Try and Catch Me

Jade (1)
Confident that she had no more reasons to refuse, Eldric smiled sweetly at her, lifting up the disguises he brought. Lia sighed. She lost to him this time. Having no more purpose to dally, she took the garments and dashed upstairs to change.

She came back down again in record time. Eldric was still standing in the spot where she left him.

“You came prepared.” Eldric did not just provide a shirt and pants similar to his but also included shoes, coat, and hat.

She looked down at her clothes before regarding him, “But I don’t think anyone’s going to recognize me even without these.” She had not worn any female clothing since she left her hometown. And she acted like a man even when alone so as not to be caught unprepared in any event. Better be cautious than sorry.

“It would be easier to pass you as my cousin if we wear the same clothes.” Eldric plucked the hat from her grasp and put it on her. He noticed her hair and reached out. “The back’s sticking out,” he said fixing the stubborn lock, “Your hair had gotten longer.”

Lia took one end and twisted it between her fingers. In this world where a woman’s appearance was everything, her looks would be odd, and people would stare at her with scorn. ‘Eh, who cares.’ “I like this length. Easier to manage.”

“It suits you,” his eyes softened, “But your long hair suits you more.” Without waiting for Lia’s reaction, he turned around abruptly and began walking ahead. “Let’s go?”

Thanks to Eldric’s thoughtfulness, Lia was not cold with her coat. It was a chilly night, despite the crowd still going on about their business at this hour. Because of the time, most restaurants were full of people. Lia wondered where would he take her as they passed by the busy streets.

Her curiosity grew when instead of going to the main street, he led her to a side street. Lia was quite confident in her navigation skills, but after turning at every corner, she gave up memorizing the way and placed her trust in Eldric.

When she thought they would no longer arrive at their destination, Eldric stopped at a decrepit building.

Her eyebrows shot, eyes looking at the building and then at the man beside her.

Eldric gave her a knowing smile as though he could read exactly what was going through her head. His eyes said, “Trust me on this.” Lia let out a deep breath and placed her trust in this man’s hands. A distant part of her wondered about her life choices.

It was a literal hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurant. There were about five seats by the entrance, and then behind the counter was the chef, cooking the foods right in front of the customers. If no one told her about it, Lia would not be able to notice this place no matter how many times she passed it.

Surprisingly, there were a lot of patrons. They had to wait a bit until one of the customers had finished, and the seats were free. Eldric greeted the chef who jerked his head in response. He told Lia that he was also the owner and that he operated this business for over twenty years.

He ordered them both noodles with extra meat and egg, and Lia’s eyes almost bulged at the size of the bowl. She was worried that she would not be able to finish it. It all took one spoonful of the broth, and she could not stop inhaling the food. She even stopped talking to Eldric. When she was done, she sat back, full and contented, and found Eldric watching her.