'Is this work or is it a date?'

They were sitting on the banks of the river as per Siuan's invitation. She had initiated contact the old-fashioned way where she'd assigned a hungry Lan as her messenger boy. Moiraine had looked detached and cool about the card inside the envelope but she'd felt her stomach lurch. She wasn't sure of what Siuan wanted from her. The woman certainly knew that Moiraine was not interested in the outing she was proposing. That made her curious and Moiraine eventually decided to go.

'Just some recreational fishing.'

'Do you immerse yourself in anything else?'

'Of course. But I like fishing. My work life is frantic, it's good to do something that keeps my focus while slowing me down. It reminds me of time with my father. He taught me everything I know on the subject of fish.'

Moiraine recalled the waitresses' words and waited. She understood that something like this was a bonding ritual between father and daughter and how precious that kind of thing was regarded. She herself had never experienced it. An unfamiliar wave of sadness engulfed her and she had to tune everything out for a minute to close it down, trample it and stuff it away.

'Don't you work in the outdoors?' Siuan was asking. Moiraine blinked.

'I can identify mushrooms and berries and running water but that's about as far as safety measures go. Foraging is not a strength of mine.'

'Nor eating' teased Siuan.

Moiraine did not smile.

'It doesn't interest me. I don't know why people spend so much time cooking. It's just fuel.'

'Because the world is better with good food. It's the only thing that really brings people together. Just because we eat out of necessity doesn't mean we can be slapdash about it.'

'The idea of cooking makes me feel stressed. So many things to balance, something that needs to work but if I do it wrong, it doesn't. Then what is the point if it doesn't work? It's easier to make sandwiches. You can't get that wrong.'

'As in, dip each ripped up ingredient one by one in a condiment and eat it that way?' Teased Siuan. She had observed that Moiraine tore up her food into bite sized pieces, carelessly dipping once in a while. She didn't seem to taste the sauces or care which one she chose. The second meal she had ordered none.

Moiraine ventured a smile, softening the severity of the angles of her face.

'Do you never cook hot food?'

'A pot noodle. Or a jacket potato.'

Siuan looked disapprovingly at her.

'Only if someone makes the potato for me' Moiraine confessed.

'I can see that no matter what I cook for you, you won't taste a thing' Siuan observed. The other woman glanced at her. Was that a hint to keep returning to the Pufferfish? It was a strange way to elicit custom.

'Is that a guarantee?'

'Only if you want it to be.'

They sat in comfortable silence, watching the ripples on the water.