Aaron waited outside in the cold, as the ominous blanket of twilight began to envelope the city of Neddingburg. He was waiting for Bauer to come out of his apartment, so they could meet Larrs for Thanksgiving dinner.

            “I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long,” he heard from behind him. Aaron whirled around to see Bauer standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to his building. He was fastening a gold thread accented waistcoat around his bulky figure.

            “You look nice,” Aaron exclaimed, slightly surprised at Bauer’s turnout.

            “Why thank you,” Bauer smiled with satisfaction at his attempts to look presentable, “You look rather dapper, yourself.”

           Aaron immediately blushed at the compliment. His black hair remained long and slightly messed up, hanging over his right eye, the teal tips accenting his monotone look with a bit of color.

            Bauer began to walk toward Aaron, “I suppose we should leave, we can’t have Larrs angry at us for being late.”

           Aaron nodded, and Bauer placed his large hand on Aaron’s shoulders as they began to walk down the street to the restaurant where they would meet their friend for dinner that night.

            “What took y’all so long? I’ve been waitin’ ‘ere for ages,” Larrs called out as Bauer and Aaron made their way toward the restaurant front. Larrs was a Gourier troll who stood three and a half feet tall, wearing a simple shirt and brown overalls. His ears stuck out horizontally on each side of his wide head, and a pink scar traced down over his left eye, staining it a milky white. His skin was a rough shade of brownish pink, and he wore simple leather boots. Bauer cringed at Larrs’ outfit choice, but said nothing other than, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

           “Honestly you two, youda’ thought you'd have some sense of time,” Larrs explained. Bauer sighed, but said nothing other than,“Well… shall we?”

“We shall,” Larrs replied matter-of-factly, and with that, they walked into the small restaurant.

            They were greeted by a quaint male waiter dressed in a white shirt and black apron. He wore circular glasses, a black top hat, and white gloves to accompany his look. He gestured to a table in the back of the restaurant, where it was less crowded, and proceeded to hand them each their menus. Bauer led the way, expertly weaving in and out of the tables until he reached their own. Aaron took his seat with his friends and waited patiently.

          The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit with string lights that hung from the ceiling. The waiter approached them in a calm manner, asking if any refreshments were desired, and if they were ready to place their Thanksgiving order. Bauer remained thoughtful for a moment before replying,

            “Yes I believe we are ready. Anyone with any special requests?” He looked around the table expectantly.

Larrs perked up and said, “What are your special drinks for this evening?” Bauer shook his head slightly at this, but only Aaron was able to catch the gesture.

            “We have an apple spice ale, a club soda, as well as the nectar of the lux-fructus.”

           “Bring me a pint of your finest ale, then,” Larrs replied with a wave of his paw. The waiter bowed his head and replied, “I will return shortly with all that you have requested,” and scurried off to the kitchen.

            Bauer pinched the bridge of his nose in his fingers, “Larrs you know very well you cannot have more than half a pint of ale!”

           “Are ye’ callin’ me a half-pint?” Larrs eyed Bauer with his good eye intensely. His lower lip twitched incessantly with unnecessary annoyance.

            “No, no, never mind,” Bauer surrendered to Larrs’ belligerence with a raise of his hands. Before Larrs could continue the conversation with a further remark, the waiter returned with plates of steaming meat and vegetables. He placed them down in front of the group one by one. Aaron eyed it hungrily, but waited for Bauer to give him the O.K. to proceed. Bauer smiled and nodded to Aaron, upon which he began to eat. Bauer ate slowly and politely, and Aaron emulated his every gesture. Larrs, on the other hand, did not do so with such a degree of grace. He shoveled the food into his mouth, chewing loudly as mashed potatoes dribbled from one corner of his lips. Again, Bauer made a face at Larrs’ conduction, but refrained from commenting. Aaron looked at Bauer inquiringly, but Bauer only winked, and placed his finger over his lips to signal Aaron's silence. Aaron nodded to Bauer, and kept quiet.

The waiter returned with Larrs’ ale, placing it down gently on the table. Larrs nodded to the waiter. He picked up his drink and swallowed several gulps. Aaron cringed. Larrs finished his drink in a matter of minutes, clumsily placing the cup back down on the table.

“We’re in for it now,” Bauer leaned over and whispered to Aaron. Aaron was confused, but didn’t reply.

“Now, I remember when I was in the Third Infantry, I repaired faulty cannons,” Larrs raised his right hand and pointed to Bauer and Aaron, his one eye drooping slightly. “I was the finest weaponsmith the Neddingburg army had ever seen!”

Larrs slowly rose from his seat and stood up. Bauer raised his hand and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Larrs continued with his tale.

“It was early mornin,’ and the alarm was soundin,’ sayin’ we were under attack! I ran to the main deck to arm the cannons,” Larrs swayed slightly where he stood, “There were Five Vaargin airships advancin’ on us! I grabbed a musket from the weapon stock, and fired at the closest of the captains mannin’ the wheel! Shot ‘em dead, I did!” He waved his hand, holding an imaginary sword, striking at imaginary enemies.

Bauer attempted to get Larrs to return to his seat, “Larrs, please sit back down, or we’ll-”

“The cannon balls were shootin’ left an’ right!” He pointed in every direction with his fake sword. “The Vaargin airship dropped a rope ladder onto our ship, and they descended upon us! I struck ‘em down with my sword!” and with that, Larss leaped up onto the chair, swinging his fake sword, slicing at the air. “They were comin’ at us from all directions! I heard my mate say ‘Kill all of these Vaargin-scum!’” Larrs continued waving his sword in every which way, fighting an imaginary war from long ago. Aaron watched Larrs, shocked, but slightly amused at the way he was behaving.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Bauer rose from his seat as more and more people began to glance over at the growing scene unfolding in the corner of the restaurant. Bauer took Larrs’ arm, “Hey!”

“We’re leaving,” Bauer exclaimed to Aaron. Larrs struggled as Bauer dragged him out of the restaurant. Aaron followed with his hands in his pockets and his head low.

Bauer stopped and spoke to the waiter before leaving, “Thank you for you service, but I’m afraid we will have to retire early tonight.” Bauer smiled impatiently, the embarrassment evident on his face. The waiter bowed his head respectfully and said, “I understand, thank you for attending tonight.”

Bauer nodded absentmindedly as he focused on getting Larrs out the door. Aaron smiled bashfully at the waiter, and proceeded to quickly follow Bauer.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” was the last thing Aaron heard the waiter say just before the doors of the restaurant closed behind him.