CHAPTER 65: 65. WANTED TO ENJOY LUNCH

It was surprisingly quiet the week after the Crimson Falcons left. Greg thought that something awful would happen as soon as Marina left, because that’s how his life seemed to work these days. But the workshop instead settled into a comfortable routine that felt almost normal.

"I need your opinion on this joint work, Sensei!" Bork called from his part of the forge, where he was holding up what looked like a complicated system of pulleys. "The customer wants it to lift heavy things, but I’m worried about the places where it will be under a lot of stress."

Greg hardly looked up from the comfy chair he was sitting in, where he was drinking tea. "Put runes for reinforcement at the places where the wires connect."

"Follow the pattern I showed you last month. Don’t worry about any mistakes as long as you follow it properly..."

"That’s all? You’re not going to come see?

Greg said, "You don’t need to check with me, I’m currently not in a mood right now."

"You have the skills to do it on your own. Don’t doubt everything you do."

Bork blinked, and then a slow smile spread across his face. "Okay. Thank you, Sensei."

It was surprisingly quiet the week after the Crimson Falcons left. Greg thought that something awful would happen as soon as Marina left, because that’s how his life seemed to work these days. But the workshop instead settled into a comfortable routine that felt almost normal.

"I need your opinion on this joint work, Sensei!" Bork called from his part of the forge, where he was holding up what looked like a complicated system of pulleys. "The customer wants it to lift heavy things, but I’m worried about the places where it will be under a lot of stress."

Greg hardly looked up from the comfy chair he was sitting in, where he was drinking tea. "Put runes for reinforcement at the places where the wires connect." Greg takes another sip of his tea until both of his eyes start to move in different directions. "Agh! It’s so fucking good...!"

"Wait..." Greg just realized something about Bork, "Oi, Bork."

"Yes, Sensei...?" Bork came fast when he got called.

"Why the fuck did you call me the same as Felix did? Sensei thingy..."

"Oh shit! I just realize that it was a habit that came out because of Felix, who keeps calling you ’sensei’ non-stop because of his endless talk!" Bork laughed while scratching his beard.

"You better stop."

"I’m afraid I can’t. I need something good to call you."

"Call me anything you want other than Sensei!"

"How about the boss?"

"Good enough. Now, get back to work." When Greg said that, Bork gave a little salute and went back to his work.

On the other side, Elwen was working on a commission for a traveling merchant who wanted a set of lightweight cooking pots all over the workshop. She kept looking at her notes, changing her spells, and sometimes speaking to herself in elvish words.

Greg called out, "Elwen, you’re thinking about it too much again."

"But the temperature distribution has to be just right!" she said. "If I get the runes wrong, one side of the food will burn and the other side will stay raw."

"Then trust your gut and use the basic flame distribution pattern. You know what feels right by now because you’ve made so much cookware."

Elwen thought for a moment and then nodded. "You’re right. I keep making things harder than they need to be."

"That’s right. Keep up the good work, guys. I’m going to Lylia’s for lunch."

Felix looked up from where he was teaching Donetta how to polish metal well. "You’re taking breaks and delegating now? Who are you, and what have you done with our workaholic Sensei?!"

Greg stood up and stretched. "I’m doing what I say," he said. "Peace isn’t about working yourself to death."

"It’s about knowing when to back off and let other people take care of things."

"Also, Lylia is making her famous beef stew today, and I won’t miss it."

Donetta laughed. "Felix told me about that stew. He said it’s so good that even a demon would cry tears of joy."

Greg said, "Felix is right. Does anyone want to come with me?"

"I’ll come with you!" Seraphine called from her research station, where she was already getting her notes together. "I’ve been meaning to talk about some theoretical uses of your recent work anyway."

Greg said, "Of course you have," but he was smiling.

...

Lylia’s Kitchen had changed a lot since it first opened. The small restaurant that was once an empty storefront has become part of the workshop, it has grown into a real business with more tables, a bigger kitchen, and a steady stream of customers from Ferndale and nearby villages.

The place became famous because the food cooked with Greg’s magical cookware had healing powers. Lylia was in her element when Greg and Seraphine got there.

She moved between the stove and the counter with the grace of someone who had finally found their calling. The restaurant was about half full, with mostly locals taking a break for lunch.

"Two for lunch?" With a knowing smile, Lylia asked.

"Please," Greg said. "And I heard rumors about the famous beef stew."

"Rumors are true. Find a table, and I’ll bring it out."

They sat down at a corner table where they could see both the restaurant and the street outside. Seraphine put some of her notes on the table, but Greg noticed that she didn’t seem as interested in them as usual.

"So," Seraphine said after a short pause. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Marina."

Greg almost choked on his drink. "What about Marina?"

"Don’t act dumb," Seraphine said as she fixed her glasses. "Everyone saw the difference."

"The way you looked at her before she left, the hug goodbye that lasted about 7.3 seconds longer than a normal goodbye hug, and the fact that you’ve touched that communication crystal around your neck exactly 47 times since she left."

"The fuck...? You’ve been keeping track of something that isn’t important!?"

"I like to think things through."

"I count things that can be calculated." Seraphine bent down. "But really, something changed on that trip to the Crystal Coast, didn’t it? You came back changed, like you’re more... aware."

Greg’s face got hot as he said, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

That’s when Lylia came in with two bowls of hot beef stew and put them down with a little more force than she needed to. "Oh, we’re talking about Marina? That’s good because I have questions too."

"Why does everyone have questions?" Greg sighed.

Lylia said, "Because you’re bad at hiding your feelings," as she sat down next to Seraphine. "I’ve seen you miss that girl for weeks, but something has definitely changed recently."

"And of course you make it more obvious."

"I’m not missing her."

"Yes, you are," Seraphine said. "The data is clear."

"You can’t use ’data’ to figure out how you feel!"

"Watch me," Seraphine said as she pulled out a new page of notes.

"Exhibit A: You changed Marina’s communication crystal to have unlimited range, which you didn’t do for anyone else."

"Exhibit B: You said you would go into the dungeon yourself if she got into trouble."

"Exhibit C: The way you looked when she called you her hero."

"She was just kidding!"

"Was she, though?" Lylia asked, her voice now softer. "Because from where I was standing, that looked like a woman who knows she has feelings for someone but hasn’t told herself yet."

Greg covered his face with his hands. "This is not how I wanted to spend my lunch."

"Too bad," Lylia said with a smile. "You’re going to get the whole interrogation."

"So, did anything happen on that trip? Did you have any romantic times, like confessions under the stars?"

Greg said, "We just talked," but his hands were in the way of his voice.

"She told me about her brother and the fire and about her past."

"We promised not to push each other away when times are tough. That’s all."