Carnival Souls

What's Good and What's Best

Lira was sitting at a long table with Mitsi and Atlas when Owen entered the kitchen. He seemed to be lost in thought as he bumped into more than one chair on his way over.

"Been inhaling too many paint fumes?" she asked when he was within earshot.

She was in unusually good spirits after helping herself to three plates of the feast Mitsi had prepared for them of no particular theme except everyone's favorite foods: freshly steamed vegetable dumplings, a seafood paella, and her favorite chocolate cheesecake. Lira had told Mitsi she wished her own mother cooked as well as he did. Mitsi had nodded and dropped his gaze, but Lira could tell he was pleased.

Owen sat down heavily and didn't touch anything, staring at the table.

"What's eating you?" asked Lira. They hadn't spoken much since the Fury incident, but Lira wasn't about to bring up that debate again. It was over and done with, and Owen didn't seem any worse for wear after leaving Bebinn's office. Lucky.

Owen shook his head slowly, like he was trying to wake up from a deep sleep. Genzel must have been working him hard.

"Nothing," he said. "Sorry, what's all this?" He seemed to be seeing the various plates of food for the first time and his eyes widened in hunger.

Lira pushed a plate towards him. "Mitsi and Atlas thought we could use a pick-me-up after, well, you know..." she trailed off awkwardly. She wanted to avoid any topics that would bring up memories better left to fade away. This could be a new start, one where they got along as equals, and maybe even friends, in Bebinn's crazy carnival.

"I would've made your favorite, but I didn't know what it was," Mitsi said.

Lira shifted guiltily in her seat, feeling a blush creep up her neck. She hadn't thought to ask Owen even when Atlas had told her what Mitsi was cooking. Her mother would have been horrified at Lira's lack of manners.

Stop, she told herself. Don't think about home.

Owen shook his head again, though this time it was in clear response to the present situation. "No worries. I'm hungry enough to eat a horse, doesn't matter what the food is." Lira smiled at the unintended joke as Owen helped himself to some dumplings. "For the record, it's jambalaya. Or lobster rolls," he continued.

Neither of those things came to mind when Lira thought of favorite foods. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of lobster. "Why those?" she asked.

"My mom is from New Orleans, my father was from Boston. They used to argue about which kind of seafood was better."

"I've always wanted to go to New Orleans," mused Lira. It stung a bit to think about all the places she would like to go if she weren't here, but she pushed the longing feeling away. After all, it wasn't any different than the thought of all the school events and parties she had missed out on because of violin.

"For the music?" asked Owen, popping a dumpling into his mouth.

Lira made a face. "Not everything in my life is about music." She sighed and cut herself another slice of cheesecake. "But yes, that's part of it."

"You'll have to tell me how it is," said Owen. The food seemed to have woken him up for color had returned to his face and he leaned over the table to serve himself some of the paella.

"You've never been?" asked Lira.

"No, but the way my mom talks about it, sometimes I feel like I have." He took a bite of his food and gave Mitsi a thumbs up. "I'd like to go there myself someday, though."