Elysian

i

The restaurant was mostly empty, which was surprising for a Sunday. At least the sun lit the place up well, the natural light a comforting sight after a hard week. Sighing, Talon walked to a nearby table, washing the clean surface to keep himself from being bored. Maybe families wanted to stay in; after all, times were getting stressful from what he'd heard on the radio. He tried not to think too much about it, instead focusing on his blurry reflection on the table. 2

"Hey, someone's coming!"

Talon's head snapped up at the voice, hurrying to get behind the host's stand. It was hard to run a place all by himself, but it worked because most the time, this was a snack and drink stop, not a full dinner. Being a cottage turned restaurant in the middle of woods with hiking trails had more perks than disadvantages to Talon.

The "someone" mentioned was two someones, specifically two men. One looked around his own height, the other taller. Both dressed casually, a small bag across the shorter's shoulders and resting against his hip. Everything looked normal, meaning this Sunday was a normal one. Just a bit slower than usual. That wasn't something to worry about.

"Hello! Table for two?" Talon asked, the cheerful tone he put for guests piercing his ears harshly. The taller seemed to awaken from his own thoughts, tilting his head before humming in confirmation. "Alright, if you gentlemen will follow me!" Talon snatched two small menus and sets of silverware, spinning on his heel to walk to the table he had been cleaning just moments before.

"Do you work alone here?" One voice asked, a charismatic British tone. Talon wasn't sure who the voice belonged to, setting down the things he held before straighting up, clearing his throat before answering.

"Most of the time, yes. I'm not hiring, if you were wanting a job." He felt his smile dwindle a bit, quickly curling his lips to the cheek aching smile. The shorter raised a brow, snorting softly at the answer. It seemed safe to assume that he asked. He opened his mouth and closed it, nudging the taller with his elbow. Yet again, the other seemed to be distracted by something. Talon wasn't sure what, glancing around the restaurant quickly.

"You wouldn't happen to have any...specials today, would you?" The taller asked, his voice a rather soothing husky with a charming German accent. A kind smile played on his lips, beautiful ocean eyes genuinely curious.

"Sorry, sir, but running this place alone doesn't leave room for that..." Talon trailed off, noticing the smile not fading away. That was new, customers normally felt some disappoinment upon finding that there was no Sunday special they could look forward to. Now he was just confused, biting his lip slightly. What other kind of specials could the tall man be inquiring about?

Pausing, his eyes flicked to a nearby plant hanging. The only alive one in the entire dining area, out of reach of any pluck happy children. He was hesitant to even do anything with it, looking to the window. He tried to think of a question he could ask the nature outside, something that wouldn't be so visually confusing.

"Their names. Did anyone catch their names?"

There was a pause. The soft rustle of tree leaves murmured back in Talon's ear, the mix of voices both headache inducing and calming. Taking a deep breath, he stuck out a hand towards both the men, a smile more real than ones before appearing on his face.

"I believe one of you is Erik, the other is Charles? I'm Talon Faben, nature's favorite you could say."