Yeah, I can’t just let that go.

Clergy had made it halfway up the stairs before his nerves stopped him short. Stella and Nitara weren’t talking about him. They couldn’t be. Maybe they’d seen something he didn’t. Maybe he was being paranoid, but… but I can’t take that risk. If he hid up in his room now they could just warn the others. He’d be at their mercy, locked in a furnished cage.

He had to find out what they knew, or at least if they knew he was hiding something. Back into the fire then. He headed down the stairs.

As Clergy got to the bottom of the flight though he heard the back door open once again.

“Back already?” Stella asked.

It was Daniel who answered back. “Yeah,” he said, as the door closed behind him. “I was just thinking… I know it’s a long shot but you don’t keep any leftover sweet buns here do you? They always make trips back to Avaram’s office easier.”

Clergy stepped into the room now, and the scene looked just about how he’d left it. Nitara was still sitting, obviously. Stella had moved to stand across from her at the table, while Daniel stood just before the back door.

“There’s never leftovers,” Stella said that with a bit of a grin. “Come back in a couple calls, I’ll set some fresh ones aside.”

“Fair enough,” Daniel said. “I’ll fill everyone in when I know more about the funeral.” He turned to leave.

“Promise?” Stella asked.

Daniel paused and looked her over for a moment. “Of course,” he said at last. “This is our top priority after all, and we’ve all got a part to play—”

Stella cocked her head a bit and sighed. “And we’re all working together on every part, right?”

Again, Daniel paused before putting on a slight grin. “That’s the idea,” he said, then he threw on his hood. “I’ll be back.” With that he headed out the door, and the wood grunted shut behind him.

That was kinda weird, Clergy thought to himself. Then—

“You forget something too?” It was Nitara, who raised a brow at Clergy as she glared over at him by the entryway.

“Oh, Clergy!” Stella said, perking up as she turned over toward him. “I thought you were heading upstairs.”

Clergy smiled to keep from squirming under their gaze. It seemed kinda obvious now, but he really did need an excuse. Oh boy, he thought to himself. Maybe, I should’ve thought through this a little more…

“Yeah,” he said at last. “The more I thought about it the more I realized being cooped up in my room didn’t sound like the best thing.”

“Sounds like you’re getting fidgety,” Nitara quipped back. “Nervous?”

Clergy nearly balked. What does that mean? “I—”

A ruckus from the stairs pulled the group’s attention away, as Abel, Micah, and Ezra came down the stairs and entered the room, each clad in brown cloaks.

Perfect timing, Clergy thought with relief, gladly stepping aside to let the three of them fill into the space.

“Alright,” Abel said, as he stepped up to the near end of the table. “Let’s make use of this time while we have it. We don’t know when the guard will start to shut things down.”

“Right,” Micah said with a nod, then the two of them started walking towards the back door.

“Remind me again where you’re going.” Nitara said, as she turned towards him.

“Just to meet with some old contacts while I still can,” Abel replied. “With access to the palace they might have a lead we could work with.”

“Anyone we’d know?” Nitara asked.

“Probably not.”

“Convenient.”

That got Abel smiling. “Believe it or not,” he said with a laugh. “I knew people before I met all of you.” He stepped a little closer to her now. “Where’s this coming from anyway?”

“It’s just occurring to me that we’re all pretty much sitting on our hands waiting while you look into this,” she said. “And you just reminded me that maybe that isn’t the best idea.”

“The only people I’m expecting to sit around are you and Clergy,” Abel said. “And for good reason.” He nodded over towards Clergy. “You hardly seem worried about what he’ll be doing anymore.”

Clergy had to hold back a grimace. Why do I have to be part of this?

“What, Clergy?” Nitara said with a scoff. “He’s helpless. He almost died just following us around.”

She’s not wrong.

“Then why don’t you show him how to defend himself?” Abel said. “You could even keep an eye on him while you do.”

Clergy nearly gagged at that. I’m sorry, what?

Nitara looked unamused. “You want me to train him?”

“If you’re looking for something to do,” Abel said. “I’m sure you could give him some pointers without harming your recovery.

But she could do plenty of harm to me.

For a while Nitara just glared, until she motioned over to the door. “Just go,” she said at last. “I’d rather you not kick me when I’m down.”

Abel just chuckled at that. “Fair enough,” he said. “Then we’ll be back.” He started to head for the door again. “Let’s go Micah.”

After that, the two of them headed out the back until the door closed behind them and they were out of sight.

There were four left in the room now. Them and the lingering silence.

I’d feel a lot better about it, Clergy thought to himself. If Nitara had just said no. She obviously wasn’t happy with the idea, but a straight ‘no’ would’ve been great. She couldn’t really be considering training him. Right?

“We should go too,” Stella said suddenly, making her way towards the front of the shop. “Abel’s right, and pretty soon the rest of the city will know it too.” She looked over at Nitara. “You ok with holding down the fort?”

Nitara nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Then let’s go Ezra,” Stella said, beckoning him over. “We’ve got some shopping to do.”

Without a word Ezra made his way across the room towards her. Wait a second, Clergy thought. That means it’s just gonna be me and Nitara here. That made his nerves squirm a bit. Training aside, she was obviously feeling suspicious, and the last thing I need is her asking me more questions. He gnawed on that a moment more until—

“Could I come to?” Clergy asked, stepping over towards Stella. “Nitara‘s right, this whole thing has got me a little shaken up. I think a walk might settle me down.”

The whole room paused and stared at him, while the question hung in the air.

“Sure,” Stella finally said. “We could use an extra pair of hands. “Just go and get your cloak.”

Clergy nodded and hurried back up to his room, snatching his cloak off the dresser before throwing it on and heading back down. A few moments later he, Stella, and Ezra headed out the cafe doors to the front of the shop and walked on to the street beyond.

- ~ -

The streets seemed entirely different from all the other days he’d been out. The constant pedestrian tide had nearly ground to a halt, as crowds murmured and gossiped along the sides of the road.

Hushed tones echoed around them like leaves in the wind. Passerby’s expressions were grim. Few people had even bothered to set-up their street fares, as worried glances loomed like shadows in the early morning light. Clergy could almost feel the tension on his skin as he walked. It was the sporadic beginnings of outrage. Panic just barely contained.

Clergy lagged behind Stella and Ezra as his own nerves stirred in kind. What was he supposed to do?

Nitara might’ve been more blatant back there, but Stella knew someone was lying before too, and that’s the other problem, Clergy thought to himself. ‘You know they were lying.’ That’s what Nitara had said. Even if the two of them knew he was lying clearly he wasn’t the only one.

Who else was keeping secrets?

One step at a time, Clergy thought with a sigh. Gotta worry about myself first. I need to figure out what Stella knows. She could help keep Nitara off his back if he was lucky, or they could corner me together if I’m not. He held back a grimace as he groaned.

But what are the chances, right?

“So, eggs, flour,” that was Stella’s voice now, cutting through the chatter and gossip as Clergy approached. “Anything else you think we should get?”

“That’s what’s on the list,” Ezra said, still looking ahead. “I trust you.”

Stella smiled at that. “Yeah I know,” she said. “But I also know you like to do more than just eat sweet buns when you think I’m not looking.” She nudged him a bit with her elbow. “You’re always watching me bake too.”

Ezra actually blushed a bit at that. “I… like trying things. Watching helps me learn.”

“It’s good! Really! We should try to make something together at the shop.”

Ezra looked over at her now and smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Great!” Stella said, beaming. Then she paused and looked at him for a moment before saying her next words. “You know, Jed said the same thing about you back in Jibral.”

Ezra perked up at that. “He did?”

“Yeah. He said you were watching his squad for days at the range before you went up to him. He told me curiosity and focus like that was rare. That’s when he knew you’d be a natural.”

“Yeah,” Ezra said with a bit of a grin. “They were nice.” He paused after that and looked away. “I hope they’re ok.”

Stella’s gaze faltered next. “Me too.”

Those words hung in the air with a lingering dread only the two of them seemed to share. Eventually though, Stella broke the tension with a chuckle.

“He told me Micah could always stumble into a mess too, and somehow always keep you out of it.”

That got Ezra chuckling too. “He didn’t, but he always made sure I was ok, and he always told me about it. Eventually.”

“What about now?” Stella asked.

Ezra cocked his head and looked over at her again. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think he’s up to something now?”

Ezra shrugged. “Not really, no.”

“You sure?” Stella asked. “It seems like Abel’s keeping quiet about something, and Micah was with him too.” She tapped his arm. “You know they always manage to find trouble better when they’re together.”

Ezra met her gaze for a moment. “He didn’t tell me,” he said at last. “But I think they’ll be okay.”

Stella met his answer with silence at first. Then she smiled. “I hope so.”

The three of them made a left down a smaller side street, as the stone path ahead began to show wear.

So she thinks Abel’s hiding something, Clergy thought to himself. That wasn’t surprising considering what he’d overheard by the stairs before, but still— that doesn’t really help me now. He still needed to see if she knew about him, and do it without exposing myse— Ow!

Clergy bumped into a stranger as he walked. Of course I did. He turned back to face the man. “Sorry I—” then he stopped. Wait… have I seen him before?

He was a younger Amarian man with tan skin and curly brown hair. His clothes were plain enough, just a white tunic with green pants and dark boots. He turned back to look at Clergy now, revealing the groomed beard and brown eyes set beneath his green bandanna. Clergy looked him over again, as the man met his gaze with a curious look. I know him from somewhere—

“Oh!” Stella said, turning to face him. “Sorry Clergy, I almost forgot about you back there. You sure can be quiet when you want to be.”

Clergy perked up for a moment and looked over at Stella, but when he glanced back at the man he was gone. He sighed. Not quiet enough. “Yeah,” he said with a bit of a grin. “I guess it’s just become a habit.”

Stella looked him over for a moment. “You sure you’re ok? Is the walk helping at all?”

Clergy paused. Helping with what? Then he remembered what he’d said before. “Oh… yeah, I’m ok.”

Stella raised a brow at that. “Really?”

Clergy had a quick ‘of course’ on his lips, but when he thought about it some more— you know what, he thought to himself. Let me not push my luck. “I will be,” he replied. “Promise.”

Stella’s face didn’t change much. “Ok,” she said after a moment. “If you say so.”

Clergy smiled and hoped that was innocent enough. She doesn’t sound suspicious, he thought to himself. Maybe he really had gotten away with it.

“Oh good,” Stella said suddenly, “a few of the merchants did set up. I was starting to worry none of them would.”

Clergy perked up at that and looked ahead. Stalls were set all along the sides of the road, with more than a few draped in tapestries just like he’d seen near Saadya’s place. Jewelry and knickknacks of all kinds were out on display, while food stands left steam and pungent scents wafting through the air.

The three of them pressed forward into the slightly denser crowd, wading through swathes of earth tones and reds, gleaming bronze and pottery. It was quite the spectacle. Clergy couldn’t help but ogle at the lively scene playing out before him.

“Has this always been here?” Clergy asked, still a bit awestruck.

Stella turned to him and beamed. “Pretty cool, right?”

Clergy still hadn’t looked away. “It’s kind of amazing really.”

Stella chuckled at that. “Oh, this is nothing,” she said. “If I didn’t think we’d get stuck down there we could’ve gone to the one in the Basin. That one goes on for blocks.”

They carried on through the small bazaar, giving Clergy time to note a few more wares as he walked. Paintings of bright suns and flaming birds beside cool renderings of the mountain.

Batches of dark berries kept in hand-woven baskets, with fist-sized lumpy fruit stained in sunset’s hues. The group strode through an intersection on the path that the market had taken over. Clergy looked down the road to his right until— wait, he thought to himself. Is that Naki?!

Clergy prayed he was wrong but another moment of ogling confirmed it. She was here, standing amid the crowd of patrons and passerby, donned in her beige cloak and staring him down. A pale stone in the pedestrian tide. Clergy met her gaze.

She was not happy.

After an agonizing couple seconds of staring she ended the standoff and beckoned him over.

What? Why is she— he looked over at Stella and Ezra. How does she expect me to get away from them? He turned back toward Naki. She waved again. Forcefully. I just gotta come up with something.

“Hey,” he said after a moment. “You two have to get some shopping done, right?”

Stella turned to face him with a curious look. “Yeah?” she said. “That’s why we’re here.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I think you two should go on ahead without me then,” he said with his most ‘mesmerized’ face. “Something about walking around here…”

Stella perked up a bit at that. “Do you think it’s jogging your memory?”

Wouldn’t that be nice. “I don’t know,” he said, “maybe? I just… wanna walk around to be sure.”

“Well,” she paused. “We shouldn’t take too long I guess. Why don’t you meet us back here in a little bit and we’ll head back together.”

Clergy nodded. “Sounds good,” hopefully.

Stella gave a slight grin then returned the gesture. “Come on, Ezra. I think I see the flour guy over there.” With that the two of them headed off into the crowd, leaving Clergy squirming at the crossroads. Just give them a second. He waited until their figures disappeared into the tide. Good enough. He hurried over toward Naki… or at least where she was before.

What? Clergy thought to himself. Come on! Where did she go? He snapped his gaze around the crowd. The stalls ended at the next block, and the crowd there was sparse. Clergy looked toward his left where the market continued. If I can’t see her she must’ve stayed in the crowd. He headed toward his left, around the block from Stella and Ezra, following the tide down the path. Why’s she even here? Clergy thought to himself. He stepped toward the mouth of an alley. She said she’d at least be a couple—

His thoughts were cut off as someone snatched him out of the crowd, covering his mouth as Clergy clambered and squirmed. They towed him deeper into the corridor, wrestling Clergy the whole way before shoving him into the wall.

“Wait, wait—“ he met their gaze. It was Naki. Of course it is. Clergy’s face soured as he straightened up and dusted himself off. “What was that for?!” He hissed. “What’re you doing here?”

“Me? What about you?” Naki said, pointing over at him. “I couldn’t believe what Reshi told me! Why’re you out on the street?!”

“They… they were asking a lot of questions at the bakery,” Clergy said. “I needed to get away.

Naki scoffed. “So you come out in the open? In a market filled with people?” She jabbed his chest. “After what just happened you’re lucky I was the one who grabbed you!”

“What’re you talking about?” Clergy asked, raising his hands. “Who do you think is after me?

“The Arbiter, Clergy!” Naki said. “Why do you think I’m out here? Saadya sent us to check for signs one’s been around.”

“Then why’re you up here? We know where they are. They let us walk away!” Clergy said. “Besides, I think I’d notice some tall, lumbering man with a grating voice like that—”

“You don’t get it,” Naki said. “Arbiters can change their shape. Their face, their voice, everything can be different. For all we know that guy in the mask could be an old lady today.”

“What?” Clergy’s stomach dropped. You’ve gotta be shitting me. “And you’re just telling me this now?! How’s that even possible?”

“I don’t know how they do it, no one does, but I’ve seen it firsthand. It’s real.” Those words left silence and a lingering dread in their wake. “I was gonna explain it when I came to get you,” Naki said at last. “I just didn’t expect you to ignore Saadya the very next day.”

“I didn’t ignore her!” Clergy snapped. “I haven’t said anything about what she told me—”

“She said ‘stay put,’” Naki cut in. “Not go out for a stroll.”

“Ok, fine,” Clergy said. “Next time I’ll let them keep questioning me. You still didn’t answer my question. Why even check around here?”

Naki gave him a bewildered look. “Because of what happened, obviously!”

Clergy groaned. “Again, what’re you talking about?”

“The King, Clergy!” Naki snapped. “You must’ve heard by now.”

“Yeah, I heard,” Clergy said. “He died in a fire—” then he stopped. Of course, he thought to himself. “You think it’s connected to the one we saw?”

“I know it was.

“How?”

“Because there were violet flames, Clergy! Just like—

“—the ones we saw,” Clergy cut in. “I heard about the fire, but… no one mentioned that.”

“It was only when the fire first started,” she said. “Bright violet flames burst out from the palace that turned normal as it burned. It was an Arbiter.”

That’s not good. “Ok,” Clergy said after a moment. “But still… more people should’ve noticed that. Why isn’t anyone talking about it?” And why didn’t Daniel say anything? Purple flames weren’t normal, Clergy knew that much at least, and everyone at Stella’s seemed to know about Arbiters. Especially Daniel, Clergy thought to himself. Why didn’t he bring this up before?

“Yeah…” Naki said with a curious look. Then she brought her hand to her chin. “But you’re not asking people what happened. You don’t know any.” Then she smirked. “You heard about the fire from Daniel, didn’t you? And now you’re wondering why he didn’t say anything about it.”

Wow. Clergy had to admit he was a little impressed. Might as well be honest I guess. He shrugged. “Kinda, yeah.”

“Well,” she said. “If you wanna be generous he might not have known. Whatever he heard in the Hall probably came from the guards, and they never touch Arbiters.”

Clergy raised a brow at that. “You don’t think they care if a fire breaks out?”

“They didn’t come to ours.”

He thought about that for a moment. “I guess they didn’t,” he said at last. “But still… this was the King. Someone’s gotta care enough to stop protecting—”

“You’re wrong,” Naki said flatly. “Guards don’t protect Arbiters, they act like they don’t exist. They won’t report purple flames cause according to them it didn’t happen.” She waved her hand in the air. “As far as they’re concerned, Arbiters aren’t even a myth, and nothing they do ever happens. They’re ghosts.”

“Ghosts that can change their face…” that made Clergy’s insides squirm.

“Exactly,” Naki said. “ They might’ve let us go before, but that doesn’t mean they will now. You need to be careful.”

Clergy mulled on that for moment. How did I get myself into this? As far as he knew, all he’d done was have a weird dream. Now Arbiters were hunting him, Saadya wanted to keep him close, and I still don’t know the truth behind any of it.

“Why?” Clergy asked suddenly.

Naki gave him a bewildered look. “So you don’t get snatched off the street—”

Clergy waved his hand in the air. “Why are they after me? Why is Saadya protecting me? What do they think I know?”

Naki looked him over for a moment before walking back deeper into the alley. She stepped up to a crate Clergy had been too riled up to notice until now. Half a dozen stone bricks and a layer of dust found a home on the makeshift table and… was that a candle?

“You don’t know anything,” Naki quipped back. “Trust me, Saadya knows that.”

“I’m serious, Naki.” Clergy said. “After everything that’s happened I deserve to know. What’s this all about?”

Naki sighed, but still didn’t face him. Instead, she reached into her cloak pocket, and pulled out what looked like two matches. She reached over to what was definitely a candle, shielding the wick with her hand while she lit it with a match. As it burned, she stacked the loose bricks lying around, forming a makeshift wall against the wind. The scene stayed frozen like that, with Naki looming over the small flame, until at last she turned around.

“Honestly… “ she said, avoiding his gaze. “I’m worried about you.”

I’m sorry, Clergy thought. What?

She stepped over to him now. “Maybe, I’m not the best at showing it.” She met his gaze now. “But I really appreciate everything you’ve been through. Everything you’ve done, for strangers. For me.”

Clergy’s head was spinning. I’m so confused.

“I don’t know where the arbiter is or what they’re doing,” she said. “But if you’re involved, I’m worried.” She reached up and brushed his face, then the back of his neck. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

They stayed like that for a moment as Clergy’s cheeks burned. He’d never really seen her like this before. He’d never noticed how soft her full lips seemed, or thought about how sweet they’d taste. He’d never realized how stunning her eyes really were. He felt his lips turn dry. “Naki I… I didn’t— Ow!”

A sharp pain flared on his left ear. He winced and tried to flinch away, but Naki held his head still with her hand.

“Relax,” she said, rolling her eyes. Then she reached into her cloak pocket and pulled out a small bottle filled with a clear liquid. She popped the loose cork off with her thumb, then poured it down the left side of his face.

“Shit!” Clergy cried, as the liquid burned. He flinched away again, and this time Naki let him, watching him teeter back while he grabbed the side of his head.

“What the hell!” Clergy looked down at the hand he’d held up before. There was a drop of blood, and his ear still burned. He reached up again to his lobe. “Did you just… did you just pierce my ear?!”

“Yeah I did,” Naki said flatly. “And it would’ve gone smoother if you’d stop whining.”

Clergy balked at that. “You pierced my ear!”

She reached into her pocket again. “I know. I was here.”

Clergy had to hold back a scream. Is she— “why?!”

“So you could wear this.” She pulled out her hand, revealing a small, almost silver earring. It bore the familiar gentle gray hue but wasn’t reflective enough to be metal, yet the stone still had a white, almost ethereal sheen. The garnet was crafted like a small shield. The boss was made of something a bit darker, and shaped as the simplistic Amarian sun Clergy had come to recognize.

“Saadya wants you wearing it at all times,” Naki said. “And I doubted you were pierced already.”

Clergy stared at it a moment more. “What is that?” He asked.

Naki stepped up to him again. “Just let me put it on.”

Clergy hesitated at first but— I need Saadya on my side. With a sigh, he begrudgingly let Naki work, placing the earring into its newly-made slot. Once it was done she backed away and gave a satisfied nod.

“So, what?” Clergy asked, as he reached up and fiddled with his ear. “This will warn me about Arbiters? Is it gonna get warm when they’re nearby or something?

Naki stared at him for a moment. “Yeah,” she said at last. “Something like that.”

Clergy itched at the piercing as Naki tucked what he realized was actually a needle back into her pocket.

“And that’s it?” Clergy asked. He’d expected a little more from this conversation.

“For now,” Naki said. “Saadya still needs a bit more time. I just didn’t want you to die first.”

“Great,” Clergy said, he stared at Naki for a moment, watching her blow out the candle as lingering thoughts burned his cheeks again.

“So,” he said at last. “Just to be clear, what you said before… you only did that to get the earring in, right? You didn’t really mean all that.”

Naki gave him a dry look. “What do you think?”

Nothing I’m gonna tell you. “Right,” Clergy said. “Then I guess I’ll head back.”

“Try to stay put this time,” Naki said. “I’ll find you when we’re ready.” With that she headed down the alley, leaving Clergy alone with his thoughts.

No, no, no, Clergy thought to himself. That’s the last place I need to be. I gotta find Stella and Ezra. He shook his head before heading back out of the alley and into the crowd. His hairs stood on end as he rejoined the fray, scanning the shifting faces of passersby.

Any one of these people could be an Arbiter, hiding in plain sight. After two fires now Clergy could feel them closing in, burning everything in their wake as they did. There was danger around every corner now, looming just beneath the tide’s waters. He fiddled with his earring again. I guess I just have to hope this works.

He started to retrace his steps back to the crossroads, trying not to squirm at the glances of passersby. It didn’t work. It only took a few moments before his nerves had him throwing up his hood. Probably better to keep my ear covered anyways, he thought to himself. No need to invite more questions.

He kept going along the path until he came up to the intersection from before, where Stella and Ezra were waiting. Just gotta tell them I didn’t remember anything, Clergy thought to himself, and hopefully we’ll just head back. The sooner they got off the street the better. He took a breath. Here we go. He started to approach.

Both Stella and Ezra had their hands full. Ezra held up a burlap sack with crossed arms, while Stella carried a little crate filled with eggs, small berries, and a tied-off pouch. She smiled at Clergy now.

“So, how’d it go?” She asked, turning toward him.

Just keep it quick. “It was… unhelpful actually,” Clergy said. “I walked around a bit, but it didn’t bring anything back. I guess with everything that’s happened crowds just make me a little tense.”

“Well, that’s alright,” she said. “It was a long shot anyways.”

Now let’s go. “Can I help carry anything?” Clergy asked. “It looks like you two were waiting. I guess you found everything.”

“Yeah, we did,” Stella said, perking up a bit. “It was a quick trip.” She looked over at Ezra. “You want Clergy to take that?”

Ezra turned and gave Clergy his usual dead pan glare. “I got it.”

Stella looked down into her arms. “I mean,” she held out her crate. “You can take this if you want.”

“Sure,” Clergy said, quickly. Just gotta move this along and get off the street. He stepped toward her but as he did the breeze picked up, blowing his hood back. Shit! Clergy reached up and snatched the hood before it fell back too far. It’s cool. He found his smile as he looked toward Stella. She’d turned away from the breeze, keeping her gaze low.

She didn’t see anything, it’s cool. He stepped over and took the crate. Now we just head back—

“You have an earring?” Ezra asked.

Clergy’s stomach dropped.

“Really?” Stella said. “You didn’t have one before. Was your ear even pierced?” She reached up to take a look.

And now my hands are full. Clergy squirmed but couldn’t step away fast enough.

She pulled down his hood.

“Oh…” she said after a moment. “Wow.” She let that sit for a minute more. “I, uh—” she balked again then found herself. “You just got that now?”

“Oh—“ shit. Clergy thought. What do I say? What do I say? “Yeah… I, uh… kinda just wandered to one of the jewelry stands on my walk,” he said. “I… ended up talking to the lady there, looking at some stuff, and… yeah, I don’t know. I thought this looked familiar at first, but I just… kinda liked it.” I’m totally screwed.

Both Stella and Ezra said nothing. They just looked at him and stared. Way longer than he wanted them to. It’s really not a big deal, he thought to himself. Can we please just go? That was a lie, and he knew it, but they still needed to go.

“Right,” Stella said at last. She wasn’t smiling now. “Let’s just… head back. Don’t want to stand here carrying this for too long.”

With that, the three of them started to make their way back to the bakery. Clergy was filled with nerves and was sure his face showed it. He sighed.

At least his hood was on.

- ~ -

The walk back was awkward, silent, and filled with stares. No one else dragged me away though, Clergy thought to himself.

He’d take a win where he could.

Up ahead the bakery was finally coming into view. Couldn’t happen soon enough. The three of them continued to approach, until at last they stood just before the front of the shop.

“So,” Clergy said, as Stella stepped up to unlock the door. Gotta end the silence sometime. “Where do you want me to put this stuff away?”

Stella perked up at that, fumbling a bit with the key before finally sliding it in. “Actually,” she said, as she turned the key. “Ezra and I can handle that. There’s something else I wanted you to do.” The door creaked open while Stella tucked the keys away. She stepped inside.

Should I be worried? Clergy thought to himself. After what happened in the market, he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Ezra walked past him beyond the doorway. Don’t have much of a choice I guess. After a moment he followed behind.

Stella was already across the small lobby, lifting up the bar door just as Ezra approached. “You can put that on the table for now,” she said, pointing ahead. “I’ll be in there in a sec.”

Ezra said nothing but carried on through the door to the kitchen beyond.

And now it’s just us, Clergy thought while he readjusted the crate in his hands. She didn’t do that on purpose, right?

“Ok,” Stella said after a moment. “Let me take a look at that.” She stepped over quickly and took the crate out his hands, before returning to the bar. She placed it down gently, then took out the pouch and walked back over to Clergy.

“These,” she said, as she untied the pouch and reached inside. “Are these cute little—“ she pulled her hand out again, “stands for my placards.” She held up a small wooden square, with a bit of a mount protruding from the bottom lip. “I had a little free time while you were… unconscious a few days ago, so I made some little signs for the pastry displays,” she said. “I had a guy at the market make these to hold them up.” She held out the square and the sack with both hands.

Wait, wait, wait. Clergy reached for both items as he gave Stella a curious look. “You… want me to set up your displays?”

Stella gave a slight grin and nodded. “Just these,” she said. “I’ll do the rest later. This’ll just help me save some time.”

Clergy looked down at his hands again. I… guess that makes sense. “Sure,” he said after a moment. “If that’ll help—”

“Great!” Stella cut in. Then she walked back over to the bar, took the crate, and started heading for the kitchen. “I’ll come check on you in a bit!” And then she was out of sight.

I guess… Clergy thought, as he idled alone in the room. I guess I’m just setting these up. He walked over to the bar and placed the sack down. There were a few empty platters along the countertop. Probably the spots she wants me to set up, Clergy thought to himself. He went to work taking out the small mounts and placing them near each display. It wasn’t long before he was nearly done. I think the bar’s the only place that needs these, right? He looked around the space, and realized he was wrong. There were some shelves up on the wall and even a few beneath the bar he hadn’t noticed before. And I thought I was paying attention. He finished up with the rest of the bar’s displays then looked at the door to the kitchen.

It’s kind of quiet in there, he thought to himself. He went back to placing the last mount. I guess it’s just Stella and Ezra in there. Not much to talk about. He thought about that some more. And Nitara, he thought with a grimace. Nitara’s in there too. That gnawed at his nerves while he tapped on the wooden bar until— what could they be talking about? Clergy couldn’t know for sure, but the two of them alone didn’t bring any good ideas to mind. Stella might’ve helped keep Nitara off his back if he was lucky, but after what happened at the market— I seriously doubt I am. He mulled on that a moment more, as he put down the pouch. Maybe I should just get in there.

He made his way around to the other side of the counter, stepped up to the kitchen door, and headed inside.

The room was set up as usual, though Ezra was gone. All that remained of his passing was the burlap sack on the table. Nitara was in the same spot as before, with her leg up on a chair and an arm resting on the table. Stella was beside her, leaned in with a furrowed brow. They’d clearly been talking about something.

“Clergy!” Stella said, composing herself after his sudden entrance. She sat up and smiled over at him. “You finished up already?”

I don’t like the mood in here, Clergy thought to himself, but he managed to keep that off his face for now. “Yeah,” he said with a grin. “Wasn’t too much work really—”

“What’s with the hood?” Nitara cut in. Then she waved her hand by her ear. “I heard you accessorize now.”

Clergy’s stomach dropped. That’s the last thing I wanted to hear. “Yeah,” he said again. “I just… went with my gut I guess.”

Nitara stared at him for a moment. “I like that,” she said at last. “In fact, I think I’ll follow your lead.” She pointed over at him now. “You just changed my mind.”

This can’t be good. “About what?” Clergy asked.

“Abel was right,” she said. “I think I’ll train you after all.”

Clergy smiled while he held back a scream. I’m sorry. What?