"Luca?" she blurted out, stopping mid-step.
There he was, leaning casually against the counter, his coat slightly askew as if he'd just arrived. The white cat perched on his shoulder seemed utterly at ease, its luminous fur catching the warm light of the inn's lanterns. Luca turned his head at her voice, his dark eyes gleaming with a faint amusement that seemed to be his default expression.
"Well, if it isn't the frost mage," he said, his tone light as his lips curled into a smirk. "Fancy meeting you here."
Elara crossed her arms, recovering quickly from her surprise. "I could say the same to you. What are you doing here?"
Luca straightened slightly, the faint jingling of the coins in his pouch audible as he shifted. "What does it look like? I'm renting a room. A place like this seemed fitting after the day we had."
