Just Lunch, Nothing Special

A round table decorated with sea creature carvings was positioned in the middle, surrounded by green plants. The similarity to algae was stunning. Two lush, velvet armchairs stood beside it, facing each other. Wow! The furniture here sure looked comfy!

The seat further away from the door was already occupied. Alika saw the very person she had come to meet. The mage noted the table was set and ready. A pair of coupe glasses, decorated with fresh fruit, were filled with rich orange drinks. Dragons stared at her from the covers of the menus.

The mage stood frozen in astonishment for five long seconds, despite her initial resolve. She wanted to show that nothing could surprise her, and her only reason for being here was strictly business. But it proved to be more difficult than she imagined.

'I wonder if all of this is real?' Alika thought, switching to magical vision.

After a quick examination, the mage found lingering traces of magic. To her surprise, they had nothing to do with an active spell. This could only have meant two things. The use of enchantments could have been concealed by masters of their craft. It was also possible that everything before her eyes did indeed exist. Either way, it all proved that the level of service and comfort in this establishment and this room, in particular, was the highest possible. The thought made Alika shiver.

"Dear Phoenix, who am I dealing with?!" the mage thought.

Remien gestured for the woman to go. He put the book he was reading aside. The man left the comfort of his seat and moved the second chair for Alika to sit on.

The mage inspected the book cover. "The Complete Anatomy of a Crea. From killing one within an instant to making them shriek with pleasure". Nothing about the title rang any bells for her, though. Alika found neither the book nor the creature mentioned the least bit familiar.

"You look like you had no time to eat anything yet," the man remarked with a slight frown. "Well, I guess there is no use denying that the fault is partly mine. I suggest you choose something nice and nutritious."

"If you are kind enough to treat me to lunch, I have no objections," the mage said, with a hint of mischief in her voice. At the very least, she would have the chance to taste the fine dining cuisine of one of the city's most renowned chefs. Most of the academy dormitory dwellers could only dream of such a thing!

Remien smiled and was soon back in his own chair, relaxing and enjoying the softness of the exquisite piece of furniture.

"My treat it is. I thought that went without saying. By the way, it's nice to see you safe and sound," Remien commented, taking a long sip from his glass.

Alika responded with a mysterious smile. At that moment, there was a quiet knocking sound. The waiter received confirmation to come in and was ready to take their orders. Alika studied the menu, called the man over, and listed her choices. Even though it was tempting, Alika decided not to abuse her new acquaintance's generosity too much.

Some delicacy names were so eccentric that the mage couldn't guess what they meant and had never heard of the existence of the listed ingredients. In the end, Alika ordered Luvenese hare stew.

If truth be told, Alika herself had no clue what type of dish that was. But at least she knew what hare stew meant. She chose the glittering lemonade ghost cocktail as her drink next. One of her friends, Kirena, once treated her to it. Remien browsed through the pages and hesitated before voicing his order.

"Oh, whatever, let it be the usual." He closed the menu and leaned back in the armchair. "Bring it all at the same time."

The man took their orders, courteous and dutiful, and was soon gone. Remien took off his right glove. He removed a black ring with many colored stones from his finger and placed it on the table between them. The man gave one of its stones a light tap, and Alika recognized a soundproof barrier spell activating.

"You gave no answer to my question back at the academy. However, I would like to know your opinion on the subject. What is it that defines a person? Let me rephrase that. What do we need to know about each other to make this partnership work out? My family, past actions, and current intentions. Does any of it matter to you?"

The negotiations, the very reason Alika had come here, had begun.

"That's a tough question." Alika folded her hands in her lap. "There are some parts of my life that I'm not ready to share yet. I would do everything in my power to keep those secrets. Yet, we need to know something about each other. Otherwise, we won't be able to trust one another with our lives in such a risky matter as dungeon conquest."

"That's fine with me. I will need to see your skills a bit later, though. I need to know your reason for wanting to be an adventurer. If you could tell me that now, it would be nice," Remien said, calm and collected, like before. Alika studied her companion, her gaze focused on his face. She refused to give out some of her personal information. However, that didn't bother him at all.

"Tell me, do you believe in destiny?" she answered with her own question.

"To answer that, I'll need you to define destiny."

"By destiny, I mean something in store for you from the moment you are born to your last breath. It can't be changed. Over and over again, you attempt to change it. But eventually, you realize that nothing really has. It's like an endless cycle where you are compelled to run around in circles. It's as if our lives are always spinning on a hamster wheel," Alika explained as best she could.

"What you're describing. It sounds like a regular life with all its difficulties." Remien shrugged. "How does one even find out what their fate is supposed to be? Fortune-telling spells? Prophetic dreams? There have been too many misinterpretations to call those techniques flawless."