Iván raised an eyebrow at the girls’ exchange. Hot water, boiling hot, this was definitely not good for any and all of them. Okay, maybe not as much for him, considering he had illusion magic, which meant he could hide himself if he needed to. That is, if these things didn’t have a great sense of smell or whatever else they could use to spot him. Funny thing about illusion magic, it’s not always absolute. Sometimes, you trick someone’s eyes, nose, and you’re good, but sometimes, a crowd has different levels of perception abilities, which means that just because you can hide yourself from one NPC doesn’t mean that you can hide yourself from all of those NPCs, especially if one of them actually has magic that can nullify yours. He sighed, following closely behind the two girls. He kept watch over them, around them, as a stray shriek or two made it hard for him to concentrate fully. He shouldn’t have jumped right in, he thought to himself. He should’ve demanded more information from the short-haired girl, maybe made a plan before they went in. He stared daggers at the long-haired girl, mumbling, “Some things you just don’t punch your way into.” “Stay alert,” Iván murmured to his allies, being the first to see the men that spilled out of the window and onto the stony path. From how they dressed, they didn’t seem special. The strange shrieking, however, made Iván realize that they weren’t going to just go away either. “What are they doing?” The illusionist could only look in bewilderment as the two men started fighting each other. He had thought they’d both go after their trio, strangers to them, to their community, possible invaders that could endanger their way of life. But, no. The two men just started going at it against one another. It was a confusing turn of events for Iván. When the dust cleared, only one of the two men rose. The other was bloody, seemingly dead at this point. It wasn’t a pretty sight. What’s worse? The victor bit the loser dead. Bit him or ate a part of him? Iván couldn’t tell. Iván didn’t want to tell. Sure, there were three of them, they outnumbered the guy, but it’s pretty hard to get any confidence in battle when you’re up against someone who can just bite off a chunk of your flesh. Iván narrowed his eyes when he realized the short-haired girl had unintentionally caught the strange man’s attention. At least, he hoped it was unintentional. The long-haired girl would probably be the only one with a death wish, but if two of them shared that “quirk,” this group was done for. A stare and then a scream a few moments later and the cannibal was charging at them. The illusionist braced himself, keeping his eyes on the girls but at the same time preparing himself to roll out of the monster’s way. Although he had already expected it, he was still caught a little unprepared when the long-haired girl charged against the monster in turn. Her laugh did not inspire confidence in Iván. “What is she doing?!” The long-haired girl threw the rock, which she had been holding since attacking the guard earlier, right at the murderous man’s face before sliding right behind him. That was what she was doing. Iván didn’t take his time pondering on the pros and cons of her actions. Instead, he instinctively swiped his hand in the air, activating Assist Mode and bringing up a panel with his available spells. It did not take him long to choose his spell, aiming it immediately at their opponent. To both girls, it looked like the murderer just stopped dead in his tracks, struggling for no apparent reason. To the raging cannibal himself, he saw vines shoot out of the ground and wrap themselves over him, preventing him from reacting quickly to the long-haired girl’s attack. The illusion wouldn’t last long, however, Iván thought to himself. It wasn’t meant to last long. It was just a distraction, an opening, for the long-haired girl to strike again, this time more ferocious, this time to completely take him out. Spending too much energy on a distraction would not be efficient. Spending too much time, wasting too much time, in such a murderous presence would not be efficient. “Take him out now!” Iván called out to the girl with long hair.
Take him. Take him now. Moving from a low crouch, Eyas came up behind the illusionary restrained man, a gleam in her eyes. Something predatory, dark, and very very wrong came to the surface of the berserker's mind, as she brought an arm around the front of the man's neck, restraining him from behind, kicking out his knees to drop him below head level, so she wouldn't have to reach up. This man paid violence unto another, and would have it paid unto him. With a sound almost like a roar, she went in for the kill, blood splashing her face as she replicated his own killing blow. Latching on, ignoring the screams and hissing as she tightened her grip, Eyas took more and more of the man's throat out with every passing second, laying his carotid bare and even ripping that out with nought but her teeth. And she kept digging, even as he twitched in her arms. Eventually, she decided she was fun, spitting out a chunk of the man's neck and kicking his kneeling body face down into the dirt. Now, she was covered in blood. It was all over her face, her teeth, her chest, in her hair. But through it all, she never lost that wild smile, even chuckling to herself darkly after the man lay dead. But she wasn't satisfied with just killing this man. She wanted him destroyed. So she brought her foot up, then sharply down on the back of the man's head where his skull met his spine, breaking it with a sickening series of cracks and pops. It was only then she turned to the party members, wiping off her mouth. "Right. Let's get moving."
Yeah, she's definitely getting her cut of the rewards, Maddy thought to herself as she watched the excessive display of self-defense unfold. It was about fifty-fifty Eyas getting her into town and not wanting her own throat ripped free of her neck. Canvas sack of alchemy crap in one hand and a mana-charged tarot card in the other, the witch nodded in agreement and swiftly turned to continue towards the gate. We have to get the hell out of here, now. The three adventurers moved in silence, keeping vigilant watch for any other villagers that might go psycho and give chase. Hang a right, down a couple blocks, turn left. Only three minutes left to reach the gate. A howl from an alleyway sent a chill down Madison's spine. She made the mistake of turning to see where the noise was coming from. A scruffy-bearded man wearing a tattered tunic caked in mud and filth tumbled out of the shadows, that same look of bloodlust in his eyes. Madison didn't think. She immediately raised threw the card into the air. A flash of purple, a bolt of evil magic. The man fell to the ground, screaming his throat raw as he clawed at the flesh rotting off his face. His cries were joined by those of others who still remained out of sight. Madison had no intention of discovering where they were coming from. She immediately broke into a full run towards the city gate.
Iván just stood there, jaw dropped, as the violent showcase by the long-haired girl came to a close. He knew she was capable of physical brutality but he never expected her to be that violent. A punch here, a kick there, a knee to the face, maybe even a stiff forearm to the side of the head… But ripping the man’s throat, not just once but more times than he could count, not just with her hands but with her own teeth, was definitely something that Iván did not expect from the long-haired girl. Not that he didn’t appreciate how efficient it was. On the contrary, Iván could admire the quickness the long-haired girl showed in achieving their minor, short-term goal. She was precise, not as precise as he had hoped but close enough, and straight to the point, the point being the elimination of this threat. Truth be told, if the crazed cannibal survived the long-haired girl, Iván wasn’t sure if the short-haired girl and himself could survive any longer. The short-haired girl had powerful magic, at least Iván assumed, but he did not know if she could maintain that against such a rage-focused brute. He would probably have a better chance at cloaking himself and exiting the screen, but he honestly didn’t want to do that. They were so close to finishing the quest and getting the rewards. It would be such a shame if they ended up dead at this point. Iván nodded at the blood-soaked girl, narrowing his eyes at her under those goggles. She was definitely an asset, a physical one, but without knowing her mindset, she could still prove to be a dangerous ally. That kind of violence could easily be turned against them, given the right magic, and this place wasn’t trustworthy. For all they knew, the man they just murdered was a product of such magic. Fighting something they didn’t know a lot about wasn’t smart. It was just dangerous. As soon as the long-haired girl started walking towards their exit, Iván followed suit. He no longer waited for the bloody girl, realizing that she might be more suited to watch their backs. He wasn’t just going to turn his on her, though. He would be keeping tabs on both of them. Iván wasn’t the best at physical combat. He had to watch his own neck to survive just in case it ended up in that arena. Another howl and Iván instinctively swallowed air. It was the atmosphere, the lack of knowledge regarding the threats they were facing, that made him less sure of his survival. Nonetheless, he would persist, he would stay vigilant. Despite that doubt, that fear, Iván knew that there was only one thing to do at times like these, "Stay alert." Iván wasn’t as quick to find the new threat, but the long-haired girl with the cards was. He watched, in complete bewilderment, when she felled the bearded man with one of her magic cards. The display was just as disgusting but Iván could appreciate how the girl with the cards didn’t have to exert as much physical effort. It was all magic. Dark, disgusting, face-rotting magic. More unseen cries… Iván was starting to believe shit had yet to hit the fan when the long-haired girl bolted towards the gate. He had no choice, not that he would opt for anything else, but run.
Eyas remained at a calm walk. She had the smell of blood in her now, and something shifted about her. She was more wild, more primal, even if she physically didn't appear much different. Other than being coated in blood, anyways. The gate was there. There were people surrounding her, and like hell was she going to run and draw attention. Rather, she pulled a few bandages and slowly wrapped her hand and replaced the rock in it. Then she wrapped the other hand, taking maybe thirty seconds to do so. She had time to observe the man's flesh melting off. That was... something. She'd call it brutal, but at the same time, she'd just ripped a man's throat out with her teeth. So she wasn't one to make any comment, just gave a noncommittal grunt as her allies broke into a run. She just shook her head, staying calm and not running herself. Better not to. If something caught her on the run, she'd have trouble adjusting to the sudden assault. Instead, the brawler just kept at her own pace, keeping her senses tuned to the potential for assault from another direction. These things were fast, sure, but nothing was getting the drop on her if she stayed alert. One minute. She passed the next alleyway, her partners probably having gotten to the gate by now. Eyas couldn't hear any sounds of combat from them, so she took her time to clear corners, moving with a near-silent tread, face locked into a steely glare of focus. Nothing was coming, right? Thirty seconds. Then she was at the gate, cracking a dull smile. "Next?"
Will you hurry the fuck up, Madison seethed as Eyas meandered towards the gate where she and Iván stood. Her pale blue eyes were darting every which way, looking for anyone or anything that might try and ambush them as they tried to leave town. As of that moment, it seemed like they were alone--but you never knew when something else streaking blood from their eyes would pounce from the shadows. The witch's knuckles were white and her fingers ached as she gripped the rust-flecked iron ring that would lead them outside. Any second now, Eyas would be close enough where Madison could snatch her by the collar, yank open the giant wooden door, toss her through, and shut it behind them. There was this... look in the girl's eyes, though. Something that begged for more chances to break bones and shed blood. This look of momentary insanity, as if whatever held the town in its grasp had pushed itself into her mind as well. For a moment, Madison considered slipping through the gate herself and hanging out until Eyas had her fill of ultra-violence, but she wasn't sure she had that much time to spare. So she went with her original plan. With the door securely closed behind them, Madison rested against it and took a deep breath. She held it in, willing her mind and body to calm the hell down. Her temples pounded, lungs burned, muscles ached. She nearly forgot that she wasn't much more physically fit in the game than she was in real life. There, a steady diet of ramen, hot dogs, and pizza kept her alive just enough to walk to work and back every day. Here, it didn't matter what she ate; she would just have to remember to dump a couple points into Wellness or whatever. Maybe Mobility. Madison barely noticed the guard, who stood braced against the mossy stone archway to her left. Not until he wheezed at them, anyway. "J-just... Go away..." His words were shaky and laced with pain and adrenaline. The flaring pain hex must not have completely worn off yet. The guard didn't even bother to draw his sword and point it at the trio--probably for the best, considering Eyas's willingness to break his face the first time around. "Go away," he sputtered, "and tell no one what so may have seen here today." Madison gave a long, tired sigh. "Won't have to tell me twice." She nodded to her two companions. "Come on. Let's go cash this shit in." The walk down the road towards the alchemist's hut was only a couple miles. They made pretty good time, all things considered. But that had more to do with the game world's peculiar sense of distance and scale than anything. The sun was still poking out from the horizon when she knocked on the ramshackle front door. "Come in," came a meek voice from behind it. And so she did. Probably a bit more violently than necessary. The door crashed against the wall and rebounded shut as Madison dragged her two companions inside the little hovel. Dirty, messy, littered with various instruments and ingredients, and thick with various odors that she could not and did not want to try and place, it was just as unpleasant to be in as it was the first time around, when she accepted the quest. The alchemist sat in his chair, leg wrapped in a cast as the broken limb slowly healed. Madison made no effort to be pleasant as she handed him the canvas bag with the stuff he requested. "Here's your stupid crap. Mind telling me why you sent me to die in that hellhole?" The old man cocked his head to the side. "I'm sorry? I didn't send you to die, young lady--I sent you on a simple errand--" Madison's grip on the bag tightened as he tried to take it. "Bullshit. You neglected to mention what's going on in that town." Her steely gaze narrowed, her eye shooting daggers into the alchemist's heart. "Shortly after leaving the shop with this stuff, we were attacked by multiple people. This one here saved our asses." The witch jabbed a thumb over her shoulder towards Eyas. She slid a tarot card out from her sleeve and flashed it at the old bastard. The moment it hit the air, it ignited in cold, purple fire. The alchemist took one look at it, and was overcome with horror. "Answers. Now. Or that leg of yours is going to be the least of your problems." His face contorted in a myriad of emotions. "Very well, if you insist." Madison released her grip on the bag, but continued to hold her spell at the ready. The spidery man nearly toppled over in his chair as he clutched the ingredients. He tore open the bag and rifled through its contents, mumbling to himself as he took stock. Satisfied that everything was there, he gingerly set the bag on the floor. Small glass vials clinked and clanked as they settled. The alchemist shifted his weight around to make himself comfortable. "To make a long story incredibly short, the entire village is cursed. Everyone inside those walls, man, woman, child, animal, doesn't matter--they have been touched by dark magic. A warlock showed up, demanded some book long lost to time that he believed was kept there, and was ordered by the council to leave." He shook his head. "He left, all right... But not before casting a spell over the entire town. Everyday, at dusk, those who live there are overcome with incurable fits of violent anger. Anything or anyone they see, they destroy. The warlock claimed he would lift the curse if he was given the book." "And the council won't?" "Not won't; can't," the old man said, pointing a finger at Madison. "They don't have it. Nobody has it. It's been lost for... two-hundred years, now? Nobody knows where the thing is, but the warlock won't hear any of it." The alchemist opened his mouth to continue, but was overcome with a coughing fit. Old people tend to do that an awful lot. "Probably for the best," he finally said once he regained control of himself. "The magic contained within it is best lost to time." ...which immediately piqued Madison's interest. The more and more she played around with hexes and curses, the more she enjoyed them. It didn't help that her love of books--collecting, reading, using, abusing--had carried over from the real world. So if she could find a lead on something that could scratch both of those itches... "Anyway, a couple members of the council, aware of my presence here in the woods, have asked me to help them with their troubles." The old man's brow furrowed slightly, lines of frustration forming on his face. "I'm not very knowledgeable of the kind of ails that plague them, but I know a thing or two about mixing potions that could serve as a temporary reprieve. That's what I needed this stuff for." He gave the bag of ingredients a quick rattle for emphasis. "And now that you're here," he continued, "I suppose you'd like to collect your reward." Madison's lips pursed. "Yeah. About that..." The alchemist arched an eyebrow. "Give this one an equal reward," she said, nodding her head towards Eyas. Madison remembered that the Creepy Hoodie Guy was there with them too, when they were getting attacked. He hadn't done much to keep her alive, but she figured that if this old fuck felt it unnecessary to warn her about the dangers that she faced that afternoon, then she'd fleece him for as much as she possibly could. "And him too," she motioned towards Iván. "Or I take that sack of ingredients and leave."
Iván couldn’t keep his eyes off of the short-haired girl as she calmly made her way towards them. She still had blood on her, literally, which made her appear like some sort of savage. If they hadn’t been introduced, somewhat, outside of this place, he could’ve assumed she was one of these creatures. Maybe she was. He didn’t exactly know her name, where she was from, so that didn’t rule out the theory. Still, she could’ve just killed them while they were both distracted by her supposed kind. She also didn’t lose control. At least not like the guy she murdered. Iván smirked when she smiled at them, noticing that the long-haired girl did not appreciate being made to wait like that. It was interesting, very interesting. He was more surprised that the guard was still at the gate. He looked like he needed a medic, a healer. Iván sighed, realizing they could’ve just let him use his magic on him, saved him some pain and facial problems. Meh. It still worked out in the end, so what’s the point crying over spilled milk? Iván narrowed his eyes at the guard, ignoring the two girls as they moved on, “What happened here?” The guard responded with an icy stare. Iván kept the eye contact, forcing him to answer his question by virtue of the guard not wanting to see him any longer, “You saw it firsthand. What do you think happened here?” “A curse?” The guard did not respond. Instead, he looked away. Iván chalked that one up as a positive answer. It was the most likely scenario. Why else would he stand outside here, guarding an entire town, if it was just filled with monsters? Surely, a couple of heroes, even royalty, would’ve marched down here and nuked the place. Besides, that rude merchant or whatever didn’t turn into a monster until a few minutes after. The entire place was quiet before shit hit the fan. There were terms and conditions to the transformation. It was most probably a curse. Iván was able to catch up with the girls, all of them ending up in a small hut where a timid voice welcomed them, only for the girl with the cards to respond violently. That surprised Iván, though he knew it shouldn’t have. She probably wasn’t expecting that kind of welcome in that town. This crippled slob probably left out that kind of information from her. The way she threatened him made Iván smile. The slob’s reaction made that smile wider. “Hmm, I was right,” Iván murmured to himself after the cripple caved in to the girl’s demand for information. The entire town was cursed and by a warlock who was looking for a book. Twice, the man mentioned the book being lost in time. That piqued Iván’s curiosity. As someone who was interested in magic associated with the concept of time, he wanted to find out more information. “What warlock? What book?” The alchemist turned to Iván, surprised at his questions, “I-I don’t know. I wasn’t there when it happened. I mean, I’d be stuck in that town, too, if I was. I’d be one of those things. All I know is what I’ve heard. Warlock, book, cursed…” “You don’t care, the council just asked you to help, probably with some promised rewards after you succeed,”Iván sighed, looking away, looking all over his place. He wanted to see if there was anything there worth taking, physically or perhaps more importantly mentally. Maybe the old man was lying and he did know something about the book. That was starting to sound unlikely, what with all this junk lying around. Iván made a mental note to come back to this place, to this man, alone and on some other time. If he really was lying about knowing anything about the book, Iván would find it more fun to play with him on his own. He gave the short-haired girl a little bow after she demanded the alchemist to give Iván his fair share of the reward. That gave him the opportunity he needed. “If you have any, I can relieve you of some old books,” he grinned under his hood.
Eyas was pretty simple, really. She didn't want anything from this man. Her reward was fine, and she took hers with no trouble. She could tell this man was already shaken enough by the brutality of her comrades, so she just patted his head as she turned, walking back out of the house, leaving a handprint of blood on the top of his head. Gross, and probably pretty disturbing given the circumstances, but hey. It was a motion of her not going to kill him, even if she watched him visibly flinch away from her. No, she left the house, waiting just outside with her rock seated comfortably in her pocket. There was nothing of great value to her in there, so she'd just hang out and wait for the other two to conclude their business, running her fingers through her hair and squeezing the blood out of it. She wanted to know who these people were, if only for the matter of the potential need for allies. It wasn't anything deeper than that: these two were useful, and she'd be remiss in not keeping contact with them. Was simply better than losing contact. Plus, they got her paid. So. She'd play nice. "Out here for when you're done."
Madison felt a little bad for squeezing the old alchemist for everything he was worth as she left his messy little hovel. Clearly, the village council wasn't paying him enough to find a fix for their predicament as it was, but she forced him to give up an awful lot for what was supposed to be a simple fetch quest. Well, that's what happens when you withhold critical information and send her to almost die surrounded by a bunch of bloodthirsty madmen with nothing to defend herself but some apprentice-level spells. As Maddy shut the door behind her, she caught Eyas lingering nearby. The dour brawler stood aloof, her brown hair swaying in the evening breeze. She was clearly hanging around for some reason. The witch approached her and offered a nod. "'Sup." Madison finished counting her gold and stashing it into her inventory before continuing. "Hey, you were pretty great back there. With the biting and rock punching and whatnot." The witch offered a shrug. "So, uhh, thanks for helping out." That familiar feeling of social anxiety crept in. Madison was never good at conversing with other people, either in real life and via digital avatars. But at least with Eyas, she felt she had some sort of common ground in doing whatever it took to finish the job and their complete disregard for fighting fairly. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were stuck on the tip of her tongue. Am I about to make a friend? The notion was odd to her. Only a week or two fresh out of character creation, and she'd spent her time wandering Brisshal, getting used to Terrasphere's game systems and limitations (which, to her infinite delight, seemed to be few and far between). The budding witch had bounced from place to place, never settling in for longer than a simple quest or two before moving on. She had met some decent people; some useful, others a complete waste of time. But there was something different about Eyas. Green but capable, no-nonsense if not a little on the intense side... Someone Madison thought would be very handy to have around as she eked out her niche in this strange new world. Maybe she'd start with an introduction. Something simple. Goddamn, making friends is hard. "My name's Madison, by the way. Madison Freebird."
She had taken the brief moment's reprieve to wipe the blood off her face and gear. She'd probably have to go shower or bathe or whatever soon enough, but for now she would just clean what she could. Already, the brawler was wiping the blood off her skin, using spit and the edge of the rock for the particularly grisly bits. It was bitter work, but the consequences of her taking things a tad too far. And then Madison was there, and she offered a nod as she kept her scrubbing up, trying to keep herself somewhat presentable. She was... being thanked? That was something new. So this was what it was like to have two socially awkward people interact. "Yeah. No problem. Was fun." Which it was, she just had to keep a lid on her wild side for now. It would be better to not drive people away for her being so brutal. A weapon would be nice, would be something to get nice and closer without being right on top of them. Plus, anything that let her not literally rip somebody's throat out was a plus. She'd work on a katana, even if she had to get the damn materials herself. Better to do things herself anyways. Even with that thought, she halfway checked her hip for the sword she was so used to being there. Of course it wasn't there. Right, whatever. Friend time. "Name's Eyas. Nice to fight with you." And with that, she held out a bloodied hand to shake, trying to be polite about it.
"Yeah," she said, her lips twisting into a thin smile. "Definitely was." Madison hesitated for a moment as she looked at Eyas's outstretched hand. It was still covered with congealed blood from her, uh, completely dismantling of another human being. But then she remembered that, hey, Terrasphere is a game, and that wasn't a real person. And that she also has some pretty creative kills to her name in other VRMMOs she played. The witch extended her hand, and gave Eyas's a firm shake. She could definitely feel tha sticky, gooey crap pressing against her skin. It was all she could do to stifle a look of disgust on her face. Madison released the brawler's hand with a noise that was somewhere between a pop and a schlorp. She resisted the urge to wipe the viscera off on her leggings, thus giving her even more shit to clean up after this. "So," she began awkwardly, a boot scuffing the dirt below, "I was thinking. We made a hell of a team. I figure it'd be nice, y'know..." Madison took a deep breath and exhaled. Every instinct she had was telling her to stop right there young lady. She'd never been good at making friends, even when she was younger. But this Eyas--she was pretty neat. Incredibly handy to have in a fight. Wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty, and Madison greatly respected that. She shrugged her shoulders and forced the words out. "Maybe we could do this again sometime? Find some trouble, crush some skulls, make some cash?" The black-haired woman met Eyas's gaze. "Whattaya say?"
Plorp. She couldn't help but almost snicker at the sound it made. That was a familiar thing to her, all right. Coated in blood and disgusting everybody else. She liked the idea of teaming up, they seemed go well together. Plus, she wasn't unattractive. Eh, couldn't be bad. "Know what? Sure, let's go. Always up for some trouble."
“Old…books?” the man grunted, keeping his eyes on Iván. Normally, when anyone speaks of rewards, what comes to mind first is gold followed shortly by useful loot such as weapons or armors and to an extent even something that would sell, that would get the lucky few more gold. It’s all about boosting your power, whether physically or financially. Books, especially old ones, didn’t always fit that category. The keyword was always. “There’s probably some in that shelf, behind you. I’d get you one myself but…” The alchemist gestured to his leg. Although Iván carried a hammer around, which he often used to smash people’s faces in, he was first and foremost a magic-user. Terra Sphere was a strange game, in that its AI was pretty impressed, more so than other VR games. Iván theorized that maybe the AI wasn’t the only thing that was impressive. Maybe there were other parts of the game that Players could interact with and earn massive boosts to aspects of their characters. He wondered if books, old ones, especially from this man whom he felt was more than he seemed, could contain secret spells, anything that would enhance and bolster his illusion magic, really. He was wrong. At least in this instance, he was. The old books the alchemists pointed him to? Most of which were other dictionaries or encyclopedias. Iván turned to look at him, eyes narrowed, only to get a shrug and a pathetic fake smile. This was a bust. There was nothing here he could use. Sighing, and realizing something was better than nothing, Iván took three books, cookbooks, one of which had curry on its cover. “What about this?” Iván deadpanned, shaking the book in his hand to catch the man’s attention. “Oh, uhh, yeah,” the alchemist squinted, craning his neck forward to catch a glimpse of what Iván had in his hands. “You can have those. Not sure why I have them anyway. Cooking has never been my forte.” Great, Iván thought to himself. Just great. He got out of the alchemist’s abode just in time to see the short-haired girl and the long-haired girl talking to each other. Iván caught none of their conversation, but he could feel some sort of tension in the air. Are they going to make out? He winced at that imagery. Nodding to each of them, Iván started to walk away, cookbooks under his arm.
