The Blinding

Chapter 16 - Tissa

Playing cards was not one of my strong suits. Hours of competition with Hani had taught me that. Despite my losing streak, last night was one of the funnest I've had in a while. And my fun nights had been far and few between. We were only interrupted once by a tall, and honestly quite handsome stranger. We would've asked him to join us, but Hani seemed hesitant. It was comforting, though, to have at least one friend outside of the castle. It made my stay here much smoother than I'd expected it to be thus far.

I exhaled and stretched, opening my eyes to the sun shining through the window. There was no time to think about last night or the handsome stranger, however. Today, I would work on finding Idil, and hopefully learning something, anything, about my father and his whereabouts.

Where to start, I thought. So far, Hani was the only person I'd met here. Realizing I had no other options, I found myself at the reception desk yet again. "Good Morning!" Hani said brightly. We'd developed a friendly rapport, especially after last night. "You're here early," I said. "Do you live in the building?"
"I do," she replied. "We have so little visitors the owner allows me to stay in a room in the back." I nodded. Though I wanted to ask where her family was, she hadn't pressed me and I wanted to offer her the same courtesy. "Cook is back," she said, waving towards the kitchen hidden behind the reception area. I wondered if she heard my stomach growling again, but ignored the thought. "What's for breakfast?" I asked excitedly.

A little later, we were seated in the living area again. The cook, who I learned was a small middle aged man that only went by the name Cook, had prepared a small feast of laxoox, suqaar and a fruit spread of watermelon and soursop. A whole pot of qahwa steamed next to the meal. My eyes widened as each dish was brought in. I'd never had access to that much food in my life. Back at the castle, feasts were reserved for everyone but the servants. Unfortunately though, since cook was here, I had to pay, and my decreasing funds reminded me of the urgency of my situation. Later, I thought, it was time to eat.

As I reached over to grab one of the chipped plates that Cook had brought in, the handsome stranger entered. He looked very serious, I thought. All broad shoulders and stern stares. He appeared determined, like he had business to attend to. A green, brown and blue macawiis he wore to his ankles swished as he walked. He'd paired it with a white cloth that was tied over his right shoulder. Just then his eyes met mine and I turned away quickly, fearing he'd caught me leering. I saw him walk towards us from the corner of my eye. "Is this breakfast?" he asked.

"It is," Hani replied. "That will be one silver coin." He reached into a pocket sewn into his macawiis and paid Hani. He sat down next to me and I started to feel uncomfortable in his presence, grateful that Hani was around, hoping she would break the bizarre tension. Before Hani could sit back down however, another guest walked in and Hani stood to help him. We were alone now. He grabbed a plate and began to fill it. Remembering my hunger, I did the same. The awkward silence was increasing my discomfort. Rather than sit in it, I decided small talk might be a better option. "What's your name?" I asked, making my voice slightly more cheerful.

He looked me up and down as if he'd just remembered my existence. I shifted under his gaze, waiting for him to answer, not letting the smile I'd plastered on my face falter.

 "Samakaab," he answered in between chews. My head bobbed slowly as I wondered if he would be polite enough to return my question. Finally, he grunted, "Yours?"

"Tissa," I said. He made no inclination that he heard me and went back to his food. What was taking Hani so long, I wondered. He didn't seem to be up for conversation and I turned back to my food, try my best to not devour it all in front of him. Hani returned at last, and with that Samakaab, got up, his meal finished, mumbling "nice to meet you," before turning his back on us. Not very friendly, I thought. But I was grateful to be alone with Hani.