The Bespectacled Drifter

The Drifter, I

"In the depths of the forest,

the wolf who bathed in darkness howled alone

for it could not find the light of the moon

like many of the others have;

until a young man came and embraced it

telling it that it was not alone anymore."

—a page from an unknown children's book

In the middle of nowhere...

The bar was full of patrons. The smell of alcohol and meat wafted through the air and the floor was wet with spilled drinks and moisture from the water vapor from the food. Patrons were shouting and singing songs with each other, linking arms as though they were all blood brothers. The lutes shouted in broken harmony as even the bards were getting intoxicated by the minute. It was not a pleasant sound, but it was clear that they were having fun.

It was a normal night for the people, but there are two patrons in the room whose visits are their firsts. One is a gentleman and the other, a lady. The two sat side-by-side, even though they were strangers to each other. Perhaps they were seeking a similarity— that they were both out-of-place inside the bar. Even though they were in a bar filled with alcoholics, both of them had something different in their hands; the man held a glass containing some harmless grape juice, while the girl had fruit wine on hers.

"It's pretty rough around here, huh..." said the male stranger.

He dressed himself in a brown fur coat and a weathered white tunic which tears looked a few months old— only, it looked cleaner than the rest of his attire. It was an outlandish combination that weren't usually seen in the land. There were lots of things that distinguished him from the rest: he wore round glasses with thick frames that looked like it was heavier than it seemed; he was also armed with a crude revolver which rested on his side holster and a nicely-crafted knife situated on a horizontal belt's sheath.

The lady smiled in response. "...It beats being outside, that's for sure."

She looked just as out of place as him, however, with her scarlet eyes and her pale violet hair tied in a ponytail. Natural violet hair was rarer than discovering precious gemstones in a coal mine— yet there she was. She was dressed in a basic combination of a long-sleeved tunic and paired with breeches and boots that looked newly purchased and mostly fit her, but the way she conducted herself in the bar showed that she didn't belong there.

"Sky." The man reciprocated her smile with his own, extending his hand.

"Sky?" She asked, but also extending her hand to meet his.

The man beamed at her and nodded. "That's my name. Sky de Niveus-Anima."

Anyone could see that Sky was not from the area, especially for his pale skin and crimson eyes matched with his ashen hair that gleamed as it swayed from side to side with the wind. Alas, he was worthy of his name: de Niveus-Anima, "of a snowy soul".

He was one of those who they call "drifters". They are those who have no permanent homes and choose to wander over various places, never staying anywhere for more than a week.

"L... Aveline..." She paused for a while and took a gulp of the wine in front of her. "...Aveline is my name."

The girl tried her best to blend in with her environment, and if not for her grandiose aura, she would have succeeded. Although the other patrons in the bar were busy getting inebriated and some even fainting, some had their sharp eyes on her. It was clear she had somewhat of a sheltered life, based on how she portrayed herself in the bar.