10 Cul-de-sac 2

"There is no one here." Olean said, with a plain, whining tone. She had taken two trips around the massive crypt in the time it took Tristan to walk four sarcophagi.

*Did you look carefully?* Tristan almost snapped and barely managed to stop himself from voicing his own complaint. Olean frowned as if she had heard what he was thinking. Her eyes narrowed to a slit as she looked at him out of its corners. A sudden flare of emerald seeped through her eyelids just for a fleeting moment.

Tristan sighed, "You're right. Thank you … for your help." He was breathing heavily despite not being the one running or doing any of the heavy lifting. Breathing the coarse air inside the crypt was wearing him out.

Someone it seemed had decided to rid of the body. Tristan wished he had at least the chance to help, or do something, seeing as he was the only one that had any kind of relation with the old man at all. He kneeled before the altar and pressed his hands together in his chest and prayed. Prayed to the sun and the sky, to earth and water. For Nowsem's last journey, his soul, salvation, and that next time his life wasn't as lonely as this one.

He heard Olean shift near him, and looked. The girl was following what he did as she too prayed with him. He offered her a silent thanks with a nod and she smiled broadly in return.

His face suddenly started to relaxed and his lips widened into a smile. A peaceful smile, happy at what he'd just seen. A sense of warm gratitude that filled his heart-

-The loud noise that Tristan heard, it took him awhile to realize it was laughter. Something bellowed around him but nothing in sight when he looked around. Olean was up and straightening the crease in her robe. Tristan tried to ignore the sound he had heard a few seconds ago.

The two of them returned from their trip down from the crypt. Tristan wanted to ask anyone who buried Nowsem but then decided against it. Why did it matter now?

After they reached back at the ground floor, Tristan found a surprising at the praying hall. It was the largest chamber in the upper floor of the temple which would have fitted all the villagers even a month ago. He saw Madam Nicola, a grey cloth covered her face with Samiya and Lilatey and few others in the middle working on three large stoves with equally large pans on them. Grey smoke filled the hall but no one seemed bothered by it, he doubted they even noticed as instead they laughed and talked.

Olean had left his side the moment they entered. Bidding him goodbye and giving him an apology at not being able to help. They were strange people, Tristan thought. Especially Olean had no reasons to apologize to anyone. He saw her walk away and whisper something in Ava's ears. They were talking about him and he knew it, he waited for their eyes to turn to him in acknowledgement but they didn't. Instead there was a loud cheer from the folks around them for the girl. He didn't hear what they had said but he could guess.

He headed for Nicola instead. Strips of meat and chunks of cheese laid before her in large plates. He swallowed his quickly filling saliva in his mouth at the sight of them and leaned near the woman.

"Madam, what's going on?"

Nicola watery eyes from the smoke widened as she looked at him and then narrowed in sadness.

"O, Lady Ava has proposed a feast for us, she is providing everything from her own ration." She turned toward the mentioned woman and ducked her head slightly. "Be sure to thank her, okay?" And she got back to her task.

"Hmm."

He answered without care and looked toward the other stoves. The girls were baking bread there and seemed like they were using everything they had. It was going to be a feast then, no matter how pitiful to use the entire stock.

Making sure no one was looking, he briskly towed three strips of dried meat and put in his pocket. Nicola saw him but much to his surprise checked if anyone else did too. Tristan didn't get the reprimand like he had expected instead she offered him a pair of cold loaf from under the bench and winked. He smiled in silent gratitude and left her side.