“We’re off duty, actually,” Hans called over his shoulder with a wicked grin, and I groaned. “So hold off on any criminal activity, if you’d be so kind.”
Leave it to Deering to ruin my fun in favor of the attention of a pretty woman. As the three of us turned around to greet Arken and her friend, I found myself mildly startled.
While Ansari’s shrewd gaze traveled between my men and I with intrigue, Arken was staring at me. Just me. And when our eyes met, she smiled—not the tight-lipped, performative gesture that I’d seen her offer others before by way of greeting. No, this was an all-out grin, her straight white teeth sparkling in the sun.
Fucking Hel.
It had been less than twenty-four hours, but that smile of hers lit me up the same way it had yesterday. For a moment, it felt as though we were standing in front of the Mural of Creation again… not some hawker’s stand for trinkets and knick-knacks.
“Does that mean you three are free to accompany us for a late lunch, then?” Laurel asked. “I’m not going to name names, butsomeonehere forgot to eat breakfast. We’re heading over to the Arrowhead Inn.”
Jeremiah and Hans glanced back at me, both clearly interested, but they waited for my answer. I had a feeling both of my lieutenants were chomping at the bit for a closer look at the woman who had managed to ensnare me into a casual friendship. Especially after our conversations earlier about the “awfully good mood” I was in today.
I shrugged. “Sure, why not? If you two don’t mind the intrusion, I can’t say we had anything better to do,” I replied, and my men exchanged a grin. “Lead the way, Miss Ansari.”
As Laurel began to stride south with confidence, Jeremiah and Hans quickly fell into an easy conversation with her, leaving Arken and I to meander several paces behind.
“Well, hello again, Little Conduit,” I purred. “Long time no see.”
“Indeed,” Arken replied, a hint of that wry smile remaining. “Did you miss me that much already, stalker?”
“Naturally,” I said.
Though I kept my tone light, it wasn’t a lie. I started missing Arken’s kind company the moment I’d dropped her offat her studio last night, which was both unusual and somewhat disconcerting. But I had given up on trying to stay away from her.
“Did you missme?”
“No,” she laughed, though I made note of how she glanced away briefly, her cheeks coloring as she said it. “But I do miss the museum already.”
“We could always go back,” I offered. “Though there are quite a few other spots I’d like to show you first. You know, as your official tour guide to Sophrosyne.”
“Oh? Do you have a list or something?”
“Perhaps I do,” I mused noncommittally.
I did. I absolutely did have a list of places I wanted to take Arken around the city, and that list had been growing by the hour every time I passed by something or somewhere I thought she might enjoy.
“So what were you two up to this afternoon?” I asked. “Besides skipping breakfast.”
“Ohgods, not you, too,” she groaned. “Spare me the lecture, Captain. This just happens sometimes when I get excited. We had a Bios lecture.”
“You got so excited over a lecture that you forgot the most important meal of the day?” I teased.
“In my defense, it was a lecture at the Irrosi Arboretum. A smidge more exciting than Larkin’s typical talks.”
Okay, yeah, that would do it—the Arboretum had been on that ever-growing list of mine. I felt oddly satisfied knowing that I had figured her out, to an extent.
“Fair enough,” I said. “But you best be intending to get some food in your system before you and Ansari start drinking on rooftops again. We’ve been over this.”
The inn her friend was guiding us towards wasn’t far off now, and Laurel paused for a moment, allowing us both to catch up to the group.
“You arenotallowed to monopolize all of her attention today, Vistarii,” Laurel informed me, eyes narrowing.
I offered a slight bow of the head, extending open hands in acknowledgement of her demand. I couldn’t deny that, given the opportunity, I would have done exactly that. Hans let out a low whistle, eyebrows raised, clearly impressed by anyone who had the audacity to ordermearound.
We entered the inn as a group and got ourselves situated at a small table before I stood, offering to order us drinks at the bar as Arken happily fell into animated conversation with Laurel, Hans and Jeremiah.
The drinks were mostly an excuse to familiarize myself with the layout of this establishment, as I had never actually beeninsidethe Arrowhead Inn. It was important to me to identify every exit, gauge the room, and also to be strategic about where I would be sitting. My lieutenants already knew my preference for corner tables, and had thankfully picked one on the left hand side of the room. In many ways, I could rely on my Shadows to make up for the loss of vision in my left eye—but I was much more comfortable when I didn’t have to utilize that arcana constantly, especially in a social setting.