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| Feeling Better |
The good mood only lasted a few blocks. By then, she was out in the sun with the warmth sinking into her skin and fresh air blowing against her. It wasn't so bad.
They walked side-by-side along the sidewalk, moving with the easy grace that two partner of ten years had. Their relationship was purely work, they worked on cases together and then drifted apart. Mudd had never approached her like this, which worried her. Was he trying something else? Did he know that she and Ravin were no longer together? The discomfort crawled up and down her spine.
Mudd stopped at a small outdoor cafe off of a minor street. He pushed open the cast iron gate and gestured for her to enter the fenced air in the sun.
"What is this?"
"Lunch."
"I'm not---" Her stomach gurglged. She tightened her jaw. "I'm not hungry."
"I know, but at least a coffee. Then we can address my request."
"I didn't bring my wallet."
"I'm fully aware of this. I'm paying, you are not." He lead her to a large empty table and sat down at the end. He gestured for her to sit next to him, around the corner.
Viola sat down on the warm metal seat. "Mudd, what are you doing?"
He looked at her, his face still serious. "I'm paying for lunch."
"Why?"
Mudd stared at her. The seconds stretched out, the tension increasing.
Then a waiter came up. "How may I help you?"
Mudd carefully pushed the stack of menus away from the waiter and himself before addressing Viola. "Order?"
"Um, just a black tea with two sugars."
"And you, Sir?"
"An omlet, pork and greens and onions. And then an order of steak and pancakes, extra butter with a side of strawberry preserves."
Viola's stomach rumbled. She love steak and strawberries.
The waiter wrote down the order and then hled out his hand for the menus.
Mudd pushed them further away.
A flash of annoyance cross the waiter's face. Then he turned and left.
"Mudd, I said I wasn't hungry."
"Oh? Did I order for you?"
"Yes!" She smacked the table.
"It must have been a mistake. No matter, I'll eat it later."
Viola glared at him. "You don't steak and you don't like preserves."
He shrugged.
She knew he ordered for her, but she wasn't going to give him the comfort of knowing that it sounded good already. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, we ordered, what do you need me to do?"
"We should eat."
"No," Viola pointed at him sharply. "Stop stalling, what? Why?"
Mudd suddendly smiled. "Because you are my partner."
"And...?"
"You need a break."
"I was on vacation."
"No, you need a break from yourself. I suspect I know what happened and I was concerned for you."
"Just because I was sick for a week."
His eyes hardened. "You called in sick but you were not sick. Judging from the events you had planned that night, I'm guessing things went poorly."
A memory rose up, one of Ravin calling her a "overly controlling queen" before storming out of the play. The actors had to stop due to the disruption and she could still remember the feeling of the entire audience staring at her. She felt sick for a moment and she shook her head to clear it.
"I will not discuss it unless you ask, nor will I let the others do so until you are ready. But you are my partner and remaining in bed for five days eating fatty foods is not the best way to remain healthy or sane."
"So you are dragging me out of my apartment?"
"Yes, for fresh air, healthy food, and the brief company of your friends."
He grinned briefly, a smile that crossed his face before disappearing. "In addition, if you choose, I will hire cleaners to work on the mess of your place to prevent you from being overwhelmed with the mess."
Viola frowned for a moment and then sighed. "When?"
"They can start now, if you wish. By the time we are done with lunch, they can have your place in a much cleaner state."
"And you've vetted them to work around mages?"
"They are bonded and investigated and clean my own house when I'm working."
She wasn't sure if she should be upset or not. The idea of having clean sheets or at least less rotting food was appealing. "Thank you. I would like that."