Chapter 82 - 80. Bittersweet and Spicy (1)
"Morning," Zein put a cup of coffee in front of old man Dan, the grumpy dorm manager. But he wasn’t too grumpy toward Zein, however. Either because the guide came from a red-zone like him, or because of the occasional coffee Zein brought him. It was different from the common instant thing they provided on the lower floor, made from the exquisite bean of Zein’s executive room’s pantry.
"You’re going out?" the old man let out a rare smirk, taking the steaming paper cup closer to himself. "That’s good, you should go out more now that you’re in a safe zone."
It was technically incorrect to refer to Althreia as a safe zone, but for former end-dwellers like them, any place safer than the red-zone was a safe zone. Zein was more astonished by the friendly advice though. It was hard for the people here to hear anything more than a grunt from the old man usually.
"Did your daughter send you something?" Zein asked with a smirk behind his mask, which grew wider at the old man’s clicking tongue. It was enough as confirmation for the guide’s conjecture.
From the few conversation he got with the old man, Zein found out that the man ran away from the red-zone and lived illegally in the orange-zone a few decades ago. Through some miraculous encounter, he ended up doing some work for Radia’s father in exchange for a residential permit. Now his daughter lived in the yellow-zone, and the only source of good mood for this grumpy uncle.
When Zein first heard the old man tell him that story, he was reminded of his own plan a few years ago--going to the orange-zone, getting a license, and taking the twins to live there. He wondered if that would make him happy too, like this surly old man with his daughter.
Well, he would never know now.
"Where are you going anyway?" the old man asked, probably to shift the topic.
Zein shrugged then, leaning into the front desk while watching the entrance. "No idea," He didn’t ask where they would go, and Bassena didn’t seem to have any intention to tell him either.
"You dressed nicely, though..." the old man commented, observing the guide while sipping his coffee.