Another world, Celeste

Chapter 41

"Ah, this is very nice..."

The moment I sit on the cushioned chair, I heave a sigh of relief.

Two little children dolls up in pretty kids' clothes chuckle as they witness my unladylike behaviour but I pay no mind to them and momentarily close my eyes to catch my breath.

A few minutes later, I slowly open my eyes and glance around the lounge area. Surprisingly, the lounge isn't as crowded as it is everywhere else in the Auction House which is perfect, because I can drink tea from my tumbler without feeling self-aware while also replenishing my depleted energy.

I brewed the tea this morning and it is still warm when I take a sip from the tumbler. The tea I prepared for today is one of Maya's special tea blends; a calming herbal tea with a slightly bitter taste. And since it's Maya's special tea blend, the calming effect works too well because a bit later, Jilko found me staring blankly into space with my mouth lingering on the tumbler.

"Nom nom?"

When I don't respond, Jilko lightly shakes my hand that is not holding the tumbler and startling me out of my unfocused state.

"Oh, hi Jilko."

After I close the lid of the tumbler and putting it aside, Jilko returns the pet carrier bag to me.

"How was the mural art?" I ask as I peek into the opening of the bag to check on Archie.

"Nom nom, nom nom."

From the way Jilko is talking at a pace faster than her usual self and how her eyes are sparkling, I can tell that she is genuinely impressed by what she saw in the mural art section.

"Nom nom. Nom nom?"

"Hmm...I think I'm going to stay here a bit longer," I respond after a bit of pondering. "Don't mind me, go and enjoy yourself. I'll join you later."

Jilko is reluctant to leave but after a bit of persuading, she leaves the lounge area to go back to see more of the mural art.

I look down at the pet carrier bag on my lap and speak to the hidden red panda, "How are you doing, Archie? Won't you come out?"

When there is no sign of movement inside the pet carrier bag, I entice our youngest with a piece of honey nut and seed brittle close to the bag's opening, "Are you going to keep staying inside? Isn't it stuffy?"

At first, Archie sticks his nose out and sniffs for the sweet brittle and when he confirms there really is one, his head pops out of the pet carrier bag, bringing a smile to my face. I give our youngest the honey nut and seed brittle. Seeing as our youngest is happily nibbling on his favourite snack, I also want to have a piece of brittle but since I'm still on a sweet ban, I hold myself back regrettably.

I cuddle the red panda closer until my mental energy is fully recharged but that turns out to be a mistake because the sweet, nutty smell of the brittle is tempting my self-control.