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“Sure,” she said, after a moment. “Of course. I didn’t mean to hold you up. Bo and I will get out of your hair. We’ll save you a seat.”
He wanted to ask her to stay, but he buttoned his lips until his jaw was tight with tension and nodded once instead.
When she was gone, he quickly saw to his own needs as the dragon fretted and moaned in his head about allowing the woman and child out of their sight.
He was only a few minutes behind them, but by the time he reached the dining room, Ella had already finished her breakfast. It shouldn’t have surprised him, given how quickly she had bolted down dinner, but it did.
He found himself feeling a begrudging admiration. They had some ground to cover today, and it was good not to have to wait for a woman to delicately pick at her food.
“The coffee is good,” she said by way of greeting. “I mean, I don’t know if you drink coffee.”
“It’s your kind’s best contribution to universal culture,” he growled, grabbing a mug and filling it with the steaming brew.
“It’s our only contribution,” she laughed. “But I’m glad you like it. And I’m really glad they have it on Sigg-3.”
“May I bring you a plate, sir?” the butler droid asked him.
“Can you wrap me up something for the road?” Jhon asked. “Meat, cheese, cati-gua, if you have it, all in bread so I can eat with one hand.”
“On the double, sir,” the butler droid told him, rolling away at a speed Jhon was pretty sure was not approved for indoor service.
Clearly, the droids had compared notes, and this one was hoping he tipped as well in the dining room as he did in the stables.
He reached into his pocket and dug around for a nice credit chip. He wouldn’t have much else to spend it on for a while, out in the middle of nowhere trying to set up a homestead.
Ella got up and joined him in the doorway.
“You need to go pack up?” he asked her.
“I, uh, travel light,” she said, indicating a pack so small he would have thought a princess like her would tuck it under her arm at the celestial-opera house.
“Girl after my own heart,” he heard himself tell her.
Her cheeks instantly went pink.
The dragon moaned in his chest, desperate for him to take her.
“Your sandwich, sir,” the butler droid said, rolling in at breakneck speed and carrying a basket big enough for at least twenty sandwiches. “I also took the liberty of packing a little fruit and some refreshments for later in your journey.”
“Good thinking,” Jhon told it, flipping the credit to him.
The droid caught the chip and tucked it away so fast the appendage was a blur.
“Can you ask your friend in the stables to bring the sleigh around?” Jhon asked.
“Already done, sir,” the butler droid told him. “They’re out front, and if I may say so, the deer appears tremendously well-rested.”
“Thanks,” Jhon said, smiling to himself. “Good morrow.”
“Good morrow, sir,” the droid replied.
Jhon gestured for the lobby door, and Ella headed out immediately.
The day manager called out salutations, which they returned on the way out the door. That was the best part of pre-paid lodgings, as far as Jhon was concerned, an easy escape without a lot of small talk while credits changed hands.
“Jhon,” Ella said softly. “Would you hold Bo while I put on my cloak?”
“Of course,” he told her, feeling very pleased to take the little one into his arms again.
