Chapter 153 - Christmas Eve Dinner

“Can I have your strawberries?” Luna asked as I flipped the steak in the pan.

“Heh,” I chuckled, “Sure, eat as much as you’d like.”

“Yay! Thank you!” Luna smiled and grabbed my bowl of strawberries before starting to munch.

I smiled and pulled the steak off the stove, placing it on a rack to rest.

With that, all four steaks just needed some time and then they were ready to eat. It smelt delicious, not to pat myself on the back, but, it looked perfectly seasoned and the crust was beautiful. I just knew that when I cut into it, I’d be shown a stunning red center.

“Those look really good.” Luna said.

“Of course, who do you think cooked them?” I said, puffing out my chest.

Luna and I continued chatting while the steaks rested. And, just about ten minutes later they were ready.

“I’m cutting into them now.” I said.

Luna stood next to me and stared at the steak, she swallowed and waited in anticipation.

Even just pressing down on the steak caused a little bit of juices to flow out. Slowly, I cut one of the steaks down the middle.

A beautiful pink center revealed itself.

Should I say, as expected of me? Hehe.

…

I brought the plate of food out to the table; I had sliced the steaks into strips.

“Those look really good!” Nathan said as I placed the plate next to the others.

“Thank you.” I replied with a smile.

“I concur.” Julia nodded, “They have a beautiful color.”

“Mom, can we start plating our food?” Luna asked.

“Of course,” Julia nodded, “We were waiting for you two.”

“Here,” Luna handed me a plate, “Fill your plate with anything.” She said.

“Got it.” I nodded.

Turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, steak, bowties, mac and cheese…It’s all coming onto my plate! Hehe! It’s time to feast!

Then…I looked over at Luna’s plate…I thought I had a lot! Her food was basically stacked on top of one another just so it could fit on the plate! She might as well had gotten three plates to fit her meal!

I don’t blame her though. Everything looks so delicious…

I swallowed my spit.

Nathan and Julia had also gotten a lot of food. I guess it runs in the family.

After getting my plate of food, I took my seat next to Luna, across from Julia and Nathan.

I noticed that Luna didn’t immediately start digging in, so, I didn’t either.

Luna looked at me and whispered,

“My mom likes to pray before every meal. She says we don’t need to wait for her, but, we do anyways.”

“Mm.” I nodded.

Ah, that makes sense then.

I took a few photos of the food and smiled. I’ll have to brag about this later.

Julia had her eyes closed and hands clasped together. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and spoke,

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“Oh, you all could’ve started eating.” She said warmly, “Please, go ahead and enjoy.”

“Thank you!” Luna said before cheerfully starting to eat.

Well! That’s my queue!

I started to feast.

…

“Luna wasn’t lying!” Nathan said, “This steak is good!”

“Thank you,” I replied, “You’re a really good cook too. Everything tastes delicious.”

“Thanks, haha!” Nathan laughed.

“So, Stella,” Julia started.

“Yes?” I flinched slightly.

“Can you tell me about yourself?” She asked kindly, “Luna’s told us about you, but, I believe it’s better to hear it firsthand.”

For some reason, I got an odd feeling that Julia and chairman gramps would get along well. Maybe it’s their demeanor?

“O-Of course!” I said after a moment, “Um…I guess I’ll start from the beginning?”

“Yes, please do.” Julia smiled warmly.

“Ahem,” I cleared my throat, “My name is Stella Nyoxtol, I’m 18 and I’ve been an awakener for about half a year now. I awakened as an alchemist, and I go under the alias: Raccoon. People also know me as the Little Bomber. Before I awakened, I worked as a freelance artist…” I spoke quickly and rattled off whatever came to mind.

The nerves had returned, why does this feel like an interview? I feel like I’m listing my qualifications for dating her daughter…

“It’s okay, take your time.” Julia said softly, “Take a deep breath before you continue.”

I nodded and inhaled deeply.

Okay…I feel a little better now.

“Tell me about what you like and dislike. Your hobbies and such.” Julia smiled.

“I like alchemy, gardening, and playing games.” I spoke slowly and thoughtfully, “I also enjoy a bit of knitting, but my favorite thing to do is alchemy. Whether it’s brewing potions, thinking of recipes, or even researching materials. I like everything about it.”

“What part of alchemy do you like the most?” She asked.

“The most…I’d probably say it’s the creativity. I can brew about any potion I can think of—well, at least I’ll be able to eventually. So, anything I think would be fun, I can just make. Then, I’ll get to see other people use or react to my potions.”

“I hear and see nothing but good things about your potions,” Julia said, “I’m excited to try them.”

“They’re really good, mom!” Luna said, “I know that you and dad will love them.”

“So, Stella,” Nathan started, “What’s the process like when you create potions? I’ve never seen an alchemist in action before.”

“Should I tell you from start to finish?” I asked.

“That works.”

…

Nathan and I went back and forth a bit as I explained to him about alchemy. Talking about something I was passionate about definitely eased the nerves and calmed my mind. At some point, it turned from feeling like I was talking to my girlfriend’s parents, to like I was talking to a friend.

“So, how did you and Luna meet?” Nathan asked.

“Aha, well…It was about three years ago, right?” I turned to Luna for confirmation.

“Yeah, just over three years now.” She nodded.

“Oh! So you two have known each other for a while?” Nathan said uncertainly.

“In a way.”

“Somewhat.”

Luna and I spoke simultaneously.

“We knew each other online and actually only met in person half a year ago.” I said.

“Online dating?”

“No, no,” Luna shook her head, “We played games together. Don’t you remember me telling you about BinLover?”

“You told them about me when we were gaming?” I turned to Luna questioningly.

“Ah, well-” Just as Luna was about to speak, Julia cut her off,

“She used to brag about when she got better gear than you.”

“M-Mom!”

“What the heck!?” I looked at Luna in disbelief, she was avoiding eye contact now.

She was bragging about getting better drops?! But…On the other hand, that’s kind of cute…

“Did she also tell you when she died to skeletons in every dungeon?” I asked.

“D-Did not!” Luna exclaimed.

“So, you two played games together and decided to meet?” Nathan asked.

“Basically,” I nodded, “We found out that we lived in the same area and set up a date.”

“That’s cute.” Nathan showed a fatherly smile.

“How did you two meet?” I asked.

I absolutely HAD to know! Julia is an awakener and former nun while Nathan is unawakened and works IT.

“It’s not too interesting of a story,” Nathan said, “But, one day, after work my car had broken down in the parking lot. I don’t exactly remember the issue, but, at the time, I couldn’t be bothered to fix it since I was tired and hungry. I also didn’t want to call a taxi because I trying to save money. So, I ended up heading to the bus stop.”

He took a sip of water before continuing,

“While I was dozing off and waiting for the bus, I noticed some kid in the corner of my eye—couldn’t be more than nine or tens years old at the time. She was holding a ragged teddy bear and looked as lost as a dog in a pack of wolves; She kept looking left and right like she was unfamiliar with the place.”

A lost kid? Hm…Is this a love at first sight type of story? I wondered.

“The kid was totally out of place. It was dark, and I didn’t see anyone else in sight. My mind immediately thought: Is she running away from home? Now, no matter how tired I was, I couldn’t just leave a child like that alone on the streets. Who knows what could’ve happened. So, I approached her and asked if she was okay.”

While Nathan was telling this story, Luna snuck another plate of food and ate quietly.

“Thankfully it wasn’t a runaway situation—I don’t even want to imagine what have had to happen for a nine year old to run away from home. Apparently, the girl had gotten lost. She told me she had been playing hide and seek with her friends and when she was hiding, no one had found her. So, she tried to find her way home, but ended up where she was now.”

Hm…Saved the lost girl and fell in love with the caretaker? Is that where it’s going? But, Luna is an only child?

“My first thought was to contact the police. They’d have dealt with the situation. But, the girl was hungry and tired; The police would’ve taken like ten to twenty minutes to arrive. So, before doing that, I just asked her a few simple questions. And it turns out, she wasn’t far from home at all. She lived at an orphanage just a five minute walk from there.”

Oho! There’s the missing puzzle piece! I’ve got the story completed in my mind already!

“I was left with two choices,” Nathan said, “One: Call the cops, let them bring her back to the orphanage. Or, I can just walk her back and get her home sooner. Now, realistically, I should’ve just chosen the first option but I decided on walking her back.” He looked at Julia and smiled, “And that might have been the best decision of my life.”

…Is he flirting in front of us right now?

I looked at Luna who had rolled her eyes and continued eating.

“So,” Nathan continued, “I ended up walking her only halfway to the orphanage when I spotted a woman in a nun’s outfit searching the area frantically. It may not have been the time, but, I truly thought an angel had descended. She noticed us quickly and literally ran towards us and hugged the little girl immediately.”

“I noticed Alex, not the two of you.” Julia chimed in.

“Haha,” Nathan chuckled, “Right. Anyways, after she thanked me we chatted for a bit and then she found out that I was taking the bus home. Coincidentally, from where we were, we could see the bus driving away—I had missed it. Leaving me with only the option of walking home or calling a taxi.”

“I felt bad,” Julia said, “Of course, I was eternally grateful but, he had missed the bus because of Alex. So, I offered to drive him home, which, he accepted.”

“Right,” Nathan nodded, “On the car ride home, we chatted about a lot of things—I was mostly just rattling off anything that came to mind because I was trying to keep the conversation going! Haha.” He laughed.

“I did think that was cute, but, that was all. I was a nun at the time after all.” Julia said.

“Yeah, I had to be persistent to woo her, haha. After she dropped me off at home, we exchanged numbers. After that, all I’d do is bother her! During my breaks at work and on my days off, I’d message her.” Nathan said.

“Yes,” Julia nodded, “I would reply just to be polite at first. But, I noticed that it was always normal conversations, like talking about a TV show or an animal he’d seen recently. He also began helping out at the orphanage, but, never once did he make a direct move on me; It was always friendly and casual conversations.”

Oh my…He was biding his time?! Is father-in-law actually a master strategist!?

“Eventually, I started feeling a little closer to him. Enough to stop being a nun.” Julia said, taking a sip of water.

“That brings us to where we are today.” Nathan said with a smile.

“Wow!” I clapped, “That’s so cute! That’s a really nice story.” I said with a smile.

I wonder what parts they omitted though…?

“Thank you,” Julia smiled, “Yours and Luna’s story is cute as well.”

“Mm…” Luna nodded with a slightly flushed face.

“Hehe, thank you.” I said.

This dinner went better than I expected!