An arrangement of books were on display in the large bay window of the quaint little bookshop. River pressed himself against the window, cupping his eyes to peek inside for any sign of Atreus. It seemed lifeless within, warm lights hanging over shelves upon shelves of books. He stepped back and regarded the alcove entrance, an open sign hanging from inside the glass door.

The door chimed as River entered, caught off guard by how much bigger it was inside. Shelves lined the walls from the floor to the ceiling with tall, rolling ladders. More standalone shelves were set across the store, endless books neatly tucked away, and several glass display cases were placed around the store; an assortment of trinkets were for sale within, varying from little porcelain dolls, old coins, watches, polished letter opens and rather fancy paper weights. The front counter stood near the entrance, crowded by dangerous stacks of books and piled packages on the floor.

“Sorry for the delay, I was caught up in a matter,” Atreus politely spoke as he came down from the black stairs spiralling to the floor above. He dusted off his hands and smiled, only to immediately halt mid-stride when he noticed River. “Ugh,” he groaned and River dropped his mouth in mock offence.

“Ugh to you too,” River replied and folded his arms over his chest. “Here I thought you were a protector of the land, not books.”

Atreus rolled his eyes and moved over to the counter to grab a stack of books. “If you’ve come to sour my mood, congratulations, you have. Now leave.”

“Is that how you speak to a customer?” River scoffed dramatically and shook his head, frowning as he made a show to glance Atreus up and down dramatically.

“You’re not here for books, you’re here to annoy me,” replied Atreus. He walked across the store, the stack of books in his hands as he stopped in front of a shelf. Books floated out from his stack and carried themselves to the places they needed to go, tucking themselves away neatly and carefully. “Unless you came for another reason? An errand for Cerys?”

“Actually, I’m exploring, seeing what this place has to offer.” River leaned against a bookshelf, watching Atreus as he moved around with the books, his eyes focused on the shelves before more books floated off his stack. “I also never got an answer… About your name.”

Atreus paused, his brow furrowed before he looked up and regarded River for a moment. “Why?” He asked and carried on with putting books away.

River clenched his jaw, uncertain about confiding in Atreus the truth. The more he thought about it, the more he realised he couldn’t, far too embarrassed to say he found his name in the answer sheet of a crossword. No, he’d get his answers first then go from there. Maybe Atreus even knew what the puzzle was about, or his mother at that.

“Uh, your name is cool,” River said and Atreus glanced back up to him, his eyes narrowing. “I like names, their meaning, origins, all of that. So I’m just curious, is all.”

“Right…” Atreus replied.

River could have kicked himself. There was no way he’d buy his bullshit lie. He needed to correct it, maybe up a weird fact or something to convince Atreus to share the meaning, to reveal it meant—

“Fearless,” said Atreus and River’s mouth parted open. He hadn’t expected an answer but his gratitude was brief, replaced by a sinking pit of disappointment.

“Fearless?” River questioned and glanced down at his notebook.

“Yeah, my family has this tradition where they name their children based on a trait they wish to bless them with,” Atreus explained. “My father was named to be a nobel ruler, a wish bestowed upon by his grandmother, and his wish for me was to be fearless.”

Fate tied into none of that, River thought and sighed, even more lost for what his crossword and his mother’s words alluded to. He pondered for a short moment whether to confide in Atreus, but he barely wanted to tell Cerys about it. It felt like a silly shot in the dark, even if he couldn’t deny the uncanniest of it all.

River shook it off and in his bitterness, he decided to take a jab at the Mythic. “Well, for someone who was meant to be fearless, you're pretty fearful, huh?”

Atreus dropped a book and snapped a glare onto River, who only smiled back. Atreus groaned and picked his book back up, holding his hand over it to fix the crinkled cover. He ignored River, his book leaving his hand as it flew off to put itself away. He returned back to the counter to sort through another stack of books.

River followed and peeked over the counter to see the risque romance books he had, smirking as he took one to flick through. “These any good?”

“Sure, if you like quick romances and a lot of smut,” Atreus answered and held his hand out for the book. River cocked an eyebrow at a risque scene he read before he closed it and gave it back. Atreus scrawled on an invoice and placed it on top of the stack. “Can I do anything for you, River?”

“I figured we could become friends,” River smiled, leaning down on the counter to prop his face up. “What’s your favourite book?”

“Do you really care?” Atreus frowned and River shrugged.

“I never really got into books, aside from comics. I like the art in them, but their stories were good too. Why do you work here?”

“My mother owns it, I manage it,” Atreus replied, but said nothing else on the matter. He wrapped the books up in parchment and twine, before he flicked his wrist and the package carried itself over to the pile on the floor.

“You get a lot of orders here? From people in Astera’s Embrace?” River asked, peeking down at the several packages.

“It comes in waves. We don’t get shipments or deliveries here, so we send out expeditions to gather things we need. I get requests so I go and stock up, and when I come back, it’s endless putting away books and packing orders,” Atreus explained, jotting a note down in his notepad. “I don’t leave to get orders often, so it backs up, and you’d be surprised with how many bookworms there are here.”

“I noticed you don’t have TVs, but you have electricity,” River noted. “Not much else to do for entertainment, I guess.”

“We have TVs, we just don’t get a signal from any channel, like how phones don’t work here either. But we can watch films.”

“What? Seriously?” River dropped his head down against the wooden counter. “Man, I just unpacked my phone.”

“Got friends on the outside?”

“Nah, just my mum,” River sighed and looked up, gazing outside the bookstore to the streets. “I thought I could get check ups on her or something.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s just…” River shook his head, deciding not to share. He cleared his throat and patted the counter, standing. “Got any book recommendations? I’m about to get very bored here.”

Atreus snorted. “It’s a lifestyle I’m used to, but other residents have struggled to adapt. We are isolated from the world outside, magic being our only method of connection, and a lot of people here are mundane refugees, like yourself. It’s hard, so I’m sorry you can’t stay in touch with your mother.”

River smiled, actually comforted by Atreus’ kind words. Perhaps they could be friends. “Maybe you could do a check up on her, when you go out for an order pickup.”

“Sure, I’ll let her know what an ass you can be,” Atreus replied and River laughed. “Speaking of, don’t be an ass tonight, alright? A lot of members of my coven aren’t too pleased with your and Cerys’ arrival, so if you want to make a good impression, be polite and don’t hit anyone because they insult your sister.”

“If you insult my sister, you’re asking to be punched.” River flashed a scrunched up smile before he registered what Atreus said moments before. “Wait, tonight? What’s happening tonight?”

Atreus frowned and licked his lips. “She didn’t tell you, which means she’s planning on not showing. Typical.”

“What exactly did Cerys fail to tell me?”

 “About the Gathering,” Atreus said and River only stared, absolutely clueless. “Every new moon, Juniperus and Zenith come together, and many of the non-coven folk tag along too. It’s a big meeting where we address concerns, celebrate any special events and inform the public on things they need to know. Tonight, the Heads will inform everyone of yours and Cerys’ arrival, welcome you to Astera’s Embrace.”

“Yeah, I get why she doesn’t want to go,” River replied, a small chuckle leaving him. “Truthfully, I really don’t want to go either. Getting a shout out like that? It’s like when your teacher introduces the new kid to the class.”

“Well, yes. You’re new and some people won’t be aware. We do this for every new resident,” Atreus explained and River grimaced back in response. “You both should come, unless you got something to hide.”

“What’s it going to take for you to trust us?” River asked, dead serious as he locked eyes with Atreus and held his gaze, determined for an answer. Sure, he might sass the guy a little too much, but each time River thinks they are getting closer to forming some sense of trust, Atreus takes a step back.

“Come tonight,” Atreus said, “and maybe I’ll re-evaluate that trust.”

“Sounds like you’re inviting me on a date,” River smirked and Atreus parted his mouth in shock, eliciting a laugh from River.

The door chimed and both men turned to a woman who entered with a gleeful smile, Atreus smothering his shock as he cleared his throat. “I’ll be right with you.”

River pushed himself away from the counter and placed his hands on top of his head, grinning as he walked back. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Atreus frowned, his focus back on books he shifted out of the way to serve the woman that came in. He glanced up briefly, meeting River’s gaze before he darted them away. 

River grabbed the handle of the door and with an amused hum, he left.