31 Departure

When the breakfast was finished cooking, Ember headed for Elric's room to wake the young man up. Everyone else got the table ready while she went to get him.

When she knocked on his door, she didn't receive an answer, but pushing it open, she saw that he was already up and sitting by his computer.

"Hey, Ember, you're leaving this morning, right?"

Ember nodded. She would be getting a ride back home from one of her friends, who was from the same small hometown.

"Next time you're going back, take me with you! I'll be busy this time, but if we have a break during the school year, I'd love to see your home."

Elric turned and shot a wink at Ember, causing the girl to blush.

"F- for now, just come out and eat breakfast! Your dad came back, along with one of his buddies. Ivan."

Elric's expression perked up when he heard the name.

"Uncle Ivan? It's been a while since I've seen him, I wonder how he's been."

Elric hopped out of his chair and followed Ember back to the dining area.

When he saw the table that was already full with Eria and Ivan, he had to go over to a closet to grab a backup chair.

"Elric, I'm sorry for getting so drunk last night."

Eria immediately apologized, and Elric asked to confirm if she was okay.

Seeing that there didn't seem to be anything intimate about his son's relationship with Eria, Peliston's expression improved a bit.

"Sit down and eat. Ember said her friend is on her way to come pick her up, we don't want to keep them waiting."

After pulling up the chair, Elric settled down next to Ember and Ivan, then dug into the breakfast that'd been placed on the table.

Everyone was chatting as they ate, mostly about random things. Ivan spoke the most and told a story that Elric had already heard a number of times in the past. Still, he didn't say anything, since Ember and Eria both looked intrigued as he spoke.

Their pace of eating was rather slow, and a car pulled up outside the house before Ember could finish her meal.

"We've still got some more food left, why not invite your friend in to have some?"

Ember nodded, then went over to the front door and waved for her friend to come over.

"Wow, what is this place? I thought you were staying in a hotel, so I was confused by the address, but are you really staying in this house?"

Ember's friend wasn't alone. The brown-haired girl with a face dotted with freckles was accompanied by a young blonde man with trimmed hair and a short, fuzzy beard.

Before she even made it through the doorway, Ember's friend patted the guy on the shoulder.

"This is my boyfriend, Chad! Ember, do you remember him? He went to our school when he was younger, but then moved away with his family. He's going to the same college as us!"

From the expression on Ember's face, Elric could see that this girl likely wasn't a close friend of Ember's, and the girl seemed like she was trying to flex her boyfriend on her.

"Come in, we were just eating breakfast, and we've got enough for both of you."

Ember refrained from commenting on the boyfriend bit for the time being, instead leading them over to the table where Elric was bringing over a few more chairs for the couple to sit on. Eria quickly dished up two more plates of food, and soon the table of five was expanded to seven. Everyone barely had enough space to eat without bumping shoulders with the next person over.

The newcomer girl lifted up a slice of toast to point at Ember.

"So, where are you going to stay? If you want, I can give up the dorm room I was originally slated to have, I'll be staying at Chad's apartment instead."

Ember shook her head.

"Thanks, but I'm going to be staying here. I've got a boyfriend, too."

Ember's face reddened a bit as she spoke, and the girl's face lit up in excitement.

"Hmmm?? And you didn't tell me right away?"

Ignoring that she too had failed to mention her own boyfriend to Ember, the girl's eyes scanned through the table members before settling on Elric. He was the only man who was roughly the same age as her.

He had washed off the makeup from the previous night, though, and the yellowish discoloration from the bruises shaded his face.

"... This guy?"

"You should've seen the other guys."

"Jolie, he's a really great dude. Also, he got hurt helping me out, he's really handsome normally."

The girl looked at Elric skeptically.

"Girl, I'm not trying to be rude to your pal here, but you can do better. Have you looked in the mirror? You're an easy ten. Guys twice as handsome as this fellow can be under your beck and call."

Both Eria and Ember looked a bit annoyed by Jolie's words, and Eria was the one to speak up first.

"Hey, you wouldn't be saying that if you saw how he looks normally. I even asked Ember if she would share when I saw him."

Peliston's expression rapidly changed as he tried to decide whether to be happy or annoyed by Eria's comment.

Jolie waved the last bit of her bread in the air.

"Sure, if you say so."

Stacking her remaining bacon onto the last bit of bread, Jolie stuffed it in her mouth, then stood up from her seat.

"Thank you for the meal, but we should get going. Come on Chad, Ember."

Everyone else had already finished their breakfasts, save for Jolie's boyfriend. When the muscled dude heard her words, a saddened expression came over his face, and he almost looked like he was about to shed a tear.

"But… the toast and bacon…"

"Yep, stuff it down."

Chad reluctantly eyed his plate.

"But Gran Gran always told me to eat slowly and savor my food. This is something we're receiving as a gift, I can't be rude and scarf it down!"

Chad continued stubbornly eating at a slow pace, but it at least gave Ember the time to go and fetch her stuff from her room. She decided to leave most of her items at home, only taking back a few pieces of clothing and her guitar. She had plenty to wear back at home and would be returning in a week, so it didn't really make sense for her to bring everything back.