It had been a few days since I’d wanted to eat more than a few forced bites at a time, but now I was starving, and eagerly followed Aggi to what she called her favorite Mexican restaurant. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my body, and was almost giddy with relief.
I could smell the spices before we even went inside the brightly colored building. Did she mean to test me again? This was another test I could easily pass. I had had regular interactions with the Danmarians in Illannis, who seemed to believe a meal wasn’t properly seasoned unless it burned your sinuses.
Her jaw dropped when I pronounced the red sauce she called ‘salsa’ mild. “Well then, we’re going all out!” She ordered a sampling of tacos, all with different fillings, guacamole, more flavors of salsa, more chips, and churros for both of us. She also got pitchers of strawberry ‘margaritas’ and ‘pina coladas.’ She demonstrated how each should be eaten, with a teasing expression that dared me to complain.
It was the best meal I’d had in years, if you could consider the food we’d had aboard The Voice edible. I had no complaints, except that the drinks were stronger than I expected. I had as much tolerance as any other elf, and human made alcohol normally didn’t affect us very much, but by the fourth one, my reservations had loosened to such an extent that I found myself answering her questions freely. Perhaps that was her plan all along?
Or perhaps her elfsong was affecting me. Words tumbled from my mouth almost as freely as they did from hers. I spoke of my companions and friends, my struggles to fit in somewhere, anywhere, what life was like aboard the Voice of Lyra, the places I had traveled, and everything else she gently but eagerly asked me about.
It was nice to have such a sympathetic listener, though she was much more interested in Court life than I ever was. “I was just a little country girl. I never saw the city until I was fifty! And even as an adult, the little time I spent there was mostly around the docks. Climb the hill to the Royal neighborhood? Are you kidding? I only knew what Milo and Lachley described to me, and it sounded so lovely.”
“I was a dockhand for a while,” I found myself admitting. “It was the first position they gave me after I awoke. I wanted to be useful, and it was a low skill position I could easily fill. Milo struck it from my name after I was transferred back to guardian status.”
“I didn’t know you could do that.”
“He can be very persuasive. He is not the villain you make him out to be. He looks out for me.”
“And he’s your companion now? Elorhyn took him in? And the others rebonded with the generation after ours? I . . . I really don’t have any companions anymore?” She sounded a little lost and lonely.
“There would not be enough people of your year or theirs to reestablish a functional bond if you returned. I am sure the new grouping would welcome you gladly, should you return.”
She shook her head quickly. “They’d be weirded out. I’m too different now.”
“Then Elorhyn would take you, as well. He is infamous for the -“ I hesitated and pointed at myself “ - the uniqueness of his companions.”
“Pfft. You’re not even the weird one. I still don’t understand how he bonded with a human.”
“And now you sound like Milo.”
“You take that back! Wait, you’re teasing me?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Are you . . . having a good time?”
I hesitated. Was I? Should I be? “It’s unintentional, if so.”
This got a good chuckle. “Ouch! Smooth, subtle, uninformative, and slightly offensive. And you were doing the ‘approachable elf’ thing so well until that point!”
“You approve of the open approach, then? Most of the elders do not.”
“Trust me, it’ll make life easier. You clearly need more practice. I guess we'll have to do it all again. Dancing, dinner . . . “ The chip in her hand paused halfway to her mouth as she began blinking at me in alarm. “Like a date? Oooh, no, you probably think I’ve been flirting with you! I didn’t mean to! I mean, it’s not that I don’t like you, I just didn’t think you’d want me -”
I cut her off before she babbled too far. “I find I do like your company, and would enjoy more, but your tiny bed makes it clear that you are not interested in anyone else joining you there.”
“My - what? Oh.” Her face turned almost as red as her hair, and she finally ate the chip in her hand. “That’s - um, only because I sometimes dream I’m still floating in the Void. If I can find the edges of the mattress in my sleep I’m less likely to wake up in a panic.”
It had been hard enough for me, being out there in a steel ship. At least I hadn’t been alone. I didn’t want to imagine what it had been like for her for so long. Concerned, I reached out for her hand, but she waved me off.
“I’m fine! We don’t need to think about the Void! Bigger beds are easy to acquire if you - um -” She paused and took a gulp of her drink, while I grabbed the water glass, determined not to let my tongue loosen any further.
“Furniture! We need to find some if we’re setting up a Lyran style house. I mean,” she rambled on, “Big beds, wood furnishings, draperies, candles - do you still use candles? And - ”
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