Chapter 5: Steel and Smiles
The morning sunlight filtered through the shop window in soft gold, touching the glass jars on the shelves and casting clean stripes of light across the wooden floor. The bell above the door hadn't rung yet. It was early, quiet. Peaceful.
Kaela leaned on the counter with a lazy smile, chin resting on her palm.
"Feels weird having a day off," she said. "No blood, no screaming, no old guys telling me they're 'too tough to die.' Just bandages and tea."
Ryz, seated across from her, folded gauze into a drawer with the same calm focus he always had.
"You enjoy your job?" he asked.
Kaela thought for a moment. "Some days. Others, not so much. But I guess I'm used to being needed. Even if it's just to hold someone's hand while they cry."
Ryz didn't reply, but she didn't expect him to. His silence was something she'd grown strangely used to less awkward than comforting. Like being around a solid wall that wouldn't crumble.
She stretched her arms out. "Man, I'd kill for breakfast outside."
The bell above the door rang, breaking the stillness.
In walked a woman in a black tactical coat, high boots, and dark gloves tucked into her belt. Her short hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and her posture screamed discipline. A long knife sat sheathed across her back, even though the city banned visible weapons.
"Aeris Renn, reporting for tea and judgment," she announced as she strode in.
Kaela's face lit up. "You're early!"
"You said you had today off. Thought I'd make sure you weren't wasting it."
Aeris turned toward Ryz with a sharp glance, eyes scanning him like a scanner at airport security.
"And who's this?"
Kaela smiled. "This is Ryz. He's helping out at the shop. Sort of my live-in assistant."
"Live-in?" Aeris smirked. "I'm gone for a month and you pick up strays?"
"He's not a stray."
Ryz stood slowly, offering a faint nod. "Nice to meet you."
Aeris stared at him for a long second, then returned the nod.
"Hm. Polite. And quiet. I approve."
She stepped forward and dropped a small package of dried herbs on the counter.
"Some old man on 3rd Street told me these are 'gate-wound herbs.' Might be trash. Test them?"
Kaela took the packet and sniffed it. "Smells like mold and regret."
"I figured."
Ryz watched them interact in silence.
Aeris glanced his way again. "You're not a hunter, are you?"
"No."
"Good. We've got enough of those dying already."
Kaela chuckled and leaned over the counter. "Aeris is with Iron Howl. Rank B. She probably makes more money on one gate than I do in three months."
"Four," Aeris corrected.
Ryz said nothing, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He'd heard the name. Iron Howl. One of the five top guilds in the country. The kind of group that only sent their best to the worst places.
Aeris looked back at Kaela. "So, did you finally reconsider my offer?"
Kaela rolled her eyes. "Still a nurse."
"You'd make a good support hunter," Aeris said, picking up a jar from a shelf. "You've got nerves of steel. Decent reflexes. And your first aid's better than some licensed medics I've seen."
"I'm not interested."
"You sure? Skyglass has a branch in the city too. They're not as intense as us. Could teach you some scouting basics"
"Aeris," Kaela said, crossing her arms. "I'm not trading syringes for daggers."
Aeris raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine."
Then her eyes flicked toward Ryz again.
"But you," she said, narrowing her gaze. "You look like someone who's seen combat."
"I haven't," Ryz replied smoothly.
"Really? You've got the posture."
Kaela interjected, waving a hand. "Ryz just has an intense resting face. Don't mind him."
Aeris smirked. "Fair enough."
There was a pause.
Then she asked, "Want to come with us for lunch? I was gonna drag her out anyway."
Kaela looked at Ryz. "Up for it?"
He shrugged. "If you want me to come."
"Of course," Kaela said. "Just don't make things weird."
---
Later, at a small outdoor café…
The three of them sat under a canvas umbrella, surrounded by gentle chatter and the clink of silverware. Kaela nursed a large iced coffee, Aeris had black tea with lemon, and Ryz quietly stirred a plain hot drink, untouched.
"So," Aeris said, leaning back in her seat. "You really like this guy, huh?"
Kaela blinked. "What?"
"You let him live with you. That's not nothing."
"It's not romantic, if that's what you're hinting at."
"I didn't say it was. But people don't usually trust strangers in their homes. Especially ones with creepy eyes."
Ryz blinked. "Creepy?"
Aeris smiled. "No offense. I've met necromancers with softer gazes."
Kaela snorted. "He's just like that. Cold face, warm… Well, no. Just cold face."
Ryz tilted his head slightly. "I'm sitting right here."
"Yeah, and you haven't denied it."
Aeris leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "So, Ryz what's your story?"
"I don't have one."
"Oh, come on. Everyone has a story. You just hiding yours?"
"Yes."
Kaela nearly choked on her coffee.
Aeris raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Alright, I'll bite."
She sipped her tea, still watching him.
"I knew a guy like you once. Didn't talk much. Turns out he had three different bounty markers and a fake ID. You hiding anything like that?"
"No."
"Pity. Would've made things interesting."
Kaela kicked her lightly under the table. "Stop scaring him."
"I'm not scared," Ryz said flatly.
"I believe you."
There was a short silence. Then Aeris leaned back, relaxing again.
"Alright, alright. I'll behave. Mostly."
They ate in peace after that. Ryz stayed quiet, listening. Kaela laughed more than usual. Aeris was sharper with her jokes but never mean.
For a moment, it almost felt… normal.
Later that afternoon…
As they walked back toward the shop, Aeris paused at a street corner, checking her phone.
"Damn. HQ wants me back early. A dungeon reading near West Creek. Might be false, but they're paranoid lately."
Kaela tilted her head. "False gate?"
"Probably. Or a bug in their sensors. Still
Iron Howl doesn't take chances."
She turned to Kaela, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Stay safe. You too, Ryz."
He gave a nod.
"And if you ever decide to stop playing nurse," Aeris added, "I'll have a training slot waiting."
Kaela smiled. "Tempting, but no."
Aeris gave a short salute and vanished into the crowd like a shadow.
---
Back at the shop, Ryz returned to quietly organizing shelves. Kaela watched him for a long moment before saying,
"She means well, you know."
"I know."
"She just doesn't trust people easily. Neither do I."
"I'm aware."
Kaela looked at him. "And yet I let you in. Still not sure why."
"Instinct?"
She laughed softly. "Or maybe I just like quiet men who don't ask questions."
He didn't reply.
She moved to the back room, but paused at the door.
"…Thanks for not making things weird," she said.
Ryz looked at her, then quietly returned to stacking supplies.
---
That night, he stood again by the window of the guest room, watching the sky.
Aeris Renn.
She hadn't sensed him.
But something about her aura stuck in his mind not the power, not the rank.
Discipline.
Control.
If there were people in this world who lived by rules… there would be others who broke them.
And Ryz knew which side he belonged to.