Chapter Text
The Guild's halls bustled like always, hunters chatting with each other, handlers moving to hand in reports, Palicos scurrying after their masters. The large building Leo found himself in was always like this, lively, busy, a bit overwhelming.
Especially when you were still adjusting to having new legs.
The prosthetics that smithy- Werner, he recalls -had made him did wonders. They were custom-made, 'simply concepts', he called them. They were just the prototypes of future versions to come, yet Leo still had to practice moving about in them. This task was made a little more difficult by the ache that still persisted in his muscles, even now, a few weeks after his 'rescue'.
Leo's mind always wandered back there, to the sand, to the burning in every muscle and bone in his body, aching to give out, to give up. He was too stubborn, he should've let himself fall long before then, but he hadn't. He'd kept on walking, even when it felt like every step was making the cuts and scrapes worse.
When he had collapsed, he truly believed he was finally dying, finally moving on to whatever awaited in the afterlife. His father? The villagers who raised him? Something worse? He didn't know.
He didn't get to find out either, not when he finally registered the people shouting, rushing over to see if he was still alive. Strangers, dressed in garbs he didn't recognise. Hunters, like him, like the ones who'd visited his village before.
"You'll be alright, just hold on."
That voice had cut through every thought, and the man who'd carried him back, barely alive, Leo knew he'd remember him for the rest of his life.
"Leo."
He snapped out of his thoughts, red eyes moving to land onto the professor, Fabius, the man who he owed his life to.
"Yes sir?"
Leo turned his body to face the taller man, straightening up slightly out of respect. Fabius waved his hand to try to ease him, yet his posture didn't loosen. He was, and always would be, stubborn.
"How are you managing walking?"
"Better than last week, I suppose. I no longer look like a new-born monster, at least, I don't think I do." Leo joked, his smile shifting the bandages on his face, covering injuries that were still healing. Cuts that would scar, the doctors had said. Nothing worse than losing your legs.
Fabius nodded, glancing down at Leo's legs, at how he stood better than before. He was clearly getting used to it, that was good.
"That's good to hear. I'll be able to pass that on to Werner, he'll be pleased to know his prototypes are working, if he remembers, that is."
As the older man began to walk, Leo immediately followed after him, his steps somewhat hurried, trying not to fall on his face.
People parted like the sea for Fabius, passing nods and greetings to the older man. Leo still felt somewhat out of place here, having only been here for a few weeks now. He barely knew Fabius, yet the trust he had in the man was almost comparable to the trust he had in his own twin sister.
"is there something you'd like from me, sir?"
"No, I merely wished to check in. I want you to settle in here, you're part of the Guild now, after all."
Leo nodded, continuing to follow the professor.
Settle in, he'd have difficulty doing that...
Later on, when they'd gone their separate ways, Leo found himself feeling bored. He wanted to train, but Fabius advised against it, of course he would.
As he slowly paced around the halls, he noticed something, or rather, someone. A girl, or rather, a young woman. It wasn't that any of her physical traits stood out, but rather how anxious she appeared. She looked lost, it clearly being her first time here. Leo knew exactly how that felt... well, no, that was a lie, considering he was brought in over Fabius' shoulder.
Leo felt his heart tug in his chest at the sight of her, clearly overwhelmed from the amount of people. A part of him was yelling to stay where he was, he was new here, what if he made a fool of himself? Yet, as a man raised with a twin sister, a twin sister who would beat his ass if she knew he was leaving this poor girl to suffer alone... he moved, walking over to her, taking a deep breath.
"Hey, sorry to bother you... You look a little lost, everything alright?"
The woman, Erina, jumped as he approached, startled. She looked up at him, her eyes wandering over the bandages covering most of his face, his red eyes almost glowing in comparison. For a moment, her silence worried him. Had he scared her? Was she mute? Did he do something incredibly wrong?
"I... No, I am lost... This is my first time here, could you-" She stuttered over her words a bit, clearly struggling. Leo instinctively reached out, cupping her face in his hands, gently patting her cheeks.
"It's alright, don't worry! Wherever you're looking to go, I'll help you."
He paused, realising what he was doing, quickly pulling his hands back as if he'd hurt her.
"Sorry- That's a- uh- bad habit."
Erina was silent, her cheeks slightly rosy from the sudden touch. She only nodded, not understanding why he did that, but his equal amount of awkwardness seemed to ease her worries a bit. He may be a total stranger, but he clearly wished to help.
"I'm looking for someone, Olivia? She's a hunter.."
The name didn't ring any bells in Leo's head, making him hum, scratching the back of his neck. He tried to think, but he'd never met, or heard of, any hunter with that name.
"Sorry, I don't know her... Maybe I could try and track down-"
"Ah, there's also Werner...! If you know him..." Erina blurted out, making Leo's eyes widen a little, a smile coming to his face.
"Oh, Werner! I do know him! Smithy, rough hair, kind of looks like he hates everyone?"
His description made Erina smile a little as she nodded, brushing her hair out of her face.
"That does sound like him, yes."
Leo was relieved, gesturing for them to start walking, making sure to move slowly so she didn't lose him. The Guild seemed busier today, or maybe it was just the time of day, as there were many different faces running around.
Leo's taller stature made it a bit easier for the two of them, and his hair colour stood out enough for Erina to not lose sight of, even as she was accidentally shoved around by those going about their business. As they continued onwards, Leo glanced back, noticing she was lagging behind a bit, clearly struggling with the crowd. He moved, carefully taking her arm, pulling her along, making sure not to be rough.
"Here, hold onto me. I don't want to lose you now, we only just met." He smiled down at her, letting Erina's hand wrap around his arm, feeling how she clung to him like a lifeline.
As the two continued on through the halls, Erina's eyes wandered down to his prosthetic legs. This was her first time meeting someone with such a thing, not that she hadn't heard of it before, obviously. She glanced at the bandages peaking out from his sleeves, and the ones on his neck and face. He'd clearly been through a lot, a hunter, she assumed from his build. She yearned to know what caused such injuries.
"So..."
Leo's voice got her attention, making her drift away from her thoughts about what lay beneath the bandages.
"I take it this is your first time here?" He glanced down at her, watching as she nodded.
"Yes, I was invited here... Or, well, asked to come, by Olivia. The hunter I mentioned..."
Leo was clearly intrigued, letting her continue to talk if she wished to do so.
"I came from the academy, Olivia said she'd like for me to work with her, as her handler. She thinks I've got the skills for it, and some field experience would be good for me... I'm not too sure if I'm up for it, but I think if I didn't come, she'd drag me by my ankles..."
She lets out a nervous laugh, making Leo chuckle, imagining this mystery hunter dragging the poor girl out onto the field.
"Well, that's great! I'm sure you'll do wonderful. I mean, you were personally requested, doesn't that say something about your skills?"
He flashed her a grin, showing sharp teeth, surprising her. Everything about this man was like a magnet, pulling her in. A deep part of her wanted to inspect his teeth like a monster- no, that'd be weird.
Eventually, Leo stopped, making Erina suddenly skid to a halt beside him. He pushed open a door, stepping into a smaller room.
"Werner! You in here?" Leo called out, announcing his presence as he guided Erina in slowly.
"Who is it? What do you want?"
A voice shouted back, Leo relaxing as he recognised the smithy's voice. As he stepped forward, Erina hesitantly let go of his arm, wishing she could hold on for just a second longer.
"It's me, the leg guy!" The hunter shouted out, knowing that would probably make Werner remember.
Werner stepped into view, pulling down his goggles, eyeing Leo like he was intruding.
"Oh, you. What is it? Hm?"
The smithy's eyes landed on Erina, staring her down for a moment, confused. She stepped forward, giving a shy smile.
"I'm Erina, Olivia invited me to be her handler...?"
Werner seemed to click immediately, snapping his fingers.
"Ah, you. Right, that rings a bell. Yeah, go sit down, Olivia's just running some errands for me. Probably gonna kick my ass when she gets back for not doing it myself, but I got work to do."
Werner wandered back to what he was doing, leaving Erina to settle down. Leo smiled, looking to her.
"Well, I'm glad I helped you find who you were looking for."
She nodded, her hands awkwardly sat at her sides.
"Yes, thank you... I hope it'll be worth it."
Leo smiled, reaching out to pat her cheeks again.
"Don't worry, you'll do great. I can't wait to overhear how amazing your work is."
He pulled his hands back, realising he did it again, chuckling awkwardly.
"Right, I'll go, see you around!" He waved bye, leaving the room while mumbling to himself about 'doing it again'.
Erina watched him go, a smile pulling at her lips... and it was only then she realised she'd never gotten his name. Moving to sit down, she called out to Werner, still a bit shy.
"Um, that man... what's his name?"
Werner's head perked up, and he glanced at her.
"Oh, him, he's- uh... Yeah, I don't got a clue."
He shrugged, resuming his work, leaving Erina to sigh. She'd just have to hope she'd meet her nameless hero another time.
As the sandship moved along, Erik looked out at their surroundings, listening as Olivia reminded him of what they were here to do. People moved around the deck, conversing with one another, looking to see if they could spot anything interesting. It was everyone's first time in the Forbidden Lands, after all. Who wouldn't be excited?
Erik turned his head, seeing Olivia wave to someone in greeting, another hunter who walked by, her red hair blown about by the wind. Normally, he wouldn't really bat an eye, she'd always greeted random hunters, he'd learned that in the 10 years he'd spent working with her so far... but this one drew his attention. After all, her legs were metal, clearly custom-made prosthetics for whatever her fighting style was. It reminded him of that man from his first day, the one with the bright red eyes.
As the hunter reached her unit, stopping to speak to them, she glanced down at her Palico, allowing Erik to catch a brief glimpse of her eyes.
Bright red, and the smile on her face was all too familiar.
His heart lurched in his chest, and his breath caught as it felt like time slowed down. After all, here in the Forbidden Lands, after 10 long years... his nameless hero had returned.
His heart, which normally yearned for nothing more than to study the world around him, suddenly had yearning to study something else:
This huntress with bright red eyes.