I Would Rather Be a Rogue [BL]
Chapter 38: Fishing a Favor

Chapter 38: Fishing a Favor

Remi took Felix to the fishiest part of the town. Literally. The fox passed by the fish shop, and stopped a few steps further on the other side of the road.

Felix almost laughed out loud. "Here? Really?" he asked, to which Remi nudged the door with his snout.

It was kind of obvious, now that he thought about it. Where was a better place for a mermaid to hide, than in the place where there was an even fishier smell that could cover up her scent?

He walked up to the door, raised his hand to the doorbell...

And paused.

Once he met the mermaid, what was he even going to say? Since he didn’t expect to meet her today, he wasn’t prepared. Yes, he needed to bring her to Kade, but... She clearly didn’t want to be found. It was unlikely she would welcome him warmly, or agree to cooperate. So what, was he supposed to drag her by force? He doubted she was stronger than him, so it was probably possible... And his peaceful future (and potentially even his life) depended on it. It was just that, as someone living in hiding himself, Felix couldn’t help but feel guilty and sympathize with her...

Seeing Felix so troubled, Remi tried nudging him forward. And when that didn’t work, he jumped onto Felix, climbing his body like a tree in mere seconds... and pressed the doorbell himself.

Felix almost flinched at the sound of the bell coming from the inside. He wasn’t ready, not at all. For a moment, he considered running away, and maybe coming back the next day, once he was mentally prepared, maybe with some peace offering (although, what did mermaids even like? Fish? Seafood? Seashells? Pearls?)...

However, before he could do so, the sound of soft footsteps approaching came from within, and the door opened.

A young - or at least young-looking - woman stood on the other side. A very beautiful woman. Wearing a fluffy loungewear set, which, despite being oversized, didn’t do much in terms of hiding her voluptuous curves. With a cascade of damp, wavy black hair falling on her shoulders and back.

"You must be Lex," she said, after looking Felix up and down, and making eye contact with the fox. "Come inside, we shouldn’t talk here."

She... was expecting Felix? The Omega was so taken aback, that he stood in place, just staring at the woman blankly. Only when Remi nudged his cheek, did he snap out of it.

"Right. Thanks for having me," he nodded at the woman, and stepped in.

He followed her to a cozy living room, all painted in silvers and blues, observing her carefully. She seemed like a human at first glance, but now that he looked closer, he could see a shimmery, silver-blue color showing up at the roots of her hair. Her skin was pale, with a pearly undertone, and its texture was... Felix didn’t quite know how to describe it, but it was different than humans. And on top of that all, now that they were so close, alone in a room, Felix could pick up on a faint, somewhat fishy, but much more pleasant and softer, scent coming from her, suppressed by some strong, floral perfumes.

But... where did he see her again?

Ah.

"I’m sorry, but are you perhaps the fish shop’s employee?"

"...Yes, I am," she answered simply, and pointed at one of the armchairs. "Please take a seat. Would you like some tea?"

"Uh, yeah, thank you very much." Felix sat down on the very edge, feeling a bit uncomfortable, his back stiff and straight. Quite the opposite of Remi, who curled up on his lap as if they were at home.

So the mermaid not only lived by the fish shop, but even worked there. The corner of Felix’s lip lifted up in amusement as he thought about it, forgetting about his nerves for a minute. It was kind of genius. That way, any fishy scent on her was completely justified. Too bad Felix didn’t have any similar options available...

A moment later, the mermaid returned carrying a tray with two steaming cups of fragrant herbal tea and a sugar bowl. She put it down on the table, placing one cup in front of Felix, and took a seat opposite the Omega.

"Let’s get straight to the point. I’ve heard you’re looking for me because of a certain Alpha werewolf from outside of town who wants to meet me, is that correct?" she asked. And then, seeing what Felix was doing, immediately added, "That’s salt, not sugar, by the way."

"What?" Felix paused with the teaspoon full of white grains hanging above his cup. He glanced down at it, upon which his hand shook, a few tiny grains sprinkling down, and dissolving instantly in the amber liquid. Not wanting to ruin his drink, he quickly put the spoon, together with its contents, back in the ball.

He didn’t really think about it, but the mermaid could have a different palate than humans, or wolves!

"Ahem, thank you," he cleared his throat. "And yes. It is Kade Blackstone from the Bloodmoon Pack who wants to meet you."

"Is that so?" The mermaid didn’t look impressed at all. She must have had no idea who Kade was. "Well, I’ve already heard that an outsider had been asking around town about me. However, I have no intention of meeting him."

"...Oh." Felix’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. Of course, technically he could still just reveal the mermaid’s address to Kade, but...

"That doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to help you," the mermaid quickly added, noticing his downcast expression. And the cold glare from the fox. "I have already agreed to do you a favor, and I will see it through. As long as it doesn’t put me in danger, of course, and that I don’t have to reveal myself to anyone else."

"Ah, okay..." Felix rubbed Remi’s head absentmindedly, playing with the fox’s ears as he tried to wrap his head around this confusing situation. He was already lost at the ’favor’ point, as he had no clue as to why the mermaid was helping him... Or, well, maybe he had a clue, but it was still so vague that it was only making things more puzzling for him, so it was hard to figure out what he needed to do...

The mermaid observed him with her dark blue eyes, deep and mysterious like the ocean, sipping her tea. She could tell how disoriented Felix was, so after a while, she put the cup down with a sigh.

"Find out what he wants from me first," she said. "Then, we will talk about what to do next."