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“Thank you, Jahoda,” Lauma said warmly as they left the apothecary shop. “Now the Frostmoon Scions will be able to get the medicines we need.”
“No problem!” she said cheerfully.
Having completed their business, they headed back to the center of town.
On the way there, they ran into Flins and Durin.
“…and that’s how you form an alchemical array,” Durin was saying.
“I see,” Flins said, nodding. “How fascinating. Thank you for the explanation, Durin.”
“Anytime!” Durin replied happily.
“Ah! Good afternoon, Miss Lauma, Miss Jahoda,” Flins said, bowing gracefully. “How lovely to see you.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Flins, Mr. Durin,” Lauma said.
“We were just on our way to the sugar sculpture stall. Would you like to join us?”
“I’m afraid I spent the last of my Mora at the apothecary shop,” Lauma said reluctantly. “Otherwise…”
“Well, then, please allow me to treat you,” Flins said gallantly, escorting her to the stall. “Two sugar sculptures, please, Miss Hunajatta.”
“Coming right up, Mr. Flins!” she twittered.
Jahoda shook her head, stifling a groan. Miss Hunajatta was a notorious gossip.
<By nightfall, all of Nasha Town will have heard about this…>
Lauma didn’t seem to mind, though. She was smiling beatifically at Flins.
Miss Hunajatta handed Flins two sugar sculptures.
“Here you are!” she chirped.
Jahoda gasped.
<I’ve never seen designs like those before!>
Flins’ sugar sculpture was gold and purple, in the exact shape of his lantern. It even had a sparkling sugar flame in the center.
<It’s so beautiful… like a stained glass window.>
Lauma’s sugar sculpture was equally elaborate, with delicately curving blue antlers and a shimmering golden crescent moon accented with aqua highlights.
Flins paid for both, and then he and Lauma stepped aside to allow Durin to order.
“Miss Hunajatta always gives me the same kind,” Lauma confided softly to Flins, sighing.
“Then why don’t we trade?” Flins suggested.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. She always gives me the same kind too,” he said conspiratorially. “It’ll be a nice change of pace to try something different.”
<Why do they get special designs?!> Jahoda wondered.
Though now that she was thinking about it, Miss Hunajatta had made a special green and bronze design for Boss Nef before…
<And I’ve seen Aino and Ineffa get special designs too! Why don’t I get one?! Am I not special enough?!>
Durin cleared his throat. Startled, she looked up. She’d forgotten he was there, actually.
“Miss Jahoda… can I treat you to a sugar sculpture?” Durin asked timidly.
“I can buy my own!” she bellowed.
Flins and Lauma turned to look at them. Lauma was frowning slightly.
<Okay, I guess that was a little rude of me,> she thought, chagrined. She’d just been so surprised, she’d blurted out the first thing that had popped into her head.
To his credit, Durin wasn’t cowering at her outburst.
“I meant no offense –” he began.
“I know that! Um, I mean… I’d really like that. But only if you’ll let me treat you next time.”
“Oh… of course!” Durin stammered.
<Wait… Did I just say I’d go out with him again some other time?!>
Miss Hunajatta looked positively elated at this juicy new tidbit.
Jahoda bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to panic.
<What’s Boss Nef gonna think?!>
“Which one would you like?” Durin asked.
“Huh? Oh! Um… Let’s see…”
Usually she got an extra-large with no particular design in mind, but she couldn’t get that this time if Durin was paying for it.
She’d never even really looked at the other designs before. There were so many, and it was hard to choose.
They all seemed to be animals, though. Chic badger, puffin, rimehorn deer…
She finally settled on the frostfin whale, while Durin chose the red and yellow dualblaze longplume ibis.
After he paid, they walked over to the table where Flins and Lauma were and sat down across from them.
<Did they plan all this?>
She eyed them suspiciously. It all seemed a little too convenient to be a coincidence.
But Flins and Lauma were gazing into each other’s eyes, making plans to meet up at the Enclave library once he was done patrolling for the night.
With a sigh, she turned her attention to the sugar sculpture in her hand.
<Where should I start? The head? Or the tail? No, then the whole thing will fall off the stick…>
She was starting to regret not getting the puffin instead.
<Surely that one would have been easier to eat,> she thought, struggling to gnaw on the dorsal fin without breaking the slender body off entirely.
“I thought this was supposed to be a whale,” she muttered. “This looks more like a dolphin than a whale to me.”
“All dolphins are whales, but not all whales are dolphins,” Durin said sagely, neatly biting off the wings of his ibis sugar sculpture. “Some of the smaller toothed whales do resemble dolphins, however.”
“All of Miss Hunajatta’s designs represent the animals faithfully,” Lauma observed. “And they’re all beautiful.”
“They are indeed,” Flins agreed. “Miss Hunajatta is most certainly a very talented artisan. Why, that frostfin whale looks like it’s leaping out of the water.”
<How can they both look so elegant eating sugar on a stick?!> Jahoda wondered. <It’s always so messy for me!>
Lauma was taking dainty licks and nibbles, while Flins had neatly polished off half the antlers and switched to the other side.
“Maybe it’s better that she always gives me the same kind,” Lauma mused. “That way, I don’t have to choose. After all, I wouldn’t want the animals to think I’m playing favorites.”
“I thought I was your favorite,” Flins teased.
“You are, indeed,” Lauma replied, smiling.
“Here, Miss Jahoda,” Durin said, handing her a napkin. “I have extras.”
“Thanks,” she mumbled, crumpling it up in her fist.
“How do you like the sugar sculpture, Durin?” Flins asked.
“It’s delicious!” Durin said enthusiastically. “I’ve never had anything like it before.”
“Nod-Krai has many delicacies to offer,” Lauma said.
“If you like this, try the krumkakes at Aino’s workshop,” Flins advised.
“Jahoda, didn’t you say you were going there after this to drop off some mechanical components?” Lauma asked.
“Oh… yeah.”
“Maybe you and Durin could go together, then,” Flins suggested.
“That would be wonderful!” Durin exclaimed. “I’ve been wanting to visit Aino and Ineffa for a while now, but Albedo hasn’t had time to accompany me. He’s too busy working on that new assignment Mr. Varka gave him.”
“Then it’s all set,” Lauma declared, beaming.
“Um, okay…” Jahoda said weakly.
<I guess when you’re in love, you want everyone else to have it too…>
Then again, it would be nice to have a friend her own age.
Usually she was so busy with work that she hardly ever had the time to relax and go out just for fun.
“Oh, and could you please tell Aino and Ineffa that I’ve arranged for them to visit that rimehorn deer they rescued?” Lauma asked. “I’ll go over there tomorrow evening and take them to the meeting place.”
“Sure. I’ll tell them.”
“Miss Aino certainly loves that deer,” Flins remarked. “The last time I was over there, when my lantern needed repairs, she couldn’t stop talking about it.”
“She loves all animals,” Jahoda said. “Ineffa told me she really wants to get a pet.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Lauma said. “Speaking of animals, did you get the gift I left for you at the Curatorium, Jahoda?”
She nodded.
“Yeah, I got it. Thanks for delivering it.”
“Jahoda and Ashru helped rescue a few small animals the other day,” Lauma explained to Durin, who looked confused. “Their families asked me to bring them some thank-you gifts.”
“Oh, I see,” Durin said.
“It was no big deal –” she began.
“I beg to differ, Miss Jahoda,” Flins interjected. “In the first place, not everyone would have noticed that those animals were even in distress. In the second place, even if they had noticed, they might have hurried on by without stopping to help. The animals were most fortunate that you showed up unexpectedly and rendered assistance when they needed it most.”
“You’re a hero, in their eyes,” Lauma agreed.
“And even though you were delayed, you still managed to deliver the herbs I requested in a timely manner that day,” Flins continued.
“Aw, it was nothing,” she protested, feeling her cheeks grow warm.
“Well, I, for one, greatly appreciate your efficiency and diligence, Miss Jahoda,” Flins said sincerely. “I know that I can always count on you. You’re widely recognized throughout Nod-Krai as the Curatorium’s most reliable employee.”
“Oh, well, I wouldn’t go that far…” she mumbled.
“Flins is right, though. Why, just the other day, Nefer herself told me that she considers you the most capable and valuable of all of her employees,” Lauma shared.
“Boss said that? Really?!” she blurted out, utterly shocked.
“She did indeed. In fact, she said without you, the whole place would grind to a halt.”
“Oh, wow… I had no idea!” she exclaimed. “She’s always lecturing me and scolding me about this, that and the other…”
“Only because she cares about you and wants you to grow and learn,” Lauma said gently.
Jahoda put her head in her hands, feeling a little overwhelmed. She wasn’t used to getting so many compliments.
<But I sure could get used to it!>
“I’m very glad we’re on the same team, Miss Jahoda,” Durin said earnestly.
She snuck a glance at him. His gaze was filled with admiration.
<I guess he likes me because he’s been hearing good things about me?>
Though it was a little embarrassing, she felt happier than she had in a long time.
<I like him too,> she decided. <He seems so kind and gentle and smart. I really want to get to know him better.>
She’d never expected her afternoon to end in a sugar sculpture double-date, being showered with compliments…
But it was sweet indeed.
The End!