Aaron loosened up and stretched his arms while Garolt remained on his knees, waiting for his response.
He assessed Elsa's appearance with more focus this time. To Aaron, Elsa's beauty could be classified as average. She wasn't the exceptionally beautiful type of girl but she was not ugly either.
'She's young. Maybe about the same age as this body or slightly older,' Aaron thought to himself, his eyes moving all over the young lady.
In all the time that Aaron stared at her, Elsa didn't break eye contact even for a second and Aaron liked that she was a confident lass. However, even though her eyes put up a bold front, Elsa twiddled her fingers behind her.
Aaron dramatically raised his head, looking into the sky.
"No," he said, shocking both Garolt and Elsa.
Seeing the expression on Elsa's face from the corner of his eyes made him laugh within himself.
'So she isn't as stoic as she wants me to believe after all.'
"Huh?" they blurted out.
"No. I'll pass," Aaron persisted.
"I don't need an apprentice yet, and as you can see," he said, looking back at the clinic, "...I only just started this business."
Aaron's reasons were very valid ones. The Touch of Nirvana was still finding its foot and he, as the owner of such a fresh establishment, couldn't accommodate any staff at the moment, much less pay them.
In the meantime, the Touch of Nirvana was a one-man show until Aaron was ready for expansion but that depended heavily on how many clients he got and how much he made within a period of time.
Garolt, refusing to take a no for an answer, continued to beg but Aaron remained adamant, also refusing every single plea Garolt made until the bald man gave up and rose to his feet.
Regardless of the outcome of his request, he still bowed to Aaron out of respect and gratitude for his help with his initial problem.
"Let's go, Elsa," he said, walking past Elsa toward the path they had come.
Elsa stood in one place as her stepfather moved past her. She remained there, not moving an inch in any direction. Garolt walked for a short while and stopped when he noticed that his stepdaughter wasn't following him.
"Hey, Elsa! Let's go home!" Garolt yelled from where he was standing.
Aaron who had shut his eyes during Garolt's plea was forced to open them upon hearing Garolt's loud voice.
"Huh?" he muttered, surprised that the red-haired girl was still standing in front of him.
"You're still here?" he asked.
Elsa didn't say anything back.
"Oh well, whatever."
Aaron turned around to return to his office when he heard Elsa speak.
"Please..."
Aaron stopped and turned his head slightly sideways, casting his gaze on Elsa from the corner of his eyes.
"Huh? What did you say?" Aaron pretended to not have heard him and put a hand over his ears, pressing her to speak loudly.
Elsa dropped to her knees and bowed to him just like her stepfather had done. Seeing this, Garolt was shocked where he was standing.
'What is she doing?' the bald man wondered from a distance.
"Please take me in as your apprentice! I swear before the heavens and the gods that I will be loyal to you and your cause for as long as you need me!"
Aaron was amused by her exhibition and made a complete turn to face her.
'Kuhaha!'
He burst out laughing, almost revealing his true demonic kingly self. Aaron laughed for a few seconds before his laughter morphed into a grin.
"Now, that's interesting!" he said in a menacing tone. "You swear?"
Elsa raised her head and nodded, beating her chest afterwards. "Yes, I swear."
Aaron walked towards her and extended his hand. "Well then..." he said.
Elsa quickly stood up from the ground and rushed to shake his hand. At the moment of making contact with Aaron's hand, she felt something like a jolt of electricity travel into her body and she immediately retracted her hand.
Aaron chuckled. "Don't worry, you're alright. We just sealed the deal, that's all."
He turned to Garolt and waved at him.
"I accept her offer!" Aaron yelled for Garolt to hear.
Garolt's face beamed with gladness and he punched the air, nearly jumping had he not remembered that he was no longer a young person like Aaron or Elsa.
Elsa paraded a wide smile and rushed into Aaron's arms, hugging him tightly in gratitude for his acceptance.
"It's alright," Aaron said, shoving her aside.
Elsa ran to her stepfather to give him the news in case he hadn't heard it while Aaron watched her hips shake and bums bounce inside the gown she was wearing.
With just his senses of touch and sight, Aaron had gotten the vital information he needed to make an image of Elsa's real body in his head.
He felt her breasts during their quick hug, meaning that they were either moderately or massively large considering how heavily she was dressed, and from the bouncing of her ass, they were big as well.
However, Elsa's assets couldn't compare to his yummy mummy's. Even without the natural perks of age on her side, Alicia Winters was on another level when it came to the hotness of a person's body.
Elsa rushed back to Aaron.
"There's something I forgot to ask..."
"What is it?" Aaron asked. His countenance told Elsa that he was already tired of talking too much.
"When do I resume?"
Aaron thought for a second and then looked at Garolt before fixing his eyes on Elsa.
"Today," he said, turning back to enter his clinic.
"But—"
"But nothing," he continued, cutting Elsa off. "Either that or forget about it."
Elsa sighed. She had hoped she could have an extra day to get ready before starting her apprenticeship journey at the Touch of Nirvana Clinic but it seems her stepfather would be returning home alone.
She ran back to Garolt to give him the news. Garolt simply smiled, caressing his stepdaughter's long, red hair and wished her well before continuing his journey back home, leaving Elsa in Aaron's hands.
****
A few hours' journey away from the borders of Bambara Village, somewhere between Bambara and the Herb Village, a group of rough-looking men gathered.
It was that time of the year again when they went around to collect monies from villages under their protection in the name of keeping them safe from 'monsters'.
"Yo, boss. Whisper says there's a village nearby that hasn't paid their protection fee yet," a sickly slender man told the bigger man that was seated in front of him, surrounded by a group of roughly twenty men.
The big man cracked his neck and belched loudly, polluting the air with the foul breath that exuded from his mouth.
The big man licked his fingers while chewing on a chicken bone in his hand. He stood up, stretched his back and looked at every one of his men.
"Send a message to Whisper that we are coming," he said.
The frail-looking one who had reported to him nodded and left with the message to the said Whisper: a small note in one hand and a messenger hawk on the other.
The big man reached for the club by his side and grabbed it, raising it into the air.
"Get ready, my brothers! Get ready to plunder, my brothers!" he shouted.
His voice caused the eruption of mad cheers from the rest of his gang.