“Let’s eat!” Julius and Sal exclaimed to the people around them. Alex, Lea and Julius’s loving wife Amanda were at the table with a large breakfast made by the couple. Julius took a forkful of eggs and bacon into his mouth. Amanda noticed the two weren’t touching their plates but was looking at them.
“Hmm? What’s wrong? Eat up before it gets cold!” Amanda said clap of her hands together and tilted her head a bit, giving her son and friends a cheerful smile. Sal was already ahead of the two, stacking her plate with eggs, bacon, sausages and overfilling her cup with orange juice.
“Y-Yeah.” Lea stuttered, with her eyes looking at Alex’s parents instead of her plate.
“But before we eat, Mom… What happened to you guys?” Alex has kept quiet about it ever since the three went to the kitchen, mostly because the two were not making a big deal out of their condition.
The couple looked grievously injured with Julius covered in gashes and cuts from his person, the wounds were cauterized, his clothing tattered and shredded. Amanda is covered in patches of bruises and had her sleeves ripped and her shirt charred and had splotches of soot. Yet the couple looked at each other and looked at Alex with a nonchalant smile.
“Oh, us?” Amanda looked at herself and at her husband. “We just enjoyed ourselves last night! Though, we enjoyed ourselves too much that we forgot to change while we made breakfast.”
“I—I see… Ahahahah…” Alex nervously chuckled as he held his fork and smile. “Well, at least you guys are alright, right?”
“You said it, Son!” Julius chuckled back, his voice lively and refreshed, he gulped on a cup of juice and let out a sigh. “Pfha! I think I could count the times where I thought I would’ve died from Mandy.” That comment made Amanda laugh as she gently shoved her husband.
“Oh, you! I couldn’t kill you if I could with how tough your body is! If anything, I thought your chokeholds and slams would break all my bones if it weren’t for the ground being soft! Ufufu~” She chuckled, elegantly covering her mouth with the tips of her fingers.
“You sure you don’t want to get… Healed after this?” Alex said with visible concern in his voice and face.
“Schrki—hgck!” Sal muffled and choked with her mouth full of food before she swallowed and downed it down with juice. “Fah!” She patted her chest with her fist. “Sharky,” Sal continue she said before choking. “You’re parents seem fine if they act like they usually do.” She assured him and Lea as she looked at Julius and Amanda. “I’m right, right?”
“You have a point there, but Mr. Ares still acted like his old self after fighting with Michel, and he hasn’t realized that his body gave up on him.” Lea retorted as she looked at Alex. “Don’t forget, you also did the same yesterday, remember?”
“Y… Yeah.” Alex trailed a bit as he stacked his plate with food.
“Don’t worry about it, Lea!” Julius assured her with a thumbs up. “Unlike my fight with Mitch, we were just having fun with our brawl, so I’m not that exhausted compared to before. Plus, we downed on some health potions so we’ll be alright soon.”
“Told you!” Sal huffed as she forked down food into her mouth as she smiled triumphantly with stuffed cheeks.
“Like what Julie said, Lea. We’re fine as a button! You two don’t have to worry if we’re hurt or not… Now eat before Sal empties the table.” Amanda smiled gently as she started eating breakfast along with her husband.
Alex looked at his mother and took a sigh of defeat. “Guess there’s no point in arguing if they’re alright.” Alex looked at Lea. “C’mon. Breakfast is getting cold.” Alex smiled at her as he lifted his foot under his seat and pushed Sal’s seat to tip over and fall.
Sal fell behind and rolled out of her seat. “Ah—Alex! What the hell?!” She stood up immediately as she fixed her seat and slammed her hands on the table.
“Slow down damnit!” He retorted also slamming the table. “I’m not gonna let you empty the table again!”
Amanda simply raised her hand and summoned a toy hammer. She cleared her throat to catch the attention between the two. “Ahem… No fighting while eating, please~”
The two immediately stiffened from her sickly sweet voice as they looked down on their plates. “Sorry, Sal…” Alex quickly apologized with a low and panicked tone. Bullets of sweat running down his face.
“Mhh… I’m sorry too for eating too much.” Sal said with the same tone and reaction.
“I wish I have that kind of power… Scary.” Lea thought to herself as she filled her cup with juice.
The three stood by outside the front door of his house, Julius and Amanda standing at the Doorway. Alex carried his own travel backpack with the sword between his back and the bag, while Sal carried her’s and Lea’s combined using the larger bag from last night, it got lighter now that Alex got his share of supplies in his own backpack.
“Guess this is it…” Alex said to his parents as he gave them a cheery, sharky smile. “Well. We’re off!”
“Wait a moment Alex!” Lea stopped him for a moment as she opened up the bag that Sal was carrying. “Mr. and Mrs. Ares. I’ve been meaning to give you two this before we leave.” She shuffled around the bag. “Aha!” She pulled out a frame that had a drawing inside. “For you two, to remember us by.”
It was a beautiful drawing, almost like a photo taken from a camera if not for the background being a rough sketch of a stone brick wall behind. The drawing was an accurate representation of a beautiful woman with long brown hair that reached to her shoulders, styled with a messy diagonal cut, she had dull silver eyes that matched Amanda’s when she opened her eyes. She wore an outdated white shirt that had a design of a popular show that ended years ago. It is indeed a beautiful drawing that showed a beautiful woman, no signs of sketch or erasure of a base model, the only signs of it being a drawing and not a photo was the background of the painting. It lastly had a signature at the bottom left corner of the drawing, a cursive writing version of Lea’s name that included a pentagram star after the name.
Lea handed the drawing to them. “I’ve done my best to make it as accurate as possible through memory and peeking through Alex’s family photos to get it right…”
Julius stiffened at the sight of the drawing. “Lea…” he took the drawing from her as he showed it to Amanda so they can both see it.
Amanda’s closed eyes slowly opened as she covered her hand with her mouth. “It’s… It’s…”
Lea grew anxious, pressing her fingers together as she looked at their reactions. “It’s… It’s not bad is it…?” She bit her lower lip, but before she can get a reply, Amanda flew her arms at Lea, wrapping them around her neck.
“IT’S BEAUTIFUL!” Amana sobbed out with her eyes closed shut and tears running down like running water. “You got every detail about my baby girl right! From her hair and the shirt she always wears! Thank you so much, Leaaahhh!” She bawled out as she was hugging the poor girl to hard that she’s practically choking from the embrace.
“Wait—Lemme see!” Alex rushed to his father to see the drawing, his jaw dropped as he looked at Lea. “Woah… It’s Lexa… I thought you were only good with landscapes?” He knows she draws but most of the drawings she made were only landscapes and nature, not on people.
“Hahck!” Lea choked as she futilely tried to let go of Amanda’s embrace. “C-Can’t talk… Help—” She yelped when Amanda pulled her back into the hug as Julius tried to make her let go.
As Amanda was forced to stop her choking embrace, Lea gasped for air as she rubbed her throat and gulped. “I’ve been…” She took a deep breath and continued, “I’ve been practicing drawing people in secret, any mistake I made I throw them in a sack and destroy it with my magic.” In other words, she practiced drawing people but gets rid of any evidence by smashing her sketchbooks into shreds with her staff.
“Is that what I hear every night when you start thwacking your staff on a sack?” Sal said as she was shushed by Lea’s finger almost immediately at the mention.
“It’s still a really beautiful drawing and words can’t express how happy you made me and Mandy feel, Lea.” Julius assured her as he took the drawing back from Alex. “We’ll be putting this in a frame and put it somewhere nice. How about by the fireplace where the sword used to be… What do you think, Honey?”
Amanda sniffed and wiped her sobbing face with her husband’s torn and cut shirt as a handkerchief. “Not by the fireplace! Let’s put it somewhere closer, let’s put it on our drawer near the lamp!”
Lea now felt her cheeks turn red as she scratched her red cheeks. “T-Thanks for liking it.”
“We love it.” Julius corrected her. “But it’s missing something…”
Lea raised her eyebrow as she felt anxiety and dread to what detail she missed. “Wh—What did I miss?”
The three are lined up together by the door frame, Alex in the middle of the shot with Sal on his right and Lea on his left, they are looking in front as Julius held a Camera on his hand.
“Stay still and smile you three!” Julius kneeled down to get a good shot of the three as the trio smiled wide. Alex showed off his angular shark teeth as he had his arms wrapped around the necks of his friends to pull them closer to him, Sal, smiled back, leaning against Alex as she did a peace sign while her arm is behind Alex and her hand is resting on his shoulder. Lea did the same, mirroring Sal, with the difference being her left leg lifted up behind her as she winked at the camera.
“Now that’s two mementos we given ya Mr. A!” Sal shoved the two aside as they tumbled on the ground with a harsh grunt coming from both of them. Sal hurried to Julius as she extended her hands to him.
Julius stared at her open palms that wanted something from him and Amanda as he looked at her with visible confusion. “Uhm…”
Sal clicked her tongue. “Tch!—C’mon I want something cool like what Alex has! Give me something cool that I can remember you guys while we’re gone!”
“Ugh…” Alex groaned weakly as he slowly stood up, helping Lea stand up. “Seriously Sal?” He patted himself off after helping Lea up as he picked up his bags. “Were already going now and we said our goodbyes already, It’ll just be awkward for me and Lea to wait for you getting something from Mom and Dad.”
“It’s not fair if you’re the only one having a memento. I also want something to remember them by!” She stuck her tongue at Alex. Compare to Lea who has left something for them to remember the three. Sal wants something from them to remember them by.
“It’s fine, I already got the perfect thing for Sal to remember us by. Hold on for a second.” Julius walked back into the house. Later coming back holding two silver bracelets. “Here you go, Sal.” He dropped the bracelets on her open palms as she almost dropped the bracelet, along with herself.
“Heavy!” Sal commented as she was taken by surprise from its deceptive weight.
“Twenty-kilo bracelets.” Julius smiled as he is impressed at her natural strength. “Good to know you’re still standing from holding forty kilos. Let me adjust it for you. Ten kilos.” The weighted bracelets grew lighter but were still pretty hefty. “Transfer command to new user.” The bracelets glowed as they automatically attached itself to Sal’s wrists.
“Sweet!” Sal said with sparkles in her eyes as she looked at the 10-kilo bracelets as she flicked her wrists to get them nice and comfortable. “With these on, I’ll get stronger the longer I wear them!”
“Try not to swing your fists too hard or they’ll come flying off from the bracelet.” Julius grimly joked as he patted Sal’s back as he looked at Lea. “Do you want something from me or Mandy, Lea?”
Lea shook her head as she smiled at him. “I’m good. I think me making that drawing is a memento enough for both of us.”
“If that’s the case. Let’s move!” Alex declared as he tossed Sal her and Lea’s bags as he turned to his parents. “Well… We’re off!” Alex smiled at his parents, looking at them one more time before they finally leave.
“Stay safe, Son. Along with you two, take care of yourselves while you watch over Alex, Will ya?”
“We will Mr. A!” Sal lifted the bags as she walked and stood beside Alex.
“It’ll technically be me since Sal will just join on whatever Alex decides to do.” Lea retorted as she stood beside Alex too.
“Don’t forget to call us once you three are settled!” Amanda said, her voice with immediate worry as she wants to know what they do with every passing her son’s not home. “Make sure to call every day!”
“I’ll call you guys, promise!” He replied while walking backwards. “We’ll be back once we’re the best adventurers in the guild!” He waved his parents goodbye with his arms raised to his face and his hands wagging left and right, smiling brightly with his eyes closed.
The three are now farther and farther away from the sight of their parents, only seeing the building upon the horizon.
“They’re actually gone now…” Amanda spoke softly. “I hope they make it to the Capital safely…”
“The road there is always Safe, after all. The guild is there… Now that they are far from our sights…” Julius fell flat on the floor, soon Amanda fell dead on the floor beside his husband.
“Keeping up the pain hurts so much…” Amanda commented as she looked at her husband, who’s face is planted on the ground.
Julius turned his head to Amanda, some bits of dirt stuck on him. “Aren’t we used to that kind of pain before? I got reminded after brawling with Mitch weeks ago.”
“That I remember… I’m going… I’m going to take a nice long nap right here on the ground… Until I can feel my everything.”
“Sounds like a plan… Count me in on that nap too… Haha…” Julius softly chuckled, lifting his arm as he pulled his exhausted and injured wife close to him.
“You’re so warm… Like a furnace…”
“And you’re soft, like porcelain…” He pecked his wife on her head as they succumb to their injuries and slept together on the front yard.
