††† Haylee †††

Having herself finally under control again, Haylee closed her eyes and focused. Never before had she willing allowed anyone but Eurydike to watch her shift. Now it didn't unsettle her anymore in front of Siegfried.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no disgust visible in his gaze— only an honest grin… and maybe a slight leer flicking over her half-naked form for an instant. Although her bandages were flexible enough to not rip while she shifted, a few stripes had repositioned themselves quite dangerously, exposing a fair bit of bare skin.

Not that she minded the roguish-handsome warrior casting an eye over her. She'd done the same whenever they had a calm moment after all. Siegfried went bare-chested since his leader vest was shredded in Nemeah, wearing only his thick leather pants and bracers.

She didn't fault herself either— his ridiculously chiselled physique would have drawn any woman's attention. Combined with his sculpted facial features and that powerful gaze, the warrior possessed a masculine kind of allure that appealed to Haylee's animalistic side like none other.

A self-satisfied smirk on Sieg's face made the cat-girl aware of the fact that she was still staring at his body. She passed by him with a dismissive huff, adding a swing to her hips and failing to stifle a grin as he followed her with an amused chuckle.

Haylee aimed towards the small pond where she had left her clothing. She looked back briefly, letting Siegfried know that she wanted him to accompany her. Her heart fluttered rapidly on the way, and her nerves nearly got the better of her. But after Sieg had laid himself bare before her and even accepted her other form, she felt a need to open up as well.

After dressing up and stepping inside the green shelter again, Halyee turned around to find Siegfried stare with a concerned frown.

"Smooth those wrinkles in your face Siegfried," she giggled. "I'm fine."

The secretly compassionate warrior quickly lost the fight against the warm smile that tugged on the corners of his mouth. He really was a good man behind the often stoic and intimidating demeanour.

Haylee took a deep breath to steady herself. Siegfried waited patiently for her to get her bearings.

"Thank you," Haylee intoned with emotion. "Thanks for accepting me as I am."

Siegfried's smile turned into a grin as he held his left arm akimbo against his hip. "I believe it is more than just acceptance, Haylee. I meant every word I said back there," he said softly but with conviction. He sat down in the grass and motioned for Haylee to join him.

Haylee sat down cross-legged in front of him, her eyes unfocused as her mind wandered. Sieg did not press her with questions, and his silent presence calmed her more than words could have.

"When I changed for the first time, it was at home with my father," Haylee began quietly. "My mother died at my birth, and it was only the two of us. Compared to now, my first transition went very slow." A raw tone coloured her voice as she remembered the day.

"My father shouted wordlessly, shaking my body as if he could force the bad spirits to leave my body by force," Haylee recounted sardonically, her gaze darkened. "And somehow, he succeeded in part. My transition stopped halfway, leaving me with disfigured limbs and a crooked hip."

Haylee clenched her hands into fists and ground her teeth at the memory. "I saw only a single emotion on my father's face when the change stopped— disgust. Not fear or pain, not even anger. It was pure disgust."

Siegfried took her small hand into his as if he could lend her strength through the touch. He did not utter a word, allowing her to decide if she wanted to continue. They sat like that for several minutes until Haylee managed her breathing once more.

"Father thought he saved me from the evil spirits as I was still myself. But he couldn't accept that the daughter of his beautiful wife looked like an abomination. And so he tried to revert the changes forcefully." She felt a gentle squeeze from Siegfried and found that her nails had grown out unconsciously. Retracting her claws, she held Siegfried's gaze.

"He held me in the basement, strapped to a table for weeks while he tried to… undo everything." Haylee's voice quivered and bristled with anger. "It took a long time until I managed to shapeshift again after my bones healed. This time I shifted completely. That was the first of many times I saw the eyes of a human stare at my form with fear. And it was also the first time I killed someone."

††† Siegfried †††

Siegfried was torn between sympathy and righteous fury as he listened to Haylee's story. She might not have voiced it explicitly, but the meaning was clear. Her father broke her bones and tried to set them differently. He effectively tortured his own daughter.

The expression on Haylee's face was one of revulsion and loathing for her father. But he could read the pain hidden behind that facade all to well.

By pure strength of will, Sieg forced down his own anger. His next words could affect Haylle significantly, and he had to choose them well.

"I never knew my parents," he voiced in a calm and gentle tone. "But I know they were alive when they abandoned Katharina and me in the slums. Maybe they just saw us as a nuisance. Maybe they feared I was possessed by an evil spirit because of my odd coloured eyes.

"When Bolverk found me, he saw something else. He appreciated me for being different. Much like Euridike appreciated you, I'd wager."

Sieg could see a slight tug at the corner of Haylee's mouth. He was on the right track.

"I will never forget the moment at the gate of Nemeah, when I saw you partly transformed for the first time. I was mesmerised," he admitted, smiling as Haylee brows knit into an uncertain frown. "You looked powerful but elegant, deadly but graceful. A dangerous woman of otherworldly beauty, drenched in her enemies blood like a goddess of war. That was the second time in my life that I was rendered speechless."

Haylee lifted a shaking hand to cover her lower face as she tried to hold back tears. "I-I thought you were staring fo-for finding me repulsive," she stammered with a muffled voice. When her eyes closed and tears flowed, she snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation. A short, high-pitched laugher turned into sobs, and Siegfried took her in a gentle embrace.

"I never found any part of you repulsive, Haylee," Siegfried said softly while caressing her hair. "And the only thing I was afraid of when looking at you was that I would lose myself in those alluring, fierce eyes." He calmly stroked her back as her body trembled in his arms.

"I don’t know why—" a hiccup broke her shaking voice, "—why I'm crying. I'm happy," she sobbed.

Siegfried was content to just hold her as the flood of emotions overwhelmed Haylee. She was weeping tears of joy and relief, and he was determined to never make her cry for any other reason.