A tavern is an establishment dedicated to enjoyment and lodging, that's what the general crowd knows.
What they did not know is that a tavern is not just for having fun and a place to stay, it is also a place where information are being exchanged on a daily basis.
Apart from their signature drink, delicious cuisine and affordable lodging, the tavern, where Rem and the others decided to meet, has a "backdoor" for information that are "very hard" to obtain.
The only catch was….one must know who to talk to.
It's the sole reason for their secluded location at the far corner of Louka. Regardless, the tavern can still be somewhat easily spotted especially at night as the eye-catching signage illuminates guiding travelers and locals alike in its abode.
Rem and Oswald arrived at the tavern after some twist and turn while talking to locals about its location.
This made the both of them famished and decide to relax a little and have a nice meal. After all, an investigation on an empty stomach is not very fruitful.
Outside the tavern, the two noticed the vintage signage that said "Lilac", the tavern's name. The signage showed Louka's craftsmanship which Louka was also known for.
"That's a pretty name." Rem said as they looked at the signage before opening the door.
As Rem stepped inside the tavern, he noticed the cozy feeling it gave off that made him want to stay in it for days.
"Oh this place is nice~" Rem commented as Oswald came in. "No wonder this place is always full. If it was me, I too would love to stay here." he added as he walked directly towards the counter.
The man behind the counter was already smiling as the two reached him. "Hello there! How may I be of service to you two?" he greeted them.
"We would like to order something to eat. We were told that the food here is quite delicious." Rem said not wasting any moment as he was very hungry.
Oswald chuckled a little on the side, amused as it was his first time seeing Rem this eager to eat.
The man was a little surprised himself from the tall man's quick response but it was soon replaced by a chuckle, "You both are in luck since we just restocked this morning making anything on the menu available."
Rem got a little embarrassed once he realized how eager he sounded. With flushed cheeks, Rem asked for any recommendation.
The man smiled brightly, "Well, not to boast but all of the food in the menu are quite delicious some even say they're "out of this world."
"Then, may you recommend us some of your most sought ones?" Rem said after hearing what the man said. Even the people they have encountered and talked to boast of the tavern's delicious foods. Since they're already here might as well have some taste of it.
"Sure! Just find a place to sit and I'll have someone bring them over to you. I assure you, you won't get disappointed." The man said proudly before leaving the two to find a place to sit.
Oswald found a place to sit while Rem was talking with the man behind the counter. He moved closer to Rem, "Found us a table." He said as he pointed towards the corner table.
It was a good spot. A place away from most of the tavern's customers. It was also a good place to observe everyone and even the door was a little visible from where it stood.
"Good! The man said he would have someone send the food over." Rem said as Oswald lead him to the table where some people just stood from.
"You picked a good spot. We can almost see the whole tavern." He added after he sat down and looked around.
"Yeah, we got lucky. Good thing the ones who were here earlier just went out." Oswald said and leaned back on his chair as they waited for their orders.
A young lady dressed in simple clothes topped with a half apron approached them with a warm smile and bowed in respect. "Welcome to Lilac~ I will be the one to serve you today. My name is Ely." She greeted them.
The two greeted back.
"Your orders will take a while, in the meantime have some refreshments." She said after she cleaned the table and placed two tankards that contained the tavern's specialty, Dragon's Blood.
Rem and Oswald looked at the servant and thanked her before the two of them inspected the liquid inside the tankard.
The liquid inside has a slight sweet smell almost the same as berry juice. Once tasted, the texture was soft but thicker from a normal refreshment just like how a blood is.
"This taste good but the feeling in the mouth is a little different." Oswald was the one who spoke out his observations.
The young servant smiled at Oswald's remark, "You are right, sir. This drink has a sweet smell and taste but the texture, once on the mouth, is a little thick. This is called the Dragon's blood hence the texture and color. It's our signature drink."
"Oh!" Rem exclaimed as he tasted it again, this time a little more than before.
"It also has a sour taste that blended well with the sweetness. How is this made? I'm curious." He added.
"The whole process isn't revealed to anyone. Only members of the owner's family knows it but the main ingredient is the Canipole fruit that can be found in the surrounding forest." She answered Rem's curiosity.
The two nodded after hearing her explanation and continued to drink.
"But there were rumors before that this drink was once made of real dragon's blood and was the cause why dragons went into hiding." She added before she bowed and left them after she made sure that the two don't need anything.
The two thanked the young lady and continued to relax and enjoyed their drink.
"How many dragons would it take for them to serve a few barrels every day?" Oswald said. "If it has any truth in it that is."
"Probably not much since dragons are enormous but I don't think it has any truth in it otherwise we would have heard or read about how dragons raided this town in the past just to avenge their kin." Rem said as he answered Oswald's question, his intelligence kicking in that made Oswald smiled.
"It was a rhetorical question, though you have a point there." He added as he relaxed more.
After sometime, the food they ordered came. Ely brought them with a little help from another servant.
Once everything was placed on their table, Ely wished them to have an enjoyable meal before she bowed and left with the other servant.
"Looks good." Oswald said while his eyes fixed on the food in front of him. In terms of appearance, the people they talked to where all right in boasting the food. The smells are all great too, he thought.
Rem, who was really very hungry from all their walking earlier, just nodded his head and started to take spoonful of each dish placing them on his plate before he tasted them.
His eyes widened earning a confused look from Oswald, "Taste good or bad?"
Rem just nodded his head again and continued to stuff his mouth and plate with food without losing his composure.
"I'll take that as they all taste good." Oswald chuckled a little at Rem's response. He knew that Rem has a cute side but this, he did not expected.
Like Rem, Oswald was taken aback by how delicious the foods were.
The two ate in silence as they quenched their hunger occasionally complimenting the food in front of them.
After a while, the two finished their hearty meal and just noticed how the customers in the tavern started to accumulate.
"Wow, it's not even late in the night but this place is almost full." Oswald said as Rem called for Ely ordering some warm drink.
"Hm, it's a good thing we came a little earlier otherwise we won't have this nice spot."
Oswald nodded as he started to observe everyone. The owner did say that they can get information here. "Do you we can get the information we needed just by observing."
Rem chuckled, "Well, if that was the case then we are very lucky." Ely came in with two cups of tea. She cleared out their table before she placed the cups.
They thanked her and continued their conversation. "Should we talk to the big guy behind the counter or should we wait until something catches our eyes and ears?"
"Let's wait it out. We might really get lucky." Rem uttered with atone of hinting and playfulness.
Oswald looked at Rem who sipped his tea while a small smile still plastered on his face.
After some time, Oswald suddenly realized something and looked at Rem. "You are already waiting for something! or someone." He accused Rem.
Rem just smirked and shrugged his shoulder as a tease.