Elina

I need you.

I didn't think I'd hear him say it. I thought he'd refuse. But he wasn't as stubborn as I thought. Which was surprising. Because he seemed resolute on everything else in life. But I suppose every man has his weaker moments. Which isn't a bad thing.

Flying with him reminded me of someone. My father. Before he died, he took me to a town. A place like Larose. Maybe a little larger. But I was a child at that time. Everything feels larger when you're a child.

He bought me that fried honey bread. And then I took him flying. Although unlike Salem, my father didn't panic. He said he enjoyed it. Said that my mother took him flying too. Before she became pregnant with me. It was the last time I took my father flying.

I wandered around Larose. Nowhere to go. No one by my side. It felt good in a way. To be lost and aimless.

Eventually I came back to the marketplace. There were fewer people now. Some stalls had closed. Some stalls still open.

I didn't have money on me. The coin purse was with Salem. It didn't matter.

I walked past a man. He wore a silk vest, some kind of leather hat with a white feather on it, shiny sturdy boots. Looked like a wealthy merchant. He came my way. I didn't step aside. Bumped into him.

Didn't move. Looked up and gave him a sweet smile. Said I was awfully sorry. He scratched the back of his head, the way all men do, and said it was alright. Said something I didn't listen to. I smiled sweetly and said I had somewhere to be. Then I moved on. Vanished in the crowd.

In my hands I held his coin purse. Heavier than Salem's. I looked inside. Like a tiny treasure chest. Gold and silver that made the heart pound.

Now I could buy all the food I wanted.

I went to the fried honey bread stall.

It was closed. I was disappointed. But something had changed.

There was someone standing in front of the closed stall. A girl. Her messy brown hair tied into twin tails. Her face freckled and dirty. Her clothes faded and the hem of her dress caked with mud.

She held a poster in her hands. On that poster was a face I've seen before. But where? I couldn't really remember.

The girl said, "Help! Please, somebody help me!"

I came up to her. Since I was here and she was standing where my bread was supposed to be.

The girl said, "Oh, kind lady. Please, help me!"

"What ails you?"

"My brother has gone missing. I haven't seen him in almost two days!"

"What's his name?"

"Simon Withstone."

"Hmmm...Simon Withstone?" That name sounded awfully familiar. I looked at the poster. Maybe it's a face I've stolen before?

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Maybe it's because I'm weak. Indecisive. Unable to forget. But Elina had reminded me of her. And now that idea of seeing her was stuck in my head. For better or worse.

Made my way to the tavern. The sun was setting and people were finishing work for the day. Some people returned home, some sought refuge elsewhere. In a tavern, on a seat, at the bottom of a mug of ale.

And that was where I found her.

The Blue Spoon. A little tavern in some corner of Larose. An easily overlooked establishment. Small on the outside, intimate on the inside.

An unassuming sign with a carving of a spoon on it. An unassuming door made out of heavy wood. Like it wanted to keep the world outside. And it did that job well.

When I stepped in and the door closed behind me, I felt like as though I could forget about everything. Like time flowed differently here. Like this was where I could rest. Little round tables were spread across the floor. A bar counter with a bartender behind it. Rows of bottles behind the bartender.

I looked at bartender. He looked at me. Smiled and nodded. We vaguely knew each other. From a long time ago. From a different life.

Then: a voice behind me. A smile in each word.