I appreciate all the love you guys have been giving this story. It's been so much fun writing and posting it, so I hope you all continue to read it!

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Rose Tea

Chapter Nine [Techno]

It was silent as they walked down the halls. Techno was slow as he walked, limping due to the bruises, but Phil accommodated him and matched his pace. Phil broke the silence, "You're a monster, right?"

Techno froze. It's not like he actively attempted to hide it, but most people assumed he was a scary-looking beastfolk and he let them. But Phil outright said it, he decided to test the waters, "What of it?"

Phil chuckled and shook his head, "I don't mean anything by it, I can just tell. You don't live and train as an imperial knight for all your life and not pick up on these things," Phil was back to massaging his right arm, "If you were really a threat, you wouldn't be so compromising with Wilbur or so attentive to those orphans. So I know whatever circumstances you have you aren't a bad guy."

"Hmm, well you can say that I am," The answer was yes, but even though he didn't actively hide his identity, he didn't actively reveal it either, "But an imperial knight, huh. Then in human terms that makes you the enemy of monsters," he said casually.

"I was an imperial knight. I left many years ago."

"Then I'm going to assume you're a raging alcoholic because of whatever made you leave and whatever gave you those wounds, huh?" He was pushing it, and he knew that. This was more than being his normal blunt and often abrasive self, this was him purposely egging the winged man on. You can never tell what kind of person you're dealing with until you've made them angry. If push came to shove and Phil was lying to him about his intentions he could leave, easy as that. He didn't have Wilbur's book on him, and now Wilbur was surrounded by plenty of people who would probably be willing to help him.

Techno stopped walking. It really was that simple, huh, he could actually leave. He didn't actually need land from the ghost. If he was being honest with himself, the moment he decided to flee from his little cabin in the woods, he brought the ghost with him on a whim simply because he pitied the guy. But he was plenty capable of finding his own place to settle down on even if it would be a pain to make peace with the other residents in the potential area.

Techno was startled from his thoughts by Phil's loud laughter, he wheezed and doubled over, "I can't blame you...for being very distrusting," He said in between gasps, "But, you're not wrong. Even now nothing would be more calming than a bottle of whiskey to drown my regrets away. The only reason I'm not doing that is that the moment the two of you showed up, it felt like something had changed here in this lonely place."

Phil straightened himself and turned to look at the walls of the hallway. Techno looked with him. A portrait of his family. Different than the one in the study which had Phil as a young adult. This was Phil as a child, held in the lap of his mother, with a gentle-eyed father behind the two of them.

"This house has been empty for a while, being home in a quiet and empty place like this as the failure that I became..." Phil's eyes softened, "I hated every minute of it. But I couldn't in good conscience leave this place either. This is home, a place of comfort but also of heavy expectations.

"When you two showed up, the air here felt a little less stuffy. That's the best way I can describe it. Now I feel like I have a way to make up for all the years wasted."

"Well, if you plan to make things right, I have a suggestion for you."

"Yeah?" Phil glanced at him.

"A very hot shower."

Phil blinked. He glanced down at his clothes and broke out laughing again. He coughed to clear his throat, "I can see why Wilbur said you were aggravating, but yes, I will be sure to do that before you wake in the morning." Techno wondered when the ghost had the time to share ill will of him to the birdman, but he didn't ask.

Phil started walking again and Techno followed behind him. The man had nerves of steel, nothing seemed to bother him. Techno gave up, all in all, he guessed he was a good guy.

"Here we are," Phil pushed open a door, "It's a little dusty, but you can use this room."

"A little?" Techno crinkled his nose to hold in a sneeze. He walked slowly into the room.

"Oh, and Techno?"

"Hmm?" He didn't turn around.

"While I don't believe you have bad intentions, I also don't have a clue what your intentions are in the first place. The kind of journey you're going on...it will be impossible for you to avoid fighting. I can't force you to change, but if you care enough, you should reconsider your priorities."

Techno stiffened, but he neither turned nor replied. The door was quietly shut and he was left in darkness. A room without candlelight and where all the curtains were drawn closed so not even a beam of moonlight could sneak through. He was alone in this darkness.

He knew what Phil was saying made sense. He knew he was acting difficult, but could you blame him? Knowing full well of what he was capable of, he didn't want to risk his life. He didn't want to be misunderstood and hunted like a dog simply because of the blood that ran through him. The day he left his home was the day he put it all behind him to look for a quiet and more meaningful life beyond carnage and bloodthirst.

Every monster held the innate desire for bloodshed, for anger, and for hostility. It was in him as much as any other monster. To fight would mean to give in to those desires. To potentially lose all reason and lose himself to the battle. In doing so, would he even be a "hero?"

Techno slowly walked in the dark. He found the bed frame and slowly sat on the edge of the plush comforter. His bandaged palms and exposed fingers sunk into the fabric. It was soft and comfortable.

Techno could still clearly remember the time he was nothing more than a monster. He wandered the hot wastelands lived purely on the desires that dwelled in his blood and pumped from his heart. The bloodshed and the carnage that followed. His kind was a kind that only attacked when provoked, but that made no difference to humans and beastfolk alike who lumped all monsters as one and the same. To clarify, he, in no way, felt bad for those that lost their lives. It was simply that he was tired of living that way.

Which is why he left. Burning wastelands were left behind for a quiet farm in warm and pleasant weather. But that too was gone now.

Techno slowly laid in the bed. He didn't bother to get under the covers.

Sleep would be a long way off for him, and so would be the choice he would have to make regarding the future.

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Word Count: 1222

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-CATtheDrawer