User blog:Drkness231/Anarchy, Wealth, and a Dullahan Chapter 4: Development

A/N: Back for more? Good. This story's getting quite comedic in value, but you should always keep a clear conscience when reading. You'll never what will happen next, given my default mental state. Anyways, last chapter came the big reveal that Lazarus, the Order Commander, is actually the Dullahan Lilith! Betcha didn't see that one coming, huh? This chapter goes into more detail about what Gabriel does on his off days, as well as introduces the main plot that is mention in the description. Enjoy!

---JustAQuietMorningWithADullahan---

Somehow, I find myself becoming increasingly accepting of Lilith as she sits across from me with her head set next to her body. The large shirt that she is wearing covers her up pretty well, but still leaves some thought to the imagination. As long as her body doesn't lean forward in any way, I won't see the neck cross-section and possibly vomit. Thinking about this reminds of something obvious that I missed: I never really found out anything about Lilith's race in general. I open my mouth to act on this, but the way her body is fixing her hair in front of me makes me reluctant to say anything. It might just be me, but the way she is looking at me seems...predatory. I dismiss the thought and ask her to put her head back on after she finishes with her hair. A few minutes pass before I can talk, but looking at Lilith's red eyes still sends shivers down my spine.

“Could you tell me about something?” I start out.

“...Is it something personal?” She responds.

“No, I just want to know more about your race.”

“The Dullahan are a time-honored race who have stood as guardians to the Monster Lord ever since-”

“I only wanted to know the basics. History kind of bores me...” A yawn escapes my mouth, proving my point.

“Fine. Dullahan are what you Humans may call 'headless knights'. Our heads are merely stoppers for our body's spirit energy, and there's a distinct difference in personality between the two parts. We can survive very long periods without eating or sleeping, so I'm guessing that also played a part in my false identity.”

“Wait, so when I chopped your head off last month...did it hurt?” Lilith frowns at me as soon as I cast a look at her.

“You chopped off my head. No matter how cleanly you cut, it still hurts whoever you do it to.”

“Oh, I'm sorry I asked then...” I apologize dejectedly.

“That was a joke.”

“Wait, you actually have a sense of humor?” I'm bewildered by this realization.

“Yes, I do have emotions like any other person.” The perpetual frown on her face makes it hard for me to believe that.

“So, what do you plan to do now that your cover's gone?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“I must infiltrate the Order once again, with a new identity...” Lilith looks at me with a knowing glance.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“And you expect me to help? No thanks; I risk my life enough with making a living.” I stand up from my seat.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“I could arrange a generous payment for your assistance.” With that, I sit back down with interest.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Not my expertise, but we'll discuss that along with the price. What are the details of this job you're offering?” I lean forward with a grin.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“I need you to accompany me inside the Order, watching my flanks and taking every chance to sabotage it from within.”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Sounds like a tough job, but I heard 'perform a riot' somewhere in there so you've got my attention. How much is the minimum payment for all this?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“I can guarantee you at least 250,000 crowns and-”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“I'm in.” That offer is far larger than my expectations, and I excitedly shake Lilith's hand.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Eh? E-Excellent. I-I'm glad you are a-able to join me on this mission. N-Now could you please stop shaking me so strongly?” Lilith cracks a nervous smile, but I retreat my hands once I realize something.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Hold on, there's still the issue of my advance payment. I can't take this job with some incentive, yes?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“...If I must...” Lilith slowly starts lifting up her shirt, but I grab her hands before they reveal anything explicit.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Stop, stop! I just want to take you on a date! That's it, really! There's no need for you to go that far!” I cringe as Lilith's hands continue to slowly travel upwards along with her shirt.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“A date...”, her hands stop and I breath a sigh of relief, “What reason do you have to ask me for a date?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Well, it's because...actually, I don't even know myself. I guess I just feel like getting to know you better as a person.” I rub the back of my head in confusion, not really understanding why my thoughts went down this route.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Okay then, I accept your offer. I apologize if I'm not as interesting as you may think.”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">---ADateHuh---

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">Just before we walk out of the door, I pull Lilith back inside and sit her down on the couch again. A quick trip to my room and she's now wearing a pair of long pants instead of being exposed from the waist down. I think about where to take her, but decide that the best thing to do is to replace her clothes and armor. The first place we stop by is the local clothing store that I often frequent, Kayla's Tailoring. The owner is an old friend of mine whom I've gotten to know in my business and let's just say that we've gotten rather close from our...encounters. It's a small and simple-looking shop, but the quality of her products is on par with Arachne silk in terms of craftsmanship. I don't know if there's a special kind of clothing for Dullahan, but it doesn't look like Lilith is opposed to the idea of buying clothes. She seems more thoughtful than anything, as I often need to stop and look back to see Lilith staring off into space. As we get closer to Kayla's, I don't know why I'm starting to feel worried about Lilith meeting Kayla. It's not like Kayla and I are dating, nor have we ever. All that we usually do is exchange hugs and go out for lunch, but that's normal between friends, right?

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Yay, Gabby's back!” Kayla's cheery voice reaches me, but only after I feel its owner collide into me with an affectionate hug.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Thanks for the warm welcome, Kay.” I pat her on the head and return her hug.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">I look back at Lilith, who seems to be watching us with an unknown intensity.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Kay, this is Lilith. I'm working with her on another job, but I figured that I'd do something nice and take her out on a date.”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Mmm, you sure know how to treat a girl; I should know that best of all. So, Lilith, what do you think of Gabby so far?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“...'Gabby?'...” Lilith gives me a confused look.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. My name's Gabriel, hence the name 'Gabby'.” I explain nervously.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Only I can call him Gabby, so keep that in mind okay?” Kayla grins at Lilith, who is still somewhat stunned by the woman's active behavior.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Gabriel, what is your relationship with this woman?” Lilith's voice is eerily calm despite Kayla's strong affections.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Oh, Gabby and I are best friends! Or at least something closer at one point...” Kayla presses her modest chest to my arm, causing my face to flush lightly.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Anyways, Kay, do you think you can make up the perfect outfit for Lilith? We can't have her looking like that, right?”

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“Right.” Kayla's eyes light up and she smiles inhumanly wide at the chance to pick out an outfit for someone.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">“...?” Lilith's unknowing face is all I see before she vanishes once Kayla grabs onto her.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;font-weight:normal;line-height:200%">Knowing my old friend's tendencies at these times, I do what usually do and lay down on the cushioned bench that Kayla keeps in the store and close my eyes for a short, but well-deserved nap.

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;line-height:200%;">---Yay!---

<p style="text-align: LEFT; margin-bottom:0in;line-height:200%;">A/N: <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;">I'm so freaking peeved right now. The chapter was great, but technology has once again failed me. The original copy of the full story that I had still been working on got  corrupted.<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;"> So basically, I lost all of the progress I had on the latest chapter (7) and have to recreate it. Luckily, I always save each chapter as a separate document after I finish it, so it's not too much work to just piece the whole story back together. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and can look forward to reading the next one! Please comment, follow, favorite, whatever you like if this chapter really had a huge impact on you.