As I am lying on the soft grass gazing at the sun above, a subtle but satisfactory touch of wind grazes my cheek. 'If Stella doesn't come in next minute or so, I might sod off.'
Just then a shadow casted over my face, above I saw Stella looking at me. "Sorry, for the wait."
I couldn't help but blink for a second. She looked like a completely different person. Her long hair neatly tied in a pony tail, forehead covered by series of bangs. The usual covered legs behind long white skirt are now covered in full black stockings under a graceful black skirt. Above, she is wearing a plain white shirt under a black vest which bore Cross guild's insignia on the shoulders and back.
"Wow… Ahem! I mean no worries, I was just admiring the sky." Stella chuckles.
"Hehe. Are you nervous?"
"W-What? Of course not!"
Seeing me fumbling my words, Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha! Don't worry, I am nervous too."
I cover my mouth and look away. "You are?"
"Yes! It's my first time taking someone out for dinning. I am nervous, what if somehow I make your experience bad?" Stella sudden self doubt made me realize one thing 'She is really pure. A selfless being.'
I raise both of hands and smile. "Lucky you, I am not a picky eater."
"Is that so? I am glad."
"Yes, shall we?"
"Yeah! Follow me!" We made our way to the concrete path down this small hilltop. As soon as we stand on equal grounds, I noticed the height difference between us. 'She is really tall… are those heels?'
We were walking towards the main street outside of the guild premises. "Do you always wear these heels?"
Stella glances back at me with chuckle. "Ah… these heels are part of our uniform, we are required to wear them all the time. Other receptionists, bring two pairs footwear but I am kinda lazy so I just always wear these everyday." She cutely taps her own head and winks at me.
"I am afraid if people mistake us for a mother and son pair."
Stella bursts out laughing at my joke. "No. No. The people at the restaurant knows me and you quite tall for your age."
"Am I?" Now that she mentioned, I am around 166 cm tall which is a lot for a boy who is yet to hit puberty.
"You are not even a teenager, right?"
"No. I don't think so. Besides that, do you remove the elf ears when off duty?"
Stella touches her real human ears. "Yes, my mom yells at me whenever I wear them. That's why I wear them in secret. Hehe. By the way, where is Dora?"
I avoid direct eye contact while answering her. "She is sleeping, apparently she overworked herself and now is taking a nap."
She nodded with a sad expresssion. "That's too bad, I wanted to hold her."
I quickly decide to change the subject. "You will definetly your chance, just not today. Let's continue."
We stand at the main guild staircase right before the busy street. Everyone was covered from head to toe, the air quality also dropped significantly as we stepped out of the artificial garden. "Altaris, you got a mask?"
I shake by head at Stella's question. "Actually, I live in a village close to the town nearby."
Stella tilts her head as she tries to picture my words. "Village close to town… Oh! You mean Wiston merchant town, they have many small establishments in their surrounding area."
As I didn't know the actual town's name, I chose to remain quiet.
"That must be Wiston town! As it is the only decent settlement besides Cross dungeon city on this side of border. The Wiston is only used by merchants and traveling nobles, locals refer it as only town."
"Makes sense." I make mental note.
"Yes, please refer Wiston as your hometown from now on. In official records, every small village surrounding Wiston is considered as a part of town itself."
"Okay."
"Good! Now even if you live in the village, you should atleast cover your mouth. Plague can affect anyone, especially the kids and elderly."
"Then what about you? Are you going to cover your face?" I ask in concerned tone.
"Me? I don't need it as I am already cured."
I raise my eyebrow in question. "There is a cure?"
"There is, but it is super expensive. Only nobles and wealthly merchants can afford one. Others, sadly have to stick with medicines and pain reliefs. The guild offers free cures for it's employees, especially the staff. As we are supposed to deal with hundreds of people every day, they cannot act reckless."
'Maybe, this mysterious tree hoarder of a guildmaster is less of an asshole.'
Stella takes out a metallic mask from her purse and offers it to me. "Here."
I take the mask to take a good look at it. "Isn't it too girly for me?"
"What? Just because it is shaped in a cute bunny head?"
Stella snatches the mask from my hands and holds it high in the air. "This mask! This mask is the exact replica of the mask wore by the guildmaster when she is was the hunt for the Great Black Levithan in the deep ocean. How dare you call this girly? I personally carved the scratches and marks myself to match the original. It is perfect!"
I laugh awkwardly as Stella is babbling about her love for that tree hoarder. "If-If you did so much work on this one, how can I accept this?"
Stella turns to me, her face all unserious. "Huh? Take it. I have 30 other replicas others at home."
'How can I forget? She is obsessed with the guildmaster.' I take the mask and put it on my head. "Uh… Do I look funny?"
Stella leans and takes a good look at me. "Hmm. It's bit big for your face, but it looks nice."
I open my eyes and notice black glass in the place of eye sockets. "You even customized these?" I point at the mask.
Stella smirks proudly. "Down to the details. Now let's go."
I nod at her and began following her. At first, we were walking closely together but the street was too active. I barely managed to follow her in this busy mob. Seeing me struggle, Stella grabs my hand and holds it firmly.
At that moment, my heartrate skyrocketed. In the busy street where everyone yelled every two steps which could overwhelm anyone, I could only hear the sound of my own heartbeat. 'Damn this body.'
Stella periodically glanced back at me and noticed my bright red face which she mistook for excess heat. She increased her pace and we reached the restaurant in few minutes. "Here, we are."
I looked up at the smaller building standing in between two tall towers. It has a billboard above it's entrance. 'Madison the Red's Bakery.'
"It's an authentic bakery, come inside." I follow Stella who directly walked to the second floor. Above, the place was aesthetically designed to feel peace and bit close to nature with white flowers on every table. The all white wood furniture went good with the overall theme. "Altaris! Come sit!" Stella waves at me, she picked a table close to the window.
I sit opposite of her and decide to praise her choice. "Nice place."
"Right? I love cakes from Madison's bakery."
"You mean the Red. It's in the name."
"Hehe. You would understand later. Let's order first." She offers me the menu which was already on every table.
I open the menu and immediately got culture shocked. 'Okay. I don't know shit.'
I pick random dish and point at it. "Oh? White forest with honey and white sprinkles. It's a classic."
I smiled at Stella explanation and hoped not to get sugar bombed.
"Then I go with Red ribboned pastry with hot chocolate. Um… Excuse me!" Stella raised her voice.
I glance around the place and notice the lack of people. 'Is this place even open?' I notice a strong presence behind me. 'Probably the waiter.' I do not bother to turn back.
"Oho! If it isn't little Stella! And who this gentleman be? Your boyfriend?" The deep and rough gives me a weird a sense of déjà vu. I turn around and immediately regretted coming here.
The muscular man in apron recognizes me and grabs my shoulder. "It is you! My saviour!"