Chapter 30 – Date Night

Although Cobal made sure to arrive a little bit before the promised time, Salandra was already waiting for him, standing next to the fountain. Her profile was lit up by a nearby fire pit and she was fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. Under her black jacket she was wearing a long dress that was a dark red, almost like the color of wine. It accentuated her figure nicely. She wore black boots that had these high but thick heels under them, making her seem taller than she was. When he came closer to her he noticed that she was wearing beautiful earrings that looked like dangling koi fish. He stood there for a second, just looking at her, before he walked over. She turned in his direction and smiled. “There you are,” she stepped up to him and gave him a hug. “I was already getting worried you wouldn’t show up.”
Cobal laughed nervously. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” He grabbed her hand. She wasn’t wearing any gloves yet her hand still felt warm in his grasp. He could see her cheeks redden from the cold. “Shall we go then, you know the way right?”
Salandra nodded. “Follow me.” They walked across the square and down an alleyway as it slowly started getting dark, a byproduct of living in a city covered in a canopy of leaves. Several of the restaurants and inns had small fires lit outside to keep the customers who preferred to sit outdoors warm. The restaurant they made their way to was no different. Above the door was a sign that said The Forest Bounty. Cobal walked in after Salandra and the sound of a small bell accompanied their arrival. As soon as they had made their way inside, one of the servers walked up to them. “Miss Fevezar, my name is Gardon and I will be your server for tonight. Your table is right over here.” He led them to a booth in the back of the restaurant, looking out over a small park. The table had a circular bench around it with soft padding that allowed them to sit comfortably near each other. At the center of the restaurant was a small fire pit as well, with a chimney leading out through the ceiling.
“I have a menu for the both of you but if you would like something to drink first, please let me know.”
Cobal looked at Salandra. “I think some red wine would be lovely,” she said.
Cobal nodded. “Is there anything you would recommend?”
“Well, I have a red wine from the Zenbarin region. It’s quite popular among some of the locals.”
“I’m afraid I haven’t tried that before, but I’ll trust in your expertise, we’ll start off with some of that.”
“Certainly sir, I’ll return with your drinks shortly, you won’t be disappointed.” The server had the most polite smile on his face he could muster before walking off.
Cobal looked nervously at the table. He could smell Salandra’s perfume and he was very conscious of how close she was. It smelled like a mixture of some sweet herbs that he didn’t quite recognize, but it was a very pleasant smell.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving again soon,” Salandra said, “it feels like you’ve only been in town for a little while.”
Cobal sighed. “We never intended to stay here very long. We had a particular job to do and it was always the plan to leave as soon as we’d accomplished that. I need to go home and speak with my father as soon as I can and even allowing Mana a few more days to study with Lysa was already something we had to seriously think about.”
“I know, I know, you’re an important prince and all that, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She chuckled. “If I had my way you would stick around a bit longer. I’m surprised you even let Mana stay a little while longer. She’s lucky that you’re willing to accommodate her so much.”
Cobal frowned. “We took her home from her without her ever being able to go back. Once I fully realized how cruel this was I knew I would have to do a lot to ever make it up to her. She has a lot of anxiety and although I can’t relate to most of it, I do see the pain she goes through even when she’s trying her best not to show it. Being away from home, having to learn all these new cultures and rules and to then also be a chosen hero that has many expectations put upon you, it’s a miracle she’s doing as well as she is.”
“It sounds like you really care for her.”
Cobal smiled. “Jealous? We’ve become very close over a short time. I didn’t expect that to happen either, but after we got over our initial hurdles I found her company very pleasant. Like an older sister that’s much wiser than you.”
“Not a high bar to reach,” Salandra joked. She leaned up against his shoulder.
“And here is the wine you ordered,” their server said as he put down the two glasses and filled them, “have you decided what you want to eat yet?”
“What does the future hold in store for you?” Cobal asked. They were about halfway through their dinner which consisted of a very tasty mushroom soup and some freshly baked bread stuffed with bacon and cheese. They ended up finishing the bottle of wine and ordered a second one during dinner.
“I will continue my research. I think I want to move more into field research than I have been. I’m still young so it’s probably best to do that sort of thing now and not when I’m older, but I never really had the courage or the opportunities before. Talking to your friend, Grac, has really motivated me and also given me the opportunity that I’ve been looking for. I want to build a bridge between our community and Tas’Irkan through the only way I know, sharing knowledge. I’m going to write a book on their culture and try to get it approved into the library. I’ll start with Tas’Irkan and if the opportunity arises I want to do the same for other cultures like the Wolsar.” She smiled. “It’s all very exciting and I have to admit I’m still a bit nervous. I’d be lying if I said that thought didn’t scare me.”
Cobal nodded. “New horizons can be very intimidating, but speaking from experience they can also be very rewarding. We would have never met each other had I stayed in the royal capital and tried to convince Mana to study there instead of going on this journey. I’m forever grateful to my father for giving me this job. Besides, I want to go to Tas’Irkan one day as well, so a travel guide would be nice.” He laughed. “I learned that word from Mana, it’s a book that tells you what to do when you visit a strange place.”
Salandra’s eyes widened. “That’s a great way to try and convince people to buy my books. I’m stealing that.”
“By all means, if it goes well I think Mana might have a trick up her sleeve to help you sell a lot of them.”
“What do you mean?”
Cobal waved his hand through the air. “Nothing to worry about yet, it’s just that she’s been working on something alongside a friend of ours that could be helpful when it comes to the distribution of books.”
“I see.” She didn’t seem convinced.
“Either way, I’ll definitely support your book once it comes out.”
They spent a couple of hours talking about each other’s pasts, their goals and their dreams before finally making their way out of the restaurant after finishing up their dessert. Cobal had ordered a very expensive piece of cake and Salandra had coffee with ice cream floating in it.
Arms locked they walked through the city, the cold evening air feeling refreshing after being indoors for a while. Cobal fidgeted with his pocket before pulling something out. “Here, I want you to have this.” He pulled out a small box that he gave to Salandra. “Open it.”
She carefully opened the box, revealing a small ring with the Blueyerd Royal signet engraved in it. It had a slight alteration that indicated that it was Cobal’s personal symbol. “This way you can always reach me through official channels.”
Salandra’s eyes sparkled. “Are you sure I can have something this valuable?”
Cobal nodded. “You’ve been an incredible source of wisdom over the past few weeks and I’ve greatly appreciated your companionship. It seems only right to give you something significant in return.”
Salandra put on the ring carefully and inspected it. It had a blue tone to it, as was to be expected. After a few moments of admiring it she reached into her bag. “Well what a coincidence, I got you something too.” She pulled out a small package wrapped in paper and handed it to Cobal. It felt light and soft in his hands. Cobal opened it up to reveal a beautiful scarf of deep red and purple colors. “Blue isn’t really my color so I hoped you’d remember me by the colors I like to wear,” she said with a smile.
Cobal smiled back and put the scarf around his neck. “I love it, thank you so much.”
As they walked they talked a bit more about Cobal’s travels with Mana. Cobal spoke of Dionil and Salandra asked him how he came to be such close friends with the old elf.
“Well, the story starts quite funny as he knocked me unconscious the first time we met.”
“Excuse me, he did what?”
“Well, I did kind of charge at him in a fit of rage so I suppose it was my fault as well. We made up shortly after though and he soon became like a mentor to me. He is very wise and kind.”
“I’d love to meet him some day.”
“Well if you use my signet ring I’m sure they’ll let you visit him near Milinia, he’ll recognize it at least.”
“Maybe someday in the far future, but not anytime soon.” After a while the Phantom Homestead came into view. The fires on each side of the road lit up the neighborhood with patches of darkness wherever there was a street going one way or another. Cobal opened the door to their inn and Salandra stepped in with Cobal quickly stepping in after her. He looked over in Clara’s direction, who was sitting at the bar with Eliana. She smirked in his direction and tossed him a set of keys without saying anything. Cobal blushed and gave her a quick nod.
He grabbed Salandra by the hand and the pair made their way up the stairs towards one of the empty rooms. Cobal unlocked the door and held it open, gently pulling Salandra into the room as she closed and locked the door behind them.