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Chapter 14 - Enter Solène

Harkin jerked his head around, heart lurching in his chest. That voice—it couldn't be.

The woman in front of him grinned the moment she saw his face, like she'd been waiting for this exact moment. Harkin stared, mind blank. She looked familiar. Unmistakably so. But was it really…?

Before he could piece it together, her voice cut through his thoughts.

"Oi," she said, hands on her hips. "You forgot me, didn't you?"

"Huh? What? Oh no, no, no, no, of course I remember you!" Harkin said quickly.

"Polene, wasn't that your name?" he teased.

She punched his arm with an annoyed scoff. "Hey! You know I don't like being called that."

But she winced, shaking her hand. "Ow gods, you're built like a wall now."

Harkin smirked as she rubbed her hand. "So what? I'm a lot stronger then the last time you saw me yeah? Three months ago wasn-"

"Three months?" she echoed mockingly. "Please. It's been almost two years since we last saw each other."

"Alright, in my defence," Harkin said, raising his hands, "I may have slightly got lost. And I mean, It has only been, uhhh, about a year?

" A year? Try nearly two." Solène rolled her eyes. Her gorgeous jet-black hair swayed gently as she turned her head. "Unbelievable. Utterly unbelievable."

She glanced around. "So, what happened here? Looks like a pickpocket got you."

Harkin stiffened as the memory returned. "Oh yeah," he growled. "When I catch that little fucking bast—"

"Relax," she cut in with a grin, brushing dust off his trousers. "You need a drink. Come on."

She turned and marched off without waiting.

Harkin hurriedly followed behind. "Wait up, wait up," 

He caught up to her just outside a cozy little brewing and pastry shop called Madame Esther's Brewery and Pastries. The scent of warm bread and honeyed spice wafted through the air.

When Harkin stepped inside, he spotted Solène already grinning at him, seated at a small corner table and waving him over.

"Uh… is this place nice?" he asked, glancing around curiously.

To be honest with himself, he hadn't been inside a proper establishment—let alone a drink spot—in well over three years. The warmth, the chatter, the flickering candlelight… it all felt strangely unfamiliar.

"Oh, relax. It is," Solène said, resting her chin in her palm. "I wouldn't want to poison you, would I?"

Then, with a sly grin, she added, "Though… it would be amusing to poison the man who promised to come back to me in one year and took double the time." She emphasized the last part with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Heh heh…" Harkin chuckled awkwardly, but his eyes darted around nervously.

Solène burst out laughing. "Gods, learn to take a joke sometimes!"

"So what am I meant to order here?" Harkin asked curiously. Some of the drinks and food here seemed quite new, but the scent in the air was enough to make his stomach rumble.

Solène's eyes sparkled with mischief."Well, my personal favourites are…."

After they placed their order, Harkin leaned back slightly, still unsure whether Solène's so called favourites would actually live up to the hype but most importantly the hunger in his stomach.

"So," Solène began, leaning her elbows on the table with a more serious tone. "How's it been, then?"

Harkin knew exactly what she meant."Well… I mean, same old, same old, I guess."

"Same old, huh?" Solène raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "You look way more muscular than you did before. And there's no way you put on that much muscle like that in two years of being a so called hunter.

She playfully slapped his arm—then immediately winced.

"Ow."

Harkin chuckled. "Well, I guess I, uh… gained a Rune."

"A Rune?" she repeated, incredulous. "What in the god's plains is that supposed to mean?

 "It's something you have a chance of gaining or inheriting or something along those lines after slaying a monster. Not entirely sure how it works yet."

He waved it off with a shrug.

"Enough about me. What have you been up to since we last saw each other?"

Before Solène could answer, a waitress appeared with a tray, placing down two drinks and a pair of warm pastries before walking away, flashing a warm smile at Solène and Harkin. "Enjoy," she said with a small bow.

"Me?" Solène repeated, taking a sip from her glass. "Well, I guess… I don't know, really. I've just been here. In Craigspine."

"You do know this part isn't Craigspine Court, right?" Harkin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Duh. This is the Lower Town. Have we not known that for ages?" she replied, smirking. Then she burst into laughter.

"Oh no, you used to think this was the Court, didn't you?" Harkin flushed slightly as Solène giggled.

"But yeah," she continued, "I've gone up to the Court a few times, but mostly I've stayed around here. I've almost saved enough to open my own dressmaker's."

Harkin grinned to himself as he bit into one of the pastries. A vibrant green filling oozed down his chin, its flavor sharp and sweet. He licked it off and nodded in approval. "You're still chasing that dream, huh?" he asked, mouth half full.

"I mean, of course!" Solène said, flicking a crumb at him. "Unless you have any objections, Mister I-Want-To-Become-The-Greatest-Hunter-Ever."

"No, no, no—I didn't say anything like that now," Harkin said quickly, waving his hands in protest.

Solène leaned forward, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Back to you, then. How exactly did you get that Rune?"

Harkin froze for a second. He knew if he told her the full story, she'd be angry—and probably worried out of her mind. Still, as he looked into her curious, sparkling eyes, he knew he couldn't lie. Not to her.

"So, uh… basically…" he began, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

He started explaining everything: how, a week or two ago, he'd gone out hunting solo again. How he'd managed to take down a Groanbeast and a Wretchling. And then, how he'd faced a strange grey wolf—one unlike anything he'd seen before. It had been a brutal fight, He managed to slay it, though it bit him before its death, and Harkin collapsed, only to awaken and discover he had gotten the rune.

Solène's jaw dropped. "I told you you shouldn't have gone solo hunting! You could have died," she scolded. "Or worse ended up as the wolf's dinner!"

"Uh… that's basically the same thing," Harkin pointed out, raising a brow.

"Not important!" she snapped, cheeks flushing pink. "I always said there was no need for your whole spiritual-journey, lone-wolf nonsense to try and find th-"

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes locking on Harkin's. He knew what she was about to say.There was a pause.

"So, um…" Solène restarted awkwardly, taking a long sip from her drink. "Did you ever manage to find the beasts that—"

Harkin bit into another pastry, crumbs falling to the table, and took a long sip of his drink.The warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest returned—half from the food, half from dodging the question.

"Uh… do you want to leave?" Harkin asked, rising to his feet.

Solène blinked, caught off guard. "Uh… yeah, sure," she said quickly, then muttered under her breath, "Stupid, stupid, stupid, Solène. Why would you bring that up the first time you see him again…"

They stepped out of the shop into the fresh air, walking side by side. Their shoulders occasionally brushed as they walked, making Solene blush a bright pink each time.

But as they walked, Harkin's mind drifted. Back—against his will—to the moment he'd just tried to bury a few seconds ago. The memory clawed its way back to the surface, stubborn and unwelcome.

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