Chapter Six:

Warlen ushers Luke and Hallie out of the laboratory and into the hallway. As soon as they are outside of the room, he quickly shuts the door. Luke and Hallie silently make their way back to the entrance, both deep in their own thoughts. 

“Are you coming too?”, Hallie asked. 

“Would you like me to? I mean, I know you can take care of yourself and you will have Warlen with you, but I’d rather know you were safe. And, besides, I would love the opportunity to see the Capital in person”, Luke said excitedly. “Whenever we aren’t helping Warlen figure out how to get you home, we could see some of the sights. I heard that there is an awesome library with bookshelves that go all the way to the vaulted ceilings. Warlen told me that it even has some books that we salvaged from Earth and a few from other civilizations as well.”

“That sounds really cool, I think it would be cool to see if I recognize any of the Earth books that you guys have.”

“Plus there are some amazing restaurants in the cities so I am sure that the capital has the best of them all” Luke said as his stomach let out a loud growl. 

“I’m feeling a bit hungry too,” Hallie said. 

The two of them made their way down the street to a quaint cafe. The place was small and cozy. The warm colors and soft lighting complimented the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen on the other side of the cafe. Immediately upon entering, it was obvious that this particular cafe was quite popular, almost every table was taken and people seemed to truly be enjoying their time here. Luke led them to a small table for two in the far corner. Not long after they sat down a voice inquired, “What can I get you and your friend today, Luke?”

“Hey, Catherine. How are you doing? I would like my usual.”

“I’m doing good. How about you?”, Catherine replied as she jotted down his order on her notepad. 

“And what about you, sweetie?” Catherine asked as she looked at me.

“I’ll have water to drink. And… tomato soup and a turkey sandwich.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back with your drinks and I’ll be bringing your food shortly.”

“You don’t have to order the cheapest things on the menu, you know. I am capable of paying.” Luke said quietly. After all, he didn’t want her to think he was incapable of providing for her, he thought to himself. 

“I didn’t even realize that I was ordering the cheapest items, I just really wanted some soup and the sandwich looked really good.”

“Oh, and you just prefer water over everything else on the menu then too.” Luke said with a chuckle. 

“Actually, yes. I pretty much only drink water. I’m not a fan of coffee and I don’t drink many sugary drinks.”

“You’re actually serious?”, Luke asked with surprise evident on his face. 

“Yeah, I am. I am sorry if I insulted you or whatever, I guess we can get a dessert afterward if it makes you feel any better,” Hollie said with a small smile on her face.

Luke laughed and said, “We’ll definitely be ordering dessert. They have the best cakes and they buy this fantastic homemade ice cream from a local dairy farm-”

“I’ve got to agree with you there,” Catherine interrupts, “ I haven't ever had better ice cream than Thomas’s. Here’s your drink. One water and one black coffee with two cubes of sugar.”

“Thank you” Luke and Hallie said simultaneously.

“You are both welcome. Your food should be out within the next ten minutes or so. We are in the middle of a rush so things are a little crazy in the kitchen right now. We are getting to the orders as fast as we can.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind the wait”, Luke said. 

“Me either,” Hallie said as Catherine smiled before she walked away to serve a nearby table. 

The two of them sat in complete silence for a moment. Hallie spent her time enjoying the experience of being in the cafe. The decor gave the place a homey feeling and Hallie noticed a few carvings and art pieces that looked similar to the ones that she saw in the farm house. 

While Hallie took in the view of the cafe, Luke watched as her brown eyes shone in amazement at every detail that she noticed. Her dark brown curls, pulled back into a ponytail, rested on her shoulder as she turned her head to look at the mural painted on one of the walls. 

“I recognize the signature on that painting. It looks the same as the one in your house.”

“Huh” Luke said before answering, “Oh, yeah. Those are some of my mom’s. We were good friends with the owner and when they remodeled, Catherine had him buy all of the art from her.”

“Are you related to Catherine? She looks almost exactly like your mom.”

“Yeah, she’s my Aunt. We’re pretty close, especially since she was the closest family I had when I started school.”

“Here’s your food!” Catherine says as she sits their food down on the table. Hallie’s food looked simple in comparison to the food that Luke had ordered. Her simple soup and sandwich was nothing compared to what he had ordered. There were bread rolls, vegetables and dip, soup, and an aromatic rice and meat dish. 

“Catherine, do you mind bringing us some of my favorite deserts?”

“Of course, honey, I’ll bring them when I come to clear up your dinner dishes.”

“Thank you”

“No wonder you thought my order was embarrassing. And is this what you actually eat by yourself?” Hallie questioned.

“Yeah”, Luke answered in between bites. 

The two of them ate the rest of their meals without speaking. Despite Luke having much more food than her, he finished all of it taking only slightly longer than Hallie did. 

“Aren’t you still hungry?” Luke asked, pointing to her empty dishes. 

“Not really. I’m actually pretty full. I hope I have enough room for dessert.” Hallie replied. 

“You will have room for dessert once you see it.”

“And here it is,” Catherine chirped as she sat down 3 bowls of beautiful desserts  and took up their empty dishes. 

“Thanks Catherine”, said Hallie

“No problem, enjoy your dessert guys.”

The deserts did look amazing. There was the cake and ice cream that Luke had mentioned. Alongside it was a brownie with a layer of chocolate fudge on top. And the third dish was a doughnut with a glaze and some sort of filling. 

“Let's dig in.” Luke said excitedly as he picked up his spoon. 

They both sampled some of each dish. Luke waited as Hallie tried each one. 

“Now which one of these is your favorite?”

“This is a hard decision. They are all really amazing, but I think my favorite is probably the brownie. I love brownies. And the chocolate on top is amazing.”

“You can have the rest of it, then.”

“We can split it.”

“It’s your favorite and you might not ever visit this place again. Enjoy it.” Luke said as a look of sadness quickly passed over his face. 

“Hey who said I wasn’t coming back?”

“We’re leaving for the capital today. If everything is successful, you won’t be returning to Ashka, you’ll be returning to Earth.”

With that somber realization, they both finished their desserts in silence. 

“So what did you think of the desserts? I’d like to think that we have some of the finest that the city has to offer.” Catherine said with a small laugh. 

“They were absolutely amazing.”, Hallie answered. “Probably some of the best desserts I have ever had. 

“That is good to hear. Hey, Alice wants to meet you before you leave. I think she plans to get you set up with some clothes that fit properly and maybe a few dresses. I imagine you are going to be meeting a number of famous people in the capital.”

“Yeah, I planned on taking her over there now. Especially since we are now leaving this evening.”

“Really! You better be careful! Make sure you look after her as well. Some people aren’t too excited about the idea of someone from Earth here. Send me a postcard or two and keep me updated.”

“I will. I promise.” Luke said as he went to the front to pay the bill. 

“And don’t let anyone get you down. You seem like a wonderful person and I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet you. You are probably going to meet a lot of people who don’t like you and who are afraid of you. I want you to keep your head up and don’t listen to them. Because you will always be perfect as you are. And the same goes for you too. Keep an eye on him. Whether he likes to admit it or not, Luke needs someone in his life to rely on, at least for a little while.”

“Thank you, really.”

“No worries, hun. It looks like Luke is ready to go. Good luck!”

“Thank you.”