Restaurant, Magic and Wolf

Timatatanga was about what Joash expected when he imagined a fantasy city - dusty roads, buildings of wood and stone, crowded streets alive with movement, and food stalls lining the way. He spotted people of all three major species. Tangata were the most common, while a handful of karangata passed by with their varied ears and tails standing out clearly. Only a couple of taringata appeared among them, their long, pointed ears unmistakable.

He found himself struggling not to mentally label them beastmen and elves. He knew that if he didn’t break that habit, it might slip out in conversation - and offending someone on his second day in a new world seemed like a very bad idea.

It was noisy. Very noisy.

If he was honest, the chaos made him uncomfortable. He preferred quiet places. Empty ones. Though… he didn’t actually like being alone. And walking beside Foebe - hand in hand, her tail swaying gently behind her - he felt almost certain he never would be again.

And he loved that idea.

Seeing the same person every day. Growing fond of her. Never quite getting used to how amazing she was.

She noticed him staring. Her cheeks tinted pink.

“Why are you staring?”

He looked away immediately, heat rushing to his face.

“No reason.”

She smiled softly, letting the moment linger before squeezing his hand.

“Hey,” she said, pointing ahead, “how about we try that place?”

He followed her finger to a restaurant occupying the ground floor of a three-storey building. Whitewashed walls were reinforced with stone supports, and criss-crossing wooden beams gave it a charming character. Smaller windows dotted the upper floors, while the restaurant itself had wide openings that offered a clear view of several round tables inside.

He couldn’t even begin to pronounce the name - Khuçuray - but he had no reason to object.

“Okay.”

Her smile brightened, and she tugged him along.

The door opened with a small chime from a bell overhead, though the restaurant was busy enough that no one paid them much attention. To a casual observer, Foebe looked like any other karangata - aside from her hidden second pair of ears and her unique magic.

The restaurant worked differently than anything Joash knew. Instead of being seated and waited on, customers ordered at the front, waited briefly, and then carried their food to a table themselves. On Earth, he was fairly certain the system would have collapsed instantly - but here, it worked effortlessly.

He scanned the menu, understood none of it, and ordered exactly what Foebe did.

Less than a minute later, the woman at the counter returned with two steaming plates. She handed them over with a smile. Still stunned, Joash followed Foebe to a small two-seat table.

As they sat down, he finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind.

“How did they do that so fast?”

She blinked.

“What do you mean?”

He gestured at the food.

“How did they make it so quickly? Shouldn’t it take, like… half an hour?”

She stared at him for a moment - then laughed.

“Oh. I forgot you’re not from here. Did your old world not have magic?”

He shook his head.

She grinned.

“Okay, then I’ll explain. I’ll try to keep it short, but… there are entire professions built around researching magic, so there’s a lot to it.”

He nodded as they both began to eat. The meal consisted of strips of poaka - fried and glazed, tasting remarkably like pork - served with assorted vegetables.

Foebe took a breath.

“Alright. There are three main types of magic, atahu, epa, and tuhi.”

She continued smoothly.

“Atahu is what I use. It’s enchantment and blessing magic. I’m the only one who can use the takune branch, the one that gives objects meaning and intent, like Narin explained.”

She paused briefly before continuing.

“Epa magic is physical. Fire, wind, water, earth, that sort of thing. You know what a fireball is, right?”

He nodded, smiling faintly.

“That sounds like the magic in the stories I used to read… and write.”

Her eyebrows lifted.

“You used to write stories?”

He nodded.

“I did.”

Her grin widened.

“Then you’ll like tuhi magic.”

His eyes widened.

“Why?”

She swallowed another bite.

“It’s like epa magic, but it doesn’t depend on physical strength. Instead, it’s based on how precisely you write a spell onto parchment. Those parchments can be reused.”

She pointed her fork at her plate.

“Like this. These meals were cooked earlier and placed on parchment that freezes them instantly. When we ordered, they were moved to a different parchment that undoes the freezing. That’s how they serve food so fast.”

Joash’s mind raced at the implications.

Storage. Transport. Medicine. Travel.

It was incredible.

“So,” he asked carefully, “how do I learn to use magic?”

Foebe smiled at him. There was pity in it.

“Atahu and epa are things you’re born with. If you don’t already know how to use them, you never will. And atahu is species-specific, so as a tangata you wouldn’t be able to use it anyway.”

So there would be no screaming fireball in enclosed spaces like the memes.

“Well… what about tuhi magic?”

She shrugged.

“Anyone can use it, but it’s incredibly difficult. Even with a lot of practice, most people don’t reach mastery until their early fifties. And you can’t really earn well until you’re that good. That’s why most people who pursue it are sponsored from a young age, and only those who show real promise.”

He nodded. So… not likely.

“I suddenly have a lot of questions about magic.”

She grinned as she finished her meal.

“Then how about we go see the parchments this restaurant uses?”

His eyes lit up.

“Really? We can do that?”

Her grin widened.

“Follow me. And watch this.”

They stood and walked back toward the front desk. The girl working there smiled brightly.

“Did you enjoy your meal? Are you ready to-”

Foebe shot Joash a quick, mischievous glance before pushing her hair aside to reveal her smaller, pointed ears.

The girl froze.

Her eyes widened. One hand flew to her mouth, silencing the squeal that threatened to escape.

Foebe leaned forward slightly.

“May we please see the parchment bank you use?”

The girl nodded rapidly, still covering her mouth, and motioned for them to follow. The moment they were out of sight of the front desk, she dropped her hand and exhaled sharply.

“Y-y-you’re the last anaruhi!”

She turned to Joash.

“And you’re the summoned husband! Ohmygosh I can’t believe it-”

She practically bounced in place before suddenly remembering herself. Straightening up, she smiled professionally.

“R-right. This way. This is our parchment bank.”

They rounded a corner into the kitchen. It was busy - but not with cooking. Staff moved efficiently, preparing food in advance rather than responding to orders. Near the entrance stood three polished stone blocks engraved with symbols, and beyond them stretched a long room lined with dozens more.

Joash noticed that most of them held meals - completely frozen solid.

Yet the air wasn’t cold.

“This is our freezer room,” the girl explained proudly. “All our parchments are A-tier.”

Joash blinked.

“A-tier?”

Foebe giggled.

“Tiers are how parchments are graded. Same system used for adventurers. F is the lowest, S is the highest, with E, D, C, B, and A in between.”

He nodded slowly.

“So these are almost as good as it gets?”

“That’s right,” the girl said. “Higher tiers freeze more evenly and preserve food longer. Lower-tier parchments either don’t freeze cold enough, or don’t freeze the whole thing.”

Joash tilted his head.

“So what’s the difference between A and S?”

The girl smiled.

“The only thing that can elevate an A-tier parchment to S-tier is a blessing.”

Joash looked at Foebe.

She shrugged lightly.

“Now you see why I’m important.”

He nodded. Yeah. He really did.

Foebe turned back to the girl.

“Thank you for the meal, and the tour.”

The girl beamed.

“Thank you for visiting! The heating parchments are on your right on the way out. We’ll have a plaque made and set into the doorframe in your honor.”

Foebe flushed.

“Oh, there’s really no need-”

The girl laughed.

“Well, there won’t be if you decide to settle here!”

Foebe chuckled, though her tone lacked enthusiasm. She took Joash’s hand and thanked the girl once more, gently guiding him back through the kitchen and past the heating parchments near the entrance.

She didn’t slow down until they were back outside.

She sighed.

“She tried to get me to bless things for free.”

Joash blinked.

“Why wouldn’t you? Does it cost you something?”

She shook her head.

“I’m not allowed to bless anything without approval. There has to be an official witness so the documentation can be filed. Otherwise they’d illegally advertise themselves as an S-tier restaurant.”

She smiled slyly.

“So blessing something like that on a whim would be very illegal.”

He nodded slowly.

“That… makes sense. But, uh… I think you forgot to pay.”

She raised two fingers.

“Two reasons that’s not a problem. One, the palace is covering all our expenses. Two, even if they weren’t, places like that would probably let us eat for free just to curry favor and maybe convince me to bless something later.”

She lowered her hand and smiled.

“So don’t ever worry about money, okay? Your all-powerful wife will take care of you.”

He grinned.

“Sounds good. I’ll just always be here for you.”

She giggled and drifted closer as they walked, their shoulders brushing.

“You always know what to say.”

She smiled up at him.

“Now, let the best first date in history continue.”