Chapter Text
Jou’s muscles ached. His bare feet were so sore, he thought he might collapse. The trees at the side of the road were inviting, the soft grass beneath them looking as soft as couch cushions, and the trunks were sturdy back rests. But the light of the sun was dimming, and town was only a mile away. He could see the buildings. People on horseback and with wagons coming in and out of town were a more frequent sight on the road he stumbled down. None of them stopped or even looked at him. He didn’t expect them to, nor did he feel any contempt for them for passing by. He knew how he looked. Mostly, he just missed having his own horse.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and kept walking, ignoring the sharp pains that shot up his legs and into his back. He slowly lifted his hand from his side, looking down at the blood that coated his hand and soaked into his shirt, making the fabric stick to his skin. Some of it, in the middle of his palm, was fresh still. He pursed his lips and pressed down on the wound again, gritting his teeth at the sting.
By the time he made it into town, the sun was well into setting. Most of the shops and businesses had closed their doors, save for the inn and the tavern. Part of him wanted to go straight to the tavern to get some food, but he knew he had to choose between a meal and a place to sleep. He could only grovel and ask to exchange a day’s work for one of those at a time, and the day was already over. He almost reached into his pocket in hopes that maybe, those men had left him with a single silver coin. He knew it was pointless, though. They hadn’t even left him with his shoes.
Jou shuffled through the door of the inn. The human woman waiting at the counter, reading a book, looked up at him. Her casual demeanor fell the instant she took in the sight of him. “Whatever you want, forget about it and leave. I don’t want any trouble in my business.”
Jou frowned. “Look, I’m not bringin’ any trouble. I just want a bed to sleep in.”
“Not unless you come back after a bath,” the woman said back.
“Aren’t I supposed to get that at an inn?”
“Not at this one.”
Jou grit his teeth, clenching his free hand into a fist. “I swear it, I’m not bringin’ in any trouble.”
The woman started to walk around the counter, grabbing a broom from against the wall. “And I swear I’ll beat that horned ass of yours out of here if you don’t get!”
Jou was about to keep arguing, but knew that he was in no state to be doing so. The pain in his side reminded him of that. With a grunt, he turned and walked back out the door, slamming it behind him.
He started walking aimlessly down the street. He didn’t notice when he passed the tavern. He looked back down at his hand. More fresh blood was pooled in his palm. He was feeling lightheaded.
Someone said something to him. He couldn’t tell what direction it came from. The sun was nearly entirely beneath the horizon, so the street was becoming a dusky blur. “Huh?”
“...-alright?”
It was coming from behind him. He turned to look at who was speaking to him, but he turned too quickly. The world spun around him. He tried to focus his eyes on the young man now standing in front of him. All he could see was a blurred face and hair, flashes of crimson and yellow. Jou opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly he felt his back against the dusty ground. His head hit the road with a dull thud , and his vision became a flash of colors.
Crimson and yellow.