'Even after all this time. You've certainly waited long, sweetheart. But, I'm glad nonetheless.'
[Name] barely rolled out of the way, as he groaned, blearily struggling to his feet, there was pain in his side, something blind and searing. He pressed a hand to the wound, but not before he was sent sprawling onto the cobblestone floor again.
[Name] barely dodged the next fist that came his way as he finally took a quick breath, gaining his bearings – with the first thing he noted was just how unfit this body he was in seemed to be. But, he continued moving.
Feeling very much lost, and not in his right mind [Name] continued moving, landing a good enough kick into his assailants side, that stunned the other and then aimed a punch at the other jaw, knocking the other back.
'Lucian, what's going on? Where am I?' [Name] whispered through his thoughts, seeking out their mental link, he paused and continued walking before seeking refuge in a deserted alley.
[Name] pushed himself off the wall with a pained grunt, and continued through the dark streets, only dimly illuminated by the yellowish-orange streetlights overheard, the only other thing that accompanied him was the soft sounds of his footsteps against the floor, and the chill of the evening starting to settle in.
'Lucian?'
[Name] called out through their link again, the absence of Lucian seemed to cause a sense of unease to unfurl out in his chest. He sighed, and grunted again, shifting his weight off his leg slightly. He continued walking, before deciding to rummage through his pockets, just to see what there was.
He continued to feel around his jacket pockets, before he caught sight of his own reflection in the window of a closed shop, the clothes he was wearing were gaudy, a testament to his original characters flaunting and gaudy nature, distinctively reflected in the outfit. [Name] grimaced at the outfit, and reached through the mental link again, and finally, he got a response.
'Yes, Host?' Lucian responded.
'Where were you?' [Name] responded curtly, he couldn't keep the irritation out of his tone.
'Apologies, Host. I was attending to some research matters.'
'Research? For what?'
'Classified.'
'Right,' [Name] huffed to himself, before reaching through the link again, 'Can you help me now, that I've finally got your attention?'
Lucian ignored the weird warmth that unfurled in his gut, responding without missing a beat, 'What is it you need my assistance with, Host?'
'Can you pull up a map or something for me? I need to find the way back home. You can give me the debrief when I wash off this grime.'
'Alright, Host. One moment,' there was a pause before a hologram appeared in front of [Name], casting a faint blue glow against his face as he looked at the glowing dot and the flickering trail that led him to his destination through the unfamiliar and dark streets.
'Can I ask you a question?' [Name] asked after a while of walking.
'Depends on the question, Host.'
[Name] bit back a scoff, 'Nothing about your classified whatever, just wondering why I was being beaten up?'
'I can explain this world and the timeline you've been transferred to better once you are in a safe environment, Host.'
'Alright then, also what is the current time right now?'
'23:14:56.'
'Weirdly specific.'
Lucian didn't respond, but [Name] felt a smile creep up on his face, he could already imagine the others' eye roll.
It was half an hour later before [Name] stumbled back into the house, it was relatively well furnished and with things that seemed to have been meticulously cleaned, a maid greeted him, with a bowed head and a subtle expression of unease. From what, [Name] didn't know, nor did he care to ask, still unused to just how different the lives of these characters had, compared to… his?
[Name] felt uncertain in that brief moment but shook it off, promptly. He nodded briefly at the maid, and spoke quietly, "Sorry to bother you, but can you grab a first aid kit for me and bring it up to my room, please?"
The maid nodded and despite looking uneasy and on edge, she complied and disappeared further into the house.
'The room is up the stairs and down the hall, third door on the left.'
[Name] noted down the directions and slowly made his way up the stairs, locating his room. Slowly opening the door, to be met with a mustiness that was obvious from a lack of airflow in the room, clothes strewn on the floor, and dirty shoes placed haphazardly out of the way. [Name] stepped over the obstacles and cracked open the window before a few gentle knocks stopped him.
"Come in," [Name] called out.
The maid from before stepped out – she bowed once as she entered the room, holding the first aid kit, "Would you like me to help you, young master?"
[Name] glanced at her, "What's your name?"
The maid shifted slightly on her feet, caught off guard, "My name is Olena Saxe, young master."
"Right, right," [Name] smiled slightly, his gaze searching, and mildly curious, as he glanced over at her, taking in Olena's appearance; he noted that she was quite pleasant on the eyes, nothing extraordinary. But she had a sweetness to her, someone that seemed quite selfless and gentle in all aspects of life. [Name] tried making casual conversation as he sat down and let her look over his injuries.
"How long have you been working here, Olena?"
"Not long, young master. I have only been working here for the past few weeks."
"Really? And how are you finding it?"
[Name] didn't see the flicker of caution that flitted across Olena's face as he dabbed a wet flannel on his bruised cheek, and watched [Name] closely as he stifled a groan.
"You seem different today, young master. What happened?"
[Name] glanced at her, and for a brief moment, their eyes met, before both looked away, [Name] spoke softly, "It was nothing. Don't worry about it."