Garden Of The Abyss

"Ren...you're being rude, wait until Beatrice is done."

"Right, right…"

Disappointing Iris was probably the last thing on his list to do, Ren complied to her sharp whispers and kept himself quiet. During his time at the Althaus estate, formal occasions like this didn't occur--at least, he wasn't allowed to be present for them, since they usually were meant for guests.

"What this day is really meant for--is to officially celebrate the thirteenth Outlander, Ren Nakamura. With his arrival, this marks a day engraved in history, etched into the world, a covenant between those willing to erase the depravity of this world. To Ren Nakamura!"

"To Ren!"

Everyone raised their glasses in celebration, even Charlotte, who timidly raised her glass of grape juice as if it was wine. Being the center of attention like this drove a spike of anxiety through Ren as his face turned to a bright crimson out of embarrassment.

"--You okay, you aren't sick, are you?"

Charlotte asked, sitting to his left side as she looked up at him.

"I'm alright, it's just kind of hot in here, don't worry--"

Ren chuckled, trying to dismiss her worries as he could feel Sirius' gaze pierce him as soon as Charlotte spoke to him.

After the cause of celebration was announced, everyone began to dig into the feast presented. He focused on intaking as much meat as he could, with the amount of training he was being put through--prioritizing protein to supplement his overworked muscles was what Sora drove into him.

--If that guy knows anything, it's muscles! And cooking apparently!

During his ravenous state of shoveling a variety of meats into his mouth, exotic and not, he forgot that this feast was something prepared by Sora and Donatien. It was a frightening thought to imagine working in a kitchen with those two, who mix like oil and water.

Even with a lot of new faces around, Ren began to notice he didn't feel scared to be around all of these people. It was lively for something that seemed to be a formal feast, as Sora and Donatien bantered with each other, resulting in a chicken bone being tossed back and forth.

"Enjoying the feast, new guy?"

Fai showed up from behind Ren, throwing his arm around the young man's shoulder who nearly choked on the piece of meat he was eating from the random encounter. The flush over Fai's face and the dorky smile made it easy enough to tell the man was absolutely wasted.

"--Yeah...you seem to be enjoying yourself too…"

Ren chuckled nervously, turning his face away from the man as the vapor of alcohol emanated from his mouth. He looked at Iris, begging with his eyes for assistance--but she was too busy catching up with Natalia to notice Ren's predicament.

Beatrice once again rose from her seat as the time of supper came to an end. The constant exchange of words between the Outlanders settled into an observant silence as all eyes met on the Sage.

"As per tradition of the Outlanders--to mark the coming of a new member, we will soon begin the "Monster Hunt". The game is simple, each team will be given a list of creatures within Grandeuve they must hunt. You will have three days to the most points possible, there are no rules--do what you must to win, except the killing of fellow Outlanders. As you may remember, last time, we did three-man teams--now, we will be doing two-man duos. I have already pre-selected everyone's partners."

Beatrice explained the concept of the game, which the other Outlanders were clearly familiar with.

--Three days? "Anything goes except killing"? This is a lot more serious than I expected, Iris.

Ren let out a quiet sigh. The only choice he had left was to pray for a good partner--preferably Iris, if he was going to be camping out in the wilderness.

"Duos, huh? I guess there are ten of us here right now."

Sora counted each head, muttering to himself.

"If there are no further questions, then I will announce each pairing."

Beatrice smiled, running her hands across the lavish table cloth as she waited a moment to give room for any questions before continuing.

"Sora and Donatien."

Both of the men's eyes widened at Beatrice's decision, letting out simultaneous gasps before exchanging sharp glances.

"Iris and Brahmi."

The muscular woman didn't seem to even be paying attention, meanwhile Iris seemed scared about the idea of pairing up with the abrasive fighter. From his time training with her, he knew Brahmi was a caring person--but she showed it in her own ruffian way.

After seeing the first two pairings, Ren was starting to notice a pattern:

--These are total opposites!

Continuing on, Beatrice smiled before announcing the next pairing, her eyes falling on Ren as his heart skipped a beat as he realized what was about to be said, "Ren and Sirius."

As soon as the announcement met his eardrum, Ren looked at Sirius, who returned his shocked expression in silence as the white of his eyes widened almost comically. He knew there was no convincing the inhuman Sage to change the pairings--she probably got a kick out of this.

"Charlotte and Lucas."

--So zero confidence V.S absolute confidence?

"Fai and Tristan."

--Loud and obnoxious V.S stoic and cold?

As Beatrice finished announcing the pairings for the special event, the excitement seemed to have dwindled as everyone felt contempt for their chosen partners.

"--You forgot me."

Natalia spoke up, drawing attention to herself. In his nervous state he was in earlier when they met, he didn't notice her "features" that seemed to bounce on her chest with the smallest movements. She oozed with promiscuity, running her finger against her luscious lips as her silver locks cascaded down her shoulders.

"That's because you'll be helping me with something in regards to the domain, Natalia."

Beatrice gave her a gentle smile, her answer seeming to satisfy Natalia who raised her wine class to her lips once more.

"You have one hour to discuss your plans with your new partner--I'd recommend you make the best use of this time as you can, as once your lists are given to you, the game begins."

"One hour--?!"

A few Outlanders asked in unison, standing up from their seats. In just a second of time, the dining hall had returned to an echochamber of noise, holding a cafeteria of rambunctious, eccentric otherworlders who all seemed displeased. The only people who didn't seem bothered were Fai, who was too far into liquorland to care and Tristan, who had fallen asleep somehow.

"Yeah, that's not enough time--we just pigged out! Was that feast a trap--?"

Beatrice listened to their worries, allowing them to exude their questions before she answered calmly, "Trust me that this is an exercise of bonding, and see to it that you abandon those complaints unbefitting of the heroes you all are and will be."

Her answer was somewhat terrifying--that type of outlook sounded like something a tyrant would believe in.

"--I think I get it."

"Huh?"

Iris looked over as Ren muttered to himself.

"This is all a trial for us--she matched us with people who don't mesh with one another, whether it be by personal disputes or just conflicting personalities. By doing that, we'll be forced to not only toss away those differences, but grow above them. This time limit is part of that, I think."

Ren told her, noticing the nervous look plastered on her face.

"--I see. Yeah, that makes sense. Totally...I totally get it, Mother…"

She was always calm and headstrong, but at the prospect of having to be alone with Brahmi for three days--she seemed to crack under the pressure. Her innocent nature seemed to be the thing being put to the test against the hot-headed she-warrior.

--I'm sorry, Iris--but this is for your own good, as well as mine. I have my own problems to face right now, so let's both do our best!

He gave the nervous girl a bright smile and a thumbs-up, managing to earn a half-baked smile in return.