First Meal in Eden

Britta brought glasses out one after another, setting them on the table. She gently filled the glasses with ale, her hand slightly shaking.

Jaime watched her stiff movements out of the corner of his eye. 'This girl, are cultivators really that terrifying?'

Every time Britta looked up, she would purposefully avoid looking at Rella. Like she would get burned, looking at her for too long.

Once the drinks were all poured, Britta bowed slightly, retreating to the kitchen. Timothee looked at the glass in front of him with a massive grin.

Reaching forward with both hands, Timothee cheered, "Bottoms up!"

Sadly, before Timothee could celebrate, Aisha lightly slapped his wrist, sliding his glass away. "The last thing you need is alcohol."

Timothee squinted his eyes at Aisha, looking like he just found his greatest foe.

Watching the stand-off, Jenna giggled. She lifted her glass to her lips, gently shaking her head.

When she took a sip, Jenna's amused expression became extremely grim. Her face contorted, looking like she had just swallowed poison.

Jenna opened her cherry lips, letting the dark liquid slide back into the glass.

Watching her, Jaime became curious. 'It can't be that bad, right?'

Jaime tipped his glass up, letting the dark liquid slide between his lips. Immediately, a frown spread on his face, but he swallowed the liquid. Before putting his cup down, Jaime forced a smile onto his face.

Looking at Aisha, Jaime exclaimed, "Wow! That is some good stuff!"

Jenna gave Jaime a strange look, but she was a smart girl, so seeing his expression and how he looked at Aisha–Jenna was able to figure out his plan.

Jenna nodded her head, "I agree, it's quite good."

Aisha, looking between the two of them, couldn't help but feel like something was off. But she couldn't quite place her finger on it. 'Is it really that good?' Aisha wondered, taking her glass and pouring the liquid into her full lips.

As the liquid hit Aisha's tongue, her face curled. Her nose scrunched cutely as she swallowed the brackish liquid. "Ew, what is that?" Aisha asked, staring at the liquid in her cup.

Jaime couldn't stifle the laugh rising in his throat. Jenna couldn't help but join him, blessing the world with her soft laughter.

Aisha glanced between the two of them, giving both of them the stink eye. Aisha especially looked betrayed as she looked at Jenna. "I thought we had each other's backs?"

Jenna's sweet bell-like laughter rang again. "I couldn't pass up the opportunity~"

Timothy laughed boisterously, making the whole table look toward him. A few of the other patrons even looked over.

Timothee was sitting next to Cain, laughing out as Cain drank the dark liquid, his face distorting with each sip.

Jaime laughed. "Y'know Cain, you don't have to drink it if you don't want to. None of us are drinking it."

Rella, who had been silent up to this point, looked over at Cain. "It's true, the alcohol here is terrible. But, the food isn't too bad, or maybe I was just hungry…"

Cain, placing the cup down, smiled at everyone around the table. "Even if it is a bit hard to drink and burns my throat, I love it." Tears pooled in his eyes as he spoke. "This is one of the first things I've tasted in as long as I can remember."

"Thank you, all of you. Thank you truly." Cain wiped some of the tears from his eyes. "This short journey has been more than I ever could've asked for; this world more than I ever could've imagined."

Tears formed in the corners of Aisha's eyes as she listened. 'What kind of life did he live?'

Jaime and Jenna also gave Cain a deep look.

Timothy just laughed, patting Cain on the shoulder. "Don't worry, boss. This handsome young subordinate will help you see everything this world has to offer!"

A smile tugged at Aisha's lips; she felt like a proud older sister. "Even if the kid sometimes says dumb shit, he's right. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm planning on sticking around for a while. Someone needs to keep an eye on you two~"

Jaime nodded. "I don't know what your life is like on Earth, but as long as we're on Eden, I'll also help you out."

Jenna nodded her head sweetly, her doll-like face warmed by a smile.

Rella looked between the strange group, confusion present on her cute face.

Tears fell from Cain's eyes, running down his cheeks. "Thank you, all of you. If any of you need anything, I will help you to the best of my ability!"

Timothee chuckled, patting Cain on the shoulder. "Well, you already helped me with that small candy issue." Timothee's laughing voice echoed through the establishment. "As long as you are here, I can eat all of the candy I want!"

Rella panicked, hearing that. "No! Just because you survived once doesn't mean you will survive twice. You can't eat beast cores!"

Timothee shrugged. "Bahh, until it kills me, I'm gonna keep enjoying the delacacies~" Timothee smiled, licking his lips.

Cain glanced at Timothee. "Was it really that good?"

Timothee beamed, nodding sagely. "One of the best candies I've ever eaten." He patted Cain's shoulder. "Even if it kills us, we must eat more of those candies."

Rella's face twisted, she opened her mouth to rebuke this troublemaker, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Jaime smiled. "Just leave them be. No one can change that kid's mind."

Rella turned to Jaime. "But-"

Jaime just shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You've already warned us, if we don't listen, it isn't your fault."

Rella's expression calmed as she nodded her head. "I guess so."

The several conversations were interrupted as Britta began setting dishes onto the table. There was a decent variety of food; a large tray of steamed potatoes, steamed vegetables, boiled meats, fried meats, and a loaf of semi-hard bread.

When Britta finished bringing out the dishes, she looked at Jaime. "Would you like anything else, Esteemed Guests?"

Jaime inwardly shook his head. 'This girl…' But Jaime just smiled. "Could we get a pitcher of water and a few new glasses?"

Britta looked at the nearly untouched alcohol on the table, nodding in understanding. "Of course, I'll be right back."

"Thank you."

The group began enjoying the food, especially Cain. While the dishes weren't amazing, they weren't bad either, finding themselves in a nice middle ground. And to Cain, it was a meal sent by heaven.

Cain scarfed the food down faster than anyone, even faster than Timothee, only stopping to breathe when his lungs would hurt.

Rella ate slowly, the memory of her previous mistake still burning her esophagus.

Once their meal was finished, Rella looked over the group. "Do you need me to get you some rooms for the night?"

Cain and Timothee were leaned back in their chairs, patting their full stomachs. Aisha and Jenna were chatting with each other, not paying attention to Rella.

Jaime was the only one who seemed to hear. Shaking his head, he looked at Rella. "Thanks, but I think we'll be okay without."

Rella couldn't help but frown. "Are you all leaving?"

Jaime laughed. "No, we aren't leaving. We just don't really need to sleep. Although, if you were hoping to sleep with me, I wouldn't say no~"

Rella blushed, punching Jaime in the arm. "Pervert."