At the counter stood a young woman, wearing a cloak, with a hood over her head.
I blinked, and blinked again... but I couldn't look away—red hair, gold eyes, and a tiny mole under her right cheek... or was it left?
Since when did I forget my lefts and rights?
Get it together, Ren.
But damn, she was—
"Excuse me?" the girl broke my train of thoughts.
I snapped out of it, clearing my throat. "Uh—yeah. What do you need?"
She tilted her head slightly, flicking her eyes to the counter. "I was hoping to buy some mana brew," she said with a calm tone. "Is it available?"
I blinked again. "Right… sure. That's… uhh..." I gestured vaguely toward a random shelf, trying to pull myself together, but that was difficult considering I was already a mess inside.
She stepped closer, staring at me with a curious expression.
"You're not from around here, are you?"
"Uh… you could say that," I replied, trying desperately to keep my tone calm. "Its my first time in this shop, actually. You're a regular?"
"No," she said simply. And then, just like that, she turned her attention to the shelf, examining the bottles with deliberate care. But I couldn't shake the feeling that her gaze kept sneaking back to me every now and then.
Moments later, she glanced up from the bottles, and tilted her head to look at me. "Where's the shop owner?"
I pointed vaguely toward the inner part of the shop, then stopped myself, remembering the state Liona was in.
"Uh… she's… not around right now," I said instead, trying to sound neutral. "Something came up—she'll be back later."
She let out a small, disappointed sigh, that sounded… mildly regretful. "Ah… that's too bad. Maybe I'll come back later, then."
"Yeah… you do that," I replied, keeping my tone deliberately flat.
She gave a small nod, and turned to leave.
Then, almost on impulse, I blurted out, "Uh—wait. Your name? In case… you know, the shopkeeper comes back. I can tell her you stopped by."
She hesitated for a moment, tilting her head under the hood. Then she said,
"Ria-hana..."
"Oh,"
I arched an eyebrow, a little dumbfounded. "That's… a really, um… unique name."
Her eyes flicked up at me, looking relaxed. "Is something wrong with it?"
"Oh—no, nothing," I stammered, running a hand through my hair. "I… uh… I'll tell the shopkeeper now—uh, I mean, when she comes back. Yeah, when she comes back… because she isn't around… right now…"
A subtlesmile spread across her face, amd she gave me an approving nod. "Good."
With that, she turned and left. I couldn't help but watch her go, feeling that strange sensation inside me.
With a slow exhale, I turned and went toward the inner part of the shop, shaking my head.
Focus, Ren.
Stepping inside, I saw the same mess i left behind, along with Liona, still sprawled on the floor, sleeping.
I shook her gently. "Hey… wake up. Customer's gone."
Her eyes fluttered open, dazed. "Mm… huh?" she murmured.
"I said—the customer. I handled it," I repeated, leaning on a chair.
Her eyes blinked at me slowly. "Oh… who was the customer?"
I hesitated a beat, then said. "A red-haired beastkin. She said her name was Riahana, or something like that."
She hummed thoughtfully, stretching slightly. "Riahana… hmm. That's the first I'm hearing that name."
I huffed impatiently, already tugging at my clothes. "Right, so—let's get back to it."
"Get back to what?" She asked with a sleepy tone.
"To what we were doing," I said, almost butt-naked now. "Before the customer came."
She yawned, a lazy smile tugging at her lips. "Mhmm…. No. I'm too tired now."
I froze, frowning. "Oh hell no. You better not go back on your word! Or—"
She leaned back, speaking with a mocking tone. "Or else what? What're you gonna do, powerless human?"
My frown deepened. "F… fuck you," I muttered under my breath. "Stupid… stupid slut."
She blinked at my insult, then a frown creased her brow. "What did you just call me?"
She pointed to the door.
"Get out!"
I didn't hesitate. I put my clothes back on and left, slamming the door behind me.