Peacekeepers

Chapter Fourteen - Bewildered

Disclaimer: I own nothing here.

Warning: Alcohol referenced in this chapter.

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Cynthia once again found herself in the lord's tent, only this time as a guest sitting on her folded legs on one of the lush pillows bellow the dais.

As much as she would have liked to linger and relax in the bath, she had also been practically starving and the prospect of a proper dinner was motivation enough to get cleaned up quickly. She had also felt uneasy leaving Garchomp unattended for too long with those three newborn passengers.

Upon returning, she had been both relieved and happy to see Steven successfully mitigating an argument between Garchomp and Aggron. By the time they re-entered the lord's tent, she was glad to be able to sit and relax for awhile.

Since they had been introduced as married, she and Steven had been directed to sit where two seats had been purposely placed close together, which was going to get rather annoying considering they would be bumping each other throughout dinner.

On the positive side, though, practically brushing shoulders meant they could share covert conversations if they had to. She was also quickly distracted by all the food that the attendants were dishing out onto the small tables in front of them.

Her stomach growled angrily at the sight and smell of the huge spread and it took all of her willpower not to immediately start digging in like her Garchomp; after three long days of hiking all over the countryside, they would finally get to eat a proper meal!

By some miracle, she managed to wait and observe Aaron, who, with Lucario sat across from them. The other two seemed to be waiting for a word from Kenshin before beginning to eat.

Once the attendants had finished doling out all the food and made their exit, the lord raised his goblet of unknown contents as if to make a toast. "May our discussion be fruitful. Please, eat and enjoy."

With that, Aaron glanced across at his apprentices and gave a subtle nod of approval before he slowly began to eat. Steven and Cynthia wasted not even a second as they nearly attacked the food before them, though they both made an honest effort to be as dignified as possible.

After three days of just soup and berries, getting to eat rice and vegetables, among other things she was unfamiliar with, Cynthia felt like she was finally living again and had to consciously stifle a sigh of contentment.

Aaron and Kenshin had begun their business discussions, but she wasn't paying much attention to them, feeling much too distracted and tired. Once she finally decided to take a break from eating, she turned her attention to the cup of tea on her table.

She had expected it to smell like Aaron's peppermint tea, but instead it smelled spicy but with a hint of sweetness, which made her wonder what they had used to sweeten it. Taking an experimental sip, she immediately fell in love with the unique taste, despite the somewhat bitter aftertaste.

She suddenly really wanted to ask Aya how it was made but dared not interrupt Aaron's discussion. Instead, she turned to Steven and gestured at his own cup. "You should try the tea, it's very good!" she said in a hushed tone.

Steven seemed less interested in the tea than her, but he stopped eating long enough to humor her. He took a cautious whiff and blinked, seeming perplexed, as if he recognizing the smell. He took a sip and then turned back to her with surprise, as if his suspicions had been confirmed. "Ah, it's-"

"It's good, right?" she cut him off, feeling strangely excited to have him agree with her. She finished her cup and refilled it with the kettle left for them to share, the rest of her food momentarily forgotten.