Love & Unjust Persecution

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Ruth watched Eden leave with a scowl but smiled kindly when Arya spoke to her. She took the tea with a soft thank you and began sipping it, setting the cup down once Arya finished talking. "The other witch was Zianna, and she shouldn't look that young. She seduces men and sucks their life force energy out of them to keep that appearance. She also wouldn't of been able to do much to me, I've taken worse beatings and turned out okay." Mainly because she never stayed dead for long.

Ruth began drinking her tea once more and sat it down once she was finished. "Thank you for your help, you can tell your brother that I said I'm greatful. I'd hate to trouble you though, it's probably for the best that I head back to my home and make some potions to heal this cuts and get rid of the bruises." She smiled kindly and stood up, stretching her legs out with a sigh.
 
"You should... stay..." Arya said softly, "It's not like you're in a hurry right and my brother isn't here right now and it's likely that he won't return either. He's probably off to punish himself or something like that."

Eden had a ritual. It wasn't painless by any means, but since he owed the demon his soul, he to abide by it. Plus, he'd breached their contract by sparing the witch. In order to renew it, he would have to do the ritual. He sighed. This was really a pain, but his sister was going to be the end of him. This had been the second in all his life that he'd performed this ritual. He had to admit, there was nothing more painful than going back on everything he'd fought so desperately for.

He began chanting in tongues and a dark aura surrounded him before he cut himself in various places, bleeding all over his body. He could feel the demon breathing inside him, drinking his blood, his life force. The pain lasted for five minutes before he relaxed enough for it to subside. Aethris seemed please allowing himself to remain bound to Eden. Aethris would never admit to having grown attached to the human himself, but he rather liked being at Eden's side.

It was becoming later in the night and Eden found himself getting sleepy. He yawned. He'd be sleeping outside for the night it seemed.
 
Ruth smiled softly at Arya. "You really are a sweetheart. I can stay for tonight, but I will have to leave early tomorrow to open my shop. For now, I need to relax." She leaned over and lightly ruffled the female's hair before relaxing.

Ruth ended up falling asleep in that bed after talking to Arya and demonstrating some of her weaker magic. She was awake before sunrise and left the hut then, beginning the walk back to her home. She really did need to get herself ready for the day and while she could do it with magic she liked doing it the this way, made her feel more human.
The with lifted her hand up and let a bkue flame burst into life on the palm of her hand, it took on the shape of a horse and began running between her fingers and up her arm, the flames licking the skin but not burning her.
 
Eden got up feeling drained. Sleeping outside had not been the best of ideas, but it was better than being in the same place as that witch. He groaned as he got up, his body sore from yesterday's ritual. In all honesty it should have been far worse than what it was. Either way, it was time to go witch hunting. He was hungering for a kill that had eluded him yesterday. It would be about a day's travel to reach the next settlement of witches. With Aethris's help, it was surely going to be a lot more pleasant. He was going back to his hut to gather rations and supplies. Arya was still there.

She knew this feeling. He was going to go witch hunting. She wanted to protest and ask him not to go. She was afraid of the other witch coming back and hurting her or Ruth. She also didn't want Eden going about killing her either...

"Please don't kill Ruth. She hasn't done anything wrong..." Arya pleaded.

"Don't tempt me..." was all Eden said before leaving on his way further north to Ebenwald. He was going to kill a witch soon lest he be powerless.

Eden was not estatic about the conditions. It was raining much to his dismay and that would make getting to his destination take even longer. He sat under a tree, waiting for the rain to pass over before he would continue his way to Ebenwald.
 
Ruth made it to her home and freshened up a little, drinking a potion to get rid of the bruises and cuts and then changing her clothes and setting off to the location of her shop. She paused upon realising that it was raining and then grabbed a cloak, pulling the dark blue material on and beginning to walk. She liked the rain, it was... calming.

After a few moments of walking, Ruth took down her food and tilted her head back to enjoy the rain. This was what she lived for, simple moments of tranquillity. This was why she hadn't let witch hunters catch her and burn her at the stake. It was a silly reason to continue living, especially after everything and everybody she had lost, but it was enough to keep her sane, that and her determination not to be like other witches. Ruth was completely soaked by this point, the rain causing her hair to stick to her forehead and her shirt was soaked as her cloak had fallen open while she had been enjoying the moment. She glanced down at it with a huff, sighing when she noticed her bra beginning to show. She needed to get to her shop and change clothes. Ruth began walking once more, not bothering to pull her hood up. She was already soaked.
 
Eden was enjoying the solitude when he heard movement in the forest. He thought it was strange since no one ever walked this way. He went up to a tree to see who might have been. When he saw who it was, he wished he hadn't gone to investigate. Why did this witch have to plague his life with inconvenient appearances? He growled with discontent and he against his better judgment he went down to greet her as if not to scare her. He was not phased by the fact that her bra was beginning to show. In fact, he took it upon himself to bring it to her attention.

"Your bra is starting to show. You should probably fix that. There are dangerous men out here in these woods who haven't seen a woman in years. They might take advantaged of you if you're not careful," Eden teased, "But I guess you're fine because they aren't that big from this distance."

He squinted his eyes as though he was trying to get a better look. Something about her just made him want to tease her even more. Although he didn't have time to stay long. He did have some other witches to murder in Ebenwald and there was no way Aethris would let him go so easily if he did not deliver. He felt a darkness pulse through as he thought this. It seemed that he was right.
 
Ruth's eyes darted over to Eden, watching him with a slightly startled look before becoming embarrassed. She gave a soft whime and dropped her head down, yanking her hood over her head and wrapping her cloak around her tightly. She knew her breasts weren't obnoxiously large, yes, but she knew they weren't small. That's why she were bra's that were purposely smaller, just because the damn things annoyed. They were big enough to get attention and be painful but small enough to make it seem stupid when she complained about them, that's how she put it.

Ruth took a deep breath, gathered her bearings, and then came out from her little hidey hole to glare at Eden. She didn't look threatening in the slightest, more like a kicked puppy. "I can p-protect myself from perverts..." She grumbled, yanking her hood over her head once more.
 
"Can you?" Eden went on, "What if they try to charm you first? Whisper you sweet nothings?"

"What if they tell you how beautiful you are? Or how they like your ebony colored hair and how it flows? What if they just know you're hiding the body of a goddess under that cloak hm?" He smiled maliciously at her, "Well now, they just might be a little persistent?"

He snickered. He didn't understand how beings so inherently dangerous could look so harmless. He supposed that was how they got you. They charmed you with those big doe eyes and helpless look. It bothered him that this witch in particular was just so good at it. If she was any other witch, she'd be dead where she stood. Eden silently wondered if she knew that. Then he realized he didn't care. He had adjusted his contract to avoid killing her so she got a free pass every time they crossed each other, which seemed to be a lot.

"You should remember the name Eden..." it seemed as thought he was about to make a threat, but then he finished his statement with, "it's the name that makes girl weak at the knees and drenched."

He was about to walk off, but then he had a great idea, "Hey, how about," He lifted her off the ground and threw her over his shoulder, "You come with me to Ebenwald. I'm looking for a witch. You might know her. Blonde hair, really hot, but crazy though."
 
Ruth honestly didn't know what to expect in response, but it wasn't that. The thoughts it put in her head made her choke on thin air and the compliments, in general, made her turn the shade of a tomato. She wanted to run off and hide, but she couldn't get herself to move, and something about that malicious smile was a tad bit sexy. Well, everything about this man was a tad bit sexy and that thought alone was enough to make he want to throw herself into a den of starving lions. She blinked when he began talking once more, preparing herself for a threat only to squeak when he spoke again. "I.. I can still look after myself..."

She watched him with wide blue eyes and then looked down, taking a deep breath and beginning to walk in the direction of her bookshop, only to be stopped when he spoke, picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Ruth let out a startled noise. She blinked and then huffed, "I know several blonde witches that are hot but also insane, I don't feel l-like I have much of a choice but to come with you s-so I suppose I can help..." She sighed and let her eyes move to the ass she had a perfect view of before looking away and being ashamed of her thoughts. She was not a hormonal teenager, she would not stoop to those levels.
 
Eden found himself chuckling at her reaction. She made it way too easy. He caught himself thinking that if she wasn't a witch he'd probably be... He didn't dare think it. Eden hadn't had a girlfriend well at least not a serious one in all his life. They brought more problems than they were worth. So whenever he needed to wind down, he started going to brothels.

"Well, eye candy on the road doesn't hurt either," he was smirking.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun around a person that wasn't his sister. It was just odd and with a witch no less. Ah well, at least she was cute. If he died, he'd have no one to blame but himself. Although if that was going to happen, he'd like kiss her at least once.

"Besides, you're helping plenty, but the one I'm talking about is the worst. I hear she seduces men to keep herself young. That's pretty weird since I thought all witches stayed young forever, or is that only some of you?" Eden asked, curiosity eating at him a little.
 
Ruth squeaked at the eye candy comment, but she couldn't blush any more than she already was. She stared at the ground with puffed out cheek. "You have me tossed over your shoulder, you can't really look at me when you're carrying me like this..." She grumbled unhappily, although instantly perked up when Eden began talking again, happy to inform somebody on witches.

"Huh? No, not really. Some witches are blessed with eternal youth, but not all. A lot of witches actual use spells, curses or even deals with demons to stay young for really long periods of time, those tend to be the older witches, though, or just the most heartless ones." She sighed softly, how she wished there weren't bad witches that put a bad mark on their name. "Although, there are benefits to taking in other people's life force energy in order to keep yourself young, not only is it easy for women if they're pretty enough but it can very slowly increase your power and it's simpler than always needing to have a potion or spellbook on you, since youth spells aren't short or easy..." She huffed and shook her head. Ruth went silent for a moment and glanced at what she could from her position, trying to avoid looking at Eden's rather lovely ass.

"Did I ever introduce myself?" She asked suddenly after a moment, trying to think back to saying her name. She didn't think she had, but Eden's adorable sister might of told him about her.
 
"I'm looking at plenty," Eden smiled, evidently talking about the perfect view of her ass he was getting, "But I could always put you down."

Very gently, he put her down, letting her walk beside him. He was hoping that she wouldn't run, not there was much to run to in this rain. At the very least, he would hate losing his company.

"Ah I see. We're all just spell fodder then," he joked, "You get to look pretty and be strong just by having sex. I wish it worked that way for me. I feel like witch hunting would be a lot easier if they presented themselves on my doorstep. I guess that would also take all the fun out of it too I suppose... You never did introduce yourself, but Arya might have said your name when she begged me not to kill you. I'm assuming you're Ruth then?"

He had a question hanging on his tongue. He thought he would ask it. Arya mentioned something about Ruth saving her life yesterday. If that was true, he wondered if the witch he was hunting had something to do with that.
 
Ruth blushed a little more at that comment but sighed happily when she was set down, she began walking next to him but kept a decent distance between the two so they wouldn't brush against each other as they walked. She giggled a little at his joke and gave a small one shoulder shrug. "Suppose we do... I wouldn't know since I don't do that, but yeah. And, yeah my name's Ruth, it's nice to meet you, Eden... When you're not trying to embarrass me, that is, then you're alright." For a witch hunter, he was decent. She wouldn't mind getting to know him, maybe even befriend him... so long as he didn't try to kill her while she slept. That'd be nice to not have that happen.

Ruth noticed the look in his eyes, he was thinking about something. "Something on your mind, Eden?"
 
"Embarrass you? What are you talking about?" Eden gave her a tempting smirk and then a wink, "You have some nerve. It was you who decided to creep up on me while I was bathing."

He laughed before walking closer to her, "No need to walk so far away. We have a whole day before we get to Ebenwald. The day is young so we better get comfortable now."

He placed an intentionally heavy elbow on her shoulder as though she were an old friend. His tone was light, but it was evident that he was serious, "Look here, I'm gonna tell you something. I don't gotta kill you anymore, but I gotta get those other witches and you're gonna help get the bad ones. I can't tell the difference between you witches, I have no problem admitting that. You're all evil in my eyes, but there's something about you and I just couldn't do it. Let me tell you, I paid for that. Painfully."

His eyes glowed red for a moment and then everything was normal. He removed his elbow at her question. He thought about asking again. He supposed he'd better do it. It might be a lead and it might help them better along.

"Yeah... what did my sister mean when she said you probably saved her life?" Eden asked, eyebrow raised.
 
Ruth squeaked at the wink, jumping back and fixing him with a glare. "I did not! I was just trying to teleport to you, I didn't expect you to be bathing!" She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, squeaking when he walked closer and spoke and giving a huff when he placed an elbow on her. She watched him with big blue eyes when he spoke, but when he said there was something about her she looked away and bit her lip, shrugging her shoulders a little in hopes of getting him to get his elbow off of her. "Alright, I'll help, I do kinda owe you since you did patch me up."

She smiled a little, but the smile was replaced by a small frown at his question, she sighed. "I think I know the witch you're after. Her name is Zianna and... She hates me... Like, a lot. She likes trying to get to people I'm close to in hopes of hurting me emotionally, and then she loves hurting me physically as well even though she can't really kill me. She used Arya as a way to find me, and then planned on killing her. I stopped that from happening and told Arya to get out, then I'm guessing she ran to you and you found me after Zianna had finished throwing me around... " She sighed and grunted a little, remembering the pain. She wished she had been quicker to react, Zianna was good at throwing spell after spell but Ruth was the stronger of the two, she just never had a chance to attack.
 
"Well Zianna is about to taste this steel..." Eden licked his lips in anticipation, "Don't be so upset, I'll avenge you. Besides, she's totally gonna think I'm your boyfriend or something if she sees us hangin out."

He was teasing her again, but the idea still stood. If that was true, then it was doubt that Zianna might just come to him. Maybe Ruth was making his job easier. He should have thought to bring a witch along during his hunts sooner. He stopped himself. No. Not all witches would have spared his sister upon meeting her for the first time. Ruth was indeed an exception and she did save Arya's life so there was that too.

For someone who hated witches so much, he was letting one help him out an awful lot. It annoyed him. He was still a perfectly capable man handling himself wasn't he? Of course he was.

The two of them had walked for some time and it was night time. Ebenwald was visible in the distance and he smiled upon seeing the lights. The town of Ebenwald was always lit up at night. Plus, it was the best place for brothels. The girls there were top notch and a great price. He felt his pockets. He smiled. That was right... he was loaded after his last job. There was something nagging at him. Was it guilt?

Oh come on! Seriously!? Eden thought. He knew that was Aethris's doing.

You don't just invite a girl to travel with you and then sleep around. Even I'm not that heartless! Aethris's voice rang in his head.

It's not like I'm going to be able to sleep wit her!? I obviously wanna do more than stare at her ass the whole time and I've already seen what her bra looks like! Isn't it justifiable to wanna have a little fun? Eden protested.

There was no response and he frowned knowing that going to get laid was out of the question.
 
Ruth blushed a little at the thought of him 'avenging' her and then chuckled at the boyfriend comment, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Zianna might be evil but she's not stupid, she knows I wouldn't date a witch hunter... Even one as attractive as you." She gave her own wink and smirk, then looked away. She was trying to tease him back but just felt like an idiot. She pushed those thoughts down though and took a deep breath, instead focusing on the walk. She had lightly joked with Eden on occasion, and once night time approached she let a ball of white fire appear in her hand and used that to light the way, letting the orb drift ahead of them and light up any stray twigs, a few of which she tripped over anyway. Ruth was now glad she was wearing her cloak as it was kind of chilly, but she refused to pull the material around her and show this chill. She could deal with a little cold.

Once the town came into view she clicked her fingers and the flame died out, leaving them in shadows with only the moonlight and stars, and the approaching town, as light. "It might be good for us to have somewhere to stay should things go sour, I know a family that used to be pretty close to my own and their always willing to help me, especially since I helped their eldest son a year ago. If it helps, none of them have any magic in them so you won't have to worry about staying in a home with more than one witch. They also live fairly close to a brothel, if you really want to spend that money of yours." She had noticed him patting his pocket. "Zianna occasionally works in brothels, it's easier to lure in new victims that way, so it might do you some good to go and have some fun too, just be weary of any blondes." She chuckled a little at her own joke, then proceeded to squeak as she tripped over a stray branch. Probably karma for her joke, it was the ghost of her mother telling her not to start making the same jokes as her new found travelling friend. Ruth managed to catch herself and clear her throat, looking down and walking slowly so not to trip over anymore tree roots.
 
"Does that mean you like me? Maybe I've cast a spell on you, witch," Eden said with a devilish smirk.

He walked next to her for a short while and they finally entered the town. He wasn't surprised that Ruth had people she knew here. Eden on the other hand, he knew close to no one except for the tavern owner and a blacksmith. Aside from that, he hadn't cared to introduce himself to anyone else.

"It's okay, I know the tavern owner. He'll let me stay the night so long as I don't cause any trouble like the last time," He chuckled to himself at the memory.

He knew that staying the night at the tavern would be out of the question if he ever mention the words Chicken Kerfuffle. He could barely think the words without laughing out loud. He had no idea how the chicken had gotten in the tavern in the first place, but somehow he had gotten blamed for its appearance behind the bar. It managed to knock over only the liquor at the top shelf which was a shame because he'd wanted to top of his drink at the time.

"As much as I would like to take you up on that offer, I cannot in good conscience go to a brothel this evening..." Eden said with a frown, even more upset knowing that Ruth was okay with it, "BUT, you are more than welcome to be my entertainment this evening."

Eden winked at her before looking her up and down. He was joking... kind of.
 
Ruth blushed at his comments on casting a spell on her, only to look back when he mentioned knowing the tavern own and letting them stay there so long as he didn't make a mess. She was curious as to the story but shook it away and looked at the ground, biting on her bottom lip as he spoke.

Ruth gave a choked sound and spun to face him, cheeks turning bright red as she stared at him in a mix between surprise and embarrassment. "E-eh?! C-c-can we just go t-to this ta-tavern?" She looked down and yanked her hood over her head, her brain filling with dirty thoughts and lewd noises that she really didn't need right then. It was a bad idea to come with him, she realised that, she can barely control her own thoughts and that was a bad sign.
 
Eden smiled at Ruth. Her reaction was satisfactory. He began walking her in the direction of the tavern which wasn't that far away from the town entrance. Upon entering, Eden was greeted with a bunch of smiles.

"EDEN! If it isn't my favorite freeloader!" the tavern owner, Brom laughed heartily, "You've brought a girl with ye? Don't tell me you've settled down?"

"No, she's just helping me out with work," Eden quickly dismissed the idea.

The tavern was well kept and there were a bunch of burly men inside of it, all having a beer or two. Some were already drunk and sleeping at the table. Eden supposed he could hunt for the witch tomorrow seeing as he wouldn't be going to any brothels he reminded himself.

"Am I getting the usual room and can I get a second for the lady?" Eden asked.

"Sorry mate, but I'm all booked. Yer gonna have to share and make sure to keep it down. I don't want ye scarin' away all me customers," Brom warned him.

"It's not like that either. I think she's pure anyway. Seriously, it's just business as far as I'm aware," Eden assured him. He motioned for Ruth to follow him up stairs to the room.
 
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