Surprise Date

The next day Macha's mood improved. She did not feel so sluggish and upset. She grabbed a scone from the kitchen and went across the hall into Tyr's office. When she opened the door Tyr looked at her with concern.

"You should be resting," he said in a serious voice and got up from his desk to make his way towards her.

She waved her hands in front of her and reassured him, "I feel better. Don't worry I can work." She did not want him to worry about her. Mathis had healed her up, and her mood was much better today. All she wanted to do was move on and not focus on the fight.

Tyr hesitated when he got to her, his handsome face had a troubled look on it. He could tell that she wanted to work, but he still wanted her to rest. "Why don't you wait for me in the apartment? I can finish up by lunch, then you can accompany me on some errands."

Macha fiddled with the scone in her hand. She was unsure what she would do in the apartment but did not want to press the matter. She thought a half day of work would be reasonable. "All right, but I really do feel fine. Let me know if you need help with anything." She turned around and made her way back to the apartment.

As Macha passed the stairs she ran into Krystof, who was coming up to meet with Tyr. "Macha!" Krystof waved with a broad smile. This was the first time he had seen her since they found her and she made his heart skip a beat. He appreciated how exotic she looked and thought she cleaned up well.

"Krystof! Nice to meet you again. How have you been?" Macha asked, delighted to see one of her first acquaintances from this new world.

"You can talk? When did ya learn?" Krystof asked when he heard her speak. She spoke with an accent and her words came out a bit soft. It added to how cute she looked because of her height.

"Luna had me tutored as soon as I got here. Since then I have been practicing with Tyr," she explained. "I haven't seen you for a long time. Thank you for feeding me when we first met."

"Oh, no problem. I see you have a scone in your hand. Did ya eat breakfast?" Krystof hoped that this was an opportunity for him to take her out on a date.

Macha looked down at the scone. "No, not yet. I was just headed back to the room. Tyr is busy until lunch."

"Come, I'll treat ya. I know a nice place to eat breakfast around here." Krystof took the scone from Macha's hand and placed it on the banister. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led her down the stairs.

****

Tyr finished his work a couple hours early since Krystof didn't show up. His friend was supposed to come in so they could make preparations for their next expedition. Sometimes Krystof could be whimsical, so he was not upset at being stood up.

He locked the door to his office and strode towards the apartment. As he made his way down the hall, he thought about what errands he could do while he and Macha were strolling about town. On the way, he noticed a scone, which looked like the same one she held in her hands earlier.

Tyr picked it up and turned it over in his hand. He opened the door to the apartment. "Macha, I finished early. Let's get lunch while we're out," he called and threw the scone in the trash. There was no reply.

He made his way to her room. The door hung wide open, and no one was inside. "Macha?" he called towards the rest of the apartment. He heard no response. Tyr was unsure if he should worry. The scone on the banister was probably hers, but she wouldn't leave it there he analyzed. He sat on the couch and wondered if she was kidnapped. The door opened slowly.

Krystof opened the door and had one of his charming smiles on while looking down. He dressed in a green jacket that had the sleeves rolled up, a white-collared shirt with ruffles in the front, white breeches, and brown suede boots.

Tyr had seen that smile over the years whenever he had to be Krystof's wingman. Macha entered with a bright smile on her face. She giggled while looking at Krystof. Her cheeks blushed a bit. Krystof must have just said one of his many anecdotes Tyr thought.

He unknowingly gave an icy glare that felt like arrows flying into Krystof's chest. Krystof's sultry smile faded and he looked at his friend, confused why Tyr would be so mad. Tyr knew he didn't always show up for their appointments and never held it against him.

Macha saw that Tyr sat in the room on the couch and smiled. "You finished early? Perfect! Krystof took me out for breakfast. Let me touch up my makeup and we can go." She did not sense the subtle cues that were exchanged between the two friends.

He watched Macha enter her room. "You didn't show up for the appointment," Tyr said matter-of-factly when she walked out of earshot. He crossed a leg over his knee.

"Yeeeaaaahhh...." Krystof said perplexed. He ruffled his blond hair and eyed his friend cautiously. Tyr seemed angry and Krystof was unsure why.

"Where did you take her?" Tyr demanded as he raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms and slightly cocked his head back.

At that moment Krystof realized he messed up. No one informed him that Tyr had any affection for Macha. It felt like he was set up. Tyr did not want her initially when they voted to keep her or not.

If Krystof had known that his friend liked her, he would have let her eat her scone and he would have met with Tyr. "I took her to Le Rayon De Miel for breakfast. It really wasn't anything. Ya know me, I'm friendly and wanted to catch up with her," Krystof sputtered. He swallowed, his throat box bounced up and down.

There was a long silence. Down the hall, they could hear Macha moving about. "Mmm," Tyr grunted, "Don't keep me waiting next time. It's fine this time since I have some errands to run."

Krystof gave a small sigh of relief. He thought Tyr still loved Fenrir. He loved women but never went after the women his friends liked, so he hoped he was not too charming today. "I'll head out. Why don't I stop by tomorrow morning for that meeting?"

"All right. Take care," Tyr said and saw Krystof out.

****

Macha's temples had a light sheen on them. The weather grew hot, and the sun beat down on them as they walked about town. She wished she could eat some shaved ice right now. "Tyr, do you have flavored ice in this world?"

Tyr looked down and saw that Macha's face was pink and she was getting burnt from the sun. He pondered the question, "Flavored ice? No. Why would you flavor ice?" He made his way to a tree across the street.

"I'll make us a treat when we get back. It's something we used to have back home, but I need to pick up a few things before we leave the market." Macha fanned her pink halter dress a bit. The fabric was beginning to cling to her body because of the heat. She regretted wearing the detachable bell-shaped arm sleeves that matched the dress. She hated the sticky feeling of the fabric clinging to her skin.

Tyr moved Macha into the shade of a small tree. "Wait here," he instructed and left her.