Tenderness!

Luther pulled a small pocket watch from his coat, glancing down to check the time. The hands pointed to 7:23 PM. He slipped the watch back into his pocket, casting a quick look over at Hailey, who was still rolling around on the bed, pretending to ignore him. With a sigh, he stood, ready to head to the kitchen and prepare some dinner.

Just as he took his first step, a faint, familiar odor hit him; a fishy scent, subtle but unmistakable. He'd become more sensitive to it recently, his encounters with strange creatures heightening his awareness. The smell seemed to be coming from Hailey's direction, so he turned to observe her.

There she was, sitting on the bed with her back to him, tugging at the quilt and acting like she was trying to hide something. Her behavior was suspicious, almost like she was concealing a guilty secret.

Luther raised an eyebrow, suspicion flickering across his face. "Could there actually be some strange creature inside her?" he wondered, narrowing his eyes. Deciding to probe a bit, he cleared his throat.

"Hailey, what exactly are you doing over there?"

The question made her jump, her shoulders tensing up as she turned her head slowly, her face a shade paler than usual.

"N-Nothing, Luther," she stammered, managing a weak smile. "You… you should go cook, I'm fine…"

She winced mid-sentence, her expression betraying a flash of pain. Luther's sharp eyes caught the faint, reddish stain on the sheet beneath her, the fabric pulled tight as if she'd been trying to cover it up. He looked back at her face, noting the discomfort etched into her features.

The realization hit him, and he sighed inwardly. "So that's it…" He ran a hand across his forehead, slightly exasperated.

Why hide it? he thought, but seeing her distress, he decided to play along, sparing her the embarrassment.

"Alright, I'm going to cook," he said softly, keeping his tone casual as he turned to leave the room.

As soon as he left, Hailey buried her face in the pillow, her shoulders trembling as she choked back tears. Shame and despair washed over her in waves.

"He definitely saw it… he's going to kick me out now," she whispered to herself, clutching the pillow tightly. "I hate this… this cursed blood. Why does it have to happen every month?"

In the world she grew up in, women were taught from a young age that their monthly blood was an omen of bad luck, something shameful to be hidden. Seeing it was considered a curse upon anyone who wasn't supposed to witness it. And Hailey had learned firsthand how harshly people could react.

Staring blankly at the wall, she felt trapped, her mind spiraling with anxiety. But after a few moments, an idea sparked in her eyes, a plan. Something that might help her redeem herself.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Luther was busy preparing what he could with the limited ingredients available. As he rummaged through the cabinets, he remembered that Joseph kept a small jar of sugar tucked away somewhere. Sugar was a rare luxury in these parts, practically worth its weight in gold. Luther had once joked about going into the sugar trade after hearing how much Joseph had paid for that tiny jar, but he knew it was a pipe dream; no funds, no connections, and definitely no expertise.

"Found it," he muttered, pulling the jar from the back of a hidden drawer. It was pure white sugar, not the brown sugar he would've preferred, but it would do. He'd heard somewhere that sweet, warm drinks could help ease discomfort during a woman's time of the month, and he hoped this small act would bring Hailey some comfort.

He filled a wooden bucket halfway with boiling water, stirring in a few generous spoonfuls of sugar until it dissolved. Once it was ready, he placed it on a tray along with two pieces of wet linen and returned to the pot on the stove, lifting the lid to reveal a fragrant, tender stew he'd prepared earlier. Carefully, he ladled a portion into a bowl and placed it next to the sugar water.

As he surveyed the kitchen, he realized supplies were running dangerously low. Aside from a few potatoes and a hefty slab of bacon hanging from an iron rod, there was little left. Luther sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"At this rate, I'll be dealing with constipation in no time," he muttered, thinking about his lack of vegetables and fiber.

The empty streets weren't helping either. Most vendors had packed up or moved to safer parts of town. He made a mental note to head to the central market tomorrow, hoping the main square might have some fresh produce left.

Balancing the tray carefully, Luther made his way back to Hailey's room.

Luther balanced the tray in one hand and pushed open the door with the other.

Inside the room, Hailey was hurriedly trying to stuff a blood-stained sheet under the bed. The sound of the door opening made her freeze in place, her heart pounding with panic.

"Oh, Goddess of Dusk, please don't abandon your most loyal follower now!" she whispered under her breath, as if in prayer. "You said that sincerity brings blessings… well, I'm sincere now! Just… please don't let him see me like this!"

She quickly shoved the sheet further under the bed, then straightened up, trying to look as casual as possible. With forced grace, she perched on the edge of the bed, legs neatly together, her face attempting to radiate innocence. But her eyes betrayed hert, hey were fixed intently on the tray Luther was carrying.

The aroma of stewed meat and sweetened water filled the room, and her stomach growled softly. It smelled delicious, and her mouth watered, but Hailey's mind was racing. She knew what she'd just tried to hide, knew she was only fooling herself if she thought Luther hadn't noticed. The bloodstain was still faintly visible on her clothes. How could he miss it?

"What do I do? What do I say?" she thought frantically, the anxiety twisting in her gut, adding to the dull ache already there. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her pale face grew even whiter with tension.

Luther approached her silently, his expression calm, betraying none of his thoughts. He could see her unease, her averted gaze, her trembling hands. For a moment, he considered saying something about what he'd noticed, but he decided against it. After all, he was just her doctor. She was young, and this situation was clearly embarrassing for her.

He set the tray down on the table next to the bed. "I brought some food. The barrel has a warm drink, it's best if you drink it while it's hot. Don't let it cool down."

Hailey kept her head down, eyes squeezed shut, her entire body tense. She braced herself for some kind of reprimand, rejection, or disgust. But his words were gentle, matter-of-fact, as though nothing was wrong, as though he hadn't seen anything.

"Did… did the goddess hear my prayer?" she wondered, daring to crack her eyes open. "Or… is he just pretending not to notice?"

She slowly raised her head, blinking back the tears that blurred her vision. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Luther looking back at her with a soft, understanding smile. It was a smile that held no judgment, no disdain, just a quiet reassurance.

The kindness in his expression was so unexpected, so unlike anything she'd known, that something broke open inside her. Before she realized it, tears were spilling down her cheeks, hot and unstoppable.

"H-Hey… why am I crying?" she stammered, trying to brush them away with her hands, but the more she wiped, the more the tears kept coming. "I… I don't… why can't I stop?"

Confused and overwhelmed, she glanced at him through her tear-blurred eyes, wondering why he was different. Every other person in her life had looked at her with disgust or fear whenever they saw "the blood"—even her grandfather, who had once loved her dearly, had turned her away with harsh words. She had grown up thinking it was something shameful, something that cursed anyone who saw it.

But Luther's kindness made her question everything. Why wasn't he reacting the same way? Why was he so… gentle?

She clutched at her chest, her heart racing as she tried to make sense of the unfamiliar warmth spreading through her. It felt like her heart was beating out of control, a strange and overwhelming sensation that left her dizzy. But alongside this warmth, a sudden nausea began to build in her stomach, a sickening feeling that seemed to rise from somewhere deep and foreign, something she couldn't explain.

The sensation intensified, and her vision swam. Before she could understand what was happening, a wave of revulsion surged up, and she doubled over as the urge to vomit took over.

"Ugh…" she gasped, clutching her stomach, then lurched forward as a thick, dark green liquid spilled from her mouth, pooling onto the floor in a sticky, viscous puddle.

Luther's eyes widened, and he instinctively stepped back, more out of shock than revulsion. The dark green bile oozed across the floor, its unnatural color and texture sending a chill down his spine.

"Hailey… are you… alright?" he asked cautiously, the initial shock fading into concern. This wasn't just an upset stomach, whatever she had just expelled was anything but normal.

Hailey wiped her mouth, looking dazed and exhausted, as though the act had drained every ounce of her energy. She glanced down at the green bile in horror, confusion etched across her face.

"I… I don't know what just happened," she whispered, voice trembling. "It felt like… something else, something inside me…"

Luther took a deep breath, keeping his tone calm. "Hailey, have you experienced anything like this before? Strange symptoms, odd feelings… anything?"

She shook her head weakly, still staring at the green substance on the floor. "No… nothing like this. I've felt sick before, but never… never like that."

Luther crouched down, examining the strange liquid with a focused gaze. Whatever this was, it wasn't just a simple illness. It hinted at something darker, something foreign.

"Alright, Hailey," he said, standing up. "For now, just rest. I'll take care of this."

She looked up at him, eyes wide and filled with a mixture of fear and relief. "Luther… am I… going to be okay?"