24 The transaction (Leo)
The night just started, and we've already reached the door of Dafina's shop. Julia wasn't hungry when we got up, so we skipped breakfast.
Only halfway, I realised that she's human and needs to eat even when she's not in the mood. Also, she's not feeling all right.
Her heart beats unsteadily, and her breath sometimes is longer than usual.
Something isn't right with her, and she's been lost in her thoughts for the whole time.
«Are you all right?» I mutter. Maybe, it's that time of the month.
Human girls bleed from below something like... Once a month?
Could it be that? I'll have to ask Dafina for details. And I'll have to avoid biting Julia during those days. She can't withstand too much loss of blood.
We get in the shop, and Dafina jumps up from her chair with her usual energy.
«Oh, come in!» she greets us. «Most of the clothes are ready...»
She disappears in the back and returns soon after with two bags full.
«I'm still working on another casual dress and one for special occasions. Then, Julia's wardrobe will have anything a girl might need...»
I pay for the dresses with the banknotes I found in my room. I forgot to withdraw my pay from the office this month. I don't need much money for my needs, but things changed from last week.
Luckily, it seems that what I have is enough for all the clothes. And I don't need to worry about the fee for Dafina because the office pays her regularly.
«Are you healthy?» I ask her.
«Yes,» Dafina nods. «Are you here for the transaction, too?»
«If it's not a bother.» I haven't sent her any forewarning, which is a breach of the contract. «I can pass by another day. It's not very urgent.»
«Oh, there's no need to come here twice.»
She walks to the door and turns the sign on it. Then, she opens the door to reach the back of the store.
Julia, in the meantime, feels even worse than before. I turn to her and caress her cheek with a finger. Her skin is burning, and her eyes do not stay on the same spot for more than a moment.
«Are you okay?» I ask her.
She blinks a couple of times, and then she nods.
Dafina observes our exchange with a curious look. Then, she smiles politely and invites us to the other room.
«Do you want to see how it works?» she asks Julia.
The girl nods in response. I'm not sure it's a wise idea to make her see the exchange. Normally, humans don't like to look at the blood.
«I'll clean the equipment... Just a moment,» Dafina continues before disappearing into the kitchen.
Hearing her words, Julia seems to calm down. Her curiosity took the place of the initial uneasiness. She follows me to a table and sits in a corner, close enough to observe the transaction but not too close to bother.
Dafina soon returns with a needle and a wooden cup. She disinfects her forearm and skilfully injects the needle. Blood starts flowing in the cup through a small tube.
When she's done, she passes me the cup filled to the half.
«The wood is because it's the only material that doesn't make the blood lose any of its qualities. Metal has some chemical reaction, while glass fails at keeping the energy of the person giving blood,» Dafina explains. She's talking to Julia, and the latter follows her words with much interest.
«Wood is an alive thing,» Julia comments.
«Many experiments were done before finding a way to share blood without the need to get bitten.»
Is that a relieved sigh that I hear?
I drink the nectar from the wooden cup. It has the usual spicy scent typical of Dafina, but it doesn't soothe my thirst like always. I don't feel filled while drinking.
In the meantime, Dafina applies an ointment on the wound and then a patch. All without stopping to talk with Julia. The latter replies with a word or two, but she's accepting the stream of words without much resistance.
«It doesn't even hurt because the needle is small. And I change it every time, so I don't risk my health like this. I've considered buying a magic one, but I don't believe they're actually useful, so... Science still works, right?»
Julia nods, following Dafina's hands with her eyes.
«You'll throw the needle away,» she comments. «Like every time...»
«Right.»
«It must be expensive.»
«Oh, these needles can be found in any drugstore. And I don't need many...»
«Half a cup?»
«Oh, that's what we agreed on.»
«How often?»
Realising that she's being interrogated, Dafina turns to me to ask for permission to disclose the contract's details. I just nod, and she returns to answer Julia's questions.
«Once a month, sometimes twice.»
«It's not too often,» the girl comments. «It seems feasible.»
«The contract is pretty standard. It states at most once a week, half a cup each time. But I've never actually given blood twice in a row. I guess there are other donors, other than me.»
«Yes,» Julia replies, nodding convinced. «There are others.»
«Do you know them?»
«No, I don't. I just know there exist other contractors.»
I place the cup back on the table and get up from my seat.
«Let's go,» I say while reaching the front of the shop. I collect the bags with Julia's new clothes, and she follows me in silence.
She considers asking me to carry some of the stuff, but, in the end, she lets me do the hard work.
«Bye,» she greets Dafina before closing the door. She's relieved, now. What's the matter with her?
«You're in a good mood,» I note.
«I'm looking forward to taking a look at the clothes,» she confesses, a light blush covering her face. Her eyes stop on mine just the time to notice her impatient mood, and we're back to walking in the night, side by side.
