Chapter 6
Thano and Tuur followed Eli to the bank, made the transaction for the things they'd bought, and then waited while Eli deposited the day's money and did whatever it was you needed to do when you ran a business.
Tuur was cradling five onions while holding his metal skimmer like a weapon ready to smack anyone who came close.
Thano wasn't sure what he'd use the skimmer for since he didn't think Tuur cooked, but maybe he was wrong.
He'd never been in his den, so he didn't know if he had a kitchen or not. Some breed did, others did not.
Most of them had wood-burning stoves since they hadn't been connected to the grid for the last thirty years. It wasn't until Romeo arrived last year that their electricity had come back on again.
Thano had a kitchen. Or it was more like a kitchenette since it was part of his main room. He had the main room on the bottom floor, and his bedroom on the upper floor. It was perfect for him.
Eli walked toward them, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the rings he'd taken from the basket.
Thano was curious about what he was going to do with them.
He had put aside a handful of the Jerusalem artichokes underneath the counter, saying he'd take them tomorrow since he didn't have time to plant them today anyway and didn't want to carry them to the bank.
"I'm ready." He looked nervous, and Thano glanced at Tuur to see if he looked scary. He looked broody, but he most often did...and was.
"Let's go then." Thano exited the bank, but not before noting how everyone working there was staring at them. He turned around, and every single one got busy moving things around or inspecting something on the wall. Humans.
The evening breeze greeted them outside and although the sun hung low in the sky, it would be a couple of hours before it set. He turned toward the square only to see Eli hesitate.
"We're parked on the square."
"Can I...leave these at home before we go?" He held up the metal rings.
"Sure." It made sense not to want to carry them around. Though why hadn't he left them in the shop with the knobbly tubers?
"Maybe you should wait here. I'll be back in a minute."
Thano frowned. "Why?"
Eli looked around. "People will talk if they see you with me."
He didn't care what the people in Last Hope talked about. "There is no one around other than Byrd." Thano gestured at the crow on the nearest lamppost and got a caw in response. It most likely meant there were more crows around. They didn't fly into Last Hope on their own.
Eli tilted his head to look at Byrd, then he raised his hand in an awkward wave.
They walked in silence until they reached Eli's house. "Do you want to come inside?" Eli looked between them. Thano was about to tell him to run in and leave the rings when Tuur stepped onto the short walkway leading up to the stairs.
Hurrying forward, the keys in Eli's hand jingled. There was a small tremor as he unlocked the door and gestured for Tuur and Thano to enter.
"I...eh..." Eli scurried across the living room or whatever humans called it and through an open door in the small corridor beyond it.
Tuur slipped into Eli's kitchen and stared at the jug on the counter with all the utensils. "He has a skimmer." He pointed at one similar to the one he clutched in his hand.
"Yes. I think it's a tool many humans have."
Eli walked into the kitchen with a thicker sweater on and without the rings. "Let me get you something to carry your things in." His voice was a little shaky, not at all how he talked to the customers in his shop.
He opened a floor-to-ceiling cupboard, and Tuur instantly stepped closer, looking inside over Eli's shoulder.
"Cleaning closet." Eli gave him a wary glance. "I keep bags here." He pulled out one of two drawers at the bottom of the closet and inside were folded fabric bags in different patterns. He picked one and held it out to Thano.
He accepted it and put in the tubers and the strawberry slicer. "Do you have strawberries?" Thano didn't think Romeo grew strawberries.
"No, they're not ripe yet."
"But you have strawberry bushes?"
"Plants. They don't grow on bushes."
Oh, maybe Thano confused them with the other red berries. "I was thinking about the others. You have plants?"
"The others?" Eli looked confused.
"Currants." Were they called currants? Romeo had several bushes already, so he didn't need those.
Eli nodded. "I only have a few strawberry plants. I can't spare the space. My growing area is small since I have the chickens and the rabbits." He gestured to the side of the garden where he kept the crates. "I prioritized protein, keeps you full longer than greens."
"Right. Does Romeo's chicken come from here?"
"No. I get the live ones from Fisherman's Lake. Joshua will bring some tomorrow. It's not something I have all the time."
"You don't sell the animals you have here?"
Eli squirmed, and it almost made Thano grin. It reminded him of Humbert.
"I'm not a farmer. I'm not allowed to sell them."
It wasn't the same as not selling them. Thano kept looking at him. Eli's gaze jumped around the room for a moment before landing on Thano again. "Sometimes I sell them, but off the books. Only to people I trust. I can't get caught."
Thano smiled, and Eli's eyes widened. It made him smile wider. Eli was an interesting human. "I won't tell." Thano all but purred the words.
"Let's...eh..." Eli gestured toward the front door, but Tuur grabbed the jug with utensils and held it up to Eli.
"What do they do?"
"All of them?" Eli looked a little dazed as if Thano had messed with his memories. He hadn't.
"Yes. What does this do?" Tuur held up a whisk.
"It's a whisk. You use it to whisk things." Eli glanced at Thano again, and he shrugged in reply. He believed the bears were familiar with basic kitchen tools, but maybe not. Tuur most likely hadn't been in contact with many humans.
Thano waited while Eli went through every single thing in the jug, then they finally could leave.
* * * *
Eli had no idea what he'd gotten himself into. He was in a car heading off the paved road, and the sun was setting more quickly than he was comfortable with. It was still daylight, but only for another hour or so.
"That is Romeo and Ciar's home." Thano gestured at the cabin-like house coming into view ahead. There was a sign declaring they'd reached The Moonlight Ranch. There were six smaller cabins, but they looked uninhabitable. Shattered windows and missing doors.
The car came to a stop, and Romeo stepped out of the front door. His eyes widened when Eli exited the car. "Eli?"
"Hi. Sorry to turn up unannounced."
Romeo waved his hand, but Eli noted a small crease between Thano's eyebrows.
"Nonsense. Come on in." He gestured for Eli to follow, and he did since he didn't know where he was supposed to go. If he was here to see Romeo's house or Thano's--if Thano had a house. He gave the cabins another quick once-over. No, no one could live there.
They all headed in through the front door, and Eli couldn't help but gape as he looked around.
There were paintings on the wall. Only two, but he'd never seen a painting in real life.
Without thinking he went up to the closest one, which was of a lake surrounded by forest, and on the shoreline, a deer was drinking from the water. He couldn't breathe. It was amazing.
"Don't ask me where it's from. It was here when I moved in."
"It's amazing."
Romeo smiled. "Come on. Would you like a cup of tea?"
Eli sought Thano's gaze, still unsure if the plan was to visit Romeo or not. Thano gave him a small head-dip which he took to mean it was Romeo they were visiting.
"Sounds lovely."
Romeo ushered him toward the kitchen. "Sit."
Eli did, but Thano and Tuur remained standing.
"What made you come all the way out here?
" Moving past him, Romeo grabbed a pot from a cupboard and poured water into it before placing it on the stove.
Eli noted how Tuur watched his every move.
Maybe he was as interested in pots as he'd been in kitchen utensils. He was still clutching his skimmer.
"I have no idea." He gave Romeo a wide-eyed look and shrugged. It was met by a huge grin.
"Did Thano or Tuur lure you here?"
"Thano." Eli looked at him, and the blank expression was back in place. Romeo focused on Thano too.
"Did you only want to show him the ranch or is there a meaning to the visit?"
Thano turned his dark eyes onto Romeo, and Eli almost shivered at the intensity in them. "I wanted Eli to have a look at the non-fiction box if that's okay?"
Romeo glanced at Eli then at Thano. "Why?"
"It's a surprise. I'm working with the crows on something, and I asked Eli for help, but...there is some information missing."
Romeo looked ready to burst into laughter. "You're working with the crows?"
"I'm helping them."
"And it's a surprise?" There was a chuckle clinging to Romeo's words. It made Eli relax. If Romeo could laugh, then there most likely wasn't about to be a blood bath in his kitchen.
"Yes. Can we look in the box? I can trade--"
Romeo waved a hand. "Of course you can look in the box." Then he focused on Eli. "But tell no one."
Eli had no idea what was going on, but he promised not to tell a soul.
Thano reached into the bag, took out the Jerusalem artichokes, and put them on the kitchen table while Romeo grabbed mugs from one of the cupboards.
"What are those?" Romeo stared at the tubers.
"I got them for you from Eli's shop. For story night."
Romeo breathed loudly. "How many times have I told you, you don't need to trade for story night."
Tuur placed his five onions on the table. "For story night."
Romeo stared at him. "Onions for story night."
"For your garden. Eli said if you plant them, they'll flower, and you'll have seeds for next year."
Romeo turned wide eyes at Eli. "Really?"
He nodded. "Onions grow over two years. In the first year, they grow the bulb, the second, they produce the flower. So if you plant them now, they'll most likely flower this summer."