The Zainian looked even more like a lost child up close than he did at a distance, Ruban thought as the young man stepped through the doors of the chamber accompanied by Subhas’s assistant. Having deposited her quarry where he was needed, Saya gave Subhas a brief nod and stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
“Hello, my Lord,” Subhas began, inclining his head ever so slightly. “It is an honour to make your acquaintance. Please, do take a seat.”
“Oh please, call me Ashwin,” said the boy, looking around the room with such profound interest that Ruban wondered for a second if he had never seen an office before. It seemed rather an odd reaction. While Subhas’s chambers were quite luxurious, surely a Zainian aristocrat – however minor – would have seen better. “It’s very nice to meet you too, Mr. Kinoh,” Ashwin continued hastily, as if suddenly remembering his manners. “I have heard a lot about you!”
“Good things, I hope.”
“Nothing but!” The foreigner looked at them through wide, guileless eyes that Ruban would have been hard put to disbelieve under any other circumstances. He wasn’t even sure he disbelieved them now. Ashwin really did look like an innocent, if idiotic, bystander who had somehow managed to get himself involved in things he couldn’t begin to understand.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Well, that’s very good to hear. Although I must admit, I wanted to speak to you today to discuss a very particular matter. To be honest I have an important request to make of you, on behalf of my country’s government.”
“Oh. Anything you say, of course, sir. I’m completely at your service,” Ashwin said in that slight Northern accent that gave a subtly nasal quality to all his pronouncements.
A faint smile appeared on Subhas’s lips. This was turning out to be easier than any of them had expected. “It has come to my attention that you have some sensitive information regarding a formula. A highly confidential formula that is being developed in a facility within this city as we speak.”
“Oh! The reinforced sifblade formula!” exclaimed Ashwin eagerly, his eyes lighting up with excitement. Ruban flinched internally. The kid was like a walking talking time bomb waiting to go off at the slightest provocation. He could see how Casia had managed to make him spill all the beans about the sifblade formula; it barely required any effort at all.
“Oh yes sir, I know all about it. It’s terrible, it is. They say the Aeriels are planning to steal it. I was just telling Miss Casia this morning, who knows what those terrorists will do with it? Can you imagine! It’s all absolutely terrible.” Ashwin shook his head with heartfelt regret, although Ruban had a sneaking feeling the kid was secretly quite excited about the whole thing. He met Simani’s eyes and saw that she apparently felt the same way.
“Ah yes, about that,” began Subhas, and Ruban could see that he was trying to tread carefully. “I must ask you to cease any communication with Miss Washi on this topic immediately.”
“Oh? But why?” asked the foreigner, dark eyes wide with surprise.