® The Witch and the Beast is the propierty of Kousuke Satake
Scent
Guideau was a heavy sleeper, that was an understatement. There was only one thing that could wake her, and that was the pungent smell of fried meat, a method that both Ashaf and Misha had used whenever they needed to get her out of bed.
In her dreams, Guideau noticed a familiar smell. It tickled her nose, and before she could process what she was doing, she had opened her eyes and sniffed the air. A faint light crept into her room through the half-open blinds. Guideau blinked at the intrusion and sat up on the bed, massaging her neck.
"Up already?" the magical doll asked, rather stunned.
Guideau growled in reply. She put on her slippers and walked out of her room at a mechanical, learned pace. The living room was empty, and Guideau stopped in her tracks, disoriented. She scanned the room with her eyes, a puzzled expression settling on her face. Usually the smell of food woke her, but this time Misha hadn't even arrived yet.
It wasn't the smell of fried meat that had woken her, and for a moment she was stunned that it had been that other smell that had gotten her out of bed.
"What the hell...?"
The lock clicked, and Guideau shot a reproaching look at the doll across the living room. She raised her voice in defence, like a bird.
"Don't look at me like that. You noticed it too, and you didn't tell me to do anything."
"Ugh..."
Isn't that why you woke up?"
Guideau didn't have time to reproach.
"Guideau?"
Ashaf stood still in the doorstep, looking rather stunned. Guideau gave him a sideways glance, her eyes almost hidden beneath her dark, thick lashes. It took him a few seconds to find his voice.
"I didn't expect to find you up so early. Where is Misha?"
"I haven't seen her," the beast grabbed a chair and sat down in front of the table, yawning loudly.
Ashaf was silent for a moment, pondering the situation.
"Are you telling me that you woke up on your own, on a Sunday morning, before noon?"
Guideau shot him an annoyed look, and Ashaf raised his palms in a surrendering gesture.
"Now, now, don't be angry with me. It's just that I wasn't expecting this. Coffee?" he motioned to the cupboard.
Guideau waited for him to turn away and inhaled. The scent was more intense now that the source was present. It took her back to their first real conversation.
«As you know, my name is Ashaf. I work for the Order of Magical Resonance, and I'll help you in your quest in exchange for your support. Please be sure to learn my scent. We don't want any accidents.»
She had come closer and sniffed at his neck, where his scent was more pervasive. It was a rather woody scent, minty at the same time, hard to describe. It wasn't until later, on a trip to one of the coldest regions, that she discovered it was similar to the scent of a certain type of pine.
"It smells nice," she said in a low, distracted murmur.
"The coffee?" Ashaf turned to her and placed a steaming mug in front of her.
"That too," she replied absentmindedly, distracted by the pleasant mixture of cigarettes and pine emanating from the man before her.