But Aofe was looking at him with… well, he hoped it was genuine interest. He was still adjusting to how expressive her eyes could be with that bright blue against whites.
“So, there are a few different types. Some that offer protection,” Kizros said, nodding toward her bracelet, “and others, like with Tim, that just help with containing him in his pot. He’s surly if you don’t set boundaries.”
She grinned, wide enough that all her blunt teeth showedand the ring between her nostrils shifted. It was a nice smile, non-threatening in a good way, and it made her eyes crinkle at the edges. Despite the oddness of her freckled skin—which he assumed the sickly, paling shade was normal for humans—he could still admire that everything about her round face was pleasant to look at.
Aofe cleared her throat. “You’re staring again.”
Kizros adjusted his glasses, willing his cheeks not to blush in embarrassment. “Yes, well, the protection rune in your bracelet is more basic, meant to keep you within a boundary by reversing the effect of the boundary runes of Heck.”
“So the runes set at the border of the city… keep things out?” she guessed.
He grinned, pleasantly surprised at her quick wit. “Exactly. The Veilwood is habitable, and I have a friend who lives beyond the border, but there are large beasts and other manner of creatures that can find their way close to our city. Those runes keep our homes safe.”
“So why do you need guards? The ones who brought us in?”
“For those beasts who get a little too close, some regular policing of Heck, but also to scout the Dreadmoor beyond. It’s a liminal space, and things can get lost between—both harmful and harmless. That’s where they found you.”
Aofe shivered. “We were always told to fear the forest, to fear the demons within.” She tugged the sleeves of her tunic back over her wrists, and Kizros ached tosee her making herself so small. “To know that demons also fear it… is not reassuring.”
“You’re safe with me—here!” Kizros blurted quickly. “I mean, you’re safe, here, in Heck.”
Her expression pinched, but he could see the makings of a smile as she ducked her head. “So, runes?”
He swallowed, shaking his head to distract himself away from the fascinating and intelligent creature sitting next to him. “Yes, runes. It’s all about a flow and precision sweep of a mark. To activate one, they need to be drawn in exact order, so let’s start with a simple preservation rune. This one will allow your contraceptive to remain potent for several months.”
It turned out, the simple rune was not, in fact, simple.
Humans were capable of runes; that wasn’t an issue. Nor was what they were doinghuman sorcery—that disgusting bastardization of magic.
The magic in this realm was finicky, in the sense of even the slightest misstep resulted in null effects, unlike sorcery which ended in fiery explosions and missing limbs. But even a breath wrong or a swipe of the rune just slightly misaligned could make the rune ineffective.
Aofe’s problem was the latter. It was one of those moments where Kizros had just enough social knowledge to recognize that pointing out her inability to keep a stable hand was what kept her from completing the preservation etchings. He’d heard all manner of words whispered under her breath—not exactly curses, as he’d noticed she’d yet tospeak one, just some softened word to express her frustration.
“That’s okay,” Kiz reassured her when she failed yet again. He could see the defeat weighing heavier on her shoulders the longer they worked at it, but at this rate, she might not be able to hold the quill much longer if she continued to force it. “Why don’t we come back to it tomorrow?”
Her brows squished together, lips twisting in disappointment as her hand shook on the quill. “I’m sorry. I really do understand the concept, and it’s not your instructions, I promise?—”
Kizros placed a hand over hers, feeling the little tremor running through her fingers. “Aofe, it’s okay. You needed to let the mixture sit overnight anyway. We can brainstorm ways to make it not taste as awful, or I have a commission I can let you do. I’ll step in at the end for the runes, but those ones are a little more thorough.”
Her worry receded, surprise flashing in her gaze. “I can do one on my own?”
“Sure, it’s—” He almost said simple, then thought better of it. “I’ll get the ingredients.”
When he set them out on the table and placed the parchment with the steps in front of her, her surprise and excitement had dimmed into something else. Possibly nervousness, with the way she kept curling her arms around herself.
“Just follow those, and it’ll be fine,” Kizros said, confident in letting her take charge. He’d seen hermeticulous and focused grinding, the precise way she measured ingredients, and the care she gave in each stir of the potions. This one, despite what he’d said about the rune, really was simple.
Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. “You’re leaving?” Quickly, she shook her head and focused back on the paper. “I mean, sure, yes. I’ve got this.”
Kizros glanced out the doorway to the empty shop. It was late, but he was technically still open. Yet for most of the day, things had been… quiet. Quiet in a way that made a little nervousness settle in his belly. Not that he was or would be struggling after a single day of slow business, but a little curious that on one of his typically busy days, the bell over the door had barely chimed.
So the options were to stand out front of an empty shop, or stay back here and watch the blue-haired human work. No other reason. Nothing to do with the strange pull he felt around her.
He turned back to Aofe with a smile he famously wore at family dinner. “I could… supervise. I’m not that busy.”
Aofe’s cheeks gained a little color as she looked up at him. “Oh. I suppose, if you aren’t busy. You could… read the instructions to me? You know, since you know them. It would be faster.”
A smile tilted his lips, feeling a lightness overtake that ugly twist in his gut from moments ago. “Right. For time’s sake.”
