Chapter 10
"This place looks nice," Xain remarked, his eyes drifting around the restaurant. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with almost everything crafted from different types of wood—rich mahogany beams, pale ash accents, and dark oak tables—creating a natural, earthy feel that contrasted with the bustling city outside.
"It is, isn't it?" Clara beamed, turning to Elsa with gratitude sparkling in her eyes. "Thank you for finding it, Elsa."
Elsa gave a small nod, her expression calm as ever. "I'm glad we managed to get a seat. Goddess knows how hard it is to find one at this time of day."
Her gaze shifted to Zee, who sat beside Xain, her posture relaxed but her eyes still scanning the room. "What about you? Do you like it, Zee?"
Zee paused, her gaze lingering on the wooden beams overhead, the faint scent of fresh herbs mixed with polished timber filling the air. "I… like it. A lot, actually," she admitted quietly. For a forest elf, places like this—where nature hadn't been completely drowned out by stone and metal—felt like a breath of fresh air. In a city, this was the closest thing to home other than something like a park.
"Wow, you wouldn't be seeing many places like this in Haldoria," Roland chimed in from the end of the table. He sat like the reluctant patriarch of some mismatched family, his back stiff as he adjusted himself carefully to avoid aggravating his injury. "Takes too much wood just to keep from freezing to death."
Clara's eyes lit up with excitement, her attention snapping to him. "Oh! You're from Haldoria? Wow! This is the first time I've met someone from there! What's it like?" Her voice rose with enthusiasm, practically bouncing in her seat.
Roland leaned forward slowly, bracing himself against the table, careful not to strain his back. "It's snow. Snow as far as the eye can see," he began with a dry chuckle. "We've only got one major city, and the rest are villages scattered across the country—nine of 'em. Well… eight now.
Clara's excitement dimmed instantly, her expression falling. "Ah… sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
Roland waved her apology off with a casual flick of his hand. "Why are you saying sorry? It's not like I knew anyone from there—or hell, even been there. Besides, no sense in getting all gloomy. We're here to relax, right?"
Wanting to shift the topic, he turned his attention to Xain and Zee. "So, where are the two of you from?"
Zee hesitated, her mind racing to come up with a convincing lie. Xain meanwhile, answered easily, "I'm from Ironhelm."
The reaction was immediate. Elsa's eyes widened, and even Clara sat up straighter, her curiosity reigniting like a spark to dry tinder.
"Ironhelm?!" Elsa nearly exclaimed, leaning forward slightly in disbelief.
Xain blinked, glancing between the three of them with mild confusion. "Yes? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Elsa said quickly, shaking her head. "It's just… I thought the people of Ironhelm never left the city."
Xain rubbed the back of his neck, his expression thoughtful. "Ohhh, yeah, you'd be right about that."
He let out a short laugh. "Well, I'm no different. I wanted to stay in Ironhelm, but… stuff happened, and I had to leave."
Clara's excitement surged back with full force. "Is it true what they say about Ironhelm? That you have automatons for everything—even guard work? Or that you can talk to each other from far away? Or that you've created things that can fly? And—"
Before she could fire off another question, Xain held up both hands, a slightly overwhelmed look on his face. "Calm down, Clara. Please."
She fell silent, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"But, uh… yes. To all of those things."
Clara clasped her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Ah~ I wish I could visit Ironhelm one day!" she sighed dreamily, but her enthusiasm dimmed slightly, her hands dropping to her lap. "But I can't… because of my magic." Her voice softened, tinged with disappointment.
"You know magic?" Xain asked, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Clara nodded eagerly. "We both do," she said, motioning between herself and Elsa.
"Technically, I can," Elsa added, her tone calm and measured, "but not in the same way as Clara."
Clara grinned proudly, sitting up straighter. "I can use fire magic—got a pretty good affinity with it, too," she boasted with a soft chuckle. "Though I don't get to use it much."
Elsa gave a small nod. "I don't have any mana, but since I'm Clara's page, I was trained in ritual magics. That's why I said technically."
Xain rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "I mean… if you really wanted to visit Ironhelm, you could always sneak in," he said, though his tone was half-joking. "Wouldn't recommend it, though."
His thoughts drifted as he stared at Clara's blonde hair, a faint sense of déjà vu nagging at him. *Are all blondes just able to do fire magic or something? First Amara, now Clara… And their names are similar too!*
Breaking from his thoughts, he quipped, "You wouldn't happen to have a sister who's, like, very extreme in her ways, would you?"
Clara chuckled at the randomness of the question. "Unless my parents are making a sibling for me while I'm away, no—I'm an only child."
Xain had asked it as a joke, but her answer still left him feeling oddly relieved.
"By the way, you haven't said where you're from yet," Roland said, shifting his attention back to Zee, who had been quietly hoping they'd forgotten to ask.
Zee kept her expression neutral, though internally she scrambled for an answer. "Well… I'm not really from anywhere. I've just been moving between the Free Cities for as long as I can remember," she lied smoothly.
"You must've seen a lot, then, right?" Clara asked, her curiosity reigniting.
"Heh, not really. Nothing much happens around here," Zee replied, her voice a little awkward, hoping to steer the conversation away from herself.
Roland snorted. "I feel like too much happens around here, but okay. Maybe it's different for the locals."
Clapping his hands together, he leaned back slightly. "Anyway, now that we've gotten to know each other a bit more, maybe we should order something?"
Elsa nodded in agreement and raised her hand to call over a waiter. Meanwhile, Zee leaned in close to Xain, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Xain… I think we forgot about someone."
Xain blinked, confusion flashing across his face. "Forgot about some—"
His eyes suddenly widened as realization hit him like a brick.
"Oh. Ohhh. Ohhhhhhh!"
Meanwhile
Larkin stood exactly where they'd agreed to meet, his foot tapping rapidly against the cobblestone. A vein pulsed at his temple as he glared at the crowd around him.
"Did the two of 'em just forget about me or what?!" he burst out, throwing his arms up in pure frustration. His voice echoed slightly, drawing a few curious glances from passersby.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, he rubbed his forehead, staring down at the ground with a scowl. "Goddess damn it…"
"Hey, suspicious old guy muttering to himself—I've got a question for you."
Larkin's head snapped up, his irritation quickly replaced by surprise. Standing a few feet away was a man, maybe in his mid-twenties, dressed in all-black leather armor. Hanging by his waist was a longsword, its scabbard as black as his attire. The handle was wrapped in black leather, and the pommel was shaped like the head of a black wolf, its sharp features giving it an ominous edge. His short, jet-black hair was slightly tousled, and his dark eyes gave off an unsettling intensity.
"Uh… can I help you?" Larkin asked cautiously, mentally bracing himself. *Am I in trouble?*
The man rolled his eyes dramatically. "No, I just called you out for no reason. Yeah, obviously you can help me. Why do people even say that?" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head like he was the one dealing with nonsense.
Larkin groaned internally. *Ah… this is gonna be tiring.*