Rimelion: The Exploiter

Lucas's gaze locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of vulnerability behind his usual carefree demeanor. He gulped. "Why... like this?"

"I need to test myself, how I will react. And... You can take it as an apology," I said softly, a small smile curving my lips. My heart was beating faster than I cared to admit, the warmth of his hand on my shoulder sending little jolts of awareness through me.

"Apology?" he repeated, clearly confused. His brow furrowed as he shifted his focus back to the cape. "This... what? I don't understand the item..." His confusion deepened as he blinked several times, his eyes widening. "It doesn't make sense... Le—Legendary?! Where did you get this?"

"Oh, I robbed the imperial treasury," I replied, laughing out loud as if I was talking about a favorite brand of whiskey.

Lucas blinked at me, utterly dumbfounded. "You what?"

"Share the item's details," I said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'll explain if I can."

He hesitated for a moment, but then his eyes focused, and a faint window shimmered into existence between us. My gaze flicked to the description, but my attention was drawn back to Lucas.

His eyes—why hadn't I noticed how beautiful they were before? The way the light caught in them, a soft warmth...

What was I thinking?

Focus, Charlie!

[Embroidered Frostcape]
Quality: 7-legendary
Effect: A flowing cape of icy-blue silk. It radiates a chilling aura, empowering your abilities, slowing foes with its frozen embrace, and weaving time itself to quicken your spells.

"This is... very helpful. I love it. Very much," I said dryly, keeping my expression completely straight as I looked back at him. Lucas's shock morphed into thoughtful realization, and then he burst out laughing.

I joined him; the tension easing with our shared laughter. As the sound faded, I let my hand brush against his, lightly resting on his wrist. His laughter tapered off as I guided his hand down my side to rest on my hip.

"What about my corset?" I asked, my voice low.

Lucas's gaze flicked down for a moment, his face quickly turning crimson as realization dawned. He swallowed hard before nodding, his voice almost a whisper. "I... Yes. I'll... do that."

I leaned in slightly, my tone softening. "As for why I'm apologizing..." My words trailed off, and I took a steadying breath. "I've been unfair to you. I was so focused on how hurt I felt, how betrayed I thought I was, that I didn't stop to see that you can solve the biggest crisis of your life—with your own hands."

Lucas opened his mouth, his lips parting like he was about to say something, but I raised a finger and pressed it gently to his lips. "Lucas, I know. What you did wasn't okay," I murmured. "I had every right to be upset. But this... this is... a way of figuring out how I'll react to all of this. To you."

I glanced down, my hand still resting over his. "Also weird item?"

[Royal Corset of Ice]
Quality: 7-legendary
Effect: A form-fitting bodice woven from enhanced frostsilk. Reinforced seams ensure it's stronger than it looks.

I nodded, as if the details made complete sense to me.

Spoiler: they didn't.

I'd had legendary items in the past—enough to know they were special—but these? These were something else entirely. First the skill, now this? Is it making fun of me?