Evening Talk

As dusk approached, Klein sat outside on a bench, observing the passersby on the street. The bustle was waning, and there was a sense of urgency amidst the townspeople.

Klein knew why.

"Disappearances and ghosts..." He recalled what the mercenaries had said. A few townspeople went missing the other night.

After the earthquake, they didn't find many significant changes, other than a few foreign-looking objects appearing on their streets; the tractor being the most prominent, along with the appearance of a house at the edge of the town.

There were also some livestock that seemed similar, but different to what the townspeople were familiar with - some appearing on the streets, some with a broken leg or two.

That, and the damage from the impact of the earthquake, which was currently being dealt with.

Other than that, were were two foreigners who clearly didn't speak Common. They seemed to be farmers, but due to the difficulty in communication, no one could really find out more about them.

The mercenaries had told Klein, that at night, there were many eyewitness accounts of strange shadows passing by.

And then in the morning, just before Klein and his friends arrived at the town, they received news that some people had gone missing.

Naturally, they attributed the strange occurrence to the initial appearance of the foreign farmers.

So they armed themselves, gathered at the tavern, and prepared to investigate the house that appeared on the outskirts.

That was when Klein showed up.

He had advised them to hold off investigating until it turned dark because he had also seen ghosts that disappeared in the daylight.

It remained to be seen whether they would listen.

The street was empty now, and stores were closing early.

The orange light of dusk reflected off of wood, stone, metal, and glass. The warm rays were dispersing away from the incoming shadows.

Klein simply sat.

A dying glow caressed his short amber hair and fair face.

"Something on your mind?" Amelia gently asked from behind and made to sit beside him on the bench.

He turned to her, light catching the twinkle in his eye as he cast [Soul Link].

"No, just wondering about aliens again, don't mind me" He smiled, paused, and then continued, "Could you tell me some?"

Amelia lingered on his child-like expression of excitement and curiosity, then smiled gently, asking "What do you want to know?"

"Well... first of all, why do all of your things explode?" Klein paused, his smile weakening a little, then asked again "What's that thing you gave me this morning?".

Klein carefully opened his pocket and retrieved the mysterious item with the smiling cartoon tiger on it by his fingertips. He was careful not to provoke it in any way.

Amelia's eyes shifted between Klein's cautious smile and the cereal bar, and once again laughed at the absurdity of it all.

"Here, let me show you. This is something to eat" Amelia took the bar, opened it, and rolled the wrapper halfway.

"Here, have a bite," she offered.

Klein took the bar and sniffed it, then cautiously nibbled at a corner.

"Mmm..." He chewed slowly, and his eyes lit up.

"Sweet"

"Right? There's so much more about us you can learn, just as much as we can learn from you"

Klein savored the taste of the bar, biting into it once more.

"So... Why do your things explode?" Klein spoke after swallowing his morsel.

'Polite, and also... like a puppy' Amelia thought, amused. She wanted to humor the young man more.

"Explode? When did our things explode?" She asked.

"Well... first of all your carriages, and then this thing called a gas station..." Klein said.

"Ah... well, that would happen if they catch fire," Amelia said with bewilderment. She had heard the story about the exploding gas station from her husband, but it was still a bizarre tale.

Amelia paused, then said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh-huh," Klein nodded as he took a bigger bite from the bar this time, almost stuffing his whole mouth with it.

Amelia smiled gently, then continued, "How come you're always so happy? Even in this situation?"

Klein's eyes widened, and his chewing continued.

When he finished with an audible gulp, he retorted, "Isn't that obvious? Aren't I more charming when I smile?" He then lingered for a moment, and added, "Also, what's not to love about this situation? There's so much to know and learn, people to meet, things to do..." 

As Klein reached the end of his spiel, his smile faded for the briefest of moments before returning again, "Don't you think so too?" He cast a simple 'spark' spell in less than a second and a small flame hovered over his outstretched palm.

Amelia's gaze focused on the spark, and then asked hesitantly, "Do you think we could learn that, too?"

Klein thought about it, and said, "Maybe? I'm not too sure... But even if you can't, there are plenty of other things I'm sure would fascinate you magicless folk."

Amelia nodded, then focused on the empty street.

A long silence hovered around them.

Well, it would have been silence if Klein wasn't devouring the last bit of the fascinating food item he had come into contact with.

Then, Amelia tentatively asked him, "Do you find it difficult to sleep at night?"

Klein who had finished his snack and was observing the aluminum packaging, paused.

"..." He didn't answer.

"I woke up briefly in the middle of the night and saw you awake. Do wizards not need sleep?"

"Mages sleep" Klein looked at her and smiled, "Unless they're at the eighth or ninth circle, probably"

The slightest hint of bitterness seeped through his smile and his tone at the last remark.

Amelia turned away from him and looked straight ahead at a window of a closed store on the other end of the street.

The silence grew thicker this time, a slight breeze flowing between them.

She then made eye contact with the young man and interrupted the silence.

"If you're having trouble with anything, I might be able to help..." She said carefully, then continued, "I'm a psychiatrist and licensed therapist"

"Psychiatrist... Therapist," Klein muttered, internalizing the concepts, rolling the syllables around in his tongue.

Due to [Soul Link], the precise meanings and intentions of words could be felt through the link, and that was what made communication effective between them.

It was a new, foreign concept. He was learning its meaning as she had spoken.

"Another fun alien thing..." He whispered to himself, then turned to her with a smile, "What did you say your name was?"

"Amelia"

"Hmm... Amelia, I am indeed having trouble sleeping, could you help me?" Klein said with a sincere smile, looking at her with anticipation.