Dinner With Sophia

 The night came sooner than Ryker expected. To his slight surprise, none of his women complained of him going on a dinner with another woman, though they did tell him to not forget them.

 He almost scoffed at them. They had been with him for a long time, some (Ina) had been with him since the start of his journey. How can he even think of leaving them behind?

 As he dressed in the new clothing he had bought, though it was paid for by Sophia, or the servant said so herself.

 As he left the house, a carriage was waiting for him, though it was not empty. Inside was Sophia, with a brand new garment, at least one he had never seen her in, which did not say much.

 The dress she was wearing was as dark as the night sky, with jewels scattered all over it like stars. Her hairstyle was still the same, long with braids at the end of it.

 He did not pay much attention before but with how much attention he paid to her now, he realized she had beautiful amber-colored eyes, one that seemed to sparkle at the moment.

 "Thanks for accepting my invite, and for saving my life," Sophia told him with a smile.

 Ryker returns the smile. "You're welcome, though you seem to return the favor by inviting me to the fanciest dinner in my life,"

 Sophia laughed at his little tease. "Like I said, this is for saving my life. It might not be comparable to that but it's the least I could do for now,"

 Ryker nodded before the older woman put a glass of wine on the table inside the carriage, "Let's have a drink first,"

 Ryker accepted the glass, the older woman taking her own and they had a toast.

-x-

 It did not take long before they reached the place. As he exited the carriage, he could not hope but be awed by the place slightly.

 The restaurant was in the form of a large mansion, or it might be a mansion before it was turned into a restaurant. Whatever it was it was beautiful.

 Sophia looked at him and smirked slightly at his awed expression. "This is one of the finest establishments inside the city, so expect a lot. Now, let's get to our private room,"

 "Miss Sophia," Ryker said, "If you said something like a private room, I might get mistaken for you want something more," the manager sputtered slightly, earning a smirk out of Ryker.

 "L-lets get going," she stuttered slightly, before leading him to the room she reserved.

-x-

 As they headed towards their room, Ryker could see the people dining in the main hall, with people coming in and out of the place, all of them wearing fancy clothes. Thank goodness she had bought him the new clothes, or he would feel inadequate in such places.

 One of the waiters lead them to their room, but not before giving him a slightly envious look. Ryker scoffed inwardly.

 'Try fighting an injured Noble expert, then you might earn yourself a dinner with her,' he thought in his head.

 The room they were in was massive, for two people at least. A single table with two chairs graced the room, with elaborate and beautiful lighting on the wall, illuminating the room yet still painting it with a tinge of darkness.

 As the two sat, the waiter offered them the menu. Ryker took it and was assaulted with a variety of dishes he never heard of. Seeing his bewildered look, Sophia shook her head.

 "He will have what I have," she decided to help him, to which he gave her a grateful nod. The manager then ordered several food, to which if Ryker believed it, the price would be enough to feed the entire population of a small town.

-x-

 As he had learned from the servant the day before, there are multiple courses for a single meal, time dinner. So, it did not take them long before small plates with their meal on it was placed on the table.

 As they are, Sophia asks him, "So, where do you come from?" which is a loaded question as he does not know the location of his birth island.

 "Not around here," he answered vaguely, the older woman looked at him in slight annoyance at such an answer.

 "Then, how old are you?"

 Ryker raised his brows at that, "18," he answered, "how old do you think I was before?" he asked in return.

 "Well, I thought you would be in your 20s, maybe even 21 or 22," she answered. As Ryker took a bite out of the appetizer, he nodded.

 "Are you not going to ask my age?" if he had any food in his mouth, he might have to spit it. Though he did cough slightly.

 "Well, my mother always said to never ask a woman's age, unless she told it first," he said, remembering the lesson drilled into him by his parents and later on, his lovers.

 "Well, I will tell you on my accord. I am 126 years old," she watched as Ryker raised his brows at her words.

 "That's... relatively young for a Noble expert," considering most Noble experts could reach the lifespan of 500 or so, she was not considered that old.

 "Yes, I am still young compared to the other Noble expert. Most of the ones inside this city are already at their 300, with some of the older fogies even at the age of 400," she commented.

 "How about the Duke? How old is he?" he asked. Considering the topic changed from their ages to the age of Noble expert, he decided to ask the question that had been plaguing him.

 "He, he is at his late 300, almost reaching his 400. He has another 100 years before he reaches the end of his lifespan, but if he breaks through the Sovereign realm, then his lifespan will be reached to 700 years or so," Sophia answered but she was clearly displeased by where the topic heading.

 Ryker laughed a little before going for a slightly safer topic, mainly her favorite color, what she likes to do, and even her favorite food. From there, she seemed to calm down as they chatted, all the while waiting for their food to come.

-x-

 "I am stuffed. The portion might not be that much but the amount meal is more than enough," Ryker complimented as they rode the carriage. 

 "Yes. I usually dine there once every 4 weeks. I glad you like the place," she said before pouring another glass of wine into his glass.

 "Yes- where are we heading?" while the wine may cause his mental faculty to be faulty for some time, it was not enough to make him not realize they were going the wrong way.

 "Well, I would like to ask you to sleep in my place for the night?"