"Mm…?" Axis tiredly looked up from his knitting, taking a second to process what Emilia had said. "Oh, okay… just a sec…" He pulled out his wallet so he could attempt to pay Emilia again. His normally neat hair was disheveled, and his clothes were wrinkled and askew.
"Oh, now you don't have to pay for this! Consider it a gift, if you must, but I don't like seeing when people aren't eating properly." Emilia offered the parcel to Axis, humming softly. The man in front of her didn't look like he'd gotten enough sleep at all, or even brushed his hair.
"O-Oh, thanks… uhm… why the gift, if I may ask?" Axis asked, clearly confused as he accepted the food from Emilia. "We hardly know each other, after all. We barely know each other's names… why do you want to give me things without payment?"
This made Emilia pause, and think over why she was doing this. She didn't want people to go without eating, and she had to admit she enjoyed the cooking aspect of it.
"It's just something I like to do," Emilia finally said. "I like to cook, and I like to make sure people are taking care of themselves. I'm Emilia, by the way. It's nice to officially meet you."
"I'm Axis… nice to meet you as well." Axis still seemed confused and tentative, clearly not used to this kind of attention or kindness from other people. "Won't you lose money if you keep giving me things for free, though? You've got to sell your goods, after all…"
"And I sell plenty of it," Emilia assured. "I can afford this, don't worry. I'm not loosing any money." The woman smiled some, pulling the jacket she had worn that day around her shoulders slightly tighter.
"And you have a very nice name," she noted.
"Uh… thanks. My parents gave it to me." Axis hesitated before carefully setting down the food so he could eat it after Emilia left. He didn't really like eating in front of people. "Yours is pretty good too… I think the fair is about to start, so… um… you know…"
"Ah, right… Sorry for bothering you, I know just before it opens is an important time. Have a good day." Emilia turned, making her way away from the stall. She ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a soft sigh.
"You too, miss…" Axis sighed softly as he watched her leave, then turned his gaze down to the food he'd been brought. Strange woman… He opened up the parcel that Emilia had brought him and began to eat, resuming his working after he'd finished it off.
Emilia busied herself in her shop, humming some to herself. It was a happy little tune, though off-key. Still, she seemed happy as she set up her sweets. There were other things today too, more savory fillings for an actual meal, or bread with more of a focus on health than tasting sweet. There was still quite a lot of sweet, though, cakes and pastries and the like as the day before. Every display seemed to have at least a framed drawing displayed with them as well, pencil and charcoal.
Axis found himself occasionally glancing over at Emilia to make sure her business was going well. His own was running smoothly, although there were less customers than the previous day. He wasn't too worried, though. There weren't as many people at the fair in general, after all. He kept knitting between customers, always trying to get out some new item of clothing.
Emilia had plenty of business, considering how there were fewer fairgoers than the day before. People always seemed to want her treats. She offered a bright smile to everyone who passed, even if they didn't stop by, sketching in her journal when there was no one else around.
Axis managed to finish the sweater he was knitting during the day and hung it up with the rest of the clothes. Sooner or later, most of the items in his shop had been spoken for. He seemed tired by the end of the day, but pleased from the successful sales.
Emilia had made a huge sale that day of her most expensive painting, grinning brightly. This could cover a big chunk of her bills, and she could maybe have enough left over to go out… or buy new art supplies, the most likely outcome. The woman tucked all of her earnings into her purse, cleaning up with a happy, sweet hum.
Axis gathered up the last of the clothes he'd put up that he hadn't sold yet and safely tucked them away into boxes with a soft sigh. His stomach was growling again by now considering that he hadn't bothered to feed himself, but he wasn't too concerned. He picked up his boxes of clothes and made to leave.
With all of her things packed up and on her bicycle trailer, Emilia took a bite of her dinner. She moved to take off as well, glancing over at Axis. Soon, she found herself turning her bike around to pull up to their stall.
"Hello!" She said, smiling some. "Have you had any dinner yet?"
"Hmm?" Axis looked up when he was addressed. "Dinner? Oh, no. I haven't." He adjusted his grip on his boxes so he could turn his attention to Emilia. "Why do you ask? I don't always eat dinner anyway, so…"
"Well, if that's true you must not eat much at all, then. Here, have this." Emilia turned to her trailer, rummaging around some for a small box of food.
"I'm sorry it's not much, but I didn't make as much food as today…"
"Oh, thanks… you know you don't really have to bring me food." Axis set down his boxes on the table with a weak smile so he could accept the food from Emilia. "But I do appreciate it, and your food is excellent."
Emilia blushed softly at the compliment, setting the food box in Axis's hands.
"Well, I must admit I do enjoy offering food to others. And I'm glad you like it!" The woman offered a sweet smile, sitting back on her bike seat.
Axis's smile softened a bit as he accepted the box from Emilia. "Of course. I… don't exactly eat as much as I should a lot of the time." He laughed gently. "I tend to get caught up in my work and I forget to eat. It's become even more of a problem recently."
(Bump)
Emilia held back a comment, nodding.
"I get that. Even with me baking all the time, I always have to write notes to myself to remember. Still, it's important." The woman settled down for a moment, offering a sweet smile.
Axis smiled gently and nodded. He obviously didn't smile too often, but his genuine smile was soft and definitely lit up his face in an unfamiliar, yet pleasant way. "True. I should start setting alarms for myself to eat and stuff… otherwise I'll always forget."
"I think that would be a good idea for sure," Emilia agreed. She had to admit, it was nice to see this smile on Axis's face. It was new, but it felt better than the other ones he had given before.