[b]"Oh, that would be lovely,"[/b] Tian-Gui replied to the waitress. [b]"In lieu of the promotion combo then, could I have the Reaper Burger instead then? Thank you."[/b] A pause. Even if it didn't look like Iphie and Jin-Sun were immediately enthusiastic about drinks, it didn't hurt to order some anyhow. [b]"And y'know what? Slap on that pitcher of Sapporo."[/b]

With that, the order was given, and in another fifteen or so minutes, the order was had. With his trademark combination of neat eating habits and gargantuan bites, the titan of the Final Five devoured his food at speeds that made one question if he were truly tasting it, if not for the appreciative nods he gave along the way. Meyer sauce truly was the best accompaniment there was for salmon, and even though there was that little bit of 'quality' missing from pre-prepared meals, Tian-Gui wasn't much of a gourmet and technology had slowly bridged the gap between frozen and fresh over the years. If not for the robotic sameness of each individual dish, you could hardly tell that DIHOP meals were cooked by automatons! Beer, of course, was nice too, and though two members still couldn't legally drink, the raven-haired sentinel made a big show of his toasts, toasting to Kyouko's second calling in life, Runa's joyful school days, Jin-Sun's resolved revengeance, and Iphie not yet becoming totally corrupt with the amount of power the Courtlandt Group was amassing. It was fun times all around, really.

And he definitely didn't forget about Mason's granddaughter too.

After all, how else would she have found the group if Tian-Gui hadn't been standing up at that moment, toasting to Mason's health? As she spoke up about the presumed laxness of the group's environment, he settled down once more, shifting to the side slightly before realizing that there wasn't going to be enough roof for her on account for his shoulder width. [b]"Hey, welcome to the party, little miss!"[/b] Tian-Gui spoke. [b]"Runa, mind scooching over a bit so she can sit?"[/b] There was a pause, just long enough for her to seat herself if she wished, before he continued. [b]"And honestly, you're totally right about that. If someone came barging in to attack us, we'd have to fight them off ourselves..."[/b]

He grinned, even as he caught the gaze of the waitress and waved her over.

[b]"...which is what I prefer."[/b]

What protector needed protecting, right?