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“Good, I’m trying to save up so I’ll take anything I can get.”
“Speaking of customers, here comes one now,” says Nova, moving to the counter. “Hello there Anevin, will it be the usual?”
A brown furred minotaur takes a seat at the bar.
“Yes darling, make it two actually,” he says. Taking notice of me, he waves a hand. “Are you new here?”
“Yeah, my name is Kyra, pleasure to meet you.”
“Come here, let me show you how to pour an ale,” says Nova.
I pay extra attention as I study her technique, making mental pointers of her advice on how to avoid too much foam forming. I hand it to Anevin who places some money on the bar.
“Keep the change, beautiful,” he says to me before walking off.
“First tip, there you go,” says Nova, clapping her hands together.
I ought to buy something nice for Zy,I think to myself as I stuff the change in my pocket. As I continue learning the skills of my new job, I find myself resorting to thoughts of being back at Zy’s with him and Traisius.
It’s good to be out of the house, though it was lovely having a safe place to stay all this time.I rest a hand on my heart, rubbing my chest as the word ‘home’ crosses my mind.I couldn’t have done it without Zy. He’s so good to Traisius too.
I think of him cradling our son and how naturally being a good father seems to come to him. I can’t believe I ever treated Zy the way I did. It was refreshing to be treated well as a human woman in Protheka. Now that I’m in another place without him, I seem to somehow long for him stronger than ever.
I can’t be falling for him, right? Damn it…
I frequently brush off thoughts of him as I clean tables, though they come rushing back to me in a matter of moments each time. Falling in love was never a part of my plan, yet I know that the longer I stay with him, the harder it will become to leave.
Can I really do it once I have the chance? Even after all we’ve been through together?
19
ZY
If I wasn’t already relieved to be moved to the day shift, I’d be even more so now. With Kyra regularly working down at the Broken Horn Tavern, we couldn’t both be working nights. In turn, Traisius would always have one of us to watch over him at all times.
Each evening, I arrive home at sunset to find Kyra preparing herself for a night shift. While I’m happy she’s back on her feet, our differences in working time means we no longer get to spend a lot of time together anymore. Alas, it’s something I knew I was going to have to deal with eventually, for there soon may come a time when I may not see her at all.
I walk to the door of my house now after a long day patrolling the streets. From my forehead, I wipe a pool of sweat using a rag. There was a time before where I’d come home, feeling excited to spend the evening with Kyra.
That feeling is still there for I now spend the nights looking after Traisius but I always wished for his mother to join us. I open the door, stepping inside into the comfort of my home. There stands Kyra, having just slipped on some clothes.
From the towels on the bed and the aroma of soap in the air, I can tell she has just bathed. Cooing from his cot beside our bed is Traisius.
“Hey,” greets Kyra, tying her hair into a ponytail. “How was work?”
“Ah, nothing new. There’s less drunkards and thugs to deal with during the day time, so that’s refreshing. I’ll get started on dinner then.”
“Oh sorry, I won’t have time tonight. I’ve got to get going in five minutes.”
“Oh, okay then.”
A feeling of sadness comes over me but there was nothing I could do. While Kyra couldn’t help the start time of her shifts, this was quickly becoming the new normal and I didn’t like it. Tonight’s going to be another night spent eating alone.
“Don’t worry, I made some bahru stew. There’s plenty in the pot, so don’t worry about cooking. Just throw it on the fire and it’ll be good to go in a few minutes.”
“Thanks Kyra,” I reply, fighting off the urge to ask her to stay with me. She slips on her coat and kisses Traisius goodbye. I give her a kiss on the cheek, wishing her luck on her shift.
“You boys behave yourselves now,” she laughs, strolling out the door.
