Chapter 175: An eventful dinner (1) (1/2)
The sun was already on its downward curve by the time a particular trio left the Highrove's Guild Hall. The large shadows cast by the night were momentarily pushed back by an orange pillar of light that wafted out from the inside as the double doors were pushed open.
The boys were accompanied by the still slightly nervous curly, brown-haired girl, Mary, who after finishing her shift, wore a simple but still elegant white top with a khaki medium-length skirt. It took all her willpower, but she managed to force herself to stand by Aiden's right side, leaving Cole to take his left.
With the change in the time of day, the type of people that could be seen on the streets changed. While they remained relatively the same in Adventurer's Street, as they left it, they were met with a vastly different crowd than in the morning.
Guards could be seen with increased numbers patrolling the streets, with the occasional weary men, tired from the day's robot crawling towards their little slice of heaven for the respite they oh so deserved, be it the comfort of their homes, or the closest pub to drown their sorrows with a few mugs.
The noise of the bustling, busy daytime crowd was gradually replaced by the clattering of the steel boots on the stone pavement as the armored guards patrolled back and forth, accompanied by the faint sounds of music, and chatters that came from the nearest pub or tavern.
Mary was in great turmoil currently. By the time she finished registering the completion of Aiden and Cole's quests and giving them the agreed compensation, it was already almost the end of her shift. She wasn't willing to separate from Aiden so abruptly, and with the heat of the moment, she blurted out a question that she still couldn't believe. She actually asked Aiden and Cole if they could wait up for her and have dinner together!
'Just what was I thinking?! What is wrong with you Mary? What are you doing?!' She berated herself inwardly as she walked in silence with the boys. She couldn't understand herself at all in these past few days! She just couldn't compose herself in front of him at all, and kept acting like a total idiot, a complete nervous wreck! She couldn't even look at him! Every time she saw those beautiful, deep golden irises, she found herself lost in them, with no willpower to muster anything meaningful. It was simply magical!
”Where would you like to go to have dinner, Mary?” Cole inquired curiously, breaking the silence that surrounded the trio ever since they left the Guild's building.
”Huh?” Awoken from her thoughts so abruptly, Mary couldn't respond at first but kept blinking with an empty expression on her face. It took several seconds for her to compose herself and think about the choices.
”I… I would be fine with what you two would pick, no need to go out of your way just for my sake…” She answered weakly. She focused her attention on Cole, trying to avoid matching Aiden's eyes. She wasn't certain if she could take another dose of him today without fainting after all.
”We were planning to just simply grab whatever they would have back at the tavern,” Aiden spoke with a nonchalant tone. The grub there was really good. So good actually, that even he had, was looking forward to it, and not just for the amount of energy he could potentially receive from the upcoming feast! He remembered the taste of the breakfast they ate… Ah, it was incredible!
”Yeah, but don't worry, that place is incredible! The breakfast we had was the best! Right, Aiden?” Cole chipped in with great joy in his eyes. The atmosphere, the look, the taste, the prices… everything was perfect about that place… Especially for someone like him, he wasn't used to delicious dishes at all, living in a small village and all.
”The Tavern? Hmm… The Salty… Pig, was it?” Mary thought back but immediately turned beet red as she recalled how she marked her own house as an option. She turned away and took a few gasps of air to calm herself. ”That's fine by me…” She answered faintly after a great while.
”Yes, that's the one! Not sure about the other places, but that place was really good! Let's eat there then!” Cole exclaimed and the group silently agreed. They continued their trek with a destination in mind.
It didn't take long before they found themselves in front of the building. As usual, the place was filled to the brim with groups and groups of adventurers returning from their escapades, ready to turn in for the night but not before downing a few mugs of beer accompanied by some hearty dinner. Standing outside, they could hear the loud, boisterous guffaws, as they told tall tales of the adventures they embarked on before coming home.
The faint sound of music, a piano, and a violin could be heard as well, surprising the boys slightly as they pushed the door and walked in followed by the timid Mary behind them.
”Since when do they have live music? I don't remember hearing it yesterday…” Aiden spoke in surprise as he looked at the musicians at the far corner on a small makeshift podium preparing and tuning their instruments.
For instruments, there was a piano, beautiful craftsmanship, shiny charcoal black, a violin with similarly great qualities but in a sparky pecan color. Next to them, a man was sitting on a stool, that was busy placing four strange cylindrical objects in front of him. They all had various sizes and had different colored thin leathers stretched out covering their top sides. They were very lavish, with elegant, and unique embroidery on their sides.
However, it wasn't their design that caught Aiden's attention, but the faint aura that these objects surrounded themselves with. All four had a different and very faint aura that surrounded the objects. They were clearly not ordinary items but had some magical properties.