Da'an vaguely glanced at the snow-covered wooden signboard which read Imperial Oak before her Protector guided her past the door.
Despite the cold outside, the restaurant was warm, cosy and welcoming, quite as Liam had promised. Somewhere in the back fire was roaring and Christmas candles were lit on immaculately presented tables. The walls, freshly redecorated with a beige wallpaper, were occasionally adorned with woodland-themed landscapes and sconces.
'Have a seat,' Liam took Da'an's coat and hung it on an old-fashioned stand before joining her at the table. 'Orange juice, espresso and the menu, Kathrin,' he turned to the middle-aged waitress, who nodded with a smile and soon disappeared behind the back door.
'Do you come here often?' Da'an inquired as she took notice of the fact that her Protector knew the waitress' name.
'Quite often. I can't really cook,' Liam confessed, 'and I have no relatives to invite me for dinner either, so…' he finished his statement with a hopeless gesture.
'I understand,' the Companion answered quietly. 'I have learnt that for humans Christmas is an occasion to rejoice within the family circle. Being a communal entity, and knowing that the Kimera were as well, I believe you most likely find your… seclusion… disturbing.'
Liam looked to the side. To tell the truth, he had never thought about it before. He had never had the time to ponder on it, or perhaps never allowed himself the time for such considerations. But Da'an was right. In many ways, he was alone.
'You, of all people, should know how busy I am,' he said.
'It was my belief you did not encounter any problems creating bonds with other human beings, yet in the place you relate to as…' Da'an paused, trying to recall the name, 'fashion store… you confessed you were socially finished. I must admit I do not understand the nuances of this phrase.'
Liam smiled. 'This has nothing to do with forming bonds, Da'an.'
The Companion looked visibly bothered by the fact that despite her Protector's clarifications she still could not grasp the concept.
'Okay,' the man sighed. 'I'll try to picture this for you. Imagine… Imagine that the Synod Leader unexpectedly enters the Embassy…'
Da'an's eyes narrowed. What had Zo'or to do with this?
'And… he sees you…' Liam did his best to guess what could possibly result in the social death of a Taelon, but nonetheless his imagination brought before his eyes the very situation he himself found nightmarish. 'And he sees you… kissing… Ronald Sandoval.' Liam's lips parted when he realized that he had just dug a pit for himself, and with horror found that Da'an was solemnly pondering the example.
'No, don't even… imagine this,' he said quickly, hoping he could still take it all back.
'Why would kissing Agent Sandoval result in my death?' Da'an asked without even blinking.
'Social death,' her Protector corrected. 'Zo'or would have you… I don't know…,' he waved his hand, 'removed from your post as the North American Companion?'
Da'an still could not comprehend. 'He would have Agent Sandoval executed.'
Liam winced. 'That's a bad example, Da'an. Can we just… forget about it?' Please!
At this point the Universe suddenly decided to show him mercy. Kathrin brought the espresso, the juice and the menu to their table and as if some magician had just waved his magic wand, Da'an instantly abandoned the conversation. To Liam's amusement, her attention was captivated by the contents of the tall glass decorated with a lemon slice. Failing to conceal her increasing fascination, she gently poked the lemon with the tip of her finger.
'Lemons are awfully sour, you'd better drink the juice,' Liam could not help a smile.
Da'an glanced briefly at him, then turned her entire attention back to her nourishment. However, the moment she tried to lift it, her trembling hand did not escape her Protector's notice. Without thinking much, he moved his chair closer to hers and slowly lifted the glass, giving her time to take a sip without spilling the content. She looked at him inquiringly.
'What?' he asked, somewhat bothered by the way she was staring at him. To his growing discomfort, no answer came, which made him realize that she still had not swallowed the juice. 'You need to swallow it now,' he instructed, but the look of panic on the diplomat's face was an answer in itself. Having realized that Taelons simply absorbed energy through their pathways, Liam felt his heartbeat quicken at the very possibility that Da'an might simply choke. 'Come on,' he insisted. 'It's not difficult, it's just like… taking in a gulp of air.'
The Companion did not seem convinced, but since no other solution came into view, she did what she was told – and all the juice she intended to swallow ended up… on her Protector's face.
'Bullseye,' Liam commented wryly.
Da'an quickly covered her mouth with an expression of utter horror. Her Protector, on the other hand, had obviously decided that only a professional approach to this most awkward assignment could keep him sane, and did not lose his composure. Having taken a deep, calming breath, he reached for a napkin. 'It could have been worse,' he assured her, smiling.
'I believe it would be wise… to abandon this endeavour…' the diplomat said, visibly dejected.
'You need to drink and eat,' Liam countered, 'so we won't be leaving until you do.'
Da'an seemed to be hesitating, but eventually lifted the glass again with her Protector's help.
'You'd better get going' the young hybrid said encouragingly. 'We still need to pick our dinner.' Proud that his persuasion worked, he watched Da'an tentatively take a small sip… and…
…swallow.
'Cookie for you,' he sighed in relief and turned his attention to the menu. 'Let's bring this to the next level and pick a meal…'
'I am perfectly capable of choosing my own nourishment, Liam,' the diplomat stated and – to his Protector's dismay – reached for the menu as well.
'Are you sure? I mean…' having realized the uneasy situation he had found himself in, the man ran a hand through his hair. 'I'm sure you can deal with many kinds of… stuff… in the Taelon world, but this…'
Da'an tilted her head, eyeing him with narrowed eyes.
'Forget I said anything,' he said resignedly, seeing that the waitress was already heading to their table.
'Can I take your order?' she chirped, smiling sweetly at Liam.
'Certainly. Steak, cucumber salad and potato wedges,' he said, eyeing Da'an with growing curiosity.
Kathrin quickly noted the order on her pad. 'And you, sweetheart?'
The young hybrid felt his throat clench at the very thought of Da'an choking on a fishbone or something equally tricky for a beginner.
Soup. God, please, let it be a soup.
'Chilli Surprise,' Da'an read aloud directly from the menu, oblivious to the fact that her Protector had just buried his face in his hands.
'That's a hot girl you've got there, Liam,' the waitress strove for a humorous comment before heading to the kitchen.
Da'an blinked. 'I did not understand that reference,' she admitted with disarming sincerity.
Liam could almost feel the black storm clouds gathering over his head. 'Do you even know what chilli is?'
Da'an was already preparing a diplomatic answer to that when a new guest, who had just entered the restaurant, captivated her attention. Liam raised an eyebrow. One of the Santas doing their Christmas job in local stores had just popped in for dinner in his red costume. Noticing a little boy who was savouring French fries with his parents at a table in the corner, he clearly decided to offer the child a little Christmas gift and play his part despite having finished his shift that day. He rang his bell and with a well-known ho-ho-ho drew the boy's attention. Da'an's eyes widened.
'Don't bother,' Liam grinned at her. 'Only good children get presents.'
The ice-cold glare which he received in response chilled him to the bone, but still he could not help a chuckle.
'Who's been a good boy this year?' the man in a Santa costume turned to the family in the corner and the woman who was in all likelihood the boy's mother answered with a smile that it was little Jimmy. Little Jimmy's big round eyes could successfully rival Da'an's, Liam noted with a grin, but the poor child was too shocked to say a word.
'Do you know who I am, Jimmy?' Santa continued, but this time – to Liam's utter despair – it was the Companion who rose from her chair and answered:
'I know who you are.'
'Da'an, don't!' he whispered urgently, trying to get hold of her arm, but it was too late – the diplomat had already taken a step forward toward the visitor with every intention to join the conversation.
'You are an imposter,' she announced with full conviction, and Liam slumped in his chair too embarrassed to do more. 'You are wearing a costume designed by an American carbonated drink manufacturer and pretend you are a Christian saint who died in the fourth century.'
There, she did it again, the hybrid wailed inwardly.
The little boy, on the other hand, burst out laughing. 'You're silly!' he turned to Da'an, who clearly had no diplomatic answer to that.
Fully intending to leverage the opportunity, Liam sprinted in the diplomat's direction and pulled her by the arm. 'Excuse us, she's had too much to drink,' he explained, trying to avoid Santa's infuriated gaze, and quickly led her back to their table.
Da'an looked at him questioningly. 'I merely drank half a glass of orange juice,' she pointed out, completely failing to understand what he meant by saying she had had too much to drink.
Liam ran a hand across his face. This was the worst day of his life, and most likely the end his career as well. He felt that by the end of the assignment he would either assail the diplomat with a volley of epithets or end up on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Having noticed that Kathrin was about to bring the ordered meals, however, he resigned himself to a deep, calming breath. For now.
'One Chilli Surprise,' the waitress carefully placed a chilli-stuffed beef casserole next to Da'an, 'and here's your steak, Liam. Bon appétit!'
'Thank you, Kathrin,' he answered, feeling his heart beginning to ram against his chest at the very sight of little chilli peppers sticking out from Da'an's casserole. 'Are you absolutely sure you want to eat this?' he asked once the waitress had gone.
One look was enough to confirm that the diplomat was adamant. What else could be expected? Misery loved company.
'Do you know how to use a knife and a fork?'
Da'an shook her head.
'In that case I'll portion it for you.' This said, Liam cut the smallest possible portion of the casserole and handed it over to the diplomat.
She carefully took the fork and analysed the content available on its top.
'Same rules apply,' the man said. 'Don't die.'
Da'an sent him another ice-cold glare before she took the portion into her mouth and – to her Protector's despair – almost instantly began to choke.
'For God's sake, you need to chew the food before you swallow!' he urged before giving her a sharp blow between her shoulder blades. That seemed to help, although her tear-rimmed eyes clearly indicated that being a human did not turn out to be as easy as she had initially assumed. Very slowly at first, she began to chew. Liam felt a painful knot forming in his stomach and the please don't die mantra he kept inwardly repeating was not particularly helpful. What had tempted him to agree to take part in this, he could not tell, but ended up sincerely regretting it. Especially when Da'an's face became unnaturally flushed and her eyes glazed over. She dropped the fork and helplessly grabbed her own throat in what looked like growing panic.
'That's the part where chilli comes in,' Liam commented with a sigh.
Before he could offer her water, however, she jumped to her feet and stormed out of the restaurant.
'Hey, wait!' in an instant he sprinted after her.
In the cold, winter night, he found her kneeling on the pavement with her mouth filled with snow. 'You okay now?' he touched her arm, worried. Knowing that her pride would not let her answer anyway, he simply helped her get back to her feet. 'Next time I'm the one choosing your nourishment,' he said, mustering a small, reassuring smile, which he hoped would bring her some comfort. 'For now you can have my meal while I'll be dealing with that Chilli Surprise of yours,' he offered.
The diplomat looked at him pleadingly. 'I am… fatigued,' she said, her voice slurring slightly.
Liam bit his lip. He couldn't really bring her back to the Embassy, so the only other option left was the one he knew he would sooner or later regret.
'Tonight we will rest at my place,' he decided. 'Tomorrow you'll return to your true form.'
Da'an did not object.
