Hazel tilted her head as he said he barely knew the girl. “But why…” A question for another time maybe… She could always ask her mother. “Thank you again, Izzy and I’ll remember what you said.” Maybe Rex really wasn’t a bad person.

Within the hour that Rex had been away, Hazel had gotten a visitor that the boy knew well. No one answered him and the door was slightly opened. There were hush voices on the inside and one that Rex knew enough.

Once Rex opened the door he would see his father Rhenakos staring at him for a moment. “OH! Rex! I didn’t know you would be making it back… Did you run here?” She gave a considered face. “Please, put it down over here.” For how close she was standing to Rhenakos she immediately backed up and away from Rex pointing at what had to be her kitchen area. “You didn’t have to run. You could have died from heatstroke.” She was careful as she grabbed just the sleeve of his shirt and forced him to sit. She got a cup of water and offered it to him.

“But… Um…” She blushed a bit and stepped away from Rex completely. Leaving at least six feet between them and put herself effectively almost behind a wall. She leaned over to speak to Rhenakos. “I can be ready by tomorrow for the job. I just have to prepare sutures and know what kind of demon it is. I should fully be able to put up a barrier around it so you can have a go at it like normal. I do apologize about that one job in Virens I couldn’t go with you to. I heard you got caught…”

She looked nervously over to Rex, “He does look like you like Izzy does… He volunteered to get me flour.” Her voice was so soft and quiet. The shack suddenly felt so crowded as a tall Arriese woman came in. She was gorgeous and Hazel was staring at her with starstruck eyes.

“Is that any way to greet your mother?” Bryony sounded serious with a frown before she opened her arms and Hazel ran into them. Bryony hugged her tightly. “Thank you again Rhenakos for taking care of her… I know it can be a lot of work.” She took a bag of silver out and threw it at the hunter. “Consider it a thank you for taking her on jobs when I can’t.” The mother looked at her and played with Hazel’s hair a moment. “Will you consider coming back to the oracle mansion?”

“No.” Hazel was stern. “I’ve told you a hundred times… I can’t be there. It’s unsafe. I’ll just end up almost killing someone again…”

“Hazel. They attacked you. It was perfectly reas–”

“I almost killed them and now everyone hates me because of it. No.” The girl put her shawl back up on her head and went back to her cauldron. She had a sad look on her face.

“I see…” The mother frowned a bit and shook her head. “Rhenakos, whatever you need for the trip just let us know. We’ll reimburse you for it.”

“I can handle it…”

“Hazel, you are sixteen. You shouldn’t be handling all of this by yourself. Let me help you.” Hazel couldn’t argue with her. “It’s the least I can do. I’ll get you some more fabric so you can make some more dresses but you should consider letting Kite…”

“I don’t want Kite to see me.” She pulled the shawl closer hiding herself. “No.”

“Then a female seamstress?”

“No. I can do it.” Hazel once more was stern.

“Alright… I’ll get the fabric then… It was nice to meet you, Rex.” She knew his name before he could say it and the oracle was on her way.

“You should probably go,” Hazel looked up at Rex. “Walk back, please. Don’t run… It’s dangerous in this heat.”

As Rex opened the door, he was surprised to see his father staring at him with a look of confusion. The demon hunter turned his attention back to Hazel as she told Rex where to drop the flour. Rex did as he was asked, barely noticing that Hazel was, more or less, avoiding getting near the boy.

When Hazel forced Rex to sit down, he didn’t have much of a choice but to acquiesce. “I’m fine, really. It’s nothing.” Still, he was appreciative of her getting him water, and he gulped it down without any reservations. Hazel left him to return to Rhenakos, and the two were having some kind of secretive conversation. Something about a job, and from what Rex could hear, it wasn’t much.

Rhenakos nodded. “It’s a toss up between lust and envy. You know how it is…sometimes they blend together. And don’t worry about it. I had help from Simone and Lewis.” He glanced to the side. “We were caught off guard…how I was supposed to know we were in elvish territory.” That was about as close as he was going to admit that it was his fault they were caught.

Rex perked up when he heard Izzy’s name, and before anything else could be said, another person walked into the small hut. N Even Rex was starting to feel as though it were getting crowded. He pushed his chair back, trying to make more space on the floor as Hazel ran up and hugged the person who claimed she was Hazel’s mother, and Rex merely stared at the two. There was an obvious resemblance.

Rhenakos nodded when the woman started to speak with him, “Not a problem, Bryony.” He caught the silver, and proceeded to stash it away. “Never can complain about pay.” As gruff as he was, he was still somewhat professional about the whole exchange.

Rex and Rhenakos both seemed to shy away from the argument the mother and daughter started to have, and Rex was surprised at what he heard, but kept quiet. Rex was gunning for Hazel’s side, though. After all, he kept himself alive on the streets of Sularia as well, which was a little bit of a surprise considering he had never heard of Hazel.

Rex stood up when Hazel mentioned he should leave. “O-oh…okay. But, really…I’m not worried about the heat. I grew up here, so it’s nothing, really…” He smiled. “If you need anything, let me know. I’ll come by every so often to check up, since Izzy is so busy.” There was a hint of determination in his voice, as if he would not take no for an answer.

Hazel took a look at Rex and tilted her head. “Even if you grew up here Rex… It’s not a good idea. The body doesn’t adjust like that and you know it. Keep water on you.”

She tilted her head once more to the other side. “You don’t have to do that. Really. I can make a trip into town if I have to…”

Two months came and went quickly with Rex finding out just how hard getting close to Hazel would be. On the days he went and save ladies first Hazel had the front door locked. She could easily tell him which girl it was he had slept with after the first month.

“Benin, right?”

“Vilpamolan, this time?”

“Sularia? Close to home Rex.”

On the days he didn’t he was let in and even given some of her food. She never let him close to her but he was given curry to eat. It was something she was fond of from her time helping in Abed. She had asked if she could learn to make it and they were more than willing to teach.

He was only let in six out of the thirty days in each month. Twelve days he got to spend with Hazel. Today was one of the days that Hazel was outside. She had a mirror propped up and she had some scissors as she tried to concentrate on how to cut her hair. It was getting long since she was trying to avoid Rex, not having the time to actually cut it.

Rex wasn’t entirely sure why, but he didn’t like the idea of Hazel being so isolated. It was strange, though, that she seemed to willing to allow his constant visits despite her adamant nature of rejecting the need for him to visit. He kept coming, though, asking if she needed anything. Most days, he wasn’t let inside, and he wasn’t entirely sure the reason why other than the fact that she could tell he had slept over at one of his ‘girlfriend’s’ places the night before. It confused him, but it shouldn’t have affected her, and it didn’t seem to click with Rex on why.

Even on those days, where he was stuck outside, he would still sit at her door and try to talk to her. Most of the time, it was just casual and inane talk. Rex started off with where he grew up in Suluria, and of how Lewis and Simone found him. He talked about Izzy a lot too, and how much he adored his sister, and wanted to make sure she was okay. Mostly, though, he just wanted to talk with Hazel, no matter the subject.

On the days that she let him in, he was happy. The curry she made was absolutely delicious, and he relished the unique taste. It wasn’t something that the Terrowin family had much, and getting to taste Hazel’s unique spin on the flavor made things even better. During the few times that she did let him in, he also started to notice that she wouldn’t get close to him. Finally realizing this, he did his best to maintain the distance, only pushing the boundary on rare occasions, trying to see if she would let him any closer.

On this particular morning, Rex was running a bit late. Simone had asked for his help, and since he was home instead of out and about with one of his girls, he had little choice but offer his assistance. When he came up to Hazel’s cottage, he noticed that, for once, she was outside.

“Morning, Hazel!” he said, looking at her curiously. “A haircut? Why don’t you get someone to help you?” He kept his distance, though, not wanting to distract her while she had scissors.

Hazel came to respect that Rex noticed that she didn’t want him too close to her. He noticed the boundaries and kept to them the best he could. When he did try she smacked his hand with a spoon and gave him a smile. Maybe, eventually, she would let him closer but for now she felt safe with him at a distance.

On the days she locked him out she sat against the door herself. This was the closest they had been since he started to visit her. The door being between them was good enough for her. She listened and gave him advice or made small comments to him. She wasn’t really much for discussing the things that happened to her but she did tell him that her father was missing or dead and that her mother was the leader of the oracles of Sularia.

She told him the name of the plush who growled at Rex often, Mr. Jack. And that as long as Rex didn’t threaten her eventually he would stop growling, though sardines as offerings didn’t hurt. They were his favorite.

The particular morning she was cutting her hair she almost jumped when he yelled for her. “Morning, Rex!” She looked at the scissors then him. “Well… Who else would do it? It’s only me.” She was holding the mirror still with her legs. “I have always done my own hair cuts and thanks to my curls I can’t see when I mess it up.”

She took a handful of hair and started to make a face, “It’s too much to take care of by myself. I barely remember to eat once a day so I have to cut it. If I don’t cut it… It ends up in knots and it’s a mess.” She let go of the handful settling on a few strands before snipping them. It was short almost entirely too short for Hazel. If she kept it up then it would be a messed up boy's cut for sure.

Rex stared at her for a moment, and then gave her an angry look. “What do you mean you only eat once a day.” He wanted to march up to her angrily, but he knew she would just smack his hand and that would be that. “You need to take better care of yourself than that. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And plenty of water throughout the day too!” It was weird that something so responsible was coming out of his mouth.

He let out a sigh, and let go of his frustration at her lack of self care. “Look, Hazel…” He took a single step closer to her, which was technically closer than he was allowed to be. “Just…let me help. If you don’t trust me with the scissors, at least let me hold the mirror for you. I won’t touch you, I promise. Just…you need to take better care of yourself than this.” He made a note in the back of his head that he was going to have to bring her food. Her curry was great, but if that was all that she ever ate, she would probably need other foods.

“Well…? Can I?”

“I mean I have a lot of stuff to do Rex. I have to do all the chores around the house, I have to get ready for jobs, and I have to make sales as well when they happen. There’s just not enough time for me to eat.” She stared at him blankly. “I’m fine Rex. I’ve been living this way for a while and it’s not like I’m underweight now am I?”

Her eyes snapped to him as she got ready to deflect him back but something stopped her as she thought about what he was saying. “…I’ll hold the mirror if you cut my hair. I’m not very good at it.” She offered the scissors up and held the mirror so she could watch him. “You can touch my hair but not my scalp… Okay?”

She looked embarrassed, “I used to have longer hair than this back when my mother helped me but… Once I was by myself I couldn’t take care of it anymore so I just cut it all off. I’m not very good at… being a girl I guess. My hair isn’t like theirs at all… All silky and stuff.” So she did notice the others.

"I have to go on a job with your father soon. He said he's going to come to get me. I have to finish the bait. Apparently, it's a demon going after virgin girls, he likes their blood."

Rex wasn’t going to let her get away with her lack of self care, and more or less vowed to make sure she did it, even if it meant he had to take on some of her chores. For some reason or another, it really bothered him that she wasn’t taking better care of herself. It didn’t matter that this was how she always lived, it needed to change.

He was genuinely surprised when she allowed him closer to help with her hair. Rex sighed, taking the scissors from her and looking at all of her hair. As he touched it, he smirked. “You have very pretty hair,” he said as he measured out strands. It didn’t take him long to start making snips and cuts.

“My dad, huh? Why do you help him out much? I thought he was a lone wolf kind of guy,” Rex stated. Maybe he had changed a bit. “And a demon? That sounds dangerous. Why are you even going? I heard you make traps and stuff for him, but I didn’t think you had to go on actual jobs with him.” In his mind, it was like Lewis taking Lucas on jobs. It was just not practical.

“..do you think I can come with, then?” he asked. “I don’t…exactly like the idea of you going alone with my dad. He’s…” Rex had heard the stories of what had happened between him and Osiria, and although he was told Rhenakos had changed, he didn’t believe it. “Let’s just say I don’t trust dad to do anything right…”

Hazel blushed a bit, “It’s okay hair.”

Thinking about how she met Rhenakos she inhaled a bit, “Because it’s not that I help out him Rex… It’s that he helps me. That’s how we met. When I was six he came across a job that needed an escort. I was just looking for someone to take me to a purification job. I’ve been studying demonology and all of that since I was very young. After all, to live with what I have wrong with me… I have to know how to fight it.”

There was an odd breeze that blew by and the strange tendrils in her shadows crept up, “Because I am a monster, Rex.” It wasn’t her touching him as it caressed his face before disappearing. “Or rather I have a monster inside of me.” The tendril would have that wrong feeling to it. “I was born possessed by an eldritch being. A very old creature with strong powers. It was Lady Angela who helped my mother give birth to me and who put the soul of the creature into the plushie. I destroyed my mother’s womb and she can never have children again. My father was researching how to kill it but eventually, he mysteriously vanished in the middle of research. Not long after he disappeared…”

She paused and frowned, “There was this group of kids in Sularia who hated my shadow. They were kids I went to the academy with. They ganged up on me and they beat me with whatever they could get their hands on as their parents watched. My mother is important and she leaves often. So I grew up fast to take care of myself… Jack he… what he did to them almost killed them. So I moved out of the city and found this place. I fixed it up.”

She grasped at her dress as she closed her eyes, “It was my first job by myself. I decided that I would completely take care of myself with no help from my mother so she didn’t have to associate with me. She was mad as all good mothers would be but she understood why I was doing it. When she couldn’t change my mind she… did what she could to help me. Rhenakos was her solution. He was told there was an occult specialist who needed help. He’s been sort of like family to me since then and he tries his best to look out for me.”

Looking up at Rex, this was the first time that he could see her mercury eyes so close, “I’m the one taking the jobs Rex. Rhenakos just gets paid to go with me. This is my source of income. Dangerous jobs that no one will take. I went to the academy and tested out three years ago. Rhenakos made me attend school instead of dropping out. I’m certified in demonology and other things of that nature.”

In short, she was smart. “But I don’t mind if you go… Ask Rhenakos when he comes. You can even tell him I said you can come. The demon won’t mind you,” she leaned back almost into him as she sniffed him. “You smell… like peonies today but not like… sex.” She had heard stories. “Your mother?”

It was the most that Hazel had ever said about herself, and Rex was more than happy to keep his mouth shut long enough to hear what she had to say. He was confused at first when she said something was wrong with her, and as the odd breeze blew by, he shivered. It was suddenly freezing cold despite the Sulaira sun, and he felt as if he was being stalked. Tendrils rose from her shadow, stroking his face as if they were a predator playing with its meal. He shivered, almost dropping the scissors, but before he could even blink everything was back to normal, and he was back in the miserable Suliarian heat.

Rex tried his ebay to continue on as though nothing had happened, and was surprised to hear that she was bullied in school because of the shadow. The boy was not happy with the way that she sounded, and he made a little note to go pay them a visit later.

“So my dad,” he said as she mentioned how Bryony more or less hired his father to help her. “I guess he’s been just helping. But…isn’t there anything safer you can do? Someone your age shouldn’t have to be put through any of that.” He remembered Lewis saying something similar, recalling that his adoptive father had grown up surviving in Hoja Mesto. “That’s…not fair…”

“I don’t think you’re a monster, though,” Rex said finally. “I’ve met monsters before. They’re nothing like you. You’re…kind. Even if you are a bit weird.” He paused as she sniffed him. “It’s so weird you can smell sex…is it really that bad? But yes…Simone loves peonies. Lady Angela gave her a gift of specially made lavender ones…she’s been planting them all around the castle. She’s a plant fiend…”