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“Are you an Azata?”
The question startled Arueshalae, causing her to abandon her fruitless pursuit and turn her attention elsewhere. Even disguised as she was, she felt on edge, as if someone might, at any moment, realize what she really was. But she was also determined to integrate as much as she could into mortal life, which meant no more invisibility spells to avoid discomfort. Besides, it wouldn’t be right to take things while invisible - that was what Woljif used to do, and as much as she might have come to love the tiefling, she knew his was not the moral compass to use to navigate life post-Crusade.
“I beg your pardon?” she asked, confused as to who had spoken. Then her gaze flicked downward, to find a halfling woman smiling up at her - dark hair streaked slightly with grey, hazel eyes set into a lovely oval face, full lips curved into a small smile as the woman took in her confusion.
“Are you an Azata?” the woman asked again. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “My ma always used to tell me stories ‘bout them. Said they were more beautiful than the stars at night, and that they had wings an’ all that.”
“You…you can see my wings?” Arueshalae’s head snapped around, sure her disguise must have fallen. Perhaps she had been a little too lost in thought…
“Am I not supposed to?” The halfling’s smile quickly fell away as she held out a hand, “Sorry, it’s…kinda got tangled up in somethin’ weird back at the end of the war. Eyes aren’t what they used to be, and not in the usual way. Sometimes I see things…different.”
Arueshalae fought to calm herself. Her first trip to the market, and already things were a mess! After a few deep breaths, she finally managed, “I’m not an Azata.”
If the halfling was disappointed, she didn’t show it. “Oh, all right then, sorry to bother you.” Despite that, she made no move to leave, instead turning back to the wares Arueshalae had been browsing. “You look a little lost, though. What were you looking for?”
Arueshalae looked back as well, at the selection the shopkeep had indicated were the baking supplies. “Flour. Only…” Her brows furrowed, a slight waver in her voice as she continued, “Only I don’t really know what that is.”
“Oh, we’ll you’re in luck.” The halfling grinned up at her as she walked towards the shelves and grabbed a bag that looked for all the world like she shouldn’t have been able to lift it into her arms. “I just happen to be a baker by trade! At least I was before I was a crusader. Now I guess I’m both? Anyways, I can help ya out. What were you looking to make?”
Arueshalae reached into her pocket, pulling out a well-worn scrap of paper and handing it to her.
“Oh, ‘blazing parfait’! That’s an interesting name.”
“Well, ‘interesting’ is certainly one way to describe the person I got it from.” Arueshalae hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly asked, “Doyouthinkyoucanhelpmemakeit?”
“Of course! Let’s see, we’ll also need some eggs and milk for the custard…” She started wandering off before she seemed to remember herself. “Oh, right! I’m Tilly. And you are?”
“Arueshalae,” she answered, then followed Tilly through the shop.
****
Tilly’s home was just a few buildings down from the general store. Arueshaelae shouldn’t have been surprised that it doubled as a bakery after what her newfound friend had told her. Still, she had to fight the urge to stop and gape at the cakes and pastries in the window, all brightly colored and impeccably decorated. She tried to ignore the growing anxiety in her stomach as doubt began to cloud her thoughts.
Through the glass, she saw a tiefling man behind the counter, his stoic gaze fixed on a book open in front of him. A gnome sat on the counter next to him, colorful clothes and quick hand gestures suggesting that he was relaying some tale or another to the tiefling. Given his expression, Arueshalae doubted the tiefling was paying attention.
“Hey, back here!” Tilly said, walking around to a door off the side, “No need to disturb the boys while the shop’s open. I’ll introduce you later.”
With a small nod, Arueshalae followed Tilly into a cramped kitchen. Jars of ingredients - herbs, dried fruits, even some chocolates - lined a long shelf on the wall and bags of flour were piled onto the counter underneath, some of their contents spilling out. Against the far wall was a big, long box, and laying in front of it a…wolf?
Arueshalae froze. Tilly merely grinned, bending down to awkwardly pet the animal despite her armful of supplies.
“Oh, Castor, who’s such a good boy!” she cooed. The wolf’s tail thumped against the ground once, gaze soft and genial. Still, Arueshalae was unsure, and her hesitancy must have finally caught Tilly’s attention. She turned to Arueshalae as she picked out some of the ingredients from the bags - eggs, milk, raspberries - and lifted the lid on the strange box.
Curiosity drew Arueshalae closer. She carefully sidestepped the wolf, who had closed his eyes again, and peered cautiously into the box. Ice lined the insulated walls, seemingly kept frozen by the strange wand attached to one side. Even from her vantage point, Arueshalae felt the cold radiating from it.
“What is this?” she asked quietly.
“An icebox! Picked up a souvenir from those aforementioned adventures, and after ‘bout three days of lugging around something that was threatening to give us all frostbite, we decided, ‘hey, why not put this thing to good use!’ It ain’t nothin’ like the fancy ones they have in the capital, let alone places like Absalom, but it gets the job done.”
“And…what’s the job?”
“Keepin’ things cold, of course! Helps us keep ingredients that would go bad otherwise to serve a wider array of products.” Tilly flashed her a quick grin as she placed Arueshalae’s groceries inside, and then fished out a carton of eggs, pitcher of milk, and a few select other ingredients, shoving them into Arueshalae’s waiting arms one at a time. “Now, I’m gonna show you how to make this recipe today, and then tomorrow -”
“Ah, tomorrow?” Arueshalae’s eyes had widened in alarm.
“Yeah, I mean…there’s so much I could teach you, but it’s best to space it out so you can practice it a bit.” For the first time in their short acquaintance, Tilly seemed unsure of herself. She added quietly, “Unless you don’t want to. I was just thinking…you looked so lost at the store and I thought maybe you could use a friend…”
“No! I mean, yes, I could! Please don’t think I don’t want to be your friend!” Arueshalae felt her cheeks turning red, voice wavering as she fought down the embarrassment to say, “It’s just…this recipe is for a friend who’s coming to see me. It’s her favorite, and she’s supposed to arrive this evening…”
Understanding flashed through Tilly’s eyes, a small smile ghosting over her lips. “This friend must be really special to you, huh.”
The blush deepened, but Arueshalae’s voice remained clear and steady as she said, “Yes, she is. Very special.”
“Well then, tell you what. We’ll start by me teaching you this recipe, and when your friend leaves - or before, I’d love to meet her! - you can come back and I can teach you how to make something else.” Tilly grinned, tilting her head slightly. “It’s nice to make new friends. I love the boys, but I need to interact with other people every once in a while. To remind myself that we made it, that we’re still alive, if nothing else.”
The heat faded from her cheeks as Arueshalae relaxed. Slowly, she returned the smile. “Yes…yes, I think I’d like that.”
“Good.” Silence lapsed between them, warm and companionable. Finally, Tilly turned back to her workspace. “Now, time to get to work! I’ll show you how to make the biscuit base and pudding, and while we’re doing so maybe you can tell me all about this friend, hm?”
****
Later that afternoon, clouds gathered, casting the countryside in grey. Arueshalae barely made it back to her little cottage before the downpour started, letting out a sigh of relief that none of her supplies had gotten wet. After catching her breath, she set to work, replicating the steps Tilly had shown her.
The result was she was putting the finishing touches on the parfait - a drizzle of raspberry puree - just as there was a knock on the door. She gave the treats a nervous once over. The biscuit base was a touch too dark, the custard not as firm as she would have liked, but overall she was pleased with the result. The knock came again, and deciding the treats were as done as they were ever going to be, Arueshalae moved to answer the door.
Seelah stood on the doorstep, bag at her feet and armor clinking as she fidgeted. Behind her, Iomeneigh grazed in the bare patch that was supposed to be the garden. Her smile had always been so bright and brilliant, but Arueshalae now realized how little justice her memory had been doing it. She froze. The urge to say something was at odds with the realization that the person who had been at the back of every waking thought and part of every dream since they parted ways was standing in front of her again.
She needed to move, to speak, to do anything. In no small part because Seelah’s smile had fallen.
“You all right?” Seelah’s brows were furrowed as she stepped forward, “Am I early? Late? I could’ve sworn it was the - mmh!” Seelah was cut off as Arueshalae raised surprisingly steady hands to her face, stepping forward and closing the space between them. If she hadn’t been distracted by the feeling of Seelah’s lips against her own, Arueshalae might have been surprised by how easy it was. But as it was, Seelah returned the kiss swiftly and enthusiastically, and all thoughts of anything - of parfaits and rain and horses and nerves - but her quickly fled.
When they finally parted, Seelah let out a breathy laugh. “Well, I can’t say that was the welcome I was expecting.”
“Was it too much?” Arueshalae’s brows furrowed.
“No! No, not at all…it’s just-” This time she was cut off by a boom of thunder overhead, warning that another downpour was imminent. “How about this…tell me you have a place for the horse.”
“There’s a stable out back. I was thinking of getting goats.”
“Stick a pin in that thought. I’ll go put the horse up and then we’ll…talk.”
“All right, but hurry back please.” Arueshalae had drifted forward, fingers gingerly tracing the paladin’s cheekbones.
“Hm, already another taste?” Seelah’s tone was clearly teasing, but Arueshalae still flushed again, uncertainty already creeping back.
“No!” She was now keenly aware that Seelah’s hands were on her hips. Biting her lip, she said, “I made your favorite, and I don’t want to leave it sit for too long.”
“Hm, that explains it.”
“Explains what?”
Seelah’s laugh was soft, leaning forward to press another soft kiss on Arueshalae’s lips. When she pulled back, she said, “Your lips. They taste sweet - like raspberries.”