"What?"
Raphael looked at her the way you look at someone who has just said something that doesn't quite parse.
"Being bitten isn't pleasant."
Elena felt, dimly, that she was being looked down on again, but she nodded with conviction anyway.
"You saved my life. Offering a bit of blood is nothing. I'd give you money if you needed it!"
She said it as a gesture, an expression of resolve. She didn't expect Raphael to nod immediately.
"Good. Lend me some then. Just a little. I'll pay you back."
"...Ah?"
Elena hadn't anticipated him actually taking her up on it.
She scratched her cheek, slightly flustered, and obediently took out her small wallet. She counted out a stack of bills and handed them over.
One thousand five hundred Colin.
Raphael almost laughed. He had never encountered a witch this guileless, and a wealthy one at that.
He took the money, looked at the amount, and felt something catch in his memory.
