Dinner

Cane exited the metallurgy building, satchel slung over one shoulder, mind still circling around the air elemental core nestled inside. He wanted to use it—badly—but with dinner plans looming, he knew better than to start something he might not finish. Rushing would be disrespectful... and possibly dangerous.

After a quick stop at the dorms to drop off his things and change into something cleaner, he stepped out through the Academy gates.

For the first time in weeks, he walked the town with nothing urgent to do—and coin in his pocket. It felt surreal. Like he'd stepped into someone else's life, someone lighter, freer. He wasn't forging under pressure or dodging war meetings. Just... breathing.

Up ahead, he spotted Mira—Brenner's daughter—carrying a parcel wrapped in brown paper, trailing a faint red smear. Instinctively, he looked away. She only knew Jonas Ironfist, the masked blacksmith. Best to keep it that way.

"Greetings, Cane."

He froze mid-stride.

"You know me?"

Mira smiled as she caught up, matching his pace. "Everyone knows you. You and Fergis." She nodded down the lane. "You held the rift on Main Street until the guard arrived, then saved the Sweetwater family. That story's gone around a few times."

"Ah… right." He scratched the back of his neck. "And you are?"

"Mira Brenner. I was just on my way to feed your wolf."

Cane blinked, eyes dropping to the package in her hands—slightly leaking blood.

"Odds and ends from the cow we butchered," Mira said cheerfully. "She's got a taste for red meat. I know you from somewhere else too."

Cane fell into step beside her, glancing sideways. "Really?"

His stomach tightened. They'd spoken several times while he was masked. Had she seen through the rune?

"Of course," she said brightly. "I grew up with Sophie Sweetwater. She might've mentioned you once… or a dozen times."

Relief hit like a wave. Cane exhaled, chuckling. "Good things, I hope."

"Very good." Mira gave him a knowing smile. "Hey, are you good friends with Fergis?"

"I'd say so."

"Perfect. The town's Summer Festival is next week." She shot him a playful glance. "If you bring him, I won't have to follow you and Sophie around like a third wheel."

Cane raised an eyebrow.

"Sophie and I always go. She mentioned she might ask you." Mira covered her mouth. "Crap. That was supposed to be a surprise. Ugh, I'm so dumb."

Cane laughed. "If Sophie asks, I'll drag Fergis along."

"Drag?" Mira wrinkled her nose. "He should be happy to hang out with me."

He laughed again—real and unguarded. This version of Mira was nothing like the practical, businesslike girl who brought scrap to the forge. This was someone different. Playful. Confident. Real.

And somehow, for the first time in a while, Cane felt like maybe he was allowed to be real too.

Cane nearly stumbled when he spotted Tazi, his shadow wolf pup, trotting down the lane on a leash.

A leash.

Even more shocking was who held the other end—a stoop-shouldered man in a wool vest and rolled sleeves, mid-fifties, grizzled, and casual as could be.

"Hey Dagan!" Mira called, waving cheerfully.

The man turned. "Mira," he greeted, then spotted Cane a heartbeat later. "Cane! Nice to see you."

Cane nodded, trying not to let the absurdity of the situation crack his composure. Tazi, leash and all, gave a happy yip and trotted over, wagging her tail like she hadn't been cut out of an Alpha Shadow wolf that tried to eat the Sweetwaters a few weeks earlier. 

Dagan Sweetwater, Sophie's father.

Their first meeting—if it could be called that—was already wildly unorthodox. Most fathers had a script. They asked about a boy's job, his background, maybe his intentions toward their daughter. But Dagan had already seen Cane cleave through a shadow wolf with a glowing hammer. Cane had charged into an open rift.

How do you say something fatherly like, "What are your intentions with my daughter?" after that?

You didn't. You offered to babysit his shadow pup and casually walked her like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Dinner with the Sweetwaters was an informal but delicious affair—venison stew, fresh-baked rolls, and cold peach cider served in hand-thrown clay mugs. The house was modest but well-kept, filled with the gentle warmth of oil lanterns and the soft clink of cutlery and conversation.

Lorna Sweetwater, Sophie's mother, was a slim, soft-spoken woman with chestnut hair pinned in a neat twist. Cane found himself quietly wondering if she might be years younger than her husband, though there was something timeless in her manner—gracious, gentle, and keen-eyed.

Every few minutes, she smiled at Cane, offering another quiet thank-you for saving her family.

And when she discovered that Cane and Sophie shared a deep friendship—those were her words—her demeanor lit up like she'd found a gold mine buried in the backyard.

Instead of lingering trauma from their narrow escape during the shadow wolf attack, Lorna radiated gratitude and optimism, casually mentioning to her visiting friends that one of the students who defended the town is quite close with our Sophie, actually. Cane wasn't sure what to do with that.

But he liked her. She reminded him a little of his own mother—before the world got too heavy.

After dinner, the four of them wandered down the town's quiet boardwalk. Shops were closing up, and the sun dipped low over the ocean, painting the sky in streaks of gold and coral. A soft sea breeze carried the scent of salt and flowers through the cobbled path.

Tazi padded close at Cane's side, her sleek form radiating dark shimmer under the lantern glow. Every so often, she bumped his leg with her snout or leaned against him with all the uncoordinated affection of a magical, oversized puppy.

Cane found himself smiling more than he expected—not because of the food, or the weather, or the breeze... but because this felt like something real. Something whole.

A moment of calm. Of life.

And he wasn't sure how long it would last.

But tonight, he didn't need to be the masked smith or the rising prodigy of the Academy.

He could just be Cane.

Sophie leaned toward Cane while they walked, a casual gesture that spoke volumes about her feelings. "I heard a strange rumor. It can't be true.. right?"

Cane noticed that both her parents glances back as if paying attention to their daughters conversation. "Not sure, I haven't heard any rumors."

Sophie smiled. "Someone said that you've been hired as part of the staff, some sort of magical defense hero.

Cane laughed, as usual, rumors were only partly true. "I've been hired as the Academy Artificer. Archmage Telamon took me out of my HOM class today and introduced me to Commandant Soliver where I demonstrated my metallurgy level by placing a Glacial frost rune on his sword." 

Cane fished reached into his robe and fished out the badge he'd received. He wasn't interested in displaying it in town but had thought to study the runes later when he returned to the forge. He could sense a protection spell of some sort.

Sofie held the badge like it was an egg. "A silver badge, I have one too but mine is bronze. Silver means your staff, senior staff." Sofie smile sweetly. "I'm so proud of you."

"Oh.. Senior Staff?" Lorna nudged her husband. "That's very impressive, and only a first-year student."

Left alone at the edge of the docks, Cane and Sophie stood in quiet companionship, watching the sea. Thunder rumbled on the distant horizon, and flickers of lightning illuminated the clouds far offshore. The storm was too far away to disturb the harbor's calm, and for now, the evening remained wrapped in salt-sweet breeze and ocean hush.

Without words, they shared a kiss—gentle, sweet, and effortless, like it had always belonged here in the silence between them. When it ended, they lingered, hands brushing, eyes cast to the darkening waves.

Eventually, Sophie gave a soft sigh. "I should head back. My parents are letting me stay the night, but they'll expect me at a reasonable time."

Cane chuckled, squeezing her hand. "So when you're in the dorms, you're free to stay out until an unreasonable time?"

Sophie rolled her eyes and gave him a playful shove. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink. "I don't know where you get the confidence to say things like that."

Cane smiled, but the moment shifted. He turned back toward the sea as something tugged at his senses—a faint pulse from the shell bracelet around his wrist.

His smile faded.

"What is it?" Sophie followed his gaze. The lightning out on the water no longer seemed random. The thunder came in sharper waves. Rhythmic. Patterned.

"That's not a storm," Cane said quietly. "It's a full-scale naval battle."

He turned to her, voice urgent but calm. "Tell your father to alert the city guard. I'm returning to the Academy."

Sophie hesitated only a second. Then she nodded, rising up on her toes to kiss him quickly.

"Be careful," she said, before sprinting toward the tailor shop and disappearing into the shadows of the town.

Cane stood there for a breath longer, watching the sea.

The wind was shifting.

The peace had ended.