Trey’s mind was racing through scenarios as he walked down the street. He had thought about asking Marvin for advice, but being scolded by a grumpy dark mage just wasn’t a palatable option. He felt confident—perhaps ignorantly—that the Grand Oracle was still unaware of his magic status, but each encounter with Eva brought him closer to being fully exposed.

“You even showed up a bit early,” a voice interrupted his thoughts. Trey glanced up, finding himself in front of Rook’s Kitchen quicker than he intended. He had a habit of speed walking to help sort out anything troubling his mind. His gaze then fell on his date for the night.

If he hadn’t been scared of either the Grand Oracle or Marvin swooping in at any moment to ruin his life, he might have been able to appreciate the view before him more fully.

Eva wore a stunning blue dress that shimmered in the fading twilight, clinging to her lithe figure and highlighting her graceful curves. Her white hair was styled in loose curls, softly brightening her face against the dusk with crystal earrings dangling from her pointed ears, adding a delicate sparkle to her outfit. Underneath the beauty, however, Trey caught a glimpse of something more dangerous: a huntress.

“You look nice tonight,” Trey offered. While he wasn’t necessarily inexperienced with girls, he found himself in unfamiliar territory. Just the front of Rook’s Kitchen, featuring its polished granite and dark mahogany trim, made it clear that this was the finest restaurant he had ever visited. One look at his classy date was enough to tell him she was wearing more wealth than he’d ever possessed.

Eva examined his attire in return with a raised eyebrow. “That’s what you decided to wear?”

Trey stood up a little bit straighter, brushing his hands down his formal dress jacket. He knew he didn’t have the most luxurious wardrobe, but he also felt like he wasn’t a slouch.

“Shall we head in?” he asked, eager to avoid further critique about his appearance. He extended his elbow for her, indicating his intent to escort her. Eva, however, scoffed and briskly walked toward the door, leaving him behind.

The interior reflected the same level of opulence as the exterior. The sparkling tiles gleamed so brightly that Trey felt a twinge of awkwardness with each step he took. The wood accents that lined the walls added a cozy feel to the space without sacrificing elegance. When they reached their table, a crisp white tablecloth was impeccably draped across it, with a trio of candles on top, inviting the couple to sit with a calm flicker.

A waiter in a formal vest and bowtie approached their table with practiced grace, presenting a pair of menus to Trey and Eva.

After a moment alone to review the dining options, the waiter reappeared with a bottle of wine. “Would you like to sample our selected wine of the night? It comes from the vineyards of Revuior.”

The elf eagerly nodded, prompting the waiter to place two glasses on the table, uncork the bottle, and pour what Trey thought must’ve been only a few drops of the dark crimson liquid.

Eva took her glass and raised it to her nose, inhaling deeply. She sipped thoughtfully, pausing to savor the flavors that unfolded on her palate. Her expression was inscrutable, a mixture of contemplation and subtle delight framed by the warm candlelight. “What do you think, Trey?” she queried, her gaze fixed intently on him.

“It’s… good,” Trey said after a taste, mustering as much confidence as he could.

Eva scoffed and turned to the waiter. “Sorry, my date is… uncultured. Such a fine drink would be wasted on him.” The waiter gave her an obligatory smile and then disappeared with the wine.

“I’m sorry,” Trey said. “I can’t say I’ve had much wine.”

Eva didn’t bother to look up from her menu. “I expected as much.”

A heavy silence settled on the table, punctuated only by the distant clattering of dishes from the kitchen and murmurs of other patrons. The atmosphere felt thick with unspoken tension, every second stretching longer than the last.

Finally, the waiter returned, his demeanor unfazed by the earlier exchange. “Are the two of you ready to order?”

“Already?” Eva said with a frown. “Are you trying to hurry us out the door?”

Trey cleared his throat. “Maybe I can order and give the lady some more time to think?”

The waiter nodded in his direction.

“I’ll get the steak and mashed potatoes.”

His elven date snorted, but otherwise kept her mouth shut.

The waiter turned back to the elf. “Would you like some recom—”

“Oh, you have a snail appetizer!” Eva blurted out. “I would love to try that! Except, why does it say steamed?”

“Our chef prefers to steam them,” the waiter answered, “but we can cook them however you want.”

“That ruins them!” Eva exclaimed. “I don’t want them cooked.

The waiter struggled to maintain a neutral face. “You want the steamed snails… uncooked?” he asked slowly, enunciating every word.

“Yes,” she replied with the firm shake of her head.

The waiter paused, waiting for the elf to burst into laughter. When no signs of humor were expressed, the waiter sighed and continued. “And for your entree?”

“Hmm, none of the entrees are jumping out at me,” Eva said, scanning the menu. “How about the deep-fried onion bloom?”

“Of course,” the waiter said, stifling any further comments.

“I don’t want it to be all oily though,” the elf said. “Can you not fry it?”

“It has to be fried,” the waiter responded, “that’s how the batter gets crispy.”

“Just leave off the batter then,” Eva said.

“You want me to serve you a raw onion?” the waiter asked, trying to hide his disgust.

“No,” an annoyed Eva replied. “I want the onion bloom, but without batter… and don’t fry it.”

“But—”

“Could you get the order in?” Eva interrupted. “I’m in a hurry.”

The waiter was baffled by the verbal whiplash coming from the elf. Just a moment earlier, he had been chastised for trying to hurry them. He shot Trey a bewildered look before dashing off. Trey was also curious about what was going on in the elf’s mind, but knew better than to take a peek.

Eva, meanwhile, was glancing over at a neighboring couple, making eye contact with an older gentleman. His eyes widened in surprise when she offered him a flirty wave. A smile barely made it to his face before he winced in discomfort as his wife, sitting directly across from him, delivered a sharp kick to his shin beneath the table. The stern woman stared daggers at the elf while her husband suddenly became very focused on eating his food.

After a while, the waiter brought them their food, not stopping long enough to chat.

Eva looked at her food with trepidation. “I hate mine, give me yours.”

“You did tell them not to cook your food,” Trey responded, ignoring her attempt to commandeer his food.

“They didn’t do it right,” Eva complained.

“I bet the chef can fix it,” Trey said. “Let me ask the waiter.” He turned to look over his shoulder, hoping the elf hadn’t scared off the staff member for the night.

“No,” Eva responded. “I don’t want that peon ruining our date. I’ll just eat yours.”

Trey spun around to protect his food, but he wasn’t fast enough. His plate had shifted to the opposite side of the table and Eva already had her fork in his steak.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“What am I supposed to eat?”

He thought he saw the slightest hint of smirk before the elf slid the dish of raw snails over to him.

“This is not a very enjoyable date,” she commented between bites. “We should dine with the Grand Oracle next time. Though, he seems to be more grumpy recently, ever since he found out… oh, I can’t tell you that.”

Trey hid both his amusement and his frustration. He had a suspicion Eva was scheming and her ‘accidental’ slip all but confirmed that.

She took another slice of his steak and placed it in her mouth. “It’s crazy how much the Grand Oracle knows. He might have mentioned something about you. You came with Marvin Kalo, right?”

The bait was getting more tempting, but Trey knew the stakes.

“I wonder,” Eva said, scratching her chin, “did Professor Kalo teach you any dark magic? The Grand Oracle told me something about a new mind mage and dark magic. I’m trying to remember what it was…”

“I wish I was a mage,” Trey interjected. “I would love to learn dark magic.”

Eva squinted her eyes at him, searching for her next strategy. “I need to use the restroom,” she said abruptly and left the table.

Trey tracked her as she walked, not the least bit surprised when she didn’t head to the restroom. Instead, she found a staff member on the other side of the dining room and whispered something into her ear. The recipient of whatever secret Eva had concocted raised her eyebrows, fear flashing in her eyes. Eva made a subtle gesture, and the frightened staff member hastily looked over at Trey’s table. She nodded frantically to the elf and then disappeared into the back.

“Eva,” Trey muttered to himself. “What did you do?”

A moment later, a waitress appeared, deliberately avoiding any eye contact with Trey as she made her rounds to nearby tables. One by one, the guests began to leave, gradually emptying the space around him. Not liking being in the dark, he risked some mind magic on the waitress to give him some idea of what was coming. He groaned at what he discovered, but he quickly composed himself, erasing any trace of emotion from his face just as Eva returned to the table.

“Where did everyone go?” she asked in an innocent tone.

“Oh, weird,” Trey said, knowing he couldn’t say anything without giving away his secret. “Maybe the guests don’t like pretty elves flirting with their husbands.”

An expected visit came from the restaurant owner shortly after. “Excuse me, sir. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“What?” Trey said, feigning surprise at the request from the well-dressed man. “Why?”

“We have no issues with people learning to brew potions,” the owner explained, “but we can’t allow you to endanger other guests. If you could kindly take your fireproof tonics and leave the premises immediately, we would love to avoid any incidents.”

“I don’t have any fireproof tonics,” Trey responded calmly. “I’ve never brewed a potion in my life.”

“It’s right there in his pocket,” Eva loudly whispered to the man as she pointed. Trey glanced down at his jacket, overcome by genuine surprise when he spotted a vial sticking out.

“He told me it was his first time brewing it,” the elf added in a hushed tone.

The man’s face visibly paled. “Sir, please. Others are in danger. We disallow volatile alchemical products as a rule.”

Trey gave a resigned sigh and then rose. “Let’s make sure my potions hobby doesn’t harm anyone.” He gave a pointed look to his elven date, who looked puzzled at his acceptance of the situation, and then headed toward to exit with the owner following at a safe distance.

Eva followed him outside with a frown on her face. “Where did you get tonic?”

Trey threw his hands up in the air. “Why are you acting like this?” he asked bluntly.

“Acting like what?” she responded coyly.

“Like a brat,” he replied. “I know you’re not usually like this.”

“How would you know?” she challenged. “Are you a mind—”

“Don’t you dare say it,” Trey warned, “or I’ll drag you back in there and tell them you would like to finish your snails.”

His threat made her falter for an instant.

“It was so obvious,” Trey said. “You’re terrible at acting.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but Trey held a finger up. “You overdid it,” he continued. “You were so awful it became ridiculous—beyond reality. You did sneak this into my pocket, though. That was impressive. Is it even a real fireproof tonic?” He pulled the vial out of his pocket and handed it back to its owner.

Eva nodded her head as she retrieved the potion. “Courtesy of Skye.” She wore a defeated frown, looking back up at her escaped prey. “I thought I had you cornered.”

“If it makes you feel better, I know your ice queen act was a fraud from the start.”

“How?!”

“Skye likes you,” he answered. “She’s never been excited for me to take someone on a date, and yet, she was for you. I trust her judgment of character.”

A sad look crossed Eva’s face, her gaze falling to the ground. “I like Skye. She reminds me a lot of myself when I first came to Windrake.” She glanced up at him. “Come on.”

Trey regarded the elf with skepticism. “Forgive me if I’m a little hesitant about following you anywhere.”

A weak laugh escaped her lips. “I need to feed you since I ate all of your food. Skye mentioned that you liked pork dumplings?”

He narrowed his eyes, still suspicious.

“I’m truly sorry for my behavior,” she pleaded, casting him her best puppy-dog eyes. “I let my mission take priority, and it completely ruined our date. I’ll figure out if you’re a mind mage later. Let’s go get some food.”

Trey folded his arms, trying to maintain the stern look on his face. “I’m probably not allowed back there,” he said, indicating to the restaurant behind him.

“At least I got you kicked out before you had to pay,” the elf jested.

“How thoughtful of you,” Trey replied sarcastically.

Eva beamed at him. “There are benefits to being hunted by me.”

“You did heal me before Derrick,” Trey conceded.

“Everyone gets that benefit,” she said with a sour face.

“You really hate him, don’t you?”

“We’re not talking about him,” she insisted, starting her stroll down the street. “Tell me about Lovarn.”

“I can’t say there’s much to tell you,” Trey said. “It’s quite small and way out there.”

“So a perfect place for a mind mage to hide out?” she quipped playfully.

“Yeah,” Trey answered with a cheeky grin. “I actually knew a few. Really nice guys. Impossible to play cards against, though.”

“I’m sure they are,” she said with a mirthful expression.

"You are very fixated on mind mages," Trey remarked. "When did that obsession begin?"

“Maybe I just don’t like the idea of someone walking around with the ability to peer into my mind?”

“Uhh… you seem rather close to the Grand Oracle. Did you know that he is a mind mage?”

“Of course I know that,” she deadpanned. “He’s different.”

“How so?” Trey replied.

“It’s a long story,” she said hesitantly, her pace slowly for just an instant.

“Well, it’s not like I can read your mind. Let’s hear it.”

“I came to Windrake when I was sixteen,” she explained. “My parents and the Grand Oracle are close and they felt I was ready. I hope this doesn’t come off as arrogant, but it was immediately clear that I was skilled in water magic. I was ecstatic, but I quickly found out that standing out at Windrake, especially as the youngest student, is not always a blessing.”

“I can imagine,” Trey said, following along as they rounded a city corner.

Eva gave him a weak smile. “I was taken aback by the gossip and rumors that surrounded me, the harsh words spoken both to my face and behind my back. I was so naive and innocent back then. The headmaster's interest in my development only added fuel to the fire; he offered me private lessons and effectively made me his apprentice. Let’s just say my experience at the academy was far from ordinary. I was given a private suite in the Elspy and provided with everything I needed to thrive, yet I quickly found myself isolated, lacking friends—or even acquaintances. It didn't take long for others to perceive me as nothing more than a privileged, spoiled brat. Over time, I realized it was just easier to act like they expected.”

“So the ice queen was born,” Trey commented.

Eva snorted. “The irony is that I’m actually quite terrible at ice magic.” Confusion crossed her face. “Why are we talking about this? You asked about the Grand Oracle.”

“I’d much rather talk about you.” Trey quickly interjected.

“Eager to get off the topic of mind mages?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Eager to learn more about my gorgeous date,” Trey countered.

Eva blushed and glanced away.

“Is this really your first time out with a guy?” he asked.

“Does that surprise you?” she responded. “I’ve just explained to you how ‘delightful’ my first two years at the academy were.”

“A little bit,” Trey replied. “You seemed to know exactly what not to do.”

“I did my research,” she said with a smirk. “I’m sure Skye would be appalled by what I did with her advice.”

The couple arrived at the dumpling shop and were seated for the second time that night.

“So, if we can’t talk about mind mages, what should we talk about?” the elf inquired after Trey ordered. Eva had opted to skip ordering her own food since she had heartily enjoyed Trey’s steak, though she had insisted on paying to apologize for her erratic behavior earlier.

“You could tell me more about your home,” Trey said.

His date's eyes lit up at his suggestion. "You would absolutely love the Heavenfalls Enclave," she said with a smile. She then launched into an enthusiastic description of its wonders, her passion forming every word. Trey’s food arrived, the steaming plate making a futile attempt to interrupt her flow, but she was unstoppable, continuing to guide him on the virtual tour of her home. She occasionally snuck a dumpling off his plate, telling Trey that her penchant for stealing his food hadn’t been fully satisfied.

“Trey,” Eva said, almost out of breath from her animated exposition, “you should come visit!”

“You’re thinking our date went so well that I want to meet the family?” Trey said with eyebrows raised.

The elven girl blushed. “Oh, sorry. You must hate me—”

“Eva,” Trey interjected, “I’m kidding. I’m actually enjoying myself… now. Not so much earlier.”

Eva shot him a mischievous smile. “Good, then I’m going to find a way to get you to visit Heavenfalls.”

Trey stifled a chuckle, trying to picture how he would break that news to Marvin.

Hey, old man! You’ll never guess who invited me to the Heavenfalls Enclave.