She slid a grape between her lips, chewed, and swallowed. “For some people, most certainly. Though I am afraid I cannot judge the city as a whole. The academy draws students from many different cities. My interactions with city natives have been primarily limited to Count Greanderal and his son.”
“Who are more traditional?”
Please say yes, please say yes.
“Dreadfullyso.”
Her lilt on the word ‘dreadful’ delighted me beyond words.
“You are smiling, Mister Thistlewood.”
I am?
“Oh, yeah, it… reminded me of an old joke about umm… elven traditions.”
“Do tell, Mister Thistlewood.”
She’s not going to let this go, is she? “It’s… rather juvenile, really, my brother told me when I was nine.”
Her gaze remained fixed on me. “I am fond of many forms of humor.”
I collapsed onto the workbench, my foreheadnarrowly missing my plate. “Fine! I have fun with you. Every week. And every time, you have to leave for dance practice with Halfar Greanderal. So when you used his name and dreadful in the same sentence… uuugh, isn’t a fellow allowed a little schadenfreude?”
“Perhaps averysmall amount.” The lift of her eyebrow, the slight tilt of her head, the way she held herself all said she knew my answer all along, but wanted to hear me say it.
“Thank you.” I pushed myself back to a respectable sitting position and sighed. “And when I thought you canceled due to some… engagement. Which I assumed was something with him… I enjoy our sessions is all.”
“As do I. And if you must know, I was moving today.”
“Moving? As in…”
“Relocating my residence.” She tilted her head. “Thatiswhat it is referred to, is it not?”
“It is.”
“My stay at the palace of Count Greanderal had been growing increasingly uncomfortable. It had been arranged by my family prior to my arrival with the intention that I would find my own place shortly after I arrived. Yet the count and his son kept insisting that no suitable places were available.”
“Couldn’t you move into the dormitory?”
“That would have been acceptable to me, however with the start of the semester, the dormitory was full.”
“Ah. Well, I spotted a bottle of sparkling wine inthe basket. I suppose congratulations are in order for you.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “And for you, apparently.”
I slumped my face into my hands. “I really wanted to transform myself when I came to this city. A new start. With a lifetime of hints from my brother, I could act like a suave and sophisticated elven gentleman. I could… uugh. But apparently I have a bit of shallowness yet to overcome.”
“A bit?”
“OK, a lot.”
“I like you just the way you are, Mister Thistlewood.”
She does?
“As a slack-jawed provincial?” I tipped my head to look into her eyes.
“More of a slack-jawed provincial trying hilariously hard to act like an elven gentleman.”
