6.4 KiB
| title | availability | access |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Surprise | private | private |
Women who loved other women would use the word "peach" to signal to each other of their interests. --- Slang in the Northern Cultures
A night of sleeping in a comfortable bed had done wonders to ease many of Karin's spirits but she knew the nightmare would resume as soon as she passed out again. A month of comfort wasn't enough to erase her horrors. To get through the next night, she decided to prepare like she was about to enter a monster's nest and went shopping.
Two hours of cool air, warm sun, and window shopping netted her three bottles of rotgut, a few sets of clean underwear, and a new repair kit for her leather armor.
San Graif was a pretty little town and she rarely had a chance to stroll through them. In a town like this, usually she was crawling through sewers, running down the street toward the fighting, or setting up barricades for the bigger assaults.
She smiled and tried not to think about the nightmares.
Karin had come around a corner when she spotted a dense crowd in front of a store. Instantly, she grew wary and tightened her grip on her shopping bag.
With a second look, she realized the group wasn't unruly. Almost everyone was sitting on metal chairs and benches. A few were reading books. Others had their faces uplifted and their eyes closed. No one crowded the store entrance and there was a clear path for her to walk through them.
With her muscles tensed, she made her way through the narrow path. She looked curiously at the store as she passed but it was just a bakery and a small restaurant. Nothing looked remarkable about it at all except that it was packed with customers sitting at tables.
Karin slowed with curiosity.
Then she heard the sweetest song drifting through the open door. It was a popular ballad, of a lover waiting for her missing knight. But Karin had never heard it sung with such clarity or passion.
The woman's voice wrap around her, tugging on her heart and dredged up a swarm of memories that left her gasping. She had many lovers since she had become a Rat Hunter and most of them ended in sweet partings. However, she could remember the looks they had given her as they parted ways. She had suffered the same longing when, but she could remember the looks they had given her as they parted ways. Their eyes had the same longing when she didn't want to
The song from the bakery gave her a hint of what they were feeling in that moment, the desperate longing for more, the desire and sadness turning into a maelstrom.
A tear ran down her cheek. She looked around but only a few people looking at her with knowing smiles. With a blush, she turned and peered around for a seat but they were all occupied.
An old woman pointed toward the store front. "A spot opened up in there, Love."
Karin turned and saw a couple getting up from a table. She said thanks and headed inside, slipping into the abandoned table before anyone else could take it.
Feeling guilty, she looked around as she stuck her bags underneath the table. Her fingers were just pulling away when she caught sight of the singer.
She was a peach, a beautiful young woman with bright eyes and a slender build. She had a few streaks of flour across her cheeks and a dusting caught her short, dark hair. Her smile was brilliant as she delivered a plate of food while still singing.
"Oh, fuck me, Mother," whispered Karin in surprise. If there was a archetype for her ideal peach, it was the woman bending over the edge of the table while singing brilliantly.
Karin stared with desire and rapt attention until the song ended.
There was silence.
Then applause. Karin joined in enthusiastically, clapping her hands against the table. They were applauding even outside of the restaurant.
The singer stood in the center and smiled, her teeth brilliant in the light. She held the metal serving tray against her side as she turned around to face the rest of the tables.
When the sound faded, she turned and headed toward a kitchen.
An older man with similar hair color and nose stuck his head over a counter that separated the dining area with another room. "Pay attention and do your damn job! New customer on twenty!"
The young woman turned and looked straight at Karin. She gave another brilliant smile and headed over.
Karin inhaled sharply and then smiled back.
When the young woman approached, Karin got a better look. She looked to be in her early twenties, about half Karin's age. However, she smelled of flowers and fresh baked bread. She held out a menu. "Welcome to Lilard's. My name is Lilian. Is there anything I can get for you?"
Karin's stomach rumbled even as she felt a heat fluttering between her legs. "Do you happen to have any peach pie?"
"I'm sorry, peaches are out of season but we do have apple and pumpkin pies." Her voice never changed from the same cheerful tone.
Fighting a brief wave of disappointment, Karin ordered a sandwich and a slice of pumpkin pie with heavy cream. She was hoping that asking for a peach would give a hint that Karin was looking for more than just a meal. A lack of response didn't mean no, not everyone used the term.
Karin could still enjoy the view and the fantasy that the young woman had said there were peaches on the menu. She smiled to herself.
Lilian went around the room, gathering orders. Then headed over to a large bowl with little strips of paper. Pulling out one with her left hand, she peered at it. With a smile, she rested her hand on an older man's shoulder. "It's your favorite, Bil. The Ballad of Lost Waters."
The older man sighed and patted her hand.
"Oi!" snapped the older man over the counter. "Off my daughter!"
She favored him with a small.
Karin had heard of the ballad, it was one about a lost wife, a sad piece to say the least. Usually it was one of the song a mistral would sing near the end of the night, when only those losing themselves in bottles were still around.
She had heard the song too many times on fruitless nights and didn't care for the difficult tunes. In her opinion, no one seemed to know how to sing it properly.
Then Lilian started to sing.
Every sour opinion of the ballad faded away with the intense emotions that rose up inside Karin. Like the previous song, it managed to dredge up memories that Karin had long forgotten. With a gasp, she closed her eyes and lost herself remembering the days when her grandmother had died.
There was no doubt, she was coming back again.