As if tethered by a leash, a squat, self-mobilized cart came to a rolling stop beside the apprentice. She gently snapped a loaded tray onto the cart's top. The tray was filled, almost overflowing with bowls of steaming noodles, which I swore warmed the air around us.
"Excuse me," a woman said from nearby, "Are those for sale?"
There was a hopeful note in her voice as she leaned toward the girl and cart. The apprentice smiled and nodded, waving a hand toward a miniature version of the payment terminal Rob had thumbed when he'd paid for our food.
"Just two?" she asked, holding up two fingers as the woman nodded and pressed her thumb against the screen. She busied herself beneath the counter and sanitized her hands.
Everyone at the tables around me raised their hands to shout orders. The air was alight with the noise of slurped noodles and talk as the girl continued to dole out bowls of food to the hungry customers who paid.
Rob hadn't returned, but I spotted him in the distance. I did a double take. I watched as he raised a cigarette to his lips, pulling hard before streams of smoke came out of his nostrils like an angry dragon. I tried to think back to any time I'd ever seen him smoke in front of me but was bringing up a blank.
Huh. I wouldn't have taken him as a smoker.
I watched amusedly as the woman beside him, dressed in a gray corporate pantsuit, turned her head to take a dainty puff as she rested her hand along his side, sliding downward in a way I would've labeled as "predatorily" in just about any context.
He's got game, I thought mischievously. "Good for him!"
"Good for whom?"
I jumped.
A feminine voice had spoken beside me. I hadn't realized I'd said that out loud. Oops.
My gaze flicked over. From behind the cart, the apprentice's lavender eyes remained locked onto mine; the tray stood empty. She'd sold out fast.
"Huh?" I said. All too smoothly.
I fought not to wince as a trill of nervousness shot through me and a soft chime sounded from within the cart. She smiled apologetically as she averted her gaze. She opened a hidden door and emptied the cart of the freshly sanitized bowls, stacking them within a shelf on the side furthest away from me as it hid her from view. I had a golden opportunity to decide what to do.
Okay. Don't waste any more time, Price. What are you going to say?! Think. Think. Think.
Thunder rumbled above us as the clouds began to swirl. A few heads turned up, and many people began eating at a much faster pace.
The rain was near.
There was a soft wump as she closed the door, toggling a control before she straightened and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. I gawped like an idiot as a soft sigh escaped her lips.
Well, crap. Where was this kind of blankness when I DIDN'T want to think about anything?! I'd drawn a blank and had no clue what to say.
She turned and leaned over the cart. Her chin pointed toward me as she nestled it within her palm, fingers curled to her cheek as her lavender eyes examined me once again.
I'd wasted what was likely my only chance to come up with something good.
DAMMIT, BRAIN!
She smiled at me. "You still haven't answered my question," she said.
The amusement was clear in her voice. It dawned on me then what I must've looked like, still hunched over my bowl like a cretin, a gornless look on my face as my mind struggled to catch up.
A woman and man approached with empty bowls in their hands.
The apprentice bit down on her lip, a small attempt to keep the laughter in her eyes in check as she accepted the empties. She gave the man and woman a graceful bow before she placed the bowls on top of the cart. As the pair walked away, the woman looked back at me with a mirthful smile on her lips. She turned to whisper to the man, intertwining her hand into his as they looked toward the approaching clouds ahead.
The sound of swishing jets was barely audible as the internal sanitation system finished working its magic. Another cheer broke out from the old man's cart as he did yet another feat, and his face did a double take toward us.
His gapped-tooth smile widened as he began to juggle at least four knives with an ease that looked remarkably resplendent. He winked once before he turned, causing the crowd to gasp as he threw one of the knives higher into the air.
My mind was still uselessly blank as I tried to remember what the apprentice had asked me.
"The noodles," she said as if reading my thoughts. My attention was drawn back to the apprentice as she extended a hand out, fingers slightly bent in an unusual way as she waited for permission to receive something. Her eyes dropped onto the table in front of me. "Has it been a while?"
"Um. Yeah." I said, handing back the empty bowl. “Sorry. I mean, YES! It helps that it’s so great.”
The old man beamed as if he heard me and said something in a language I didn’t understand. The girl smiled appreciatively before having a short, partially shouted conversation with him as I stared at the two incomprehensibly.
The girl translated, tilting her head a little as she took me in from head to toe. “He said, ‘Thank you very much for your patronage.”
I looked over at the old man, where two of the four knives were now nowhere to be seen.
I fought to tear my curiosity away as the girl turned back to me and spoke again. “Are you going for a Courier-esque look?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. She grabbed another set of abandoned bowls from a table I hadn't realized had already been vacated, tucking them into the sanitation drawer before she held her hand out again as someone passed another empty bowl to her.
The area around us had begun to clear. The thunder grew louder, and the wind became colder.
“I like your style,” she said, demurely.
I stared at her blankly for a moment.
The pause was long enough; she pointed downward with a pert nose as she continued collecting bowls from people handing them to her in their rush to leave.
“The pants? I dig the style. Jacket’s pretty tech too!”
“Huh?” I replied. Still not comprehending.
“Oh!” I said, blushing. Not having gotten what she was saying, like a dimwit.
“Uh—Y—Yeah,” I blurted out, “Thanks? I guess? Kinda a new me, you know? New me, new look.” I cringed inward, not knowing why I'd said that.
She smiled again, giving me a few nods of acceptance before being interrupted by someone asking about a dish; as she turned to answer, her eyes darted apologetically back to me before she broke off to give the customer her full attention.
“Here. Best keep up your strength, Young Sir.”
I jumped.
The smiling man was suddenly next to me. I looked around as I realized he'd somehow gotten beside me without my notice from all the way over by the other cart. The line had been mostly served. Many of the people had decided to begin the trek home before the rains reached us.
He's as bad as Rob, I thought as I looked down.
In the man's strong grip was held another bowl, different from the one we'd ordered. The smell of sesame oil and fresh greens tantalized my palate, triggering an old memory of food from long ago as he lifted the bowl higher in an invitation to grab it.
"You. Take." He said. His manner of speaking was broken but cheerful as he nodded with another smile. The bowl was pressed into my hand. He was NOT going to take "no" for an answer. Any complaints were neutralized before they could leave my lips as he waved away any utterance of not being able to pay.
I surrendered.
I lifted the bowl from his grasp as he turned to return to his mobile kitchen. He resumed his work, still assembling dishes expertly for the much shorter line of waiting customers. He kept a watchful eye on me as the thunder rumbled above.
The bowl was GORGEOUS.
The green kelp noodles were still present, but the entire dish was a much different variant from the one before it. The broth was reddish yellow, the color of a liquid sunset. Chunks of spongy white cubes, kernels of corn, and slices of grilled mushrooms were piled in small islands around the centerpiece of fried onions, piled high enough to look like a mountain in miniature. The entire chain was artfully speckled with small white and black seeds. The colors acted as a complement to the rich, golden oil, which coated everything in a half-moon ring as it melded with the fresh leaves of greenery floating on the surface. Fragrant steam swept past my face as my taste buds tightened in anticipation.
I took my first bite and chewed with the full intention of actually ENJOYING it this time.
I succeeded.
If I were to describe it in one word? "Fantastic" would just about cover it.
The oil went marvelously with the spicy sauce. The crispness of the greens and chewiness of noodles cut through the heat and melded into something so marvelous I couldn't and wouldn't fully describe it.
You'd have to try it for yourself.
The taste rebounded from pleasure center to pleasure center inside my head; I couldn’t help but smile. The warm feeling of happiness and contentment spread throughout my body like a blissful wave. It was a FAR cry from the caf-drowned protein puck on Rob's countertop. If the puck had kept me alive, this likely would keep me floating on Cloud Nine for some time to come. Even better, a magical sensation overcame me as I closed my eyes. One I hadn't felt in quite a long time.
I.
Was.
FULL.
I opened my eyes again. Though it was probably just within my mind, I could swear the world seemed a bit less dark. I looked over. The lavender-eyed girl was busy speaking to someone, her back to me as the green-capped man grinned toward me from ear to ear.
He issued a sagely nod, handing off another bowl to another customer as I gave him a small bow, which he returned slowly with closed eyes.
Thunder rumbled as a wet spot plunked into the center of my forehead, and I glanced up in surprise, wiping my hand across my brow to confirm what had happened. My fingers came away cold, wet, and clammy.
Rain.
Everyone looked up, almost in unison. The threat of an incoming rain, along with a joint realization that the next rotation was only a short few hours away, served as the official end of the rare and unscheduled social gathering. One everyone would likely talk about for weeks to come.
I looked around for any sign of Rob and spotted him as he began the arduous process of extricating himself from the strokey hands of the woman wearing the suit. She whispered something into his ear but frowned when he shook his head. He handed her a card after giving an apologetic look, and I lost sight of them as the crowd began to disperse.
The girl bowed her head to collect the bowl with a small smile in my direction as I thanked her. Groups around me broke apart rapidly, and the scent of falling moisture filled the plaza as the other vendors, the ones without lines as long, rolled off without a further word. Final orders for food were pushed through as the few remaining stragglers moved on, encouraged by the loud rumbling to go faster.
Rob was signaling to me, indicating I should follow as other diners speedily finished their food in a rush to catch up to friends who had already left. I could hear the sounds of Outer Lock doors cycling around us as inhabitants downed their refreshments, stubbed out their cigarettes, and began the return to the toasty confines of their homes; the party was officially over.
I smiled back at the apprentice in what I hoped was a dazzling way as I pushed myself out from the table. I was finally feeling a bit less pinched and more myself for the first time in what felt like a long...long time. She gave me a quick wink with one lavender-colored eye as we turned in our respective directions away from each other.
“You hear that?” Rob asked, once I joined him. We were finally out of immediate hearing range of others as they moved away. “Not good. They’re already changing the narrative for something new. It’s meant to keep you from being able to go anywhere people are going to be, and my guess? Security already has images of you being plastered as we speak.”
I nodded, feeling worried, but less so now with a full belly.
It was bad enough to have someone blame you for doing nothing, but to actively push someone into the path of death?
“Why?” I asked aloud, “McCreed told me what to do. I wasn’t sure if I would, but this all seems against what he was asking, doesn’t it?”
Rob frowned, “Still no direct leads, but it seems once you gave them the slip, they tailed the runner and swapped tubes to aim for a new station. No idea why they’re still following Sam, but the plan for us is the same. The only major change is we need to do it before the beginning of the next rotation.”
“So what's the plan then?” I asked as we continued walking.
“Get you to a safe house and figure out where we’ll go from there. The Brew is the best place for now, close to where we’ve got to go, and Sam can take you there without me needing to leave. I have to stay low for a few days before I can come see you and help you get settled.”
“Thanks for the food,” I said quietly to Rob, “I know you said you didn’t owe me any more favors, but it was much appreciated.”
“Didn’t know I’d have to pry you away from that cart,” he said, smiling. “If I’d known you’d go for a second bowl, I’d have just gotten you a protein bar or something.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, “We left as soon as you signaled me.”
“I saw you dawdling; thought it was going to take you forever,” Rob said with a salacious grin. “Did you want to ask her name at least?”
“Who?” I asked, seriously confused.
He stopped, looking at me dumbly for a moment to tell if I was joking.
“Unbelievable.” He said, mostly to himself.
He shook his head in disbelief as he started moving again, “Let’s go then. Rain’s going to chase us.” He was chuckling to himself as I watched him walk away.
“What?” I looked at his retreating back as he continued on without me.
“Let's go,” he simply said over his shoulder, his face returning to the bored readiness of someone strolling, only stopping to wave to another vendor who was busying herself with packing up her cart.
The vendor smiled and waved back, humming as she went back to her work. All the signs of just being a regular day in an irregular moment.
Above, the woman in the suit was looking down at us, a frustrated frown on her face as she threw a stubbed cigarette over the side of the rail in a dissatisfied way before turning to head inside.
I pulled on the straps of the pack to tighten it and pulled up my hood to snap it into place as I walked to catch up. Rob's slowly fading shape continued languidly onward.
Huh. I thought, sparing a quick glance upward. She didn't look back as I continued on.
Chalk that up to yet another thing I'll have to ask him later.
Together, we set off out into the darkness as the rain began to pour in earnest.