The Harbor Cafe

(Continued from here.)

They walked down the main street of Balamb and headed toward the harbor. On the side, overlooking the docks was a pretty outdoor restaurant. It wasn't very busy just yet since it was still a bit early for the lunch rush. They walked up to a table and he pulled back a chair for Nell to sit in as he looked out over the harbor for just a moment. The bright light shining into the calm sea made for a very pleasant atmosphere for dining.

Nell slid into the offered chair easily, gently settling her purse at her feet, and she, too, looked out over the water. The waves were relaxing, and it was a lovely day out. She breathed in the smell of the ocean, happily listening to the sounds that accompanied it: the gentle lap of the water, the calls of the birds, the hum of engines on the ships... Then she shook herself slightly to come back to reality.

Was she really having lunch with one of Myghin's instructors? She could hardly believe it herself, and she knew she'd never tell her little sister. "Lovely day today," she said softly, suddenly nervous. Was this sort of thing even appropriate? She wasn't sure now.

Oren nodded at Nell's comment. It really was a nice day, one he wasn't cooped up inside a classroom at that. He walked around and took his own seat. He glanced at the young woman for a moment, noticing the expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Nell?" he asked. "Don't worry, I'm not Myghin's teacher yet." He laughed nervously as he scratched his head a bit.

She flushed. "Am I that readable?" She laughed faintly, looking away. The awkwardness only lasted a moment through, because then the pretty little waitress came by with a bright smile.

"Hello, you two. I'm Helena, and I'll be serving you today." She settled two menus onto the table in front of the pair. "What can I get you to drink?"

Nell looked at the menu fleetingly before she answered. "Water, please."

"Oh, some iced tea for me, please," replied Oren as he started looking through the menu. As the waitress walked off to get their drinks, he looked up for a moment. "It's not just you, I debated long and hard before setting foot outside of the Garden to come here."

The waitress returned and set their drinks down and requested their orders. "The baked lemon fish for me, please," he said as he handed the menu to the woman and turned to Nell. "Go ahead and get whatever you like. It's my treat."

"Oh? Well," she paused, perusing the menu thoughtfully before she looked at the waitress. "The garlic herb platter, please." She looked back at Oren curiously as the waitress took their menus and left. "Well then, why did you come by? And why offer to pay for lunch, Instructor Sjet?" She folded her hands lightly in her lap, tilting her head slightly as she studied him.

"Well, if you want to put it in the worst possible terms, I'm using you as an excuse to get out and enjoy the weather," he grinned, blushing a bit. "Also, I figured that it would be good to get to know the family of a very bright candidate so that way we can both be proud of how Myghin is progressing."

He set his elbows on the table lightly and folded his hands, setting his head on top of them as he looked at her. "Now, how about you, miss? Why did you agree to come to lunch with a teacher? And you're welcome to just call me Oren, miss."

"Only if you stop calling me 'Miss'." Nell grinned, leaning back a little in her hair. "I deplore being referred to by a title; I just find that I generally keep calling everyone else by titles because Myghin does. I suppose it comes from being especially polite as a child." She studied him for a moment more, ignoring the wind as it picked up just a bit and began teasing her hair.

"I always agree to lunch with someone that might have an influence over my little sister. I have to monitor that kind of thing, you see. I'm the only family she has here." Her eyes glazed over just a little bit, and she looked away, over the water. "I'm sorry... Oren." She said his name slowly, tasting it. "I tend to babble."

He chuckled a little bit, "Fine, fine I'll stop calling you 'miss.' And don't worry about babbling, it's no trouble. Now, on the subject of me having influence...I'm not sure. As bright as she is, I feel like just an obstacle in her way to being SeeD."

Oren looked up a bit and watched her staring off at the water. "It's very nice of you to be so supportive of her, though. There are so many students that don't keep in touch with their families. You two seem very close, it's nice to see, honestly."

"She's always loved the Garden. Fell in love with it as soon as she saw it." Nell smiled fondly at the memory. "I promised her that she could attend, and I never saw a reason to stop her from it. You can't separate someone from their dreams, no matter whether or not you agree with it. It's just easier to support her than to try to argue, you know? I worry about her, to be honest." She sighed faintly, then lifted her head.

Their waitress came in and settled their food on the table before bustling off. "Just let me know if you two need anything, okay?" she called over her shoulder.

Nell glanced down at her plate curiously; she'd never tried this one before. "I mean, being a SeeD is incredibly dangerous, isn't it?" She looked up at him, her eyes warning him to be blunt.

He smiled hearing about how much Myghin enjoyed Garden. He gave his thanks to the waitress as she set down their plates and waited until she left them before responding to Nell's question.

"At times, yes, it can be very dangerous. However, SeeDs never work alone during the lower ranks. Even at higher ranks, many missions are recommended that there be multiple operatives in a team."

"Well, that's a worry off of my mind, I guess. Although I doubt that I'll ever not worry about her, eh?" Nell smiled faintly, then began picking at her food, cutting it all into little bite-sized pieces. As a breeze ruffled her hair again, she pushed it back over her shoulder so that it could blow behind her. "How old were you when you became a SeeD, Oren?"

Oren nodded, his parents still worried about him and asked about him every time they talked. It was comforting to know that they cared so much; he was thankful to have that kind of family. He took a bite of his food and followed it with a sip of his tea as he thought about the question for a moment.

"Hmm...it was when I was 17 so...wow, only about five years ago." He grinned and blushed a little, "It seems like so much longer."

"Heh, it seems like forever ago that Myghin and I moved here, but it was only about four years, I think." Nell smiled as she begin to eat her fish. She savored the texture and rich harmony of flavors for a few moments before she posed her next question. "Do you like it here? I can imagine that Balamb is very different from Trabia..."

He smiled, swallowing another bite of food. "I enjoy it here, it's a bit warmer than I'm used to, but still the weather is very pleasant most of the time." He paused for a moment, taking a sip of his drink. "They also make some of the best tea here in Balamb. And what about you, Nell? Do you enjoy it here?"

"It's very nice here." She sipped her water, and resumed picking lightly at her food. She'd consumed most of the fish already, and was rapidly getting full. "I love the laid back atmosphere, and everyone's so nice here. It's a refreshing change from what I grew up with in Timber."

Oren nodded as his meal eventually vanished from his plate. "Oh..so you were there for that ordeal in Timber a few years back? I'm sorry to hear that." His eyes moved to the side for a moment before looking back to Nell curiously.

"Timber wasn't too bad if you kept to yourself. It was when you took sides that it got rough." She shrugged slightly as she pushed the plate away, now empty. "After all, neither side cared so long as you didn't oppose them. I do hope that Timber eventually settles, one way or another." She looked up at him, meeting his eyes as she raised her glass to drink. "All that tension is terrible, and it disrupts other places as well... Like Balamb right now. The trains are down because of some event in Timber. That's hurting us more than them."

Oren nodded, he'd heard quite a bit about the incident in Timber. In fact, there was some talk about conducting a mission regarding the situation if things didn't start resolving themselves soon. As he looked down at his plate, he pushed it away a bit. Not quite cleaned off, but he was quite full.

"Yes, it's very inconvenient for everyone since the trains are the cheapest and most convenient method of travel. Traveling by ship is so much more tedious," he started just as the waitress came up to take their plates and drop off the check. He handed her the money to pay for the meal and looked at Nell.

"Well, I suppose we've taken a great deal of your lunch break. Should we start making our way back to the hotel and I may get out of your hair?" he said as he grinned and began to stand up.

Nell smiled as she stood, blushing softly. "I didn't mind sharing the time with you," she said quietly as she placed her vacated chair back under the table. "I enjoyed it." She nodded to him. "I should be getting back to work though, and you have a ways to go to get back to Garden, don't you?"

He nodded, "It's a little bit of a walk, but I'm not due back in any rush so I'll probably take my time. I enjoyed having lunch with you, Nell, and I hope we can do it again sometime," he said smiling as he reached up to adjust his earring and his hair. "Look me up sometime when you come by the Garden again if you get the chance."

Her blush deepened slightly. "I will," she replied, looking down. "Be safe, Oren." She waved slightly before turning to head back toward the hotel.