Kai and the others approached the bar warily, their eyes darting nervously around the rowdy establishment as they tried to appear more confident than they felt. After a brief conversation with the weathered innkeeper, a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor, they successfully purchased a room for the night for one silver. The transaction was simple enough, though the woman's raised eyebrow at their young age made them shift uncomfortably under her scrutiny.
After completing the transaction, Kai took a careful look at the money pouch Mary had given them as a parting gift, counting the remaining coins with growing concern. His heart sank as he realized they would just barely have enough for a meal tonight and some basic supplies tomorrow morning.
The trio huddled together for a quick discussion and decided that eating a proper hot meal before heading upstairs to their room was worth the expense. They were exhausted, hungry, and desperately craving something more substantial than the dried rations they'd been surviving on for days.
They were a bit nervous as they settled onto the tall stools at the bar, surrounded by such a lively and boisterous crowd. The energy of the room pressed in on them from all sides—laughter, arguments, songs, and the constant clink of glasses creating a symphony of chaos. They ordered some simple fare: hearty vegetable soup, fresh bread that was still warm from the oven, and cold water to wash it down.
Soon their food arrived, steam rising from the bowls in inviting curls, and they dug in with the enthusiasm of people who had been surviving on trail rations for far too long. The warmth of the soup, the texture of real bread, the simple pleasure of a proper meal—it was almost overwhelming after days of deprivation.
Maya was practically destroying her bowl like she hadn't eaten in days, her spoon moving from bowl to mouth in a blur of motion. She paid no attention to proper manners or pacing, completely absorbed in the ecstasy of real food.
"Slow down, Maya, it's not running from you," Kai said with a half-smirk playing across his face, his tone carrying amusement.
Maya gulped down another massive mouthful before looking up at him and Rowan. She found them both staring at her with matching expressions of bemused entertainment. Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment, a deep red spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, and she quickly averted eye contact.
"Yeah, I know, but after just those gross rations the past five days, this tastes like heaven," she said defensively, her voice carrying a tinge of attitude.
The boys stared a second longer, their faces serious, before breaking out into genuine laughter that bubbled up from their chests. The sound was warm and infectious, a release of tension they'd been carrying for days.
Their joy was suddenly interrupted as their bodies were enveloped in the looming shadow of a large man who had approached without them noticing. The laughter died in their throats as the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
"What's so funny?" came a deep, gritty voice from directly behind them.
They turned slowly to see a large man with a big, unkempt beard that hung down to his chest. He looked to be in his thirties, with a bit of a gut straining against his stained tunic, but he was still an imposingly large and intimidating figure nonetheless. What made him even more frightening was the fact that he was currently glaring a hole through them, his eyes narrowed and his jaw set in what could only be described as a menacing expression.
All three of them gulped in perfect unison, their Adam's apples bobbing visibly, before the man spoke again in that same threatening tone.
"Now why don't you three tell me what a couple of kids your age are doing in a place like this?" His words were slow and deliberate, each syllable dripping with suspicion and barely contained hostility.
The three friends stared blankly at each other and then back at the intimidating stranger, their minds racing as they tried to figure out what to say. Sweat began to form on their brows, small beads of moisture that spoke to their rising panic. Kai's mind was working overtime, trying to assess the situation and find the right words that wouldn't make things worse.
'Oh shit, this doesn't exactly give me a good gut feeling,' Kai thought desperately, his hand instinctively moving closer to where his practice sword rested against his pack.
…
Ten minutes later, the entire atmosphere had shifted dramatically.
"Hahaha, so let me get this straight!" The same big man from before—whose name they now knew was Barthen—bellowed with laughter, his cheeks rosy from drink and a broad smile stretched across his face, completely destroying his previously intimidating demeanor. "You guys left home at thirteen to travel across the entire kingdom so you could... go to school?"
The trio now sat at a large wooden table with Barthen and many of his companions, their initial terror having transformed into cautious relief and then genuine enjoyment. It seemed the intimidating man wasn't so scary after all—he had simply been concerned that three young children were in what he considered a rough establishment, worried about their safety rather than meaning them harm.
Kai smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, feeling somewhat foolish now. 'Well, when he says it like that, it sounds stupi—no, actually... it's stupid no matter how you say it,' he thought with growing embarrassment.
"Y-yeah, that sounds about right," Kai admitted, his voice carrying uncertainty.
Upon hearing his confirmation, the other men gathered at the table began laughing hysterically, their booming voices joining together in a chorus of genuine amusement at the absurdity of the children's quest. But there was no cruelty in their laughter—it was warm and inclusive, inviting the trio to laugh at themselves alongside them.
After that initial exchange, many fun and unexpected things began to take place as the evening wore on. The men, loosened by drink and entertained by the novelty of the young travelers, began including them in various activities and challenges.
They discovered that Maya could use fire magic when one of the men—a blacksmith named Gorren—noticed her unconsciously warming her hands with a small flame. Soon they had her heating a metal cup from below while the clearly drunk men took turns trying to see who could hold the scorching hot vessel the longest, each attempt ending in yelps of pain and more raucous laughter. Maya was careful not to use incantationless magic, remembering Kai's stern warning that she shouldn't display such advanced abilities casually he gave her before entering town. He had told her they shouldn't risk attracting unwanted attention, and she respected his caution even if she didn't fully understand the danger.
After that particular game grew old, many more activities spontaneously erupted. One of the men, a guard named Pellan, noticed the practice sword Kai carried and insisted, with the aggressive friendliness of the intoxicated, that the boy demonstrate his skills. What followed was a "playful spar" that mostly consisted of the drunk man swinging wildly while Kai dodged with minimal effort, the whole affair ending anticlimactically when Pellan lost his balance and fell over without Kai having to land even a single blow. The tavern erupted in laughter and jeers at their fallen comrade, while Kai helped the man back to his feet with an apologetic smile.
As the night wore on and the candles burned lower, the trio found themselves genuinely enjoying the unexpected company, their initial fear long forgotten in the warmth of newfound friendship.