(Old) Anakhloe Drabbles

"Excuse me, do you know where the Barghest in this town lives?" the young, dark-skinned man with a monkey tail asked the few locals he saw, only to receive an "I don't know, sorry," in return, or an ignoration. The streets were quiet, almost empty of people, as the sun began to set above the quaint town's wooden buildings. It was a strange sight for the man; usually streets would be filled with vendors and hustlers trying to sell their wares before closing time, but not here tonight.

That was when he noticed a girl with black hair, floppy dog ears and a bushy tail that both matched the ebony locks, wearing a gray hoodie, black leggings and heel boots, a large purse also slung on her shoulder. She was sat on a streetside park bench, an open sketchbook in her hand, holding a pencil to her lips thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on the page. This had to be the Barghest he'd been searching for - a black dog spirit that could sense when someone's death is near.

The man walked over to her, his movements loud against the silent streets with his sneakers treading against the concrete. The girl didn't seem to notice him until he got close enough, at which point she looked up from her sketchbook and blinked shyly. He noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes, the left iris being green and the right being brown, but she didn't look tired.

"Hey. Are you the Barghest of this town?" he asked. She smiled a smile that looked somewhat forced, and nodded. He grinned, boldly sitting next to her on the chair, causing her to blush and unconsciously turn her sketchbook away from him. "I came all the way to Florida to meet you. My name's Anakulos," he stuck out his hand.

"I'm Chloe," she said, shyly shaking his hand.

"I came here from the Bahamas," he started.

"To find out when you'll die," she said matter-of-factly, like she has had this conversation before hundreds of times.

"Well," he put his thumb and pointer finger on his chin thoughtfully, "I was halfway here on my nimbus when I changed my mind."

Chloe looked blank for a moment, like she was processing what he said, before tilting her head in confusion. "Then why..."

He shrugged. "I wanted to see the sights? Meet new people?"

She smiled, happy to hear such a genuine answer. "You're cute," she muttered under her breath.

"You too," he smirked.

Her eyes widened and ears twitched. "What? I didn't say that out loud!" she stammered.

"You did," he chuckled. Chloe looked down at the ground, cheeks still red from embarrassment. "My name's Anakulos," he repeated himself, looking into her eyes.

"Y-you told me that," she blushed.

"And what's your name?" he inquired with a cheeky glint in his eye.

"Chloe," she repeated in a confused tone.

"A cute name for a cute girl," he grinned, putting his hand on hers.

She squeaked. "It was just so you could say that?!" she squealed, squirming in flusteredness. He laughed, and she couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Do you want to get some dinner?" he asked.

"Uh... Sure," she replied, feeling her nerves tingle. She put away the sketchbook and pencil in her oversized purse. 

As she stood up, Anakulos heard the sound of chains rattling. "So it's true that Barghests make that sound when they walk," he mused. Chloe smiled awkwardly.

They walked through the deserted streets, gazing at the beautiful buildings, and enjoying eachothers company, talking about various things and getting to know each other, her invisible chains rattling along the way. "I've heard a lot about you overseas," he said. "You're a shy Barghest girl who has people from all over come to you just to ask about their deaths and then leave," he looked at her with sympathy. "I guessed that you must be lonely."

Chloe shook her head. "No, it's fine. I just can't understand why anyone would be interested in knowing something like that. Why would they want to know they're going to die?"

He stared at her curiously. "I believe we have different views on the world, Chloe. What if you knew something that would change the person's life? Would you tell them?"

"I'm expected to..." she muttered. "But, if I could decide for myself... I don't know if I would."

"Why not?" he inquired. Chloe sighed, not wanting to explain herself.

"Because I don't think anything good comes from knowing that you're going to die. It makes you focus on the things you need to do before it happens, instead of living in the present," she explained.

"And it wouldn't help people to achieve more in their life if they knew their death was coming?" he asked.

She didn't have a response. "I thought you said you didn't want to know when you died."

"I was only playing devil's advocate," he said. They stopped in front of a building. "This is the Chinese restaurant I've wanted to go to," she said. "I never had anyone to go with..." she trailed off.

He looked at her. "You've never had anyone who wanted to hang out with you, for you," he observed sadly.

Chloe smiled at him genuinely, although sadly. "Another thing is... is it okay if I vent a little?" she asked. He nodded, looking into her eyes intently. She blushed before continuing, "It's hard... walking down the street... and sensing someone's death," she said sadly. "And people blame me sometimes... like I brought about their death," her lip quivered.

He looked concerned. "Not everyone blames you, Chloe. Some people appreciate your gift. You may feel lonely, but you're doing a great job helping people," he assured her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked about that," she sniffled. "No, let it out," he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, smiling. "I appreciate you a lot," she said.

He smiled warmly. "Let's keep getting to know eachother, puppy."

She grinned so wide that her eyes closed, her tail wagging side to side at a speed that could cut grass.

"You're so cute," he mused. "I think we're both hungry," he said, leading her into the restaurant by the hand, the dog girl giggling in pure joy.