{-Llewel-}
Enreru greeted them with a warm smile. “Welcome to the Kehnore City Shop, dears! What can I do for you today?”
Zetai looked at Reynneak. “What do we need?”
“I don’t know yet,” he mumbled, pulling up the party’s Inventory. “I got here five minutes ago and you decided we should immediately go shopping for Ilataesi.”
Enreru shrugged. “It’s no problem! Take the time you need. The good thing with coming early is that you’ve got my undivided attention for a little while.” She leaned forward on the counter, closer to where Zetai was looking at swords, and remarked casually, “You know, it really brings out the spark in your eyes, but that glare doesn’t do your reflection justice, don’t you think?”
Bluntly, Zetai responded, “Hate to break it to you, but I’ve got a boyfriend.”
“Well, then what about you, dear?” Enreru shamelessly turned to Tinath. “I’ve seen you around Kehnore before. I never pinned you as the type to stick to one side. I’m sure someone like you would have a lot of fun stories…”
“You’re not really my type.” Tinath glanced over the displayed accessories as if they were only talking about the weather.
Llewel, as well, went about his window shopping as if nothing was special. But Myr was dragged out of her fascination with a seashell decoration at the conversation; before he had enough time to stop her, she was in front of the counter, her excited bouncing causing Enreru to let out a soft laugh.
[https://i.imgur.com/lpVwefv.png]
“What’s that look for?” she questioned, still smiling.
“You flirt with girls!” Myr said, beaming, “I try to flirt with girls, too! None of them seem to ever notice me, though. Not like they both did for you!”
“Well, dear, that was hardly anything…”
“But it’s better than anything I’ve done! Teach me your ways. Please?”
“I’d suggest you don’t,” Llewel cut in. “I don’t care if they’re other NPCs. But she doesn’t need more reasons to be interacting with a bunch of random players…”
“All the cute ones are players!” Myr defended, gaining Enreru’s nod of approval. “Besides, the person you like was a player when you first started liking her! Don’t lie, I can tell!”
He opened his mouth to say something, but everything he thought of he knew she’d just use against him. His face felt hotter as he imagined the rest of them looking at him, even though they were all obviously more interested in other things.
“I’ll tell you what, dear. If you’re here for Ilataesi supplies then I’m sure you’re going to be leaving soon. I’ll make a list of all my tips and tricks… or at least the appropriate ones. You don’t have the ability to offer shop discounts, after all.” Enreru turned around, took a pen and a piece of paper, and began writing things down.
Llewel wasn’t so glad to see his sister that happy that he couldn’t find it in his heart to warn, “Just don’t turn this into another Valentine.”
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“Another Valentine?” Zetai asked with more interest than she’d had about anything else this morning. “Is she your ex or something?”
“No. Not really. At least, I wouldn’t say she was.” Myr shrugged. “She was one of the first year event NPCs. We kissed but I never saw her again after the event ended.”
“You’re forgetting the only important part,” Llewel pointed out. “You kissed her in the middle of the street in front of a huge group of players.”
Reynneak had just closed his menu and began listing some other things for Enreru, but Tinath joined in on the true conversation.
“Wait. An event and regular NPC kissing in front of players in the first year. That was you?” When Myr only shrugged, Tinath explained, “I don’t think Mom had ever been so quick to go back to work. From the sounds of it, that was what made Nankohm realize that they hadn’t really ‘fixed’ their sentient-NPCs problem that Cassidy made. Or… brought back.”
“That would explain why Duuzlo was so mad at me.” It probably would’ve been a lie to say that Myr looked casual still, but she wasn’t so much as upset—as she might’ve been once, to talk about it—as she was uncomfortable. “He and Fininri both yelled at me, but they kept saying that it wasn’t because I kissed her, so…”
“I figured they hadn’t known until sometime this year,” Zetai remarked. “Since it only took them until a few months ago to start hunting them down again.”
“I’m pretty sure they’ve always been trying since that first realization that it hadn’t worked. Dunno why it took them so long to find the twins, though, when they’ve been in the same city for all of it.” Tinath did flash them both a grin, though. “But don’t get me wrong, I’m just as glad as the next guy that they’re apparently that bad at their single jobs.”
“I don’t think a single one of us wish they’ll succeed,” Enreru said cheerfully, finally having everything that Reynneak asked for. She also handed a piece of paper to Myr. “And I hope it stays that way! You dears stay safe in Ilataesi, alright? I hear there’s all kinds of unpleasant things lurking around those mountains.”
“We’ll be careful!” Myr replied just as brightly. “And thank you!”
Enreru waved as the group left, soon replaced by the other players the morning had to offer. Llewel wasn’t as interested in whatever conversation that they ended up starting as he was making sure Myr was still paying attention to where she was going.
“Tinath, did you ever get outside of Kehnore?” Reynneak prompted. “I assume not, since you’re at Kehnore’s level, but…”
She shook her head. “Not really. I had Nafrius, Anthalas, Kyirius, and Kehnore to hunt through—over half the map. I figured I’d find something eventually in one of them. The only times I was outside of it was in those special areas Nankohm use for checking on things. I’m not much help at actually trying to figure out what it’s going to be like.”
“Lots of mountains and probably rune beasts,” Llewel said. “I don’t know if the storms would be a thing. Is that still cleared up by the end of the story quests?”
Zetai considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, they were. Probably temporary weather stuff now, though. But I doubt it’s anything too serious that the five of us can’t handle.”
“When we’d asked Kelfin about it, he said there probably wouldn’t be nearly as many Rune Reactivation Project guys we need to look out for,” Reynneak recalled.
“Of course it does,” Llewel mumbled. “They’ll feel practically nonexistent compared to Kehnore. The actual part that’s worth concern is if Nankohm workers are going to be around there.”
“I don’t have access to that kind of information any more, so none of us are going to know,” Tinath sighed. “I doubt Mom’ll tell me if I just casually mention it. Pretty sure they’ve all figured that I’m with you guys.”
They were quiet for a little while before Reynneak asked, “This doesn’t make things too complicated for you, does it? Staying with us?”
She looked confused for a minute before shaking her head. “No, it’s pretty much the same as usual. I almost feel like Mom supports this, but I doubt she’d tell me that herself or explain why. My dad’s never been a fan of this whole thing but I haven’t been on good terms with him since back when I was in high school anyway. I doubt he even understands what’s going on.” She shrugged.
“Well, either way, you’re stuck with us now,” Zetai declared in a half-joking, half-assertive way. “You’re on our side until the end of this.”