Lain and Rei

Anya looked around with wide eyes, a soft gasp exclaiming from her lips as she took in the beauty. She's never seen such greenery before; not even in the spring.

She found herself gazing up at the man from the previous night; his eyes were so bright, and such an unusual color. It was as if he was a magnet, she was so irresistibly drawn to him.

As his fingertips grazed her cheeks, she closed her eyes with a shudder.

"I'm yours to take."

She hesitated a moment, shifting her body to face the store front, and then stood there a moment. Gaze still lingering on the darkness, she grabbed her satchel and slowly walked forward until she made it to the door.

Anya shivered suddenly, and placed the broom against the wall. She rubbed her arms, feeling the goosebumps spreading across her skin. She couldn't seem to get warm and be rid of them. She licked her lips subconsciously before biting her lower lip.

"What the hell..." she whispered, noting that the thermostat was set at a warm temp.

After several moments of silence and pondering, Anya shook her head to clear her mind. She looked up at the clock, noting that it was well past closing time. She'd been so engrossed in her own reading, she hadn't noticed time passing. She picked up the cards she pulled, placing them back into the deck with a shuffle. She put them in the black silken back and pulled the gold drawstrings to shut it. Placing them back on the table, she licked her forefinger and thumb, putting the incense sticks out. They hadn't quite burnt down all the way. She then walked to the backroom to grab her broom and dustpan.

An hour went by, and Anya had helped a handful of customers. She helped an elderly woman by making her a pain relieving salve, and an herbal tea mix that would lull her to sleep at nights. A man had come in desperation, looking for help to allow him and his wife have a child. She'd given him some cloves for luck, dried fig for fertility, and a tea made of ginseng powder and hibiscus for sexual potency and an aphrodisiac.

With a lull in her day, she now sat at her counter, mindlessly shuffling her tarot cards as the coin sat snugly between her breasts. With her hands no longer idle, she wanted to keep it against her skin as a means of comfort. At the time she didn't know why. She ran a hand through her dark, golden tresses after setting the tarot deck down, and a card slipped out onto the counter. Blinking curiously, she turned it over was surprised to see The Lovers.

Aodhe narrowed his eyes slightly, but as he was overcome with the odd feeling, he released Anya's wrist and stepped back. She hurriedly disengaged herself from his gaze and knelt down to pick the coin up. She immediately felt at ease and slipped it back into her pocket. She heaved a deep sigh of relief, then grabbed her drink.

"Goodbye Aodhe," she said a little sharply before turning on her heel and rushing out the door, having completely forgot about her drink. She walked swiftly down the block and rounded the corner to her shop. She took the keys out of her purse and unlocked it before stepping inside and relocking it. Rubbing her temple with her free hand, she went to sit on her stool and groaned.

Anya hummed to herself softly as she walked towards town to open the store, thoughts not really focused on anything. She was rubbing the coin with her thumb, feeling oddly comforted by it. She briefly wondered if that man would return to make more purchases or not.

Once she crossed into the town business center, she went into the small Cafe and up to the counter. As she did, a rather handsome man with short blonde hair and deep brown eyes looked up and grinned.

"Good morning Anya, you want your usual?" He asked, staring at her in an appreciative way.

"Morning Aodhe, and yes please," she replied with a friendly smile. She didn't notice his somewhat obvious flirtatious tone or gaze.

"So how was your night, anything exciting happen?" He asked as he turned his back to her, making her drink.

" Oh, not really..." her trailed off slightly as her mind went straight back to the sinfully handsome man who had came in. Her hand tightened around the coin.