I walked out of the Guild Range with a snickering Clarissa, my face hot with slight embarrassment. Thankfully, I had held back my power enough not to cause too much damage, and Liandra had even said that it would be fine, and they actually had some Earth Mages on call that could come and fix the damaged ground. Still, didn't stop me from feeling embarrassed. I had paid for what damages Liandra let me, although she insisted it was fine, and I think she mainly took the money out of pity for me.
Most of the people there had just stared at me, mouths agape, eyes wide as they refused to address me. Elise had at least had the good graces to nod at me when I told her we were leaving. She seemed more bewildered than afraid of me, and she even gave me the smallest of smiles when I told her that I hoped we met again. That was good, at the very least.
"I don't think I've ever seen you like this before." Clarissa said with a small giggle.
"I... wasn't thinking about everything, apparently." I muttered, and she just smiled at me.
"It wasn't that bad. Honestly, I really enjoyed that. It was nice to let loose a little bit." She said, and then she bit her bottom lip, "And, I really thought what you showed me was amazing. I really mean that, Eli. You are incredible." She said, and just like that, my worries and lingering embarrassment disappeared, and I couldn't help but just smile at the beautiful blue eyed woman that had her arms wrapped possessively around my bicep.
I did want to impress her, but I perhaps went a little overboard when I didn't have to. As I looked into her eyes, and saw the gentle smile directed at me, I knew that she was here with me, for me, because she wanted to. Still, I did have to admit, it was fun to use and test out my powers more. I understood how to use many of my powers on an instinctive level, but in other ways, I was still learning, especially when it came to my Abyssal Manipulation, which could do so much more than I even knew. It was absurd, to say the least.
Clarissa though? Her ice magic mesmerized me, not in just how it looked, but in the way she used it as well. Her fluidity and grace while casting her magic was enchanting. Even someone who knew as little as I did about many things in this world knew that her skill with her class was a cut above the rest, and my thoughts were echoed by Elise, who was a very proficient magic user herself. I could see the way she used her magic with my eyes though, and it told me that there were hundreds, if not thousands of hours of fine tuning and practice in her movements, and the way she used her spells... skills, whatever they called them here.
"What are you thinking about?" Clarissa asked me, making me look down at her with a grin.
"Just how wonderful I think you are." I admitted to her, and she blushed, but her smile was captivating, "What about you?"
"I was thinking the same about you." She said, and then paused, and added, "And that I'm very hungry."
I chuckled as I began to run through where to go in my head, but I also wanted her input.
"What do you want? I was told of a few places we could go." I said, and her nose wiggled in this ridiculously adorable fashion as she thought about the question.
"Honestly... I've been craving pasta for a while..." She said, and I swear drool was coming from her mouth, "Oh, and some fresh bread to go along with it."
I chuckled, but I leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"As you wish, my Lady." I teased her, and she blushed, lightly smacking my arm, but she giggled.
"Meanie." She muttered, but her smirk indicated that she was anything but displeased.
I chuckled, and then mentally plotted our course to one of the places Seraphina had told me about. She was someone that would be called a foodie on Earth. She just loved trying everything that a place had to offer. We obviously couldn't just hop in a car or an uber and go to the nearest Olive Garden, so this was the next best thing.
We walked for a good 15 minutes, passing by various small stalls of people selling foods, trinkets, or other small oddities. I saw a few things here that I liked, and I made a mental note to walk back this way once we were done eating. Perhaps I could find a nice gift for Clarissa or something.
We arrived shortly at a small wooden building that, despite it's size, was immaculately maintained. The sign outside the place just read, "Reiner's" which confirmed this was the place I had been told about. The sign was hand designed, with very well done embellishments around the name itself, highlighting and underscoring the name on the sign in a way that made the smaller place stand out.
Seraphina actually emphasized this place, going into a lot of detail as she had told me about the best places to eat at, and this one was very high on that list, as the chef here apparently was skilled at making just about anything. That included, according to Seraphina, his super duper amazing pasta. Never thought I'd hear anyone here speak like that, but the Elf was an interesting woman.
"This looks cute and cozy." Clarissa said, squeezing my arm tighter against her modest, yet very soft and wonderous chest.
"It definitely does." I said with a smile, both referring to the building, and to her and her breasts.
"Well, shall we? I'm starving." She asked, and I nodded, smiling as I pulled her closer against me, which she didn't resist in the least.
"Let's get you fed." I said with a smirk, my words eliciting a small giggle from the woman.
We entered the building, and immediately, the smells of fresh herbs, breads, meats, and more filled my nostrils, and the smell was heavenly. It was like an orgasm filling my nose.
"It smells wonderful in here." Clarissa said, her voice sounding very pleased.
"It does." I said, and then my stomach made a small rumble, making Clarissa laugh softly, and I chuckled along with her, "Apparently my gut agrees too. Come on."
We walked forward from the entrance towards a small stand where a middle aged brunette stood, looking at the two of us with a smile. I say middle aged, but that word meant something different here. For example, Cici's mother was a middle aged woman, yet she looked anything but, almost appearing to be Cici's twin sister, rather than her mother. I could easily tell them apart now, but I still remembered the day I had confused them. Hell, my own mother was like that too, although she had somshow evolved due to proximity to me, which I did not understand at all.
"Welcome!" The woman said in a cheerful voice, she her enthusiasm carried over to us, where we returned the enthusiasm in our own smiles, "A table for two?"
"Yes ma'am." I said respectfully, and the woman brightened even more somehow.
"Wonderful!" She said, and two large sheets of stiff looking papers, and gestured for us to follow her, "This way please."
We followed the woman further into the small eatery, and she led us towards the back of the place. Along the way, I spotted a good number of people inside, enjoying what looked like super fucking delicious meals of all types. Grilled meats, different styles of pastas, steamed vegetables, you name it. I saw a number of couples that looked to be trying their best to enjoy their days just like we were, and I truly wished them the best of luck. These woman in my life... I honestly don't know what I'd do without them, especially my precious kitten, who was helping make all of this possible.
She led us to a a small table towards the back of the building. It was against the wall, with two chairs facing opposite each other. As the woman gestured towards the table with her friendly smile, I walked Clarissa over to the right side of the table, and pulled her chair out for her. She blushed, but her smile was wide as she looked at me with adoration in her beautiful blue eyes.
"Thank you." She said adorably as she sat her cute bottom down in the chair, and I gently pushed her and the chair in just tad, making sure to leave her plenty of room.
"Of course." I said, before I walked over to the other side, and sat myself down as well.
The older woman looked positively delighted as she looked at us.
"Such a gentleman. You're a very lucky woman. And such a beauty you are." The woman said, and I had to hold back my snicker as Clarissa, who just got done blushing like an anime girl, blushed once again.
"Oh.. I.. thank you, ma'am. I am... I mean, I do feel lucky." Clarissa eventually stammered out, and this time, I did snort a bit, which made her give me a small pout.
"I'm sorry." I said, reigning in the amusment, "You're just so cute."
While this did nothing to help her red face, I didn't miss the corners of her mouth ticking up before she hid her face. The woman next us just smiled so wide I was afraid she'd split the corners of her mouth.
"You two are just wonderful together. The days of young love..." She said, but she didn't look wistful, and of anything, she smiled wider, "I am still very much in love, but there's something different about it when it first begins. You are still learning about each other, and finding new things about one another that make you fall even more for that person. It's truly an amazing feeling."
"You must be a very lucky woman yourself." Clarissa said, finally able to calm the heat in her cheeks.
"I am. My husband is the most wonderful man I've ever met. He is also the head chef, and owner of this establishment." She said with a dreamy smile.
"Is your husband Reiner?" I asked, and she nodded eagerly.
"Yes." She said quickly, and then she smiled, and gave a small bow of her head, "I'm sorry, I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot to tell you my name. My name is Mirielle Duran, and my husband, and the one who will be preparing your meal today, is Reiner Duran. He's a B ranked Master Chef, but you'd swear his rank is even higher than what he actually is. He's made his Class his life's work, and I guarantee you'll never eat food like this anywhere else."
"Name's Elias. It's nice to meet you, Mirielle." I said.
"And I'm Clarissa." Clarissa said with a bright smile, getting the same from Mirielle in return.
"Elias. Clarissa. It will be my pleasure to serve you today." She said, her enthusiasm infectious.
I just smiled at the inviting woman as she handed us the papers she had brought, their quality much more than just simple papers. As I took mine in hand, I was greeted by a handwritten menu, the writing on the page perfectly written, detailing appetizers, dishes, and desserts, with a smaller place on the bottom right of the paper that detailed their list of drinks.
"While you decide what you want, may I get you something to drink?" The woman asked, and both Clarissa and I nodded.
While Clarissa just asked for a water, I decided to try the "Fire Starter Ale," which was apparently their strongest drink, according the Mirielle. I also asked for a water, as I did want something else to wash my food down with. I had no illusions that the alcohol would effect me, but I found that I did rather enjoy the taste of the alcohols in this world.
"Great! I'll give you a few moments to decide. I'll be back with your drinks." Mirielle said, before darting off at a quick yet practiced speed.
"This place is nice, and very friendly. I like that lady." Clarissa said, and nodded, admiring the surrounding decor, as well as the bombshell of a woman in front of me.
"She is a nice lady. I'm more interested in the one across from me, though." I said, and Clarissa blushed, but she couldn't hide her smile.
"Do you have a skill related to sweet talking?" She asked me, leaning over the table with her arms resting underneath her chest.
I chuckled, then leaned over, my larger frame easily allowing me to reach her as I pressed a kiss to her lips. She kissed me softly, her lips gently suckling on mine before we parted a moment later. Her face was red, and my smile grin was teasing.
"Oddly enough, despite all of the incredible skills at my disposal, that one seems to have skipped past me." I joked, and she laughed as she gently brushed her fingers over her lips.
"Could've fooled me." She said.
The look she was giving me actually stole the breath from my lungs for a few seconds. I actually saw some lust in those deep blue eyes of hers, but more than that, I saw real trust of me in them, and the promise of something more, something I now wanted completely. Bond or not, this woman was mine, and when that did eventually happen, she truly would be mine, and mine alone. Well, and Cici's, of course. She made it no secret that there were... well, some interesting things she'd like to try in the near future, and that thought had me very exicted, to say the least.
During that time of my mind wandering, the both of us getting lost in each other's eyes, Mirielle came back with our drinks. Her laughter towards us was what got our attention, and she set our drinks down in an expert fashion.
"Did you two stop looking at each other long enough to look at the menu?" She asked, and Clarissa blushed, while I just chuckled softly.
"Sorry about that." I said, and the woman just smiled.
"Not a problem. Here, I'll do something else for you. It'll give you time to actually figure out what you want." She said, before she was off again.
Clarissa cleared her throat, the sound far more cute than a noise like that should be be. She began scanning the menu like it was a map that led to some long lost treasure, and I just laughed to myself as I scanned the menu.
This place truly had a lot of options, and many of them were similar to things I was familiar with, just with different names, detailing different ranked creatures that were used in making the dishes, as well as fruits, vegetables, sauces, and the like, depending on what you ordered. This, combined with the scents in the air, were making my mouth water.
I saw a few things that I wanted to try, and since I was confident in my ability to eat, I decided to order a few dishes. I had been eating rather well so far in this city. Honestly, even back at the village, despite the simplicity of the meals, they were good as well, especially since my mom had come back and began to help with her class she was given.
"Eli, all of this looks so good.." She said, her eyes darting back and forth across the menu.
"It does. Get whatever you want. It is my treat, after all." I said, and Clarissa smiled sweetly at me, before nodding quickly.
It was only a minute later that the Mirielle returned again, only this time, with a small tray. She set it down with a smile, and the sight of freshly baked rolls with a cup of what looked like butter on the side greet our eyes. The rolls still had a faint steam wafting off of them, and they smelled wonderful.
"My compliments. Did you two decide what you wanted?" She asked, and we both smiled and nodded.
Clarissa went first, ordering an appetizer of stuffed mushrooms, as well as one of the chef's specialty pasta dishes that used some kind of poultry based creature in it. So, pretty much a chicken based pasta. I was going to get the same thing. I did actually, once she got to taking my order. I also ordered what amounted to steak and potatoes, and fish with steamed vegetables on the side. Clarissa's eyes, as well as Mirielle's, widened slightly as I ordered. I also got a 2nd order of the stuffed mushrooms, as those just sounded fucking good. Once I was done, I handed her back the menu with a smile.
"Thank you, Mirielle." I said, and the woman blinked at me, before the smile returned in full force.
"You're welcome, Elias." She said, then turned to Clarissa with a smile, "Clarissa. I will put these orders in immediately. Please, enjoy the rolls, and I'll be back with more drinks for you both. This shouldn't take long. My husband works fast, but the quality never suffers."
We both nodded at her, and she smiled as she seemed to skip away, looking quite chipper. I laughed.
"What a nice lady." I said, and Clarissa giggled along with me.
"She is." Clarissa agreed, and then smiled at me. "I'm glad we chose this spot. It's nice, comfortable, and quiet... and... I get to spend more time with you."
The smile that her words put on my face was only matched by the cascade of warm feelings in my chest. Her smile, her eyes, her everything...
"Any time spent with you is worth every second." I said honestly, and she blushed, and I even saw a slight tremble in her lips. I reached over and put my hand atop hers.
"Is this a dream?" She asked me, a bit misty eyed, and I smiled softly as I gently ran my thumb over her knuckles.
"If it is, I'll be happy to never wake from it." I said, and she smiled at me, and then let out a small giggle.
"You really are a sweet talker." She said, making making me chuckle.
"I don't try. I just say what's on my mind." I answered her, and she just stared at me, before smiling, and leaning over the table.
I met her halfway, our lips connecting once more. This kiss lasted several more seconds than the last, and I couldn't ignore the heat she was giving off this time around. I felt her tongue brush across my lips, and I returned the gesture by meeting my tongue with hers, where a small battle went on between them for a few seconds. Clarissa was the first one of disengage, her face flushed, and her breathing a little heavy. I meanwhile couldn't get rid of the grin on my face. While a little inexperienced, her kisses were no less full of passion than what I was used to. So much so that it surprised me.
"So, are you having a good day so far?" I asked softly, and the full smile she gave me was answer enough, but she still responded all the same.
"One of the best days of my life." She said, her eyes never leaving mine.
"Me too. I feel like I've gotten to know you a lot more, even though it really hasn't been that long." I said, and grasped her hand with mine, "I want to know everything there is to know about you, Clarissa."
Clarissa smiled, her eyes watering slightly as she gazed at me with eyes I would have expected from Cici. We were both falling pretty hard for each other pretty fast, and before coming to this world, the old me would have stopped, and tried to slow down. The thing is though... I didn't want to go slow. I wanted this woman to be mine, and I wouldn't accept anything less than that.
"Well... we have time. Ask me something." She said to me, turning her hand over to interlace our fingers together.
I smiled, and gave that question some real thought. I wanted to know more than I felt we had time to talk about here, so I just decided to go with our most recent activities.
"Well, lets start with something simple. Your magic really impressed me today, Clarissa. It was amazing. Was that something random that the Framework gave you? I was told that what you want can effect what kind of class you get. Is that true?" I asked, and the question actually sparked something I didn't expect to see in her eyes. Sadness.
"Well..." She began, hesitating, and I immediately felt guilty about something I didn't even know about.
"If it's a subject you don't want to tell me about, you don't have to." I said, rubbing my thumb into her palm softly, but she shook her head, and squeezed my hand tighter.
"No... if there's anybody I would want to tell this to, it's you. And Cici. You two... I trust you both more than anyone else." She said, and that made me smile, even if I still felt bad seeing the hurt in her eyes.
"Well, just... tell me what you want to. If you want, I can even make sure Cici knows what you are telling me. I know how close you've both become." I said, and Clarissa looked at me with a smile.
"That... yes, I would like that a lot." She said, and then smiled, "That bond seems very useful."
I laughed, and nodded.
"Oh, definitely. Cici has helped me so much without even being near me." I said, and I genuinely meant that. A few things had happened lately where I wasn't exactly sure what would have happened if she hadn't been there to talk to me.
Clarissa took a few breaths, and I saw a glint in her eyes as she prepared to tell me something that I assumed she has never shared with anyone else.
"Ever since I was a little girl... I wanted to be just like my mother."