Eating and Talking!

I walk over to where Hino's sitting. I see her parents sitting with her. Myla, Kallen, Claire, and my gramps are with them. Hino motions for me to sit in the empty seat between her and my gramps. Myla's sitting on her other side.

"Hey Eric, I'm glad you joined us." Kallen says as I sit down.

"Me too, there's something I wanted to ask you." Claire says.

"What is it?" I ask her.

"Who exactly is Aya? I'd never heard of her before, yet she managed to beat Verona. It's part of my job to stay informed of all powerful Lyna. So I'm surprised I never heard of her before."

"That's because she's new to the Lyna world, in a way. She's known of it for a long time, but she never got involved. She runs a company that sells medicine to both humans and Lyna. We're in a Pact to sell her certain materials and help her find them, since she doesn't have access to the Lyna market. She doesn't want to bother with Guild politics so she's never joined one before. But she's aware of how dangerous the Lyna world is, which is why she's trained to be so strong. She and Verona are surprisingly close." I say, telling them what Ayashi told me to say if I get asked about her.

"When did you meet her? I doubt you just stumbled upon her." My gramps asks. I turn to look at him before answering and see his arms. They're still wrapped in white gauze covering his injuries.

"No, but it's a long story." I reply before turning to Hino. "By the way, congrats on your victory." I tell her.

"Thanks, it was a close match." Hino replies.

"I won't lose next time." Myla says confidently.

"You sound like Luna." I say causing her to let out a laugh.

"Speaking of her, how's she doing? I roughed her up a bit more than I thought." My gramps asks me.

"She's fine. As long as she takes it easy today, she'll be fully recovered tomorrow. But she's mad she couldn't spar after the tournament." I reply.

"I was wondering where she was. It's not like her to miss out on all that sparring." Kallen says.

"Yeah, but I was impressed by your newer members Eric. You have a good eye." Kagiyama says.

"I was surprised Nick drew with the Lady of The Lake." Sugano says. "No offense to him of course."

"Yes, but as he said, he only got lucky. If his golem hadn't survived, he would've lost. She had him beat with her defense. He might've been able to overcome it with a stronger spell, but I'm not sure he knows one." Kallen says.

"I thought Mavis was really impressive. She took advantage of her shadows to confuse her opponents. She lured them into range and attacked from their blind spots. She even used a paralyzing weapon to immobilize them. She'd be a big help against tough monsters like Ogres or Trolls." Myla says.

"Speaking of weapons, Liz told me that you made hers. You also made rings and other gear for the others. Is that right?" Hino asks me causing me to nod.

"Yeah, I thought I'd make them something to welcome them to the Guild." I reply. "But speaking of Liz, where is she? I haven't seen her around." I ask while looking around.

"She and the Dryads left already. I'm not sure where, but I say the three of them leave shortly after Asami gave her speech." Kagiyama says.

"I don't blame her. Neither of us like these formal dresses or settings." Myla says with a sigh.

"Really, why not?" I ask her. I already assumed she didn't from how awkward she was when she met Lilac and Flare. But I'm surprised to hear her admit it.

"We just find it stuffy and awkward. Liz grew up in the forests, remember? So she feels constricted. I'm more used to it, but I always feel tense." Myla replies.

"Excuse me, sorry for interrupting." Asami says from behind me. "How are you all enjoying this?"

"It's good. But for next time, I'd recommend looking into more exotic foods. Not that these are bad, but most of those here have had these kinds of foods. It'd make it a more interesting experience." Claire says.

"Got it, thanks for the advice. I just wanted to tell you that we're about to wrap it up. So if you want any more, you should go get it now. Again, if you want to take some home with you, wait until after and we'll get you sorted." Asami says with a smile before walking to the next table.

"She continues to impress, you got yourself a great secretary Eric." My gramps says.

"I know, I don't know what I'd do without her." I say.

"Larion, it's time we go back. We need to check up on how the repairs are going." Claire says causing my gramps to sigh.

"Alright, it was good talking with you, Eric. I'll catch you later." He says before standing up. He and Claire leave the room along with another group of three. I look around and see that most of those who came, are already gone. There are a few still sitting and talking. But it looks like those left are waiting to take some leftovers home.

"We should get going too." Kallen says before standing up.

"I had a lot of fun today Eric, I'll see you later." Myla says before leaving with her father.

"We'll be leaving too. It was fun seeing your Guildhall and meeting your new members." Sugano says before getting up. She, her husband, and Hino leave before I get up. I turn and see Lilac walking up to me.