Ria walked in the dining room and looked around. It was fancy, but it wasn't something she would be shocked at anymore.
Rather, she was more interested in the people sitting around the table. She and Fallios were standing far enough away from the long, rectangular table that they could clearly see all three of them.
Arlitos took a seat on the left, it was situated so he was sitting on the farthest seat on the left, which meant his father and sister were sitting next to him, while his mother sat in front of him.
He sat there and didn't pick up the utensils, even though his plate was already filled with food. He watched as a servant pushed a cart with two plates on it.
The servant awkwardly stared at Ria and Fallios. He looked up at Arlitos helplessly. "Your highness, where should I place the plates?" He asked.
Arlitos politely smiled and pointed behind him to the left. "You may place both of them there." He said, peeking a glance at his father, who looked like he just ate cow manure but was trying to hide it.
Ria looked between Arlitos and his father as she followed the servant to where Arlitos pointed. She noticed that the only times Arlitos genuinely smiled was when he spoke to her and Fallios.
It might not be obvious to others because they were used to his smile, but she could tell that Arlitos didn't like his father because she was merely a spectator.
Fallios also noticed it and commented. [I think we should stick close to Arlitos when others are around] They already had a bad impression of Altos from how Arlitos acted.
The servant picked both their plates up and shakily placed them on the floor. He tried his best to not get too close and shielded his fingers as best as he could.
Ria snorted, making the servant flinch. She looked at the shaking servant with pure disdain.
"…" Was he being mocked by a tortoise right now? But when he remembered there was a dragon right next to her, he inadvertently began to shake again and hurried out the door with the cart.
Arlitos couldn't help but scoff at the servant as well, soon turning his attention to the food which was on their plates. His polite smile faltered a bit.
There was only meat on one plate and vegetables on the other. Also, he forgot to tell the servants to bring water for the two. He sighed and shook his head.
"Can you both split your plates with each other?" He apologetically looked at the two of them and gently asked.
Fallios nodded and began to eat from the plate with vegetables first. He wanted to save the best for last.
Ria had the same thoughts as Fallios. They both shared the vegetables as Arlitos got another servant to bring them water and reminded the servant to give them a balanced meal next time.
Lita kept curiously glancing behind herself to look at the two. "How old are they?" She asked, tugging at Arlitos's sleeve.
Arlitos politely smiled at his sister. "They should both be six months old right now." He stated.
Lita's eyes widened, her gaze traveling to Ria. "Aren't tortoises supposed to grow way slower than that one is?" She pointed out.
"Its name is Freia, and yes, normal ones are. This one is special." He said. Lita observed Ria once more. "You also know its gender. Do you know the dragon's gender too?" She asked.
Arlitos shook his head. "I actually haven't checked their genders yet." He probably should get that done soon..
Lita pursed her lips at her brother. She could tell there was a wall her brother put up between them, and she couldn't do anything about it. "Then why did you give Freia a female name?" She grumbled.
He deeply sighed and glanced at the two reptiles, who at this point were already staring at him. They also wanted to know why. "I don't know. I just feel like Freia is female." He said and helplessly shrugged.
He really didn't know why either, they just gave off a certain gender specific aura which made him inadvertently think of them as male and female. It was hard to explain that feeling to someone else.
Perhaps it was because his senses were heightened after becoming a mage? Arlitos pursed his lips before letting out a silent sigh.
[Someone is staring at me] Ria suddenly said. Of course, there were many people staring at her, including the servants standing at attention in the corners of the dining hall, but this one felt different.
Ria traced the feeling back to the source and found herself staring at Arlitos's father. He was subtly glaring at her.
She tilted her head in confusion and looked at Fallios from the corner of her eye. [What did I do?] Ria was genuinely worried she did something to upset him.
She tried to think if she had pulled any pranks, but drew a blank. Ria could only turn to Fallios for assistance.
He followed her gaze and stared at Arlitos's father. [I don't remember you doing anything..] Fallios was confused and subtly worried.
This was a man with high authority, and he didn't want Ria nor himself getting on this man's bad side while they were still weak.
Suddenly, Arlitos's father noticed the extra gaze on him and visibly flinched, almost violently turning his head away after noticing Fallios was staring at him.
Ria and Fallios turned to each other in confusion. It was strange for them to have people afraid of them, to the point where they didn't dare approach or even look at them.
It was especially so for Fallios, since he was the more famed and powerful species in other people's eyes.
They realized they had never met many people in their time on this planet. For the pet shop workers, they were near dangerous creatures every day, so they were more curious than afraid of Fallios.
The same went for the angry customer they met. Arlitos and Turro were curious and hesitant at first, but it was more like they were looking at a celebrity than something dangerous.
With that said, the reactions of the people in the palace were strange to them even though they actually were the most normal reactions one would get from meeting the two of them.
So far, the one who had the most normal reaction since they entered the palace was actually Arlitos's mother, who was quietly watching them with no expression on her face as she ate her meal.