When I turned around to face this man, I was taken aback to see that he had stood up rather quickly. His eyes remained fixated on me as he moved forward rather slowly. He stopped by the table situated by the fireplace, setting his bowl of completed stew down. My body remained still, tensing up a little as he came face-to-face with me, gazing down upon my form with a glare reminiscent of a lion's.
His brows furrowed only a few centimeters, accentuating his lips that seemed slightly puffy and stained with broth. After a few moments of tense encounter, he reached for the coat hanger by the door and picked up a loose shirt, slipping it over his head and making his way to the staircase. The wooden stairs were narrow, accompanied by a railing on either end to prevent one from falling and experiencing a grave injury.
"Come and talk." Those were the only words he spoke as he made his way up the stairs, which creaked underneath his thin, sheep-skin slippers.
I slowly followed him, gulping inwardly as my hand made its way to the wooden railing, holding it tightly as I began to climb the staircase, following the slightly foreboding figure in front of me. Every so often, he'd pause and look back at me to verify I was following me. This stopped once he reached the top of the stairs.
When I finally made it to the second floor, he led me down the hallway as he tucked his hands into his pockets, sighing softly as he opened the door at the end of the hallway. Through the curtains which filtered the crimson moon outside, I saw a counter, a mirror, and toiletries. A small bathtub was situated in the corner, alongside a toilet which dropped down the side of the house.
Back at my apartment, the toilets were an intricate network of pipes and machinery, while theirs was a simple alcove in the side of their house, where they'd urinate and defecate into the streets. Looking upon this, I couldn't help but feel a little pity.
The man sat down on the counter, gazing at me with a strictly analytical expression. For the most part, he didn't say a word, but something in his gaze commanded me to follow him into the room. When I stepped onto the creaky, wooden bathroom floor, he shut the door behind me with a quiet squeak. Shortly after, his hands dove for the lock, twisting it with a short flick of his wrist.
Now that we were alone, Helana's father looked towards me, his expression softening only a little bit. I watched in silence as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a match he lit with an oil lamp in the bathroom. He brought the cigar to his lips, puffing out a small torrent of smoke before smiling.
"How would you like a job, boy?"
"A-a job..." Hearing the sudden, almost abrupt proposal, I swallowed my saliva and took a shaking breath.
Helana's father nodded, his expression unchanging. He opened the curtains, allowing the crimson moon to filter in through the windows, bathing the bathroom in radiant, almost malevolent crimson light. His cigar case shimmered faintly as he tucked it back into his pocket.
"You'll get paid handsomely."
At this moment, a blazing contradiction phased into my mind. If this man came from a family of middle-class status, how would he have a job that would 'pay me handsomely'? I took a step back, something inside my broiling as I took another breath, trying to maintain my solemn, refined appearance.
"If you could tell me more, I'll consider it."
"Ahh." Helana's father looked back to me, scoffing.
He looked me up and down, analyzing me for a few more seconds. After making a few deductions in his mind, he spoke once more.
"We can't speak here, not with everyone listening. Do you know where the nearest bar from here is, that Tavaren place?"
"I've... never been there," I replied, rubbing my horns.
"Well, of course you haven't. You look like you're made of dried precum and a wet dream, of course you've never set foot into a bar before."
My face noticeably flushed, and I felt a small surge of anger upon hearing the vulgar insult. But instead of acting, I collected myself by taking a few breaths.
"Are we going to leave now, or would we meet in a specific spot?" I asked.
"Hmm..." He fell into silence, considering a few options.
His eyes flashed as an idea crossed his mind, causing him to smile softly. "We'll meet tomorrow evening, when the sun is lowest. By then, you'll probably need to eat some dinner."
"Why bring that up?"
Helena's father chuckled for a moment, puffing his cigar again. "Dinner's on the house; I can cook a good meal."
"Alright."
"Anyways," He walked to the door, opening it again and stepping aside, "The night is late, and you should get moving back home."
...
In Ayumi's apartment room, Shinso, Ayumi, and the Umbridge watched as Ayumi held the potion to her lips with a hint of hesitancy. Her lips parted only a little bit before she wretched, involuntarily lowering the potion from her lips. She turned to Shinso and the Umbridge, scoffing as she set the potion onto her nightstand, folding her arms over her chest.
"It also tastes like crap."
Shinso chuckled under his breath, replying with a small hint of pride in his voice. "My potion tasted like gunpowder and cranberries, quite the weird combination."
The small black cat leaped onto the nightstand, meowing softly. "You can't control how potions taste, but you can alter them in a few ways."
"Huh, how?" Ayumi felt a little bewildered as she turned to face the black cat, looking into its yellowish-red eyes with a drop of curiosity evident in her expression.
The black cat didn't immediately reply. The Umbridge began to cough and gag, which was swiftly followed by a hairball shooting from their throat. When the hairball touched Ayumi's nightstand, it dissolved into crimson flames and illusory powder. The Umbridge gestured to the powder on the nightstand.
"You can mix ingredients into potions, and you can mix the potions into food."
Hearing this, Ayumi's eyes widened. She swiftly made her way to the counter, taking the leftovers from her earlier dinner with Aaron, Shinso, and Isaac. Opening the lid, they all caught sight of the spicy pasta adorned with numerous toppings.
"So you're saying I can make potion pasta?"
The cat nodded, watching in silence as Ayumi immediately reached for the potion, unscrewing it and drizzling a little onto the noodles and sauce. When the glowing yellow potion touched the sauce, it glowed brighter as it seemed to meddle and morph with the ingredients of the pasta sauce, combining and meddling to make a new topping in its entirety.
"Damn..." Shinso watched with fascination, habitually licking his lips.
Ayumi sat down on her bed, also licking her lips as she reached for the nearest utensil. With a small pint of hesitancy, Ayumi brought the fork to her lips, which was now coiled tightly with the pasta noodles. She slowly slurped down the first bite, her expression gradually shifting from reluctance to something else. At this moment, her cheeks flushed noticeably, and the corners of her eyes began to prickle with moisture.
"Damn it, it's so hot!" She cried out, leaping up and darting to the sink. She turned on the faucet and filled a cup of water, gulping it down quickly.
After relieving her tongue, she looked back to the black cat and huffed. "Any way to make it colder?"
"You could try putting it in the Automated Beverage and Victual Cooling Machine."
Hearing the name, Ayumi arched an eyebrow and glanced at the metallic object sitting on the counter. "The refrigerator?"
"Yes... if that's what you call it."
"Hey, I'd like a drink from the Automated Beverage and Victual Cooling Machine," Ayumi joked with a chuckle, opening the top hatch and placing the leftovers into the fridge.
The Umbridge let out a deep, disappointed meow.
Ten minutes later, Ayumi opened the hatch again and took out the leftovers. She winced a little the moment she felt the now freezing surface of the metallic leftover box. Moving with haste, she dropped it onto her nightstand and opened the lid, gazing upon the leftovers again. The inside of the container had been slightly frozen over, also freezing the paste and potion sauce!
"Goddamnit!" Ayumi groaned, flopping back onto the bed.
She extended a hand to the ceiling, groaning as she buried her head into the pillow. "Do the Gods not want me to advance or something?"
"No, they want you to eat the potion while it's frozen." Shinso crossed his arms over his chest, scoffing softly with a small, teasing grin.
"What if it hurts my jaw or something?" She complained, grabbing the metallic leftover box and setting it on her lap. She picked up her fork again and stabbed it directly into a portion of the pasta, twisting it until the rock-solid surface of it cracked slightly.
Once she could feel it had loosened, Ayumi jabbed upwards, slicing the cube of pasta-potion out of the leftover box, sliding it into her mouth. Ayumi brought her teeth down, biting and chewing with a little effort. The girl's cheeks turned a noticeably yellow hue through her skin, and her usually dark-colored eyes shimmered a little with a radiant starlight.
Soon enough, she had finished the pasta, burping a little as she pushed the box aside. Ayumi leaned back on the bed, grumbling to herself as she wiped her mouth.
"That took a lot longer than I've seen before." The Umbridge commented, going back to grooming their small, feline body.
"Well, I'm sorry I can't drink scalding liquids like you creatures can." Ayumi looked to the black cat still sitting on her nightstand, its tail flopping back and forth lazily.
"Well... shouldn't I know when I'd get my abilities or something?"
She flinched the moment radiant yellow light descended from nowhere, taking the form of an illusory scroll. On the scroll was a list of abilities and spirituality changes she'd gain access to.