29th Dawn - Unfolding Opportunities

Though a bit touched by Lewis's confession, it's all too sudden.

I remain befuddled about everything, or perhaps I'm just refusing to believe that his words are all true. But then, this is Lewis - a man of wisdom and faultless speeches. He has no reason to lie.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I know I told you that I'd tell you everything about me after that art exhibition, but it turned out that I wasn't prepared yet," Lewis muttered with a downcast gaze.

One minute it's about me, then on the next, it's suddenly him, but I'll just take that as his way of changing topics. He just probably doesn't want to divulge his thoughts about our first meeting too much, but now that he said that, I think it's more appropriate to say that he isn't really ready about confessing so many things at this point.

He's indeed a reserved fellow.

"I understand, Lewis. You shouldn't apologize for that. I'm grateful enough that you listened to me," I replied, smiling at him as I wipe my tear-stricken face.

What followed is his series of solacing encouragement. He continued to cheer me up for a while longer, but even if he didn't try too hard, the thought was already enough to lift my spirits up. When I finally calmed down, I decided to swivel our conversation back to our original topic.

"Hey, Lewis, does unisex clothing exist here?"

"Unisex? What's that?"

I blink at him in bafflement. Though I know such a thing's considered a blasphemy in this city, I still believed it still exists somewhere around here. Then again, Ellicht doesn't have much progress when it comes to fashion. For a while after that, I tell Lewis about unisex fashion, which I simply define as clothing that's suitable for both male and female.

He's quite stunned after hearing it.

"Do you want to be a designer, Lily?" he asked out of nowhere, much to my surprise.

"I don't know much about dressmaking, though. I just draw what comes to my mind," I simply answered.

Lewis seems to be mulling something for a moment. That's until he fishes two cards out of his pocket and offers them to me.

"Isn't it about time to know what exactly is your passion?" he questioned with a smile.

I then peer at the business cards he lends me. One of them has the company name of "Freya" while the other is from an individual named "Alexander Carter". Lewis proceeds to tell me about what happened during the art exhibition yesterday and how my portrait became the center of controversy and a rising anomaly overnight. It turned out that both my uncommon features and my peculiar accessories in that painting had stood out and stirred the crowd. Consequently, these business cards were handed out to him.

"Now, it really feels like you just sold my soul to the devil," I muttered incredulously, face blenching as his revelation sinks in. Eventually, I realized that this is probably the reason why people were looking at me earlier.

"Why don't we go to Freya's salon tomorrow? Considering it's a clothing company, let's see what it has to offer," Lewis replied, flummoxing me.

"Are you sure? What if it's a prank?"

"Why would someone pull off a prank at that time? You worry too much. I assure you it's not a fraud."

I just frown at him, unamused. Rather than being worried, what I feel is more of disbelief. I'm not sure what I'd feel about being controversial, but the fact that I caught the attention of two entrepreneurs is mind-blowing. I was just sitting on that drawing. I don't know what's so great about it.

However, this is probably an important cue, hopefully one that'd lead to an apprenticeship.

"Okay, let's do it! Thank you for telling me, Lewis."

"No problem."

With that, we decided to meet up again tomorrow.

---

"I do have concerns about this, Lewis."

Julius peers at his friend who's sitting across from him and silently indulging himself in a cup of tea. Evening already fell, and Lewis just parted ways with Lillian a while ago. They're now inside the same cafe they visited yesterday.

"Didn't you promise to leave the day after tomorrow? What were you thinking when you said you wanted to extend it? Mr. Flynn would be mad, and I bet your father would kill you," he continued, deeply troubled.

"Just one more week. I still have something important to do," Lewis simply replied with a tranquil expression.

"Is this about Lady Lillian again?"

When he remains silent, Julius just heaves an exhausted sigh. Earlier, he was flummoxed when his friend suddenly told him about the change in plans. He said he wants to stay for a while longer despite his agreement with his uncle. This only happened after his meeting with Lillian this afternoon, which must mean that he's just probably not ready to say his farewells yet.

After all, it's impossible for them to meet again after Lewis leaves.

"I'll take responsibility, Julius. If they want to punish me by locking me up or something, I'll do it."

At that, Julius can no longer argue. Lewis is certainly onto something, probably more than not being prepared to separate from his friend.

---

On the next day, I decided to wear a headband and tie my hair into a side ponytail with a scrunchie since Lewis requested to follow my attire on that portrait.

Our meeting place this time is a distinguished shopping district near the town square. It's a sunny afternoon and the place is currently crowded. While waiting in the shade underneath a tree, I survey the surroundings and try to find something that can pique my interest. There's a lot of fascinating stuffs here, including flashy shops and well-dressed patrons.

It's all peaceful and serene despite the bustles and hustles.

But that's until a loud scream erupts out of nowhere.