Gath nodded a thank you as a waiter placed a basket of bread and some menus on the table of five in front of him. He, his partner Talmin and his daughter Rett sat on one side of the table, while their new friends Kuta and Trismit sat opposite them. Rett immediately picked up a bread roll and started biting it, ignoring the little plate in front of her. The adults all took their own bread rolls, cut them open and covered the insides with butter.
“Well this is nice!” Talmin exclaimed. “We have not been somewhere fancy in a while. It makes a pleasant change.”
“It does!” Kuta agreed. “This place in particular serves some amazing stews. First time Trismit brought me here, we were stuffed. It’s been one of my favourites ever since!”
“I recommend the ocean food stew,” Trismit suggested, before taking a bite from his bread roll, which he quickly swallowed. “Although the pure mushroom stew is also really nice.”
“Ocean food! Ocean food!” Rett piped up, getting very excited. This was the first time she had been given a tall chair with a cushion rather than a child’s high chair, and being on the same level as her parents was currently the best thing in the world. “Mummy can I have ocean food?!”
Gath glanced at Talmin, then nodded. “Yes, you can have ocean food. Just try not to eat all the bread, alright dear?”
Rett seemed to only half pay attention and had already gone back to her bread roll. In Rett’s hands, the roll looked huge, and she had only really nibbled the edge off it.
“So how did you two get together?” Talmin asked. “You seem like an… eccentric couple.”
“Well, really, Kuta and I have known each other for a very long time. We just never had the chance to meet up…” Trismit exclaimed. “It is not the happiest story but it was… well…”
“Well?”
“Well… I suppose I have to explain the backstory…” Trismit sighed this time, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “I was recently in a relationship with Relkay Rethianos, but the relationship was rather problematic because Relkay is a public figure, and I did not like the hoops we constantly had to jump through. So we broke up and I got rather… upset. To the point of, well, wanting to end things. Kuta saved my life, literally. By pulling me away from a high ledge.”
Talmin’s eyes widened. “That is… amazing! Like a fairy tale almost!”
“Fairy tale! Fairy tale! Daddy, can you tell a fairy tale?” Rett suddenly squeaked.
“I shall tell you one later, darling…” Talmin smiled, patting Rett on the head. “Do you still want the ocean food stew?”
“Yes daddy! Please!”
Just as Rett was getting excited, a waiter came up to the table.
“Are you ready to order?” the waiter asked in an almost monotone voice, the sort that most Rethavok used these days.
The table all nodded, all quickly glancing at the rather basic menu.
“Could we please get two ocean food stews, one for me and one for Retty?” Gath went first. “Talmin, what do you fancy?”
“I think I will have the sausage stew.”
“I would like the mushroom stew,” Trismit smiled.
“And I will have an ocean stew as well!” Kuta finished. “Anyone want anything else?”
“I think that is everything.”
The waiter jotted everything down, then tapped his pen against his pad. “Thank you very much, your food will be brought here shortly.”
Everyone nodded, then went back to the conversation.
“Ser Kuta saved ser Trismit?” Rett asked. “Like, a super hero?”
“You could say that,” Kuta smiled. “I do have some… unique abilities.”
“You look unique!” Rett beamed excitedly. “Like Uncle Retty’s friend, except you are light now!”
Kuta blinked. “What do you mean by that?”
“You were dark and a battery but now you are light and icy!”
Again, Kuta blinked. “My little friend, your telepathy is very, very strong.”
Gath and Talmin both looked confused and surprised.
“Sorry, Kuta, I-”
“No, no, it is fine!” Kuta’s smile returned. “It is nice to see someone who retains the Secret so well. But yes, at one point, my armour was very dark, but I remodeled myself.”
“And you know Uncle Retty!”
“I do.”
Gath was still confused. “You know Retvik?”
Kuta nodded. “I worked with him back in the 11th Legion.”
“Oooooh!” Things suddenly made sense to Gath. “I see now. I assume you know Trismit from there too?”
“Indeed.”
“Oh that makes more sense!” Talmin still felt a little confused, but luckily Kuta had cleared things up. Just in time now, as their stews had arrived.
The waiter returned with a large tray and five dishes on it. He handed out each bowl of stew, then disappeared before coming back with five glasses of water.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thankies thankies!” Rett giggled. “Yay food!”
The rest of the table laughed, then began to eat.
“This is really nice,” Gath smiled. “We should do this more often…”