Ember (44 page)

Jaden's head was still shaking.

“We just tell them to bug off,” said
Ikovos.

My eyes narrowed. “I said no.”

Jaden snorted. Ikovos smiled slightly. “It's
in the attitude . . . and yours is pretty much telling them you'd
buy anything that they wanted you to.”

I sighed, shaking my head. “I don't even have
any money.”

Ikovos pursed his lips. “Well, that would be
a good excuse. Try it next time.”

“Okay.”

“And don't smile so much,” added Jaden.

“Got it.”

We didn't pass two more shops before one of
the sellers came at me again. “Good afternoon, lovely lady. How are
you today?”

I smiled. “Um . . . good.” Then I remembered
what Jaden said and straightened my expression. “I mean,
good
.” I stressed it grimly, but the man stilled grinned
happily, gesturing over to his shop.

“Great. You must come then to see my shop,
there are many things you will like I think.”

I waved once, then caught Ikovos and Jaden's
humored smirks. “Ah,
no.
I can't. I don't have any
money.”

He waved his hands. “No problem, no problem,
for you I will make a special deal.” Then he pulled me by my wrist
again.

“Oh, umm, but I . . .”

We reached the door before I was rescued
again. This time Jaden did the retrieving.

“No, dude. She really doesn't have any.”

The man's face flattened. “Oh.” As Jaden
pulled my hand he yelled to the next passer. “Good afternoon, how
are you today!”

My brow furrowed and I stumbled into
step.

“Good job,” noted Jaden smugly.

I gestured a hand. “He said he would give me
a deal, I felt guilty.”

“You're hopeless,” he said, but he was
smiling, it was enough to make me do the same, despite the failure.
Plus, he still had a firm grip on my hand . . . which was
surprising. I looked around.

“Where did Ikovos go?”

He tossed his head. “To get us a seat. We're
stopping for lunch.”

My brows lifted. “Oh.” Then I looked
ahead.

In front of us, down and across the street a
bit from the shop we'd just been, was a small outdoor restaurant.
It had a few tables scattered out in front and then a short counter
running under an awning. Ikovos sat on a stool in front of
this.

As Jaden pulled me through, I read the sign
above the place.
Nicks Noodles.
My eyes narrowed.
Odd
name
. Then I looked back ahead, in time to take a seat at the
counter. Jaden let go before taking the stool to my left.

The space inside was bustling with noises,
clanging pans and dishes, hissing steam. It didn't look very large,
but much was hidden behind rows of stoves, racks, and hanging metal
utensils.

“Were you successful?” asked Ikovos, drawing
me out of my perusal.

I looked over, trying to think.

“At fending off the vendor,” he
clarified.

“Oh,” I drawled, looking down. The counter
was a glossy speckled stone. “I stalled him for a while . . .”

Ikovos raised his brow humorously.

Jaden leaned forward a bit. I didn't check
his face. “I don't think it's gonna work, she's too
sweet-looking.”

Sweet-looking?

Ikovos pursed his lips. “Yeah. It's good we
stopped. The smiths not far from here, but it should be less busy
after lunchtime.”

They were doing it again, talking about me
like I wasn't here . . . though I guess I deserved it this time.
Before I could ask what they needed from the blacksmith, the server
came to take our order. The two boys ordered mine . . . which was
good because I'd never heard of food like this.

“So it's like pasta without any sauce?” I
questioned. They'd ordered something called ramen, pork flavored .
. .
I guess it comes in a bowl like soup?

Ikovos smirked. “Sort of. You've really never
had ramen before?”

I frowned. “No.”

Jaden gave a short nod. “It's good. You'll
like it.”

I took a breath. “Okay.” I wasn't the
greatest at trying new things . . . but food wise maybe I would be
alright. I tried to get a look at the stuff as we waited. Jaden and
Ikovos discussed today’s plan.

It didn't really seem like we had much to do
. . . just sending some letters, checking on a weapons order that
Thoran had placed a while ago, and picking up parts for a broken
machine in the basement of the lodge. All in all they figured we'd
be out by five or six. . . .

I looked around. Now that I'd seen Rizenn, I
wasn't sure that I minded that we wouldn't be here long. And it
probably got even crazier at night. . . .

I just really love the lodge.

I smiled cheerfully, rather contented, as the
server set the bowls in front of us. Sure enough they held
sauce-less noodles in a pool of broth.

Jaden and Ikovos both looked over.

“You don't have to wait for me,” I said.

They smiled, but still didn't start
eating.

I turned down. Steam was rising. It smelt
yummy enough.

“Have you ever used these?” asked Jaden,
clicking two small sticks together between his fingers. They were
so small.

“Ah . . . no. What are they?”

“They're called chopsticks,” he said. “You
use them to eat with.” He passed them to me.

Before I could try at copying the way he'd
been holding them, he grabbed my hand and laced them himself
between my fingers.

“Now press here,” he said, squeezing two of
my fingers together causing the sticks to touch.

I did it a couple times like he showed me,
then turned back to the soup.

“Don't worry if you can't do it right away.
Ikovos still can't do it.” He smirked at the blond boy smugly and
Ikovos narrowed back.

“Thanks.”

I tapped my chopsticks together once more,
then reached into the bowl and grabbed some noodles. “Wow,” I
mumbled immediately after taking a bite. “This
is
good.”

Jaden smirked contentedly and we all started
eating.

After only a few minutes I noticed they had
stopped to watch me.

I gulped down my bite. “What?”

Ikovos seemed sort of put out. “How are
already doing that so well?”

“Huh?” He pointed to the chopsticks in my
hand. “Oh . . . I don't know. They feel pretty natural.” I clicked
them around a couple of times, then lifted a noodle.

He darkened.

“Jaden does it fine,” I defended.

The dark-haired boy smiled as he picked his
bowl up to drink the broth.

Ikovos just scoffed. “He's been doing it
since he was five.”

Ah-ha! Information about the past!
Jaden's smirk flattened. “So he was five once . . .” I'd barely
mumbled the words before I realized how stupid they were.
Of
course he's been five! . . . And him being five has more or less
nothing to do with what he did when he was five.

This is how knowledge starved I am.

“What'd you just say?” asked Ikovos, eyes
squinting.

I stammered. “Oh, um—” I clicked the wooden
utensils together again “—It must just be easier for girls . . .”
I'll use their own skewed logic as cover
“. . . You know,
better fitted for small hands.”

A man poured some bowling water into a sink
in front of us, causing a burst of steam as I turned back down to
my plate, unsure if that had worked at all.

Jaden made no comment. Ikovos looked down
contemplatively, then lifted his hand to examine it. I watched him
out of the corner of my eye as I took my last bite. As soon as I
had, he grabbed my hand deftly and lifted it next to his, causing
my stool to spin so that I was facing him.

The site was pitiful. My fingers were
practically half the length of his, at least an inch shorter at the
top.

He grinned. “I guess that could be it.”

I smiled, pleased at least at his relief, and
his grin widened.

“Alright,” interrupted Jaden, stacking our
bowls into a pile. “If we wanna get out of Rizenn any time today,
we'd better get going.”

I nodded, pulling back my hand and standing
up. “Okay.” Then looked to each of them. “Thank you both for the
meal. It was delicious.”

Ikovos smiled, standing up as well. “Our
pleasure.”

Jaden left some cash on the counter then we
moved back into the street.

“Okay,” started Ikovos, “from here I'm going
to go check the order at the smith shop and send the letters . . .
and you'll get the part down by the docks?”

Jaden grazed the boys eyes once, nodding,
then turned back to sorting the change in his hand.

Ikovos turned to me. “Okay, so I guess you
can pick who you want to go with, Evelyn . . . Whichever sounds
like the most fun.”

I looked down.
Oh no.
I really didn't
like the whole picking thing, what if I made the one I didn't feel
bad? “Ah . . . I, ah—”

Jaden interrupted. “You take her, Vos. I'll
be quicker on my own.”

I held my breath against the instant pain in
my chest.
So much for him being hurt . . .
my gaze fell.
Maybe I just thought that they would care because I do so
much.

Ikovos nodded. “You do have further to go.
Sounds like a plan.”

I smiled and stepped closer to him.

“You have money, right?” asked Jaden.

Ikovos shrugged. “Not a lot, but I only need
enough to send the mail.”

Jaden nodded once to Ikovos, eyed me with
what I think was a “don't-get-yourself-killed” face, then
disappeared into the crowd.

Me and Ikovos started off as well. I sucked
in a breath, excited to be with him despite stupid, silly,
thoughts.

“So do you like it here, Ikovos?” I
asked.

He looked over at me, then shrugged. “Well
enough, I guess.”

I smiled. “You're a big city person
then?”

He laughed deeply, from his throat. “No, I
don't think so . . .” Suddenly his eyes hardened, head turning to
follow two boys that had just passed us. I had no clue why, but he
kept on till they were out of sight, then looked back ahead,
regular again. “The whole scene's just not for me.”

I contemplated his words. I think I
understood what he was saying, maybe for once I could identify with
his thinking. “You mean because of all the people?”

His head bobbed. “That's part of it.”

Ah-ha. I bet I’m onto something.
“Do
you get uncomfortable around them because you're worried about what
they might think of you?” He glanced over. “Like nervous of doing
something stupid in front of them, right?”

His eyes pinched in. “Ah . . . no.”

Okay, maybe I don’t get it . . .

He smiled amusedly. “Is that how you
feel?”

I stiffened. “Um . . .” we were still
walking, shifting through the crowds that lined the streets “. . .
Ah, yeah, I guess.”

He waved a finger around. “You're worried
about what
these
people think of you?”

I bit my lip anxiously. “Not exactly . . . I
just, you know, get nervous of what they'll say if I do something
dumb . . .” I gestured a hand. “Like not knowing what ramen
is.”

He raised a dubious eyebrow, then looked to
me mischievously. “Let me show you something.”

Without further warning, he grabbed my hand
and walked us over to a booth on the side of the road. There was a
twenty-something-year-old boy sweeping behind the counter. Ikovos
released my arm a few feet back, moving right up to the front of
it.

I gulped, eyes panicked. The blond behind the
counter noticed him immediately and stopped his cleaning to
acknowledge him. “Ah, hello. What can I do for you?” His eyes
grazed me once, then Ikovos drew his attention, leaning his arms
forward on the counter.

“Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me
how to get to the Blue-haven from here.” Ikovos nodded back to me.
“We just got into town and we're trying to find a good club to hit
tonight.”

He looked at me again, then back at Ikovos a
bit dumbfounded.

Ikovos raised his eyebrows dully.”You haven't
heard of it? . . .”

The boy shook his head immediately. “Uh, no,
I mean, yeah, the Blue-haven. I've
heard
of it. . . I just
don't know how to get to it from here, I . . .” he shrugged coolly
“. . . I don't normally work in this part of town.”

Ikovos leaned in. his whole posture was so
controlled and confident . . . intimidating.

Different from the Ikovos I knew . . .
right?

He nodded to the boy ahead derisively. “I've
heard it's a pretty nice place . . . you been there?”

The blond nodded repeatedly, leaning to one
side himself. “Oh yeah. Of course.” He smirked to me. “It's
alright, not the best I've seen.”

Ikovos straightened up abruptly. “Alright.
Well, we'll just ask someone else. Thanks anyways.”

When he turned around, the boy waved. “No
problem, anytime. Enjoy your stay.”

Ikovos grabbed my hand again and we started
off down the street. I glanced back at the booth once, the boy was
still watching us walk off, then turned back to Ikovos.

“What was that supposed to prove?” I asked
skeptically. Though in reality I thought watching him act like that
was unbelievably enjoyable, pointless or not.

He lifted his eyebrows smugly. “There is no
Blue-haven.”

“What?” I asked confused.

He smirked. “I made the name up, it doesn't
even exist.”

I looked down, thinking. “But that guy, he .
. . he—”

“Was pretending to know what I was talking
about so he wouldn't look stupid in front of us.”

My voice got gaspy. “No way.”

Ikovos smirked wider and nodded.

“But he said he's been there and
everything.”

“I don't see why it's so surprising to you,
these people are just status-hungry, zombie clones.”

My head shook back and forth as I went over
the conversation in that light. The street was still lively with
noises around us.