I don't pay no mind

A dry chuckle left Arthur as he heard how she warned him, “Right back at you,” he warned, clearly a little more serious than the way she joked. He looked up at her with a slightly sad smile. Yes, he did believe that she might be the unlucky one here.
He raised his brows as she started explaining what she did. Wildlife expert, it sounded quite interesting. He hummed a little, seeming interested. “Fwoopers,” he mumbled furrowing his brows a little while he thought about it. It sounded slightly odd with purple owls, but if she said they existed, the just might. He raised his brows a little as she mentioned that it was what her time evolved around, and thereby she concluded why he might be making a mistake. He furrowed his brows and shook his head a little. “Just because you haven’t been in a relationship before doesn’t mean that I’m making a mistake,” he laughed a little and licked his lips. His eyes found his cup of coffee, “Well, I haven’t really been in a relationship except for those ‘kindergarden-boyfriend-and-girlfriend’ things,” he explained with a little smile on his lips. “I’m just… Not very kind,” he said and pulled a shortlived sad frown. It was things that he had been told most of his life by the other kids. They had feared him and begged him to stop being mean to them, beating them. One thing was that he could see why they thought of him as a monster, but it was as soon as he was pushed too far, that he couldn't see it. Sometimes he couldn't even remember what he did. Crazy things.

The first part made her laugh, she thought it was rather cute to imagine Arthur running around with a girl on each arm telling the grownups that this was his girlfriends. But the next sentence made the smile disappear as she told him that he wasn’t very kind. Her tongue glided over her lips, her finger made a hook and found his chin, softly lifting it up so he could look at her. Then her hand glided up his chin and found his cheek instead. Maybe it was the mark making her so familiar with him, but on the other side she had never had a problem with physical touch. That was maybe the thing she craved the most. She loved hugs and being close to others. She sometimes slept in her barn with the other animals just to have someone breathing near her.
“Because people told you that, or because you are born a demon?” she asked softly “my mother is a banshee, anchor to the afterlife, I know my fair share of monsters, you seem far kinder than anything I’ve ever encountered” she told him, looking into his eyes giving him a small smile. “You don’t scare me, nor do I question the marks choice of person”

Arthur’s chin was hooked and lifted up, so he was supposed to look her in the eyes. He pulled on a short-lived smile as she put her hand on his cheek. Her question only made him realize just how he simply wasn’t kind because it was exactly because people had told him that he wasn’t kind. It wasn’t just because he was a demon… Or did she mean that it was to his nature? No, that couldn’t be it. She told about her mother, which he listened to biting his lower lip, just a little to think. He shook his head a little as she said that he seemed far kinder than anything she had encountered. Well, she hadn’t pushed him too far yet, so it was way too early for her to say such things. However, all of those thoughts were being pushed away, just for a brief moment as she told him that she didn’t question the mark’s choice of a person. His heart might have skipped a beat or three before his blaming thoughts came back, “You haven’t seen me angry,” he said, almost as if it was a warning. “You can’t just… Say that you don’t question it,” he pulled a little away from her hand, but only so her fingers were further away from his ear. “How do you not question that your sweet small being is somehow paired up with his br-brutal blood-craving monster,” words he had heard so many times. Brutal, blood-craving monster.

The soft smile didn’t disappear as he tried to convince her that he wasn’t the one for her. But the smile did, however, fade when he compared her to a brutal blood-craving monster. Was that truly how he saw himself or was it what others had told him he was? She had a feeling that it might be the latter.
She found his hand with a soft sigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’ve seen monsters, I’ve stared right into their faces, and usually the scariest thing I’ve met is a person that doesn’t question themselves,” she said, knowing it might sound cryptic, which was something she had from her father, that she couldn’t run from. “And who is to say if I’m as sweet and small as I might look?” she said with a bigger smile, hoping it might cheer him up. “Okay, how about I show you my sanctuary, we could probably get this to go, and you’ll see that I’m not easily scared?” she said with a brighter smile, and before he could argue against it, she was already on her bare feet and walked over to the waitress to hear if they could get the rest of the cakes to go, which didn’t seem to be a problem. Then she walked back and sat down so she could put back on her shoes and then gladly took the boxes and started scooping up the cake in them. “All right, leave your tea. I’ve plenty to share at home” she grabbed his hand, pulled him up on his feet, and started going home, only to teleport the rest of the way when they were out of sight of potential humans who had no idea that the supernatural was a thing.

He looked at her as she took his hand and gave it a soft squeeze. A soft scoff left him as she said that the scariest things, she had met was people who didn’t question themselves. It did truly also sound scary, but the person would certainly be confident in everything they did. Arthur on the whole other hand was never confident in much because he was so cautious of not accidentally stepping on someone’s toes and getting angry as a result. A slight upward curve appeared on his lip as she used his words about how she looked. It did cheer him up just a little bit. One shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but Arthur was certainly good at it. He was about to argue against leaving this place when she suddenly had gotten up and went to the waitress to get the cake to go. He sighed and leaned back while he waited. He took a sip of his drink, savoring the taste one last time. He watched her as she got her shoes back on and put the cakes into the boxes, He had just finished a sip and looked at her as she got up. He was about to argue once more, but she pulled him up, which made him chuckle a little and luckily not spill. He put the cup down followed, feeling like he had nothing he could do against it. Shortly after they were teleported away. He instantaneously got dizzy and grabbed the nearest thing in her sanctuary to support him.

Isabel didn’t think much about the fact that Arthur might have trouble with teleporting, but well, she wasn’t always the girl who thought every action she did through. Another thing she had from her parents. Walking over, she placed the cake on the kitchen counter, a beautiful big kitchen where plants were hanging down from the ceiling, almost giving the impression that she had put her kitchen inside of a jungle, which in a way she had. A giant toucan was sitting on a branch looking at the new person with his hand on his branch. But instead of doing anything, it just lets its orange beak press against the side of his face. “Perry, be nice to our guest,” she said to the toucan that quickly moved away on the branch using its blue feet.
She handed Arthur a glass of water. “The dizziness will go away in a moment”, she said. “I just need to –“ she made a small huff as a long-haired silver looking monkey animal jumped on her shoulders; its arm glided around the top of her head as it turned and looked at Arthur, the silver fur shining in the light. “Duncan, there you are” she laughed and turned toward Arthur. “This is Duncan; he is a Demiguise, they can see the future and turn invisible, but usually they are just inquisitive creatures; saved him from a carnival where he was placed in a glass cage, like those fortune men you could find on the promenade in New York” she explained letting her finger glide under its chin where Duncan closed its eyes and started breathing quite heavily.

Arthur made sure that his other hand also had something else to hold onto while he watched how she put away the cake and watched her home. Beautifully decorated, almost looking like it was a part of a jungle or forest.
As something pressed against the side of his face, he was quick to move away, though the Isabel also told the thing to move. A parrot named Perry. He looked at the glass of water he was handed and slowly took it in one hand and slowly started drinking from it. He was almost about to spit the water out as he saw the silver haired monkey that jumped up on her shoulder. Now, he wasn’t really scared of animals, but he certainly had been surprised. He raised his eyebrows a little as she presented the monkey… Demiguise… He watched it with furrowed brows while she spoke about it. Had he ever showed this much expression in his face? He wasn’t sure. It was first when she spoke about the glass cage that he looked towards her. “That’s awful,” he said and let his eyes follow her hand that caressed the mon-Demiguise. “And… How many animals did you have?” he wondered and tried to look around to make sure he wasn’t being blind.

She turned and a sad smile formed over her lips. ”it is,” she agreed with him, she turned and gave Duncan a soft kiss on his head before she helped him down, and as if it was a child, it found her hand and started walking with her. A few niffler babies were running around fighting over one of the pounds she had left for them.
“How many?” she thought about it and wasn’t even sure how many it was now. “I, well, I’m part of a larger organisation where we help endangered animals, so I have portals connecting to those sanctuaries as well, but right now, I have around twenty or so in my care, right now”, she explained and let go as Duncan wanted to move somewhere she wasn’t taking him.
Walking to a door, she turned “ready to see a dragon?” she asked him, lifting a brow before she pushed down the door handle and as soon as she opened it, a ball of fire was shot through the air. Someone yelled, and Isabel put her head in. “Jeffry, are you okay?” she called; a small dwarf came walking toward her with an angry look “De bleedin langer tuk me eyebrows and almost al’ av me beard!” the sturdy man bellowed, and Isabel had to put a hand in front of her mouth as to not to laugh. “Who’s the fella?” Jeffry wanted to know before he walked over to the trug filled with water and extinguished the last of flames in his hair. “This is Arthur, and this is Jeffry, my own personal leprechaun” –  “How is Esmeralda?” she asked, turning to see the giant angry-looking green dragon standing there now with her mouth bound together. She clicked her tongue. “Jeffry, I told you not to do that” – “well, she almost ate me alive, sorry for wantin’ ter stay wan day longer on dis earth”, Jeffry huffed before looking at the demon “yer want sum tay fella?” he asked nodding towards the boiler where he walked over to make himself a brew.
On the other hand, Isabel removed the restrains only to be snapped after by Esmeralda. But even though the giant teeth almost took a chunk of her shoulder, she just breathed and gave Esmeralda a soft, almost sad looking smile. “It’s okay; I know you’re in pain”, she whispered, letting her hand find the side of its mouth, the scales being smooth and cold to the touch “how is her wound looking?” – “she still ‘asn’t let me luk at it”, Jeffry explained, and as he told her that, she turned her head, seeing the giant wound still oozing a yellow-green substance. Without thinking much of it, she walked over and looked at it. “Ah've never seen article* dat knows 'oy ter take care av animals loike 'er, its loike she sees naw evil in anythin', de warrld needs more loike 'er, 'ere yisser cup av tay” Jeffry hummed and gave Arthur a cup of tea before he turned and started doing some of his other duties.

*girl

Arthur’s blue eyes stayed at Isabel and followed her movements as she helped the Demiguise down and held its hand as if it was a child. His eyes were shortly locked at their hands before he followed along, noticing smaller beings fighting over something, however, he looked back at her as she started replying. He nodded slowly with slightly widened eyes. “Twenty is also a bunch,” he said with a small friendly scoff. He wondered if she sometimes cared for other sanctuaries if they were low on ‘staff’ or something alike.
His brows furrowed as she asked him about a dragon, “A what?” he said, though he heard her clearly. The door was opened, and Arthur was quick to move away from the fire that was sprouting out.
Jeffry?
The person she called for quickly responded and Arthur had to fold his lips shortly by the accent. His eyes escaped to Isabel when the small dwarf entered but looked back at him as he asked about who he was. Arthur nodded shortly as she presented them to each other. Interesting a leprechaun. At least he had heard about that one once or twice. Arthur’s eyes followed Isabel’s inside the room with the dragon, raising his brows when he saw the green dragon. Seeing how its snout was tied immediately made him feel sorry for the poor girl. The dwarf started to defend himself on why he had tied its jaw shut. Arthur thought of it as a bad excuse because he himself would be able to punch back if the dragon tried to eat him. Of course, there was also a giant difference in strength between a leprechaun and a blood demon. His eyes traveled to the small being, asking if he wanted something. “Yes, please,” he said with a soft polite voice, but followed Isabel, seeing how the dragon almost chewed on her. He stood by Isabel’s side as she asked Jeffry about the wound. He stood still as she moved around to look at the wound. Arthur looked around as the dwarf started speaking to him about how good Isabel was. No smile was pulled, but he took the cup that was handed to him. “There’s no evil in this dragon,” he said and let Esmeralda smell his hand while he took a sip of the tea, keeping his eyes on its nonverbal communication. “She is just trying to communicate,” he mumbled. Now, Arthur had no experience in dragons at all, but there was some look in her eyes that he could recognize.

Isabel moved around, not paying much attention to what was going on around her; she finally managed to get to the wound where she could gently start to close it up and then wash away the inflammation pus that had come out of it; the dragon almost hummed in a low musically sound, the entire ground underneath them started to vibrate as the dragon got down and fell asleep.
“Well, there we go”, she whispered, before letting her head rest against the dragons for a moment, before getting up and giving Arthur a gentle smile “ready to get back?” she asked, nodding toward the cup that was in his hand, thinking that Jeffry had already invited the lad into his trusted circle of sharing his precious tea.
“I have more to show you, but maybe we should wait for another day so as not to overwhelm you” she chuckled, thinking she might already have done that, but she always had a hard time figuring out when enough was enough. Hopefully, she hadn’t done so much that he would run away when he had the chance and not return.

Arthur let her do her thing and looked up when she spoke to him. “Back?” he said, clearly thinking they were going back to the café they had been at. He didn’t wish for that. It was quite comfortable being here, even though he believed he had to look twice where he stepped so he wouldn’t accidentally step on something. When she nodded towards the tea, he looked down shortly before he looked up, “Oh, yeah, certainly,” he laughed having been a little lost by the dragon’s behavior.
She told him she had more to show him, which made a very soft smile spread on his lips before it lessened as she spoke about not overwhelming him. “I, I’m overwhelmed, but… In a surprising way, I think is the best way to say it,” he told her, “You can show me some more if you’d like,” he assured her. His eyes once found her hand, simply having the short thought about holding it while they stood here, but his eyes only rested there a moment before they found hers again. Even though she had such energy, there was something about it that made him feel so much calmer.

She nodded when he repeated what she had asked; “Back to my house, I mean,” she said with a much softer smile, then a laugh left her, feeling how his own was contagious in the best way possible. Then she nodded when he told her what he felt, overwhelmed but not in a bad way, or at least that was what she got from what he told her. As long as it was in a surprising way and not in a; I’m going to run away as soon as I can, way.
As his eyes found her hand, she felt a small pull in her stomach, feelings plummeting downward, spreading the most beautiful feeling in her body. When he didn’t take it, she stepped forward and very gently took his hand. “Maybe I’ll wait with showing you everything, give you a reason to come back”, she whispered before looking behind him, giving a slight nod to Jeffry. Then she took him toward the door and guided them back into her house. “Want to sit with me in the garden? I think I can make us some more tea if you would like?” she asked, still not letting go of his hand, mainly because every inch of her wanted to keep touching him. She understood why it could be intimidating for witches to meet their mate and why some might even fear it. But to her, she embraced it and felt so at peace that he was the one; she wasn’t going to second guess it; life was too short for that, even for immortal beings such as themselves.