The man turned hurriedly to look back at his stand and his eyes widened as he ran back, flapping his hands furiously. "That... witch did it!" he exclaimed, coughing as he tried to extinguish it. "The witch!"
"She didn't do anything! This was your own negligence, you silly salesman. Maybe it'll show your customers what an idiot you are!" He grabbed Eden's hand and gently pulled her away.
Eden kept her eyes trained on the ground, looking almost ashamed as she pulled her cloak tighter around herself with her free hand anxiously. Gradually, the shopkeeper's cries of frustration faded away as they disappeared in the crowd.
She didn't meet his gaze, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. Her voice, despite her obvious best efforts at keeping it cheery, had a dejected tone to it and she cleared her throat once before speaking. "Oh, yeah... yeah. I'm alright. Maybe I should go, though. This doesn't seem like a place that really wants to see me right now. I think I'm making people uncomfortable."
He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey.. You don't have to go. Not everyone is like that. Besides, he got what was coming to him."
She looked up at him thoughtfully, her head tilting as her mind was taken for a moment. "You made that fire happen, didn't you? That was magic."
She gave him a slow, brilliant smile, her eyes soft with appreciation. "Thank you, Sam," she said quietly. "For looking out for me and all."
"Right," she said slowly, sounding as if she didn't really believe him. "Of course. I did too. It's fine."
"That would be lovely," she said gratefully. "Although, maybe I should put the hood up. I wouldn't want to draw attention."
"No, not that way. Just a little ahead." He began walking again, his head cocked. "Would you rather have vanilla or chocolate?"
