As lunchtime was getting closer Celia started preparing the tables and Claud was preparing the kitchen.
The two young girls Kaya and Sana were drinking their tea and munching on the biscuits. Kaya looked at the pretty Celia cleaning the tables and wanted to help but was adamantly refused as Celia would never make a girl who is even now barely able to stand, clean.
"Uh..uhm... in that case, i...if you don't mind, could you tell us more ab...about him?" Kaya asked nervously as she wasn't sure what sort of situation they were in. She could tell that these people were nice but her recent past wasn't the most trusting especially since her little sister was also involved.
Kaya may sound shy but she was more nervous at offending someone and getting hurt or worse more than anything.
"Oh, Penta you mean? Haha, not that I mind. It hasn't been long since I've known him either really so I might not have much to say." Celia replied as she continued her work.
"Penta, yes, we don't mind," Kaya replied a bit more calmly as she noticed that Celia didn't really seem to care for formal speech much. Sana just curiously looked over to Celia as she kept munching on her snack.
Celia started recounting how she met Penta to all the odd things about him to the girls. She didn't really hold much back as the stories were always eventful with the guy around. Like how he came in wearing almost nothing last week with a giant boar on his back. The knife incidents, the horrible sign language, him learning the language in a week.
The girls would laugh together whenever they heard some of the funnier bits like him rushing out with a "big knife".
As Celia kept telling more stories, the door was slammed open scaring Kaya into protecting her sister while anxiously looking at the entrance. Celia noticed this and sighed again seeing their reaction, as she thought how they must think someone might just come in and take them away again.
"Oy who is slamming the door at this hour!?" Celia said with some anger.
"Ah, sorry sorry, nobody ever seems to open the door for me when I come carrying these heavy things! Did the best I could there Celia." Penta came in carrying a huge Ice hooved Roe. Scaring the girls for a moment before they noticed that it was dead.
"Bwutha!" Sana yelled as she wanted to get closer but Kaya held her back.
"Welcome back and be careful next time, you scared the poor things." Celia rubbed her hands clean as she helped make a path for him to the kitchen.
"Oh not bad, ice hooved roe, guess we could have some venison soup and stew. Good job kid." Claud popped out from the kitchen with some shine in his eyes as he saw the ice hooved roe.
"Sweet, hey by the way Claud, these two are my special little guests so make sure to bring out all the stops on their meal!" Penta said while grinning as he placed the beast over the large wooden table in the kitchen.
"You think I'm a slacker like you, Hmph, kids these days," Claud mumbled as he took out one of his better knives to which Penta knew he was going to go the extra mile.
"Bwutha!" "W..welcome back." The two girls both loudly and softly spoke out as Penta came back to the mess hall.
"OH! My my. Aren't my little sisters just the cutest things without all that dirt!" Penta exaggeratedly mentioned before sitting down at their table.
The little Sana giggled at the praise while Kaya blushed a little as he was still calling them their sister. Celia looked at this and couldn't help but bring up the topic she has been waiting for since Penta left.
"So Kaya, I know you two probably went through quite a bit but where are your parents?" Celia asked as she stood next to the seated Penta while holding a washcloth and cleaning their table from the little crumbs.
Kaya was just settling down when her eyes started tearing up at the question. Sana too seemed to get very upset. Penta and Celia quickly noticed the shift in mood and couldn't help but sigh.
"Alright there Celia, it's fine little Kaya and little Sana. We can wait until after we eat before we talk about all this. Right, Celia?" Penta said while smiling gently and rubbing both girl's heads.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'm sorry if I said something that brought up bad memories. I'll go get started on your meals." Celia smiled as well before heading to the back.
Just then a group of three entered the Inn and were excitedly talking about something going on near the City Lords Palace.
"Heya Penta, oho, who are these two?" It was one of the regulars that started showing up since Penta always brought in some good meat for them around this time.
"Aren't they adorable!? Their my cute little sisters HaHaHa!" Penta spoke out as he introduced the two worried girls to the men. "Don't worry you two, they're just some food lovers like me coming to get some meat," Penta explained to the girls before changing the subject.
"So what's this I hear about the City Lord's Palace?"
"Oh, you didn't hear? It's the talk of the city. Apparently, the Storm tribe has sent out a recruitment notice for their tribe again. It's only been over a quite a while since the last one but it seems they're opening the recruitment test again to the public." One of the three explained.
"What!? Already, I was expecting to have to wait for another few months before I got a chance! This is great news!" Penta clamored as his excitement was obvious.
The Storm tribe usually recruited once a year in this city and it was a rare occurrence that they decide to recruit again so soon. Something clearly was going on that forced them to open the recruitment earlier but this only benefited him so he didn't bother asking irrelevant questions.
"So what's the test like? Do you guys know?" Penta asked again curious.
"Well, the actual test isn't something we're privy to but the test in the city is an affinity test near the Palace. You planning on joining? They usually don't want people above the age of 18 but some exceptions are made." The guy mentioned to Penta as he didn't want the guy to get his hopes too high.
"The blazes you mean, I'm the youngest in the room for your information! Sheesh. Anyways thanks for the information and get ready for a real good meal today. It's a little pricier but you won't regret it!" Penta grinned at the last sentence.
"Ouh! What ya get today? Blood bear?" The guys were clearly ecstatic at the news as ever since they started eating here regularly, the fresh meat from higher-level beasts have been improving a lot of their minor body problems with some even gaining a stronger little brother from the great meat...
"Ice hooved roe, hehe, anyways go on. I got to cater to my little sisters here." Penta smiled before turning his attention back to the girls.
"Uhm...uhm sir... what d...do you plan on doing w...with us now?" Kaya softly mumbled out the sentence. She worried as to what was going to happen at this point in time as she couldn't help but want to know what to expect from this savior of theirs. The nervousness on her face was as clear as day.
*Chop*
Penta chopped his open hand at the top of her head with very little force while Kaya "Meeped" at the sudden attack and held her head with slightly watery eyes as she looked at Penta.
"First off little Kaya, you don't call me sir! Call me... hmmm... call me "Honorable brother" from now on, got it!?" Penta cheerfully chose himself a better name as he couldn't help but picture this being the way everyone in the storm tribe should address him with respect. He grinned internally at the thought.
"H..Honorable brother." Honowubble bwutha!" Kaya and little Sana immediately called out to him as such which brought the widest smile to his previously stern looking face.
"Good! Hahaha, now about that. I would first need to know your current situations before I can come to a proper decision so that's going to have to wait until after we eat. In the meantime, you two stay here and enjoy the biscuits while I go freshen up. Alright?" Penta got up while rubbing their heads again to which Kaya was initially fearful but soon relaxed.
"Miss Sasha, mind watching over the kids while I go take a bath? Their a little scared so don't let no one bully them alright!" Penta said to the cute waitress serving the trio some drinks before heading upstairs.
"Got it, Mister youngest one in the room." Sasha smirked while sticking out her tongue before Penta glared at her as he continued his way.
While looking at the back of this "honorable brother" Kana couldn't help but have a small smile form. "He doesn't seem like such a bad brother..." She mumbled before feeding her little sister some more tea-soaked biscuits while also enjoying a few herself. It was the easiest way for her to eat as her stomach was dying of hunger but she couldn't eat dry biscuits just like that since it hurt her mouth and stomach.
Upstairs in the bath, as Penta was washing he started considering what to do as well as he originally just helped them on a whim but he couldn't just abandon them to their fate. His original life he was an only child and after all the mess that had happened he ended up with close to 345 siblings that he had forcefully snuffed the life out of for survival.
He didn't want to continue such a lonely life either as the darkness of Agara had deeply rooted a trauma into himself that he was fully aware of. Celia, Claud, and a few others had kept this loneliness from rising again but he really did enjoy being called a brother and these girls looked like they really needed one.
He decided that if they had parents somewhere, he would send them there and if not, he would simply take care of them until they grew up a bit more and became independent. With all this out of the way, he finally started considering the recruitment to the storm tribe.
He needed to gain power quickly since he wasn't even a First-grade shaman, his worries were quite apparent.
That idiot wannabe god was at the bottom of his list as his first priority was to become first-grade and to further his knowledge on this world and his own powers. Mainly since he feared that his life wasn't really prolonged from his minor transformation but instead he simply changed forms. He believed becoming first grade would definitely help his roach lifespan issues as even the huge amount of energy that he currently held already makes him feel like he may live longer.
"Alright, I'll feed the girls, find out about their situation, find their parents and join the recruitment for the Storm Tribe before I do anything else." Penta made a small list of tasks to do and his mind felt unburdened from the disorganized mess it was earlier.
His bath lasted a little while as he had been running around all day and he had many thoughts in his mind to clear but the refreshing water washing over his body was heaven sent. Baths were a thing in Valor and he was damn glad they were.
Returning downstairs he could see that many more customers were present and that the girls still seemed fine. Though their malnourished looks did get a few passing stares, but none bothered when they had found out Penta just found his sisters after "so long" which Celia decided to mention when people were worrying.
"Celia mind getting the girls a few bowls and get me however much you can. This beast took a toll on my senses." Penta requested as he sat down next to the girls.
"You got it. My dad made sure he watered theirs down a bit more so they can digest easier, while I'll make sure you get your extra plates." Celia while smiling at the glutton.
A few minutes later the table was filled with large amounts of dishes that looked glorious or at least as Penta described them.
The little lasses eyes were shining at the sight of so many different dishes being put on their table for the first time in so long that Kaya had her eyes get watery at the sight.
Penta seeing this couldn't help but have a warm smile appear on his face while he gently said "It's for you two, eat slowly and get some strength back. Claud made them especially for you two so enjoy.