Drageria
Ch.7: The Dinner
When Izuku finally woke up, he didn't want to. He was more comfortable and relaxed than he had ever felt in years. The bed and pillows were the softest things he had ever felt. Eventually, his brain woke up enough for him to remember the dinner he was supposed to attend. He finally got up and rubbed his eyes while pulling up the covers and putting his legs over the side.
Once his eyes worked well enough to see, he noticed he was wearing blue pajamas that weren't his and wondered why and how. He pushed it out of his mind and finally stood to his feet. He nearly fell over! He quickly grabbed a part of the bed and kept himself from falling on his face. He sat back on the bed and noticed that he didn't just feel relaxed and rested, as did his body. Apparently, his muscles were as awake as his brain.
After briefly reteaching himself to stand and walk, he moved over to the covered window and tore it open. When he looked out, he was shocked to see that it was evening. He must've only been asleep for a few hours at best. He hoped to catch its tail end.
He looked around the room for a closet to change into, but he immediately realized that this wasn't his room. He was probably just there while he slept.
He wished that Cherry was here to help him, but then he noticed something on the nightstand. He walked over and saw it was a note for him. He opened it and read it aloud.
Dear Izuku,
I hope you slept well. By the time you read this, it'll be dinner time. This room you found yourself in is your room. Please decorate it as you please and make yourself as comfortable as possible. There's an outfit that I, Arete, picked out for you. Your other outfit I had the liberty of disposing of. Please be down as fast as you physically can. See you soon.
Tachibana
Izuku put the note down and looked around at the room….his room—his new room that wasn't related to his past. His past….. was gone. He had something new—a new start, a new him, a new everything. He tightened his fists and knew he had to make the most of this newness. With this fresh start, he had to become a better version of himself, and he was!
Just as he was about to march to the closet, he saw his notebook on the nightstand beside his note. He looked at the thing and wanted nothing more than to tear it to shreds, especially the autograph from All Might! To him, it was nothing but a reminder of his past! A past he wanted nothing more with and wanted to forget!...but he couldn't. Tachibana's words still lingered in his head, his praises, his first praise or compliment for that matter. His old obsession did have value where others couldn't see it. Maybe his love for something could end up making him a hero in another way…... maybe he really could be a hero.
He sighed contently as he marched over to the closet and saw the first article of clothing, a suit similar to Tachibana's other higher-ups. However, it appeared to be for someone of much lower stature, sure of its simplicity.
It was primarily black with golden designs around it, with a white undershirt, a red bow tie, and…..red shoes. This shocked Izuku the most. He did miss his red shoes; they were the one thing he liked the most. He also realized he had been going around almost completely barefoot for the entire time. He briefly wondered how, then remembered Tachibana and his plot convenience all-knowingness. He sighed and then immediately threw the outfit on.
He walked to a mirror and examined himself. He sure looked…. dashing, even if the shoes clashed with it a bit. Overall….he never looked better. Trying to comb his hair would be a waste, so he forgoed it, grabbed his notebook, and made his way out of his room into a long hallway with identical doors lining up and down.
The doors are tall and made of mahogany with golden designs edged into them. From there, the same stone walls and ceiling with gold-designed edging, small light fixtures above, and many different paintings, other works of art, and potted plants decorated the halls. Izuku didn't know which way to go, so he went down one way and stuck to it.
For some odd reason, he could not find any servant to ask for directions. Maybe they were all busy? But soon, the seemingly never-ending hallway felt like it was beginning to loop. Until he finally found a doorway opening with no door and stairs that led downward. He followed it until he found himself back in the foyer.
He briskly walked down the stairs of the ominously quiet foyer and looked around for anyone once he reached the bottom. There weren't even any guards like before. He looked over the Gates of Drakes and saw they had been locked up again. Tachibana's kids were no doubt back in their "room".
He looked over to one side and thought he saw a guard standing in position, but when he got there, it was nothing but an armor stand holding up some beautiful polished silver armor. He noticed something moving behind him as he admitted its pristine glint and reflective properties.
He squinted his eyes to focus on it, but then he saw what looked like a sword being raised over his head! By sheer instinct alone, he jumped out of the way just as a sword came crashing down on the armor and destroyed it! He quickly looked back and saw a person clad in black armor and a blood-red cape wielding a huge sword that looked like something out of some anime! (It's the Dragon Slayer Sword from Berserk)
The "Dark Knight," as Izuku mentally referred to him, brought the sword up from the rubble, which used to be beautifully polished silver armor, and shook it clean before taking another swing at Izuku! The teen had just enough time to hold up his notebook as a shield and ended up having it slashed in half! The green boy took the opportunity of the Dark Knight repositioning his sword to try and escape! But the Dark Knight was quick and ended up slashing just below Izuku's head at a pillar!
He pulled it out with ease and managed to outmaneuver the panicked teen. He slashed at the floor, and Izuku jumped back and fell over. He tried to scramble away, but the Knight was on him in a second with his swords raised over his head! Izuku gasped and shielded himself while bracing for the inevitable! He heard the knight grunt and slash the sword through the air! However, he didn't feel the rush of refined steel cutting through his fleshy body like soft butter. Instead, he heard a clanging sound, like the sword hit something hard.
He opened his eyes, looked up from his cocoon, and saw Tachibana holding back the sword too between his index and middle finger. Judging by the look on his face and the aura he was exerting, he was not happy. He quickly threw the sword far off into the foyer by his fingers alone and stood in the back of Izuku while staring down the Dark Knight, who seemed to submit.
The tension was thick, but it was cut when Tachibana asked, "Are you serious right now, Crna Straža?! Here? In my foyer! Look at the mess you made! Now I have to clean everything again!" he shouted while motioning to all the gashes and destroyed objects in the room. And attacking a guest on top of it?! I assumed you had more self-control over the years, but I was wrong. He scolded him.
"But sire, I thought he was an intruder. A spy.", The Dark Knight, Crna Straža, said with a deep booming voice that held no emotion or sign of regret.
Tachibana pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, "You saw a literary child, and your first instinct was to hack his head off?"
"Never underestimate any opponent.", He replied back bluntly.
Tachibana shook his head, slapped his face, and moaned, "Sometimes I really wonder about you."
"T-T-Tachib-b-b-bana.", Izuku fearfully stammered out on the verge of tears.
Tachibana looked down at Izuku with an expression of apology and pity, helped him up while brushing him off, and said, "Sorry about that, Izuku. My bodyguard takes his job a bit too seriously."
"B-B-Body G-G-Guard?", Izuku stammered.
Tachibana rolled his eyes in amusement and said, "I know, I know. Strange for a literal God to need a bodyguard." He then turned from Izuku and called out to his bodyguard. "Crna Straža! Come here and apologize to Izuku!" he commanded forcefully, his voice echoing through the foyer.
The Dark Knight came forward before Izuku, making him shudder and retreat to Tachibana's comforting hands. He knelt down with one hand on his knee and bowed his head as he spoke in his deep and foreboding tone.
"Forgive me, young master. I had no prior knowledge of your residence in my Lord's Castle. I am Crna Straža, loyal bodyguard to Lord Tachibana.", Crna Straža introduced himself before returning to retrieve his sword.
Once he is out of earshot, Tachibana rolls his eyes and says, "He does this every time I hire a new staff member. It's almost an initiation." Panic immediately sets into Izuku as his mind wanders into a terrible thought.
Tachibana knew what he was thinking and quickly reassured him, saying, "No, he didn't try to kill Eri. I would've whipped him good if he tried that on a baby.", At this time, the knight returned, but Tachibana stares him down while commanding, "Now begone with you, Crna Straža! I'll figure out a proper punishment for you after dinner."
The knight bows and turns on his heels while walking through a doorway with nothing but the sound of his armor clicking into the darkness before fading out to nothing.
"How did you get him?", Izuku finally asked once his armor's sounds had faded.
Tachibana waved off the question while saying, "A different story for a different time. More importantly, how did you sleep?"
Izuku momentarily thought, smiled, and replied, "Better than I ever had."
"I would think so. You've been asleep for a whole day.", Tachibana giggled.
Izuku's eyes nearly shot out of his head as he shouted in shock, "What?!"
Not realizing his wording, Tachibana caught himself and said, "Woah, woah, woah! Calm down there! Everything is fine. You just needed some rest."
"But! But! ERI!", Izuku began to panic.
Tachibana cut him off and waved his hands while stating, "Is fine. She was a bit worried about you, but you were hard asleep when we let him visit you. I was honestly starting to get a bit worried about you myself.", After seeing Izuku visibly relax, Tachibana changed the subject saying, "Well come on. Let's get to dinner."
The two walked down the hallway, Izuku stepping in cadence with the man. It is evident that Tachibana knew this castle as an extension of him. Ducking into one doorway opening, crossing over this hallway, turning this fork in the road, ect ect. Good thing, too, Izuku had no idea where to go. Just looking down the hallways of this place gives him vertigo. As they walked silently, a thought crossed his mind, so he stopped. Being in tune with his walking partner, Tachibana turned around and saw him bowing deeply.
"Thank you for the room.", Izuku said to him.
Tachibana smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look up. He waved his hand and said back, "Consider it nothing. While you're a guest in my home, you'll be treated with the best I have to offer." Izuku smiled at his kindness, only for him to ruin the moment, making his expression drop to deadpan neutrality as he followed up, "And besides that, I have so many I end up using some as storage."
They both continued their walk until they came to a new set of large Birchwood doors with gold trim and engraved designs. Tachibana easily swung the doors open to a large dining area with several people sitting around a half-oval-shaped table. Further back, all 6 of Tachibana's dragon children were on both sides of the table. All of the people were engaged in murmuring small talk, but all stopped as Tachibana appeared before them. The Dark God elegantly opened the door, entered the room, stroking a pose between the two half-opened doors, and stood there posing between the open doors with wings spread and expression full of ham.
"I'm so sorry we're late, everyone! Crna Straža gave Izuku the "welcoming initiation" again." Tachibana apologized and explained their tardiness.
Cherry waved it off and said, "It's no problem, Lord Tachibana. We were just about to start."
"What did he break this time?", Arete asked with a deep sigh while taking out her clipboard.
"A pillar, the floor, part of the carpet, my favorite decorative silver armor, and Izuku's fabulous notebook.", Tachibana listed off, like this wasn't the first time it happened, while Arete jotted everything down.
"Who?" Deskin asked while looking at a book. He looked up and saw Izuku before sarcastically mockingly saying, "Oh, him. I thought he was dead."
Arete, who was sitting next to him, smacked him and exclaimed, "He was just sleeping, you idiot!"
Deskin growled while holding the back of his head, snapped at her while yelling, with eyes glowing bright blue, "I told you not to hit me, harlot!"
"There they go again.", A black man at the table rolled his eyes.
"I ship it.", A woman with short blond hair giggled.
"Just one quiet dinner. Is that really too much to ask?", a man in a hooded cloak said, sighing.
"Hi Izuku!", Eri called out from the table with a wave, sitting on a high chair.
"Hi Eri!", Izuku called back with a wave.
Some of the dragons even seemed to greet Izuku's entry, or maybe just Tachibana. But still, Ladon looked ready to bouch off his spot and tackle the two of them. While some of the other dragons looked at Arete and Deskin's fight with amusement, two seemed to chant.
Seeing as the two of them were still fighting, much to Tachibana's exhaustion, an older man in a military uniform stood up abruptly and shouted, "Alright, alright, enough, you two! We're having dinner right now, and there is no fighting! Understand?"
Arete and Deskin gave each other one last nasty glare before begrudgingly sitting down and turning away from one another. Some of the dragons even stopped chanting or getting excited by their squabble.
"Thank you, general.", Tachibana thanked the man with a sigh as he saluted the Dark God.
"Who's the boy, Lord Tachibana? He's cute.", The woman asked seductively while fluttering insect wings on her back.
Tachibana decided to ignore her, pushed Izuku forward, and told him, "Izuku, I'm sure a few faces at this table seem familiar, so let me introduce the ones you don't know."
"The man with the hyena sprouting from the back of his head is my Treasury advisor and accountant, Bultungin.", He introduced the first man.
Bultungin was a dark-skinned man of African heritage. He was tall yet thin, with no hair, green eyes, and small tribal tattoos on his head, face, and neck. He wore a similar outfit to Deskin, and his most outstanding feature was the spotted hyena head sprouting from the back of his head.
Bultungin gave a slight bow and said, "A pleasure."
He pointed to the woman next to him and introduced her, "The woman who looks like a fairy is my Admissions and Forestry Chief, Fay."
Fay was a shorter woman with thin yet defined feminine curves, short frizzy blond hair with red flowers growing from it, and blue eyes with long pointed ears like Tachibana. She wore no shoes, her fingers and toenails were painted differently, and her outfit differed greatly from everyone else. It was like a fairy would wear: pieces of natural leaves and flowers stitched together like a long one-piece corset revealing much of her body. Her most defined features were two small horns sprouting from her forehead, a set of butterfly-like wings on her back, and her face like a cat's. Always make this face: *w*
"I have two jobs because only one requires part-time work. It's nice to meet you, kid.", She briefly explained her two different titles with a wink.
"The man in the hooded cloak is Crinaxx, my Alchemist and Medical healer.", Tachibana introduced the next man at the opposite end of the table.
The man, Crinaxx, was hard to distinguish since he kept his….. everything covered. He wore a deep purple hooded cloak with gold designs that appeared to unbutton to a full cape. His hands were covered in black gloves and black boots. The only physical feature he could see was his hair, which peaked out over his hood and appeared to be a mix of gold and black. His eyes were heterochromatic purple and yellow and glowed under his dark hood. He also seemed to make a strange noise from his throat.
"Hello.", He greeted Izuku very simply.
"The older gentleman in the soldier uniform is the general of my army, General Douglas MacArthur.", Tachibana introduced the last man next to Crinaxx.
MacArthur was an older man in his 60s, stout, somewhat plump, with black hair beginning grey with hard green eyes. He was clean-shaven apart from his prominent sideburns. A large gash came over his face and down his neck as his most defining feature. He wore an outfit made for a man of the military, with different medals on his chest, ropes around his arms, and other insignias that Izuku didn't know.
MacArthur saluted Izuku and greeted him, saying, "Nice to meet you, young man. Lord Tachibana speaks praises of your vast intellect and analytical skills."
"And last we have…..we have…..", Tachibana trailed off at an empty seat. His wings fell to the floor, as did his expression with exhausted irritation, and he asked, "Aw dammit. Where is Hilton Heim?"
"Same place he always is when you need more land to expand.", Deskin told him.
Tachibana wiped down his face with an annoyed groan and stomped over to what looked like a radio device sticking out of the wall. He turned it on, and an unseen speaker system clicked to life. His voice rang out over the whole castle, and he shouted, "Hilton Heim! Get your ass down here, it's dinner time!"
Within a few minutes, the sound of something rushing could be heard from a set of stairs in the dining area. Then, the sound of panic, something crashing, something breaking, and finally, something falling down the stairs. Or rather someone, as the sounds of someone screaming and saying ouch repeatedly. Another minute later, someone emerged from the stairs, bringing a trail of papers and scrolling with him in a jet breezeway. He tripped over his own papers and finally managed to catch himself before fixing his glasses and running over to Tachibana in a bow.
"So sorry, Lord Tachibana! I've just been so in tune with this newest project you've put me on! I have so many ideas I want to try, and I-!" The man, no doubt Hilton Heim, apologized profusely and anxiously before getting cut off by Deskin.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it. You're overflowing with dopamine at the prospect of blah blah blah. Just get over here and sit down! If you miss another meal, Lord Tachibana is gonna hypnotize you into taking care of yourself…...again or kick your ass…..again.", Deskin rolls his eyes at his antics with an aggravated tone.
No doubt this was a regular occurrence.
Before leaving, Tachibana introduced him. "And this is Hilton Heim, my Cartographer and Topographical creator."
Hilton Heim raised his head and locked eyes with Izuku. He was tall and skinny, had long, nimble fingers, sunken eyes with black rings like he hadn't slept in days, and a face that didn't hold much meat, appearing very skeletal. He wore large glasses and a strange hat that seemed to slope off to the side. His eyes were blue, his hair was short and brown, and he had surprisingly white teeth. He was dressed in a thick, multi-layered leather outfit with a body cape, shoulder guards, boots, gloves, and a satchel flung over his shoulder, overflowing with scrolls and papers. He even had over a dozen smaller pouches All over his body with paper pencils and a tool belt with tools he didn't recognize.
Hilton Heim immediately stood up and scrambled to introduce himself in the most nervous and scatterbrained brain possible way, "Hey! Nice to meet you; I'm Hilton Heim. But you already knew that. That was stupid! Um, come on, Hilton Heim, save yourself! I'm the head Cartographer and Topographical creator, but you knew that too, damn! I'm an idiot! Um...I basically map out Drageria and help create geological areas with the help of Prince Nidhogg. I um, yeah that's it, um it's nice meeting you….but we're gonna see each other at dinner….which is now….and why am I saying all this-?", He rambled on.
"Hilton Heim!", Deskin yelled.
Hilton Heim shrieked with surprise and ran over to his seat, leaving a trail of papers behind and leaving Izuku with a perplexed yet nostalgic feeling in his gut.
Tachibana laughed, catching the green boy's attention. He quickly said, "I have a feeling you two will get along." Izuku realized how much this guy was like him.
Tachibana clapped his hands and stated, "And together with me, they form my own personal Council of Nine! Helping run and make sure the country stays in top shape.", Izuku looked around and was now amazed by this. Seeing all the people who helped make this country the place it is and seeing such people of power, no, being with such people of power was something else!
Tachibana rubbed his hand eagerly and stated, "Well, let's not waste any longer. I can see some of us are getting impatient." He looked over to three of his children, who were already drooling or biting the pillars. "Let's begin!" he exclaimed, quickly sitting with Izuku.
Izuku was seated right on Tachibana's left side, with Cherry on his right and Deskin next to Cherry. Next to Izuku was Eri in her highchair, and beside was Arete. Izuku thought the two of them were separated during the introduction. He looked down at his place and saw a large empty plate with gold designs, what Izuku could assume was literal silverware, and a folded napkin. He looked over to Eri, who looked up at him with the biggest smile but was taken aback by how much she had changed. She was no longer dirty and covered in rags. She was clean and smelled much better, with hair that looked like fresh snow and made up into many little braids with a pink bow. She was even wearing an adorable pink puffy dress with a large bow tie in it.
"You look so pretty, Eri.", Izuku complimented her.
Eri smiled bigger as she told him happily, "Arete-chan dressed me up."
Izuku looked over and saw the woman fawning over the sight of the two of them, her hands on her cheeks, her eyes closed whimsically, and literal hearts floating off her.
"In about a million different outfits.", Fay commented from the side.
This snapped Arete out of her state and defensively shot back, "Hey! I've never had a younger sister to dress up! Let me have this!"
Before any more talking or arguing could occur, the same chef who brought Tachibana his 3:00 cake came through what Izuku thought of as the kitchen door and announced with a bow, "Dinner is served."
A moment later, four different trolley carts came out from the double doors. They had bowls, pots of steaming soup, pictures of a colored drink, and fresh bread. The smell alone was out of this world, and Izuku realized just how hungry he was. The cooks came around and set out the bowls in front of them filled to the brim with soup, a whole loaf of bread, and the largest glass of the colored drink he had ever seen.
The head chef then listed off the many things being served as they were served, "For today's starter, we have Tomato soup in a Basil balsamic with fresh Italian wheat bread. And for the drink, we have fresh grapefruit juice mixed with apple and raspberries."
Tachibana licked his lips and excitedly stated, "Oh, this looks amazing, as always, chef!"
The head chef bowed and replied, "Many thanks, my Lord. Enjoy."
And with that, he left with only the cooks and their trolleys behind to refill what needed to be. Izuku placed his own napkin on himself before helping Eri, who had no idea how to use it and was trying to wear it. After she was in, he grabbed his spoon and took a spoonful of the red soup. He blew on it and took his first sip. Now, he wasn't much of a soup person, but this was the most amazing thing he had tasted in a while! It almost brought him to tears. But he held back and continued eating between sips of soup, juice, and delicious bread bites.
Meanwhile, on the far side of the room, Izuku saw the six dragons get served their food, which was a lot! All in all, they were each served huge piles of meat that had been prepared in different ways for each of them. Ladon had a mixture of meat, giant dead bugs, and live grubs that he swiped up with his long tongue. Nidhogg got a combination of meat and rocks. Apalala had exclusively fish meat. Fafnir and Quetzalcoatlus are the only two with just straight meat. And Tanit also appeared to have straight meat at first glance, but another look revealed that each one had been rubbed with some kind of strong spice.
They all ate in silence with the occasional yum sound. Someone broke the silence by addressing Tachibana.
"My Lord, please don't eat like that.", Izuku heard Deskin's voice meekly say to him.
Izuku looked over to the man with his mouth half filled with soup and nearly spat it out while dropping his spoon into his bowl! Sitting next to him was the Dark God himself, elbows on the table and holding up his head, which now had an insect-like proboscis coming out of his mouth and into the soup, sucking it up.
Taxh looked at the blue-haired man and asked innocently, "Like what?", he began to purposely make loud sucking noises as he ate while saying animatedly, "I'm offended you would say such a thing! I mean, just how should I be eating like what way?!", He ranted off while slurping even louder, causing a massive roar of laughter to carry around the table to the point even Izuku couldn't help but laugh!
Arete, who was one of the few not laughing or actively trying not to laugh, said, "You're so childish. Even Eri is…. really?", She asked rhetorically as Eri was trying to suck her soup up from her tongue.
"Don't eat like that, Eri. It's not polite.", Izuku gently raised her head.
"But Tachibana-kun is, and he's a god.", Eri innocently argued back.
"No, no, no, she's got a point.", Fay agreed with her, with a mischievous giggle.
"Don't encourage her!", Arete yelled at the fairy woman.
"My Lord," Bultungin addressed him, to which he worked his ears up at him. "What exactly is so special about young Izuku's 'notebook' and young Eri?" the hyena man asked him inquisitively.
Tachibana retracted the proboscis back into his mouth, wiped his face, and explained, "Well, Eri here has a quirk that is similar to mine in terms of casualty. She can revert any living organism to a previous state, though she can't control it now, which is why I've taken her in."
At this, Eri detracted from her previously happy personality, like a turtle huddling into its shell, lowering her head and wishing she was invisible. Izuku wanted to help but didn't know what to say or do. Luckily, Arete stepped in and took control of the situation, saying, "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Eri, dear. Not everyone has a quirk that they're able to control immediately. Some of us just need time. You'll be a master in no time with Lord Tachibana's guidance!", She told her with a bubbly smile, which seemed to bring Eri back from her shell of shame a bit.
Seeing the situation handled, he moved to Izuku and explained, "As for Izuku, he and Eri have a very strong bond, so it made no sense to just separate them. As for his wonderful notebook, it's…..I forgot it in the foyer.", He trailed off as his shoulders slumped and ears fell.
This caused another round of laughter at the table and seemed to bring Eri back out some more as she giggled at Tachibana's embarrassed expression.
"Really Lord Tachibana?", Bultungin rhetorically asked through tears of laughter.
Tachibana's face grew even hotter as he defensively shouted back, "Hey, I was pissed off at Crna Straža! Whatever, lemme just.", He trailed off as he stretched out his hand. A moment later, Izuku's notebook flew into the many pieces it was cut into. Once it was in his hands, the notebook was immediately restored like before, and he handed it off to Bultungin while stating, "There. See for yourself."
Bultungin took the notebook and began skimming it, much like Tachibana did. As Izuku watched the man look over his work, he felt an anxiety attack rise up through his gut, causing a cold sweat, which made him want to hurl!
Bultungin finished skimming, closing the book, and looking at the nervous-looking boy. With a flat yet sincere tone, he said, "Young sir, this is just as amazing as Lord Tachibana says. I'm speechless at your analytical skills."
Yet again, Izuku felt conflicted, surprise replacing his anxiety, and asked back, "You...really think it's good?"
Tachibana slammed his hand on the table, making everyone jump, as he shouted like the ham he was, "Hey! Did my praises mean nothing to you? Now it takes someone else to convince you!? I'm offended!", He crossed his arms all animated, getting a few chuckles.
Bultungin gave a slight chuckle as he told him, "Ah, don't take it so hard, Lord Tachibana. You have a naturally bubbly and kind personality. Some people who aren't used to that might think you're just saying that to make them feel better."
Tachibana whipped his head at him, which actually came off his shoulders, and flew towards him while defensively announcing, "I never lie!" This got a lot of laughter around the table as his body moved animatedly, and his face reddened as he exclaimed, "And I'm not vain either!"
Before they could continue, the head chef walked in and announced, "So sorry to interrupt your revelry, but the main course is ready."
Tachibana's head returned to his body as he sat down excitedly and asked, "Ooo! What's on the menu today, chef? I'm super excited."
The chef smiled proudly and stayed with clasped hands, "Today I cooked up something special on request of Master Cherry for the arrival of Master Izuku and Lady Eri.", Izuku and Eri both looked over at the red-haired man with surprise on his face. He smiled and gave a small bow as the chest continued, "Today, I have cooked a special Drageria delicacy. Slow roasted, honey glazed, garlic rubbed Goosehog with collard greens and butter baked potatoes with a spicy rub."
At every word the chef said, the stream of drool coming from Tachibana's mouth got longer and flowed more heavily. "Oh, Chef, you have no idea what you're doing to me.", he said as the drool came out like a river.
"Lord Tachibana, you're drooling all over the table and on the floor.", Cherry said as his saliva began to spread, and the man lifted his shoes from the wet ground.
"Oh, the floor isn't me.", Tachibana told him nonchalantly.
At first, everyone needed clarification about where this new liquid source was coming from. Then they heard some very heavy breathing. They all looked behind Tachibana's much larger chair and saw Ladon standing there, drooling even harder than his dad while breathing excited, hungry breaths.
"Prince Ladon! Show some dignity!", Hilton Heim scolded the dragon who didn't listen.
Tachibana wiped his own face while causing the drool on the floor and table to evaporate miraculously as he told the purple dragon, "This isn't for you, baby boy. This is our food. You got your food.", Ladon immediately dropped his head on the ground so hard it made the floor quake a bit. He made a high-pitched sound like a toddler complaining. Tachibana rolled his eyes and said back more firmly, "Don't wine.", Ladon made the same sound again, this time longer, and Tachibana mimicked him while telling him like a dad, "See, I can do it too. Now go back with your brothers and sisters!"
Ladon, like a child, dragged himself across the ground back to his spot and begrudged his own life of meat. With this, the chef bows as the soup trolleys roll out, and a new, much larger one is pushed out with the main course. The Goosehog was like some kind of pig mixed with several bird parts. Izuku could tell this since the head was still attached.
It sat on a silver platter surrounded by decorative greens and fruits. Two smaller trolleys came in with the side dishes: one held the mixed collard greens, and the other had the butter-baked potatoes. Like the soup, it all smelled out of this world, and Izuku felt hungry all over again. The two smaller trolleys came around and quickly served everyone their side dishes, while the larger one stopped at each individual person to cut off and serve them the meat of their choice.
Oddly enough, Tachibana was served last, which didn't insult anyone, especially Deskin, who was usually quick to defend his honor. Izuku thought that Tachibana had it this way on purpose. He didn't even seem bothered by it, even when the trolley had the backtrack to give someone more meat. Once they were all served, they ate in silence, the only sounds coming from people who were complementing the main course.
"This. Was. Amazing!", Fay exaggerated.
"This is the best.", Bultungin sighed with content
"I wish my stomach were bigger.", Hilton Heim licked his lips happily.
"I wish we could eat Goosehog more often.", The normally quiet Crinaxx chimed in quietly.
"Yummy!", Eri exclaimed with food all over her mouth.
As they ate, Tachibana looked over and addressed one of his cabinet members, saying, "So general. When are you taking new recruits?"
General McArthur quickly swallowed his food while wiping his face and answered, "Not for another month, at least. I just finished up the last batch and have to prepare. Why do you ask my Lord?"
He touched Izuku's shoulder, almost choking him, and said, "Izuku here would like to join, become a 'hero' if you would."
The general stared at Izuku, making him nervous with his half-filled mouth, and said with a slight smile, "Well, consider yourself accepted, young man. The royal guard needs more bright minds like you. I only wish more Silvarians would join as opposed to Tealgaliests."
"You know we're not made for combat, general.", Arete butter in firmly.
McArthur sighed with a nod and continued saying, "Right, right. But just note that even though you are getting my recommendation from Lord Tachibana, I won't treat you with any sort of pleasantries. You'll be treated like everyone else."
"I wouldn't have it any other way.", Tachibana agreed with him.
Izuku quickly swallowed his food and asked, "Um, excuse me, sir, but what were those words you said before? Silvarians and Tealgalians."
Tachibana's ears perked up at the question while Deskin and Cherry smiled in recognition at one another as the Dark God replied happily, "Ah! That is a very interesting tale involving Deskin, Arete, and even Cherry. And it goes back. Back to where my kids and I first formed Drageria from the open sea."