… After that whole difficulty, respite was now within reach. I really could use some duck noodles.
“Mister Kommgal.” A voice from behind calls to me as I was about to leave the second floor. Ugh. I know that gravelly voice too well. A turn confirms my reluctance to be well-founded.
“Mister Tarnin.” I give a quick nod as the red-skinned giant approaches.
The internal auditor flips through his stack of tablets and presents one to me; faintly carved on the wax are - along with mine - a series of names that I can vaguely recall. “Sorry to bother you - I just need to make sure your name is spelt correctly.”
“It is correct.”
“Thank you. That will be all.”
“By the way, the old couple’s restaurant is out of ducks.” Surprisingly cordial words from the auditor, but I doubt that will last. I give him a nod and move on. Not even good food is within reach today, it seems. Damn it all.
I settled for a bowl of egg noodles and some bits of pork belly. It was adequate, as far as keeping my gut from rotting is concerned. I wanted something sweet to wash it all down.
“Miss Airin?”
“Mister Kommgal.”
(
https://youtu.be/FrqIHunTHgU?si=mW1skggQ63XVCfRe )
Once again, I joined her in a remote corner of the world. Weary smiles flashed on our faces as we waited for our drinks. On a day not so busy, perhaps we could have sat together and swapped stories for hours on end in this teahouse. Oh well. A standing conversation with her is not so bad. Not so at all.
While much of the talk - as one would expect - revolved around those children, and how to best respond to their actions, another topic inevitably brought up was our own.
“Yes. I’d- I’d love to.” Nervy I may be - and act - I made clear my intentions; I wish to see her again. After some discussion, we decided to have…
>supper together, tomorrow.Airin knows of a spot in the eastmost side of Oceankeep; one with - in her own words - “damned good shellfish” for a moderate fee. It’s a seaside place, so the view should be nice, and air relatively brisk. It’s not that far from her house, too, but I don’t wish to think too deeply ahead.
An evening with her sounds nice.
>afternoon tea together, tomorrow. Airin mentions a place she often stays at whenever she needs to pore over her cases in peace; a teahouse in the northern parts of town that has quite the retinue of bakeries and sweets. We both could really use an afternoon to unwind, after the - everything - of this year.
Let’s take it a little slow.
