Distracted by her racing thoughts, Lila barely noticed as Beatrice stepped out from the hallway up ahead, carrying an armful of herbs and equipment. Before she could react, she crashed directly into her, the two colliding with a surprised yelp.
With a THUD, they both fell back, Lila landing on the polished floor with a hard bump. She let out a small, pained “Ow!” as she rubbed her sore backside, grimacing slightly. The cool floor felt somewhat refreshing against her cheeks as she looked up, half-expecting to see an
annoyed expression on Beatrice’s face.
Instead, Beatrice, though startled, seemed more concerned than annoyed, her blue eyes wide with surprise as she gathered her scattered items.
“L-Lila! Are you alright?” Beatrice asked as she knelt down beside her, helping her up.
Lila’s embarrassment only deepened, and she could barely bring herself to meet Beatrice’s eyes.
“I’m fine,” she mumbled, scrambling to her feet and brushing herself off. But her heart was still racing, both from the fall and from her lingering thoughts about Alister.
Beatrice blinked in surprise, steadying herself with a small gasp after the collision. Her eyes widened as she took in Lila’s flushed face and slightly ruffled appearance.
“Lila! You came out of nowhere! What has you running around the guild building like that?” she asked, tilting her head with a slightly annoyed look.
Lila gave a quick shrug, waving her hand as if brushing the question aside. “Oh, it’s nothing,” she replied, bending down immediately to gather the scattered items with quick, almost nervous movements.
Her fingers fumbled slightly as she scooped up several items at once, and she glanced at Beatrice with a small, forced smile. “Here, let me help.”
Once they finished, Beatrice straightened, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she gave Lila an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Lila. I’d have been picking these up forever without you.”
“No problem,” Lila said, glancing curiously at the assortment of supplies in Beatrice’s arms, her gaze lingering for a second too long before she looked up, almost hesitantly.
“Where are you headed with all of this?”
Beatrice shifted the items in her arms, adjusting her grip as she tilted her head toward a nearby hallway. “I’m taking these to the training wing. We’re setting up some new supplies.”
Lila’s eyes brightened, and she took a quick step closer. “Can I come with you?” she blurted, her voice coming out a bit more eagerly than she intended.
Beatrice’s eyes softened, and she smiled warmly, a touch of amusement in her eyes. “I’d be glad if you did. I could definitely use a hand with a few other things.”
They started walking down the hall, Lila shifting from foot to foot, her fingers twitching slightly as she tried to keep pace with Beatrice.
Beatrice glanced over, her eyes scanning Lila’s face with a faint smirk. “So,” she began, her tone somewhat playful, “how was your day?”
Lila’s pace slowed down a bit, and she cleared her throat, her hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. “It was… alright,” she mumbled, her eyes darting briefly to the floor before she forced herself to meet Beatrice’s gaze.
Beatrice raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking into a knowing smile. “Oh? How did things go?”
Lila’s eyes flicked to the side, her fingers drumming nervously against her thigh as she forced a small laugh.
“Hehe…”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her tone light and casual, though her gaze avoided Beatrice’s carefully, as if trying to play innocent, but her nerves betrayed her.
Beatrice nudged Lila playfully with her elbow, a teasing grin on her face. “Come on now, don’t be like that! You know I’m talking about your date with Alister.”
Lila shrugged again, feigning nonchalance. “I wouldn’t really call it that,” she replied, her voice a bit too casual, her eyes darting away from Beatrice’s curious gaze.
“Oh, come on! Don’t play coy with me! I want to hear all the juicy stuff,” Beatrice urged, her enthusiasm bubbling over. “Like, how far did you guys go? He went shopping, so did you shop too? Did he compliment your clothing? Did he-”
Lila suddenly halted mid-step, causing Beatrice to stumble slightly and fall silent. “Lady Aiko followed us,” Lila said, her tone shifting to a whisper.
Beatrice paused, her eyes widening in surprise. “Wait, what? Why would she do that?”
“I think it’s because she wanted to pick out his clothes and stuff about crowd control,” Lila replied, her expression shifting to one of disappointment. She glanced over her shoulder as if expecting Aiko to appear at any moment.
Beatrice raised an eyebrow, processing Lila’s words. “Seriously? That’s… interesting,” she mused, her curiosity piqued. “Lady Aiko picking out Alister’s clothes? That’s a twist I didn’t see coming.”
Lila sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor as they continued walking, her fingers nervously twirling a strand of hair. “Yeah, it was unexpected. She really seems to have a lot of opinions about style.”
“Well, maybe she just wants him to look his best; he is a really hot topic right now,” Beatrice suggested, her tone playful again. “Or maybe she thinks he needs a little help in that department.”
Lila laughed softly, shaking her head. “Maybe. But I think she was just trying to keep an eye on us,” she admitted, glancing back toward the direction they had come from. “Keeping an eye on you, or keeping an eye on him?” Beatrice teased, nudging Lila again.
Lila shot her a playful glare, but her lips twitched into a smile. “Both, probably,” she said, rolling her eyes. “There was this one time she leaned in to whisper something in his ear, and the next moment, he agreed to pay for everything.”
“And the clothes were crazy expensive!”
Beatrice nodded, her expression turning thoughtful. “Knowing her, she most likely threatened him. You don’t need to worry about her.”
“But I still want to hear more about your day with him. Did you at least have fun?”
Lila hesitated, her cheeks flushing slightly as she considered her answer. “Yeah, it was nice. We talked, and he… well, he was really easy to be around.” Her voice softened, and a small smile crept onto her lips. “I guess that counts for something.”
“That’s more than something! Sounds like it was a date to me!” Beatrice chirped, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Lila playfully groaned, burying her face in her hands. “You’re impossible!”
“But you love it,” Beatrice countered, smirking as they rounded a corner, their laughter echoing through the guild building.
Lila sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as they continued walking. “Honestly, I don’t really like how things played out.”
Beatrice’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Why? What happened?”
Lila hesitated for a moment, glancing around as if ensuring no one else was listening. “He
had his summon there.”
Beatrice blinked, struggling to process that. “A dragon? Walking around in public?” She
found it hard to believe.
“No, no! She was in human form,” Lila quickly clarified, her voice tinged with frustration.
Beatrice’s eyes widened as she realized. “Wait… was it—”
“Yes, it was Cinder!” Lila interrupted, her cheeks flushing at the memory.
“She looked amazing. I mean, she had silver hair, red eyes, plum lips, and her skin practically
glowed.”
“She looked like a celebrity!”