Driving the car calmly, Arthur paid attention to the streets and lights. Amanda, next to him, would sometimes steal a look at him, and a strange smile would form on her lips.
After a few minutes, Arthur parked the car and got out, leaving Amanda there. Some time later, he returned with new sandals and handed them to Amanda.
"Mine are too big for you." He said as he handed it to her.
"Do I need to keep thanking you or do you understand by my smile?" Amanda gave him an exaggerated smile.
"You're happy, aren't you?" Arthur asked suddenly.
"Should I not be? After all this time, here I am with a handsome boy, in a amazing car and being treated like a princess!" She said while smiling at him.
"I'm not treating you like a princess. I'm treating you like you should be treated..." Arthur said as he shook his head.
"Oow, how cute! I'm wondering if we're already dating or do you still need to ask!" She spoke as she lifted her finger and placed it on her cheek. The contrast between her mature looks and cute action made Arthur want to laugh.
"We're not dating, and neither do you want!" Arthur caught her off guard.
"Eh! How do you know? I even offered myself to you!" Amanda complained indignantly. But there was still a smile on her face.
Arthur turned his gaze to her, and suddenly the tension inside the car increased, as a formless Will attached itself to Amanda, but without hurting her. Arthur's green eyes fluttered for a moment as he spoke:
"My eyes shine..."
Amanda was shocked by what was happening, but still remained calm. She smiled at him again, but then sat up straight on the seat and looked straight ahead.
"I'll pretend I understand!" She said.
***
After parking the car in a secluded spot, to avoid disturbance, Arthur and Amanda walked through the shopping streets.
"What are we going to do?" She asked.
"Clothes and stuff. I'm also looking around to find a good spot." Arthur spoke without looking at her.
"Good spot for what?" Amanda's eyes gleamed at hearing about the clothes, but she turned her head in curiosity to the last part of the sentence.
"More or less something like an operations center. I have a lot of money, so I'm thinking of having fun spending it!" Arthur shrugged. He had the money to do whatever he wanted for a while on his account, so he intended to jump right into some things.
"How did you get so much money? Even being inside, we are almost blind and deaf to what happens outside the Guild building. Some news comes, but not always." Amanda asked, curious again.
"Fights in the ring. It wasn't difficult, as they were all life-and-death struggles. So I just bet everything I had on each fight and ended up with a lot of money!" Arthur spoke, not trying to keep his voice down. Many people passed by them, but each one minding their own business.
"Wow! You have to be careful then. They will work hard to keep an eye on you and find some reason to take your money back." Amanda nodded, a little shocked that the cute boy next to her was so tough. She soon continued: "When you were hurt like that, was it auditioning?"
"Yea!"
"So you must have passed, right? You were hurt, but you looked confident!" Amanda remembered the way Arthur walked out of the testing room. Even though he was bleeding all over and his clothes were torn, he still calmly asked where the ATM was.
"So-so. I need the recommendation of three more Level A mercenaries!" Arthur shrugged.
"Got it... wait! Did you pass the Level A test!? Damn!" Amanda actually widened her eyes as she looked at Arthur this time. "You really are powerful, huh!" She clapped him on the shoulder.
"If you think..." Arthur spoke.
"I don't think, you are! Now that you're Level A, you can easily become a captain. I think the operations center idea is really not a bad idea. You can use it both for business and to bring the group together in the future." Amanda showed her mastery of the subject and spoke calmly. Having worked in the guild for a long time, she clearly had inside information that Arthur was unaware of.
Arthur didn't say anything, but nodded. He recognized that it was a great idea, and he would ask about captain and such things later. He could more or less understand since Shadow was his "boss", as was Magikeen's too. So, on rising to A-level, he would have a similar position, with people also working for him.
Arthur's objective was across the street, so he soon waited for the light to turn red before crossing. As he was leaving, Amanda took his hand and walked along with him.
Looking at her, he only got another exaggerated smile, at which he rolled his eyes.
***
Jorge, who was serving a woman at the time, carried some clothes and placed them on the counter.
"These are the garment you asked for. We have it in the right measure and this particular piece has a different version, if you want to see it." Like a pro, he presented the clothes politely.
"No no, I didn't like the colors! Bring a few more pieces and this variant piece you talked about. Go fast too, because I'm in a hurry!" The woman he was talking to had no manners and treated him badly.
But all he could do was swallow it, because the customer is always right. Turning to go upstairs to pick up the pieces the woman had ordered, his gaze swept over the new customers entering the store and his eyes lit up.
He ran to another employee and cried:
"Gabby, my angel! Could you atend that b*tch for me, please? A good customer is coming, and I promise to buy you that game!" Jorge promised with his hands folded in front of the employee and with puppy dog eyes.
"Haha ha! You look so cute like that. Alright love! I'll go there!" The employee caressed Jorge's cheek and went to get the pieces he said.
Jorge had really changed a lot in the last month, even getting a girlfriend! And all on the advice of the person in front of him now.
"Wassup!" Arthur extended his hand to Jorge, who shook it.
"It's been a long time, Arthur. Did you come to do some more shopping?" Jorge spoke, even a little more relaxed. He and Arthur already knew each other and didn't need so many formalities, so he treated him like a friend.
"Yes, for her!" Arthur pointed at Amanda, who was busy looking at the shop vitrines and clothes with a little nostalgia.
"Do you have any specific tastes or can we do a general purchase like before?" Knowing Arthur's purchase history, he asked, also directed at Amanda.
"Everything?" Arthur asked Amanda.
"Yes, my love!" Amanda took Arthur's arm and spoke intimately.
"Oh, looks like you got lucky too!" Jorge spoke as he smiled.
Arthur patted Amanda on the head and took his arm out of her grip.
"She's just a friend who likes to make jokes..." He looked at her with strange eyes.
Amanda held her head as fake tears streamed from her eyes.
"Crocodile tears..." Arthur spoke softly.
After a while, clothes were shown by Jorge that matched Amanda's physical profile, and his keen eyes saw which ones she liked best, bringing out similar pieces.
Arthur could see the great progress Jorge was making, probably studying more at home. He just smiled faintly at that.
Sitting on a sofa next to the dressing room, Arthur watched Amanda go out in different clothes, and his eyes were always on her. He waved from time to time and even whistled at a few where she got sexy. But he did it as a joke and they both laughed. The one who laughed the most, and happily, was Jorge, who was bringing clothes behind clothes.
Nearly 1 hour of trying on clothes, Amanda walked out of the dressing room again, only to find Arthur nowhere to be found. She was a little disappointed, because she liked the compliments, and walked into the dressing room with her head down again. But before she closed the door, Arthur called out to her.
"Hey, I brought ice cream! You must be tired!"
She left with a smile and took the little ice cream pot from Arthur's hands.
"Bought just for me?" She hugged Arthur, but was avoided again.
"No. I was hungry and I bought it!" He spoke back, no hard feelings.
"Hmph! How am I?" She asked, pouting. She twirled the spot for Arthur to see the outfit on her.
"Meh!" Arthur shrugged and walked back to the couch.
"Meh!? What the hell is 'Meh'??" She yelled, catching the attention of the people in the store.
Arthur didn't say anything, but his smile as he ate his own ice cream revealed he was joking.
"You look like you're almost going crazy over it." Arthur said, seeing her smiling in her new outfit.
"Logical! Staying in that boring, idiotic uniform is almost hellish. I don't like that kind of outfit, but it was either that or getting naked. And naked, only you can see it!" She replied with a little smile.
Arthur rolled his eyes at her again, but Jorge just stood there, shocked by the conversation, which Arthur didn't try to explain either.
After nearly two hours of experimentation, they said goodbye to Jorge. Arthur took some bags and left the others on the floor, indicating that Amanda should take them.
"I'm a lady! Are you going to make me get those bags?" She pouted.
"Stop drama! I'm paying and you want me to take it? You think I'm some sugar daddy?"
"Hmpf!" Without arguments, Amanda picked up the bags from the floor and followed Arthur. He had some in one hand and the other was unoccupied, just like she was.
They went to a shoe store afterwards, buying Amanda a few pairs. Arthur was tempted by some, but decided not to buy it, or else he wouldn't be able to take it to the car later.
With more bags in their hands, the two walked to the car.
"Do you want to have lunch here or will we order later?" Amanda asked as she finished packing everything in the trunk. She was even happier now, with all the purchases.
And the most impressive thing of all is that she didn't feel obliged to thank Arthur, because there seemed to be something in him that made it seem almost an obligation to accept. Every time she wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to him, Arthur would put his finger in his mouth, indicating not to say anything and just have fun.
"Let's have lunch here. I still haven't found any good locations for the operations center. And the restaurant we ordered at is close by, so we can have lunch there!" Arthur replied and started walking again.
As soon as she followed him, Amanda asked him quietly.
"You are weird. Why are you treating me like that? Even with all this charisma on my side, I can still see that you don't do that with other people, just by the way you look ahead." She stared into Arthur's cold face as he stared straight ahead.
Arthur didn't look at her as he spoke calmly: "I'm trying to make sure you join my team!"
"Team?" She looked at him strangely.
"Yes, after all, a good quality mercenary is essential." He spoke with a nod.
"How do you know I'm good?" Amanda asked, confused.
"An average employee doesn't carry that much weight over such a great distance and doesn't break a sweat. Also consider that we are not normal, and then you will know." Arthur spoke, looking at her with a smile.
"It is true. Smart tactic..." Amanda nodded.
They walked to a nearby restaurant, Desert Flower Restaurant.