Chapter 49

It was late into the afternoon, and the Raging Eagle had settled into a quiet rhythm. The earlier tension—born from the revelation that Zee and Mae were elves, and Edluar a half-elf—had faded into background murmurs. Patrons had, for the most part, moved on, though the occasional sideways glance still lingered. Warm sunlight spilled through the high windows, stretching across the floor and catching flecks of dust in the air.

"By the way," Xain said, glancing toward Edluar, "we never learned why you joined the tournament."

Edluar looked up from his food, blinking. His cheeks colored slightly, the pale tone of his neck only making the flush more obvious as he rubbed the back of it in embarrassment. "Ah… it's kind of embarrassing," he admitted, his voice dropping a little. "I really wanted to watch the tournament, but I couldn't afford a ticket. So I figured… if I joined as a participant, I could watch it for free."

He gave a sheepish laugh.

Xain didn't hesitate. "That's not a bad reason."

Nori, seated beside him, quickly scrawled something in his notebook and tilted it toward Edluar. "It's smart, actually. Even if it's risky, at least you're guaranteed a seat."

Edluar chuckled more genuinely this time. "If you two say so."

Nori gave a faint smile. This was the first time he'd been around another half-elf in years—maybe ever—and his curiosity burned quietly inside him. He wanted desperately to ask about Edluar's upbringing, if he'd ever been to Sylvanoria, if he knew anything about what life was like in the elven country. But he couldn't bring himself to speak, not here, not while he wore the name and face of 'Nerissa'... not while he was trying to enjoy the simple comfort of being near Xain. A once-in-a-lifetime moment, and he wasn't going to waste it.

Their table's relative peace didn't last much longer.

"Good to see you're getting along so well with 'Nerissa', Xain," Zee's voice broke through the quiet as she strolled up, arms folded and a sly little grin tugging at her lips.

Xain turned to her, blinking in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked. "She's your friend—and she's easy to talk to." He paused. "Well. Communicate with."

Nori looked away, his fingers tightening slightly on his notebook. Nice, Xain had said. If only he knew.

"You're a lot nicer than your sister," Edluar suddenly said to Zee as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"How would you know that?" she asked, tilting her head. "You barely spent any time with her."

Edluar sighed and shook his head. "Even with the little time I spent with her, I can tell that your a lot nicer."

And he wasn't exactly wrong—especially not after the stunt Mae had pulled, dragging their identities into the open like it was some sort of party trick.

"Oh? Talking about me?" Mae appeared behind them with that ever-present grin, locking her gaze on Edluar, who immediately looked away.

Zee flinched. "It was nothing—uh, nothing you need to worry about." she said quickly, but the lie came out awkward and stiff.

Xain cringed. *That was painfully unnatural....*

Mae clearly picked up on it too. With a wicked smirk, she wrapped an arm around Zee's waist and leaned in close, poking one of her sister's ears. "I've got these too, little sister. I heard what he said~"

Zee flinched and squirmed under her sister's touch, stifling a giggle as she tried to wriggle free. "S-Sto—stop it!" she hissed, clearly ticklish.

Mae ignored her, continuing her teasing with playful persistence. "But he's not wrong," she said, eyes sliding toward Edluar. "Zee is nicer than me. If we were to fight, you'd have found that out pretty quick, halfy."

Edluar visibly sank into his seat a little, her gaze heavy on him.

"But don't worry," Mae added under her breath, her eyes drifting across the table—landing squarely on Xain. "I've got my sights on someone else…"

Xain straightened slightly. "Um—'Nerissa,' what do you do for a living?" he asked abruptly, scrambling to redirect the conversation.

Nori's head snapped toward Xain in silent panic, his eyes wide. Zee mirrored his expression. *We didn't come up with a backstory!* the thought thundered in both their heads simultaneously.

With a sudden burst of strength, Zee shoved Mae's arm off her waist and straightened up sharply. "She's a—a… a lawyer! Yes, a lawyer!" Her voice pitched too high, but she beamed with fake confidence like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Edluar blinked. "A lawyer? While being mute?" he asked, clearly not buying it as he turned toward Nori.

Nori resisted the urge to slam his face into the table. Zee, clearly not picking up on the spiraling disaster, doubled down.

"Ye—yeah!" she stammered. "Because she's just so... so smart! That's why!"

Xain blinked at the two of them, clearly bewildered. "Um… if you don't want to say, it's fine," he offered gently, glancing between them with mild confusion.

Both Zee and Nori exhaled—relieved and visibly deflating. Crisis (Barely. Hell, not even.) averted.

"This sure is an energetic table," came a voice voice, drained and dry. All heads turned toward the sound—and there stood Vilak, of all people, with a drink in hand, his presence like a gust of cold wind cutting through the warmth. None of them had noticed him approach.

"I never expected you to be the type to come up to people," Mae remarked, tilting her head at him. Her voice carried a note of real curiosity.

Vilak's gaze flicked briefly to her, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned to Xain. "Can I talk to you?"

Xain looked around, as if making sure there wasn't someone else standing behind him. Then he touched a hand to his chest, eyebrows rising. "Me?"

Vilak nodded once.

"Why?" Xain asked, not rudely—just genuinely confused. "I mean, sure, but… why?"

Vilak's tone didn't shift. "I want to talk to someone. Try making some sort of connection. And you seem like the easiest person here to talk to. I thought… you wouldn't judge me, considering the company you keep." His eyes swept slowly around Xain, lingering just long enough on each elf.

There was a pause before he repeated, "So. Can I talk to you?"

Xain shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Come have a seat."

Talking to a necromancer who looked like he hadn't slept in decades definitely wasn't something he'd expected to be doing when he got out of bed this morning, but hey—he wasn't one to judge. Not when he had The Demon Lord, Ercale living inside him.

Vilak inclined his head faintly. "Excuse me," he murmured, then pulled out a nearby chair and eased into it with careful movements. He set the drink down on the table.

"Want a drink?" he asked, motioning to the bottle in his other hand. "It's wine. Aged about a hundred and fifty years."

Zee leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on one hand. "Ehhh, I don't think Xain drinks. Or at least, I've never seen him do it."

"He doesn't look like the type," Edluar added helpfully.

"Oh~?" Mae leaned in with a smirk. "And here I thought he'd be an alcoholic."

Xain glanced between the three of them, eyebrows raised. "Why are you all deciding this for me?" he asked flatly. "And why do you think I'm an alcoholic!?"

Mae just giggled and sipped her own drink.

Xain looked down at the offered glass, brows furrowing faintly. *I mean, I'm of legal age… not that I care much about the law to begin with. But—* his gaze flicked toward Vilak *—he probably would feel more comfortable if I shared something he's interested in, right?*

It felt like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone.

"…Sure," he said. "There's a first time for everything, right?"

Vilak gave a small nod and uncorked the bottle with a quiet pop. He poured a modest amount into Xain's glass, before filling his own. Once both were filled, he lifted his glass slightly—wordlessly offering a toast.

Xain mirrored the motion, clinking his gently against Vilak's.

He brought the wine to his lips, hesitating just for a moment.

*A little wine could never hurt… right?*