Chapter 16 ~ Christmas Bonus Part 5
A knock at the hotel room door startles Iris awake. She looks around the strange room, slightly confused, before remembering where they are. She rubs her eyes and lets out a yawn.
The knock at the door sounds for the second time and Iris finally gets up. She walks over to the door and opens it.
Both Daniel and Mr Kingsley are standing there, dressed in suits. Daniel gives her a smile in greeting before stepping around her and entering the room. She lets him since his girlfriend is still asleep in bed.
"Good morning," Mr Kingsley says. He looks very formal, Iris realises. He even acts more formal than yesterday. It's odd, really, that the way he acts differs when he's wearing different clothes. It'd be funny if Iris wasn't still slightly afraid of the man.
"Morning," she says, trying to cover a yawn. She hears muffled voices coming from the bedroom, where Daniel must have awoken Hannah. They sound like they're arguing, but she can't really be sure.
"She's coming," Daniel says when he finally comes back a few seconds later. Hannah follows him, looking quite angry despite her sleepiness. She glares at her boyfriend but doesn't say a thing.
"Good," Mr Kingsley says, turning around curtly before walking off down the hall. Daniel follows him and they're gone. Iris turns to her friend, about to ask what that was all about, when she sees her expression is still murderous.
She decides it's better to let Hannah be. She doesn't want to die yet, and Hannah looks like she's in the mood to kill someone.
"I'm going to get dressed," she says, turning around and opening her bag. She pulls out a black dress and high heel before heading for the bathroom.
When she steps out again, her hair is fixed and she's dressed to impress. The dress has slits on both sides and the back comes down low. She quickly grabs her handbag.
"We'll be gone for a little while. You can do whatever, just be sure to stay in the room," Hannah says before leaving, not even giving Iris time to respond.
Despite her curiosity, she decides to obey and stay in the room like Hannah said. She trusts her friend and knows, unlike Kanan, she's never irrational.
She turns the TV on and settles on watching a game show. The contestants all have to complete an obstacle course in order to move to the next round. In every round, the course gets harder, which eliminates more contestants each time.
Hey, Duarte? You awake? She asks when she gets bored, which happens five minutes into the show. She feels the red wolf shift at the back of her mind.
I am now, she hears him yawn. She smiles at the sound of his voice. They've really grown close and Iris feels safe when she knows he's present. She considers him a friend, even.
Do you think we could go out? I know Hannah said to stay, but I don't see any harm in going sight seeing, she asks him as she gets up to get dressed.
I'm sure that will be fine. Just make sure you're back in the room before they get back, he answers as she gets a pair of thick jeans out of her bag. It's cold outside, even colder than it was back home. She gets a woolly sweater and a thick rain jacket. It's drizzling outside and she sure as hell isn't getting sick.
Can I come with you? Duarte asks suddenly. Iris frowns.
Aren't you a little... odd to be out in public?
I can shape shift into a smaller creature. The form you've seen is only my natural form, he informs her. She can feel his hope for her to agree consume her own mind.
I don't mind, she answers. In less than a second, Duarte appears in front of her. He smiles as she pulls on her combat boots over layers of socks.
She doesn't deal well with cold weather.
"Thank you, Iris. What would you like me to shift into?" He asks. Iris gives him a once over, trying to decide what creature would be easiest to pass on the streets without anyone getting the wrong idea.
"Maybe a dog? I don't know. If you can just shrink a little, I could pass you for a wierd hybrid or something," she says finally, getting to her feet. Duarte thinks for a moment.
With some unknown magic Iris doesn't even want to begin to question, Duarte shrinks himself to the size of a German Shepherd. He's more of a copper red now and his eyes are still a fiery blue, but he looks somewhat normal.
"Well, that was impressive. What else aren't you telling me about? The next thing you know, I'll find out you're a wizard," Iris jokes as she grabs the key card to their room.
"My magic is boundless, Iris, but there are a few things that need to happen in your life before I can share all of it with you," he says. Iris nods in understanding. No matter how curious she is, Duarte is a being beyond her understanding. She doesn't think she even wants to know what else he can do. She might not be able to handle much more revelations.
"You can't speak out loud when we're in public," she says just as she realises it herself. They'd have to communicate in her head, which still freaks her out to some extent.
"Not a problem," he says as she opens the hotel room door. They step into the long hallway together, which is completely empty.
They make their way outside, taking the elevator downstairs and confidently striding through the lobby. To Iris' surprise, no one even bats an eye as she walks to the exit with a dog she didn't even bring in. She's pretty sure dogs are against hotel policy, but no one confronts her.
When they step outside, the cold air hits the two of them like a wave. The drizzle had vanished, but it was the coldest weather Iris had ever experienced. She winces as the freezing freeze tugs at her body.
Where do you want to go? Duarte asks, looking up at her. She shrugs her shoulders, looking around at the tall buildings.
There's a fair down the road. It sounds like people are enjoying it. Why don't we go there? He suggests and before Iris can even agree, he sets off down the sidewalk. He walks surprisingly fast and Iris has to jog to catch up.
"You can hear that far?" She asks, earning a few strange looks from passer-bys. She realises she's speaking aloud and quickly slaps her hand over her mouth, looking down at a very amused Duarte.
Yes, I can. I have superb hearing, sight and sense of smell. It comes with being a magical wolf monster, he answers, mocking her when she first met him. She blushes, embarrassed that she called his something like that.
They walk a while further as Iris tries to come up with a way to turn his attention away from her stupidity.
That's pretty cool. Hey, is that it? She subtly gesture to a large group of people passing underneath a large sign reading 'The Winter Festival' in an attempt to change the subject. She doesn't want to be reminded of that night at all and, luckily, Duarte let's her and drops it.
Yes, he says. Together, they walk to the entrance of the park where the festival is being held.
People are everywhere, moving around between food stalls and games. Iris looks zt everything with complete amazement. She's never seen anything like it, and it truly is a sight to behold.
Are you hungry? She asks Duarte as she spots a stand selling hotdogs. He barks next to her, which surprisingly doesn't sound too far off from a normal dog's bark, and she takes that as a yes.
They walk closer and fall into line. As they patiently wait their turn, Iris notices a man staring at her. She watches him out of the corner of her eye for a while but his own gaze doesn't waver from her. She finally has to look away, despite her unease with the man, when they reach the front of the line.
"Two hotdogs, please," she tells the girl behind the stand. The girl smiles at her before turning and yelling the order at the men behind her. Iris is about to take out her wallet when she feels a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll pay for that," a strange male voice with a thick British accent says from behind her. She turns around to see the man who was staring at her now smiling down at her. He's very tall, she realises, and she has to look up to fully look him in the eyes.
"Excuse me?" She asks, confused, as she takes a step back. Duarte stands in front of her in a protective manner, but doesn't growl or even make a move to get the stranger away from Iris. Instead, he looks up at him curiously.
Before she can even object, the man hands the girl behind the counter some money, telling her to keep the change, before taking the two hotdogs and handing them to Iris.
"My name is Julian, by the way," he says, moving out of the way to allow the next person in line to step up to the stand. Iris eyes him cautiously but takes the hotdogs in any case. "And you are?"
"Iris," she answers hesitantly. She glances down at Duarte to see his reaction to the stranger. To her surprise, he looks a lot more at ease with the man than she does.
What should I do? She asks in her mind.
Accept his generosity. I don't sense anything off with him, is Duarte's vague reply.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. It's very nice to meet you, Iris," the man says in front of her. He smiles, showing off his perfectly straight white teeth.
Upon further inspection, Iris realises that the man is quite handsome. He's very tall, probably around 6'5 at the least. His build is also very muscular with broad shoulders. He has blonde hair and his eyes are a dark charcoal.
"It's nice to meet you too," Iris says politely. Julian suddenly looks down at Duarte, as if only now realising the 'dog' is with them. He bends down and pats him on the head.
"I'm guessing the extra hotdog is for this guy. Come on, let's go sit down on that bench over there. It'll give you a chance to finish your food and possibly get to know me," he smirks and walks over to the bench he was standing next to when Iris caught him staring at her. She doesn't want to spend any time with him, she's always been weary around strangers like that, but Duarte walks off with him and Iris feels obliged to follow.
She sits down on the opposite end of the bench, making sure there is a generous amount of space between them, before handing Duarte his hotdog. The wolf gobbles it up greedily and a smile subconsciously creeps onto Iris' face.
"So, you're not from here, are you?" Julian asks her. She looks up to meet his gaze, which is completely blank. He stares down at her with subtle curiosity. She feels a renewed sense of uneasy at his assumption, and it must show on her face, because he suddenly smiles again, amused.
"Your accent, I mean. It's not British, nor does it sound American. African, maybe?" His gaze isn't accusatory, like he's confronting her about it, but instead, he looks genuinely interested. For some reason, she doesn't hesitate in telling him the truth.
"South African. Afrikaans, to be more specific," she informs him. He doesn't look surprised. Of course, he guessed it, so why would he be?
"Interesting. Do you still live there?" He asks. Iris now realises she might have just dug her own grave. She completely forgot how weary the rest of the world is of Africans.
"No, I live in America now," she says quickly. He just smiles at her.
"I didn't mean it like that," he says, seeming to pick up on her sudden panic. As she takes a bite from her hotdog, he adds, "I'm just very curious. I've travelled all over the world in the past, but I've never actually met anyone from Africa."
Iris fails to catch the fact that he's been all over the world, including Africa by the sound of things, but has never met an African. Duarte does catch this, though, and it confirm what his nose had been telling him.
"Oh, well, that's interesting. I've never really travelled much. This is actually my first time travelling anywhere besides the States or South Africa," Iris says.
"Welcome, then. Why don't I show you around the city?" Julian offers. Iris is about to refuse since he's a stranger that could potentially be dangerous, when Duarte paws at her arm. She looks at him and then at her arm.
Her eyes catch the time and she realises she'd already been out for nearly two hours. Her eyes widen and she quickly rises from the bench. If she doesn't go soon, she'd risk being caught by her friends.
"I have to go. I'm very sorry," she apologises as she quickly chucks the last bite of her hotdog to Duarte, who catches it midair. Julian stands as well.
"Let me walk you back to your hotel. The streets aren't safe for a young lady such as yourself," he offers. Iris gives him an apprehensive sideways glance, shaking her head.
"Oh, come on. I bought you food. Think of this as a way to pay me back," he says, trying to persuade her. When she still looks a little hesitant, he adds, "I promise I make good company."
Reluctant but desperate to get back before her friends, she finally agrees. Julian offers her a wide smile and they set off towards the exit.
They talk the whole way to the hotel. To her surprise, as promised, Julian really is good company. He's quite the charmer, and very intelligent. He compliments her on multiple occasions, making her blush slightly every time.
The walk back from the fair is much longer than Iris remembers, but the hotel finally comes into view. To her complete dismay, her friends pull up in a cab as soon as her and Julian near the entrance.
You need to disappear, she tells Duarte. She glances at him as she places her hand over the necklace to prevent the usual glow of red to attract attention. The wolf disappears from her side and she feels the necklace heat up. Luckily, no one around them seem to notice, not even Julian, who is still talking animatedly.
Her friends spot her a moment later and all of their faces turn stone cold and hard as they notice the man next to her. He stops talking when he sees Iris isn't paying attention anymore. He follows her gaze only to be met with familiar faces.
A smirk tugs at his lips as he comes to a halt in front of them.
"Thank you very much for the food, Julian, and for walking me back here," Iris thanks him, trying desperately to get rid of him so she can explain the situation to her friends.
"Not a problem, Iris. It was very nice meeting you. I hope I get to see you again some day," he says, smiling his now signature smile at her, before smirking at her friends. He swiftly turns to leave.
*ð*