Chapter Text
She brushed her violet hair, put on a hair clip and stared at her pyjamas, looking around her cupboard for an outfit to wear for today, even if the majority of them were identical.
She took off her top; underneath was a pink camisole. She shivered a little, but quickly managed to prep her dress, the usual one-piece.
Looking at the mirror, she gave herself a wink, and with that, she was all ready to head out.
A cold breeze brushed her cheeks. She held her scarf tight and kept walking.
With the company for a trusted goofball along her side: Mimi Pearlbaton.
And that's how every day began. Paper kept piling up, each of them filled to the brim with numbers. She squeezed her eyes, trying to understand, holding it up against the light, but none of it made sense. Pissed off, she just threw it away.
Quickly slapping both her cheeks, she prepped her facial muscles, stretching her lips into a smile as she walked outside the guild office.
“Yes, this…….. blah blah blah.” She just tried her best to divert the topic, doing her best to be the best businesswoman.
Playing the conversations in her mind at twice the speed, she walked out. Mimi nudged her from her side, noticing her lady's fatigue. It never showed on her face, yet she wasn't good at hiding it either.
“I'm alright.” Anastasia patted Mimi's head, acknowledging her worries as she smiled at her.
They both prepared to end the day with the last visit.
Anastasia's walking speed went slower and slower. Mimi, walking by her side, went ahead of her.
Mimi gradually stopped.
“Mimi, could you go back ahead of me?”
Anastasia, clasping her palms together, smiled, requesting her.
Mimi, raising her hand, jumped as high as she could. “Gotcha!” And she ran with both arms in the air, giggling.
She stopped midway and turned back slowly. “Take care,” she said, waving her hand before she disappeared.
Anastasia smiled with a neck tilt, and a sigh left her lips.
She turned behind, walking in a direction opposite to both where she came from and where she intended to go.
The sounds of the capital faded the deeper she walked into the shadows of an unmarked storage shed.
Anastasia’s walking speed went slower and slower, her pristine heels dragging against the uneven cobblestones until she came to a complete halt.
She knocked twice at the innermost door. A whisper was all, and the door opened. A hooded man welcomed her as he stood guard outside.
Anastasia snuck in, closing the door tightly from behind.
The move was so coordinated, almost as if this wasn't something new for them.
Standing in the centre of the dim room, she reached up. With slow, deliberate movements, she unclipped the ornate hair accessories that had kept her bound all day.
She tossed them onto the desk with a sharp clack. She tilted her head back, giving it a soft shake; her long violet hair cascaded down her back like silk.
Next came the heavy white fur scarf. She unknotted it from her neck, letting the luxurious fabric slide slowly down her shoulders and arms before dropping it.
The sudden rush of chilly evening air hit her exposed collarbone, sending a shiver down her spine.
Her fingers moved to the zipper of her elegant, tailored one-piece dress. The sharp zzzzzt echoed softly in the quiet room. With a fluid, graceful shrug of her shoulders, she let the dress slide down her hips, pooling at her ankles.
Underneath, she wore only a minimalist, pale pink camisole. In the amber twilight, the thin fabric clung softly to her frame, highlighting the sharp line of her collarbone and the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she let out a long, dragging breath. For a moment, she just stood there, letting the cold air brush against her bare skin.
From a hidden wooden locker behind the counter, she pulled out her off-hours clothes.
She lifted the black turtleneck. It fit snugly, hugging her figure, a dark contrast to her pale skin, the high collar framing her jawline. She didn't bother brushing her hair back. Instead, she let her messy, violet bangs fall completely naturally across her face, covering her left eye behind a curtain of purple strands.
When she finally stepped up to the small, cracked mirror hanging behind the counter, the transformation was staggering.
From the sly, fox-like merchant queen, she was completely a new identity.
With that, she wore her white fur scarf back, prepared for an undocumented life. She walked out of the door, her pristine heels sounding uneven compared to her usual rhythmic style of steps.
She walked out like nothing happened, walking back towards the market area under the pale moon, which hid her and at the same time praised her.
She stood in front of a small bar. With a sigh, she let her exhaustion sink in before she walked in, and the place greeted her with a chime of a bell at its entrance.
“Master, the usual, please...” she asked while scratching her scalp. “Uuwaah,” stretching her upper body, she allowed herself to relax with the smell of blends not everyone could master.
She quietly sat at the counter, resting her chin on her palm as she waited.
“Here you go.” The master slid her a glass of single malt whiskey. The glass glowed with the warm lighting in the bar, making it appear majestic. The ice clicking together made a mesmerising sound.
The little bubbles rising felt like her complete exhaustion wearing off as she kept staring at it; the more she appreciated the fine craftsmanship.
Gently lifting the prize of her work, she tasted it. The initial fizz was all it took, and this was the moment she had waited for every day.
Her cheeks flushed, a wide smile on her face.
Ting!
The bar greeted another customer who had lost their way. “Oh, master, can I get some cold milk?”
Anastasia ticked off. ' Milk? What are you, a kid? Why would you even be in such a place to begin with? Are you trying to insult this heaven?'* All kinds of thoughts boiled up in her.
Tsk!
She walked out of her seat, ready to face this ignorant individual, but...
“Huh?” She stood stunned.
“AHHH! Today I managed to escape somehow, otherwise... hmmm?” The individual stood right in front of her with his clothes all wrinkled—an unusual style of clothing with orange, black, and white.
“Natsuki Subaru...?” Anastasia immediately jumped back into her seat.
“Hmmmm?” Subaru walked close to her seat. “Umm? I believe we have met somewhere?”
“NO— I MEAN...”
“Ahem!”
Making her tone much lower and husky, she answered, “You may have mistaken.... This is the place for people who are lost. Looking at you, you look oddly comfortable walking in. Are you sure you're supposed to be here?” she asked, looking away from him.
“Hmmm, well, now that's an odd way to say it, but don't you worry,” Subaru said, posing with his usual thumbs-up.
“Talk about standing out,” Anastasia murmured, annoyed.
“Well then, master, please,” he repeated, jumping onto the seat right beside her.
“No, no, no, get out of here, my precious heaven,” Anastasia gritted her teeth, holding her scarf tightly. Subaru took a slight glance, completely dumbfounded.
“AAAA!” He screamed, pointing in shock at Anastasia. “EH, WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED, HUH?” Anastasia panicked, still managing to keep the tone.
“Shut up!” The master screamed at both of them.
“Sorry, sorry, but I know someone sly and exploitative with purple hair, and she has the same scarf she wears.”
“Well, honestly,” Subaru asked her to come closer as he whispered into her ear, “if she had been a little more blessed like Emilia-tan, that attitude would have been fitting. How do I say it... she acts too childish for her age.”
Crack!
“OI! YOU MUST BE A REGULAR, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN BREAK THE GLASSES OR DO DAMAGE!!!!” the master yelled, banging on the counter.
“Ahaha, I will pay for that, don't worry,” Anastasia tried her best to hold back her rage. “Master, another one please.”
“Here you go... and don't break the glass this time,” the master requested as he slid another glass toward her. Subaru kept staring at her. *'This idiot pisses me off.'* She left a little sigh. Holding the glass up, in one gulp, she drank it entirely. Subaru looked at her, the slight drops of alcohol escaping the clasp of her lips, her Adam's apple moving up and down as she drank it.
Placing the glass back, she licked the leftover alcohol off her lips. Her face completely red, she looked at Subaru with a pissed-off expression.
Subaru took a big gulp. He blushed as they both kept staring at each other endlessly.
The warmth of the bar enveloped both of them in a slow yet comforting hug.
