Chapter 11: Breakfast at the Inn!

After the mystical incident at the hot springs, Pete and Claire walked back to their house so Claire could put her clothes away. She changed into her signature outfit: blue overalls with her favorite flannel shirt. They then walked through the northern exit to head into town.

Brick roads of red shades lined the path forward. Pete eyed the front path. There was another path heading to the right.

"The inn should be north of here."

"I remember taking this path to get the farm." Claire motioned to the Southside (east of where they stood.) She recalled there being two ranches along the path. I think that's where we get animals…?

"Same here." Pete proceeded to the north with Claire following behind. There was a wooden sign that showed they were heading into the Northside area.

After walking for a while, Pete saw another path to the right which would lead to the central Northside. "It should be nearby here."

Claire fell into step beside him. They walked past a house, a cellar, and several trees in a small field. Are those grape vines? A sign in front of the house read Adge Winery. The logo on the top of it showed imagery of three bottles with a grape on each side. Do they sell wine here…?

Pete stopped in front of an entrance. There was a blackboard attached to a wooden sign. Something's written in chalk here. It read Inn… oh! "I think this is the place?"

"Oh, it's not as far as I thought." Claire looked around. Barrels and yellow flowers stood in front of the building. Two pictures of a barrel and a suitcase could be seen above on a hanging sign. This is where I might have stayed if things turned out differently…

"Let's head inside." Pete and Claire walked to the entrance and gently pushed the doors open. Her eyes darted around. Neat wooden tiles fitted the floor; the walls had an orange blocky wallpaper. Ooh, this looks lovely! Acoustic music played in the background, giving the inn a calm and friendly atmosphere.

"Welcome!" A cheery voice greeted them.

"Huh?" Pete and Claire turned to the voice. They saw two people standing in the distance: an elder man and a young girl. The man had thick brows and a mustache; he wore a long brown apron over an orange-checkered shirt and dark brown pants. The girl wore a dress with a white-to-orange gradient. Underneath her dress was orange clothing; blue jeans fitted her legs. Her hair was styled into a thick, curly ponytail. What they shared in common were their orange hair color and blue eyes.

"Oh, it's the newcomers that took over that farm!" The girl's eyes lit up. She bobbed her head, the white ribbon on her hair bouncing with her. "I thought for sure you were guests! What're your names?"

Pete and Claire looked at each other, then looked back at the cheerful girl.

Pete leaned into her ear and whispered. "Do they already know us?"

"I have a feeling Mayor Thomas had something to do with this…" Claire whispered back.

Right. He turned to the cheerful girl and introduced himself. "My name is Pete."

"And I'm Claire!" She smiled. "That's right. We recently took over the farm."

"Pete and Claire! I'm Ran! Nice to meet you!" She grinned, waving at the newcomers. "And this is my dad!"

"Oh, I haven't seen you two around before. You say you moved into that farm?" The dad bowed and smiled politely. "I'm Dudley, and I run our town's inn. Good to meet you."

"Hi!" Pete and Claire greeted them. They seem lovely. "It's nice to meet you too," Pete said.

"Did you come for a bite to eat?" Ran asked.

"Ah, yeah." Pete nodded.

"We came here to have breakfast." Claire continued.

"Breakfast? Right, then…" Ran waved her hands around the inn, showing all the available tables. "Pick any seat you like."

There weren't any customers beside them. Pete and Claire walked to a free table and sat down. The tables were round with white diamond-shaped cloths covering them. Ran and Dudley stood beside them.

"Oh, I've got an idea!" Ran clapped her hands, a smile adorning her lips. "Today, the food is on the house!"

"H-Huh…?" Pete raised his brows. "It's on the house…?"

"It's to celebrate you two moving into the farm!" Ran winked and pointed at them in a playful manner. "No better way to make you customers for life! Isn't that right, dad?"

"That's my smart girl." Dudley chuckled in delight and patted her shoulder. "We might just have new regulars on our hands after this."

Pete and Claire shared another curious glance. They didn't expect such hospitality coming into the inn. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Well, you heard her." Dudley folded his arms, noticing they seemed hesitant. "Today's our treat for you two. Don't be shy."

"See? Even Dad's cool with it." Ran added. "Whaddaya think?"

They're too nice, Pete! Claire shot him a pleading look. I want breakfast but I wouldn't want to impose on them… speak up for us, please?

"Well…" Blushing slightly, Pete returned a soft gaze into Ran's blue eyes. "Free food is the best food!"

"I know you'd say that!" Ran clapped her hands and twirled around, her face beaming with joy. "All right, dad. Go fix up something tasty."

"You got it!" Dudley turned to the kitchen. "Consider your taste buds preemptively blown away. Wait just a sec."

"Dad's food is amazing." Ran assured them, gently squeezing both their shoulders. "You're in for a real treat."

"We'll be… looking forward to it." Pete nodded timidly.

"Yeah, I can't wait!" Claire grinned with excitement. She wouldn't mind some tasty free food! Her joyous demeanor contrasted with his timid act.

"Please wait here." Ann walked behind the counter. "I'll be getting you some cold refreshments!"

After the father-daughter duo walked away, Pete and Claire leaned toward each other.

"I didn't know you had stayed at such a nice inn, Pete." Claire raised a brow. They seem like such nice people.

"I didn't know, either." Pete briefly raised his shoulders. Ran, was it? She was pretty welcoming. "I don't recall seeing those two before. Then again, it's been a long time."

"Free food on our first day?" Claire held her hands together beside her cheek and smiled. "This is the kind of excitement I'm looking for!"

"As opposed to witnessing a Goddess who lives in the spring?"

After a few moments, Dudley came out of the kitchen with their food on a tray. A delectable aroma filled the inn, tingling their nostrils.

"Oh, looks like it's done!" Ran set cold drinks on their table.

"Alright, here you are." Dudley served their food on the table. "Dig in before it gets cold."

"Wow…!" Pete and Claire gasped in awe as they drank in the sight of their breakfast. Two sizzling sunny-side ups and waffles coated in with honey. Cherries and berries sat on top of the waffles. This is breakfast?!

"Can we really have this for free?" Pete asked, unsure. The food was practically sparkling! He shifted his eyes to Claire, and she looked hypnotized by the food.

"Go ahead!" Ran encouraged them, her eyes full of expectance.

"Don't mind me!" Claire eagerly took a bite out of the waffle. A crunchy taste filled her mouth; the honey enraptured her tongue. The moment such delectable taste entered her lips, she wanted to squeal in joy!

She's awfully excited. Pete grabbed a fork and cut his fried egg into smaller pieces. I'll dig in. He drew a piece to his lips. The softness of the egg white and the savory flavor of the yolk melted on his tongue, resulting in a simple yet delightful taste. Oh, wow!

"How's it taste?" Dudley asked, putting the tray away.

"Is it good?" Ran stared at their expressions with bated breath, even though she was quite confident in her dad's culinary skills.

"Is it good?!" A wide smile spread across Claire's lips as she gobbled up her waffle. That question was an understatement. "It tastes so good! This is the best breakfast I ever had!"

"Yeah!" Pete nodded, his brown locks twitching with excitement, sharing the same sentiment as her. "You might have just won yourself two regular customers."

"Yeah?" Dudley grinned in relief. "Well, I'm glad you like it!"

"I knew you could do it, dad!" Ran slapped her father's shoulders playfully. "Perfect!"

"What'd you expect?" Dudley puffed his chest out proudly and folded his arms. "I know my way around a kitchen, after all!"

Claire gobbled up some of the fruits, stuffing her cheeks. "My compliments to the chef!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Pete chuckled. His gaze was locked on her constantly smiling face. I don't think I've seen anyone so happy eating breakfast. Though with breakfast like this, he'd look forward to mornings as well.

"Feel free to ask for seconds or even thirds!" Dudley offered.

"Huh?" Pete arched his brows. "Oh, no, we couldn't possibly–…"

"Of course we'll have seconds!" Claire cut in. She wasn't letting this opportunity go to waste!

"That's what we like to hear"! Ran giggled.

"Seconds incoming!" Dudley turned back to the kitchen to serve them another round of food.

"Are you planning in finishing all this?" Pete asked in a low voice.

"We didn't have any meals yesterday, Pete," Claire replied as she chomped her food. "Besides, I'm not turning down free food!"

"Oh, dear…" Pete shook his head, a weak smile appearing on his lips. Claire's joy was positively infectious to his mood.

After a while, Pete and Claire finished two rounds of hearty breakfast. He was astonished by her huge appetite. I didn't realize she could eat a lot! She even offered to eat his share which he was heavily against.

"Whoa, you ate a ton!" Ran exclaimed and clapped her hands. "The look on your faces while you were chowing down was a reward in and of itself!"

"Seeing people enjoy my food is what makes it all worth it." Dudley placed his hands on their shoulders. "I like you two."

"Thank you so much, really." Pete bowed his head.

"The breakfast was amazing!" Claire grinned. I'm definitely coming here again!

"Hey, now. No need to thank us." Ran shook her head and waved her hand around. "Just keep coming back to our inn. Deal? I'm always here doing one odd job or another."

"You're welcome anytime." Dudley gently squeezed Pete's shoulder and shot him a knowing wink. "Come say hi to Ran whenever you have a spare moment, would you?"

"E-Er…" Pete scratched his cheek awkwardly. What does he mean by that look? "S-Sure…?"

"Ugh, dad…" Ran rolled her eyes at her dad's act. "Quit it."

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If this dialogue feels familiar to you, it's Ann / Ran's intro event! (I just call it the first black heart event lol.) I'll be incorporating the marriage candidates' events into the story (not all of them, though.) I think they're pretty good to guide the story and introduce other characters as they come.