Vatel had a fat grin on his face, the small boy beside him carring a large sack of weapons. "Well! If it isn't my good friend Emopa!"
Vatel's hair had gotten a little longer, going down to his lower neck while remaining pitch black. He had gotten slightly taller, both him and Emopa being 6'6. He also seemed a bit more bulky, not wearing a shirt and having a horizontal scar on his chest and a vertical one going down his left eye.
The hostess seemed a bit nervous. "Oh! All three of you are hunters?!"
Emopa turned back to the hostess, the odachi sheathed behind his back. "Oh, yeah, table for three." Emopa said, giving a thumbs up.
The hostess grabbed three menus and led them to an empty booth, Emopa taking a seat by himself and setting his odachi down beside him.
Vatel took a seat across from him, the boy sitting next to him. He resembled Vatel a little bit; a tiny bit of muscle growth could be seen on the boy. He was a little taller than Static, having short black hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.
"You had a whole kid, Vatel?" Emopa asked, chuckling.
"No, he's my apprentice. Found him battling some goblins and wolves. He had potential so I took him. His name is Yu." Vatel had placed an order of some pancakes for Yu.
Emopa rested his arm on the back of the booth. "I see... How've you been? Found the rest yet?"
Vatel shook his head. "Though... I did hear there was a parade happening in Vineyard today. I think we could find the rest there."
Emopa nodded, ordering some waffles.
Soon, they finished eating. Vatel paid for the food, and they left the diner.
"I heard Vineyard isn't like the big city. It's kind of like those medieval places." Vatel said, The Mother taking form on his shoulder as a chibi wolf.
"I smell death all around your friend here..." She said, growling a little. "I know that scent all too well."
"What?" Vatel stopped in his tracks, staring at The Mother.
"So, how are we going to get to Vineyard? I heard there's no major roads there, so people usually get there by carriage." Emopa asked, Vatel shrugging in response.
"Oh, come on, Alice, don't be like that." The same spectral skeleton formed, it's pupils a narrow green.
Vatel found a carriage passing by, raising his hand and watching it slowly come to a halt.
"Shut it, you deadbeat!" The wolf growled, hopping off and turning into a tall woman, a bit taller than Vatel and Emopa.
She had deep purple hair with the same colored eyes. Her hair reached to her upper back, and she had brown skin.
Her eyes were narrowed, staring at The Father as they both got into the carriage first.
Emopa and Vatel looked at each other nervously before Emopa went into a seat further back.
"We're heading to Vineyard." Vatel said to the one driving, giving him a few gold pieces. He then got inside, sitting next to Emopa.
The Mother and The Father stared at each other for a while. Finally the Father broke the silence, "Nice vessel you found."
"Better than yours." The Mother retorted, her voice laced with malice. "Mines a Kagehara."
"Oh yeah? Well mines an Abomination." The Father sounded a little more aggressive.
"I bet mine doesn't have a deadbeat father! Oh wait? Who's a deadbeat father? YOU!" The Mother yelled, her hair starting to flair.
"Our daughter is doing just fine without me. She's a young Empress soon to be Sentinel. I support her, but what do you? Sit in a cave?"
The Mother was about to attack but was recalled by Vatel. "That's enough. Argue in your own time."
The Father chuckled and faded away, the rest of the ride being in silence.
Once they reached their location, they stepped out, looking around the area. They came just in time, as a crowd of people began to form, clearing a pathway for the main road. The castle stood not too far from them, so they had good spots.
"Look! There they are!" A familiar voice called out, both Vatel and Emopa turning to the direction they heard the voice coming from.
Two people walked up to them. It was Mareth and Static! Static had grown a lot in two years, being 6 feet now. He wore a suit and tie with a top hat and a cane. His hair was short and black, and his eyes were a bright yellow and silver.
Next to him, Mareth had on a white coat over his shoulders, it blowing in the slight breeze. He had on a white shirt and black pants as well as black boots. Over his head was a small, white, circular halo. "Sup guys!"
Emopa and Vatel's faces lit up with glee as they each dapped up Mareth and Static. "How've you been, man?!" Emopa asked Mareth, him chuckling in response.
"It's been something." Mareth said, a loud voice speaking off a megaphone.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen! Boys and Girls, one and all to the Festival of Vines!" A person stood on top of a large, moving carriage as dancers, drummers, and trumpet players lead the way.
As they watched the moving carriages, they saw Fox and Sorra atop a moving platform, waving down at the people below.
People had signs both referencing Sorra and Fox's beauty.
Once Fox noticed the small group, she tapped Sorra and jumped off, Sorra following suit.
The crowd gasped as they went over to the four Fox giving Mareth a huge hug and Sorra looking at Static.
"You've grown, dude!" Sorra said, slapping Static on the back. "Who's the kid?" Sorra looked at Yu.
"Oh, my apprentice Yu." Vatel said, rubbing Yu's head.
"Now all we're missing is Ulrich..." Mareth said as Static swiped a red tarp that just appeared out of thin air, revealing Ulrich.
"Ta-da!" Ulrich said, doing jazz hands.
"That's cool, Static!" Emopa said, chuckling.
"Alright! So, now that we're all here, what now?" Fox asked, crossing her arms.
"Well, we still have to get back to the parade, but there are some concerns the king is having regarding a cult called Splatter." Fox said, rubbing the back of her head.
"The roundtable's been trying to track them down, including me, but they're elusive as hell. So, we could convince the king to let you guys in on it!" Sorra said, placing her hands on her hips.
"Great. Sounds like a plan." Vatel said, giving her a huge before the two ran off back to their platforms.
"Well, we got our work cut out for us. Think they're a threat?" Vatel asked Emopa.
"Dunno, Fox, and Sorra were pretty vague about it. We'll just have to see." Emopa said, the group heading off to an inn.