Defiance comes with a price

While it felt good to be affirmed of everything she now felt bad for feeling like she pushed him to strain himself. "Save your voice," she pleaded, her voice vulnerable as she felt so guilty. She got back on her feet, biting her lower lip as she turned to leave. However she stopped for a while before turning around to look at him. "Dairy milk and honey ... It tastes rancid but it helps soothing your vocal chords," she said, looking at him briefly before hurrying off. She had things to attend to and if she was caught talking to him it would mean more chores.
As the evening fell, the temple was soon filled with more silence and she had managed to convince Groff for a midnight stroll. She didn't get to go out often, but when she did it was never alone. That was when she learned of his reassignment, making her feel so unsure. She had known him forever, since what felt like the beginning of her existence, but now he was going away. Some important mission across the waters.
Groff had left in a hurry, and it was clear to everyone how distraught Haeven was. The Order was scrambling, trying to find someone to occupy her mind with, but nothing seemed to work, not until one day she stepped in to one the training room, expecting to see a new brute but instead saw Baal. Her jaw dropped, her eyes starting to water, but she didn't know what this meant yet.

He shrugged as she pleaded with him. He didnt really understand why she was feeling so guilty when it was just how things were going to be. He nodded at her tip, but he doubted that he would be able to find those things anywhere in this place. He watched her leave before he returned to sorting out the piles, finishing not long after. He was escorted back to his room where he sat down on his bed and waited till he heard the footsteps retreat before pulling out the old book that he was reading. He got to read for what he would guess an hour before someone came to give him his meal of the day.
A few more days passed and he felt a lot better, while his arm wasnt fully recovered, his voice was starting to come back to him. Talking for too long was hurtful, but it wasnt harming him. Uncertain of what he was doing in the training room, he just stood there and waited with his hands folded out of formality. When she stepped in, he frowned a little confused as he tilted his head slightly to the side. "Uhhhh," he mumbled, scratching the side of his neck. "From your expression I'm guessing that you know just as little as I do?" he assumed.

Seeing him there felt odd. For so many years she had been met with Groff and his stern, yet familiar features. Now she was met with a practical stranger, and one she had helped hurt. Hearing him speak she already knew that his voice was a lot better. Haeven however could still see that his arm wasn't fully healed. They hadn't brought her in here to torture him more, had they? Feeling her stomach turn to knots she fiddled with her hands, looking down as she felt ever so nervous. "There you are," a familiar voice rang. Alyssa stepped in, however at this point in time she still had her long dark hair. She was fierce as ever, stepping in to look at Haeven with a smile on her face. Then her eyes moved to Baal. She knew him little, but what she had heard was that he was much like her; of the same blood. "I don't think we've been properly introduced; My name is Alyssa, I'm second in command with the Order of Empusa?" she said, her smile charming and the way she moved was alluring.
Haeven stepped closer to Alyssa, clearly more comfortable staying near the female that she somewhat knew. "Aly ... What's going on?" Haeven asked a bit nervously. Despite how harsh Alyssa could be, there was some soft spots that she held, and one of them were Haeven. She had found the little girl, gotten her a place at the temple and a roof over her head. "Well seeing as Groff is off to a mission, the higher ups found it necessary that you should have some sort of companion; one to train with and spend time with," Alyssa explained, cupping the young daemoness' cheek before she gave Baal a more stern look. "Now, if you get any ideas about touching her inappropriately, then I'm afraid I'll have to kill you; But I hope it won't come to that," she said, sending him a sly smile.

Another female entered and Baal wasnt sure who she even was. After all, he wasnt exactly the kind to keep up with the politics of the orders and who was in charge of what. She introduced herself and the charming smile wasnt really something to be mistaken of. "Belial," he just said plainly, a soft roughness to his voice.
Then Haeven seemed to ask the question he had in mind. What was supposed to happen now? He was in no condition to do what the brute had been doing and neither did he really want to. The warning towards him made him narrow his eyes as he shook his head, "You dont have to worry," he assured her. But he had to admit that there was something about the empusa that was quite alluring in a natural manner; Which he guessed was one of her traits. "What training are we talking about?" he asked to divert the topic to something a little more relevant.

Alyssa smiled and nodded at this Belial's words, feeling assured that he wouldn't harm her. "Well, training might be too much for you to handle while you heal, but please bear in mind that she'll need some guidance," she said, looking at Haeven with a warm smile. The young summoner was curious now. "You have been granted days out in the districts; Only for a few hours at a time, and always with Belial," she said as she clearly couldn't hide that excitement herself. Haeven's face went from pained to ecstatic in a few moments and she jumped in to Alyssa's arms, hugging herself close. The empusa chuckled in a low voice, wrapping one arm around her before looking at Baal with a very serious expression on her face.
"Now you will be in charge of her safety; If you do something wrong or reckless, it will affect her as well," she warned him. She hadn't liked the idea of this questioning daemon being the one to handle Haeven, but alas it wasn't her decision. "If you are caught learning her stuff she shouldn't know, or even putting an inkling of doubt in to her mind -" she warned him, but it seemed like she couldn't finish that sentence as she looked at the daemoness in her arm. As far as daemons went, there rarely was any meaningful connection between them, but being the blood of Bael had made Alyssa feel more for her kind. She wanted children, wanted loads of them, but first she would have to have a mate, and that could take years.
Haeven looked over to Baal, taking a step away from Alyssa but still being close to her. "Aly it's alright, he's a good man," she said.

Alyssa tilted her head to the side as Baal asked her what she thought of him. "Does it really matter what I think?" she said, a cheeky smile crawling upon her lips before looking at Haeven. "I have things to attend to ... But don't hesitate to ask for me; I have a few things I need to sort out at the temple this week," she explained, cupping the young daemon's cheek once more before bidding them goodbye.
Haeven seemed upset at this, frowning as she watched the empusa go, but then turned around to look at Baal. "I think she likes you," she teased slightly, chuckling before she seemed to remember that he was her handler now. Frowning she looked down. "I'm sorry ... I meant no disrespect," she said in a serious voice, closing her eyes as if she was preparing herself for a beating. However the hit never came, making her open her eyes carefully to look at Baal. She looked purely baffled, almost in shock that she hadn't been punished. "You're supposed to reprimand me," she said. Wasn't he just irking to get back at her? Punish her like she had tortured him?

He seemed to question it, making her look even more confused, but then he said that they should get ready to go out and in that moment her eyes shone brighter than all the stars in the sky. She giggled to herself, spinning around for a few seconds before sprinting off to get properly dressed.
She returned, wearing a light pink version of the dress she had worn on the day they met. Her gloves covered her arms nicely, and the shawl around her shoulders covered the rest of the visible marks that the dress could not hide. Her hair had been put up, sitting more delicately on her head. She was waiting by the door to the outside of the temple for him, feeling an itch in her that she couldn't quite explain. On one hand she was extremely nervous of going out, on the other she could barely contain her excitement. When he joined her, she would place her hand on his good arm as they started walking. She didn't mind the walking, she actually preferred that to the carriage. "What's it like?" she asked, looking down as they walked as she felt herself shaking a little. "I mean ... What is there to do? And what are we allowed to do? - Should I know of something that I shouldn't do?" she asked so many questions rather fast, showing how excited she truly was.

As Baal mentioned ducks her eyes seemed to water a little. "We get to feed ducks?" she asked in amazement, but probably anything he would suggest would make her happy. The park that laid ahead was the one in the Northern District, Faith Gardens, if she remembered hearing it correctly. They got to a small pond, a small stand selling drinks and snacks not far from there. It was clear the world was changing, daemons and seraphim walking among each other in a park was quite strange for those having grown up with war. "Which ones are the ducks?" she asked nervously, whispering to him as to not embarrass him in public. How would it not look to have an unknowing fool of a young lady on his arm? When he pointed them out she let out a muted squeal, covering her lips as she smiled brightly. "They are so adorable," she whispered in a hushed voice. It was certainly very unladylike to be this excited by birds, but this was her first time seeing them up close.
"What do we feed them with? Are they more for steak or maybe blood will suffice?" she asked.

As he explained their diet she felt a little stupid, looking at the money in her hand. It was perhaps the first time for her to ever carry something of real world value. Nodding at his words she felt a little nervous as she went over to the bread vendor. "Your best bread crumbs, please," she asked the vendor, and it was clear the vendor was already smitten with her. He tried chatting her up, but of course Haeven didn't understand it, and simply replied politely until she had the bag of crumbs handed to her.
Getting back to Baal, she suddenly seemed to hesitate. She had been all about experiencing the world, but now that she had a legitimate chance, she felt like it was big and scary. The ducks heard the crinkling of the brown paper, recognizing the bag as they slowly started to waddle closer. Haeven hid a bit behind Baal, frowning as she felt a little scared. "They are attacking," she whispered, clearly showing how new all of this was to her. In that regard she was perhaps still very much a child, seeing the world rather scary - and who would blame her? All she had been brought out was for her to be used as a torture device, and standing here in this peaceful park, she was afraid it was going to disappear only to show how evil the world could be back at her.

He noticed her hesitation as she came back with her bag of crumbs, but he let her decide if she wanted to continue or find something else to do. He wasnt surprised to hear the loud quacking from the ducks as they slowly came closer, her whisper making him laugh shortly because he found it rather funny. "No it's okay," he said as he looked at her behind him. "Go on then, throw some on the ground before they jump you! These pesky ducks would do anything for that bag in your hands," he warned her teasingly, gesturing for the ground in front of them. He shook his head at his own words to show that he was only kidding and the ducks werent bloodthirsty or even aggressive.

Haeven didn't really know what to believe right now, but he told her to throw some of the breadcrumbs on the floor. She did and the ducks came a quacking, gobbling up the bread and the way they seemed to waddle around looking for more made a surprised giggle escape her lips. Handing the bag to Baal, offering him a chance to feed them as well before she took another handful herself, squatting down and being rather brave as she held her hand out flat. The ducks were hesitant at first, mostly because they could surely sense her daemon genes, but they seemed more focussed on filling their bellies. One duck seemed awfully brave, stepping on Baal's shoe with new mud as it ate from her hand, making her hold back an excited giggle.
"They might not be bloodthirsty ... But they do seem very hungry," she remarked, looking up at Baal with a small smile. One of the ducks nibbled at her hand, making her pull it away out of pure instinct as she was afraid of hurting someone unintentionally. "I like the ducks," she said, getting back up as she looked at the birds still circling them.

Haeven looked at his feet as he mentioned a mud stain, frowning as she at first thought he was going to get annoyed. However Baal was already much different than Groff had ever been, even at his nice points. He suggested going around for a bit, and she nodded, straightening out her back. She folded the brown paper bag up, still having a bit of breadcrumbs in it, but she wanted to save it for later.
Taking his arm once more, they started their walk around the park. It was clear that Haeven was just as surprised at everything; the water fountains making her ask a lot of questions, some that Baal couldn't even answer, but it was alright. She was starting to feel safer around him. It truly felt like she was allowed to ask questions, even if they would be perceived as stupid or childish. "Before me you must've gone to all sorts of parks," she chuckled. He was probably like the master of knowing parks at this point, but to her he was more than that. He was like a superhero; a mythical creature that knew so much and had seen even more. "What book are you reading? The one I gave to you, I didn't really get to look at it much," she confessed, wanting to hear more about it. She could read, but she rarely did so, mostly because it was looked upon as her trying to gain more knowledge; and she seemed to best be kept in the dark about certain topics.

The notion that he had gone a lot of places before meeting her made him frown a little as he thought about it. "Actually.... No," he said in a thoughtful tone before he looked at her. "I didnt actively seek out a place or destination. I just sort of followed my gut and watched where it would lead me," he explained, smiling broadly as he looked at her. He had lived quite long, so adventure wasnt foreign to him. Especially with his standing in the order, at least formerly. He didnt know how it was going to be from now on.
She asked about his book and he hummed before he pinched his lips and sighed. "It's a continuation of another book I read. The first book is about two unlikely people finding love in one another. This one is about their child and the changes in society that's happening over time," he explained, frowning a little. "While the first one was more a focus on love itself, the second is about all that happens after. Once that one lovestory comes to an end, what then?" he asked rhetorically before he chuckled and shook his head. "I suggest you read both. You might like them," he explained with a smile, even if he had to plead to the council to grant her the books.

She frowned slightly as he said he hadn't been out that much to parks, and she wondered why. He had the whole world open to him, why didn't he go see it all? She would've. The topic changed to focus on the book, and she motioned for them to walk while they spoke. She looked around at the trees and statues, watching other people pass by them, and she held on to his arm of pure nervousness. The mention of love made her frown, because she had very clear memory of asking Groff what love was, but she had been shut down fast. Her mouth felt a little dry. "What is love?" she asked with a shaking breath, clearly afraid to speak too loudly. And besides; I'm not really supposed to be encouraged to read about that sort of stuff," she said shaking her head. It was clear it had been words that she had been told over and over, but she was a curious young woman, she was just burdened with the ability she had. She took a deep breath, looking down as they walked, feeling like she shouldn't be speaking any more. Even though she wanted to get to know him, she was afraid that she would speak too much and he would tell the order. There was always that fear amongst other summoners, because there was always something to gain from exposing the weak of the litter, so to speak. "I just ... I mean people talk about love like it's something that is bound to happen, or that you will love your husband or wife," she said, elaborating a bit on her question beforehand. "On one hand, I'm looking forward to get married, I'd get to have someplace that is home, but ... But what if he doesn't like me?" she whispered, frowning.

"I wish I knew," he said with a shrug. He had some idea from what he had read in books, but he had never really gotten to feel it himself. It just seemed like a peculiar concept at this point, like it was something magical that bound people together. And yet it wasnt really for a summoner to feel, or so it would seem. He frowned a little at her words. "How can we keep ourselves from something we dont know about? We have to learn what love is like through some way, so we can follow the orders we've been given and avoid it at all costs?" he argued, because it seemed absurd that they were supposed to avoid something that was completely in the unknown.
He noticed how she was looking down and he wondered if he had made her nervous. He knew that many other summoners bore a lot of paranoia, scared that they would be outed in some sort of way if their views differed, hell hadnt he just gone through a sort of correctional punishment not long ago? He guessed he just had to prove over time that he could be trusted. She spoke again and a small smile spread on his lips as she elaborated her question from before. So she didnt completely mistrust him? That was a relief. "I dont think I could love someone that was just chosen for me. Even if she would be the sweetest girl in the world." he pondered, to then frown a little at her whisper before he chuckled and shook his head. "What if you dont like him?" he changed the question, because it seemed that her focus was all wrong in his mind. "What if he falls in love with you at first sight, but you cant help but look at him and think to yourself, What a complete idiot?" he added before he chuckled. It wasnt really that humoristic, but he hoped that she knew he wasnt serious.

Honestly she didn't know the answer to his question, but she liked how he spoke. She felt like he knew a lot, that he had experienced the world more than she could ever pretend to. Changing the subject to what they both would have to do felt more natural. It at least felt more safe than speaking about love out of context. Haeven couldn't understand what he meant when he said he couldn't love someone that was chosen for him, because that was how it went. The order chose one for them, and it would be their soulmate or at least their ultimate partner. Shaking her head as his question she couldn't help but chuckle a bit, especially as he seemed to elaborate. "I think I would make an effort ... I would try and meet him half way, and if I couldn't be loved I guess I would want to be respected," she said with a small frown, looking up at him with hopeful eyes. Eyes that pleaded for him to not disclose this to anyone.
"I know we might be similar, but the two of us are quite different it seems," she said, a smile spreading on her lips, showcasing that she wasn't disliking that fact. He felt safe, or at least safe enough to trust for now. "The order has big plans for me, I've heard the whispers in the corridors of the temple, but I'm scared what it means," she confessed, holding on a little tighter to his arm. "I'm afraid, because I don't want to let everyone down," she said a little desperate. She knew that was why they were trying a different approach to her abilities now with Baal. Maybe they hoped she would get greater powers, or perhaps they just wanted to breed on her. Either way it scared her.