"What is this place?" Linnie asked.
The four of them, and the guards, stood in front of a decently large and bustling tavern. Light and music flooded out from inside, and many people were going in and out of it.
"What do you think?" Marielle scoffed. "It's a place to get food. And it's good."
"I thought we were, like, going to see the festival."
"The festival only really starts at night you imbecile! All the day activities have already ended. We'll eat first and then go have... fun."
"Cool! I'm starving!" Liora cheered.
They pushed through the tavern doors, leaving the guards to stand outside, and were met with an incredibly rowdy sight. The interior was well managed, but not quite on the level that Linnie would've expected the stuck-up lady to allow.
Perhaps she made an exception for this one spot. Linnie hoped it was for the food.
People were playing with cards, eating food, talking, and even getting into fights. It didn't seem to bother Marielle in the slightest.
In fact, he was pretty sure he saw her face even brighten up a bit when they stepped inside.
A towering, bulky man looked at them from behind the counter. When he noticed Marielle, a wide grin stretched across his face.
"Marielle! I wasn't expecting you!"
"Ha-ha, but I already know my dad told you I'd be coming, Gerry. My usual table is open, I assume?"
"It sure is! And it finally won't be a waste of space, isn't that great?"
"...What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, a little sour.
"Oh, well, usually you sit up there at that big table all by yourself. And... is that the prince? What a surprise! All I'm saying is that this is the first time you've brought friends."
Her face went red, and she scowled.
"It's not my fault this place is too much of a dump to bring anyone I know! Now leave us. We'll just take my regular order."
"I'll see right to it." He laughed deeply, moving to the kitchen.
Linnie hadn't realized it until after the large man, Gerry, left, but the entire tavern had stopped moving. Now, they were all looking at them.
He gulped, unsure of what was happening. Liora and The Prince, too. The three of them were almost ready to turn around and leave.
And then, they erupted into cheers.
"Lady Marielle!"
"The Lady's here!"
"Come, sit over here!"
"Sit with us!"
Marielle brushed them all off as she led the three of them to the back of the tavern and up a small flight of stairs. At the end was a solitary table, which sat on the top of the dim indoor balconey.
The entire tavern, and all of its customers, were visible from the top. It wasn't too far from the rest of the tables, but still created a peaceful and elevated space for the noble.
'Ah, and here I thought she would actually dare mingle with the 'mongrels' down there. Of course not,' Linnie thought, snickering to himself.
They all took a seat around the table. It was circular, and Linnie sat between Liora and The Prince, causing Marielle to sit right across from him and for the balconey's railing to be right behind his chair.
Both Linnie and Liora dropped their hats to the floor and beneath their seats. It could be a little awkward eating with them, sometimes.
"Do you come to this place often? Everyone seemed to know you. I was seriously nervous for a second, but then I remembered we've got all those guards and stuff, so then I wasn't nervous anymore," Liora said.
When no one else started talking, she continued.
"But it was kind of scary having them all look at us. Well, they were looking at you, but, then they all cheered and were calling out to you. It's just cool, is all."
"I do come here a lot. The food is good, and Gerry is a friend of... my father's. And the owner of this place."
"How come you sit up here all alone?" Liora asked.
"I don't—why do you care?"
. . .
Liora puckered her lips and twirled a few strands of hair, thinking of something to talk about.
"Your hair's super long! I mean, I think mine is longer, but yours is way prettier. The color is so cool, it's like... I don't really know, but it's definitely nice! Orange—it's so unique. Mine is boring and white. Actually, it's like, a little blonde. If the sun hits it right."
"This is boring," Marielle said, shaking her head. "Tell me something interesting. I don't care about your hair, and I already know mine is beautiful."
She narrowed her eyes, then opened her mouth again.
"Ah, you're from the south, aren't you?"
"Nope! I mean, I think I was born here, at least. I don't remember anything else!"
"Yeah... that's not what I meant, but okay. You were a slave before, were you not?"
. . .
"Ummm, that's, like, kind of a weird conversation topic." Liora frowned.
"I don't mean anything by it. It must've been hard, being a slave. Well, maybe not too hard, since you are quite pretty. Pretty slaves have it easy—"
"No slave has it easy," The Prince said, speaking for the first time.
His voice was like a dim and flickering candle. But he meant what he said.
"Oh, uh-huh. That was insensitive, wasn't it? What I meant to ask was how exactly you became... ahem, teacher's apprentice."
"That? It's actually a pretty interesting story! I think Linnie can tell it better, though, since I couldn't really see what was happening..."
The boy wasn't paying attention, and only snapped out of it when Liora poked him in the arm. He looked at the three of them staring at him.
"Ahem, oh, right. What?"
"Tell them how you guys found me!"
"Ah. We found her in a carriage getting attacked by a monster and then I killed the monster."
They all waited for a little more, but Linnie was finished. He looked at them confused.
"What? That's the story."
"Linnie, you suck at telling stories!" Liora groaned.
"What more do you want!? That's what happened!" He shrugged with an annoyed face.
"You killed the monster? What was it, a mireling?" Marielle laughed.
"No, it was... I forget the thing's name. It was this big spiky bear. It sent the carriage flying through the air with one swipe. And it could shoot its spikes everywhere, I really thought I was gonna die, actually."
"A thryskarn? You defeated a thryskarn? That's actually moderately impressive. For a runt like you, at least."
"Wait, I remember! Yeah, I've got no clue what a thryskarn is—the monster was a porcupine bear."
"That's the same thing you idiot."
"No, I don't think so—"
"It is."
"I think that—"
"It's the same thing! Fuck! Shut up!"
'Eugh, so foul-mouthed.' Linnie grimaced.