>Food was always a safe topic, especially since Leo seemed to be straying further and further into the no-no zone that was literally anything to do with Logan's past. She was a curious little cat, she'd asked about him as well back at her hideout, but given that the both of them hadn't exactly been in high spirits, perhaps that was why the line of questions hadn't continued any further. But now Logan found himself on the brunt of them. So, the only thing he could think to do was continue the other topic of conversation.
>It wasn't like he didn't have ammo for it, as the wrinkles of distaste on his face would show.
You lose interest in seafood when you've encountered half of those things when they're alive and spewing water, ink and plenty of other things besides at you. Cephadromes are horrible, disgusting beasts and the fact that I've eaten them before I knew what horrors they were is awful.
>His eyes seem to wander Astrolia-wards as they narrow. His teeth grit and he begins mumbling once more.
Stupid amphibious pieces of shit and their stupid paralysis and their stupid flapping about like idiots...
>>41278845 >Uh oh. That was getting into the dangerous territory of memory that he didn't want to sit in, nor talk about, and worse yet he still held a sense of responsibility for killing a fair chunk of her 'family' as well. If she kept pressing, he'd have to end up talking about it out of obligation, unless-
>>41278913 >There's definitely a mental brofist happening between the two at that moment, because that interjection saved his ass. Half a nod gets thrown in Elias's direction as Logan opts to continue the seafood discussion as well, but decided to cleverly move on to monsters in the hope that Leo having valued input would throw her off the trail.
Oh yeah, you still don't talk about that Astrolia trip much. Did some creature kick your ass at the beach or something? 'Cause I don't think I've heard of a giant frog that flaps.
>Clearly he'd misinterpreted the term 'amphibious', but hey, at least he didn't have to talk about good ol' mum and dad.
Leopon-dji 4 Mar 2016 8:11:04 PM No.41279454>>41279554>>41280109
>>41278913 You ate a Cephadrome?
>Leo nearly stops in her tracks at that information. She couldn't imagine how some of the beastkin sunk their teeth into those disgusting slimy hides, let alone took a bite out of them. She recoiled at the thought.
That is... an interesting choice of food. Certainly not one I have ever tasted... nor one I wish to...
>>41279346 >It seemed he was thankful to be off the topic of his past and on the topic of Elias' recent past and Leo's ancient history. He had a despite from her questions for the time being.
Cephadromes are not frogs, Logan. They are... imagine a large lizard that can also swim, but they eat prey larger than us. That is a Cephadrome.
>The look of disgust matures into a pained groan as Elias averts his eyes from the various sea life being unloaded and onto his party members. First his attention was directed to Logan.
What Leo said. The Cephadrome's more like a lizard, but they can swim through sand as well as water, so they're amphibious. Unfortunately for my sake, the one I found was aquaphobic. But they still don't like electricity, so that was in my favour.
>And then he turns over to Leo, to further elaborate.
I ate it in a stew as a kid, along with some other seafaring species. So, compared to just flat cooking a hunk of meat, it wasn't particularly slimy. Still not something you eat for taste though, I can't recommend it.
And as for the party...Well, that was just me.
>It was only a Cephadrome, they were frustrating, but not too big of a bother. If he'd casually managed to take down a Wyvern. alone, THEN he'd have something to brag about.
>>41279454 >A big lizard that eats things bigger than people...? And they can still eat that? Well, if it was that big maybe it had a lot of meat on it. If there was one thing Logan really wasn't familiar with, it was the strange monsters that inhabited the world, so whilst it was interesting to learn about it also left him feeling a little bit naive.
>>41279554 Oh, of course Mr. Big Shot kills it all by himself, doesn't he?
>Logan couldn't help but chuckle at that - he meant it well, rather than as an actual dig at him. Elias was S-Class for a reason, after all.
But wait, you're saying you fought it in the sand? What, did you head all the way to the Wastes or something? 'Cause, I mean, Astrolia's one thing, but even I've heard rumours about what lives that far out.
>The train station wasn't far off now, but idle conversation certainly helped make the trip shorter. In a few moments they'd actually be able to sit down and chill for a while with some food, and after that it was just a simple case of miner-watching.
Oh, oh, were you looking for that weird mythical city or something? I mean, you won't tell me if you were anyway because of that whole 'top secret' stuff that comes with a lot of the missions you take, but if I guess enough then I reckon eventually you'll sorta have one of those eyebrow twitches and I'll figure everything out.
Leopon-dji 5 Mar 2016 12:48:18 PM No.41280238>>41280466>>41281444
>>41279554 >In a stew? This was just getting worse and worse. Leo wrinkled her nose at the thought. Only under the most dire of circumstances would she ever eat something like that--however, the next bit of information was a pleasant surprise.
By yourself?
>Her thin eyebrows raised.
You have my respect.
>Not many could take on an Astrolian beast alone... at least, not many in her tribe. Perhaps the strange magic could have helped them.
>>41280109 >Logan brought up an interesting line of thought. She peered at the half-elf, waiting for his response.
Close to them, but not exactly in the Wasteland itself. On the far side of Astrolon is desert, and I had to be sure to look everywhere.
>He didn't directly acknowledge the compliment, or the ribbing from Logan but a tinge of pride colours his cheeks. The monsters of Astrolia were tough, even the smaller ones, so he at least had a reason to be proud.
>Of course, now Logan wanted to know what he'd actually been doing. Elias idly wondered if he should remind Logan that technically he was allowed to kill to make sure S Class Missions don't leak to the public, but then Logan'd just point out that he didn't do that anyway and they'd be back to square one.
No, I wasn't looking for any kind of mythical city. There have been expeditions looking for that for ages now, and what? They find a rock with weird architecture every now and again. I'm convinced it's just to attract tourists.
>>41280238 >>41280466 Attract tourists? To what, the lustrous desert sands that'll give you heatstroke as soon as sap you of every ounce of fluid in your body?
>Seriously, though, the only reason people ever went out there was to trade materials for desert jewels from those weird lizard-people who showed up from time to time before vanishing into the sands.
But you're probably right. That sort of place was never meant for people to live in, and if we would have a hard time, imagine Leo out there! The sand would get all in her fur, in her ears, it'd be course and rough and it'd get everywher- Oh, here we go, this is more like it.
>Logan had been leading them around the station the whole time they'd been chatting, right around to the small shop that seemed to be part of the station building itself, with a window for ordering and a small seating area around it with umbrellas to give a little shade from the heat.
You'll never find this kind of food out in the desert.
>Wandering over, Logan's face brightened when he saw a middle-aged woman manning the order point. She was ten years older than he remembered for obvious reasons, but it was an unmistakable face in his memory.
Hey there! Hello! Can I get you three anything?
>She was quite lively for her age, still full of energy and happy to be doing as she was. It was people like this that gave Logan a small semblance of hope for this city.
Do you do Cephadrome cutlets? Ooh, that's a bit of a rare one, but I think there's some still around. We don't get it in often.
>The mercenary turned around, looking over at Elias with an incredibly devious grin on his face.
>Elias suddenly pauses and looks towards the Astrolian mountains. He wasn't sure what it was...But he was distinctly aware that he was being discussed, and not in a pleasant way.
>...It was probably the dragoons. Maybe it was her.
>The tinge of pride turns into a flush of embarrassment as he whirls away from the mountains, violently repressing memories.
>>41281444
>And he comes back to Logan being a prick and ordering SEAFOOD. The look of shock and betrayal was comparable to if Logan had just stabbed him in the back. He had to think of something. And FAST.
>Elias stares at him for a while before he grits his teeth
Logan Faust!ReIheBaff. 7 Mar 2016 10:34:14 AM No.41282304>>41282337>>41282470
File: 1457364854256.png (128.24 KB, 500x650, I didn't mean it!.png)
>>41282288 We are, which is why you'll forgive me, right?
... right?
>That unrelenting glare from Elias seemed to say otherwise, which meant whatever had happened with those Cephadrome had created such a deep hatred that it permeated through the usual amount of thick skin the mage had. So, turning back to the attendant, he gave the request a wave.
Just checking it was around, in case! Let's see, could I have... oh! Can I get the Turkey Special but swap out the onions for pickles?
Turkey Special? My, oh my, we haven't had that on the menu for around 5 years or so.
Aah... that's a shame...
No, no, I still have the ingredients and it's hard not to remember how to make a sandwich. Turkey slices, lettuce, tomatoes, sweet and spicy sauce, and you'd like the onions swapped out for pickles, you said?
It just makes the whole thing more tangy!
Hmmm...
>Suddenly, the woman leaned out from the window slightly, getting something of a long look toward Logan. If it were a different set of circumstances, one might assume the lady was checking him out, but her curiosity would quickly be explained.
No... it couldn't be. Sorry, there use to be a young lad who came by to order just that. The Kingsguard's son, if I recall. I thought for a moment you bore a resemblance, but the poor boy went missing ten years ago.
Ah.. ha ha, yeah, I heard about that, poor kid, ha ha...
>In all of his years, Elias would never have seen Logan look more awkward than he did now, his typically calm demeanour almost completely shattered by a forced smile that would be easily complete if multiple beads of sweat were to drop from his brow.
Not to mention that he had a striking set of red-
>And her eyes casually glance in Elias's direction, catching a glance at both of his eyes in a slight state of shock and wonder in equal measure. Oh my, sorry about that, you just have quite the interesting.. look.
>Now that she cast her gaze over the whole group, they certainly were an odd bunch. The man ordering the food had a blade far too large for his body, the other had strange eyes, and the third among their party... was that fur?
>Shaking her head somewhat, she simply decided to accept what she was seeing, though the first of the three seemed to have tensed up quite considerably.
Sorry about that, it's not often I see such a vibrant set of individuals. So, one Turkey Special with pickles?
Ha... ha ha.... yeah, one of those please. That'd be great.
>With that settled, the serving lady returned to her polite and pleasant state, quickly seeming to get over any instances of surprise she might've had.
>All embarrassment he may have felt at the memories and thoughts that had been running through his head completely evaporated on that entire exchange between the shop keeper and Logan.
>Logan was about the same age as he was. 22 to Elias' 23. Ten years ago, he would have been twelve, he'd been at the Wolves longer than Elias himself and had recently confirmed that he had used to live here. And that would have all been circumstantial evidence had it not been for the fact that she recognised him and Logan's reaction.
>Elias had enough awkward for the two of them, Logan had always seemed very confident, no matter what slammed against him, he bounced back. But a smile that looked so tense you could pluck it and coax a note out of it spoke volumes. So, that was a little of Logan's past, huh?
>They still had their unspoken agreement, and he'd be damned if he was going to break it first. If Logan had wanted to talk about it, he'd have brought it up and not let it be pulled out of him by a sandwich shop worker. So he'd let sleeping dogs lie, or in this case, let the dog go back to sleep.
>He cleared his throat and shot a calm smile at the woman.
Don't worry, I get it a lot. And I'd like a bacon and sausage sandwich. With spicy sauce please.
>One of the few things he'd picked up from Astrolia, other than re-occurring nightmares, had been a taste for spicy food. Seemed like everything over there had some sort of kick to it, much like the wildlife.
Leopon-dji 7 Mar 2016 4:55:33 PM No.41282470>>41283146
>>41282304 >>41282337 >Leo may have zoned out for a few moments at the mention of Cephadrome cutlets--because, honestly, who in their right mind would willingly eat one of those?--but the nervousness emanating from their spiky-haired companion pulled her back to reality.
>She kept a close eye on him as the shop keeper pressed him. No way was it a simple coincidence. She remembered the hostility between Elias and Logan at the mere possibility of them being from different nations... would this bit of information make things worse?
>Leo self-consciously pulled the headscarf tighter around herself.
>>41282337 >>41282470 Bacon, Sausage and spicy sauce... >The woman spoke as she wrote the order down, just to ensure she got it right, whilst Logan was forced to consider what Leo might want for food whilst dealing with a sudden bout of nervousness. Maybe she never really had a choice with her old food? It was hard to say.
>She was a cat, though, sort of, so that made things easier for him.
Uuuh, she'll have pin tuna fillet with mayonegg. Stick or bun? Stick. She seems hungry. Alright, then! That'll be (C)1.20, unless you'd like something to drink as well? You know what, yeah, three bottles of Rift please. No problem, that's (C)1.65 altogether.
>Reaching into his wallet, Logan brought out the various gold and silver coins and placed them on the table of the window, passing them across.
Thank you very much! If you wait on one of the seats I'll bring your orders over in a minute.
>Nodding, Logan had thankfully managed to maintain his composure for the rest of that brief encounter. Now that he was free of it, he quickly hobbled over to one of the seats by an umbrella table, unclipping the large blade harness and letting it sit beside him.
>The half-elf trooped on after Logan, taking a seat opposite the spiky haired mercenary as he scans the area. They were outside the station, so he couldn't see what magnificent metal beasts had pulled up and that left him with precious little to do.
>He didn't want to chance bringing up his suspicions about Logan's past, though he had no doubt Leo would do it for them...Go back to food? That'd just make them hungrier until it arrived...But the mission was a safe topic.
>He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
So, how long have we got until the go-home club arrives? I don't wanna have to drop my sandwich.
Leopon-dji 8 Mar 2016 2:14:33 PM No.41283266>>41284030>>41284051
>>41283146 >>41283245 >Leo reached into her pocket, fully prepared to send what few certani she had for the sandwich, only to be pleasantly surprised by Logan's generosity. She played it off like she was just resting her hands in there, and gave him a curt nod of thanks. The beastkin pawed after them to the table.
I would not mind if we had a few hours to wait.
>She followed Logan's lead, undoing the leather belts keeping her scabbard in place and hanging it from the chair. She briefly pulled back the headscarf just enough to scratch at her sore ears.
Though, I also would not mind if we could eat somewhere with a little more privacy, in case someone else recognizes one of us.