Markus spent some time around the visitor camp as the fairies finished preparing his meal. His backpack, rifle, and combat vest were already back inside the tent. A nearby outhouse was used, and he was shown a creek that cut through town, taking a few moments to wash off the dirt and animal blood from the previous night. After the cleaning, he headed straight back to the table with food.

Markus arrives just as last group of fairies are flying away from the wooden table. He sees his blonde escort standing next to the food laid out for him. She looks focused, reviewing a piece of paper in her hands before counting off various items spread around her. From her actions, Markus assumes she's been put in charge of his meal.

Walking up to the table, he's eager to see what sort of food has been prepared. The escort is caught off guard by his sudden appearance, and clumsily tries to hide the piece of paper behind her back. She smiles, waving to Markus with one hand, while the other is cramming the paper into a pouch on her belt. A smile flashes back to her, but his attention is already set on the food.

An impressive meal is spread out on the table. The fairies even gathered several wood plates, bowls, and utensils for all the food. Markus sees the main entree is a large salad topped with berries, nuts, and pieces of meat. Beside the salad, two smaller bowls are filled with even more food. One bowl seems to be a fruit mix filled with grapes, berries, and square pieces of a green colored fruit. The other bowl has a delicious looking trail mix of various nuts and dried berries.

Taking his gloves off, Markus then grabs one of the wooden forks and immediately starts digging into the food. All of the ingredients taste very fresh. He's so hungry that he doesn't bother sitting down for the meal. A wooden cup is filled with a cider drink which rounds out the food nicely. Glancing around, he sees most of the fairies watching earlier dispersed. He can eat in peace.

“How do you like the food. Is it alright?” A female voice speaks out from below.

“Oh yes, it's very good.” Markus responds automatically, before realizing it was his blonde escort that asked the question. Looking over to her on the table, he notices her eyes are wide open in surprise.

“H-h-how did we just talk to each other?” She asks with a very confused look across her face.

Markus remembers she left just before Jonathan used the translation magic. If she was busy getting food ready, then she probably has no idea what happened.

“The old man, Jonathan, used some sort of translation magic on me. I guess I can understand everybody now.” Markus says as he takes another bite of the food.

“Really! Oh wow! I've never seen it used before.” The escort says excitedly as she bounces on the table. “Hey! Hey! What's your name? My name is Eclair! I'm part of the night patrol, but I got picked to be your guardian.”

“I'm Markus. So you're my guard?” Markus keeps talking as he eats. A large portion of the food is gone now, but the speed of his eating slows now that he's having a conversation.

“Ya! But it's just temporary. I'm just supposed to escort you around town and keep you comfortable. I was told by some of the council members you wouldn't stay here for long.” says Eclair as she walks over to the trail mix bowl, eating some of the contents for herself.

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Markus' mind flashes an image of home, knowing he can't stay with the fairies for long. He responds “Ya... that's true. I need to get back to my own town.”

“Oh, I see... eat up while you can. A lot of us made it for you. They're my own recipes except... bigger. Did the squirrel meat taste good?” Eclair asks with a curious tone in her voice. She was very interested to see if a human would enjoy her cooking.

A laugh escapes from Markus as he replies “So that's what the meat was. You know, I haven't had it since I was a kid.”

A big grin shows on Eclair's face as she hears Markus' compliment. One of the last pieces of squirrel meat is then grabbed by him. As he finishes, Markus begins forming a question in his head.

“Hey Eclair... this might sound strange, but I've heard a lot of stories about fairies. I always figured your kind would be more... natural. Am I wrong? Your names all seem pretty modern, and I see you all wearing clothes. I'm surprised you even fed me squirrel meat.” Markus finishes talking, hoping Eclair isn't offended by what he said.

There's a short silence from Eclair, but she then tilts her head back and starts laughing. “Ahahaha! That's so stupid! Of course we aren't! Only purist fae or some of the ancient colonies are like that. Besides, do you know how cold it gets around here sometimes? Only an idiot would be out here without a lot of clothes.”

Markus is genuinely surprised by her answer. He thinks for a moment before saying “I see... So your kind has different beliefs. Guess that explains what I've seen.”

“Ya! Our town is only a few generations old. Founded by exiles, immigrants, and all sorts of fae from the eastern part of the continent. It's pretty good for us. We can enjoy freedom, live in a house, have nice clothes, and eat what we want. We even trade with the nearby human town. Folks from there visit us all the time.” Eclair starts picking through the left over trail mix as she continues talking. “But... the war in the north seems to be causing all sorts of problems.”

“A war huh? That's interesting to know.” Markus says, mentally saving the information. “So I'm guessing things are dangerous around here?”

“Oh no! The war is pretty far north from us, unless you go looking for it. Some townsfolk have volunteered to help up there though. Anyway, the forest is still dangerous if you're not careful. Oh! But you've got the black thing that shoots fire!” Eclair says as she points to the tent behind Markus. “I think Jonathan called it a... rifle gun? Or just gun?”

An eyebrow raises on Markus' face. “How does Jonathan know anything about guns?”

Eclair shrugs at Markus' question. “I think he said he saw some a long time ago. I know they're like super powerful crossbows. I saw what happened last night. None of us could have done anything without you.”

Markus looks back to the tent with his equipment. “Well... I guess that's a simple way of describing what a gun is.” He then looks back to Eclair to say “Anyway, it might be true I killed the creature, but I don't deserve all the credit. I probably wouldn't have made it in time without the help of the fairy that guided me. She had the black uniform with a spear, with short hair I think. She deserves some credit.”

“No! Forget about her!” Eclair suddenly shoots up from the table and hovers directly in Markus' face. “Aurora is the whole reason that monster got through the town perimeter. She's part of the night guard, but she messed up bad last night. The town council has been busy with her trial all morning.”

The news about the fairy that guided him last night is unexpected for Markus. He assumed everything ended on a happy note for the town. Thinking about the fairy he first met, he knows she was trying to help. Something doesn't sit right for Markus. He quickly decides to find out more about the situation.

“I'll be right back.” Markus says before grabbing his gloves and quickly turning around.

Eclair flutters back onto the food table as she watches Markus take off in the direction of the tent. Markus disappears inside for a few minutes, before re-emerging with his backpack loaded, vest worn, and rifle gripped with both gloved hands. He then makes his way back to the food table and Eclair.

“Alright Eclair, take me to where the trial is. I want to talk to Jonathan about last night.” Markus says with a serious tone.

“I- Why-.” Eclair's words fumble. She didn't expect Markus' request, but she quickly nods her head in agreement. “Fine. Follow me.”