The atmosphere in the tavern felt strange, for it was before dawn, and although the place should have been completely empty at that hour, the employees had arrived one after another with clumsy excuses about waking up early or "just passing by."
But the truth was obvious, everyone had gathered before the workday began because they didn't want Erian to leave without a proper farewell.
"So… it's today, then," one of the servers said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Erian nodded; he didn't know what to say.
"It hasn't been long, but…" murmured another young woman, her eyes glistening. "It'll feel strange without you here."
"Yeah. I'd already gotten used to having someone who could cook so well…" said one of the kitchen hands, then frowned. "Hey, who's going to make the meat stew now? Greta won't let me touch the recipe."
Greta snorted.
"Because you ruined it last time!"
