Chapter 21: First Date
"So? Will you become my girlfriend for this hour and let me taste a little of adult life before I fully bloom?" Reylin smirked.
He went 'Oh, and added, "I hope you don't mind polygamy. That's common here, I suppose?"
"Scoundrel," Layla glared at Reylin, then she gave up.
She put her hand on the desk and asked, "Which one would look good?"
Reylin's eyes went down, and he immediately grasped the ring with red jewelry on it. He put it on Layla's finger and said, "With this, you are my girlfriend... Unfortunately, just for one hour, but let's make this hour memorable."
The red stone on the golden ring was one of the most expensive presents Layla had received in her whole life.
She didn't need to question Reylin about his choice.
Of all colors, red and orange were probably his favorites. In the scattered jewelry, this one-piece looked the closest to flames, which represented Reylin the best.
Just one piece of jewelry brought such an image!
One could think it was intentional from Reylin, but what was the truth?
He smiled and said, "This one is chosen by me. Take another one for yourself, and that will be my present."
[Your friendship with Layla has increased by 100.]
"You don't have to spoil me so much," Layla said, but urged by Reylin's smile, she took a necklace for herself, "As I said before, those are definitely stolen. That's why I will only wear those in my shop and for this one hour."
"Good choice. It makes these two jewels more remarkable," Reylin replied, then stood up.
He tried to, but Monica clung to his thighs, and she didn't let him go. It looked like his patting and body were a perfect nap spot for this lazy lady! She even purred in dissatisfaction, which made Reylin look at her with odd eyes.
At last, Monica let him go and returned to her desk, which was her usual sleeping spot.
"Have fun," She said before returning to her sleep.
Reylin checked her head to see whether no cat ears hid within her hair, then turned his eyes to Layla, "Where did you find her?"
"It's a long story," Layla replied, not hinting at anything.
It was fine since it was a unique hour for both of them.
Layla packed the other jewels. A few of them went directly to her room while the other unfortunately had to be sold in the underground market.
The underground market was in every kingdom, and it was an inseparable part of it.
It was visited mainly by criminals and people who didn't want to rely on the kingdom. One could find people from various backgrounds here.
Reylin smiled, "How about we split our date into two parts? I am not really fond of the idea of our first date in the underground."
"First part is on you, then," Layla replied.
She went to get changed, but Reylin stopped her and said, "I am here wearing some armor from a monster. You think I will let you bully me?
"We will stand out, either way," Layla retorted, but Reylin didn't give in.
At last, the duo left the magic shop in their everyday clothes.
Layla wore her mage robes, covering her whole body, while Reylin just kept the armor he'd dropped before. His whole equipment was lacking, and he planned to buy a more serious one ahead of his level.
With his EXP Bonus Item, he would level up like crazy soon, so Reylin planned ahead.
The beginner city was actually The Blue Rose Kingdom's capital.
Even without the sudden influx of players, it would have bustled with people. Of course, the players added a different charm, and most of them did things that no citizen would have done before.
Really.
It was particularly amusing looking at the players indulging in the new food and cuisine. Some of them were inviting residents, primarily ladies, in the hope of tasting a little more of that thrilling life.
Reylin and Layla walked around the city with the lady holding onto his arm.
He was tall for his age, and Reylin didn't look young. His personality and crazy outburst exposed his age better than his overall appearance.
They walked, looking for a restaurant that would be romantic and not so flooded by others.
It was akin to something impossible in such a big city, and the couple settled on just a walk beneath the stars.
Reylin asked, "Why independent route? I've heard about the benefits the new players receive from the Mage's Union. A few of them kept jumping from joy."
"I was the same... Jumping from joy, I mean," Layla replied, hinting at the sad past.
Since it was his first date, Reylin took some time to form his following words. In the end, he decided to be the honest man he'd swore to be, "So, what's the ideal first date like? Should we touch the sensitive topics?"
"Why did you think I went independent? The Mage's Union is a great source of knowledge and resources, but I ended up separating myself from them. Now that you've touched this topic, you must bear with me and listen." Layla said without stopping.
Her story was miserable.
From a rural village, she came to the big city and learned magic under the eyes of the powerful mage. That mage always praised her, and he became the fatherly figure for Layla. However, that was all lies, and Layla had learned about it after conducting the most important research in her life.
That man backstabbed her, took Layla's research as his own, and created the grand spell!
"You aren't the first one to suffer such a fate, Layla," Reylin said.
For the first time, he intertwined his hand with hers and didn't let her distance herself from himself. His words were also unexpected, and Layla stared at him. She momentarily stopped, but Reylin drew her closer, and their walk continued.
After explaining just a little about his background, Reylin said, "People will do everything to improve or to keep their self-esteem high. They will hurt even those the closest to them. I have heard, and I even saw a lot of people wounded by their closest ones." His eyes looked back to the past.
And Reylin repeated the words of his father, "Not many could return to their feet, but you did. You haven't let the pain get into you, and you haven't given up on your dreams as the mage. You tread on your path with the crown in your hands."
"..."
"I might have slipped up since I haven't visited my father's office in a long time. Anyway, you have started your magic shop in the same capital as that man. You have galls, Layla. Haha," Reylin laughed and raised her chin, "You want revenge, don't you?"
"All I think about is my business... But... What's your name? Rey Flames Lin... It's not your name, is it?" Layla asked, no longer staring but still allowing this youngster to hold her chin.
Reylin snickered, "Well, you must have seen a lot of weird nicknames. It's Reylin for you."
"So you just have put flames in between your name..." Layla didn't know how to answer that, but her lips curved up into a charming smile.
Their walk beneath the stars continued, "It felt good to let it out."
"Lazy woman is a bad listener?"
"It's different. I see Monica every day, and she also has her own burden."
"All of you need a man. We can only wish the best for the lazy woman," Reylin snickered, then looked at the clock.
It was exactly midnight, so he whispered, "I guess that's it for the first part of our date."
"Disappointed that instead of tasting adult life, you have tasted a little grief from this older lady?" Layla asked while wearing a faint smile.
Reylin shrugged, "I never expected that, to be honest. I said it to make you conscious about it, and that's it."
"And you did. I wasn't sure what you would think of, you know? It ended up as a pleasant walk, and the sky is strangely too starry today. It seems they all aligned for us." Layla looked up and whispered slowly.
"Ever thought about blowing up the stars?" Reylin asked.
"Who would? But... Star Explosion Skill sounds cool, I guess?" Layla tilted her head, seriously pondering about the grand skill.
She had never done it because her teacher snatched her chance away, but such a name sounded indeed epic for the first skill.
Reylin chuckled, "Do I have to tell the ingredients for that spell?"
"No need."
He was inwardly pleased with the date as well.
For this whole hour, Reylin didn't think of flames. He did it at the end after he became conscious of his inward calmness.
He always found peace in flames, but with the woman by his side, it seemed like he'd achieved the same.
The flames weren't on his mind, and Layla was the source of warmth and excitement.
At the end of the day, Reylin was the man!
He chuckled, "Now onto the second part, Layla."
"It's long due overtime, but I feel like inviting you for the second date."
"Then, the first one was a success."