Two things caught Nihil's attention in front of the store. The first was the name written in flickering red neon: "DOUBLÉ TAP," blinking with an irregular cadence, like a nervous tic. The second was a cardboard sign taped to the glass door: "Staff Wanted."
The combination was as absurd as it was revealing—a business on a street that looked downright sketchy desperately needed someone to smile behind the counter.
'The job market of desperation,' he thought, before pushing the door open as a worn-out bell announced his entrance with a ding-dong.
The interior was a rectangle of fluorescent light, cruelly highlighting the worn and slightly dirty floor.It was empty—empty of customers, empty of merchandise on the half-bare shelves, empty of any warmth that wasn't the heat of the electric coils in the hot food rack. The only presence was the young woman behind the counter, who glanced up for an instant before fixing her gaze once more on something beneath it, probably a phone.
The options were as scarce as they were depressing: a couple of sandwiches of dubious origin, and a chorizo-and-cheese burrito—lonely, loosely wrapped, but unmistakably his favorite.
'I knew this day couldn't be that bad,' he thought, a tiny, almost painful spark of something resembling joy lighting up inside him.
He grabbed the burrito, which was lukewarm, and searched the refrigerator for the cheapest energy drink—a generic can with a logo that simply read "BURST!" With his choices already in hand, he approached the counter.
The girl—was she even a girl?—looked up again. Her skin was an intense red.Her white hair was cut unevenly, with an excessively long fringe that completely hid her eyes.
But what immediately captured Nihil's attention were the two curved horns, jet black, emerging from the sides of her head amid the messy hair.And framing her neck was a thick black leather collar, from which hung a brass bell.
-Is that everything?
The voice caught him off guard. It wasn't harsh, but it lacked the softness he vaguely associated with femininity.It was neutral, slightly raspy, as if it wasn't used very often.
Nihil realized he had been staring a second too long.
The "creature"—demon, minotaur, or whatever she was—tilted her head slightly. Her fringe swayed, and a hint of confusion, or perhaps annoyance, crossed what little of her face could be seen.
-Yes, that's everything.-Okay. In that case, it'll be 32 Noks. Cash or card?-Card.
He pulled out the black credit card and handed it to her. As she scanned the items with automatic movements, Nihil took the chance to observe her more closely.
The way her fingers—also red, with short, practical nails—typed on the terminal.The soft jingle of the bell as she moved.
There was something… not mechanical, but deeply routine about her gestures. Not like the bank's puppets, but like someone who had spent far too many hours in the same place.
The card passed through the reader with an approving beep.
The transaction was complete. His soul, mortgaged, had just paid for a burrito and a cheap energy drink.
The absurdity of it washed over him for a moment.
And then, unexpectedly, a question came from the employee's mouth.
-Excuse me, if it's not too much trouble… can I ask you something?
-Yeah?
'Shit,' Nihil thought. 'Was I staring for that long?'
She looked genuinely puzzled, her posture a bit stiff.
-I'm sorry in advance if this makes you uncomfortable, buuuuut… can you actually eat?
The reaction was instant. Nihil froze completely, like a statue.
Through the thickness of her fringe, he could feel a look of total confusion fixed on him.No—on his skull.
-Huh? Yeah?
He managed to stammer, as if he hadn't understood the question, or as if it were so absurd it didn't deserve a serious answer.
-It's just thaaaat… you know… because of your—
-Ohhh, I see what you mean. And yes, I can eat. I just… don't chew things.
Nihil thought it was probably because he was still wearing his hoodie, and she hadn't seen beyond his face.
With a decisive motion, he pulled the hood back, revealing the junction between the bare skull of his head and the normal, pale, freckled skin of his neck and collarbones.
-Only my head, hands, and feet are bones. The rest is… well, normal. So eating isn't a problem. It's just a more direct process.
The demon-girl watched him for a moment longer, her head tilted.
Then a subtle change ran through her posture. The stiffness faded. With a smooth motion, she handed him back the card and the small bag with his things.
-I see…
She murmured to herself, and then—for the first time—Nihil saw her mouth. It didn't open fully, but her lips, a darker red than her skin, curved into a small, restrained smile that quickly vanished.
-Okay then… th-thank you very much.
Nihil said, taking his belongings. He turned halfway around, ready to sink back into the coldness of the city.
Then the girl's voice stopped him just as his hand touched the door handle.
It was lower, almost shy, but clear.
-See you later, Bonesy. And come back soon.
Nihil turned his head and saw that the demon-girl was looking the other way, pretending to focus on something beneath the counter—but the edge of that restrained smile was still visible.
He raised a skeletal hand in an awkward but friendly wave and stepped outside.
The street air slapped him back into reality. He held the burrito in one hand and, with the other, was already searching on his phone: "cheap rent HellTown."
'I wish everyone in customer service were half as friendly as—'
He thought, but the idea faded. He hadn't even asked her name, and she wasn't wearing a badge.
"Farmwatch Residence," the results read. Nihil found the name peculiar, but the photos showed spacious rooms—worn, but livable—and already furnished.
The price was so affordable it was suspicious, which, given the context of his day, made it the most sensible option.
-It's not too far from here…
He murmured to himself, finally biting into the burrito. The taste was familiar, comforting in its mediocrity.
-I guess I don't lose anything by asking about availability.
He told himself, heading toward what would probably become his new home.