CHAPTER 14 FESTIVE MOOD (1)
After rinsing off and changing following my workout, I headed to breakfast. My stomach, grumbling with hunger (much like its owner), was convinced that sweets were not food, and it needed nourishment without delay.
As expected, I didn't find anyone from the group in the restaurant, it was already too late and they had already had breakfast.
"Hello," I greeted the familiar waitress. I had ordered all the available almond cookies from her the day before and arranged for a new supply. "How are my cookies doing?"
"Good morning, ma'am," the pink-haired girl smiled. "My mom promised to have them ready by evening, but if you're in a hurry…" Without letting the girl finish, I assured her that there was no rush and that I planned to pick up the order only tomorrow morning before leaving.
Following the waitress's advice, I ordered pancakes with syrup for breakfast.
After some time, I had polished off a whole pile of pancakes (which turned out to be quite excellent), and I was contentedly sipping coffee.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a familiar silhouette and waved to Eris, who had joined me for breakfast. She seemed somewhat flustered and even sat in the chair alternating with an empty one, as if trying to distance herself from me.
"Hi, Eris. Is something bothering you today?" I asked.
"Hello, Kurome," Eris replied, avoiding eye contact. "I'd like to apologize for my inappropriate behavior last night. Here."
I gave her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"
"I, um…" Eris hesitated and began fiddling with her sleeve. "I was too forward and tried to pry into your secrets. Old Man Hunt said it was very rude to ask graduates of the Temple of Combat about their secrets. I'm sorry."
"Pff! Listen to him less," I snorted. "Stop making things up and place your order. Moreover, it was because of my and Natal's bad example that you drank too much. So I have to take, heh, responsibility!"
"Alright, thank you, Kuroume," the blonde relaxed. "Hehe, you really are the most unusual girl I've ever met," she laughed, still feeling somewhat out of her element. "And you're also really nice. Old Man Hunt shouldn't speak ill of you and your friends. Oops!"
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"And what did he say?" I asked, tilting my head like a bird. "Don't worry, I won't eat your relative. He's old and gruff."
"He didn't say anything bad!" She waved her hands in denial. "He just talked about other Temple of Combat adepts as if they were dangerous, cruel, and unpredictable people. You should always be cautious with them and think before speaking, that's all. But you're not like that at all!"
"Of course, we're good folks," I replied, with a touch of concealed irony. "But he's right in principle: not all of us are as friendly as we are. By the way, have you changed your mind about giving music lessons?"
"Of course, I haven't changed my mind! It's the least I can do to thank you. Oh, but let's start the lessons a little later, alright? Hunter arranged for me to perform at a festive concert today. Can you imagine?" The blonde beamed with joy.
"Hmm, she's dressed up today," I noted. Although she hadn't put on makeup, she looked rather fancy, and the subtle yet skillfully crafted earrings and pendant with blue stones that matched her dress were a new addition to her attire.
"Congratulations. I hope you'll invite us?" I asked.
"Of course, I'll invite you!"
The happy blonde eagerly shared stories about her life in the Capital, gossiped about her circle of acquaintances, and, of course, talked about music. It turned out that Eris was not only a singer but also a fan of classical music. She played various musical instruments besides the guitar. Soon, I enriched my knowledge about the difference between chamber and orchestral music, as well as the different types of the latter. And, of course, the names of famous composers.
In my previous life, I had paid little attention to the works of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and other great musicians of the past. But listening to Eris talk passionately, I made a mental note to personally explore imperial classics when I returned to the Capital.
Why not? I would broaden my cultural horizons. After all, what have I seen in this life, if not to take into account my past memories? The dead bodies of children who did not pass the exam, training and the corpses of several dropped out, the faces of commanders and the corpses of those sentenced to death, missions and the corpses of enemies and friends. Corpses, corpses, corpses... Even my Teigu controlled the corpses, heh! Gradually, such a life began to seem not only familiar, but also correct.
Funny, right?
...As the dosage of the drug decreased, I found my mind wandering to stranger thoughts. Taking just over half a tablet a day, I still didn't experience withdrawal symptoms, but the antidepressant effect of the drug was noticeably weaker.
I must say that a narcotic leash is one of those that you just don't want to get rid of. It was worth taking a little more, and life began to seem easier, many questions became less relevant, and gloomy thoughts about the future receded into the background. The "medicine" has really done a good job of reducing sensitivity to one's own suffering and the pain of other people, as well as eliminating "unnecessary" thoughts.
Not that I fell apart without drugs, but melancholy occasionally started paying me visits. Along with it came anger and hatred. After all, the reasons for being sad had specific names, and it mostly boiled down to the desire to eliminate them. Moreover, negative emotions started to flare up more easily and were experienced much more acutely than neutral or positive ones. At least, emotions that are natural for the average person, and not something like bloody excitement.
Not the best and contributing to the stability of the psyche trait vividly manifested itself not so long ago, somewhere after the escape of my sister. Either because of a new drug, or the influence of teigu, or experiences, or all together, but my character has deteriorated.
Not good. Negative emotions are also negative, so as not to experience pleasure from them.
However, this time, having trampled on the threshold, unsympathetic visitors left with nothing. Even if Eris didn't realize it herself, she helped me a lot by sharing her light. I've never had a chance to visit a therapist, but communicating with a blonde probably affected my dark soul no worse than a visit to a good specialist.
When the girl ran away after Hunter looked into the restaurant, I saw her off with a relaxed smile.