Shopping took much longer than they had expected. Also, since Chiaya didn't want anyone to catch on, she wanted to erase all clues, so they stopped by her place to drop off their bags. This also cost them some time, but luckily they were only about ten minutes late.
Karan examined the tavern they entered—well, Chiaya had told him it was now called a bar. It was usually lit with yellow lights and had red seats.
Most of the tables were full.
While Karan looked around, a woman sitting at one of the tables near the wall caught his attention. She raised her hand to point out where they were sitting.
This woman was the same one they had met on the street. She was smiling.
After lowering her hand, she said something to the others at the table, who looked at Chiaya and Karan with surprised expressions. Chiaya guessed what Buse had said: See? I told you.
While they walked, Karan looked at the other people sitting at the table. The woman with straight brown hair and green eyes must be Lavine. According to Chiaya, Lavine was a physiotherapist. The man sitting next to her, with short red hair and light skin, was Narev. Narev was a programmer.
As for their personalities, Chiaya described them like this:
"Let's say you accidentally shared a photo of your bra in a work group chat and then deleted it immediately.
Narev calculates how many people are in the group and how many might have seen it. Lavine screams and asks what you're going to do and how you'll explain it. Buse offers you a drink and probably says, 'Just drink to forget.'
Now, suppose you got cancer and are dying.
Narev researches the latest treatments and success rates, Lavine cries uncontrollably, and Buse, angry at you for dying, beats you up."
But as far as Karan could tell, Chiaya truly cared about these people and they meant a lot to her.
Buse gently lifted Lavine's chin with her finger, closing her open mouth.
"Hey, everyone!" Chiaya said cheerfully. They had reserved a two-person seat for them.
"Guys, this is Karan, my childhood friend. Karan, you've already met Buse."
Actually, I haven't really met her, Karan thought, I was just dragged away from her when we saw her.
"These are Lavine and Narev."
Chiaya didn't even let the waiter bring the menu and called out, "Two beers, please."
She couldn't risk Karan looking at the menu like it was something strange.
After chatting a bit about everyday things like work and health, Buse turned to Karan and asked,
"So, Karan, how old are you?"
"236, but I'm not really sure," Karan answered.
Oh shit! I forgot! Of course, a man who came from the realm of magical beings would be 236 years old!
Cold sweat was running down Chiaya's back.
Buse laughed, "Not being able to get out of character really shows how good an employee you are."
Phew! The danger was averted. In fact, things got easier, because now if Karan said something strange, she could just say it was a joke from his role-playing in the action figure store.
Chiaya corrected, "We're the same age."
Lavine sighed, "It would be nice to live that long."
"Actually, in fifty years, medicine will advance so much that the average lifespan will be around 120 years. So hang in there, Lavine," Narev said, and just like that, the topic changed.
Karan mostly stayed quiet at the table, giving short answers only when asked a question. Once, when Lavine asked him what he thought about a new popular series called The Wheel of Galaxy, Karan excused himself and went to the restroom.
Good job, pupil... good job... Chiaya thought.
But there was one thing she hadn't thought of.
When Karan went to the bathroom, they would corner her.
Lavine immediately jumped in and asked,
"Have you been hiding a gem all this time?"
"It's not like that, guys. He's not someone I see often and it just happened by chance. It's no big deal," she said, smiling awkwardly.
She quickly tried to change the subject and hoped no one had noticed.
They had been sitting there for an hour and were already, halfway through their second round of drinks. Whatever had happened the other day was happening again.
While chatting, Chiaya lost count of how many drinks she'd had and thought she should slow down. Karan had already finished his second drink and had even ordered a third.
After the waiter left, a brief silence fell over the table, which was broken by Buse's question:
"What kind of child was Chiaya?"
That woman! Whenever someone asked a question that made Chiaya shake like an old washing machine, it was always Buse.
Karan had only been back from the restroom for five minutes, and getting up again would be ridiculous—so he had to answer.
He thought about what he knew about Chiaya.
"She was loud. She ate a lot, but always insisted that others eat as much as she did. She helped people... She was a kind-hearted child," Karan said slowly..
"Oh, and she was a terrible singer," he added.
Friends burst into laughter.
"Amen to that!" Lavine said.
"Seriously, Chiaya, your voice is awful. Haha, I can't imagine little Chiaya singing. The entire elementary school must've had major trauma," Buse added.
"So you were really close with Chiaya, huh?"
Chiaya's face flushed bright red. Still, she looked at Karan and smiled.
The conversation had drifted, and drinks kept arriving at the table one after another. Naturally, Narev's love life became the topic.
Narev had started working in the company's IT department about a year ago and he had a crush on a girl in the same department. He had made some small talk a few times, including work-related topics, but because he didn't have the confidence to ask her out, he never made a move.
He let out a deep sigh and turned to Karan. Under the influence of the alcohol, and with a hint of pleading in his voice, he said, "With this look, it can't be that hard to ask someone out, right, Karan?"
All eyes immediately shifted to Karan. Chiaya, too, was curious to hear what he would say.