And so we meet (1)

On the way home, she passed by a fruit stall, and as if on cue, her stomach grumbled at the sight and smell of the fruits, especially grapes and oranges. How she missed them! She did not waste any moment and buy. As she was arranging the bags in her hands, the merchant moved to another customer. She was on the way back when she heard the conversation beside her.

"Mister, are you going to buy or not? You've been standing there for quite a while now. You're blocking the way of other customers."

Lia glanced to her side. A man wearing a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows stared absentmindedly at the fruits. He looked like someone who wandered there without meaning to.

Despite wearing a peasant's clothes, the man gave off an aura of someone living comfortably. She would not be surprised if the seller gave him a "special price." Feeling someone looking at him, he turned to Lia who quickly looked away and pretended to be busy on her own purchase.

"How much are your grapes?" the man asked.

"25 coins for 1 kilo."

Lia whipped her head towards them. That's not what he told her earlier. A kilo of grapes costs only twenty coins.

"Okay, and give me half-kilo of apples."

"That's 15 coins."

The man ordered fruits as if ordering at a restaurant, and the price continued to increase to a ridiculous price. Lia bit her inner cheek to stop herself from speaking.

"Don't be distracted," she muttered under her breath, but she made no attempt to leave.

"How about the pear?"

"10 coins each," the seller said without a hint of shame.

Lia closed her eyes as she took in a breath. This was getting too much.

"Isn't that a lot? You're tripling the price," Lia tried to sound calm. She hated butting in, but dishonesty was the worst. 'I'll just get this guy out of this and then we're done.'

"What, you're still here? Are you with this man?" the seller glared at her direction while shooting a nervous glance at the man.

Lia moved closer to them. The man looked confused yet amusement was also reflected in his eyes which darted between her and the seller. She felt a tinge of pity for the man. A rich guy's first time in a market, and he was already being subtly robbed. She glanced at his fruits and hastily computed them.

"50 coins all in all," Lia announced.

The seller was aghast and raised his voice. "What!? No way! Do you know how much these costs? 100 coins for all of it!"

"55 coins!"

"80!"

"Miss, it's --" the man tried to interject, but both the seller and Lia ignored him.

"60!"

"70 coins dammit! That's final! And get out of here!" the seller roared.

Lia grinned and turned to the man beside her triumphantly. He must have missed the cue as he continued to stare at her. She cocked her eyebrow and tilted her head towards the seller, signaling for him to pay. The man mouthed a silent 'O', pulled out his bulging purse, and handed the coins. Lia snatched their bags of fruits, grabbing the man's arm as they walked away from the stall.

She had to drag him away, fearing retaliation from the seller. Lia kept one eye over their shoulders as they walked. The man let himself be dragged and did not say anything. They only stopped when they walked a few blocks away. Lia turned and gave the bag to him.

"Here," she looked up and her smile faltered.