"25 coins for the night. Those girls were rich like I expected," She said.
"But I knew better than to ruin things for you, circus boy," She added and returned to sit before pulling out another apple.
"She's crazy," Liesl said to Emmet.
"Very crazy," He replied, staring at the girl from across the room.
"Want some?" Ashley suddenly asked, taking out another apple.
"Looks like stolen fruit and I know what it tastes like," Emmet simply answered.
A small chuckle escaped her lips.
"You're something else, circus boy," She proceeded to return the apple into her pouch and resumed eating the one in her hand.
"It's obvious," He looked away from her and continued reading the book on his desk.
The sound of her teeth biting into the apple resounded in the distance between them.
"Again, I wonder why you look this way," She continued. "Are you by any chance from the upper four realms? I hear they are strong mages and what have you there but, perhaps their strength also makes them look out worldly."
"I have never been to the other realms. Like I said, I was born red," Emmet said, not for once taking his eyes away from his book.
"Ah I see," Ashley slowly nodded and took another bite out of her apple. "Lucky you, you're handsome."
"It doesn't matter when people picture me as what they believe the devil looks like," He scoffed.
"Funny," Ashley chuckled, chewing the chunk in her mouth. "If you were the actual devil, I don't think hell would be a scary place - A circus, probably."
Emmet sighed. He had allowed both a thief and lunatic into his store when he could have thrown her out in the first minute.
' Points '
[The Devil's Archive has earned 166/1000 customer points in total]
[Pending quest]
[Earn +834 more customer points to enter into the Emeria merchant ranking board]
[Time limit: not available]
"It takes time and a lot of hardwork," Liesl said to him.
Emmet simply nodded.
Just then, he received another notification.
[The Devil's Archive has successfully made it to the top 2000 in the ' PRISTINE HORIZONS ' and will be recommended in the next newbie feature in the next week]
"Now that's some progress," A smile etched across his lips before he closed the screen and resumed reading.
"So..." Ashley's voice came again and Emmet could not help but let out a sigh. A thief whose curiosity and inquisition were always at their peak was one to be worried about.
So far, she had proved to be less of a trouble than she posed.
"Of all the booming businesses in Emeria, why did you decide to become a librarian? Honestly speaking, not many people become what they want to be, here especially. What matters is what will be able to put enough food on your table," She continued, discarding the finished apple on the table on which her elbow was placed against.
"Because I wanted to become one. I enjoy reading books and this job felt like the best for me. I simply want to live a stress free life in my own world filled with creativity and imagination," He answered, flipping to the next page of the book in his hand.
"Crazy thing for someone to say in Emeria," She tsked, amusement written all over her.
"It's pretty fine to me," Emmet shrugged and heaved a sigh.
"Oh circus boy," She chuckled lightly. "You seem like a really interesting character."
"How about you?" Emmet suddenly asked, startling the girl a little bit. "Why did you choose to become a thief or whatever you really are?"
"What do you think?" She scoffed and proceeded to pick at her nails.
"People steal for many reasons. Poverty. Greed. Wickedness and even to show off when in bad company. I know what it's like and it never ends well," Emmet gazed in her direction for a brief moment.
"Oh are you a thief too? A librarian and a thief is crazy," Ashley arched her body forward a little as though she was suddenly interested in the words that came out from his mouth.
"I was," He muttered, hinting at the word, ' was.'
"Ah... I'm envious," She titled her head to the side.
"Why?"
"Akira didn't find someone like you. Red skin and a thief, I can bet the heinous things she would have used you for."
"I wouldn't have met her. I was Whitehead then," Emmet was forced to place his book back on the desk. It was hard engaging in a conversation and trying to make sense out of the words in the book.
"Whitehead?" Ashley turned amused once again.
"I was executed and was reborn as red," Emmet simply answered.
"You mean, you were reincarnated? That's the word I think," Her interest was suddenly piqued. "Reincarnation isn't quite common though. Lucky you."
"I was," He nodded.
"You really are interesting, circus boy," She let out a smile and used her palm to support her chin. "I'm Ashley by the way. You?"
"Emmet. Emmet Quinn."
*.*.*.
On a terrace stood the bulky woman, her muscular figure standing out in her leather clothing.
She peered into the space ahead, taking her cigarette away from her lips every now and then to let out smoke.
"Chairwoman," A voice suddenly came from behind her. There was a hint of shakiness in the voice due to the fact that its owner must have been running.
"Where is Ashley?" The woman asked, taking out her cigarette from her lips for the umpteenth time and releasing smoke.
"The girl...we couldn't catch her. I'm sorry, Chairwoman," The voice pleaded.
Akira placed the cigarette back in between her lips before taking slow steps to turn around, causing her boots to click in the process.
Her eyes fell on the man who had his face buried into the ground. His actions showed that he was scared to die at the hands of a woman like her.
A smile spread across her lips. She liked that - Fear.
"That is not a problem, you dimwit," She allowed the cigarette to dance up and down in between her lips. "She will return to me soon."