Kael's POV
The elder Renshi had sent an invitation through the ramen shop's ordering system which was typically not the communication channel anyone had previously used to reach me. It had arrived in Reiss's inbox and had been flagged as a vendor inquiry before he recognised the address and forwarded it without any comment.
The message was brief. 'Come for tea Thursday evening. Akira has guild business. I made something new with the broth. You should try it out'
I read it twice. So then I went.
***
The shop was closed for the evening service by the time I arrived, the last of the day's customers long gone, the chairs up on the tables except for the two counter stools she had left down.
She was behind the counter when I pushed the door open and moved through with the mastering of someone who had done it enough times that her hands knew the order without her brain having to supervise.
