Elder Gregory paced around a cozy bedroom glancing at his daughter from time to time. He clenched and unclenched his hands, rubbed his beard and even rubbed a hand through his greying hair occasionally.

Crystal sat obediently on the mammoth of a bed she’d grown accustomed to her whole life, looking down dejectedly. Her father wasn’t particularly short-tempered but he did lose his mind from time to time over her continuous stream of ‘mistakes.’

Of course, most of them were deliberate on Crystal’s part. A way for her to assert her power in the Tower… and not just be ‘The daughter of the master of the Tower.’ When she did something right, everyone would say things like ‘She really takes after the Master Keeper’ or something like that.

She’d always wanted her own achievements… but now it appeared she’d crossed a line she was never meant to cross. She could feel it long before her father had discovered the duel.

Alaric’s show of power was more than enough proof of that.

“Father, I’m…”

“Say it… only if you mean it,” the Elder growled dangerously.

“I mean it this time. I’m really sorry,” the girl responded.

Elder Gregory froze for a bit, “My daughter apologizing… Did you hit your head? Or was his guardian’s aura too disorienting?”

The girl shook her head then pulled herself up to the headboard and hugged her knees, “When I talk to people, I can feel the lies in their voices… or at least, the pretence. Alaric didn’t hold himself back at all. You said he wasn’t an active person.”

“I was surprised as well. He must have taken a liking to you… Knowing you, you didn’t like the way he was talking to you,” the man asked.

“Why would I be friends with someone who’s here to rob my chances at becoming a Keeper?” the girl scoffed.

Elder Gregory’s eyes opened wide, “That was unexpected. Why would you think that? You know that the Tower can have more than one Keeper.”

“Yes, but they are ranked. You have more authority compared to Master Galahad,” the girl scoffed, “I’ve always wanted to be like you. Then some boy shows up with an S-class guardian and it’s like you’ve fallen in love. What was I supposed to do?”

The old man went pale as a sheet, ‘Have I ignored her this much?’

Taking a seat next to her, the old man pulled his daughter into a warm hug, “It seems we are both at fault here then. You know no one can replace you, my dear? With your mother gone, you’re my only light.”

“I know, Father. You tell me that almost every night… before I go to sleep,” the girl responded, leaning into her father’s warmth.

“Almost? Have I been slacking off?” the man wondered.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“No… I was trying to remember. You always tell me that before I close my eyes,” the girl chuckled just a bit. The pangs in her chest wouldn’t allow the smile to last.

At the end of the day, her father was the only person in the world she could ever let herself be vulnerable with. He loved her more than she felt fathers should love their daughters and she loved him just as well… even though she wasn’t the easiest daughter to have.

“I really am sorry…”

There was a short silence before the man asked, his voice rising a few octaves in curiosity, “It’s been long since you last apologized. What did he say to you?”

“He said he wanted… to be my friend,” she responded.

“You’ve had…”

“And that he was sorry his background… was too poor to allow that,” Crystal said with a slight break in her voice.

“You mocked his home.”

The shivering nods from his daughter made the old man start rubbing gentle circles in her back, “Oh, Crystal… my dear Crystal.”

“What do I do, Father? Everyone here treats me like some high-strung princess. He’s the first to genuinely want to be my friend. What do I do?”

“Well, you apologize. It was times like this that even your mother would get down from her high horse and remember that she too was a human being. Human beings crave the warmth of a good friend.

If you think he’s worth it, then you’ll apologize to him the next chance you get. Fortunately, he asked me to give you another chance. What do you think of giving this tour another shot?”

…………………………

Alaric stared at the serving of food in front of him with an odd expression. A large wooden bowl was filled with broth containing countless ‘worm-like strings’ inside. “Never seen noodles before?”

“These… are noodles?” he asked the knight seated across from him.

The knight in question was hacking away at his bowl, slurping the stuff like it was made from heaven’s kitchen. The site was both disturbing and comical.

GRRRR… went Alaric’s stomach.

The noddles weren’t the only thing in the bowl. Somehow, the cook had managed to add some slices of meat into the broth along with a litany of vegetables that made Alaric question his life choices, ‘Perhaps I should hold off on signing this contract till I’ve found a place that serves potatoes, bread… and proper meat.’

[ Take a bite, Alaric. You’ve always wondered what piss tastes like. This weird concoction might come close ] Alia joked.

[ You must be enjoying yourself since you never get to eat anything ] Alaric groaned.

“Eat before it goes cold. You don’t want to know what it tastes like when it’s cold,” Garin said, looking up from his meal only for a second before diving back in.

If a man like Garin could enjoy this, then surely Alaric would be alright… right?

‘I’ve achieved the Wood Temper Rank. This is nothing,’ Alaric convinced himself before taking the first bite of his food.

The rest was pretty much history as an eruption of flavours he deemed illegal lit his eyes like bulbs and had him practically inhaling the food in his large bowl. This time, Garin had to pause and witness how amateurish his antics had been.

“Send another bowl over here,” the knight called at the counter.

“You got it, Lieutenant,” the man at the counter replied before sending his order to the kitchens at the back.

It wasn’t long before two more bowls were set before Alaric. Three bowls later, when he’d eaten his fill and downed a glass of water he leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, “Ah, that was the best. I haven’t enjoyed a meal that much in a while.”

“Don’t you enjoy Marla’s cooking?” Garin asked the boy.

“I’ll gladly eat Sister Marla’s cooking any day. It’s always great… but I already know what it tastes like,” Alaric responded.

“I’m glad the food here was to your liking,” the boy’s face went white as a sheet as he recognized the feminine voice that had just spoken.

What were the odds that Crystal had seen him wolf down three whole servings of slimy noodles, chomp down on some meat and nearly eat the ceramic bowls themselves?

Slowly he turned his back to see the beautiful girl who had gone with Elder Gregory. Of course, he was momentarily oblivious to the soup hanging around his perfect lips, making him look like a strange mix between a handsome boy and a boorish barbarian, “Ah, Crystal, how long have you been there?”

“Long enough to wish noodles were never invented,” Crystal paled.