My Servant Is An Elf Knight From Another World

Our train was set to depart by eleven-thirty in the morning, but by eleven-ten, there was still no sign of them anywhere amidst the ebb and flow of the station platform. Irene bringing Harry. Amanda bringing Sammy. The digital clock on the large neon panels kept flashing, eleven-fifteen now… who'll be in first place?

As for me, I found a bench overlooking the tracks. I got quite fond of it, decided to stay, and apparently, Adalia thought the same too, curling up beside me, using her frilly, lacy dress as both blanket, pillow, and mattress, and setting up camp until someone decides to prod her awake, I guess. 

I turned my head the other way, searching through the busy, noisy view of coming and going passengers for my other traveling companion who, after filtering out the more rounded-ear folks from my sights, wasn't too hard to find.

Just look for the wriggles. That's how you do it. Works half the time, every time, yeah.

For some reason, which I suspect, carried over from yesterday's bizarre instance, Ash was unusually skittish… not that she was usually skittish, but - well you get what I mean. Point was - I've dealt with rats less jumpy than her when I accidentally brushed my arm against hers during the bus ride over here. 

Staring at her now pacing in awe and wonder across the platform, it seemed that skittishness had completely gone away, and it was no mystery why - the tumultuous rumbling of metal tracks, the ear-piercing whistle of horns blaring and overwhelming, and of course there were also those huge shiny metal cylinders that came barreling through in and out of the station - simply put, Ash was in choo-choo heaven.

Another thing about her… about us, technically… in spite of brief curious glances thrown at me during breakfast, and narrowing lips itching to inquire, not once in any instance did she bring up the topic of Sera.

Actually, I think she already knew what transpired last night. I'm not a hard man to read, after all. But I had a feeling that she thought it might have gone a different way from how I handled it.

And honestly… I did too...

Another train began to blare on approach, and her pointed ears, in turn, began to wriggle in anticipation, peering mesmerized eyes over the edge, watching the magic of engineering unfold, and that's when simultaneously, the phone on my lap flickered to life.

Finally, an update.

<<Sad day, LeadFams. Ain't got a vid for you today :( Didn't have time to edit shit, was busy with shit, you know how it is! Don't stress thou, I pinkie promise tmr you'll get that picking up random strangers rematch vid real soon! For now thou, peace!>>

Oh, Tyler... first you leave my messages on read, now you're ghosting your viewers with a promised video? 

Oh, what I'd give just to know what exactly transpired between you and Amelia yesterday. It's plenty clear now you got out of the date alive and unscathed, but emotionally, the both of you… plain ol' mysteries.

Or so I thought until just then - phone vibrated again, finally, Tyler came buzzing.

And he was buzzing plenty.

<<Big Man>>

<<I love you>>

<<I owe my life to you>>

<<I just want to thank you for coming into my life when you did. For real, you've changed it like you don't even know, you know?>>

I could almost see the tears streaming down his face as the messages kept pouring through. Somehow though I managed to squeeze a message of my own through the torrent of gratitude.

<<I take it you both enjoyed yourselves yesterday then?"

<<Bet your ass>> He affirmed, and then winkie emoji. <<We're going out again tonight>>

Tonight? Well, well, Amelia, you never mentioned this development when you came barging in. Can't imagine why.

<<You actually asked her out again?>> I typed out. <<You got balls, I'll give you that.>>

<<Lol no>> He replied, shooting another winkie face along with it. <<She did>>

She… what?

"Master!"

Instantly my eyes snapped up from my phone, immediately relocating Ash, who was pointing a finger directly across a sea of swarming crowds.

"They've arrived."

'They' turned out to be Irene, followed closely, almost too closely by Harry right behind her. Her strut, her demeanor, made them both easy to spot. They pretty much stood out from the crowd, definitely helped by the unsettlingly cheery smile plastered across Harry's weary face. 

Just seeing him again… already I could feel the pressure settling in, and the stakes that we were up against.

Ash hurriedly walked away from the edge of the platform, doubling back towards me, likewise, I got up to my feet, and together we waited for them to approach.

But then, instead of Irene emerging first from the crowd, another face shot forward. Curious eyes, a cheery smile, Harry looked even more unsettlingly up close. Instinctively, I took a step back. This was the first time I've seen this parasite show an inkling of genuine emotion… and the fact that it was a happy one too, well…

Ash stared at him. He stared back.

"It's you. It has to be you, hasn't it? Elf… elf… Eshwlyn. Green eyes. White hair. Pointed ears. It is you," He said, gazing for a longer moment after. He wasn't even blinking. "You're beautiful, you're breathtaking, you're just like everything he said you would be…" His smile widened. "Like I said you would be."

Contrasting his joyful expression, Ash gazed back at him cold and unfeeling. She didn't speak a word to him, there was no need for it when her stare alone already spoke plenty.

"Harry!" a stern voice suddenly barked from behind. "You're not listening to me again."

Irene came marching fast, bashing shoulders with people walking in opposition. 

"Stay close to you, that's right," Harry turned towards her, unfazed by the scowl on her face. "I forgot. I saw Eshwlyn, and everything just - "

"Forget it," Irene said irritably, then pointed to an empty spot adjacent to my seat. "Take a seat, don't move, and just keep quiet, and you best listen this time."

Harry silently and happily complied with her demands, and not a second after, he was seated as still as a statue… and yet, just to keep up the creep factor, his eyes continued to stay tethered to Ash, unbreaking and unswaying.

I didn't like seeing that, not one bit.

"Ash, we'll be fine here," I told her. "You can, you can go… do whatever first. I'll call you when we're about to go."

Obviously, she knew at once why I said what I said, nevertheless, she asked. "Are you quite certain, Master?"

"Oh, that's how you sound like, that's your voice!" The statue exclaimed, rousing to life, beaming a smile wider than ever. "So this is what I meant by lovely. Lovely... I think I like that word now. It's… lovely."

There was a silence for a moment, and then with a slight bow forward, Ash said, "I will be nearby if you shall ever need my assistance," before turning heel, and quickly striding away into the distance.

Harry watched her go, even as she was no longer in any visible view, his stare just continued to linger where she was last seen, and that's where it then stayed staring forevermore.

Mental note to self: Keep Ash far, far away from Harry as possible whenever possible.