Who: Kiernan What: Reading the morning paper (narrative) Where: Morning Glory Cafe When: Yesterday morning (the 8th) Rating: G Status: Complete
It was wonderful weather for enjoying a chocolate biscotti and cappuccino outdoors this morning, and Kiernan happily paid the extra for one of the elegantly welded bistro tables out in the sun. That meant that he didn't have the gil for a newspaper, not if he wanted to feed himself the next couple of days before leaving for the family cottage on Sunday, and not if he wanted to pay the kind if overpriced doctor for her visit and the medications, but it was a sacrifice he was happy to make for his own leisure. Besides, that elderly man looked as though he'd completely forgotten about his; the folded paper sat tauntingly on the edge of his table as the man himself sipped nonchalantly at his coffee, gazing up at the clouds or the rooftops or whatever it was that caught his attention. Kiernan wondered if he had the skill enough to snatch the paper away without the old man noticing, but then the waitress returned with his check and the man paid and left, leaving the paper behind.
Perfect.
Kiernan swooped in for the acquisition and returned to his table. Taking a sip of his drink, he scanned his eyes over the articles. Most of it were reports on reconstruction efforts and other mundane things, and Kiernan was glad to have chosen enjoying breakfast outside to this waste of news until his eyes fell on the picture of a familiar-looking face and the title next to him.
He taught that boy once, he vaguely recalled. What was--oh, right, Alstied Gostham, that was his name, like it said in the article. Kiernan couldn't quite remember much else about the kid -- he had met so many squires in the past few years and only for brief periods of time that not many stuck in his memory -- but his mind flew back to nearly nineteen years ago when Elwen Manley had been listed under a similar article. He wasn't EKP, of course, being a mage, and Kiernan wondered almost bitterly if Alstied Gostham would be sought after with more success than Elwen had.
No, that was being unfair. He didn't want any family to go through what he and his parents had to. It would be better if Gostham was found, of that Kiernan had not a doubt. Twenty-one years old... still young enough to have parents alive. For their sake, Kiernan hoped for them to have a happy ending, or even an unhappy one. It was far better than no ending at all.
Kiernan sighed and set the paper down, throwing money on the table enough for breakfast and a good tip. He was going to need a distraction now, and fast. Maybe Lucy wanted to go flying today.