After realizing where he'd gone wrong, Altaïr decisively got up, went to the door of Isis's room, and knocked firmly on it.
"I shouldn't have ignored the risks to myself and stayed behind alone to cover the retreat. That was a failure to trust my comrades. I'm truly sorry! I won't do it again!" Altaïr said loudly.
There was no sound from within, but he was certain Isis could hear him; after all, she wasn't deaf.
After waiting several seconds, the door opened a crack.
"Staaaare..."
Isis peered at him through the gap in the door, her gaze dark.
Just as Altaïr was about to say something more, the door slammed shut with a loud "bang!"
Altaïr: "..."
He could sense that Isis's anger had eased somewhat, but not completely.
So what should he do now, keep knocking? His gut told him that was probably not a good idea.
Putting himself in her shoes again, when he was angry and upset, having the person who had made him mad bang repeatedly on his door would definitely not improve his mood.
Sajji was beside him, mouthing the words, "Felyne Chef! Felyne Chef, meow!"
Altaïr almost blurted out, "Let's go have a big meal at the Felyne Chef's place," but luckily, he didn't have a habit of speaking without thinking.
He'd just been asked sarcastically by Isis, "Do you think I'm stupid, with nothing on my mind but food?" Inviting her out to eat now would be like throwing fuel on the fire.
So he rephrased it. "You haven't eaten anything the whole way here either, have you? I'll go to the Felyne Chef and get some food to bring back."
With that, he took Sajji and left.
As he rounded the hallway corner, he spotted Nymera hiding there, eavesdropping. Seeing him approach, she grinned and gave him a "go ahead" gesture.
Altaïr rolled his eyes and returned to the Guild Hall's main floor. He was just about to ask someone where the Felyne Chef had set up shop when he saw a familiar figure striding toward him with an intimidating air.
"...Hello, Guildmarm Sophia."
Sophia, however, had no interest in greeting him. The cold light reflecting off her glasses made her expression unreadable. "I heard from Hannah, the Val Habar guild receptionist, that you and Isis are back."
Before Altaïr could confirm this, she continued, "She said Isis looked angry and upset, and that you were followed by two other pretty ladies?"
"...?"
What the? Even if that was technically true, who put it like that?!
Altaïr instinctively glanced over at the counter. Behind it, the guild receptionist Hannah, with her head of bright pink, wavy hair, flashed him a meaningful smile.
Realizing that Ms. Sophia had gotten the wrong idea, even if the premise behind it was itself a misunderstanding, he still decided to explain things properly.
"Isis is angry because during the fight with the Monster, I forced her to leave and stayed behind alone to cover the retreat.
"As for those two, one is a comrade on our team, and the other... is a special case. You could say she's a junior who latched onto Isis and keeps tagging along uninvited."
Sophia paused, a little taken aback. This wasn't what she'd imagined at all.
Still, she didn't think Altaïr would lie about something like this, since it was the kind of lie that could be exposed the moment she asked the person involved.
Her expression softened slightly. "So what kind of Monster was it?"
"Monoblos."
"Monoblos?!" Sophia's eyebrows shot right back up.
"No, no, no." Altaïr waved his hands frantically. He and Isis had a history with Guildmarm Sophia, and he didn't dare be vague now.
"It was the Sandship Racing Tournament. On the way, the fleet was attacked by a Monoblos. We were serving as the fleet's guards and had to fight back. We barely managed to escape."
"I see." Sophia's expression finally returned to normal. "Which room is Isis in? I'll go see her."
"Second floor, second door on the right," Altaïr answered, then quickly added, "Ms. Sophia, do you know where the Felyne Chef's shop is now? I want to buy some food to bring back for Isis."
Sophia huffed, but still gave Altaïr the address before turning and striding away.
"That was close, meow." Sajji wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Honestly, it was a relief that it wasn't the kind of thing Guildmarm Sophia had imagined, meow. Otherwise, they could forget ever setting foot in Val Habar again, meow.
Altaïr flicked one of Sajji's ears. The two left the Guild Hall and, following the address Ms. Sophia had given them, soon found the Felyne Chef's shop.
—--
Business at the Felyne Chef's shop was booming as always. Even though it wasn't peak dining hours, several tables of customers were already eating.
Given the Felyne Chef's cooking efficiency, handling a few tables like this was child's play.
He tossed ingredients in the massive wok, stir-fried them for a while, added some broth, put the lid on to let it simmer, and still had time to brew himself a cup of tea.
Before he could take a sip, he saw Altaïr and Sajji approaching.
"When did you two get here, meow?" He set down the teacup and stood on his tiptoes to look behind them. "Where's Isis, meow? Isis didn't come, meow?"
"Isis isn't in a good mood and doesn't feel like going out to eat. I came to get some food to take back for her," Altaïr said honestly.
"You're joking, meow?" The Felyne Chef retorted with a strange look.
"I mean it."
"Well, that really is unusual, meow." The squinty-eyed Felyne Chef's expression instantly turned solemn. "Wait there, meow. I'll get things ready and go visit her with you, meow."
Altaïr and Sajji exchanged glances.
But then again, before today, if they'd suddenly heard that Isis didn't want to eat because she was in a bad mood, they probably would've been scared half to death, too.
The Felyne Chef, working at full tilt, was astonishingly efficient. In less than twenty minutes, dishes filled two enormous food boxes, and an entire steamer of special steamed buns was ready.
He was just about to take off his apron and put out the stove to close up shop when Altaïr quickly stopped him.
"Felyne Chef, maybe I should just go myself." Altaïr laughed awkwardly. "Isis is upset because of me. Dragging an elder along to see her right now might not be the best idea."
The Felyne Chef's tidying motions paused, and he glanced sideways at him. "What's this about, meow?"
Altaïr had no choice but to explain it all over again.
"So that's what happened, meow." The Felyne Chef seemed to approve of Altaïr's decision to stay behind as the rearguard. He pushed the two massive meal boxes, stacked together until they nearly reached a man's height, right in front of Altaïr.
"Cheer her up properly, meow. Bring her to the shop tomorrow for something hot, meow."
With that, he scampered off to greet the newly seated customers.
Off to the side, Sajji was counting on his claws. "The Val Habar Guildmarm, the best Felyne Chef, the best smith, the best merchant. Boss, if you don't calm Isis down, you won't be able to take a single step in Val Habar, meow."
"You talk too much." Altaïr set his money on the table, then plopped the towering stack of steaming baskets full of steamed buns onto Sajji's head before hefting the two enormous meal boxes himself.
"Let's go. If we drag this out any longer and don't head back, Isis is going to come out hunting for food on her own."
—--
The Hunter and the Felyne staggered back to the Guild Hall. Under the odd stares of many other Hunters, they hauled the meal boxes and steaming baskets up to the second floor and arrived at the door of the small room Isis had rented.
Altaïr set down the meal boxes and opened their lids, then lifted the lids from the steaming baskets as well. He waited until the aromas had wafted for a moment before knocking softly on the door.
In his most tempting voice, he leaned close to the door and said, "The food's here. Let's see, we've got the Felyne Chef's special meat-filled steamed buns, freshly roasted Gargwa legs sprinkled with Val Habar spices, spicy braised tofu with a numbing kick, stir-fried rice with more toppings than rice, and–"
The door was yanked open. Isis glared at him furiously.
She desperately wanted to shout, "I won't forgive you just because of food!" But she couldn't stop her stomach from letting out a rumble.
"I didn't open the door because of the food!" Isis, blushing crimson, insisted loudly.
"Of course, of course." Grinning broadly, Altaïr lifted the meal boxes and, with Sajji, squeezed his way through the door. "Sajji and I haven't eaten either. Let's eat together, share a little..."
(Translated by yourtl.app)