"Stay still, and trust me."
Before leaving, that was the only thing that Anika had said to him.
And so, with his own choice, he really did stand in place. He crossed his arms against his chest as he watched Anika walk off with the old woman.
They walked off a few meters away from him.
'I wonder what she's planning,' Leonard tilted his head to the side.
From a distance, he could see Anika chatting with the old woman. She was smiling warmly, and the way she opened her mouth said that she was talking to her in a soft and calm voice.
To his surprise, the old woman's sharp look slowly disappeared too. It was replaced by a calmer look. She almost looked thoughtful, nodding along as Anika spoke.
"What the hell is she saying to her?" Leonard squinted his eyes. He was trying to hear what they were saying, but they were just too far.
It didn't help that Anika was glancing at him from time to time as if reminding him to never go near them.
'Hays…' he could only sigh as he waited patiently.
They talked for a few more minutes. Then, he suddenly saw how Anika reached into her small pouch, as if pulling for something. She took it out for a second, but from his angle, he couldn't tell what it was.
A coin? A token? A gift?
He didn't know. However, one thing was for sure. It made the woman pause for a moment, blinking at Anika as if she was caught off guard.
Leonard leaned forward instinctively.
"I wonder what she just pulled out…" he questioned the air, but of course, neither of them heard him.
His curiosity gnawed at him as the two continued their quiet exchange of conversation. The longer it dragged on, the more restless he became.
'Damn, they're taking some time, don't they?' he whispered in the air.
By the time they started walking back toward him, Leonard's mind was running through all sorts of guesses.
When they finally stopped in front of him, the old woman's posture had completely changed. She looked tired, but not hostile anymore. She was passive and almost timid.
"All right," the old woman defeatedly sighed. "Since your friend here asked so nicely… I'll make an exception. Seven gold coins a month. You just need to pay two months upfront. No less."
Leonard's eyes widened.
"Only seven gold coins? And just two upfront?" He nearly choked on his words. That was a whole 16 gold less than the original deal.
"But wh—" Before he could question it further, Anika simply nodded along.
"That sounded fair, Ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."
"Yeah…" The old woman immediately nodded and laughed.
However, Leonard was quick to notice the look on the old woman's face. She just didn't look passive; she also looked uneasy.
When Anika spoke, the woman didn't quite meet her eyes. The old woman's gaze kept shifting down, or looking to the side, anywhere but meeting Anika's gaze.
It was subtle, but Leonard wasn't a fool. It didn't look like respect. Instead, it looked like… fear.
'The hell…? Did she threaten her or something?' Leonard's brow twitched as he studied Anika's expression. She was still smiling sweetly, acting as if nothing was out of place.
But that was exactly what made him more curious.
'Hmph. This girl… it looks like I don't know her as well as I thought. I'll have to be careful.'
The thought stuck in his chest. Still, he let it slide… for now. There was no point ruining the deal by prying too hard in front of Anika or the old woman.
"Seven gold it is, then," Leonard said firmly, nodding at once.
He dug into his pouch and quickly counted out the fourteen gold coins for the upfront payment. Each coin clinked against the next as he counted them one by one.
He only had 10 gold coins, so he had to count the silver coins too.
The coins slid out of Leonard's hand one by one. It left his palm and landed on the woman's trembling hand.
When he was done, he counted how many were left in his pouch.
"Forty-two silver," he muttered.
Ten silver coins were what remained from his initial stash, while the thirty-two came from what they had earned earlier today. Together, it sounded like a decent number, not until he remembered how much he used to have yesterday.
"Damn…" Leonard rubbed his forehead, the weight of reality hitting him again. "I'm poor again."
"Oh well, that's fine, young man." The old woman uttered as her trembling hands kept the coins in her pocket.
"After all, this place is nice…" she muttered quietly.
"Now that you're done paying. Everything's in order now. You may begin using the place however you like. Renovate, move in, set up shop. It's yours for as long as you pay. I'll come back here every end of the month to collect rent payment."
"Thank you, ma'am. We'll take good care of it." Leonard exhaled and smiled in triumph.
The old woman gave a stiff nod. Her eyes moved briefly toward Anika again, only to move away just as quickly.
"I'll see you guys here again next time, then," Without another word, she turned and hurried down the street.
Leonard raised an eyebrow at how fast she moved. She didn't even look back. It was almost like she was scared to stay around a second longer.
"Hey, Anika," Leonard muttered under his breath, watching the woman's back disappear into the crowd. "Just what the hell did you do back there…?"
He didn't get an answer right away. Anika only tilted her head and gave him a playful and almost mischievous smile.
"Mmm… that's my little secret."
Leonard stared at her, dumbfounded.
===
A/N:
Big shout out to Lotuslin for the big gift and Alex_Cowman for dropping Golden Ticket to the novel!
Really really appreciated it.