Exill sat awkwardly in the armchair as Luna rushed out of the kitchen holding a hot pan of apple pie wrapped in a thin towel. She perched on her dining chair and looked down on Exill, sunk deep into the armchair temporarily pushed up against the table.

Shifting to the edge of the table, Exill blushed at his uncomfortable situation. Old Savta had suggested he move the armchair over to the dining table for dinner, but his elbow barely cleared the top of the table.

“You can stop squirming; I’ll order another dining chair for you, child.”

“It feels like I have a little brother.” Luna grinned as she helped him to a portion of steaming pie. She reached out to pat Exill’s hair, thoroughly humiliating him in the process. The serious faced boy was entertaining to watch, struggling to eat as the table came up to his chest.

“I’m not little, we’re the same height… how old are you anyway?” he asked indignantly.

“I’m 20, turning 21 soon. Why do you want to know?” Luna cocked her head, a spoonful of pie halted before her lips. Exill was struggling to think up an answer when Savta interjected with a meaningful look at him.

“I think what the boy meant was that you appear to be of marriageable age, yet you show little interest in men. When will you let Nana hold your child, dear?”

Luna’s apple pie caught in her throat, and she started choking. Exill simply wanted to die and be swallowed by the armchair. Nana looked incredibly pleased with herself. Uncomfortable with the growing silence, Exill quickly finished off the dessert and stood up.

“Thank you Savta, that was delightful, how much do I owe you for the meal?”

Savta raised an eyebrow, taken aback by his question. “Well… if you are so determined to pay for what was freely given… you can help Luna clean up and prepare dishes in the future.”

Exill was touched by her generosity and simultaneously ashamed of how Ham’s apprenticeship had turned him cynical to people’s charity. He gratefully cleared away the empty dishes to clean them in the sink.

Exill was too consumed in thought to notice Luna had come up behind him. Her elbows grazed his back as she wiped dry the dishes with a clean towel.

“Did you enjoy your dinner? The apple pie was lovely wasn’t it?”

“Yes… it was good…” Exill replied, distracted by her accidental touch. To tell the truth, he had been consumed by how much the meal would cost, to properly enjoy the subtle sweetness of the pie. “I actually preferred the slow cooked roast with gravy, do you normally do all the cooking?”

Luna smoothed her skirt at the unexpected compliment, “I normally do all the housework and cooking. Nana has a heart problem and ever since we had a large scare two years ago, I’ve taken over as many duties as possible.”

For a brief moment, Exill was tempted to ask what had happened to her parents but dismissed the thought. He still wasn’t familiar with the Kingdom’s culture, but it was a fair bet that probing into the personal matters of workplace colleagues was not appropriate.

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“Let’s figure out a way to split some of your duties like we’re doing now. It’s the least I can do since I will be living here as well.” he said instead.

Looking to his left, he saw Old Savta had moved to an armchair with a cup of tea and rug draped over her knees. She had a better view of the kitchen from there and surreptitiously threw glances at them. Their awkward silence, and stiff body language brought up bittersweet memories of her own youth.

‘Hmph, it appears they at least have some chemistry,’ she pursed her lips in thought.

Savta considered herself a shrewd woman, and a good judge of moral character. Through her brief interactions with the young Witchdoctor, she was impressed by his initiative and compassion as evidenced by how he helped the wounded soldier with the infected leg. She could overlook his meagre attempt to defraud her with promises of longevity, and in a way, it demonstrated the child’s ambition.

All this to say she considered Exill a suitable marriage partner for Luna.

She did not have long for this world, and didn’t want to leave her precious granddaughter alone in this cutthroat city. By virtue of being the heir of this clinic, Luna had many suitors whose desires were less than noble, and the last thing Savta wanted was for Luna to be locked in a loveless partnership centred around the business.

She patiently observed the two putting away the dishes in awkward silence.

“If you will follow me, I’ll show you to your room.” Luna tugged at his sleeve to grab his attention.

“Please lead the way,” he flashed a smile and followed her up a narrow ladder into the attic space above. Luna took out her wand and the tip started to glow warmly, illuminating the surprisingly large area.

“I’m sorry it’s a bit messy, but we had to move the jars in the old treatment room up here.” She apologetically gestured to a pile of crates in the corner, then walked over to a cotton padded mattress on the floor, “I’ve aired your mattress and dusted it thoroughly. I hope you don’t mind using one of Nana’s blankets…”

Exill waved her concerns away, “This is fantastic Luna, thank you so much for preparing this. It is much better than the inn I was staying at!”

“Alright, then… I’ll leave you to it! There’s a lantern next to the bed, be careful to turn it off before sleeping.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Exill tucked himself into bed and struggled to go to sleep, too excited about the equipment that would be delivered tomorrow…

***

Later that night, he was abruptly woken up by Luna’s anxious hand on his shoulder.

“Exill, wake up!” she whispered. The dim glow of her wand illuminated the elf, still in her nightshift and visibly scared.

“Luna? What are you doing here?”

“Shhh… I heard a window break downstairs, and heavy footsteps. I think someone broke in. Please protect Nana!”

Exill was instantly awake and reached for his spear.

“Guide me down the ladder. I’ll make sure no one comes up from the ground floor. Shout for help from the windows… oh, and party with me.”

“Haaah!?” Luna exclaimed as Exill gripped her hand.

Form Party? [Yes] [No]

He felt a thread of worry mixed with embarrassment flowing through their connection. This quickly turned to extreme embarrassment as she felt Exill’s amusement seep through in response. They climbed down from the attic together, and he took position at the top of the stairs, spear held at the ready.

Three… no four sets of footsteps could be heard downstairs. There was no way to tell how many of them were armed and dangerous, and for the first time in his life, Exill wondered if he would have to kill a person.

A door creaked open, and someone approached the bottom of the stairs.