All right: Hunley and his sister want to eat with us! Everything is going smoothly… hoping that my ex-friends don't show up. I wonder what they were up to… oh, the door is opening. Hunley and Fara come out of it: aside from plain shirt and pants, Hunley wears a visor. Hmm… looks like the Golf Visor. His shoes are the same: brown and a bit dirty.
Fara wears a shirt with a happy face on it, a skirt, the Safari Hat on her head and white shoes decorated with multiple hearts. Uhm… I think she did some shopping with her brother, before. The little girl keeps looking at her shirt.
"You both look good." I said.
"Thank you, Mirii!" He closed the door.
"Ya 'ook 'ine too!"
"Thanks."
We started to walk on the hallway.
"So… where we are going to eat?"
"My brother didn't say much: he kept the information as a secret."
"A sicrt?! I 'ove 'hem!"
"I'm sure he'll bring us in an elegant restaurant. Like me, he has an eye for quality and perfection."
"Ah, speaking of res… ristor… uh…"
"Risturant, big bro."
"Ok! Risturant. Speaking of that, is that a place where you use money, right?"
"Affirmative." I pushed the elevator call button. "However, it's called restaurant, Hunley."
"Restaurant… like this?"
"Yes."
"Good!"
We waited for a bit: I notice that Hunley was pulling Fara's shirt a little.
"Oh, right!"
"Hmm?"
Ding!
The elevator door opens: we all entered inside.
"I forgot to say something."
"What?" I pushed the M button.
The elevator closes its door and moves down.
"Nothing really important. Just that I hope to be able to pay everything up, after our dinner."
…
"We're going to pay the dinner, Hunley."
"You?! No! We don't deserve such kindness!"
"You two are our fine guests. Your presence is the only thing required."
"Bu-but Mirii! You did many things for me…! Please, give me the possibility to repay you in some manner!"
Ding!
"… I should be the one saying that." I walked out the elevator.
"Huh?! W-why?!" The two guests followed me.
"Because I'm still in your debt, Hunley."
"Uh… debt? Since when you need to give me money?"
Pfff! I-I opened the doorway.
"Not economic debt. It's more a sign of recognition."
"A sign? Uuuuh… wait, are you saying about that incident?"
I nodded. We reached my brother's car.
"Yes. A mere thanks will never be enough, to repay your heroism." I opened the right back door and entered inside the car.
I moved to the left seat and Fara sat on the right one. Hunley sat on the passenger seat and closed the door, together with his sister.
"The seat belt, Hun."
"Ah!" He looks around, until he saw the seat belt.
Hunley pulls the belt, staring at it.
"Now insert it on this red thing." Rof indicates the seat belt lock.
He took the top of the tongue and puts it inside the lock.
"Good!"
The car starts moving on the road.
"So, did you two ever eat in a restaurant?" My brother turns the steering wheel.
"No..."
"'ope!" She grabs the passenger seat head rest.
"Uh… never heard of it?"
"'irii 'old us 'bou' it!" She touches Hunley's ears…
… he m-moves his head f-forward…
"Right! As she said!"
"… what she said?" Rof stops the car in front of a red traffic light.
"… Mirii… told… us… about… it!" She tries to touch Hunley's ears again…
He groaned, as he moved his head away.
"Ah, I see! We are going to eat in a nice restaurant, anyway. People often talk about it positively."
I took my smartphone.
"The name, brother?" I inserted the pass code on my phone.
"The name… uhm… Fish and ships? I think it's called like that…" The green light appears and my brother turns the steering wheel on the right, while making the car move.
Fish and ships? Never heard of it… could it be a new restaurant?
"Ok." I touched the Inknet option.
I notice that Fara was peeking on my smartphone.
"Are you checking the restaurant up, Mirii?"
"Not really… I know it's going to be a good choice, knowing your deduction skills."
My brother chuckles.
"Aaww, Mirii… I'm just following common sense! Who wants to eat in a place, where there are barely any people in it?" He moves the car gear up.
"Well… I would. It doesn't mean that the restaurant would be bad, without a great number of customers… it could mean, that the place is exclusive to rich people." I pushed the Land of the Squids - Fanfictions bookmark.
"True, but usually the best ones are full of people. Not only from the perspective of the quality, but also from its prices." He pushes down the turn signal lever.
"Hmm… I guess you are right." I'm scrolling down through different story titles. "Never thought of that."
We both stayed in silence. Rof pushed the large radio button to turn it on: an old-school pop music was playing. Hunley asked about the radio to my brother.
"'hat is 'his?" Fara was peeking on my smartphone.
I could hear the two males talking to each other, but I couldn't listen carefully their exact words.
"I'm looking through Fanfictions." I was looking at the title To ink or not to ink and its relative stats.
"Wha's a fanictio'?"
"It's called Fanfiction. Anyway, those are stories created by fans about main TV series, movies…"
"'oris?! Smetim' Mah dad 'rough' 'ooks to us 'nd mah bub rea' all of 'hem, wi' me!"
… sigh…
"What did you just said?"
"… My… dad… brings… n', wat! … brought… books… to us… in the… past…"
"Books about what? Stories?"
"Ye'! And… my… bub… reads… them… with… me!"
"Ah, I didn't know."
Interesting… judging the fact, he doesn't know many things.
"Mirii, we are arrived." My brother announced.
The car was slowing down, entering inside a parking lot. I took a quick look outside: I could see the Fish and ships brand logo on the top of the entrance. Some people were entering and exiting from the restaurant. Between the main door, there were two small pines on a vase each.
I touched on the screen to close the Inknet, return to the Menu and pressed a small button, to make the phone going into Sleep mode. As I put my smartphone back on my pocket, Rof shuts down the car: it was correctly parked between two white lines.
I got out of the car, followed by Fara. My brother and Hunley got out from their respective doors and closing it: I think that Hunley was the one pressing the red button, to free himself from the seat belt. His little sister was the one that closed the door.
"That's the place. Ah… I think I said it right!" He pushes a button on his remote keys: the car locks itself.
"Yes, I can confirm it." I nodded.
Hunley got near us and held Fara's left hand with his right one.
"Sweet! Then, let's go inside."
We walked towards the restaurant. Fara was trembling and got closer to Hunley: she holds his right arm. … n-nngghh…
"Uh? What's the matter, Mirii?" My brother asked…
"N-nothing… j-just the breezy air, that's all…"
"Oh… you are bit red on the face: do you have a small fever?"
"No, I'm fine brother… if I would have-ACK!" I-I almost tripped down!
"Sister!" Rof was holding me in time.
"D-drat… that was embarrassing…" I stood up correctly.
"It's not. It happens to everyone, without a warning. Just be careful next time and hope for the best!"
I sighed to him. Now, we all were near the restaurant's entrance. I see two men talking while smoking outside. I noticed that the door had a sign, with a cigarette behind a diagonal red line inside a red circle. My brother pushed the door and we followed him.
Rof listened right: I could see many people sitting behind many prepared tables. Some were chatting between each other, others were eating their respective meals. The waiters were walking around, either while carrying plates or a notebook with a pen.
One of them reached us: he was a Crab wearing a black jacket, white button shirt with a bow tie around its neck and black pants. All the other waiters wear the same kind of clothes.
"You are in a group of 4?" He asked.
"Yes."
… for some reason, the waiter was looking Hunley with a slight frown, from his head to his shoes. Hunley was lowering his back, while looking at him. I couldn't help but keep looking at that man…
"Please, follow me."
We followed the waiter: he was leading us in a room labeled U.F. Uhm… that name is sure odd. What kind of meaning would that
SLAM!
… another waiter closed the door, behind us. He locks it, taking the key with him.
We have a problem, sir.