Cross Conviction

Rival (4-1)

The newly christened "Third Hunter Team" sat around a circular wooden table outside a restaurant overlooking the Spree River. Magnolia tapped her heel on the cobblestone beneath them and sighed impatiently. As Gustavo quietly panned over a pamphlet with his finger, the frog on his shoulder seemed to follow its movement. Looking down at his watch, Sturm once again let his mind wander. Where was his father right now? What did his mission entail? Would he be home soon? Clearing his throat to break the silence, Gustavo placed the pamphlet flat on the table.

"So..." Gustavo started, "It was nice of Captain Scharf to treat us to lunch."

Magnolia shot him a glare, her eyes reflecting the burning rage in her heart. "Oh yes, it's so nice of the captain to take us out for lunch after he made us miss breakfast this morning." she hissed.

Sturm avoided eye contact with either of them, instead glancing off toward the river. Magnolia wasn't totally wrong. Scharf had dragged the group out of bed at five in the morning just to have them wait around the local park for six hours. The teenagers had expected their captain to initiate some sort of test or assignment, but when he finally showed up, he simply informed them that it was time for lunch. That is, after he was finished smoking a cigarette in silence. The whole affair seemed to be designed simply to inconvenience them. Perhaps there was some hidden motive. Perhaps the captain was just ignorant.

Magnolia growled, tapping her nails on the countertop, "Can they take any longer? You'd think these uniforms would command more respect, no?"

"Maybe it's the uniform that stops them from recognizing the prestige of the lovely Magnolia von Wald," Gustavo chuckled.

"Maybe I should toss you into the river..." replied Magnolia as a wicked grin crept across her face.

Sturm looked over to see Scharf leaning against the nearby railing overlooking the river bank. His face was mostly hidden by the shadow of his visor cap, save for the slight glow produced by his lit cigarette. Arms folded and ankles crossed, paid the group no mind.

After some time, the waitress arrived with their food; shrimp cocktail for Magnolia, a grilled steak for Gustavo, and baked salmon for Sturm. The woman then distributed glasses of lemonade to each of them before promptly taking her leave. Sturm glanced back and forth at his allies, taking note of their peculiar eating habits. Magnolia ate her shrimp with a fork and knife, taking small bites in an overbearing attempt to emphasize her high-society status. Gustavo, naturally, began his meal by cutting the tiniest sliver of beef for his tiny companion atop his shoulder. Sturm couldn't help but smirk when he saw the little orange frog devour the piece of meat, nearly as wide as its mouth, in one gulp.

Gustavo raised an eyebrow at Magnolia, who was still painstakingly cutting each shrimp into tiny segments before indulging. "Everyone knows you're starving, Magnolia. You don't need to do that to yourself," he stated plainly.

She shot him another glare. "Mind your own business, foreigner," she growled before patting her lips with a napkin.

Gustavo threw up his hands, conveying his belief that it didn't matter enough for him to start an argument over, then returned to his lunch. After a half hour, the three were finished eating. The waitress arrived with the bill and placed it on the table before bowing and walking off once more.

Sturm picked up the slip and looked over the price. "I didn't realize it was so expensive here..." he said quietly.

"Come now, let me see!" exclaimed Magnolia, snatching the paper from his hand, "This? Expensive? That's quite cute, turkey."

Just then, Scharf stepped beside the table and looked down at the group. "If you're done, hurry up and pay. We have work to do," he said impatiently.

The group exchanged surprised looks. They had assumed that the captain was covering the tab for this outing, as it was his choice of location and he pressed them to order whatever they'd like when they arrived.