I was thankful for my housemates, once again, who distracted me with a tray of food specially prepared by Felix. “Boar’s rump with brandied mushrooms,” he boasted, placing the tray in my lap. “They have great meat over here.” He was nodding convincingly until Rufus rolled his eyes at him. “Sure do…till you prepare it.” “Rufus…” Ezra warned. He frowned but reluctantly ended his teasing. I’d already taken a bite by then, chewing cautiously, allowing my palate time to discern the flavors. “You know…” I said, pointing my fork at the lump of meat. “It’s pretty good.” “Cause you haven’t eaten in seven days,” said Rufus. Felix sucked in a breath, offended. “Rufus!” Ezra chastised in Felix’s defense. “Well…she hasn’t…” Rufus shrugged, unable to understand what all the fuss was about. Ezra sighed, aggravated, and initiated a subject change. “Which one are you working on first?” she asked, pointing to the stack of untouched books on the table next to my bed.
