A ship has just arrived in the famous port city of Nukaro, the capital of Aegeus, and in its hull, is the last hope for all the realms of Valen.
The only problem?
He doesn't know it yet.
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The smooth beefy taste of the baka warms my limbs as I slurp down its contents. Noodles, beef slices, and vegetable chunks are quick to follow, tasting rich of seasoning and long moments in the searing broth for flavour. "How's it taste?"
Glancing up over the rim of my bowl, I smile as my hands, grasping chopsticks, work fast to shovel the food into my open maw of a mouth. Snojyn Riese merely chuckles at the sight, her own bowl still half full. "You must've been hungry," she muses.
I shrug as I finish the bowl with a giant slurp and set it aside. The sudden feeling of a full stomach causes my head to lurch and groan as I clutch my sore ribcage. Taking a bite of her noodles, Sno chews slowly before asking. "What were you in the hospital for?"
My heart begins to pump faster at the question and to distract myself, I peer around the filled seats of the baka vendor. It was a square seating arrangement, with a hole cut in the middle for the cook to make his food, and a perfectly placed canopy atop to shield the customers from the pouring rain. The street surrounding the vendor was still a heat wave of traffic. Motorists zip by in their vehicles, and pedestrians storm pass as if someone had insulted a few moments before. "Amsterdam?"
Blinking out of my daze, I look to Sno and blush. "Oh, sorry. Um, it was an accident," I say nonchalantly, hoping somehow my lie to hold up. "I was being stupid is all."
Snojyns amber-hazel eyes squint slightly as if she were calculating my words. She glances to the two empty bowls of baka to my left and bites her bottom lip. "Huh, well I'm glad to see you're alright." I nod gratefully, the inside of my heart wilting at the lie I had just spun. Again I let my gaze wander around the vendor at the different size and appearances of the people passing by. A flash of blue and red catches my eye through the rainy haze, and instinctively I suck in a breath. Two men, dressed in dark blue uniforms, were walking down the sidewalk towards the vendor. Both wore armour to cover they chests, with weapons strapped to their waists. Nukaro police.
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Inwardly, my body screams. They were heading in my direction. Could that mean they were after me? "I really should be going," I say flusteredly as I get to my feet. Rain begins to patter onto my shoulders as I leave the safety of the canopy. "I really appreciate the food, and it was nice to meet you, Snojyn."
Riese hops off her bar seat in confusion, watching me as I wave awkwardly goodbye. "Um, okay, it was nice to meet you too." Smiling one last time at the girl who bought me food, I turn briskly and begin to walk hurriedly through the crowd of people.
Now that I thought about it, I couldn't actually place a time on the Qubæ that I had ever had to shove or shout at someone to move. Whatever the case, I did my fair share on that Nukaro sidewalk. "Please - excuse me - sorry - um, you're stepping on my foot - ouch! Move it! I'm walking here!"
