A short while later, Jack, Tavros, and Kenlil had successfully helped Philip trade his princely doublet for something more casual—a simple linen shirt and a worn leather vest that had belonged to John. They were now walking the night streets of Marmello. Most of the apartment buildings had already gone dark, save for the flickering orange glow of the street lamps.
The four of them walked along the edge of the main highway, headed toward the neon signage that buzzed in the distance: Smith's Guns & Glasses.
Philip adjusted his vest, looking down at his sleeves with clear concern. "Gentlemen, I do not judge your fashion senses, but don't you think this is a bit too... off-putting for a man about to meet the woman he admires? I don't think this is the type of attire for a first impression."
"You don't need to impress Christine with your looks, Philip," Jack said, his hands in his pockets. "One thing she hates is a man oozing the intention that he's there to court her. A simple, casual outfit is enough. It's not like she's expecting a blind date anyway. You're just there to introduce yourself."
Tavros, taken aback by Jack's surprising insight, let out a snort. "Pfft. What do you know about women anyway, Jack?"
"If you've been single as long as I have, you're bound to pick up things," Jack refuted calmly.
"Long?" Tavros countered. "You're not even eighteen yet. How come you're more of an expert than Ken? He's a lot older than both of us."
Kenlil, who had been silently listening to the hum of the city, chimed in. "Hey, it's not my fault. I'm not even that interested in women when I was your age. The only reason I'm doing this now is because of that stupid elven tradition—get a partner by twenty-five or be cast out to live an independent life. It's the only reason I'm practically homeless at this point."
"Don't worry about that, Ken," Tavros said, clapping him on the back. "We're going to find all of us partners. Just wait."
"Yeah? Well, I'm going to marry a woman with a high-paying office job in the city," Kenlil said, a dreamy look in his eyes. "I'll stay home, do the cleaning, and take care of the kids while she brings home the good stuff."
Jack snickered. "Good luck finding that. Unless you have a military career and a few medals to your name, most city women won't even look your way."
"Hey! Like I said, I'm joining the Navy," Kenlil said, his voice rising with excitement. "I'll work my way up to Captain—no, Admiral! Admiral Kenlil Aishall Luvillan. Rich women will beg for my hand. Their fathers will be lined up at the docks!"
Jack and Tavros burst out laughing in unison. "Pffft... Good luck with that, Admiral!"
"Yeah, just you wait, assholes!" Kenlil cursed, laughing along even as he tried to look offended.
Philip watched them, a small, genuine smile appearing on his face. "You lot are good friends. I must say, I envy the history you share."
Jack wiped a tear from his eye. "Yeah, we've known each other since we were kids." He turned to see Kenlil, who had conjured a small, harmless fireball in his hand and was chasing Tavros around a lamp post. "Alright, alright! Let's get this done. We still have a bottle of whiskey to finish tonight."
They ignored him. Jack waved a hand dismissively at Philip. "Don't mind those two jerks. Let's keep moving."
As they walked, Jack looked Philip over. "So, is that the way you always talk? To everyone?"
Philip looked slightly confused. "This is the way I've spoken since I was a child. Even though my family are disgraced Aurelian Nobles, we've always followed the etiquette of socializing... or at least, I tried to. Why? Is it going to be a problem?"
"It is," Kenlil said, catching up to them and breathing hard. "That woman hates flairs. One time, I saw a rich dickhead from the capital bring his luxury steam-car to the pub just to ask for a date. His way of speaking was even more annoying than yours, and she was pissed. It didn't take thirty seconds before she looked like she was possessed by a mafia boss. She grabbed the guy's head and bashed it repeatedly against his own hood."
Tavros appeared on Philip's other side. "Yeah, and that guy sued her family after. Luckily, Mr. Smith has a reputation that helped them win, but the guy was a real asshole. He took Christine's initial kindness for encouragement and tried to reserve the whole pub for a year just to have a private date. Haven't seen him since."
"Another time," Tavros continued, "a whole group of rich guys showed up at once. It almost turned into a free-for-all brawl, but she appeared out of nowhere and beat them all down herself. She was so furious she screamed about how much she hated being a woman."
Philip sweated a bit, his pace slowing. "W-well, that's what I was going to do at first. But after learning about her past suitors, I realized that wouldn't work. That's why I decided the military might give me a better chance."
Jack looked at him sideways. "Not judging your resolve, Philip, but is Christine the only reason you're joining the war?"
Tavros smirked. "Hey, he's not so different from us. Other than wanting to operate a magi-tank, we're all hoping the uniform makes female's head turn."
"To answer your question, Jack," Philip said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming suddenly serious. "No. Of course not. I am an Aurelian by heart. Before my family came to the Republic, we were a proud people who pursued Art-Magic. We wanted to find the pinnacle of beauty in everything. Then the Grendheich Empire knocked on our doorsteps. They destroyed everything we built. They enslaved us."
He looked at his hands. "As much as I want to fight as an Aurelian, I have to accept that I am a citizen of the Republic now. I have to fight as a Luman and hope that someday, I can help liberate my home. So, no. Love is not the only reason."
Tavros nodded solemnly and patted Philip's back. "We're proud to have you on our side, brother."
Kenlil, unable to keep the mood serious for long, wiped a fake tear. "Yeah, I nearly cried back there. Beautiful speech."
"Yeah," Jack smirked. "Mr. Smith would've loved to have you as a son-in-law if he heard that."
"You bastards!" Tavros snapped, though he was smiling. "Can't you read the room?"
Jack and Kenlil chuckled.
"In all seriousness, Philip," Jack said as the neon sign of the pub loomed closer, "just talk to her as casually as possible. Remove the intentions of dating her and just... be there as a friend first. There's one thing I've learned: Love isn't a race. You can't win it by showing how fast you are. It's about accepting everything that happens—what happened, and what's going to happen."
Philip smiled, his eyes reflecting the buzzing neon light of the pub. "I think I understand, Jack. Thank you."