Gourmet Klein

"..."

"This..."

"Wow..."

"Mmm..."

The family of four, along with Klein were gathered around a fireplace by the dirt trail, each holding a skewer of beast meat.

Many of the remaining skewers were still cooking around the fireplace. They floated and spun with a slow and even rhythm, tilting every now and then in their rotations to cook the meat evenly.

Klein ate the most enthusiastically, almost like a child.

Rather, he was more childlike than the two children who were absent-mindedly focused on the dance the skewers were making around the fire.

No one would suspect Klein was currently making calculations for his floating magic at a speed that rivaled those he used in combat as he reveled in the taste of the meat.

'The rate of change here is different, that skewer needs to be placed two millimeters closer to the fire... oh heavens, that bite was perfect...hmm... the angular momentum on that one should be changed slightly..."

The family of four wore the same dumbfounded expressions when they bit into the succulent, juicy meat.

Their expressions remained that way for a long while before looking at Klein with excitement and appreciation in their eyes.

"Is it normal for it to be this tasty?" Amelia asked, as she quickly took another bite. For some reason, even though the wizard shouldn't have found any other ingredients, the meat felt like it was seasoned to perfection.

"I'm a gourmet, Amelia, this much..." Klein took a savage bite from the skewer, stuffing the remainder of the meat into his mouth before another skewer floated towards him from the fireplace.

Chew. Chew. Gulp.

"This much is nothing. Well, what do you think? Are you starting to fall for my charms yet?" Klein asked with an innocent grin, winking at Harold as he spoke.

Harold ignored him, focusing on the skewer, savoring its delicious taste slowly.

Amelia absent-mindedly nodded, then said seriously, "Even if it's only to make good food, learning magic is completely worth it."

Klein's expression raised a degree, exhibiting genuine joy "Food is life," He said as he broke out into a wide grin.

"I'm glad there are other people who understand the joys a simple meal can bring" He laughed boisterously, and for the first time, the couple felt that his laughter was warm, bereft of the lunacy it was usually accompanied by.

Amelia chuckled, and Harold nodded seriously, saying, "That's right. Food, good times, family... All of it is what makes life worth living," He looked into Klein's eyes and smiled.

"Mmm..." Amanda continued to chew, still focused on the patterns made by the rotating skewers as a drip of oil trailed down the corner of her lip.

She barely registered the fact that she had finished her skewer before another one floated toward her and hovered in front of her sparkling eyes.

Harry tried to listen to the three others talk, but much like his sister, was drawn back to the same peculiar and fascinating sight.

-----

By the time the family hit the road again, it was afternoon. The family had gradually warmed up to Klein, loosening some of their vigilance towards the odd wizard, and the potentially perilous drive became one filled with a warm banter.

At that moment, Klein spotted a faint trail of smoke rising far in the distance.

Using 'sight', he managed to see further, making out several more smoke trails in that direction.

"I think we found alien activity," He said, swaying with enthusiasm.

"Ah, more good news," Harold sighed in relief, completely ignoring Klein's phraseology, as the family was used to it by now and even found parts of his speech rather amusing.

Harold had been worried about the direction they were going, but since they didn't really have any better options, simply decided to drive in one direction for as long as they could.

Not too long later, the car veered off slightly from the fields, eventually finding a highway jam-packed with motor vehicles.

Smoke emerged from what was clearly the aftermath of a collision here and there

Klein jumped off the roof when the car began to slow down and began inspecting the alien carriages.

'They really come in all shapes and sizes. Gotta be careful of explosions this time.'

Having learned his lesson, Klein carefully cast his shield and began cautiously inspecting them.

'Hmm...' As he was contemplating, Amelia walked from behind him.

"What's the situation like?"

"Well... some of them are empty, with a few carrying dead bodies." Klein didn't mince his words as he weaved around the dense arrangement of the vehicles, peering through their windows every so often.

"Well, they probably fled by foot towards the city. The car will probably be useful if we were to continue driving on the fields, but..."

Klein inspected the wear and tear the poor carriage had suffered through, shivering slightly at the thought of what would happen if it exploded.

"Seems like its on its last legs? The ride here has been quite rough after all."

Amelia nodded and sighed. She was a little sentimental about that car; Harold had purchased it not too long after they got married.

Unfortunately, they couldn't find a gas station along the way, or anywhere they could try to repair any damages.

It was a miracle that the wheels hadn't punctured - 

"Wait." Klein said after observing Amelia's reluctance.

"Couldn't we just use the stuff from these carriages to repair your carriage?"

Amelia shook her head.

"We really only know the basics, so doing something like that might be a little risky. Also..."

Amelia looked towards the sky, where the sun was beginning its descent, and then in the direction the highway stretched out.

"There isn't too much spare time. It'll be the night before we know it."

Klein nodded, then walked back with her to the car that stood on the adjacent grass.

"Let's get going then." Klein opted to walk as the car drove beside him.

They would see however much further it could take them before the rest of them began walking on foot.

Klein cast 'sight', searching for any semblance of a community of live aliens.