Or do you have to go looking for it?" "You'll have to ask Aaden.Or do you have to go looking for it?" "You'll have to ask Aaden. He came looking for me." He nodded. Dessert came, and we ate what we could, thanking the Innkeeper for his patience and care, and took ourselves out to the streets. "Well," I said, pulling my jacket around me, "Aaden and I made no plans after this. Where would you two like to go?" "Actually," Aaden said, "I do have a suggestion. I'd like to visit my old home." "Up in the hills?" Sufi asked. Aaden nodded. "I've never seen it." "Neither have I," Jahn replied. "Although Ken told me about it once. Said it was a nice place." Aaden looked at me; I pretended not to notice his stare, gazing about at the archaic construction of Rhysh village. "Sure," he said, his voice laughing. "Let's go see the old place." We hiked through town, an unlikely troupe of mels, heading for the outskirts and up a winding, gravelled path to Aaden's home, crossing a small wooden bridge before coming to it. His old house was a tall 'A'-frame construction home set into the hillside, and impressive wooden structure with wooden shingles on the roof and earnest glass in the windows. The weeds had grown in a few places, making the place look all the more abandoned, even though it had been but a century since Aaden had last been here. |