The skewered chicken sizzles as gentle flames curl along its skin, leaving faint char marks across the golden surface. The smell of spice and dripping fat drifts through the stall, rich enough to make mouths water.
The elf turns the skewer with practiced ease, then flicks her fingers to summon another playful lick of fire.
"So, what do you say, lovebirds? Care for something juicy?"
She slides the finished skewers onto the display, their glaze gleaming under the firelight.
"Stop with that already!" Rosa and Lilia snap in unison.
"Now, now—don't tease the customers too much." The man beside her brushes raw skewers with dark sauce, dusts them with spice, and passes them over.
"My apologies. Couples like you two are common back home. Old habit." The elf opens a small smoking box, letting a ribbon of white mist escape as she slips the raw skewers inside. With a spark from her palm, the chamber hisses to life; moments later, she swaps them for another batch ready for grilling.
"Two skewers, please!" Lilia chirps, raising her fingers with a bright smile.
"I'll… take one," Rosa adds with a sigh, hand half-raised. She already feels tired—though not from the walking.
"Three smoky honey-glazed skewers, hot off the grill!" The man serves them over the counter.
Each piece gleams with a golden sheen, edges charred just enough, tiny trails of fat running down the meat.
"Haaaah~" Lilia bites in before they even step aside, eyes shining. "So good! Rosa, try it!"
"You don't have to tell me." Rosa takes a bite—and freezes.
The meat melts against her tongue, far more tender than she expects. Sweet, smoky fat oozes from the crisp skin into the juicy meat, spiced just sharp enough to tingle. A flavor that hits her square in the tastebuds. Too good. Dangerously good.
She keeps chewing, bite after bite, until she glances down at the bare stick in her hand. No meat left.
Rosa stares at the display, weighing her options. Another skewer would be worth it—dangerously worth it. But what if there are even better things waiting deeper in the festival? She sighs, resigning herself to the cruel limits of her own purse. Fate demands sacrifice.
Then a skewer slips into her view.
"There. Just a bite, alright?"
Lilia grins, holding the meat out. Of course she notices.
Reluctantly, Rosa leans forward, takes a bite, then turns away, cheeks warming.
"Hmmph… thank you. I guess…"
"Hehehe, don't mind it." Lilia pops the rest into her mouth without hesitation.
Behind the counter, the elf glances sidelong at the man, tilting her head with a sly smile. He avoids her eyes, busying himself with the next batch of skewers.
"By the way," Lilia pipes up, drawing the elf's attention, "have you found your brother yet? The guy next to you doesn't look like an elf."
"Oh, so you know each other?" the man says, brushing sauce over fresh meat.
The elf taps her chin, eyes closed as if rifling through her memory.
"Ah, I see. You must be Rosa and Lilia, right? Akira told me about you two—" she slides another smoked batch onto the grill—"and how she'd make you pay for what happened in the café."
Rosa jolts at the name, scanning the crowd in alarm.
"...I-I-Is she here? I-in the festival? R-right now?" Lilia stammers, her smile frozen stiff as sweat beads down her face.
Suddenly, an arm hooks around both of them, snug and just a little too tight.
"Yooo. Been hours, hasn't it?"
The voice is unmistakable—deep, bold, brimming with confidence. Nothing like the bashful fish from the café.
"Eeeeeeee!"
Their screams carry through the festival.
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The rough flatness of uneven cobblestones stretches before Rosa—a strangely calming sight compared to the snickering crowd and the concerned looks she imagines circling around her.
The pain isn't that bad. The swelling bump on her temple barely matters. It isn't even the shame of prostrating herself in the middle of the town square that makes her want to hug the floor tighter. No. It's none of that.
The answer lies—or rather, sits—on the bench in front of her. At least that's how she pictures Akira in her mind, too afraid to peek up. What kind of unimaginable menace does she have in store this time?
The last time she earned Akira's ire, she returned home a broken creature: her sides and ribs burned with a phantom, breathless ache, her underarms tingled with a ghost of that unbearable sensation, and her cheeks were sore from hours of helpless, tear-streaked laughter.
Yes… the cobblestones against her forehead feel far safer than even a glimpse of Akira's plan possibly could.
"Sorry… sorry… sorry… sorry…"
Even the annoyingly cheerful Lilia is reduced to a broken record, her soft voice dripping into Rosa's ear. Rosa feels the tremor in it, shaking like a leaf caught in a whirlwind. She exhales slowly—long, defeated. Well, this might as well be the end. She lived a good life.
Her body stiffens. Akira moves—or at least plans to. The sound of a gulp, an exhale of satisfaction, and the clink of a wine bottle against stone weighs heavier than the silence before.
"Now, now… what do I do with ya both?"
Footsteps tap across the cobbles. Rosa swears she can feel each vibration ripple through her skull.
"Eeep!" Lilia squeaks, mouse-like—a sound Rosa secretly wishes she could coax from her more often.
The tapping grows louder, closer. Then it stops. The rustle of a nun's habit follows.
"So. Have you repented?"
A question meant to soothe sinners' hearts, spoken by a nun, now delivered in a low, venomous tone. The holy turned mocking. Mercy turned blade.
"Y-yes, Akira, so—"
"Master Akira…" The correction slices in before Lilia can finish.
"Yes! Master Akira!" she blurts, not even a heartbeat later.
Rosa nods so fast her forehead scrapes the stone, as if she can grind out some last scrap of mercy from it.
"So this is how people here repent for their sins? A little different from the cities I've visited."
The elf's tone is warm, almost amused. Rosa can picture the smile just from her voice.
"No. It's not," Akira replies flatly—deadpan, as always.
"Anyway," she continues, "since you've shown you're sorry for what you did, I'll let you off the hook."
Relief tries to wash over Rosa, but she knows better. With Akira, it's too early to breathe.
"Really!?"
Poor Lilia. She takes the bait immediately. The rustle beside Rosa confirms it—she actually looks up.
"Yeah, for real. For a price."
A soft whimper answers, the sound of hope shattering into pieces.
"P-please! Not our lives! Anything but our lives!"
The sheer desperation makes Rosa curious enough to peek.
There she is: Lilia clinging to Akira's leg, tears streaming down her face. Real or fake—it doesn't matter, the picture is ridiculous either way.
"H-hey! Cut it out! I'm not going that far!" Akira shakes her leg, trying to dislodge the girl clinging like her life actually depends on it.
"Come to the church this weekend, ya hear? We're kinda low on hands, so ya two 're going to help me out."
One final kick, and Lilia lands squarely on her butt.
"Nooooo! My life! My liiii—hm? Wait, if that's all, then of course I'll help! Right, Rosa?"
Just like that, her tears vanish. Day to night in an instant. Crocodile tears, then.
"So ya haven't learned a damn thing after all!?"
Akira takes a step forward, ready to plant another bump on Lilia's head.
"Hyaaa! Rosa! Help meee! She's actually after my life!"
Predictably, Lilia bolts.
"I am considering it now!" Akira's voice cracks like a whip.
Rosa exhales a resigned smile, silently welcoming Akira into the chaotic world that is Lilia.
Rosa averts her gaze, leaving Lilia and Akira to their game of tag, and turns to face the elf.
The elf greets her with a warm smile, as though Rosa and her friends are the main attraction of the festival.
"I didn't know you were friends with Akira. We never introduced ourselves earlier. My name is Rosa—and I don't know any Lilia."
"How cruel!"
Lilia protests between ragged breaths, reaping exactly what she sows.
"Wait up, ya cheeky runt!" Akira calls, chasing close behind. Lilia squeaks and runs faster.
"Hahaha, you two really are close, aren't you? Saunnie's the name."
The elf curls a finger against her lips, amused by their antics—as anyone would be.
"Ms. Saunnie, is it?" Rosa asks. She doesn't miss the twitch at the corner of Saunnie's smile.
"Guess I'll have to live with it. Understandable, isn't it?" The elf sighs—for reasons known only to her—then brightens again. "But just Saunnie is fine, you know?"
She hides her hands behind her back, leaning forward with a playful tilt.
"Saunnie, then. Have you got anything on your brother?"
"Well, you see…" Saunnie taps a finger to her chin, eyes tilting skyward.
"I was chained to the grill from sundown. Thought maybe he'd buy a skewer or two, but I didn't see a trace of him."
She shrugs, as if the matter barely concerns her.
"But now I'm as free as a bird. Might as well flock around, maybe peck here and there~"
This time she wags her finger lazily, leaning in again.
"Shall we look for him together, then? Not that we—" Rosa catches herself. Right. She doesn't know any Lilia. "—ahem, not that I have anything else to do."
The elf's smile sharpens, carrying the same irksome edge Rosa knows too well.
"Hmmm? Do you owe me something? Or am I being hit on? I don't recall asking for help." Her words bounce with sing-song mischief.
"Then I won't help"
With a pout, Rosa looks away—the same way she always does when Lilia pulls that kind of stunt.
"That was a jest," Saunnie laughs lightly. "Please don't sulk."
A pitiful wail suddenly grabs their attention. The pink-haired girl's neck is caught in a chokehold, wrapped like a snake by the irritated nun as she's pushed forward.
Her exaggerated tears stream down her already swollen cheeks—damage she herself often invites.
"R-Rosa… please help… I'm going to die… for realsies…"
Lilia stretches out her arm dramatically, fake-choking on her words. Poking the hornet's nest, as if—no, obviously—she's learned nothing.
"Cut it out! I'm not even going that hard, okay!?"
Akira pulls at Lilia's cheeks, stretching them like dough.
"Ouchie ouch ouch! That hurts! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay!?"
"This is what you get for being cheeky!"
Rosa lets out a resigned smile. Her suspicion is confirmed yet again.
"So you can breathe after all…"
With a satisfied grin, Akira releases her grip.
Clutching her cheeks, Lilia quickly casts Chill on her swollen skin. Mist curls around her face as she glares at Akira, a vein popping on her temple.
"How cruel! What if my pretty cheeks blister!? Take respo—"
She doesn't finish. The nun's piercing glare freezes her mid-word.
"Eeeee! Sorry!"
Lilia darts behind Rosa, who can only sigh at her friend's persistence in tempting fate.
Akira rubs her nose proudly, grinning like an artisan admiring her craft.
"Now that retribution's been served, I'm off on patrol. Don't go makin' a bunch of trouble, ya hear?"
"Hm? Don't tell me you work here as well?"
Rosa's curiosity slips out. It's not every day she sees a nun hopping from one odd job to another.
"Well, yeah. Somethin' like that. Anyway—see ya at church this Sunday, kay? Try not to forget, unless you want me draggin' yer butts there myself."
With that parting warning, she struts off like she owns the place—chugging another swig from her wine bottle.
Saunnie steps forward before Akira can walk off, clasping her hands together.
"Ah, wait! Little old me almost forgot!"
She reaches for a pouch at her hip. The clink alone tells Rosa it holds at least half her own monthly installment.
"Here, maybe just a speck, but take it. For everything. The least I can do for you guys."
Rosa narrows her eyes. That much coin in just a few hours? Impossible from stall work—or even a full day of fortune telling.
Akira raises her hand, refusing.
"Keep it. I can tell ya scraped that together with effort. Ya need it more than we do."
The elf leans closer, catches Akira's palm, and presses the pouch into it anyway.
"H-hey!"
"Now now, no need to be stiff as stone. Take it, will you? I'd only dream of holding this much if not for you."
Akira averts her gaze. Her fox ears twitch, and the edge of her cheek glows with a faint blush.
"…Thanks…"
A genuine thank-you—from the nun who usually only spits fire. Rosa opens her mouth to comment, but a teasing voice cuts in first.
"Oh!? A rare sight—blushing Akira! Twice in one day, no less!"
Lilia hides her grin behind her hand, eyes curling with mischief.
"This is either our lucky day, or the world's ending tomo—Eeek!"
Akira's glare hits her like a hornet's sting. Lilia flinches, but instead of snapping, the nun exhales with weary restraint.
"Anyways, I'm leavin' Saunnie in yer care. Take care, y'all. Good luck findin' yer brother."
With that, she strides off—wine in hand—while the search for Saunnie's brother begins anew amid the blooming festival.