Complete Mess

Chapter 8: Hot Pot

Complete Mess

Chapter 8

Hot Pot

The restaurant at this time of night wasn't too bad. Actually the crowd wasn't too much for her. Especially after they sat down at a table. A woman put down two cups and then realized that Lake was there.

"Oh look at you!" she looked at Emmet and then Ingo.

"Oh come on, one of you two finally hit it off with a woman? Plus she has a kid?!" Lake blushed so hard she was afraid her cheeks would catch fire. Ingo looked up at the woman and shook his head.

"Perish the thought Ingrid. We are simply watching her until the authorities can obtain her." It was the truth, but Lake found herself wishing it weren't.

A large pot was placed in the center of the table. Lake wasn't sure what was going on. There was a guy that walked over placing what looked like a clear soup into one side and then a red soup into the other.

"Alright give it ten minutes and then start adding the veggies and meats to it." He told them before walking back toward the bar area. Lake picked up the tea cup and sipped it slowly.

"Did you make any friends at the daycare?" Emmet asked her. Ingo looked up and then down at Lake. Lake just slowly shook her head.

"She was crying when I got there." Ingo whispered to his brother. Emmet's familiar smile faltered. He couldn't help but feel sad for the young girl.

"Ah well...sometimes making friends takes time." He told her. She nodded, sighing.

"Its okay. Perhaps tomorrow then." She perked up as she looked at the black suited subway boss.

"You mean I'm...staying with you again tomorrow?" She asked him. Ingo looked at her with almost a knowing look. He had seen the way she looked at them.

"Officer Jenny says that they have a bit of a backup in case and yours is 'slowly moving' so...we offered to take you in for a little longer. So long as it's okay with you. Is it?" Ingo asked as he put some mushrooms into the soups.

"Yes yes yes!" She giggled, throwing her arms around his middle. Ingo was glad he had pulled his arm back from the pot or it would have ended up on its side.

Lake crawled under the table and hugged Emmet as well. He had never seen the young girl smile so big. So much so that they could see that she was missing a tooth. Even her small glasses ended up on the seat behind him.

"Careful now, or we'll break these." He placed them back onto her face. She pushed them back onto her nose.

"Alright, let's get some food in us. I'm starving." Ingo said as he placed some things onto a small plates and put them in front of Lake. Lake looked at the food and then up at Ingo.

"What is this?" She asked taking some of the pork and put it into her mouth. The look of pure love washed over her face as the meat simply melted in her mouth.

"Nice huh?" Emmet put a bit into his mouth and huffed a little. "Spicy..." He smiled into the flavor.

"Mine wasn't spicy." She picked up a piece of mushroom.

"Ah, I gave you the one with the pork broth first. I wasn't sure if you'd like spicy food like Emmet does." Ingo took a bite and added more veggies to the broth.

"Want to try?" Emmet asked, Lake. Lake nodded.

"Emmet, just a small piece. Your food is just so spicy." Ingo worried as he watched his brother blow a piece of meat off and lightly placed it into Lakes plate. Lake looked at the lightly roasted meat and slowly placed it into her mouth.

Her cheeks turned red at first and then she swallowed it down before taking up her tea cup and downing the water.

"How can you eat that!?" Lake demanded. Emmet chuckled as he took another piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Like that." Emmet joked. Lake just giggled and took another bite of the pork broth mushrooms and smiled.

"It was good though...even though it burned my mouth." She admitted. Emmet's face broke back into the big smile it always had.

Soon enough the pot was empty and the young girl was delightfully full. Emmet looked down at her as she lightly bobbed back and forth. Her eyes are heavy with sleep.

"Ah, I think it's bedtime. I dare say we should depart brother. She'll likely be asleep by the time we arrive." Ingo said as he stood up and took the sleepy child from his brother.

Pulling the coat around himself to insure her warmth in there travels.

Not too far off stood a man with a cigar in his mouth. On the other side of the pillar stood a slender woman.

"And that's her huh?" The guy blew cigar smoke. Its red color swirled around him. "She's the one who's got the map to the jewel hum?"

"Her dad hid it. I don't think she even knows it exists." The woman said as she watched the sleeping child get onto one of the trains. It departed down the tracks.

"Alright then..." He looked at the closest camera and nodded.

The lights went out.