Kai looked around with wide eyes as Roland led him by the hand into a bustling guest house. They had travelled the entire day before reaching a small but busy town by night time. Music wafted through the air, and upon entering, a sharp, buzzing scent struck his nose, causing him to scrunch up his face in distaste.
"Dad, what is that smell?" Kai tugged on Roland's hand, covering his nose with his other.
"That is alcohol, kiddo. You will come across it a lot, but it is not something you should take, got that?" Roland explained and steered them to a table by one of the windows of the guest house. Just as they sat down, a waitress with a large chest and revealing clothing that displayed her cleavage made a round by their table. She swung her hips like pendulums as she stopped with an alluring smile.
"How can I help you today, Rolly?" She smiled, but her smile turned curious when she saw Kai.
"Oh, and who is this little cutie?!" She squealed and sat down beside Kai, embracing him in a hug that pressed his face against her chest. Roland's smile faltered and twitched.
"This is my son, Kai. I told you about him last time, Bella." He introduced, quickly schooling his expression and replacing his smile. How could you get discounts if you didn't act friendly to the staff?
"Oh?!" Bella whisper-yelled, barely holding in her excitement. She pulled back and examined Kai's face in the lighting of the place. "Now I see the resemblance. He looks a lot like you. Where is his mother?" She asked, pulling at Kai's cheeks.
Roland's smile faltered a little. "His mother is no longer alive." He shook his head, his tone overflowing with sadness.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Bella placed a hand over her chest and looked at them with pity. She stood up and straightened her shirt. "Let me get you two something to eat. On the house." She quickly turned around and headed to the back room to get them something.
"Ah..." Roland settled back with a sigh and looked at Kai who sat opposite him. "How are you feeling, kiddo?" He asked. He expected that Kai would be disoriented and feeling a bit lost, so he wanted to make sure that his boy was okay.
Over the years Kai had grown, Roland had not spent much time with him, so although he knew that Kai saw him as his father, he was not sure how solid their relationship was. He did not know if Kai inherently resented him for his absence, but simply did not know how to express it. After all, his son was part Demon, so there were bound to be some negative emotions under there that were suppressed by not only his human side, but also the abundant amount of love Kate had showered him with.
Large, glowing blue eyes gazed up at Roland before Kai got up from his seat and came to sit beside his father. He hugged Roland and sighed.
"I'm tired. I wanna sleep." He muttered, and Roland could hear the exhaustion deep in his voice.
"Don't worry. We will just have a little meal and we can head to bed. Tomorrow, it won't even take two hours before we arrive at the capital city." Roland smiled and rubbed Kai's head, keeping his arm around the little boy.
Before long, Bella returned with a tray that was mounded with food. Roland stared, mouth agape as she put the plates down.
"Shut your mouth or a fly might get in." Bella chided, holding the tray she had come with against her chest.
"You never give me this much usually." Roland mumbled.
"Of course. This is all because of little Kai over here." She reached over and patted Kai's head of spiky hair with a smile. After that, she left the two to eat their meal.
Kai stared at the bowl of broth that was placed in front of him with wide eyes. He could see the large, juicy pieces of meat inside it, just waiting for him to gobble them down. Beside it was a plate of rice that came along with the food, and his mouth watered.
Yes, Kate's food was amazing, but that was all he had eaten so far in his life. He was curious as to how other people's food would taste like. He took a peak up at Roland, who was watching him with a smile, and upon receiving an encouraging nod, he quickly dug in, inhaling the food like a hungry Great Lion.
In less than five minutes, he had slurped down the last of the broth. He sat down with his hands on his bloated stomach and let out a sigh, leaning against Roland with droopy eyes.
"Gluttonous little fella, aren't ya? You probably got that from your mother's side." Roland laughed and rubbed Kai's head, before finishing up his own food. When he looked back down at Kai, the boy was already asleep, with his eyelids fluttering, a sign of dreaming.
Roland smiled again and raised his head up, already spotting Bella heading their way before he could look for her. She stopped by their table with a smile, but when she noticed Kai sleeping, her smile fell.
"How is he taking it? His mom's passing, I mean?" She asked, concern laced in her voice.
She had known Roland for a long time. In fact, they had been adventurers together for a while, before Bella decided to take a break from all the life threatening adventures that they had gone on. Somehow, they had fallen out of touch, and by the time they reconnected, Roland came with the news that he was married, and with a son, but his wife was not too fond of his adventurer lifestyle, so they lived apart most of the time.
Bella had chided Roland about it, but he had been firm in maintaining his current lifestyle. He loved his wife, and she loved him, and they managed their relationship just fine.
Whenever Roland spoke of Kate, Bella saw the stars in his eyes, and hoped that she could meet this lucky woman, but alas, now, Kate was no more.
"He is fine. Kai is a strong boy." Roland replied and stood up, lifting Kai up into his arms. "Can you show us our room?" He smiled at her.
"Sure. Just follow me."