"So, ya ran into someone ya knew?" Larkin asked, leaning back in his chair as Xain finished recounting his shortened version of the conversation he just had with Pip.
"Yep," Xain replied, his hair now back to its usual, slightly disheveled style. "And in the midst of that, I completely forgot the reason I went to the bar in the first place."
"But... why did you change your hair?" Zee asked, her voice tinged with curiosity. Then, as if realizing it might sound like she disliked it, she quickly added, "Not that it wasn't cute!"
Xain turned to her, letting out a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. "You'll get your answer when she comes over," he said, his tone a little evasive.
Zee glanced down at the table, her mind spiraling into a whirlwind of thoughts. *Someone Xain knew before meeting me... and it's a girl... and he's being awkward about it...* A sudden realization struck her like a lightning bolt. *Could she be... another rival!?* Her eyes narrowed as she brought her thumb and index finger to her lips, deep in thought.
*Now that I think about it,* she mused, *everywhere we go, some girl ends up clinging to Xain! There was that sergeant from the Ironguard!(No.) The mayor of Triton!(Not really.) Who else?* Her brow furrowed as she struggled to recall another face. *I feel like I'm forgetting someone, but that just proves how many women are after him!(Grace, I'll give you that one.)*
Her mental rant only intensified as her fingers drummed anxiously against the table. *And it's not just women! Even men seem interested, like Elanor!(Where did you even get that impression from?) And Nori... probably!(???)*
Zee's eyes narrowed, her thoughts swirling into a storm of determination. *And now, a childhood friend?(They aren't childhood friends.) Just how many rivals do I have!?*
Her fingers interlocked as she gazed down at the table, a dark chuckle escaping her lips. She looked like a villain about to unveil a secret plan. *It doesn't matter. More rivals just mean I'll have to step up my game! I'll be more aggressive... that's all!(Please don't.)*
Her quiet, ominous chuckling made both Xain and Larkin pause mid-conversation. They exchanged uneasy glances, watching Zee spiral further into her incomprehensible thoughts.
"Do ya think she's gone insane?" Larkin whispered, leaning toward Xain.
Xain shrugged, equally baffled. "I don't know... she doesn't look particularly sane right now," he muttered, eyes wide in concern as Zee continued her internal scheming, oblivious to their worried stares.
Suddenly, Xain felt a finger poke at his head. "I told you, you look better with the other style, didn't I?" came a familiar voice. He turned to see Pip, standing there with a pout on her youthful face, her gray ponytail swaying slightly as she crossed her arms.
Xain chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, I just thought it looked weird," he admitted. "It doesn't really go with what I'm wearing right now," he added, gesturing at his thieves' garb.
Pip pursed her lips, considering his point. "You're right. Without the dress and makeup, it does feel incomplete," she agreed.
Xain nodded in return, smiling. "Exactly!" The two shared a laugh, seemingly lost in their own conversation, while Larkin and Zee sat silently observing them.
Larkin cleared his throat, breaking the moment. "Ahem," he interjected, drawing their attention.
Pip turned to face him and Zee. "Oh, you're with other people?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah," Xain replied with a slight shrug, "I couldn't find a good moment to mention it."
Pip stepped forward and extended her hand with a polite smile. "I'm Pip. Just Pip. Nice to meet you."
Larkin shook her hand firmly. He briefly considered giving her a fake name but decided against it, given Xain's familiarity with her. "Larkin. Larkin Vorsk. Pleasure to meet ya," he said with a nod.
Pip turned to Zee, offering her hand next. Zee grasped it, but Pip immediately noticed her grip was much firmer than necessary. *Isn't her grip a bit strong?* she wondered.
"Zee Eirina Qinra. Nice to meet you!" Zee said, her voice dripping with sweetness, though inwardly, she was fuming over the connection between Xain and Pip though her expression remained bright.
Pip winced slightly and said, "Y-yes, could you let go of my hand now?"
"Oh, sure!" Zee replied, quickly releasing her grip, her sweet smile never wavering. Pip subtly massaged her hand before turning back to Xain.
"Just because I know you doesn't mean you get to loiter around," Pip teased. "If you want to stay and chat, you've got to order something or get a room upstairs."
Xain laughed. "Yeah, yeah, we stopped here to eat anyway." He reached out his hand, and Pip handed him a menu that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
As Xain flipped through the menu, Larkin, curiosity piqued, leaned toward Pip. "So, uh, how do the two of ya know each other?"
Pip and Xain both exchanged a glance before Xain answered, "Well… it's a long story."
"Yeah," Pip added with a sigh, "and it's not exactly a happy one."
Larkin and Zee glanced at each other, sensing the weight behind those words. Zee, now calmer than before, said, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." She knew forcing it out of them would make her a hypocrite.
Pip shook her head. "No, it's better to talk about it." She turned back to Xain. "Finish ordering, and after I bring you your food, I'll ask the boss for a little break so we can chat."
Xain nodded in agreement before turning to Larkin and Zee. "Let's figure out what we're eating," he said, subtly signaling them to get their orders in so they could hear the story behind Pip and Xain's past.