The adventurer's guild door creaked open with the dramatic flair of someone about to announce their presence to the world… only for a random adventurer to sneeze loudly from one of the tables and completely ruin the moment.
Zayn stepped inside anyway, the morning light casting a soft glow behind him like he was the star of a soap opera titled "Regretfully Yours."
The rest of the party followed close behind — Tobias adjusting his glasses, Kara spinning her staff lazily, Bran grumbling about how early it was, and Elisse humming a cheerful tune that had no business being that cheerful after breakfast.
And then Zayn saw her.
Althea. The nice half-elf receptionist.
The one with the soft purple eyes, calm voice, and the unfortunate habit of vanishing after sharing an intimate night with someone.
Zayn's breath caught in his throat.
His cheeks flushed pink.
He did not, however, turn around and bolt out the door screaming.
Which was… Progress in a way.
