The bell rang as the front door swung open, and the first customer Lilianne had in quite some time walked in. He was a tall young man, somewhere along the six-foot range, and fairly handsome for his age. His tan complexion really did bring out the beautiful hazel eyes he had. However, all those attractive features this young man had were obscured by the way he was dressed and the bandage he had on his face. His clothes seemed like old hand-me-downs or things gotten from charities that saw some noticeable wear and tear. Either way, it was quite clear that this man did not come from money; quite the opposite, in fact. Then, there was that piercing gaze he had. She recalled some of the delinquents having the same look of "Don't mess with me" back when she was in high school.
High school, huh? Lilianne chuckled as she began to reminisce for a bit. She used to have a thing for bad boys. One of her friends gave her a Young Adult novel where the female protagonist went on a blind date with a man, but it turned out he was the young boss of the mafia. There was something about a man who was dangerous but also so loving and protective that made you feel so safe and secure. Though now that she was older, Lilianne knew that it wasn't a good idea to associate with men like that in real life. A happily ever after with those sorts of men usually only happened in fiction. Yet seeing this young man made thoughts and feelings of a young and naive Lilianne bubble to the surface... wait a minute, was that young man injured?
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"Welcome to Crafter's Spa and Wellness Center. How can I help you?"
"Oh... Hi..." Luis wasn't quite sure what to say to the other man. Not only was the perky greeting unexpected, but this place was way fancier than any other place he visited in his lifetime. Not to mention, the atmosphere felt so calm compared to back home. Was it really right for him to be here? No, now wasn't the time to show weakness, Luis. "Ahem. I mean, what up? I heard this place here is where the best of the best come. And I happen to be one of the best. This place is where the legendary sauna is, right? You know, the one that can make you super healthy and sexy? Think you can hook a brother up?"
"Of course, just..." Clyde trailed off as he heard the door to his mistress' office opened. Luis was stunned by just how pretty and classy this woman was. The rumors on the street must have been true if someone like this was running the place.
"Excuse me, young man," the witch said in a tone that might have been a bit too formal for the situation. The way she was clearly sizing him up left Luis a bit intimidated. This woman, despite not looking like she ever threw a punch in her life, gave off the vibe that she could destroy you if you pissed her off. Still, he couldn't back down, so he stared right back at her. A response that impressed Lilianne.
"I couldn't help but notice that your shoulder seemed to be injured. Could you be a dear and tell me how long ago you injured it?" Oh, for a moment there, Luis thought she was going to throw him out. Looks like he can relax a little bit.
"Oh, yeah. I think I sprained it last night." Last night? Well, that wasn't good. Lilianne quickly pulled out a manual and began to flip the pages. She recalled something about injuries and the sauna and wanted to double-check something to make sure. Now, where was that section... Ah, here it was. The R.I.C.E and H.A.R.M section. It wasn't a section about magic, but standard human first aid that she had to learn before opening up her business.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you enter the sauna right now. The heat of the sauna could cause your sprain to become worse. I could book an appointment in three days when it's safe to do so." Not to mention, considering the sauna's functions, it might have made the injury significantly worse. The last thing the witch wanted to happen was for this young man's arm to fall off. Luis wanted to argue back but quickly accepted that she probably knew a lot more about considering she did own this place.
"Oh... alright, I guess that could work." Hmmm, that was a more disappointed reaction than what Lilianne was expecting. He must have really wanted to use that sauna to heal himself quicker. She had to wonder why... hmmm, that gave her an idea.
"Actually, I might have a deal for you. I'm actually thinking of expanding some of my offers. I can treat your injuries for you for free if you give me feedback on how I do." Luis's eyes lit up. Sure it was she was offering this to him so out of the blue, but who cares? It was free!
"Sweet. Count me in!"
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Lilianne was carefully wrapping a bandage around Luis' shoulder that was treated with a special healing ointment she had made beforehand. Healing ointments were one of the first things a witch learned to make but this one was specially crafted for sports injuries and the like. She initially made it for a friend after he got injured. However, seeing how desperate Luis was to look for a quick cure for his injury made her start brainstorming. She figured that if she started treating sports injuries then she could direct people to the sauna after they healed...
Anyway, Cameron handed his master a pair of scissors to cut the bandages. She thanked him but noticed Luis staring at the homunculi as he walked back to the front desk.
"Oh my, you wouldn't happen to have a crush on Cameron, would you?" Lilianne teased which seemed to briefly fluster the young man.
"Pssh, of course not," Luis responded. However, Lilianne had to wonder if Luis wasn't being completely honest with his feelings. "I just was admiring his muscles. I'd love to become as strong as he is."
"Well, I don't think you're exactly weak, yourself," The high schooler did have some lean and defined muscles. The kind you received from manual labor and brawling, rather than going to the gym... though now that she looked at them they didn't seem as strong as they could be. Perhaps due to lack of food?.... "Hmmm, maybe I should expand the workout area into a proper gym then. That may not be something I can do immediately, but once more customers you'll be the first one I'll tell. Actually, speaking of which you seem in a hurry to get stronger and heal up? Is there any reason why?"
"Well..." Luis began. Should he really say why? Well, she had already done so much for him perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to tell her a little bit. "I just need to get stronger. You see the place I live you have to be strong to survive. You ever heard of the Vipers? Well, I'm going to be one of them. Actually, no I've heard that they're planning to recruit me soon."
Is that so? Honestly, the only thing she actually believed about what Luis said was that you needed to be strong to survive in the place he lived and she could give him that strength.
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Three days later Luis was back with his shoulder sprain completely healed.
"So, Luis, how are you feeling?" Luis responded to Lilianne's question by circling his shoulder showing that his range of motion was back and his shoulder wasn't hurting anymore.
"I feel great. Like I can take on anyone or anything. Say, if any of the Bulls come in here just call for me and I'll protect this place." This response caused Lilianne to chuckle.
"Is that so? Well, if any of your Viper friends injure themselves. Just come to me and heal them... for a fee of course." Lilianne noticed that Luis looked down briefly when she said that. He really was cute, she'll give him that much. Now to see how cute you could be after some maturing.
"Okay, now since this is your first time using a sauna. I recommend you only use the sauna for five to ten minutes just so your body can get used to the heat. The last thing I want to happen is you passing out in there."