The Twenty Seven

Chapter 3

A bell rings as Nes pushes the glass door open, startling Eira. Ty pats her on the back. "Calm down."

They head to the counter. "Can we have some menus?" Nes asks.

The woman currently pouring coffee for some older gentlemen doesn't even look up. "They're at the end near the door, take as many as you need. Sit wherever, Tiff'll find you."

Nes follows her orders without any sort of confirmation; she walks off without so much as a thank you. The four of them sit down at a table in the back corner, Ty already thumbing through the small laminated pages. Eira takes a deep breath, trying her hardest to focus on the words, but they swim in front of her. Es notices her subtle swaying. "Here, honey, I can tell you what they have." She takes the menu from her. "What do you normally get?"

"Salmon."

"I don't know if I'd trust the fish here," Ty says, leaning a bit closer. "Maybe stick with chicken fingers? Or a burger?"

Eira shrugs, raising a shaking hand to her temple. "It doesn't really matter. As long as it's food."

"Eira," Nes says in a tone that forces the other to meet her eyes. "Do you like chicken fingers?" Eira gives a nod and Nes breaks eye contact. "Then that's what we'll get. And a lot of orange juice."

"I haven't been away from Crann for this long before," Es says. "I don't remember the last time I went to a restaurant here."

"It's not like you can't afford it," Ty says under her breath.

"Hey! That's not fair. It's not my fault we all do what we can for the community and the Ris recognize that."

Ty leans across the table again, this time her right elbow laying on the wood, finger's pointing towards Es. "Are you saying we don't do our part? Do you really want to see what happens without rangers? Because--"

"Enough, both of you." Nes, sitting next to Ty, pulls her back. "You were doing so good at getting along, too."

"She started it," they both say at the same time.

After they order their food -- they decided to get seven orders of chicken fingers and fries -- it doesn't take long for it to be delivered. They eat in relative quiet, both Es and Eira looking better by the bite. The other two needed the food too, even if they didn't want to admit it. As they sit at the table after they finish their meals, it's Es who speaks up. "Do you think they know we're in trouble yet?"

Nes hums thoughtfully before replying. "They were expecting us in the afternoon. It's possible they sent someone after us, though it's just as likely they're going to give it a few days. Complications do arise. And we're Ritires -- we're the Cenns of the Ritires -- this is something we should be able to handle." The waitress comes by again to collect the bill, which Nes had paid for in cash. "Even if they did send someone else--" Nes doesn't finish the sentence looking at the three in front of her.

"They wouldn't be able to get back either, would they?" Eira asks. "I'm not sure I know exactly what's going on, but those creepy people in black stole the way to get to Crann, right?"

"Right," Ty says. "So anyone else they send is stranded until we either steal it back or find a way to get to another country."

"It's so stupid that every country only has one," Es says. "If they didn't--"

"If they didn't, there would be more chances for them to be stolen," Nes says, sanding. "Let's go. The safe house shouldn't be far."

"How do you know that? You didn't even know what state we were in a little while ago," Ty asks.