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“You must miss her a lot.”
The woman nodded. “I do, but we can visit her now. It’s only a few hours by train.”
“And it allows her to escape the city with all of this hectic,” her husband grumbled as he turned another page of his newspaper. “Nobody ever visits Setif.”
The woman scowled at her husband. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing.”
The man huffed and went back to reading his paper. “For once, it’s not.”
∞∞∞
It was one of those days where the sun seemed to be a little too bright and the flowers were a little too fragrant. And my day started so well, too. I groaned inwardly. Minding my business was getting harder and harder these days. Especially when my business included frantic academics that always found new and interesting ways of stressing me out. But I trudged on because I was nothing if not a Professional with a capital P.
I tried to listen to them all, but eventually just gave up and said yes to everything. As a result, my workload tripled, and my free time all but disappeared. I felt like a pixie trapped in a cage, flying around but getting nowhere.
I loved my job. I loved seeing the real-life effects of my work. But sometimes, it was just too much. I needed a break from the meetings and the bureaucracy.
As the last person left my office, I made my way across the courtyard toward the administrative office. Students were relaxing on the grass, chatting and laughing. I smiled at them as I passed. They were the reason I loved my job.
A few students dipped their feet in the pond and fed the ducks. I made a mental note to come back here later. It was peaceful by the water.
I turned left and entered a less crowded hallway. Paintings of Queen Menthe adorned the walls, and there was a distinct smell of jasmine in the air.
“Thimsal.” I heard someone call my name.
I turned to see the familiar face of Emre. Three heads taller than the typical man, with deep amber eyes and a massive beard decorated with silver beads, Emre was easily recognizable as a Werewolf.
I smiled brightly at him. “Hi, Emre. How are you?”
He grinned back at me. “I’m good. Just wanted to say hello. I haven’t seen you today.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve been busy. You know how it is.”
Emre nodded. “How are you?”
I looked around. “Great. I’m surprised you are here.”
“And leave you to suffer on your own?” He grinned. “No, I couldn’t do that or abandon my students. I’m not an Elvish hare.”
“They would be disappointed.” I teased.
“And you would have more work for me.”
I laughed.
Emre’s guest lectures on how runes were used in archeology and modern constructions as a defensive mechanism were an instant hit with the students. I met him when I was a student myself and he had been a guest lecturer in one of my classes. We stayed in touch, and he even helped me with my thesis. It would disappoint the students to see him leave next year.
As we walked and talked, we made our way down the corridors and to the front doors.
“Is it true?”
I looked up. Emre was looking at me with a serious expression.
“That I need a raise? That’s true.”
“I agree with you. No, I mean that the Elves are in town for a bride. People were whispering things about it that sounded absolutely crazy.”
He only found out now? It’s been two weeks already. Gossip traveled fast in Midar, but I guess people had more sense than to gossip about the Elves to a Werewolf.
