A Celebratory Date
~ Starring ~
Dys as Ignis
Val as Deni
[5,715]
The pair expertly picked their way through the crowd, occasionally giving each other amused, knowing looks. Still grasping each other's hands, they expertly lost themselves among the sea of people going about their day and evaded capture by Aelflead. The two seemed lost in their own little world as they looked for a place to celebrate pulling of a near impossible heist and a bit of mischief on top of that.~ Starring ~
Dys as Ignis
Val as Deni
[5,715]
Glancing over her shoulder, the woman asked, “Do you think Aelf will find us? She sounded pretty angry.” The avian woman didn’t look the least bit worried about this, though; she felt invincible. Another glance over the shoulder. “No, never mind, we lost her.” The enlil looked up at her companion. “Any ideas on where you want to celebrate?”
Deni chortled between breaths. Though their original pace had slowed as they began to wade through the crowds, the velen’s heart continued to race. What a rush it was, to steal money from the other prison-breakers. Perhaps a stupid move, making even more enemies, but it was the most fun he’d had in months.
Sighting a small alcove between buildings, Deni pulled his companion into the small space so they could catch their breath.
Ignis tugged at her grey cloak, feeling too warm, and unfastened the top few buttons with her free hand. The fabric slid until the garment rested around her shoulders, stopping short of revealing cleavage. Her cloak moved strangely as a lump squirmed around beneath it until Amicus pushed his head out the top of the cloak. He wiped his brow, mostly because he was subconsciously mirroring Ignis’ actions.
“Maybe somewhere cool?”
“Somewhere cool, eh?” Deni repeated, that endless, mischievous smirk remaining constant on his face. “There’s bound to be somewhere suitable for two upstanding citizens like ourselves.”
He turned to face Ignis, his face flushed from the pursuit. One webbed hand reached into his pocket and grasped a handful of exa.
“I’ll leave it up to you, but I know some places have a dress code.”
He shuffled closer to her, his smile still present.
“It wouldn’t be a problem if we needed to use a little exa for some new clothes. It might be fun playing the rich romantics for an evening.”
The avian’s eyes swept over Deni’s form and she realized how much skin he was showing. Red tinged her cheeks and she pulled her gaze away from her companion’s exposed chest. She had taken all of this in stride, hardly noticing it until the man pointed it out.
“Yeah, let’s do a bit of shopping first. I could probably use a shirt, too. I kind of abandoned all my other clothing in the last inn I visited before our mission.”
Ignis gave Deni’s hand a squeeze and smiled at him before pulling him through the crowd to a nearby clothing store, “Ruby Robes”. Inside, they were greeted with a cream and brown themed interior, and several racks of clothing placed throughout a mostly open floor. A few tables off to either side held shoes of various kinds and some shelves along walls had satchels and knapsacks on display. The warm, but soft lighting complemented the dark, hardwood floors and created a welcoming atmosphere. A sales attendant smiled at them and ushered the pair inside, not seeming to recognize either face.
The pale velen wandered around the clothes store, eyes darting like a child in a candy shop. His fingers remained interlocked with Ignis’ as they perused the female section. There were all sorts of dresses, shorts and trousers, along with a variety of different coloured jackets and tops of all shapes and sizes. Naturally, the female section was much larger than the male one, but even from across the room, Deni spotted something that made his grin deepen.
He released the enlil’s hand and strolled over to the rail where he sighted the jacket. Gently lifting it off the rail, the velen analysed the craftsmanship. A black, long-sleeved blazer, which split into two tails at the back.
“Serpens, that’s good.”
Ignis turned to see what caught her companion’s attention, a few items of clothing already in hand. A smile quirked at her lips; the article her friend held fit his personality quite well in her opinion. Despite only recently getting to know him, something about that jacket screamed ‘Deni’.
She glanced down at her own selections, simple tunics with wide sleeves and swirls embroidered around the neckline and sleeve cuffs. Perhaps she was being too simplistic. Though they hadn’t been paid what they were promised, they could still afford to splurge.
The avian woman replaced the items in her hand and began her search anew, with more in mind than practicality. Her next choice was a dark grey tunic with long sleeves and a floral patterned cowl and matching accents along the cuffs of the sleeves and hem. Satisfied, she joined Deni to admire the blazer he’d found.
“It’ll look good on you.”
“That it will,” he muttered with a smirk before he turned back to Ignis. His eyes widened slightly at the tunic in her hands. He could imagine it on her already, though he decided it was best not to dwell on that mental image too much while they were in public.
“We’re going to be the envy of Terminus’ finest in these glorious threads,” he chuckled. The laicar saleswoman smiled as she shadowed the pair on their journey around the store. The velen usually had very linear taste in clothes, but given recent events, it was as good a time as any for a change. He picked up a long-sleeved teal shirt, some kind of fedora that seemed to be at the height of fashion, along with some black pants, shoes and a tie. He darted for the changing rooms, but turned back to face the enlil woman after a few strides.
“Let’s go make ourselves look astonishing!”
“Oh, yes. We'll be dashing!” She agreed with a large smile before finding the fitting room in the women's section.
Ignis returned with her cloak over one arm and a mons infans perched on one shoulder. She felt oddly exposed without the safety of a cloak hiding her identity and covering nearly every inch of her body. She grabbed a satchel on her way over to the register. The avian turned to look for Deni and paused when she saw him, staring for a good half minute before waving him over.
The velen emerged from the back of the shop with his new clothes on. He’d managed to line his pistols inside his new jacket. With his teal shirt buttoned up to his collar, Deni had just about finished adjusting his black tie when he caught a glimpse of Ignis waving. He flipped his black fedora around and placed it on top of his head, then handed the store clerk the required amount of exa.
“Wow, thank you very much!” she managed before the two of them left the store.
As they left with their newly purchased outfits, Ignis slipped her cloak into the satchel she'd bought and asked Deni, “What kind of food do you like?”
“Oh, no,” Deni said, still adjusting his tie and hat. “That’s not how this works.”
He turned to Ignis with a grin on his face as they continued to walk down the busy Terminus streets. His hand bumped into hers and he took the opportunity to grasp her fingers lightly.
“You tell me what you like. Uhh, I mean food, of course.”
“Well...” she began and then paused, fingers curling around Deni’s while she thought. They milled through the streets in companionable silence for a few before Ignis pointed towards a restaurant.
“There, why don’t we see if they have dumplings or baozi.” She tugged Deni towards the small eatery which, judging by the name, had food inspired by Songen and Borean cuisines.
Deni pretended to know what a baozi was as he squinted at the sign above the restaurant. The fancy writing made it difficult enough to read, but the fact that its name was likely in traditional Borean didn’t help the velen with his deciphering.
“San... khu... Uma?” he said with uncertainty. He shrugged. “Sounds exotic. Let’s do it.”
Ignis giggled at his pronunciation, but didn't correct it. It was close enough. “Let's,” she agreed with a smile, interlacing her fingers with Deni’s.
The couple walked towards the doorway into the restaurant. There was a small crowd gathered outside, likely a group of friends who were congregating after a meal or had just met to go inside. Once they brushed past the group, Deni noticed the white frame of the building. A pattern was carved around the edges of each window, likely meant to resemble some sort of vine from the vast forests of Boreas. Upon closer inspection, the same pattern was crafted into the glass door. The place looked nice enough.
“Think of a name you like and follow my lead,” he said quietly into Ignis’ ear.
She nodded, too busy studying the details of the restaurant's architecture to think of a reply. It reminded her of summer of the more urban areas of her home continent and not fit the first time, Ignis felt a pang of longing for her mother's simple cabin in the woods.
The two of them walked through the glass door and were immediately greeted by a middle-aged enlil man with purple feathers spiked atop his head. His face bore a pleasant smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but it was Deni who spoke first.
“My name is Senixis Amaverus,” the velen began in an unexpectedly deep tone. He gestured to Ignis with his free hand. “And this is my wife...”
“Taruka,” the enlil supplied smoothly, with a bittersweet smile. “It's nice to meet you.” She extended one winged arm and closed her hand into a fist, bending at the elbow to bring her fist in front of her chest.
The enlil man smiled, almost fondly, and then mirrored “Taruka’s” gesture. “Welcome, 'Taruka, Senixis. I am Kichka of the Kiswar. Right this way.”
Deni thought Taruka was a pretty name, but he had no idea what significance Kichka’s title held. Despite all of his experiences throughout years of travelling, he knew next to nothing about enlil culture. A vacant smile remained on his face as the two of them followed the sincere man.
He led them into the restaurant, the interior of which was simplistic: dark green walls with light green vines and flowers stretching across their expanses, framing a few open, artfully placed scrolls with Songen paintings or haiku on them. The tables near the center of the room were low with rich red cushions around them. Booths off to the side were sectioned off with rice paper walls. Along the back wall, taller tables stood with stools to sit on. Sculptures of frosted glass stood in various places of the room, glowing from fires kept within and casting a warm light across the restaurant.
Noticing Taruka's longing gaze, Kichka led the couple to one of the booths and pulled back the seemingly sheer curtain so the pair could see inside.
The booth was like a small room, enclosed in rice paper walls, a short, black lacquered wooden table sat in the center of the makeshift room. There was a space cut out in the center to allow for a miniature version of the glass lights seen throughout the restaurant. A few deep red cushions sat around the table and a closer inspection of the rice paper revealed a faint feather and vine pattern.
“Would you like to sit here?” Kichka asked them.
“Yes, this will be perfect,” ‘Senixis’ replied. In truth, he was impressed. The spaciousness of the room, the intricate, authentic designs of the walls... it felt like someone had fashioned the place out of a portion of rainforest. The velen waited for his companion to sit before he approached the cushions on the opposite side of the table. He placed himself down gently and crossed his legs, which seemed to be the natural position to take on those cushions.
“Would you like any drinks?” Kichka asked.
Deni cut in before Ignis had a chance to respond.
“I believe the lady would love some of your finest spiced rum,” he smiled when he glanced at her for a moment and then turned back to their server. “I’ll take a bottle, if you please.”
With a nod, the purple-feathered enlil left through the curtains to fetch their drinks, leaving the two of them alone.
“Well, Taruka, my love,” Deni began, maintaining his well-spoken accent and mischievous smile. “This place seems absolutely delightful.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Ignis agreed wistfully, playing with the ends of her head-feathers. Slowly, she tore her eyes away from the designs in the rice paper walls and met her partner’s gaze. “It reminds me of home.”
On a cushion at the end of the table, Amicus rustled in agreement. Although staying by his friend’s side was worth more than the comforts of home, he did miss the forests. He sighed and settled down when Ignis absently reached over to stroke the top of his head.
Kichka returned with the bottle of rum and two small cups. He set these on the table before handing the couple the set of menus he’d been keeping under one arm. “I’ll return shortly to take your orders,” he told them, “is there anything I can get for your companion?”
Deni grasped the bottle and poured the rum into one glass while his date conversed with the waiter.
Ignis and the mons infans shared a look before she replied, “Just some water and berries, please.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” The older enlil nodded before disappearing through the curtain.
The velen took the glass in his hand and swirled the spirit around before he lifted it to his nose. The unique blend of spices used in the distilling process came through in the rum. He placed the glass to his mouth and took his first sip.
“Do you ever miss your home, Senixis?”
The heat of the alcohol remained in the back of his throat as he consumed the liquid. The rum was sweet and the spices gave it a fantastic unique flavour. He lowered his glass after a small sip and savoured the taste. Deni deliberately took his time answering his companion’s question as he weighed up the pros and cons of that particular life choice.
“Yeah, from time to time,” he finally responded with a sigh, “though not enough to ever warrant going back there.”
The rogue had always been reluctant to talk about his past. Given the amount of trouble he always ended up in, it was a natural reaction. If nobody knew anything about him then most people would struggle to pursue him. Then again, he’d been with Ignis a few days and they had to start talking eventually. He swallowed his pride and fixed his blue eyes on the woman sitting opposite him.
“It was my choice to leave. I ran away from home,” he admitted. A short smile lifted itself back onto his face as he reminisced. His memories weren’t all bad.
“What about you? Were you raised in Boreas?”
“Sort of,” Ignis said softly, pouring herself some of the spiced rum. She swirled the glass, gaze dropping to the amber liquid. The enlil frowned softly.
“When I was young, my mother studied engineering and botany at the Specula Sorcere so we were here in Terminus, but we moved around a lot. We couldn’t really afford to stay in one place long so we lived wherever Mom could make enough to keep up with her lessons and a roof over our heads. Sometimes we lived out of inns or hole in the wall apartments....”
She took a sip. “Didn’t move back to Boreas until I was twelve.” She sighed. “I hated it at first. I'm from a small town in the middle of the forest and I felt like I was trapped there after spending the first years of my life in such a big city.”
Ignis sighed and took another sip. “I thought coming back here would feel like home.” She looked Deni in the eye, “It doesn’t, not anymore,” the woman continued, sounding a little lost.
“I know that feeling,” he said after another sip of his drink. “To me, home is wherever I am. I’ve been away from my family for years, so I tried my best to find new people and fit in with them. I’ve met some of the most interesting characters.”
He wasn't sure whether he should have reached one arm across the table to grasp her hand, as a reassuring gesture. In the end he decided against it, and briefly scanned the menu in front of him instead. He didn’t browse the meal list for long though. His eyes were drawn to hers again. A short smile lifted itself onto his face.
“Like the time I met this one woman. She was an enlil, always covered up because she was on the run. Then she put on this grey tunic and I was hypnotized by her beauty.”
A giggle and a bright red blush banished the awkwardness of the moment. Ignis shook her head, “You flatter me, dear.”
Before she could say much else, Kichka returned with the berries and water.
Deni felt a sense of relief. His charm had managed to avert what could have been a grim moment. While he wanted to know more about the enlil woman, the restaurant was hardly the place to delve into such emotions, especially with Kichka storming back and forth between orders. The velen smiled at the waiter as he entered their booth.
Amicus perked up at his treat and nodded at the waiter before scooping up a couple blueberries in his branchy hand and popping them into his mouth. While simply having access to Ignis’ energy sustained him in place of a forest, snacks were very enjoyable.
“Have you decided what you would like to eat?”
Ignis glanced at her ‘husband’, but he gestured signifying she should order first. Turning back to the man beside them, she said, “Can I have an order of baozi and vegetable lo mein, please?”
“Good choice, you must be well-travelled to be so familiar with Songese food. And you, Senixis? What would you like to eat?” The waiter turned to Deni.
Deni scanned the menu quickly for anything that caught his eye.
“I’ll have gammarus jiaozi,” he said slowly, “also with a vegetable lo mein.”
“Very good,” Kichka said with a nod and took the menus from the pair before disappearing through the curtain to the rest of the restaurant. As soon as the avian waiter had left, Deni returned his gaze to Ignis.
“Well, I recognised one word in the menu,” he chuckled. “I've eaten gammarus before in Pelagia.”
“It's a pretty good dish,” Ignis said, an amused smile on her face. “Maybe we’ll just have to go on more dates so you can try more dishes.”
The smooth talking rogue tried to suppress his inflated ego, though a wide grin revealing his sharp teeth managed to slip through. Not only had he successfully completed the impossible by breaking someone out of the Arx, but a date was actually going well for him? Perhaps there was a change in the currents due for Deni and his enlil companion.
“It feels a little strange that we can do that now,” she mused, “that we're not hiding somewhere or worried someone around the corner could get us. It's nice.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Deni nodded. “I'm just expecting people to jump out of the walls with guns blazing and spells flinging.”
He shrugged his shoulders lightly. The cheeky grin remained on his face.
“Well, if you want to go on more dates with me, I’ll be happy to oblige. We can go on as many as you want.”
Ignis grinned, exposing her rather sharp pearly whites.
Amicus crawled into her lap with his bowl of berries, feeling a tad left out. He was somewhat mollified when Ignis stroked the top of his head.
Just then, their waiter returned with a tray of hot food. The savory smells made Ignis and Deni's mouths water as their food was set in front of them. Even Amicus eyed the steamed pork buns, baozi, on Ignis’ plate with interest.
“Enjoy,” Kichka told them before disappearing again.
“Let's eat!” Ignis cheered, picking up a bun. She dropped it a second after and exclaimed, “Ow! That's hot.”
Deni laughed at Ignis’ blunder. He learned from her mistake and prodded one of his jiaozi first. When he was satisfied that it was cool enough to eat, he lifted one of the small dumplings and threw it into his mouth quickly. The velen’s eyes widened as the flavours bursted out of the dough when he started chewing. The familiar flavour of gammarus meat mixed with herbs and some kind of sauce that he’d never tasted before made for an enjoyable experience.
“Okay, this is good,” Deni admitted after his first mouthful. “This is Songese cuisine, right?”
“Yeah, it is. My mom loves Songese food so we would get it wherever we went. For such an isolated island they sure have a lot of restaurants with their food.”
She followed Deni’s example and prodded the bun that had burned her fingers a few times and only picked it up once it was cool enough. The enlil took a bite of her steamed bun, instead of eating it whole. She hummed happily, savoring the rich flavors of pork, soy sauce, scallions, and spices on her tongue.
“So, what do you usually eat?”
“Whatever I can get my hands on,” he said with a short chuckle. “When I was young, I did eat at fancy restaurants from time to time, but that was mostly Pelagian cuisine. You wouldn’t believe the amount of different ways some of those fish can be prepared.”
She raised her eyebrows at this, wondering how many different fish recipes there were.
The velen paused to devour another one of the light balls of dough. As he munched on it with his razor-sharp teeth, he found himself analysing the words that had just left his mouth. He had never told anyone about anything to do with his past, even little details such as the food he used to eat. What startled him even more, however, was the fact that after years of twisting the truth carefully, he barely even realised that he had slipped up. He was clearly growing comfortable around the enlil woman. The gunslinger found the sensation liberating. It was a hefty burden, misleading everyone that he met.
“When I hit the road, I became less picky. I started to try a broader range of foods, but nothing quite this... intricate.”
Ignis nodded in understanding. “Sometimes when my mom was between jobs or we were moving to another part of the city, we ate whatever was around. Whatever the inns made or street food mostly.”
She took another sip of rum, finishing off the small cup and ate another bun in the comfortable silence that settled between them after that. Ignis’ eyes strayed away from her companion’s face to the patterns on the rice paper walls enclosing their booth. Her gaze drifted to the light in the center of the table, a bit of longing in her expression as she watched the flame inside the frosted glass dance.
A soft sigh escaped the avian’s lips without her notice. Now that everything had settled down, she was getting homesick. Without anxiety and the threat of being captured or sold out at any moment or the pressure of a dangerous mission, there was nothing to distract the enlil from the nostalgia mixed with foreignness that this city aroused in her. She had once felt at home while travelling around the great city. Her brows knit together. Where could she go if she felt nothing but wanderlust in Boreas and out of place in Terminus? Despite her cleverness, Ignis didn't know how to fix this, and she didn't think she could push it to the back of her mind to be forgotten either.
Talking with Deni about their pasts brought these thoughts to the forefront of her mind. It was a little surprising they were talking about this; before it had never occurred to Ignis how little they knew about each other. Like Deni, Ignis hadn't really told anyone much of her past either --not that she knew they had this in common.
While Ignis appeared to slide into a daydream, Deni inconspicuously tried to puzzle out the use of the little sticks that came with the lo mein.
Aquila’s arse, how does this work? he thought to himself in frustration. Do I use one in each hand? Or do I sandwich them between my fingers?
“Taruka, my dear,” he said softly, though he was ready to snap the sticks in half. “Would you be so kind as to explain what manner of sorcery is required to wield these?
She blinked and then focused on Deni. “Of course, Senixis.”
Ignis reached across the table to guide his hand into the proper position. “It's a little tricky at first, but you hold one sort of like a quill or graphite stick and the other rests between your thumb and index finger. Use your other fingers to keep the bottom chopstick still like this, good....”
“Right,” Deni said with uncertainty. He held the sticks between his fingers in the position that Ignis had moulded them into. The velen looked to his hand and flexed one finger a little, tapping the two sticks together. He grinned.
She picked up her own chopsticks with her free hand to demonstrate for Deni. “Like this, and then you use to top stick to pin food between it and the bottom one.” Ignis lifted a bit of noodles to show the velen what she meant.
“Okay, I think I can do this.”
Deni stuck the two sticks into the bowl and scooped some of the vegetables out. Half of the contents fell back into the bowl, but with a single motion, the other half managed to make it to his mouth. He nodded and smiled victoriously as he chomped, before reaching back into the bowl for a second helping.
“How do the Songen cope with this everyday?” he laughed. “Then again, I suppose I‘m the one that has my priorities the wrong way round. I’m better at firing a gun than I am at using cutlery.”
“I don't know, I guess they don't think about it. It's a lot easier once you're used to it.” Ignis shrugged, helping herself to her own noodles. She laughed. “I wouldn't say your priorities are that off, it's important to be able to defend yourself.”
A moment later she added, “How did you learn to shoot?”
Even Amicus perked up in wait for Deni’s response.
The gunslinger finished guzzling down another portion of lo mein as he considered his reply. Talking about food he used to eat was one thing, but the person who taught him to shoot was a touchy subject, especially since Deni didn’t actually know if he was still alive.
“I was on the streets for a while, back in Pelagia,” he said, before necking the rest of the rum in his glass. He started to fill the glass up again. “A man gave me shelter. He taught me how to shoot and make guns to defend myself.”
Deni took another gulp of the rum and let it burn the back of his throat.
“Then he disappeared and I ended up joining a street gang. What a whole load of fun that was.”
He shrugged as if he couldn't still hear the gunshots being fired next to him or see his friends bleeding out every time he thought about it. There was a reason he got drunk so often.
“Every time you survive a gunfight, you force yourself to get better or you might not make it out of the next one alive. I'm still here, so that’s probably why I’m so good.”
The velen’s eyes widened as if he had only just realised what he was saying.
“Well, that was dark,” he chuckled as he made eye contact with his date, trying to gauge her reaction. “And now part of my mysterious charm has gone. I, uhh...”
He hesitated, swirling the liquor around the glass absentmindedly.
“I’ve never told anyone that before.”
Ignis was quiet for a moment, a slight frown on her face. She set a hand on Deni’s, giving it a gentle squeeze unsure of what to say.
Though Ignis wasn't well versed in reading people, having grown up in solitude with only her mother for company most of her life, she could recognize the subtle signs of distress as Deni told his tale. The enlil couldn't imagine what being on the streets was like, her mother had done a good job of sheltering her. She wondered if it was like being surrounded by people like that man who had come in the window all those years ago.
“Thanks for telling me,” Ignis said quietly after a while. She wondered if the gunfights Deni had gotten into felt anything like her first encounter with an armed opponent. “It can't have been easy... I was six when I had my first run-in with guns involved. I mean, I didn't have one of course, but the guy who came in the window did.”
She looked up at Deni, unsure of how to continue.
Deni straightened his back and leaned closer to Ignis.
“You don’t have to torture yourself, you know,” he said softly. He smiled reassuringly. “Everyone has had their taste of Infernalis. You and I, we’ve had more than most. If we were well-adjusted, recent events would have gone a lot differently.”
Perhaps that was why the pair sought each other's company so desperately. They both had a troubled past and both of them had ended up in the firing line at the same time. Twice, a year apart. It seemed as though some supernatural power was trying to bring the two together.
Deni put his drink down, then placed his free hand on the side of her face gently. He stroked the feathers behind her ear with one thumb, as he had done previously.
Ignis leaned into Deni's touch and allowed herself a soft, relieved smile.
Her childhood wasn't that bad --nothing like the years Deni had spent on the street-- or so she told herself. Maybe someday she would be ready to admit otherwise, but her companion wasn't going to make her do that today.
“That said, if events had gone differently, you might not have met me. And just how would you have coped without my mesmerising charm?”
What would she have done indeed? Ignis imagined that it was the reason they had stuck together; both of them were determined to see everything as an adventure and make room for smiles and jokes even when they were cornered.
What would she do without her wild imaginings romanticizing even the most bleak and hopeless situations into fantastic adventures? What would Deni have done without his humor to brighten an otherwise dark and dangerous predicament?
The avian didn't want to know.
“Who knows? I think you're much more fun than anything I could have dreamed up on my own.” For once, real life was preferable to the semi-nonsensical world inside her head.
Deni showed his teeth as he grinned at the compliment. Somehow, the two of them always managed to end up finding romantic moments whenever they were alone. They were still caught up in the aftermath of their actions around Nocte Nils, so who knew what would happen next?
The velen shifted his hand away from Ignis’ face when Kichka came through the curtain. The enlil waiter received a threatening glare from Deni, but nodded his head in a humble manner in response.
“Forgive me for interrupting your meals,” he apologised, “but there is someone asking after one Deniisis Perfide.”
Deni’s eyes widened.
Ignis frowned, concern clear on her features.
“The description she gave matches your appearance, Master Senixis.”
“What does she look like?” the rogue asked. Kichka shuffled uncomfortably.
“She wears dark clothes and has a mask covering the top half of her face.”
Deni heaved a huge sigh. A single day off. One romantic meal. Was that too much to ask?
At least it’s likely that this mysterious person doesn’t want to kill me, he thought to himself. They wouldn’t have announced that they were looking for me otherwise.
He grasped the last of his gammarus jiaozi and lifted himself out of his cushion.
“I’m sorry, Taruka,” he said. He held a fiery gaze when he looked away from the enlil woman. His tone turned sour. “It appears somebody needs me, and the Vis know I’m such a people person.”
“It's alright, Senixis. We can try to have a peaceful date another time.” Ignis said easily, but she turned her face away to hide disappointment.
Deni pressed one hand against Ignis’ cheek. He leaned in and kissed her foreh before he realigned his hat and stormed through the curtains.
Once Deni had left, the avian sighed and twirled her noodles around her chopsticks. Then she stopped, looked up at Kichka, and asked imploringly, “If we need to leave here quickly and unseen can you help us?”
The waiter nodded. “I can do that much for you, Miss Taruka.”
Ignis laid the payment for both their meals plus a handsome tip on the table and stood, saluting Kichka in the traditional enlil way. “Thank you so, much, Kichka. We're really sorry for the trouble, my husband used another name to avoid undue attention but I don't think it worked. I really do hope whoever this woman is isn't after Senixis’ head. I'd have to put a stop to it.”
“I... see.” Kichka frowned.
Ignis hurried off after her companion, Amicus clinging to her neck and a drone not far behind.
Not again.