SHEEP★DOLL

Akari was stressed. She had been "coincidentally" running into Simeon the past week.

As much as it was bothering her, she couldn't actually imagine Simeon doing something as sinister as stalking her. She still caught herself scanning rooms before she walked in or pulling out her DDD to talk to someone when she was alone, though.

A hand would fall on her shoulder when she was grabbing a snack at the café, and it would be Simeon. He'd act surprised when they'd bump into each other rounding a corner of a bookshelf in the library. Finally, when his slender fingers found their way around her wrist at Peach and Lavender's store, she's had enough.

"Fancy bumping into you, lamb," Simeon said, his smile as beautiful and saintly as ever. "I feel like we've seen each other many times the past week."

"Ha, yeah, funny," Akari said, no humor in her tone as she pulled herself from his hold. "Good morning, Simeon."

He wished her a good morrow as well, and she couldn't tell if the way he spoke was endearing or pretentious. He continued to try and chat with her as she made her way through the aisles, trying to just hurry and leave, but she stopped in her tracks when Simeon mentioned her new relationship.

"I didn't expect you to be galavanting with a human. One with no magic, at that. How boring," Simeon said, admiring the waxy sheen of a poison apple he'd just picked up. "He must be immensely entertaining for you to have kept him around so long."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, refusing to look at him. He didn't deserve to see her reaction. "In case you forgot, Simeon;" She spat out his name, disgusted by the lingering idea that he kept finding her on purpose. "I am a human as well."

"Ah yes," he continued, not discouraged by the venom in her tone at all. "But Akari, my dear lamb, you're so talented in ways that regular humans are not. Not just any human can occupy my mind."

Disgusting. Had Simeon always been like this? Damn his blinding charm.

She mumbled something about needing to hurry, she had plans, and scurried off to pay for her items. She thought she might have been in the clear, though she was trying to signal to Peach that she was Not Okay with Simeon following her around like he was, but the sly man moved behind her and offered his own money instead.

"It's on me," he said, pressing against her as he leaned in to slip his card into the automated pad. His body was large enough to block her in, and he took his time signing his name on the line. "A thanks, for the company while shopping."

Ha! Shopping! All he was buying was some flavored warming lube and a pack of gum.

"Running low," he reasoned with a wink as he watched Akari's eyes on his purchases.

He was about to ask her something else when suddenly a full cart of liters of dragon's milk crashed -full speed- right into his hip, the bottom of the cart catching on his ankle - hard. "Fuck!"

"Oh no!" 

Akari heard Luke's voice, and she whipped her head around to watch as he rushed forward to grab the cart to move it and pull Simeon away.

"I'm so sorry Simeon!" He said, and she saw as some of Luke's healing magic flowed from his hand to Simeon's side. "Man, this is gonna bruise... come on, I'll get you an ice pack in the back."

Akari caught the look the Luke gave her as he tugged Simeon with him, and she didn't need to be told twice. She booked it out of the store, her heart finally starting to pound against her chest after having been frozen as soon as Simeon's body had been pressed against her own.