Indebted

69

The walk ended almost too soon for Esti. She loved being on the city sidewalk at night. The female looking mimic went to the door, handed a card to the hostess who nodded. Using her in ear mic to call another hostess who practically appeared at a run. Smiling a plastic, unmoving megawatt face at their small group. "Of course! Follow me please, if you will?" The runner chirped.

"Lead the way Marz." The male mimic finally spoke, and let Esti and Atticus know which name belonged to which body. Marzipan went first, following close behind the hostess dressed all in black. Then Atticus with Esti still unwilling to let go of his arm. Mallow acting as the rear guard as they wound their way through the restaurant.

Atticus was doing his best to hide his confusion. He had dined here before, more than once. Someone always offered to take his coat at the entrance before seating him. This was not the experience he had expected and planned in his mind. Nothing was really going to plan, and Atticus was starting to question if trusting Theo and Joe was the correct choice. Uncertain if they should trust The Council. Wondering if he should have just encouraged Esti to run, far, far away with him the moment she was by his side again. They could have. Just fled the beach, disappeared. 

Except, as Esti turned her face, a smile growing on her lips as their eyes met, his she was a sunflower and he somehow was lucky enough to be the sun she faced. Atticus was a changed man, Esti knew, those she loved and cared for, and those who had taken care of her when she needed it the most were all in grave danger. Esti wouldn't run from her problems. She hadn't ever run once, from what Atticus had heard, Esti had been essentially dragged from the castle before her shock had worn off after Opal had murdered Quwent.

They weren't enough on their own to face the Sovran court, The Council was the only way they might be able to accomplish anything. Esti squeezed his hand, meeting his eyes again. "One night." She reminded him. No one knew what tomorrow would bring. Tonight, their dragons had promised was theirs. Esti knew to make the most of chances given.

Banishing his worries, and thoughts of all the choices he should have been made when a door appeared from the wooden panelled wall at the back of the restaurant. Hidden behind the servers expo station. The moment the doors open, Atticus could feel the magic, could smell wolves, and fae, and other creatures of the night on the other side of the door.

Atticus had dreamed his whole life of finding such a place. Marzipan and Mallow chuckled over Esti's and Atticus's shoulders as the motley group made their way inside the secret dining room. They were unknowns and those outside the Sovran Court had no idea of the hidden dragon enclave. The Fae were all too concerned about rebuilding their own world after the cataclysmic war that had broken out in the Fae city not long ago.

This was a respectable place, clearly under the thumb of The Council. No one here had any cause to have heard about the bounty Magnus had let loose in the mercenary pool. Marzipan and Mallow took a seat at a table in the center of the dinning area the hostess had shown them to, Atticus and Esti were seated in an adjacent booth, with tall walls and clever greenery placement in the dining room that looked to Esti like it had been built in the height of early Hollywood style glamour and luxury gave them an exceptional level of privacy from any eyes who wanted a closer look after their short walk through the invitation only back room.

With a nod, the hostess let them know that their table would be prepared, in just a moment, and the server would be by after. Esti started to trace her finger over the wood grain of the table. The wood felt strange to her. Esti almost wondered if this wood was from Fae. Esti was so transfixed by the feel of the table under her fingers that she barely noticed as a real, Fae woman appeared, smiling at them. Esti looked up, as the Fae woman welcomed them to Vera Luna, asking "Would your majesty prefer American, European, or Fae Dinning settings this evening?" Esti visibly cringed, hearing the title.

She had loved walking in the city night air. Just another couple walking hand in hand like the dozens others she had seen. Nothing special, nothing making her stand out. Ordinary, and happy. The direct reminder of what she was trying to avoid thinking about this evening left a sour taste in her mouth.

Marzipan cleared her throat. The Fae woman's eyes just a bit wider went wide as she looked at the waif, blonde Esti looking mimic, "Apologies, of course, I was foolish to have been so careless with your privacy." Moving to inflect the tiniest of a curtsy towards Marzipan. Grinning to herself now. "Your dinning style for this evening?" The consummate professional asked the general area.

Marzipan and Mallow elected for Fae style, while Atticus and Esti chose European. From what Atticus had seen at court, and his own dining experience; European style would be easiest for he and Esti to both feel equally familiar. While also getting to watch any differences to Fae dining at their guards table for the night. "Hands up." Esti stopped tracing the wood grain, and the table was instantly set. A dark green table cloth spread over the wood. A crisp white runner down the center. Silver charger plates awaiting the first course set in front of them.

An array of beautiful forks, knives and spoons arranged around the charger plate elegantly. The metal felt strange the same way the table did to her. A memory in the back of her mind barely tickled to life. Struggling to remember when or where she had felt a similar sensation.

Simple, heavy cardstock menu's appeared next, a drink menu, followed, then a wine list, all fanned out beautifully on the charger plate. "Can I get drinks started for the tables? Or would you prefer some time with the menu? There are some seasonal drink specials that may interest you." The Fae employee offered.

Mallow answered, "Water for all please, and a moment with the menu." The woman nodded, and began to walk away after letting them know their server would be by soon.

Mallow looked towards Esti and Atticus, smiling, though not as wide as Marzipan was. "As a gesture of goodwill, and as respect for your position, tonight is on The Council, I suggest you make it worth their wild." Marzipan looked positively thrilled, and Mallow's grin was infectious. The mimic's looked at each other, it was weird watching faces so much like her own and like Atticus mirror grin at each other as they said in unison to each other "Chef's choice?" Both clapped their hands and did a small chair dance to themselves, bringing some wondering eyes from the other tables in the dining room.

Esti looked through the menu. She had focused on baking, and did not know what any of the individual menu items were. Other than the bread with compound whipped butter, and an understanding of what cured meat and pickles were she was lost. Esti read through what the Chef's choice was, a seven course tasting menu arranged by the head chef. Touching the menu, then the table. "The table is from Fae?" Esti said quietly to herself. She could tell the difference.

"I want the tasting menu too." Atticus smiled, he would have suggested the same, knowing this would be Esti's first experience in a top rated restaurant. A way to provide her with the most variety of options to try and experience.

Atticus smiled at Esti. "So say we all then." Switching to the drink menu to check through the seasonal options he had been alerted too. Trying to think what Esti might like. He felt like she had a sweet tooth, he wanted to find something she would enjoy. He wanted to do everything he could to give her a night greater than any dream she had ever had. Be better than any movie she had ever seen.  Start the monumental task of making everything up to her, and giving her everything she deserved.