The amount of people at the dinner table were surprisingly plentiful in comparison to yesterday night. There were the regulars, like Ms. Cecilia and Reginald who as usual sat a chair apart, and then there was Mary, Tucker and me. Tucker sat on my left and Mary was on my right.

In addition, the table also featured the new maids, Valerie and Veronica. It was honestly funny seeing them sitting next to one another. It was like watching a model sit next to an eighth grader.

Sophia was sitting next to Mary and a few chairs away was the animalistic butler.

With so many different people, the topic of conversation varied depending on where you looked. Mr. Reginald and Ms. Cecilia were talking about their day training the new hires and how much work it was, although considering they both had grins plastered on their faces as they spoke, it's hard to believe they didn't at least partially enjoy it.

Sophia was talking to Mary, who was surprisingly engaged in the conversation, although her facial expressions were the same as always. Sophia was showing Mary different maid outfits on her phone that would look good on them and Mary would tell her which ones she liked. Maid things I guess.

Veronica and Valerie were already planning their next day off. Valerie wanted to go to a spa in the city and go shopping for new clothes, which I thought was pretty typical. Though apparently, she worried if they'd have clothes she like that's her size, which makes sense considering how tall she is.

Veronica practically announced during the conversation that she had a secret mission, and one could only guess what that could be. Everyone pretty much ignored it if they heard it, which I'm sure everyone did, but I feel like I saw Mary flinch just a tiny bit. I wouldn't be surprised if she knew how much Veronica idolized her.

Probably the most abnormal thing at the table was beast man sitting alone, holding a book in one hand. For someone who looked so ferocious, it was unusual to see him look so civil amongst everyone.

Surprisingly, the only one who wasn't speaking was Tucker, who was looking down on his phone at something. However, he looked distressed, like something at the table was making him nervous.

My father also wasn't here yet, which while usually commonplace, was odd as he already told Ms. Cecilia and me that he would be announcing our trip at the dinner table.

It was a ten minute wait before the chefs showed up with the food. As usual, Mr. Broussard, a man who loves his dramatic entrances, basically stormed into the room along with his apprentices each holding silver platters.

"It is time for the main course!" He yelled as if he was trying to echo his voice throughout the entire mansion.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on the blonde man yelling like a maniac. Valerie and Veronica both made ugly faces while Beastman and Sophia seemed relatively unfazed.

"About time!" Tucker said, livening up.

"I think we can do with a little less yelling," Veronica complained.

"Agreed," both Mary and Ms. Cecilia said at the same time.

"Nonsense!" Mr. Broussard replied as he and his chefs were setting down the platters. "High morale leads to an increased appetite. And what Chef doesn't want to see all their food eaten up?"

Ms. Cecilia sighed while Mr. Reginald chuckled a bit. "Glad to see you in good spirits as always Paul."

Mr. Broussard heartily laughed "Why of course Reginald. With so many recipes available to me in this house, what do I have to be upset about?"

"Oh, and are these the new recruits?" He said looking at Valerie and Veronica. "The mansion is sure to have a lot more personality now."

Veronica made a face of disgust but Valerie blushed.

"And you two," he said looking at beastman and Sophia. "Do my eyes deceive me? It's good to see you again Leon and Sophia. "

"Likewise," Leon smirked as he looked up from his book for the first time.

Sophia greeted him with a soft smile. "It's good to see you too Paul."

"You as well. Look what a beautiful woman you've grown up to be."

I figured that would make her blush but her face didn't change.

"Well, enough chatter! Time to reveal today's special menu!"

Mr. Broussard lifted the cover and the other cooks followed suit. "Voila! Brown sugar glazed salmon with a sprinkle of sumac, grilled rosemary swordfish, baked stuff lobster, Carbonara with pan seared scallops, crispy coconut shrimp with apricot sweet chili, and parmesan roasted carrots.

"Woah Paul, so much," Tucker gleamed. He raised his fist up. "You rock!"

"It looks really good," I said, not wanting a repeat of yesterday.

"Excellent as always Paul," Mr. Reginald said.

"I agree," Ms. Cecilia said. "It looks amazing."

Veronica and Valerie's eyes practically jumped out of their sockets upon seeing how much food was laid out in front of them.

"Y-y-you mean this is all for us?" Veronica stammered.

"I can die happy now," Valerie said.

"Truly exquisite," Leon said.

Mr. Broussard, already filled with praise, looked at Sophia as his last critique. His held his hand out as if gesturing. "And you? What do you think about it?"

She stared at it for a second and then looked back at him. "I believe broccoli or asparagus would've complimented the sea food better than the carrots. Otherwise, it looks delicious."

The room got quiet for a second and Mr. Broussard paused, but not before immediately breaking the silence with his hearty laughter.

"Harharhar. I see your penchant for food is as strong as ever."

A loud clapping could be heard slowly coming towards us. I looked over to see my father walk in and I instinctively tensed up a little bit.

"Truly impressive Paul. Just what I'd expect from our prized cook."

"Oh Gideon, how nice of you to join us! On what rare occasion are you here today?"

My father sat down at the head of the table and we all looked at him in anticipation. "Well, for one, I wanted to meet the newly appointed staff, since I haven't had a chance to yet."

He looked at Leon and Sophia. "And see how some old colleagues are doing."

Even my father knows them, I thought. Just who are they? I wanted to ask Tucker but clearly that was a touchy subject. I guess I could try Mary...

He cleared his throat. "I also came because I have an announcement I need to make."

"Well, before you do, make sure you eat before the food gets cold. Pretty food is useless uneaten," Mr. Broussard noted.

"You don't have to worry about us," Tucker noted, who was already scooping things onto his plate.

"Well if that's the case, dig in!" Mr. Broussard exclaimed before walking back into the kitchen, along with the rest of the chefs.

It didn't take long for everyone to fill their plates and conversation to resume, although I was the one oddball who instinctively prayed to the goddess for my food. Luckily no one seemed to pay me any mind. My father was speaking to Leon, while Sophia and Mary were talking about their daily work schedule and finding out how different their work was despite having nearly the same position.

Veronica, who easily had the fullest plate, was stuffing her face with food, which made me question where all that food was going. In contrast, Valerie had probably the least amount of food compared to everyone and was eating her food slowly, almost gracefully.

I guess I'll just eat in silence until the announcement. Or at least that's what I thought I was going to do until I felt Tucker tap on my shoulder.

"Yo Arthur," he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"What is pops here for?"

"He's here to send me and you to our deaths," I said casually.

"Seriously. Stop joking around."

...But I'm not joking.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I lied.

Tucker made a thinking face. "Hmm, hope he's not taking our other two free days. I need those."

We did have two more free days, didn't we? Seems like recently every time I get off days something bad happens.

The chatter continued for probably fifteen to twenty minutes before my father clapped loudly, silencing everyone.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your enjoyment, but as I said earlier, I have an announcement."

He cleared his throat again. "Recently, I have been attempting to get on good terms with the women of the forest, the Amazons, in hopes of establishing trade with them in the future."

"Who?" Tucker, Valerie, and Veronica all said.

Both Mr. Reginald and Leon's faces darkened but they didn't say anything.

Ms. Cecilia stayed quiet as well, which I guess was predictable. She already tried arguing against him.

Sophia and Mary seemed to ignore everything and continued eating.

"And," he continued, "I have decided to have the two heirs of the household, Arthur and Tucker, to venture to their village and greet them to show them we mean no harm."

This caught both Sophia and Mary's attention. Their apathetic faces remained but I could practically feel hostility coming from them.

"What!" Tucker exclaimed.

Reginald was the first to speak out. "I disagree with this plan in its entirety."

"As do I," Sophia said.

"I will never agree to this," Ms. Cecilia added. "There's far too many unknown variables."

"Come on, give him a chance," Veronica interjected. "He's probably thought this through and eliminated any risk. Right Mary?"

"I believe this is too risky." Mary said, looking up from her plate for the first time. "It seems rushed and poorly planned."

The room got quiet once again and I don't blame them. I was just as surprised. Mary rarely speaks up in discussions like this.

"Oh, even you Mary?" My father said. "Well, I have in fact minimized the risk. I decided that you and Reginald are to go with them and act as their safeguards."

"Even then," Sophia said, "there's only a slim chance that all goes well."

"I don't like this idea either," Valerie said softly. She looked down as she spoke and was probably too scared of my father to speak any louder. I can understand where she's coming from. She did just get hired.

"I understand that you all have strong feelings about this. But just know it's not even my decision to make anymore. Arthur already agreed to participate earlier today. Right, Arthur?" He looked at me with clear deceit in his eyes.

Everyone turned their attention to me.

Sigh. So this is his plan. Have me win over everyone for him. It's whatever, I'll play along.

Mr. Reginald gave me a stern look. "Is this true Arthur?"

"Yeah, what's up Arthur?" Tucker said. "You don't want to go meet some people in the wilderness, do ya?"

Time to play devil's advocate I guess. As much as I don't want to.

"I'm actually fine with the plan. As long as Mary and Mr. Reginald come with us, I think it should work out fine. Mary is fast and Mr. Reginald is really strong so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Plus Tucker can defend himself fairly well."

"But what about you?" Sophia asked.

"Huh?"

"As one of the two heirs, you matter too." And you can't defend yourself, can you?" You'll be around at least one hundred Amazon warriors that know the jungle very well. To say that you'll be outnumbered will be an understatement. With Mary and Reginald's hands full, what will you do if they go after you?"

"That probably won't happen, though. During the possessed incident a few days ago, Mary herself took all of them herself."

"But from what I've been told," Ms. Cecilia interjected, "the possessed stopped focusing on you and just targeted Mary. Not to mention, do you want to put all that stress on Mary?"

I looked over at Mary, who in turn was looking at me. And as usual, she didn't say anything.

I suddenly felt guilty. I didn't even take Tucker, Mary, or Mr. Reginald's feelings into account. I didn't mind getting thrown into this situation, but they might not feel the same way. It is dangerous and we could die. Sadly, for my own sake, I had to make sure his argument was a success...or I could just throw it back at him.

"I understand the risks that may come along with it, but as Veronica said, my father is known for planning things out and making sure everything is safe. I do not know all the details of this trip, but I have faith in my father and hope that he doesn't lead me, his son, into anything dangerous."

Sophia seemed to relax a bit. "I can understand having faith in your parents. I thought you were for it but clearly you were just coaxed into it."

All eyes returned to my father. He gave me quick glare with probably enough venom to kill an elephant before looking over everyone else. "As you see, Arthur isn't against it and I know this will be a success."

"How so?" Mr. Reginald inquired.

"If I'm being blunt, business intuition. As much as I like to be meticulous and be sure every little detail is taken care of, I'm aware that sometimes you have to follow your heart. And my heart tells me that this can only be a success."

Ms. Cecilia sighed. "As much as I'd like to argue, I can tell that your mind is made up."

My father nodded.

"However, I feel it's only fair to get Mr. Reginald, Mary, and Tucker's opinion on it, since they are the ones being affected by it.

Mr. Reginald stood up and put his arm over his chest. "I still don't agree, but if it is my duty, I'll go."

"I'll go to protect Arthur," Mary said.

"Wait what about me!?" Tucker yelled.

She looked at him with dismay. "You can look after yourself."

Upset, Tucker folded his arms. "Fine, I'll go. For adventure."

I smiled. It's eased my heart seeing them willing to go. It would've left a bad taste in my mouth if they were forced to go.

"Well if that's settled, then make sure you four get some sleep tonight, because you're due to head out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!? But mah off days," Tucker whined.

"You'll be granted a week off after you two come back," my father said. "For your troubles, it's the least I can offer."

"Whoo!"

I expected him to raise his hands up in celebration, but I didn't expect him to lift up mine too.

I couldn't help but laugh. It's hard not to around Tucker sometimes. Seeing this, everyone else eased up and dinner conversation returned to normal. As usual, I finished first. I finished my plate, scooted in my chair, and went upstairs to my room. I plopped on my bed and held up Essentia.

Is the blade that interesting to you? Ms. Myala said.

Kinda. It just feels comforting to have around a knife. Feels more secure than my gun. You don't like this blade though, do you?

It's more or less a prison for me, she said. Can't say I enjoy being trapped in here.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at my door. I sat up to see Sophia standing at my doorway.

"May I come in?"

"Sure."

She walked in and looked all around the room. Then she looked at the bookcase and smiled.

"Still fond of reading I see. Adventure tales and heroic fables I presume?"

"For the most part, yeah."

She sat down next to me and looked at Essentia in my hand.

"Is that the blade that caused a pandemic a few days ago. May I see that it?"

"Umm sure," I said handing it over. "Just be careful, it's really sharp."

"I think I'm pretty comfortable around knives," she joked.

She held it up to the light, and turned it so it shined brightly. "It's so pretty. I wish I had one of these."

I looked at her face and was reminded of the hug she gave me earlier. I could feel my face start to blush and I looked at the floor so she wouldn't see it.

"So umm, is there a reason you came here?"

She looked at me and put the blade down on the bed. "Well," she started, putting a strand of her long hair behind her ear, "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I feel like you think I might've been attacking you."

"I mean, I get it, you just wanted to make sure I was safe and not making reckless decisions. If anything I'm happy to see you looking after me."

"Oh look at you, you sweet talker." She nudged me a bit.

This is calming, I thought. It's like having an older sister I never knew I needed.

She looked at the ceiling. "I like how you turned your father's words back at him. It was pretty entertaining to watch."

"Ahh, thanks."

"Do you two always have mental battles like that?"

"No, not really, I usually never see him and when I do I usually just go along with whatever he wants."

"That's not right though, you should stand up for yourself more. You are going to most likely lead this mansion someday so you should get in the habit of making decisions."

Everything she said was soundproof. There was really nothing to argue against.

"Arthur."

"Yes," I answered, now fiddling with the Essentia.

"You don't want to go on this expedition, do you?"

"...no."

"But you feel you need to, right?"

"Yes."

How does she just see through me? Or does she already know about me somehow?

Then what she did next was unexpected. She scooted over and grabbed the back of my head and gently pushed it to her lap.

Uwah. My brain went blank again. I couldn't think of anything.

She put her fingers through my messy brown hair, which admittedly felt really nice.

"Like I said earlier, you can always talk to me. I know you don't like talking about how you feel, but just know I'm here to listen." Her words were soft and sincere. I didn't need to see her face to confirm that what she was saying was legitimate.

She continued stroking my hair and my eyes were beginning to get heavy. I tried fighting it but it felt too comfortable.

"Don't think about anything Arthur. Just ease your mind."

At a certain point my body gave in and everything went dark.