Chapter 165: Table Manners

Chapter 165: Table Manners

“I’m honestly surprised restaurants like this are a thing in Far Felsen,” Jadis commented as the last of her bodies ducked in through the door to the fine dining establishment. “Er, well, during times like these, at least.”

“People need to eat. And what happened a few weeks ago notwithstanding, Far Felsen is the safest place in all of Weigrun. And where there are people willing to pay, there will be people willing to provide the service.”

Aila’s explanation was fair enough, but the sight of a restaurant with white tablecloths and silverware in what was ostensibly a warzone still threw Jadis off a fair bit.

The restaurant was located on the nicer side of town, where the larger residences and more expensive shops could be found. The city hall wasn’t that far away, either, so they had been able to stop there and exchange their bounties for coin before heading to the establishment. The thought that this was the kind of place Magistrate Vraekae would likely dine at had crossed Jadis’ mind, but fortunately the cold-blooded elf had not been waiting within when they’d entered. Instead, a pleasantly decorated but mostly empty dining room had greeted them, followed shortly after by an actual greeting from a pleasant human waitress in a black and white dress uniform.

“Is there somewhere in particular you would like to sit?” the human woman asked, her wide eyes failing to not stare at the towering Nephilim. “Almost all the tables are free, though I’m not sure what we can do to accommodate any, um, size requirements...”

“Over in the corner is fine,” Jay told the waitress. “And we can make do with the floor. Cushions would be nice though, if you have them.”

Some nice plush cushions were quickly pulled from somewhere in the back and in short order the group was seated around a large round table in a corner far from the few other tables with occupants. Jay and Dys ended up with their backs to either corner, while Syd sat on the opposite side. The others took their own seats at various spots around the table, but Aila somehow ended up directly between Jay and Dys, a circumstance that Jadis didn’t mind in the least. Eir sat to Jay’s right, Sabina after her, then Thea. With Syd placed to Thea’s right, Kerr sat between her and Dys.

Considering the influx of coin they’d just gained from their short trip into the hills that morning, none of them were reserved in the meals that they ordered. It was a good thing the table was so large, because they were going to need the room for how many plates were no doubt going to be crowded before them. Going all out on an expensive meal definitely felt like a good way to release some of the unpleasant tension that still lingered a bit from Jadis’ foolhardy encounter with Noll. In fact, she didn’t even want to think about the shameful display anymore, so she was happy to focus on practically any other topic of conversation.

As Sabina talked about divine-based armor enchantments with Eir and Thea, Jadis and Aila discussed plans they had for the near future. Winter was coming soon to Weigrun, and the southern continent was known for its long and bitingly cold end-of-year season. Once the snow started falling, it was going to be much harder to get around the Broken Hills or the forestlands to the north. Jadis had been born in Pennsylvania in her previous life, so working around cold weather was nothing new to her, but according to Aila the snow drifts would become truly colossal during the darkest months, so travel would be a near impossibility. Even many of the demons would be less active, just due to how punishing the cold would be. They would need to find something else to do.

To Jadis’ mind, though, there was an easy answer to the question of how to occupy themselves once the weather got bad. The tunnels stretching for miles and miles under the surface would be clear of snow and no doubt still infested with demons. Even if the demons were less in numbers by then, which Jadis highly doubted, there were all kinds of dangerous magic beasts down there too, like the hydra they had fought. There would be more than enough to keep them busy down there, so long as the team didn’t mind returning to the cramped spaces.

As Syd turned to ask Kerr what she thought about the idea of exploring more of the tunnels, she caught the grinning therion slipping out of her seat and under the table. As she sunk below sight to be hidden by the long tablecloth, she tossed Syd a wink and put one finger to her lips in a shushing motion.

Confused but intrigued, Jadis said nothing and made no mention of Kerr’s stealthy disappearance. None of the others at the table seemed to notice, much less the few diners seated at tables elsewhere in the restaurant. She wasn’t entirely sure what Kerr’s plan was, but she was more than willing to roll with it.

A few seconds later, when Aila suddenly jumped in her seat and made a strangled noise, Jadis caught on to the insane therion’s plan.

“What are you doing?” Aila asked through tight lips while staring down at her lap.

“Shh,” Kerr whispered back from under the table. “Just giving you a little present, for all your hard work with this trio of lug heads.”

“What was that?” Eir asked, turning her head to look at a red-faced Aila.

“Nothing, just talking about making a second trip to the tunnels,” Jay quickly replied to the elf’s question and covering for Kerr and Aila. “It should be a good way to keep up activity during the winter months. What do you think?”

Eir frowned but did not look wholly displeased by the idea.

“As long as we are careful not to get lost again, it could be a good idea. But maybe this is a situation where we should ask Destarious for guidance? We’re nearing the point where we’ll be able to ask three more questions soon. And maybe,” Eir looked hopefully up at Jay, “Lyssandria might be there again, too? I would love to hear more of your interactions with her.”

“I don’t know if she’ll be there again,” Jay shrugged thoughtfully, “but it’s a possibility. We probably should talk more about what questions I should ask though. What else were you thinking?”

“Lothaire,” Syd nodded back at the elf. “How have you been? Burn any interesting demons lately?”

“A few,” he smiled ever so slightly. “We have mostly been focused on clearing the tunnels immediately around Far Felsen which has meant our foes have been generally much of the same as you would find above ground, but there have been a few memorable encounters.”

“Thanks again for blowing me and that demon up, by the way,” Dys said dryly.

“You’re welcome,” Lothaire bowed slightly at the waist. “It was quite fortunate that you didn’t die, though part of that fortune is because I have a skill that actively reduces the damage my spells do to allies caught in the radius of my spells.”

“Oh! That’s a wonderful skill to have,” Eir said, smiling at her fellow elf. “Maybe someday Aila will learn something similar for her spells.”

Lothaire’s gaze turned to a red-faced Aila, the woman putting on a remarkable show of looking unbothered while Kerr continued to suck her cock under the table.

“You may yet, though I must warn you, young mage, that it was not until much later levels and many friendly fire incidents that I gained the skill. However, if you are interested in such a spell modification, I suggest you catch your allies in your spells intentionally in a controlled environment. It’s the safest way to potentially earn that skill.”

“Thank you,” Aila cleared her throat, “for the advice.”

Before Lothaire could continue, a much louder voice shouted from across the dining room.

“Hey, you blue-assed wanker! Get back here and order so we can get our food!”

Lothaire closed his eyes and slightly shook his head before releasing a small sigh. Opening his eyes, he nodded to Aila and then the table at large.

“My companions call for me. I do hope we get another chance to talk at greater length.”

“Yeah, another time,” Syd smiled at the wizard as the others murmured their own good-days.

Jadis watched Lothaire return to his table on the other side of the room where a few other men sat. She recognized the large orc as being the barbaric one with an unusually loud voice, but the bald healer was there too, as well as a strikingly handsome, almost effeminate man. While she couldn’t be sure, Jadis guessed that the girlish-faced man was likely the knight she’d seen in the past who was wielding a lightning blade.

“That was nice of him to offer some advice, wasn’t it?” Eir turned to Aila. “He didn’t have to—are you okay?”

Eir’s concerned question was prompted by Aila’s closed eyes as her whole body shivered involuntarily. She took a shuddering breath, but then opened her eyes and smiled in an almost natural way at the priestess.

“Fine, thank you,” she said with only the slightest hitch in her voice. “And yes, that was good advice, though nothing that isn’t already written about in most arcane magic instructional tomes.”

As Aila talked to Eir, Dys quickly glanced under the table to see Kerr pulling away from Aila’s cock. Her face was a wet mess, but she had the same expression as the cat who’d gotten the cream. Without attracting attention, Dys slipped the sodden therion a cloth napkin, which she used to wipe off her face. She even quickly wiped off Aila’s half-softened member before gently putting it back in place.

A few moments later, Kerr slipped out from under the table while the others were distracted by the waitress returning to the table with the first of their many plates of food.

“Oh, Kerr, where have you been?” Eir asked when she noticed the archer adjusting her seat. “You’ve been gone for a while.”

“Just went to get a drink,” Kerr said while grinning at a glaring Aila. “But I already finished it. I’ll need to get another one soon.”