10 X

Samty stood there on his stand.

Back again pressed on the cold wall where an old faded painting is hanging crooked on his side. His eyes taking all the view of the woman that's standing between the two familiar soul to him. Mind endlessly working on the similarities with the other woman that's standing near the long couch in the room before he shifts his gaze back and forth. The one having her hair in a bun atop her head and clothes that were borrowed to a man have an eyebrow arch up her forehead as he cut off his frenzied eyes and decided to stare at her. And it requires all his strength on not to stuck out his tongue to irritate the other—since she still choked him out the other night—before she cluck his tongue and introduce the new soul in his presence. Probably annoyed because he's weighing them all down to breakfast.

"This is Tarim, my sister. Tarim this is—"

Her words got cut off and Samty suffered from the feeling of being eaten by the same wall where he is pushed when suddenly all eyes turned to him at once. Unconsciously straightening his back to show them he's not affected by all the attention even though all he wanted to do is just evaporate right at the moment. He thickly swallowed and avoid everyone's gaze to collect his thoughts, mentally slapping himself at the process.

How dumb can he be? After all the action they went through and him sleeping soundly on one of their rooms did he have to forget to introduce himself? Not even having the thought of him telling them his name.

"I-I'm Samty!"

He felt a lone bead of cold sweat dribbling down his nape from how much tension his shoulders have to weigh for being the center of attention. Whereas there wasn't really a reason for him to be this anxious, he just can't help it considering he is now in their care and mercy. What if they thought he's a bad guy of him not mentioning his name when in fact he's nothing but a homeless boy with no one but himself and the tent he had now abandoned on the town of Laores for the reason of being accused as a thief. His eyes dilated from the idea of them thinking he can't be trusted and lips moving likely to a fish with no words of explanation for not telling them spilling out.

However, Samty firstly heard the light chuckle of the man in the middle of his restlessness on his left before he finally sees it when he glanced on his way. The crinkle beside his joyful crescent eyes and the apple of his cheeks appearing more rounder made a soft semblance completely opposite to how his whole built looks of toned muscles. The little jumps in his shoulders is enough gesture for Samty to know that he's being laugh at the same time the red hue came back on coloring his pale face.

"Right, this is the first time you said your name. Anyway, I'm Fermon, and that grumpy ol' geezer there is Celo"

Everything happened so fast. One second she's far to the crowd of three then the next thing he knew she already got Fermon in a headlock. Samty watch with a slight joy when he saw him gasps for air as a start before trying to break free from her arm prison with all of his might.

"Who you calling old geezer, you weakling? Huh? Left by his comrade and already hit by the guards! Not shocking at all"

His shoulders immediately relaxes from the show a meter in front of him. Fermon being taken down by Celo, a woman with a much smaller height and built contrasting to him, is so fun to watch that he didn't even knew he was displaying his mirth into the living through his lips. Only did he knew when his eyes caught the mahogany ones of his and the insects came back to his stomach when the latter smiles back from his difficult bent position.

"Empty plates for the late comers!"

~~~~~

Samty sits between the bone-crusher and the man he also met the other night on the forest before he and Celo find some food. He looked like a small hill between two towering mountains that just about to touch the clouds on the sky. His small frame is exactly the right width that is left on the long wooden seat the antique table has, leaving him no choice but to begrudgingly take it when the three people he only knew inside this house is already taking their seats. Fermon sitting on the head of the table on his left side, Celo on the right side of the bone-crusher man and Tarim next to her.

All of them are already having food in their stomach except for the four of them since they went in late. All the six children that the man on his left had mentioned back in their short meeting in the forest sits on the other side of the long table. Either marring a spoon on their hand to feed themselves or mug in replacement of a plate in their front like Samty's that he guess has the portion of his meal. He first skeptically looked over at the cup that is chipped on the rim and had a broken handle to see where he can pick it up from its brokenness without burning his hands seeing there's a steam coming from its contents. In the end, wanting not to be thought that he's inspecting it for poison or what, he come up to just holding its body and let a small sigh escapes his lips from the warmth it radiates.

He guess he'll have a good breakfast today after having nothing for the last four days as he can see porridge being slurped by the boy in his front. With the steam still filling out of his cup, he raised it to his lips and slowly drinks it to reward his stomach some good meal. Stopping at mid point as he chew down the rice and lone cuts of meat.

As he go and fill his self, he took this chance to discreetly roam his gaze at the silent table to get a better look of everypne. But his first attempt went crashing down as a failure when he locked eyes with the man on his left and got addressed by the one on his right.

"Thought you ain't gonna wake up so soon grandpa"

It seems like his lungs forgot that it was supposed to be air it should inhale and not the porridge on his throat. So eventually, he gags and cough to try and pry out what was on the way, desperately correcting what is wrong. His mug hitting the table with a loud thud as he bent down on it. The beats of the hand at his back didn't do anything to help him from his continuing misery. Instead, it sends him to dig his stomach at the edge of the furniture that he can't help but grimace from the pain it gave. Thankfully, the man on his left seems to know what exactly is going on because he held off the hand that is about to give him another hit as he chastise him.

"Enough Amtari, you're not helping"

"Well, at least you do good on just watching"

The latter scoffs back and went back to his porridge as if nothing interrupted him from it. Samty, on the other hand, gulped down a full glass of water as he punched his chest to get everything down to its right tunnel. Getting embarrass once again when the time he had his normal breathing back and placed down the empty glass, all eyes are looking to where he sits—of course except the huge man. All the kids, ranging maybe from five to twelve or so, stares at him with their curious glimmering eyes.

"Anyway, everyone this is Samty"

Samty jumps from where he sat at the mention of his name and almost felt his heart broke out from the barricading of his chest when the same voice comments on it followed by another.

"What a lame name"

"At least it doesn't sound like a girl's"

"Yours definitely doesn't"

A heated staring contest sparks up between two parties at the opposite sides of the table. The tension became quickly thick on his right side while on the other is only sunshine and flowers. Everyone got back to eating while the two are still giving each other a steely glare and Samty was left to shrink down on his seat with his hands getting warmed by the heat inside the mug because he felt quite frustrated on being the reason of the exchange of words. Even though he didn't do anything but have his name. Samty wince inwardly from the thought.

"Onpil, 'Tari, that's enough. We have guest"

Another dark scoff and he involuntarily leaned on the tall man on his left having to sense the immediate intimidating stare his whole body is receiving. A sound of spoon meeting a glassware emits behind him as the other catch him as he inclined way back to his personal space but Samty isn't registering any of that. What he can only see is the startlingly bright red eyes of the other that's piercing him right through his insides. He gulp his distraught and fling his one leg over the long wooden seat to go and make an escape but the hands preventing him to fall over on the other's lap is enclosed on his frail shoulder. What's left he can do is just stare with batted breath in those eyes and try not to trigger some anger out of the bone-crusher man to suffer again with a tainted skin.

"Strange..."

It was a whisper that echoed dully on the noise of the utensils. Still, abruptly, all eyes are now trained to the girl who got herself into a verbal fight with the man on his front. Even he took a brave glance on the doe eyes of the small girl although he's not sure if that gesture of him will do him good to his current situation. But she is directly looking at him the time he looks and that concerns him more than the raging man only inches away from him. All the the clinks and clanks of the old glassware inside the supposedly dining room vanished when she spoke. It was silent. Even the birds and rustles of the leaves outside seems to feel the sudden change of air inside. But not until an excited pitchy voice of a kid breaks it impediment-ly.

"Isn't it? I thought I was the only one"

A pair of eyes switch back to Samty, looking at him like he was an extinct species that made a sudden appearance on their doorstep. It was a dark shade of grey that's glinting and he felt like he was being seen under his clothes, squirming on his seat from how long the silence continue with the little girl looking at him.

"Alright, that's it. Take the kids outside to the living room Dowem"

It was like a string had been pulled to everyone as series of cries immediately broke out from the table.

"What?! No!"

"I'm not finished yet!"

"I wanna play with Samty!"

"I want answers!"

"Why can't we stay for the talk?!"

"I wanna listen!"

"Now!"

Fermon glowered to the pleading looks on the kid's faces that made them cower on their seats, even Samty jolts over to the loud commanding voice of the latter. One by one, they slips out of the long chair and drifts out of the room. His anchor also slips out and freed him from his grasp to come and aid for the little man with bright orange eyes who wanted to be carried by him. Leaving him to almost slapping his back flat on the gruff surface before another cry from the same man reached their ears as he paces out the room.

"Lithi! What did I tell you about playing nice?!"

Fermon who followed right before the door shuts the worn-out oak door before Samty can even see what had happened to make the man burst out like that. With his eyes following his movements, the latter went back to his seat for the man of the house and continued to pay some attention his completely untouched meal. The three on his left followed suit Fermon like nothing happened and Samty got his self in the shadows of what is happening before he proper his sit as he inch away to the bone-crusher. Getting as much as possible space away from the huge man. Satisfied of their far distance, and still not on the same page as everyone about this 'talk' the kids are addressing, he heaves out a sigh and lets himself relax for a moment to savor his breakfast porridge that he never had the chance to eat since forever. So with the peaceful atmosphere inside, the dull clatters of whatnots next room and the noise of the outside world coming back, he lift the chipped mug once again up to his mouth and drinks the contents of it. But apparently, the head of the place is keen on starting the talk already.

"You're might not aware, but you're a vampire now Samty"

For the second time, he choked.