Welfare and Warfare

Chapter 27

"How's the new job treating you?" he asked.

"Can't complain," Henry joked. "The boss is right behind me." He pointed at the unamused Rin.

The other deliveries were to those who were at work, having requisition items to have at their job, but classified more as personal rather than necessary and work-related, hence it was Rin and Henry's duty as opposed to the delivery office. There were a couple of familiar faces, some of them who had given Henry tours at their respective tours and were impressed that Henry had remembered their names; in reality, Henry had wrote them all down and quickly reminded himself of them before greeting them. After teaching him what to do, Rin let Henry take the lead for all the deliveries, only correcting him if he was about hand over the wrong parcel or go the wrong way. Henry was unsure if she was throwing him in the deep end, to help him learn quickly on the job, or if she just hated interacting with people that much she would rather a newbie do it. Likely the latter.

One of the last deliveries was to the education centre, which Rin seemed to hesitate to go inside.

"Something up?" asked Henry. "Are we at the wrong place?" He checked the label, seeing that it was correct. "Sumit... ah!" Henry retrieved his notebook from where he remembered the name. "The language teacher."

"That's the guy," said Rin, finally making her way in.

Henry quickly grabbed the package and followed her, through the door and hallway, to a classroom, empty beside Sumit who was going through and marking mock exams.

As soon as Sumit noticed them, he shot up from his seat. "Rin!" His eyes were wide at first before he broke into a grin, then simmered into a slightly contained smile as he saw Henry standing behind by her side. "How's it going?" He cleared his throat, and leaned against his desk, too awkward to sit back down after such a display of enthusiasm. "What can I do you for?"

"Parcel," Rin simply replied, motioning to Henry.

Henry handed it over, being one of the heavier deliveries.

"Oh, you're here on deliveries," said Sumit as he accepted it; he sounded disappointed. "Thank you," he added eventually when he remembered. He unwrapped the protective paper revealing a large mirror which he placed against the wall, then handed the paper, quickly folded, back to Henry.

"Alright, just a few more deliveries left," Rin said to Henry. "Then we can head back-"

"Oh!" A man popped his head in the doorway, then entered gleefully, hobbling with the aid of a walking stick. He was dressed in a formal and flowing white shirt with long sleeves, paired with a tunic and trousers. "What fortune, I was hoping to bump into you at some point!" The man then glanced to Rin and added, "ah, Miss Rin! Lovely to see you again! I did hear that you were the one who took him under your wing."

"His first trial shift," said Rin.

The man turned to Henry again, extended a hand in greeting. "Pleasure to properly introduce myself; Calixte Barbeau, at your service."

"Henry Best," replied Henry, shaking his hand.

The man's skin was quite cold to the touch, and he felt a bit weak too, as if the man hadn't eaten in years, and then it all started to click in Henry's mind once he caught a glimpse of Calixte's limping and spavined leg. Something must have been tied around it for so long, something heavy to have bent it out of shape and weaken it so, and Henry knew what it had been. Calixte had been a water nymph at some point in his imprisonment, now still recovering; a rope tied around his leg, a weight attached, keeping him down in the waters, forever drowning until he somehow broke free.

"We have met before, but you likely do not recognise me in my human form," said Calixte, as he motioned to his mask attached to his belt; the amphibian creature with the glowing antenna.