[Later That Evening]
Not too long after the sun set over the horizon, the group of young sorcerers had just finished getting ready for the evening.
In truth, they were all looking forward to having a fun night out on the town. Ever since they arrived at the beach, it has been nothing but business for the four agents and their two charges. And the only time they got to truly relax came from the few times they've been able to partake in the luxuries that the hotel had to offer. Tonight was their first chance to actually enjoy some of the many attractions that could be found in the city.
Once the group was all set and ready to go, they quickly exited their respective hotel rooms and made the short trip down to the lobby. There, they met up with the other trio of sorcerers who they would be joining.
Standing next to the check-in desk were Hannah, Mikayla, and Aaron. All of whom were obviously dressed for a night of leisure.
Hannah was dressed in a white t-shirt complemented by a blue, floral pattern skirt that came down to her ankles, along with a large straw sun hat and matching shoes. Mikayala was sporting a pair of pink shorts paired with a grey V-neck blouse. The 'bone magic' user also added to this look with a pair of black high-top sneakers. As for Aaron, the somber-looking teen was sporting a simple pair of blue jeans, black sneakers, a red t-shirt, and a black varsity jacket. The kind of look that went great with his shaggy hairstyle.
The trio weren't the only ones who decided to dress for the occasion, though. Since they didn't want to stand out unnecessarily while they were out and about, the four agents decided to ditch their specially made suits and went with a more casual look for the evening. Something that was actually suggested by Elizabeth and quickly backed up by Valerie.
For the MacNamara twins, Evan was sporting a plain red t-shirt complemented by a pair of matching high-top sneakers and khaki shorts. He also had on a red headband that kept his dreadlocks out of his face. As for Elizabeth, the young fashion designer chose to represent herself by wearing an orange apron dress that she created a few years ago. One that perfectly contrasted her darker skin tone. She further added to the effect by wearing a pair of white high-top sneakers that matched her brother's.
Cyrus chose to keep it simple by wearing some khaki pants and a long-sleeve grey t-shirt, along with a pair of laceless, black slip-on sneakers. The young man further accented this with a small black pouch that was attached to the back of his belt. One that was just big enough to hold a decent amount of seeds in case he needed them.
The 'tree magic' user wasn't the only one who chose to keep it simple when it came to attire, though. Valerie opted for a black sweatsuit and a pair of orange running shoes. It was the kind of thing that was comfortable and easy to move in. The sweatsuit was also fireproof, as were most of the tall blonde's clothes.
As for the other two agents, they decided to put a bit more effort into their appearances.
Freddy was keeping up with the whole "beach vacation" theme by putting on a pair of lime-green board shorts along with a white v-neck t-shirt and some white boat shoes. He further accentuated this look with a straw sunhat of his own that matched the shoes.
Meanwhile, Maria was dressed in a simple black hoodie and jean shorts. Except under the shorts, she was wearing a pair of black and white striped leggings, as well as some high-top black combat boots. She also had on a black snapback with some kanji characters on the font that the others couldn't easily decipher.
"What's up? Good to see you guys!" Hannah greeted the group the moment they came into her field of vision.
"Right back at you!" Valerie replied with a friendly wave. "Thanks for letting us tag along with you."
"Hey, the more the merrier, right?"
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to see what the food at this palace is all about." Freddy added. "I read some of the reviews online and my expectations are pretty high."
Cyrus chuckled a bit after hearing that. "Agreed. It's been a while since I've had seafood. We rarely ever have it since my mom can't eat shellfish."
Mikayla cringed a bit. "Ooh, that's rough."
"I'm just glad that we were able to get a reservation for a group this big. I was worried that the restaurant would cancel on us since we changed the size of the party at the last minute." Hannah said sincerely. "But I think we got lucky since it's a weekday."
"Well then, let's not keep this place waiting. Are you guys ready to go?" Evan asked the apparent leader of the trio.
Hannah gave the 'wind magic' user a quick nod before pulling out her phone and giving the twins the address to the restaurant. With that, the group wasted no time in hopping into their respective vehicles and making the journey over to the restaurant. Fortunately for the gaggle of sorcerers, traffic was considerably light around this time, so the drive was much smoother than they expected. And before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination.
-(o)-
The location Hannah had decided their group would go to for dinner was called High Tide, an upscale restaurant located near the northern part of the city. One that had an excellent view of the beach, as well as the classical architecture that decorated the local skyline.
By the time the group finally arrived at the restaurant, the place was moderately packed, but bursting with energy. Sprinkled all over the dining area was a slew of people from all different walks of life. Businessmen, college students, a couple of off-duty firefighters, you name it. At first glance, the place appeared to have some sort of old-school sailor vibe to it. And judging by the almost intoxicating aroma flowing through their nostrils, the group of young sorcerers knew that they were in for a good time.
Before any of them had the chance to fully take in the atmosphere of the place, the gaggle of sorcerers were ushered to their table by the attending waiter and were swiftly handed their menus.
"Pretty nice place." Evan commented as his eyes scanned over the dining area a bit more. "I'm digging the whole maritime vibe."
"And judging by the smell coming from the kitchen, the food here is to die for." Elizabeth added while perusing the menu for what she wanted to eat.
"Hmm...." Hannah glanced at the twins before speaking. "I would've thought a place like this might be too regular for you guys."
Evan was quick to pick up on the woman's meaning. "Despite what you may think, we don't really get the chance to go to places like this all that often."
"Really?" Cyrus was genuinely surprised at hearing that. World-famous sister aside, the MacNamaras were notoriously wealthy. Their grandfather was one of the richest men in the country, and their father was a high-ranking government official. The 'tree magic' user would be lying if he said that he didn't assume that they go to fancy places like this all the time.
"Yes." Elizabeth nodded head. "Our sister hates going to restaurants because people keep hounding her the moment she sets foot in the building. And our parents only ever took us out to eat on special occasions."
"I never really thought about it, but it must be a total pain in the ass having to navigate your lives." Mikayla said while still looking through her menu.
"Judging by the fact that they need four DPA agents to watch their backs, I'd say that a pretty accurate assessment." Hannah joked. "But at least you have access to some of the best protection that money can buy."
"I'm just glad that we were able to get some agents that we were actually close to our age this time. Usually, our parents stick us with some old guys."
That comment caused Valerie to remember something that she wanted to ask a couple of days ago, but forgot to do so until now. The tall blonde then decided to join in on the conversation. "That reminds me...what were guys doing when you saw us taking down that ghoul? I never thought about it until now, but we were pretty out of the way."
The 'wind magic' user casually shrugged before responding. "We were on the way home from our grandfather's house when we sensed the ghoul's mana. I wanted to see what was causing such a ruckus, so we flew over to see what was going on. And right when we spotted it, you guys showed up and took it out."
"We still should've noticed you guys, though." Valerie questioned. "Your mana isn't exactly subtle. We should've felt if you were close by. Hell, even Aunt Zoe and Stillwater were there and they didn't even notice you."
"That's because we hid behind the trees when we saw Robin's bird approaching." Elizabeth added. "You know how the DPA feels about civilian sorcerers getting in the way of their work. Plus, Chief Zoe knows our father. She would've definitely ratted us out if she saw us."
"Hold on a second!" Mikayla held her hands up. "You guys took down a ghoul? Like an actual ghoul?"
Aaron leaned forward a bit on the table as he focused a bit more on the conversation. The quiet sorcerer was certainly interested in hearing about this. Ghouls were notoriously dangerous and hard to take down. On top of that, they were incredibly rare. So rare that he never even bothered to try and look for one to add to their group's collection. The fact that one manifested so close to where they lived had him intrigued.
"Technically, we just captured it." Freddy. "Our boss was the one who killed it."
"How'd you capture it?" The 'bone magic' user then asked.
Valerie and Freddy both pointed their fingers at Cyrus. The freckle-faced teen gave the woman a smile before replying. "My magic's really good for restraining things. But Valerie and Maria did most of the hard work."
"Oh, please..." Valerie waved off after finally deciding what she wanted to eat. "Maria's companions did all the heavy lifting. I was barely able to damage it. Those serpents of hers are terrifying when you really think about it."
The focus then turned to the lone 'beast magic' user of the group. The woman briefly stirred in her seat before looking across the table. Maria wasn't really good with social interactions like these. This was actually her first time ever going out with a large group like this. Although she didn't exactly hate it, she wasn't reveling in it either.
"I'm just glad that Ajax is okay." Maria decided to say in response. "That cryptid was strong enough to injure him."
A thought crossed Hannah's mind. 'I wonder if she's the one that the boss mentioned. The talented 'beast magic' user who's also a rookie.'
'I'm guessing that at least one of her cryptids is exceptionally powerful.' Aaron shared in the same line of thinking as his sister. The shaggy-haired teen made a mental note to do some more research on Maria as soon as they got back home. After all, it was always a good idea to have information on people of interest.
It didn't take much longer for the group to decide what they wanted to eat. Although Cyrus originally planned on going with something simple, Mikayala insisted that he get one of the more extravagant items on the menu since she was going to be covering his bill. At first, the 'tree magic' user declined, but after a bit of convincing and a couple of jokes from Freddy, he decided to take the woman up on her offer.
At the other end of the table, Maria was still having a bit of trouble deciding what to get.
In truth, the young woman was trying not to just settle for the cheapest item on the menu. Now that Maria actually had some spending money, something she and her mother rarely ever had growing up, she wanted to explore her options a bit. It wasn't like the dishes were incredibly expensive either; in fact, most of them were more than reasonable when it came to pricing. But the fact that she didn't even know what half of this stuff was made it all the more difficult for her to choose.
"Tienes problemas, ¿eh?" The sound of Elizabeth's voice brought Maria out of her thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Estás teniendo problemas para decidir qué comprar, ¿no?"
"Si." Maria replied.
"¿Por qué no pides el especial de camarones?"
¿Tiene algo de bueno?
"Por la foto seguro que lo parece." Elizabeth then pointed to the dish in question on the menu. "Además, una de tus compañeras es una anguila, ¿verdad? Comen camarones todo el tiempo. Estoy seguro de que estaría feliz de tener algo de eso."
'That's actually a really good point.' Maria thought to herself. Inside of her, she could feel Ayala stirring in response to that statement. An obvious sign that the eel-cryptid agreed with what the other woman was saying. On top of that, the shrimp special gave a lot of food for a great price.
"Yeah, I guess I'll go with that." The 'beast magic' user concluded before closing her menu and setting it on the table.
Before long, the waiter came by to take down the group's orders before disappearing into the kitchen. After they had successfully ordered their food, the gaggle of sorcerers passed the time with a bit of small talk to get to know each other better. Even exchanging a few laughs as Freddy and Mikayla told a few jokes to liven up the mood.
Unoftunely for them, none of the young sorcerers noticed the lone set of eyes in the far corner of the dining room that lingered on their table as they laughed and talked. A set of eyes that analyzed each and every one of their movements with a laser focus. All while subtly recording every action they took and each faint word that their owner could make out from so far away.
'How interesting...' The shadowy figure said to themselves before leaning back in their seat. 'It looks like the Lord has called upon me once again.'