90th Ashan, 718
Both sat in silence in the room, the sound of Ryder sharpening his blade echoing across the empty and bare house. Ryder hadn't been here for a long time, basically having given it to the girl so she felt safe. Select people had come to check in on the girl, a few of Ryder's trusted friends, but never Ryder. Since the branding incident, neither had actually spent long together. This was the first night the mercenary would be spending back in his own home.
"Do you want to do something?" the girl asked, looking up at Ryder with a sigh. Pausing for a trill, Ryder put down his sword, before glancing back to her and leaning back in the chair. How was he supposed to talk to this girl? Like a daughter, a carer? "Got something in mind?"
With a smirk, as if waiting for that question, Serah stood herself up in the small house and pointed to Ryder's Longsword. "I want one, or something like one. Something to train with, with you" she smiled at him. Confident, Ryder thought. Different to how she used to be. Somehow, more irritating, however.
"And who said I'd train you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ryder fought to kill, and trained people as such. "Floyd did, he said you're one of the best swordsmen he's ever seen, and that any daughter of his should be good with a blade too. He also said that you have a magic sword. Is it true? Is that sword magical?"
Floyd was a dead man. Magical sword, best swordsmen he'd ever seen? Compliments were great, fantastic even. But what was he filling this girls head with? Ideas that Ryder was going to train her to be the best fighter in the world, that the two would be equally unstoppable. Half of Ryder's prowess came from his strength and size, both of which were lacking from the small child. A longsword wouldn't work for her, something with more finesse would have to do.
But there was something the girl had said that Ryder almost missed. "Daughter". She called herself his daughter, willingly, without prompt. Despite every struggle the two had been through, she had talked of him like a father. That was enough for the man to give in, perhaps even buy her a weapon should the opportunity arise. But for now, they'd have to go looking.
With a sigh, Ryder stood up and knelt down before the girl. His eyes were somewhat sharp, authority running through them. "If I buy you a weapon, it is for defending yourself and nothing more, is that clear? You are not a killer, you don't want to be a killer, and you never will be a killer" he ordered, his face showing no sign of negotiating. As he stood up, the girl made him pause with her question.
"Do you want to be a killer?" her words spoke, echoing around the room. Slowly the echo faded, causing the room to fall in to silence. Sharp question for a ten year old girl, she clearly wasn't stupid. Yet asking a killer if he wanted to be one wasn't a bright question, either. After keeping the room silent for a while, Ryder finally glanced back and answered.
"No. But heroes don't get paid enough. So this is the next best thing" he answered, no tone to his voice, before walking out the door and gesturing for her to follow. With a curious look on her face, she followed the man out of the house. Ryder's answer had left her with more questions than anything else, but she wasn't planning on asking them. He'd made his point fairly clear.
As the two walked along, Ryder hummed a small tune, one that Nightshade had hummed when they first met. Serah smiled lightly and looked up at the man, before lightly putting her hand in to his and holding it. With a small glance, Ryder held her hand a little tighter, a small smile spreading on his cheeks. For the first time spending a day and night together, he'd had his hand held and was called her father already. It could definitely be going worse.
As the pair walked, Ryder stopped for a moment, glancing ahead. "Go back to the house, now" he ordered. Before Serah could argue, her eyes fell before them to a scene in front of them. One guard, three mercenaries, weapons drawn. Very quickly a crowd was gathering, meaning somebody had to act fast. Without checking to see if Serah had gone, Ryder ran to the fight.
It wasn't like him to care, to act on behalf of the good. Usually he'd pass it off as trying to keep a good public image, but this was different. Serah was watching him, watching the act in front of them. Perhaps he was a killer in the girls eyes, and perhaps she knew it. But if he killed the right people then he was somewhat redeemed for it, and maybe she would learn at the very least to never be like him.
Barging through a member of the crowd, Ryder quickly unsheathed his sword before raising it above his head and stopping the blow that would have finished the guard. With a heavy strike, the man was knocked back off his feet, Ryder's sword throwing him backwards. Twisting the blade lightly to show the shimmer of the razor sharp edge, Ryder's cold eyes looked at the men.
"You boys know how this goes. You leave, you get to see another day. You don't? You'll wish you'd been arrested" he snarled, his voice as sharp as the sword in his hands. Yet there was only fear in one of the men, meaning they were experienced - or stupid. Ryder had seen it many times before, threats going ignored because of false confidence and a sense of pride. Very well.
Before any of the men could react, the mugger in front of Ryder found a sword pushed in to his shoulder. Not enough to kill, but enough to immobilize, to stop him swinging the sword he used both hands for. Quickly, Ryder removed the sword from the bandit in front of him, watching carefully as another of the three charged for an attack. But nobody would die today, not while Serah was around. If she saw him kill a man...it couldn't happen. He wouldn't allow it.
Ryder turned the sword to swing with the flat of the blade, slamming it in to the mans nose with as much force as he could muster, immediately knocking the unarmored man unconscious. One man was left standing, trembling with fear at what he had just seen. All around the crowd fell silent, watching intently as Ryder walked up to the bandit, his posture and stance strong. Behind the whole scene, Serah watched, her eyes intent, wondering what Ryder was about to do.
"I give you one chance to stand down, or I take your head" he muttered, loud enough for only the man in front of him to hear it. Immediately, the sound of the bandits weapon hitting the floor echoed across the street, before he dropped to his knees and placed his hand behind his head. With a trill to pause, Ryder took a step back, keeping his eyes on the men around him as he helped the guard up.
"You hurt?" he asked, the guard shaking his head before getting fully to his feet. With a friendly nod, Ryder started to walk back towards Serah, only to have her run at him and throw a hug around him. A few people in the crowd couldn't help but express their admiration for the situation, with "aww"'s and cheers coming from multiple people around.
"I knew you were a hero" she muttered, hugging in to the mans stomach. After a few trills, she stepped back and turned to face the crowd. "For my dad, Ryder!" she cheered, raising her hands in celebration. Multiple people, the guard saved included, cheered. Some shouted his name in celebration, and all showed their appreciation.
After a few cheers, Ryder smiled at Serah and nodded, before she took his hand and made her way in to the town - a few still cheering behind them. After walking for a few bits, the man stopped at a market place, glancing to the weapons that were on display at a stall. After a few trills of consideration, he pointed to a combat dagger, well crafted.
"We'll take that one" the man nodded to the woman behind the stall, handing her the fourty gold nel it needed for the Masterwork Combat dagger. Once the blade was wrapped and taken in to Ryder's hands, he kneeled in front of Serah and handed it to her, before their eyes met. Ryder smiled a little, causing Serah to smile too.
"I might not be a hero, not like the ones in stories. But I always try and do what's right, for you especially. Please, don't ever forget that" the man spoke, putting his heart in to the words. With a small nod, Serah hugged him, careful of the dagger in her hands.
"I won't...dad"
Both sat in silence in the room, the sound of Ryder sharpening his blade echoing across the empty and bare house. Ryder hadn't been here for a long time, basically having given it to the girl so she felt safe. Select people had come to check in on the girl, a few of Ryder's trusted friends, but never Ryder. Since the branding incident, neither had actually spent long together. This was the first night the mercenary would be spending back in his own home.
"Do you want to do something?" the girl asked, looking up at Ryder with a sigh. Pausing for a trill, Ryder put down his sword, before glancing back to her and leaning back in the chair. How was he supposed to talk to this girl? Like a daughter, a carer? "Got something in mind?"
With a smirk, as if waiting for that question, Serah stood herself up in the small house and pointed to Ryder's Longsword. "I want one, or something like one. Something to train with, with you" she smiled at him. Confident, Ryder thought. Different to how she used to be. Somehow, more irritating, however.
"And who said I'd train you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ryder fought to kill, and trained people as such. "Floyd did, he said you're one of the best swordsmen he's ever seen, and that any daughter of his should be good with a blade too. He also said that you have a magic sword. Is it true? Is that sword magical?"
Floyd was a dead man. Magical sword, best swordsmen he'd ever seen? Compliments were great, fantastic even. But what was he filling this girls head with? Ideas that Ryder was going to train her to be the best fighter in the world, that the two would be equally unstoppable. Half of Ryder's prowess came from his strength and size, both of which were lacking from the small child. A longsword wouldn't work for her, something with more finesse would have to do.
But there was something the girl had said that Ryder almost missed. "Daughter". She called herself his daughter, willingly, without prompt. Despite every struggle the two had been through, she had talked of him like a father. That was enough for the man to give in, perhaps even buy her a weapon should the opportunity arise. But for now, they'd have to go looking.
With a sigh, Ryder stood up and knelt down before the girl. His eyes were somewhat sharp, authority running through them. "If I buy you a weapon, it is for defending yourself and nothing more, is that clear? You are not a killer, you don't want to be a killer, and you never will be a killer" he ordered, his face showing no sign of negotiating. As he stood up, the girl made him pause with her question.
"Do you want to be a killer?" her words spoke, echoing around the room. Slowly the echo faded, causing the room to fall in to silence. Sharp question for a ten year old girl, she clearly wasn't stupid. Yet asking a killer if he wanted to be one wasn't a bright question, either. After keeping the room silent for a while, Ryder finally glanced back and answered.
"No. But heroes don't get paid enough. So this is the next best thing" he answered, no tone to his voice, before walking out the door and gesturing for her to follow. With a curious look on her face, she followed the man out of the house. Ryder's answer had left her with more questions than anything else, but she wasn't planning on asking them. He'd made his point fairly clear.
As the two walked along, Ryder hummed a small tune, one that Nightshade had hummed when they first met. Serah smiled lightly and looked up at the man, before lightly putting her hand in to his and holding it. With a small glance, Ryder held her hand a little tighter, a small smile spreading on his cheeks. For the first time spending a day and night together, he'd had his hand held and was called her father already. It could definitely be going worse.
As the pair walked, Ryder stopped for a moment, glancing ahead. "Go back to the house, now" he ordered. Before Serah could argue, her eyes fell before them to a scene in front of them. One guard, three mercenaries, weapons drawn. Very quickly a crowd was gathering, meaning somebody had to act fast. Without checking to see if Serah had gone, Ryder ran to the fight.
It wasn't like him to care, to act on behalf of the good. Usually he'd pass it off as trying to keep a good public image, but this was different. Serah was watching him, watching the act in front of them. Perhaps he was a killer in the girls eyes, and perhaps she knew it. But if he killed the right people then he was somewhat redeemed for it, and maybe she would learn at the very least to never be like him.
Barging through a member of the crowd, Ryder quickly unsheathed his sword before raising it above his head and stopping the blow that would have finished the guard. With a heavy strike, the man was knocked back off his feet, Ryder's sword throwing him backwards. Twisting the blade lightly to show the shimmer of the razor sharp edge, Ryder's cold eyes looked at the men.
"You boys know how this goes. You leave, you get to see another day. You don't? You'll wish you'd been arrested" he snarled, his voice as sharp as the sword in his hands. Yet there was only fear in one of the men, meaning they were experienced - or stupid. Ryder had seen it many times before, threats going ignored because of false confidence and a sense of pride. Very well.
Before any of the men could react, the mugger in front of Ryder found a sword pushed in to his shoulder. Not enough to kill, but enough to immobilize, to stop him swinging the sword he used both hands for. Quickly, Ryder removed the sword from the bandit in front of him, watching carefully as another of the three charged for an attack. But nobody would die today, not while Serah was around. If she saw him kill a man...it couldn't happen. He wouldn't allow it.
Ryder turned the sword to swing with the flat of the blade, slamming it in to the mans nose with as much force as he could muster, immediately knocking the unarmored man unconscious. One man was left standing, trembling with fear at what he had just seen. All around the crowd fell silent, watching intently as Ryder walked up to the bandit, his posture and stance strong. Behind the whole scene, Serah watched, her eyes intent, wondering what Ryder was about to do.
"I give you one chance to stand down, or I take your head" he muttered, loud enough for only the man in front of him to hear it. Immediately, the sound of the bandits weapon hitting the floor echoed across the street, before he dropped to his knees and placed his hand behind his head. With a trill to pause, Ryder took a step back, keeping his eyes on the men around him as he helped the guard up.
"You hurt?" he asked, the guard shaking his head before getting fully to his feet. With a friendly nod, Ryder started to walk back towards Serah, only to have her run at him and throw a hug around him. A few people in the crowd couldn't help but express their admiration for the situation, with "aww"'s and cheers coming from multiple people around.
"I knew you were a hero" she muttered, hugging in to the mans stomach. After a few trills, she stepped back and turned to face the crowd. "For my dad, Ryder!" she cheered, raising her hands in celebration. Multiple people, the guard saved included, cheered. Some shouted his name in celebration, and all showed their appreciation.
After a few cheers, Ryder smiled at Serah and nodded, before she took his hand and made her way in to the town - a few still cheering behind them. After walking for a few bits, the man stopped at a market place, glancing to the weapons that were on display at a stall. After a few trills of consideration, he pointed to a combat dagger, well crafted.
"We'll take that one" the man nodded to the woman behind the stall, handing her the fourty gold nel it needed for the Masterwork Combat dagger. Once the blade was wrapped and taken in to Ryder's hands, he kneeled in front of Serah and handed it to her, before their eyes met. Ryder smiled a little, causing Serah to smile too.
"I might not be a hero, not like the ones in stories. But I always try and do what's right, for you especially. Please, don't ever forget that" the man spoke, putting his heart in to the words. With a small nod, Serah hugged him, careful of the dagger in her hands.
"I won't...dad"
