They were already in the squat in the Greyhollow slums. Layla was sitting on the mattress, eating bread. Electra was seated next to her, reading a book.
"Hey, Ellie? I have a question!" She tugged her arm.
Electra looked at her, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "What now?"
"Do you think I'm pretty right now? I want to be as beautiful as I can!" She chirped, pulling her arm softly. "So please! Be honest!"
Electra groaned, and she closed the book. "Stand up." She said firmly.
Layla stood up, her smile widening. "I'm ready!" She brushed her hair behind her ear.
Electra's eyes flicked all around Layla's body. She nodded to herself.
Layla swallowed nervously, her cheeks slightly reddening.
Electra smirked. "Spin around."
Layla nodded and spun around as fast as she could.
She then looked into Electra's eyes, putting her hands together in embarrassment. "So... what do you think, Ellie?"
Electra stood up, touching Layla's hair softly, a judging look on her face. "You're tall, but slightly shorter than I am. You are also gifted in the legs, butt and chest area..." She frowned, looking down at her own chest. "Your face is also pretty cute, but there's also one minus in you." She pinched Layla's cheek softly.
"Huh? What? What is it?!" She asked in disbelief and curiosity.
"Brush your hair! It's very messy! I bet that if you brushed it, then you would be even prettier than you are!" She said loudly and firmly, almost as if it were an order.
Layla's smile vanished as she looked down at the ground in sadness. "I don't have a hairbrush... I..."
Electra frowned. "Wow! Great, just great! So that guy refused to buy you new clothes, and now even something as small as a hairbrush?!" She said, furious as a purple portal appeared next to her.
Layla jumped back in surprise, her eyes wide. "W-What is that?!"
"What do you think it looks like? It's a portal, silly." Electra flicked Layla's forehead.
"Ouch!" Layla squeaked, rubbing the mark on her forehead softly. "That hurt!" She pouted.
Electra reached her hand into the portal, pulling a hairbrush out of it. "Here, you can take it."
Layla stared at the portal in amazement. "Is this your special magic?" She paused, covering her mouth in disbelief. "It's amazing!"
She then looked at Electra. "What does it do?!" She asked with anticipation.
Electra smirked. "I can summon anything I consider my property from it! That's why people call me 'Summoner'!" She pushed her chest out proudly. "You two are lucky to have me to protect you..." She hesitated for a moment, but reached her hand towards Layla's face, caressing her cheek. "Nothing bad will happen to you as long as I'm around, so don't worry about anything, Layla."
She then frowned, pulling her hand away from Layla's cheek, turning her back on the girl. "What the hell am I doing?! I shouldn't be doing things like that! I am not some soft girl! I am a proud mature woman!"
Layla looked at her in confusion. "Is something wrong, Ellie?" She tried to take her hand, but Electra shoved her hand away.
"No! Everything's alright! You are the problem! You shouldn't be so soft, you know?! That's not how being a... an adventurer works!" Electra yelled in frustration.
The hairbrush fell out of her grip, hitting the ground. She clenched her fists. "Ugh! Fuck this!" She roared, walking towards the old door.
"Wait! Ellie!" Layla called out after her in confusion.
Orion just happened to walk in when Electra was leaving. He looked at her with irritation in his eyes. "Where are you going, Electra?" He asked calmly.
She grabbed his neck, pinning him to the doorframe. "Why the fuck do you care now, huh?! It's my business, not yours!" She screamed at him and left the squat.
Orion was stunned for a moment, he looked at Layla in confusion. "What's up with her? Haven't ever seen her so angry."
Layla picked up the hairbrush, shaking the dust off it. She looked at him in shame. "I don't know what... but I think I said something wrong, I guess?"
He walked up to her, patting her head softly. "Ehh, don't worry about her! She will be back! I mean, even if she won't, I wouldn't care!"
"Hmph... sometimes... You are straight up cruel! You know..." She fidgeted with her fingers. "I like her... she was very kind to me..." She pouted.
Orion looked at her for a moment, up and down. "Oh? Where did you get new clothes from?" He smiled.
Layla nodded her head a couple of times, clearly happy. She spun around. "Ellie bought me! Do you like it?"
Orion scowled. "Why would she buy Layla anything?! I don't get it!"
Layla tugged his arms, pouting. "Hey! Hey! Answer! I want to know what you think about it!"
He closed his eyes, sighing softly, and looked at her. "It's cute, I guess?"
Layla smiled widely. "Bad answer, silly! You were supposed to say 'amazing' or 'outstanding'!" She smacked his head playfully.
He rubbed the place where she hit him. "Hey! Don't hit me, Layla!" He groaned, pulling her ear softly.
Her smile widened, and she tackled him to the ground, looking into his surprised eyes. "I will say it! I will say it now!"
Layla's grip around the hairbrush tightened, and she leaned in closer to his face. "Orion...! I... I..." She paused, trying her best to finish the sentence.
"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too, stupid~" He smirked, pinching her nose playfully.
Her expression saddened, and tears welled in her eyes. "I... I want you to brush my hair..." She forced a weak smile, putting the hairbrush in his hand.
"I would if you got off me, you know~?" He chuckled.
Layla nodded and stood up. She sat down on the mattress, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Come here."
Orion sat down next to her, smirking. "Don't blame me in case it hurts, I've never brushed a girl's hair before." He brought the hairbrush to her head slowly.
"Then try your best... idiot..." She pouted.
"Stop pouting like a child, Layla." He sighed, brushing her hair as softly as he could.
As he brushed her hair, she wondered to herself. "Is he stupid or just pretending! Just tell me that you love me, you idiot! I love you very, very much, so you should love me! That's how it works, right? Right?!"
"So... Why did Lady Maeryn want to talk to you, Orion?" She asked softly, letting go of her frustration.
He brushed her hair softly, rolling his eyes. "Nothing important! You shouldn't worry."
She took his hand, gripping it softly. "Oh, don't lie to me! I may be a bit younger, but I'm not stupid! I know you better than anyone else! You won't fool me! I can tell when something's bethering you, you idiot!" She smiled softly, looking up into his eyes. "I won't judge, I won't be negative... so tell me..."
Orion froze for a moment, looking at her with an unreadable look on his face. "I know that it might be a little painful... but I was wondering about how much you remember from the cave..." He then caressed her now straightened hair softly. "But you don't need to tell me if you don't want to!"
She touched her hair softly. "It's so soft... It's so nice! How does it look?" She smiled as cutely as she could.
He sighed. "'Outstanding' was it?"
She took the brush from his hand. "You learn fast, Orion." She paused for a moment, a pouty expression visiting her face once again. "Fine... I'll tell you, but I expect something in return!" She huffed.
"Yeah? What do you want~?" He pinched her cheeks softly.
She squeaked, slapping his hands away with a smile on her face. "I want you to read tonight! You haven't read me anything in a long time!" She pointed at the old drawers nearby.
He raised his eyebrows, stunned because of the simplicity of that condition. "Fine...?"
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I remember that we entered the cave, picking up the goblin limbs- the ones you were afraid of... and then... something started growling..."
Her hands started shaking. "The only path out suddenly collapsed, and the huge monster came to us..." She swallowed hard.
"No... sorry... that was a bad idea to ask such a thing... You don't need to-" Orion was quickly cut off by her.
"I remember that I was really... really confident in my strength... so I told you to run away..." Her voice became shaky as she started tearing up. She grabbed his hands, squeezing them tightly. "The goblin tossed me around like a doll... I couldn't do anything... I remember thinking... about dying... it hit my forehead with its... and I must've passed out... the sounds of my bones breaking and my insides twisting... those were disgusting and horrible... I... I don't know who killed it... But I'm... very..." She sobbed, her tears running down her cheeks as she looked down at her legs. "Thankful..."
He hugged her softly. "Hey, hey... don't cry, you know that crying might mess up your beauty, huh?" He tried to lighten her mood up.
She nuzzled her face into his shoulder. "You were always telling me that crying makes cuter eyes... idiot..." She muttered.
She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering all the times when she cried. Once when they were building the squat and she hurt herself with a nail. The second time when they were little and she was crying because he found a penny and she didn't. The third time when they were still children... admists the flames when she found herself safe in his presence for the first time in her life.
"...Not that it's the time to cry anyway," She broke the hug, pointing at the drawers. "Now you will read, silly~!" She wiped her tears, smiling widely.
A few hours later. It was already very dark outside, and so Electra walked in, stumbling against something each step she took, holding a green bottle in her hand. Her face was read and she was humming a song under her nose.
Orion was sitting on the mattress with Layla asleep behind him, clinging to her blanket like a carefree child. "Where have you been, Electra?" He asked in annoyance.
His voice surprised Electra so much that she collapsed on the ground. She looked around, finally spotting him, but instead of standing up, she just crawled away and leaned her back against the wall. "Why... do y-you care, huuuh?" She burped loudly.
Orion smirked. He got off the mattress and walked up to her, crouching down so he was at eye level with her. "You're as drunk as a hobo, Electra." He reached his hand towards the bottle. "And I don't think that I'd be able to survive being with someone worse than Electra- A Electra who's drunk~"
She shook her head, nuzzling her cheek against the bottle. "I won't give you! It's mine! Only mine! You... you little fucker hatchling..." She said with a drowsy tone.
He snatched the bottle out of her hand. "Come on! Don't be so greedy, you stupid hag!"
Electra peeked her head over his shoulder, noticing that Layla's clothes were lying on the mattress next to her. She smirked. "You fucked her~?"
He took a big sip from the bottle, sighing deeply as he sat down next to her. "Of course not! She just doesn't like sleeping in her clothes." He rolled his eyes.
She raises a brow, poking his cheek playfully. "But aren't you a bit younger to drink, hatchlinng~? Aren't you scared that you might..." She leaned in closer, her breath hot against his face. "Do something inappropriate... with someone a lot better?" She said, her voice sultry as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.
He tickled her, making her laugh and shift uncontrollably. "I would never have sex with you, Electra!" He groaned, already a little tipsy.
She laid down on the floor, pulling him on top of her. "You wouldn't? Ohhh what a shameee~" She said sarcastically. "But guess what I got for the three of us!" She smiled widely.
He leaned away from her, dropping the empty bottle. "Hmm? What?" He asked curiously.
A purple portal appeared on the ground next to her. She reached her hand into it, pulling out a yellow paper sheet. She smirked and held it right to his face. "A new job~!"