『An Afternoon Lunch』

Jack had been rather torn by the fact that Chris had left immediately after he had mentioned Megumin needing food. Placing his Jingasa down on the dresser, he drummed his fingers on the surface of the hardwood furniture in a pondering rhythm.

All the while the Crimson Demon lay there on the bed holding her stomach with her lower lip tucked into her mouth. "I cannot be defeated here!" Megumin declared out loud, rolling towards the edge of the bed, determined to escape the confines of its bumpy straw-filled surface. "A mere lack of food cannot put an end to me! Not before I conquer the Demon King, who seeks to put us below him, with my Greatest Magic!"

Hearing her spouting out nonsense, Jack turned his head to look over at Megumin. Blinking as he was seeing her about to roll off the side of the bed. "If you knock yourself unconscious, you're not going to get anywhere close to the Demon King."

"Hahaha! Says you! I am an ArchWizard, who controls explosion--" Just then she went off the side of the bed, squealing as she closed her eyes, awaiting facial impact upon the floor.

Just before she was about to hit, the six-foot-tall teen took two large strides before holding out his arms to catch her. His arms hardly bounced as her petite form was then enveloped within them, picking her up into a dignified bridal manner.

"I told you that you were going to fall," Jack uttered as he narrowed his eyes on Megumin. She wasn't stupid, he knew this, he saw her status. Her intelligence was high and on top of that, she was a Crimson Demon Clansman... Though all the same, her clan consisted of all humans, which he found rather strange as it was.

Blushing in the face, her eyes widened, "I was on the road to Victory! Now my Stea--"

"I am not your steed, nor am I a horse. Do you want me to headbutt you into submission?" Jack grinned down at her with a playful threat, bring his face in close to hers.

Immediately she pushed the back of her head against his arm which kept her up in his arms. "You cannot defeat me, for the floor has also failed to do so! Try it at your own risk."

"I'll steal all your seconds too," Jack's grin faded slowly and it was replaced by a callous and genuine threatening tone. Oh yes, he would roll over not just her firsts, but her seconds too.

"It seems I have been challenged by the likes of another ArchWizard," Megumin tries to stay in character, lightly pushing at his chest as she was still too weak to escape his arms. "I must break free from these chains so I can defeat him in mortal combat!"

"You will lose at close quarters combat," Jack retorted as he kept his emerald eyes at a dull glow.

"Impossible!" The Chuuni stammered as she felt his arms tightening around her, bringing her closer as she was trying to distance herself from his chest. As this became futile, she gulped shallowly as she felt the side of her head pressed upon his chest, her ear atop his heart.

"It's only next to impossible if you have the ability to return blow for blow," Jack felt like he was going to start lecturing her, "I do not see that occurring anytime soon." She was sure she was stuck on the Explosion magic for a reason, not that it made much sense to him. If she couldn't sustain herself after using the spell just once, then she was at a severe disadvantage and he couldn't just leave her alone now that he had taken her in... Right?

Jack just looked over at her as she was trying to come up with a rebuttal, though epically failing to do so. That and he wanted to take everything she had offered him as well as execute his own threats he had made toward her.

Megumin felt slighted, that he was looking down at her not for her size, but for taking her obsession with Explosion magic too far. Even as he made his way out of the room, her reddish-brown eyes watched him adamantly.

It seemed like an eternity as he stared right back at her. Jack didn't even bother to look forward as he walked this time. To others it looked like a couple who were locked in a lovely gaze, to them, their messages were almost unknown.

Jack was formulating the new spell in the back of his mind, filling in the blanks. Steal, it appeared to be focused on luck, and probability manipulation. It didn't necessarily belong to elemental magic, but more so of a non-elemental one, rather attribute-based instead.

Teleportation magic, a point to point connection to a singular place, be it an object or a person. Quantum Physics, was the name he recalled from all those science fiction movies and shows he had seen in his previous life. It was confusing, lots of math, but at the same, he knew that the mind itself had its own form of calculations. Mathematics, time, place. All of these things are made up of in the mind when thinking to solve an everyday problem and even when casting spells.

Walking through the streets, he was pretty lost in thought, hardly recognizing anyone else as he kept to himself. He was pretty sure Megumin was talking, but it didn't seem urgent.

He blocked it all out.

Yin and Yang, Dark and Light, Positive and Negative. Duality could be used in a similar way, couldn't it? One place as opposed to another? The right hand opposed to the left?

Jack snapped out of it just as they were arriving at the doors of the Guild Hall. "I think I have that skill ability down..." A warm feeling passed through his chest as if he had just acquired something.

A smile formed over his lips as he looked down at Megumin, "What were you saying earlier?"

Currently, with her eyes glaring up at him, her legs loosely kicked as they hung off of his arm. "I can walk now... Not that I... Not that I mind being carried, but I Megumin of the Crimson Demon Clan, holder of the greatest offensive magics, do not need an awe-inspiring ArchMage as a servant!"

"D'awe," Jack grinned down at her as she had called him awe-inspiring, "So your legs work? Does that mean if I drop you, you'll land on them?"

"Put me down properly please!" Megumin nearly snorted before he dropped her legs down, to the ground, allowing her to stand on her own. "Ah! Thank you," she threw her hands in the air briefly before letting them drop to her sides. She then looked to the large doors leading into the hall and pursed her lips slightly.

"Something wrong?" Jack raised a brow as if concerned whilst he placed a hand on her head.

Near immediately placing her hands on top of his as he touched her head, she peered over at Jack for a few seconds before gazing onward once more. "You're not going to abandon me, are you? After you... Take everything."

It seemed to Jack that she was having a moment of clarity outside of her Chuuni behavior, she was being genuinely serious and cautious rather than reckless and wild.

Without a word, he pulled her back by his grip on her head, hand into a warm embrace from behind, his arms draping down over her shoulders and wrapping around her torso. His head finally resting against the side of her head. "Expect nothing less than a life partner," Jack blew air on her reddening cheeks.

Megumin blared a bright red, "Is this some sort of sexual harassment!?" And the transparency was gone as she cried aloud. Her voice was not blatant enough to be carry over the continuous chatter and clacking of tankards full of ale.

Despite her apparently harsh words, it was apparent there were stars shining brilliantly within those glowing eyes of hers.

With the calmed down wayward ArchWizard at his side, Jack leads Megumin into the guild and made their way over to the eating area, an empty table at the corner of the room. Sitting on the bench, he sat closest to the wall, facing the rest of the room.

She also chose to sit beside him rather than on the other side of the table. It was probably the same reason as Jack too, not trusting anyone after the incident outside of Axel. Without a second thought, she began resting her back against the wall lazily as they watched the waitresses move about on their own.

Megumin found herself shifting on the seat, resting her hands in her lap. Despite being calm, her heart was beating hard against her ribs. "So what are you going to be getting?"

"Fried toad, it didn't taste too bad flash cooked by that explosion earlier," Jack answered as he chuckled to himself, "maybe we'll take a kill job after this."

Blinking at him, she nodded slowly before pausing, gaping up at him as her jaw downright dropped to the tabletop. "Did you eat part of the frog that I used explosion on!?"

Jack just stared down at the excited Crimson Demon before draping an arm over her shoulders. "Yup," his eyes drifted away from her and started watching the people around them.

There were a few people watching over them, though they weren't concerned looks, more curious. Apparently this Wizard beside him had a bad rep, mostly due to her using explosion magic and attracting more monsters or completely stealing experience from her fellow members.

That and it was a bugger carrying her every time she used her only spell, which made her entirely useless after using it! So, they were curious as to why the new guy was carrying around such weight.

"Wait... Did that mean you came to find out where it came from... On a whim?"

"Hm? No, I wanted to know what the explosion was from," his eyes drifted over her face as she was assuming she was saved on a whim. In a way, she wasn't wrong, but at the same time, the assumption was far too incorrect.

"So that's why you came..." Megumin grinned to herself as it seemed she had found someone actually interested in explosions, or at least in hers. Subconsciously, she reached over and grasped at the robe top of his kimono with her fingers, tangling them into the fabric.

Was this clarity he was seeing once more or was she just being cute and vulnerable? Jack couldn't quite tell but he rather liked it.

Just then a young brunette with short hair and blue eyes came over to the table, wearing a barmaid's outfit, "How may I help you two today?" she asked holding a flat metal pan against her chest.

"Deluxe Platter," Jack raised his free hand.

"Me too!" Megumin shot up against his side under his arm.

The Waitress seemed to smile slightly at the explosive Wizard's enthusiasm. "Anything to drink?"

"Hm... Do you have Cola?" Jack asked as he let his head slowly lull to the side.

"Cola...?" It was apparent the barmaid had no idea what he was talking about and was drowning in confusion. "We do not currently have any such beverage here. Can I interest you in some mead?"

Staring at her for a few seconds, he pursed his lips, "I'll just have an empty tankard..." His eyes drifted over toward a mage who was hoving a hand over a glass, using a create water spell.

"Ale!" Megumin cheered aloud as she threw a hand in the air.

Jack just glanced over at her for a few seconds, before shrugging. "Only one," he reached warned before resting his hand on the table, turning his gaze over to the woman.

Megumin's eyes nearly exploded into a red radiant glow, excitement pouring out of her as he didn't stand in her path of obtaining a drink. It didn't bother her that he had allowed her only one.

"Coming right up!" The barmaid went off with her pan and went to put in the order, keeping attention to other tables as she made her way to the back kitchen.

Smelling the air, in an attempt to gauge the food quality within the hall, he halted as he smelt something familiar. At first, he didn't necessarily feel the need to react. It wouldn't be abnormal, right? For Chris to be here, considering she was a thief.

Yet as he was thinking this, he didn't see her anywhere, but he could smell her being relatively close. Her scent was strong due to the familiarity with what she was wearing.

"Maybe I should've ordered a burger," Jack uttered under his breath as he was thinking about prime Angus beef on a sesame bun or even a teriyaki chicken sandwich.

With a salivating mouth, his eyes rested upon Megumin who had sense placed her hands on the table, trying not to give her growling stomach any attention. It literally looked like she was dying in a comedic fashion.

"I'm assuming you come from a place far away from here?" Jack inquired with an inquisitive tone, wanting to know a bit more about her origins.

Megumin, still rather excited, turned to face him with a great passion in her eyes, "Yes! Our Crimson Demon Village rests right beneath Dragon's Peak," a smirk across her lips as she spoke.

"Oh? That sounds like an Impressive name..." Jack considered her name rather normal considering it was a common nickname for the name Megumi. "What're your parent's names anyway?"

As if triggered, she immediately moved her arms in a strange motion and made a little space between them as she suddenly stood on her knees while on the bench. "My mother is Yuiyui and my father is Hyoizaburoo," as she announced them, she appeared to be doing grandiose hand motions, eventually ending with one of them a few feet from her face and the other above her hip. She sounded rather proud of those names.

Jack just blankly stared at her with a deadpan expression in return, not because of her Chuuni introduction, but because of the names. "You seem to be the most normal in the family when it comes to names it seems.."

"My little sister's name is Komekko," Megumin stated smugly.

"That only reinforces my point," Jack shook his head as he drove a finger against her cheek playfully before tucking some of her hair behind one of her ears as she let down the Chuuni pose.

"Haha, really?" Megumin simpered as his finger pushed her cheek back enough to pull her lip aside, revealing her teeth. "What is it you doing to my face? Is it some sort of strange erotic fetish you're into? If you were into such a thing, you just had to say so!"

"I don't think that deserves a response," Jack uttered under his breath before turning his head just in time to see their plates laid across the table.

"But you did! You did! You did! You did!" She said before turning her attention to the food, immediately reaching over and grasping a piece of fried meat and biting into it.

Jack just shook his head and did the same, as he let her cheek go back into place once removing his hand from her face. Biting into the golden browned breading of the fried food, he took in the flavors, his stomach being sated of its continued hunger.

Taking in a deep inhale, he was still finding the scent of Chris was close but this time around it was even closer than before. His eyes flickered to the side slightly as Megumin was consumed in the task of eating.

Dropping his food back onto his plate, like a snake, his arm shot out and his hand grasped onto an invisible limb. He then tugged the unseen spy into his lap between his legs, trapping them.

"Huh!?" Megumin slightly triggered by the sudden movement, "Did you just capture a spy for the Demon King!? Does he know we're coming for him to claim his title and all of his lands?!"

"What are you going on about?" Jack questioned as he gave her an awkward glance, keeping his legs locked against the invisible person's hips, not allowing them to escape no matter how much they squirmed.

"Lemme go!" Laughed Chris as she became visible, pushing the hood of the cloak off of her head. "This isn't fair! How were you able to see me? Gah... This is embarrassing..."

"Just because you're invisible to the sight of others, does not make you invisible to the sense of smell," the Oni snorted as she had looked up at him helplessly before he brought the fried food to her lips. "Are you here to eat, or are you here to eavesdrop?"

"Eh? What is the meaning of this?" Leaning her head back, violet eyes looked up at him, then back to the food. "Are you making me eat in your lap...?" Chris didn't take the time to ponder or await an answer. The thief went along with the charade, biting into the fried toad meat. It was tender, it was juicy and it was a free meal.

Chris's face was plagued by the tinge of a warm pink glow, a blush on the face as she was trapped in the man's lap. Her violet eyes drifted on over to Megumin who was watching her casually sipping at some ale.

The girls' face seemed even redder than usual, it was apparent Megumin's eyes glowing deeply.

With an arm of his over her shoulder, Megumin leaned in towards Jack, letting out a hiccup as she brought the tankard down from her lips revealing a foamy mustache. Her hands without prior warning charged forward, tickling at the thief's exposed abdomen!

"Aaaaaahahaha! Stop it! Stop it!" Chris nearly choked on her food, already red like a tomato from her current position in his lap.