Thaum - The Azure Sea
The redhead screamed a loud 'yes' and Dr. Dream's face lit up with a smile.
"Really? You have my gratitude!" The scientist got to his feet and waved at a nearby waiter. "Good man, I want bottles of your finest wine. Pass them around, these guilders are tired and need to relax." He dug into his pocket and pulled out another check. The waiter's eyes bulged when he saw all those digits and he scampered off with a grin, yelling for his companions to pick up the pace and not keep the guests waiting. Dr. Dream gave Marcus a smile, everyone seemed to be enjoying their meals and that was good.
Isaac was through with Dr. Dreams salad and started sniffing at the plates of those nearby, it was then when the little hedgehog caught site of Kapi. His nose twitched and he approached the Capybara nervously, slowing inching forward until their noses touched. Kapi was huge! Isaac sniffed the Capybara before deciding to scamper onto the giant's back. Kapi was soft and nice so Isaac held on tight and planted himself on his new-found sofa's back.
“Someone will be joining us then? Will he be joining us here or afterwards?”
I have a few questions of my own… unless we should save the explanations for Lute to appear first?”
Dr. dream tapped at his fish fillet with a fork and grinned when noticed how tender the meat was. "Oh, he'll be here soon. He's not very good with directions and I'm glad you're all so eager. I'll tell you all about it once everyone is here, I have an appointment with one of the families of the victims later and I'll be needing your help, but for now put up your feet and dine to your hearts content. You guilders work hard every day and I'm going to pamper you all whether you like it or not!" He was the epitome of serious but as soon as his eyes landed on Kapi and Isaac the scientist melted into his seat and turned to another waiter. "Please send your best salad for those two adorable babies." He spent another moment gushing over the animals before reaching out to tap the Capybara on the forehead.
Atlas scarfed down his food while the others chatted, his plate piled high with oysters. This place was fancy and he'd make the most of it! If Lute didn't show up soon he'd use his friend's dessert stub too. Why wasn't he here yet? They NEVER got to go fancy restaurants especially not ones that sold food for a fortune. The Magician popped a shrimp roll into his mouth and eyed Moira's plate with an approving nod. That woman, wow, she had good taste. Across from him a girl in white began relaying information to a girl in red. The latter looked familiar but he ignored it and took a noisy slurp out of his shell soup. This food, it was amazing.
“O-oh, sorry!”
Atlas looked up to see his friend lean on one of the aquariums. Soon after Lute clung to a waiter and began talking to a fish. The boy chuckled before getting to his feet and stretching. "Man, you sure took your damned time. Where the hell were you? I almost used your dessert stub." He gave his friend a teasing smirk before wedding music began to play in the background. Lute began to panic and Atlas broke into a fit of laughter. Poor Lute was looking even more nervous than usual. Atlas arched an eyebrow at his friend before casually returning the dessert stub. He walked behind Lute, placed both hands on his friends shoulder then began pushing him towards one of the seats.
"Glad you could make it Lute," Dr. Dream waved. "Have a seat."
"Hey, hey, waiter?" Lucien was practically bouncing in place. "I'd like to try that one." The summoner's face was still pressed against the glass. He pointed at the sad looking thing then turned to face Don with a grin. "Bro, what do you say we have a bite?" He watched as one of the waiters scooped the little blob out with a net and rushed it to the kitchen.
"Regarding the dream eater, I don't have enough data but the people in Abatheo believe the information will be useful. Tonight I'll be heading to the countryside to get an interview with one of the families. The road going there is pretty dangerous though, so I'll be needing you guys to escort me and my fellow scientist. It'd be best if we could travel while it's still light out but I need to run a few more tests in my lab this afternoon and it might take a few hours." He made a sour face before taking a bite out of the stuffed lobster. "So basically you guys have the afternoon off. We'll need to meet at Thaum's square before seven though, I want us to leave at seven sharp so we can make it to the mountains in an hour and be back before midnight." He was very chipper. "After lunch feel free to explore Thaum, we have wonderful gardens, a little stadium for fights, a park. Just go wherever you like as long as you meet Atlas and I by the fountain tonight." He tapped at his watch for emphasis then had another mouthful of the stuffed lobster. "You guilders should try this and don't forget the red wine."
Not long after Dr. Dream stopped talking Lucien arrived at the table with a giant plate, on it was a blob fish that now looked as hard as a rock. He placed the plate on the table and gave the others a nervous chuckle. "I, erm, probably shouldn't have ordered this. Don, do you still want a bite?" He rubbed the back of his head and winced at the poor thing's miserable, frozen expression. "Hey, hey, guys? Anyone want to help Don with this pretty dish?" He slid the plate across the table and it stopped right in front of Lute, the fish's expression full of anguish and misery.
Dr. Dream made a face at the horrid dish. "So lunch, free time then we leave for the countryside are we all clear?"
