The reception room of the most luxurious inn in the city was illuminated by white light crystals floating near the ceiling. Several black leather armchairs and round tables were arranged for the guests' comfort, while the greenery of decorative plants stood out in every corner. At the far end of the room, behind a long birchwood desk, four receptionists in formal attire hurriedly scribbled on parchment with quills.
In one of the black leather chairs sat Pía, her expression one of disappointment.
'It's such a gloomy day,' she thought, crossing her legs.
Her clothes, stained from the last battle, had been replaced by a short camel-colored dress with ruffles. Her small chest was barely noticeable, and her legs were covered in bruises. Still, one couldn't deny she looked as charming as a doll.
With her chin resting in her hands, she watched with irritation as a blonde-haired boy flirted with two women. It was Adriano, laughing as if someone had just whispered a juicy secret into his ear.
The sight of the trio made a vein throb on Pía's forehead. She sighed, straightened her back, and took a sip from her cup of hot milk. Seeing how happy Adriano looked, the idea of "accidentally" spilling her drink on the women's dresses crossed her mind.
"Tsk," Pía clicked her tongue. "I thought we could talk at the inn."
Without taking her eyes off the scene, she placed the cup of milk aside, but—
"Too sweet," someone interrupted.
"Ah!"
She whipped around to the person who had just sat beside her, and her breath caught. It was the same thief from that morning, the one who called himself Eídal. What left her speechless was seeing him completely soaked, dripping water all over the black leather chair, staining it.
"W-where did you come from?" she asked.
"From hell. And you? A tea party?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.
'How did he get in here?!' Pía thought, startled.
The door had been closed, and it wasn't common to let just anyone in. However, she kept her curiosity to herself, suspecting that Eídal would respond with something like, "I have my ways." Besides, there was another reason she wasn't too alarmed—Eídal was weak.
'He's just a pebble in the road,' she compared. 'Even so, a misplaced pebble is still annoying.'
In the distance, Adriano's dry laughter and the women's giggles only irritated her further. Determined to take out her frustration, Pía turned to Eídal, who had picked up her cup of hot milk.
"Hey, hey, hey," Pía called. "How did you end up like that? You stink. Have you ever even bathed?"
"Bathe? You're crazy. That would kill me. As you can see, I only bathe when it rains."
His mocking response made Pía frown.
'Doesn't he switch moods too quickly?' she thought. 'One minute he's a scared little boy, the next, a loudmouth.'
With her right eye twitching in annoyance, Pía decided to play along. She wasn't about to let him win in conversation.
"You know," she pointed at Eídal, "you're drinking from my cup."
"Sorry, sorry. But, darling, all I wanted was an indirect kiss."
It had become a battle of sarcasm; a childish competition.
"Ha! Are you confessing that you like me?"
"Maybe you don't have the body I'm into, but you've got the brain I'm interested in."
A second vein popped on Pía's forehead. For a moment, she considered hitting him, but she worried that doing so might actually kill him. Unknowingly, Eídal had created a barrier with his weak façade, preventing Pía from using force.
"So, what kind of girls do you like?" Pía asked, now more annoyed.
"Hmm. Oh! Big ones," Eídal replied.
"B-big ones?"
"Yeah, so they can hit me."
Pía reached her limit.
"Youuu! If you wanted to be hit, you should have said so earlier!"
Grabbing Eídal by his soaking clothes, she pulled him close, but he raised both hands in surrender.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" he pleaded, sounding remorseful. "To be honest, I was just looking for an excuse to finish your hot milk."
Pía froze. When she looked down at the table, she realized that Eídal hadn't just finished her milk but had also eaten her snacks. Faced with such an innocent act, she was left speechless.
"By the way," Eídal continued, clearing his throat awkwardly, "um... This is tough, but I wanted to ask you for a favor."
It was then that Pia realized the truth. This tiny thief had only been playing with her.
"Seriously?" she thought. "How long are they going to keep treating me like the dumbest one in the group?"
"What do you say?" Eidal pressed.
"I refuse," Pia answered firmly.
"Huh?! But I haven't even told you what it is yet."
"I don't care, I refuse." As she held Eidal by the collar, her eyes darkened, giving off a deadly aura. "Playing with a cute girl's feelings... All men are the same. They should all be castrated and die. Every single one, starting with that blonde guy."
"B-blonde guy? W-wait, that's a ridiculous generalization!"
"Shut up and die for being a man!"
But just as Pia was about to wring out Eidal's soaking wet clothes—along with him—a male voice interrupted.
"Miss Pia, stop making a scene."
It was the blonde guy, Adriano. It seemed he had finished flirting with the two women. Glancing at Eidal, he asked:
"And you?"
"Uh, well," Eidal stammered. "Haah, I'll get straight to the point… I need to ask you for a favor. Could you take me to the heroine?"
At that request, Pia rolled her eyes and loosened her grip. Adriano, on the other hand, thought for a moment and then nodded.
Naturally, Pia protested:
"What?! A-Adriano, are you insane? You, who's always so out of touch with everything—why do you suddenly look so serious?"
But Adriano ignored her and spoke only to Eidal:
"Are you aware of the risks?"
"Yes."
"I see, then follow me. By the way, don't call her 'heroine.' She hates that."
"Then, what should I call her?"
"Hmm… I guess 'Miss Astrid' would be fine."
"Got it."
This was way beyond Pia's understanding. However, just before the two men could leave, she grabbed Adriano's sleeve to stop him.
"Wait, wait, wait!" She had to put a stop to these two. "Adriano, stop playing around. Why are you helping a complete stranger?"
Adriano answered calmly:
"It's about reciprocity. The kid tried to save me from being swallowed by the Weepers. I'm just returning the favor."
Dissatisfied with his response, Pia puffed her cheeks like a hamster, and small tears welled up in her eyes. Still, Adriano ignored her and kept walking. As the two men turned their backs on her, Pia stuck out her tongue and muttered:
"Idiots~."