Beyond The Night - Bronze

XIV. Aristide

   Despite the first impression they made, Alvis's friends were more harmless than they looked. That's what Aristide was thinking while they were having dinner in the big room below deck. He didn't have time to look around when he first stepped inside this room in the afternoon. But now while he sat enjoying the feast Emma and Hugo prepared for them, he scanned the luxurious furniture, the golden gilded candelabras and the paintings on the walls. As he separated the trout on his plate from its bones with the help of a fork and a knife, Liz caught his attention from across the table. Her yellowish green eyes were shining with joy as she ate the fish on her plate -bones and all- with relish.
   Right then, Aristide was reminded of the conversation from last night. When he turned to look at Griff and Caira, he knew he was right. Griff was chewing the head of a fish and just like Liz, Caira was taking big bites of the fish on his fork, unbothered by its bones.
   "When was the last time you ate fish?" Aristide asked, letting his curiosity take over.
   Liz put down her fork and wiped her mouth with the napkin on the table. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Three years ago, if I'm not wrong."
   "Why?" Emma asked. "What happened three years ago?"
   "We met Estella."
   "And the others," Liz added but Griff's attention was on Caira who was glaring at him. Then he shrugged and put another grilled trout on his plate.
   Hugo lauged. "You stopped eating fish after you met Estella?"
   "Do you see what you've done?" Caira asked in a blaming manner.
   "I was just telling the truth," Griff protested.
   "Well done," Caira said wryly.
   "Merfolk aren't fish," said Emma.
   Griff held up a hand to stop her. "Don't worry, we already had that conversation."
   "How silly are they, right?" Alvis laughed.
   "I think it's lovely." Aristide's words got everyone's attention.
   "Lovely?" Liz asked frowning.
   "Yes," Aristide said, nodding. "I think it's a very thoughtful thing to do."
   "Yeah, right," Caira said.
   "No, really," Aristide insisted. "You must really care about Alvis."
   Griff laughed uncomfortably.
   "If Alvis was a fish I'd eat sardines in front of him."
   Aristide thought Caira was joking but the prim expression on his face was saying otherwise.
   "If Alvis was a fish I'd never get close to any body of water, ever again," said Liz and put another fish on her plate.
   "I don't know how to swim."
   Aristide first looked around in the room and then turned to stare at Griff, as if he was trying to tell him the room they were in was inside a ship and that ship was in the middle of the ocean.
   "So I'd be safe."
   "Good for you," Caira said.
   "I feel like you guys are judging me" Griff complained.
   "Oh, no. What gave it away?"
   "I'll teach you how to swim," Alvis said with a bright smile.
   "No, thank you. I like living."
   "What?," Alvis said, offended. "Why are you saying that?"
   "I don't trust you on land. What makes you think I can trust you in water?"
   "My awesome swimming skills?" Alvis offered.
   "Great," Caira said. "You should use them to swim away from us."
   Aristide was thoroughly confused. How come these people who didn't eat fish for three years just because Alvis had a mermaid girlfriend, could also insult him and talk to him so cruelly. Moreover, their harsh words clashed with their actions. Aaristide couldn't decide what to believe. And Alvis didn't even look offended. Not minding his friends' harsh words, he was already back to eating.
   "Salmon was always your favorite."
   Aristide followed Emma's sad eyes to Caira.
   Caira kept eating the salmon on his plate without lifting his head.
   "I was worried when yoh told me you didn't eat fish anymore. If you have told me it was for Alvis i would've understand."
   "I would've loft a finger for Alvis."
   Aristide thought this was an obvious lie. But he didn't dare voice his opinion.
   The silence in the room stretched until Alvis finished eating and started talking with Hugo.
   "So, tell me. Why are you going to Centhepha?" Hugo asked.
   Aristide fidgeted uncomfortably.
   "Work," Alvis said in short.
   "Delphi again?"
   "I've been working for Delphi for over ten years now," Caira said. "When are you going to get used to it?"
   "Does your friends also work for Delphi?" Emma asked.
   "Yes," Caira said. "Except Griff," he added with a crooked smile.
   Aristide frowned in confusion.
   "Stop that, Caira," Griff whined. "Don't listen to him, Miss Emma. We all work for Delphi."
   "Yes," Liz agreed. "Griff just doesn't get paid," she said with a sneaky smile.
   "I do," Griff corrected. "Delphi pays me too."
   "That's not a wage," Caira said. "That's called an allowance."
   "Pocket money," said Liz.
   "Ah!" Emma exclaimed. "Is Delphi your mother?"
   Griff sighed deeply before nodding.
   Aristide didn't want to be rude but he couldn't help but say, "I thought Delphi was a human witch."
   "She is," Griff said. "I'm adopted."
   Aristide regretted opening his mouth. "Ah, I am so sorry. That was so insensitive. Forgive me."
   "No,no," Griff interrupted. "That was an apt observation. Delphi is a human. And I am clearly not. Also, it's not a very sensitive subject for me. Don't worry."
   "Really?" Aristide asked, wanting to make sure he didn't hurt Griff's feelings.
   "Yeah, it's not sensitive at all. Delphi got him for winning a bet."
   "What?"
   "She told me it was a duello," said Liz.
   "She told me she found him in the bird's nest on the tree in her garden," said Alvis.
   "You guys know these are all bullshit, right?"
   They all looked at him with doubt.
   "First off," Griff said, lifting his hand and pointing at Alvis with it. "I didn't come out of an egg." Then he pointed to Liz and Caira in order. "You can't put a living thing as a wager in a duello or a bet."
   "But you can put an egg," Caira said.
   Griff wiped his face with his hand.
   "So you work for your family," said Hugo. Then he turned to stare at Caira. "How nice."
   "Well, I didn't have a lot of choices," Griff said. "It's hard for people like me to find a job."
   Aristide hanged his head. He couldn't help but feel guilty.
   "You live together and you work together," said Emma.
   Liz nodded with a soft smile.
   "It's no wonder you get along so well."
   Aristide didn't agree with her one bit, but he turned his attention to his plate without a word. He'd talked enough for one night.