There was an imp in a maid outfit hanging swinging from the ceiling. The adventurers had gathered around one of Lillia’s tables a short distance from it and were looking up with awe. All the food on their plates had been completely scraped clean and, if they’d had any apprehensions about the inn, they were long gone. “I’ll be damned if that isn’t the strangest sight I’ve ever laid eyes on,” Tiffany said, rubbing at her eyes. She glanced at Arwin and Reya as they headed over to the counter. “You’re seeing this, right?” “Nope. You’re hallucinating,” Arwin said in a flat tone. Tiffany blinked. “What? What do you — oh. You’re screwing with me. Very funny, smith.” He chuckled. “Yes, it’s quite something. What have you thought so far? Enjoying your experience?” “A lot more than I thought I would be.” Tiffany looked down at her empty plate and shook her head. “Best damn food I’ve ever had for this price. I’ve never had its like before. I kind of wish I could have seen what I was eating a bit better, but at the same time, the darkness is definitely setting a mood. Being able to just barely make out the imp above me is setting my nerves on end in all the right ways.” “What she’s trying to say is that she’s an adrenaline junkie,” one of the men with her said with a laugh. “This place is certainly unique. Didn’t think there would be so much tucked into this street. We’ve been missing out.” “Hardly. We only just opened up a short while ago. You should definitely send any friends you’ve got our way, though,” Arwin said. “More business would always be welcome.” “Trust me, we’ll be doing that — if only to see everyone’s expressions at the show. Seriously, Lillia and her team are incredible. I’ve never seen illusions that stick to people that well. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought those were real imps serving us. And her makeup is impeccable. Great combination of practical work and magic.” “That could be useful,” Lillia said in a pensive tone. “I’ll sit in and see how things go. I certainly wouldn’t object to getting a steady stream of supplies.” They fell silent for a moment. “Is everything okay?” Arwin asked. “Huh? With me? Yeah. Why do you ask?” “Well, you seem a bit… restrained. I’m not saying you had to be excited or anything, but I was expecting you to be a lot happier about getting those customers. I was wondering if something went wrong or didn’t play out as planned.” Lillia let out a small laugh. “I’m practically bursting at the seams. I’m thrilled, Arwin. It’s just not really appropriate for me to run around jumping and laughing when we’ve got other things to do. I can’t throw a party every time someone eats at the inn, you know.” “Nobody is going to think less of you if you let yourself be happy. We’d be happy with you.” It was a moment before Lillia answered. “I know that. It’s just a little embarrassing. I’m a grown woman. I’m the damn demon queen. I shouldn’t be this thrilled about a stupid inn.” “There’s nothing stupid about it. Also, having people stop by quite literally means you don’t die. I’d say that’s a pretty good thing to be thrilled about.” Lillia laughed. She stepped closer to Arwin, brushing her hand across his arm to let him know she was there in the dark before leaning closer to rest her head against his chest. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind. Let’s head back into the main room before I get too comfortable here and refuse to leave when the merchant shows up.” Arwin obliged and let her take his hand, leading him back through the dark. He couldn’t help but notice that her tail was swaying a little more than it normally did. She normally had it tucked into the leg of her pants to avoid drawing too much attention, but a thought struck him and lodged itself into his mind before he could shake it. Do demons wag their tails when they’re happy? That definitely wasn’t a question to be asked when they were standing in the light, so Arwin decided to shelf it for when he was feeling a little bit less interested in preserving his wellbeing. They walked out into the common room of the tavern. The imps had already cleared everything up and were now nowhere to be seen. Nobody else was in the room, and it was already starting to darken outside. It wouldn’t be long before night was completely upon them. “It’s getting pretty late,” Lillia observed as they sat down beside each other at the counter. “You’re sure that merchant is coming? Most people try to avoid this street during the day, much less when it’s late out.” “Maybe the ghost got them,” Arwin said with a shrug. He wanted to speak to the merchant, but the day had also taken quite a toll on him and Lillia’s bed was calling to him. It wasn’t quite as comfortable as the bed in his own room, but he was too lazy to move it all the way down the stairs. It was a moot point. Lillia’s bed was more comfortable than his when she was in it with him. “You might be right. Maybe they decided to come tomorrow. Should we—” There was a knock on the door. “Talk about timing,” Lillia said. Arwin headed over to the door and summoned his armor before pulling it open. On the other side stood a relatively short man, little more than a teenager. His black hair was slicked back and his features almost completely androgenous. For that matter, Arwin wasn’t quite so sure the man was a man at all. The only feature Arwin had to judge by was his hair, which was definitely in a male haircut. He didn’t really care what gender the person was. He was considerably more interested in the flecks of blood splattered across the front of his tailored dress shirt. They stood out like fallen rose petals among a sea of white frills. “Hello,” the person said, tiling their head back to make eye contact with Arwin and giving him a flat-lipped smile. Their accent was posh and reminiscent of a nobleman more than any working-class citizen. “Pleasure. You must be Ifrit.” “You’re the merchant?” Arwin asked. Blood on a shirt isn’t exactly that odd for an adventurer. This bloke isn’t one of them, but even merchants need to be able to defend themselves. Still worth staying on my guard. You never know. “So I am. Vivian said you may be interested in establishing a… relationship.” “I need someone to procure metal for me,” Arwin said flatly. He recognized the distant sparkle in the merchant’s eyes, and he wasn’t a huge fan of it. His look was one of well-concealed mischief. “That’s it.” “I may be able to be of aid. Are we going to discuss terms in the open?” Arwin stepped back and beckoned the merchant in. “I suppose not. Let’s talk. Come on in. By the way, you’ve got some blood on you.” The merchant glanced down at his collar. His cheeks colored in embarrassment and he coughed into a fist. “My goodness, it completely slipped my mind. A ruffian accosted me on the way here and I was temporarily waylaid. I did not believe I got any of his blood on my person, but it seems I was wrong. This is not the impression I sought to make.” Use less words, please. I don’t need a novel every time you speak. “As long as the ruffian wasn’t someone I know, I don’t really care.”