her face.
She froze, suddenly finding her heart beating so fast as stared at her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheeks.
Before her mind could even work well again, he pulled her down and claimed her lips.
She was about to resist, pull away and put as much distance between them as the room could allow.
But his lips were so tender against hers that she slowly found herself diving into his gentleness.
She responded, feeling the warmth of his palm circling at the back of her neck as he pulled her harder, his lips tasting sweet against hers.
At the back of her mind, shame was swirling and shouting for her to stop.
But the gentleness of his hand on her was mesmerizing her, making her want to keep going.
"Rafaela..." Granger muttered on her lips.
It awakened every logical thought on Lesley's mind and she pulled away abruptly, her eyes wide as she wondered how could she have tolerated what just happened.
And she wondered why she suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart the moment Granger muttered the name.
She watched as Granger blinked, his eyes becoming clear as if he had just awaken from a trance.
And he focused on Lesley, who was sitting on the bed facing his direction.
"L-Les..." He muttered hesitantly.
There came the pang of pain again, making her unable to look at him straight in the eyes.
"D-did I do s-something...?"
With the pain lurking in her chest and the anger slowly rising up her head, she clenched her teeth and threw a fist down at Granger's stomach.
"Argh!" He yelled, satisfying Lesley who quickly slid off the bed and marched towards the door.
"Lesley!" He called.
But she exited the room and slammed the room behind her, not caring about the other occupants of the neighboring room who were probably still asleep.
She ran through the aisle of doors, her vision starting to blur as tears formed in her eyes.
She felt played. She felt stupid. She felt insignificant, being ignored by the boy she'd liked for years and being played just like that by an irrelevant one!
And to think that her heart fluttered!
How could her heart flutter so easily?
She came marching through the empty street of the village, the air hitting her skin coldly as she forgot to grab her trench coat.
But there was no way she was going back there.
"Lesley, get back here!" Granger's voice echoed through the empty alleyway.
She didn't spare a glance at him, embarrassment dawning inside her.
"Listen, whatever I did, I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"
"Leave me alone!"
He caught her by the wrist, his palm giving warmth to her cold skin but she still refused to look at his face.
Instead, she hung her head low and let her hair cover the side of her face.
She was just so done with everything that she was feeling.
"You're gonna freeze out here. Let's get back inside."
She kept her head low, feeling a tear run down one of her eyes.
She didn't even know why she was crying. Maybe because she was tired of being treated like an option, by everyone around her.
Why couldn't anyone feel for her like Granger felt for Rafaela?
She was out of his sight, but was definitely, constantly on his mind.
All she ever wanted was for someone to completely see her, to only see her.
She breathed in, only for her nose to sniffle loudly.
Granger suddenly pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her before she could even push him away.
His hand came at the back of her head, gently pressing it against his broad shoulder.
"You can cry." He said. His voice was so gentle that it instantly broke the wall Lesley had built up and tears came pouring out of her eyes.
She felt stupid, for letting her heart flutter by a kiss that was definitely not meant.
And she was broken, left by get childhood friend whom she thought was going to love her if she just stayed by his side.
She'd always found his walls so hard to break. But Lesley thought she'd went past it, she thought she was able to get close to him.
Then a girl came and showed her how easy it was to break into Gusion's defenses.
Lesley had always had to work hard just to get him to stay for a long while, because he always had things to do.
But that girl...Gusion's mind had always been on her even when she was completely ignoring him.
Her sobs came, the pain in her chest clenching.
She never knew it could hurt this much that she wished she could just get rid of it.
She'd always thought she was never going to regret falling for her childhood friend.
But now she just wished she could forget what she felt, because it just hurt so bad.
Granger didn't ask her to stop crying, nor did he say anything.
He just let her cry her heart out, lent her a shoulder to cry on as he ran his fingers gently down her hair, slowly soothing her to calmness.
"What the hell?"
Lesley and Granger turned to the owner of the voice.
And instantly, Lesley's heart started beating really fast it felt like the times when she and Granger attempted to chase Alucard; breathless.
Because standing just a few meters away, now looking like a man than a lad, with his hair falling down to the top of his eyes, its silver strands making his eyes as brilliant as the glowing stone that he held in his right hand.
Lesley hastily pulled away from Granger's arms. "Gusion."