Chương 104: Bonus story : More than just colleagues : Part 11 : First Dinner at Karim’s

The following Saturday, Aldric met Emma in front of Karim's building. Unlike Lucas, who lived in a lively and noisy neighborhood, Karim lived on a much quieter street lined with trees and small residential buildings. Several bicycles were locked near the entrance, and a folded stroller rested against the wall of the lobby. Emma checked the number on her phone before looking up at Aldric.

"This is the place. Did you bring something?"

"Pastries."

"You're getting better."

"The probability of making a mistake was low." They entered the building and went up to the second floor. Patrick and Lucas were already standing in front of the door. Lucas held a bottle of juice in one hand and a wrapped package in the other, while Patrick had brought a small potted plant.

"You're late," Lucas said.

"It is six fifty-nine."

"I wanted to see if you'd check."

"That statement was objectively false." Patrick shook his head.

"And yet, he keeps trying." Lucas shrugged.

"One day, it'll work." The door opened before they had time to ring the bell. Karim appeared with a broad smile. He was wearing dark jeans and a light shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Behind him, a woman's voice asked whether everyone had arrived.

"Yes," he replied.

"Come in." A cartoon was playing on the television in the living room, something was cooking in the kitchen, and several toys covered part of the floor. Family photographs were arranged on the furniture, and a small pair of shoes rested near the entrance. A woman appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

"Good evening. I'm Samira." Karim stepped closer.

"My wife."

"I've heard a lot about all of you." Lucas raised a finger.

"Everything he said about me is exaggerated." Samira burst out laughing.

"He's barely said anything about you."

"That's even worse." Patrick handed her the plant.

"Thank you for having us."

"Thank you for coming." Emma then handed her the package she had brought.

"I hope we didn't bring too much." Samira looked at the table, which was already covered with bags and gifts.

"I believe Karim asked all of you not to bring anything." Patrick turned toward Karim.

"You know us, though."

"I tried." Aldric handed her the pastries.

"They can be eaten after the meal or kept until tomorrow." Samira took the bag with a smile.

"Thank you." The sound of small footsteps came from the hallway. A boy of about seven appeared near the living room door. He was wearing a T-shirt with a dinosaur on it and holding a small toy car in one hand. His gaze moved over Patrick, Lucas, and Emma before stopping on Aldric.

"Yanis, come say hello." The boy still did not move.

"He's shy when he meets new people," Samira said. Lucas looked at Aldric.

"I think he mostly recognized the legend."

"What legend?" Yanis finally walked toward them without ever taking his eyes off Aldric.

"Hello," he murmured.

"Hello." The boy then looked at his father.

"Is that him?" Karim sighed.

"Yes."

"Him?" Lucas was already beginning to smile. Karim placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I told him you used to be a knight." Yanis looked up.

"A real one?"

"We'll talk about that later. At least let them come inside first." The boy reluctantly nodded before returning to the living room. He did not go far, however, and continued watching Aldric from the doorway. Emma leaned toward him.

"I think you have an admirer."

"He mostly seems to have a lot of questions."

"That's usually how it starts." They took off their shoes and entered the living room. A sofa stood against one wall, accompanied by two armchairs. Several children's drawings were attached to the refrigerator, which was visible from the kitchen. A shelf held books, games, and a few photographs. In one of them, Karim was carrying Yanis on his shoulders by the sea. Aldric stopped in front of the picture.

"That was last summer."

"He looks smaller."

"At that age, six months already makes a big difference." Yanis, who had been following the conversation, came closer.

"I wasn't small." Karim smiled.

"You were smaller."

"Not much." Aldric studied the photograph.

"The difference does seem visible." Yanis looked at him seriously.

"You're really tall." Lucas burst out laughing.

"There. Debate over." Samira poked her head out of the kitchen.

"Would anyone like something to drink?" Patrick asked for water, Lucas asked for juice, Emma chose the same, and Aldric chose water. Karim began pouring the drinks while Samira returned to check on the food.

"You talk a lot at home," Lucas said. Karim placed a bottle on the table.

"I talk a normal amount. At work, the rest of you talk enough for four people." Lucas placed a hand over his chest.

"Another completely unprovoked attack." Samira called from the kitchen.

"He talks a lot here too. He just pretends to be quiet around you." Lucas looked at Karim triumphantly.

"I knew it." Karim shook his head.

"I already regret inviting you." Yanis, meanwhile, had not stopped watching Aldric. He moved even closer.

"Did you really have armor?"

"Yes."

"Made of metal?"

"Mostly."

"Was it really heavy?"

"Less than many people imagine." The boy looked at his arms.

"You could run in it?"

"Yes." Lucas turned toward Emma.

"There. That's exactly what he was doing when we watched those videos about knights." Emma smiled.

"And a sword?"

"Yes."

"Was it sharp?" Karim intervened.

"Yanis."

"What?"

"Let him breathe."

"I don't mind." Yanis immediately smiled.

"Did you fight dragons?" Lucas leaned forward.

"Ah. Now this is getting interesting."

"Yes." The boy's eyes widened.

"How many?"

"Several."

"Ten?"

"Probably fewer."

"Five?"

"Four that I fought directly." Yanis stared at him, open-mouthed. Lucas raised a hand.

"Wait. Four real dragons? And you never told us about that at the bar?"

"We were talking about moving." Yanis sat down on the floor in front of Aldric.

"How big were they?" Aldric raised one hand to shoulder height.

"The smallest had a head about this size." Yanis looked at his hand.

"And the biggest?"

"Its body was longer than this apartment." The boy's eyes widened even further. Lucas looked around.

"Okay. I admit that comparison is impressive." Karim placed a glass in front of his son.

"Drink something before you ask him how he saved the world." Yanis picked up his glass.

"He saved the world?"

"There was a major war." Yanis moved closer.

"And you won?"

"Yes."

"Dad said you carry furniture now." Lucas burst out laughing.

"I may have summarized it a little too quickly," Karim said.

"That is correct."

"Why?" Yanis asked.

"Because I no longer need to fight."

"Is that better?"

"Yes." Samira then appeared from the kitchen.

"If you keep questioning him like this, we'll be eating tomorrow." Yanis stood up.

"Can I ask one more question?"

"Just one." He turned toward Aldric.

"Where's your sword?"

"At my home."

"Can you show it to me one day?"

"Perhaps." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Promise?" Karim looked at Aldric.

"You just created a problem."

"I said 'perhaps.'""To him, that means yes." Samira smiled.

"Good luck." Dinner was served. Karim had moved a table so that everyone could sit comfortably. Samira brought several dishes to the center, along with bread, vegetables, and rice. Patrick sat near Karim, Lucas took a seat across from them, while Emma and Aldric sat on the other side. Yanis sat between his parents but chose the chair that allowed him to see Aldric without having to turn around.

"That smells incredible," Lucas said.

"Thank you," Samira said.

"Careful, he'll start coming back every week," Karim said.

"I can bring dessert."

"There. He's already negotiating." Patrick served himself.

"Don't encourage him." Samira asked a lot of questions about their work, mainly because Karim rarely told her the details of his days. Lucas took it upon himself to fill that gap.

"Your husband hides a lot from you." Karim looked up.

"Because he makes half of it up."

"I improve the stories." Samira looked at Lucas.

"He says exactly the same thing about you." Patrick burst out laughing. Lucas turned toward Karim.

"So you talk about me at home."

"To warn my family."

"Good to know." Aldric learned several details about Karim's life. He had been working as a mover for almost eight years. Before that, he had held various temporary jobs in delivery and logistics. He had met Samira through mutual friends, and they had married a few years later. Yanis had been born shortly after Karim started working with Patrick.

"Back then," Karim explained, "I mostly wanted something stable."

"Because of your son's birth?" Aldric asked.

"Yes. Before that, I could change jobs every six months without really thinking about it. Afterward, it was different."

"He became much more serious overnight," Samira said. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"More serious?" Patrick answered before Karim could.

"You didn't know him before."

"Now I'm scared."

"You should be."

"What exactly changed?"

"Before, if I lost my job, it was my problem. When Yanis was born, it wasn't just mine anymore. I had to pay the rent, buy groceries, clothes, all of that. You think differently when someone depends on you." Aldric nodded slowly. He had once felt something similar when he had received his first command. A poor decision no longer affected only his own safety. Other men would suffer the consequences.

"That resembles a form of command."

"Being a father?"

"Yes. You have to anticipate another person's needs, ensure their safety, and sometimes make decisions they will not understand." Samira smiled.

"Put that way, it sounds a lot like Karim." Karim shook his head.

"I've never commanded an army." Yanis raised his hand.

"I don't always listen to him." Lucas burst out laughing.

"There. Mutiny." Karim looked at his son.

"Thank you." Yanis resumed eating with a smile. Emma and Samira talked about their respective jobs, certain neighborhoods in Paris, and the difficulties of organizing vacations when their time off did not line up. Lucas regularly joined in, Patrick added a few comments, and Karim told much longer stories than he did at the depot.

"I'm glad you came. Karim talks about the guys a lot, but he said a friend of Aldric's was coming with them too." Lucas immediately raised a hand.

"Now she's our friend too."

"Thank you." The meal continued. Lucas started telling the story of what his apartment had looked like before the big cleanup, but Samira had already seen the photograph in the group chat.

"I thought Karim was exaggerating." Karim shook his head.

"For once, no."

"My apartment wasn't that bad." Emma looked at him.

"We couldn't see your sofa."

"You could see part of it."

"One seat, and I'm being generous," Patrick said.

"One seat was enough since I lived alone." Aldric took a sip of water.

"That logic has already been rejected." Samira burst out laughing. Lucas pointed at him.

"And he cleaned behind the outlets."

"I did not clean behind the outlets."

"Oh."

"I cleaned their surfaces." Patrick burst out laughing.

"That changes everything." The conversation continued like that for almost the entire meal. Yanis kept interrupting to ask Aldric questions. He wanted to know whether knights ate pasta, whether they had dogs, whether dragons could swim, and whether armor protected against fire.

"Some armor provides protection against flames, but the heat remains extremely dangerous."

"So you need a shield."

"A wooden shield could burn."

"Then a metal shield."

"It would become extremely hot." Lucas leaned toward Patrick.

"We're going to end up with a seven-year-old anti-dragon specialist." Yanis looked at Lucas.

"I'm seven and a half."

"Sorry…" After the meal, they cleared the table. Samira protested when Patrick tried to carry the plates, but he ignored her objection. Lucas took the glasses, Emma gathered the cutlery, and Aldric carried several dishes into the kitchen. Karim watched his team take over the sink.

"You do realize you're guests, right?" Patrick opened the dishwasher.

"We know."

"Then sit down." Lucas placed three glasses inside.

"Too late." Aldric put away a dish.

"Helping with the cleanup reduces the host's workload." Karim raised his hands.

"Fine. I give up." A few minutes later, they all returned to the living room. Samira brought out the pastries and coffee while Yanis retrieved several toys from a storage chest. He arranged figurines on the rug. Some were dinosaurs, others were soldiers, and a few represented fantasy characters. He did not ask anyone to play with him. Still, Aldric noticed that he regularly looked up in his direction.

"You know he's been watching you since we got here?" Lucas said.

"Yes."

"Does it bother you?"

"No." Emma smiled.

"He's probably still trying to figure out whether you're really a knight."

"His father has already given him that information." Lucas took a pastry.

"Kids like to verify things." Yanis placed two figurines in front of a plastic dragon. He moved the first character forward, then stopped before looking up at Aldric. A few seconds later, he resumed his game. The little soldier attacked the dragon head-on.

"Poor approach," Aldric murmured.

"Are you analyzing his toys too?" Emma asked.

"The soldier is attacking a much larger creature head-on."

"He's seven."

"That does not improve the tactic." Emma burst out laughing. Yanis looked up.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"How would you do it?"

"Here we go," Lucas said. Aldric stood up and crouched beside the rug.

"How many soldiers do you have?" Yanis counted the figurines.

"Six."

"And only one dragon?"

"Yes." Aldric picked up a figurine.

"Then you should not place all of them in front of it. Two can draw its attention while the others attack from the sides."

"Like this?" He moved the figurines.

"Better." Lucas looked at Patrick.

"We've lost Aldric."

"For at least an hour." Yanis asked several more questions. Why not attack the tail? Why not use all the archers? Why did knights need horses? Karim watched them from the sofa, and Samira sat down beside him.

"He's patient."

"Very." The game continued for nearly half an hour. Yanis decided that his soldiers had won the battle. He raised his arms before gathering his figurines.

"We won. Without losing anyone."

"A particularly successful victory…" Yanis smiled. His gaze returned to Aldric. He studied his face, his shoulders, then his hands. Aldric understood that another question was coming. The boy finally looked at his father.

"Dad? Is he a real knight?"