The sunlight fell in the room, The faint smell of bread downstairs drifted in from the tavern's kitchen below.
"Wake up, c'monnnn!"
Duja rushed into the room and jumped onto Dilek's legs, forcing him up from his sleep.
"MY LEGSSSSS! YOU FAT SHIT, MY LEGSSS! YOU CRUSHEDDD THEMMM!" Dilek screamed, clutching his blanket in pain.
Marcus rubbed his eyes from the floor, where he'd been sleeping on a thin mattress beside the bed. He looked up and yawned.
"Morning..."
Duja grinned. "Morning, boys.... Wait... where is the other one?"
A muffled voice came from under the bed.
"Morning! I woke up the second Saint shouted," Diego said as he crawled out, hairs sticking up.
"What the hell are you doing down there?" Duja asked, grabbing Diego by the collar and dusting him off.
"Well... Saint really wasn't giving anyone the bed," Diego said sheepishly, "so we just slept on the floor."
Duja turned his head. In the corner of the room, Nandita was still asleep near the wall, the blanket half-pulled over her head. Beside her, Ami was curled up on the table, using her arm as a pillow.
Duja crossed his arms and stared at Dilek. "You really couldn't sacrifice it for the girls? At least those two could have slept on the bed together."
"Oh hell nah. It's my bed," Dilek said, sitting up. "And besides, I believe in equal rights. I voted for that shit in the late 90s."
Marcus blinked at him. "You weren't even born in the late 90s... and womens gained the right to vote in the mid-90s... I think?"
Nandita yawned, stretching her hands. "Not really," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "It was mostly early 1900s in America. It was passed by Congress in 1919 and ratified the very next year."
Marcus stared at her. "Hey, I wanted to ask—how come you know all this stuff? You answered my stuff back then, each time about America."
Nandita smiled sleepily. "Well, I really liked the history of different countries. It was somewhat of an ace subject for me. Always the highest in that itself."
Duja clapped his hands, a broad grin spreading across his face. "Alright, now if you're done, let's go down for breakfast. Right after that, we're going out."
"Out? For what?" Dilek asked, still stretching his sore legs.
"A picnic!" Duja announced.
—
Downstairs, the morning light hit the wooden tables in soft gold.
Dilek had just finished showering and now sat on a chair beside the window. He poured some oil into his hands and started massaging it into his scalp, humming to himself.
Nandita sat across from him while Ami dozed off on the chair beside her.
"Where did you get the oil?" Nandita asked, tilting her head.
Dilek held up the bottle. "Oh, this? Oh yeah, Kelid—I mean, that girl gave it to me. Kelid... the name feels weird knowing it's the opposite of my name."
The door creaked open. Hela stepped out from the kitchen, apron tied loosely around her waist. "Anyone of you come help me in the kitchen, quick," she said, voice brisk but not harsh.
Nandita started to get up, but Dilek raised a hand, smiling. "I lived alone a lot, so I was really good at cooking. Let me help her."
Nandita shrugged and sat back, As if trusting him. As Dilek got up, a notification flickered before his eyes.
BP: 106 (+1)
Skill: Good Cook (acquired)
Dilek stared blankly at the screen as he walked toward the kitchen.
"What? No... I really am good at cooking, you jackass of a system. I don't need a skill for that," he muttered under his breath.
The screen glitched.
ERROR
Skill has been revoked
Skill: Good Cook (deleted)
"Eh? What?" Dilek stopped, infront of the kitchen.
The kitchen was cluttered—shelves lined with jars of spices, baskets of onions, and copper pots hanging. Hela was seasoning a pot, the smell of broth already filling the air.
Dilek started chopping vegetables absentmindedly, his mind still on the screen.
'Revoked? That's new. That never happened before. An error?" he thought. "Hold on—is it because I said I don't need it? Or because I already have it? Maybe it overlapped with my natural skill...'
His knife kept rhythm with the chopping board as his mind wandered.
'Wait... 'skill' is such a confusing word. Like really—the entire system is messed up in itself. There's no proper reward structure... somehow the other world—'
"Dilek, can you pass me them if you're done chopping?" Hela asked.
"Ah, yeah." He handed over the vegetables, and she added them to the pot.
She grabbed a pan and started heating oil as Dilek said, "I'll cook the meat, you can handle the other one."
Hela blinked, surprised, then smiled. "Thanks."
The oil hissed as Dilek placed the meat in the pan. He watched it sizzle, the smell filling the air.
'It's kind of like my hands,' he thought. 'My right hand being the dominant one has more skills—that's like my main ones, not from the system. And my left hand... that's the system skills. Confusing but useful. If my hands are my skills, then my head is the system...'
He turned the meat with a spatula, letting it brown evenly.
"And since I already have a skill with my right hand—me knowing how to cook—the system must have noticed that both hands got a similar skill. That's why... oh, yeah, that makes sense if I think of it like that..."
He nodded to himself. "If I consider the whole thing like my body, it's easier... though it doesn't really work like that. For now, thinking about it like that should be good."
Hela stirred the pot, glancing at him. "What are you thinking so hard about?"
Dilek turned to her. "Oh, nothing."
She smiled faintly. "You seemed quite lost there. But somehow you kept turning the meat without letting it burn."
"Oh yeah, I used to cook a lot for myself," Dilek chuckled. "Kinda had to improve, you know."
"That's nice," Hela said softly. "I can get a helping hand."
"For sure! Call me when you need help," Dilek said, flipping the meat again. "Oh also—the old man? Anton? Is he still asleep?"
Hela nodded. "Yeah. Honestly, I was surprised when we returned and saw you here with a so-called customer."
"Oh yeah, come to think of it, Nandita said you were pretty angry. Is that the reason you came after us? You were looking for us?"
Hela's face tensed slightly. "Uh, yeah... kinda. But still, I wasn't really angry—it was more like concern. I mean... really, you're pretty young." She looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. "And after all, you're a customer. We don't really get that many—it'd be a problem if you leave."
Dilek smiled. "Don't worry. I plan to stay here for a decent while. After all, this tavern does feel like home."
Hela looked at him curiously. "Does it?"
"Yeah, I mean... hold on, uh—I don't know the name of this tavern."
She blinked. "You just said it."
Dilek stared. "It's 'Tavern'? Really? That's the best you could come up with?"
Hela smiled nervously. "I'm not good at naming stuff."
"Well, that's the reason you don't get any customers. No name for the place—just calling it Tavern sounds sketchy. Hell, I could come up with a better name," he said, beaming.
A voice came from behind them. "Says the guy whose party name is 'Party.'"
Hela and Dilek both jumped slightly as Ami appeared in the doorway, stretching.
"I'm hungry. Can I have something?" she mumbled.
"Go set up the table, I'm almost done," Hela replied.
Ami sighed and walked off outside, leaving Hela and Dilek in the fragrant kitchen—as they wrapped it up.
—
Everybody sat at the table in the tavern's dining area. The air smelled of butter, broth, and sizzling meat.
Ami sat with her legs swinging beneath her chair, her plate stacked with scrambled eggs and toasted bread glistening with honey. "Mmm—this is good," she mumbled with her mouth full. "Did Hela make this or Dilek?"
Dilek smirked, slicing into his own portion of seared meat and roasted potatoes. "Obviously me. Hela just stood there stirring stuff for a hour."
Ami swung her legs beneath her chair, happily between bites of scrambled eggs and buttered toast.
"Ami, stop swinging your legs," Nandita said, sipping from her cup of tea. "It's bad manners."
Ami nearly choked on her food, glaring with mouth full of food. "Hm? Don't teach me."
Marcus sat beside them, quietly chewing a slice of buttered toast.
Meanwhile, Diego was already halfway through his meal—eggs, sausage, and a chunk of bread disappearing quickly.
"Eat slowly, you might choke," Duja said between bites of his own breakfast.
Diego froze mid-bite, swallowing hard before gulping down some water. "Right..."
Upstairs, faint footsteps echoed down the hall as Hela carried a tray toward Kelid's room.
Moments later, Anton appeared at the base of the stairs, his expression weary but polite. Duja waved him over, grinning. "Come on, join us, old man. Plenty left."
Anton raised his hands, shaking his head. "Oh no, no, it's alright. I'll just order something else. Can I get the menu?"
Duja blinked, then burst out laughing. "This is the menu, dude. Eat up before it's gone. No menu."
Anton hesitated, looking between them and the table. "Oh… alright." He sat down at a nearby table instead, quietly taking a plate for himself.
Dilek and the others couldn't help staring. The man looked oddly distant sitting there alone, eyes on his plate, like a depressed person.
"This kind of looks like he's the loner in some movie," Ami whispered.
"Shh," Diego hushed. "He seems to be thinking."
Anton, feeling their eyes on him, sighed as he chewed. 'Can't they stop staring at me?'
When breakfast was done, Anton pushed his plate aside and stood up. "I'll pay my share," he said softly. "But this is goodbye. It was nice knowing you all."
Marcus frowned. "What? But you can stay."
Anton smiled faintly. "Yes, thank you for suggesting that Marcus, But it's not right for me to just accept it. Thank you, truly."
Diego looked at Dilek. "Saint, say something."
Dilek leaned back in his chair, glancing lazily toward Anton before turning to Hela—who looked almost desperate not to lose another paying guest. With a sigh, Dilek said, "Hey, old man. By the way, I lied about all that, you know?"
Anton blinked. "What?"
"I've never actually been to the capital," Dilek said with a shrug. "I just made that up. They don't force you to torture people… probably."
Anton's eyes widened slightly, then softened. "It's okay. I kind of thought that was ridiculous—but I did believe it for a while." He smiled faintly. "Even if you lied, thanks. I didn't know what to do. I was just doing whatever people told me to. Thanks to you, I didn't go there, So I'll like to focus on my own choices for now."
Dilek waved dismissively. "Oh yeah, sure, whatever. But you know, Diego told me you don't have a place to stay."
Diego nodded earnestly. "Guy's homeless, Saint."
"Then why not stay here?" Dilek said. "You've got money, right? We can even offer a discount."
Anton froze. His hands trembled slightly, memories flashing—being refused rooms, turned away from inns even when he paid triple.
"But—"
"Old man," Dilek interrupted, his tone softer. "It's your choice. Not mine. Think it through."
Hela stood nearby, visibly relieved.
Duja rose from his chair, stretching. "While you think, we're heading out for a picnic. Take care of the tavern for us."
Anton looked around at them—Marcus adjusting his clothes, Nandita and Diego chatting as Ami tugged at her cloak, Hela and Duja already at the door.
Dilek turned back being the last to leave. "If you like, we'd want you to join our party. I mean—" he grinned faintly, "we desperately need some actual firepower."
The door swung shut behind them, leaving Anton alone in the quiet tavern.
—
"WOOOHHH! PICNICCCC!" Diego shouted, as Marcus joined in, both of them nearly bouncing with excitement.
"Where are we going?" Ami asked, her hands gripping the edge of the carriage door.
Hela smiled, adjusting her bag. "Oh, in the nearby village. There's a two-day festival, so we're going there."
Dilek blinked, tilting his head. "So we're going to a festival?" He gave a faint sigh. "How the hell is that a picnic according to you?"
Duja, standing near the horses, handed a few bisho to the coachman. The faint jingle of bronze, with the steady sound of the horses as he replied, "It sounds fancy. Festival sounds too old." He turned back to the group, "Everyone get in."
Nandita climbed into the carriage first, followed by Marcus and Ami, who immediately took the window seat. Diego hopped in after them, grinning from ear to ear.
Dilek sighed but smiled faintly as he stepped up. "Well, I suppose I'll enjoy this."
A few feet away, Kelid stood, her expression blank. "Why the hell am I here?" she muttered.
Hela turned to her with a bright smile. "It's going to be fun."
Kelid's eyes flicked toward her, then away. She frowned, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "What a pain."
The horses neighed softly as the carriage began to roll forward.