How can anyone miss that flash of recognition in her eyes?
"Aha~ ha~", the lady laughs meekly, sensing fully well that I know her. "Fine! Okay, I give up!" She starts acting as if she had no choice but to forcibly give up.
"No, I'm telling you to give it up—I...", the building owner trails off, befuddled at what he heard. He looks as if he wants someone to confirm that he'd heard right.
Abruptly, she dashes over the counter and into the back door, but she slams on the counter instead. A minuscule shadow wisps away from her foot. She holds her nose and whirls around, then sprints to the window as she waves it open with hand. Before she could even jump over the pane, the windows shut close in her face, leaving her to roll on the ground while holding her twice-broken nose.
Before she could squirm away, I placed a heavy foot on her back.
Did she really think she can physically escape like this? If I were her, I would've used magic to teleport, or is she not capable?
Obrecht crouches next to her with a dark smile, "Why don't we take our time getting to know each other?"
I walk over to pinch him somewhere no one else sees.
"..." When did you learn to pick up girls?
As if sensing a crises, Obrecht immediately stops smiling. With a tense shoulders, he adamantly says, "No, we don't need to know each other. You only need to return the money you stole from us."
The building owner and the shop owner both frowned.
"Aish, now you're stealing money?!" The building owner looks at the lady with displeasure.
"I didn't steal anything! I got them from selling apples!" She tries to refute.
Obrecht, "But the apples weren't yours. Besides, the owner came and we had to pay twice for dirty damaged apples."
"Wow, that's smart", that shop owner couldn't help but comment. Upon noticing the unkind gazes from the people around him, he clears his throat and corrects himself, "Evil. That's very evil."
"Miss, you're bad for business", the building owner says.
"You were quite unlucky young man", he says to Obrecht.
To which Obrecht gives a practiced smile that gains other's empathy and says, "Rather, it was my luck to meet her here and receive justice, no?"
"Quite the optimist, I like you", he answers. "You must be tourists by the look of both of you. I've decided! Ask me for anything you need, and I'll help you best I can! Of course, for a good discounted price."
The shop owner shakes his head at the man with eyes saying that this was how he got in trouble with the curly-haired lady before. He left to tend to his business, thinking that history just keeps repeating itself.
Obrecht, "Ah, now that you mention it, we're looking to rent a small warehouse."
"Oh! That I can help with! It just so happened that we have a vacant place full of persimmons", he rubs his hands together. "You'll definitely love it there! It smells like persimmons!"
Obrecht and I look at each other. He nods and asks the building owner how much was the rent.
"That'll be two silvers for a week, but for you I'll let you rent it for a silver and a half for a fortnight. What do you think? Isn't that a bargain?!"
"..." But isn't that the price enough to rent an apartment for a whole month?
...Another daylight robber?
Obrecht changes his body language a little bit and I know he's about to haggle with the owner.
As the battle of persuasion ensues, I glance downwards to see a small purse of coins being offered with shaking hands.
I bend down to take it. Seeing a chance, a glint shines in her eyes as she tries for the window escape once more. As she opens it with her magic, I close it with my shadow.
She slams her face on it and rolls around the ground in pain.
"..." You haven't learned your lesson have you?
I hug my knees and watch her to entertain myself while waiting for Obrecht to finish, much like a child waiting for their parent to be done with work.
A hand grabs my pants.
"Please don't call the guards", she cries feebly. "I can't afford to lose my scholarship." She starts to tear up and soon, the floodgates are opened. One sob and I knew that the waiting sounds were about to begin.
"...Are you a student?" I asked hurriedly in hopes of distracting her.
"Yes. I finally passed the scholarship exam this year and can start studying at the Magic Arts and Witchcraft Academy but everything is so... so... so expensive—waaaaah~!"
"....Oh", I try to comfort her with my words but I don't know what else to say.
"I'm not a bad person either! I-I didn't even mean to steal! Everything has just been so haaaard, and I was tempted! But I regret it~! I regret doing it waaaah!"
"...U-Um." I'm a bit overwhelmed to see her crying so hard.
"Vid." A familiar embrace pulls me away from the spreading puddle of tears on the ground.
"...Are you done?" Startled, I look up to see Obrecht nod.
He looks down at me and smirks in victory, "A silver and thirty-five copper coins for a month's stay." He then glances at the dirty lady that lacked the bearing of a magic scholar. "I don't really want to involve the guards on this matter...", Obrecht trails off.
Surely, he's right. It is smart to call upon people we must avoid the most. It was better to solve this affair among ourselves.
The source of our troubles lay on the floor as she continues to wail. She doesn't look like a scholar that knows a lot of magic at all....
Hold on...
"Obrecht", I say a little loudly due to my excitement. "How about doing it like this...", I whisper my plan into his ear.
"That's not a bad idea. You're amazing", he kisses my head and I blush at having been praised in front of other people.
Ten days later—
The bustling market street had grown twice as crowded with people, with differently colored banderitas hung on top house canopies and buildings and flocks of people coming to Evidna City to enjoy the festivities or to enter Salciorne. Busy bodies squeezed in through crowds to run their master's errands with much difficulty whilst the banter of numerous conversations proliferated everywhere.
Being pushed by the flow of the crowd, one middle aged-man clicked his tongue, smartly entering a side stall to get away from the opposing flow by hiding among the crates of fruit that varied in shades of pink and red hues.
"That good fellow. Care to buy some fresh persimmons?" The vendor asked with a smirk on his face.
_+_+_+_
A/N: ... No. I am not dead yet. Also, I'm not dropping this story. Ever. This is an independent world that exists inside my brain. Just slow updates because of life happenings.