Xain stood there, utterly speechless, for a good six seconds, just staring at the woman's youthful face. His mind raced, but his mouth refused to catch up. The woman blinked at him, clearly perplexed by his silence.
"Um, hello?" she waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his daze.
"You... you're here?" Xain blurted out in confusion, pointing awkwardly at her. His finger lingered in the air as his brain struggled to reconcile what he was seeing. The woman tilted her head, her gray ponytail swaying slightly with the motion, her brow furrowing in suspicion.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, her eyes narrowing at him. There was an edge to her voice, as though she was already on guard.
Xain fumbled with his words, his heart pounding in his chest. "I—wait, you never saw me like this... hold on a second." He began hastily running his hands through his hair, restyling it into a more feminine look, mimicking a version of himself she might recognize. The woman watched with increasing confusion, her arms slowly crossing as she leaned back slightly, trying to make sense of his odd behavior.
When Xain finished, he stood back with a faint smile, his hair now styled more like the person she would have known. "Now do you recognize me?" he asked, feeling oddly hopeful.
The woman stared at him for a few moments, her eyes searching his face. Then, slowly, her expression shifted from confusion to shock. "Annie...?" she whispered, her voice a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
Xain started to nod but stopped himself, the truth weighing heavily on him. "Well... that's not my actual name," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
The woman's gaze hardened, her arms still crossed as she looked him up and down. There was something else in her expression now—disappointment. "I can tell," she replied coldly, her voice laced with frustration.
Xain swallowed hard. Her reaction stung more than he'd anticipated. "So," she continued, her tone sharp and passive-aggressive, "what's your real name? Or are you planning on lying to me again?"
Xain took a deep breath, meeting her gaze with sincerity. "It's Xain. I'm telling the truth this time... I swear." He paused for a moment, then added softly, "I'm sorry, Pip."
Pip scoffed. "Don't be sorry, Annie," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You just lied to me every single time we met and spent time together. No big deal."
Xain flinched under the weight of her words, his lips parting but no excuse coming out. "I mean... we're thieves, so..." he trailed off, hoping for some kind of understanding.
Her glare cut through his half-hearted justification. "So because we both struggled to survive, that makes it fine?" she shot back, her tone sharp. Xain sighed, running a hand through his hair. He could feel the guilt clawing at him.
"No, Pip, it wasn't fine," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "You saw me as a friend, and I lied to you. You opened up to me, and I... I just kept hiding behind a false name, behind lies." He lowered his head, his posture slumping in genuine regret. Pip blinked, momentarily taken aback by his apology. She hadn't expected him to actually own up to it. He raised his eyes to meet hers, the sincerity in his gaze cutting through her anger. "I'm sorry," Xain said, his voice steady this time. "I'm truly sorry for lying to you."
Pip was silent, her mouth slightly open as if she was about to say something, but no words came. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and when she opened them again, her expression had softened just a bit. "I can't forgive you that easily, Anni—I mean, Xain," she corrected herself, letting out a tired sigh. "But..." She hesitated before continuing. "I'm willing to give you another chance."
Xain's eyes lit up with a spark of hope. "Really?" he asked, his voice full of cautious optimism.
Pip waved her hand dismissively, trying to downplay her own decision. "Yes, really. Now stop looking at me with that face and... that hairstyle. It's making me uncomfortable." She glanced away, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
Xain raised an eyebrow, bewildered. "I can't really do much about the face, but okay," he said, moving his hands up to fix his hair.
"Actually..." Pip interrupted quickly, glancing back at him. "Keep it. It looks better that way."
Xain froze mid-motion, utterly confused. *Which one is it?* he thought, when suddenly, they were interrupted by a man clearing his throat beside them. They both turned to see a customer standing there, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Um, can I get a drink, please?" the man asked, clearly not wanting to intrude but growing impatient.
Both Xain and Pip blinked, suddenly remembering they were at the bar. Pip immediately turned to the patron. "Ah, yes, of course. Tell me what you'd like," she said, quickly shifting into her professional role as the bartender. She glanced back at Xain and added, "Go find a table. We'll talk later."
Xain nodded, understanding that now wasn't the time for a reunion. He gave her a small, grateful smile before turning away and heading into the crowd, searching for Zee and Larkin. *You really know how to woo women, don't you?* Ercale suddenly chimed in, his voice snarky in Xain's head.
*I don't know what you're talking about,* Xain retorted internally, *but I'm surprised you didn't jump in during all that... drama.*
*I don't really care about your relationships, ape,* Ercale shot back immediately, his tone dry and disinterested.
Xain grinned to himself as he spotted Zee and Larkin across the room, sitting at a table near the corner. *But you do care a little,* he thought smugly. *You said you don't really care.*
He could feel Ercale rolling his eyes in annoyance as he approached the table and sat down with a huff. "Ah, you two won't believe who I just ran into," Xain started, leaning back in his chair.
Larkin raised an eyebrow. "Not that you'd know..." Xain trailed off when he saw the puzzled expressions on both their faces.
Zee and Larkin stared at him with matching confusion. "What?" Xain asked, blinking.
They both pointed at him. "What's with your hair?" they asked in unison.
Xain froze, his hand immediately flying to his head. *Crap, I forgot to fix my hair...* And then it hit him. *I also forgot to order the food!*