Van ate his meal as though this was the first meal he ate in centuries. He looked like a barbarian at a feast after battling for 1000 hours straight.
"You know it's cooked, it's not going to run away right?" Max jabbed at Van with his words but it seemed like Van was completely entranced in the eating ritual he had commenced.
They continued to eat and Van had finished his entire plate before Max was even a third through his meal.
"Is there a way I can get another plate of that, I don't really know what it was but I'm sure the God's themselves would strike me if they knew I was eating something so good." He asked after finishing his plate and seeing Max taking his time eating.
"Of course there is, but I don't think you should eat so much so fast…. Food doesn't taste as good when you're eating it in reverse." Max spoke between bites as he also pressed a button on the table to call the waiter.
"Yes sir how may I be of service?" The waiter asked once he entered the room.
"Please bring my friend another plate, also when we live you can bill my tab and write a reasonable sum for your tip." Max then said.
The employees were used to max having them bill his tab and write their own tips only once did a waiter tip himself an outrageous amount, he found himself unable to find himself after that, sine that day all waiters wouldn't tip themselves more than 25% of the bill however that was still a considerable amount as he always ordered the most expensive things on the menu.
"Yes sir it will be right out is there anything else you may need?" The waiter asked.
"No thank you for your hard work." Max said sending the waiter off to inform the kitchen about a second plate.
Once the waiter left seeing max was still eating Van decided to pour himself a little more wine this time he only poured half of what the waiter had originally poured and decided to sip slowly.
"So why do you trust me to be so open with? Is there anyone else that you've told about these things?" Van asked while sipping his wine.
"No I haven't discussed anything we've talked about with anyone I had originally wanted to ask the city lord but due to his status I'm sure he has some knowledge about the happenings in the background of society and even if he doesn't I'd prefer not to be ratted out…"
After a brief pause Max continued, "And there's something about you I can't exactly put a finger on it but I feel like you're about as foreign as me to this world if not more so I felt like my secret wouldn't be too much for you to keep in your ocean of secrets." Max said with a smile.
This left Van at a loss of words, Max was right his secrets were only equal to his own if not less important, he unwillingly accepted Max's words and decided to leave that matter alone.
"So when do you plan on leaving the orphanage are you still investigating?" Van asked while sipping his wine, the warm feeling as if he was being wrapped in a blanket slowly encroached on him. Unlike last time where he was plunged into the sea of drunkenness only to be saved by his system.
"Hmm I don't know when I'll leave but I'm starting to feel like I'm hitting a wall in my investigation. I think I've learned all I can from the orphanage and it's time to come up with a phase two and possibly find a way into this Labyrinth myself." Max replied with the same amiable and honest tone he usually used.
"Hmm, maybe we can enter this labyrinth together. What's your ideas for phase two?" Van asked after listening to Van planing to slowly talk him into their escape so he could accomplish his mission to avoid being dissected.
"We'll I first want to learn how to increase my energy reserves and further explore this 'spatial affinity' that you told me about before entering the labyrinth. Also I've encountered and come across other awakened people and their bodies always seem so much stronger than mine so I want to strengthen my body further." Max replied.
"I have a way to help with both of those! There's 1 thing I have to do but after that we can start strengthening out bodies and increasing our energy reserves." Van said.
This surprised max who was a little more than halfway done eating which caused him to stop eating and look at max as if he were looking at a unicorn.
"Well that makes things much easier now the chances of me exposing myself are significantly reduced." Max said as he proceeded eating.
After he finished speaking the waiter walked in with another plate of food which he sat in front of Van. "Sir payment arrangements have been made and I noted an 18% tip as you said." The waiter said with a slight bow.
"Ahh that's good, thank you for your trouble you can go now." Max said to the waiter. He looked up to see Van eating like a starved beast again and could only shake his head at his friends antics.
They soon finished eating and left the restaurant. By this time they had been away from the orphanage for 2 hours so they hurriedly left the city and once they reached the forest Max teleported them back to the orphanage living quarters directly into Van's room.
"Let me know when you're ready to work on those things in the meantime I'll try and explore this affinity thing." Max said as he walked out of Van's room heading towards his own room.