Chapter 12: A Nice Dinner

Inside a cottage at the corner of the city of Aries on a cool summer night, Four people sat around the small dining table in one of the rooms.

On the table there was a assortment of dishes, and the little girl and the old man sitting at the table were drooling a little and the smell of the food was wafting throughout the neighborhood

"Aah Mr. Grimes must be making his adventurers' stew" A young man who was patrolling nearby could be heard saying to his squad as a bit of drool leaked out of the side of his mouth.

Outside the house, a well natured gentleman pulled at his collar and readjusted his tie before knocking on the door.

Although the gentleman looked to be around 25 years old by his stature and clothing, there were wrinkles forming on his that gave out his true age.

Soon the two children that were sitting at the table opened the door and the young lady jumped at the man while shouting "Daddy!, I knew you'd come!"

"Well how could I miss the dinner hosted by my daughters' father-in-law?" The gentleman said while patting the young girls head who was now completely red from neck to ear and had her head down as they both moved back towards the table.

The boy meanwhile, had a kind smile on his face, obviously being used to such teasing by his neighbor. He greeted the gentleman "Good Evening uncle, thanks for coming to the dinner"

"Ah Good evening Barrett, how's' your sword training going? Did you manage to grasp the foundation of the skill yet?" The gentleman replied while sitting down at the table, looking at the young boy who had just closed the door and was now heading to his own seat.

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"Yes, I feel like I finally understand the flow of each particular movement, I'm still far from applying the technique practically though." Barrett admitted while rolling up some noodles on a chopstick like utensil and moved it to dip it into the bowl of stew on his plate.

Soon after the gentleman and Barrett finished exchanging information about his status on the sword skill, The others joined in on the conversation and began eating the delicious food on the table.

Soon, the little girl that had been eating her food quietly so far also chimed in "Oh yeah, Grandpa Grover, is there any news of when the Adventurers Examination begins?"

The old man who had been chatting with the gentlemanly looking man and the host of the dinner, looked at the little girl with a smile on his face and said "Why, do you plan on participating Miss Elaine?"

"Yeah, I'll be participating in the bronze level recruitment exam with Barrett"

The host, Mr. Grimes put down his utensils and looked at the young boy at the table who was now averting his eyes.

"I was going to ask you when the dates for the examination came out" The boy said while scratching the side of his face and smiling uncomfortably.

Mr. Grimes replied "It's okay, but you do know you risk your life even in the initial stages of any recruitment test? Are you sure your're ready?"

"I'm ready, I'm sure" the boy said as a strong determination could be seen in his eyes.

The conversations returned to local gossip and compliments about the meal from that point on. This dinner among a small group of people had a very comfortable atmosphere and smiles could be seen on all the participants faces while they chatted until the clock struck 12.

"I guess I must be leaving" said the old man who was the head of the local newspaper department, as he picked his hat off the hat rack, dusted it and put it on his head covered in gray hair with no sign of receding.

With this, the young girl and the gentleman got up as well and got ready to leave.

Soon the group of five stood outside the cottage, saying simple goodbyes, not putting much thought into it as they thought they would meet tomorrow.

Unknown to the five of them, one of them would not be seen alive again after this moment.

...

In the middle of night, as Barrett lay sleeping in his bed, now dry from the bath he had taken after a round of evening practice, A small blue thread that was not visible to anyone but him in his waking state, A small blue thread among many others, faded away into the night, as if it had never been there to begin with.