Chapter 269 Fish and Conditions
"Uh, hey, hi," said the girl who had suddenly appeared. "Can I please grab a fish?" she begged, her stomach growling in accompaniment to her plea.
Aleshia had anticipated her arrival, given the earlier commotion, and had prepared plates of fish for her and her companions. "Sure, here you go; I prepared some for you and your party, so enjoy."
"Oh my, thank you!" the girl exclaimed as she received the fish. After expressing her gratitude, she began devouring the fish, a look of glee and satisfaction spreading across her face as she savored the flavor.
When the others in her group arrived, they felt embarrassed by the girl's behavior and politely thanked Aleshia, clearly trying to suppress their hunger to appear considerate. However, that facade quickly disappeared when the group saw plates of fish before them. As soon as Aleshia allowed them to eat, they eagerly dug into the fish as if their lives depended on it, all the while exclaiming how delightful it tasted.
On the other side of the room, Lucia was trying to secretly listen in on the children's conversation, though she was no longer being discreet; in fact, she was included in their group and even cuddled by the kids.
While the party was busy eating, Aleshia found herself mindlessly staring at the kids who were hugging Lucia. She was pulled back to the moment by the first girl, who excitedly asked for more fish. Aleshia happily handed her another piece but added, "This will be the last fish you can have, okay?"
The girl looked down with regret and politely responded, "Thank you. I hope I wasn't too bothersome," before tentatively accepting the new fish and munching on it.
The group around her had already finished their fish, and it seemed they were eager for more, looking anxious about their next meal. Seeing their concern, Aleshia decided to give them some fish, but before doing so, she laid down a condition. "Before I hand you this fish, you need to promise that I can join you the next time you go out. I've been assigned some quests from Daniel and would like to accompany you to complete them. Do you understand?"
After hearing Aleshia's request, the party huddled together to discuss their options. They whispered, "Did Daniel actually give her some quests?" and one person quietly announced, "I'm pretty sure she went out with that group and another one Daniel was in, so I think it's legitimate." After a few more discussions and the temptation of more fish, they reached an agreement. Meanwhile, the girl who was left out munched on her fish.
"We agree to your terms, but we will take a short break since we just returned from our own quests," the leader concluded.