"You want... the usual as well?" the waitress said, blanching slightly. Piero was taking this visit in stride, but she was much more nervous about serving the heir to the throne something prepared in their tiny kitchen. The girl was a few years younger than Rhiane; old enough to be aware of the vast chasm between their social strata, yet not of sufficient age and experience to be jaded or cynical. She resided somewhere between idyllic fantasies and subdued realistic expectations.

"The usual, but mine without the alcohol tonight. I won't leave Sebastian to be the only one of us sober," Rhiane replied with a wink, deflecting any suspicion about the reason she was declining. At some point she and Luke would need to have a serious discussion about where this physical relationship was taking them. Unfortunately, given how much they argued, nothing short of a perfect day would facilitate a calm, rational conversation about where they stood emotionally and that their future would require them to be parents. Queen Camilla was waging a war against a negative perception of the royal family. If she truly wished to turn the skeptics into believers, and to secure her lineage before the rebellion gained more momentum, she would do everything in her power to convince them to keep any pregnancy that occurred. A potential child would be both a distraction and a cause for celebration. Undoubtedly the monarch would also prefer to expedite the princess elect fulfilling her role to be rid of her that much more quickly as well.

"That is very kind of you, but it's not necessary," Terzo smiled, not wanting Luke to think that, as a wealthy man, he was obligated to pay for the poorer man's meal. By the town's standards, Terzo was a financial success. More months than not he turned a profit. Since Rhiane won the contest there had been a burst of tourism that made his bed and breakfast significantly more popular. Turning towards the waitress, Terzo flashed a grin. "Another pint, would you?"

After the waitress shuffled off Rhiane, pushing her hair behind her shoulders, leaned back in her chair. "Terzo went to school with Gerard, a few years above him I think? After Mom and Edwin passed, he helped me get sorted with some of the local vendors. Don't let him fool you, he can be a stubborn mule when he negotiates, I'm just better at knowing when to push and pull then he is."

Terzo snorted in a half-laugh and shrugged his shoulders. "That might be true, but I've seen you feign being a hapless, innocent damsel to get a better price, and that's a harder sell for someone like me." The words were a critique but he said them lightly, as a praise rather than a scolding, and in the good-natured tone he had used before. Despite Luke's misgivings, this individual was akin to a more distant older brother figure in Rhiane's life rather than a love prospect. Whatever romantic interest they had for one another faded years before the present, as was evidenced by the fact that Terzo was happily wed and did not so much as glance below his female companion's face.

"I'm certain I don't know what you're talking about," Rhiane said in mocking objection. Turning towards her fiance, she put her hand on his arm casually. "Do you want anything to drink? The standard fare here is liquor that the farmers distill themselves. It's quite a bit stronger than anything you're used to, but if you want to try it, I'll order it for you. There is also beer and wine, just not as refined as you'd have in the capitol," she explained generously.

"Rhiane's usual is a huge plate of noodles that I've seen grown men not finish, fair warning," Terzo commented good-naturedly, "and the sauce packs quite a bit of heat. Piero gets fresh peppers daily, some of them from people in this room. She's either eating something so hot or spicy it'll burn off your tongue or layers of sugar so sweet you'll rot your teeth, but not much between those extremes," the older gentleman observed. "Only things she orders here!"

"That's not true," Rhiane protested, "I eat other things," she added, though she didn't volunteer the names of any. The allegation had been too accurate for her to completely deny.