<3 Married At First Sight </3

"Even so I think we're doing alright now." He replied tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah."


"You're welcome I enjoyed it." She smiled before hugging Amber and wishing her well.

Amber slipped her hand into his then. "Shall we go?"

"I think you'll know where she is better than I do." Paige stepped back slightly to take his hand instead of being almost tucked against him. "I wouldn't know where to start looking in order to find her."

---

"I shall definitely bring into consideration your offer should I ever have need of someone to care for him once more," Leonidas told her, bowing slightly before making sure Hester had settled and squeezing Amber's fingers gently. "After you."

Ian nodded and slipped an arm around her waist leading her away towards where Ambers wedding was.


She beamed brightly waving at them.

Amber lightly squeezed his hand leading him away.

Paige leaned gently against him, lifting her free hand to almost nervously brush through her hair.

---

Leonidas let go of her hand, just to rest his arm around her shoulders, brushing his thumb against her cheek as his arm settled and he pulled her close to his side.

Amber smiled up at him stepping closer to him. She'd stopped walking when they'd gotten outside and she spotted Ian a little bit away.

Ian glanced at her waving at Amber when he saw her.

"This is the someone you wanted to meet?" Leonidas asked quietly, turning his head to murmur it in her ear before kissing the side of her head.

"Oh, she is tiny," Paige gave a soft gasp. "How adorable, oh my goodness."

Amber nodded instantly smiling up at Leonidas before stepping forward to hug Ian tightly.

Ian chuckled at Paige while hugging Amber back. "I told you she was. Am this is Paige."

She smiled softly waving at Paige as she backed up to Leonidas again. "This is Leonidas Ian and don't worry I'm okay."

Paige waved shyly back, keeping quiet as if afraid to speak.

Leonidas bowed shallowly with a murmured, "Pleased to meet you," before he moved his arm around Amber once more.

Ian shifted his gaze to Leonidas checking him over as if assessing him. Taking a step back he took Paige's hand.

She let her head rest on his. "I'll call you tomorrow?"

He nodded.

Leonidas returned Ian's gaze coolly, not even cowed by the assessing look he was being given. When Ian had looked away, he had a moment of observing himself, and then glanced to Paige, eyes briefly widening in recognition.

Paige twitched and tried to hide against Ian's side at the look she was being given by Leonidas, clearly uncomfortable with his scrutiny. She was tense, hand twitching and loosening from Ian's, as if she was getting ready to make a sharp departure.

Ian noticed both Leonidas and Paige's behavior his hand tightening around Paige's fingers as he whispered to her. "Is something wrong?"

Amber tilted her head in question at Leonidas.

"How interesting," Leonidas murmured. "To see one such as yourself alive in this day and age, young Paige. A Mishipeshu as I've ever seen one. It isn't difficult to see after all."

Paige physically reared back, jerking away from Ian as her horns appeared with a harsh 'crack' noise, the scales fluttering across her face as her pupils jumped between rounded and cat-like.

"Whoa easy Paige!" Ian exclaimed instantly moving in front of her.

"A what?" She she looking to Paige seeming confused by everyone's behavior.

Paige was breathing harshly, nostrils flared as her eyes darted between him and Leonidas. The colour of her eyes was bright and unnatural, since she clearly wasn't quite all there.

"A Mishipeshu is an ancient beast, that governs lakes, water beings, and even guards the underworld. I'm assuming it's the last aspect that has her frightened, considering I am a man who should long be dead and yet I haven't yet let my soul depart. I can't imagine how the creature is reacting to experiencing something beyond it's scope of recognition. I cannot die and so she's frightened." Leonidas spoke softly. "I am sorry for causing such a volatile end to your meeting, but perhaps I should leave. If you wish to stay, I will meet you at the room." He let go and stepped back.

Amber took in what he had said and nodded stepping back with him. "No no I will go with you now it's alright."

He frowned slightly taking her hands in his. "Go ahead Am and be careful I'll call you tomorrow."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Ian, Paige. I'm sorry for causing such a disruption. Though, until she is calm, perhaps you shouldn't make eye contact until you know you can trust her. Predators tend to take that as a challenge if you do not respect the other." Leonidas gently gathered Amber to his side again, stepping away and only turning when he thought they were far away enough for Paige not to be a danger.

Paige's upper lip lifted in a silent snarl and she stood, straight backed and stiff as she stared at Leonidas leaving, hands twitching in Ian's. She was on edge and tense until he left her sight and still she was occasionally trembling ever handful of moments as she fought to calm herself back down.

"You too. Take care of her." Ian called out to them both as he watched them go never letting to of Paige's hands. "Alright maybe we should go now, get some rest or something."


Amber stayed at his side letting him lead her away. "So you used to know her then?"

"He reeks of death, and rot and fire," Paige mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. "His very existence is against nature, yet he doesn't seem to care and it makes him stink of it." She pressed her lips together tightly, face pale and, with her white hair, she looked almost like a ghost with the colour she had gone. "She hates him. It was either step back or hurt him, I couldn't do that, he's done nothing wrong but...but it made her so angry." Paige shuddered and then leaned abruptly forward in a sudden movement, pressing her face against his shoulder and neck and taking slow, shaky breaths.

---

"Not her personally, no." Leonidas lifted his free hand, which was dribbling blood. Hester had panicked briefly and bitten him, jaw still locked around the meat of Leonidas' thumb, though he only now seemed to have realised. "But once before, I have come across her kind and found that, even when I am killed by a cause other than my yearly plight, I can still come back to life."

Amber froze in her step and fixed her eyes on his bleeding hand. "It killed you? But why? You're so sweet and you couldn't have done anything to make it hurt you." She asked reaching to pet Hester lightly.


"Who? Amber? She seemed quite taken with him...is he a harm to her?" He began asking sounded distressed as he looked around though he slid an arm around her.

"Ah," Genvieve whispered quietly in understanding, adding, "Sorry... I was just- It doesn't matter, I won't do it again."

((New day Beth?))

"I upset the natural balance of life and death, even if I suffer so because of a curse. For a creature of the Underworld, guider of lost souls, I am a blasphemy, that I have not yet returned my soul to the grand scheme that is the cycle of rebirth. It is instinctive, to remove an anomaly. To them, I am a cancer to the land."

---

"Amber is fine, she's besotted. My..." Paige clenched a hand by her sternum, choking back a noise that seemed like the beginning of a snarl. "Her husband, however, antagonises my...my beast, as she is. If I had met him, alone, with no others around, I would have likely lost control and she would have had him killed. Except, that's what has made her angry, the fact that he will not die as he should have." Her voice was low, almost guttural by the end of it and she shuddered, shakily wiping her mouth and trying to even out her breathing, coming to a stop and closing her eyes as she tried to compose herself. Finally she said, miserably, "I could have hurt someone, you, Amber, him, all because of this bloody..." she sighed, pressing the heel of her hands to her eyes and ducking out of his arm by crouching and making herself small.

---

"You were not at fault. You did not realise, and this is why we get to know one another better. Until you purposefully act based upon what I have told you for the result of causing me discomfort, then I will never blame you for anything."

"But that clearly isn't your fault. You were cursed to relive your life over and over. Surely that isn't what you want."


"But you didn't hurt anyone. You controlled it." He whispered dropping his hands to his sides as he watched her. "How about we head inside, we can continue talking there if you like?"

"The Mishipeshu is not an unreasonable, wild beast, but graceful and in tune with themselves. Guardians. They did not see me for who I was, but the curse that acted upon me. They know I am not a bad person, a person unworthy of mercy, but with misguided beliefs, they think that a fitting death will release my soul and when the curse denies that then..." Leonidas' expression tightened, glancing down at his hand where Hester had finally unlocked his jaw, though the bite was still bleeding. "However, I hope you understand if I am less than comfortable having to talk about it."

---

"It was like walking on a tightrope," Paige mumbled. "I've never had so much trouble with her before. I-I think whenever you visit your friend, I can't go with you. Not when he is there. It would be safer for all of us." In a quieter voice, sounding fragile and almost broken, she added, "Going inside sounds good." She didn't make a move to stand though, just crouched and holding herself, shivering near violently.

"Let's get your hand cleaned up. You don't have to tell me anything else." Amber whispered gently grasping his uninjuried and rubbing her thumb against it.


Ian silently agreed with her not wanting to do something that would put her or Amber into danger. Not seeing her move at all however he walked over and held out his hand. "Come with me then."