Upon entering the homely establishment, I approached the front desk, where a young woman grinned at me kindly. I couldn't help but notice the wide gap between her front two teeth as she beamed at me, as well as the curly blonde hair that cascaded down her shoulders and framed her pleasant face. I returned the smile as I took the last step up to her desk.
"Mornin', hun!" she exclaimed amiably as she handed me a menu, "Did ya make a reservation?"
I grinned at the lady as I took the menu from her hand. "No, I didn't. Was I supposed to?"
She shook her head. "No, it's fine. We've got a full house, but you should be able to find yourself a spot somewhere."
I stifled an eyebrow raise and internalized that reaction instead. "Alright, thank you, ma'am."
With that, I stepped through the cream-colored curtains that separated the waiting area from the rest of the restaurant. A blend of multiple pleasant aromas wafted into my nostrils from off the many dishes sitting atop the tables. In addition, the delightful clinkings of utensils hitting their plates and similar sounds drew an inexplicable smile to my face. The hearty laughter and smiling faces all around also added to my excellent impression of the establishment.
As I strolled through, I scanned the tables for empty seats, but realized with disappointment that none remained. Just when I'd decided to turn around and leave, I saw a young man wearing a beret descend a trio of steps that evidently led around a corner to another seating section.
I stepped up the stairs and nodded slowly as I took in the sights and smells of my new discovery. My gaze drifted leftward as I heard a guitar being strummed atop a small stage I hadn't yet noticed. Sure enough, I locked eyes with a brunette teenager who sang and accompanied her melodic voice with the beautiful chords. I gave her a grin and dropped some money into the little pink hat that lay at her feet. She mouthed me a "thank you" between verses and continued on, as did I.
Finally, I came to the single table that had some empty space. The table's only occupant was an expressionless man who sported a black denim jacket and sawed hungrily into a juicy steak. A black hat sat beside his plate, which allowed me to view his haircut, with the full growth on top and shaved shortness of his sides.
"Excuse me, sir," I began, "do you mind if I sit here?"
"Go ahead." the man replied dryly, not even bothering to look up.
After a second's pause, I slid into the booth opposite my new tablemate and put my menu down. I sighed and reached my hand across the table. "Well, it'd be weird to eat a meal together and not be at least vaguely acquainted. I'm Baird."
The man's eyes slowly drifted up from his plate to my hand, and he studied it for a second before thrusting his rough fingers into a handshake. "Jedrek."
"It's nice to meet you." I said pleasantly, though slightly bothered at the fact that he'd never met my gaze.
Jedrek grumbled in response and returned to his silent dining.
In the next twenty minutes, I sat awkwardly, studied the menu, ordered from it, and suffered through more uncomfortable silence, while Jedrek studiously evaded eye contact and savored his meal. My only source of entertainment was listening to the teenage vocalist across the room while I drummed my fingers on the table.
At long last, our well-groomed waiter arrived with the lasagna I'd ordered, as well as Jedrek's second steak. When he set himself right back to cutting the well-seasoned meat and paid me no mind, I realized that my plans to make new acquaintances and socialize freely...well, they were quite likely to fail.
In one last ditch effort, I coughed and looked up from my food. "So, Jedrek, what do you do for living?"
I shouldn't have been surprised that my steak-eating acquaintance kept his eyes down on his plate. "Treasure hunting. You?"
"I'm a writer, actually. I just finished my second novel last month and am working on editing it before sending it off for publishing."
Jedrek nodded. "I see."
"So...do you work for a contractor or something like that? I'm not sure how treasure hunting works."
"I work for me."
"Oh, I see." I replied with a grin, which he naturally didn't notice, "I guess you can keep all the earnings to yourself, then. The beauty of solitude, eh?"
"Yep."
Silence lingered between us until I spoke again. "So...I was just relocated from Ferange by the stupid RFs. Are you from around here?"
"No, I'm from Commercia. The appropriately-named business capitol of the West Coast."
I chuckled. "Oh, I see. That's an appropriate residence for someone with treasure to sell, isn't it?"
"It was. But I'm not too bummed. I hear there's gold to be found in these canyons."
"Speaking of being bummed, I'm very much bummed! I was separated from my girlfriend! I'm gonna make those filthy RFs let me outta here so I can reunite with her!"
Jedrek nodded and kept eating.
As the silence lengthened, I scanned the establishment with my eyes again, and one figure in particular caught my interest. He donned a dark green cloak and possessed facial features that displayed his age quite honorably. He carried himself with all the regality of a king as he sauntered down the rows of tables, and it became readily apparent that his very presence commanded respect from all who beheld him.
Before long, the robed figure approached my table, and he slid into the booth beside me without hesitation or introduction. Jedrek glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye and paid him no more mind afterward.
"Good afternoon, sir," I began amiably, "I'm Baird. I'm new around here."
The man's eyes slowly rose over the top of his menu before he pushed it aside and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Baird, I'm Khemera Taing. I'm new to this town as well. Where are you from, kind soul?"
"I'm from Ferange; how about yourself?"
"Kemaria, the land after which I'm named. I was taken away from there against my will."
I growled. "Same here! Those RF bastards..."
Khemera tightened his lips. "Excessive anger is futile, Baird. It neither benefits you nor hurts them."
I opened my mouth to spout out a witty reply, only to realize my brain didn't have one for me. Embarrassed, I shut it again and lowered my gaze.
For the next several minutes, I sat quietly, finished my lasagna, and began nibbling on the breadsticks I'd ordered as a side. Khemera occupied himself first with ordering food, and then he folded his hands, closed his eyes, and bowed his head in what I assumed was prayer. That took away my access to further conversation with him. And as for Jedrek...well, he was Jedrek. He had finally finished his second steak, and now stared mindlessly into his phone.
A round of ear-splitting applause abruptly drew my attention to the stage across the restaurant, where the teenaged singer descended with gracious steps and a wide smile. She high-fived several enthusiastic people on her way to our table. (It was, after all, still the only table with a free spot.)
"Well howdy," the young lady spoke, her words being embellished with an Odegoan twang, "would one of ya mind holdin' mah guitar for a sec while I grab mah other stuff?"
Jedrek quite characteristically spared her only one glance in his peripheral vision before ignoring her completely, and Khemera still remained deep in prayer.
"Sure thing!" I replied enthusiastically, reaching out my hand to receive the instrument.
The young woman gave me a toothy grin. "Thank ya! I'll be right back!"
With that, she hurried off to retrieve her other belongings. Khemera's head finally rose up and he blinked in confusion at the stringed instrument in my hand.
I chuckled. "I'm holding onto this for a second, for that young lady over there."
The old man glanced over at her and nodded. Then he squinted his eyes and furrowed his brow, which led me to look and see what he was reacting to. My eyes widened. A group of ruffians snatched the young lady's pink hat full of money from off the stage and shoved her aside. She struggled with them physically, and then verbally for a good few minutes, and since she had forgotten to turn her microphone off, the entire dispute was projected loud and clear for everyone to hear over the speakers. Yet the conflict continued, and the more numerous bastards seemed to be winning.
Finally, Khemera exhaled and slowly rose from his seat. With an air of unhurried serenity, he strolled over to the huddle of shouting voices. At the very sight of him, half of the troublemakers paled and bolted away, but a handful of brave, reckless souls stared him right in the eye and stood their ground.
"Hand the lady's hat back to her now." Khemera commanded, "The Lord holds a very low view of thieves, as do I."
"Oh yeah?" the boldest troublemaker shouted, "What're you gonna do about it, old man?"
The young lady motioned for Khemera to leave, but he kindly refused and turned back to the ruffian. "I can do more about it than you know. Now, be kind to yourself and return this woman's property to her."
The hothead shifted his toothpick in his mouth. "Or else what?"
"Or else I'm gonna start delving out consequences."
The thug grinned. "I'd like to see you try!"
With determination in his face, Khemera shifted to a fighting stance. "Your move."
The ruffian uttered a mighty war cry and charged at the old man, rage reddening his face more every passing second. I flinched in anticipation as their imminent collision arrived.
********************
A/N: And...that was chapter two for ya! We got to meet some interesting new characters, so that's sweet. And yeah, I know I gave you a cliffhanger, but...it's necessary. Trust me on this. 😁
(Has that face ^^^ ever lied to you? Yeah, didn't think so. 😂)
Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment. Thanks in advance!
So, which one of our new characters do you like the best so far?
And before I go, I've got a really hard would-you-rather for you: Would you rather never be able to sleep in for the rest of your life, or never be able to listen to music?
(I'm a musician myself, and listening to the great stuff of the past is one of the prime ways we learn. So I guess I'd have to give up that sleep.)
Well, I hope you have a great day, night, lunch, pasta, eternity, whatever! I'll see you in the next update!