Hylltywyll was amused as Oriole quietly pleaded for him to abandon his new perch. The kid was still frightened of him, even now, while he was specifically under a contract to not be able to harm him. It was a good thing he pushed to have that part about not being allowed to frighten the children removed from the contract before it was finalized. He wasn't sure if his teasing might have ended up violating it, knowing how fun it was to mess with Oriole.

His amused smile dropped into an annoyed grumble as Cyran came over to attempt to grab the small Fey by the scruff like some mangy house cat. How rude. He swatted his hand away. He guess his fun with the boy had to come to an end. The overprotective guardian was stepping in.

"Ugh, fine." He grumbled and rolled his eyes as he hopped down from Oriole's shoulders.

With a motion from Cyran, Andromeda an Oriole started to head back inside the orphanage. Hylltywyll could feel the man gearing up to give him some talking to or warning out here before letting him in. Ugh. Boring. He wasn't going to wait for it to happen. When Cyran looked to him to start his speech, Hylltywyll was already scampering off behind Andromeda and Oriole, toward the door, pretending not to notice Cyran.

The little Fae squirmed out of his grasp and started following after the apprentices, as if to hide amongst them. Cyran sidestepped, smoothly reappearing in Oriole’s shadow and in front of the little fellow, arms crossed. “Oh, no you don’t.”

Spoken like someone who was not… angry, just disappointed.

“Come along. The kitchen is this way.” Herding Hylltywyll felt about the way herding impatient children was, and while Cyran might not be perfect at fae deals at least he understood parenting. “Or were you lying about being hungry?” He raised an eyebrow.^[1]

Obviously Hylltywyll had practically just been granted free reign of the orphanage considering Cyran was here, but with any luck just kind of giving him a little bit of what he wanted might appease him enough to bore him. Cyran did believe that the little gremlin wasn’t particularly a fan of children, but better to preemptively prevent him from causing mayhem.

Assuming Hylltywyll would follow, Cyran would make his way to the kitchen and begin constructing a rather subpar sandwich, all things considered. I mean. He could elect to follow Oriole and Andromeda, but then there would be no food in that for him considering the apprentices were really just going off to deal with the kids, so that was his choice. Sandwich, or boredom. 

And yes, Cyran would be a good host.

That didn’t mean he had to be especially nice about it.

“Here. This should satisfy you, no? Unless there’s something else you need to eat to sustain yourself?” Cyran asked, taking a seat. A few kids pranced around, trying to get curious looks at the new orphanage “pet”. Cyran had a few which generally served as therapy animals for the kids, but none of them looked like that. One especially brave kid attempted to grab Hylltywyll’s tail, and another wandered up, ribbons in her hand, and started trying to tie bows in his fur.

The kids might not have been harmful, but they could definitely be a handful. Hylltywyll might have attained free entry into this place to a certain point, but now came the time to face a more fearsome and nonsensical enemy than Cyran - his kids.

---

1. Shadow Walk

Hylltywyll clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was cut off and herded away. He had no goal to achieve by following the two brats inside, to get away from their overprotective guardian. He just wanted to do so because of one thing. Cyran didn't want him in there, and that was all the reason he needed.

"Hmph." He huffed, not deigning to answer Cyran's question. If he knew anything about Fae, he should know they can't lie. But he wasn't the one that just agreed to give the other any information he could. That was Cyran, so Hylltywyll wasn't about to teach him a damn thing. Especially not something that could possibly be used against him, like knowledge of Fae.

He begrudgingly followed Cyran to the kitchen, pulling his tail away from and glaring at the annoying children looking at him with curious eyes as he went. He recognized the look a few of them had, thinking he was some kind of pet they could play with, but he wasn't allowed to hurt or threaten them without breaking their agreement, so his ability to teach them how wrong they were was a bit limited. He pulled his hood over his head to keep any bowties from being added to his hair and hopped on top of the kitchen table to get away from them.

He took the sandwich and noted it was as if Cyran had made it purposefully just a little not as good as they could have. Passive aggressively mediocre. He raised an eyebrow at Cyran. He chuckled and ate it anyways. It was still a sandwich even if it was made with loathe instead of love. It tasted just as good to Hylltywyll, and it was just an appetizer.

"Not bad, but no, it doesn't satisfy me. There is something else I need to eat to sustain myself, and you've already so helpfully agreed to give it to me whenever I ask for it." Hyll answered with a wide smile as he stepped back from some grabby hands at the edge of the table. He kept his words vague, watching Cyran to see if he could put the puzzle pieces together and realize what kind of deal he'd just made. It was much more fun to watch someone realize their mistake than explain it to them, like a good joke.

Cyran gently shooed away the curious children with a few candies to sate their curiosity and distract them from the new curious thing which had grabbed their attention. Better to nip this is in the bud before Hylltywyll perceived what they were doing as a threat. But… it was a positive sign that he’d yet to mess with the kiddos.

It was entirely possible that the elven man had yet to fully register the scope of what he’d agreed to. Not that he would mind, of course - the kids were his top priority. That meant making whatever sacrifices necessary to get ensure no danger reached them. Such was the vow that Cyran had taken when he built this place.

But he was not ignorant to the fact that Hylltywyll was more a nuisance than an outright threat, and that the fae was all too happy to let Cyran think he posed a problem if it meant coming out of this deal better for it. Cyran just couldn’t figure out what his angle was.

He was certainly about to find out.

Hylltywyll only laughed, because Cyran was not good at being petty or malicious. To a being of pure trickery, Cyran’s own tired attempts at being curt were probably more of a joke than anything. Cyran ran a hand through his hair while Hylltywyll finished his food and asserted that the single, sad meal was not enough.

It took him a second to register what Hylltywyll was insinuating.

“You eat knowledge? Or, er, magic?” Cyran recoiled, eyes narrowed. Not in anger, but… shock, perhaps. He knew something fishy with this deal. “And now I’ve agreed to not just reach it to you, but give it to you.” He hadn’t even thought it was possible - ignorance that had evidently turned him into a personal font of magic for the creature.

Cyran wished he could say he’d done his best to prevent this.

The ex-assassin pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep breath. “I suppose that is part of the deal.” Looking up to face Hylltywyll, raising a brow. “Well, are you asking for it then?” He asked, waiting for the formal question as per the deal - Hylltywyll did have to request it. It was also partially his own attempt to rationalize this (there would be no fighting it and he was not fool enough to drag this out to its inevitable conclusion). It would be fine… he hoped. Hylltywyll would not dare drain him of magic permanently, lest he never be able to read Cyran’s magical signature and lose access to the orphanage.

But if he did, maybe it wouldn’t be such a horrible thing.

Maybe Cyran could finally get rid of this dark affliction, though he doubted that was the case.

Hylltywyll smiled slightly wider and chuckled softly as Cyran finally fell on the answer. He gave a curt nod. He agreed to this, and it was too late to alter the deal. Judging from his eyes and attitude, Cyran was well aware of that, and wasn't pleased about it. Oh well, he'd have to eat his regrets while Hylltywyll ate his magic.

He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, but he looked more amused than upset. Well, that was a slightly annoying part of the wording, but it wasn't a big deal. He'd just have to ask for magic whenever he wanted it instead of just taking it, but it was worth it considering Cyran couldn't refuse and he didn't need to give anything in exchange other than a few words. He could deal with that.

"Don't be so nervous. I won't take all of it, and it'll come back over time, like it does after casting a spell. I won't kill you just to get one slightly more filling meal. Not with our deal making this so easy." Hylltywyll said with a vague sense of reassurance and a much less vague sense of teasing, as if he had forgotten to add a "duh" to the end of his statement.

He hopped from the tabletop onto Cyran's lap. It was good for Cyran he was already seated, or Hylltywyll would have suggested he do so. People tended to not be able to stand up once he'd drained them of enough of their mana. He took Cyran's hand and held it in front of his mouth, his tiny tusked maw ready to bite. But first-

"May I have some magic?" Hylltywyll asked with faux sweetness, puppy dog eyes and innocent smile that lasted about two seconds before changing into a smug smile. He didn't need to wait for an answer since he already knew what it had to be.

He clamped his jaw over Cyran's hand, his jagged teeth digging into the man's skin but not breaking it. There was no need. He didn't want the blood beneath, and the mana started to pour from Cyran into Hylltywyll, the little Fae drinking it down like he was starving for it.

---

Wicked Desires

It was probably quite fitting that Cyran, of all people, would be the one to enter a contract with a Fae that offered him no real benefits save peace of mind – despite his old profession, Cyran always had been too soft for his own good. And despite the fact that he was generally adept at thinking his way through situations, that logic flew out the window when it came to his family.

Really, there was no one to blame for the situation Cyran had found himself in but him.

He sighed again. He’d been making the sound more and more frequently throughout the course of this conversation.

“… Right. Of course you wouldn’t want to kill me.” It would be a foolish move to waste one’s near-limitless source of magic. It would also be foolish to weasel one’s self into a deal in the first place, so they could clearly both see that anything was liable to happen.

He nodded as Hylltywyll asked the dreaded question.

“Yes, you may have some magic.”

Being drained of mana was not unlike how Cyran imagined getting drained of blood was. The comparison was apt, given that the creature had bitten him to feed. Cyran’s shoulders slumped as weariness suddenly overtook him. Hylltywyll wasn’t wrong. It was not dissimilar to the sensation of casting an exhausting spell. The elven man suppressed a yawn, ignoring the sensation of feeling hollow to the very core.

“I guess… that is it, then? Unless you require anything else from me?” He’d already taught Hylltywyll something new, made a deal with the fae, and had given the creature some of his magic. Surely, there was nothing else Hylltywyll could ask for… could there be?

Hylltywyll pulled himself away from Cyran's hand with a satisfied and more than a little smug look on his face. Cyran's hand was left with a few indents where Hyll's little tusks and pointier teeth had dug into the skin a little, but nothing that would leave a scar. He had to be honest when he said Cyran would recover from this just fine, and he would. Hyll wouldn't want to ruin his new easy meal ticket.

He leapt back from Cyran's lap to the table and sat down, dangling his birdy feet off the side and kicking them lightly. He was amused by the man playing off being so drained of energy, as if he was just ready to take a nap in the chair. Hylltywyll smirked.

"Oh, I have plenty of questions I could ask, but I think I'll wait until you're not so tired. I wouldn't want you falling asleep in the middle of teaching me anything. I'll be back soon enough."

Hylltywyll looked around for a moment, making sure he was familiar enough with the place to return through the shadows before slipping off the table and walking into the darkness beneath it.

"I'll see you around." He gave Cyran one last smug look over his shoulder before he vanished.

---

Hylltywyll's Shady Shelter

“Waiting might… be best.” Cyran did not want to wear how tired he was on his sleeve, but there was no helping it. He’d admittedly not expected to feel so exhausted he’d be after Hylltywyll took his magic. And he’d been the one to offer it so freely without knowing exactly what he’d gotten into.

He did make a mental note to do some thorough research on the fae before making any more deals with them in the future, however.

Not that he ever hoped to make another deal… though you never knew, at this rate.

“Then I shall be there to answer them when you return.” He did not really have a choice, after all. Not that Cyran minded giving lessons, though becoming a food source for a dark fae hadn’t exactly been on his list of priorities.

Hylltywyll’s sudden departure brought him out of his thoughts - he nodded, pointedly ignoring the smug aura radiating from the little creature as he departed. “Until next time, then.”

And then he was alone once more.

The ex-assassin pulled himself from his seat and wordlessly began brewing a pot of tea. Only when the drink was brewed and he’d imbibed half of it did he start to feel somewhat like himself again. He ran a hand through his hair and stared blankly out the windowsill and replayed that entire encounter in his mind’s eye, and his own part in how it had unraveled - how he’d been the one to make the careless mistake that had sealed his fate.

“… How the hell am I going to explain this to Del?”