An average afternoon with rising tensions...

* * *

I take a sip from my water, reading the menu. Maybe if I act like everyone's getting along, it will work. The menu isn't very complex, serving quite a few homely meals with fairly grounded flavors. I'm thinking of the pork since it was the first thing Pridwen suggested. Everyone else has already sat their menus down, likely ready to order.

"..."

No one says a word, vibes still plenty harsh. Meanwhile, Pierce just looks like he could care less. Variel has slowly looked more and more grumpy the longer we sit in silence... or maybe her face just looks like that?

I clear my throat, leaning back and setting down my menu. I can't bear the silence at our table in comparison to the rest of the room.

"So what are you guys gonna order?" I ask, directing the question to everyone except Pierce. The hope is that he takes the hint and stops being an asshole.

"I'll probably get the steak... I've been craving beef for a minute," Gram says, taking the opportunity to get the ball rolling again. "How about you, Pridwen?"

"Oh, I'll probably get the roast goose," She responds, preparing to bounce the conversation towards the last (cheerful) member. "What about you, Variel?"

"I'll probably just go hungry, to be honest," She says, leaning back in her chair. "Nothing here really sounds that great to me... not to mean any offense by it, I just prefer fancy food."

"Are you sure?" Pridwen asks, wanting to know if she's genuinely serious about not eating. Considerate as ever, I suppose.

"If she wasn't sure, she wouldn't have said anything," Pierce says, butting into the conversation when no one asked him. 

"Don't speak for me, asshole," Variel remarks, finally seeming to be at least a little done with him. "If you didn't want to come, you shouldn't have come! So either get off your ass and leave or stop being a bitch and complaining!"

There's a long pause after that of everyone just staring at everyone else. Gram looks like his game plan is to just stay quiet until the problem solves itself, whereas Pridwen looks happy that Variel stuck up for her. I'm going with the strategy of reinforcing the argument Variel is making.

"Exactly. We're here to become friends with each other and, at least for right now, you seem to have no intention to do so," I say, putting my hands on the table. "If you want to keep acting like this, then you might as well leave."

Pierce takes a deep breath inwards, leaning forward in his chair. I see his eyes dart from me to Variel in a second. Something tells me he's about to escalate this way further.

"Listen here, you knife-eared elves! I wouldn't have a problem with you if you were still in your home country-"

Let me tell you, I have never seen a chair get thrown at a man quite as fast as I just did. When I say that Variel picked up and then slammed her chair into this man in under a second, I mean it. I hear some clutter around the tavern and a resounding "Daaaaaaaaaamnn" come from someone at another table.

Also, was I just racially discriminated against? Also-also, god DAMN she hit him hard with that chair. We're all E+ rank at the table, but I wasn't expecting her to swing the chair that fast. I take another sip of my water, sinking into my chair as if it might make me invisible. Gram looks like he's just about ready to crawl under the table, whilst Pridwen looks like she only half agrees with Variel's actions.

Seriously, the chair shattered against him and I think he's unconscious. Variel picks up her purse and takes his chair, positioning it where she had sat down. She sits in his chair, acting as if she hadn't just slammed a chair into the boy.

"So I can assume that neither of you hold prejudice against elves, right?" She asks, looking at Gram and Pridwen. It feels like a bit of a thinly veiled threat to them.

"No," Gram responds quickly, straightening his spine and giving a thumbs up.

"Of course not," Pridwen says, looking a lot less nervous than Gram.

The waiter finally comes back, stepping over the unconscious body of Pierce. He's got that awkward and scared look on his face, looking at all 4 of us.

"So... do you want me to throw him outside for you or..."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Variel says, speaking for us. She just barely smiles, crossing her arms. "By the way, we're ready to order once you get back."

"O-Ok..."

The waiter grabs Pierce by his shoulders and begin to drag him out across the floor. A busboy seems to be given a broom, as he's now sweeping up shards of the chair. The guys hands are shaking, his eyes locked to the ground. What's the big deal? It wasn't even that superhuman!

"Hey Arthur, ever though of taking a trip to the world tree one day?" Variel asks, looking over at me. Are my eras really that obvious? Is it that clear that I'm a half-elf?

"I mean, I wouldn't be against it..." I say, shrugging slightly. "I've never really thought about making the pilgrimage... I didn't even know I was a half-elf until like 2 weeks ago, actually."

"Wow... really?" She asks, leaning back a little. Elf to elf communication makes me feel... odd. I've only been an elf since I came to this world, so I feel out of place. "Did you never see that one of your parents had pointy ears?"

"No, actually," I say with a chuckle. "She always wore her hair so that it covered her ears, and they never bothered to tell me."

Gram and Pridwen stay quiet, unable to relate or comment on the conversation. I decide to switch topics, wanting to make the talk available to everyone. 

"So how's everyone's classes going?" I ask, wanting to get a feel of the academic standpoints.

"Perfect, you?" Variel says, bouncing to me.

"It's... less than desireable," I say, rubbing my neck and looking to the side. I clear my throat and pass the convo once again. "Gram, what about you?"

"Pretty good. Math is hard, but everything else comes naturally," He says, nodding lightly. He passes the prompt to our last contestant. "Pridwen, how are your classes going?"

"Oh... they're... going," She says, looking at the ceiling to escape eye contact. She's smiling, but it feels embarrassed. "I'm doing great in combat studies though!"