... only to be smacked in the face with his own door, which had the misfortune of happening to open inward. Not that Alain didn't know
that either, but he hadn't exactly been expecting.
When he was able to gather his wits enough to look up, he saw Qual, looking ever so slightly amused at what he saw. If Alain had been even a hair less intent on salvaging his dignity, he would have scowled. It
would be Qual. He had had but few failures in all his days, and in this case the world seemed to be dead set on never letting him forget that he had failed. Now that he had officially given up on the demon, Qual was turning up at the shop more and more often, to the point where Alain would have eagerly gotten rid of him if given half the chance. It was only professionalism that kept the fake smile plastered on his face, and his voice soft and cordial.
Soft and cordial may have been a bit much to ask just then though. "What are you doing here?" Alain asked offhandedly, as if he was merely commenting on the weather.