Demeter - Ranboo

~twenty-seven~

I walked slightly behind Ophelia since I had no idea where I was going. We had taken a turn that led further to the sea, on a road that I had been banned from stepping foot on. Copperhead Road, I think, is what my father had called it. At the end of the overgrown path had been a copper mine that housed just a few too many dead bodies.

But just before the mine, we turned towards the sea and saw a quaint inn next to a small bakery. There were clusters of snapdragons in front of both buildings, a welcome pop of color against the faded walls. Ophelia went up and knocked on the inn's door, her night guard's armor glittering in the dying sunlight.

"Good evening, Ophie. How may I help you?" A slim woman stood at the now open door, her complexion only a couple shades lighter than my own. Her curly black hair bounced above her shoulders, and she wore a light blue-green cloak, black trousers, and knee-high leather boots. Her arm was around another woman's waist, who was significantly shorter.

"This is the girl I was telling you about earlier, and I've come to pay for a room for her," Ophelia said, beckoning me forward. Nervously I obliged, my hands beginning to shake. The reality of it all was finally hitting me.

"You're the one the boy's waiting on?" The shorter woman asked, tossing her golden blonde hair over her shoulder. She wore a pink dress with a brown apron, flour covering the majority of it. She must own the bakery next door. "I'm Evelyn, by the way. Do you want me to go get him for you?" I nodded, and she darted into the inn.

"My name is Journee. It's a pleasure to meet you, Melanie," the first woman said, a welcoming smile spreading across her face. "Ophie, would you please come in to finalize the payments?" The two of them went inside, and I sheepishly followed, not knowing what else to do with myself.

The lobby of the inn was very nice, with large windows and potted plants all around. Two sets of stairs could be seen on either side of the counter, a shelf full of keys behind it. I sat down on a small bench by the wall, idly waiting for what to do next, my basket sitting in my lap. There was a painted sign above the counter that read "Welcome to The Windflower Inn" in fancy lettering, small white flowers next to the words.

Trailing behind Evelyn was Ranboo, a black cloak draped over his shoulder. His eyes immediately latched onto mine and he nearly ran to my side.

"Oh my God Melanie how are you?" He said before wrapping me in a tight hug. I chuckled a bit at his enthusiasm.

"It's been like two days since I spoke to you, calm down," I laughed, hugging him back. "I'm fine, how are you?" I asked as I pulled out of the hug, holding him an arm's length away from me.

"Would you two like to go to your room to talk?" Journee asked, a key in her hands. I glanced at Ranboo who just blankly stared back at me before nodding, standing, and grabbing the key from her. "It'll be room number 505," she said, and we were gone.

The room had two beds, a mirror, a large window, and a washroom attached to it. Ranboo had taken my basket from me, and he set it down on the bed closest to the window

"You look really pale. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, studying me carefully. It was all I could do to ignore my racing thoughts and thundering heartbeat; I had never been in this much trouble before. I was terrified. I didn't know how to live by myself.

"I just need to lie down I think," I muttered, setting myself down onto the soft mattress, curling into a little ball, facing the window. Away from him. I heard him sigh as he sat down next to me, his cool hand resting on my shoulder, squeezing gently.

"Fears. Tell me your fears," he said softly.

"Don't get me started." My voice was cracked and broken as the tears finally leaked out of my eyes. I had no reason to be so emotional. I was finally out of the vice grip of my parents, I was surrounded by the people I loved, and I was free. Why was I crying?

"I've got all the time in the world. I'll listen," he soothed. His presence was so comforting to me for some reason. I could be myself around him; I had nothing to hide. I guess there is freedom in love.

"What if they find me? What if they just disown me on the spot? What if..." I trailed off. "What if they hunt you down?" He hummed in thought. I could feel him shift closer to me, the mattress creaking beneath us.

"They are your family. If they can't see that I'm what makes you happy-" his tone dropped, "-if it is me that makes you happy, then they don't know what they're talking about. And, if they were to hunt me down, I could take them. I've been training with Techno for a few months now." His confidence made me smile. I rolled over onto my back so I could see him, his hand repositioning to the top of my head.

"I don't want to talk about them right now. Will you read to me in Endspeak?" I asked. He chuckled a little, grabbing a pillow and putting it on his lap. He patted it, telling me that I could lay my head there if I wanted to. And I did.

"Do you have a book?" He asked. I lazily gestured to the basket, where my book sat on top of everything else. He effortlessly reached over me and picked it up, flipping to a random page, and began to read. He held the book open on the bed beside him, using a single hand to turn the pages. His other hand mindlessly played with my hair, a sensation I had never experienced before. I loved it, even though I knew that my hair would be a mess afterward.

It wasn't long after he started reading in those strange syllables that I dozed off, curled against his lap. I dreamt of the two tall figures again; the androgynous all-white one, and the all-black man. I'm very certain they weren't human; they were too tall.

"The Council says she confuses him," the man said. He sounded annoyed, and his voice was low and sweet. Neither of them saw me standing in front of them it seemed.

"He's a teenage boy. Any girl showing him love is going to confuse him," the other answered. They were a lot gentler than the man.

"Boo, he's gotta figure this stuff out soon. He's going to be a man soon," the man grunted. A small breeze picked up, blowing both of their cloaks behind them.

"I still stand by the fact that Callista and Technoblade will be good replacements for him, Ran," Boo, I assume, chided. "It doesn't help that it was your idea to put him into that monster's care in the first place." They crossed their arms over their chest.

"In my defense, I thought Dream would make him stronger-"

"He didn't need to be strong. He was a child." It was then that Boo noticed me standing there, completely dumbfounded.

"This is the first time someone's done this twice," Ran said matter-of-factly, his eyes raking over me. "You must be special."

Boo smiled triumphantly. "I told you she would be good."

I woke up with my head still in Ranboo's lap. He was asleep still, leaning against the headboard. The book lay forgotten next to him and I could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Through the window, the sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon, painting the sky orange and pink.

The large crow who delivered our letters, Stitch, landed on the windowsill, a cluster of rhododendron blooms in its beak. I knew what those meant, and flowers never lie. Nervously I shook Ranboo awake, his sleep-clouded eyes wearily focusing on me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice groggy. He had just woken up after all. I had sat up off of him, and my hands were shaking.

"I feel like something bad is going to happen." I gestured to the bird at the window. "Those are rhododendrons. Nothing good happens when they're around," I said. I was running out of breath.

"Shhh. You're okay. I understand your concern, but they are just flowers. We're going to be okay." Even though I didn't believe him, I managed to calm myself down, not without the help of his gentle touch.

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ayup new chapter pog + ranboo parents(?) lore

I hope you enjoyed a bit of a longer chapter today :))))) things are looking good for mel and the gang if I do say so myself

Make sure you drink water, eat food, take meds, and get some sleep tonight!!!!! Love you!!! I'll see you beautiful little stars in the next chapter :D