The building looked like it had been taken straight from the set of a movie about knights and dragons. Dull, muted colors, primarily yellows and browns, dominated the picturesque facade. Thick logs of wood ran along the face of the building horizontally and vertically, giving the structure a handcrafted feeling. Additionally, many ran diagonally in between the others, providing structural support. From the outside, the building looked to be about three stories tall and about twelve meters wide. Two sharp, decorated gables, small windows behind wooden covers, and old timber-framed construction made the entire structure feel historical.

Through the big hardwood door and the small glass windows, he heard laughter and conversation. Dampened as it was, it was impossible to understand what was said since the walls did a good job muffling all sounds coming out. "That's it. It's a restaurant or uhh an inn, maybe?" Martin said while Kael was still taking everything in.

"Is that what you wanted to show me then? This medieval looking restaurant?" It was not that Kael was disappointed by the surprise Martin had promised him for days now, just that it was not what he had expected. "Well, yes and no. All things aside, from all that I heard about this place, they should be one of the best restaurants in the city. What I wanted to show you, however, is inside." Perking up, Kael looked at his friend, his question clearly written on his face. "Not telling you before we are inside and have a plate of food in front of us. Are you hungry?" Martin asked while showing a toothy grin.

Many reasons why, him, entering this expensive-looking building, was a horrible idea appeared in his mind. He trusted Martin to not embarrass him by bringing him into a place he could not afford. While he had not told his friend explicitly about his financial situation, the topic had just never come up before, he was sure that Martin knew enough. Before he had a chance to say anything anyway, Martin had already opened the heavy-looking door. Suppressing a sigh, Kael stepped through the door, following his friend.

The inside of the building was even more impressive than the outside had been. He had likened the establishment to a restaurant with a twist before, but that was clearly wrong. Stepping over the threshold, he felt like he had traveled in time. The wide-open room they stepped into looked to encompass most of the building's width and depth. Kael could only estimate its size, but by the number of chairs and tables he saw, the room was certainly not small.

Aside from the sitting arrangement, a long and ancient-looking bar ending in saloon-style double doors and a small stage filled the rest of the room. He heard kitchen noises coming from the direction of the doors, giving him a good idea of what might be behind them. Many paintings, alongside other knick-knacks, decorated the walls around him, failing to steal the show from the ginormous fireplace on the right. Made out of unique, bright white stone and grey mortar, it took up almost three meters of wall. Thankfully there was no flame burning below the big metal pot hanging inside the fireplace. In the winter, it would be phenomenal for sure, but in the summer... no, thank you very much.

Kael had no idea for how long he had been gawking when he suddenly felt Martin's hand on his shoulder, shaking him lightly. "You ok? Earth to Kael. Please respond in case of emergency." Kael looked at his friend and felt his face go red in embarrassment. A quick cough later, he remembered to answer the question. "Yea, I guess. Just a little overwhelmed by the place you know." Still feeling a little overwhelmed, Kael relied on Martin for what to do next.

Soon, they sat at one of the smaller tables, placed along the rim of the room, with a wicker basket full of bread and a plate of condiments in front of them. Next to the small basket of bread stood two tankards filled with cider. They were technically not of age yet, but no one seemed to care about the light drink.

Martin had ordered for them, and they were currently waiting for their food while enjoying the appetizers. The server, a polite and soft-spoken man in his thirties, had left quickly after taking their order. Only returning just a few minutes later with their drinks and the 'Gifts from the kitchen. The quality of everything they had been served so far was very high while maintaining the rustic vibe. Over the last few minutes, Kael had calmed down a lot, not feeling so out of place anymore. Oh, how good simply being unremarkable felt after months of being cursed out of worse establishments.

Martin, being a chatterbox, had managed to fill the time until their order arrived. The waiter, the same one that had taken their order, moved the bread basket aside and placed their plates down. After thanking the man, their attention turned to the delicious-looking plate of food before them. Conversations were put on halt, as juicy meat and tender vegetables commanded all of their focus.

Kael, leaning back in his chair, let out a content breath. He had just finished one of the best meals of his life and was still enjoying the taste left on his taste buds. Sadly, he had somehow spaced out while eating, completely losing himself in the taste and forgetting to save what he was tasting. Looking over the table at his friend, he saw the same look of one utterly satisfied and sated on his face.

Quietly thanking whatever god was responsible for allowing them to meet, he addressed Martin. "Thanks for inviting me here. The food was great, and even the beer is good." - "Yep, it's also my first time here. I heard good things about the place, but this really takes the cake." Martin said. Leaning forward, he motioned Kael to come a little closer. "But while the food was good, that was not the primary reason that I brought you here."

"Oh? So why are we here?" Finally, they got to the part he had been anticipating for days now. "Yep. So, you remember I told you about this famous mage that supposedly sponsored some students through school right?" Kael nodded, vaguely remembering the conversation. "Well, it took a while, but the day before I texted you, my dad met with a few of his friends. He works in the city administration. During dinner, I just tossed the rumor into the conversation, and, surprisingly, he confirmed its veracity. He asked me why I wanted to know, and when I said that I had a friend with unusual circumstances, he told me to come here. The owner of this place is the one we were looking for, maybe we can get some help here."

The revelation that the mystery person they were here for might help with his magic training caught Kael off guard. "Ah. Ok. So, um, how do we go about meeting this owner then?" - "Well that's easy. We just ask for her." With that said, Martin stood up before Kael could stop him. He could only watch his friend talk with the weighter that had returned to stand behind the bar.

It was too loud in the room for Kael to make out any of what they were saying, and with every second that passed, anticipation and anxiety built. Things were moving far too quickly for Kael to be comfortable with them. He felt a little betrayed that his friend would go behind his back and make such important decisions without asking him first. At the same time, he was a little relieved at not having to struggle to make up his mind.

His feelings were still in flux when Martin returned with a big, fat smile on his face. If his friend did not notice his serious expression or simply ignored it was unclear. Whatever it was, his response to Kael's questioning look was simple and infuriating at the same time. "Just wait and see. It's a surprise, remember?" Kael could only sigh and let the dice fall where they may. "Who..." His words remained stuck as he looked at the person that had joined them at the table.

A woman with hair the color of fire and a friendly but aged face looked back at him. With a smile that drew the ends of her mouth up, she waited for him to continue. "Who, who are you?" That made her smile even more as she opened her mouth to answer. "Why, I am the person you have been looking for, it seems. Barbara McMillan is the name."