I stood on the roof of the opposite building and peered inside the tavern using my binoculars. I grit my teeth. This really was one of those questionable establishments! I was worried they would cut loose a little too much since their group was just the guys.
Was this still within the bounds of what I could allow? No, this was definitely a sloven haven of whores.
Should I rush in? Definitely not, the establishment itself was perfectly respectable and only provided food. If things were going to progress that far with the wait staff, it would be best to keep my eyes on the tips. Squeezing a handful of boob was the absolute limit that would be allowed while dining. I just needed to keep an eye on things and make sure those boorish guys didn’t tempt Wim into anything.
I kept my eyes peeled. There were too many people and too much background noise to pick up their voices using my wiretap stone. Instead, I needed to gather all the intel I could based on their body language and gestures.
Hey! I saw you watch that waitress out of the corner of your eye, Wim! You perv!
“Calm down, Heidemarie,” I told myself, taking a deep, shallow breath. “Stay composed. You’re an adult.”
I shifted my eyes back to Wim. He was definitely out of his comfort zone, but he seemed to be having fun. I could tell the others were trying to match his pace, letting him practice his conversation skills. Things were different while he was still with Drachenflügel. Now, their interests aligned, and all our party members were good people. Even if Wim messed up, I was sure it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Good luck out there, Wim.” I offered some words of encouragement, painfully aware that there was nothing more I could do for him.
I was nothing to Wim. We weren’t lovers or family. I was just a friend. It had never been my place to meddle with him as I did.
The wind that blew through town was chilly, though it helped cool my head.
✦ ✦ ✦
Once we were done eating, Hans covered the entire bill, and we were all off on our own surprisingly quickly. I was relieved to know that I had weathered through that storm safely. Aside from having fun, I felt elated. I had finally gotten to eat and chat with a large group.
Maybe I would have been able to have more fun if I was a little more composed. However, right now, I was exhausted. We would be diving into the labyrinth tomorrow, so I wanted to get back home and rest as soon as possible.
“Wim! Hey, Wim!” As soon as that thought occurred to me, Mark beckoned to me as he stood near the tavern’s exit. “This is the group for single guys.”
I wondered what they wanted. “Aren’t you taken, Mark?”
“Who cares, who cares! Hey, you come too, Abel!”
“I’m not interested, so…I’ll be taking my leave. Feel free to refuse too, Wim!” Abel had been summoned just as I did, but he rushed out in a flash.
“He’s sure got a stick up his butt.”
Were they headed somewhere?
“Um, Mark? Where are we going?”
“Why, that’s obvious! Why else would we come all the way to downtown?”
There was nothing but a big question mark in my head. Mark grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me toward the center of the district.
“Then let’s be off!” Mark was always cheery, but his smile was more relaxed than usual—in fact, it bordered on the vulgar.
That’s when a tall man—I believe his name was Eckenhart—patted Mark’s shoulders. “Hey, Mark. Maybe it’s best we don’t invite Wim out today.”
“Why?”
“See? A certain lady is here.”
“Hmm? But Wim said there’s nothing between them!”
“That can’t be true, Mark. Do you really know so little about her?”
“Huh? What’re you trying to say?”
I had absolutely no idea what was going on. What were they trying to do?
Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere behind me.
“Hey, Wim! And I see you’re here too, Mark!”
“Oh, Heidemarie.” I turned around to find her standing there. I guess this was our first time meeting today. Still, even though I was used to seeing her, it was refreshing to meet her somewhere new. Heidemarie was just as short as she had been when we were children, making her stick out like a sore thumb being downtown at this hour.
But it didn’t matter what others thought of her. Standing there so menacingly with her innate predilection for violence seemed to oddly suit her.
“What a coincidence! The girls were out here eating too!”
Mark seemed awfully servile. “O-oh, Miss Heidemarie. It’s good to see you.”
“I see you all just finished eating, right? But…huh. Where were you headed next?” She was so awfully intimidating that Mark and the others took a step back. They were clearly on the same page, and there was some context I was missing. This whole thing just didn’t make sense to me.