i lived two lives

called a problem child
cause i got too wild

 His laugh does something easy to his face—loosens his shoulders, warms the room in a way the hearth can’t. I like it more than I mean to. It snags a smile out of me before I can catch it.

"Honestly? No idea how he is with a blade," I admit, wry. "But he held his own well enough in a hand-to-hand scuffle with me."

I soak in the artifacts without touching a single thing. Admiring feels safe; handling would be exactly when fate decides to make me a cautionary tale. "Glad none of these are cursed," I add under my breath. "That would be just my luck—the one time I don’t read a label."

Deimos lifts Erebos and the kid’s giggle lights him up even more. The sight makes my grin tip wider, and before I can overthink it, the question is out of my mouth.

"So I can stay here when I visit Halo?" I clear my throat, suddenly aware of my sword bumping my hip like it’s heckling me. "I mean the spare rooms. I won’t be in the way," I add, words tripping in my haste to sound like a functioning adult. "If that’s okay."

but now that's how i'm getting paid

Theea

Deimos

Deimos wasn’t entirely surprised; Damien seemed to have some hidden components to him. He kept the notions to himself, though he gave a hint of a smirk, already planning out some portions that could work well for Theea.

Snagging at Erebos instead, and letting the toddler drop back down to the floor, he snorted, shrugging his shoulders. “I hesitate to put out any cursed ones.” For fear they would end up precisely in the wrong hands, and he didn’t need any guild members rendered into something damned and doomed. Had enough of that in Caido already.

Her inquiry caused his brow to arch, but he smothered any potential laugh looming. “Sure. That is what they are for.” Turning out of the artifact threshold, and ensuring Erebos followed, he took several long strides down the hallway, pointing towards the three doors further ahead. “You can go claim one now if you want.” They were plain and unassuming, and nothing fanciful, but each contained a bed, ample storage space, jugs for water, windows, and anything else one might need for a few days of shelter and quiet.

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

called a problem child
cause i got too wild

 The words claim one does something fizzy to my chest, finding another place I might fit. I follow him down the hall, trying not to look like I’m about to sprint. First door—oops. Someone’s things. I shut it carefully, cheeks warm. The next door swings open on a room that’s plain as bread and exactly perfect: bed, a basic blanket folded on top, quiet corners, a window.

I love it.

I turn back to Deimos, suddenly aware that words exist. ”Thank you,” I say brightly. ”Really. I wasn’t sure where I was going to stay. I plan to visit Halo a lot and… having a place that’s mine to come back to—” I tap the doorframe twice. ”That helps.”

I keep my next thought to myself: that I’m looking forward to more time with Damien—training, patrols, whatever excuse passes for reasonable. I file a safer thought on top of it: getting to know Koa better, too, after he’d been so inclusive and kind when I had no idea what I was doing. Familiar faces help.

I straighten, sleeves finally tamed. ”I’m really glad to be here, Warden. What’s first?”

but now that's how i'm getting paid

Theea

Deimos

Erebos did the sprinting regardless, rampaging on those toddler legs all the way to the end of the hall and back, only blocked by his father as he came back around. By then, Theea seemed to have chosen one of the rooms, and his head tilted, listening – intrigued, at least, by the notions that she’d be ‘planning to visit Halo a lot’ as that wasn’t something customary in the slightest. Nodding instead of forming any of those inquiries past his mind, he gave her another solid smile. “You are welcome.”

With that segmented and cemented in place, he turned, casually escorting the youth at his side down to the other portion of the expanded upper wings. “The library.” Once they opened that portion, they’d be able to see a massive room itself – stacked to the brim with bookshelves and their adorning features, including a vast array of spines with titles like ‘Best Way to Avoid Dragons’ or ‘Common Combats against Cloud Mantas’. Within the middle was another hearth, smaller and somewhat cozier than the downstairs fire, alongside a variety of tables, desks, chairs, and couches nearby, to study, peruse, and formulate their best plans for impending hunts.

Letting her take a moment to roam around, he pointed out a section that was still a work in progress. “I have been adding journals to this part. Anything new,” especially void-related lately, “has been put here.” Until there were more official publishers, probably.

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

called a problem child
cause i got too wild

 Only when Deimos says "You are welcome." for probably the tenth time do I realize how much I've been thanking him. A cringe-worthy amount. I try not to let my cheeks color as I follow him down another hall, and it opens up into a great library, a gem I would have never could have guessed was here from the outside.

I grin at all the books and wander in, fingers running over spines and titles, already spotting some I'll love to have stacked in my room for late-night reading. I ponder at which ones I'll be plucking up in the future, settling down with other hunters and researching whatever beast was up for a bounty from the board downstairs. Me, Damien, Koa, around a table by the hearth, books open. Others more experienced lending their knowledge and support.

My attention follows where Deimos points to, and I step to the unfinished section, eyes scanning all the unmarked spines of personally written journals. "This is really cool. First hand accounts, recent accounts... Are they all Monster Hunters, the ones who write these?"

but now that's how i'm getting paid

Theea

Deimos

While Erebos climbed into a chair and sank into its deeper seat, legs dangling and giggling as he swung them back and forth, Deimos righted a few journals nearby that hadn’t been quite placed back in order, then arched his brow at Theea’s inquiry. “Yes. Though we do receive information from others, and try to verify it as best we can.” Much like the ventures they’d had recently in King’s End – some rumors were to be just that, and others burdened with the rich components of reality and all its burgeoning costs. Still, he didn’t want the tomes within this library to be filled with fanciful information. All of it was to showcase and highlight details, descriptions, and necessities for impending hunts, not old tales plagued with half-truths and exaggerations. Caido had enough embellishments.

Taking hold of one and inspecting it, he then opened to a page and showed it to her – all neatly labeled with pictures, diagrams, and precise accounts of creatures – this one designated with ‘Banshee’ written at the top. “Like this.” Letting her partake in whatever sagacity she wished, he shrugged. “So you can add your own someday.”

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

called a problem child
cause i got too wild

 Rumors I can handle. I grew up hearing where the seams were—my parents told it straight most of the time, but I could always spot the stitched-in bits when a gap needed… creative mending.

I take the journal and skim at an easy clip, finger drifting the margin while my eyes bounce between labels and diagrams. Clean lines, clear notes, measurements where they matter—this is my lane.

I’m solid with sketches, I say, proud, tapping a cross-section. Maps, creatures, the little tells—spurs on a heel, ridge count on a horn, vein patterns on wings. If you need visuals tightened up, I can do that. The non-drawers can borrow my hands when needed.

I hand the book back, mouth ticking up. Charcoal or ink, either’s fine. If you want a standard—scale bars, angle marks, that sort of thing—point me at it. I give a big shrug. "I didn't have friends growing up, so I drew a lot. Learned a lot."

but now that's how i'm getting paid

Theea

Deimos

Deimos glanced back at the book once she was done commenting – wondering if his drawings hadn’t been enough – but he nodded just the same, taking the information in. Ignoring the lack of friends part and the absorption into sketching other than amiable parts of childhood (they needn’t parse through that), his head tilted, then put the journal back into its space for whomever to use. “Good. It is helpful to have others on hunts who can recall the necessary details.” Sometimes he was far too busy ensuring everyone stayed alive.

But with that, he didn’t have much else to show on the tour – and he had a feeling she’d be content to wander and meander on her own, exploring different portions of the place without him nearby. “Did you want to see anything else?” Erebos waved from the middle of the chair, giggling, very proud of standing upright on the cushions and supporting himself, as the Sword hovered around the toddler instead.

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts

called a problem child
cause i got too wild

 I nod, the new weight at my hip a steady reminder of what I asked for. I want the hunts—the real ones—to prove I can do more than swing and hope. I’ve got eyes and a brain and I’ve spent seasons teaching both to pay attention. Usually. Sometimes I get lost in my own head—but when I decide to lock in, I don’t miss much.

"I’m good for now," I tell him, glancing past to where Erebos is very proud of being a mountain on a chair. "I can explore more on my own when I’m back. I’m in Halo so often I’m starting to wonder if people will just assume I live here." The corner of my mouth tugs; I tilt my head, thinking it through. "Does joining make it… part-time home?"

The thought sits warmer than I expect. I ease a hand over the sword’s grip, then let it fall and push my sleeves up again, useless habit. "Either way, I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll drop my pack in the room, skim the bounties, try not to touch anything that looks like it wants to bite back."

but now that's how i'm getting paid

Theea

Deimos

Snorting, Deimos casually lifted Erebos off the chair, high enough so the youth squealed with delight, before placing him back down on the floor, getting ready to depart. “In a way. Though some Halovians might disagree.” He gave her a soft smile at that, before taking the toddler’s hand, ensuring they’d be making their way out the door and heading home, instead of a meandering Erebos adventure. “Sure. Let me know if you need anything. I will send word of when we hunt in Deepfrost.”

And with that, he gave one final nod of his head, and Erebos waved and gave a giggling ‘Bye bye!’ – and so they disappeared around the corner and down the stairs, back to more business.

[FIN]

we exhume our enemy's bones
we are battling, hungry beasts