"Nice to meet you, Mara."
"The pleasure is mine," Mara replied, and this time, the smile that bloomed on her face was not only genuine—it also carried the shine of a new beginning.
"She was definitely going to make the most of this life."
"Since I've been given this second chance, I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest,"Mara thought as she released the handshake, feeling the formal gesture dissolve into the air.
"And what's for dinner?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject. All that formality felt fake to her, like wearing a borrowed suit.
"It's beef stew with potatoes. Alice's specialty," Mordred replied, picking up the hand axe resting in a corner and hooking it onto her belt with a natural, practiced motion.
"Alice?" Mara asked, already lifting the first spoonful to her mouth.
Oh my god.
The flavor hit her head-on. This was nothing like the prepackaged food she had lived on in her previous life.
The broth was rich and deep, the meat fell apart effortlessly, and the potatoes were cooked to that perfect point between firm and tender.
"This is definitely made with love," she thought, and without realizing it, she picked up the pace, devouring the food as if it were her last meal.
"Alice is the receptionist we greeted when we came in," the cat-girl explained, slipping on a worn leather jacket as she headed for the door.
"Are you leaving already?" Mara said, her mouth still half full.
"Haha, don't worry, baby. I've gotta stop by the guild to pick up a few things, then go find Cecilia at the library. I'll be back in a bit."
She opened the door and stepped out, but didn't close it all the way. Her voice drifted back from the hallway, and this time it didn't sound flirtatious, but something more serious, more genuine:
"You know that if you want, you can stay the night with us, right?"
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Mara replied with genuine gratitude.
She listened as the door finally closed and Mordred's footsteps faded down the stairs.
"It's not like I really have anywhere else to go…" she murmured aloud, gazing out the window at the moon rising over the night.
That first day had been absolute madness.
A silly smile slipped onto her face as she remembered it.
But now, with her stomach full and the room quiet, it was time to face reality.
"What should I do from now on?" she asked the air, as if expecting the universe itself to answer.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Seriously? Did Mordred already come back? Did I really get that lost in my thoughts?, Mara said to herself, a little unsettled.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
"Excuse me, may I come in?" It was a soft, gentle voice. She recognized it instantly: Alice, the receptionist.
"Come in!" Mara called out, raising her voice slightly.
The door began to open.
What could she want? was the only thought she managed before the doorway filled with her silhouette.
"I'd like to chat with you for a bit," Alice said, offering a gentle smile.
Even though Mara couldn't see her eyes behind the bandage that covered them, she could feel a warm, caring gaze directed at her, as if Alice were truly seeing her through the cloth.