"Where should we eat?" Wise asked as he walked past the third restaurant he had seen today.
There were just so many options that choosing just one felt next to impossible.
"That place looks nice," Esme said, pointing at a roadside tavern.
A wooden signboard hung at its entrance with the words 'Drunk Phoenix' written stylishly on and there was a wind bell hung on the roof, ringing every now and then wherever the wind was heavy enough.
"A tavern?" Freya asked, staring at the building. "It seems too quiet to be one."
Daphne nodded in agreement. The difference between a tavern and a regular restaurant was that a tavern in addition to food served drinks.
Drinks attracted drunkards… and drunkards were naturally noisy.
"Well then, shall we?" Daphne asked as she walked towards the building.
Wise gave the sign board one last glance before entering the room.
To his surprise, the tavern actually had customers and was not empty as he had expected, they were just quiet.
The tavern was modest and strangely homely. There were a few paintings hung up on the walls and a large animal skin carpet at the center of the room.
A fireplace at the right side of the building had brightly burning wood within it, making the room warm and cozy.
Strangely, by the side of the fireplace were a few tables and a bookshelf stacked to the top with books.
'A tavern meant to be quiet… that's a first.'
Wise and the girls left the entrance and located a table close to the fireplace, a table for four.
Once Wise sat down, Freya immediately hurried after him, hoping to claim the seat next to him when Daphne sat on the chair.
"That's not fair, I wanted to sit there." She complained but Daphne barely glanced at her.
She picked up the menu and began looking through it. "I met Wise first, this seat is rightfully mine."
Freya pouted and went to her seat, staring down at her hands as though she was just realising that she had fingers for the first time.
She looked upset but there was nothing Wise could do, not without offending one of the two.
He sighed as he glanced at the counter to call the attendant when his eyes landed on the lady.
'An elf?'
Sitting on a high stool behind the counter and flipping through a book that looked rather ancient was one of the few elves Wise had seen since entering the city.
Her attention was completely buried in the book she had in her hand, so much so that she didn't even notice their entrance.
To get her attention, Wise snapped his finger and she lifted her head, her eyes landing on him.
She smiled, her face brightening up in the process and came down from her stool.
Instead of increasing her pace, strangely the young woman seemed pretty slow. It was only when she emerged from behind the counter that Wise realized why.
Her right leg was tightly bound by a thick leather strap to a simple steel equipment fashioned to make walking possible for her.
She had a slight limp and held onto a walking stick to support her movement as she walked.
"Good evening, welcome to the Drunk Phoenix. I am Taryn. Have you decided what you want to get?"
'Does she work here alone?'
She seemed to be the only worker around. Had she never considered getting help?
The answer was so obvious that Wise didn't need to ask. Orks were that way, no Ork would work for anyone in her state, that was just the way they were.
Those who would come to help would be looked down on or even mocked, add that to the fact that she was an elf…
Wise smiled. "Good evening, what would you recommend?"
The elf paused and brought her pen to her cheeks. She had green eyes the colour of forest leaves and hazel brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail, leaving a few to frame her face.
Her eyes brightened up a second later. "A dragon like you would prefer a meat dish right? We have just the one for you."
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence—
Then Wise smiled as though nothing had happened.
"That sounds lovely, I'll have that. What about you three?"
Esme and Freya ordered the same thing but when it came to Daphne's turn to order, Wise realised that she was dozing off, her hands resting on the table and her face buried in them.
"Just get her the same thing as me."
She nodded and was about to leave when Wise grabbed her arm.
"That part about me being a dragon—let that be our little secret alright?" He said, his voice low.
Taryn smiled and put her finger to her lips. Wise nodded and offered her his hand which she took.
As inconspicuous as he could, Wise nestled a coin in her hand, a gold dragon and acting as though nothing had happened, she continued forward to get their order ready.
'A sly woman…'
She must have known he was keeping his identity a secret even if she did not know the reason why.
"How did she know?" Esme asked, her voice low.
Freya was still staring at her hands with a complicated look on her face, Wise was not sure she was paying attention to anything else.
"I have the same question myself." Wise replied as he thought it through.
He was not a very popular dragon, not all nobles even in this region knew him talk less of the common folk.
That means she was either a dragon herself or a powerful seer— and judging by the shape of her ears, the second was more likely.
'To think someone like that would be working in a place like this…'
*
After waiting for a few minutes, the delicious aroma of cooking food reached his nostrils from the kitchen.
Daphne was still napping while Esme had been bombarding him with dragon related questions for the past fifteen minutes.
"So you guys shed your skin like serpents?" She asked, staring at him like he was some sort of specimen.
"Not exact—"
Wise was about to speak when their table suddenly shook.
Daphne to everyone's surprise let out a yelp as her chair spun forward as though moved by a mind of its own.
Their table split in the center as though it was plywood and her chair moved past it while Freya's chair circled round simultaneously.
It took less than five seconds and Freya now sat next to Wise while Daphne was next to Esme.
Daphne's eyes were still wide in shock trying to figure out what the hell had happened while Freya was smiling deviously.
"What just happened?" Daphne asked. When her eyes landed on Freya it was as though a bulb lit up in her head.
"You did that thing didn't you?" She asked coldly. "You used your ability."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Freya said, feigning ignorance.
Before Daphne could say anything else, Taryn arrived at their table with their food and began placing it according to their orders.
"Rice and beef stew for you, and for you—"
Once she noticed Daphne, Taryn suddenly froze. She tried to hide it but a Wise could see her hands trembling slightly.
Her eyes were unfocused as though she was locked in a world of her own, seeing something no one else could see.
The tavern darken ever so slightly as Daphne's gaze landed on her.
"Taryn?"
The woman suddenly shook as Wise called out to her.
"O-oh, I a-apologize. Enjoy your meal." She said, hurriedly placing the dish in front of Daphne and brisk walking away.
Daphne grabbed her spoon and began to eat as though nothing had happened.
But Wise knew the emotion Taryn gave off all too well.
It was fear.
For whatever reason, Taryn was afraid of Daphne, and Daphne seemed to know exactly why.