She raised her head to see a pair of blood-red eyes, pupils resembling a snake's, and blonde hair tied in a long ponytail hanging over the shoulder of a thin, medium-height man.
She brushed away her thoughts about his features and stood up, saying:
"I didn't see you."
The man replied coldly:
"Obviously."
Marin frowned:
"I said I didn't see you! How rude is that?"
The man looked at the mirror in her hand and said in an assessing tone:
"Hmph... Are you a novice in sorcery?"
Then his tone shifted to clear sarcasm:
"Even less than a novice... to be fooled by these cheap tools."
Marin raised her eyebrow:
"Cheap? I bought it for 200!"
His eyes widened in shock:
"Huh?!!! You're lying!..."
Then he burst out laughing before finishing with heavier sarcasm:
"Wonderful... what a fool you are to be deceived so easily."
Marin stared at the mirror stubbornly:
"But it worked!"
The man tilted his head slightly:
"Of course it will work, but that doesn't change the fact that you were tricked."
Marin hugged the mirror with strange affection:
"It doesn't matter!!! It's not my money anyway... I stole it from my boss." (Referring to Ronak in her imagination)
The man crossed his arms and said:
"I thought you'd say something poetic... but you need a sorcerer to activate it, Holy Power wielder."
Marin froze in place:
"How... did you know?"
The man rolled his eyes boredly:
"Naturally... you're in the den of sorcerers. Did you think they wouldn't notice you?"
Marin raised her finger thoughtfully:
"Oh... damn, you're right."
The man smiled lightly:
"Quick understanding... nice."
Marin took the mirror and said:
"I need to go back quickly then."
But the man suddenly grabbed her hand:
"Not so fast."
She turned towards him, annoyed:
"What now?"
He pulled the edge of her cloak towards him:
"Take me with you."
She pulled her cloak forcefully, but he held it tighter.
"What do you mean, 'Take me with you'? Are you offering yourself to a stranger?"
He smiled confidently:
"I want to be entertained... that's all."
Marin walked through the village that contained the market, enjoying the fresh air, while that stranger was still holding onto her cloak with no intention of letting go. She gave up hope of getting an answer from him and continued walking until Rudy reached them.
"Oh! I finally found you!! And... who is this?"
Marin answered him with absolute simplicity:
"I genuinely don't know... What's your name? Hey, you."
The man tilted his head, smiling as if enjoying the situation:
"Riorin."
Then he turned to Rudy, sighing:
"And 'Hey, you' is a very rude way to describe your new friend!"
Marin looked at him as if he were an eccentric...
As for Rudy, he saw something entirely different... something she couldn't notice.