#but anyways. he got fired from his surgeon job. nightmare says he quit because of 'creative differences'

[soaked-ghost]

isn't it fun?!

[brxathlxssmaddcx]

&&. isn’t that [ JESSICA ALBA ] walking around the hamptons? oh no, nevermind it’s just [ ALESSANDRA MADDOX ]. y'know, the [ 32 ] year old [ FEMALE ] known to be quite [ +INTELLIGENT and +COMPASSIONATE ] but also [ -GUARDED and -STUBBORN ]. currently, the police has them as [ NOT A PERSON OF INTEREST ] in the case of samantha wheeler, because they [ WEREN’T CONNECTED TO HER ]. but they go on about their life as [ VET ]. i wonder what secrets they’re keeping?

ELICITED FROM THE STARS..

Three deep breaths–– inhale, exhale. You got this. You’re not alone.

A name elicited by the greek gods and one that drew adornment from her mother, Alessandra was one that was rare for an American household of stature; One her father was highly against. That the nature of her mother’s personal life strayed from a name the slipped from lips with elegance and grace. That hearing it, you would know whom she was and all they stood for. But no, Alessandra had the meaning of defender of men. It was a name that raised brows and question. Her father would shake his head, telling the tale of how her mother adored the name. Perhaps it was a mechanism her father used for not being judged for his wife’s haphazard naming but he adored the woman far too much to ever argue with her. Just like how he began to realize how fitting the name was for her. There were often moments Alessandra felt herself falling into an absence of affection in her spritely and pig-tailed youth. When she was a mere child she could see the love and compassion her parents shared, so much that it blossomed in their doe-eyes hues when they were longing for one another. There were heartfelt sighs and eloping kisses, tv cuddles and heart-breaking dismisses. It was a roller coaster of a love. Wild and crazy; something Alessa grew to adore, knowing one day she wanted to be that madly and hopelessly in love. The pair was a power couple on fire when they were at an event or merely just at home, tottering around, however, women envied her for finding such a man and men drooled over her mother like soppy puppies.

Alessa snap out of it. Alessandra –– Listen to me.

But being born to a ballet dancer along with a father of a brain surgeon was challenging from the word go, to say the least. Perhaps the brunette was seen as lucky in this lavish lifestyle or that her elder brother faced the higher dose of pressure but no, with a brother who in many years would leave home to join the army, she felt the need to help people like he did. Alessa and her brother, Theodore differed immensely, where Alessa wanted to learn and understand; her brother wanted to have fun and go out and have fun, he was a mischievous minx who purposed caused problems. Who would’ve thought it would all change so much.

Alessandra, I can’t help you if you don’t listen to me.

In her youth pigtail bunches and scraped knees were the only quiver for the American delight – Well, that was when she was a child. She’d been a boisterous and energy was most definitely more than a six-letter word. The bundle of joy would happily chatter away to anyone who would give her the time – until her mother told her that wasn’t acceptable. She was a girl with many friends, buckets of them. But they weren’t friends with Alessandra because of whom the bubbly girl was, no it was because she had money and a house in LA and flat in New York. Because they would get invited to go with them so the girl didn’t get bored. But on the playground she would hear the spiteful comments before spinning around to gleam the biggest smile in her direction, she was smart and it didn’t take long to realize she was being used.

You’re so much more than what happened.

Whilst life was difficult having an absent mother but it never made the woman any less loving - perhaps even more so. She knew it was hard for her family with her not being around for work and traveling with different companies. She tried as hard as she could, her father opposed her–– working late hours into the nights saving lives. Only to come home, craving a bottle of scotch and his lonesome. Raised by nannies and housekeepers. It wasn’t an awful childhood.

Theodore, the older sibling. The better sibling. The sibling with a fitting name but only due to the fact it was one their father had chosen out of sensibility and being the new male of the house, their father took greater pride in Theodore; stating that he knew he would do great things; whereas he merely pressured Alessandra. Telling her she had to do brilliant things in order to not disgrace the family name. It was what drove the dynamic duo apart, her anger flaring that he was so precious to their father but all he could do was rant and yell at her to uphold their name; that’s all she had to do. Her mother being an overachiever, it was yet another trait passed onto her daughter and she had her father’s brains. She was logical and caring–– maybe she was making up for what her parents lacked. Her father tried to push her into his type of work. Helping people and saving lives. Alessandra wasn’t sure it was something that the girl desired. Deciding on combing her father's greatest accomplishment with a love of her own; Veterinary School–– That Is what she would pursue after high school.

During a class at high school, she was pulled out, “Alessandra Maddox. We’re so sorry for your loss.” It took all of five seconds for the girl to collapse, tears flooding her. Her father had never been around anyways but their last conversation had been a screaming match over her love for ‘something that couldn’t even talk’. To be another hopeless idiot who couldn’t find work; that’s what her father had said. It was a heartache that never ceased. It was like the words had gotten stuck, there was no possible way. Her parent's fate had been sealed by the hands of some idiot too preoccupied with their phone. She would never get to tell them how she loved either of them–– or apologize. It wasn't long before the young female found herself in the system. Her brother was deemed old enough to pursue life as an adult. Yet with that, he left Alessandra behind with the words, "I don't know how to raise you." She was angry at the world, at the lack of love. Being tossed around the system and viewed by parents; like a monkey in the Zoo.

June was an unexpected surprise. Someone so full of love and patience from the word go. She remembered it as if no time had passed. The female had just turned fourteen when once of her carers mentioned an older Australian lady–– with a dog and older son, she didn't find herself hopeful. Their first meeting was tumultuous, with Alessa's smarmy behavior, she knew June wouldn't come back. But then she did– a second time. Then third and fourth. Until she signed the papers. She was so different from everything she knew. June spent Saturday mornings sat on the patio painting canvas.' She read books about history and was open with her emotions, she would cradle Alessa when she had nightmares and whisper soothing whispers of how proud she was.

Alessandra had found a home and the guilt that intertwined– June pushed her to get her degree, to follow her passion for helping small furry; or not so furry friend. The trio even moved to Australia for a short stint, wanting to show her the beauty of travel. How you could uproot yourself and disappear off to somewhere new. Which is exactly what she did, taking off to Canada after a job offer, Alessandra wasn't running away. She was turning a new page in her journal. Inhaling a different kind of air.

"Your parent’s death doesn’t define you."

Her hues snapped open, glazed with the reminiscence of tears that had threatened to fall. A harshness in her expression. "You don't know anything."

[shooter-nobunagun]

Restless Night

//Warning, some mature content this chapter; but not explicit. The tone of this story doesn’t match for that kind of story.

The huntress looked on with a newfound respect, as Tell sheathed his weapon and they finally continued up the ruined staircase, then through a ruined hall. The dank, stone passageway was only dimly lit with torches, but even in the faint light they could make out rusted jail cells—and to their great surprise, they weren’t empty.

“E, Eh...? No way, this guy...” As they rounded the last cell, Sio squinted at the figure hunched in the corner. The man was somehow still alive, but clearly no longer sane. Bent over in dirty clothes, his Chikage blade rusted and stained, muttering to himself all the while in a language they didn’t understand—save for one.

“Oy rookie, you recognize this hunter?” Adam whispered as they stared through the bars. “Can’t make out what he’s saying...”

“Th, that’s because...it’s not Yharnam’s language.” Sio still couldn’t believe she’d find another hunter speaking the same native tongue. “It’s mine...”

The three hunters stared at her, as Sio strained her ears to make sense of what this Eastern warrior was saying. Her hands quickly wrote down the letters and characters, the scrawls meaningless to everyone but her.

“Shrouded by night, but with steady stride. Colored by blood, but always clear of mind. Proud hunter of the church. Beasts are a curse, and a curse is a shackle. Only ye are the true blades of the church.”

“Th, that’s...the best way I can think of to translate his words. Sorry...” Sio bowed sheepishly as she transcribed the words onto a piece of parchment. “But still...I-I’m not certain, but I swear...he’s from my hometown. Before I left, there were  tales about how a warrior from our village came here to Yharnam, to pursue a beast for revenge or something. Yamamura the Wanderer; they say he eventually ended up with the League—a Confederate, if you will. But then he was never heard from again, and never came back...guess I know why.”

“Interesting...I suppose that’s how you heard about the hunters and Yharnam yeh? You weren’t the first to come here, after all,” Adam mused, and Sio shook her head.

“N, No...I mean, it’s uncommon but not unheard of for people to become hunters in my village. Just, usually not women...or one as young as me, anyway.”

“Well lassie, what’d ye wont ta do? Dinnae think he’s a threat, but...” They all stared at Yamamura, who remained muttering away in his corner as if he’d never noticed them.

“I doubt he’d be of much use, to be quite honest. Especially within this Nightmare...if he’s confined here, in a cell, who knows if he’ll even be able to leave with us.” said Tell. “I don’t mean to sound cruel, but perhaps it’s best we let him be.” 

“Y, Yeah...no, I agree with Tell.” Sio shivered slightly as she tore her gaze away from the old hunter, who was now drawing nonsense symbols on the walls with his own blood. “I think, we should just avoid unnecessary trouble...”

“A wise choice.” 

Sio didn’t like the thought of leaving anyone behind, but after all her time in Yharnam, she was beginning to understand why Adam and most of the other hunters preferred to operate alone—or at least in very small groups. The risk of unknown factors was too high, especially with everything that already happened. Different factions, goals, and even personalities made for unpredictable outcomes. Perhaps hardening her heart was for the better...or at least, only opening it to a select few.

“Well, well, look who’s here.”

Even without seeing his face, the voice was more than enough to send the huntress into a near-panic. Sio couldn’t even muster a shriek as they rounded a corner and who but the man who sent them into this Nightmare sat in a cell, his dark eyes slit into a leering grin. 

“Welcome to my quarters. I’ve never entertained a guest before...”

“M, M-Mirza...” Her heart was pounding in her chest as she unconsciously backed into Adam, who immediately wound an arm protectively around her shoulders and pulled her behind him. “Y, You...”

“You bastard...th’  hell are you doing here?”

“I have to admit, I’m impressed, Miss Ogura,” the assassin continued as if he hadn’t even heard Adam. “You figured out how to enter the Hunter’s Nightmare with your sanity intact; you might actually do it...”

A stake primed itself right in front of Mirza’s face, the tip ready to fire at any second. “You’ve got three seconds to answer my question before I shut you up. One, two...”

“Are you going to kill me? After all you’ve done, kill me, as if to right your wrongs?” The church assassin laughed darkly as Adam’s aim faltered for a second. “I said I’d know whether or not the girl has slain the Nightmare...you didn’t think I’d be foolish enough to just take your word for it, now did you?”

“How...” Sio shook her head. It was useless to question him anymore, much less in this place. “S, So what, you’re going to stalk me now and make sure I get the job done or something?”

“Bold of you to accuse me of stalking, when you were the ones who wandered right into my quarters,” Mirza laughed. “No need to fear Miss Ogura; I gave you my word that I’d wait to see if you could accomplish the task. If you can slay the Nightmare, then I’ll let you live and everything’s fine and dandy. If you fail...well, I guess I can always mop up whatever the Nightmare doesn’t take care of first.” The assassin made no moves towards them, instead continuing to sit cross-legged, casually relaxed despite the tension in the air. “Well, leave off then. You've quite a journey ahead...don’t you, Sio Ogura?”

She turned and left, trying to block out the laughter behind her. Mahesh Mirza...they knew he’d be able to get out somehow, but it was still unnerving to encounter him in a place that supposedly didn’t exist. At the very least, it did seem like he was more interested in leaving her alone while she went on this little adventure, but Sio knew she couldn’t let her guard down—much less when they finally found this Nightmare. If Mirza could joke so casually about cleaning up their corpses, then for certain whatever abomination that was dreaming this place was extremely dangerous.

‘What if I can’t do it...what if this is just a trap, and Mirza’s just getting that creature to do the dirty work for him...’

The girl was noticeably silent as they continued down the hall, even while dispatching threats along the way. Although she didn’t seem to be affected by frenzy, her subdued demeanor was just as worrying for Adam. He grit his teeth as he recalled the assassin’s sly grin, his eyes sweeping over the girl in a manner as if he were appraising livestock...Adam’s grip tightened and he channeled a particularly brutal thrust against a group of diseased rats, flinging their bodies against the stone wall hard enough to knock a few chunks loose.

“Oy, ease up thar, mate,” Hunter came up from behind as they entered what appeared to be an enormous, abandoned cathedral. “Dinnae ye let tha’ bastart’s words get t’ ya. He’s just tryna throw us off, ‘s all...”

“I know, I know....fucking rotter...wish I’d just cut his head off, right there and then...” Adam’s lips pulled back into a snarl, but he knew the surgeon was right. Losing his calm would put all of them in danger, least of all the huntress he’d vowed to protect.

“Somehow, I ‘ave a feelin’ that wouldna have worked,” Hunter muttered lowly as they scouted the area. “At least he’s leavin’ us alone, fer now...”

“Yeh...though if he shows his face again before this all over, I’m not holding back anymore. No more second chances or what have you. I’m sick of his bloody little games.”

Hunter didn’t have a chance to respond one way or another, as the group slowly approached a shadowy figure praying at the alter. “Lovely, I think we all know what’s likely to happen next,” Tell commented dryly as the robed hunter rose from the steps. Footsteps came running from their right, Tell not even bothering to look as he blocked the second hunter’s sword with his Bowblade. “Let’s split—Hunter and I will handle this one, you and the girl get the magic user!”

Sio barely dodged a fireball as Adam rushed up the alter, whereupon the woman pulled out a Threaded Cane instead. “Let me handle this!” As Adam blocked the chain-whip she slid underneath, knocking the hunter off her feet with a low, wide sweep. At such close range, they could neutralize the magic attacks before their enemy could cast, though the cane was still a healthy threat. A thin slash ripped through her sleeve as she parried the cane, Sio taking advantage of the momentum to follow-up with a riposte. Blood splashed all over her clothes and face as the other hunter fell, Adam moving in for the kill in a single strike. His Stake Driver rammed clean through the hunter’s chest, ending their fight. Elsewhere, Sio heard Tell and Hunter’s slight cheer as they bested their other opponent, at the far end of the hallway.

The large, hollow space echoed with the sound of footsteps and muttered conversations, but Sio didn’t seem to hear any of that. Her ears buzzed with a strange static noise, as the emotional toil and physical exhaustion hit her all at once. Her knees buckled before Hunter and Tell even reached them—only Adam’s timely actions prevented her from just face-planting into the cold, stone floor. 

“Sio! Sio, are you alright?! Shit,” Adam swore as he lifted the girl into his arms, her head lolling against his shoulders. “Sio! Sio, can you hear me?!”

“Adam! is the lass—” Hunter ran up to them, immediately checking the huntress’ vitals. “Now let’s calm down, she’s a’right...likely just exhausted; cannae say I blame her...”

“Perhaps we should take an extended rest; this area seems relatively safe, for the time being,” offered Tell. “I can also take the first watch; you two tend to the girl.” 

Adam nodded in thanks to the archer, his throat too tight to say anything. Was her sickness taking a turn of the worse? Or was it just the stress of encountering Mirza yet again, and the constant threats that continued to ambush them throughout this nightmare?

“Here, let’s get her on one of these beds—this one seems relatively clean, if a bit dusty,” the lanky surgeon wrinkled his nose as he did his best to smooth out the musty sheets, before Adam laid the girl down. “We could all use a break, t’ be quite honest...think I might take up Tell’s suggestion of spending a bit ‘o time here to recuperate...”

The huntress remained unconscious as Adam sat down next to her, wiping her forehead with a damp cloth. Her visage was rather pallid, brows furrowed as she seemed to be in some kind of pain, though she was silent. Fear seized him as he suddenly realized it was very possible her disease had progressed yet again, her time growing ever shorter.

“Oy oy, Adam, calm down!” He didn’t even realize he’d been trembling, until the surgeon clapped him on the shoulder. “Dinnae ye go thinkin’ those types o’ thoughts—willnae do us any gud here.” 

“H, Hunter...how much longer do you think...” Adam couldn’t bring himself to say the inevitable, instead stroking the girl’s fingers between his own. “She’s...you said that—”

“Yeh, well...” Sighing, Hunter carefully examined her; listening to her breathing, feeling her pulse and taking note of her overall physical state before answering at last. “Fer the time being...she’s holding up alright. She’s stronger than ye think, Muirhead. But, that being said, I’m afraid she’s approaching the limit of what the medications and antidotes can do.” Opening his pouch, he extracted a small bottle of blue elixir. “Dinnae fret, I’m only gonna give her a small dose,” he reassured Adam upon seeing the other’s terse expression. “It willnae stop the disease’s progression, but should make her a wee bit more comfortable.” He gently rolled up the girl’s sleeve, injecting the bright, blue liquid in one movement. Almost immediately, her color seemed to improve, her breathing easing up into a more relaxed state. 

“After this...there’s really only one thing left we can do fer her...”

“...You mean...” A nod. 

“Blood ministration.” ------------------------------

Mercy for the poor, wizened child... Mercy, oh please...

A great, gleaming creature washed up on the shore of the fishing hamlet. It was a female, she knew this—even with its mollusk-shaped body, the tentacles of her face were visible, and it was human. Kos washed up on to the shore, and soon granted the villagers strange and unspeakable powers—at the cost of their humanity. Limbs became tails, fused into one, single body; much like Kos herself. Those tiny parasites in her body spread among the people, and they mutated further still.

But of course, soon enough the Church caught wind of these miraculous changes, of eyes that could be granted to the inside. And so they came, one by one: Master Willem’s scholars from Byrgenwerth, Ludwig the Holy Blade—she even saw the familiar warden of the Hunter’s Dream, Robert Capa and his famed protégée, Florence Nightingale. Soon terrible things were wrought upon the fishing hamlet and its inhabitants: brutal experiments, needless violence—she tried to turn her eyes but no matter how abominable she couldn’t look away, even as the villagers were butchered and their skulls cut open in an attempt to obtain those eyes.

Even Kos herself was not immune; her body was pillaged and desecrated, blasphemous actions all in the name of ascending to a higher plane of existence. But her mind remained, even if her body did not. And so she cast a curse on all hunters; those who became drunk on blood would wander in limbo forever, much like the child she was forced to orphan on these shores; all bound to wander endlessly, for how could a child caught between such a wretched existence know true peace?

She saw it. Standing over the corpse, looking at the moon; and then it began to wail. Suddenly her stomach seized with a throbbing pain and she hunched over, clutching and moaning as a cold sweat ran down her spine. This pain...at first she thought her monthly cycles had come early, but they’d never been this painful before. Not like this, as if something was about to burst from inside her...

The Third Umbilical Cord precipitated the encounter with the pale moon, which beckoned the hunters and conceived the Hunter's Dream

Long ago, in an encounter with the Great Ones, a contract was established, establishing the hunters and the hunters dream

Oedon, the formless Great One, is no different. To think, it was corrupted blood that began this eldritch liaison

Just as the pain was on the verge of overwhelming her it receded and she collapsed with relief; until she she saw the wriggling, bloody mass of flesh that crawled at her feet... It left a faint trail of blood not unlike the kind that dripped down her legs, between her thighs as it slid around, waving its sucker-like tentacles; crying to be nursed...

And when the Great Ones descend, a womb will be blessed with child

Her screams filled the hall, the shrieks echoing off with unearthly volume inside the crumbling cathedral. It couldn’t be, wasn’t true—how could such a terrible thing even happen, ever be real? It wasn’t until she heard her name did her eyes open, and remembered where she was—who she was.

“Oy Sio, Sio! Calm down; sh, shh it’s alright—shh, there there...” The scent of worn leather and stale gunpowder pushed those horrid images further from her mind, and as her memories finally pieced everything together, Sio burrowed into Adam’s embrace and sobbed.

“O-Oh, ooohh...I was so scared...it was terrible...! A, Adam...”

“Sshh, shh Sio...I know, it was just nightmare, alright? There’s nothing to fear; you’re safe here.” Still holding her tight, Adam could only do his best to soothe the huntress as she shook, running a hand down her back to ease the trembling; truth be told her shrieks almost caused his heart to stop, the way they were so raw and fearful. Pure terror, if there could even be such a thing—whatever it was she’d been dreaming of, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know; let alone force her to relive it.

“N-No, no I...I swear, it was real...! I-It felt, so...real,” Sio choked out, hands now desperately clutching her stomach in an attempt to feel whether or not there really was anything growing inside of her. “I, I-I—”

“—Hush love, you don’t need to repeat it if it’s that traumatizing,” Adam protested, but the huntress shook her head. “Sio...”

“N, No...I, I have to...t-tell you, tell everyone—what I saw...!” Tears ran unchecked down her face, her breathing still so hard that she was on the verge of hyperventilating, even as Hunter and Tell finally ran over. “I-I, s, saw this, th-this place—th, the, Nightmare—”

“—Nay lassie, ye dinnae hafta. At the ver’ least, certainly not now.” The surgeon’s stern tone finally halted her babbling, Sio blinking with uncertainty as her hiccups finally faded. “Ye’ve been through more than enough...whate’er it was that had ye howlin’ like a banshee, it can wait—and should wait, ‘til yur in a better state.” Hunter pulled out a flask of water and pushed it towards her. “What you need right now is rest; th’ rest of us can more than handle things fer now. An’ when you’re up and about again, then you can tell us about your visions and theories. But not a moment sooner, ye hear? Else you may not even live that long to tell yer tale.” 

Everyone stared at the surgeon, somewhat dumbfounded by his unusually stern and serious mood. Although he wasn’t the joking type, it was rare for Hunter to truly voice his opinions—much less in such a grave manner towards the girl.

“Miss Ogura, I don’t know what it was you saw in your dreams—but I do agree with the surgeon. As important as it may be in solving this mystery, you must also take care of yourself to ensure we can resolve it. Else, all your efforts may be for naught,” the archer warned as well. “You agree don’t you, Muirhead?”

Adam nodded, his pulsing calming down somewhat now that Sio seemed to also have calmed down slightly. “Yeh; listen Sio, believe me when I say we trust whatever it is you saw in your dreams. But if it was really that beastly...I don’t want you to push yourself. Wait until you’re feeling a mite better, and then we can discuss. I know you feel like we don’t have any time...but believe me, it can wait. Your wellbeing comes first, alright?” As he chided her, he took out his handkerchief and wiped the last of her tears.

“A’ight Muirhead, we’ll entrust the girl to your care...you’d better make sure she gets a decent rest, else you’ll hear it from me,” Hunter instructed, before he and Tell returned to their posts.

“A-Adam...e, everyone...” Sio was too worked up to say anything else, but Adam nodded and gently patted her on the back. “Th, thank you...everybody...”

“No need, Sio. You may not think it, but you’ve become pretty important to us...some of us more than others,” Adam muttered as he folded her against his chest. “I thought we were under attack...that definitely shaved a few years off my life...”

“S, Sorry...” She sniffled half in embarrassment, half in guilt. “I, I didn’t mean to worry everyone—”

“—Don’t be, Sio. I’m just glad you’re alright,” he gazed at her with concerned emeralds, feeling her forehead. “You feeling better? Hunter gave you a bit of elixir earlier, to help you rest...”

“Mnn...I-I, do feel a little better now...my headache’s gone, at least.” She did look a bit stronger, some color back in her cheeks now and her temperature seemed to be down. “I could probably use some more rest, but...”

Adam gazed at her curiously as the huntress looked rather fearfully at the bed. “Something wrong? Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure there weren’t any bedbugs,” he gave her a small grin, but the girl didn’t seem to be reassured.

“N, No, it’s not that...i-it’s just, I-I know I should try and get some more sleep—Hunter’s right—b, but, I...I’m scared,” she whispered, hugging herself. “I-I...I don’t want to have that dream again...! It was...awful...!”

Bad dreams, huh? Aside from the fact that Hunter might actually tan his hide if he found out Sio wasn’t getting enough rest, it upset him knowing that there wasn’t much he could do to prevent her from having nightmares. “I...don’t fret, Sio. I promise, I’ll be here the whole time, yeh? Even when you sleep, I’ll be right next to you.” He gently took her hand into his grasp. “Here, I’ll hold your hand until you fall asleep. That way you won’t be alone.”

“A, Adam...” Her cheeks turned faintly pink, to his pleasure. “Th, thank you...really.” Slowly, she laid back down, Adam pulling the sheets up and running a hand down her back, to ease her nerves. 

Her eyes were nearly closed, Adam now in a half-sleep himself when her voice piqued. “Um, Adam?”

“Yeh? What is it?” He tried to make himself seem more awake than he really was.

“A-Actually...if it’s not too much trouble...ah, nevermind—”

“—What is it, Sio?” He gazed at her gently, wondering why the huntress was turning red all of a sudden. “Seriously, if there’s anything I can do at all, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“W, Well...u-um, I...” She squirmed in embarrassment, Adam wondering just what it was that could cause her to be so worked up. Hopefully it wasn’t anything bad. “J, Just...c-could you...somehow, hold me...while I sleep?” Her voice was very small now, the girl all but buried underneath the sheet. “Th-that’s...’cause when you hold me, that’s the only time I ever really feel safe...”

She didn’t expect him to do anything at all; likely just a quip about how it wasn’t appropriate, or how he needed to keep an eye out—yet his arms were wrapping themselves around her slender frame, the huntress soon tucked neatly between them as he laid down next to her; the man seemed to be settling in for a rest himself, even pulling the sheet across their bodies.

“Something like this, ‘ey?” A low whisper in her ear, and Sio flushed with pinpricks of heat all over her body—and it definitely wasn’t a fever. The huntress could only nod shyly, grateful for his support. Her head tucked neatly against his neck, Adam holding her tight against his broad chest—just as she requested. The scent of leather and metal was familiar and comforting, as was his even breathing and steady heartbeat. If she really was reaching the end of her time, then at least she could experience being held so lovingly before it all ended...

“Mmm...th, thank you Adam... I know I’ve said it before, but honestly, even with all this...stuff that’s happened...deep down, I don’t regret coming here,” she whispered, “coming to Yharnam to become a hunter. Sure, the blood cures were all just lies, and there are strange, terrible things here I never would have imagined that could exist. But, I met everyone else...I met, you. And that alone makes everything worth it.” Try she might, Sio couldn’t stop her chin from wobbling and a few tears fell as her eyelashes grew dam. Adam frowned, removing his gloves before running a warm hand across her cheeks to wipe the tears. “Ah, Adam...”

“I’m glad, too. I’m glad we came across each other. I’m glad you asked to join us...and grateful you gave me a chance.” Sio looked at him questioningly. “I mean, let’s be honest, I wasn’t exactly a gentleman; but you put up with my bullshit anyway—hell, you taught me a load of things along the way...” The girl in his arms giggled slightly, and Adam pretended to be offended. “Oy now, what’s so funny?”

“N-No, it’s just...you reminded me of how much we didn’t...get along at first,” the girl tried to hide her smile in his coat. “There were definitely times where I seriously considered just breaking off...but, I don’t know...something always made me stay,” a dreamy smile crossed her face as Sio reminisced, “something...I can’t quite explain...”

Her eyes held that faraway look, similar to that trance they seemed to fall into earlier in the Hunter’s Dream, before Hunter’s interruption. The air seemed to be crackling with the same kind of tension as that heated moment, and even before during their first kiss—perhaps that was why when she leaned forward and wound her arms around his neck, he didn’t hesitate at all to sweep her into a full kiss. Her lips were soft and warm, small sighs as he combed through her silky hair while her fingers did the same to him. Hands started wandering all over, brushing the flat, smooth skin of her stomach and she mewled, crossing her leg over his until his knee rested just between that warm, sensitive junction. 

Something stiff brushed against her thigh but Sio didn’t think much—not that she could, when his tongue was tracing patterns against hers. Their bodies were angled in such a way so that if she moved her hips back and forth, that faint, tingling pleasure from earlier would start building up in her core. The more she moved, the better it felt—and this time, she wanted to reach that peak, no matter what.

“Sio...listen, perhaps we shouldn’t do this—” Just as things were growing heated he pulled back, both of them gasping for air and deeply flushed.

“—Why not?” Those full, pouty lips; her cheeks tinged with pink that matched her hazy maroons, now wide and sedated as she lay beneath to him. “We both know what would’ve happened if Hunter hadn’t interrupted before,” Adam blushed at the memory. “Is it...you don’t want to...with someone like me...? It’s because I’m inexperienced, isn’t it?”

“I—gods Sio, that is not true at all,” Adam muttered, resisting the urge to just give into those tempting sensations. “It’s just...your condition right now; you should be getting some sleep, not into trysts—”

“I promise I will rest, after this. Besides, it’s kind of hard to sleep when I keep thinking back to those...images,” she shuddered, trying to erase that terrible memory. “If I told you that being with you, like this...helps me to not think about that nightmare, would that make you feel better?”

“I-I...” His voice died as the girl slowly started to undo her shirt, until she was wearing nothing more than small cloths and her chest wrapping. Since when did the rookie huntress become such a seductress? “I just...want to make sure you’ll be alright. I don’t want to hurt you, Sio.”

A small smile graced her features, as she reached up and brushed his cheek. “Trust me Adam, you won’t hurt me. You’ve already saved me more times than I can count...”

Slowly he grasped her fingers, kissing each digit in a manner that sent shivers up and down her spine. “...Alright. I did place my trust in your judgement, after all...I won’t hold back, then.”

“Good. I don’t want you to.”

“In that case, let me lead, yeh?” He murmured huskily, shedding the majority of his clothing as well. Sio blushed as she stared at his muscular torso, though his numerous scars did not go unnoticed. “Just relax; I’ll go slow, but let me know if you don’t feel comfortable or well, yeh?”

The huntress could only nod, before she took off the remainder of her clothing as well. “Don’t worry Adam; I’ll let you know if something happens.” She sighed as warm hands ran soothingly across her bare skin; it was wonderful to feel him at last, so intimately. “Sorry for not knowing much...since it’s my first time and all; though, I guess not so much for you,” she mumbled, not really keen on thinking about who else the stoic hunter might’ve had liaisons with in the past.

“...You’re right, it’s not.” He answered at last, having spent a few minutes in silence, simply enjoying her body. “But, this is the first time I’ve done it with someone I love.”

The girl blushed a brilliant scarlet at that comment, Adam chuckling quietly to himself. Funny how Sio was quite eager to engage in physical intimacy, despite being a virgin; yet a simple declaration of feelings would leave her speechless.

“I-I...I love you, Adam Muirhead.” She closed her eyes as his lips moved across her forehead, before sinking lower. “I wish...it could be more than just this moment.”

“Don’t dwell on it, Sio. I promise, you’ll make it out.” He captured her lips into a deep kiss that was a just a touch more passionate and hungry than their first one. “I swear on my life, you will see the morning.” There was no more to be said as she sank into his embrace, his heat blocking out the chill around them.

Even though a drafty, abandoned cathedral crawling with monsters was probably the last place Sio would choose for any kind of romantic tryst, it just felt so right. For a blissful while, she could forget about everything: her disease, the hunts, dreadful creatures of the plague and aliens beings that existed beyond the boundaries of humans... Her body surged with an exhilarating heat that was all at once new and daunting. That feeling she’d experienced before was building up again, only this time there was nothing to stop them and so she let it build, making her toes curl and breath quiver as Sio felt herself being pushed beyond anything she’d ever felt before. True to his word, Adam made sure she wasn’t overwhelmed before continuing, but even as the pace increased, and she cried and trembled in his arms, she knew this was something she wanted.

His breath was hot and steady against her neck, skin slicked with sweat as her nails dug into his back. Only a thin sheet and a jumble of heavy overcoats and capes covered their bodies, as Sio tried to keep her voice down. Even though she was sure Tell and Hunter would respect their privacy, it was still a bit embarrassing—and the last thing she wanted was to attract any other potential dangers.

“Nnng...oh, A-Adam...!” Something was about to burst; squeezing her eyes shut, Sio vainly hoped that whatever it was, it would keep the Great Ones out of her womb. ‘I don’t want to give birth to a surrogate...I won’t let it happen!’

“Hush, love, it’s alright,” Adam whispered soothingly, stroking her hair as the girl twisted and writhed beneath him. “Shh, just relax Sio; let it go.” He himself was reaching the peak soon, as well. Her body glowed with a sheen of sweat, Adam tracing patterns across her torso with his tongue, tasting the salty tinge of her skin. She was so beautiful, perfect really; as he’d confessed to Sio earlier, it was not his first time but certainly doing it with someone you loved, and cared deeply about... Physical pleasures aside, he was surprised at how deep his feelings were for the huntress; how much he’d come to care for and worry about her, his desire to not just feel but truly bond with her, body and soul.

‘This won’t be the last time we’re together like this, Sio. I swear, I will make it so...’

The stillness continued for a long time, even after it was all said and done. Both of them lay there among mussed sheets and worn clothing; Sio now earnestly tired but finally relaxed as she rested her head on his chest, lulled by his heartbeat. Adam was exhausted himself, but infinitely more content as he held her close, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact. The two didn’t say much to each other, only quiet murmurs of sweet nothings as they basked in the current warmth.

“Now, promise yer gonna get some sleep, yeh? Else I don’t fancy knowing what Hunter can really do when he’s all wound up...” Sio giggled a bit at the comment—the thought of Hunter actually getting angry enough to get into a row with one of them was even less likely than them communicating with a Great One. “Could use a kip myself, honestly...”

“Don’t worry, I am quite ready for a rest now, thanks to all that...exercise,” Adam raised an eyebrow at her blasé description of their lovemaking. “See, aren’t you glad you listened to me now?”

“Cheeky, aren’t you?” He teased, causing the huntress to stick her tongue out at him. “Then rest it is.” Adam wrapped himself securely around the girl, until she was barely visible from underneath the sheets and his arms. “I hope you have pleasant dreams this time, love—no, I’ll make sure of it.”

“Mmn hmm...thank you, Adam.” As her eyelids grew heavy, and his breath warmed her neck, Sio had a feeling he would be right.