Chapter 628 (2/2)

Drake spun around, somewhat embarrassed. His eyes took in the hanging canvas paintings briefly, and then settled on the woman was speaking. Like most everyone he had met in this Zone, she looked vaguely Southeast Asian, with a petite frame and expressive eyes. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was standing in front of a half-finished easel. On the canvas, the flock of golden birds seemed to coil like a serpent. In fact, their details seemed to almost merge until they were one, larger creature…

Drake shook his head to focus. Then he scratched his cheek. “...sorry to drop in unannounced like this, miss. I-”

“Ha!” The woman snorted, slapping her knee. Then she looked at him and then blushed. “Ah, my apologies. It was just… it is very bold to brazenly use a pickup line at a time like this. You look as green as a fish.”

“It wasn’t-” Drake began, but he quickly realized that there was little he could do when she was so obviously hiding a smile behind her hand. Her face was pretty when her eyes crinkled at the edges. Instead, Drake said. “Well, perhaps I am a little rattled. My name is Drake, miss. And you-”

“Don’t usually give out my name to… unknown elements,” the woman said. But then she glanced at the ceiling, and her eyes crinkled once more. “But I suppose it is a thing the man who will fix my roof should know. I am Mieu. May your skies be ever clear.”

Drake secretly hoped what his skies were would never again matter in his life, but he nodded at the familiar greeting. It was something he had commonly witnessed in the village below.

Silence stretched between them until Drake cleared his throat. “...ah, I apologize. Yes, I’ll do whatever I can to fix this. I have some goods I can trade-”

“Well, I suspected as much,” Mieu said simply, eyeing him. She began storing away her paints and cleaning her brushes in a bucket of water. “You… are not from around here. Much too tall. Much too heavy for Ifrenne. Whoever brought you here perhaps held a grudge against you.”

Drake pictured Kairon’s wizened face and remembered how much he had needed to beg before the older man had agreed to bring him here. “Well… perhaps. But my mission is an important one. I come from outside the Zone.”

Pausing in her work, Mieu turned and looked at Drake. Then she pursed her lips and studied him. Immediately, Drake felt very awkward.

“Really? You are the second that I have heard of, coming here. What does a man from another Zone want with me?” Mieu asked quietly.

“No, I don’t want you at all,” Drake said immediately. Then he grimaced. “Err, excuse me, ma’am, I definitely want- ah. I want your help. With meeting the governing body of Ifrenne.”

Drake stopped, watching as Mieu flushed red. But her eyes were to the ground and it was difficult to tell whether it was anger or embarrassment that colored her face. Inwardly, Drake sighed. It had been quite some time since he had dealt with any individuals who were even slightly shy. And Mieu seemed relatively well adjusted, all things considered.

She just wanted as demanding and intense as Sydney. But she…

“Perhaps… perhaps it is better we talk about these things another time,” Mieu said, still blushing furiously. But she was also holding a small notepad and was scribbling furiously. She cast him furtive glances.

Feeling extremely awkward, Drake looked around. “Of course. Ah… if you could just show me out of your home…”

He glanced upwards. He supposed he could just hop up and pull himself up, but he didn’t like the thought of experiencing this strange awkward helplessness with 6 other people as he clambered up through their homes. It didn’t help that his blood was still pounding in his head.

A body dropped down through the holes and looked around. “Are you alive? Falling like that was a foolish move, why did you-”

Then Kairon froze, his eyes on Mieu. “L-lady Mieu. No offense was meant. Please, allow this humble servant to remove his unworthy visage from your presence. This is all a tragic accident. I am… I am willing to suffer any punishment you see fit-”

“Ah, do not worry.” Mieu blushed again and ceased her scribbling. She ripped off the paper and folded it neatly a few times until it was a paper crane. She waved her hand and the whole spire swayed. A wind blew through the apartment and carried the crane to Drake. “The door is there. But… it is perhaps best that you leave quickly. This… we should not speak of this.”