“Aria, I’m going down to the convenience store to get some snacks. Want anything?” Yvette asked her friend while taking a long stretch.

“Yes. Diet Coke and Nachos with salsa please!” Aria promptly replied.

“Not afraid that you’ll get fat?”

“Oh, shut it! I had a long day, alright! I ought to be rewarded!” The Archmagus pursed her lips and threw her head down on the cushion. “Oh and get me some vanilla ice-cream if there’s stock.”

“Aria, do you intend to buy the entire store?” Finn chided the lazy woman. “Also, you can’t burden Miss Yvette that much. She can’t carry all of that!”

“Aren’t you pampering Yvette too much?” Aria snorted. “She’s not THAT weak!”

“Still...” Finn glanced over at the blonde elf who was grinning from ear to ear. Yvette was doing a grocery run to get snacks for the entire group, and that included Finn’s own drinks and food. Usually, it would be the muscular man that would be sent down for those errands, but unfortunately, Finn was under strict orders to stay in bed. If not for those pesky doctors, Finn would unquestionably take Yvette’s place as a porter.

“There’s a simple solution to this. I’ll escort Miss Yvette!” Seeing that a bottleneck had been reached, Luke raised his hands with an earnest vigour. He skipped his way towards the door and like a gentleman, held it open for Yvette to pass. “A shopping date! Hehe, I’ve lucked out. After you, your highness.”

The blonde elf chuckled. “You hardly pass as a man suitable to escort a princess.”

“Ah! You calling me ugly?”

“Nah...” Yvette walked out of the door, keeping her answer tight in her chest. It wasn’t until they both exited the room that she replied with a mocking tone. “Not ugly, very ugly.”

“Hey! Damn you… Alright, see you two in a bit!” Luke waved his arms back and abruptly closed the door. Neither of his eyes were focused on the fatigued Aria nor the physically impaired Finn. They were both attached to the blonde elf that was skipping down the hallway and towards the lift to the convenience store.

Finn watched this all unfold, unable to raise a single sound. Physically, he was drained. But every time Yvette arrived to nurse him, the High Paladin felt a new burst of energy pulsating through his veins. His complexion would become better and his expression, which was as dark as can be, beamed in pure radiance. However, as he watched Yvette disappear through the door with Luke, his heart felt like it was pricked with a few needles.

“Is it fine? To leave them like that?” Aria noticed that slight change and raised the silent question.

“What do you mean?”

“... nothing.”

The moment Aria asked that question, Finn reverted back to his normal state, as if nothing ever happened. He was still the reliable block of wood that supported Aria through the toughest times, or at least… he appeared to be.

‘Ahhh, Yvette... You’re such a vixen.’ Aria looked away from Finn and continued to relax on the comfy hospital couch. ‘Whatever, I have other things to worry about… Let them sort their relationship on their own.’

❖❖❖

The trip down to the convenience store was fast. Finn was being kept in the most accessible ward of the hospital to ensure that every patient had easy access to every single facility that the hospital had to offer. If one wanted to walk in their award-winning orchid garden with countless designer sculptures, they only needed a minute to reach there. If one wanted to get some exercise, there was a fully-equipped gym in the basement of that building. If one wanted to socialise with other patients, there was a recreational room with an array of games and social space.

Visiting the convenience store? The patients in the ward only needed to walk a few steps. The lifts and escalators would do the rest. Yvette entered the shop with her mental list of things to buy, quickly finding a basket to store them in. However, with luxury, came first-world problems. The convenience store was about the size of half a football field, with shelves upon shelves of products to offer.

Want a drink? There were about three hundred varieties. Bored with stale hospital food? There was a food court attached within the convenience store that freshly cooked healthy plates that could easily win a food competition or two. Want to find chips and sweets? There were literally over a thousand variations. It was more of a department store than a convenience one that ruled the smaller streets of Yudonia.

Yvette wasn’t overwhelmed, though. She may not be a local, but the woman had been cooking dishes for Aria ever since she first shared an apartment with her. Yvette had long become accustomed to shopping in Yudonia. Skating around the shop like a professional, Yvette dragged Luke by the nose and hopped from shelf to shelf. She picked out Aria’s choice of food so quickly that one might think that she owned the store.

However, even the masterful elf had her own conundrums…

“Mister Luke, you’ve known Finn the longest. Would he prefer almonds or cashews?” Yvette picked two packets up and asked Luke for his opinion.

“Honestly… Neither,” Luke replied with a frown. “That big guy eats pure meat and nothing but meat! That’s how he keeps himself that thick! I’ve never seen him eating nuts before.”

“Well, he doesn’t have a choice now, does he? His body is in a state of recovery. He can’t eat steaks or lean meat as of now. Nuts are high in fibre and offer a substantial amount of fats and protein. Eating them will be good for Mister Finn.”

“Hasn’t he been getting by with hospital food?” Luke asked curiously.

“Hospital food tends to lack flavour since their kitchens cater to all the sick patients it has. I’ve tasted it, and I can honestly say… it’s quite lacklustre.” Yvette’s smile turned into a frown. Yesterday, when Finn was having trouble finishing his lunch, the blonde elf snuck a mouthful. And honestly… it was as repulsive as the rumours say. Even as an elf who rarely tasted meat back in Elfheim, Yvette could tell that the food offered by the hospital was hardly of the gourmet quality.

“You know what… I’ll get him both.” Yvette threw both the packets into her basket and quickly moved onto the next aisle. Finn was a big guy. Just two packets of nuts weren’t going to cut it. If she could, Yvette would love to get some low-sodium jerky for the man, if the convenience store has those. And her dedication didn’t go unnoticed.

“Hmmm, you’re really going all-out for Finn. Did something special happen between the two of you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Luke scratched the bottom of his chin, unsure of how to bring up his next point delicately. “You keep visiting him in the hospital and even tend to his nursing needs. No person would go that far for someone that isn’t a friend… So I was wondering, how did that meathead seduce you?”

“Seduce? Haha, you’ve got it wrong Mister Luke. Nothing is going on between Mister Finn and me.”

“So why are you so familiar with Finn?” Luke pressed.

“That… I can’t really put it into words.” Yvette tilted her head with a tinge of doubt clouding over her eyes. “He was the only one that I could talk to, with Aria busy with the ancient man. Furthermore, I’m a healer! One of the best, in fact! Taking care of a friend who’s injured seems to be a natural thing for me.”

Yvette replied with ease as the pair strolled towards the drinks section. She picked out a bottle of tonic tea, one that was good for blood circulation for her hospitalised friend. It was evident that she was familiar with the procedure, and Luke couldn’t question it.

“Taking care of a friend, huh...” Luke sneakily took glances into Yvette’s pretty eyes, trying to pick up any signs of hesitation. Being one who had a long dating history, Luke was familiar with all sorts of expressions that girls put out. Whether a woman was infatuated or turned off. Whether she had an interest in a man or was plain disgusted. Luke had seen it all.

‘Her eyes… They’re as pure as crystals...’

The twenty-seven-year-old lost himself for a few moments. Luke first gazed into her eyes and slowly went down to her shining upturned nose. That wasn’t all, her glossy lips made the experienced man lose his breath, and her adorable long ears that twitched on occasion seemed to be begging for someone to nibble on them. Luke had to manually pinch himself to get his mind back on track.

“S-so… If I was the one lying on that bed, would you do the same for me?”

“Of course? Why would you ask that?” Unaware of how much Luke was staring at her, Yvette answered without moving her eyes away from the drinks.

“Stating it as if it were a matter of fact, huh?”

“Hmmm? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing!” Luke smiled and shuffled his feet forward. He reached down towards Yvette’s hands and grabbed the other side of the shopping basket that she had. “It must be heavy, let me carry that!”

“Ah, playing the gentleman I see! Too bad, Mister Luke! I’ve heard all about your exploits from Aria to fall into that honey trap!”

“Haha, just humour me for once! I can’t just sit by and let a girl carry everything while I stand there empty-handed! That’s why I’m escorting you, ain’t I?”

“I’ll take you up on that offer then!” Yvette replied with a smile.

“Also… Don’t be so distant, it’s Luke.” Abashed, Luke corrected Yvette. “We’ve known each other for a while… Adding honorifics just makes us seem like strangers.”

“Okay! You drop the miss as well!”

“Sure thing… Yvette.”

“Hehe~”