relief washed over her, as her shoulder was bumped to the side, rocking her a little on the stool.

she still had hardly touched her first drink. the idea of getting drunk around niko, especially without knowing him well enough, was hardly relaxing.

looking over at him, and forcing a light smile, she picked her drink back up and took a hefty sip.

”i’m kind of a slow drinker.”

NIKO MANNER

”i know.”

and she was still very much adjusting.

evasively, her eyes passed down the bar away from him, before finally returning after a short moment of thought.

”i’m willing to do whatever i need to do.”

NIKO MANNER

well. that was good, at least.

trying not to give away that she was bothered, she shrugged and finally let her eyes leave him casually.

”you’re probably right.”

she then fidgeted a little with a nail, stare dropping to idly inspect the stain around it.

”why do you ask? how i feel about it?”

NIKO MANNER

king was intense, and she found herself questioning her own preferences. was she a well-done girl? what was a well-done girl?

her eyes traveled, as though searching for the answers. it took her a moment before she put it together.

oh. burgers. duh.

”no, i like medium.” if it was a burger. after a pause, she clarified, ”medium-rare if it’s a steak.”

KING WAYLAND

her eyes didn’t leave him at the sound, but she did sigh lightly, setting her drink atop the bar. she’d taken only a light sip.

would she have hit the old man?

”if i had to.”

by design, she had less of a poker face for those she worked for.

NIKO MANNER

it wasn’t that she didn’t. it was that she’d been trained to turn them down. to not engage. she’d had jobs to do, and boyfriends got jealous. got in the way, they’d said—and it’d been true, whenever she’d strayed. so, loneliness had been a way of life, and it had stuck with her. it was too easy to say ‘no.’

”not really,” she lied, clearing her throat and adjusting to lean a couple inches closer over the table. willing herself to appear more comfortable. ”i’m having a burger, since they’re killer.”

KING WAYLAND

she blinked, her face stretching a little in a way that would make it clear she’d been caught off guard by his question. because it was a weird one… right?

quickly, she checked her expression.

”i don’t know. i… fine, i guess.” was niko some kind of sadist?

NIKO MANNER

her mouth twitched at his change of preference, briefly amused.

how’d she feel about it?

”uh…” not great. ”i mean, i could have probably done better the second time.”

she wasn’t used to not getting what she went for. to having others step in. it had been a wild stroke of bad luck, almost to the point of hilarity, but she wasn’t laughing.

NIKO MANNER

a burger didn’t sound bad. she hadn’t had one in a while. and that meant she didn’t have to look at the menu anymore, not that it was much exhausting read, anyways

she didn’t want to tell him that this was a first. it was embarrassing. she realized she was out of touch, despite years of having been on her own.

how did one simply stop being disconnected?

”i’m fine.” her tone was light, and indeed, fine. ”and… no, not really.”

KING WAYLAND

”mm. i believe you.”

she took a menu only after he did, but her attention was more on him than the restaurant’s small selection. when he spoke, she’d already been looking again, caught in a brief glance he presumably didn’t see, as he did seem focused on the food. which was fine with her.

processing, she pressed her lips in a line, and being the butt of the joke caused her stare to list off to the side. something akin to an eyeroll, but less dismissive.

”well, i wasn’t planning on it...”

KING WAYLAND

it was cozy, she discovered. her eyes wandered around, though were quickly pulled towards king’s somewhat hostile interaction. it caught her off guard, and her stare lingered briefly.

at his gesture, she gave another small, pressed smile—one that could only be described as polite—before moving past him to lead the way with raised eyebrows.

she sat down at their designated booth, unfurling her scarf and setting her things beside her. hands then laced in her lap, her thumbnails snapping over each other nervously.

KING WAYLAND