Finding Insight

by Katherine Kim

  “Oof. Custody issues are always fun. Jennifer’s home today if you want her advice. Just don’t forget to tease her about the fish bones and rice in her disposal.” Sebastian grabbed his jacket and laughed with his brother as he headed for the door.

  7

  Sebastian stepped into the tea shop and took a deep breath. It was a ritual for him after so long, and he stepped to the side of the door so he could stand there and close his eyes for a moment. The smells of lemon and grass and earth came wafting to him again, and now there was something sweet and fruity, as well, which he guessed was some sort of tea cake. They didn’t get the delivery of sandwiches really until mid-afternoon, which he’d always thought was odd, but Doc said that if business people wanted a rushed lunch to squabble into their phones over, she’d rather they took their business elsewhere. So the only things she had for lunch were tiny tea sandwiches and cakes and cookies, none of which were available in a great hurry.

  He smiled at the contented chatter of the room, and opened his eyes again to scan around. It was a fairly busy day, it appeared. The promise of a weekend full of perfect weather was luring people outside again, and many of them were apparently stopping in here before heading off to the beach or the mountains. Or even just home to relax in peace, which is what Sebastian himself preferred usually.

  Gabe hustled out from the back room with a tray and Sebastian watched him for a moment as he managed to move through the tables with a grace Seb hadn’t expected from the gangly limbs. He looked much better today, as well: the slightly sallow, tired way his skin had appeared last night was definitely improved and the dark circles under his eyes were smaller and less obvious. Even his eyes were brighter and seemed less shadowed, though he still wasn’t looking at anyone’s face straight on. Whatever Doc and Sarah were doing, it was working already.

  “Hey Sebastian,” Gabe said when he drew near.

  “Hey, Gabe. How’s it going today?” Sebastian stepped back and watched Gabe set a steaming pot of tea and a cup down at the table beside a harried looking young man with a laptop and about seven books scattered around him.

  “Pretty well. I guess it’s been super busy today so Doc’s been in the back brewing and… doing whatever it is she does back there, and Sarah has been behind the counter, so they have had me out here waiting tables. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it’s been okay. Everyone’s been pretty polite which is a nice change from the last time I did something like this.” Gabe flashed a grin at his chin. “And I’ve gotten some pretty decent tips, too. On the whole not bad.”

  “Good to hear. I hope we’re not keeping you away from anything important, though. I can tell Doc sprung this on you kind of last minute.” Sebastian walked with him back to the counter where Sarah was talking to a small group of women. They were all wearing matching purple t-shirts with something written on them in glittery cursive that Sebastian couldn’t make out, and one of them had a ridiculous hot pink plastic tiara and a sash. Sarah was trying her best to keep up with the ladies who were all chattering over each other like a flock of starlings.

  Gabe rolled his eyes and shuffled off to disappear into the back for a few minutes and Sebastian leaned against the counter to the side, waiting for Sarah to be done with the bridal shower. After a few minutes she got all five women wrangled and off to the last empty table, which was far too small for five adults, but until someone else moved, it was the best they were getting. The tired but satisfied smile on Sarah’s face told him all he needed to know. Still, it was only polite to ask.

  “Hey, sweetheart. How’s today going for you? Gabe says it’s been busy?” He leaned over the counter to give her a quick peck and glanced around the room.

  “Yeah.” She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders before turning to start shuffling through the display for the tea cakes the bride-to-be had ordered. “I don’t know what it is but today has been nonstop since we opened this morning. And then someone came in and needed Doc’s special attention and honestly, if Gabe hadn’t been here we’d have been screwed. He’s been an absolute beast with everything we’ve asked him to do.”

  As if on cue, Gabe ducked out from the back carrying a tray with a large pot and five cups.

  “You got the food ready?” he asked. It was impressive that he was still going so strong, if what they’d said was true. Granted, Sebastian knew that the boy had actually slept the night before— he’d checked on the boy several times overnight and seen him sleeping peacefully, drawing deep, even breaths and snuggled into his sleeping bag. A good, solid night of restful sleep can make all the difference in the world sometimes. Still, Seb suspected that Gabe could still stand a few more meals on a much more regular basis.

  “Yeah, here you go. You got all that?” Sarah piled the small floral plates on his tray next to the fancy tea cups.

  “No problem,” Gabe said and proved his point by grabbing the whole tray off the counter and heading over to the ladies.

  “Absolute godsend,” Sarah said. She slumped against the counter for a moment and closed her eyes. “And he’s kind of amazing with kids. There was one little girl this morning, couldn’t have been more than five, just having a complete meltdown and her mom was just at the end of it with an infant in the stroller she was wrestling with. Poor lady was completely at a loss as to what was wrong with her kid and looked like she hadn’t been having any luck at all this morning, and stopped in to try to get the kid a treat to try to calm her down. The girl was not having it and ran smack into Gabe’s legs. Mom thought he was going to be crabby about it, but Gabe just crouched down to look the kid in the eye and asked her to think where was the last place she saw her dolly. Stopped the mom cold when he asked that. Turns out that the kid was practically apoplectic about the doll and the longer she freaked out the less intelligible she got, but when Gabe addressed the problem, she calmed down enough to talk.”

  “Wow. That was a pretty good guess.” Sebastian smiled over the counter at her while she leaned on her elbows.

  “Yeah. The mom just sort of crumpled. She teared up and apologized to her kid over and over and thanked Gabe. He just sort of blushed really hard and shrugged it off. He gave the kid an extra treat and tried to pay for it out of his tips from this morning. It was completely adorable.”

  Sebastian turned to watch Gabe weaving his way through the tables, checking on people as he went.

  “Hey, that potluck we’re having? We should invite him.” Sebastian glanced back at her from watching their mystery kid, and found her studying him.

  “You like him, huh? I can’t blame you, he’s a great guy,” she said. Sebastian ran his hand over his head and shrugged. She was right. There was something about Gabe that made him feel protective. More than he usually did over ordinary humans.

  “Yeah, well.” He wasn’t really sure what to say to explain himself.

  “It’s okay, Seb. I like him, too. And I’m not surprised you want to help him out. He does seem to be in some kind of trouble.” Sarah frowned and seemed about to speak up again when Doc’s voice cut in.

  “There’s something going on with that boy. He’s mixed up in something and I’m worried about his health.” Doc held Sebastian’s gaze for a moment. “I’m going to offer him a part time job here. Hopefully that will help somewhat. Us, too. We’ve been seeing a bit more foot traffic outside, and my last part timer graduated in December and went off to LA to try his luck.”

  “Is that why you were so quick to hire me in when I got here?” Sarah laughed. The front door opened and in letting the harried student out, it let another group in, and Sarah hurried back to the register to take orders.

  “In all seriousness, I’m worried about that boy,” Doc said. She frowned and turned to Sebastian. “He said he slept well last night— no doubt thanks to Sarah’s spell— and he does look a bit better this morning, but I don’t know. There’s something going on there. What can you tell me?”

  Sebastian shook his head and shrugged. “All I can say is that h
e was being hassled by some guy that I guess he knew, at least slightly. Something about that guy raised my hackles. I don’t like that someone like that’s harassing Gabe. If he gets jumped out there at his camp…”

  Gabe’s camp was too close to the Wight Cave for anyone’s comfort. Pretty much anything to do with that damned cave was suspect. They knew it wasn’t the cave’s fault that some power hungry jerk used it to house an army of nightmare monsters, but nobody ever said that emotions were rational.

  “Well, try to keep an eye on him. He’s a good kid and I like him, but he’s got troubles. I’ll do what I can about his health, but there’s only so much a surreptitiously enchanted cup of tea can do for a person, and only so much help those warding runes can provide.” Doc nodded at the door where Sebastian knew her wards were anchored with runes under the paint.

  Sarah came back and started reaching into the pastry display again.

  “We’re back up, Doc,” she said. Doc nodded and headed back to start blending more tea. “Hey, Seb. Go ahead and invite him, or I can. He can bring whatever, or nothing. He’s new so he’s still a guest.” She hurried back down the counter to hand over the paper bags and started pulling out to-go cups. Sebastian’s attention returned to the shop.

  It was humming with the sound of voices, a snatch or two of conversation wafting his way. The bride-to-be hopped up and dashed over to the counter to order something else and beamed at Gabe when he crossed her path to collect the empty tea pot, and then at Sarah when she ordered, then at Sebastian himself when she noticed him. He grinned back and breathed in the cheerful atmosphere that Doc worked hard to encourage in her store. And through the whole front room, Gabe traveled, collecting empty plates and making a pleasant comment or two in response to whatever people were saying to him. Sebastian had been watching him for several minutes before he noticed the odd thing Gabe was doing.

  It was pretty normal for a server to avoid being overly friendly, and Gabe seemed to be practiced in the art of being polite and charming without actually saying or doing anything. He was, however, an absolute master at avoiding human contact of any sort.

  He waited until hands were taken away from tea pots and cups. He warned people that things were hot so they would allow him to place them on the table without interference. He dodged and pivoted like a dancer to prevent accidentally brushing against someone when he walked past them.

  It was astonishing.

  Gabe caught Sebastian watching, and flashed a less professional, more genuine smile at him before glancing up at where a woman at one side of the room waved him down. He gave her his customer-service smile and headed over, and Sebastian felt no shame in focusing his attention their way. What could he say, sometimes having foxlike hearing that he could bring into play was convenient.

  “—so that’s what he said when I texted him. I don’t know, though. It’s the third time he’s cancelled on me in two weeks, and that doesn’t even count when he’s been late. I wonder if it really is this project he’s working on or if it’s something else,” one of the ladies was saying.

  “ I mean, I don’t know, Jess. It doesn’t seem all that terrible to me, honestly.” The other woman was shaking her head and frowning.

  The first woman glanced up at Gabe as he picked up her teapot. She gave him a mechanical smile and picked up her tea cup by the saucer under it and went to hand it to Gabe, who tried to take it as he had everything else, but she hiccuped and her hand jostled the cup which started to slide off the saucer. Gabe grabbed it just a moment before she did, their fingers brushing for a second.

  “Do you really think he’s cheating on me? I haven’t started planning a wedding or naming babies or anything, but I thought we were solid.” She returned to her conversation with just a quick, apologetic smile at Gabe.

  “I doubt it’s as bad as it seems,” Gabe answered instead, and Sebastian thought that his voice sounded odd. “Not all surprises are bad ones.”

  Sebastian turned to look at the group. The women were looking up at Gabe with surprise, but Gabe’s own eyes seemed unfocused, tracking the slow movement of his own hands as they collected the dishes.

  “Oh? What do you mean?” the second lady frowned. Neither seemed particularly offended, which Sebastian was thankful for. He stepped closer.

  “Surprise parties, a sudden promotion at work that he wants to reveal dramatically, some special gift of some sort. Perhaps he’s helping someone else with a secret that isn’t his to tell. You will find out soon, though. This weekend, probably.” Gabe froze and his breath hitched. Then he flashed his customer-service smile at the women who were looking at him wide-eyed and thoughtful.

  “He’s right. Isn’t your anniversary soon?” the second woman asked.

  “Yeah. And his sister has been calling lately, too. Wonder what that’s about?”

  Gabe used the ladies’ distraction to grab his loaded tray and hurry back to the pass through as fast as he could move. His face was white as a sheet which made the dark circles under his eyes stand out like bruises, and there was an edge of panic to his darting gaze. The hair on Sebastian’s neck stood up as Gabe darted past him. There was no question that the kid was terrified, but of what?

  8

  Sebastian followed Gabe and sensed Sarah right behind him, and as soon as Gabe put the tray down on the counter near the sink in the small kitchen, he staggered and started to collapse. Sebastian reached out and wrapped an arm around Gabe’s chest before his chin hit the edge of the sink and supported Gabe’s weight. Gabe, meanwhile had closed his eyes and was gasping for breath. Sebastian glanced at Sarah.

  “Back room,” she said, holding the door open for him to half carry Gabe through.

  There was a stool set up by the work table near where Doc mixed her potions, and Doc herself took one look at the situation and scooted it over so that Gabe could lean on the table’s surface if he needed to. With a nod, Sebastian sat Gabe down on the stool and hunched over on the floor to try to catch Gabe’s eyes when he opened them.

  “Gabe. Gabe, I need you to breathe slower. You’re going to hyperventilate.” Sebastian put his hands on Gabe’s shoulders and shook him lightly to get his attention. “Gabe, look at me.”

  Gabe opened his eyes and tried to aim them at Sebastian. The wildness had mostly left them now, but his chest was still heaving as he tried to drag more air into his lungs and he was paper white. A cup appeared at Gabe’s elbow and his attention wandered vaguely up to see Sarah’s concerned expression.

  “Chamomile. Nothing fancy at all, but I always find it good in a pinch,” she said.

  “Here, have a drink, Gabe. Have a sip of the tea Sarah brought you and breathe. You’re okay. I know you don’t like being touched, but I want to know you’re not going to fall over when I let go. Are you steady?”

  Gabe’s hands came up slowly and clutched around the mug. He didn’t take a sip, but he did inhale the steam and closed his eyes. The color came back into his cheeks as he did, and the stiffness of his posture thawed slightly.

  “Are you okay now? You went pale so fast.” Sebastian was still worried, though Gabe looked a hundred times better than he had when they came back here. Gabe nodded and took a deep breath of the steam. Sebastian released his grip on Gabe’s shoulders and sat back on his heels, peering up at Gabe’s face to make sure he wasn’t going to pitch over again.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. Just got dizzy for a moment. It happens.” He took a long drink from the mug and lowered it to rest on the workbench.

  “Probably just hungry,” Sarah said. She nudged Sebastian’s shoulder and sent him a look. “Tell you what, Gabe. It’s slowed down a bit and it’s lunchtime. Why don’t you and Seb run out and grab something to eat? I’ll take my break when you get back.”

  “Oh! I know just the place to go when you’re feeling run down. Come on, man.” Sebastian took the mug out of Gabe’s hands and urged him out the back door and into the fresh air. The ripple of leaving the warded shop made him uneasy for the first
time in probably years, but he ignored it and focused more on the boy who was slumping along beside him.

  He led the way a few blocks on foot through the sunshine, and every step they took seemed to revive Gabe a bit. He never asked Sebastian where they were going, but the fact that they were staying in public and heading for a busy street seemed to give him a bit more confidence in his stability, even though he kept his eyes on the ground. After a few minutes, Sebastian stopped and pulled a glass door open and the reviving smell of meat and spices rolled out to reach for any chance passerby in the hopes of tempting them inside.

  “Come on, Gabe,” Sebastian waved him though the door and watched him start to look around himself. “Hey man, just us two today!”

  “Hey, Seb,” the man at the register counter smiled and waved them into the restaurant. “I’ll let Ma know that you’ve got another case for her. Give me a minute.” He finished ringing up his customers and then disappeared while Sebastian and Gabe took a seat at a table in the corner.

  “I love this place. Nothing can fix you up like soup, and Dan’s mom makes the best pho I’ve ever tasted. She’ll put you right.”

  “I’ve never had pho before.” Gabe spoke quietly, but his voice was more sure than it was a even a few minutes back. They sat quietly until Dan brought out their drinks. Sebastian took a long sip of his iced tea and eyed Gabe, who was playing with the paper straw wrapper.

  “Is there something wrong, Gabe?” Sebastian finally dared to break the quiet. “If it’s something you need help with, or even just want to talk, I’m happy to listen. If it’s a secret, I promise you I can keep it safe.”

  Gabe huffed a laugh that had no humor in it and shook his head.

  “It’s a nice offer, but I’m okay. I can manage on my own,” he said, glancing around the small restaurant. Kitchen sounds clattered into the room and bounced off the cracked laminate tables. The lunch crowd wasn’t terribly thick at this point, and Sebastian was fairly content that anything they said wouldn’t be overheard so long as they kept their voices at normal levels.