Vivienne exhaled, her shoulders loosening just a little. "You know," she mused, half to herself, "sometimes I wonder why you still put up with me after all these years."
Lewis took two more steps. Then stopped.
Vivienne skidded to a halt inches away from running into him. "What the?—"
He turned, eyes locked onto hers, his expression unreadable. "Do you want me to tell you the truth?" His voice was lower now, quieter.
Vivienne’s breath hitched. She studied his face, searching for some kind of clue, something to make sense of the sudden shift in the air around them. "...Of course I do."
He reached for her hands, his touch firm and warm. Vivienne sucked in a sharp breath, startled by the sensation.
His golden-brown eyes searched hers. "After spending almost twenty-five years with you," he said, voice barely above a whisper, "the real reason I’m still around, the reason I put up with you…"
Vivienne’s pulse pounded, loud enough she was sure he could hear it.
"... is all of the free pastries."
She gaped at him. "Oh my gods, Lewis!"
Ripping her hands free from his, she smacked his shoulder, rolling her eyes as laughter bubbled out of her. "I thought you were going to make some grand confession!"
Lewis rocked back on his heels, an odd tightness around his smile. "Yeah… that would be weird, right?"
Vivienne laughed again, but there was somethingoffabout the way he said it. Something just beneath the surface.
"Yeah. Weird," she echoed, watching him.
He nodded quickly, clearing his throat. "Anyway, if you’re not completely stuffed from your singular piece of bread,we should probably go eat something."
Vivienne smirked, shaking her head as they started walking again. But a thought lingered at the edges of her mind, nagging at her. Something had just happened. And for the first time in all the years she’d known Lewis Blume, she wasn’t entirely sure what it was.
* * *
The Pelican Tavernstood near the docks, its weathered beams and stone walls bearing the scars of countless coastal storms. A battered sign creaked overhead, swinging with the salty breeze, depicting a pelican in a sailor’s hat balancing a frothy mug of ale in its beak.
Vivienne and Lewis stepped inside, and the scent of ale, roasted meat, and brine from the Phythean Sea wrapped around them like a thick, familiar cloak. The tavern was dimly lit by dripping candles in wrought-iron chandeliers hanging low from the rafters, their golden glow barely cutting through the haze of old smoke and sea air.
The hearth, dormant for the summer, sat surrounded by well-worn armchairs with cracked leather, their cushions sunken from years of weary sailors taking refuge. The bar stretched the length of one wall, its heavy wooden planks stained from decades of spilled drinks and raucous toasts. Shelves behind it were lined with bottles of all shapes and sizes, filled with local and imported spirits in amber, emerald, and deep sapphire hues.
At this hour, The Pelican was quiet, save for the few men who never seemed to leave or run out of coin. The absence of music made the room feel strangely hollow, the silence broken only by the clink of mugs and the scrape of utensils against plates.
Lewis gestured toward the bar. “Grab a table, I’ll get food.”
Vivienne wandered between rough-hewn tables, their surfaces marred with knife marks and stained rings from hundreds of mugs, before pausing by the far wall. A sailor’s compass, a rusted anchor, and the skull of a monstrous fish hung alongside tattered maps of Fendwyr’s coastline, with time-faded ink.
She traced a finger over one of the maps, the cartographer’s delicate script still legible in the right light.
Lewis’ voice sounded behind her. “Are you working right now?”
She smirked. “Hah, no. But after cataloging maps for almost a year, sometimes I can’t help myself.”
“Show-off.”
They took a seat as Lewis set down two pints of ale and two plates of roast beef with potatoes.
Vivienne prodded her beef with her fork. It was cooked through but had cooled to room temperature. She frowned.
Lewis caught her expression. “It was this or the mystery stew,” he said matter-of-factly.
