2.5, mini-adventure: Pretty women

"I sometimes wonder...but speculation can wait. Dinner calls and I for one am ready to eat." Steve starts walking towards the dining room with the others.

Still absentmindedly looking at Fedler's feet, Mihai will just go along with them.

The whole group is lead to the dinner room on the second floor of the manor; unlike the dining hall of the first floor, this room isn't decorated with luxurious tapestry and curtains, and is probably intended to be used by the family and their friends. Sean Freeron sits at the end of the table, with Zelk and Steve at his right, Aemilia and Konrad at his left. Fedler and Mihai are sitting next to Steve, and Breeze right next to Konrad. There are three bottles of wine set on the table, two carafes of iced tea, and a pitcher of water kept cold by small cubes of ice. Once everyone has sat down, Gwen waves at a servant to bring out the plates of lasagne while she cuts a few pieces of freshly baked bread which she then puts in a small basket.

"I hope you don't mind the frugality of this meal," says mister Freeron. "Truth be told, I would even cook for myself, if I wasn't so lazy about it."

"He's just a bad cook," comments Zelk. And to the attention of everyone, she adds, "If he ever offers you one of his meals, refuse; it's atrocious, believe me."

"My omelet wasn't that bad..."

"You mistook the sugar for salt."

For the first time since you met him, Sean Freeron seems a little embarrassed.

"An honest mistake."

"And that's why Gwen has a job."

The butler and the servant smile politely, holding in their amusement, just like the rest of the table. Except Breeze, who laughs out loud.

Steve places his napkin in his lap. "Noted. But this food looks great. Certainly better than travel rations. They aren't terrible most of the time but they get very old after a while."

Mihai raises an eyebrow at the sugar for salt thing, but is otherwise unmoved by Sean Freeron's reported ineptitude in the kitchen.

"That's right, you are mercenaries," continues the master of the house. "You all seem quite young, especially your fairy friend."

"Thanks!" replies Breeze, who is now holding up a knife in her arms with the intent of spreading butter on a piece of bread.

"For how long have you been living this life?"

He starts to dig into his place, and the others soon follow.

"About three months now." - Mihai replies casually as he gets started on his meal.

Steve tucks into the lasagna with gusto. "It is very good. We only really get homemade meals when Fedler decides to cook. We all know just enough to bumble along and help her out but she's the one with the skills."

Zeoss wrote:"You mistook the sugar for salt."

For the first time since you met him, Sean Freeron seems a little embarrassed.

"An honest mistake."

"And that's why Gwen has a job."

"Have you tried honey on an omelet? I hear it was once a topping in the old world. My 'source' could have been wrong, though."

When Zelk asks for something within Konrad's reach, he'll be the one to pick it up and pass it. He won't fight for it or try to get there ahead of someone else already about to palm it, but he is somewhat quick on the draw.

"I've been at this far longer than the rest of them. I think about 5 years or so. However, I've never wanted for a real home-cooked meal as often as most in our profession."

I'll let him steer for a while...

Konrad wrote:"Have you tried honey on an omelet? I hear it was once a topping in the old world. My 'source' could have been wrong, though."

"Hmm, no I haven't," replies Zelk. "That sounds... peculiar."

This catches the old man's attention. "I could-"

"No."

___________________

Konrad wrote:"I've been at this far longer than the rest of them. I think about 5 years or so. However, I've never wanted for a real home-cooked meal as often as most in our profession."

"Oh?" exclaims Fedler after swallowing a mouthful of lasagna. "Does that mean I can retire from my cooking profession?"

"No!" retorts Breeze with an alarmed tone. "I love your cooking! Please don't stop!"

"Fine, fine."

The fairy lets out a sigh of relief, then returns her attention to her cup of wine and uses telekinesis to move drops of this beverage to her mouth.

"May I ask how you've met with this charming little girl?" asks mister Freeron, his eyes fixed on Breeze. "I've heard rumors of fantastical creatures appearing everywhere in the Archipelago these last few weeks, but this is quite something else..."

"I'm curious myself," adds Aemilia.

The blue-haired girl turns her head towards them, munching on a piece of bread which she is holding in her arms.

"We met her in a forest at the village of Waterglass." - Mihai responds - "She helped us take care of an assignment then. The details... are complicated." - he finishes, in a tone suggesting the classified kind of complicated.

"Waterglass?" repeats Aemilia. "So, what happened there three months ago..."

Fedler doesn't betray any sort of reaction, and keeps eating. Breeze has decided to drink another drop of red wine.

"Was us, yes," Konrad tactfully finishes for her. "We put down a cursed feral animal, and brought justice to the town. Whatever you've heard is probably true."

Steve affects a put out expression. "Do we have to talk about this now? We came here to escape work, right?"

"Right." - he acknowledges, and keeps eating.

Konrad moves on without a beat. "I imagine it must get very lonely in this large mansion, Mr. Freeron. How do you pass the time?"

"Oh, despite what some people might believe, I still manage my company," replies Sean after taking a sip of iced tea from his glass. "This keeps me plenty busy, but when I do have free time, I spend it reading books or taking strolls through the city. I'm guessing you imagined me leading a more glamorous lifestyle, right?"

"On that note, there is something that leaves me curious, Mr Freeron."

"Yes?"

"The lasagna is excellent, and the dining room is lovely. But looking at the rest of the house, one might be forgiven for having expected the Master to have more extravagant tastes. Feels like there's a dissonance between the person who enjoys a traditional dinner with family and guests like this, and the gentleman who hosts balls in a room large enough to hold a villa, while collecting exquisite and expensive art for display. Even if that's good business from a presentation standpoint, i have to admit i'm surprised at the scale."

Steve sips his wine and watches Sean very carefully to see what he'll do.

Mister Freeron smiles. "You haven't met many rich people, have you?"

Mihai's expression is unaltered - "Not many, sir, no."

"I get the feeling there aren't very many people like you, sir. Rich or no."

The old man's smile hasn't subsided, and after gulping down a piece of bread, he replies, "I wouldn't be so sure. Maybe I am only a humble man who uses this manor as a way to convince others of my success, thus helping my financial endeavors; or, maybe I am pretending to have simple tastes so that my guests feel at ease when they come visit me. Which one do you think is the right answer?"

Zelk keeps eating, and appears not to give too much attention to the current topic, although she is listening. Aemilia refrains from answering, while Fedler ponders for a bit. As for Breeze, she uses her telekinetic power to eat her lasagna.