Masked feelings

"Alright, you two, you're on duty as a waitress and a maid," the granny said, marching up to Kaia and Yona, who were standing perfectly still like they'd just been told to hold a pose for a portrait.

Kaia leaned in toward Yona, whispering, "Wait, is there a real difference between a waitress and a maid?"

Yona shot her a look, rolling her eyes. "Of course there is, genius!" she whispered back, voice dripping with sarcasm. "A maid takes care of the rooms—making beds, cleaning up, that sort of thing. A waitress, on the other hand, is the one running around the main hall, serving drinks, chatting with guests, and making sure the party doesn't turn into a disaster. This place has rooms for people who travel long distances, you know."

"Ah, got it. So what's the plan?" Kaia asked, eager to dive in.

Yona's grin was all mischief. "The maid gets to check out the rooms while the party's going on. If I find anything... interesting, you, as the waitress, can take the guest to their room with some excuse, and we'll catch them in the act."

Kaia's face twisted in doubt. "I don't know, sounds like we'll mess it up."

Yona's grin turned into a playful glare. "You really want to find out the hard way?"

"Alright, alright, enough with the chatter!" Granny scolded, wagging her finger at them. "Go get changed already. You're not getting any tips standing around like statues!"

Present.....

"And that's how we ended up in this mess," Kaia muttered, glancing at Yona, who was already plotting their next move. "So, what now, senior?"

Yona's face lit up with an exaggerated grin. "Ah, nothing better than hearing you call me that. Makes me feel all important." She stretched her arm out—then froze, her face turning a shade of red that screamed embarrassment. She quickly pulled her arm back.

Kaia raised an eyebrow. "Were you about to try magic? Don't tell me you forgot we're both powerless."

"Magic? Me? Never!" Yona laughed nervously, waving her hands like she was swatting away a fly. "I just... uh, I was checking my arm's length, you know. Gotta make sure it's still there." She turned away with a proud huff.

Kaia scratched the back of her head. "Okay, but... what was suspicious in his room?"

Yona gave a dramatic flourish and tossed the mattress aside. Beneath it, a pile of books with strange, eerie covers lay hidden.

"Looks like someone's a bookworm," Kaia said, eyeing the pile.

"No, no—these aren't just any books," Yona corrected, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "These are forbidden. You know, the kind of books nobody's allowed to see. And they're not the only ones. People have been smuggling these things like crazy."

Kaia blinked. "But if the Apostle's guarding everywhere, how are they getting past?"

Yona shrugged, a sly grin on her face. "Well, there's a bunch of secret magic domains in Flummox. Places where magic still lingers, even after Halcyon's long gone. Perfect for hiding things—unless you get lucky enough to stumble on them."

"Why do those domains even still exist?" Kaia asked, genuinely curious.

Yona tapped her chin. "Some powerful mana's locked up in Flummox. Maybe that's what's keeping those places from fading. But honestly, this isn't a history class! We need to focus here!"

Kaia chuckled. "Right, right... so, what's the plan with Mr. Bookworm over there?"

Yona's eyes gleamed. "Simple. We need to get him out of here before he slips away tomorrow. If we don't, he'll just vanish with these books."

Kaia raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we just bust him out in front of everyone? Tell them we're from the Apostle?"

Yona groaned. "Seriously? These people don't care about crime. If we break up their party, they'll make sure we never leave... alive. And don't even get me started on the Apostle getting involved. We'd be in deep trouble."

"What about the books?" Kaia pressed. "Are we just leaving those behind?"

"Yes." Yona shook her head. "We need to keep him. Using magic from the employees in Apostle, we can track down any books he's hiding and find out who's helping him. In other words, we're kidnapping him."

"Great. So how do we kidnap a big, heavy guy?" Kaia said, looking at the man suspiciously.

Yona pointed to the housekeeping trolley. "Easy. We hide him in there." And then she started to undress herself.

Kaia's eyes widened. "Wait, the man is still awake!"

Yona waved her hand like it was no big deal. "Then knock him out, already!"

Kaia sighed, walking over to the man and, with a swift movement, knocked him out cold with one kick to the head. "Done."

When she turned around, Yona was already in her waitress outfit changed from that maid's outfit, looking smug. "We need to look the same for carrying the trolley, shouldn't we?"

Kaia blinked. "Won't anyone notice the trolley?"

Yona just shrugged, not breaking a sweat. "No one's gonna notice. Everyone's busy with the party."

Together, they lifted the man and slid him into the trolley, hiding him under a cloth curtain. They grabbed the handles and, with as much stealth as they could muster, made their way to the corridor and then sneakily out from the back door.

"Smooth," Kaia whispered, a grin tugging at her lips.

Once outside, Kaia gave Yona a light pat on the back. "We did it! But... what about the President? We didn't find anything related to what he wanted us to."

Yona raised a finger as if she had it all figured out. "We'll go back in again for that."

Kaia blinked. "What about him? What if someone finds him?"

"Just leave the trolley here. It's not such a big deal." Yona shot her a playful look. "Why are you asking so many questions today? You're like an interrogation machine." She winked. "Now, let's grab some free food and drinks while we're at it."

Kaia grinned. "Sounds like a plan." Without hesitation, she followed Yona into the next phase of their probably reckless adventure.

***

"Know me?" Thalia said, barely masking her disinterest.

"I—" Kyros was interrupted by his phone ringing. He sighed, getting up from the bed and walking into the living room.

Thalia trailed behind, her mood visibly souring.

Kyros grabbed his phone from the sofa and answered it. "Yeah, what's up, Kiki?"

Thalia leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, silently listening to the conversation without a word.

"Don't worry about it... Yeah, I'll find him. Just rest." Kyros ended the call and turned toward Thalia, immediately noticing the frown on her face. "I ruined the mood, didn't I?"

Thalia nodded, her expression darkening. "Are you heading off to work again?"

"Looks like it..." He winced. "I'm sorry."

Thalia shrugged, though her voice betrayed a hint of sadness. "No need to apologize. I'm used to it. Lately, Kaia's been doing the same thing."

"I really have to go," Kyros said, guilt creeping into his tone. "I'm sorry."

Just before he turned to leave, Thalia's lips curled into a small, bittersweet smile. "You said you'd be with me anytime, remember?" She chuckled softly, but her voice cracked just a little. "Go on. I get it."

"Goodbye," Kyros muttered, his heart sinking as he walked toward the elevator. Thalia stood by the door, watching him leave. I'll make it up to you tomorrow, Kyros thought, waiting for the elevator to reach this floor. Just as the doors opened, a woman with a ponytail walked past him, a little too close for comfort. Kyros caught a faint whiff of her fragrance. That smell... familiar, he thought, but shrugged it off.

Meanwhile, outside, the woman stopped in front of Thalia. Thalia raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp.

"Thalia Verelith, right?" The woman extended her hand with a bright smile. "I'm Meryt, Kaia's colleague."