Oriehn

Chapter 22- Taliesin

Chapter 22- Taliesin

I was surprised at the pace Alice was keeping. It was definitely faster than I thought, and in no time, we made it back down the hill. Alice was waiting for me at the bottom, her silver eyes staring at me as she grinned, most likely proud that she made it down before me.

"Where to now?" She asked, her cheeks slightly flushed as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "The restaurant, right? Imbrosin?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "It is only a short distance from here. I called beforehand and reserved seats for us already." I stretched slightly.

"That's... very thoughtful of you," She said quietly. An awkward silence fell over us.

"Oh, and you had better try my favorite dish first," I reminded her. "It is definitely the best. Giousi is full of nutrients and is very tasty. It is a baked dish with meat, dough made from durum wheat, and an acidic, pulpy sauce."

She nodded, "How about Ian's and Drai's favorites? Taramas and bourde?"

"Don't worry about those two, mine is obviously the best. But I suggest you order something new, whatever interests you. I will order my favorite, and you can have a bite," I said as we walked down the path to the restaurant.

Alice nodded again and looked around her at the different structures around her. "Ah, this is the historical district. Most of the older homes are centered around here, but they are in great condition." I gestured at the buildings, "They have many different styles. Such as this one, with the columns, and the other, with arches. And that one, with a flat roof."

"You know a lot about the history," Alice noted.

I nodded, "Not many people know," I couldn't help the slightly red tinge on my cheeks, "But I like learning about Oriehn history." Alice didn't reply, but walked down the street in front of me, looking at the sunset.

"I think it's nice. History is always interesting to learn about," She said softly.

I cleared my throat. "Yes. Then you understand." Hurrying to divert the subject, I quickly pointed and said, "Look. There it is. The restaurant was built wayback, it was here when the city first started. Now it is still running by the same family, but now it's much more popular."

"It smells nice," Alice said, trailing off. I could tell she wasn't sure what to say. Instead of replying, I hurried inside, with Alice following. We were soon led to a table in the corner, and I sat down, not bothering to look at the menu, I already knew what I wanted.

On the other hand, Alice was biting her lip as she scanned the menu, obviously indecisive about what she was going to order. "Actually, I think I'm going to order taramas, it looks nice."

I clenched my fists under the table and growled internally, taramas was Leanian's favorite dish. And she had decided to choose it. Taking a deep breath, I nodded and moved my menu to the side of the table. The waiter walked to our table, and Alice gave him her order with a small smile. I told him mine as well, and he soon walked away after filling our glasses.

"Tell me—tell me more about the architecture," Alice said quickly to fill the silence. Her fingers tapped gently against her glass as she stared in it. "About the clock tower?"

I nodded, processing her request. "The clock tower was one of the first structures built on the Lunar Station. As you know, this is basically a city floating in space." Alice nodded. "When Oriehns first found this, we decided to use it primarily for military purposes.

"Military bases were built, filled with barracks and rooms for soldiers. I was here when I was younger, and I trained here. There are huge warehouses filled with aircraft for our use, and there are large aircraft carriers docked, as well as battleships."