94

--The Enclave--

Benni’s was a bit cold and cool and modern compared to what she was used to, but used to it Dassah was sure she could get. Textured, marbled black walls were lit up by bright purple wall washings that beamed up from narrow strips running along the bottoms, tops, and centers of all the walls of the room. The light gave a neat effect as it reflected against the unevenly jutting stone; it was almost hypnotic when she started at it too long.

The tables and decor was mostly either black or silver — including the floor. Black, but inlaid with small, glittering, white lights. They shone like stars, twinkling dully; hardly bright enough to light one’s way, but enthralling to watch. Above them, the ceiling was a fixture of similar concept, except hung from it were star lamps of various shapes and sizes and colors. Many were cut with intricate designs that splashed light throughout the room.

Plants were scattered around, as well as other objects of bright colors contrasting against dark scheme. It wasn’t enough to brighten it, really, but it did manage to warm the place up just enough to make it comfortable while still feeling more formal.

Not that any of that seemed to faze Sathuren at all. He got them settled and laughing with the bartender — Benni, as it was — before Dassah had even been aware enough to realize they were in an actual bar.

“What can I get you folks today?” Benni asked with a smile. He was an older man, valkyrian, with a trio of scars across his left eye that made it look like he’d been mauled by a small tiger.

“I’ll take a Drakekip River Tea,” Sav told him, then squinted at Dassah, who looked at him pleadingly. “This guy can make just about anything.”

“I-I, uh… A Zombie? Please?” she asked, not sure if she was hoping for a yes or no; she simply named the first drink she thought of.

Benni laughed. “I can,” he said. “I’ll be out in a few.”

Feeling more than a little out of place, Dassah pulled out a menu from a stand off the the side. As she looked through the various pages of food with names she didn’t know how to pronounce, she remembered why she never went to places like this. Language only got you so far when things and concepts that had no equivalent on Earth were part of everyday life. Tired of struggling to pronounce the words even in her head, she put the menu back.

“I never asked you how your classes went today,” Dassah said.

Benni delivered their drinks with a polite, “There you go,” before disappearing from view.

“Not much to say, really,” Sav told her, taking up a heavy looking stone bowl with a spout on one end. Inside looked to be a dark, syrupy beverage. “It was a class. One I have taught many times before.”

“On?” she pressed,

“Garuli folklore. Very interesting topic.”

“You make it sound like I shouldn’t be interested...”

“Are you?” he eyed he with amusement as he took a sip of his drink.

“If I say ‘yes’, are you going to give me a lecture?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “If that’s so, then not at all.”

“Then let’s talk about your date, shall we? Because I am entirely invested in that story,” he said, smirking. “Someone who stresses you out as much as I do. I’d love to meet him.”

Dassah played with her drink a little, crushing the ice down with her straw. It was a colorful thing; blue and red and yellow. Sweet and fruity, she knew it was also deceptively alcoholic. After taking a careful sip, she answered, “Actually, I’m not sure you would.”

He raised an eyebrow, promoting her to continue. Fiddling with the napkin that was placed under her glass, she said, “I just don’t think you’d like him.”

“That you considered whether or not I would like him is flattering, I’ll admit,” he mused. “But — we aren’t really friends, I know — but. Why are you seeing a guy you don’t think the people around you would like?”

Dassah chuckled. “Honestly,” she started. “For the same reason I haven’t given up on you.”

“Which is?”

“Answers. I want answers.”

Sav side-eyed her. “And just what kind of answers are you looking for from me?”

Looking into his eyes, eyes that she had seen in so many of her dreams, she still wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell him. Those eyes made her fear — but also, now, oddly safe. She nursed her drink.

He was right. They weren’t friends — she had insisted as much before. But they weren’t not friends either. She believed that if she were to tell him about her dreams there and then, he would not only believe her, but he might have given her all those answers that she sought.

But as she opened her mouth to tell him everything, a different kind of fear gripped her. A surprising kind of fear stole her voice away. What were they, if not friends? Without the mystery of her dreams, what reason would she have to seek him out, in or outside of the game.

Her eyes fell. After everything that had they’d said and done, why was she looking for reasons at all?

“Answers… about… Why I trust you,” she told him, swallowing her other admission. “And… why I don’t trust him.”

“You… trust me?” Sathuren asked, bowl in hand as he pointed. “You?”

“Don’t make a thing of it,” she sighed, her face growing warm.

He started to laugh, but seemed think better of it as he put his bowl down and nodded at the menu she’d been looking through earlier. “Anything look good in there? I haven’t eaten since morning.”

“Would that I knew what any of that was,” she scoffed. Sav laughed and nodded as if he understood — which, she realized, he probably did. Even if most of the things on there were things he knew now, he probably didn’t when he had gone from Gathori to Yidar. “Could you… maybe…,” she went leaning into the bar, nervously pointing to the menu. “I haven’t really eaten, either…”

If he was trying to hide how entertained he was, he was failing, but he nodded and ordered a few dishes from Benni. He also asked for some water for each of them, which Dassah was secretly grateful for.

“You come here a lot?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Usually a couple of times a month,” he told her. “It’s close to the dojo, so when I close with Ishida we usually stop for dinner. Trust me, he’s had to explain more than one thing on that menu to me.”

She chuckled. “I keep forgetting that human food is just as weird to other people as their food is to me.”

“I don’t think it’s as weird as you’d think,” he said, taking another drink. He stared at her.

“What?” she asked, suddenly very self conscious.

“I’m still curious,” Sav leaned back and swirled his drink. “You said you don’t trust him. Why are you going on a date him if you don’t trust him? Just for answers?”

“You really want to know?”

“Yeah. Seems like a terrible idea.”

“Stella.”

He looked away with his brow knit together.

A slightly uncomfortable moment passed before she said, “Your face is going to freeze like that.”

After clearing his throat, Sathuren finished his drink and gently put the stone bowl back on the bar. “So… wait,” he went. “You’re dating his guy, who you don’t like, because of Stella? Because…?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like him,” she clarified defensively, though she couldn’t make an argument for liking him either. “It was a blind date. He’s respectable; works for a hospital —” I think. “— so every time I’ve met up with him we’ve gotten interrupted —”

“Stop,” he held up a hand. “You’ve gone on more than one date with this guy?” Sav’s expression twitched into a frown as he put his hand down. “Just because of Stella?”

Taking a minute to reflect on her choices in life, she took a rather large gulp of her Zombie before wincing and saying, “Yes.”

The white and purple garuli rested his head on his hand, falling silent. She wondered what he was thinking about, but didn’t have the courage to ask. The more she thought about it the more stupid it was. It was probably still okay for her to cancel it, but the reality it was, it wasn’t strictly Stella that was driving her now. It was curiosity. And curiosity killed the cat, you know? she reminded herself with a sigh.

Thankfully, a waitress went over to where they were sitting, delivering their food and water. Sathuren ordered another drink as Dassah inspected his food choices. The first looked like it was some sort of stuffed flower. The second looked a bit like large, baked chicken wings with an assortment of sauces and a side of thin french fries. The third made her pause, then squirm.

“What the hell is that?” she asked, pointing to the bowl as whatever it contained writhed in what looked like a thick, sticky, goo.

Sav shivered, snorted, the burst out laughing.

“Sav!” she cried, still pointing.

Trying to contain himself, he said, “I-It’s… It’s… L-Live…”

“‘L-Live’? Live? You mean this is alive?”

“Live K-Korlbli,” he managed to cough. “Live Korlbli,” he repeated more clearly. “According to Ishida, it’s similar to Earthian octopus. It’s not bad, but I really just got it to see your f-face — Haha!” He devolved into laughter again.

Dassah took her bag from beneath her chair and hit him with it. “Stop laughing!” she scolded, then stared at the bowl as it moved.

“D-Don’t worry, I won’t make you eat it, I just w-wanted to… pft!”

“Yes, yes, mock the human,” she muttered, then started chuckling. “You’re so stupid,” she told him. She took a fork and poked at it. It squirmed away at her touch. “How are you supposed to eat it, anyway?”

He looked at her, still highly amused. “You wanna try it?” Shrugging, he said, “You really just eat it. It’s already cut up and in sauce. Chew it thoroughly or else you may die.”

“Knock it off,” she told him, skewering a wriggling worm-like piece.

“I’m serious,” he said, taking a spoonful and eating a fairly large portion.

“Let this be repentance for my sins…” Dassah grimaced, but stuck the piece in her mouth. She whined in displeasure as it moved against her tongue before she caught it in her teeth. It tasted a little bit like sweet pickled beets, but she wasn’t sure if that was from the creature she was eating or the sauce.

Sav started to laugh again, nearly choking. “Well?” he asked.

“It wasn’t… bad,” she said. “I’m not sure I’d call it good. What are these other two things?”

He pointed to a dish that looked like roasted flowers. “This is Stuffed Heymet. Inside is basically meat and cheese and potatoes. The Heymet itself tastes a little bit like the Korlbi, if I’m being honest, just saltier. And fried,” he told her. “The other is basically large chicken wings; I think you could tell that one.”

“Those both sound much more appetizing,” Dassah said, nodding her approval, and poked the flower. “Anything I should know about eating this one?”

He laughed again and shook his head. “Nah.”

She stabbed the stuffed flower and pointed at him with it. “Don’t make me regret deciding to trust you now,” she warned.

“I have to amuse myself somehow,” he said with a shrug, taking one with his hands and tossing it into his mouth.

Dassah tsked as she looked at it. It was about the size of her hand; too big for her. She cut in to bits and was a little moved at how the cheese melted out from mashed potatoes and some kind of ground meat. It was far more delicious than the Korlbi.

“Mmm,” she went with her mouth full. “We should have totally started with this.”

“Where would the fun be in that?”

` “Why do you keep using me to amuse yourself?” She asked.

He stared into his water glass. It was an odd look. As if her asking the question troubled him. Her chewing slowed as he coughed. “I’ll be back in a few; Just got to use the restroom...” he said, and stalked away.