Haru

"Daisy, wait!" Grimm bellowed, dropping into a crouch and readying himself to rush between the cow and the snake. He'd normally never do something like this -- a fight was a fight, after all -- but the moment he saw the snake's reaction to Daisy's incoming strike he knew this wasn't actually a fight at all.

Daisy stopped dead in her tracks, twisting her foot to the side so she'd skid to a halt. Chunks of earth rose around her feet. The cow glanced over her shoulder at Grimm, eyes bright with fury. This was a side Grimm had never seen before: pure, barbarian battle-lust. "What?" she growled, and when she saw Grimm pointing at her combatant she spun 'round to face her.

The snake was shrinking back, holding her arm over her face in anticipation of the strike. Her tail was similarly coiled up around her, black scales shining the moonlight. It was now abundantly clear that she wasn't a fighter, that she'd never been a fighter... and that she was terrified. She'd turned her face away, desperate not to be punched, swallowing hard as she peeked over her arm and saw the cow's fist frozen mid-strike. "P-please don't hit me," she whimpered.

Daisy dropped her arm to the side. Her body slackened. She took in a sharp breath that cut through the rising breeze. "Oh," she said softly.

Grimm was about to step between them when Daisy started weeping.

"I'm so sorry!" she bawled, tears streaming down her face, "I'm so, so sorry!" She dropped to her knees.

"Umm --" The snake swallowed again and lowered her tail a little, keeping it poised to strike in case Daisy's apology was part of a clever ruse.

Grimm moved toward the cow. "Daisy, are you --"

She threw her head back and wailed. "This is why I don't fight! I always go too faaaaaaaar!" She sniffled and wiped away tears with the back of her arm. "I don't wanna fight you anymore! I'm sorry!"

"O-oh..." The snake turned to Grimm, face screwed up in a mix of confusion and lingering dread. "I-is she being serious? This isn't a trick?"

"I don't think it's a trick," Grimm said, scratching the back of his head.

The snake swallowed, sniffled... and burst into tears. "I'm sorry, too!" she wailed, leaping toward Daisy and wrapping her arms around her. She hugged the cow's neck, nuzzling it. "I'm sorry I stole and I beat up your boyfriend --"

"It was one hit," Grimm grumbled. "And I'm not her --"

"I'm sorry I tried to beat you up!" Daisy cried, gently hugging the snake to her chest. She stroked her erstwhile opponent's back. "I promise I'll never do it again!"

"Dai --"

"I'm just desperate and I don't know what to do," said the snake, calmed by Daisy's touch. She sniffled and nuzzled the cow's chest.

Daisy inhaled, held it, exhaled. "What's wrong?" She was much calmer than before. "Why are you desperate?" She helped the snake sit on her lap; the snake gently coiled her tail around the cow's midsection.

"C-cause..." She poked her pointer fingers together. "I'm looking for my b-boyfriend..."

"Your boyfriend?" Grimm asked. He sat down near Daisy and the snake and crossed his legs. "What, did he run off on you?"

Daisy shot him a glance that turned his blood to ice water.

"No!" the snake protested, crossing her arms over her chest. "He was kidnapped."

Daisy gasped. "Kidnapped?!"

The snake nodded. "In Stoneshore."

"Stoneshore?" Grimm asked. He scratched the top of his head. "That's, like, a week's journey from here."

"Yeah," said the snake, "I've been looking for him all over." She clenched her fists in her lap. "But I can't find him anywhere..."

Daisy rubbed her back. "I'm so sorry. That's awful. We'll help you find him, right, Grimm?"

The bull raised his hand. "Well --"

That blood-freezing glance again. "Right, Grimm?"

He swallowed. "Right. We will help."

"Really?" The snake sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I feel so helpless. I-I'm not a fighter or anything, I'm just... I'm just a scholar, and it's been so hard..."

"Why would anyone kidnap a scholar?"

"I don't know! We -- we'd just found this artifact, this weird stone, and, umm... Noa -- that's my boyfriend -- was going to meet this expert to talk about it.. but he never came back to me..." She ran her hand through her hair. "A-and the stone is with him, too, so I can't even, like... trade it for him..."

"I thought you were scholars. You sound more like treasure hunters."

The snake furrowed her brow and huffed. "We are scholars, and we were researching history. We thought we'd make a name for ourselves if we learned more about the stone... it wasn't in any of the textbooks or reference books or anything."

"What kind of stone was it? Sounds important."

"It was, umm, like a ruby, about this big" -- she made a small circle with her hand "-- but really dark. And there was this weird white liquid suspended in the middle."

"Sounds strange," Daisy added. "I've never heard of anything like that before."

"Neither had we."

"So how did you learn about it?" Grimm asked.

"We're research assistants at Evergarden Academy --"

"The fancy college for treasure hunters?"

"Scholars!" She harrumphed. "Anyway. We're research assistants at the Academy and sometimes we go on excursions to procure artifacts for research and safekeeping. During a routine expedition we were contacted by someone claiming to have information on a previously-unrecorded artifact. I don't know how she obtained the information, but she was convincing enough. So Noa and I -- we agreed to find it. The woman said... she said she'd pay us, and we needed the money, and..." She shrugged. "I really fucked up. I found the stone, but Noa was the one who found the expert, and... and then he disappeared..."

"Who was this expert?"

"Some bull. I never really saw him." She sniffled. "I wanted to meet with him, but Noa -- Noa said it'd be less suspicious if he met with the guy. 'Cause... 'cause there aren't a lot of lamias around here, and I always stick out, and --"

"Wait, what's a lamia? I thought you were a snake."

"I'm a lamia," she chided. "Not a snake. We're different." She sighed. "But Noa was right... I always stick out everywhere I go, and sometimes people get suspicious 'cause I don't fit in, and Noa... Noa said it'd attract less attention if he met with the expert instead."

"Who hired you?" Daisy asked. "Maybe she would know."

"I've been looking for her, too."

"But who is she?"

"Umm, a cow? Dark brown fur, red hair..." She blushed. "Big, umm..." She held her hands out in front of her chest.

Grimm sat ramrod straight. "Wait. Do you remember her name?"

"Yeah, it was a planet or something... umm... Mars?"

Grimm and Daisy gasped in unison.

"Mars?!" Daisy exclaimed, glasses nearly falling off her nose. "You m-met Mars?!"

"Umm... yes?" The lamia gritted her teeth.

"...I see," Grimm said, with a heavy sigh. "So she hired me because you and your boyfriend fell into a trap."

"A trap?"

"The 'expert' was a phony. He was after the stone... and I guess he wanted information from your boyfriend."

"But... but I'm the one who found it!"

"And I doubt your man told them that. Probably wants to keep you safe."

"...oh..." A tear streaked down the lamia's cheek. "So it's my fault..."

"No!" Daisy gently squeezed her. "You didn't do anything wrong... umm, sorry, what's your name?"

"Haru," the lamia said softly.

"It's not your fault, Haru. I mean that. We'll get your boyfriend back."

"B-but that's the thing! I think... I think he was taken beyond the walls."

"To the Queendom?" Grimm asked.

Haru nodded. "I mean, we were hired by a cow, and the fake expert was a bull... I think the stone is important to bovines but I don't know why. Although I guess only certain people know about it, given that neither of you do."

"I never lived in the Queendom," Grimm replied.

"Me either," said Daisy.

"So maybe people within the walls would know."

"That's what I think," said Haru. "But I don't know how to get past the walls... I saw that you guys were bovines, and -- and I thought maybe you'd have a special map or something..."

"I'm sorry, but we don't," said Grimm. "But..." He sighed. "Look, if you want to come with us --"

Haru's eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "Please!" she cried. "I can't do this alone...!"

"Then come with us," said Daisy, nuzzling the lamia's cheek. "Don't worry, Haru! We'll find Noa." It amazed Grimm how confident the cow had become.

"Th-thank you," Haru said softly. She rested her head against Daisy's chest. "Sorry... I'm really tired..."

Grimm sighed. "Daisy... Haru... go get some rest. I'll clean up."

Daisy nodded, smiling sweetly, and rose to her feet. She insisted on carrying Haru to the tent; the lamia chirped and nestled in the cow's chest, gently coiling her big tail around her mid-section and shoulders. As they disappeared into the tent Grimm heard Haru ask, "I know this is rude of me to ask 'cause I robbed you and all, but... do you have any food?"

Grimm went to work cleaning up the mess Haru had made during her investigation. He sighed, shook his head at his own softness, and chuckled to himself.