[2/6]
[Ability Point +1]
Serie rubbed her slightly numb fingertips and returned to the front of the bar.
The last streak of orange-red in the sky had sunk below the horizon, the indigo night sky hung low, and streetlights lit up one by one, casting a dim, flickering glow on the wet asphalt road.
Riley's inconspicuous small car was parked quietly by the roadside.
She was leaning against the driver's side door, her figure appearing somewhat slender in the deepening night.
Riley casually rested one leg on the ground, while the other was slightly bent, her toes unconsciously tapping the ground.
She tilted her head slightly, looking towards the sparsely trafficked intersection, seemingly lost in thought, and what was most striking was the small white stick-like object she held in her mouth, its tip faintly glowing with a weak orange-red in the dim light.
"You smoke?" Serie asked, raising an eyebrow.
Riley turned her head at the sound, her face a look of stunned disbelief, as if she had been struck by lightning.
"Huh?" She let out a short, single syllable, then scanned Serie up and down with an expression that said she was looking at an idiot, "Has the sea breeze short-circuited your brain? What kind of stupid thing are you saying?"
As she spoke, she irritably raised her hand and, with two fingers, precisely plucked the "culprit" from between her lips—
A lollipop, only a small part of the stick remaining after being sucked.
The residual syrup reflected a sticky sheen under the dim streetlights.
"Hypoglycemia! Understand?" Riley rolled her eyes dramatically, waving the lollipop stick in front of Serie, her tone tinged with annoyance, "It's an old problem, been like this for years. When it acts up, I get dizzy and lightheaded, and I have to rely on this thing to get by."
Serie: "..."
Hmm... it's a bit dark today...
She's also a bit low on power...
"Done?" She pulled open the car door with swift, decisive movements, her voice returning to calm, as if the little interlude just now had never happened.
"Mm." Serie nodded.
"Alright," Riley had already settled into the driver's seat and casually started the engine, a low, steady rumble filling the air.
She turned her head to look at Serie, who was still standing outside the car, and gestured with her chin towards the passenger seat: "Get in."
Tonight's hunt had only just begun.
The engine roared softly, and the headlights pierced the night, driving away from the still-bustling neon lights.
A strange silence fell inside the car, broken only by the rustling sound of tires on the road.
Serie leaned back in the passenger seat, her gaze unconsciously following the rapidly retreating tree shadows outside the window.
An indescribable thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Serie suddenly turned her face, her gaze falling on Riley's hands gripping the steering wheel, her voice remarkably clear in the quiet car.
"Hey, Riley."
"Hm?" Riley kept her eyes straight ahead, only letting out a short response from her nose.
"We... before," Serie chose her words carefully, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the leather seat, "what was our relationship?"
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