After a few days, the doctor cleared Nozel from bed rest and asked that he take it easy for another day or two just to be on the safe side. He praised Ellie for caring for him during that time and wished them well before taking his leave.
Feeling cooped up and stir crazy, Nozel wanted to get out and walk about town to stretch his legs and get some fresh air. Ellie walked with him- hoping that he would be fine- but when he took her hand and placed it on his arm as though to escort her, her cheeks and ears burned.
As they walked around town, Nozel and Ellie could see that Kiten was well off. The townsfolk didn't seem like they needed any extra help, which they were both glad to see. After an hour or so, Ellie asked Nozel if he was hungry and they found their way to a nearby restaurant.
"This is... quaint," Nozel said, looking around.
"For being a border town, it's a lot nicer than I would have expected," Ellie replied, chuckling.
They found their way to an open table and looked through the menus brought to them, placing their orders before Ellie asked how Nozel was feeling.
"My mana is nearly replenished finally, though I do not like that it took so long to do so."
"From what the doctor told me, the poison the bandits used was designed to primarily attack a mage's mana supply. It didn't take effect nearly as quickly as it would normally for others given you're a captain and all, but it hit you just as hard with the fever and claminess."
"It is not something I wish to be exposed to again."
Ellie smiled at that. "Let's hope you never are again."
Seeing her smile fade a bit, Nozel asked, "What is it?"
"You had me really worried..." Ellie fiddled with her hands as they rested on the table in front of her. When she looked back up at him, her smile returned as she said, "I'm so relieved that you're alright."
Nozel was surprised by how genuine she was in that moment, but it warmed his heart nonetheless. It had been a long time since anyone had shown him that level of concern.
Their drinks were delivered a moment later and their discussion turned to where they were planning to go next and when they would leave.
"The last place in the Common Realm is Kikka," Nozel noted, "we can go there next before we head to Raque."
"OK. When do you want to leave?" Ellie asked, her brow furrowed a bit.
Nozel made to answer, but their food had arrived so he waited a moment for the server to leave before speaking. "We can leave tomorrow."
"Nozel, the doctor said to take it easy for another day or two just to be on the safe side."
"And it doesn't take much mana for me to transport us."
Ellie sighed, sensing that he would not budge on the matter. "Fine, we can leave tomorrow."
Nozel could sense there was more to her agreeing. "But?"
"But we walk tomorrow and see how you feel when we make camp. Fair enough?"
Nozel chuckled at that. "Fair enough."
Ellie was relieved that he agreed to the compromise, worrying that he would be stubborn about it.
They ate their meal and talked about different things, continuing to learn more about each other. When their meal was finished, the server came to clear away their dishes and Nozel noticed that Ellie was eyeing a dessert that another table had just gotten. He watched her a moment, seeing that she wanted to try it but seemed to hesitate, then leaned into the server and asked that he add on order of that dessert to their tab. The server smiled and nodded, hurrying off with the dishes.
Ellie sighed, looking back at Nozel as she decided against asking if they could try the chocolatey dessert the next table over had gotten. When she saw his somewhat amused expression as he gazed at her, she felt her cheeks burning. "W-What?"
Nozel saw the server coming back over and gestured to the dessert as he placed it on the table. "You looked like you wanted to try it."
Ellie's blush deepened as she realized that he had seen her eyeing the dessert. "Y-You didn't have to..."
"Go ahead, Ellie. Think of it as a sign of my gratitude for you caring for me these past few days."
Ellie smiled at that, taking one of the two spoons the server had left with the dessert and scooping a small bite up. When her mouth closed around the spoon, she could taste the bittersweetness of the dark chocolate tart crust blending with the sweet, milky taste of the mousse and the whipped cream atop the dessert.
Nozel chuckled seeing her face light up with delight. "I take it you like it?"
Ellie nodded. "You should try some, it's really yummy."
Nozel was not that big on sweets, but he found that he was willing to indulge if it was from- or in this case with- Ellie. He took the other spoon and tried a small bite, noting the same things as Ellie had from the tart crust to the mousse to the whipped cream topping. "It's delicious."
"I told you," Ellie replied, giggling. "I know you're not very big on sweets, but it's nice to indulge every now and then. One's sense of taste does change periodically throughout their life. Some things that you enjoyed as a child might not taste as good to you as an adult, and you may even start to like things as an adult that you despised as a child."
"That is a fair point."
They sat there and split the dessert, paid the bill, and left the restaurant feeling quite satisfied. They walked a little bit, then Ellie asked if there was something else Nozel wanted to do before they headed back to the inn.
"Let's walk around a while longer, it's a nice evening."
Ellie smiled at that, nodding in agreement and falling in step beside him.