Chapter Text
3 Days Later
Bang Bang Bang
Derek was alerted to the door by someone letting all the anger they had felt in life onto it. Checking his watch, he saw that it was 8:34, and most business in the city was done either at dawn or closer to the afternoon. Whoever was knocking at this hour was not of Castaigne, and Derek had a dreadful feeling he knew who it was.
“Hello Derek! Avery began, a joyous look on his face “I was traveling the town and just ha-”
“You’re looking for me. Why?” Derek spoke plainly. Internally, he was terrified. Avery tracked him to the little apartment he used to get away from the politics of the nobles and if he knew that he was the lord of the city, that meant he had lost his only connection to a non-formal life. A cloak and secluded section of a library was one thing, but a golden knight strolling through the town square with a green clothed stranger would be more than enough to turn a few heads.
“Well, um, I don’t exactly know my way around the city and you're the only person so far who has been willing to talk to me for more than a faint hello, sooooo I may have asked around for where you lived?” Avery held his hands up sheepishly, caught in the lie. “A lot of people thought I was asking for the lord of this city, but I was eventually directed here by a nice couple who said that you frequent their library. It’s cool that you share a name with the lord though!”
Derek did a double take at the man's words. The fact that he didn’t connect his name to the title of D3rlord, nor did he think that the many people who did make the connection were correct, was astounding. He made a mental note to thank Henry Armitage and his wife for keeping his secret. They were some of the only ones in the kingdom who knew of his people-watching and second life in the city, and were able to lend a room from time to time.
“Well, you found me, what is it you wish to know?” Derek replied with a small yawn behind his words, his frame still tired and bruised from the battle with the monsters from Carcossa. He glanced back at the golden armor that was only slightly battered from the battle, thinking of the three men that had died for the small victory, claiming a small town that had been lost four months earlier.
“If you could perchance accompany me to find the Lord I have heard so much about, it would be the greatest of favors!” Avery spoke, a goofy grin spreading across his face and a glimmer igniting in his eye.
The terror returned. Avery was asking him to look for himself. This alone was bad, but so soon after a recent battle meant that he could not be gone for long, the nobles could be convinced that he needed rest. But citizens knew his face, there was no way he could wander the town with this stranger in green without people kneeling to him. How in the Hells was he supposed to stroll the streets of Castaigne with Avery, it was nigh impossible.
…Unless.
Derek looked into Avery’s eyes, those eyes that were filled with enough energy to power the forges of Castainge for years. If he said no, he just knew it would break the mages heart, and for some damned reason he just couldn’t allow that. What was he getting himself into? “Sure, why not. I don’t know the man personally but I’m sure some searching wouldn’t hurt.”
The light in Avery’s eyes glowed even brighter, as he reached to grab Derek’s arm, but he pulled back, not out of willingness but more from reaction.
“Not… Not yet. I need some time to prepare, you didn’t exactly come at the most opportune time. Sorry”
“No No No it’s fine! How about 3 o’clock?!” Avery said with excitement of a child on his birthday.
“Sure sure, why not” Derek sighed and waved him away, chuckling to himself about the energetic boy in front and reaching for the half finished mug of tea on his counter.
“Hooray, it’s a date then!” Avery skipped, skipped, away from his apartment. He choked on the liquid coursing down his throat. Date? Adventure, journey, hell even outing would work, but date? Either Avery was incredibly stupid and socially inept or incredibly forward and still socially inept. Derek shook his head. “3 o’clock it is then”.
___________________________________________________________________________
“Hooray, it’s a date then!” Avery skipped away from Derek’s apartment, and internally he was sweating his butt off. Why did he say date?! Derek was cool and all, but he didn’t even know if he liked boys, much less if he liked him. He probably thought he was too stupid, or too forward or socially awkward. Why was he doing this to a poor guy he had just met? He barely even knew the man he was talking to, he just ran into the guy in the libr-
Suddenly a man in a yellow robe bumped into him and he nearly fell into the muddy street that led away from the small tavern.
“Hey, watch where you’re… going?” Avery turned back to look at the figure that had shoved him and yet saw nothing. Only some dust on the ground and a small note in a yellow envelope. He took the note in his hand. Something about the small little drawing on the front made his head a little fuzzy. It looked like a small child's scrawl with yellow ink, but hey, maybe this is just something that happens here. Perhaps he could return it to the yellow man. He’d have to ask Derek later…. Oh god he would have to have a conversation with Derek later.
“I really am an idiot, aren’t I?” He spoke to no one in particular, though he could almost feel a grin from somewhere around him.