"Uh-should I not have come?"
Left standing alone at the door, Lorne felt a little lost and embarrassed.
"Should I have written ahead to let her know?"
Through the door came hurried footsteps, muffled cries, and dull thuds that sounded like someone bumping into furniture.
Honestly, Lorne desperately wanted to turn around and leave, pretending this awkward first meeting had never happened.
But leaving without a word seemed even ruder, so he gritted his teeth and stayed.
She-could she be Fors Wall? The thought surfaced in his mind.
Warm and outgoing... this is quite a departure. I'm starting to understand why so many online romances ended in disaster when people met in person back in my old world...
Looks like I'll have to be a little more careful from now on.
Only after quite some time did the noises behind the door gradually subside.
Lorne quickly composed his expression, making himself look as calm as usual.
The door opened from the inside once more.
This time, however, the woman before him was no longer the flustered brunette from earlier. Instead, it was a short, blond girl with a little baby fat still on her face, dressed in a practical knight's outfit.
It's her...
Lorne recognized her at once. She was the woman who had asked him to perform an exorcism at the gathering, and whom he had later saved from the Werewolf.
So they're close enough to live together... Understanding dawned on him, and several clues fell into place.
"Ahem." Xio coughed softly twice before asking, with an appraising look, "Who are you?"
Coming back to himself, Lorne bowed slightly. "Hello, miss. My name is Lorne Dysenk. I'm here to see Madam Fors Wall. I'm... a friend of hers."
Xio looked him up and down a few times, then stepped