Dinner Thoughts

"So, why were you looking up Egypt a little while ago?" Meru asked while she and Zale sat hip to hip on the couch, eating Arby's.

Zale finished off his chili and set the cup down on the coffee table, tentatively grabbing a sandwich next. "I was looking at Egyptian history and lore. Stuff like Anubis and the Eye of Horus," he explained, peeling the wrapper from the sandwich.

"Hmm...I see. Why, though?"

She stuffed her face with roast beef while Zale hesitated. "Just for...The thing we talked about before. That's all," he skirted, hoping she would drop the subject.

Instead, she cocked her head to the side as another inquiry. "You know, what we talked about the other day. At the cafe," he reiterated.

Meru didn't bite. Zale squeezed a fist and avoided her eyes, looking instead at the beige of his walls. "About the sorcerer thing."

"Oh, cool. That's all you had to say. Any luck there? Why Egypt?" she asked before sucking down coke as if the subject was the same as any other.

Zale's shoulders relaxed, and he unballed his fist. The moment passed and took his anxiety with it. He wasn't sure whether to talk about it, but Meru didn't leave much choice. "Well, I've figured some things out, but not much. I'm hoping to find some hints or clues by reading old history. I did some looking into pagan religions like Shinto beliefs, Norse mythos, and Christianity. They all seem to have similarities that diverge from the God of Blessings."

Meru listened, neither judging nor disregarding anything he said. He felt confident as he finally pulled the thoughts from his head. "I'm hoping to find some kind of connection to find an answer."

"An answer to what, exactly?" she proffered.

"There is some kind of fundamental difference between blessings and what's called mana. Because of this, I can't figure out how to go about getting magic. AGH! If I knew this was going to be a problem, I would have read more about magic and less about plants and shit!"

Zale exhaled his temporary frustration. He didn't have the energy to care. He, instead, poked a boney finger at Meru's tummy, a ticklish spot that he was familiar with. "You sure are pushy tonight. You know how much I worried about not upsetting you with all this stuff?"

"Hey, stop that! You're gonna get sauce everywhere," she said, trying to keep the sauce from her sandwich dripping.

"I got worked up the other day, but you know...ahahaa...I always support YOU...hahahaha."

Her words were punctuated with laughter until her stomach hurt, and Zale, too, was winded from fighting against her resistance. "Egypt, huh?" she said, polishing off her portion of the food and reclining further into the couch.

"Traveling is such a luxury when you're a hunter. You raid, to get more crystals, to get stronger, to do more raids, to get more crystals. It never ends. There's never time for all the fun stuff between patrols, raids, paperwork, office work..."

She sighed.

"It's a luxury for everyone but the wealthy. You can't afford to go on trips like that, or you don't have time. You don't have means or reason. It's always something or another. In the end, we're chained to something, and then we die."

The room fell silent. Zale stared at the food he was unable to eat. He suddenly kissed Meru on the cheek. "Sorry," he said, turning over a smile.

Meru returned it with her own dazzling smile. "It's okay. I love you."

She lay down across his lap and held his hands with hers as he toyed with her hair and face. "Let's pray this weekend. I have some offerings to give," she said quietly.