Page 20 of Guardian of Exile
She caught the attention of a nearby woman. “Would you mind taking a picture of us?” When the woman agreed, Nyx handed over her phone and stepped back to the others. She ended up in between Morgen and Evra, both of their arms slung over her shoulders and hers around their waists. Kaden was about one foot away on Morgen’s other side.
“For stars’ sake, Moor, get in here,” Morgen said, before proceeding to put Kaden into what practically amounted to a headlock and dragging him in forcefully enough that Kaden’s side bumped into Nyx’s hand where it rested on Morgen’s waist.
“I don’t think we have to be this close,” Kaden gritted out.
“Are we supposed to be smiling?” Evra asked. “I believe that is the custom with this ritual, yes?”
“Ready?” the kindly stranger-turned-photographer asked.
“Yes,” Nyx answered, then, more quietly, repeated, “Yes. Everybody fucking smile.”
The phone made the camera shutter sound as the woman quickly took half-a-dozen photos. Nyx thought she was done and started to drop her hands, when two more clicks sounded.
“There,” the woman stepped forward, handing the phone back to Nyx. “At least a couple should be good.”
“Thank you.” Nyx took the phone and shoved it into her back pocket, past Evra’s grasping hands.
“I want to see them,” the Amazon demanded.
“You can’t look at pictures right after you take them,” Nyx objected.
“Why not?”
“Because you’ll keep taking more of them trying to get one you look better in, when the point of the picture is the memory, and the unrefined ones are best. You get more truth out of them that way.”
“Hmm. If you say so.”
“I do.” They returned to the ground floor and Nyx stepped out of the elevator first, leading them confidently toward the restaurant. She’d bet it would take less than ten seconds for Morgen to reveal he had no intention of eating there.
Ten. Nine. Eight. Sev—
“Uh, say, little Guardian,” Morgen said casually, coming up on her left side. “About the restaurant.”
“You were totally right about it,” Nyx said, striving for an enthusiastic tone. “I’m so glad you insisted we go out. And you couldn’t have picked a better place.”
“Really?” He looked crestfallen. “You don’t have to say that just for me. You didn’t seem keen on it this morning.”
“I’ve seen the error of my ways. The menu is just so curated. Tasteful, really. Elegant even.”
“I—” He frowned, and then a dawning suspicion crept into his eyes. “Are you…”
“Fucking with you because this was your big master plan to get to the top of the Empire State Building?” Nyx finished for him. “Yep.”
Relief broke across his face. “Oh, good. Tell me, are you familiar with the cuisine of Korea?”
“Are you saying you want to go to a Korean restaurant?”
“I am saying there is a cultural hotspot of the Korean people nearby, and we may want to sample the creations of the many fine chefs in the area.”
“Yes, he is saying he wants Korean food,” Evra said. “What I learned from traveling with him in Dead Earth is that if there is a Korean restaurant in the vicinity, there is no point in trying to get him to eat anywhere else. There is something about the many side dishes and the presentation he finds irresistible.”
Morgen pointed a finger at her. “Don’t pretend you aren’t obsessed with the pairing of fried chicken and beer.”
“Who would not like fried chicken and beer?” Evra demanded.
Nyx shook her head. Who indeed?
