Chapter Text
The castle was filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and echoing metal. The day had been long, neither side giving ground to the other. And yet it ended all the same, in a simple draw. Don Quixote wiped the sweat from his brow, letting his lance rest against the ground.
He could only smile.
A satisfied but wheezing laugh escaped his lips as the adrenaline finally began to fade from his mind. His breath came in heavy heaves, yet the joy gleaming in his eyes betrayed no hint of true exhaustion.
"Bravo! Bravo indeed, glorious as always... well played Bari... I noticed a new maneuver within your stances, pray tell when you learned such a technique."
"You noticed..." Her voice tinged with a hint of pride and exhaustion. "Many fixers of the south use such techniques in battle... I picked up a few things last time I visited there."
"Outstanding.. I wish to hear the stories from those travels."
"It all began when I was assigned a mission to- ..Oh?" She cut her sentence short upon feeling a slight sting on her arm, taking a quick glance to view what had brought her discomfort. A minor cut, thankfully not too deep but enough to slightly bleed. Quixote's eyes widened in mild concern as he walked over to Bari.
"A scratch," he murmured, his brow furrowed slightly as he examined the wound closer, a touch of concern in his eyes.
"Ah.. I thought I avoided that last swing in time. It's fine, really, don't worry about..."
"But one should not ignore even the most trivial of wounds. It's my fault for being too careless. I even ruined your jacket.." Quixote's expression softened, his fingers gently grasping the woman's arm. "Allow me to tend to your wounds my friend, proper compensation for my mistakes."
He turned his head. "Sancho. May you bring this to Nicolina? See to it that it gets fixed and restored to its former glory."
"Of course Father..." Sancho walked over from the corner she was huddled over during the twos duel, carefully assisting Bari with the clothing removal.
"You really don't have to do this.."
"Nonsense Bari, it's only right. Now let us make haste towards the infirmary. I wouldn't want such a flesh wound to get infected or attract unwanted attention."
The two walked through the maze of corridors that filled the castle, landing upon an empty medical room. Don Quixote led Bari to a chair, sitting her down before quickly walking around the room. Within the span of a few seconds, he returned, now holding a small wooden box. Opening the lid, he carefully selected a few items from it.
"I'm surprised you even have this stuff here..."
"Well I had a bit of a doctor phase.. it was more of me toying around with these supplies for a few days before I grew bored of it." He carefully lifted her sleeves and got to patching up the injury.
"Ah.. at least you grew out of it before you went around proclaiming to be a blessed healer..." Bari spoke between the hisses that came from the antiseptic wipes being used.
"Actually.. we went around as plague doctors for a day." Quixote let out a small chuckle. As he worked, he continued to speak, "..Needless to say we did not cure anyone from the plague. But it was fun for some of us and that's something I suppose." As he finished placing a patch on the wound, his fingers couldn't help but feel against the various scars on Bari's arm. Quixote's eyes flicked with interest at each and every one of them. His mind filled with many thoughts about the woman in front of him.
"You bare many wounds from your previous battles..." Don Quixote mused, his fingers trailing along one particularly deep scar. "Each with a tale of valor I can only begin to imagine."
He looked up, locking eyes with hers.
"..You always tell me of tales about various fixers and adventures.. but for once.. I wish to hear some about yourself..."
"..I acquired that one pretty early on. It happened during my rookie years. Believe it or not I was extremely clumsy and a nervous wreck. It often led to me missing strikes and getting injured in battle. And yet... with each new one I got, I learned a little more about myself..." Her fingers grazed his. "My strengths... my weaknesses.. like a pen grazing a page in my book..."
"It seems you collect scars like a badge of honor.... and that one?" He pointed to another not too far away.
"A strike from a troublesome criminal over some stolen funds..."
"Allow me to guess the next one... perhaps from an incredible adventure with your fellow fixers?"
Bari couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Not exactly.. I was assisting an old lady with retrieving her cat from a tree and the little kitty was not a fan of being lifted.."
"Ahaha! Sounds like a certain feline one of my children keel around here. The little thing likes no one but her owner it seems.." He shifted his hand so that his fingers intertwined with hers admiring the contrast between their temperatures.
Their gaze locked even harder. A pang of admiration stirred within the bloodfiend's chest, a warmth spreading across his pale skin. Bari smiled at him, grasping his hand tighter as she leaned closer. All that came out was a soft, almost bashful whisper. "Do you wish to learn my full story...?"
Quixote whispered back. "Of course..." He leaned closer to her...
"..Excuse me you two..."
The two immediately paused, their heads turning to the door where Sancho was standing. Her expression was one of embarrassment mixed with slight disgust and tiredness.
"I do hope I'm not ruining the moment, but I've come to report that the jacket shall be fixed soon.."
"A-Ah.. I see.. thank you Sancho..." Quixote cleared his throat, standing up and walking towards the door. "I've finished my duties here as well, so now we shall uh.. have Bari finish reading that book to us, yes! If you feel well enough my friend.”
Bari let out a sigh of content. "I do.. it'd be cruel to leave you two on an early cliffhanger..."
Sancho scoffed. "I'm not that interested in the tale.."
"Yet I saw you trying to peek into the book, didn't you..?"
She gritted her teeth as she turned her head away. "That.. well.. I'm just..."
"There's no need to be so shy Sancho, we know how much you like these tales after all!"
"Mmm.. let's just head to the throne room..." She huffed and walked ahead of the two, leaving them to glance at each other once more.
Quixote gave her a toothy smile. "Perhaps we can continue your tale later then..?"
Bari hummed. "..Alright then."