23 A Picnic (2/2)

”Broken and rebuilt.” Elya whispered striding to the broken walls to look around. She fingered her scar, lost in thought and Nikolai chose to set up in the meantime. A cloth was laid down to cover a shattered stone slab, and he inflated some cushions with his magic, a trick his Master had come up with to make carrying them around easier.

”It will always be rebuilt. Volhiniya has always been like that.” To gain her attention, Nikolai tapped her on the shoulder. ”Come, let's have our meal.”

They settled and Elya scanned the spread, daintily taking soup and bread into a small bowl. She studied a spoon, frowning at the food for a moment.

”There's something truly strange about these utensils.” She said.

”Strange?”

”They're made from some sort of stone, but they feel very light.” She whipped the spoon against the ground creating sparks as they struck. ”What is this?”

”Actually, I'm not too sure. It's from a supply of strange clay I picked up during the war. I was playing around when I discovered it was sturdy when heated, so I made some tools for the trail.”

”You made all this?”

”Yes.”

She hummed in thought and silently turned to her food.

They ate quietly, watching the ships and lights.

”It was good.” Elya smiled and put down her bowl.

”Adequate. But you seem sad.” The soup had been a mess, but not inedible. The misshapen vegetables and slices of meat had been unevenly cooked giving a very strange experience, like he was eating stew and salad at the same time. He'd have to come up with a way to cook them equally even if they were cut poorly. Sure he could use magic to cut them perfectly, but that wasn't the point after all.

”I'm not sad, just…” She struggled and blushed, clearly embarrassed. Seeing Nikolai's curious expression she relented and tilted her head to the side and said shyly. ”I thought there would be some eggs…”

Nikolai's heart lurched.

She was too appealing, the shy expression, gentle voice and soft blush were inherently captivating.

Shuddering, he tore his gaze away and took a package from the basket. Her eyes lit up, snatching the eggs from his hand in a rush. She barely remembered to offer him any. Nikolai chuckled and leaned back on his hands.

To Elya, it seemed to be eggs first and fiancée second.