Chapter Text
Eliana stood still as the man came closer, holding Daisy close to her body. He stopped a few steps away, his face mostly hidden by the shadows. When he spoke, her fear did not lessen.
"Are you alright, miss?" While the question was expected, considering she was a woman walking a ginnel in the middle of the night alone, his tone was rough, and she did not think he was actually interested in an answer. So, she decided not to give him one. She mentally slapped herself for possibly angering the stranger, but still, no words left her mouth.
At that, the man took a few more steps toward her, showing his face in the dim light. She still couldn't see much but noted his high cheekbones, short beard, and blue eyes. His expression was a mix of irritation and amusement.
"Are you unable to answer or simply not willing to?" Another question, and this time, Eliana decided to answer. As she opened her mouth, Daisy jumped out of her hands and hid behind her legs, rightfully terrified of the snow leopard that appeared around the corner. The man looked over his shoulder, and the animal met his eyes.
"Don't worry about her," he said with unsettling calmness. "Stelmaria won’t harm you."
Eliana tried to process the name—Stelmaria. A name for a wild creature, spoken as though it had meaning beyond the ordinary. She found her voice, shaky and uncertain. "That’s a... leopard. A real one."
"Very observant," he remarked dryly. He took a final step closer, now fully illuminated in the dim glow of the moon. His face was sharp and angular, his expression unreadable. He towered over her, and though she felt a shiver of fear, something in his presence compelled her not to flee.
“What... What do you mean she won’t harm me? She’s—" Her words trailed off as Stelmaria approached him, her graceful movements belying the power lurking beneath her sleek fur. She rubbed her head against his leg like a cat would, but the sight of such a deadly creature behaving so domestically only unnerved Eliana further.
"She’s my dæmon," he said simply, as if that explained everything.
Eliana’s mind struggled to make sense of it. “Your... what?”
“My dæmon,” he repeated, this time with more weight behind the word, as though it were something she should understand. “In this world, everyone has one. A manifestation of their soul. That’s what Stelmaria is.” He did not say anything else, nor did he question her lack of a dæmon or her lack of knowledge of them.
She did not like the way he was looking at her. It wasn't scary or weird, no. But he looked at her as if he knew something about her. And she still had to get… somewhere. At this point, it didn't really matter if she got back home, at least not immediately. But if she was stuck here, she needed a place to stay, something, anything. As if reading her mind, the man spoke again. "You need shelter. I know a man who might be willing to give it to you."
Without much choice, she agreed. She allowed him to lead her out of the small alleys into a wider street, illuminated by streetlights, and further into the city. While they walked, she had time to think, and she could not find a reason for the man to help her. His disinterest was clear when he first spoke, but she could not turn back now. She wouldn't be any safer out here alone than she was with him.
After about half an hour, they stopped in front of a house with a shop window covering most of its front wall. The man knocked on the door, and after a few moments, it was quickly opened, and she was allowed inside. An older man stood in front of her, about sixty or seventy if she were to guess. The stranger, whose name she did not yet know, closed the door.
The two of them whispered something to each other, occasionally glancing at her. Eventually, the older one nodded. He stepped forward, his expression softer than the one she’d grown used to from the stranger who brought her here. His gray hair was neatly combed, and though his face was lined with age, his eyes were sharp and watchful.
"You’re lucky, you know," the older man said, his voice gravelly but not unkind. "Not many people would have found you a place to stay so quickly."
Eliana shifted uneasily, still clutching Daisy close. “I... I didn’t ask for help,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't have anywhere else to go."
The older man nodded slowly, as if he had already known that without her saying it. “I can offer you a bed for the night. It’s not much, but it’s better than the streets.” He gave a quick glance to the stranger, who stood back now, his snow leopard close by his side.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice faltering with both relief and exhaustion. The older man waved a hand dismissively, as though her gratitude was unnecessary. “Name’s Tom," he said. "And I don’t do charity, so I’ll expect you to help around here while you’re staying. But we can talk more in the morning.”
She didn’t argue. Anything was better than wandering alone in the night, surrounded by things she didn’t understand. She was too tired to think any further ahead than the next few hours.
The stranger, meanwhile, remained by the door, silent and watching. She still didn’t know his name, and he hadn’t offered it, nor did he seem inclined to. He exchanged a final, brief glance with Tom before stepping back into the street, the door closing behind him without a word.
Eliana stood there for a moment, feeling the silence settle around her. The sound of the lock clicking into place was oddly final, and she felt as though she’d been left adrift, with no real idea of who the man who brought her here even was.
“Strange sort, isn’t he?” Tom said, breaking the silence. His voice was light, but there was a knowing edge to it. "But if he brought you here, you must be worth something to someone."
She frowned. “I don’t even know his name. He just… helped me. Out of nowhere.”
Tom gave a low chuckle, shaking his head. “That’s Lord Asriel for you. Doesn’t explain much to anyone. But if he’s taken an interest in you, that means there’s more to your story than meets the eye.”
Lord Asriel. The name didn’t mean anything to her, but the way Tom said it carried weight, as if this man wasn’t just any ordinary stranger wandering the streets. And the snow leopard—Stelmaria, he had called her—still lingered in her mind, the way she seemed so connected to him, yet so wild and dangerous.
“You don’t have to worry about him," Tom added, noticing the flicker of concern on her face. "Asriel doesn’t waste his time with people he doesn’t care about. If he brought you here, it’s for a reason. Though I doubt you'll find out what it is anytime soon."
She nodded, unsure what else to say. There was so much she didn’t understand about this world, about the people in it. She didn’t belong here, that much was clear, and yet... something told her that Lord Asriel hadn’t brought her to Tom’s door without a purpose.
"Come on," Tom said, motioning for her to follow him. "I’ll show you where you can sleep."
With Daisy still held close to her chest, she followed him through the dimly lit shop, weaving between shelves stacked with strange trinkets and items she didn’t recognize. Tom led her up a narrow staircase to a small room at the back of the house. It was simple—a bed, a chair, a small table—but it was warm, and that was all she needed for now.
“You can rest here,” he said, opening the door for her. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”
She nodded, offering a quiet “thank you” as she stepped into the room. The door closed behind her with a soft click, and for the first time since arriving in this strange world, she was alone.
She sat on the edge of the bed, Daisy curling up beside her, and stared at the small window overlooking the street below. Her thoughts were racing, filled with questions she didn’t have answers to. But for now, none of it mattered. She was safe for the night, and that was enough.
Curling up under the blankets, she let exhaustion take over, her thoughts fading into the background as sleep finally claimed her.