"Are you certain you don't want to take that back?" I mumbled as we strolled ahead, still peering at the cage left in the middle of the road.

Melody was the impetus of my statement. The curve of her beak was also pressed against Lucas' clothing, which appeared quite weird to the naked eye. Although she wasn't the only monster in the area, that didn't make her any less unique. As I said before, who wouldn't want a gryphon?

"You're only saying that because you're already aware of her existence," the beast tamer complained as he tapped Melody's head through the cloak. "I'm confident we'll be alright. Nobody gives a damn..."

He was mostly correct in that regard. No one cared.

"But you know there's no need to treat me to anything, right?" I sighed.

After his reunion with the gryphon, he offered to treat me as a thank you for lending my ear. I didn't mind it that much, but we had to bear in mind we were still in the Underworld.

"Don't worry," he said, trying to ease my worries as he scratched Melody's neck with his finger. I assumed that much based on the slight movement of his arm beneath the loose cloak. "I saw a restaurant nearby. It seemed kinda nice in comparison with everything else around here..."

"Restaurant?"

You may be able to purchase a wide variety of objects here that you wouldn't typically be able to touch above. Consider the SCO, which I've had to carry around for a while. I wouldn't have had the chance to be anywhere near one, save from the one Reyna showed me in her laboratory, yet the Underworld provided me with the opportunity to smuggle around such a precious item.

The same could be said about locations. Brothels were the most unexpected thing on the list, so an actual restaurant must be hidden somewhere as well.

"It reminded me more of a pub than a restaurant. You walk in, order a drink, and then leave. There are, obviously, no bookings."

"I guess they managed to pull that off even in a place like this..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I paused before turning my eyes towards Melody. "You realize how risky it is to expose your—er, her in this manner, right? What if they refuse to let Melody in? No, what if someone notices her?"

Not to mention the fact I was about to refer to her as a 'pet.' That would have undoubtedly offended him in some way, which wasn't my intention.

"You could be right," the beast tamer squeezed out. "I'll just try to hide her as I've done up until now. This cloak is rather loose, so it should be possible. If we don't figure something out, then let's just grab something from the nearby stalls and call it a day—night! Let's call it a night."

It was tough to keep track of time with the artificial sun over there, but I liked the idea in itself.

"And here we are," he declared, pulling back the greenish curtains to show the eatery's interior, which seemed very archaic in comparison to the high-tech I had gotten accustomed to seeing around.

The wooden parquet squeaked under our feet as we made our way in.

I sat down on a log in the corner near the restroom. It was just a wild guess, but I thought there would be some sort of exit, such as a door or window in there. Not only that, but this vantage point provided me with a good view of everything going on in our vicinity.

"Don't you think it's strange?"

"What is?" I inquired, still eyeing the people around us.

Stolen story; please report.

"I'm about to treat you to a drink, but I have no idea what your name is."

My experiences in the Underworld had prepared me for such scenarios. I was prepared.

"Douglass," I said with a faint smile, knowing that was probably the only feature visible on my face. "What's yours?"

I had to confess I had gotten quite decent at introducing myself.

"In that case, Douglass, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Lucas," he chuckled. "I'm sorry, it's quite funny. Our names rhyme, don't they?"

"Perhaps we should change Melody's name to match ours," I suggested, and after racking my brains for a while I finally came up with: "Melodas. What do you think of that name?"

She let out a muffled chirp, as though to deny everything. I was fairly certain she liked her previous name just a tad more.

Once he noticed the waitress approaching us, Lucas was ready to place his order. "Excuse us; we'd like to—"

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, her intense eyes fixated on me, which I found endearing.

"Is everything there okay, Miss Waitress?" questioned a brutish guy as he listened to the commotion.

"No issues at all!" she answered with a smile, then instantly spun back to me.

Unfazed by Lavender's outburst, I shrugged and rested against the wall. "Meeting you here was purely coincidental, Miss Waitress. I had no idea you'd be working here."

Nor had the intention of actually meeting you again, which was better left unsaid.

But that explains why she was carrying a diary. She most likely uses it to take notes on the orders of the customers.

"I really didn't want you to see me here, Douglass..."

My brow creased. "Why? There's no need to be embarrassed or anything."

Rather than her workplace, which I couldn't utter a single word about considering my situation, I was more interested in how she managed to figure out it was me.

"Because that would ruin the image I tried to establish in your head."

"That of a diabolical seductress?"

"You—"

It wasn't like I was going to apologize for the way I subconsciously envisioned her—which was the appearance Leva wanted me to have of her, I dare add.

"That's your problem," I interrupted her, not wanting any of it.

As I said that, the waitress simply pouted. Then she moved her focus to her new target, or to be more accurate, the majestic beak that poked out of Lucas' clothes.

"Melody!" grumbled the beast tamer.

"He's Lucas, and she's Melody," I said as the gryphon chirped in accord, and Lucas nodded slightly. "I hope her presence here doesn't bother you."

"She's not going to cause a scene, is she?"

I doubted that would happen. If she did, it would be Lavender's responsibility to clean up after her. She's the waitress, isn't she?

"You don't seem astonished to see a real gryphon," I grumbled. "Did you see one before, by any chance?"

I'm sure if a normal person saw a gryphon up close, they'd be ecstatic. Even if they weren't, I'm sure they would have reacted in some way. But our waitress did none of these things, which I found quite odd.

"Oh," Leva murmured as she realized her mistake. "This place has so many weird things going around that nothing surprises me anymore."

Lucas coughed into his fist. "We'd want to place an order... Melody's starving."

"Nobody cares if she stays on your lap or something as long as she behaves, but don't even think of putting her on the table. I'll make you clean up whatever mess she's caused. With your tongue, that is."

"Y-yes..."

I scoffed: "Uh-huh."

After taking out a pen and diary, the waitress looked at me. "What about you, Douglass?"

"Lucas's the one treating me," I murmured, my gaze fixed on a glass of beer on the table ahead. "And I'll have a beer if that'd be alright."

"Are you sure you don't want anything else other than a drink, Douglass? You don't have to worry about—"

Beer was one of the cheapest things I could find around here, I reasoned. Although I would have appreciated a free meal, I'd rather the beast tamer use the majority of what he had saved for himself and the gryphon. Among the many meals I've skipped up until now, this much was nothing.

"It's fine," I reassured him.

"If you say so... I'd like a beer as well," he declared. "We can't let you have all the fun. Oh, I almost forgot... Please get some beef jerky for Melody as well. If you happen to have any."

Lavender's face clouded when we told her our orders, as though she was disappointed, and then said, "Are you certain you won't end up like that man?"

When Lucas heard that he couldn't help but wonder, "Who is she talking about?"

"Feel free to prank me, pinch my nose or smack me awake if I do that," I replied, ignoring the beast tamer.

"I'll take you up on your offer," she complained half-heartedly, leaving us to our own devices as she approached the customers at the entrance.

As my eyes followed the waitress's body, they landed directly on top of the bearded man who had simply thrown aside the curtain. Behind him appeared two lanky, augmented men. The shortest of them was waiting for someone to approach him, and when he noticed Lavender, he stepped in with a haughty stride.

She led the trio to their seats with a strained smile, oblivious to the iced grip clenching my innards. That's when the bearded dwarf spotted me, causing my heart to race. I lowered my eyes to the floor, not wanting to grab his attention.

Just how could someone's presence make me feel that way?