Chapter 10 Between Curses And Care: How An Elf Is Slowly Learning To Love A Fool

The candlelight flickered softly in Aelries' room as she sat by the window, the borrowed clothes for Mixarnt folded neatly in her lap. The night was deep, the village quiet, except for the distant rush of the river. "He still wasn't back..." She sighed, resting her chin on her palm as she gazed out at the moonlit path. "It's almost midnight…" Normally, she'd have been furious, lecturing him in her head about his recklessness, his idiocy, his infuriating habit of vanishing when he pleased. But tonight, the anger didn't come. Instead, there was just… a quiet weight in her chest. "Did he get washed away by the current?" The thought slipped out, and for a second, she almost giggled at the image of him flailing downstream, shouting curses at the water and calling for her to help him. Then she caught herself. "Since when did I find his antics amusing?" She said softly. Her fingers tightened around the fabric in her lap. The innkeeper had left these for him, simple, clean clothes, free of manure and burns. Aelries hadn't protested when it was given to her. Hadn't even muttered "Let him freeze" under her breath. She slumped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. "He's so annoying…" But the words lacked their usual bite. Because despite everything, the fireballs, the bickering, the sheer exhaustion of dealing with him, she couldn't ignore the other memories. The moment he saved her from the plant monster, the way he'd give her the legendary sword without a second thought. How he'd grinned after surviving her fireballs, like it was all some grand game. The stupid, stupid warmth in his voice when he called her "Princess" not as a taunt, but like it was just her name. Aelries closed her eyes. "… Should I check on him?" The question hung in the air, unanswered. She groaned, rolling onto her side. "What am I even saying?" But when she listened closely, the river's sound outside seemed louder than before. "Sigh..." ------------ The cool night air brushed against Aelries' skin as she stepped out of the inn, the bundled clothes clutched tightly in her hands. Her footsteps were quiet against the dirt path, her ears straining for any sign of that infuriating human. "He better not be dead." She said. "… Not that she cared, of course." she added. Then she saw him before she could even get far from the inn. Mixarnt. Completely naked. His manly weapon proudly on display, waving like some obscene flag of victory. 'B-BIG!' she realizes as her face twisted in horror. "YOU PERVERT! AND HERE I WAS WORRIED!" she shrieked, hurling the clothes at him with enough force to knock a lesser man unconscious. Mixarnt barely caught them, laughing awkwardly as he held the fabric in front of himself. "Haha! Sorry, the river washed away my boxers. I was gonna use leaves, but there weren't any trees around, so… Haha." Aelries' eye twitched. "GRRR… BURN IN HELL, YOU PERVERT!!" Her hands ignited with flames, poised to launch a fireball straight at his shameless grin, but at the last second, she stopped. The fire flickered out. She turned sharply on her heel, marching back toward the inn. "JUST… put some clothes on and go to sleep, you idiot." Mixarnt blinked. "Wait, no fireball? No screaming? No—" "SHUT UP!" She said annoyed. The door slammed behind her. Back in her room, Aelries leaned against the wall, exhaling slowly. "He was fine." she muttered. 'Annoying. Disgusting. Insufferable.' she thought before adding in a low voice, "… But fine." A small, unwilling smile tugged at her lips before she could stop it. Then she froze, fingertips brushing her own mouth as if betrayed. "Tch… Why are you even happy, you idiot?" she muttered to herself, her cheeks warming despite her annoyance to herself. Mixarnt chuckled to himself as he fastened the borrowed trousers, shaking his head. "Damn... I really couldn't understand elves," he mused, running a hand through his damp hair. "One second she's trying to roast me alive, the next she's throwing clothes at me like some kinda tsundere heroine." He patted his pockets, feeling the weight of the four gold coins he'd earned from his stable work. "Well, guess I'll buy some underwear tomorrow. Can't have my thing scandalizing the whole village," he muttered with a grin, already picturing the chaos, "Banished for Public Indecency! What a way to go! Hey, that sounded like a nice title for a novel lol." Stretching his arms, he yawned loudly. "Sigh... Whatever. Tailor shop first thing in the morning." The night was cool, the stars bright overhead as he settled onto the edge of the inn's porch, leaning back against a wooden post. Not the most comfortable bed, but it beat sleeping in a ditch. Then—WHOOSH! Something soft smacked him in the head. "Wha—? Blanket?" Mixarnt blinked, pulling the thick fabric away to stare at it in confusion. His gaze travelled upward just in time to catch a flash of silver hair and a slamming window. "Hmph!" The sound was muffled, but the intent was clear. Mixarnt's grin stretched ear to ear. "Haha! Guess she couldn't let her favorite partner catch a cold!" he crowed, wrapping the blanket around himself with exaggerated flourish. Inside, Aelries, burrowed under her own covers, heard every word. Her eye twitched. "Idiot," she muttered, but there was no heat in it. Just exhaustion. She yanked a pillow over her head, muffling his voice, and within minutes, the steady rhythm of her breathing evened out. Outside, Mixarnt's laughter faded into a contented sigh. The blanket smelled faintly of flowers and herbs, her scent. He tugged it tighter around his shoulders, his own eyelids growing heavy. "Heh... Thanks, Princess..." And just like that, under the same moon, two unlikely companions drifted into sleep, one in a warm bed, the other on a creaky porch, both dreaming, in their own ways, of the adventure tomorrow would bring.