Lian- "Freshly baked bread folks, and so much more! Bread, baked potatoes, baked…" Lian shouted
out periodically, banging a spoon on her desk stand, trying to rise above the usual chirps from the clover colosseum. Only a bit over a week has passed since the incident with the black liquid, and most of the Caer Sidians have already returned to business as usual.
?- "Can you give us two five pieces to go?" asked a familiar voice in a raspy tone. To her surprise, Giol and Ogda were walking around with Maci and Finley. "Yeah, we're going to visit the little coral lady and help out by being these two chaperones for today," Giol unpromptedly excused himself, making the situation more awkward than before. Except for Maci, who stomped, annoyed by the implication that she needed a babysitter.
Maci- "Oh for crying out loud, that black water stuff is gone already, I don't need to be supervised all the time."
Giol- "You say that, but Masso said something else, and I'm going to listen to someone here… tough luck, lady."
Lian handed them bread and potatoes, looking with a bit of pity at Finley. His head was still just bent over towards the ground; for the last week, everyone had tried to help him out, to be supportive of him but the teen didn't react to anything, besides Maci's aggressive nature.
Maci- "You better be all sunshine and rainbows when we get to Mincha. Last time you stood there like a mook, and it felt awkward as hell," added the girl after she noticed Lian's staring.
Like usual, her rude attitude was enough to flare something up in Finley, even if it was a mild brushing aside- "Sure… I'll try my best."
The amnesiac dragged her pact partner aside, to ask his opinion on it.
Ogda- "Hmm… Unsure. They and Mincha aren't just not talking, it's like they don't know what to even talk about… we've tried, but only two people have gotten them out of their daze. Maci, and Goidel for Mincha; mostly about the library but it's progress… What about you, any more headaches?"
Lian- "Me? Nah, it looks like I've got used to it. Especially since good ol' someone is literally eating away that pressure," she remarked in an amused tone, remodeling Ogda's face into a smile like it was made out of clay. Her smile dropped, though, as the library topic brought them to their other recurring talking point. "So… Feth. I figured I'll talk with Arim first-," to which Ogda rolled his eyes.
Lian- "What? What do you mean-" The girl's face became brighter than her hair, and her hands moved more wildly with each question.
Ogda- "You should ask him out already. I never thought of you as a coward before," he replied in a deadpan manner.
Lian- "Already? Coward? Since when do you talk to me like that? I bet it's Giol's fault, he's rubbing off on you in the worst-"
Ogda- "Anyway… He and Zinc might be more tricky than you think; Feth is a Union member, and Arim is close to them. And we don't actually have any proof, just hunches and pieces; just be careful how you bring it up. On my end, I can rely on Giol and Tommen to listen to us, while Mincha might do the same. Maci and Brigit are still a bit of a gray area."
The amnesiac girl grabbed her spoon and slowly and rhythmically slapped it onto her shoulder. "Well, for now, that means we just have to just do that- gather proof, right?" To which the water firbolg only nodded.
Ogda- "… Also, he's been hounding me with tea invitations. It seems like he wants to speak with me… privately." Ogda then went quiet and contemplative, before going back to his group. "We'll talk later, ok?"
Lian- "Sure thing, buddy. And tell Mincha I said hi!" she waved a lazy goodbye.
…
Among her other customers was Olpo, the office lady whom Lian had started to visit and gossip around with from time to time. And this visit wasn't any different, as the two spent Lian's entire lunch break having a chuckle. They were joined by Tommen, who was also taking a break from the verbal abuse training he was undergoing in the artist section of the colosseum. While not a big talker when it came to backtalking other people, he did politely laugh and react as required to Olpo's stories.
Somewhere later down the line, over half of the Union members passed by the shop, buying some of the "snacks," as they called them. Krass and Nizzio both praised the food with as much gusto as possible, while Goidel only gave it a thumbs up. All except Victor, who needed over five minutes to explain why "this bread is an affront to cooking." Fortunately for the girl, she was rescued just in time by Perren and his students, who were alerted that the cook had just entered this clover.
The teacher used his ilusionary ability to trick the giant into thinking he was trapped in a box, which gave him enough time to calm down; for a second, before he got upset at his boyfriend for ruining his "winning debate". " I have to teach them, Perren, they need to learn how to respect the art of cooking."
While the two were caught up in a usual spat, the bored students approached Lian's shop to greet her and explain the situation.
Arim- "Yeah, we kinda banned him from ever showing up around here since he made such a fuss about each stall's food."
Brigit- "Big cook hat, big cook pride I guess. By the way, I'm kinda surprised you still continued your job here."
Lian- "It's a hassle, but also a bit… nostalgic, I guess," the girl said remorsefully, looking at the party atmosphere around. "But not for too long I guess. I'm planning on trying some library work."
The boy let out an unintentional smile for a moment, caught only by his partner, Zinc. "So, I guess you two are staying a bit longer?"
Lian- "Yup. We both found things… we enjoy about this place, and this world."
Arim- "… What about, you know, your memory?"
The girl pushed her leg into the foot of the booth and bit her lower lip. "It's… no longer that important anymore… for either of us, as we found out," she remarked, thinking about the two Voices that both of them suffered from.
…
As the girl prepared to close down the shop, she took a gander at the large package of baked bread her boss had brought earlier. An order by a regular, which never showed up that day.
Lian- "Such a waste," she muttered, before noticing a last customer trying to wave her over. To her, now mild, surprise, it was an old human man traveling in a hovering chair.
?- "Mademoiselle? Mademoiselle commerçant?" asked the old man in a friendly, but slow tone.
A bit confused by the sudden French, Lian pointed at herself, and the client nodded. "Uhm... hi? How can I help you?"
Client- "Ah, we're using the tongue of our rowdy neighbors? Sure, sure, break an old man's heart, just like my grandchildren like to do."
Lian- "You mean the ones over the English Channel? Didn't you guys influence their language?" she asked, a bit irritated, unsure of why though.
Client- "Oui, oui. But that's ancient history by now. Both countries barely even exist anymore, the rivalry is kept alive by a few old fools, who have difficulty growing up, I guess."
Lian raised her eyebrows, then politely asked again if he wanted something.
Client- "Oh, right. I'm here to pick up an order. A large package of bread. I'm on my way to meet with an old friend, and he is a robust feller, let me tell ya."
Lian- "Human or firbolg?" she asked while preparing the package for delivery.
Client- "Firbolg. An old soul, like me. Though, if we were to compare our ages, I would guess I'm a child compared to him."
The way the man described his friend made her feel a bit down like a grip was dragging her into a fear long ignored. Still, she understood him a bit. "That sounds a bit rough... but I don't know why, but I get it. I hope the two of you have a nice dinner then. I'm guessing you are celebrating something?"
Client- chuckles "Oui, you could say that. Ashen and I just made our pact this morning, so I guess that's a reason for celebration," to which the girl almost dropped the package.
Lian- "The giant one from the Union? That Ashen?" The old man then showed the dot on his palm. "Huh... hope you don't mind, but how come?"
Client- "Ah, it's no problem. Let's say it's for a couple of reasons, mon cher; two actually, both having to do with timing. The first is a secret, while the other... well, let's just say I have some inside info that someone important is coming here."
Without even hiding her enthusiasm, Lian asked in a snap: "Is the Tuatha representative finally arriving?"
The old man lifted an eyebrow, a bit surprised. He then started riding away, leaving an extra tip in his wake. "See ya in three days at the ceremony then."