Refugees (Part One)

"Romon, I hope we get another chance to work together." Many ships lay in Far-Sail Town's harbor. On the bow of a large ship about to depart, a beautiful woman spoke softly to a man seeing her off from the shore.

If their expressions had not been so solemn, they would have looked like lovers reluctant to part.

Even so, they drew plenty of attention from passersby. Such a striking pair was rare.

But a stone-faced attendant stood behind the man. Anyone who lingered to watch would catch one glare from him, feel a chill run through them, and hurry on.

"Aivisi, I'd like to work with you again too. Working with you has been a pleasure." On the shore, Romon answered her with words that were half sincere, half teasing.

Aivisi shot him a look. His flippant words made her want to scold him, but when she met his earnest eyes, her anger faded before she knew it.

Once you got to know Romon, he really would say anything. Yet somehow, the person he teased could never stay angry. Was that his particular charm?

"Enough of your sweet talk. I'm grateful you managed to gather three hundred tons of grain for me this time. If another big money-making deal comes along, I'll come to you." As the ship began to pull away, Aivisi added those last words.

The moment she said them, she felt they were inappropriate. But she could not take them back.

"Ha, thank you!" Romon knew she had seen through his teasing, but he was neither flustered nor offended. Smiling, he waved farewell to her as the ship receded.

The large ship sailed away with the rest of the fleet. Just as Aivisi's face was growing indistinct, Romon seemed to remember something. He took a bundle