The restaurant turned out to be a tiny little tucked away "mom n' pop" style place, that was apparently famous for its delicious food. There really wasn't room for the whole group to sit together at one table in the small building, especially on such short notice but the friendly proprietors did their best to accommodate them anyway: seating them outside under a little protective awning in the fair late afternoon weather. The tables had crisp white linens and little decorative candles every few seats for ambiance. Ravio had paid, tipped generously (and apologized) in advance so the group could eat and drink to their content without worry.
And eat and drink they did, with much gusto and enthusiasm! Bottles upon bottles of good strong Montepulciano were brought to the table in several rounds to the amazement, amusement, and eventual mild horror of the staff (these strange men could certainly tuck in…it was like serving Sailors on shore leave) Smooth creamy, savory clam chowder by the pint with good fresh bread and enough local cioppino to temporarily cripple the kitchen was brought out to the merry bunch in waves. By the time everyone was fed and sated the staff looked exhausted and ready for the group to leave (no matter how well Ravio was paying them). Winona looked a little bit better by the end of the meal, and by the time Ravio had that mammoth 'car' of his brought around, everyone was patting their full stomachs happily with a rosy glow to their faces.
"That…was some of the best food I have ever had in my Life." Wild sighed contently.
"Agreed, I've simply never had seafood this good…not Ever.." Truly! Better than even the freshest catch at Lake Hylia." said Twilight, stifling a little burp with the back of his hand.
Wind, Winona, and Dani all giggled at his modesty. Winona and the other woman exchanged looks. Dani winked at her friend. She gave the slightly embarrassed man a nod and then took a deep breath like she was grounding herself. She raised her hands in front of her like she was addressing an audience and let out the loudest, longest belch that any of the chain had ever heard. The whole group was stunned, mouths hanging open in surprise, expressions ranging from delighted admiration (Wind), disgusted horror (Sky, and Legend) to sheer wonder and confusion (everyone else). She let the reverb settle and then cleared her throat. She smiled at the group and did a little curtsey causing Winona to bust up laughing shaking her head.
Wars half(?) jokingly got on one knee before her. "Marry Me." He said imploringly, with an unnervingly earnest expression as he gently took her hand.
Dani Snorted and pulled her hand back giving him a playful lopsided smile. She ruffled his perfect hair mussing it up. "Oye Güerito… A little trigger-happy ain'tcha?"
Winona smirked. Shouldering the doggy bag of deliciousness that she opted to take home (plus an intact meal and dessert as a thank you for Ravio's driver who had been kept waiting for them. She always felt bad for making people wait..)
Wars gave Dani gave a wide grin as he straightened his shirt collar after she yanked him back to his feet. "A fellow can dream.."
Legend rolled his eyes at this and cuffed the man perhaps harder on the back of the head than he meant to. (Then again perhaps not.) He cleared his throat signaling his displeasure. Wars sucked his teeth with a wince and rubbed the knot on his noggin glaring at the smaller man.
"Oouuch!" He whined, and this made everyone else start laughing too.
The car ride back was uneventful and full of laughter. Even Ravio seemed to relax. They weren't ambushed at dinner, the city seemed to still be standing and they would be back in Lorule before the night was out! All they had to do was make a stop at his house to pick up their equipment and then head out. Hilda would be waiting for him on the other side…his beloved bride. He could just see her face now. How he longed to hold her… He dared to begin to hope that this would go off without a hitch.
Just then the car rolled to a slow stop. The window to the front lowered about halfway.
"Uhhhh…Sir?" Came Justin, the driver's uncertain voice. "The gate…it's not opening."
The group quieted down, and all looked up towards the still closed gate. The house beyond it was still obscured by trees and the long drive. Ravio grumbled under his breath.
"Terrific. Not again.. I pay too much for this to keep happening." He pulled out his phone and began to angrily dial whomever he deemed responsible.
"I'll hit the manual switch, Sir. Not to worry." Justin got out of the cab and walked up to a numbered panel beside the gate.
Backlit by the wash of the headlights, the man punched in buttons and stepped back to wait. Nothing happened. He turned and looked back at the car with a shrug and a grimace shielding his eyes from the bright lights. Ravio, who had been leaving a scathing voicemail suddenly looked nervous. He ended his call and stepped out, followed by Winona. Wild beside her made to follow but she gestured for everyone else to stay. They watched, crowding the windows.
"What's happening?" Frowned Time, a crease of worry wrinkling his forehead.
"I…don't know. It's like the power to the gate was shut off… but it's independent of the house so like...even if there was an outage I don't think- plus there's like the generators... I don't know what's wrong with it. This is weird. I don't have a good feeling." Dani answered, sounding just as perturbed.
"Yeah..Me neither." Time affirmed.
The rest of the group remained silent.
They all watched as Justin produced a key from his pocket and unlatched the front of the gate. He, Ravio, and Winona pushed the gate open. Once unlocked it moved easily, and they all got back into the car. The mood was now considerably more somber.
"Everyone listen," Ravio said, speaking with a clear authority that none had yet seen in him. "I don't know what is happening, but I don't feel great about it. Grab your things and get back to the car. We need to get to the rendezvous point as quickly as we can. Don't dawdle…"
No one argued. As they approached the house Ravio's unease spread throughout the group like a wildfire. The mansion was dark. What had once looked like an enchanting palace of glass and light was now as foreboding and mysterious as any dungeon the chain had ever faced. And now?
They were without their weapons.