Shauwn quickly went down from his apartment. Although he understood Rosie's character to some extent, he was uneasy about seeing her again. Obviously, nothing changed — as soon as she saw him, she started clinging to him again. He discreetly slipped out of her perimeter and made sure to keep a certain distance between them.
"Here, this is what was dropped off for you," she said, pointing at the stack of boxes in the hall.
He turned to see for himself. There were eight boxes in total. Shauwn calculated how many trips he would have to make if he took two or three at a time, and he hadn't even considered their weight yet. Rosie offered to help, but he refused, unwilling to let anyone invade his privacy.
Standing there, lost in thought, he sensed a presence approaching. The soft sound of footsteps confirmed that someone was behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts. His arm stiffened, and his fingers curled up. If it were up to him, he would have already let his instincts take over — turn around and perform a warning strike. However, being in hostile territory, he had to act carefully and strategically, avoiding any hostile reaction. The lack of information about the supernaturals — their strength and potential abilities — handicapped and discouraged him from acting rashly.
"Is... is all this yours? Woah..." said a trembling yet amazed voice.
The feminine voice addressing him was very different from the receptionist's. It sounded younger and more innocent. Because of that, his physical and mental tension eased a little. Even though he couldn't confirm she wasn't hostile, Shauwn felt he could relax. As for the girl's question, he didn't bother answering, but she didn't give up — circling around him to get his attention. Her childish behavior began to irritate Shauwn, who finally turned around.
Shyla QUINN was a rather cute black girl, wearing a short skirt that stopped just above her knees and a large brown sweater with the institute's logo on the chest, under which a white shirt collar peeked through. Her pure black eyes were unsettling, filled with a certain energy, and her lips were full and red. She took the opportunity to fix her long hair, brushing aside the strands that covered her face and tucking one behind her ear, highlighting the beauty and lines of her face.
When Shyla's gaze met Shauwn's, she became captivated, lost in his eyes. Her body moved on its own, her hands reaching out to grab his face and dive into those fascinating eyes. Instinctively, Shauwn moved to avoid contact and put some distance between them. Unfortunately, behind him were the boxes, and the two of them fell backward, landing on the boxes scattered on the floor — Shauwn on the ground and Shyla on top of him.
Her clumsy movements and the way her chest pressed against him made the position very embarrassing for her — and irritating for him. To avoid worsening the situation, he neither touched her nor held her to protect her. His hands remained flat on the floor. Shyla got up easily, using his body for support, noticing his musculature as her hands unconsciously brushed along his torso.
So that's what a muscular man feels like...
When their eyes met again, she suddenly realized what she was doing. Her skin turned slightly red — barely noticeable to Shauwn, who kept a neutral expression, hiding a potential surge of anger and irritation. He didn't like the position he was in, nor the physical closeness — her breath on his face, the short distance between their lips... all of it made him feel sick.
He clicked his tongue, his hand barely covering his irritated face.
"That's enough," he snapped, standing up abruptly. This time, their positions were reversed — Shyla, who had fallen backward, was now pinned to the floor, and Shauwn sat upright, their legs intertwined. Even more embarrassed, she covered her face in shame.
"I-I-I'm r-really sorry, I didn't mea—"
Avoiding his piercing gaze, she glanced to the right, where she spotted her friend — a shadowy figure giving her a thumbs-up before disappearing from sight.
"Wait, Serena, it's not what you think!" pleaded the desperate girl, but it was too late — she was already gone.
Hearing the name Serena, Rosie shouted from her counter:
"Hey! How many times do I have to tell you to enter the building properly so I can log your arrival!!" For once, there was a real note of authority in her voice.
From the very beginning, she had been there, behind her desk, watching the scene unfold like a romantic episode in a TV drama. Finally, Shauwn freed himself from the awkward position, stood up, and picked Shyla up like a child, setting her back on her feet. The poor girl kept apologizing endlessly, bowing repeatedly.
Shauwn took a deep breath to calm himself. From her behavior, he could tell she was truly sorry, so he saw no reason to prolong the awkwardness.
"Just... don't do that again."
"I understand."
Now that his boxes were scattered all over, his workload had increased, and he quickly began to rearrange them himself — until Shyla interrupted him once more.
"To make up for it, I can help you move these," said the young woman, her expression filled with a desire to redeem herself.
"No—" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence because Rosie grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head. She subtly signaled for him to let Shyla do it — and her grip was surprisingly strong.
He didn't want to, but decided to let it slide this time, seeing how determined Shyla was to make amends. She stepped toward the boxes, closed her eyes, and began a mysterious incantation in an unknown language. The spot beneath her feet started to glow with magic. The scattered boxes began to move on their own, gathering into a single pile.
Then, three concentric circles formed around them, inscribed with ancient symbols. When the inscriptions were complete, Shyla clasped her hands, and a column of light shot up from the ground, taking everything inside the circle with it. The boxes had vanished.
If not for the Mask of Neutrality skill, both women would have noticed Shauwn's astonished eyes during the scene. He turned toward Rosie, who patted his shoulder with a knowing nod.
"I forgot to introduce myself — I'm Shyla QUINN. As you can see, I'm a witch."
"This is Shauwn Arkynas, the new resident. I hope you two get along well," added Rosie, inserting herself into the conversation.
Why are you answering for me? And on top of that, sharing my information?
He turned toward her with a reproachful glare that clearly expressed his displeasure.
"Oh, I already know that! And that he's in apartment 505!" said Shyla cheerfully.
"How?" asked Shauwn, stunned by how much she already knew about him.
"It's not like I was spying on you or anything!"
I hadn't even thought about that... but now that you mention it, I'll definitely be careful.
Digging through her small bag, she pulled out a phone. Curiously, it wasn't a modern smartphone, but an old-fashioned flip phone — something nearly extinct from the market. The perfect device for staying off the radar.
Intriguing.
"Here," she said, after entering the code and finding the message she was looking for. She turned the phone toward him. "It's the email all the residents received about your arrival."
She was right. The email was addressed to the building's residents and announced Shauwn's arrival as the new resident of apartment 505. His name was mentioned in the message, but fortunately, there was no photo attached — which still left the question of how she had recognized him. What he had forgotten, however, was that Shyla had been at Aegis long enough to know almost all the residents, so she could easily spot new faces.
Now that the reason he had come downstairs no longer existed, he was about to return to his room and leave them.
"Alright, I'll be going now."
"Oh, yeah, let's go!" replied Shyla enthusiastically.
Who's "we"?
Rosie stepped in once again, answering the question he had only asked in his head without even realizing it.
"Shyla lives right next to your apartment. I hope you two get to know each other better."
What a coincidence...