Chapter Text
"Hey good lookin'," Reth's warm voice calls as you approach the counter. He's stood behind the bar, a half-polished glass in hand, grinning as though he had been waiting all evening for you.
It was a quiet night at the Ormuu's Horn, past the usual dinner rush. A low fire crackles in the hearth, casting the room in a rosy glow. You slide onto a barstool and prop your aching feet on the stone step that runs around the counter's base. The comforting smell of roasted meat and woodsmoke filling your nose.
"What's cookin'," you finish before he has the chance. He uses the line so often it has become half-baked into your greeting.
"Hey," he laughs, throwing the cloth he was using to polish glasses onto the bartop, blue eyes glinting mischievously in the firelight, "That's my line, you know."
You raise an eyebrow, glancing around the mostly empty tavern. Sifuu is falling asleep into her beer, and a few human inhabitants are milling around in the dining room. "You're here late. Isn't it past your usual quitting time? What happened to your other-"
He leans forward and presses a finger to your lips, muffling the words you were about to say and sending a warm blush over the apples of your cheeks. You pull back, feigning annoyance, and trying to calm your racing heart down to its normal pace. I'll never get used to that, you think as Reth rolls his eyes and drops his hand. The flirting used to do that to you too, sending your heart beat wild like a schoolgirl with a crush, but the familiar way he touched you now never lost its thrill. You're not even sure when it started, maybe he had brushed a strand of hair behind your cheek, maybe he had touched your elbow as he moved past - but now you noticed every single point of contact.
"Don't mention it while Ashura is here," he drops his voice into a conspiratorial whisper and gestures across the inn to the reception desk where Ashura was diligently scribbling in the orders ledger. You could see the lines of concern etched onto his face as he glances in your direction. A fatherly protector watching over his two wayward children.
"He worries about you," you reply, poking a finger into his chest as he leans over the counter to talk to you.
"Yeah, well, he's been keeping an extra close eye on me lately and I haven't been able to sneak off tonight so I'm stuck here until he goes to bed," Reth sighs heavily, rubbing a hand over his face. The dark circles beneath his eyes tell you he's been skipping sleep...again.
"Reth," You begin to comment on it, to chide him for what seems like the thousandth time and then you see the smile return, that heartstopping 'you're the only girl in the room' smile and you stop.
"Yeah?" he prompted, leaning in as though the world around you had faded away.
"Seriously what's cooking? I'm starving here," you tease, pounding your hand on the counter so loud that Sifuu jolts awake and takes another swig of her drink.
Reth chuckles, shaking his head. “I just pulled a fresh batch of soup off the stove. You know, the usual—hearty and delicious. Just like me.”
You roll your eyes, you could have guessed it was soup. "Sure, I'll take some to go."
"Not gonna stay and keep me company?" He teases as he walks back into the kitchen. The rich aroma of tomato and spice sprouts wafts over as he ladles the warm liquid into a container.
"Mmh, no," You shake your head, even though he can't see you with his back turned. "Not tonight, I'm going to look for some oysters in Bahari bay, and maybe see if I can find some shells for Tish."
At the mention of his sister's name, Reth stiffens in a way that you know means he has been avoiding her. You also know because she told you, when you stopped by her shop earlier, that he had been skipping out on their usual dinners.
"Oh, uh, that's nice of you." He returns to the counter with a smile and presents you with a steaming container of soup. You take it gratefully, already counting out the gold coins from your pocket.
"I ran into her earlier actually," you mention, trying hard to seem nonchalant. His face fall, he already knows what's coming - which makes you feel a little guilty when you say it. But Tish is your friend too and you promised you'd say something. "She said you've been skipping out on dinner lately. She misses you."
"Yeah, well," he looks up, as though hoping the correct reply is painted on the ceiling above you. "I've been busy."
You press gently, "Busy with what?"
Reth sighs again and turns his gaze back to you, "I don't want her to worry."
You allow him to avoid the question. He always does. In the almost year since you've known him, he's never told you any specifics of his night-time job. You've learned better than to ask for any.
"Maybe you could take her some of this soup tomorrow?" You suggest, smiling to lighten the sour mood. "It'll be good for her."
"Maybe," he forces a smile in return. You slide off the barstool, sliding the coins across the bar so Reth can count them into the till. Picking up the soup container, you place it carefully into your bag and get ready to leave. It's a long walk to Beach-Comber Cove. Before you can leave, Reth clears his throat drawing your attention. "Hey, I don't suppose you'd do a favour for me?"
"What's that?" you ask. The way he's nervously fiddling with the wooden beads on his bracelet makes you suspicious.
"Could you do me a solid and deliver a package to Tamala?" He rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, avoiding looking directly at you. "It's nothing shady, I swear. It's just a cake."
You narrow your eyes, "Just a cake? Why don't you deliver it then?"
"Like I said, Ashura is watching me like a hawk. If I slip out, he'll follow and I don't want to drag him all the way to Bahari over a cake," he shrugged sheepishly, glancing to where Ashura is still going through the ledger.
You bite your lip, trying to gauge whether he's lying or not. The tips of his ears turn magenta, and he quickly backpedals, "Don't worry if you can't. Or if you don't want to. I can uh, I can figure something out."
"I never said I wouldn't do it," you fold miserably quickly, the pink flush of embarrassment across his face is too endearing to refuse. The way his eyes light up when you agree makes your chest feel tight. Silently you scold yourself for being such a sucker for a pretty face.
"Thank you!" he beams and your stomach is filled with fluttering butterflies. He beckons you closer. You tiptoe to lean over the bar so that he can whisper into your ear. The feeling of his breath against your cheek makes your mouth dry, but you try your best to focus on the murmured instructions. "Take this key and go down to my storeroom, there's a box, well there's lots of boxes, but the one that you want has a red ribbon on it. Take that to Tamala."
He pulls a worn brass key from his pocket and presses it into your palm. Your skin prickles with goosebumps and you're not sure if it's from his touch or the creeping sensation that you've just gotten yourself involved in something untoward. You pull away and clasp the key tightly in your hand, giving Reth your best smile.
"Thanks. I really owe you one for this," he grins, and for a moment the weight of the evening seems to lift off his shoulders. Relief paints his face, but the flicker of something in his eyes gives you pause - he looks worried.
"Don't mention it," You shrug, giving him a small wave as you walk away from the bar and to the back of the inn muttering to yourself, "It's just a cake."
"Goodnight," Ashura tells you as you pass the reception desk and you manage a half-hearted reply - suddenly more nervous than you've been in your short year of life in Kilima.
Trying your hardest not to look suspicious, you stroll casually towards the back door, glancing behind you to check no one is watching as you duck into the archway that leads down to the basement. The stairs creak, so you take them two at a time to get through it faster, and by the time you're at the bottom your hands are slick with sweat. You almost drop the key, but catch it at the last moment and shove it into the door.
Slipping into the storeroom, you shut the door gently behind you and pocket the key. You'll give it back later, you promise yourself. You're always here anyway - it's practically the only way you eat.
The storeroom is cluttered, wooden crates, bottles of oil and glass jars of spices cover every available surface. On one of the chopping stations, remnants of the vegetables for the stew sat dry and browning. You wrinkle your nose, but ignore it and begin your hunt for the cake. Surprisingly, given all the mess, it's easy enough to find. The small black box tied with a red ribbon is sat on the small round table in the corner. Picking it up, you try not to think about how well packaged it is - the box is fancy certainly not from any of the stores in town. Your heart makes a funny leap when you think about the possibility that it's not just a customer order, but a rather intimate gift.
Baulking, you push away the images your brain feeds you of Reth and Tamala - the situations increasingly inappropriate - and tell yourself that it's just a take out order. You shove the box into your bag, determined not to let curiosity get the better of you - certain that you'd rather not know. After all, Reth said it was just a cake. You let that be your reality, even if the box feels heavier than it should and your stomach is in knots.
Exiting the store room, you lock the door behind you and slip back up the stairs. Ashura has cornered Reth in the kitchen, asking him about orders. With both of them distracted, it's easier to slip out of the door and into the night.
You decide to get a ride to the Outskirts at the stable, not fancying the long trek on top of your walk down to the shore. The night is cooler than you expected and your stomach grumbles hungrily, so you pull the container of soup from your bag - determined to enjoy it while it's still hot. You stifle a groan of delight as the first sip hits your tongue, warm, spicy and creamy - everything you could want in a soup. You make a mental note to commend Reth when you undoubtedly return for breakfast. The whole container is gone by the time you arrive at the Outskirts stable.
Tamala's house is nestled in the mountains just north of the stables, it's a short walk, made even shorter when you spot her walking just ahead.
"Tamala!" You shout, your voice carrying on the wind. She doesn't turn, her hips swaying as she continues to walk up the path. You raise your hand, "Tamala wait, I have something for you."
The woman turns around, her sharp green eyes needling you through the dark. Her expression shifts from annoyance to surprise as you take your chance to catch up to her.
"Well, isn't this a surprise," she smirks, standing with one hand on her hip to wait for you. As you approach, you fumble in your bag for the box and extend it in your hand. "You aren't who I was expecting. Picking up more odd jobs from Zeki, hmm?"
"Zeki?" You repeat. For a moment, you think you might have misunderstood her - that maybe she's expecting two deliveries - but you also know not to be so naive. You can feel the smile slipping from your face, hands tightening around the box.
"Oh no," Tamala presses her fingers to her pouty lips. "Have I said too much?"
You shake your head, plastering on a charming smile, "Not at all. I have your cake."
"Ah yes." She reaches her hand out to take the box. "My 'cake' of course. I ordered it so long ago that I'd forgotten. Though I suppose I don't pay Zeki for speed. Tell your chef friend I say hi."
You don't wait for her to say anything else. You don't even say goodbye. Turning on your heel, you stomp your way back down the path and feel the rage burn its way up your throat. Reth lied to you. It’s one thing to ask you to do shady things for Zeki, you've dabbled from time to time in some of his less legitimate ventures, but to lie to your face...
Shaking your head, you hold back a stream of curse words, as you march your way back to the stables. All thoughts of foraging for oysters have been shaken from your brain. There is no way you could spend the night wading through frigid water now without losing your shit completely. Bahari central is a little further away, but it gives you time to cool off so you no longer feel like screaming when you get into the carriage to head back to Kilima. Your anger doesn't cool completely though, it simmers in the pit of your stomach and by the time you are walking back to the inn it actually feels painful.
Like always at this time of night, the doors are wide open but the inn is empty. Ashura would be upstairs. You can hear the faint rumbling of his snores as you walk quickly to the back and stomp down the basement steps. You don't really care, you decide as you storm across the creaking wooden planks of the loading deck, if anyone sees you.
Pulling the key from your pocket, you shove it into the lock and throw the door open - but inside is pitch dark. You curse loudly, fumbling on the wall where you think you remember there being a lightswitch, but your hands scrape across bare stone. By the time you've given up searching for it, your eyes have adjusted to the dark.
The shadows in the store room begin to take shape - the outlines of crates, bags, and barrels stacked along the walls. The cold air from the stone floor only sharpens the discomfort coiled tight in your chest, like a storm waiting to break. You close the door behind you quietly and take a breath, trying to steady the pounding of your heart. You shouldn’t be here, it's late and it's Reth's private space, but you need answers, and you won’t leave until you get them.
Minutes crawl by as you lean against the wall, arms crossed, tension pulling every muscle taught. Your thoughts race, replaying every conversation you've had with Reth in the last year, dissecting every little detail for signs you might’ve missed - or likely willfully ignored. The way he would change the subject whenever Zeki’s name came up, the half-smiles, the flirting, the charm. The way he made it all seem like nothing, just a harmless errand. And you, like a fool, didn’t press him. You didn't even have the guts to look in the stupid box.
The distant sound of footsteps jerks you out of your thoughts. They’re slow, casual, not expecting trouble. But, you realise as you stare at the door - they're not coming from the loading dock. They're coming from behind you. You whirl around, facing a narrow corridor filled with boxes and piled up junk, just as a door you had overlooked swung open.
Light floods in as Reth steps into the storeroom, whistling softly to himself. He’s balancing a tray in one hand, the other flicking on the light as he closes the door behind him.
The tray clatters to the ground when he sees you, its contents scattering over the flagstone floor.
"Oh it's you," he's shocked face breaks out into a warm smile as he steps over the mess he's made in the corridor and out into the main storeroom, "You scared me. I thought you might be a magistrate. What can I do you for? If you wanted to be alone with me, you only have to ask."
The flirtatious comments fall flat. You refuse to break, to let him win you over with that charming smile. Instead, you fold your arms over your chest and force yourself to look at the floor.
"Hey," he says, frowning at your cold response. "What's going on ? Did I do something wrong? You're starting to worry me."
You keep your eyes trained on the floor, suddenly so close to tears that you know if you look at him they'll come flooding out.
"I don't know, Reth," you mutter, barely recognising your own voice. "Did you do something wrong?"
That pulls him up short. The warmth fades from his face, his brow furrowing as he takes a careful step forward. “Hey, what’s this about? You’re scaring me a little. Come on, talk to me.”
You take a deep breath and finally look up at him, your arms dropping to your sides. The anger you've been bottling up feels like it might crack your chest open if you don't get it out now.
"I made your delivery," you say it, the words bitter on your tongue.
His expression changes—just for a second. It's quick, but you catch it. A flicker of guilt. That tells you everything you need to know. Your stomach sinks, and your suspicions solidify.
"You looked in the box," he sighs, raking a hand through his hair as he steps closer.
"No I didn't," you scoff, pretending as though the thought hadn't even crossed your mind. Insulted, you take a step away from him and lean back against one of the prep stations.
"Then I don't-"
"Tamala," you cut him off. In your rage you kind of like how caught-off-guard he looks, the wide eyed confusion. But you can't let yourself get distracted by it, so you continue, "She might have mentioned that the 'cake' was from Zeki. I know that wasn't a cake, Reth."
Confusion crumbles into cold realisation. He reaches out for you, hand outstretched to grab your shoulder, but you shrug him off. You can't bear to be touched right now. He flounders, mouth open searching for words, any words. The guilt you caught a glimpse of moments ago is now written all over his face. It’s like a wall collapsing, the charm and confidence draining from him as he realises there’s no escape this time.
"I didn't want you to get involved in this," he sighs heavily, turning away and pacing over to the small round table. He pours himself a short glass of something and knocks it back in one gulp. Then he pours another and slides it over to the empty chair. It's his way of inviting you to sit. You oblige, face thunderous, but you don't touch the drink.
"You lied to me."
The words make him cringe. His hands fall to his sides, and he looks at you with a kind of desperation you’ve never seen in him before. “I didn’t lie to you—I just didn’t tell you the full story.”
The look on your face sends him backpedalling, "Not that that's any better, I know." Reth looks down at the floor, kicking at a piece of shattered dish from the tray.
"What's going on with you?" You ask, hands clasping around the glass in front of you. You pick it up, sniff the amber liquid inside and wince. It smelled strong.
Reth looks up at you, his expression a mixture of regret and frustration. His blue eyes, usually so full of cheer, just look tired. “I don’t know, okay? I just—I’m trying to keep things together."
"You're working for Zeki?" You prompt, sliding the glass back across the table. Reth accepts it gratefully and downs it in one.
"Kind of," he blanched, rubbing absently at the tattoo on his arm. "I, uh, I kinda have a lot of debt."
"Debt? To Zeki?" You frown. Mind reeling as you try to understand.
"No," Reth's head droops, eyes cast down at the table. A pit of worry is forming in your stomach, slowly consuming all the anger you had stored there. "The cartel."
"What the fuck?" You don't mean to say it, the words just slip out. Reth's lips find their way into a smile and your heart feels like it's about to beat out of your chest. This is so much worse than you could ever have imagined.
"Yeah. I made some not so great decision making," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, fingers working out some of the tension there. "I thought I was doing the right thing at the time."
You watch him pour another glass of whatever disgustingly strong spirit was in the bottle and try to put the pieces together in your head. Yes, you know Reth is reckless, but why would he do something so insanely stupid? Unless... you wonder as you watch him take a long swig of his drink, his nose screwing up at the taste.
"Is this about Tish?"
Now that caught him really off guard. His grip on the glass falters, spilling the liquid down the front of his chef's vest. "How, uh...how did you know about that?"
"You've both told me she was really sick, like almost died sick," you explain, watching as he unbuttoned the vest, revealing a plain black t-shirt beneath. The sight of it makes your cheeks pink, it seems so intimate to see him like this. You wet your lips, painfully aware of how bizarre it was to be talking about his sister while you can’t take your eyes off of the exposed skin, and muscle, of his upper arms. Coughing, you turn your head and focus on a string of wild garlic bulbs on the wall. "I know you're not that stupid. You'd only do something this bad if it was for a really good reason. It is for a good reason, isn't it?"
Reth’s expression shifts, the tension in his shoulders relaxing just a bit as he meets your gaze. “Yeah, it is,” he admits, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What was in the box?" You ask, hands itching to reach over the table and grab. You hold yourself back, you are still just a little mad after all.
"It was a flow powered device," Reth grimaces, looking away from you when he speaks, as though the very idea is going to make you hate him.
You let out a long breath. "And that's all?"
He blinks in surprise, "Yeah, that's all. Not like I just confessed to doing something very illegal. Like calling the Watchers and the Order illegal."
"Yeah, well, who hasn't smuggled a flow device or two in their time," you shrug. You certainly had, but then again there was no actual law stating that you, a human, couldn't. For a Majiri - it was a lot more complicated.
Reth lets out a hearty laugh, the tension in the room lifting. “Who knew you were such a bad girl?” he teases, leaning forward with a playful glint in his eye. He reached out across the table, fingers brushing over the back of your hand.
Your cheeks flush at his comment, and you quickly look away, feigning indignation, "I am not."
“Oh, come on,” he grins, back to his usual self again, clearly enjoying your embarrassment. "You might be my favourite kind of trouble."
You can’t help but chuckle despite yourself, though the heat in your cheeks doesn’t fade. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Yeah, but you love it,” he quips, leaning back in his chair with a confident smirk. You can still feel the ghost touch of his fingertips on your skin.
There’s a moment's silence, and you can see him gauging your reaction. He waits a long moment, staring at you with such intensity that your palms begin to sweat.
“So… are we good?” Reth asks, his expression shifting to something more serious, the lightness of the moment fading. Tonight is the first time you've ever seen him look so vulnerable. You bite your lip, trying to recall the anger you felt - but it had vanished.
"Yeah, we're good," you nod, standing up to take your leave. You stifle a yawn with the back of your hand, it's late. "But next time you want me to commit a crime for you, just be honest about it."
"Oh I'm so relieved," Reth grinned, standing up and abruptly wrapping his arms around you in a hug. With a squeak of alarm, you gently pat his side, your arms half-pinned to your body. You know your face is somewhere close to the shade of Badruu's tomatoes, because when Reth pulls away his face is sheepish. "Sorry, I uh, I didn't mean to make it weird."
"N-no," you stammer, shaking your head as vigorously as humanly possible as you back towards the door. "It's fine. Uh, goodnight!"