Dragonfire II: The Twilight Invasion

Chapter 29: To be One

It had been a week since Albedo asked Moona about Raime. The tension between them had stayed just as high the entire time and showed no signs of weakening. Or so it seemed. From out of the blue, Moona invited Albedo out to dinner, just the two of them. That night, Albedo was getting ready. She wouldn't miss the opportunity, lest the tension build further. She was putting on some expensive perfume in her and Kei's bed-chamber. Kei was sitting on the bed, a blank expression on her face. Albedo was wearing a black suit, without a tie. She had a white button-up beneath the jacket, with the top few buttons undone, exposing some cleavage. She turned to face Kei, setting the perfume on their nightstand. "Do I smell okay?" She asked, "You smell lovely as always." Kei answered. Despite this being a compliment, it didn't sound that way. "Do I...look bad...?" Albedo asked. Kei stood up, grabbing her shirt! She buttoned it up all the way to the neck, leaving only the top button undone. "There. That's better." She said, "Are you...okay?" Albedo asked, "I don't like this. She just suddenly invites you to dinner...and wants to have it alone? I mean...sure she wants to go to some restaurant here in the castle, but really?" Kei answered, "Are you jealous...?" Albedo asked, "Tch." Kei turned away, crossing her arms in annoyance. "Why would I be? It's not like you would try anything with her." She said. Though this was a statement, Kei's tone made it sound like she was seeking confirmation. Albedo took her hands in her own, causing their gazes to meet. "I love you." She said, "I love you more..." Kei responded. Albedo blushed, though she decided not to enter a contest of love with her. It was about time to get going. "If that...Halfling...tries to do anything to you...let me know. I'll put her in her place, war or not." Kei said, "Will do..." Albedo responded. With that, Albedo made her way out of their chambers and off to the restaurant. 

It was a smaller restaurant, with fancy wooden furniture and red cloth all around. The walls and floor were painted a darker gray, while the ceiling was painted to look like stars in the darkness. There was a small stage in the back for musical performances and the like, though at that time it was empty. Upon entering the small restaurant, Albedo almost immediately spotted Moona. She was standing near the entrance waiting for her. "Ah, Albedo! Good to see you. I made a reservation, come." She said. She led Albedo to a table in the corner, where they took a seat on opposite sides of each other. There was a bell in the center of the table, allowing them to call someone over whenever they needed to. Against the wall, there was a napkin holder, next to salt and pepper shakers and an advertisement for strawberry shortcakes. "I've heard this place is good. Have you been here before?" Moona asked, "I came here one time when I was like...twelve. Asami wanted me to come here with her so we could have a fancy dinner. Back then they had just put out an advertisement on strawberry shortcakes." Albedo answered. She glanced at the advertisement by the napkin holder, before her gaze shifted back to Moona. "I guess some things never change..." She thought to herself. "Asami? That's your sister, right?" Moona asked, "Mhm. That's the one." Albedo answered, "What was the occasion?" Moona asked, "Well, we hadn't seen each other for...I don't really remember. I think it was around two years. I had been at war, though I had temporarily returned to the Dragon Keep to await redeployment. She was so happy to see me that she ended up paying for a whole show to take place here. It was pretty crazy." Albedo answered. 

"I see...you've been fighting for a long time then, huh?" Moona asked, "Mhm. As soon I was old enough to lift a sword." Albedo answered, "I see. And was it always that, ah, particularly long sword of yours?" Moona asked, "Yep! Though I can adjust the size to make it easier to use. I've always had it. I guess I inherited it, though...I never knew my parents." Albedo answered, "I see. That's interesting. All I inherited from my parents was my height, which only came from my mother." Moona said, "Your height, huh? So your mother was a Halfling, but your father wasn't?" Albedo asked, "Mhm. I guess my old man was into short people." Moona answered. She leaned forward, moving to rest her elbows on the table. She stopped, however, as she noticed crumbs atop the wooden piece. "Is this place always this dirty?" She asked, "It's just a few crumbs, they probably didn't wipe it off before we got here." Albedo answered, "But...I reserved this table. It should have already been wiped down thoroughly..." Moona said. Albedo thought back on Sammy's words, not long ago; "She's got a thing against germs, you know? It's why she always walks around with gloves on." Moona was indeed wearing gloves. Though she was still wearing her usual attire, so it wasn't really out of the ordinary. Albedo reached over to the napkin holder, pulling one out. She wiped off the table with it, recalling that Moona didn't like when Sammy wiped things off with her bare hands. She leaned back in her seat afterward, and Moona rested her elbows on the now clean table. As they did so, a Waitress walked up to their table. She had long horns protruding from the sides of her head, with long cow-like ears. She was a Minotaur, albeit a variant with a much more Human look. Her only bestial features were her horns, ears, and a tail protruding from her waist.