Bowstring

7 - The Banker Does Not Bugger Off

She was already tensed when she left Llemero, agitated when she saw the sight in the slums, and now she had to be annoyed because she cannot lose the man walking along her side.

The banker was whistling as his arms bent to place his palms at the back of his head. The sound created by the blow from his mouth was familiar to her. She heard it being sung over and over again by one of the cliques in the castle. Although she had not memorized the lyrics, she understood it to contain emotions similar to a man wooing a woman in a lighthearted manner.

His tune faded as he stopped walking, but she continued.

"Dear client, the pretzels look warm. Want to buy some?"

"I'm not hungry," she did not even turn an eye.

"Come on. It's my treat."

She kept on walking and wished for him to get lost. But it did not take a whole minute for him to return to her side again. He even handed the paper-wrapped pretzel and almost shoved it to her chest when she did not accept.

She clucked her tongue, then took the wrap even if she honestly meant that she is not hungry. The hot potato was enough to fill her stomach and can already be considered a meal. She remembered one time that the Keep was so poor the board decided to allocate all the funds to the students. And she, Julien, and Seth had to feed on thin bread twice a day only. She even wondered if Julien was eating his share.

The pretzel in her hand was quite tempting and warm that she had to take a bite. It was already a treat. The sugar-coated crust complemented the bland taste of the moist and chewy dough.

"See? Isn't it delish?"

"Why are you following me?" she asked instead of agreeing.

"It was a coincidence."

"Screw that blatant lie." She expressed, even if she is secretly enjoying the snack. "As to how you commented on my mingling with the beggars, it is already conclusive that you have been observing me in a long while."

"Ah, I've been caught. Ehehe."

"The hell... how about I twist you, so you become a pretzel yourself?"

"Geez, dear client. It's because you're so prickly that you're so nice to tease."

The nerve in her head may have involuntarily twitched upon hearing him. How about I become genuinely mad? "Stop calling me client. I'm not your account holder anymore."

"You may soon be."

"I told you I don't want to loan. What the bullshit are you going on with to stick around?"

"Well, for one, I'd like to share some information about what's going to be the hype in the market for the coming days. It would be a pity if ignored."

She felt a flutter in her chest about his sentence. It was really a struggle to keep her ears from tingling from some rumors in the market, and she had deprived herself of even the temptation to think to join the trade again. His tone was the sort to masking the truth while sounding nonchalant, which is convincing. Unfortunately, she had a few coins at her disposal, and she could let them fly in the Exchange if he succeeded in persuading her.

"And what would that be?" she still kept her monotone as she spoke.

"Salt."

Corel made a deep, exaggerated sigh and let her shoulders drop. "And here I was feeling excited. What a loud farce."

For one, salt is not even listed in the Tseferi Stock Exchange because it does not make the market advance. But she is still curious that his pensive expression remained unstirred by her ridicule.