The fabric of their clothes separates them, but the tightness of Ceri’s grip makes it feel like their skin is touching. Leor can’t help but look away from her. The warmth radiating from her body travels up to his cheeks.

What is wrong with me?

Leor’s able to maintain his usual stoic expression by jabbing his fist into his sides. Or so he thinks. In reality, the passing townsfolk and Ceri see his blatant attempt to mask his uneasiness.

The street lamps light up slowly as the sun dwindles. As they walk down the lightened path, their shadows stretch until they merge with the dark of night. The two walk with the bustling of the town’s nightlife filling the silence between them.

Ceri tightens her grip, unable to handle the hushed atmosphere. “So… that was some day, huh?”

Leor keeps his eyes forward. The stabbing leers from the townsfolk slightly ease his sense of restlessness. “Yeah, it was…”, he swallows. “I’m sorry.”

Cocking her head to the side, Ceri stares at him with furrowed brows. “‘Sorry?’ For what?”

“Because of me, you got hurt… My one job was to protect you, and I couldn’t even do that right. I failed.”

Although not facing her, Ceri notices Leor’s eyelids hanging lower than usual. She places her hand on his chin and turns it towards her, forcing their eyes to link.

“Leor, I don’t blame you for anything. It’s not your fault, okay? You tried and that’s what counts.”

Her magnetic green eyes draw him in. A familiar feeling tugs on his chest, but it only confuses him more,

“And besides, we’re both alive right?” smiles Ceri as she releases his cheeks. “So cheer up!”

Her smile lights the burden on his eyes. He tries to speak, but no words leave his lips. Before he could muster the courage, a group of people gathers before them. Placing his hand on the hilt of his weapon, Leor angles himself in front of Ceri. The usual scowl returns to his face.

Paying no attention to Leor’s aggressive stance, the group bows before Ceri. A middle-aged woman, dressed in a slightly ragged tunic that drapes down to her ankles, steps forward.

“Miss Ceri, on behalf of all of us, we deeply apologize for what happened to you earlier today. We were misguided and shall not waste the mercy Lord Alden showed us.”

Out of courtesy or perhaps muscle memory, Ceri bends forward in return. “All is forgiven. I only hope that Lord Alden’s words resonate with you all.”

A collective sigh of relief escapes their mouths; the woman cups Ceri’s hand tightly as she nods her head in agreement before taking their leave.

Leor watches Ceri smugly wave them off.

I guess she hasn’t noticed that they didn’t even acknowledge me.

Pretending to not have noticed himself, Leor gently grips onto her wrists and pulls her forward. “Come on, let’s hurry and get to the stand. I’m sure you’re dying to try the food” says Leor.

Before they knew it, the mouthwatering aroma of sizzling meat fills the air. The once crowd-filled area in front of the stand is now empty. Rows of paper lanterns light up the night sky, leading the way to a single table situated near the stall.

“There you two are. I was getting tired of waiting,” says Yui as she tosses and filets meat into the air. “I’ve set a table for you. Please take a seat.”

Sprinting to their seats, Ceri’s mouth hangs open; Saliva almost dripping out of it. “Lady Yui, thank you for everything!” says Ceri as she plants herself onto the seat facing Yui. Leor takes the seat across and gently places the katana on his hip onto his lap.

“You can drop the ‘lady’. I hold no such title. I’m simply a chef.” smiles Yui.

“But, I want to show my respect to you.” pouts Ceri.

“You’ve been taught well.” giggles Yui as she makes her way to the table with a plate in each hand. “Very well, you may call me Miss Yui.”

As she places the plates over Leor’s shoulder, Yui slowly brushes her hand up his arm. He looks at the gentle hand caressing his arm; Snapping his gaze to Yui, he finds her already meeting his own. Her lips curl up to match the seductiveness of her eyes. Leor glances at Ceri, who is too busy gawking at the steaming platter.

“You two enjoy yourselves now. Take all the time you need. I closed the stand for tonight so we have this place all to ourselves.” Yui winks at them. “I’ll be back with drinks.”

Smiling weakly, Leor raises his hand, pointing at the food. “S-shall we eat?”

“W-what? Sorry, what did you say?” says Ceri as if just waking up from a dream.

“Nothing. Go ahead. No need to hold back.”

She smiles. Then, immediately scarfs down the food. The grilled meat is torn to shreds as she gnaws away at it. The stir-fried vegetables disappear soon after. Leor winces and turns away while still being amazed at Ceri’s surprising talent. Before he even picks up his utensil, Ceri’s plate is completely void of any remnants of food.

“Ah~ That was soooo good!” cries Ceri as she sinks into her seat. Leor’s untouched plate catches her attention. “You’re not going to eat that?”

He can’t help the feeling that she wants some by the way she’s ogling his food.

“You want half? I’m not that hungry…”

A twinkle appears in her eyes. “R-really? Can I?”

Leor chuckles as he nods his head. Cuts the meat in half and scrapes it onto her plate.

With the first piece of meat landing into his mouth, Leor’s tongue explodes with flavor. The succulent meat almost melts as soon as it’s wrapped in the warmth exerting from the insides of his mouth. Leor mimics Ceri’s animalistic behavior and devours the food on his plate. No words can describe how delicious the food is; only moans of overwhelming satisfaction come out of his throat.

“Mmmmmmmm” moans Leor.

“Mhmm?” responds Ceri.

They continue their nonsensical conversation with their cheeks filled to the brim. To outsiders, the two look insane for making conversation without words.

Ceri rests her elbows on the table and leans into her hands. “Say, we’ve been traveling for a full two days and we never really talked about anything.”

Still munching away, Leor lifts a single brow.

“Don’t give me that look. All we’ve been talking about is how irresponsible Lord Alden is. I understand you don’t wish to share, but I want to get to know you better.”

Her emerald green eyes always wear Leor down. For the life of him, he can’t bring himself to look away. The unsettling feeling returns to his chest. Clutching onto the scabbard that rests on his lap, Leor slowly hard swallows the last bit of food in his mouth.

“....”

“Hmmm. I know. How about you ask me questions? Maybe that’ll help you get more comfortable.” says Ceri with a wide smile.

Trying to search for a question, his eyes wander around; he looks up at the night sky. An image of his master pops into his head. He remembers the times his master used him to pick up women. Leor furiously scratches his head, trying to remember what his master said to those women.

“....Umm… H-have you seen my son..?” blurts out Leor.

“...”

In the distance, crows caw to fill the unbearable silence.