“Didn’t Alden mention he still hadn’t gotten to that chicken cafe?”

A quick search gave Jeremy the number of the cafe that had free-roaming chickens you could pet and even hold while enjoying a beverage. Alden had been talking about wanting to go there since he first got to Anesidora, and life always got in the way. It would be better if the chickens could come to Alden.

“Maybe they do party rentals?”

He called them up to inquire, and the gruff voice on the other end of the line told him that was something they could arrange. It was expensive to arrange for even one chicken, but Jeremy had just enough extra cash squirreled away. The image of Alden happily holding a chicken in his lap was worth it.

Jeremy started to give the party information details when the voice interrupted in a changed tone.

“Alden Thorn, you say? You’re a friend of his?”

“Yes, we went to school together. Before… well, we’re throwing him a big party, and he’s been talking about wanting to go to your cafe for ages.”

“Same Alden Thorn who gave that Velra girl a piece of his mind?”

“That’s Alden,” Jeremy said, proud of his friend but also unsure whether the voice was on the Velra or anti-Velra side of things.

His worries were immediately allayed, as the voice responded with enthusiasm.

“Say no more! I’ll cover this one. It’s on the house.”

“Oh I couldn’t possibly… it’s important to pay people for their work,” Jeremy said reluctantly.

“Are you willing to negotiate on that? You can’t be much older than Alden if you went to school together. The kid deserves a party with as many chickens as possible, and my prices aren’t cheap.”

“Both my parents are lawyers. Negotiation is in my blood. But this was supposed to be my present to Alden. I… I have enough.”

Perhaps the gruff voice could hear his reluctance, because he gave it another try.

“You’re not avowed, right? You’re calling from Chicago.”

“That’s right. Alden and I both went to Central Chicago High. I still do. We, and our other friend Boe, used to be practically inseperable….”

Jeremy trailed off, not wanting to stray too close to painful topics. And he didn’t want to sound like he was trying to get free work out of the chicken cafe based on pity points.

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“Hey, so yer a normie like me!”

“I guess?”

“I remember the first years after my partner got selected. Back then we were just high school crushes. I thought that’d be the end of us. We barely kept in touch, and I became a chicken farmer. No farms on Anesidora. But after some awkward years we both realized what really mattered to us, gave it a go, and here we are!”

“Oh! That’s great! Alden and I aren’t quite in that situation, but I like to think he won’t leave me behind as a friend.”

“Of course not. You’ll figure it out. You’re already figuring it out right now, by still making yourself a part of his life instead of pretending he doesn’t exist anymore.”

“I would never!”

“That’s good, kid. But there’s still practical things to figure out in any relationship, and one of those practical things is that Anesidora is expensive. Visiting here is expensive. Sending gifts here is expensive. And paying full price for an on-site chicken experience is expensive.”

“Those are facts, yeah.”

“Tell you what,” said the voice. “I’ll let you cover the base price of chicken feed and transportation for the event. Which ain’t nothin, around here. That’s all that would’ve come out of my pocket, and that can be your gift. Save up your cash to visit your friend in person.”

“You really don’t have to,” Jeremy tried.

“Anyone who stands up for himself the way that kid did, in front of someone as powerful as Aulia Velra… you don’t know how difficult that is. Even S rank avowed don’t stand up to her. What chance do the rest of us have?”

“I never really thought about that. I guess Anesidoran politics do seem far away, like something that happens to other people.”

“You’ll get used to it, if you make the effort. Anywho, me and my girls would be honored to come to Alden’s party. I’ll consider my ladies to be invited guests, and I’ll chaperone them.”

“Well when you put it like that, I suppose I could send them an invitation…” Jeremy said slowly.

“Nah, don’t bother. They can’t read.”

“And even if they could, their RSVP would look like…” Jeremy paused, suddenly becoming self-conscious about his pun habit.

“CHICKEN SCRATCH!” Yelled the voice from the other end of the call. “Baahaha! That’s a good one, kid. You’re all right.”

Jeremy allowed himself to chuckle along. “At least someone appreciates my puns! I almost pulled the plug on that one.”

“You mean to say that you almost…” the voice paused.

“Chickened out!” the two said together, and then devolved into laughter.

They chatted a bit longer, because Jeremy had chicken questions. He thought it was cool that the cafe owner had found a way to use his chicken expertise to create a successful business on Anesidora, and the guy had some funny stories and heartfelt advice.

Jeremy realized how much he’d been missing talking to someone who understood what it was like to feel left behind. He had faith in his friendship with Alden, so he hadn’t allowed himself to worry. And he knew he would be able to talk to Boe about it, whenever Boe came back. But Boe wasn’t here now, and it was a relief to talk to someone who had been through some of the same things he was going through.

Eventually, Jeremy hung up the phone, feeling a weight off his shoulders that he didn’t even realize had been there. He pet Victor and absorbed the sound of his family chatting downstairs. His sister was home from her marching band afterparty, and by the sound of her laughter she’d had a good time.

He enjoyed the moment a little longer, then moved Victor off his lap and went downstairs to join them.