The taxi arrived quickly. As we piled in, I got stuck with the middle seat, the worst seat, and the cracked leather of the seats didn't help either.
"A'ight, where youse headed? Midtown? Fuhgeddaboudit, traffic's a nightmare, but I'll get ya there quick. Buckle up." He was looking back at us while tapping the steering wheel.
I didn't think it possible for someone in this world to have an accent from New York.
I showed him my phone and the directions to get to the burger place. "Expensive spot, huh? You sure you ain't gonna be washin' dishes ta pay da bill?"
I was holding back tears. "My pockets will... be fine." I had to stop mid-sentence to breathe.
"That place'll bleed ya dry. You kids even packin' the kinda green they want?"
He started to drive, and the drive there was quiet.
We exited the taxi. The front was made of red bricks, nicely kept up with, and a darker wood. As we got closer to the door, I saw inside a little and the floor was made from a really nice red wood, and there was a nice koi pond near the front reception area.
And we entered the restaurant.
We waited at the front reception area for a little bit. "Sir, what's your reservation name?"
"Crown, and I'll be paying for tonight." I handed them a small card.
"Right this way, Mr. Crown." The waiter was fumbling with his hands a lot; must be his first time handling someone as rich as me.
He seated us and then handed us a few different menus.
"I will be back with your waiter for the night." He bowed and then hurriedly left.
"So what are y'all thinking of getting?" The prices were ungodly high, like who pays $2000 for a simple side of fries?
Gulp. "I'll just get like a basic cheeseburger," Zayne said. His palms were actively getting sweatier the longer he looked at the menu prices.
I could say something, but I'll wait till they start to freak out.
"You know, I think I'll just get a salad." Her face was devoid of all color and her voice had no emotion to it.
"No need to order so low. Who invited who here?" I pointed towards myself and then pointed outwards towards them.
"As the one who invited you out to this place, I'll be paying, so get what you want." I set my menu down and waited for the waiter to get back.
I set my elbows on the table. "Don't worry about prices, get what you want."
I pulled out my phone. "So if he comes back, order for me; I'll be getting a triple deluxe burger. I've got to call the Crown Corporation."
I didn't even wait for them to respond and walked up to the front receptionist. "Hey, can I get roof access to take this call?"
The man seemed to take a moment to think. "Sure, follow me." And so I did; the bar area was particularly full.
"Where are you bringing him, Lenny?" one of the other staff members yelled at the one who was leading me. "It's Mr. Crown; he needs roof access."
Some of the people in the neon-lit bar area looked me up and down. "Him a Crown? Yeah right," one of the bigger ones said.
"I really don't have time for this; I could have this entire building incinerated for that comment alone." Jesus, I really was acting like a bitch, but I guess this might be how Levi acted before.
"Sir, we can have them escorted out if they are bothering you," he continued to lead me.
We got to a steep set of stairs. "Just follow them up, and the code is 2711."
And so I walked up the steps. Once I got to the roof, I flipped the phone open again and dialed Sebastian's number.
"Hello, this is Levi speaking. I've left the hospital, but I'm getting something to eat with Sera and a friend."
"I'll be there soon." He hung up.
I jumped off the roof and walked through the front door. The impact wasn't too bad; honestly felt like I jumped down five steps.
The table was in an entirely different room; I returned to my seat.
"Did you guys order yet?" I was getting hungrier by the second.
"No, not yet, so what have you really been up to, Levi?" Zayne had leaned forward while staring at me.
"Physically training my body. I've done this all in a week, and I'll keep going till I can't no more, and when I can't, I'll find new paths to walk and walk them to completion." I heard the click of the door being opened.
I expected the waiter to come take our order.
"You little shit, why are you spending our money at a fancy place... Huh, I thought you didn't like living the life of the rich?"
Sis had shown up... Fuck.
"Well, I wanted a good burger." Only explanation I had; I scratched the back of my head.
She walked up to an empty seat; it happened to be next to Zayne. "Who are you?" She was staring directly at Zayne.
He was staring straight forward as if doing anything else would get him killed. "I... I'm Zayne Arctis, a friend of Levi."
She raised her hand back and smacked him in the back of the head. "Why are you friends with a socially awkward nerd like Levi?"
Sebastian stood behind her as she sat down; he didn't say anything and just looked at me.
Zayne looked confused. "That was a joke, right?" His confusion was written all across his face. "If it was a joke, I didn't get the punchline of it."
Iva looked amused. "So are you saying he isn't a socially awkward nerd?"
Sera spoke, "No, actually, he's probably one of the louder..." She held her hands in her lap.
"And who are you? I assume I don't need introduced and that my good brother spreads the great word of who he is."
Sera smiled and chuckled a little. "I'm Sera Lumuria, I'm low-ranked at the academy, but I've been helping Levi recover."
"Well, nice to meet some of my idiot brother's friends. I assume none of you are connected with the one who did this to Levi?" Her voice was cold, almost murderous.
"No need, lovely sister of mine, I've already spoken to him." The table sat in silence for a while.
Until the waiter came back and we ordered our food.
"So how did the two of you meet Levi?" Sebastian was speaking.
"First day during exams." Zayne was intently eating his steak... at a place known for its burgers.
Sera had actually ordered a salad. "I helped him during that duel, and then helped him recover," she spoke quietly as if it wasn't something to be proud of.
It was a couple more minutes of awkward silence.
"I'll be back," I needed to use the bathroom.
Sebastian's POV
Master Levi hurriedly left the table.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Iva started speaking.
"Listen, I don't want Levi returning to that academy. He's already endured enough pain, so I want both of you to stop speaking to him." She was asking them more so commanding them.
Zayne chuckled. "Sorry, don't think I can stop being Levi's friend, and I don't think you can stop him from going to the academy if you want." This kid's confidence skyrocketed suddenly. Did he play an act for Master Levi?
"I also agree with Zayne. Miss Iva, I won't stop helping Levi," I told Master Iva that neither would.
"How much, how much money would it take?" She was getting desperate.
I finally spoke up. "Master Iva, I think it best for you to not play in Master Levi's affairs. He is grown and can make his own decisions."
I would likely get punished for speaking against her opinions, but I can't let her continue to do this. "We should wait in the car; this was Master Levi's dinner for his friends as a thank you to them." I was most certainly going to get in trouble for this now. I picked Iva up and carried her; she was powerless to it, and she knew it, so she literally just gave up as I carried her to the car waiting outside.
Levi's POV
I saw that Sebastian carried Iva out as I walked back to our table.
"What was that about?" I asked them curiously when I got back.
They both shrugged.
It didn't take long for us to finish eating.
"Well, I've got to head back to the main estate, so it might be a few weeks before I return to the academy."
I bowed to both of them; the air was cold around us. "Thank you both for spending the night with me."
They both looked a little shocked.
"Sorry, got to go." I sat down in the car; its seats were soft and warmed, quite unlike the cracked leather of the Taxi.