(Impulsive) Spending

"It's an awful shame to see 'ya go."

Lorelei smiled at Andy. In the week that they had worked together, he had managed to make her feel more valued that she ever had as a noble. When she sighed, he checked in with her to make sure she was okay. When she pricked her finger, he cared enough to get her a bandage. When she'd told him she hadn't meant to walk out with the thread yesterday, he hadn't gotten mad.

He had believed her.

"Do 'ya really have to go?" Andy asked for the twelfth time. "'Ya did really good work this week. I would love to have you work here more long-term, if you're interested."

"No, thank you, Andy," Lorelei said, bursting with pride. "I have other engagements."

"I love how proper 'ya talk," Andy said with a grin. "Alright, I'll let it go but, if you ever need a job, let me know. With all the money we raised from the event, I can definitely afford to take 'ya in."

Andy pulled a white envelope from one of his drawers, handing it to Lorelei. "Here's your pay, by the way."

Lorelei took the envelope, clutching it tight as they walked to the front of the store. She was going to miss the quaint little place. She'd miss the smell of the fresheners Andy used to keep the store smelling clean. She'd miss looking at all the kinds of fabric as she passed them for one reason or another. She was certainly going to miss Andy, who somehow made this place come alive.

Nico was waiting at the register, as he had every day before this. He was wearing fashionably ripped blue jeans paired with a black shirt with some band logo on it. Though Lorelei was confident that she could theoretically make it back by herself, the crime rate in this city had Nico insisting he walk with her. When he saw Lorelei, he waved with a grin.

"Hey, Lor--." Nico caught himself. "Lydia! You ready to go?"

Lorelei nodded, and the two of them walked off into the night. Once again, Lorelei marveled at how bright it was. There was a layer of purple in the sky, which Nico had called smog when she'd asked. Even with the lack of stars, the streetlamps made it quite the cozy walk. As they reached the street, Lorelei's eyes caught on the store they always passed on their way home. It was one of the few stores that was open this late.

"Nico," she said hesitantly, pointing to the store. "Can we go there?"

Nico frowned. "You want to go to a grocery store?"

"I have money, do I not?" Lorelei asked him, holding up her envelope. "I would like to spend some of it."

"On groceries?" Nico asked incredulously. "You just got your first paycheck and you want to spend it on groceries?"

"Yes."

Nico blinked. "Well, alright, then."

Just like that, Lorelei found herself in the store she had seen from afar every day this week. It was somehow brighter than the streetlamps and Lydia's apartment combined. All around her were different types of foods, from fruits to sweets. Excited, she rushed towards said sweets.

She examined a box of cupcakes, curious. "Are they supposed to be this small?"

Nico chuckled. "Well, they are mini cupcakes. How much money do you have to spend, anyway?"

Lorelei the money out of the envelope carefully so as to not damage anything. "Around three hundred, it seems."

Nico whistled, putting his hands in his pockets. "That good. You'd actually be able to afford enough food for a full shopping trip, if you did it right."

"I could buy modern food with this," Lorelei said, awestruck. She whirled on Nico. "I want to buy food."

"Why?" Nico asked, genuinely curious. "You don't usually eat much."

Suddenly, Nico stopped. "Wait, are you wanting to get into cooking?"

Lorelei nodded. "Is that possible?"

Nico smirked. "My lady, anything's possible if you've got the audacity to make it a reality."

They walked down the aisles together. Lorelei saw neat cans in one of them. In another, she saw scrumptious cookies. With this many options, how could she possibly choose?

"What kind of meal were you thinking of making?" Nico inquired.

Lorelei thought for a moment. "Perhaps something sweet? Or maybe something practical?"

Nico thought for a minute. "Okay, I think I have an idea, but maybe we can check the aisles in case you see something you like."

They entered the aisle with the cookies. They came in a variety of colors, from ornate blacks to freckled browns to others Lorelei was too distracted to pay attention to. Next to them were boxes of what seemed to be squares filled with what appeared to be fruit. 

She grabbed one of the ones advertising brown cookies. "Perhaps I could use this to add a sweet flavor."

Nico shrugged. "Works for me."

They kept going, with Lorelei taking the lead. Due to her lack of experience in such places, they ended up in a less-than-linear order. Eventually, they came to a place with cold air coming from the open displays. She saw labels of beef on the items nearby. There was a can next to the beef.

"'Devilled ham'," she read. She turned to Nico in confusion. "Why would they sell evil ham?"

Nico burst out laughing. "It's not evil. I actually don't know why they call it that, but it's definitely not supposed to be here."

Lorelei added it to the pile in her hands. Peering at said pile, Nico left her for a second, holding up a finger for her to wait. She watched as he grabbed a basket before returning. He then took the items from her and moved ahead of her. He led her to a new area, ones with boxes of mixes.

"You said you wanted something sweet. You also said you wanted something practical," Nico said. "This place has both of those. You can find pancake mix for your practical, or brownie mix for your sweet."

"Can't I get both?" Lorelei asked, peering at the prices. "I believe I can afford them."

"You can," Nico said. "But we'll need to get a few more things after this."

"Whatever for?"

"So we can have ingredients to make the stuff. Lydia told me just today that she was short on pretty much everything," Nico said. He turned to her. "Sorry, I guess I skimmed over this part. I hope it's not too confusing."

"Not at all," Lorelei said. "It makes sense, but I just never thought about it. Will we truly be able to cook with these items?"

Not tonight," Nico clarified. "It's getting kind of close to when you turn in. Tomorrow would be totally good, though"

"Tomorrow," Lorelei repeated.

From there, the two of them made quick work of getting the items required for her cooking venture. If she had been at the manor, rumors would have flown far and wide that the lady of the Terrtrove household was relegating herself to doing her own shopping. Her reputation would have plummeted; such are the ways of the nobility. Here, however, the cashier did not seem to care at all that Lorelei was buying food herself.

It was quite refreshing.

The air stirred as they exited with their prizes. Lorelei still had a good amount of money left, but the sum itself did not mean much to her. She had never quite felt as herself as she did tonight, using her own money to buy her own food. It had been quite overwhelming but, with Nico's help, it had become a pleasant experience.

Throughout the next day, Lorelei found herself in an incurably good mood. Nothing was able to dampen it. Even hearing what had happened to her dress the previous night did nothing to dampen her mood. After arranging repairs to her dress, she saw her husband walk by her. Through her blissful joy, she did not even notice the surprise on his face as she waved at him enthusiastically, societal conforms forgotten. At least for today, Lorelei felt lighter than air,

Joyful.