The sky was a black canvas painted with flecks of white. The stars twinkled occasionally, going dim for a moment before shining with much ferocity.
Stepping outside, they took in a breath of the fresh air. Outside was an escape from the toxic environment inside their apartment. The group of five turned left and started walking towards Granny Mui's bakery. It was the same one they passed when they turn to reach the Citadel. The same one that offered the free Kaffe.
They walked a few minutes, with casual conversations and finally reached the familiar bakery. Mihel was able to get a proper look of the place now. The walls were made of red bricks and it was arranged in a simple manner. There were some cloth tarpaulins hanging outside, held upright by wooden poles. Light came from round, red paper balls, inside which were torches. This gave off a warm light, which illuminated the front of the bakery in a welcoming manner.
There was a small door, matching the simple concept of the bakery. They pushed through and were greeted by the welcoming smell of delicious food being cooked.
The interior was small but it was jam packed with rows of tables and stools. And every seat was occupied by adults, children and new recruits like them. They had to wait for a while until seats were free, which they immediately occupied.
Beside them sat another group of five, Grade Two soldiers like them. Greetings were exchanged between the two parties.
"First time I'm seeing ya'll here. How did you survive the past days? Ya'll don't eat?" asked a boy with short, neat brown hair. He had a serious look on his face, barely smiling.
"Well our genius here suggested to steal the food from the Engine." Midia replied, pointing to Mihel. "So we lived off of that. Came here because we needed a change."
The boy turned and seemed to scrutinize Mihel. He scratched his chin as he said, "You're Mihel right? The big guy of the Avra tournament." He turns to Riche, "Blonde hair, good build. Riche?" He extended a hand, still no smile on his face.
"I'm Rudy. We're from Compartment Five. That's Will, Hawry, Driem and Vio." They acknowledged each other with polite smiles, introducing themselves.
"Also you need to go to the counter to order. I'll suggest only one because if you're gone for too long you'll find your seat taken by others."
Riche volunteered to order for them. He turned to Rudy, "Any recommendations? We are up to try anything."
"Their shepherd's pie is crazy good. Easily fills two or three people. And their gumbo is pretty good as well." The boy who was introduced as Will replied.
Riche thanked him and walked over to the counter where the girl with missing tooth stood.
"Hello, Mister. What will you be having tonight?" she asked brightly.
"We'll get one shepherd's pie and one meat gumbo."
"Good choice. Is that all? That'll be six Arivy." She said as she pushed a paper cup in front of Riche. Not waiting for him, the little girl turned and rushed towards an opening in the wall. She shouted out the order, and by that time Riche had counted the money he collected from everyone and put into the cup. The girl thanked him and asked him to return to his seat.
The five of them made light conversations, getting to know each other better and about mundane details, like life back in their villages. The topic of Mihel's Destiny popped up once but to their much disappointment, they still couldn't get it out from him.
Secretly, Mihel was hiding it as a matter of pride. He feared that the respect he had earned till now would shatter when the others realized he was a dead weight with no Destiny. He suddenly was struck with the thought of a situation where they required some Destiny related power and he was unable to help. The look of disappointment and disgust haunted him occasionally in his sleep.
Mihel jerked back to reality as two steaming pots of food were placed on the table. They were also handed plates and spoons by the service boy.
The shepherd's pie was a perfect blend of vegetables, meat and potato. Taking a bite made Mihel's tastebuds crave for more. It was cooked so precisely that the soft meat almost melted on one's tongue. The gumbo on the other hand blended in a thick gravy with the perfect spice. The texture of the meat was slightly chewy and it was smoked to just the right level.
They gobbled down their food without much talk. All were very much craving for some proper food and after a long time they were having a proper, cooked meal. After scraping the tiniest of drops from both meals they stacked the plates and it was carried to the counter by Mihel and Riche.
The little girl looked surprised and then quickly took the vessels from them.
"Oh you didn't have to! You coulda left it on the table! Thank you, Misters." She said, flustered, rushing to put the dishes away.
Riche turned to return to their table and make their way back to their room, but Mihel stood rooted to the spot. His eyebrows slowly turned into a frown as he concentrated on something. Riche opened his mouth to question him but Mihel raised a finger to his lips.
Mihel was holding his breath. Just at the edge of his hearing, he was able to discern the sound of some kind of wailing. It almost sounded like a cry of pain, coming from within the cooking area of this bakery. The girl returned to see both of them still standing there, staring at the slot in the wall.
"Oh? Did you need something else?" she asks with a confused look.
Mihel slowly turns to face her, "What's happening back there? Is someone hurt?" he said with a low voice, almost a whisper.
She gulped. "Uh no not at all. The moan was probably from one of the furnaces or ovens we have back there." She replied, eyes widening, stretched to it's limit.
"See I never mentioned anything about hearing a moan…you can tell me the truth. Is everything alright back there?" He demanded again.
She started whimpering, her fingers twitching and her eyes flitting.
Suddenly a door beside the little girl banged open and an old lady stepped out.
Granny Mui walked with a stoop, but the air of authority she carried made the two of them shrink back. Suddenly the bakery went quiet. Everyone inside stopped talking and one could barely hear any breathing. Her face was wrinkly and her hair was thin and white. She carried a kneading stick in her hand as she banged it on the counter. The little girl quickly hurried behind and left through the door in a hurry.
"Now I'm hearing some of my customers harassing my little girl. Is that true?" She asked Mihel in a high pitched growl.
"No ma'am…I was just showing concern…I didn't mean any harm." Mihel replied in a whisper. He could feel the accusatory glares of the other people piercing into him.
"Well then keep your concerns to yourself. Nosey brat." She glared at him all the way until he moved towards the door. The others followed him and together they left the bakery in silence.
"What was that about, Mihel?" Vinelyn asked with a frown. "Did you hurt the girl?"
Mihel shook his head. "You all better go back home, I got something to check out."
"No way! Tell us what happened. We ain't leaving until we get an explanation." He persisted.
"Yeah Mihel, you can't leave us in the dark." Midia chimed in.
"They have only noticed me. If I get caught only I'm in trouble. So go back to the room. Now." He said in an unusual menacing tone.
Vinelyn only raised his eyebrows before turning and setting off to their lodging. The others stared in wonder at Mihel for a moment before following Vinelyn.
Mihel watched them go for a while before taking in a deep breath.
'All alone now. That bakery isn't as innocent as it looks on the outside.'