"Good news. We found a table for five. Please, take your seat." Alina extended her arm forward, giving them the chance to sit down. "Thank you very much." Ayuka thanked them, sitting down with the others. "We'll give you a few minutes to order. If you finish before we come to your table, raise your arm, and we'll take your orders." Alina removed herself from their table.
Tim, sat with his arms crossed and leg lifted over his knee. "Come on... We don't need to take an order to get answers. Couldn't we just ask them? I don't know what's the fuss about." Tim leaned his head onto his arms crossed behind him. Ayuka raised her hand to communicate with him. "It's our safest option. We can't always just rush in full force. Sometimes it's better to keep hidden until the time comes for us to bash out." Tim looked at her with boredom drawn on his face.
"She's right, Tim." Added Ralphie, looking at the menu. "WPDA is a big society that is the only force to keep pirates like us out of the sea, whether we're fake or real. If we asked about WPDA, the consequences could be big." Tim blinked his head aside. "Are you sure you're not saying that because it's Ayuka?" his question didn't surprise Ralphie. He leaned his elbow on the table and reached with his head close to Ayuka's. He held a smile. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Ayuka shut her eyes and bonked Ralphie on the head.
She raised her arm and waited for Alina to approach them. "I see you've ordered. What would you like?" all of them ordered their desired meal and made Alina walk away from their table to Silvio.
Alina dropped the order but stopped because of Silvio. He was cleaning the dishes behind the counter. "Here are their orders." She said, but Silvio continued holding one of his eyes on Tim and the others. "Alina... Have you, by chance, seen anything odd? Those five seem familiar to me, at least a little." He placed the plate on the side. Alina looked at them too. "No, nothing like it. Why?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, but that guy in the blue jacket reminds me of that wanted poster I saw five days ago. Don't you think so?" Silvio inquired, observing Tim, noticing that he wasn't enjoying himself much. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. There's no possible way that pirates like them would enter Winterpeak. Especially not when we have Etuna as our guardian." Alina fixed her clothes. "I guess you're right, but I have strange feelings."
Alina smiled, dropping the napkin on the counter. "Look, focus on the cooking. I'll take care of that." Silvio listened and noticed that Alina approached their table. "Excuse me... I have a few questions for you." Everybody became startled, but Ayuka looked at Alina. "Um... Of course. What would you like?"
Alina cleaned their table, keeping her voice silent. "Look, I shouldn't talk about this, but I need to know. What is a bunch of pirates like you doing on our island? You do know that it's dangerous." They flinched from getting busted but realized that Alina kept her voice as low as possible. "What? Look, we just came here for the food. We have no other goals." Explained Ayuka, trying to deny their true purpose.
Alina straightened up. "Look, I know you're the pirates who took down Niklas on Craftsman Island. I know you're not here to cause trouble, and you're not dangerous individuals, but..." She continued, making sure that nobody else overheard them. "If Etuna sees you, then you'll be in trouble." Alina's sudden warning appeared perplexing to them. "Etuna? What are you talking about?" Yumiko wondered, but she stayed calm.
"I'm afraid I can't talk about her. My co-worker Silvio knows about you, and if you keep blending in with the people, he'll find you eventually. The best you can do is to leave before that happens. Trust me. He's not the only problem here. There are other forces on our island. A bunch of bounty hunters who are known to be the best around."
Ayuka gave a solemn expression and looked straight into Alina's eyes. "So what if we are? We're just looking for some answers, and that's it. I don't know who you are, don't think we're friends." Alina wasn't worried nor scared. "I'm just trying to help you. You keep that in mind. If you don't believe me, that's fine too, but I don't want trouble happening around our island ever again." Her words intrigued everyone, and they became more relaxed.
"Trouble?" Ralphie wondered, masking his loving feelings. "Yeah. Look, we can't talk about this here much longer. I'll take your order and bring you the food. Once you pay, meet me behind the palace. I'll explain everything there. Of course, if you're still going to be here." She walked away from the table, wrapping the napkin around her wrist. "I don't know, but she seems legit, Ayuka." Exclaimed Tim, keeping his cool. "I think so too, and I say we should see her and learn what's going on." They agreed with her without denial.
Alina dropped the napkin on the counter, leaning on the counter. "How's the order for table 34, Silvio?" Silvio placed two plates on the counter containing delicious food. "Ready," he looked left and right, whispering, "So, did you learn anything?"
Alina picked up the two plates, slightly stepping away from the counter. "You're too worried. I asked, and I checked. I spoke to them, but they're just newcomers. I assure you that none of them were the pirates you thought they were." Silvio exhaled a displeased breath. "I guess I was too worried. We don't want pirates running around. I'm not trying to fall under Etuna's rage."
Alina nodded and walked to the table that ordered. Silvio looked away, but in an instant, he heard plates shattering on the floor. It dragged everyone's attention to the palace's door. Everyone's bodies started to tremble, and silence filled the dining room. "Hey! What was that for?" angrily asked Alina.
A group of people entered the palace, dressed in unusual clothes.
There were three men in total. The man at the front seemed to have been their leader, and his clothes were much different than people wore in Winterpeak.
Their leader was covered from head to toe in a long, grey kimono. He wore a cape that waved in the breeze and was blue. On each of his arms, he had bandages. Skeletal spines that served as armor plates covered his shoulders. He had a demon's skull dangling from a scarlet thread around his hip.
His black hair was pulled back into a manly ponytail. His young-looking appearance was reflected in his noticeable yellow eyes. Last but not least, he clutched a Spiritual Blade made of bones. With the other two men, he took a look around.
The people became terrified, staying mute, with only a few speaking. "It's Raoul and the Vanguard Bounty Hunters!" Tim and others were keeping away from them and didn't do anything. "Tim... I know what you want to do, but play it cool for now."
Tim continued holding his arms crossed behind his neck, and afterward, he turned to the bounty hunters. "All right... Is this the place?" questioned Raoul, calling out to someone.
A man in dark clothes stepped between Raoul and his allies. He was holding a violin case and pistol attached to his belt.
The man looked around, searching for somebody. Tim and his friends became paralyzed by the sudden surprise, and then, Tim's words drifted out of his mouth like a balloon.
"Natan...?"
To be continued...