Tai isn’t allowed to rest for long (not that he appears to really needed much judging by the beating he tried to give Zhen), because he gets to watch me the next day.


    He’s set up in a large office that looks like it was set up for several clerks to work in together. There are several desks in the center of the room with filling cabinets lining the walls. He’s dressed in his usual skin tight pants with a matching silk shirt open to show just a bit too much chest.


    Tai is situated at the largest desk, surrounded by stacks of paper. I was given a desk next to his.


    I watch Tai as he works and I’m sure he’s watching me back. This office certainly runs differently than any I’ve ever worked in. I’m old enough to have hands on experience with paper files, but this system is older than old school.


    Tai has to make ink from scratch and instead of staples I think one of the lesser clerks literally sews the pages together. Every part of this process seems to move at tortoise speeds, despite the flurry of hands involved.


    I try to stay out of the way and focus on reviewing my flash cards.


    He does join me for lunch. We have food that Luan certainly approved of: soup, rice, and lots of veggies. Though Tai doesn’t say much, it’s not the comfortable silence of Jun or the outright avoidance by Ming. Tai watches me closely and makes almost too much eye contact since I removed the veil to eat.


    In the middle of my bowl of soup, I cave and try to start a conversation. “How was your trip?”


    He blinks. “Good.”


    I try again. “I’m not in your way over at my desk, am I?”


    He gives me a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “No.”


    He’s certainly a thrilling conversationalist. I finish my soup and start on the main course while wracking my brain for another conversation topic. But third times a charm, right? “Where are you from?”Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    “The Silver Gate Sect.” Four words is progress, right? Probably enough progress for today.


    But then he surprises me and says, “You?”


    I manage to not choke on my rice; however, I take my time chewing while I think out my answer. I decide to answer with where my body is from. “A small farming village, about two days travel from here for a mortal.”


    He nods. “Which?”


    “Fairwick.”


    I get another nod. He looks expectantly at me as if he wants me to continue. But I have no idea what he wants to hear. If he really wants to know, he’s clearly capable of asking.


    We finish eating shortly after. He waits to summon the servants to clear the dishes until after I put my veil back on, which I’m grateful for. My face still has a few too many colors, but I’m looking a lot better. However, I’m still concerned that someone on the staff will recognize me. So I don’t think I’m going to stop wearing it.


    Shortly after lunch, Luan appears. Instead of starting with my treatment, he goes straight to Tai’s desk and leaves his own pile of paper. They immediately start a conversation in hushed tones. I don’t try to make it out, but they keep gesturing between me and the paper so I have a hunch it’s about me.


    When Luan finally makes it over to my desk to do his check up on me, Tai comes with. Off comes my veil, and Luan says, “Let’s start at the top. You remember her head wounds when Jun brought her?”


    Tai nods and crosses his arms.


    “With only the slightest pain cream and three stitches by her hairline here,” he gestures around my temple, “she has already this much.” Tai leans in close.


    Then Luan takes out one of his scanning stones and starts to detail my organ recovery. Apparently, my chest cavity was practically an Ellen smoothie. Somehow, my organs have unruptured and put themselves back in order.


    “She was able to drink soup almost immediately and eat just a few days later. Now she’s somehow digesting whatever Zhen’s been feeding her.” Tai raises an eyebrow at that.


    I let this lecture continue for a bit too long, before I interrupt. “She can hear you, you know?”


    Luan freezes for a moment, before says, “I’m sorry Lady Ellen. Tai was just curious about your recovery.”


    I look at Tai and say, “Luan still hasn’t figured that out yet. But he’s been very thorough in measuring anything that could possibly explain it. Mostly, he’s found reasons I should have died, but that hasn’t been helpful in explain how I’m alive.”


    I turn back to Luan, “And you, I’ll forgive you if you bring me another three books you think I can actually read.”


    Tai smiles at my demand and Luan agrees before resuming his lecture. This time remembering to talk to me. Jun comes to collect me for tea at the tail end of the lecture.


    So Luan has to basically repeat the whole lecture for Jun. And then I finally get to leave for tea.