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This was the fourth week in a row. Three times a week, every week, for the past two months a pretty pink haired tiefling woman had been coming to the cafe and ordering a slice of cake and the strongest coffee Nyx had ever experienced, she could smell it from the counter, all the way over at her couch table where she careful arranged her lecture notes to stop others from bothering the busy professor.
Nyx for the last four weeks had been coming here and finding herself staring at the other tiefling. Entranced by the way the light played off her hair and her pale skin contrasted by the red of her tail and the strange markings on her face and ears, all of which only made her prettier in Nyx’s eyes. Honestly it was a massive shock to Nyx, who until this point had never been attracted to anyone. Not even the objectively handsome half-elf she travelled with when studying strange giant activity.
She still remembers the first time she realised she was staring, it was a cold one that day. Rain had made its way to the mountains, already rather rare here, and Nyx was one of maybe three people in the campus’ cafe enjoying her honeycomb hot chocolate and slowly grading the papers of her first outgoing class, oh she’d been so excited to start teaching at first but now that the semester was over she couldn’t wait to go back to her apartment and relax.
That was when she walked in, her hair and clothes wet, her hair was shorter then, only down to about her shoulders, she was wringing out her top as best she could before giving up and heading over to the counter. Nyx was entranced instantly, the way her hair stuck to her face and neck, how the colour of her shirt made her hair and fair skin seem to glow, and Nyx would deny ever having thought this, especially a thought out loud, but by the Trickster what those jeans did to her legs and behind was godly.
When the pretty tiefling woman seemed to perk up and look around Nyx very quickly shifted her attention to the menu above her and thanked the Trickster she didn’t have to breath right now because she’s certain that if she did she would be hyperventilating.
After that Nyx found herself back at the cafe every day, secretly hoping to see the tiefling woman again. She was pretty lucky that she didn’t have to worry about classes or her students. She got most of the grading done over that night. Thoughts of the tiefling woman and confusion about “is this attraction?” plaguing her mind, she decided she’d just move the grading to her evenings.
It was two weeks in Nyx had to admit to herself she was being creepy, and because she still didn’t have an office she just picked up her notes for the next semester and took over one of the couch tables, and began to use the cafe as her office. The baristas didn’t mind. Nyx was always pleasant conversation and having a professor around helped curb some of the rowdier customers behaviour.
It was on the fourth week, during a particularly packed day when Nyx was watching the pretty tiefling woman get her sickeningly strong coffee that she then noticed the barista point her way and the woman turn around to face her, Nyx’s eyes widened in surprise and she gave an awkward little wave, mentally panicking as she approached.
“Sorry if it’s a bother, and I’ll go if you want, but can I sit here? You don’t have to move or anything, it’s just it’s packed, sorry it’s stupid-“
“No! Sorry I mean yes. Please have a seat.”
The first thing either of them said to each other. As the woman took her seat Nyx moved some of her notes, clearing up the table a bit and smiling at the pretty tiefling across from her, again marvelling at her pale skin, especially now that she was so close and Nyx could still see the traces of pink which, judging by the shade of her tail, Nyx guessed meant the woman in front of her was once a dark red and something had caused her skin tone to change. Of course that would be a subconscious thought for now, right then the only conscious thought in her mind, and she hoped not also in anyone else’s, was just a constant string of “aaaa pretty girl aaaa”
It was a few awkward and silent moments later when the tiefling woman spoke up.
“So I’m Aribis, and I was wondering something?”
“Pleasure to meet you Aribis, my name is Nyxivaan, though most call me Nyx. What is it you’re wondering?” ‘Yes, still can pull off being aloof when I’m internally freaking out.’
“Do you like my jeans or my short-shorts better?”
Aribis was smirking into the top of her coffee mug whilst Nyx sat there stunned, embarrassment and surprise warning on her face before a dark blush won out and she bowed her head shyly.
‘I am such a gay mess.’