Page 44 of I Dated a Retired Hero

“You fly among the stars, but you butcher your own meat?”

“My grandparents lived this way and their grandparents. The land changes, but the way we use it remains the same, so we are the ones who must adapt. What I am has nothing to do with how I choose to live, but it does alter how I think about the world around me.”

He nodded. “I see. You were genuinely concerned about the land around the capsule.”

“Yes. Don’t be offended, but I knew it was the energy of an active, but I thought you were already dead. That’s why I screamed when you grabbed the burned edge of the cut I made.”

He handed her the last packet. “I apologize for startling you, but I thought I was dreaming again.”

She put the packet in and closed the door. They moved on and did the same with the fresh produce.

“I thought you would grow your own?”

“Wrong season, and I don’t have a greenhouse yet. I keep meaning to get one, but the timing never lines up.” She sighed. “I don’t have carpentry skills.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

She finished organizing all the fresh stuff, grabbed the dairy products, and hauled them to the kitchen.

“So, what are you making?”

“Tomorrow is going to be a cooking and baking prep day. I am going to try and make three varieties of dumplings, some pastry, and then marinades and rubs for the meat. Klauz is coming, and he’s fussy. I can’t believe he’s taking a day off for this.”

“Fussy, how?”

“He owns and runs the most popular and exclusive restaurant in the city.”

“Oh, I see.”

“He will be very polite, but his consortium is used to the best and exactly what they need. Thankfully, for Drin, it is usually donuts. She is a metabolic active, and her weight fluctuates daily.”

“Ah, she was the elf we spoke to.”

“Yeah, the one that drooled on your boots.”

He winced. “Yes, that was unfortunate.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, ladies want to climb you like a tree. I get it.”

“Will you fight for my honour?”

“No.” He looked surprised. “I won’t fight for your honour. I get enough hostility at large without courting more.”

He tilted his head. “You are a target?”

“Yes, since I was a dancer. Have you heard of a whisper active?”

Sergei nodded. “I have. One sentence spoken by them reverberates with truth and burrows into... that was done to you.”

“Another dancer. She spread the idea that I was dangerous, uncontained, and radioactive. This is twenty years later, and finally, folks are willing to listen to me.”

She put the last pack of sour cream in the fridge.

“Couldn’t you confront the whisperer?”

“I could, but I have been in a bad frame of mind and might torch her on the spot. She has kids and grandkids already, so that would be bad.”

“You don’t want to deprive anyone of a life.”

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