Tedric's relationship with his family was...tumultuous; not in a hostile sense, to be sure, but certainly, a far cry from the perfect life a man born into a noble house was perceived to have. That wasn't to say Tedric had not benefited over that of the average person, of course, and certainly leagues ahead of some unknown farmer. Still, there was plenty of struggles and a host of other issues that came from a prominent families' position in the world. Just as, he was sure, his mage had a whole host of trials that he would never have imagined. It was then that his mind's scattered thoughts all stuck to one thing. His mage. Not Alaria as a person in particular, though there was surely enough there for his mind to process. Rather, it was the concept that he was bonded to another soul. That another being was now linked to his own life. That, in many senses, his<i>possession </i>of her was real. Palpable. Of course, possession was not, quite, the right term for their arrangement but it was the closest thing his mind could reach to as an adequate description.<br/><br/>Clearing his throat, Tedric tried to ignore the heat that was beginning to pool around his cheeks and neck. "You would be correct in so assuming." He chuckled aloud while rubbing the back of his head, trying not to seem too embarrassed at his misdirection. "Guess it's been longer than I thought," Tedric added in his defense, even though she hadn't really accused him of anything. It, simply, didn't make for that excellent an impression for a first meeting if he were too incompetent to find a proper restaurant. Turning, Tedric followed beside Alaria all the same; plenty willing to give the blond control over where their destination would be.<br/><br/>The establishment that ended up as their short journey's end was not one he had ever ventured into. Not that his memory was the best measure. Clearly. But, it looked much the same as any other similar business might and, as Alaria would point out, just as packed. Being in an upscale area of town the patrons were in a similar state of dress and appearance. A handful were done up in ceremonial robes and colors while other still were entombed in armors of varying degrees of quality. None, at least that Tedric could spot, with anything nearing the craftsmanship of his own distinguished plate ensemble; as was befitting a Knight in the Royal Army, for sure. Unlike his companion, however, Tedric was not nearly agile enough to slip through the thong of bodies with such grace. Thankfully, most parted at his approach without the need of his own intervention. Any that did not move right away, either out of stubbornness or, simply still, ignorance to his path, relented with a light tap of his gauntleted hand. Say what one would about Tedric's calm reserved nature but he still possessed an air of authority that was, once more, becoming a man in his position.<br/><br/>The seat, however, was another problem entirely. It had not been designed to take a person donned in full battle armor much less one with the height and weight Tedric possessed. It held, thankfully, with but a few groans as the wooden supports were stressed by his mass. Just in time, it would seem, for the busty barmaid to all but ambush the pair from the mass of bodies. Of course, as she leaned over the table, Tedric's eyes were drawn to her ample cleavage on full display; her garments making no attempt at concealing such overflowing<i>gifts </i>either. If anything, the low cut shirt was meant to do precisely such a thing and Tedric had fallen right into the obvious snare.<br/><br/>Clearing his throat, Tedric did his best to wrest his eyes away before it had become too obvious where his attention had been concentrated. "Ah. Yes." Already he could feel the heat rising in his cheeks once again. "An ale will be fine, thank you. And some stew, perhaps? Whatever your chef feels will suffice." With that, Sara sauntered off with a little more than a sway to her rounded hips. A sight that, without fail, drew Tedric's eyes all the same.<br/><br/>Peaking back over at Alaria when Sara had slipped out of sight behind the wall of people, the knight did his best to act as if he were not caught with his hands in the cookie jar. "Are you sure you're not hungry?" He asked in the hopes of diverting the conversation to something more relevant and give him an area to focus on other than the skimpily clad hostess. Leaving Tedric hoping that she could not read his thoughts any more than he could hers. How adept she was in such matters, were it even possible, he did not know.