Our Special Guest

“What can I serve you, Ui?” Aro smiled, making Ui almost feel uncomfortable from his generosity. “We have mushroom mussas, Uman fish and vegetable fry, local salad mix…” Aro kept describing a long list of dishes from all over the island, with Ui losing herself in the options. “Ui? Are you alright?”

“Oh, yeah…” She was deep in thought leaning on the bar in front of Aro, and completely missed most of the menu. “What is your favorite?”

“The fish and vegetable fry with our special sauce.”

“That sounds great!”

Aro started cooking in front of her, with not a single wasted movement or moment, and quickly had the fish and vegetables ready for her. He then poured some sauce onto a small plate next to it. “This sauce is our family’s special recipe. Dip it in here.”

She grabbed a piece of fried fish and dipped it into the sauce. The salty fried fish got soaked in the sauce: a delicious blend of a smooth, rich sauce, made with some oil, spices, and slightly sweetened. She didn’t know if that was the most delicious thing she’d ever had, or if she was just hungry from a few days without eating.

Either way, her smile was enough for Aro as he turned around and started working on something else. Ui appreciated the silence, too. The inn’s restaurant area was not very crowded at that time, with only a handful of customers. That quiet, welcoming place gave her time to reflect on what she had done: the Song of Memories.

At first, she felt proud. She thought her plan was a success in every way, but then the dread of the consequences took over. What if that city had seen her memories? What if others had been hurt by her song? She slowly started boiling in her own anxieties, and food became a mechanical thing rather than something she was enjoying.

“That’s a nice dress, Ui. Traditional winter clothes?” Aro snapped her out of her train of thought.

“I think so…”

“You think?” Aro laughed as he grabbed her dishes and started washing them and drying them with impressive speed. “Well, it’s not as cold here as it is in the north, so maybe we can find you something different, if you’d like. A lot of my sister’s older stuff could fit you.” Ui fidgeted. The thought of using Prishu’s older, younger clothes was a little too intimate. But Aro didn’t seem to worry about any of those things. “You’re lucky our best room is available.” Aro smiled at Ui as he leaned on the counter. “It’s one of the highest places in Rurein, our fourth floor! It has a nice view.”

“What… is this place?”

“It’s our family’s business. We moved into this city long ago and have been growing it since. The city is growing, so business is booming!” Aro’s unflinching excitement helped lift Ui’s spirits. “If you have to leave at night use the back door, it can get pretty rowdy in here when people drink. Unless, that’s what you want…” Aro's constant smiling made Ui feel welcome.

His deftness in dealing with both Ui and other customers without feeling ignored reminded her of Odoe. The sweet memories of Odoe and her family in the capital built up until she couldn’t ignore them. Is everyone safe?

At some point Aro took a break to take off his apron and escort Ui to her room. “We’ll bring you some things to help you feel comfortable since this was such short notice.” The room seemed comfortable to Ui, but not to the standards of nobility. There were no luxuries in sight. “There’s no mages, no elders, and no nobles here in Rurein. I hope you like it.”

Before she realized it, Aro had gone back to work downstairs, leaving her to explore her room by herself. She looked around briefly, confirming what she had already seen outside: imperfect Uman stonework on the walls that was then plastered together by Udari clay.

The room had a lone desk and chair, right in front of a large window. She stored her one belonging in the desk’s drawer: the Duke’s letter. Ui, completely exhausted, struggled to piece together any sort of thought, and dove directly into the bed instead. That was a lot more comfortable than riding on Prishu’s back while strapped to her, and in a matter of minutes, she fell into a nap.

◆

Ui heard someone loudly knocking on her door, waking her up. It was dark outside, so she realized her nap was more like a full daytime sleep. She opened the door to find a Uman standing in front of her. His face reminded her of Prishu, but other than that he looked a lot like Cro with a similar height and build. The biggest difference was his haircut was a lot more plain. Ui wondered if Cro styled his hair more because he lived in the capital, or because his uniform prevented him from styling anything else.

“Prishu left a note telling me to constantly leave food outside your door. She highlighted it and wrote it with big letters, too.” The young Uman sighed in front of Ui. “This is the second round already, so I thought I’d let you know. Are you royalty or something?”

Ui wasn’t sure if she could trust him or not, so she looked away in silence.

He stared at Ui briefly. “You know what, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to get in trouble. But I hate wasting food, so don’t. I know Udari can handle this much food.”

Ui was left confused as he walked away and disappeared from her sight. She grabbed the two food trays and locked herself in her room once more.

She walked to the desk, the only place she could eat on, and gazed at the stars as she ate. Her thoughts were full of worries about the north, the capital, about the Duke’s well being, about her family… about Cro. She knew her room was facing north, and with the stars observing her, judging her, she wondered if she had done the right thing.