Lorne and Fors were enjoying dinner at an elegantly decorated, upscale restaurant.
"A medium-well steak and a bottle of Southville white wine." Lorne took the menu from the waiter and began ordering.
"I'll have pasta with meat sauce and an Intis stew-"
Whether it was because she had been annoyed at the exhibition earlier or for some other reason, Fors was nowhere near as reserved as Lorne had expected.
Lorne had dressed quite well for the exhibition that day, wearing a well-tailored formal suit with a matching top hat.
Fors, too, wore a tasteful outfit befitting a literary young woman. The handsome man and beautiful woman soon received warm, attentive service from the waiter.
"And a fruit ice cream for dessert."
"Wait!"
Just as the waiter was about to turn away, Lorne suddenly stopped him.
"Sorry, please change the ice cream to caramel pudding."
Although he really wanted ice cream, for some reason, he felt that the word "ice cream" had recently taken on a peculiar symbolic significance. After some consideration, he decided to replace it.
Besides, he had only just eaten ice cream in front of Xio two days earlier. He had better pay attention to details like these and avoid establishing a predictable pattern.
Before long, their dishes arrived one after another. Lorne raised his stemmed glass of clear wine toward Fors. Understanding his gesture, Fors picked up her own glass and gently clinked it against his.
The crisp clink sounded particularly pleasant amid the lilting violin music.
"It's a shame there aren't any candles here. Otherwise, this would be a proper candlelit dinner." Fors sipped her wine and looked at the couples seated nearby with a touch of envy.
"Does the brave Lady Sisi enjoy romantic settings like this too?" Lorne asked with a smile.
He had