"Hi, Bane!" An eager Eir greeted Bane as he entered, but she slowly backed up and toned down her excitement. However, her nostrils flared, and she moved closer to Bane, noticing his wet hair. He took a bath... He smells so good, Eir thought, her mind going blank as her eyes lingered on him.
"Are you feeling okay?" Bane asked the flushed Eir, who was acting very unlike herself.
"...What?" Eir snapped out of her trance and waved her arms, trying to dismiss whatever Bane might be thinking.
"I asked if you were okay. You're acting strange," Bane reiterated, his concern evident.
"It's nothing. It's just that you smell really good..." Eir trailed off, getting lost in Bane once again.
Bane chuckled, and Eir quickly covered her mouth. "Did I say that out loud?!" she stammered, her cheeks flushing even further.
"Yes, you did. I don't blame you, though. That soap they give you at Limpar smells really good," Bane explained, making Eir feel a little less embarrassed.
"Well… whatever. It doesn't matter. Moving on, I got a price for the kitchen and the stuff you wanted," Eir said, changing the subject away from the two of them. They moved to the open space where the kitchen would soon be, and Eir explained the layout and costs of all the renovations.
"I see…" Bane muttered, putting his hand to his chin before shrugging and extending his hand.
Poof.
A one-hundred-thousand Shill coin appeared in Bane's hand as he withdrew the amount from his bank. "Here you go," Bane said, holding the coin out.
Eir was in awe at the money he so freely withdrew without hesitation. She held both her palms out as Bane dropped the coin into her hand. "Wow, you're brilliant, Bane."
Bane wanted to disagree and say, The system is brilliant! but decided against it. "No, the power you've given me is brilliant," he replied instead. Eir pocketed the coin and pouted, sticking out her finger to tell Bane to be quiet.
"While I won't deny how brilliant the power I've given you is, you've used it well for a human," Eir said teasingly.
"Well, regardless, I'm glad we have enough money for a kitchen," Bane said, to which Eir nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, me too," Eir said, smiling as she thought about the delicious meals Bane would be cooking for her. Soon enough, that will be reality.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. After I leave the dungeon every day, I have to go to Old Grey's. He's going to teach me sword techniques," Bane said as he reached around his back. "I also got a new weapon because mine broke," he added, laying out a grey steel katana.
"Oooh… that's cool," Eir reacted, gazing happily at the katana.
"I know, but you don't even know the coolest part. After my training, I'm going to get this really cool katana…" And so, Bane rambled on and on about the Blood Moon Katana, which was met with smiles from Eir.
He's still a kid after all. I've yet to see him ramble like this before. It's cute, Eir thought as she listened happily to Bane's excitement.
"Sorry, that was probably a lot…" Bane said, scratching the back of his head after talking for several minutes about the Blood Moon Katana.
"Don't apologize. I like hearing about things that you like," Eir said, her warm smile making Bane happy.
"Okay, well, enough about all of that. Do you want to go eat?" Bane asked, rubbing his abdomen. He was used to it being a flat, squishy thing, but now hard abs were starting to form.
"Yes, let's go," Eir agreed. After Bane changed into more comfortable clothes, the two of them set out to find some delicious food. Eir didn't do well with the cold and was curled in on herself for most of the way.
Hm, Eir is cold. What could I do? Bane thought, looking around for a solution. Eir rubbed her arms and dropped her hands.
"It's cold…" she muttered, her hands now swinging at her sides. Bane saw this and took his chance.
Clap.
Bane reached down and clasped his hand around Eir's, quickly interlocking his fingers with hers. Both of them stopped walking, and Bane nervously stood still, thinking he might have overstepped.
Eir turned, her cheeks flushed—likely a mix of the cold and her current situation. "You seemed cold. Do you want me to let go?" Bane asked confidently. When interacting with women, Bane was usually nervous, especially in these types of situations. But as long as he acted confident, he knew everything would be okay.
"N-No, it's okay. I'm pretty cold, so thank you," Eir said, squeezing Bane's hand slightly. It's like we're on a date! Her mind raced.
And so, the non-couple continued walking down the streets of Gren, hand in hand. Eir occasionally took small glances at Bane's hand wrapped around hers.
He's so warm and soft.
She's so cold and rigid.
The two of them thought as they continued down the path. Eir glanced around and saw a few older men and women pointing at them with warm smiles. Eir wanted to shout, We're not dating! But when she glanced at Bane, he had a small smile on his face.
Even though it was a sudden development, Eir appreciated his kindness and warmth. Her hand was nearing the same temperature as his.
The two of them remained quiet until they came upon a small building. "What about this place?" Bane said. A pleasing, mouth-watering aroma emanated from the building, causing Eir to space out. A small nod from her signaled she was hooked.
"All right, let's go!" Bane said happily, walking into the building. Eir, who stood still, captured by the scent, was pulled along by Bane, who quickly looked back.
"Oh, sorry for pulling you," Bane said, turning to see Eir tripping over her feet. She quickly regained her balance and shook her head. Seeing this, Bane slowly released his grip on her hand, to Eir's pout.
"That's okay. It just smelled really good," Eir explained as the two of them walked inside the small restaurant.
The interior was cozy, with brick-fired ovens cooking circular pieces of dough, which were then filled with meats and vegetables. Bane and Eir ordered a wide variety of pizzas and calzones, as they were called.
They slowly ate and talked about each other and their days. Bane paid for it all, and they started back. They walked side by side, and it had only gotten colder. They walked in silence, and Eir desperately wanted Bane to reach out for her once more.
She waited patiently as they walked down the dimly lit street. I can't ask for that… It would be weird! Eir thought, hoping Bane would make his move.
As if to hint at it, Eir rubbed her arms and muttered, "It's cold…" just like last time. Bane glanced over at her and chuckled under his breath.
With squinted eyes and a small smile, Bane asked, "Would you like me to hold your hand again?" His voice was quiet and gentle.
Eir slowly nodded, embarrassed. "Y-Yeah," she stammered, holding out her hand once more. Bane carefully interlocked his fingers with hers as they let their hands fall.
"It's like hands were meant to be held…" Bane said, keeping his head forward as they walked.
"Yeah, I get what you mean. They fit perfectly together," Eir added, looking down at their hands swinging slightly in the moonlight. The two of them walked quietly, enjoying each other's presence and watching the landscape change. Until Bane broke the silence.
"I have a question."
"Yes?" Eir turned from looking off into the distance to him with a tilt of her head.
"Did I wake you up this morning?" Bane asked.
Eir paused, thinking back to that morning. "…No, I don't think so. Why?"
Bane heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay, that's good. You were practically on top of me this morning, and I had to get up. I tried not to wake you, so I just wanted to make sure."
Eir quickly stopped moving and kept her head down. Bane turned, unable to see her eyes, which were hidden by her bangs.
"Is everything alright?" Bane asked, kneeling down to try and look into her eyes.
"I'll sleep on the floor from now on," Eir said, a pinch of sadness and embarrassment lacing her voice.
"What? Why?" Bane asked before continuing, "I don't mind. I just didn't want to disturb your sleep," Bane reassured.
Eir looked up hopefully at Bane's words. "You didn't mind?"
Bane shrugged and shook his head. "It's getting colder. It's only natural," he said.
Some life was breathed back into Eir. That's still so embarrassing, though! she thought, putting her hands over her flushed face.
Eir removed them and continued talking to Bane. "T-That's right. It is getting cold," she stammered as the two of them walked back home.
'I can't believe I moved over to him in my sleep.' The rest of the way back was mostly quite, hand in hand.