Chapter 179 - Something Good or Something Bad? (1/2)

Abby had so many things she wanted to ask Blaise now that they were together but she wasn't sure what would or would not be acceptable in front of her sister. He didn't seem like the type who enjoyed talking in front of most and he didn't know Katie very well.

”So,” she said awkwardly. ”You mentioned going to Stanarussi where you were gone. Did you go anywhere else?”

”Yes, I visited each country on the continent at least once,” he said as he diligently worked on coloring in red squares with a marker.

Abby was tempted to laugh at how seriously Blaise was taking his task. It was actually kind of cute. His hair had changed yet again; it was shorter than before but longer than when she met him. Out of all of the haircuts she had seen this one probably suited him best.

He looked less like a member of a boyband and more like a Warrior but it wasn't as severe as a buzzcut. He had gotten a tan while he was away too and it looked good on him. Very good.

Katie butted in, unable to resist her curiosity. ”Ooh, I don't know much about the geography there since Annalaias' is only really allies with Shibatsu and Stanarussi doesn't want any diplomatic relations at all. Tell us about them.”

Blaise complied with her request, giving more detail than he usually did when he spoke. He talked about various cultural differences, the types of goods bought and sold, and the landscapes he had seen.

Maybe having Katie here wasn't so bad after all. Instead of making things awkward, she helped the conversation keep flowing so Abby was able to get the information she had wanted ever since his return. The library wasn't utilized as much now that people were so busy so there was plenty of time to talk uninterrupted.

After more than forty minutes of Blaise doing most of the talking in response to the women's questions, he finally turned the subject back to her. ”Those are my adventures in a nutshell. I want to know what you have been doing here. I heard something about a school, a printing office, and a theater but I want to know everything.”

Abby flushed. The way he said it was matter-of-fact but it set her insides on fire. He seemed genuinely interested rather than asking it out of obligation like when people asked you how you were as a greeting and you had to return the question whether you cared about the answer or not.

”The school was intentional but Abby accidentally caused quite the phenomenon around here because I was missing some movies and snacks from back home while pregnant with my daughter,” Katie said with a fond smile.

A small cry sounded from a quiet corner of the library and she said ”speak of the devil” before excusing herself to go take care of Aza, who had woken up from her nap. Blaise raised an eyebrow as he turned to Abby with questions in his eyes.