Idran's stomach rumbled as he laid his eyes upon the Sardina Restaurant, his hand jolted out to tug on Adriano's sleeve stopping him from walking past it. Adriano met Idran's gaze and turned to see the Sardina.
"I'm feeling hungry, let's go inside and eat before we decide to do anything else." Idran started to walk towards Sardina, before glancing back to Adriano "Don't worry, I'll pay."
The inside was a whole different world compared to the outside. As soon as they opened the door they were greeted by the smell of delicious food and different kinds of spices. They made their way over to the nearby bar and sat down.
"You order what you want Adriano" Idran grinned "I'm gonna get me some fish" Adriano nodded to Idran. As Idran raised his hand and asked for the nearby waiter to take their order Adriano took the time to gaze around the restaurant. Hargeon, home of the Blue Pegasus guild, a lovely town by the bay. This town was filled with characters and surely more weird events would come to greet him and his newfound companion. Adriano shook his head worried, and turned back towards his companion. He sighed to himself.

Day 1 - Adriano 1/6

Adriano faltered once Idran had tugged on his sleeve, turning to face the white-haired man with a great deal of curiosity. Was this another challenge, or was it something else entirely? Going off of past experience, it was most likely the former.

Fortunately, his prediction of Idran's actions was wrong this time around. It was at the mention of food that his features took on a understanding look. The last time they had eaten had been a while ago, after all. Therefore, it was a fair request for them to stop.

"Don't worry, I'll pay."

Even more of an incentive.

So, he followed Idran without complaint, eyes outright sparkling with the thought of filling his stomach with some well-made cuisine. Once they reached the restaurant, his stomach had even roared, the different aromas which hit his nose helping him realize just how hungry he actually was.

Upon sitting down and hearing his companion's words, he gave a curt nod and let his eyes scour the restaurant's interior. There were people of all different shapes and sizes, and it certainly was something to pique his interest. Sighing, he glanced at a nearby menu, faintly wondering if he could order himself some milk.

Haru’s stop at Hargeon had prolonged further after he met an old acquaintance, whom he had worked with when trying to solve a case. They never managed to catch the criminals, unfortunately, as all leads went cold and the victims seemed mentally affected whenever they attempted giving any information regarding the culprits. They tried for several days, but finally had to give up.
Even though they didn’t succeed in that case, Haru had seen Kazimir in action and was completely convinced that he was one of the best recruits the Rune Knights had. So, he was very excited to have run into him and wished to catch up with the man. Surely, they couldn’t do it at the narrow alleys. So, there they were, inside the famous Sardina restaurant of Hargeon.

Roaming with Zade had made Haru change his vegetarian diet and he had grown very comfortable with meat and seafood over the two years. He had already ordered his plate of fried shrimps and was waiting for it while talking with Kazimir. “What else have you been up to these two years?” he asked the wind mage.

In a moment, the waitress came to their table, placed a plate of fish in front of him and walked away swiftly before he could tell her she had made a mistake. The restaurant was crowded and the staff seemed overworked; so, he didn’t want to cause a scene. Looking around, he noticed that his fried shrimps was given to a young man at the next table by the same waitress. And again, she left quickly before she could be stopped.

Waving at the white-haired boy, Haru asked, “Did you happen to order the fish and got the shrimps instead?”

Tsuru was a pleasant sight to see after the two years had gone by. He was a hard-working officer in the knights and showed him a bit of the ropes, when they had worked an unresolved case in the past. Despite not having finished it, Kazimir got to see two skilled mages at work. although he only knew of him from those few days and hearsay, he wondered where his partner had gone.

This was his first time at the restaurant and it was as delightful as people always said it was. This no doubt contributed to how busy it was inside, with workers and patrons darting about.

Tsuru posed him a straightforward question as Kazimir still flipped almost endlessly through the menu. "Oh, the past two years...I actually learned a new type of magic and began casting more offensively. So just training essentially. And you?" Darker things resurfaced that year, but now was not the time nor place to get into that talk.

He continued to flip the pages more hastily now, "Doesn't this place have any breakfast? Where are the pancakes?" His inquiry came with a quick sigh and he decided to order something more traditional, like a salmon.

The waitress rushed to the table and Kaz opened his mouth to place his order. Before the words escaped his lips, she was off again. 'next time then,' he thought to himself.

Tsuru however, noticed that in the waitress' haste, she had given him the wrong order along with a man sitting at a separate booth. He hailed the man to switch plates without hesitation. Kazimir looked at the two at the table, One with white hair and looking more bold with another that had the appearance of a gentler man.

The place was unbelievably crowded, so it didn't come as a surprise when the service took so godforsaken long. Idran was on the verge of taking a bite out of the table. His stomach thundered with each passing second. He couldn't control himself as his head whipped back and forth searching for the waitress. Finally, he spotted the lass, overjoyed he had to stop himself from meeting her halfway. it was only until he took a bite out of his food when he realized. The waitress had brought him the wrong dish, not as if he cared, he would enjoy his, Idran took a moment to look at his meal, fried shrimp apparently.

He was still chewing contently as he noticed a large orange haired man waving at him saying “Did you happen to order the fish and got the shrimps instead?”

"mm-hmm" Idran managed to hum while still chewing the fried shrimp, before realizing what exactly he was doing. He swallowed quickly and gave an awkward smile "ha..haa...Well...The uh...The hunger got to me hahaa.." Idran quickly looked to Adriano for help, but the boy didn't seem to understand what Idran wanted. Idran was about to hand over his barely eaten meal to the proper owner when he had an idea "Hey! Er...How about this, in my family, we would share the dishes we got with each other, and since I already ate some of yours it seems only right you have some of mine! As penance for not waiting, I'll even pay for our meals! This goes for your friend there too if he wants some." he nodded towards the purple haired gentleman sitting where the man was originally seated.

Day 2 - Hatsuharu 1/6

Sometimes, Adriano confused Idran with an over-energetic puppy more than anything else. Mirth danced in his green eyes as he watched the man continuously fidget in his seat. It was getting to the point where he felt the need to distract his "partner," but before he could, the waitress had finally arrived at their table. Unfortunately, she sped away without asking him about his own order, an act that caused a frown to appear on his face.

Dining at a local restaurant was not something the brunette did often, but... he was positive the service was meant to be better than this. Then again, the staff seemed to be in quite a rush, trying to meet the demands of everyone in such a hectic environment. With that in mind, he supposed that he could wait for a bit longer. Despite coming to a decision, he couldn't help but steal a glance in Idran's direction, eyeing the food that was delivered to their table. Only then did something click.

Adriano moved to catch Idran's attention, to make him realize that hey, he got the wrong order, but was simply too late. The white-haired man was already digging into the meal. To make matters worse, it long until the one who got Idran's order called out to them.

Sighing, Adriano covered the majority of his face with his menu, choosing to play spectator as usual. Even when his companion looked at him for help, he only stared back with a raised brow. What was he supposed to do? Magically restore the eaten shrimp? No, he instead looked on expectantly, waiting for them to exchange dishes.

At Idran's offer however, the brunette tilted his head in confusion. He then elbowed the man in the side, gazing at him with furrowed eyebrows. It was a silent message in a way: Are you really going to pay for all four orders? Did he think jewels grew on trees? Before there could be any response, Adriano pulled out his wallet, pushing it into Idran's direction.

The least he could do was help pay.

Hearing that Kazimir has been working on offensive magic, Haru nodded with a smile. “I could see that, with how you bodied those foolish Phantoms back in the alley.” There was a hint of pride and happiness in his voice. He was glad to have competent Knights like Kazimir within the faction. When asked what he had been up to the past two years, Haru let out a soft sigh. “Well… Long story short, I’m currently training under the King’s Sword, hoping to join the Kingsguard someday,” he said. Why and how he stumbled upon that opportunity was a story he didn’t wish to delve into amidst the crowd. Maybe some other day.

The wrong dish was served and Haru wished he hadn’t called out to the one who had gotten his shrimps. The poor lad was guilt-ridden and he had just spoiled his good meal by pointing out the mistake. “Penance? There is no need for such big words, my friend. I’d love to share the food. Let’s put the tables together?” he asked, pointing at the narrow gap that was between the two tables. If Idran agreed, Haru would swiftly push the two tables a few inches closer so that all four could sit around it comfortably.

Seeing how neither Kazimir nor Adriano had ordered their food, Haru decided to bother the busy waitress. She was all over the place and was so frustrated with the amount of work she had that Haru could almost see fumes expel from her ears. But, she still kept a strained smile on her face as she moved about the crowded tables. “You guys ready to order? Until your food arrives, we could all share these two plates,” Haru said, putting the plate of fish in the middle, so that it could be accessed by everyone. If both Kazimir and Adriano were ready to order, Haru would then holler at the waitress, who was clearly pissed but tried very hard not to show it.

"Thank you for the compliment. It was difficult to get a grasp on at first," he said before changing his expression to a more quizzical one, "However, I'm still interested in knowing what sort of magic you possess."

Tsuru continued about his path toward the kingsguard. A path that was filled with a regal stance but Tsuru seemed to through it out without a second thought. Perhaps the story was one he did not wish to immediately dive into like himself.
"The Kingsguard is quite the endeavor. I'm sure there is a story worth telling behind that. Another time." He had not known Tsuru long but he had a feeling that there were few mages as deserving of the title.

Kazimir was a bit surprised at the white-haired man's openness but did think it was a pleasant idea to eat together. The one with him still put up the menu to shield his face and slide his wallet toward the other. "Since we are all eating together why don't we go ahead and share the bill then," he replied with a smile as he took the tables fork and snagged a bite of the food in front of Tsuru.

Kazimir nodded to Tsuru that he was ready to order and the waitress finally rushed back over before they could push the tables together."Yes I'll have an order of pancakes, please." It was lunch time and Kaz was worried they wouldn't be serving them but the waitress jotted it down without a second thought. No doubt because she just wanted to get going.

Turning his attention to the final one of them who had not ordered, he asked, "What will you have?" He was already getting the table ready to move when the four of them were all ready. He would give his introduction until after the food was ordered. That was the most important part after all.

Idran kicked himself mentally for making such a stupid suggestion, he never had been a good quick thinker. He was in the wrong here, his pride would not let him ignore it. However, when the tall gentleman agreed, Idran beamed. The man's own suggestion made Idran beam brighter. For once, he said something that had made things better. Idran sighed a sigh of relief.

"Sounds like a good Idea!" Idran grinned at the man. The four got up to push the tables together. Of course, it was loud and many customers stared but it did not create that much of a fuss. As the tables collided softly, the four of them sat down and hailed the waitress who seemed a little unsure of them being able to put the two tables together but she said nothing not wanting to stir more trouble.

Idran could tell that these two were different from anyone in Hargeon, they were knights. His family had taught him to recognize knights, so he would not embarrass the family in front of an unknown knight. Yet, he could not tell what knights they were. Hopefully, they were Rune Knights, he did not want to deal with Holy Knights. They annoyed him a bit too much. "So, if i may ask, are you Rune Knights or Holy ones?" Idran said directly to the two, picking a piece of fish off with a fork and taking a bite.

What a kind person.

It was the only thing Adriano could possibly think at the time, watching as Idran interacted with the orange-haired fellow. Seeing problems be handled in such a calm and pleasant manner was something he wished was more common. After all, it would do wonders for the world they lived in, a place so beautiful yet so dark at the same.

For now though, he could certainly settle for this one display of kindness, and eagerly helped with pushing the tables together. He had even smiled at the suggestion to split the bill, happy that Idran would not bear that burden alone. Yes, Adriano was certainly taking a liking to these two strangers.

Once everything was settled, the brunette split his attention between the menu and the party of three he was sitting with. The man with purple hair—no, wait, the proper shade was indigo—had nodded in his friend’s direction to call the waitress, and for that Adriano was grateful. The less he spoke, the more comfortable he was. It was also more time to think about what he wanted, especially when this was yet another restaurant he couldn’t get milk in. How disappointing.

Despite this, Adriano managed to get an idea of what he was craving, ready to order by the time his turn came around. “I think... I’ll take the chicken melt,” he responded, his voice soft yet loud enough to just barely be heard, “Along with some sparkling water.” For good measure, he flashed a smile at both his indigo-haired acquaintance and the waitress, a silent way of showing his appreciation.

With the waitress taking her leave, he focused on the conversation Idran was engaging in. He of course noticed that none of them had given each other their names, but left it alone, figuring that his companion would realize that soon enough. After all, Adriano was curious about these two as well, wondering if they were even knights in the first place.

The tables were pushed together and the waitress had come to take the order. After the soft-spoken young man finished his order, Haru was inclined to try the chicken melt as well and decided to add one more to the list. “One more of that chicken melt, please,” he said. The waitress wrote it all down and vanished behind the nearby tables. He knew it was going to take a while for their orders to arrive with this many people at the restaurant. So, he took it slow with whatever was on the table already.

Haru was surprised that Idran had guessed the two of them were Knights. “Look at that. We got a keen one here,” he said, grinning at him. The Holy Knights were not public knowledge until a while ago, but had garnered enough attention over the last couple of years for everyone to know of their existence. And since the two organizations were too similar in their hierarchy, he wasn’t surprised when people confused the two. “We are Rune Knights,” he added, answering the question.

As he expected, the food arrived quite late, by which time the plates on the table were already empty. Just when Haru was about to take his first bite of the chicken melt, he saw a Page running towards their table, frantic. The Lieutenant knew this Page had terrible news from the look on his face, and was afraid he was going to scream out sensitive and fear-inducing information in the crowded restaurant. The moment the Page was within earshot, Haru held up a hand in an attempt to stop him from blabbering. It didn’t work of course.

“LIEUTENANT! DEMONS…” he yelled between his pants. The restaurant fell silent for a moment, and Haru could feel the tension rise. “…in Orchidia,” he finished. The people who were about to scream simmered down to murmurs of fear and concern. Haru stood up from the table, leaving his food untouched. He left more than enough Jewels for everything they had ordered, and was about to walk out of the restaurant. “Let’s go, Kazimir,” he said to the wind mage with a nod.

“It was nice to meet you both. Unfortunate that it has to end this shortly,” he said, turning towards Idran and Adriano. If either of them offered to come with them to fight the Demons, Haru would initially hesitate. But if they insist, he would remember that he had once fought a powerful Demon when he was just about their age. Besides, he shouldn’t be assuming that they could not handle the fight. So, he will then agree and give the two a word of encouragement. “Whack them back into their hellhole,” he would say, smirking at the two.

The tables were slid against each other and the four sat down to enjoy their meals. Kazimir was pleased to see that the two they met seemed easy going. The brunette was much quieter than the other and showed his appreciation with a subtle nod. Kazimir gave a smile back at the young man after he made his order and all things were in place now.

The other man was more abrupt. He wasted no time in trying to ascertain who the three of them were. Kazimir would have been surprised but understood the world required answers especially for those who suddenly found themselves sitting together. Haru took to answering the question as one surfaced in Kaz's mind. He actually knew very little about the holy knights.

"There you have it. My name's Kazimir. It is a pleasure," he said with a small bow. before any more pleasantries could be made the doors burst open and a page rushed in panting.

He caused a commotion as soon as he said the word 'Demon.' Once the patrons realized they were safe, the rising tension came to a standstill and a silent fear resonated between them, waiting to see what the knights would do.

Kazimir nodded back affirmatively and stood up. "Duty calls," he replied. He looked back at the two he just met, "Perhaps in the future, we may share a proper meal together." Kazimir turned to join Haru. He wondered why Orchidia was such a popular place between the man they hunted and now demons.  

If the two men joined them at the door he would say, "Looks like we will have plenty of time to get to know each other after all."

He stopped abruptly before leaving and grabbed a small stack of the pancakes from the table. he then looked back at Haru, "First the Turning Tide and now Demons. Busy day."

-exit-

Idran watched as the two men left, with their pancakes, as he took another bite of the food at his table. The only thing plaguing his mind was whether it was ruder to leave their food untouched or eat it himself. I mean, they had paid for the entire thing, it would be rude to eat it without asking them. However, they did leave to-WAITAMINUTE! Demons? did he hear that right? Demons?! In Orchidia?! Perhaps it was the shrimp he was eating, but the blood rushed to his head in realization. He could fight demons. His eyes grew large with excitement. Not once has he fought a demon before. He could tell you everything and everyone he has fought, in alphabetical order. Every challenge, every win or loss. Idran could tell you he has never fought a demon before.

Quick as he could be he grabbed the plates off the table as many as he could, and hoped off. Running after the two gentlemen as fast as he could. He barged his way through the door before he realized he had forgotten something. he rushed his way back through the doors and yelled at the top of his lungs "ADRIANO LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and sped his way back down the street after the two gentlemen.

-exit-

Adriano was in the middle of taking a bite out his meal, his stomach rumbling excitedly at the prospect of being filled up, before a Page rushed in through the restaurant doors.

“LIEUTENANT! DEMONS…”

Unfortunately, he darn near chocked on his food at the shocking news. Or rather, only the beginning of the shocking news. He almost even missed the fact they were speaking to a lieutenant, a Rune Knight lieutenant. The young man was ignorant about much of the world around him, that much was true. However, he’d explored enough to pick at least tidbits of knowledge. Therefore, he knew. That title was nothing to merely sneeze at.

However, he needed to set his priorities straight. Demons, demons were the issue at hand. The brunette quickly took a sip from his drink to wash down his food, green eyes watching the knightly duo prepare to take their leave. Surely they were off to fight the invasion, a thought which left a strange feeling surging through Adriano’s body. Images of fire and bodies flashed through his mind. Was that likely to happen in Orchidia?

His jaw clenched and his body moved on his own, immediately rising out of his seat as he stared the two knights in the eye. ”We’ll go,” he declared, not loud like Idran, but commanding attention in his own way.

There was slight hesitance, a glimmer of doubt hidden within him, but the fear of standing back and doing nothing was too great. He promised, made a silent vow that he wouldn’t allow disasters like his own past repeat themselves. Why, he could even see the Lieutenant hesitate, but Adriano stayed as firm as he could. He would not run, not again.

Idran though was bold and boisterous as he usually was, grabbing everything off the table (save for the pancakes of course) and rushing to the door. The scream of his own name afterwards had Adriano cringing, but the brunette sighed and nodded anyway. He made his way towards the trio, nodding in agreement with Kazimir’s statement, but feeling a strange weight on his shoulders all the same.

[Exit.]