Hanging Out

A merry atmosphere surrounded the castle. Food and drink were everywhere. At the side of the room was a plethora of musicians. Dancers moved to the various rhythms. Captains could be seen mingling with those from other battalions.

Members of Ravencorpse and Silent Night had already left their tables to converse with friends. This left only Shu, Rin, Etris, and Flynn at the conjoined table. The group ate their food in peace.

"All of this noise is sickening." The arrogant girl exclaimed.

Rin gave her a side eye and finished wolfing down her food. She didn't talk much to people that didn't concern her. Shu was eating pretty slow since there wasn't any rush. His mana breather had retracted, allowing him to take in the food. By the time the snow demon had devoured her meal, she couldn't help but look at his.

The young samurai raised an eyebrow before taking some of the delicacies with his silverware. He then brought it closer to Rin. It hovered in front of her lips.

"...Hungry?" He asked.

"......"

There was a pause as she glanced from Shu to the food. Eventually, she opened her mouth. Her soft lips wrapped around the food before pulling back. The lightning maiden watched the scene with a frown.

"E-Eating from the same fork?! Dis-Disgusting!" Etris exclaimed with a slight blush.

At this moment, a new figure joined the table. It was Eldan. He sat down on the other side of Shu. A tranquil smile graced his face.

"I've been meaning to ask…what was your punishment?" He asked. The sleepy man sighed.

"...They made me clean the entire place and pick up poop."

Hearing those words, the blind man blanched. He couldn't help but pat the lazy swordsman on the back. It seems they both had it rough. What a pity.

"That's not too bad. I had to clean the toilets with a toothbrush. Then I had to wash everyone's clothes. And finally, cook meals for the whole team for a week. Any type of busy work was passed to me. I honestly didn't get much sleep in the beginning." Eldan explained.

"Couldn't be me. I need my sleep."

The two casually fell into conversation. Unknown to Shu, Rin sneakily took food from his plate. She tried considerably hard to be unnoticed. Her actions were too cute. The pink haired beauty covered her eyes. It was too much for her. Eventually, Etris broke the conversation.

"Who are you? What makes you think you can sit here?"

Eldan paused. He'd totally forgotten about the other people at the table. After turning to the arrogant woman, he spoke.

"Ah, pardon my rudeness. My name is Eldan. May you find solace in the Violet Evercroft."

"Huh?" She couldn't understand what that meant.

Suddenly, a new figure approached. She stood behind the swordsman before tapping his shoulder. The young samurai turned around to see a little girl who barely reached his chest. He was sitting down and still towered over her. It was Faye.

"Um…do you guys have room for one more?" She asked nervously.

A slight smile graced his face. His hand gravitated toward her head. Patting the freckled girl was a must. It had been at least half a year since everyone saw each other.

"Hello, little Faye. There will always be room for you." He answered.

Eldan also turned upon hearing her voice. He politely waved in greeting. It was a relaxing moment for everyone.

Idun, the commander of Bloody Thorn, spied on their interaction. It seemed like everything was going according to plan. Etris frowned once more. Why were people coming over to this table?

Right after, another figure approached the table. It was the white haired girl who was on Eldan's battalion. Shu quickly learned that her name was Genesis. An interesting name. No time was needed for them to become friends since her personality was more on the sheltered side. The table had gotten lively.

"You sure do make friends easily." The lightning maiden commented. The young samurai raised an eyebrow.

"...You're not going to find your comrades?"

"Hmph. Friends and comrades are for the weak. I shan't lower myself to that level."

"Are we not friends?" He responded.

The arrogant woman froze upon hearing those words. She crossed her arms, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. Faye quickly noticed her actions and frowned. Did she like Big Brother Shu?

"Well…I-I guess someone as great as me can allow a friend." She exclaimed.

"What about me? I'm your friend too!" Faye spoke.

"Me as well." Eldan chimed in.

"I agree." Genesis said.

Etris didn't know how to respond. A deep sigh escaped her lips. After gathering her wits, she spoke.

"F-Fine. I'll allow only you guys to be my friends. Nobody else."

Flynn was totally forgotten. Being the mute he was, the elf minded his own business. It was unknown what he was thinking. Rin was also ignored. They could discern her personality pretty easily. The only thing on her mind was Shu. It was a bit weird but he treated her well, so they wouldn't interrupt.

CRASH

Something could be heard shattering on the other side of the room. Before the group could turn to see the commotion, Shu wrapped his arm around Rin and pulled her close. A full plate of food whizzed past where her head used to be and slammed into Etris' face.

"Huhhh?! Say that again, bastard!" An angry voice roared.

The angry man known as Pryce, who joined Phoenix Talon, could be seen standing in front of a sitting figure. His metal bat rested on his shoulder. The other man sitting down was Frazier, who joined the Windriders. In his hand was a fork that was in the middle of taking food. Unfortunately, the plate was nowhere to be found. It was sliding down the arrogant woman's face.

"Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" Frazier spoke.

"Ehhh?! Shut it before I break your face in!" Pryce growled.

Both of their auras flared up which made the captains frown. King Solomon and his children watched with interest. Right before things escalated into a fight, a new aura spiked. Everyone turned toward the other side of the room. Lightning was dancing across the area, a single woman floating above her table.

Etris was truly angry this time. Compared to her normal pissed expression, this one was cold. The arrogant maiden zipped across the air before appearing beside the two.

"Which one of you threw it?" She questioned. Pryce and Frazier turned toward the voice. The orange haired fighter gestured toward the hotheaded man.

"Who the hell are you, huh?! Fuck off, ya stupid bitch!" Pryce retorted.

"What…did you just call me?" She muttered.

Her hand reached for the man's face. Right before they got into a scuffle, a Legendary aura washed through the room. White and black butterflies made of pure mana flew everywhere.

"No fighting will be allowed indoors. A few exhibition matches wouldn't hurt though. Everyone, follow me. We can get started right away." The Archmage declared.

Etris and Pryce glared at each other while Frazier sighed over his lost plate of food. Each of Shu's friends returned to their battalions. The captains returned as well and brought everyone out. It was an abrupt ending to the banquet, but nothing too out of the blue.