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She stared at Avi as he swiped on the screen, hyper focused.

Her gaze wandered over the bare skin of his inked arms, down his loose-fitting trousers and the sneakers he wore. She wasn’t sure what she hunted for. Something peculiar. Mage-worthy?

She brought her eyes back up to his face, taking in all the piercings on his earlobes and nostril.

It was clear Ronin would not give her an answer without an exchange. Avi, on the other hand, seemed to only need a reason to talk.

“Are you a mage?” she asked.

He lifted his chin up, slightly perplexed by her bluntness as his eyes went big for a moment. “Haven’t heard that term since my grandma’s days.”

“Witch, I mean,” she recovered clumsily.

Avi’s eyebrows scrunched, creasing his forehead. “Why you wanna know?”

His reluctance to answer, and the twinge in her gut, told her she was onto something.

She shrugged with an innocent expression. “I am curious, since you live in a city full of witches.”

He fidgeted with his ear piercings. “Hollow City has humans too.”

Naia propped her elbows up on the counter, holding his eyes. “What about Ronin then? Is he a witch?”

9

MUNDANE MORTAL TASKS

“Ronin, a witch?” Avi laughed, turning away to grab a dish towel and wipe down the bar. “I mean, the guy is quiet and mysterious to most, but I think my best friend would tell me if he could do magic.”

It was an indirect answer.

The light, comfortable air between them transitioned into an awkward, unsettled one she couldn’t make sense of. Was her question too personal, or did he avoid her because he was a terrible liar?

“Anyways, is it your first time in the city?” he asked, tone too eager to change the subject.

It only amped her suspicions. Though, she allowed the topic to be dropped and mindlessly gave him short word replies to his poor attempt to hold the world’s most strained conversation.

If Ronin were truly a mage, how would it affect her?

For starters, she wouldn’t have to worry about his life during their escapade for her freedom. He could protect himself, and that alone eased a bit of her guilt.

The latter could mean she was in danger. With the enmity Ronin held towards deities, he’d take the first opportunity to hurt her once he figured out what she was.

It didn’t feel right to think that way. A deep part of her believed Ronin’s intentions were good—honorable even. She was compelled to continue trusting in him, despite her logic and reasoning not to.

Naia picked at the last of her pancakes, reluctant not to scarf the rest down for the sake of having something to fixate her attention. The idea of sitting with nothing in front of her, with nothing to do, was painful.

“Hola!” A woman with bright pink hair, the shade of a coral reef, and a vivacious personality skipped through the entrance. The second her eyes found Naia, she beamed with a frightening level of excitement. She wore what appeared to be a scrap of fabric over her breasts, loose trousers, and stocky boots.

“Hi! I’m Violet. I love your hair.” She reached out and shook Naia’s hand with the vigor of a candy-induced child.

Naia flinched at the sudden touch, dropping her head to hide her reaction. Her hair slid down her shoulders. “Thanks. I’m Naia.”

A short, lanky male passed by them to get behind the counter. His shaggy brunette curls stuck up in every direction, and the glint of an eyebrow piercing poked from beneath his messy bangs. He came across as reserved and vigilant as he not-so-subtly eyed Naia.

“That’s Noah.” Violet took the stool beside her. “Anyway, are you a friend of Aviel’s?”

“No, I came here with Ronin.” Naia refixed her attention onto her food, pretending to count how many more bites she had left while digesting Avi was short for Aviel.