"Taran!"
I almost jumped out of my skin, turning to see a ball of green hair and large amber eyes tumbling down the hall towards me. A grin so wide it looked like it might cut into her ears.
I felt a pleasant sigh slide out of me at sight of her. Every time I saw one of my new lodgers, I felt the same sense of awe as the night we'd met.
Such beauty didn't belong in the world.
It was too good for it.
"Poppy," I greeted her as she skidded to a halt and looked like she wasn't sure if she should hug me or not. I wasn't sure either, so we stood awkwardly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said. "But I was wondering if I could ask for a favour?"
"You can ask," I said. "If I can help, I will."
"Well…" She squirmed a little, obviously uncertain if she should. "I told you I wanted to take the manabeast class, right?"
"Ah, yes." I winced. "You want to talk to Noodle."
"That's right! He's so adorable!"
"He's really not."
"You're just saying that," she giggled. "But they want me to have an actual proper manabeast for the class, and I don't have one. I have to go to Snuggington's Pets to get it."
"Snuggington's?" I pursed my lips in thought. "That's in Blexley Lane, isn't it?"
"I think so?"
"Hmm."
"It's just that Violet and Clover have other classes today and they can't go with me." She chewed her bottom lip nervously. "And I don't want to walk around on my own. Not yet. Those people from the alley were really scary. I wouldn't want to see them again."
"The mooks? Oh, I don't think you'll need to worry about seeing them again, Poppy," I told her with a little smile. "But I understand your concern. But I'd be delighted to take you to Snuggleton's if you like. When did you want to go?"
"Can we go after breakfast? You're not busy this morning, are you?"
I had been planning to head straight out to deal with my ex-wife. But it didn't really matter if it waited until afternoon, I thought. I hadn't made any appointment for it.
Besides. With Poppy staring at me like a puppy pleading for snacks, how could I refuse? A gentlemen never refuses a lady.
Especially not a pretty one.
"No, I'm not busy at all," I said, giving her green hair a little pat. That seemed to cheer her up a bit more. "We'll head out straight after if you like."
"Thank you so much!" This time she did dive in for a hug and I felt her slim arms squeeze tight around my torso. Shocked, I didn't know where to put my hands and eventually settled on her shoulders as the safest places of rest.
"Have you given much thought as to what manabeast you want?"
"Another cat?"
"Noodle would love that," I said drily.
"Maybe an owl?"
"He'd love that even more."
"Then, I'm not sure."
"We'll see when we get there, I suppose."
"Yes," she said, still not letting me go. I was beginning to feel a little concerned.
"Poppy?" Violet called, stepping out of her room. "What are you doing?"
"Eep!"
Then she collapsed. I snatched at her arms quickly as the young woman fell asleep in my arms. Glancing at Violet, I gave her a panicked look. "Umm…"
"Can I assist, sir?"
"Grimsby!" I yelped as he stepped out from behind. "Yes! Please. If you don't mind…"
The old lich gently took the snoring girl in his arms and carried her towards the dining room for breakfast.
I wiped my hands on my robe and shrugged at Violet's curious expression. "She asked me to take her to Snuggington's," I explained. "I think she was just a bit too happy about it."
Violet smiled, emitting some kind of invisible radiant energy which pierced my heart.
It was a sensation I had researched many times, but never found any conclusive evidence that women possessed a secret magic. But I was certain they did.
"That's very kind of you to go with her," she said. "But please don't buy it for her. We do have some money of our own."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she said firmly. "We're also going to be looking for employment soon. If you spoil her too much, she'll take advantage of you. Not in a bad way, I assure you. But she'd do almost anything to get out of taking responsibility for herself."
"I'll temper my impulses as best as I can," I promised.
After breakfast, Grimsby advised he had laid out my suit from Islington's. Not my usual suit for the day, but he seemed adamant about it.
It was a light-wearing grey material with a few more pockets than I'd like. I was never quite sure what to do with them.
"I'd suggest you take a cane today, sir," he said.
"Really?"
"I do think so."
"Very well." I paused at the front door to select one, eventually decided on the walnut with a heavy spherical top of polished silver. Not too formal, but not too casual.
Also the only one he hadn't tutted at when I reached for it.
Honestly, he was a fussy old thing.
Poppy appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a bright yellow dress which was a striking difference to her green hair. But seemed to fit her eyes.
It hugged her slender torso before flaring below the waist and ending just above the knee with a gasp of lace some ladies would find most decadent.
White socks and polished light brown shoes finished the look.
Her cheeks flushed as she trotted towards me, holding out her arms to display her outfit. "Do I look okay?"
"Very charming, miss Poppy," Grimsby assured her. "It will be sunny today. Have you got a hat?"
"I don't," she said, looking out at the sky. "But I can walk in the shade a lot."
"Hmm," he said, pulling out a hat which was a perfect match for her dress. So perfect that I wondered if he'd developed an ability to summon fashionable hats. That would be a very well sought-after ability. "Try this one."
"Oh! It's gorgeous!" She took the hat with a happy squeal and placed it on her head. "How is it?"
I gave a polite clearing of my throat and smiled at her. "You look radiant."
Her cheeks flushed again and I found myself staring.
Into her amber eyes.
Which were like liquid honey dragging me in with promises of golden sweetness and-
"Sir?" Grimsby thrust another hat at me. "Your hat."
"Oh." I popped it on my head and gave it a gentle tap. "Right. Very well. Time to get moving, young Poppy."
"Young?" She giggled, taking my arm as we headed outside into the warm morning sun. "You're not that much older than me! How old are you anyway?"
"Old enough," I said, squinting. With a tilt of my head, I let the hat take most of the glare. "And I won't ask how old you are. I've heard it's terribly rude to do so."
"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm not a child. Or a matron. I'm old enough that the guard won't harass me if I want to try a gin and tonic. So, my age doesn't really bother me."
"I feel the same way," I told her. Although the truth was I didn't really know how old I was. I could guess, but it wasn't the same.
I tell people I was five years old when the Old Twit found me, and that's most likely close enough to the truth. But when the Old Twit took me into the void, things sort of got a little tricky.
For starters, time works very differently in the void. Sometimes it's slower. Sometimes it's faster.
It's very difficult to keep track of insignificant things such as age. I could only judge by my appearance, but even that was difficult to say. In the void, there's a lot of things which can slow your physical aging.
Or speed it up.
It depended on the Old Twit's shifting whims.
So, whether I was older or younger than I appeared was anyone's guess.
That said, I usually put myself somewhere towards my late twenties or early thirties.
Thereabouts.
It didn't really matter to me.
I felt my arm suddenly get tugged tight to her body as she gave it a squeeze. "Thanks for coming with me, Taran," she said softly. Her eyes kept flicking towards surrounding alleys as though she expected a pack of leering mooks to pour out of them. "I get a bit scared going out on my own. What if I fall asleep in the street? I wouldn't feel safe."
"I understand," I said warmly. The poor girl's curse must make it very difficult for her to do anything on her own. "There's no need to worry about anything today."
"I know," she said, squeezing my arm. "But I worry anyway."
"Why's that?"
"Because I always feel like people are looking at me. Like they hate me."
"That's normal," I said. "A lot of us feel that way around crowds. But I'm sure they don't hate you. They don't even care about you, I think. Because none of them know you enough to have a proper feeling either way."
"I don't know," she said, gnawing on her lip. "I think they all know I'm cursed, so they hate me. I see it in their eyes. Like, look at that lady over there. The blonde one near the bakery? I can see it in the way she's glaring at me. She absolutely hates me."
"Blonde lady?" My heart stopped suddenly in my chest and the warmth of the sun now felt cold like the moon as my gaze dragged slowly towards the bakery, dreading what it would find.
I hoped I was wrong.
I hoped Poppy was overreacting.
I hoped the lady wasn't blonde.
Unfortunately, hope is an imaginary thing, and there was most definitely a blonde woman scowling at Poppy with a look I could only describe as murderous.
"Poppy?" I took a long swallow as my throat dried out in an instant. "Remember when I said there was nothing to fear and everything would be fine?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, it might not be." I fumbled my arm loose and snatched her hand tightly in mine. The blonde woman's face twisted into a look of pure rage. "I think we might be in some trouble."
"Why? Who is she?"
"My ex-wife," I blurted. Then I lunged for the nearest alley, dragging a shocked young Polly with me. "Run!"