Hollis found herself seated in a corner of the interior of the establishment. She sat with her back against the wall, so she could see the rest of the patrons clearly. The inside of the Cafe Fleurs was exactly as she remembered.
After dropping off a plate of pasties to the man who was upset with her earlier, she smiled at him, pausing for a moment to talk. She reached out with her hand and placed it on his forearm. She giggled lightly at something he said, and he laughed in a bellowing tone, echoing throughout the small cafe. Clearly he had forgiven her for earlier transgressions, and now seemed quite smitten with her. Petch, she's good, Hollis thought to herself with a smile.
Azelea made her way over to where Hollis was sitting. In her left hand she had a mug, with the metal chain of a small tea steeper hanging off the side. She placed it gently down on the small table in front of Hollis, saying, "Careful, it is quite warm." Azelea then pulled up a small chair and sat directly across from Hollis, placing her elbows on the table and resting her hands in her palms. "So, Hollis. How have you been? Darnel told me of your loss," she said with pity in her voice.
"Oh, that," Hollis said, her eyes sweeping away from Azelea's gaze. "Thank you," she said, meeting her eyes again after a chime. "I have been OK, considering everything. Honestly."
"How did it happen?"
"Well, she just...died," Hollis said frankly. "She was sitting across from me, just like you are now, and then she was on the ground with no pulse or life in her eyes. It happened in an instant."
"To lose your mother like that, I can only imagine how difficult that must have been... Especially seeing as you were not on the best of terms." Azelea fiddled with the steeper in Hollis's cup, eventually lifting it from the water and letting the excess drip from its body. "Don't wanna let this over-steep, or it will taste like dirty lake water," she said with a giggle.
"Hmm." Hollis took the cup into her hand and sipped the tea lightly after blowing on it gently to cool it down some. The aroma and taste of the tea was as pleasant as she remembered, sending warmth and a sense of comfort down her spine. "This is wonderful, thank you," she muttered with a smile. "Tell me, how have you been?"
The girl sighed. "Oh, busy as always," she said, taking a piece of her hair and twirling it around the index finger of her left hand. "Well, actually, last season was slower than usual...with the curfews, animal goin' nuts...the petching Zith attacks! Plus, the day that Dravlak escaped the entire cafe went to hell! Customers floating up to the ceiling and knocking all sorts of stuff off tables. It was quite hectic to say the least."
"Yeah, yeah..." Hollis trailed off again. That makes sense. Sure, sure...
Hollis seemed dazed. Azelea looked at her with a puzzled look, clearly confused.
"I am...sorry to hear that," Hollis said with hesitation in her voice. She stared down at her tea cup intently, mesmerized by her own reflection in the dark water. The image was muddled and calm, Hollis staring up at Hollis.
Reflections held so much mystery, and so much truth. Talk to a mirror enough and you can make yourself believe whatever you want, She remembered her mother saying.
"You OK, Hollis?" Azelea asked her with a concerned look on her face.
Hollis looked up from her tea. Her expression was calm but puzzled. "What Zith attacks? And since when has this city had a curfew?"
Azelea kept her eye contact with Hollis steady, her brow furrowed. "Hollis... last season? The city was in piss poor shape! The Ebonstryfe were swarmin' all over the place, and people were being attacked left 'n right by beasts o' the land and o' the lake. And the Zith...that was just petching terrifying! People were eaten!"
"Azzie, I...don't recall any of that," Hollis admitted. Her expression was still composed, but her hands were shaking. A fear had settled deep in her gut. The more she thought about it, the more unclear she was regarding her memories of the Summer. "Say, what did you mean when you said my mother and I weren't on good terms?"
"Well," Azelea said reflectively. "The last time I saw you two together, you were... well, you were having an argument, or some sort of squabble, which was really out of character for you two. I had never seen either of you so much as complain. You were sitting in this exact spot, if I remember correctly! You were crying, and clearly upset with something Haldine had said or done. She seemed pissed."
Hollis kept her eyes on Azelea. She remembered none of this. What? How was this possible? Hollis felt her eyes watering, and her vision seemed to blur. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she clasped her hands in front of her on the table, tightly enough so that her knuckles turned white. "Hey," Azelea said, reaching out and placing a hand on Hollis's. "Are you sure everything is alright?"
The woman looked up to meet her eyes. "No," she cleared her throat and took another, long sip from her tea, brushing Azelea's hand away. "I think... I think something must have happened, Azelea. Or I am too overwhelmed, or... I do not know, but I do know I cannot recall any of this."
Azelea looked at Hollis with her brow furrowed. "How is that possible? I've never heard of such a thing."
"Oh, but Hollis has," a voice said, seemingly from nowhere. "Hollis knows much of these kinds of things, do you not, dear?"
Hollis looked up to see the face of someone she thought she would never see again.
WC = 995
|
|