An air of frustration bolted through the room. Thran leaned back, legs crossed and his intense glare pointed at the duo in front of him. His hair was clean, his uniform nice and tidy. His uncrossed leg bounced up and down. A completely different sight from the mess he was not so long ago.
"Can either of you tell me what happened?" He inquired, his voice low, a poor attempt at hiding his anger. Yet, neither Bronya nor Roth piped up. He sat two fingers against his temple. "Neither? Bronya, do you want to lose your adventuring license? Roth, do you want to as well?"
"We didn'-"
"Nonsense, YOU did. Do you not know the gravity of what you have done?! You could have killed Lucian, that would have caused you one strike on your license. You also STOLE a higher ranking request on purpose!! I gave you that lower ranking request for a reason!"
Bronya lowered her body, her already downtrodden posture worsened. Her lips curled into a deeper grimace. "I'm sorry… I just wanted to teach them."
"Whatever excuse you have won't work here. You made a horrendous mistake."
"Don't just punish her, it was my faul-"
"Ha! You really think I was going to punish her solely?" Thran let out a small laugh, sat his feet on the floor and leaned in. He pointed at Roth. "You both will be punished. You allowed her to do it AND didn't report it to me."
"I Understand…"
"At least one of you has a pea for a brain." He snorted. Unlike his regular anger, he felt a fire roar inside his heart. Even now, he felt if he kept going he would be reprimanded. 'Calm down… Calm down Thran.' He closed his eyes whilst taking a deep breath. "Okay, that is enough of that."
"I'm sorry."
"Do not ever do it again. Do you understand that?"
"Yes. I do."
"Good!!"
Thran leaned back and unconsciously sighing. Once again, his legs were crossed and his anger was still evident. "What else do you have to say?"
Bronya sucked in a deep breath. Her words startled him. Wolves that looked famished, her stumble across that mutilated corpse of what was theorized to be a slave.
Thran lowered his head, and tapped his cheek. 'What is this all about? Starved wolves, there should be enough prey in that forest. It surrounds this entire god forsaken kingdom… Could there be something, or someone preventing them? Or hunting down other monsters for sport?' His tapping speed doubled. Could it be the people who disposed of that corpse? He wondered.
"That's… not all Thranie."
"Huh? Pardon me, what is it?"
"I believe… There is something different about Little Fei." Bronya mumbled, she stared a hole into him. "She's unlike other demi-humans. Rothie agrees." She elaborated and gestured towards Roth.
He turned his head. Following up with his iris.
"It's true."
"Can you elaborate, please?"
"She is weak, unlike other demi-humans. We had to slow down, and it took longer than it should have to get to the request." Roth explained. He sounded mechanical, as if he felt nothing.
Thran shrugged, it sounded nothing new to him. Throughout all his experience as a receptionist, complaints like these were common. He vocally expressed his thoughts.
"That's not all."
"Thranie, have you heard of demi-humans being capable of chantless casting?"
Chantless casting?
The entire room warped, Bronya, Roth and Thran sat on the same couch. Across them, Lucian was still standing, his face distorted in anger. However, he stood just next to a still sitting Fei. Who's head stayed low in fear, her lips pursed.
"You don't need to worry about us reporting you. As adventurers we swore an oath to never betray another." Bronya explained, half of her lip curved upwards into a smirk. Shrugging once, she crossed her legs.
"Yet… You betrayed your own representative."
"Oh, look little old Thranie's throwing a hissy fit!"
"It's not a hi-"
"Old Thranie, calm downnnn it's in the past."
"That is utter- I can not tell if you are playing ignorant or just stupid…"
"Neither. I'm just playing around."
'What is with these people?! How are they so casual about this?!?!' Lucian screamed inside his mind. 'They just dropped this on us!! How can WE trust them?!'
Bonk!
"AGH! Rothie WHY?! What did I do to you?!"
"Focus on the current talk, play around later."
"..."
Roth snorted and crossed his arms. His actions earned a glare from Bronya.
"You are so mean you know that, right?" Bronya said, rubbing the top of her head where she earned a bonk. "Ahem, ahem. Anyways. Trust us. If it makes you feel better, Roth over here has some abnormal properties as a tank."
"Bullshit, how will that make us trust you? You don't even know what we had to go through to hide that." Lucian curtly remarked. Like the man in front of him, he crossed his arms. His glare intensified on Bronya.
I-I-I I don't- I don't want to be here… We have to leave.. We have to. These people. They won't… They'll lie and throw us away… Fei repeated in her head. "Monster." "Demon." "Pathetic excuse for a demi-human." She tried to focus her mind, all of what was said were replaced by these titles. Can- Can- Can- we…
"You're a monster. You shouldn't be able to do that."
"Is that the only thing special about you? Look at you, a small, weak pathetic demi-human. You deserve to starve and suffer."
They're…. They are right. I am pathetic… I don't deserve to have what I have… I just, screw, screw, screw up!
"Hey… Hey Fei, hey! Look at me!"
"..."
"Fei, can you hear me?
I'm sorry- you tried so hard to protect me…- I…
"Fei! Look at me, please!"
Fei's body shook, a sudden tightness struck her chest. She lurched forward, clutching the area where her heart was. Lucian heard a soft, yet, rapid thumping. He knelt down to be on her eye level.
"It'll be okay, just breathe… Trust me." He softly said. Despite himself believing the opposite, he forced a smile to reassure her.
Whilst he attempted to calm her, Thran glared at Bronya. She watched the fiasco with a small smile. Did she feel anything else but joy? It remained unknown.
'What have I done…?' Thran facepalmed while thinking. Was it ever a good idea to allow this? His heart screamed in denial. "...Miss Bronya, I think you should have done that better." He stated after a long and deep sigh.
"What do you mean old Thranie?"
"If you open up your heart, you can see that it was a touchy subject."
"Oh, whatever. I believe it would have ended the same." Bronya shrugged and lifted her chin. "Yoohoo, Little Lucian. Tell her we won't do anything bad! We swear on our lives!" She exclaimed with a large grin, and waved her hand high in the air.
'For the love of…' Thran groaned, shook his head then face palmed again.
Lucian grumbled upon hearing her.
"I-I-I-I'm sorry, sorry… I-I mess- messed up…" Fei cried softly. Her hands shook violently, and her breathing was hastened. "I-I'-"
"Hey, hey… It's okay…" Lucian reassured her. He set his hands atop hers, his jaw clenched for but a moment before following it up. "They won't do anything, I think we can trust them…"
He repeated countless times; his voice became like nails on a chalkboard. However, he kept on till Fei's breathing softened. Her trembles slowed, and her tears stopped streaming.
"It'll be okay. Just trust me."
"Mm…A-Are you sure…?"
Lucian nodded, and smiled his best.
Once she had calmed down, he sighed in relief. Standing up and turning around, he glared at Bronya. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
"Maybe~"
"If you don't, we're heading out of here."
Thran stood up when he saw Lucian turn to leave. He stuck his hand out to stop him, and for Fei to sit back down. Finally, Lucian gave him his ear. After a major ultimatum, and deciding with Fei, they decided to accept his proposition.
With a clap of his hands, he escorted them out of the room. Out of the guild and lead them through the streets. On their way, he patted down his hair. None of them talked, only did a peep squeal out at their destination.
"Ah!" A lady wearing an apron peeped out. "Are you five interested in comin- Oh! Mister Thran welcome back! Are these.. Your coworkers?" She tilted her head.
"No, and thank you."
"No problemo, go ahead right in."
Inside, a mischievous smile overtook Bronya's lips. Leaning forward to look at Thran, she teased, "Do you come here often, old Thranie? The other receptionists will fin-" Her amusement was short lived by a good old bonk to the head.
A small chuckle came from Roth. He wasn't the source of the bonk. Thran gritted his teeth, and held his fist out.
"You. Be quiet from now on."
"Yes sir…" Bronya mumbled, holding her head once again.
"You can pay for yourself here, the rest of you do not worry about paying." Thran explained, a few veins popped out of his head.
"Oh, long time no see Mister Thran. Table for one again?" A man running the front counter asked.
"Table for five please."
"Got it, I'll show you your table."
He stood up from the counter, showed them around a corner. A neat and uniformed dining area appeared in their view. Round tables aligned the center, all equally spaced. At the far ends of the area, rectangle tables with benches at two ends sat.
"This will be your table, just flag down one of the waitresses to order."
Thran thanked the man, and signaled for everyone to sit.
After everyone was seated, another lady wearing an apron quickly set a stack of papers on the table and bolted away.
Thran paid no mind to it and spread the papers across the table. He leaned back in his chair, alongside closing his eyes.
Doing his usual, Lucian picked a few of the papers and held them out between him and Fei. The former quickly chose an easy meal; he wasn't hungry but took advantage of the situation. Meanwhile, Fei scanned it, wiped her eyes and froze.
An eternity passed, the rest of them found what would satiate their hunger. A couple of minutes later, she finally decided on nothing.
Once a waitress was flagged down, she efficiently wrote down the orders; snatched every paper and left shortly afterwards. Not even twenty minutes later she came back with her arms littered with plates.
"Hey Thranie~ Why do I have to pay for mineeee? You invited us out here…"
"Did that hit knock a few screws loose?"
Bronya laid her head down, her plate was the first to be empty. She cried out how unfair he was being.
"Keep going and I will make you pay for the entire bill." Thran threatened as he took one more bite. "No, I am not joking."
"Roooothie, please convince himmm. Oh come on… What did I do to you both?!"
"Sir Lucian and Miss Fei, there are a few questions I have. Can I bother you to answer them?"
"What are they?"
"Don't ignore me…"
"Miss Bronya, if you complain more I will force the entire bill on you. I already warned you once."
Immediately she plopped her head down in defeat. Thran chuckled in victory. He finally one upped Bronya's teases and threats; although he felt a hint of worry, how bad will be the repercussions? Only time will tell, but he took this slight victory.
As for Lucian and Fei, they quietly took their time to answer his initial question. He looked at Fei, not needing to verbally ask, Fei hesitantly nodded.
Patting the table, he gave them a reassuring smile. He pushed his plate to the side and leaned in. His question followed soon after, "Let me first ask you, Miss Fei. Do you have any other special abilities?"
Special abilities…? Fei thought, she instantly felt a jolt go down her body. W-W-What does he mean?
Thran listed a few special abilities, each finger on his right hand followed with them. First, telepathy. A common ability for people proficient in magic. It allows them to communicate with others telepathically. He explained tapping his temple in the process.
"Why are you asking her this? Is it really that important?"
"It is very important, we keep a record of each adventurer's capabilities. And since you four will be working together, it is quite important to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Wait for your turn, there are a couple more I'm curious about."
"If you are too nervous to speak, just nod your head or shake it." Thran said and Fei nodded her head after a pause. "Are you able to use telepathy?" Thran inquired with a tilt of his head. To his shock, Fei slightly nodded her head. 'And here I thought she was too unskilled to have it.'
Lucian glanced at her, his mouth agape slightly. 'How did I not know?!' This thought was written all over his face, Fei could easily read it.
She glanced down and a sudden static noise entered Lucian's head.
I'm…. Sorry– I… Didn't– te- you. Fei's voice resounded in his head, just barely. It was as if he was listening to her through a radio with poor transmission, broken up and a static noise overtaking her voice.
"W-When were you able to-" He blurted out in pure shock. He subconsciously slammed on the table just as he nearly fell backwards. "H-How long were you able to do that-?!"
You- Don't…. To….
"Eh?"
A laugh broke their little scene. With a wave of his hand Thran brought their attention.
"We are getting sidetracked." He stifled a laugh before listing a couple more. Telekinesis? Fei shook her head. Transformation? Thran looked at her curiously, it was quite rare for demi-humans to have it- At least as far as he knew. This time, his shock wasn't there when she nodded her head after a minute.
"Eh…? Wait you can?"
Y-Yes… Fei responded, she grimaced.
"Can we see it?!" Bronya shot up, her actions startled both of them.
"Sit back down, you're causing a scene you dumbass." Roth ordered. "Those two abilities you have long ear, will help with the investigation."
"Indeed, and my questions were already answered by you, Sir Lucian. I do not have any more, you don't seem to carry any special abilities yourself." Thran bluntly explained. "It is common for many adventurer's to not have any, do not take that to heart." He elaborated before Lucian could process what he meant.
"Wow~ That was mean of you, Thranie."
"It is better not to sugarcoat it." Thran mumbled alongside a shrug. "Next up, for the investigation you four will be searching around the slums."
"Hah? Weren't we supposed to decide that ourselves?"
"No, you were given that area by the Guildmaster. She forgot to write it in the note."
Both of them went back and forth, Bronya's comments brought forth a tirade from Thran. Their little spout drew eyes from all over the restaurant; waitresses stopped in their tracks and turned to witness it all.
The three victims of embarrassment watched, both Roth and Lucian shook their heads whilst covering their faces. Fei merely covered her ears when the volume increased.
It only ceased when the man from the front counter strolled over. With a booming voice he ordered for them to be quiet.
Thran rested his hand on his hand, and turned his entire body to face away from Bronya. Whilst she amusingly eyed him.
'How old is she?' This question popped inside all of their heads as they watched her tap on the table impatiently.
"Anyways~" She hummed, then faced Lucian and Fei. "Little Fei, Little Lucian." Her voice immediately turned serious. "We'll be relying on you two. Our reputation is already well known, those kidnappers will steer away from us."
"W-"
"Don't pay mind to what I just said, just take it." Bronya explained, waving away their question without a second thought. "Fei, can we ask a favor from you?"
A favor…?
Lucian's eyes widened when he heard her next words.
"May we use you as bait for those kidnappers?"
"NO! WE AREN'T DOING THAT!" He roared as he slammed his fist against the table. "I shouldn't have trusted you at all. We are NOT doing that. I should have trusted my damn gut to trust you and whatever the F you think of."
"It'll make th-"
"I don't give a damn if it makes it easier! I am not throwing her IN THE DIRECT line of fire!" He exclaimed. He felt an intense burning sensation coming from his heart, without thinking he fished the silver coin out from his pocket and threw it at Bronya. "Take that damn coin back. We're done."
Before another sound came out, he hurried Fei up and stormed out.
"That was a poor way of thinking." Thran mumbled, he did not look back. Instead of elaborating, he stood up. He fished out a few medium sized copper coins and set them on the table. "You better come up with an excuse when you come back to the adventurer's guild. If you can't, you'll have your adventurer's license suspended indefinitely."
"..."
With that, he calmly left the restaurant.