Chapter Five: Byron

She looks tense,Byron’s dragon said as Cassie sat across the table, her hands clasped together in her lap.

She’s not the only one, Byron replied.

Just relax and be yourself, his dragon replied. That’s the most common advice anyone gets when they’re nervous about a date.

Be myself, Byron repeated. How hard can that be?

Byron glanced at Romera, the waiter, as he walked away from their table with their orders before turning his attention back to Cassie, wracking his brain for something to say. An icebreaker of some sort.

“So, tell me about this store of yours.” Byron steepled his fingers.

Not bad. It’s a start at least. Now just relax, you’re on a date, not a lecture, his dragon soothed, and Byron slowly dropped his hands onto his lap.

“What do you want to know?” she asked.

“It has a very interesting name, The Fickle Cauldron, correct?” Byron kept his tone light even though his whole life, and his family’s future, were hanging on this one lunchtime date.

Mock date,his dragon corrected.

Cassie seemed to relax a little as she began to talk. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“How did you come up with it?” Byron asked.

“Oh, it was inspired by one of the first magical items I ever owned. It was this dusty little cauldron that was picky about what potions it would let you brew,” Cassie replied with a wistful smile. “Sometimes it would only brew potions based on emotions, another day only sleeping potions, and if you tried to brew when it didn’t feel like, it was awfully messy. But when you got it right, that thing made very potent potions.”

“You mean it had a mind of its own?” Byron asked.

This seems to be a trend. First The Lonely Tavern, now a Fickle Cauldron. What next, a time-traveling teapot?his dragon asked.

Now that would be something,Byron mused.

“Sometimes spells leave a residue,” Cassie explained. “I suspect a previous owner made a fairly powerful potion while using the cauldron and then left the brew in the cauldron for a couple of days. Or weeks.”

“And the magic of the potion seeped into the very essence of the cauldron? I’ve read about that happening sometimes.” Byron leaned forward. “So, what did you do?”

“What did I do?” Cassie furrowed her brows.

“Yes. Do you...” He looked up. “Ah, here are our mocktails.”

Cassie clasped her hands in her lap as the server approached with two elegant glasses on a tray.

“Here we are, Byron.” Romera placed the Outrageous Oasis down on the table in front of Byron. “And for your lunch date.” Romera gave a curious smile as he set down a Sunset Surprise.

“Oh, this is Cassie. Cassie, this is Romera,” Byron introduced.

“Good to meet you, Cassie,” Romera said, eying her with interest.

“And you, Romera,” Cassie replied with a nod of her head. “The mocktails look too good to drink.”

“Ah, my wife made them, especially for you.” Romera grinned widely. “Byron is our most regular customer. He practically keeps us in business. Even when he’s not staying in town, he flies over twice a week. He must eat here at least three times a week at the moment, and he always orders the same. Except for today, it seems the mocktail is different, at least, so we made it special.”

“Thank you, Romera,” Byron said with some embarrassment.

But he’s not wrong, Byron’s dragon said. You are set in your ways.

I like what I like,Byron answered curtly.

“Enjoy your Outrageous Oasis,” Romera said with a bow to Byron. “And I hope you enjoy yours, Cassie.” With that, Romera swept away, disappearing back into the kitchen.

“Doesn’t he have a flair for the dramatic?” Cassie said, a smile playing on her lips. She lifted her glass, studying the vibrant colors swirling within.

Byron chuckled. “Romera is quite a showman. Always has been, always will be.”

“You’re old friends?” Cassie asked as she picked up her glass and sniffed it tentatively.

“He visited Cairnnor some years ago. He had a thing for one of my sisters, but it was not meant to be,” Byron replied as he raised his glass to Cassie.

“Of course. Romera was not her fated mate.” She clinked her glass to his and then took a sip of her mocktail. As she tipped the drink, it was as if a summer sunset swirled in her glass, all oranges and reds.

Now Cassie is definitely going to think that we are not mates,his dragon said, with more than a hint of accusation in his voice.

Byron sipped his drink. The tangy sweetness of strawberries exploded across his taste buds, the effervescence tickling his tongue.

“The flavor is amazing,” Cassie said in surprise. “Very unique. Like sipping a warm evening.”

“Indeed.” Byron nodded, his senses reveling in the new taste that Romera’s wife had crafted and the nearness of his mate.

But his dragon was right. Until he told Cassie that they were mates, she was going to keep thinking that they were not meant to be together.

So tell her,his dragon said, happy at the thought.

But to tell her might do more damage,Byron replied. You heard her say she does not want to date.

That’s what she said, but it might not be what she means, his dragon said.

“So, you were telling me about this Fickle Cauldron. Did you cure it? Or contain it somehow?” Byron asked.

“Cure it?” Cassie furrowed her brows. “Do you think everything not perfect needs to be cured?”

“No, not everything,” he replied, studying her face. Her question seemed to carry a heavier weight than the one he had asked. “But a cauldron like that must be unmanageable, troublesome. I mean, surely whoever owns it won’t know whether or not a potion is going to work.”

“Exactly.” She took another sip of her drink.

“I think I am missing the point,” Byron said.

“I think so, too.”

“Are you going to tell me your point?” Byron raised an eyebrow.

“I am.” Cassie sipped her drink leisurely, leaving the conversation hanging.

Give her time, his dragon said. She’s probably trying to figure out how to explain something technical to a non-magical person like you.

I might be non-magical,Byron said, but technical is my thing.

Well then, maybe she’s just teasing you. His dragon grinned.

“So, the cauldron,” she began, fingers tracing the rim of her glass. “Fickle is just a description. It isn’t meant to be cured. It’s just...different.”

“Different how?” Byron leaned in, intrigued. “Wasn’t it made to mix potions under the direction of a witch or warlock?”

“It was.” Cassie placed her glass on the table. “Imagine you have a tool. It’s unpredictable, yes, but not unmanageable. You learn to work with it and understand its quirks. In time, its unpredictability becomes an advantage. Adaptability leads to growth.”

Byron slowly nodded, taking in her words. “What you are saying is that its unpredictable nature can help with casting spells?”

“Yes and no,” Cassie replied, her expression animated as she spoke. “Like I said, when you got it right with the cauldron, the potions were particularly strong. But I think more importantly, the cauldron resembles life.”

“And life is unpredictable,” Byron said.

Like meeting your mate in a magical tavern and having to enter a couples’ competition to get to know her and win her heart,his dragon said.

I think I like my life predictable, especially for the foreseeable future,Byron said. Now that we have met Cassie, we need to claim her, mate with her, and produce an heir. Otherwise, we’re going to lose our family’s fortune.

I hope that’s not how you plan to explain the situation to Cassie, Byron’s dragon said.

Well, you know I never had a way with words,Byron replied.

“Yes, life is unpredictable. And it’s the way we respond to that unpredictability that makes us strong,” Cassie replied. “The fickleness of the cauldron, its unpredictable nature, means that the user has to constantly evolve their brewing process and become a better potion maker for it.”

“Do you still have the cauldron?” Byron asked.

She shook her head. “No, I sold it to a powerful warlock who was visiting from Panjara. He saw the soul of the thing. And he saw its value.”

“To him, it was not broken. It was exactly how it was supposed to be,” Byron finished, finally grasping what his mate was trying to say.

“Yes.” She nodded happily and then looked up as Romera approached the table, notepad in hand.

“What can I get you, Cassie?” Romera asked.

“Oh.” Cassie picked up the menu and scanned the items, which until now they had ignored. “Is there anything you recommend?”

“I…” Byron stalled.

Cassie tilted her body to the side and looked at him around the side of the menu. “I thought this is where you often eat.”

“It is,” Byron admitted.

“Your usual?” Romera asked. “Or will you shock us all by ordering a different dish in honor of your lunch date with a beautiful lady?” He half-covered his mouth and said, “I think you are shooting above your weight, no?”

“Punching,” Byron corrected, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “It’s ‘punching above your weight.’”

Romera chortled. “Yes, punching! Sorry, English sometimes loses me.” He looked between them expectantly.

Byron glanced at Cassie, who had hidden her face behind her menu. He couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not.

Was she laughing at the exchange, or was she embarrassed at Romera’s teasing? He decided to take the leap. “Well, despite punching above my weight, I am going to have my usual,” he told Romera, a hint of humor in his voice.

“Why am I not surprised? Sometimes you will come here and say, Romera, tease my taste buds with something new. And I will say to you, try the Seafoam Pasta. A creamy pasta dish with plenty of seafood and a unique blend of aquatic herbs, spices and seaweed.”Romera grinned, his white teeth a sharp contrast against his olive skin.

“One day I might,” Byron replied.

Doubtful, his dragon murmured.

“And for you, Cassie?” Romera asked with a tilt of his head.

Cassie lowered her menu slowly. “I will try the Seafoam Pasta since you made it sound so good.”

Romera’s eyebrows shot up, a gleam in his bright eyes. “Ah, a lady of good taste,” he applauded. “I assure you won’t regret it.”

“You eat the same thing every time you eat here?” Cassie asked as Romera walked back to the kitchen.

“I do.”

“And you eat her two or three times a week?” Thankfully, Cassie did not sound too judgmental.

“I do.”

A small smile played across her lips. “You’re a creature of habit.”

He smiled, his eyes crinkling. “I guess you would say I am.”

“And what about the other days?” Cassie asked.

“I’m sorry?” Byron asked.

“Do you go to another restaurant the other days and eat the same thing there?” Cassie asked.

Byron shook his head with a chuckle. “I’m not that set in my ways. I eat different things on the other days. I just like my usual from here.”

“Just checking,” Cassie said in a teasing tone as she picked up her drink and took another sip.

She looks more relaxed now that she knows you are a little strange,his dragon said.

“What about you?” Byron asked. “What are your favorite restaurants or favorite foods?”

“Mine?” Cassie squeaked as if no one had ever asked her before.

“Yes. Isn’t this date all about us getting to know each other?” Byron asked.

“For the competition?”

“What else?” he replied, trying not to grumble.

“Well.” She gnawed on her lower lip. “I’m a big fan of sushi.”

Byron blinked at her confession, a surprised chuckle escaping his lips. “Sushi, really?”

Cassie shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. “I like the simplicity. Raw fish, rice, seaweed. It’s humble...but elegant.”

Byron nodded, appreciating her answer. “I guess you are right. There’s something about keeping things in balance. Simple and yet sophisticated. A bit like you, it seems.”

“Are you calling me simple?” Cassie asked.

Byron’s dragon groaned inwardly. Nicely done.

“It was a compliment,” Byron added hastily. “What I meant was, you’re unpretentious yet complex.”

Cassie considered this, her eyes narrowing slightly as she sized him up. “I suppose I’ll take that as a compliment. But I don’t know how you could have come to that conclusion in the short time we have known each other.”

“Well,” Byron began, glancing down at his drink before meeting Cassie’s gaze. “Perhaps I’m good at reading people.”

Cassie scoffed lightly. “Really? What else can you ‘read’ about me, then?” She leaned in with an air of playful challenge in her eyes.

Byron leaned back in his chair and laughed. “Now that is a loaded question.” His eyes flickered to the kitchen and relief flooded his veins. “Ah, saved by the food.”

The server appeared, carrying two plates full of steaming food.

“My, that was quick.”

“Romera was probably preparing my sandwich from when he saw me walking down the street to the front door,” Byron chuckled.

Romera set the plates on the table. The Seafoam Pasta twirled high and garnished with a sprig of green smelled heavenly. Romera was right. Perhaps next time he would give it a try.

Cassie glanced at her plate, then back at Byron, an eyebrow raised. “Saved indeed. For now. But I reserve the right to revisit this conversation at a later date.”

Byron grinned, lifting his knife to cut his sandwich, but stopped when he saw that it had already been trimmed down into manageable triangles and smiled. “Of course, we can revisit it on another date.”

“That isn’t what I said.” Cassie smiled, reaching for her own fork.

“No, but we’ve got quite a lot to cover in this first meeting,” Byron said.

“Well,” Cassie began, “since we have to keep up appearances for the sake of the competition.”

Nicely done,his dragon said. And this time, he meant it.