Chapter 175: An eventful dinner (1)

The sun was already on its downward curve by the time a particular trio left the Highrove's Guild Hall. The large shadows cast by the night were momentarily pushed back by an orange pillar of light that wafted out from the inside as the double doors were pushed open.

The boys were accompanied by the still slightly nervous curly, brown-haired girl, Mary, who after finishing her shift, wore a simple but still elegant white top with a khaki medium-length skirt. It took all her willpower, but she managed to force herself to stand by Aiden's right side, leaving Cole to take his left.

With the change in the time of day, the type of people that could be seen on the streets changed. While they remained relatively the same in Adventurer's Street, as they left it, they were met with a vastly different crowd than in the morning. 

Guards could be seen with increased numbers patrolling the streets, with the occasional weary men, tired from the day's robot crawling towards their little slice of heaven for the respite they oh so deserved, be it the comfort of their homes, or the closest pub to drown their sorrows with a few mugs. 

The noise of the bustling, busy daytime crowd was gradually replaced by the clattering of the steel boots on the stone pavement as the armored guards patrolled back and forth, accompanied by the faint sounds of music, and chatters that came from the nearest pub or tavern.

Mary was in great turmoil currently. By the time she finished registering the completion of Aiden and Cole's quests and giving them the agreed compensation, it was already almost the end of her shift. She wasn't willing to separate from Aiden so abruptly, and with the heat of the moment, she blurted out a question that she still couldn't believe. She actually asked Aiden and Cole if they could wait up for her and have dinner together! 

'Just what was I thinking?! What is wrong with you Mary? What are you doing?!' She berated herself inwardly as she walked in silence with the boys. She couldn't understand herself at all in these past few days! She just couldn't compose herself in front of him at all, and kept acting like a total idiot, a complete nervous wreck! She couldn't even look at him! Every time she saw those beautiful, deep golden irises, she found herself lost in them, with no willpower to muster anything meaningful. It was simply magical!

"Where would you like to go to have dinner, Mary?" Cole inquired curiously, breaking the silence that surrounded the trio ever since they left the Guild's building.

"Huh?" Awoken from her thoughts so abruptly, Mary couldn't respond at first but kept blinking with an empty expression on her face. It took several seconds for her to compose herself and think about the choices. 

"I… I would be fine with what you two would pick, no need to go out of your way just for my sake…" She answered weakly. She focused her attention on Cole, trying to avoid matching Aiden's eyes. She wasn't certain if she could take another dose of him today without fainting after all.

"We were planning to just simply grab whatever they would have back at the tavern," Aiden spoke with a nonchalant tone. The grub there was really good. So good actually, that even he had, was looking forward to it, and not just for the amount of energy he could potentially receive from the upcoming feast! He remembered the taste of the breakfast they ate… Ah, it was incredible!

"Yeah, but don't worry, that place is incredible! The breakfast we had was the best! Right, Aiden?" Cole chipped in with great joy in his eyes. The atmosphere, the look, the taste, the prices… everything was perfect about that place… Especially for someone like him, he wasn't used to delicious dishes at all, living in a small village and all.

"The Tavern? Hmm… The Salty… Pig, was it?" Mary thought back but immediately turned beet red as she recalled how she marked her own house as an option. She turned away and took a few gasps of air to calm herself. "That's fine by me…" She answered faintly after a great while.

"Yes, that's the one! Not sure about the other places, but that place was really good! Let's eat there then!" Cole exclaimed and the group silently agreed. They continued their trek with a destination in mind. 

It didn't take long before they found themselves in front of the building. As usual, the place was filled to the brim with groups and groups of adventurers returning from their escapades, ready to turn in for the night but not before downing a few mugs of beer accompanied by some hearty dinner. Standing outside, they could hear the loud, boisterous guffaws, as they told tall tales of the adventures they embarked on before coming home. 

The faint sound of music, a piano, and a violin could be heard as well, surprising the boys slightly as they pushed the door and walked in followed by the timid Mary behind them.

"Since when do they have live music? I don't remember hearing it yesterday…" Aiden spoke in surprise as he looked at the musicians at the far corner on a small makeshift podium preparing and tuning their instruments. 

For instruments, there was a piano, beautiful craftsmanship, shiny charcoal black, a violin with similarly great qualities but in a sparky pecan color. Next to them, a man was sitting on a stool, that was busy placing four strange cylindrical objects in front of him. They all had various sizes and had different colored thin leathers stretched out covering their top sides. They were very lavish, with elegant, and unique embroidery on their sides.

However, it wasn't their design that caught Aiden's attention, but the faint aura that these objects surrounded themselves with. All four had a different and very faint aura that surrounded the objects. They were clearly not ordinary items but had some magical properties. 

The fourth and last instrument was slightly similar to the violin with the key difference that it was a handheld and larger version with two separate necks instead of one. It was vaguely similar to a guitar, but it had ten strings instead of the usual six.

Besides the drum-like objects, none of the instruments seemed particularly interesting, at least for Aiden. Taking one last look, he turned away, as the trio looked for an empty table to take their seat.

While the place was bustling, they still managed to find a table closer to the band and the bar, far away from the door. With a silent nod, they quickly agreed and began to push and wrestle their way through the crowd to get to it and begin their well-deserved rest for the day. 

With Aiden leading them, they managed to get through the barrier with relative ease and arrive at the empty table. Letting Mary taking the seat first, Aiden motioned for Cole to follow suit and sit as well before he looked at the two, and with a friendly smile, he spoke up. Despite the noise surrounding them, both could clearly hear him.

"I'll go and get something for us to eat and drink. What would you guys like?"

Not sure what to answer, Mary began to look around to see some of the available choices. 

While she was 'picking', Cole cheerfully exclaimed pointing to the group sitting at the neighboring table. The group there were in a heated discussion, as a larger, buff guy was waving with his large hands, most likely boasting about a 'huge and ferocious' beast he had heroically overcome during the day. 

They had the same dish in front of them: A pair of steaming, hot light brown sausages, with some mashed potatoes and a similar portion of light-green beans, accompanied by a large mug of foamy, golden nectar.

"I would be fine with that one!" Cole said with an expectant smile pointing at one of the dishes on the table. 

"Sure, that's fine for me too I think." Aiden nodded, then turned to Mary. "And for you? Have you decided?"

"Uhm... " Mary fidgeted at the boy's stare, unsure what to answer. Unable to withstand the pressure, she pointed to the same plate that Cole did as well, and while hiding her face with her other hand, she spoke in a muffled tone.

"T-that would be fine for me too…" 

Aiden smiled at the sight. 

"Sure, and as for drinks? A beer, or water?" He asked both of them.

"Uhm… some water for me… please" Mary responded weakly, hiding her face with both hands now.

"B-b-beer for m-me!" Cole spoke up, trying to sound determined but failing miserably as he stuttered the response. He never dared to drink it before, even if he was already considered an adult with his 16 years. He felt it was wrong, he didn't deserve it before. But now, after all the things they did today, he felt it was finally appropriate to celebrate with a manly beverage!

Nodding at the requests, Aiden turned around and left towards the counter, to place their orders.

He was happy, and content with all that happened today, he just wanted a peaceful dinner with his newly made friends and rest for the day. 

Unfortunately for him, tonight had a lot more in store for them…